James

[quote name='Petie'][COLOR=Blue]Okay, so here's what I've gathered from this thread so far: [B]Rep Ability[/B]: All options open to all [B]Rep Format[/B]: Good vs. Evil [B]Anonymous Rep[/B]: TBA (See note below) [B]Rep Comments[/B]: No Are we all in agreement with the above? If so, the only thing we really need to discuss at this point is whether or not you should remain anonymous when you rep someone. Remember that there is no way to make it completely public so the only affect this setting would have would be to allow the person receiving the rep to see who gave it to them. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Perfect. This sounds like a good compromise that everyone can be happy with. I think it would be great to see who voted you good/evil, but I don't really mind either way.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yep. And, Colossus, I said "if this is a concern?" I personally don't care if people leave messages or not, but it would be great to design a system that most people are happy with. Anyway, at least in the current setup leaving a message is optional. I personally can't imagine leaving messages, because that would get old very fast, especially if you want to tag a lot of posts. It'd be easier to just tag posts as good/evil and leave it at that.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Do we have the option to allow people to leave good/evil rep without a message at all? That way there [i]can't[/i] be an abusive message, if this is a concern?[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Well, this poll has been open for a while now. It's looking pretty overwhelming in terms of people supporting this. We will be going for John's idea, it's now just a matter of implementing it. There are a couple of things we have to do behind the scenes to make it work. John's idea should prevent the whole popularity contest issue, because it'll just be a lighthearted good/evil meter rather than a good quality/bad quality issue.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]This is what happens when we give out stars. Although to come think of it, I'm not even sure who has them now. I don't know who holds the bag of stars. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I've just posted. In my post I indicated that Catherine has some concern about Leonhart. Basically I'm thinking that news of the Anovans having the ship in their posession has come to Leonhart's attention and he's now viewing the treasure hunt as a matter of national security and national pride. Leonhart's arrival in Brigit Town should trigger the next Landmark, which I've discussed with Shy. I've still got our chat, Shy, so if you need a refresher I can send it to you.[/font]

