- El centrocampista suizo se marcha a Alemania para enrolarse en las filas de Nuremberg, conjunto que jugará esta temporada en la segunda división germana. Daniel Gygax llega procedente del Metz, club que se ha ingresado algo más de 1,5 millones de euros, firma con los alemanes hasta el próximo 2010.

- Daniel Gygax tiene 26 años y ha jugado 35 partidos con Suiza. Sus equipos han sido Zurich, Wintherthur, Aarau, Lille y Metz.

La Repubblica Ceca fa il colpaccio e punisce la Svizzera con il primo tiro in porta. Primo tempo noioso e statico, secondo tempo vivace e più aperto. Sfortunati gli svizzeri, Repubblica Ceca compatta e "più squadra".

La Svizzera meritava molto, ma molto di più, ed è stata anche sfortunata con quella traversa presa da Volanthen, e con l'infortunio di Frei, fin a quel momento unico che era riuscito a tirare in porta di entrambe le squadre. Primo tempo noioso, bloccato, le due squadre non sono proprio votate all'attacco e si temono, la Svizzera però ha il pubblico dalla sua parte ed attacca benissimo sulla destra con l'ottimo Behrami, giostrato da un centrocampo di grande qualità con l'udinese Inler e il bravissimo Barnetta (si dice nel mirino della Roma, sarebbe un buon acquisto). La Repubblica Ceca invece con tranquillità si difende, anche grazie alla grande esperienza dei 4 "italiani" schierati in campo, su tutti sicuramente Ujfalusi, maestoso, e migliore in campo.

Secondo tempo più vivace, la Svizzera capisce di potercela fare ma l'infortunio di Frei è un brutto colpo. Entra Yakin che si rivela un buon ricambio, da mobilità all'attacco, ma Streller è veramente inguardabile e non ne azzecca una. Così nel momento migliore della Svizzera segna la Repubblica Ceca con un bel gol di Sverkos, subentrato allo statico Koller. Così la Repubblica Ceca cambia completamente faccia, anche perchè sembrava troppo Koller-dipendente nel primo tempo. La Svizzera comunque attacca ma non c'è niente da fare. Serata storta per i padroni di casa, che si non si possono neanche consolare, visto che anche il miglior uomo si è infortunato.

Ottimi gli "italiani" in campo, forse solo Rozenhal un pò intimidito, pericoloso Behrami, regista Inler, mi è piaciuto moltissimo Barnetta, ripeto, ma anche buoni gli esterni Plasil e Jarolim. Parte bene la Repubblica Ceca, che però dovrà vedersela con il Portogallo di Ronaldo mercoledì.

SVIZZERA - REPUBBLICA CECA 0-1

SVIZZERA (4-4-2): Benaglio; Lichtsteiner (30'st Vonlanthen), Senderos, Muller, Magnin; Behrami (39'st Derdiyok), Inler, Fernandes, Barnetta; Streller, Frei (1'st Hakan Yakin). In panchina: Zuberbuhler, Jakupovic, Djourou, Huggel, Cabanas, Grichting, Gygax, Spycher, Degen. Allenatore: Kuhn

REPUBBLICA CECA (4-5-1): Cech; Grygera, Rozehnal, Ujfalusi, Jankulovski; Sionko (38'st Vlcek), Polak, Galasek, Jarolim (43'st Kovac), Plasil; Koller (12'st Sverkos). In panchina: Blazek, Zitka, Fenin, Kadlec, Baros, Matejovsky, Sivok, Skacel. Allenatore: Bruckner 6

ARBITRO: Rosetti (Ita)

RETE: 25'st Sverkos

NOTE: pomeriggio sereno, terreno in ottime condizioni, spettatori 33.433. Ammoniti: Magnin, Vonlanthen, Barnetta. Angoli: 6-3 per la Svizzera. Recupero: 1'; 3' 1'

Cronaca della partita.

Foto (come al solito, sono i diritti della immagini sono dei rispettivi proprietari):
[gallery]

I've mentioned previously how D&D sparked my imagination & love of books, but when the recent news reports that Wizards is releasing a new version, I breezed over it and realized something: My fond memories are from AD&D. I loved the variety of dice, the homegrown feel of everything. The game, the franchise, has evolved into this d20 thing that is reported to be nothing like what I remember. It makes me more than a bit sad; I am heartbroken that I didn't keep those old hardbacks books if for nothing more than nostalgia.

