Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Justin D. Jacobson's LiveJournal:

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Thursday, July 17th, 2008
9:50 am	McCain's Failure of Branding One thing I am struck by with McCain's campaign is the complete failure of consistent branding. Much has been made of their failure to capitalize on the "free time" following their wrapping up the nomination while Obama was still fighting it out with Clinton. But you'd think the one thing they could have gotten done was a consistent image to present to the public. He only came up with his tagline -- "Reform, prosperity, peace" -- a month ago. Ad-libbed. And, I'll add, not all that great. It's a bit of a mouthful. It doesn't really speak to his strengths. Reform? Really? But even more striking is the all-over-the-map visual brand. Just take a gander at his on-line store. I won't comment on the choice of the stodgy Optima font, and I actually do like the bars-and-star motif that is vaguely evocative of his military background. But, just looking at the color palette makes me dizzy. Sometimes the bars are gold, sometimes red. The camo caps are in orange, natch. Sometimes the field is in that drab blue, sometimes black. And he certainly doesn't carry through the bars-and-star motif with any aplomb. Compare to Obama's repetition of the red-white-and-blue "O" Current Music: Alkaline Trio (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
1:02 pm	Red Apples / Blue Oranges Now that Obama's nomination is inevitable, I'm seeing a lot of the talking heads proposing that he might have a problem in the general election because of his difficulty in getting what Andrea Mitchell refers to as the "Bubba" vote, i.e., working-class white voters. The proposal is founded on an illegitimate premise: In the general election, Obama would be in a contest against McCain--not Clinton. That this pool of voters would prefer Clinton over Obama does not provide any insight as to whom they would prefer between Obama and McCain. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
1:08 pm	Boozehound in Chief? As part of her image makeover, Clinton has been getting quite comfortable with alcohol. There is, of course, her well-documented shot of whiskey leading up to the Pennsylvania primary. Today, in the lead-up to the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, Terry McAuliffe, her campaign chair, was asked about this new blue-collar image she is cultivating and whether it was genuine. He fell all over himself to say that, no, it is totally legitimate, that she likes to "throw them down" with the best of them, and that she even once bested McCain in a "shot contest". I don't know if this kind of image is actually beneficial in getting election. I suppose McAuliffe and, by extension, Clinton think so. My question is: Even if they're right, is it appropriate? I don't drink as a matter of practice, but I'm not a teetotaler by any stretch. I just don't think it's appropriate for someone, who aspires to the highest office in the land, to give drinking ability a prominent place on their resume. Current Mood: frustrated Current Music: Streelight Manifesto - New Album! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
9:10 am	Inside Clinton's Brain So M.S. Bellows, Jr. has posted a very thorough and generally objective analysis of the democratic nomination process on his blog1. The mathematical analysis seems unassailable. What's more interesting is that anyone upon whose job the analysis bears upon presumably is already aware of the analysis. Certainly the networks have people who have analyzed this same material. I understand why they don't highlight the ramifications of it, however. As long as Clinton remains in the race, it is better for the networks (read: better ratings) to play up the closeness of the competition -- even if it really isn't that close. But certainly Clinton's camp has crunched these numbers too. More than anyone, she must see the mathematical reality of the situation. Which begs the question2: What's going on inside Clinton's brain? Knowing that she has no realistic chance of being the Democratic nominee, what is she thinking? I have some theories: 1) Incremental Denial: Looking back just one year ago, Clinton was the clear Democratic front-runner. She was touted as a lock for the nomination. If we compare that past state of events to the current one, the contrast