Profile for Kyna

Field	Value
Displayed name	Kyna
Member number	2628
Title	Infiltrator
Postcount	512
Homepage	http://www.chariot.net.au/~wolfie
Registered	Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00

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Recent posts

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Author	Recent posts
Buddy in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Wednesday, May 7 2003 06:26 Profile Homepage #11 Am I the only one thinking there's an opportunity here for Order Mage and Zephyr to start PMing each other and maybe start up a friendship? (That's if Order Mage decides to turn PM on) If you can co-ordinate timing to be online at the same time you could use the PM system to chat. EDIT: Must stop making typos, or at least notice them when I read through before posting. [ Wednesday, May 07, 2003 06:28: Message edited by: Kyna ] -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Über in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Wednesday, May 7 2003 05:54 Profile Homepage #3 I think it's because the English superlatives have become so overused that they no longer have the impact people might want to convey. People then decide to borrow from another language - it still means 'super' but it sounds foreign (hence 'intellectual') and has more impact as it's not used as often as the word super. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Favorite in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Wednesday, May 7 2003 04:08 Profile Homepage #1 Why does your poll assume that I like one more than the others? It is possible to like several people equally without any one of them being your favourite. Please excuse me now, while I go learn how to dodge bullets and parry swords. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Buddy in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Wednesday, May 7 2003 03:57 Profile Homepage #4 Treating this as genuine and not as some kind of troll or that you may be spamming to get your post count up. (I have no idea why people do spam for post counts, anyway) The best place to make friends is in RL. You sound like you might still be at school - does your school have any clubs that you might be interested in, such as a chess club, debating club, or something you enjoy doing. If your school doesn't have any clubs that you are interested in, try joining a group in the community that reflects your interests. Don't join to make friends, join to have fun. You may find by doing that you do make a friend who shares your interests. People are more likely to befriend someone who is fun to be around rather than someone who seems a little sad and lonely. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Crossfire in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Wednesday, May 7 2003 02:30 Profile Homepage #125 I hate to be the one to break your rose-coloured glasses You're right about the lack of access to quality education ... but that's only part of the story. Sadly, children from welfare dependent families often find it difficult to break out of the poverty cycle because they don't know any different. All their lives they've had welfare dependent parents, friends, neighbours, etc. Often nobody in their personal circle of acquaintances has modelled anything other than welfare dependence. It takes a lot of courage to be different or do something different to everyone you've ever known (such as being the first kid in your street or family to attempt tertiary study). Creating educational opportunities is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done so that these kids realise they do have an alternative to welfare/poverty and that they can make a success of it. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Karma in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Tuesday, May 6 2003 04:00 Profile Homepage #3 I don't think it matters. I don't like being unable to edit karma ratings I've given, and this makes me very reluctant to give ratings. As an example, there's someone I thought was a total idiot and was itching to rate with a 1, but I didn't. A few weeks later I realised that person wasn't a total idiot, and was glad I hadn't given them a permanent downgrading of their karma based on a negative first impression. The only rating I give is a 5, and people really have to earn it before I'll give it. I believe that way I probably won't change my mind and later regret the karma rating I gave them. I figure that if I'm not rating many people and am keeping my opinions to myself, then a lot of other people are probably doing the same. I believe karma isn't a valid reflection of the opinion of the Spiderweb community. It's the opinion of a few people that you've either really irritated or really impressed. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Publicly displayed names in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Monday, May 5 2003 18:15 Profile Homepage #14 I'd been playing on a classless MUD for a while and thought I'd try a magic user with high mind. I had in mind playing the char as an ancient and wise crone and I wanted a name whose meaning reflected that. I did a search on a baby-naming site and came up with Kyna, which apparently meant 'wise'. I played that char for several years, and whenever I played alts and wanted to let my friends know who I was, I would identify myself as Kyna. Guess it's become my online persona. Note that I'm neither ancient nor wise, nor would I consider myself a crone. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
"Georgians Plan Whites-Only Prom Party" in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Monday, May 5 2003 03:27 Profile Homepage #58 One of my co-workers recently 'married' his same sex partner in a commitment ceremony. They've also recently put down the deposit on their home, taking out a mortgage to purchase it. My co-worker tells me that they did consider adopting a child, but decided against it. One of their reasons for deciding not to adopt was that they considered the impact on a child of being raised in a family structure that society still frowns upon (and in the case of some individuals, actively hates). Would that be in the best interest of a child? They concluded that it wouldn't be, and decided against adoption. Which is a shame as I think my co-worker would be a great parent, better than a lot of straight people I know. One of the issues they do face is of superannuation. My work based super fund will pay a pension to me when I retire, and when I die will pay a reduced pension to my partner (or would, if I had one). Partner is defined as a person of the opposite sex that you are either: (a) legally married to; or (b) currently in a de facto relationship with and have been de facto with that person for a certain period of time. The super fund doesn't currently allow for same sex relationships. It doesn't seem fair to me. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
