Kriegspiel

A colleague made me aware of the existence of a neat little game called 'Kriegspiel'. It is a 2d/3d war game simulation based on a board game created in 1977.

The style is actually quite nice: It's meant to look like paper cut-outs on an ink-pen hand drawn map. (One of the promotional items you can download from the front page are actual paper cut-outs to cut out and glue together)

It also has two play modes: a top-down 2d view and a quasi-3d view (which uses the cut-out graphics). It doesn't however have a single-player mode, so I haven't really played it yet.

The rules look good though: there are only a handful of units and they have really simple rules. There are also rules about lines of communication, radiating from arsenals and relays. Any unit not in contact with a line of communication has to be in contact with a unit that is, otherwise it's disabled. Combat seems straightforward too, but I haven't really read up on that yet.

However, these details aren't actually the niftiest feature of the game. The fact that it is based on a board game designed by a French poet/filmmaker and revolutionary is. The guy in person is Guy Debord (no pun intended) and if you want to know more about him, read his Wikipedia Page. He sounds like a proper old-school revolutionary though.

He got fascinated by the art of war by reading Carl von Clausewitz and about the European campaigns of Napoleon. The game has therefore a distinct Napoleonic feel about it. It also reminds me a lot (stylewise) of the old Risk and Stratego games.

It's written in Java and has versions on the site for Windows and Mac OS. (No idea if a Linux version is forthcoming)

Chrome

Well, I'm guessing not everybody will have heard of Google's Chrome yet, but I don't think it will be too long before this new entry in the Browser-war game will at least have been tried by the better part of the Internet community.

It's a logical step for Google: Any software producer will want to maximize the user-experience of their product. As Google, you control the code on your side of the connection - and you can't really control anything from that point onwards - but what about the end-point of the connection? Maximize the performance on that side as well and you've got a winner.

And that's what they've done: Chrome is nothing if not fast! On the code side they've added a very speedy Javascript implementation which some people say is almost 70x the speed of IE's engine. They've also streamlined the actual UI to the bare minimum, so there's no fuss around your workspace.

And that's the crux: Two of the tabs I have open all the time are Gmail and Google Reader. And they now fly. It's easy to see the added value for Google to have people use Chrome with their web-applications. Add the quality you can almost guarantee from Google - haven't most of their other products been slick too? - and it's a no-brainer.

I've not run in to many sites that don't work. By using WebKit - a well-established browser rendering engine used in things like Apple's Safari - they've insured that 99% of the sites out there will work. Sites using flash or variations thereof have worked fine for me up till now and even in-line PDF-reading seems OK (Firefox still has problems with that sometimes).

Of course I'm a self-professed Google fanboi, so it should not be a surprise that I give it the benefit of the doubt, but I'm suggesting that people give it at least a try. Download the installer and have it import the bookmarks of your favourite browser and give your sites a whirl. I'm certain you'll be impressed.

(And if you want to learn about the hows and whys of Chrome, why not read the excellent comic they made as a promotion?)

Geoffrey Perkins killed in road accident

This blog seems to have a nasty tendency to report on Sci-Fi and Fanatsy writing greats passing away. Sadly, this time it might not be a household name that has left this life, but Geoffrey Perkins is nonetheless a mighty name and it is a great unjustice that an accident has taken him away from us.

For starters he produced The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That alone places him firmly at the top of the firmament, just slightly below Douglas Adams himself. I've read some articles about the creation of the series and Geoffrey's name features often in those.

But from his obituary I saw that he has had a hand in many more of the great British comedies of the last few decades. Father Ted, Spitting Image, The Fast Show and The Catherine Tate show to name but a few.

I'll let his IMDB page and his obituary speak for himself. I wish less people that have brought me joy pass away anytime soon. I hate seeing funny people die. I know that is a selfish thought, so I will also say that of course my thoughts go out to his family and friends who have suffered a great loss today.

It's Firefox 3 download day!!

It's download day, it's download day, it's d-d-d-d-download day!


(Edit: Apparently not until 18:00 GMT though...)

"This I believe"

As so often these days, I was 'stumbling' along the Internet highway and a small gem fell into my lap.

Robert A. Heinlein wrote what I can only see as his 'creed' in 1952. He apparently delivered it at a radio interview the same year.

In 1988 his wife, Virginia Heinlein, delivered the speech again at when she accepted the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal posthumously on his behalf.

You can read it here.

I agree. This I believe as well.

Nice to work in I guess...

I mean, it looks a bit too over the top.

But still...

Well, look for yourself.

R.I.P. Gary Gygax, Shaper of lives

Call it synchronicity, but I spent the whole day listening to Podcasts from Wizards of the Coast on Dungeons & Dragons. Tonight, I browse to the WotC site and there I am confronted with a grey page telling me of the man's demise. Or should I say The Man.

For me, his creation of D&D has shaped my life. I would not know many of the people I know today if it weren't for this hobby. I've been toying with getting more serious in it but I think I will double my efforts in that in respect to Mr. Gygax.

Rest in peace Gary. I hope you will encounter only Angels where you go. Demons and Devils better stay away.