is stark. But we must remember that Clinton has lived the slow decline day by day. I'm guessing that the shift, over time, has been nigh impersceptible. It reminds me of the Sorites paradox. If I have a heap of sand and take a grain of sand away at a time, when does the heap stop being a heap? Similarly, if I am the front-runner, and my lead erodes a percentage of a percentage point at a time, when do I stop being the front-runner. You might not even notice until your left with nothing but one grain of sand. 2) The Next Election: There is a theory going around that Clinton is no longer running for this election but the next one. By continuing the race, she is able to shape her public image, get exposure in more states, develop a stronger machine, etc. If Obama loses the general, she would be positioned to run again in 2012. If Obama wins the general, she would be positioned to run again in 2016 (but, more likely, see point Number 3). 3) Vice-President Clinton: By continuing the race, Clinton is building a strong resume for inclusion on the ticket in terms of sheer numbers. She will have a big pile of votes in her favor that she can help deliver in November. And certainly this would also increase the chance of behind-the-scenes political pressure being put to Obama to add her to the ticket. Of course, if she is veep and they win the general, she is set up for another presidential run in 2016. 4) Do You Believe in Miracles: It might just be as simple as hoping for a huge upset. Obama could commit a major gaffe, for example. It would have to extremely big, since the Obama has shown a remarkable ability to slough off side issues such as the Rev. Wright spectacle. As long as she is in the game, she has a chance to win. She has obviously invested virtually everything in the race. I'm sure we can name many athletes that won't give up until that final bell sounds -- no matter how unlikely success becomes. This requires a view of the mathematical analysis to conclude that a win is just mathematically unlikely and not impossible, which it is fast approaching. (This feeds into point Number 5 too.) 5) The Ego Trip: It is possible she feels like she must stay in the race. She might legitimately believe that only she is capable of doing what the nation needs done. She, and only she, will be the nation's savior. If you thought that way, would you quit even in the face of nigh-impossible odds? To clarify, I am not in any way suggesting that Clinton must get out of the race. I think she should for purely pragmatic reasons. Unlike many, I don't believe the extended Democratic nominating process will hurt Obama's chances all that much in the general election. Whatever negatives it might entail are mitigated by other positive effects (no spotlight on McCain, deflation of negative side issues I'd like to tell you which one (or ones) I think is the real one, but I don't have a clue. My gut tells me it's Number 1 relying on the actor-observer bias. What do you think? 1 I was originally pointed to the Bellows post through Chad U.'s blog. 2 In the colloquial sense of the phrase -- not the traditional, philosophical sense of which, yes, I am well aware. I majored in philosophy for crying out loud. Current Music: Mighty Bosstones courtesy of Pandora (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
11:18 am	Does that Make McCain Clubber Lang? So I read this AP article today: Clinton Likens Herself to Rocky. As you can tell from the title, basically Clinton says she will never give up just like Rocky never gave up. She was in Philly at the time, natch. One problem: Rocky lost. Or, more accurately, Rocky and Apollo beat each other to a bloody pulp for fifteen rounds, and then Rocky lost. Not exactly the metaphor she was aiming for, I'm sure. Current Mood: amused Current Music: Streelight Manifesto - New Album! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
