Graeme

Then there was the first generation of graphic games, like the Ultima series, followed by many generations in lots of genres, like Microsoft Flight Simulator, and ending up in the vast Internet based games like World of Warcraft and, my sons' current favourite, Club Penguin. The only thing that can compete against PC games in our household is the Wii. That's because the controls are so different to what's on the PC, which is largely keyboard or joystick based. There's something about standing on a balance board and snowboarding through a slalom course that a handheld console game can't compete with. We don't have an Xbox or PlayStation in our house, because we just don't see any value in buying them. We have the PC for complex games, Nintendo DS's for quiet play, and the Nintendo Wii for family games.

Happy Birthday, Steve! :music: :music:

There's no difference in the early chapters, so you can't get those wrong It's just a case of where the story ends. If you read a version where it doesn't seem to end properly, then that's the one where the author continued it, and then abandoned the continuation.

I should note that there is more than one version of this story on the Internet. The author continued the story after what he thought should be the ending, and then realised that was a mistake. So there are some versions with more chapters than others. I can't say which is which, though, as it's been a couple of years since I read the story and the author's blog. I think the one that ends at chapter 22 is the author's preferred one, but that's off a very rusty memory

In novels I've bought, I'd say there are only a handful that I didn't finish. Most of them would be stories where the plot just dragged out and I didn't see it changing. The others would be ones where I just couldn't 'get into' the story. It didn't grab my attention (which isn't that hard to get -- I stayed up until close to midnight last night reading a new book, when I knew I should have gone to bed early because it had been a long day) and so I gave up. As for series, I've stopped reading a few. For some, it's the originality of the original one or two books got lost with latter books. After several books that were 'more of the same', I just stopped buying them. For others, it was that the story just didn't seem to go anywhere. There's one particularly well known fantasy series that I gave up on eventually because after the last two or three books, subplots that were left hanging were still left hanging three books later. I could just about summarise the last two books I read as 'everything that was going on before was still going on, plus a handful of new things'. I gave up at that point.

viv started a thread in The Lounge that links to a site that 'analyses' writing styles. CJ tried it out and reported the following: Is anyone really surprised that there's an affinity between CJ's writing and the master of horror, H.P. Lovecraft?

I put in four different short story excerpts, and got four different authors. I presume that means I'm schizophrenic....

The prologue doesn't say that Trevor is their biological son. If, taking a theoretical example, he was adopted, he would still be their son, though he would be the son of someone else, as well. The term 'son' can mean just that they are his parents. A genetic relationship is common, but not required for the term 'son' to be truthfully used.

I can't comment on what C James wants, apart from to say that there would be a lot of options, so anything is possible. What's realistic is the question, and I have no experience at all regarding that. That doesn't always work. I remember over ten years ago one computer manufacturer whose office security system used a touch pad where the numbers were displayed when it was activated. That is, it didn't have a permanent set of 0-9 digits, but had blank buttons that would only show the digits when the keypad was activated... and the digits would appear in random locations. That way, the actual keys used would vary each time the keypad was used. I believe the idea was to stop someone from observing the buttons pushed, and the coming along later and trying those same buttons. Of course, that's getting exotic and over-the-top for most applications, but it shows how there is a lot of variations possible. Security companies are always on the look out for how people can bypass/fool/break their systems, and then come up with ways to plug those holes.

To reinforce what Nephylim has said, the site is predominantly stories with some sort of gay theme or subplot. There are stories here that include straight relationships as well as gay relationships, and that's fine. There are stories in the anthologies that are not gay-related at all, and that's fine, too! (It had better be, because I wrote one of them ) But the consensus some time ago when the topic was discussed was that we didn't the site to drift away from being about gay oriented stories. Sex is a part of being human, and it's certainly a part of what makes someone gay, but it's the not the entire picture. Thus we have stories where sex is only part of the story, or not even present, because being gay means more than just sex. I would be very sad if we ever discouraged authors from including sex in their stories, but I would be equally sad if we told authors that they had to include sex in their stories. It's up to the authors as to what they include and what they don't, and that's the way it should always be.

