Westwind

In the late 70's was editor of my high school newspaper, The Panther's Cry. I got the position from a competition with a fake newspaper layout...mine was the "Four Wings High Times" (one wing had been blown up by the South Wing Sweat Hogs, another wing had simply disappeared - I had fun with it). Cut and paste layout of typewritten material, PC's were years away yet. In 1979 I penned an article about the Iranian Revolution, the US Embassy was being held hostage at the time. I had to get clearance from the School Board to publish it, as it was considered a controversial topic. I got approval and it ran front page. It was a good article, covering Iranian history as well as the current events. In the 80's I was editor of Christian Light Ministries newsletter, and the Kansas Avicultural Society Magazine. I had an online newsletter delivered to 35 countries in the 90's called Tales Across The Waters for fans of the German band Triumvirat. Was always surprised how large their fan base was in South America, Japan, and Korea. One subscriber/fan in Japan went to temple to have a blessing made for my daughter when she was born. I sponsored a couple 'cultural exchange' concerts in St. Louis in '99, folks we're asking for my autograph - I told them they were nuts. The band reunited and recorded a new album called "The Website Story" inspired by my work, but the record label went bankrupt and the album was never released. (I have the songs and planned artwork, but the band leader won't follow through further. But for a 2000 album, it sound alot like the 80's. Lead singer on that album is now with the Nervous Germans.) At times I've thought about creating an online local news service, the local newspaper is terrible. Live citizen tips and reports would do better.

Once upon a time in a region somewhere in NS......we required all regional officials to post on the forum at least every other day (preferably daily). And an official was also expected to reply to every thread in his/her jurisdiction frequently. Activity begets Activity. The interior official should be posting in interior threads, starting new threads, regularly. Same for Defense, Foreign Affairs, et al. There should be new material in every category frequently. There should never be a category that hasn't had activity in a month or more. Get rid of those categories if you're not using them. In other words, streamline your customer's experience and provide them value. Part of an official's duties is keeping up activity in their area of responsibility. And maintaining the pinned threads, make sure they are up to date and relevant. When officials post regularly, it gives non-officials something of interest to read and maybe respond to. That creates activity. It's really simple. If they cannot do that for a time (keep up this activity level), they should post an absence notice. If they fail to post in a certain time span (one week?), or fail to post a notice of absence, or fail to appoint a deputy in their absence, they need to be replaced quickly. Otherwise the gears of activity slow and stop, and the entire region suffers. One official that's slowed down or inactive will encourage the same in other officials. It becomes a snowball of inactivity if it's not addressed. Today you have Discord, and no one pays attention to the forums because of it. The work needed on the forum doesn't' get done. (Key disclosure here though - I loath Discord, so I'm very biased. I'm a forum rat, not a chatroomer) Some questions: - Is not Customer Service part of your job as a regional official? - Why should people come to the forum when they are constantly encouraged to go to Discord on the RMB? - What value does it provide to your customers that they should sign up for yet another offsite venue? Or should I say.... - Why should players, already being asked to go offsite from the game they joined, be expected to visit multiple offsite venues in order to participate in the game? Or rather said... - The more venues, the more you complicate your customer's experience. Doesn't this obviously drive away potential customers (potential active players)? - Why do you, as a regional administration, require this of your 'citizens'? Join a forum, join Discord, sign an oath...and finally we accept you into the fold as a customer/player. You're demanding too many hoops for your customers (players) to jump through in order to be recognized as 'one of us with the right to have a say'. The game doesn't require this. Player administrations do, and create stagnant oligarchies over the long term. Like IRC, Discord is good for instant interaction, and is more accessible for that purpose than the RMB. Unlike IRC or the RMB, it provides you the ability to create multiple rooms/channels....like forum threads...to organize the conversation. Unlike forums, it does not provide the ability to readily organize and provide easy access to information that hasn't just been posted. Forums provide a better long term organizational and informational situation than Discord. Information can be pinned for presentation, turned into announcements, archived, reorganized, etc etc. Forums are like a book, it has chapters (catagories) sub-chapters (threads). Discord is like a student's notebook. Lots of scattered disorganized notes and information that only the OP can discern and know it's organization, but of much less use to others and newcomers. And yet, the forums aren't being used in their natural capacity. I just noticed yesterday, there are many pinned informational threads here and there around the forum that remain from my Delegacy. Those should have been updated/replaced several Delegacies (years) ago. This is slack housekeeping by successive administrations. I'm not even a TWP citizen (sidetrack: I loath NS citizenship oaths. I'm already in the region, I'm already participating, I'm already contributing....don't make me sign an oath to anything just for being here in order for the 'region' to acknowledge my contributions - it's simply bullshit to act as a gatekeeper to who gets to be part of the 'IN' crowd/oligarchy. End citizenship oaths! One does not need an oath to be held to the standards of the region. That's false reasoning.) Okay.....I gotta run.....

