Effects of Global Warming

I read an article from National Geographic on AOL today about the effects of global warming, and what we can expect in the next 20 years at our continued rate of global warming. I find the subject of global warming's effects (the Greenhouse effect, it's sometimes called) interesting and scary at the same time. I suppose that climate changes are part and parcel of history, but to think of the radical changes I could see in my lifetime:

• An average increase of 1 degree by 2030 doesn't sound like much, but look at the repercussions. (And it took a century for the last average climate change of 1 degree.)
• Global warming could increase the amount of CO2 in the air. Dramatically.
• Glaciers in Montana could disappear. Since 1910, they've already lost 120 of the 150 glaciers originally there in Montana's Glacier Park.
• The snows on Mount Kiliminjaro could be completely gone. They've already lost 80% of the snow on the mountain since 1910.
• Temperature increases are projected to be much higher (a 4 to 7 degree increase) in Arctic reaches. This can cause massive infrastructure problems for people living in those regions.
• Global polar bear populations could be reduced by 30%.
• Major ecosystem changes are in store. Animals can move with the climate, but vegetation can't. Since the two affect each other, the results could be dramatic. For example, if birds move to a cooler climate, the insects that feed on the trees there could wreak havoc. More dead wood means more fires.
• Global temperature increases would likely result in additional droughts, which would also lead to more fires.
• Florida and Louisiana could be underwater 100 years from now because of rising sea levels as the ice in Greenland melts.
• More than a million species of plants and animals could be extinct in the next 40 years. One species becoming extinct can have an effect on an environment. Biological diversity is essential to a functioning ecosystem. The idea that we could lose a million species is mind-boggline, and the potential fallout from this could be worse than anything else mentioned in this summary.

The original source for most of this summary came from the National Geographic. There were three articles in particular I read for info on the effects of global warming. I hoped that by publishing some data here, it might get into a larger audience, even if it's only slightly larger. I also tried to 'dumb it down' a little bit and just hit the highlights.

New Jedi Religion - Dramatic Growth?

My friend Cliff and I were joking around this weekend, talking a little bit about Scientology and how silly it is, and Cliff mentioned that he's surprised that the Star Wars fans don't have an actual Jedi religion of their own. Well, guess what I found today while I was surfing the web? This post is dedicated to my good friend, Cliff, and I'm chuckling out loud as I write it.

First site I want to point to is Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters. I've read quite a few of the articles here, and the author is obviously a big C.S. Lewis fan, which he gets a lot of credit for IMO. His site is also mentioned in this article about a school teaching the Wookie language and discussing the religious implications of George Lucas's work and how it relates to both Eastern philosophical and religious traditions like Zen Buddhism and Taoism, and how he even conflicts with his own beliefs. (Lucas calls himself a Buddhist Methodist. Which I suppose is a pretty good kind of Methodist to be.)

I'm reminded also of a conversation with another friend of mine where he told me he could still remember watching Star Wars with his father, and his father explaining to him on the drive home that the Force was God. That would have been in 1977, which would have made my friend 7 years old at the time. I don't remember much from being 7, and most people I know don't either, so I guess it made a pretty big impression on him. And I also suspect that his experience on the drive home that night wasn't that unusual.

Also, on a semi-related-but-not-really note, here's Darth Vader's blog. Great reading, this, even if it's clunky and falls flat in a couple of places.

City of Heroes Review

City of Heroes is a great game. I'd played Everquest a couple of times and hated it, so I thought that MMORPG's just weren't for me, but I had to go to Wal-mart with my wife about a week ago. And I figured as long as I was there anyway, I'd get something for me that I liked. And City of Heroes was on sale for just $20, so I thought I'd go ahead and pick up a copy. And let me tell you something: I am so glad that I did.

I tried Freedom Force not too long ago and absolutely hated it. And I hated Everquest. I'd read bad reviews of the Star Wars MMORPG, so I didn't even try it. So I was extremely surprised by how much I loved City of Heroes right from the very beginning. The character creation process was robust, fun, and flexible. Not too complicated, but flexible enough that you can really create the kind of superhero that you want to play.

The actual in-game experience is pretty awe-inspiring at first too. If you've read Alan Moore's Top Ten, then you have a reasonable idea of what City of Heroes "feels" like. Top Ten is a comic book story about a police precinct in a city where everyone has superpowers and is more or less a superhero. Kinduva Barney Miller for comic book lovers, or Hill Street Blues. Since City of Heroes is a MMORPG, there are hundreds of players at any given time running around the city, forming teams, forming supergroups, and battling crime.

I haven't yet gotten a character past 10th level, but I've had a tremendous amount of fun getting him there. I've certainly wasted enough time playing the game. If you're a superhero fan and/or an old-school RPG fan, then City of Heroes is worth checking out. I've already reserved my copy of City of Villains too, which is due out by Halloween.

Mongoose Publishing to Publish New Version of Runequest

Oh happy day! Got news today that Mongoose Publishing is going to be redoing Runequest, and publishing it, and it WILL be set in Glorantha, or at least the first supplement will be Gloranthan. This is exciting, stellar, wonderful news for some of us old-school gamers who grew up playing Runequest in the early 1980's. Memories of Snakepipe Hollow are still some of my favorite RPG memories.

From what I understand, the rules will be basically the same as they were before although updated (no Runequest Slayers nonsense here). Greg Stafford is involved in the project, and the publication date is probably about a year away. They will be looking for playtest groups, and I've already emailed them to let them know that I'm interested.

There are a couple of discussion threads about this over at RPG.net. I'm so tickled I can hardly stand it. I LOVED Runequest. Nothing would make me happier as a roleplayer than to see another "Runequest Renaissance".

And please don't get me wrong. I like Heroquest just fine. But it's not and never will be Runequest, as far as I'm concerned, and frankly, I think Heroquest has more in common with Risus than with Runequest anyway.