Profile for Micawber
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Micawber |
| Member number | 2759 |
| Title | Agent |
| Postcount | 1104 |
| Homepage | http://www.anthonygoreham.net |
| Registered | Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
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| Ethical Survey in General | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Wednesday, October 12 2005 09:54
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1) Male 2) Somewhat 3) Neither 4) No 5) No 6) No Regarding items 4), 5) and 6), I cannot justify actively causing the death of anyone, however old or young or fat. Who am I to make the decision that person X should die while persons A, B, C, D and E should live? Of course, this is an abstract argument. I fervently hope I shall never actually be put in this position. If I could actually see five people tied to a track, how could I stand there and take no action to help them? Particularly in the unpleasant case that one or more of the five was personally known to me. This sort of moral dithering, by the way, is the reason why I answer "somewhat" to item 2). I find that organised religion is too full of absolutes. On the other hand I instinctively reject the purely worldly view. -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| DOCTOR WHO in General | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Wednesday, October 12 2005 09:28
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The new Who series is really quite good. It has a good mix of familiar elements (e.g. the TARDIS, the Autons, the Daleks) and new elements (new characters, new monsters, new settings). It has a mixture of historic settings (e.g. the episode featuring Charles Dickens) present day settings (e.g. the episode where Rose tries to prevent her father's death) and futuristic settings (e.g. the 2nd episode set on a space station). The episodes have humour, and there are some halfway decent SFX, but not at the expense of the story. Best of all, the feel of the series -at least for me - was the traditional one, namely the Doctor and his companion exploring the universe and getting into scrapes. It mostly seemed to avoid the excessive angst of the later McCoy stories & New Adventures. The new series was broadcast in the early evening on a Saturday night and it explicitly caters for children in its tone (notwithstanding the evil monster shock factor). However the thing that does, for me, diminish the series is the new 50 minute format. No more cliffhangers, which were a key feature of the original series. And 50 minutes doesn't give the writers so long to develop the plot as the old 4x25 minute serials. Not so many twists. On the flip side, of course, the original stories sometimes felt padded and the new format does manage to avoid that. -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| In the Sewers of Shayder... in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Wednesday, October 12 2005 08:54
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This is just unsupported speculation. There is no evidence to suggest that this unfortunate mage was executed by the Anama - it is far more likely to have been a rival mage. Any Empire that requires magical enchantments to keep itself in power is undesirable, and we'd be better off without it. If on the other hand the Empire is fair and virtuous, then it will survive without the need for magery. -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| DOCTOR WHO in General | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Tuesday, October 11 2005 12:44
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Re Paul Cornell: In general I agree, he's not my favourite writer. But Human Nature is a very interesting book, and is not the same as his usual stuff. Re Richard Hurndall: Yes, you do get to see a bit too much of his thighs for compfort in that costume. Although it's quite suitable for a slave costume. To Ephesos Re B7 ending: The thing about Avon is, he's very insecure and can't bear the idea of having been deceived by Blake. Then it appears that he has been made a fool of ("you betrayed me?") which he seems to interpret as a personal affront, hence he snaps. To Muji Re What Happened: It doesn't really matter what happened, as continuity was never the series' strength. The atmosphere, the sense of exploration and the basic decency of the Doctor in the face of his opponents, that was the point of the series. -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| DOCTOR WHO in General | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Monday, October 10 2005 12:04
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Among my favourites are Genesis of the Daleks and Caves of Androzani. The scripts are just brilliant; backed up by some fine performances. For instance it is hard not to shiver when you hear the following line delivered by Nyder: "Thank you. That's what I wanted to know." Cue approach of daleks. Inferno is an awesome story. Not just because of the eyepatch, although that is funny. But mainly because the Doctor dismisses Prof Stahlman (who let's remember is a lunatic who is going to destroy the world) with the line "You sir, are a nit-wit!". What a put-down. The line from Horns of Nimon that I remember is, "I saw three!" (in an unhinged voice). This one is in the same league (and the same season) as Creature from the Pit. That is to say, not the sort of serial you would show to a non-fan... In terms of the books, I like The Sorceror's Apprentice by Christopher Bulis, and everything written by Gareth Roberts is super. I also quite liked Human Nature by Paul Cornell, if memory serves. Re Blake's Seven, yes I love that series. It is brilliant and I would recommend it highly. It is an excellent