[indent][center][img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/gustave_achard-1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Victoria_Ann.jpg [/img] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest%202/Liana_Prideux.jpg[/img][/center] [font=garamond][size=4][right][B]The Dreadnaught Estate[/B][/right][/font][/size] [font=palatino linotype]Gustave stood in front of the fountain at the entrance to Achard Hall. The cobblestone driveway tickled his bare feet as he walked away from the house, towards the main gates. It was a perfect day. The vivid green gardens were punctuated with flecks of red, white and blue; Anovan roses in full bloom. The sun beamed down on his naked body and the cool air caressed his skin. He stopped in the middle of the driveway and shielded his eyes from the glowing sun. From here he could see all of Le Monde from Achard Hall's commanding position in Bourgade. Achard Hall cast a long shadow over the grounds and it seemed to grow and spread forth before Gustave's eyes. He blinked and there was no sunlight anywhere; Le Monde was shrouded in darkness. White smoke billowed from all the chimneys, looking something like tall ivory threads reaching into the black sky above. The only light came from the sun, which was now a densely-concentrated sphere of yellow light. It seemed to creep up from the horizon's edge and linger above the clouds. And then, suddenly, it dropped from above. The flash blinded Gustave temporarily and when his vision came back, the city was on fire. The steamcar hit a sharp bump in the road, waking Gustave with a start. He was sprawled across the back seat. Victoria Ann and Liana were both snuggled together on the opposite seat under a thick blanket. Gustave's hair was wet. He ran a hand through it and sat up straight, trying to compose himself. [i]What a horrible nightmare,[/i] he thought. Luckily he hadn't woken the girls. When he looked out the window, it was difficult to see outside. It was raining heavily and the air was thick with fog. But from what he could see, they were now coming close to the neutral territory between Anova and Czenovia. This was where Brigit Town was located. The lush green fields of southern Anova had given way to dry, rocky expanses, which would soon turn into sand. The northern tip of Czenovia was a desert region and was very rich in minerals and other deposits deep underground. Gustave yawned and pressed down on a large button in the armrest. A speaker above it crackled to life. "Smithson here, what can I do for you sir?" "How far are we now?" asked Gustave, as he poured himself a drink. "I'd say we are only an hour away now, sir. I am taking the eastern bypass road, which leads directly to the hills above the mines." They were headed to the Dreadnaught Estate. Gustave had received a wire during the journey that Catherine Sara Almagest would be there. She had been instrumental in deciphering the symbols from Edith's dress, but her wire message suggested that there was more to discuss. She was reluctant to go into detail over the wire, which surprised Gustave. She had insisted that they meet at the Dreadnaught Estate. "Thank you," replied Gustave. "Can you please call ahead and let them know that we are close by?" "Of course, sir," said Smithson. The receiver crackled again. Gustave was somewhat relieved that they would be staying at the Dreadnaught Estate. For one, he was pleased that Victoria Ann would be able to see Beatriste. She would no doubt be relieved to see that Victoria was unharmed from the accident. In addition, Cole Dreadnaught had access to significant resources in Brigit Town; he would be sure to help them on their search. It would also be a relief to spend a few days in his home. Gustave was originally planning to stay in a hotel within the city, in part because they might be able to avoid too much attention from the other Almagests, who would no doubt want to find out more about the treasure. At least Cole would keep his mouth shut and Gustave trusted both Beatriste and Catherine. They were not nearly as political as Leonhart. Still, Brigit Town hotels were notoriously poor quality, often playing host to miners who were only in town for a matter of days. The Dreadnaught Estate, at least, would be a good base from which to explore the surrounding city. As the steamcar sped through the heavy rain, Gustave could barely make out the shapes of enormous digging machines in the distance. They were perched together on the rock like a flock of giant vultures. Their massive steam-powered engines hissed and groaned as they ambled forward, ploughing their gleaming steel drills into the dirt and tearing it apart like foam. Further behind them, the outline of the city was now visible. It was a strange mix of architecture; old cobblestone alleyways and arcades from the Anovan era still dotted the city, but they were overshadowed by giant metal structures rising up out of the rock. The skyline was now made up of tall dark towers, continuously pumping black smoke into the sky. From a distance they looked like crooked black teeth in a giant mouth. Brigit Town had become something entirely different since the Mine War. And particularly in recent years, it had developed into a place that tourists no longer visited. Many of the Anovan store-owners, who had lived in the city for generations, were moving back north to their home country. The only pleasant area of the city remaining were the expansive hills on the eastern side. Large villas dotted the rolling hills and this is where many of the Czenovian business owners lived. Cole Dreadnaught was the city's last real link with its Anovan ancestry. He was the most powerful man in the city and the owner of the largest mines in the entire area. As Czenovian influence spread further throughout the city, though, it became more and more difficult for Cole to do business. Still, he seemed determined to stay and Gustave admired that. Gustave's thoughts were interrupted by the crackling of the receiver. Victoria Ann stirred, but did not wake up. A small red light on the side of the receiver blinked with urgency. That signaled a call from an outside transmitter. Gustave cradled the receiver in his hand. "Hello?" "Hello, hello, is this Gustave Achard?" said a familiar voice on the other end. "...Catherine? Is that you? How did you.." "I'm sorry Gustave, but I have to ask, how far are you from the villa?" Gustave's breathing quickened. What on earth was the fuss about? "Er, well, I think we are about twenty minutes away and..." "When you get here, ask your driver to park at the rear entrance. We have something to discuss urgently. I have heard that Leonhart is headed to Brigit Town and he knows abou--" The receiver crackled loudly and the light went out. Victoria Ann rubbed her eyes. "What's that about Leonhart?" she groaned. Gustave slowly put the receiver back. "He's apparently headed to Brigit Town. But why would that cause such alarm?" Perhaps he somehow knew about Gustave's map. Even if that were the case, though, why would Catherine be so worried about it? It seemed that everybody in Cole Dreadnaught's villa wanted to keep something from Leonhart, but Gustave wasn't entirely sure why. [i]Surely Leonhart isn't mad enough to do something reckless,[/i] thought Gustave as the Dreadnaught Estate came into view ahead.[/indent][/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]*protests* :([/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I pretty much agree with John and Sara. I'm not sure exactly how it works in terms of the theme (I wasn't aware that there were any words associated with it...just positive and negative rep - but I haven't yet seen it in action). Very cool idea though. And if we go ahead with it, I would tend to want to keep it open to everybody personally, [i]especially[/i] if it has that fun theme to it. I tend to agree that opening it only to Moderators kind of defeats the purpose of the thing anyway. Great ideas, guys. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]So we've been talking about reputation here a few times at OB and I think it's time to just throw this to a vote again. If you want to view the latest thread related to this topic, [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?p=846545"][b]click here[/b][/url]. Basically, a reputation system (also known as a "karma" system) allows members to "like" or "dislike" other members' posts. It's a bit similar to what you'd see with Facebook's "like" feature. Over time, members can accumulate reputation points and this can be used in a variety of ways. Either we can simply display your reputation on the forums or we'd have the option to give you a little trophy or something like that - if we do add rep, I'm sure we can work out a good way to handle it. In any case, I've put together some poll options for you guys to vote on. You can also use this thread to discuss/debate the proposed feature. Happy voting![/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I'm not sure if there's some sort of covenant for the suburb that this Veteran lived in (and even if there is, I don't know whether it should cover just the house design or the entire yard). In any case, I can understand the reasons for having a housing covenant for a particular area, but I also agree that this is [i]just[/i] a flag on a flagpole. Unless the flag was somehow so monsterous that it was going into someone's yard or something, then I really don't see the issue. Some housing associations are extremely strict and it really depends on the area. I usually find that they are much stricter in new suburbs (especially gated communities) where there are extremely strict rules on housing and yard design. Unfortunately some associations just love to pick a fight over almost anything.[/font]

