[I] For the arachnophobes
Richard Bos
<http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
(It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
Richard
Elliott Grasett
Well, it delighted me. I await the comments of Esmeraldus.
--
Cheers,
Elliott
Nigel Stapley
Yurg.
I'm not arachnophobic in the usual sense (given the fact that our native
spiders are (mostly) harmless), but *that* (to quote Slartibartfast)
scares the willies out of me.
--
Regards
Nigel Stapley
<reply-to will bounce>
Puck
That's actually really cool, thanks.
Esmeraldus
You want me to click on something that has "spider" IN the link? By the last
round of spider-based linkage, people had started disguising the URLs.
John Wilkins
That is so cool. Esmeraldus, you have to go visit.
--
John S. Wilkins, Philosophy, University of Queensland
scienceblogs.com/evolvingthoughts
But al be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre
Sabremeister Brian
John Wilkins <j.wil...@uq.edu.au> said:
> Esmeraldus <muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote:
>
>> Elliott Grasett wrote:
>>> Richard Bos wrote:
>>>> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the
>>>> awful beast.
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
>>>>
>>>> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
>>>>
>>>> Richard
>>>
>>> Well, it delighted me. I await the comments of Esmeraldus.
>>
>> You want me to click on something that has "spider" IN the
>> link? By the last round of spider-based linkage, people had
>> started disguising the URLs.
>
> That is so cool. Esmeraldus, you have to go visit.
I'm not generally arachnophobic, but it scared the willies out of
me.
It's a Category C++ spider crawling round a map of Europe. You get
to pick it up and drop it, fling it round the screen by the legs,
and watch it eat dead flies.
<shudder>
--
www.sabremeister.me.uk
www.livejournal.com/users/sabremeister/
Use brian at sabremeister dot me dot uk to reply
"I always take blushing for a sign of guilt, or of ill breeding."
- William Congreve
Jeff Howell
> In a speech called 1iph7wm.4mjkpvkl5v40N%j.wil...@uq.edu.au,
> John Wilkins <j.wil...@uq.edu.au> said:
>> Esmeraldus <muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote:
>>> You want me to click on something that has "spider" IN the
>>> link? By the last round of spider-based linkage, people had
>>> started disguising the URLs.
>> That is so cool. Esmeraldus, you have to go visit.
>
> I'm not generally arachnophobic, but it scared the willies out of
> me.
> It's a Category C++ spider crawling round a map of Europe. You get
> to pick it up and drop it, fling it round the screen by the legs,
> and watch it eat dead flies.
> <shudder>
Nyurrrrg.
I didn't click the link. I won't click the link. My arachnophobia
isn't quite as pronounced as Esmeraldus', but they still creep me out.
And now that description has just utterly freaked me out. Thanks.
--
Jeff
Esmeraldus
Thanks, yes, for confirming my decision not to click the link. pick it up by
the legs and fling it around?
I just don't *think* so. No. And I don't want to watch it do anything.
What I want is a giant plastic cup and a bigger sheet of stiff paper, with a
shotgun for backup.
keefers
It is very cool, while at the same time being simply hideous.
I am not arachnophobia but *gnuurgghh*
-
Keith
Esmeraldus
And the vindication for not clicking just keeps a comin'.
steveski
I wish I hadn't and I'm not *particularly* arak . . . arachnar . . .
arrach . . . scared of spiders.
--
Steveski
Esmeraldus
Everyone here knows I *am*.
I just wonder where some of them got the idea I'm stupid. ;-)
"@lec ©awley"
I came across that a couple of months ago, and almost sent you a warning.
You really, really don't want to click on the link. If you are totally
curious, get someone else to click the link while you stand on the other
side of the room, with an open door behind you.
Esmeraldus
See, the funny thing is that I grow more curious with every post, despit the
fact that I can *feel* the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
Lesley Weston
> Esmeraldus <muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote:
>
>> Elliott Grasett wrote:
>>> Richard Bos wrote:
>>>> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the awful beast.
>>>>
>>>> <http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
>>>>
>>>> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
>>>>
>>>> Richard
>>> Well, it delighted me. I await the comments of Esmeraldus.
>> You want me to click on something that has "spider" IN the link? By the last
>> round of spider-based linkage, people had started disguising the URLs.
>
> That is so cool. Esmeraldus, you have to go visit.
No, Esmeraldus, don't. Trust a fellow (and somewhat naive) arachnophobe,
not your so-called friends.
--
Lesley Weston
The addy above is real, but I won't see anything posted to it for a long
time. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca, adjusting as necessary.
Lesley Weston
Rocky Frisco
Dunno about revenge. All I could do was feed the nasty bugger.
-Rock
--
Esmeraldus
No, the funny thing about me is I tend to confront things that scare me.When
they're real, and present, anyway. But I don't need a Flash spider to deal
with.
Life has proven conclusively that my instincts tell me to run *toward* the
dangerous things--the bag of rocks I use for a brain thinks the best place
to hide is in FRONT of everyone else. Why, I do not know. It probably means
I am deeply stupid.
So, if there's a spider in my house that I can get at with a cup and paper,
I do. Unless it is a) huge, and b) takes me by surprise, in which case it's
generally dead before my Buddhist nonviolence sensibilitis kick in, and I
spend the rest of the night feeling guilty and trying to get my hair to lie
flat.
Rocky Frisco
> Richard Bos wrote:
>> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the awful beast.