antidote to the disneyfied space-syrup offered by Star Trek. The Doctor Who connection is Terry Nation - I did say it was tenuous - because Terry Nation invented both the daleks and B7. Other connections include Colin Baker (6th Doctor, played Bayban the Beserker in a B7 episode), Richard Hurndall (1st Doctor in The Five Doctors plays a slave in a B7 episode) and Jacqueline Pearce (appeared as Chesyene in The Two Doctors, plays the main villain Servelan throughout the B7 series). Edit: Stories worth an honourable mention include The Sea Devils (worth it for the duel scene alone), The Dalek Invasion of Earth (obviously), Frontier in Space and City of Death. [ Monday, October 10, 2005 12:16: Message edited by: Micawber ] -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| DOCTOR WHO in General | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Monday, October 10 2005 11:08
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Hooray! A Doctor Who thread! I love Who and have watched it since I was 9 years old. Of course, it has sadly been off-air for most of my life, but I got around that by buying the videos of the extant bits of the previous 26 years' worth of shows. Now finally my patience has been rewarded and I can now enjoy watching Christopher Eccleston in the ALL NEW series... which has now been repeated on tv about half a million times... never mind, it's 500,000 times better than anything else that's on tv anyhow. I have also been to quite a few conventions, including some attended by Jon Pertwee, while he was still alive. The best one was a reunion in the original village where they filmed the Daemons, which still has the same green, houses and of course the church where the Master summoned Azal... PS: my location "DSV liberator" has a tenuous Who link. PPS: Icshi is an abominable snowman. [ Monday, October 10, 2005 11:16: Message edited by: Micawber ] -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| A3 - finding Shahpur in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Monday, October 10 2005 10:58
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After a bit of testing, I think she's only there every third day. When I tried it just now, Shahpur was in Angel's Rest on days 48 and 51 but I couldn't find her on days 49 and 50. I suggest you rest outside AR until you reach a day whose number is divisible by 3. -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| E3: the slime pit in The Exile Trilogy | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Monday, October 10 2005 10:45
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There's a fletcher in Delan (pretty average prices). Edit: Archery may be useless most of the time, but it still comes in handy whenever there are chasms. [ Monday, October 10, 2005 11:20: Message edited by: Micawber ] -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Solo party recommendations in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Monday, October 3 2005 10:42
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What does divinely touched do, exactly? When I tried it in Avernum 1 it just seemed to give my PC lots of once-a-day abilities that I never wanted to use. Does it have other benefits as well? -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Avernum 4? in General | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Sunday, October 2 2005 04:59
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Any sign of the Anama Church in Avernum 4? -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Name everything in General | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Sunday, October 2 2005 04:32
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All right, here goes... Trade Union membership cardEmployee Assistance card (phone no)Student Support card (phone no)English Heritage membership cardNational Trust membership cardRAC membership card (motoring)Youth Hostels membership cardLibrary membership cardSocial Security numbercardWHSmith loyalty card (stationers)Tesco loyalty card (supermarket)MVC membership card (music & video)Blockbuster Video membership cardTelephone chargecardInternet banking customer ID cardBook of 2nd class postage stamps (usually also have 1st class stamps but I recently ran out)Driving licence (photocard + paper counterpart)3 credit cards2 debit cardsCash (currently GBP 40)Post-it note with computer password written onRailway ticket from last Sunday (return from London to Oxford)8 retail receipts2 ATM receiptsHotel room pass from this week, since I stayed in Coventry for work purposesIt's quite difficult to force my wallet shut, by the way... -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| The Isle of Big-Ail in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Sunday, October 2 2005 03:31
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Friends: I exhort you to look past the shallow pleadings and shameful propaganda of the magi apologists. For the record, I will rebut the faithless misrepresentations of the one known as Chief Spider, who has libeled the Anama on more than one occasion. 1. The "wicked priest Anohar" did not "revive" the sacred Anama faith before the year 833. In the first place His Holiness is named Ahonar (not Anohar). In the second place he is not a "wicked" priest - his ministry is famous throughout Valorim for its pioneering work in healing and curing. In the third place, the Anama church is not a revival. The true faith, which was revealed to the worthy prophet in person, is a revelatory response to the evils of magic, which are only now becoming apparent. 