[FONT="Courier New"]Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to apply for the position advertised on the first of December at kurtslist.org. My name is Owen Landy and I am forty-six years old. I reside in Brooklyn and have lived here for the last eight years. Prior to that I lived in upstate New York with my wife and two children. For the past three years I have been employed as an office clerk for the local Bank of America. In that role I have performed a wide variety of administration tasks, including report writing for management. I have also been trained in the use of computers, especially Windows and Microsoft Word. In my spare time I read a great deal and I am especially interested in the works of Aleister Crowley. My favorite work of his is [i]Liber L vel Legis[/i] (more commonly known as [i]The Book of the Law[/i]). I have never been an active follower of Thelema, but I do find their teachings most interesting. As an aside, I have also often been told that I have some basic psychic ability, although I am sure it is very minimal. I would be happy to move for work as I am looking for a change. And I would be comfortable working on weekends, due to the fact that I now live alone. As requested, I have attached a photo of myself as well as further information about salary. I look forward to hearing from you in the future. Yours sincerely, Owen Landy[/font] [font=franklin gothic medium] I still have to attach a picture...I hope this is okay. Awesome RPG idea, Shy. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Maybe we can do a more comprehensive poll, with the options included here. I'm happy to set that up but I'm also happy for anybody to set it up. It's possible that different poll options will get different results and we have members who have joined and become active since the last poll. So I don't see any harm in a new vote.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]We've had a discussion about rep before and it wasn't a very popular idea, but I'm always happy to re-consider stuff if enough people want the change. Maybe we should add a poll here so we can do a proper vote? Yes/no?[/font] :catgirl:

[font=franklin gothic medium]It doesn't surprise me that this is newsworthy (because, well...it kind of is). But it's just not something I care about at all. Apart from the fact that I'm not remotely interested in golf...even if I were, I think it's necessary to separate someone's personal life from their professional life. I mean, I don't go to work and find out all about what my co-workers are doing in their relationships. I just don't care and I don't see it as relevant to how well they perform at work. Obviously this is a bit different due to sponsorship and so on, but still...it's really something for Tiger to work out with his wife. The saddest part about the whole thing, I think, is that his wife has really been horribly embarassed. I feel very bad for what she's experiencing at the moment.[/font]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]Cole is learning about the events in Vosper along with everyone else. Since he ordered his own expedition in secret it's going to be tricky for him to contact the others without getting caught. However, I assure you there are A LOT of other parties interested in the airship they discovered. Whoever plans on posting next from the Anovan group should contact me. There's a new character I'd like to throw into the mix. -Shy[/size][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I'm intending to post soonish (hopefully the weekend). I'm also looking at introducing or hinting at what we were discussing on AIM - I need to go back and re-read that. PM me with whatever you need. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]So, if everybody told you that this reaction was wrong...what would you do then? Punch yourself in the jewels every time you see her? If you don't tell anyone I doubt anybody will even notice. :catgirl: [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]In terms of the art idea, we don't need a Mod to do that necessarily. Any member is free to do it. If you want to start a Top 5 thread, feel free to go ahead with it. :catgirl: I'm also still looking for people to contribute to OB World, because that ties in a lot with what we're doing here. And it's a good way to promote individual threads. Again, that doesn't require staff - any active member who wants to join in is free to do so.[/font]