9:46 am	The Florida Primary -- Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing Charlie Crist recently came out in favor of the Florida democratic delegates being seated at the convention: "We want them all to be seated because democracy matters. ... The people should be heard," Crist said. Many have suggested that Crist's comments are self-serving, an effort to sow dissent and disarray among the democratic party. I agree, and the proof is in the pudding. Why hasn't Crist -- or anyone else for that matter -- been arguing for the republican delegates to be seated at their full number? You might recall that Florida was also penalized by the RNC for moving up the primary. The RNC punished Florida (and Michigan) by halving the number of delegates awarded to the state. In other words, Florida republicans' votes are counted half as much as they should be. Shouldn't Florida republicans be heard? That Crist is not calling for republican delegates to be seated at their full numbers demonstrates the emptiness of his "call for democracy". On a related note, why aren't the people calling for the delegates to be seated based on the original vote, i.e., Clinton supporters, at least acceding that they should only be awarded/seated at half their numbers like the republican delegates? (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
10:05 am	I Missed My Calling 85 words Touch typing free Current Music: Sum 41 (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, January 7th, 2008
10:25 am	Obama on Religion I just happened upon a speech Obama gave a little over a year ago on religion--specifically on the relation between religion, secularism, and morality. It's a great speech. You can read the whole speech HERE Here's a particularly exciting passage: In fact, because I do not believe that religious people have a monopoly on morality, I would rather have someone who is grounded in morality and ethics, and who is also secular, affirm their morality and ethics and values without pretending that they're something they're not. They don't need to do that. None of us need to do that. The amazing thing about the speech is that it's so logical and well-reasoned, and yet he's the only politician I know of saying such things. I don't agree with 100% of the text, but the underlying sentiment is well worth considering. And what makes it even more amazing is that this speech wasn't delivered at just any public gathering; it was a religious conference peopled with evangelicals. He wasn't preaching to the choir--he was teaching them. (Comment on this)
Monday, December 24th, 2007
8:49 am	Crazy Swing Dancing in One Easy Step! So you know that crazy swing dancing that was all the rage a few years ago (and a good bit earlier than that too, natch)? Like in the Gap ads with the nutso throwing your dance partner around your hips, over your shoulder, and whatnot? The Lindy hop? I thought that looked pretty cool, but I never thought I had the talent or acumen to even attempt such moves ... until now. I just discovered a fool-proof way to swing dance like a pro: Use your two-year-old daughter as a dance partner. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was playing on the CD carousel, and Jadyn was getting her groove on. So I scooped her up and threw her around like some sweet dame from the 20s. And, being a two-year-old, she loved every minute of it. Current Mood: happy Current Music: Billy Talent -- now on CD! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
8:39 am	Wiki Band Meme As I've said many times, I'm not much of a meme guy, but I like this one ... mostly because it lets me daydream about being in a band. Go to the Wikipedia home page and click random article. That is your band's name. Click random article again; that is your album name. Click random article 15 more times; those are the tracks on your album. Band Name: My Speeding Heart Album Name: Nigeria Advance Party Track 1: Izzy Gomez (restaurateur) Track 2: Franko B Track 3: White-Mantled Barbet Track 4: Marian Movement of Priests Track 5: S. Ansky Track 6: Aerosinusitis Track 7: The Lady of Shalott Track 8: Leadership Accountability Track 9: Belsito Track 10: Camp San Luis Obispo Track 11: Crime in Chicago Track 12: Boscotrecase Track 13: Eurely Alliance Track 14: Malcolm Wallace Track 15: Jarbidge Wilderness I'm liking the band name quite a bit. It's actually a song title from another album. And, of course, any album with the word "party" in the title has to rock. If I had to guess, I'd say that the chart-topper is "Crime in Chicago". Current Mood: silly Current Music: Billy Talent courtesy of Pandora (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
9:22 am	Kicking Ass and Naming States I don't normally partake in this stuff, but I figured I'd kick some butt what with my mad geography and typing skillz. And I did, natch. 2m 4s Click here to try the quiz. Current Music: Weezer courtesy of Pandora (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 1st, 2007