>>
>> <http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
>>
>> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
>>
>
> Yurg.
>
> I'm not arachnophobic in the usual sense (given the fact that our native
> spiders are (mostly) harmless), but *that* (to quote Slartibartfast)
> scares the willies out of me.
Right now is the spider mating season in Oklahoma. Most of the year,
you can wander in the woods all day and never see a tarantula, but
October and early November you can't drive an hour North of Tulsa
without running over a few of the horny wee beasties.
(for varying definitions of "wee") (some of them are 5" wide)
Oklahoma tarantulas are black or dark brown, often with a bright
splash of red or yellow on the back. The bite is rather mild, less
painful than a bee sting. I used to know a young fellow who would
befriend one by tickling it, then pop it in a jar with formaldehyde,
then dry it out and encase it in plastic, making an ashtray he could
sell for up to $50. I told him he was a bad person. :)
-Rock
--
Esmeraldus
> I used to know a young fellow who would
> befriend one by tickling it, then pop it in a jar with formaldehyde,
> then dry it out and encase it in plastic, making an ashtray he could
> sell for up to $50. I told him he was a bad person. :)
That is pretty evil. I disapprove, and would have liked to get him drunk and
wake him up in a great big jar once, just for laughs.
Because that would be *really* funny.
Rocky Frisco
For the full effect, it would need to be a great big jar with a spider
in with him.
-Rock
--
Jeff Howell
Then I shall avoid feeding that urge by not posting further in this thread.
...
Um. Sorry?
--
Jeff
Aquarion
> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the awful beast.
>
><http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
>
> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
I have been ordered to link this here:
http://aquarion.deviantart.com/art/Nice-92463423
And this:
http://aquarion.deviantart.com/art/Nice-Part-II-94942427
They both contain spiders, and should not be read by anyone.
Yours in total sincerity
Aquarion
--
Aquarion - http://www.aquarionics.com - http://www.factionfiction.net
Famous Last Words #53: "Trust me, I KNOW what I'm doing. <snicker snicker>"
keefers
>
> They both contain spiders, and should not be read by anyone.
>
>
> Yours in total sincerity
>
> Aquarion
Yes. You're quite right.
The thing is, the /actual/ thing is; There have been more spiders than
usual in my house recently. Most likely to do with the weather, but now
I have that grain of doubt.....
-
Keith
Richard Bos
> In a speech called 1iph7wm.4mjkpvkl5v40N%j.wil...@uq.edu.au,
> John Wilkins <j.wil...@uq.edu.au> said:
> > Esmeraldus <muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote:
> >
> >> Elliott Grasett wrote:
> >>> Richard Bos wrote:
> >>>> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the
> >>>> awful beast.
> >>>>
> >>>> <http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
> >>>>
> >>>> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
> >>>
> >>> Well, it delighted me. I await the comments of Esmeraldus.
> >>
> >> You want me to click on something that has "spider" IN the
> >> link? By the last round of spider-based linkage, people had
> >> started disguising the URLs.
> >
> > That is so cool. Esmeraldus, you have to go visit.
>
> I'm not generally arachnophobic, but it scared the willies out of
> me.
> It's a Category C++ spider crawling round a map of Europe. You get
> to pick it up and drop it, fling it round the screen by the legs,
> and watch it eat dead flies.
Yeah, but the point is, _you_ get to do all that. Finally a spider which
_you_ can pester without the risk of it running up your arm and crawling
into your ears to eat your brain.
As for disguising it, that would be mean. I didn't post this to scare
any arachnophobes, but to give them a chance to take vengeance. Who
knows, for some of them it might even be therapeutic.
Richard
Arthur Hagen
> Lesley Weston wrote:
>> Esmeraldus wrote:
>>>
>>> I just don't *think* so. No. And I don't want to watch it do
>>> anything. What I want is a giant plastic cup and a bigger sheet of
>>> stiff paper, with a shotgun for backup.
>>>
>> All wielded by someone else.
>
> No, the funny thing about me is I tend to confront things that scare
> me.When they're real, and present, anyway. But I don't need a Flash
> spider to deal with.
Didn't you have one of those a while back? It would //Flash// between the
shower curtain and the back of the commode?
(It would be cruel to point out that the simpler solution is that you had
multiple spiders with the ability to make themselves invisible, so I will.)
Regards,
--
*Art
Esmeraldus
<flash spiders>
> Didn't you have one of those a while back? It would //Flash//
> between the shower curtain and the back of the commode?
>
> (It would be cruel to point out that the simpler solution is that you
> had multiple spiders with the ability to make themselves invisible,
> so I will.)
Oh, I already know that I can't see most of them, so that doesn't bother me.
Much. I'm only vaguely bothered by theoretical spiders. Out of sight, out of
mind.
It's the one in the corner of the alcove over the fireplace that's bothering
me right now.
Arthur Hagen
>
> Right now is the spider mating season in Oklahoma. Most of the year,
> you can wander in the woods all day and never see a tarantula, but
> October and early November you can't drive an hour North of Tulsa
> without running over a few of the horny wee beasties.
>
> (for varying definitions of "wee") (some of them are 5" wide)
>
> Oklahoma tarantulas are black or dark brown, often with a bright
> splash of red or yellow on the back. The bite is rather mild, less
> painful than a bee sting. I used to know a young fellow who would
> befriend one by tickling it, then pop it in a jar with formaldehyde,
> then dry it out and encase it in plastic, making an ashtray he could
> sell for up to $50. I told him he was a bad person. :)
Was that young fellow named Don Roscoe by any chance?