Restricting the range of topics concerning gays to just sex and sensuality seems a bit unfair. What about relationships? What about overcoming prejudice? What about showing that gays are just people? What about escapism, and creating a world where being gay is nothing worth writing home about, and the story just happens to have a leading character (or characters) that are gay, but that's not what the story is about? If being gay just meant sex and sensuality then... wait... if it just means sex, where do I sign up?

I would have to say that all the memorable couples I can think of have three attributes: 1. The two individuals are distinct -- they aren't copies of each other. More importantly, one doesn't run roughshod over the other. 2. The two individuals are both strong characters. Not necessarily strong as in dominant, but they aren't caricatures -- they are complex, three-dimensional people. 3. There is a strong, largely positive, relationship between the two individuals.

If you'll take advice from a foreigner who has been to both places, I'd recommend Manchester on costs grounds, and London on tourist grounds. London is expensive. Budget accommodation will probably mean staying a long way out from the central city, though I'll concede the public transport system is good (despite what the locals say about the Underground -- you should try getting around Melbourne via public transport!). However, there is a broad range of tourist attractions in London to suit all tastes, so everyone going there would find something to do outside the GA meet. Manchester is easy to get to, being a major transport hub. I went there by train from London, and then flew home. It's smaller than London and budget accommodation should be closer to the Canal Street area, where I presume people will want to meet, being the heart of the gay district (I was there for work, and my hotel was within walking distance, but that hotel was also expensive). There's probably less tourist options available, but there are definitely some, and if a few people with vehicles are willing to act as drivers, there are a lot of options in the surrounding area. I can personally recommend the Leeds Armoury. When I was there with my wife in 1996 it has just openned. We planned on spending an hour or two, and then drive on. We ended up staying for six hours, and didn't finish the place....

I think most are saying is that they don't appreciate gratuitous sex in a story. Sex that is part of the story, however, is a different thing. A sex scene that advances the story in some way (plot or character development) is quite different to a sex scene that's in a story for no apparent reason other than to have a sex scene. This is a topic that crops up from time to time. There are a number of readers who prefer stories without explicit sex. There are a number of readers who prefer stories with limited sex. And there are a number of readers who prefer stories with lots of sex. Sometimes a person can belong to more than one of the above groupings, as it could depend on their mood at the time. There is no right or wrong answer. It's all personal taste -- both in the reader and in the author. As an author, you write for a target audience. That could be just yourself, or it could be people who like to read stories about aliens from the planet Zog having sex with aliens from the planet Aard, but there's always an audience in mind. A story will never satisfy everyone, and an author shouldn't try. That's just a recipe for disappointment and disillusionment. If you like writing sex scenes, and the people you're writing for like reading sex scenes, then write sex scenes, and don't get put off by some people who don't like reading sex scenes. For the record, I don't write sex scenes myself, but that's for personal reasons. I will read sex scenes, but I don't go looking for them. If they're in a story I'm enjoying, then that's okay.

The judge has decided on the penalty for copyright breach. Rather than the 50% of royalties that Larrikin Music wanted, they'll get 5% of the royalties. That's actually less than I had guessed. I was expecting about 10%, with part of that being the penalty for the breach. As it is, there doesn't appear to be any punitive penalty applied -- just paying the backdated royalties and any future royalties.

Personally, I don't see this is being significant. People use imprecise statements all the same. Certainly, if I was a sailor and I received an iPod in a waterproof case, I'd probably call it a 'waterproof iPod'. The only reason I can think of for making this change is that Apple has sent C James and 'cease-and-desist' letter, because they're planning on bring out a waterproof iPod in the near future and didn't like the fact that he spilled the beans early.... :wacko:

You're basically highlighting a failure to communicate. Communication is a two-way street. If a parent places restrictions on a child, then they should be able to explain why those restrictions are in place. In the case you've described, your mother needs to explain why she feels you are doing too much texting, and why she feels she needs to monitor it. If she explains why, you don't have to agree with the explanation, but it then goes back to you to explain to her why you think she's mistaken. That's the two-way part of the communication. You need to be able to explain your side of the story, too. Simply applying a rule without an explanation is just making it a challenge. If reasons are given (eg. she's the one paying the bills) then it may be that a compromise can be found (eg. you start paying the bills, instead, and so you can then text/call up to the limit of your available money). Unfortunately, communication needs to be a habit, and if you're out of the habit of actually talking AND listening, then it can be really hard to get back into the habit.