12:16 pm	[Bullseye] Pimp My Character Sheet! Bullseye is hurtling toward the playtesting stage.... So here's the character sheet mock-up "filled out" with a character for a generic fantasy setting: So here's the character sheet mock-up "filled out" with a character for a generic fantasy setting: http://bluedevilgames.com/BullseyeCharSheetMockUp-Filled.pdf Please take a look and let me know your thoughts on a few things: 1) Quality Category Names/Word Choice - "Core", "Intrinsic", etc. Recall, one of my primary design goals is clarity. I am giving unparalleled focus on word choice in the rules, and the character sheet should be no exception. For any given word, it should (a) describe what it refers to as accurately as possible, and (b) be comprehensible to all potential customers of above-average intelligence. As to this latter point, I recognize that some of my word choices are obscure or "stilted", but I'm okay with that if they serve function (a) significantly. In short, the two criteria above are listed in order of importance. 2) General Layout - As I indicated, this is just a mock-up. When it comes time for the real deal, I'll pay someone with more skillz than I've got to make it look pretty. But I am concerned, even at this stage, about the general layout, e.g., location, order, and flow of the elements. 3) Missing Items - I know most of you know little to nothing about this game, but I think, in some ways, that is helpful at this stage. Is there anything jumping out at you that's missing from the sheet, let me know. Current Music: Planet Smashers (courtesy of Pandora) (Comment on this)
Monday, September 24th, 2007
5:39 pm	It Begins: Bullseye Outline - Initial Draft It's going on about two years in development, and I'm finally ready to release the outline for the book for public dissection.1 Please, please, please take a look and pepper me with questions, suggestions, asshat bickering, and criticism regarding organization, content, or anything else that pops into your head. 1.0 Introduction2 1.1 Role-Playing Games 1.1.1 Overview 1.1.2 Game Moderator 1.1.3 Players 1.1.4 Implements of Play 1.2 Using the Text 1.2.1 Organization 1.2.2 Layout 1.2.3 Language and Usage 1.3 The Bullseye System 1.3.1 Overview 1.3.2 Design Goals 1.3.3 Strengths 1.3.4 Weaknesses 1.3.5 Comparison to d20 2.0 Conflicts 2.1 Checks 2.1.1 Process 2.1.2 When To Roll 2.1.3 Yield 2.1.4 Yield Table 2.1.5 Target vs. Opposed3 2.2 Modifiers 2.2.1 Modifier Table 2.2.2 Qualities 2.2.3 Situation 2.2.4 Impairment 2.2.5 Sample Modifiers [aid, equipment, lack of training] 2.2.6 As Comparative Measurements 2.2.7 Cumulative vs. Redundant 2.3 Targets 2.3.1 Target Table 2.3.2 Generation 2.3.3 In Relation to Modifiers 2.4 Spread 2.4.1 Spread Table 2.4.2 As Base Damage 2.4.3 Damage Modifier Table 2.4.4 Depletable Qualities 2.5 Quick 10 2.6 Summary 3.0 Player Characters 3.1 Generally 3.2 Mechanical Elements 3.3 Qualities 3.3.1 Quality Table 3.3.2 Forms 3.3.3 Setting-Specific 3.4 Accents 3.5 Color 3.6 Creation 3.6.1 Character Concept 3.6.2 Modifier Qualities 3.6.3 Modifier Accents 3.6.4 Depletable Qualities 3.6.5 Packages 3.7 Summary 4.0 Depletable Qualities 4.1 Generally 4.2 Relevant Checks 4.3 Depletion 4.4 Impairment 4.5 Restoration 4.6 Individual Pools vs. Group Pools 4.7 Multiple Depletable Qualities 4.8 Sample Depletable Qualities 4.8.1 Health 4.8.2 Sanity 4.8.3 Faith 4.8.4 Time 4.9 Summary 5.0 Character Actions 5.1 Timing 5.2 Order 5.3 Movement 5.4 Exotic Actions 6.0 Complex Conflicts 6.1 Generally 6.2 Sample Complex Conflicts 6.2.1 Combat 6.2.2 Grappling 6.2.3 Debate 6.2.4 Seduction 7.0 Injury 7.1 Hazards 7.2 Damage 7.3 Conditions 7.4 Impairment 8.0 Game Moderation 8.1 Calling for Checks 8.2 Clarifying Tasks 8.3 Setting Targets 8.4 Negotiating Modifiers 8.5 Interpreting Results 8.6 Character Advancement 8.7 Breaking Rules 8.8 Managing Players 9.0 Campaign Management 9.1 Settings 9.2 Adventures 9.3 Encounters 9.4 Opponents [NPCs] 9.5 Scaling 9.6 Selecting Depletable Qualities 9.7 Building Character Packages 9.8 Building Rules Sub-Systems4 9.8.1 Magic 9.8.2 Superpowers 10.0 Variants 10.1 Alternate Dice 10.2 Bullseyes 10.3 Plot Points 10.4 Shifting Scales 10.5 Free-Form Character Creation Appendix A: Glossary of Game Terms and Abbreviations Appendix B: The Master Table Appendix C: Character Sheet Appendix D: Limited License for Derivative Works Index Essays5 "Everything Matters" – The