Regards,
--
*Art
Puck
> See, the funny thing is that I grow more curious with every post, despit the
> fact that I can *feel* the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
See, what we need is a version of this thing that can be made to walk
across a computer desktop. It would be fun to have that thing crawling
on your open documents and web pages. Also, it looks real enough that
you could install it on someone's computer as a prank, and watch them
scream and swat at their monitor in terror.
Bwahahahaha!
...sorry Esmeraldus. I'll stop now.
SteveD
<bpwak...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>It's a Category C++ spider crawling round a map of Europe. You get
>to pick it up and drop it, fling it round the screen by the legs,
>and watch it eat dead flies.
><shudder>
Not to mention being able to adjust the colour, size, stance and hairiness
to suit. And perhaps skitterosity.
I do like the realism when dragging the spider - its feet don't move
smoothly over the background, but catch and drag as if they really were
slightly adhesive.
On the other hand, it's possibly the world's most remarkable passive
spider, with about the same resistance to being hoiked around as a
depressed kitten. There's no leg-flailing or body-contorting at all.
The gait programming could have used some work, too - it moves like an
arthritic spider robot, not a real spider. Pity it doesn't have sliders
for increasing the speed to spiderlike velocities or any options for
unexpectedly jumping around the screen.
Still, the art, design and rendering are very nice - a still screenshot
could be momentarily confused for the real thing, even if the illusion is
shattered as soon as it starts to move.
-SteveD
SteveD
wrote:
>http://aquarion.deviantart.com/art/Nice-Part-II-94942427
"soles".
SteveD
wrote:
>I used to know a young fellow who would
>befriend one by tickling it, then pop it in a jar with formaldehyde,
>then dry it out and encase it in plastic, making an ashtray
Was there anything added to the spider, or was it arranged in some
particular way so that the ash didn't fall off?
-SteveD
Esmeraldus
You don't have to apologize. [smile]
Free Lunch
alt.fan.pratchett:
Aren't you in the same state she's in?
OG
"Esmeraldus" <muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote in message
news:ge531n$39t$1...@mud.stack.nl...
You're wise.
The same site has a link to a youtube video they made of a cat trying to
catch the 'spider' on the screen here. If you want to see what it looks like
without looking at it (if you see what I mean)
http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=11qIk2asW6Y
Puck
>> ...sorry Esmeraldus. I'll stop now.
>
> Aren't you in the same state she's in?
Depends. If by state you mean "Ohio", then I think yes.
If however you mean "Extremely squicked out by the thought of digital
spiders on my desktop" then no.
Free Lunch
alt.fan.pratchett:
>Free Lunch wrote:
But there are some things that appear to appeal to her that might not
appeal to you quite as much. I think that's why she [smiled] at you.
Esmeraldus
No, it was more that unlike some of the people who have tried to freak me
out, he lives nearby.
Gid Holyoake
to share with us..
Snippetry..
> See, the funny thing is that I grow more curious with every post, despit the
> fact that I can *feel* the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
You never know, you *might* find it therapeutic.. it gives *you* total
control over the spider with just a click of the mouse..
--
Gid
Current Project: Bragdy'r Ddraenen Wen
(if it ever stops raining for long enough)
Free Lunch
<muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote in alt.fan.pratchett:
>Free Lunch wrote:
>> On Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:00:44 -0400, Puck <korm...@osu.edu> wrote in
>> alt.fan.pratchett:
>>
>>> Free Lunch wrote:
>>>>> ...sorry Esmeraldus. I'll stop now.
>>>>
>>>> Aren't you in the same state she's in?
>>>
>>> Depends. If by state you mean "Ohio", then I think yes.
>>>
>>> If however you mean "Extremely squicked out by the thought of digital
>>> spiders on my desktop" then no.
>>
>> But there are some things that appear to appeal to her that might not
>> appeal to you quite as much. I think that's why she [smiled] at you.
>
>No, it was more that unlike some of the people who have tried to freak me
>out, he lives nearby.
>
I'm glad that you weren't at all trying to get him nervous about what
you might do to square things with him.
Esmeraldus
> On Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:18:48 -0400, "Esmeraldus"
> <muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote in alt.fan.pratchett:
>
>> Free Lunch wrote:
>>> On Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:00:44 -0400, Puck <korm...@osu.edu> wrote in
>>> alt.fan.pratchett:
>>>
>>>> Free Lunch wrote:
>>>>>> ...sorry Esmeraldus. I'll stop now.
>>>>>
>>>>> Aren't you in the same state she's in?
>>>>
>>>> Depends. If by state you mean "Ohio", then I think yes.
>>>>
>>>> If however you mean "Extremely squicked out by the thought of
>>>> digital spiders on my desktop" then no.
>>>
>>> But there are some things that appear to appeal to her that might
>>> not appeal to you quite as much. I think that's why she [smiled] at
>>> you.
>>
>> No, it was more that unlike some of the people who have tried to
>> freak me out, he lives nearby.
>>
> I'm glad that you weren't at all trying to get him nervous about what
> you might do to square things with him.
I would never do that. I am known for the warmth of my smile.
Puck
> Free Lunch wrote:
>> I'm glad that you weren't at all trying to get him nervous about what
>> you might do to square things with him.
>
> I would never do that. I am known for the warmth of my smile.