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Crossfire in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Thursday, May 1 2003 17:01 Profile Homepage #105 I believe God gave us free will for a reason. So that we have the power to make choices about our lives. I don't believe we all have some set of tasks we are destined or preordained to do. A new-ager who believes in reincarnation might say that they chose to come back to this life to fulfil certain tasks, learn certain life lessons, etc. They believe in the argument you're putting forward, David. The destiny/fate argument seems more new age than Christian to me. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Crossfire in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Monday, April 28 2003 04:08 Profile Homepage #83 Since at 40 I've passed the halfway point of my 'three-score years and ten' I suppose I qualify as middle-aged. Yes, I used to smoke pot regularly. I gave it up when I started my family. Last year one of my neighbours gave me about a joint's worth of grass (he sells to half the people in the street, I think he was trying for another customer). Before I returned it to my neighbour, I showed it to my teenagers and discussed my experiences with marijuana including why I hoped they wouldn't take up marijuana usage. I believe there have been studies that demonstrate links between mental illness (most notably schizophrenia) and marijuana usage, and my anecdotal experience in working with people receiving sickness allowances and disability pensions backs that up. I have no idea whether it's because people with mental illnesses are more likely to abuse marijuana or whether it's because longterm use of marijuana can trigger mental illness in someone with a genetic predisposition to it. Am I for or against the legalisation of marijuana? In my state it's been decriminalised for personal usage. That means if you grow less than a certain amount of plants (I think the max is three?) you get an on-the-spot fine and no conviction. What's the effect of decriminalisation? It's freed up the police and drug squads to go after other criminals. Sadly, some of those other crimes now include assaults relating to theft of marijuana plants/crops. It's freed up the courts to deal with other matters. The fines make money for the government, so it keeps taxes from increasing as fast. The hydroponics industry has exploded from one shop to dozens in my city, and the electricity companies are reaping the profits from people who use halogen lights for indoor crops. What's my stand on further decriminalisation or legalisation of marijuana? Well, people are going to use & abuse it whether it's legal or not. There are going to be health issues from it's use - but as a cigarette smoker I guess I live in a glass house on that topic. While I no longer use it and would prefer that my children never use it, I see no reason not to legalise marijuana for personal usage as long as it is accompanied by decent education campaigns regarding its dangers and increased budgets for health services. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
The "About us" topic in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Friday, April 25 2003 02:58 Profile Homepage #13 What is your name? - Online, I'm most likely to be Kyna What is your quest? - To one day get through the demo of Avernum 1, without switching to BOE or Geneforge before I do everything in the demo What is your favorite color/colour? - Blue What is your job (If you are unemployed, what prevents you from having more free time)? - Customer service at Centrelink, the Australian govt welfare organisation. No hate mail please. What are some books you like? - Authors I like include ... too many to mention, but I posted some in the Enquete Revisited thread. What are some movies/TV shows you like? - Don't watch a lot of tv. I like good political satire and really miss Backberner, which isn't on anymore. Wish I could get out to the movies a bit more than maybe once a year. What are some computer/console games you like? - Geneforge, Exile Series, A2&3, BOE, Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire What are some bands you like? - Queen, Doors, Rolling Stones, Beatles, other stuff from 60's & 70's. What are some musical pieces you like? - Bohemian Rhapsody. Like listening to the classical radio station, but don't have a clue about classical music. Who are some of your favorite members on these boards? - No comment What do you think various members look like? - Drakefyre looks like a Vahnatai. A very sticky Vahnatai, apparently. No idea about the others. Until I get around to looking inside Schrodinger's box to see what he looks like, all I can do is speculate. What do you look like? - There's a pic in my profile. It's from my work id, and is what I looked like 18 months ago. Since then I've grown my hair long, had it cut, had a perm to have it straightened, let it grow out again. Still have the glasses though. What did you have for lunch last Tuesday? - Either a meat pie, a pasty or a cheese & vegemite sandwich made with toast. What is your age? - 40 What is your species? - Human. What sort of computer do you use? - One that I've been upgrading for the past 12 years and is still obsolete, in spite of every component having been replaced 3 or 4 times. What plane are you from? - The physical plane known as "RL" It's a spooky and weird place. Scary, too. Are you male, female, or "other." - Female How many holes do you prefer in the ceiling? - Enough for the light fitting and adequate ventilation When did you last brush your teeth? - After dinner tonight. Do you feed lemons to your pet alligator? - No, she doesn't like citric fruits. She much prefers the peach. Or was that my pet crocodile? To whom are all your base belong? - say what? What region of the universe are you posting from? - South Australia, Earth, Solar system, Milky Way, The Universe What does (§³·ß)Ð/µª=ƒ mean? - No idea. It looks like statistics. I hated statistics when I did math. What is the appropriate usage of the word "EVOL"? - Since the word isn't in my dictionary, I have no idea. Did I forget anything? - Probably. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
1,000 in General
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Tuesday, April 22 2003 16:25 Profile Homepage #16 YAY! Looking forward to reading many more of your thoughtful, insightful, interesting posts. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Error message on Topics of the Day in Tech Support