You mean like nude rugby? As played in New Zealand in 2009 and 2010... I should point out that this is during Winter in New Zealand There are online videos available, too, such as this one showing the NZ team doing the haka. You'll notice a TV camera in that video. What appears to be footage from that camera is also available online, but you'll have to find it yourself as posting the link would violate GA rules on nudity. I'll give a hint though -- it's on the website of one of the New Zealand newspapers.

But that's weather. The question was about seasons, not weather. If you'd asked about weather, I would have been happy to say that cold weather is more deadly than hot weather Seasons, on the other hand, are different. Winter in Queensland, for example, is probably as deadly as Summer in Tasmania. And probably not much different from Summer in Queensland.

Actually, I suspect more people die in Winter in Australia than Summer, but that won't be evenly distributed across the country. I don't see that in the tropical areas (the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland) that there would be much of a difference between the two seasons. In the southern states, however, the medical impact of colder weather would probably outweigh the 'invincible young male' syndrome that strikes during Summer. Most people still die from non-seasonal reasons, such as just old age, heart attacks, strokes, etc. Identifying seasonal causes can be tricky -- all you can really do is count the total number of deaths in each month and see if there is a year-on-year trend. That correlation, though, doesn't necessarily mean that there is a causal link.

You didn't give an option for 'it depends' That's why I can't answer it. Winter in some places is more severe than others, and in those places it can be a bigger killer than it would be in other places where Winter tends to be mild. As an example, we would rarely have ice on the roads here in Melbourne, so deaths due to ice are much rarer than they would be in somewhere like the UK. Similarly, Summer deaths are often based on regional factors. The weather can kill (eg. heatwaves), but I suspect the bigger killer would be Summer activities. EDIT TO ADD: The article confirms my 'it depends' response. While it nominates Winter as the deadlier season, it also says the following: So, it's regional It also makes the point that it doesn't apply in the tropics, where there really isn't a cold season.

I'm now seeking suggestions for next year's anthology themes. Use the link provided to go to the suggestion thread for the details Graeme GA Anthology Coordinator

Timelines are only really important to give events a sequence. If it involves events in the real world, you need to organise your timelines appropriately. eg. If you have a total eclipse occurring in the story, it's a good idea to make sure you make sure the story fits the real-life event, such as making sure it's in the right month. If the story doesn't involve real-life events then it's up to the author to define the timelines. If a story is being posted as it's written, that can cause problems. For example, if a story indicates at the start that something is going to happen in three weeks time, and then, when the author gets to that part of the story, they realise they needed four or five weeks to get everything in place for the 'big event', then that can be disconcerting for the reader. It's simple enough to fix, but if the earlier part of story is already posted, it can be a pain. In this situation, timelines are closely coupled with outlines, since the outline is, essentially, just a shorthand version of the timeline. Otherwise, it's up to the story telling ability of the author. One of my favourite stories is Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. That story isn't told in a sequential manner, and I'll admit that it confused me the first time I read it because it wasn't obvious that part of the story was a flashback. But the story writing was so good that that didn't make a difference. I worked it out, eventually, and I still re-read the story from time to time.

This is already in a thread in the Games and Humor forum. To save confusion, I'm locking this thread. Use the link to get to the other thread

Fear of being accused of child abuse is one reason why male primary school teachers are rare (I remember reading a report where male student teachers said that was a significant reason why they didn't go into primary school teaching). It's also the reason why even the female primary school teachers can be cautious with the kids. One of the teachers of our boys told us that she was advised to not give the kids hugs, because it could be misconstrued. It's a tough issue. I think we're narrowing the scope our children have for receiving affection, but we haven't closed it off, yet. Kids can still get the affection they deserve and need, and not just from their immediate family, but there is a degree of trust that needs to be established first for people outside the family to be able to offer affection. That's trust between that outsider and the parents of the children, not trust between the outsider and the children, but it needs to be there first before that affection can be safely offered. Moving further afield, yes, strangers, especially men, are reluctant to approach a child because of the possible accusations. However, I'd like to think that a child that is obviously lost or in the wrong place should still have people approach them. It gets trickier when they are older (say, over seven or eight), as they could be legitimately out by themselves at that age.