Goos, because the last thing I need is to wake up to some creative
spider-influenced vengeance. I may not be an arachnophobe, but I'm
hardly a worshiper of Lolth, either.
Too obscure a reference? If so, definitely do not Google it, Esmeraldus.
Not unless you want to have the line between "sexy" and "Dear God, I'll
never sleep again" to be irrevocably blurred.
Esmeraldus
I own about $5,000 of AD&D refernce books. Lolth is in several of them.
One of my characters actually knocked the spidercrap out of her in the
Demonweb Pits module after we'd gotten to obscenely high levels and played
it to see what would happen. In one leg of the Trousers of TIme in the
Forgotten Realms, Lolth is a smear.
Puck
> I own about $5,000 of AD&D refernce books. Lolth is in several of them.
>
> One of my characters actually knocked the spidercrap out of her in the
> Demonweb Pits module after we'd gotten to obscenely high levels and played
> it to see what would happen. In one leg of the Trousers of TIme in the
> Forgotten Realms, Lolth is a smear.
See, THAT'S how you deal with a phobia. Roll yourself up someone with
multiple levels in Badass, personify your fear as a giant Demon-Deity,
and whip out your mace of +5 Bug-Squishing.
Rocky Frisco
> Beware the Richard Bos who stalks alt.fan.pratchett thus:
>> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the awful beast.
>>
>> <http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
>>
>> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
>
>
> I have been ordered to link this here:
>
> http://aquarion.deviantart.com/art/Nice-92463423
>
> And this:
>
> http://aquarion.deviantart.com/art/Nice-Part-II-94942427
>
> They both contain spiders, and should not be read by anyone.
>
>
> Yours in total sincerity
>
> Aquarion
They want me to create an account.
I have way too many at this point.
I will pass.
-Rock
--
Rocky Frisco
No, not a younger incarnation. I have never got close enough to tickle
a tarantula. Live and let live, I say, as long as they don't show up
in my bathroom. "In the bathroom" is synonymous with "dead."
-Rock
--
Rocky Frisco
Don't recall any ash. Just an ashtray mold, a dead spider and a tray.
I asked him, "who was the dangerous monster there?
-Rock
--
Rocky Frisco
Wants me to sign up for something.
Sorry. "No"
-Rock
--
Rocky Frisco
That'll be the day.
-Rock
--
Anery
> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the awful beast.
>
> <http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
>
> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
>
to have a look at the webpage anyway, you know.
...
It was worth it.
"Walk bounce" set to maximum gives an interesting effect. Like if it
was dancing.
Anery
Arthur Hagen
> Puck wrote:
>>
>> Goos, because the last thing I need is to wake up to some creative
>> spider-influenced vengeance. I may not be an arachnophobe, but I'm
>> hardly a worshiper of Lolth, either.
>>
>> Too obscure a reference? If so, definitely do not Google it,
>> Esmeraldus. Not unless you want to have the line between "sexy" and
>> "Dear God, I'll never sleep again" to be irrevocably blurred.
>
> I own about $5,000 of AD&D refernce books.
Ah. I could only afford half a set myself too. Nod, nod.
Regards,
--
*Art
Esmeraldus
Oh, I rolled the character the usual way. We just played that campaign for a
few years, and I was a smart paladin with good stats, who eventually became
a smart paladin with better stats, magical weapons, and high, high levels.
And *then* went on a bughunt.
Esmeraldus
Exactly.
And those are 2nd edition and some 2.5. I don't have any D20 ones yet
because I haven't had the income or the time, or people to play with.
Jeff Howell
On the up side, now that 4th edition has come out, it becomes much
easier to get a complete set of 3.5(th?) since at least the biggest
publisher isn't making any more.
--
Jeff
Jeff Howell
> In article <ge531n$39t$1...@mud.stack.nl>, Esmeraldus generously decided
> to share with us..
>
> Snippetry..
>
>> See, the funny thing is that I grow more curious with every post, despit the
>> fact that I can *feel* the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
>
> You never know, you *might* find it therapeutic.. it gives *you* total
> control over the spider with just a click of the mouse..
But that's... that's like *touching* it...
<shudder>
--
Jeff
Esmeraldus
I found I had TOTAL control by not clicking the link. :-D
Anery
>
> I do like the realism when dragging the spider - its feet don't move
> smoothly over the background, but catch and drag as if they really were
> slightly adhesive.
>
> On the other hand, it's possibly the world's most remarkable passive
> spider, with about the same resistance to being hoiked around as a
> depressed kitten. There's no leg-flailing or body-contorting at all.
>
> The gait programming could have used some work, too - it moves like an
> arthritic spider robot, not a real spider. Pity it doesn't have sliders
> for increasing the speed to spiderlike velocities or any options for
> unexpectedly jumping around the screen.
>
> Still, the art, design and rendering are very nice - a still screenshot
> could be momentarily confused for the real thing, even if the illusion is
> shattered as soon as it starts to move.
>
IMO it's realistic enough. I agree that it could be made move quicker,
though. Not jump - it's the wrong species for that.
It shouldn't devour the insects without trace, too. Spiders inject
venom into their prey and then suck the liquefied tissues. The rest
should stay on the map.
But all those are just small issues.
Anery
Puck
>> And those are 2nd edition and some 2.5. I don't have any D20 ones yet
>> because I haven't had the income or the time, or people to play with.