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Tuesday, April 15 2003 20:50 Profile Homepage #2 Same here. While we're on the topic of Today's Active Topics, can it please be changed so that it shows topics active in the last 24 hours. It ticks over to a new day & blank list at 4.30pm my time. If I drop by here in the evening (my time) to check out the day's active topics I only see a few threads on that page. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Is it possible? in Blades of Avernum
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Sunday, March 30 2003 04:13 Profile Homepage #34 I didn't mean for you to answer the questions here :) I was simply giving examples of the type of questions you need to ask yourself about every element of your scenario. I'm not trying to pick on you, but I'd like to respectfully suggest that you try and avoid spelling errors in your scenario. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Is it possible? in Blades of Avernum
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Saturday, March 29 2003 20:07 Profile Homepage #32 I'm trying to think of an analogy here to explain what I mean. Think of movies with lots of explosions in them. In the poorly done ones you think 'wow those explosions were cool' and that's it. It feels like the whole movie was just an excuse for fancy pyrotechnics. The characters were stereotypical and one-dimensional. The story seemed half-done and may have had lots of plot holes. Was cool the first time you saw it, but usually gets boring fast. In the well-done movies you think 'that was a great story, it had depth, it felt like they were real people, the plot was fascinating. I'd like to see that movie again sometime.' Things blowing up may not stand out particularly because they are well-integrated into the rest of the movie. You can see why the bomb was planted or the car was blown up, you understand the reasons the characters behaved the way they did because they were so well-drawn, and yeah the guy behind the counter in the allnight supermarket reminded you of your friend who works in one. In your scenario there are going to be plenty of interesting questions you need to know the answer to (even if you don't use them directly in the scenario). Here's some on the prison idea alone. Why is this remote locale the prison? Do they send all their prisoners here, or only for certain crimes? Do they have other methods of punishment or other prisons in less inaccessible localities? What sort of treatment do the prisoners get at the prison (is it a place of torture, is it like in Exile/Avernum where they're left to fend for themselves, or is it humanely run)? If it's being run by warders - what are the rewards and punishments available to inmates (study? parole? solitary confinement? corporal punishment?) Ask these sorts of questions about EVERYTHING you put in your scenario, and ask yourself questions about the things you deliberately choose to leave out. A lot of work? Yes. Worth the effort? Depends if you want to settle for 'those explosions were cool, shame about the rest of the movie' or if you'd rather create something better. BTW, I have used the technique Aloreal suggests when writing stories. Sometimes my background notes are much, much longer than the story. It makes for a stronger finished product than when I try to write a story without background notes because then I have the setting & characters firmly fixed in my mind, I can refer back to my notes later so I don't contradict myself, and they're useful to reread if I get stuck somewhere. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Is it possible? in Blades of Avernum
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Saturday, March 29 2003 15:08 Profile Homepage #29 You need to give each other element of the scenario as much time and attention to detail as you're giving the weapon & armor you've mentioned. This includes such elements as: the personalities of the townspeople you interact with (including a few who are not essential to any quests); the motivations of pivotal characters; every step of the plot and side quests; the landscape & layout; the background world (make it believable and so that it has some sort of history and sense to it, as Alorael posted); etc, etc. From what you've stated so far in this thread, the plot sounds kind of vague and as if it's simply there to enable you to put in these monsters and this weapon. Fortunately you have quite some time to work on these ideas before BOA is released. I could be being unfair here, perhaps you have put a lot of work into the above elements, but haven't gone into the detail here :) Well-developed storylines and background are part of what separates a good scenario I'll want to replay from a ho-hum scenario I'll probably not bother to keep on my HDD. When I'm playing a scenario, I like to be able to suspend reality and believe this place exists somewhere/somewhen and attention to this sort of detail helps make that happen. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Does anybody use the berzerk skill? in Nethergate
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Thursday, March 27 2003 02:00 Profile Homepage #2 I've only recently started playing Nethergate (finished one game as the Celts, halfway through my first game as the Romans). As the Celts I didn't find the damage too excessive - I gave both my fighters the berzerk trait and lots of points in the skill. My reason for choosing the option was that with a pair of druids backing up as healers why worry about the damage taken while you're dealing more damage. -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00
Nethergate's Popularity in Nethergate
Kyna Infiltrator Member # 2628	written Wednesday, March 19 2003 16:24 Profile Homepage #1 I'm on my first playthrough of it now. Just like I have with the other Spiderweb games I've played (GF, A2, A3, E2) I'm totally obsessed with it, and think this has to be the best game yet. I only registered the other day, and rather than wait for the CD to arrive (along with the Exile trilogy CD and BOE CD), I downloaded the full version. I just couldn't wait a day longer. I think something in the game resonates with my Celtic ancestry and love of fantasy which draws on Celtic myths. It also brings to mind the MUD I used to play, which had an newbie area named Tara (from which druids and fighters came) and a nearby sidhe area called ShadowLands (which was only safe to be tackled as part of a high-level group containing a good mix of fighters, mages, sniper, druids and surgeons). -------------------- We meet and part now over all the world; we, the lost company, take hands together in the night, forget the night in our brief happiness, silently. -- Judith Wright My website Posts: 512 | Registered: Wednesday, February 12 2003 08:00

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