2. The infidel talks of the Anama church as a "dark organization" "spreading evil". On the contrary, it is his magic that is spreading the forces of evil throughout the land, while the Anama fight bravely to hold back the hordes. You want evidence? Just observe the return of troglodytes, rumors of dragons and the introduction of alien beings, the so-called "Vahnatai" to our continent. These unnatural beings are the very manifestations of magical corruption. Only the faithful will survive their touch. 3. The villain has made a disingenuous suggestion that the offering of free healing and curing to Anama members first was, in some way, a sinister attempt to increase the numbers of our flock. Nothing could be further from the truth. This prioritization was merely a sensible response to the circumstances. Plainly with so many sufferers to treat, it makes sense to heal the faithful first, so that they may use their faith in the healing of others. In this way the healing capacity available is increased. I ask you all, in a crisis, how could you justify acting differently? 4. The deceitful one has said that offering skillful prayers to adventurers is an attempt to make them less powerful and influential. In the Anama church we recognize that, in these dangerous times, adventurers are a necessary remedy for the many troubles that cannot be addressed by the civil and military authorities alone. And we dispute entirely the charge that Anama adventurers are in anyway less powerful than their magical counterparts. There is clear evidence that this is not the case - for was it not a legendary band of devout Anama adventurers who ended the Plagues of Valorim? Indeed, it was they who interceded with the Empress on behalf of the Church, thus securing us kinder treatment from the government authorities. 5. The slanderer accuses the Church of being responsible for producting and shipping the evil Skribbane drug to Monroe. This charge is totally without foundation. The teachings of the Anama faith absolutely prohibit the use of this foul drug and it would certainly not be produced in any Anama settlement. The Church has fought daily against the scourge of this weed and has taken every possible measure to prevent it from spreading. There is simply no evidence for the Chief Spider's claims. The spread of skribbane into the City of Gale was due to a criminal syndicate with the complicity of the Mayor. The Church made vociferous protests but did not have sufficient influence in that benighted town to prevent it. 6. He states that "Anama leaders instructed their underlings to shut themselves off from the outside world". This is quite evidently not the case. The continent of Valorim is replete with our missionaries spreading the true word. It is true that the hard working farming townsmen and townswomen on the Isle of Bigail are too busy to chatter with passing adventurers, as they have a hard life (we are working hard to improve their circumstances). But I can assure you that even Anama members passing through would not be allotted any more time for immaterial conversation - at the most a mere nod in greeting. This is a classic case of the Anama church being accused of a failing more common among magic users. For instance, the encantrix Erika and the dragon Athron - these are the ones who cut themselves off from contact with outsiders, on account of their magical perversions. 7. In respect of recruitment, he protests that "the story of a very young girl happening to die in a magical experiment gone wrong" is somehow an unfair reflection of magery. Yet, is it not the case that had it not been for magic this girl would still be alive? He cannot escape from this simple truth, the same truth that permeates the entire Anama faith. 8. He picks on the "terrible shape" of imperial soldiers of Bigail as evidence of the Anama's supposed empire building. Quite absurd. We all know that the soldiers posted to Bigail were never exactly crack troops in the first place. And at the time he is speaking of, due to the quarantine, they had been serving for two months longer than their normal tour of duty. They were facing a terrible and hitherto unknown magical disease spread by gigantic predatory cockroaches. In such circumstances is it surprising that the soldiers were in poor condition? In fact, it was only due to the good offices of the Anama priests stationed throughout the Isle that the soldiers survived at all. 9. To cap it all, the demonic perjurer has the temerity to suggest that the Anama were complicit in the cockroach plague. Such ridiculous claims - how precisely does he imagine one programs a cockroach? Even if it were possible, the idea stinks of heretical magery. And where is the evidence? The very sewers of the city of Shayder - heart of the Anama faith - were infested. In fact, the Church was the sole obstacle standing in the way of the cockroaches. And need I remind you all that evidence found in the filth factory suggested the cockroach plague was in reality caused by magical beasts: dragons? Now finally, I ask you to consider who is behind this campaign of deception. Who, or should I say, what? A talking spider: the worst of all magical monsters, a being which specialises in driving other beings insane with its high-pitched voice and meaningless drivel. The world must be purged of such dangerous beasts, for they originate in the very underworld. Furthermore, given his request for monetary donations, I suspect he is affiliated with that house of evil the Church of the Divine Lucre. If you support the one true cause and wish to contribute to our fight to drive out magic and all its terrible consequences, please don't send us any money. Instead, visit you local Anama priest and offer your time and services to spread the word of the Anama faith and drive back the frontiers of evil. -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Exile 2 - the graymold salve recipe in The Exile Trilogy | |
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Agent