>
> On the up side, now that 4th edition has come out, it becomes much
> easier to get a complete set of 3.5(th?) since at least the biggest
> publisher isn't making any more.
4th edition is fun in a "D&D had drunken prom sex with WoW and this is
the result" sort of way, and 1st/2nd edition is great for all the
memories it brings back, but 3.5 is and probably always will be my
favorite.
I can't pin it on any single feature, but having played every version at
least a few times, that one always became the most engrossing and
enjoyable for me.
"@lec ©awley"
> Esmeraldus wrote:
>> See, the funny thing is that I grow more curious with every post,
>> despit the fact that I can *feel* the hair on the back of my neck
>> standing up.
>
> across a computer desktop. It would be fun to have that thing crawling
> on your open documents and web pages. Also, it looks real enough that
> you could install it on someone's computer as a prank, and watch them
> scream and swat at their monitor in terror.
Unix systems used to ship with an "entertainment" called xroaches, which
infested your screen with cockroaches that tried to hide under your
windows. So when you closed your windows, you suddenly revealed a pack
of cockroaches which scuttled under the other windows. You could squelch
them with a mouse click, but that left a splatted roach on your background.
Of course, when I say "your" screen, being Unix ir ran anyhwere, so you
could infest any other screen on the network.
xspiders, anyone?
Rocky Frisco
I tried maximum bounce and speed and minimum size; rather charming
actually, like an 8-legged puppy.
-Rock
--
Rocky Frisco
I noted that the leg thickness effect is quite striking, with skinny
legs being the most scary.
-Rock
--
Lesley Weston
> Lesley Weston wrote:
>> Esmeraldus wrote:
>>> Jeff Howell wrote:
>>>> Sabremeister Brian wrote:
>>>>> In a speech called 1iph7wm.4mjkpvkl5v40N%j.wil...@uq.edu.au,
>>>>> John Wilkins <j.wil...@uq.edu.au> said:
>>>>>> Esmeraldus <muclu...@mypacks.net> wrote:
>>>>>>> You want me to click on something that has "spider" IN the
>>>>>>> link? By the last round of spider-based linkage, people had
>>>>>>> started disguising the URLs.
>>>>>> That is so cool. Esmeraldus, you have to go visit.
>>>>> I'm not generally arachnophobic, but it scared the willies out of
>>>>> me.
>>>>> It's a Category C++ spider crawling round a map of Europe. You get
>>>>> to pick it up and drop it, fling it round the screen by the legs,
>>>>> and watch it eat dead flies.
>>>>> <shudder>
>>>> Nyurrrrg.
>>>>
>>>> I didn't click the link. I won't click the link. My arachnophobia
>>>> isn't quite as pronounced as Esmeraldus', but they still creep me
>>>> out. And now that description has just utterly freaked me out. Thanks.
>>> Thanks, yes, for confirming my decision not to click the link. pick
>>> it up by the legs and fling it around?
>>>
>>> I just don't *think* so. No. And I don't want to watch it do
>>> anything. What I want is a giant plastic cup and a bigger sheet of stiff
>>> paper, with a shotgun for backup.
>>>
>>>
>> All wielded by someone else.
>
> No, the funny thing about me is I tend to confront things that scare me.When
> they're real, and present, anyway. But I don't need a Flash spider to deal
> with.
>
> Life has proven conclusively that my instincts tell me to run *toward* the
> dangerous things--the bag of rocks I use for a brain thinks the best place
> to hide is in FRONT of everyone else. Why, I do not know. It probably means
> I am deeply stupid.
>
> So, if there's a spider in my house that I can get at with a cup and paper,
> I do. Unless it is a) huge, and b) takes me by surprise, in which case it's
> generally dead before my Buddhist nonviolence sensibilitis kick in, and I
> spend the rest of the night feeling guilty and trying to get my hair to lie
> flat.
>
>
I'm getting better at spiders. I can now do them up to about half an
inch including the legs, carefully collecting them and putting them
safely outside. Anything bigger (and they can get /really/ big around
here because of the mild winters) requires my husband, who is also
unwilling to harm them and who feels about them much as I do but is braver.
However, when he was ill he wasn't in any state to deal with spiders or
anything else much, so I had to do them. It turned out that I could, but
now that he's better I quite genuinely can't again. I think it's what
Sturgeon called "Synapse B" (was it Sturgeon?).
--
Lesley Weston
The addy above is real, but I won't see anything posted to it for a long
time. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca, adjusting as necessary.
Arthur Hagen
>
> I'm getting better at spiders. I can now do them up to about half an
> inch including the legs, carefully collecting them and putting them
> safely outside. Anything bigger (and they can get /really/ big around
> here because of the mild winters) requires my husband, who is also
> unwilling to harm them and who feels about them much as I do but is
> braver.
I'm the opposite. Those too big to enter the ear canal are no worry.
Regards,
--
*Art
SteveD
>Goos, because the last thing I need is to wake up to some creative
>spider-influenced vengeance. I may not be an arachnophobe, but I'm
>hardly a worshiper of Lolth, either.
Mmm, Fang of Lolth mutation. Nothing like some extra limbs to get through
the day's work.
-SteveD
SteveD
wrote:
>I noted that the leg thickness effect is quite striking, with skinny
>legs being the most scary.
I suppose that with thicker legs they start to blur over into mammalian
territory, especially with sufficient hairiness. A spider with really fat
legs starts to resemble an eight-eyed kitten.