Sun Tzu called it the 'Divine Manipulation of the Threads'. When these five kinds of spy are all at work, no one can discover your secrets and systems. 1. Local spies - services of local inhabitants 2. Inward spies - making use of officials of the enemy 3. Converted spies - using the enemies spies for your own purposes 4. Doomed spies - taking false information to the enemy 5. Surviving spies - execute operations based on information gathered or situations created by other spies

Still waiting....

I liked Sixguns software.

I know, right?

Beware of those 'other realms'. Especially RL. I was an editor in RL in the 70's/80's/90's. (this is not an application)

Although someone else's gravedig can be used as an opportunity for a traditional TWP threadjack. So next time a Nuclear Apocalypse approaches, don't forget the wisdom of Dr. Strangelove. "Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy, the FEAR to attack." Be sure they will fear TWP before the next apocalypse!

I read that as "add to the Trolls".

That was my recollection, but I wasn't sure. I was pretty much working directly with Gates. (Which was good with all the factions I was trying to juggle.) I think CN's impact on NS is often forgotten or discounted. Gameplay was impacted by the talent migration to CN as much as it was by Influence. Although there was dissatisfaction in the NS gameplay ranks before CN that boosted interest.

It seemed a little light on questions in your thread . Had to give you a chance to expound a bit more. Can't help you with the password, but: http://z11.invisionfree.com/Neutral_Territory/index.php? Yeah, they were unhinged. Right when folks signed up for the board it told you - Blue sky thinking here, leave your gameplay biases at the door - and instead they barged in towards the end of the conference and told everyone how evil everyone was for ever even thinking about thinking about raids. On Westwind, Sir Lans (FRA) said, "He's destroying the game!" because I dared to propose 'The Destroyers' to remove 'deadwood' regions from the game. (TAO presented the same general idea in another form). Liberty Alliance perhaps?

*nods* A CommRanger RMB activity device. Maybe you'd prefer this Jack Daniels Whiskey Fudge I just stumbled upon.... https://www.wineandglue.com/jack-daniels-whiskey-fudge/

When Zeta was Delegate, I was simply here as the Equilism Ambassador to TWP.

Yeah, Eli's thread is a good idea, but it's going to be too cluttered. Each old timer needs their own thread. I was asked to do a lecture at the NS Worlds Fair one year, and I couldn't limit it to any one subject so I asked for it to be a Q&A, which it was. I think much to Unibot's chagrin, he lost control of the questions and they weren't going where he wanted. I think people had fun though, which is more important. Okay.....here's ten random questions for you to consider.....or not. 1. What was you favorite thing about the Neutral Territory conference, of which you were an admin. What was the thing that bothered you the most at Neutral Territory? (One of Westwind's memories......as I am brought in as a 'Moderator' (hidden Admin) at Neutral Territory, Dark introduces herself to me and tells me "we're alot older than you think". I chuckled to myself, already knowing Gates age, and knowing that I'm a couple years older than Dark.) 2. What was the first region you moved to after founding? 3. What, if any role, did you play in The Crimson Order events of The North Pacific ten years ago? Gatesville was there in support, TAO was TWP Delegate. Ivan was secretly in my government. (There's alot untold about Crimson, heh, .....there was the near TNP/TP war in the midst of that.) 4. Which did you enjoy more? Your first term or second term as TWP Delegate? 5. What positions did you hold in The Pacific? We're you a member of both NPO and PRP? 6. Do you think NS needs a new 'Gatesville' to crusade against the WA? 7. Occasionally in the world, the prevailing paradigm shifts drastically. What do you think it would take to break the R/D paradigm in NS, and open up gameplay to a more diverse game environment? 8. Do you recall the United Cyprus operation in Greece? 9. You and I have both complained, argued, explained, hoped for change.....over Influence. After 12 years of Influence, and changes in it's calculation in the Feeders, what is your position on Influence now? 10. "Does eat oat and Lambs eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy." (my mother liked singing that) Is Chocolate bad for Does and Lambs? (And, is the presence of chocolate attracting Marsupials to the region?) *slides a chocolate mousse in a Guinness glass with a cherry on top to Dark*

Hey Zeta, been a long long time.