nature and goals of role-playing and the methods of achieving those goals. Communication and social contract. "A Game by Any Other Name" – Terminology and jargon and their importance. "Conflict Resolution vs. Task Resolution: A False Dichotomy" "Says Who?" - Narration Rights "Salute the Flag" - Identifying and using Flags Notes 1I've touched on this before in other topics, but I employ a fairly odd method of design. Short version: I think and think and think and think some more. When I finally get ready to put pen to paper it goes pretty quickly. I have lots of notes and a few sections already drafted, but it's about 90% in my head. 2Part of the design paradigm for Bullseye is that I'm designing it as a transparent text along the lines of a computer instructional manual. The outline will be the table of contents. Each section will start on a new page. No illustrations whatsoever. That sort of thing. 3I really hate these terms. (Representing checks made against target numers versus opposed checks.) They're not particularly descriptive. They're not even parallel. Any suggestions for alternates would be greatly appreciated. More generally, using the "perfect" word for each game term is one of my nigh-unattainable goals. Comments regarding my choice of terminology are also greatly appreciated. 4Any suggestions as to other example sub-systems to include in the text would be greatly appreciated. 5In my never-ending quest to make Bullseye as unappealing as possible, I'm including a series of theory-related essays. I'm hoping they'll be both helpful for play and informative of the design philosophy. Any ideas for additional essay would be greatly appreciated. Current Mood: excited Current Music: My Chemical Romance (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 16th, 2007
9:51 am	Join the Summer Revolution! I am a summer hero! And you can be too! The 2007 Ennies votes are happening, and the small press games that are up for awards need your help. If you’re a fan of Spirit of the Century, Burning Empires, Lacuna, Dictionary of Mu, Dawning Star: Helios Rising, Faery’s Tale, or Hollow Earth Expedition, this is a chance for you to stand up like me and make a difference. The voting is happening starting July 16th over at the Ennie Awards site and lasts only two weeks. There’s no better time to cast your vote than today! You find a sample ballot here: Grab a Sample Ballot And you can place your votes here during the voting period starting on July 16th: The Ennie Awards Voting Site Together we can be heard. Become a Summer Hero. Cast your vote, and let other people know how to become heroes themselves! Find out how to put this message in your own blog! Current Mood: excited (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
4:50 pm	BDG: Good Couple of Days Four ENnies nominations for Helios Rising. Great review of Shadow Falling. Jaw-dropping bid for Ticket #1 for the VIP Charity Game. (On the other side of the coin, I'm still 99% done with the Passages intro adventure, and Rapid POD has fallen off the face of the earth again with Gen Con looming and only like four copies of Helios Rising left in distribution.) Current Mood: happy (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, June 18th, 2007
9:32 am	World's Oldest ... Gerontology Expert? Lead line from a Reuters article: "TOKYO (Reuters) - An 111-year-old Japanese just named the world's oldest man said he owed his longevity to steering clear of alcohol." This is a pretty common phenomenon, right? For some reason we care what the super-old think the reason for their being super-old is. This comes up with Willard Scott's Smuckers Centurion Scoreboard on the Today show. (Except, being Americans, the old person usually attributes it to reading the bible every day or eating bacon.) I'm sorry, but I'd put as much stock into the 111-year-old's opinions about longevity as I do his opinions about engineering a bridge. You'll note, later in the article: "The Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with 28,395 people aged 100 or above in Japan at the end of September last year, according to the Health Ministry. Researchers have attributed the phenomenon to factors including healthy diet and tight-knit communities." Hmmm, no mention of alcohol. (And, of course, much research has shown that moderate amounts of alcohol, e.g., a glass of red wine a day, is helpful to overall health. Current Mood: moody Current Music: Five Iron Frenzy (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007