-SteveD
Puck
> Mmm, Fang of Lolth mutation. Nothing like some extra limbs to get through
> the day's work.
Convenient yes, but hard to find clothes that fit.
Puck
> I suppose that with thicker legs they start to blur over into mammalian
> territory, especially with sufficient hairiness. A spider with really fat
> legs starts to resemble an eight-eyed kitten.
Awww, that sounds cute. Eight eyes, too? Kittens have cute eyes.
SteveD
Oh, well, you know. Robes and things with oversized armholes and modified
vests and tailors who don't know whether to be fascinated or terrified.
-SteveD
Arthur Hagen
At this point, someone is surely going to post a link to a lolcat with eight
eyes. Please don't -- we can visualize it without Photoshop.
Regards,
--
*Art
Puck
>> Awww, that sounds cute. Eight eyes, too? Kittens have cute eyes.
>
> At this point, someone is surely going to post a link to a lolcat with
> eight eyes. Please don't -- we can visualize it without Photoshop.
Between the D&D talk, and the discussion of a horrifying/cute creature,
I feel the sudden urge to mention Darths and Droids.
If you haven't heard of it, it is a webcomic created using stills from
the Star Wars movies, with the premise being that the in this story the
Star Wars franchise does not exist, and what we are seeing is the result
of people playing a Sci-Fi themed game of D&D. Thus we see Obi-Wan and
Qui-Gon talking to an unseen DM, discussing their character stats,
breaking the fourth wall left end right, etc.
It sounds silly, but is very well written. One of the main jokes is that
the DM is terrible at controlling his players, and they constantly make
up the logic of the game as they go along. Thus, all the plot holes and
logical inconsistencies of the Star Wars movies are caused by these
players inventing the universe they inhabit as they play, and the DM's
attempts to keep up with them.
The reason this conversation reminded me of Darths and Droids is a
particular early strip where Jar Jar Binks was introduced. In this
story, Jar Jar only exists because one of the players was forced to let
his nine year old sister play, and she described her character as a
cutesy horse/lizard thing with floppy ears, eyes on stalks, scaly skin,
a long tongue, etc. The DM's response? "I've run Call of Cthulu
campaigns with less ghastly sounding monsters!"
Aquarion
> Aquarion wrote:
>> Beware the Richard Bos who stalks alt.fan.pratchett thus:
>>> For the arachnophobes among us: take your revenge on the awful beast.
>>>
>>> <http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/>
>>>
>>> (It won't jump out of the screen at you. I promise.)
>>
>>
>>
>> http://aquarion.deviantart.com/art/Nice-92463423
>>
>> And this:
>>
>> http://aquarion.deviantart.com/art/Nice-Part-II-94942427
>>
>> They both contain spiders, and should not be read by anyone.
>>
>>
>> Yours in total sincerity
>>
>> Aquarion
>
> They want me to create an account.
>
> I have way too many at this point.
Bah, been marked as "Adult Content", and therefore requires account
(and associated age check). Bloody internets. Will put it
elsewhere in a bit.
Yours in total sincerity
Aquarion
--
Aquarion - http://www.aquarionics.com - http://www.factionfiction.net
Famous Last Words #264: "Oh Sh*t!"
Chris Zakes
caused "Esmeraldus" <muclu...@mypacks.net> to write:
>Puck wrote:
>> Esmeraldus wrote:
>>> Free Lunch wrote:
>>>> I'm glad that you weren't at all trying to get him nervous about
>>>> what you might do to square things with him.
>>>
>>> I would never do that. I am known for the warmth of my smile.
>>
>> Goos, because the last thing I need is to wake up to some creative
>> spider-influenced vengeance. I may not be an arachnophobe, but I'm
>> hardly a worshiper of Lolth, either.
>>
>> Too obscure a reference? If so, definitely do not Google it,
>> Esmeraldus. Not unless you want to have the line between "sexy" and
>> "Dear God, I'll never sleep again" to be irrevocably blurred.
>
>I own about $5,000 of AD&D refernce books. Lolth is in several of them.
>
>One of my characters actually knocked the spidercrap out of her in the
>Demonweb Pits module after we'd gotten to obscenely high levels and played
>it to see what would happen. In one leg of the Trousers of TIme in the
>Forgotten Realms, Lolth is a smear.
Apparently, I've done something similar.
Story Time, children! A couple of decades ago, I played in a D&D
campaign for a year or so. I eventually dropped out because I didn't
find it all that interesting, but my wife kept that character going.
In one adventure, my character killed Lolth. (This is particularly
amusing because my wife is also a major arachnophobe.)
-Chris Zakes
Texas
We shall swim out to that brooding reef in the sea and dive down through black
abysses to cyclopean and many-columned Y'ha-nthlei, and in that lair of the Deep
Ones we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory for ever.
-H.P. Lovecraft, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"
E.S.
> Arthur Hagen wrote:
>
> <flash spiders>
>
> > Didn't you have one of those a while back? It would //Flash//
> > between the shower curtain and the back of the commode?
>
> > (It would be cruel to point out that the simpler solution is that you
> > had multiple spiders with the ability to make themselves invisible,
> > so I will.)
>
> Oh, I already know that I can't see most of them, so that doesn't bother me.
> Much. I'm only vaguely bothered by theoretical spiders.
Well, that stands to reason. I mean, you still have that imaginary +5
sword I gave you, right?