Beware, I know some of Dilber's secrets.

Fixed.

He's bad news. Always has been, and someone always seems to be stupid enough to let him in somewhere. ("Oh we believe in second chances!"....and third, and fourth, and fifth....) We've cut relations with Gatesville and The Pacific over them working with him on separate occasions in the past. Perhaps he should be told that continued attempts to target a forum he's been banned from is grounds for a civil lawsuit.

'Tis done. *Westwind's last Administrative Act*

Amen. I'll continue the rant for you. I haven't watched mainstream or cable news in years. It's all worthless propaganda and lies. I'm much more informed than those buffoons. Even the local paper puts out "Breaking News" about things I've known about for months, sometimes years. It's pathetic. Most 'journalism' is dead. (There ARE good journalists, but they are hard to find - the media doesn't want them, they aren't entertaining enough for ratings.....gotta get that almighty cash!) And I see millions of idiots on social media regurgitating those lies. God help Mankind, the fundamentals of brainwashing are in play. Once upon a time I decided to buy a 22 rifle. World food reserves were low, the economy in shambles, and being in the middle of nowhere I need to make sure I can get something to eat if I need it. (Once upon a time a train derailment took out the power for a week here in the dead of winter, one must be prepared for anything here, no one else is going to take care of you.) A friend of mine is an ex-cop and border patrol. Used to go undercover infiltrating gangs. He makes his own knives, repairs guns. He told me I was choosing the wrong gun. "You're disabled, you need to be able to defender yourself when things go bad. You need a handgun." Okay, so I think about a 22 handgun along with the rifle. "No" he said. "A 22 will only make an attacker mad at you." He approved of the Smith and Wesson 40 I bought. I fired it once. I don't like handguns, I like rifles. I know it works, hope I never need it. If you are being attacked, cops won't protect you. They aren't there with you. And when they do get the call, they aren't going to be there for 20 minutes. You MUST be able to protect yourself. Look at those keystone cops in Broward County. They stood outside while the kids were murdered. They didn't protect them. The Sheriff told them to stand down. SWAT officers from another county trying to respond were disciplined for trying to help. WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?! Have you seen the video of Sheriff Israel speaking at a SWAT training session? He tells them they should "run and hide". WHAT THE HELL!?!?! That man needs to be in prison. Innocent children's blood is on his hands. The "No NRA" organization that's fundraising for gun control in Florida? They were formed the day after the shooting. Profiting from death. They were formed by the LGBTQ rights organization Equality Florida. The "No NRA" logo on their website is hosted on the Equality Florida server. Equality Florida is run by yet another Democratic organization of which Sheriff Israel is a member. It's a political sham. The money is headed for the Democratic National Committee, because the DNC is broke and desperate for money in an election year. FOR SHAME!!!! Raising money on the deaths of 17 children so you can get re-elected. There's a special place in hell for those people. There needs to be consequences for these horrendous actions, and it has nothing to do with guns. People are so terribly ill informed. My daughter and I went to see Black Panther last weekend. We think it sucked. They bragged about all this 'advanced technology' that no one else has. I've seen RL weapons much more advanced than that make-believe. You'd be stunned to know what's going on in the middle east these days. The GCC has weapons far beyond what the US has. There are mini-drone fired missiles that can implode a man in the middle of a crowd without harming anyone in the crowd. I've seen it in action. A man turned into a spray of blood and was gone. The crowd looked around trying to figure out what happened. Directed pressure wave explosions that can take out a gun emplacement without harming the soldiers. There are remote little 'Watchers' flying around everywhere in Syria. They took out all of Syria, Iran and Russia's generals. The war is all but over there, but the media will never tell you. ISIS is done too. North Korea threat is over, and Iran is next. Peace is breaking out all over the world and all the media can do is talk about hookers and broadcast know-nothing propagandized kids for gun control. Idiots one and all. There are US Navy ships with lasers now. Fighter jets with lasers. There are "Rods of God" kinetic weapons, which likely took out that mountain Kim Jong Un was testing nukes in. All his nuke