10:39 am	Elmo = Sinestro Random musing as I was watching yet another episode of Sesame Street. (Ah, the joys of parenthood.) When I grew up, there was no Elmo. We had Grover. Purple, furry, and fun. Grover was the zany friend who always made the room that much brighter when he showed up. He was loyal to fault. He'd demonstrate near and far until he passed out from exhaustion--just by way of example. Now there's Elmo. He looks suspiciously like Grover--just red instead of purple. Red, the color of blood. Elmo's needy, always wanting to be well liked. Sure, he says he wants to be your friend, but then he'll scream at the top of his lungs and scare away all the pigeons. And don't get me started on the tickle fetish. So, yeah, Elmo is Sinestro to Grover's Green Lantern. Current Mood: crazy Current Music: My Chemical Romance (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007
11:28 am	The Single Most Embarrassing Thing a Person Can Say "When are you due?" Asked of a woman who, as it turns out, is not pregnant. No, this didn't happen to me, but I saw someone else do it, and I literally cringed. "Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?" also works of course--or doesn't work as the case may be. Current Mood: amused Current Music: The Gamits courtesy of Pandora (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
3:34 pm	Life on the Raggedy Edge The title of this entry is of double meaning. 1) It's a common quote from Firefly. Interestingly, I'm reading Shadows Linger, a Black Company novel by Glen Cook. (I really love his writing style. I couldn't read it all the time, but every six months it's just what the doctor ordered.) In the book, there's a line about the company living "on the ragged edge." Too close to be a coincidence right? Now I'm really curious. Did Whedon get this from Cook? Does this turn of phrase predate Cook? Anyone know where this comes from? It is a damn cool line. 2) I myself am living on the raggedy edge these days. My wife had contractions and they stopped. Now, we're told, she could go into labor any time. Could be two hours or two weeks. For me, it's pretty brutal. Every call on the cell causes me to jump. Every time my wife sighs or calls to me from the other room, I tense up. And I can't imagine what she's going through: Was that a contraction? How strong was it? When was the last one? Should be we racing to the hospital? All I can say is this, if it doesn't happen soon, you will find a pile of frayed nerves and two bloodshot eyeballs where I used to sit. Current Mood: anxious Current Music: Sum 41 courtesy of Pandora (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, February 9th, 2007
10:41 am	King James is Lame If you didn't hear, former NBAer John Amaechi came out. He's gay. Lebron James's response was: "With teammates you have to be trustworthy, and if you're gay and you're not admitting that you are, then you are not trustworthy," James said. "So that's like the No. 1 thing as teammates - we all trust each other. You've heard of the in-room, locker room code. What happens in the locker room stays in there. It's a trust factor, honestly. A big trust factor." This position is such an unbelievable cop-out that I fully believe it was fabricated by one of his publicists. Lebron attempts to sidestep the issue entirely. With this statement, he's not required to express any discomfort with homosexuality and can still "represent" to his base by coming down on the guy who's coming out. Of course, if you give the statement some consideration, the man's homophobia is apparent. For starters, the mere use of the word "admitting" in relation to homosexuality undoubtedly implies that it is a negative quality. We don't "admit" to being smart or good at dunking a basketball. Moreover, it blatantly supports a double standard. Gay people should proclaim their homosexuality overtly so everyone will know and can identify them. Why? Do we demand heterosexuals keep us apprised of their sexual comings and goings? Should Lebron notify his teammates of which women he is sleeping with and when? Of course not. On the contrary, the NBA is legendary for the promiscuity of its players, and you can be certain that Lebron would not question the trustworthiness of a heterosexual player who kept his dalliances quiet. Current Music: None (1 Comment |Comment on this)