Puck
> There's also a version of LOTR with the similar basic idea. As good as
> D&D, done by other people who seem to have had a similar idea at a
> similar time.
Yes, DM of the Rings. Actually, that one came first and Darths and
Droids was intentionally based upon it, but I think they improved on the
idea a bit.
In many ways DM of the Rings was based on the opposite concept, with the
titular DM ruling over the players with an iron fist and keeping them
firmly on his plot rails while they tried to liven things up to little
avail, and most of the humor is them complaining about how much they
hate the story (but continuing to show up anyway). Darths and Droids is
more about an easy going DM who lets his players run amok, and thus the
entire plot of Star Wars is due to him trying to keep up.
In some ways this reflects the nature of the stories they are retelling.
LOTR is a classic work of fantasy, with brilliant storytelling, and is
more about atmosphere than action. So the players find it boring and
want to escape.
Whereas the Star Wars movies (particularly the prequels, which is where
the story is currently set) are more about sword fights and things
blowing up. The DM's attempts to impose a coherent story over the
madness are futile, because the players are making it up as they go
along, and thus plot holes and silly concepts like midichlorians and pod
races turn up.
DM had some pretty great running gags, though. The best was Aragorn's
player continually mistaking Legolas for a girl and hitting on him
mercilessly. Now I can't look at Orlando Bloom without snickering.
The coolest thing about Darths is that any gamer will recognize that
each of the five players represents one of the classic gamer archetypes.
Jim (Qui Gon) is the Real Man, Ben (Obi Wan) is the Brain, Sally (Jar
Jar) is the Looney, Annie (Anakin) is the thespian, and Pete (R2-D2) is
the Munchkin. The author swears this happened on accident.
They also managed the freaking impossible: making Jar Jar cool. I would
actually like to do a re-dub of Phantom Menace with Sally's lines in
place of the real Jar Jar's. Darths is on record as the first ever
uttering of the sentence "Jar Jar, you're a genius" on the internet, and
with good reason.
Chris Zakes
caused Aleks A.-Lessmann <XaXlX...@lessmann-consulting.com> to
write:
>On Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:24:20 -0400, Puck wrote:
>>It sounds silly, but is very well written. One of the main jokes is that
>>the DM is terrible at controlling his players, and they constantly make
>
>I'm told this main joke is taken from reality. And yes, Darths and
>Droids is intelligent and appeals to those who understand RP games and
>the basic silliness of being human.
>
>There's also a version of LOTR with the similar basic idea. As good as
>D&D, done by other people who seem to have had a similar idea at a
>similar time.
>
>Aleks
Oh, yes. This thing: http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612
hilarious in lots of places.
Daibhid Ceanaideach
> The coolest thing about Darths is that any gamer will recognize that
> each of the five players represents one of the classic gamer
> archetypes. Jim (Qui Gon) is the Real Man, Ben (Obi Wan) is the Brain,
> Sally (Jar Jar) is the Looney, Annie (Anakin) is the thespian, and
> Pete (R2-D2) is the Munchkin. The author swears this happened on
> accident.
>
> They also managed the freaking impossible: making Jar Jar cool. I
> would actually like to do a re-dub of Phantom Menace with Sally's
> lines in place of the real Jar Jar's. Darths is on record as the first
> ever uttering of the sentence "Jar Jar, you're a genius" on the
> internet, and with good reason.
Yep, and to counterbalance it, R2's a jerk.
I liked the text piece at the end of one of the strips, explaining (in
wonderfully unnecessary detail) how the world of Darths & Droids is
different from ours due to the absence of Star Wars from their screens,
concluding with the fact that, in this universe, the strip's creators are
doing a comic based on Harry Potter. With a link.
And beneath the sample strip of "Wands & Warts" is a text piece
explaining how that world is different from ours (or rather, the world of
Darth & Droids) due to the absence of Harry Potter from their
bookshelves, concluding with the fact that, in this universe, the strip's
creators are doing a comic based on The Sound of Music. With a link.
And beneath the sample strip of "Notes & Nazis" is a text piece
explaining how that world is different from ours (or rather, the world of
Wands & Warts) due to the absence of The Sound of Music from their
screens, concluding with the fact that, in this universe, the strip's
creators are doing a comic based on X-Men. With a link.
Sadly, the sample strip of "Mutants & Miscreants" *doesn't* have a text
piece explaining how that world is different due to the absence of the X-
Men from our comic collections, and what the strip's creators are doing
instead.
--
Dave
So I looked, and behold, a pale horse.
And the name of him who sat on it was Death.
And the name of the horse was Binky.
Puck
> I liked the text piece at the end of one of the strips, explaining (in
> wonderfully unnecessary detail) how the world of Darths & Droids is
> different from ours due to the absence of Star Wars from their screens,
> concluding with the fact that, in this universe, the strip's creators are
> doing a comic based on Harry Potter. With a link.
>
> And beneath the sample strip of "Wands & Warts" is a text piece
> explaining how that world is different from ours (or rather, the world of
> Darth & Droids) due to the absence of Harry Potter from their
> bookshelves, concluding with the fact that, in this universe, the strip's
> creators are doing a comic based on The Sound of Music. With a link.
>
> And beneath the sample strip of "Notes & Nazis" is a text piece
> explaining how that world is different from ours (or rather, the world of
> Wands & Warts) due to the absence of The Sound of Music from their
> screens, concluding with the fact that, in this universe, the strip's
> creators are doing a comic based on X-Men. With a link.