scientists were killed. Hasn't been a nuke test or missile launch since then. Why do you think he's suing for peace now? Yes, there will be peace by the end of the year, although I'm hearing as early as late June. The Trump/Kim meeting is only a formality, it's already a done deal. They already met in November. The Korean War was never concluded, but it will be this year. It's a miracle. In coming years, things will get better for the North Korean people. Thank God! The media wants war and conflict, it's good for ratings. They don't give a shit about you and I. They don't want peace. They don't know how to make money off of peace. Did they report that Saudi Arabia and Israel are now allies? The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) gave Israel $3 Trillion dollars to develop those advanced weapons. Yes, I said Trillion. The Saudi's have the money and the Israelis have the tech. GCC is why ISIS is gone. GCC is why Syria is over. GCC is slowing working on Yemen. The GCC has an entirely new kind of soldier. 50 of these soldiers amphibiously landed in Yemen and divided into two groups. One group attacked and killed 10,000 Houthis rebels. The other held off 40,000 rebel troops.Those 40k retreated from 25 GCC soldiers after they were reduced to 20k. And they are quietly supporting the protests in Iran that have been ongoing since December. The Mullahs are finally going down. Pay close attention to MbS in Saudi Arabia. He's a hero and is going to reshape the middle east. Women can now drive in Saudi, go to soccer matches, vote....all because of MbS. People are going to love him. It is the most bloodless, successful military actions ever. GCC was able to evacuate an entire ISIS held city without a single death. 200,000 were scared into evacuating the city without firing a single bullet. And that's just some areaa they won't tell you about. Major changes are happening worldwide. Changes for the better and the media doesn't want you to know about it because they can't monetize it. The world is changing. Don't be left behind. I could go on and on.....but it's all so far out of what people are being told, no one believes reality anymore because it doesn't match the lies they've been told to believe. More on Syria? To my knowledge, all but one of Syria's generals are dead. All Iran's generals in Syria are dead (this is helping the protests in Iran - the Revolutionary Guard is only able to defend Tehran now). They keep showing old clips of their top General Suleiman in Iran to try to cover up the fact he was killed in Syria. Russia has been pulling out of Syria for months. It's all over but the conclusion and clean up. It will take time yes, but the worse is over. Turkey invaded Syria again to attack the Kurds. They told their people they were victorious and showed film on Turkish TV to show the victory. The film was fake. The soldiers in the film were using blanks, not real bullets, it was file footage from training. The reality? The Turks lost bad, turned tail and ran home. They've been pretty quiet since then. Meanwhile, Hezbollah in Lebanon is in the process of being dismantled...again by the GCC. Things are safe enough in Lebanon that the US is giving the Lebanese Army new weapons. I've seen maps of all Hezbollah's missile sites and weapon stores scattered across Lebanon and Syria. They are going down. GCC is infiltrating them at the squad level. Where is CNN? FOX? NBC? ABC? CBS? BBC? Out to lunch worrying about social justice bullshit. TURN IT OFF! I've been privy to some very indepth, horrible truths lately. What's been done the past 30+ years is worse than you worst nightmare. 60 years even. Some of it I've known since the 90's, but damn....it's worse than I imagined. Turn off the fantasy propaganda. It's not good for you.

Perhaps you can help us with the annual Zombie infection NS suffers.

After mis-thinking this and trying some things, unless someone has another idea that fits the forum mechanics, your options are: 1. The voting forum must have all access removed from non-citizens (completely hidden to all but citizens) to prevent them from being able to vote in polls in that particular forum. (for any forum in which you want to restrict poll access) 2. Remove permission from non-citizens for poll voting. This will effect non-citizens globally, prohibiting voting everywhere on the forum. (This permission is by usergroup, not by forum, so it's a forum-wide permission) 3. Scrap poll voting for 'voice voting'. This is always the most secure voting method on any forum. I'd avoid option 2. This is why we 'voice vote' in Equilism (same forum software).

Be careful out there, RL can be a scary place. See ya when you can!

*chuckles* We each live in the world that we made for ourselves. (except when others impose their world on us) Welcome to TWP, make yourself at home

'Tis done