Enter OSRIC. the Old School Reference and Index Compilation. This compiles the old AD&D rules into a new volume, free of charge. You can continue playing the (best) version of the game you want. Even though it's unlikely I'll ever play again, I'm ecstatic that these core instructions will continue to be available. Apparently, its been ruled that rules are not copyrightable, so a few changes to exclude some trademarks and these folks are set. You can even order a printed set for a nominal fee. Go check it out.

• Gary Gygax Passes Away
• More Gygax Retrospective
• The Old Grey Lady on EGG

Ich erfuhr von seinem Tod irgendwo im Zug, Süddeutsche Zeitung glaub ich, die mein Gegenüber hochhielt. Links unten ein Dreizeiler "Gary Gygax verstorben".

Sein D&D und noch viel mehr AD&D waren für mich die Einstiegsdroge zum Rollenspiel (und sorgten dafür, dass ich in jungen Jahren schon über einen Wortschatz verfügte, den mein Englischlehrer als "blumig" bezeichnete). Danach kamen viele andere Systeme, sei es nun das von mir sehr verehrte Call Of Cthulhu oder eher unbekannte Perlen wie das WHFRPG. Aber am Anfang stand Gary Gygax und D&D.

Gary Gygax verstarb mit 69.

 Also, an unexpected place for retrospectives on Gygax - various Presbyterian pastors!  (Thanks to the Mad Doctor for these.)

• http://www.baylyblog.com/2008/03/gary-gygax-a-la.html
• http://cyrillucar.blogspot.com/2008/03/goodbye-gary-gygax.html

(click to enlarge)

The fundamental challenge of HR analytics has always been to figure out how to quantify the seemingly unquantifiable.  Human behavior, the reasoning goes, is too complex and varied to lend itself to the same rigorous quantitative analysis employed by the practitioners of Finance, Accounting and Operations Management.  For many organizations, surveys are the beginning and end when it comes to understanding their workforces.  Unable to objectively monitor and measure key human capital trends, HR executives effectively throw up their hands and look to the employees themselves to tell them what’s going on with their businesses. 

And yet what may seem an impossible endeavor from one perspective often seems intuitively obvious in hindsight.  It was undoubtedly extremely difficult to monitor and compare the financial performance of companies before the advent of GAAP, but now no one would question the intrinsic role they play in allowing analysts to monitor the health and valuations of publicly traded organizations.  The drive to standardize financial accounting continues apace, with FASB and IASB collaborating to construct international accounting standards that can be used on a global basis.

Which brings us back to Mr. Gygax.  As Jonathan Rubin writes in the March 6 issue of Slate Magazine “Perhaps his essential contribution was to develop a way to translate physical characteristics into numbers. An American Gladiator, for example, might have a "strength" of 18, while a Woody Allen-like character might have a four… It was also his idea to create "levels" and "experience points," allowing a character to become more skilled as you spend more time with the game.”  Just as GAAP provide a framework for “keeping score” financially, Dungeons & Dragons took the fantasy worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft and operationalized them with the development of key measures that all players could understand and agree upon.

The implications for human capital metrics are twofold.  First, the metrics and measurements that can be used to evaluate a company’s success are out there, waiting to be discovered and standardized.  Once identified, these metrics will also seem intuitively obvious in hindsight even though they are clearly not in foresight.  Second and more important- if designed properly, these metrics can, and will, be used by all publicly traded companies to monitor the performance of their workforces and report back to the analysts on Wall St.  Just as Gygax’ gaming system laid the groundwork for virtually every fantasy game that followed, including the immensely popular (and profitable) World of Warcraft, so too will a coherent and standard system of human capital metrics undergird how companies monitor and report on their workforces.

As some of you may have heard, Gary Gygax, the father of Dungeons & Dragons, lost his last Hit Point/failed his Saving Throw vs Death a few days ago at his home in Wisconsin. Geeks everywhere observed a moment of silence. I really wasn’t expecting to hear that much about it, but then bam!--there it was on the front page of CNN.com. Hell, the guy is getting more ink then William F. Buckley at this point, which got me thinking: Could the hobby myself and my troubled loner/nerd buddies used in high school to Save Us From Girls really have had that much of an impact?

