Introduce Yourself.

[user2357]

That might be fun to add a little colour and outside viewer context, something like little sideboxes Old Murgh reminisces:. Maybe some of the other old dogs eventually step by and we could add a varied collection of those. I don’t think my memory is good enough to carry an own page like that, but snippets that underscore, for instance, the player impact of a particular development, -or the utter joy of having one’s Trumble suggestion approved by Giles, might add some amusing flesh to the diary.

That would be beautiful! I'd absolutely love that! You got my vote, sir!

[UK_Eliter]

Oh.

Westpac, I gather, is an Australian bank.

Do you / did you really not have enough food, Internet friend? (Well, I'm unsure we're corresponded, but you are an Ooliter of - perhaps more than - good standing.)

[Cholmondely]

That might be fun to add a little colour and outside viewer context, something like little sideboxes Old Murgh reminisces:. Maybe some of the other old dogs eventually step by and we could add a varied collection of those. I don’t think my memory is good enough to carry an own page like that, but snippets that underscore, for instance, the player impact of a particular development, -or the utter joy of having one’s Trumble suggestion approved by Giles, might add some amusing flesh to the diary.

That would be beautiful! I'd absolutely love that! You got my vote, sir!

+ 1

[Cholmondely]

Oh.

Westpac, I gather, is an Australian bank.

Do you / did you really not have enough food, Internet friend? (Well, I'm unsure we're corresponded, but you are an Ooliter of - perhaps more than - good standing.)

Life is pretty tough "down under".

Back in Blessed Blighty, we were busy organising emergency chocolate rations for the Antipodean Ooliters last X-mas.

And the price of TamTam™s - over there they cost an arm and a leg - we can get them cheaper over here!

[Wildeblood]

Westpac, I gather, is an Australian bank.

Indeed. Formed during the great bank consolidation of the early 1980s, when 10-ish became 4, the name is a portmanteau of Western Pacific, styled on the model of the equally Orwellian-sounding NatWest.

Do you / did you really not have enough food, Internet friend?

Well, I finished everything in the refrigerator, which was literally empty, and was about to proceed on to spiced ham in a can when the neighbours began bringing me fresh things to eat. Perhaps they feared a spate of missing children and urban cannibalism scandal affecting property values.

The 30-second "elevator pitch" version of my tale is that, despite having $xx,xxx in my account, Westpac's computer told Telstra's computer that I wasn't good for a $25 phone bill, resulting in the suspension of my telephone service. Now in Australia, everything online - including Coles and Woolworths grocery deliveries, and the banks and the phone companies themselves - uses the "enter the 6-digit code we just sent by SMS" gimmick to begin every transaction. With a blocked bank account, suspended phone service, no cash* and a vandalised car, I was immediately in a very difficult situation.

* Until this week, I wasn't even sure what the current series of Aussie banknotes looked like; it's been so long since I handled cash.

[Wildeblood]

Life is pretty tough "down under".

Back in Blessed Blighty, we were busy organising emergency chocolate rations for the Antipodean Ooliters last X-mas.

And the price of TamTam™s - over there they cost an arm and a leg - we can get them cheaper over here!

I never did thank you for the Berlin airlift-style Christmas chocolate delivery. Thank you.

After an unfortunate episode of diarrhoea, I have sworn off Tim-Tams™ forever.

Too much information?

[Old Murgh]

Would you perhaps, one day... be interested in adding some annotations to the Aegidian Devlog posts on the Oolite wiki, regarding your personal memories and experiences of when you first read those posts in Aegidian's LiveJournal way back in the early 2000s?... (just a thought... I, for one, would love to read such first-hand insights from someone who was actually there when it happened. ..

I tried to remember and looked around for a few dusty props, and I've added some old-timer anecdote boxes. I might come back with a few more in a couple of weeks after the busy season wanes. The writing feels a bit self-indulgent, but then I only have my own perspective to go by. Hope it's along the lines of what you thought.

[Cholmondely]

I tried to remember and looked around for a few dusty props, and I've added some old-timer anecdote boxes. I might come back with a few more in a couple of weeks after the busy season wanes. The writing feels a bit self-indulgent, but then I only have my own perspective to go by. Hope it's along the lines of what you thought.

Very much enjoying your tidbits!

[Old Murgh]

[Very much enjoying your tidbits!

Thank you. With parts of the old BB record nuked it is what it is, some things are very fuzzy, but thankfully, some things still feel very clear.