>
> Sadly, the sample strip of "Mutants & Miscreants" *doesn't* have a text
> piece explaining how that world is different due to the absence of the X-
> Men from our comic collections, and what the strip's creators are doing
> instead.
Yeah, I love it when humor is recursive.
I imagine the next iteration would be The Matrix, followed perhaps by
Pirates of the Caribbean. After that, I dunno, Star Trek?
Esmeraldus
> Aleks A.-Lessmann wrote:
>> There's also a version of LOTR with the similar basic idea. As good
>> as D&D, done by other people who seem to have had a similar idea at a
>> similar time.
>
> Yes, DM of the Rings. Actually, that one came first and Darths and
> Droids was intentionally based upon it, but I think they improved on
> the idea a bit.
OMG, DM of the Rings is one of the most hilarious things I have ever read.
Richard Bos
> Aleks A.-Lessmann wrote:
> > There's also a version of LOTR with the similar basic idea. As good as
> > D&D, done by other people who seem to have had a similar idea at a
> > similar time.
>
> Yes, DM of the Rings. Actually, that one came first and Darths and
> Droids was intentionally based upon it, but I think they improved on the
> idea a bit.
I thought it was the same guy doing it? In any case, DMotR was first.
> DM had some pretty great running gags, though. The best was Aragorn's
> player continually mistaking Legolas for a girl and hitting on him
> mercilessly. Now I can't look at Orlando Bloom without snickering.
Oh, come on, don't tell me that that was the first time you'd come
across _that_ idea? But yes, it was well done.
Also good: those LotR "secret diaries" someone wrote for at least the
first two films. "Sam'll kill him if he tries anything."
Richard
Daibhid Ceanaideach
> Puck <korm...@osu.edu> wrote:
>
>> Aleks A.-Lessmann wrote:
>> > There's also a version of LOTR with the similar basic idea. As good
>> > as D&D, done by other people who seem to have had a similar idea at
>> > a similar time.
>>
>> Yes, DM of the Rings. Actually, that one came first and Darths and
>> Droids was intentionally based upon it, but I think they improved on
>> the idea a bit.
>
> I thought it was the same guy doing it?
Nope, DMotR was a guy called Shamus Young. D&D is done by David Morgan-
Mar, of Irregular Webcomic fame.
SteveD
>Also good: those LotR "secret diaries" someone wrote for at least the
>first two films. "Sam'll kill him if he tries anything."
Cassandra Claire. http://www.ealasaid.com/misc/vsd/
If anyone goes looking for her LiveJournal, there's some confusion as
she's used at least three different ones in the past. The most recent one
(which does not contain the Very Secret Diaries) can be found at
<http://cassandraclare.livejournal.com/>, and her original (and now
published) fiction is at <http://www.cassandraclare.com/>.
(And, of course, bookstores.)
She's the author of the _Mortal Instruments_ trilogy and prilogy, as well
as such works as _The Girl's Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord_.
-SteveD
Richard Bos
> On 28 =D8=EDj, 00:58, SteveD <use...@vo.id.au> wrote:
>
> > The gait programming could have used some work, too - it moves like an
> > arthritic spider robot, not a real spider. Pity it doesn't have sliders
> > for increasing the speed to spiderlike velocities or any options for
> > unexpectedly jumping around the screen.
> It shouldn't devour the insects without trace, too. Spiders inject
> venom into their prey and then suck the liquefied tissues. The rest
> should stay on the map.
True, but real spiders don't eat a bug every ten seconds, either. You'd
end up with a map covered in nothing but carapaces.
Richard
Richard Bos
No, they don't. Kittens have evil eyes. Evil eyes packaged in a soft,
apparently cuddly package, but inside there is enough evil to grow into
a cat. I'd rather have a spider.
Richard
Richard Bos
> Esmeraldus wrote:
> > See, the funny thing is that I grow more curious with every post, despit the
> > fact that I can *feel* the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
>
> See, what we need is a version of this thing that can be made to walk
> across a computer desktop. It would be fun to have that thing crawling
> on your open documents and web pages. Also, it looks real enough that
> you could install it on someone's computer as a prank, and watch them
> scream and swat at their monitor in terror.
No, _that_ would be mean again. Also, it would get you in trouble with
the sysadmin. What was your account name again? *Clicketyclickety*
Richard
Arthur Hagen
> Puck <korm...@osu.edu> wrote:
>>
>> See, what we need is a version of this thing that can be made to walk
>> across a computer desktop. It would be fun to have that thing
>> crawling on your open documents and web pages. Also, it looks real
>> enough that you could install it on someone's computer as a prank,
>> and watch them scream and swat at their monitor in terror.
>
> No, _that_ would be mean again. Also, it would get you in trouble with
> the sysadmin. What was your account name again? *Clicketyclickety*
Why would a sysadmin be concerned about *GUI* problems?
Regards,
--
*Art
Anery
cockroaches filling the screen.
The problem is that in its current form, the prey insects are too
small to illustrate the process of feeding, and the empty shell would
be impossible to tell from the original "living" insect.
There are at least two possible solutions:
1. A considerably bigger and more detailed illustrations of the prey,
and consequently a bigger spider as well;
2. A spider of a different family, with different feeding habits. E.g.
an araneid, which builds a web. Every prey insect would be wrapped in
a small packet, which would take some time, and the result would be
distinctive.
Some kind of dusting could be arranged when the screen is too crowded.
Anery