I mean, you didn’t exactly brag about your weekly D&D session in mixed company back then. Hell, I’m not bragging about mine now (and for your information it’s GURPS we play, you twenty sided die chucking Philistines – a real nerd’s game). As the old saying goes, all the world’s lonely think their loneliness is unique. Most of us played the game in a Secret Pit of Shame (that’s the rents’ basement, for those of you watching at home). Getting an invite to that secret club was pretty hard. You couldn’t ask just any outcast – high school was harsh enough for most of us without risking the added ostracism of the dreaded “D&D Nerd” tag. And you never knew which parent or teacher might have got the loony idea that instead of drinking too much Mountain Dew and laughing at Andrew because his character was eaten by a Tyrannosaurus while he was in the bathroom (“Rough break Andy!” “You FUCKERS!”), you were in fact summoning Beelzebub using your dog-eared copy of the Dungeon Master’s Guide and maybe a Ouija Board for backup.

It turns out a hell of a lot more people must have been doing this thing than we thought. Fast forward from Gygax' invention of the game with co-author Dave Arneson in 1974, and Dungeons & Dragons and its offshoots are a multibillion dollar industry. Ok, the movies were unbelievably bad. Not even fun bad (rent-a-Brit gravitas of Jeremy Irons notwithstanding). And don't get me started about the cartoon. But the LoTR movies were brilliant (Legolas’ extreme sports moments aside). If not for Gygax, I’d bet the farm they wouldn’t have happened. And tell the truth, ye geeks of America (nay, the world!) – if you had known the future would be a place where you could have your very own lovingly rendered 3d Level 70 Blood Elf Paladin capable of busting into the actual dance routine from Napoleon Dynamite at any moment – you would have cursed your own mothers for having you too soon (I may own a copy of World of Warcraft. Ok, it may be the Collector’s Edition – don’t look at me that way: it came with an art book, a soundtrack CD and a virtual pet baby netherdrake. Having read what I just wrote, I may have to shoot myself).

It’s a strange, beautiful new world we live in where a guy can have his career launched instead of buried for playing Aragorn. Saying the name “Aragorn” aloud when I was in high school was like walking down the hall with a sign that said “wedgie me, and hard”. Hobbits were girl repellant. Years later, the month Fellowship of the Ring came out on DVD, I watched it on a lucky first date with a smoldering redhead that ended with Viggo's life-size cardboard cutout gazing sternly down upon the bed of sin. That's a far cry from the mix of pride and dread I felt when one of my best friends signed my yearbook in Elvish ("Have thee a bitchin Summer, dude!"). Mark Hamill? He’s crying in his apartment right now over all this, don’t think he isn’t.

And before you start with your smug comments, more than a few indie rockers of my acquaintance know from a polyhedral die. I’ll out you fuckers in a second, don’t think I won’t. Quake in your skinny jeans, furtive hipster RPGers: your $50 haircuts and vinyl collections cannot hide you now. Of course, while the skinny jeans set might not always cop to it, the sound guys, bartenders and doormen of the world have no such misplaced scruples. I just finished playing a show at the Triple Rock with Great Lakes Myth Society--a band that name checks the ur-Jethro Tull, British band Fairport Convention, as an influence - and by the time we were done loading out I knew which server half the staff at the Triple Rock played WoW on (Horde side, before you ask: and don't act surprised).

But really, if the outpouring of love for Gygax this week (I mean, uberhip indie web comic Achewood even got in on it) is an indication of anything, it’s that perhaps all this shame, faux or not, is misplaced. This crap is a huge part of popular culture now, and it's a fun part of it. And it's older than you think. How many times have you sung along to Robert Plant wailing "in the darkest depths of Mordor"? And was it ironic every time? If so, I'm a little sorry for you. You don’t think Marc Bolan is maybe tossing a polyhedron somewhere while he’s riding his white swan? Ok, maybe not, but if you can’t imagine it you’ve never had the universe reclining in your hair my friend. D&D and psych rock go together like warlocks and Flying Vs. So conquer your fear. Get together with your friends. Put on some Wolves in the Throne Room or Mastodon and roll up an imaginary sword-swinging barbarian (or barbarianette) and name him Crud. Or Thud. Or whatever. Let's not be humanocentric, roll up a goblin. Bring a six pack – you’re old enough to drink and do dungeons at the same time.

You can even bring girls.

Narcissus - the birth flower for March.  Aptly named, for all you Pisces/Aries types?

a birthday so sweet
for the girl with the pink hat
with the short short hair

effervescent pink
happy birthday,  sexy bitch
you're all kinds of old!