[user2357]

I tried to remember and looked around for a few dusty props, and I've added some old-timer anecdote boxes. I might come back with a few more in a couple of weeks after the busy season wanes. The writing feels a bit self-indulgent, but then I only have my own perspective to go by. Hope it's along the lines of what you thought.

Brilliant! Beautiful! :') I love it! Thank you so very much, Murgh. I'm looking forward to any other memories you might think to add.

I wasn't onboard back then yet, and this is the only way -- sitting down with an old-timer, and buying him a drink in a back corner of dark a Space bar somewhere in GalCop Space, and listening to his memories -- that I can also enjoy, vicariously as it might be though, those first moments of wonder and awe.

June 22, 2005 - Old Murgh side comment: "As with most things, Giles worked harder than he would elaborate upon."

I've paid particular attention to Giles' "Current Mood"s in all his posts, and, to me, it seems clear that they provide a subtly-deep insight into his work ethic... He committed, and didn't back down, until everything was done that he thought he needed to do. Even right up to the end -- even after the burn-out had finally become apparent even to himself -- he still continued, because it had to be completed properly before he would ultimately hand over the reins. ... That's my impression, at least, from coming in late. Such dedication, such personal, emotional sacrifice -- already obvious from merely the written records alone ... deserves respect. I don't think I can even begin to imagine the actual truth of the situation in the moment a that time.

Thanks again, Murgh. <o

[Old Murgh]

-- sitting down with an old-timer, and buying him a drink in a back corner of dark a Space bar somewhere in GalCop Space, and listening to his memories -- that I can also enjoy, vicariously as it might be though, those first moments of wonder and awe.

That’s a pleasant image, having one’s tongue loosened and memories flowing by a few Qubibian drams. It would get me going, even if I do have to pay the tab myself. I’m learning that with age, the reward comes in having a (believably) grateful audience.

I've paid particular attention to Giles' "Current Mood"s in all his posts, and, to me, it seems clear that they provide a subtly-deep insight into his work ethic... He committed, and didn't back down, until everything was done that he thought he needed to do. Even right up to the end -- even after the burn-out had finally become apparent even to himself -- he still continued, because it had to be completed properly before he would ultimately hand over the reins. ... That's my impression, at least, from coming in late. Such dedication, such personal, emotional sacrifice -- already obvious from merely the written records alone ... deserves respect. I don't think I can even begin to imagine the actual truth of the situation in the moment a that time.

I think that’s a very insightful take on it, well put.
Yes, his «mood cues» feel significant to me too. Coming from someone as articulate and adept at choosing his words as Giles, it adds real weight in trying to relate to where he was at. The record reads as a complex perpetual mixture of draining, health-sucking labour with reinvigorating shots of great satisfaction, and hopefully mostly fuel from the fans.

[user2357]

"...articulate and adept at choosing his words..." The eager newcomer repeats the salient part of Old Murgh's statement.

"I can't think of specific examples off-hand now," he continues opposite the table, "It's been a while, but I vaguely recall that, while reading through Aegidian's DevLog, a similar thought also occurred to me at least a few times: 'This guy uses his words carefully... There's more meaning here than what a simple devlog might usually convey.'

"I imagine now that sometimes it might have been playful, and, other times, rather born of frustration and exhaustion. Even in merely recording and reporting his progress, he was communicating on a deeper personal level with the followers of the project, revealing little bits of his soul to anyone who paid attention.

"It was clear that he cared greatly for the quality of this fan labour, and for the people coming along for the ride. He wasn't just churning out some code; he was pouring out some of the most precious parts of his being in the hopes of reaching as many participants -- as opposed to mere spectators -- as possible.

"That's probably why he kept the DevLog in the first place: to draw in as many participants as possible, showing them what the experience of his creative process is truly like. ...art, at the deepest level, if I've ever seen any... -- not just in creating a masterpiece, but more so even in creating an shared, communal experience... performance art even!

"That's my take, at least, coming along afterwards, and picking up some of the still-rich left-overs so many years later. I definitely will re-read the DevLog again. ... Can I buy you another one?"

[Cholmondely]

Your commentary very definitely deepens the experience of reading through Aegidian's Log ( Aegidian devlog).

Thank you!

[Old Murgh]

Thank you!

Thank you for saying so. It has been nice to dig for memory scraps on the wayback archive and actually find and jog some things I remember, and a little sad to confirm that other stuff seems completely gone. But this is life.

[UK_Eliter]

Moderator(s): move some of this stuff? It's become chat for established hands, which is good, but might put off any new-comers!

Wildeblood: I'll PM you now.