October 13 1999 RussCon Report

Long-lost JeffS appeared to pre-empt the Devil's Place for winning the recent game name contest. His game of choice was RoboRally. He also performed a few magic tricks. Same time next year? We also had 2 newcomers, Allen & Jessica. (She was at the previous LaserQuest outing).

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LaserQuest this Monday! October 18!

Remember LaserQuest is this coming Monday October 18, at LaserQuest in the north parking lot of Highland Mall at 7pm! Come one, come all. Non-RussCon guests are welcome, so tell your friends. Blast your infidel enemies into monatomic dust! Forge a lifelong warrior-bond with your honored comrades!

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Game Results:

Twins 6 Bob 5 Tim 3 Marty 1 Clayton -1 RussW -4 Jerrie -4
MoleHill 2 Bob 1 William -1
Ferkelei 4 Bob 3 Marty 1 William -1 Jessica -3
Ferkelei 4 William 3 Jessica 0 Bob 0 Marty -3
Kremlin 4 Alfred 3 JeffF 1 JonathanC -2 JP -2
BitinOffHedz 4 William 3 Bob 1 Marty -1 Jessica -3
ResPublica 5 JeffF 4 Alfred 2 Allen 0 WendyWhe -2 JonathanC -4
Bluff 8 JeffF 7 JonathanC 5 Alfred 3 JP 1 Bob -1 Jessica -4 William -4 Marty -7
AufHellerUndPfennig 4 Bob 3 William 1 JP -1 Marty -3
Vegas 4 William 3 WendyWhe 1 Marty -1 JP -3
RoboRally 5 Clayton 4 RussW 2 JeffS 0 Jerrie -2 Tim -4
Bluff 4 JP 3 RussW 1 JeffS -1 William -3
Bluff 4 William 3 JP 1 RussW -1 JeffS -3
Bluff 4 JP 3 JeffS 1 William -1 RussW -3

Twins seems way too luck-based.

Mental note for RoboRally: remember that putting flags in a corner with 2 walls can lead to camping rather than racing. I won't name names...

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Evening's Soundtrack:

Tuesday night I saw a UT Drama Department production of Threepenny Opera, including a great performance of my favorite song from it, "Pirate Jenny". (It runs throught next weekend.) After listening to lots of Kurt Weill music in the past few months, I've decided that Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s would be a pretty cool place to live if it weren't for that rise of Nazism thing.

Marianne Faithfull, The Seven Deadly Sins
Ute Lemper, Performs Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill, Die Dreigroschenoper
Kurt Weill, O Moon of Alabama (anthology of vintage recordings)
The Young Gods, Play Kurt Weill

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Rank ratings:
 0.8571 JeffF (3)
 0.5714 Alfred (3)
 0.4800 Bob (7)
 0.3333 Clayton (2)
 0.0938 William (10)
 0.0800 JP (7)
 0.0000 Allen (1)
-0.0714 JonathanC (3)
-0.1111 Tim (2)
-0.1429 WendyWhe (2)
-0.2308 JeffS (4)
-0.2778 RussW (5)
-0.4815 Marty (7)
-0.6250 Jessica (4)
-0.6667 Jerrie (2)

New Win ratings:
 0.7143 JeffF (3)
 0.3600 Bob (7)
 0.3333 Clayton (2)
 0.1875 William (10)
 0.0714 Alfred (3)
 0.0400 JP (7)
-0.2143 JonathanC (3)
-0.2222 Tim (2)
-0.2222 Jerrie (2)
-0.2500 Allen (1)
-0.2500 Jessica (4)
-0.2593 Marty (7)
-0.2778 RussW (5)
-0.2857 WendyWhe (2)
-0.3077 JeffS (4)

JeffF is the Devil! Next are Alfred & Bob. Then Clayton, then William (who wins the Dedicated Award).

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Links:

http://www.shockheadedpeter.com will tell you about an amazing performance I saw in Houston last weekend. You know that Dame Darcy picture of the Victorian lesbian ghouls on my wall? This creepy Victorian cabaret "junk opera" was like a Dame Darcy story come to life. Or Edward Gorey or Richard Sala. The lead singer of the Tiger Lillies has been described as "Tom Waits on helium".

http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~darse/rsbpc.html contains results of the recent RoShamBo (rock-paper-scissors) AI tournament. Of 45 entries, mine came in 4th! Hoody-hoo! People interested in game-playing AI should read the discussion of the winning entry Iocaine Powder.

http://www.dogdoo.com offers an unorthodox revenge service. Note: by mentioning this site, I am emphatically NOT hinting that I would like to receive a gift from them.

http://rockers.nu/trams/banners/ has cute animations of power cord sex.

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"The meanest player begins the game." (Rules to Vegas)
"That would be Wendy." (Allen, at his first RussCon)

Russ