[quote name='AzureWolf']OB is too set in its ways. Change is required, and like old, postwar hippies who complain about hard times but never went to war, things will not change until there's a rude awakening. This is just my opinion of course, but until the administration admits finally, "OMG, OB v7 truly has sucked for all these years and we didn't bother to change it for so long. What have we done?!" there just won't be enough of a push to restore OB to its 04-02-2005 (most users ever online) glory. I mean, is the site still 800 x 600 optimized?![/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I actually addressed a thread similar to this in the staff forum not long ago. Here's what I said there:[/font] [quote=James] The problem at OB isn't so much the member population, but more the activity level of registered users. We've done a couple of things that have helped to boost activity slightly (including the monthly newsletter - which I have yet to send out for this month!) as well as restoring the link on theOtaku.com. In terms of encouraging new users to join, that isn't so much a problem. The difficulty is keeping them here. There's very little we can do to artificially influence that. The best thing we can do is generate activity ourselves, which is actually of interest to people (i.e. new community events - we haven't had one in a long time). In other words, there's no substitute for real effort. We can fiddle around the edges as much as we like, but that will make very little difference. People have to want to remain here and they have to have reasons to do so. Unfortunately a big issue for us is that we are reliant on theOtaku.com's community (as we are part of that community ourselves). And theOtaku itself has suffered from a major drop in both new registrations and activity since moving to Version Vibrant. That change has impacted all corners of the network. The other issue is that many users simply aren't interested in the longer and more in-depth aspects of OB. They want quicker experiences where they can just jump in and out of the action. OB isn't geared for this by nature. That is one reason why I have moved to decrease the many restrictions on OB - to add flexibility to the rules and to ensure that our moderation presence is less overbearing. So to get back to the beginning of my post, I think the best thing we can do right now (in terms of staff involvement) is simply to be more involved. That means more work on events and more active participation across the site. I would also like to see a group of dedicated staff working on OB World. I think that should be a collaborative effort. We definitely need to pick up on that area as well. Other than that I definitely welcome any suggestions that you guys have. I can't guarantee that everything will be implemented, but there's no harm in suggestions![/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]In terms of the resolution and design stuff - and apart from that really not being a valid reason for our non-growth - I think it's a bit comical. If you actually saw how much work has been done behind the scenes on new versions, you'd be amazed. The issue is that we haven't had access to the programming resources we need to pull everything together. We have great technical staff in the form of Petie and Des, but their time is limited as well. And we aren't in a position to pay an expert vB programmer (which is what we really need). Our staff all have to volunteer their time. Although I actually paid real money out of my own pocket to get the original version of Otakupedia developed. So don't be too harsh on that front. Life is very tough all-round. :catgirl: I'm definitely up for anything that will contribute to the site in any way. I'd definitely rather see positive action than idle complaining, at least. And if you happen to know any professional vB designers/developers, please do send them my way! :catgirl:[/font]

[quote name='SunfallE'][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]I like gaining the hour, but I hate how it means it gets darker much earlier.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I'm really happy that it's daylight savings time here in Australia now. I used to get to work in the dark (early morning) and leave for home in the dark (late night). So unless I went out for lunch, I wouldn't see sunlight all day long! That was terrible. Now at least when I leave work it's still light for hours. It doesn't get completely dark until at least 9pm or so, which is great.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I will be closing this poll soon, so I really do urge all members to jump in here and cast your votes. I will mention this on OB World as well.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I actually read this a couple of days ago but had yet to make comment. I think this piece is very worth reading a) for new cosplayers and b) for people who are unfamiliar with cosplaying. Although perhaps experienced cosplayers will find parallels between some of your challenges and theirs. I myself have never cosplayed, in part because there aren't huge opportunities for it here in Australia (with some notable exceptions - most "cosplaying" here has little to do with anime or gaming I think). But also - and especially from reading your article - the whole thing seems very stressful! What I find interesting is the amount of effort, money and time people commit to cosplaying. As you've indicated here, even following the process of one single costume can be quite a task. Although I guess the actual process itself is rewarding. In any case, I think you have a pretty good article here - have you tried to get this published on theOtaku? Also, you mention that your current costume will still have some life left, but are you already thinking about the next outfit? [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, I'm not entirely sure why it isn't showing everything. Is there a common link between the threads that aren't being displayed? (i.e. a certain type of thread is ommitted?) I think it's important to note that this feature has always been a part of OB and is part of every vB forum. It's just that we have moved the link to a more prominent location for people who are using mobile devices.[/font]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]What word? Beaver? Don't worry, I've seen Naked Gun.[/font]

[quote name='chibi-master']F I am a doggy, not a beaver-ducky![/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Beaver-ducky? ...I'm very tempted to change my username to Beaver Ducky.[/font]