I'm a birthday cat
please rub my fuzzy belly
rub it now or DIE!

wee baby kittens
jumping and playing with stuff
endless soft touches

birthdays are like sex
wet, sticky and sometimes hot
baby kitten pie

you are the killer
of all that is Hobbit-like
magic and whispers

life spinning you by
like sand through the hourglass bitch
that's what it's about

pie, pie, pie and cake!
benedict and such happy
Hobbits are skittles

I can't pretend that any of that makes any sense, but that's you problem.  Oh, did you want some logic and formalism with your surreal poetry?  Maybe if you cry hard enough, Salvador Dali will come by and slap you with a fish.  Or maybe a tiny painting of a fish.  That'll teach you.  CURB YOUR EXPECTATIONS! {[,]l[,]}

Um, I mean... I hope you liked those.   Yeah.

-BRP

So, following the death of Gygax The New York Times published this handy chart of the life of a geek.

It's pretty spot on. Dune, Lolcats, blogging about diagrams, HP early adopter, Mountain Dew, Neuromancer...Yeah.

Again. I do have a girlfriend.

And yes, I do obsessively check my page stats. The internet is a dungeon. I ROLL TWENTIES.

...not really, its more of a critical fumble.

Do you like my new flat? It was a bitch to get planning permission, let me tell you. Anyway, first miscellaneous post of the year, just a few things that have been hanging around.

First of all, Scorsese has directed an advert, based on a treatment that Hitchcock drafted back in the 50's. It's quite interesting I guess, it's a nice tribute to good ole Hitch and looks terrific, but I wish Scorsese would get back to actually making some decent films. I have no interest in his Rolling Stones documentary, and I understand that he is trying to get a package together for a biography of Bob Marley. Hmm, OK so he's made plenty of documentaries in the past including some 'classic' live music films, my problem is that I don't really have any interest in them as they do not marry my musical tastes. Looking at IMDB it looks like he has a couple of fiction projects in development, so fingers crossed....

Some of my friends may have noticed that I've erased my Facebook account, due in part to this - I barely used the bloody thing anyway apart from solving some of the absurdly easy movie quizzes when I was really bored at work so no major loss. Humourless, soulless Communist that I am I want no part of any neo-con constructed marketing wet dream even if the prospect of having blipverts transmitted directly into your cerebral cortex sometime around 2017 might be cool.

Lynch is absolutely right - I think we've established that I'm a macyolite but I think that using any portable devices to watch anything other than an episode of the Simpsons or South Park say then yes, you're a fucking idiot. He's not too fond of Product Placement either. Vaguely related, here is a brilliant pastiche which is superbly synchronised...

For me the most intriguing project to come out of Sundance this year was this little number, it sounds very interesting and reminds of the interest that built up around this although I see that the guys behind 'Primer' don't appear to have been able to follow up on their intriguing and highly original debut. I like the idea of a SF film set in the developing world, it's obviously a ripe subject given recent cultural developments and trends - wracking my brains, I honestly can't think of any SF film set in Latin America or Africa. Oh, spoiler warning but here is a useful visual timeline for 'Primer' in case like me you still scratch your head over the complex strands in the film...

Finally, and sadly I really shouldn't let this passing go unmentioned. I was and fuck you I'm proud to admit it, something of a Dungeons & Dragons fanatic in my youth, so the natural 1 critical saving throw failure of the godfather of all role-playing games, both paper and silicon, should be mourned. He gave me many, many happy hours playing either Dungeons & Dragons or its many offspring - Traveller, Call of Cthuhlu, Judge Dredd the RPG, Golden Heroes - as well as many of the computer games that quite simply would not exist without his input. Here are some links to some fine and amusing aspects of D&D, rest in peace Gary Gygax you fine 15th Level Magic-User.....<Hey DM, can I loot the body now?...>

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09rogers.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Gygax and Dave Arneson created Dungeons & Dragons in 1974. I spent a lot of time at a table in a college dorm room with other players. It was a fun time.

I play a lot of Guild Wars so I guess my old hobbies have not changed that much. Although, nothing can equal the old days with friends, food, and dice.

Rest in peace Dungeon master ...

Additionally I feel like a huge piece of shit because I still haven't started my homework. Really...why do I have such a tendency to stay at rest? I've gotta grease the groove and keep moving forward.. If I never stop working I'll never miss freedom.

Desculpem levantar um tópico tão melancólico, mas não poderia deixar passar em branco.
Nos deixou terça-feira, dia 04/03/2008, o grandioso pai de todos os jogadores de RPG, co-criador do lendário Dungeons & Dragons e o cérebro por trás de Neverwinter Nights e Baldur's Gate, o glorioso Gary Gygax.

Gygax e Dave Arneson criaram o primeiro "role playing game" da história, partindo dos livros de fantasia escritos por Tolkien e Robert Howard, e incluindo uma mecânica simples baseada em xadrez. O monstruoso sistema que se tornou o Dungeons & Dragons (em breve em sua 4a encarnação) influenciou milhares de pessoas, criou um novo gênero dentro do mercado de jogos eletrônicos (inclusive iniciou a febre online que há hoje, juntamente com os FPS), literatura, música.

Fica aqui a despedida de um fã fiel, desde o primeiro D&D q eu peguei na mão (em 88), desde meu primeiro Dragon Quest, desde ter visto Dungeons & Dragons - o desenho (que até hoje é meu favorito - quem nunca vibrou com "Caverna do Dragão"?).

Sei q não é um memorial online como criou a Stormreach, mas é a humilde homenagem de um cara que se considera um grande mestre (fazendo a vida de vários mais divertida) e uma pessoa melhor por ter conhecido esse mundo fantástico, de honra, amizade e aventura.

Gary, you will be missed.
Thanks and GG

Gary, keep your Dice rolling and show the Gods how to kick ass.

In deep respect
Stefan

I realize I'm a several days late commenting on it here, but work has been pretty hectic, so you'll have to pardon my absence.

After I read the news, it took me a bit to digest, and realize just how much of an impact the wizened old sage had on my childhood and formative years. This man's creativity sparked my imagination. I discovered a colorful world in which I could dream dreams of such magnificent and excitement, of awe and wonder, and a wealth of books.

Oh, this wonderful hobby taught me the love of books that has never left me since. Gord the Rogue, Drizz't, and lets not forget that Kender...

I actually had the opportunity to exchange a few emails with Gary a few years back, and he was a kind, gracious man who was happy to discuss his family and hobby. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost those mails somewhere along the line.

It gladdens me to hear Gary apparently found Christ at some point, which I find comforting, and somehow gives me validation against all the media who bashed this, my favorite hobby, growing up. While I have no idea of the specifics for Gary, I accepted the truth a decade ago and my life has been all the better for it. No, I hadn't heard any voices or gotten all warm and fuzzy like the televangelists or media would have you believe. Amazingly enough, I observed and read until it all seemed logical to me. At least that was the beginning of my journey. I think more Christians need to realize that we are the same:

All I am is another fellow human that has at last, after many wrong paths and failed attenpts, found Jesus Christ.

I got nothing left. The Penny Arcade has a fitting tribute. Keep rolling 20s, Gary. See you on the other side

A great loss has been sustained by the role-playing community this week: Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, passed away on the fourth of this month.

Born Ernest Gary Gygax in 1938, Mr. Gygax - along with Dave Arneson - created the first Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. He played his entire life, faithfully Dungeon-mastering right up until his death. He has been a fixture in role-playing culture, often known affectionately as “The Great Gygax.” He attended many conventions and other events, and loved to receive feedback from D&D Players from around the globe.

Among his other accomplishments are co-founder of Tactical Studies Rules (with Don Kaye), International Federation of Wargamers, Gen Con mastermind, Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association, and co-author of Chainmail.

Needless to say, he will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace, occupying a throne overlooking the Blessed Fields of Elysium, his faithful dice beside him.

This ends the nerd section of this post.

As I mentioned in my introduction paragraph, I didn’t really catch much of the news this week. I did, however, notice two blows to the American political scene.

First, Sen. Hillary Clinton won strong enough support to keep her a definite factor in the Democratic nomination race.

Ouch. How could you do this to the rest of us? Ohio, Texas - I’m ashamed of you! Rhode Island? You people are asking to be pushed off into the Atlantic!

In all seriousness - she claims to “know and love” Texas. Remember, the state that gave us George W. Bush? Sure, she loves Texas. Like I love her. Or Bush.

Second, Sen. John McCain has the Republican nomination. Nomination. This means he has the support of roughly half of the citizens of the U.S. right now - scared? This is the man who wants to be at war. Wants to be fighting, killing, ruining lives, displacing families - and not just the people of Iraq, but Americans too. Do we really want him sitting at the controls?

I think not.

That’s all for now - I’ll write again soon. And I won’t use so many - dashes.

(Click through for full size)