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written Sunday, October 2 2005 01:22
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Yeah, the outdoors graymold salve recipe refers to Exile 1 not Exile 2. -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| highest damage you've done? in The Exile Trilogy | |
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written Thursday, September 29 2005 10:46
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The highest damage I've ever done is 670962 in Exile 2 and 501402 in Exile 3. What? Oh right, you meant in a single strike... -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| naming a character in Avernum in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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written Thursday, September 29 2005 10:36
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In reply to VCH, I just have to open my first ever E1 save game: John, Ariel, Nathan, Samantha, Allison, Erik. Brings it all back... the sound effects in that game are, well dodgy. [ Thursday, September 29, 2005 10:38: Message edited by: Micawber ] -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| your favourite people of avernum! in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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written Sunday, September 25 2005 11:48
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I like 'X', Carmine (from Lennus) and Athron because they have a life that extends beyond your PCs; they just get on with what they're doing and don't send you to do their jobs for them. -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| souls to take in The Exile Trilogy | |
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written Thursday, September 22 2005 12:50
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(i) 1080; (ii) you already said this, in the other thread; (iii) in general any monster that causes your PCs trouble is worth having in the soul crystal; quickghasts can be problematic in E3, but in A3 spectres take over. -------------------- Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| uh oh, mayor and town got killed in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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written Thursday, September 22 2005 12:40
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Really? - So is Shayder abandoned at that point or do the Anama stick around? Anyway, as Alo said, nothing significant. I remember with the golems in E3 quest, the conveyors were so horrid I just put it off, and put it off some more, until about day 360. Nothing ever happened to stop me finishing the game. -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Help please in Geneforge Series | |
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written Tuesday, September 13 2005 21:57
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Did anybody post some custom graphics for GF somewhere? -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| New board title - Series not Trilogy in The Avernum Trilogy | |
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written Tuesday, September 13 2005 21:54
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So this board is now called "Avernum Series" rather than "Avernum Trilogy". Does this mean there will never be a separate board for A4? [ Tuesday, September 13, 2005 21:55: Message edited by: Micawber ] -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Mathematical Logic... in General | |
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written Tuesday, September 13 2005 21:51
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Yup, that's the way Cantor proved it, in 1895. The power set of N is, of course, identifiable with the set of all mappings N -> {0,1}. And every real number has a binary expansion. Aran, I totally agree. But it's so much fun when you're the one setting the challenge. I really must write a textbook some time. -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Mathematical Logic... in General | |
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written Tuesday, September 13 2005 10:50
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It is, nonetheless, provable in ZFC. I leave the details as exercise for the reader. Edit: Always wanted to say that [ Tuesday, September 13, 2005 11:20: Message edited by: Micawber ] -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| What would you do if... in General | |
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written Tuesday, September 13 2005 10:12
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If I knew I'd get away with it, I'd tell the director (head of my team at work) to take a long walk off a short pier. Maybe, in less than polite words. -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Sixus in Exile II in The Exile Trilogy | |
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written Tuesday, September 13 2005 10:06
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Well, his posts have been the only activity in the ET forum for 3 days. So either the entire forum is pointless, or we should be grateful that someone else is joining in... -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
| Mathematical Logic... in General | |
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written Tuesday, September 13 2005 09:52
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quote:No no, |N|^2=|N|. |R|=2^|N| Seriously :P Edit: Fixed an idiotic mistake. Goodness, my set theory is rusty... [ Tuesday, September 13, 2005 09:57: Message edited by: Micawber ] -------------------- Everything I know about the Avernum Trilogy: [ A1 | A2 | A3 ] Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |