The Crucible: Complete

I have recently perfected my latest RPG project, The Crucible.

And before those of you who know ask, yes, it is THAT 'The Crucible'. In my version of Arthur Miller's timeless drama, you can select your character from local farmer John Proctor, exorcising minister Reverend Hale, and other local farmer Giles Corey. Whichever one you choose, however, the main quest resides with John himself as he battles to clear his name of witch-craft. This game started out (and ended as) a complete joke, but I am very pleased with how it has turned out. As short as the game is, it's infested with secrets and only you can exterminate them... or something.

I even included a new twist on the ending, which you can unlock depending on how effectively you've been searching out the hidden treasures; furthermore, if you complete ALL the quests and ALL the secrets, something special may lie in store for you...!

I might put up pictures of this game later, but there's the details for now.


In other news, the Prelims begin on Tuesday, starting right off with Business Management and Physics. Funnily enough, we still have to go to school on the Monday, which is rather annoying, but at least it's a chance to get some class revision in. (Most people will liably be skiving to revise, but let's face it, they won't be doing much.)

I think I've talked about this before, but it's true that my revision system doesn't necessitate a heavy, scheduled revision system before the exams. None of that '1 hour revision, 10 minute break' stuff for me. I revise at the exact same pace for most of the year: every few days, look over notes, etc. In the 2 month boundary before the exams, say, I'll start looking at the past papers. And keep looking at them. Over and over again, checking the answers, going through again, checking the answers... until eventually I can at least answer each question (even if I don't necessarily understand some of the answers). You can say it doesn't work, but then I'm a living testimony to the fact that it does.

I can't emphasise my ebullience for this system, and I strongly encourage ANY young school pupils out there (in the S3-S6 bracket, or indeed younger/older) to heed my advice and use my system. I didn't invent it; it came about naturally. Don't listen to what they tell you to do, do it the natural way. It seems horrible having to revise at first, but when you start doing it my way, you'll realise what I'm saying.
  ¶ 11:01 am  

  YOU ARE MY FRIENDS!!

Dude (Not a very common expression for me, can't recall using it ever, actually)! Check it out!

Since the setting up of my site-meter, the CICC has had 300 collective, 100% unique ISPs strolling through! Yeah!

And furthermore, 26 visitors this week! Keep it up gang, you're doing fine!

You all deserve something pointless and unnecessary for this, so as a reward, I'll inform you that the PRELIMS are coming up. Kicking off Feb. 1st with a healthy breakfast of Business Management followed by a late lunch of Physics. Life gets better than this! Still, after that, I've got 3 days to brush up on my singing voice/keyboard skills, and then another 3 days before Music and Drama.... and then ANOTHER 3 days before I have to don my best Quaker Hat and Reverend's jacket and start accusing people of witch-craft. You can't beat The Crucible for fun, can you?

Best of all, I'm performing my scene with my Rob, and we've done a great job working on it. Time to reap the rewards. And besides, there aren't many scenes in plays out there that start with a middle-aged farmer proceeding out the door brandishing a rifle, walking straight into the startled face of the local Reverend exorcist.

Hale: Good evening.
Proctor: Why, Mr. Hale!
Hale: I hope I do not startle you (Read: What the heck is going on here?!)

Anyway, goodbye and thanks again.
  ¶ 9:53 pm  

  Guestbook's Coming to Dinner (Site Update)

Cheap puns aside, I am confused: I swear a week ago I had 3 entries in my guestbook. Yet, when I look at it now, there's just 1. How mysterious. I would appreciate it if you could sign it (just above the post), so I can check that it's working properly. I'm baffled by this one.

Also, remember to visit Rob's website - he wants visitors, he wants comments. Give them to him.  ¶ 9:53 pm  

  Who wants my novel?!

Continuing rapidly from the last post, I had an Xtastic idea (the X is meaningless, don't worry) - why don't I publish my novel that I wrote in Primary school, 'The Cave'?!

That book strikes a chord with me. I was young, but I wrote it. I'm no ego-tist, never was. I was always the average boy, never amongst the clever-clogses which the teachers so beloved (if you ever want to hear me on the educational system, let me know). Yet, somehow, piercing through all this discouragement and neglect, I wrote a novel. No short work at that: 16 chapters.

'The Cave' is about a young boy (can't remember how young, it mentions it near the end) who accidentally wanders into a Cave on top of a mountain. The Cave closes in behind him, and he's trapped! Jamie must escape!

Sounds simple? It seems so, but everything takes a turn for the complex when our hero comes across two mysterious men who appear to be working for an even more mysterious force. What are their intentions? What is 'The Cave'? Let me tell you, only the first 5 chapters take place in the Cave itself, and what happens after that is the beginning of a journey you could never expect! A quest of magic, danger, friendship and something else.

Enough banter, my question: would you buy this book?
  ¶ 9:10 pm  

  Fame Required

You know, I've been thinking: It's about time I was famous.

Alright, I'd appreciate it if one of you could make me famous. What? How? Nevermind the details, just get my name in lights.

Oh, wait, you don't know my name, do you? Oh, but you do! It's Brins!!

Well, what are you waiting for? Don't just read there, make me famous! As far as I'm aware, I'm still quite unfamous.

Even now, as I type this, I have yet to become famous. You're doing a very bad job.

...

Well, it was worth a try. You know, fame probably isn't really as good as it's made out to be. As with all things in life, excitement wears off: 4 months into the job, it's going to become 'normal'. That means you're going to consider fame as you consider yourself now: normal. You'll get used to whatever happens, and the spark will wear (slowly, but gradually) so that you'd hardly know you were living any different. Sure, when you DID the things that made you famous, you'd have a blast; but how long can you do that thing in one go before monotony kicks in (whatever it is)? Several hours? 10 hours? At some point, you'll get fed up and head for home, waiting for it to happen again later.. and again... and again. Sound familiar?


WHO KNOWS?!!
  ¶ 9:00 pm  

  Solution to the Universe!

I apologise for the lack of updates in aprox. 16 days, but I have no excuse.

Also, I'm tired of thinking up things to say at the top of posts, so I'm shifting to using titles to convey purpose to these messages - a secondary reason is that with titles, I might just be able to rope some more of you in through search engines; not that I'm becoming lonely or depressed from the lack of new arrivals to the blog... no, not at all. Of course I'm not going insane. I don't know what you're talking about. That's not true. THE PIXIES MADE ME DO IT!!!

Moving on, you may be midly intrigued by my proposition of a solution to the universe. Of course, I don't blame you, since one of those would be quite useful. Well, here it is:

If everyone likes each-other, that's it! Problem solved!

After all, I think it's safe to say that humans are the only creatures that would really see it necessary that the universe have a solution; the universe seems quite content with itself.
So, there you go! Out, my possoms, preach the message to the masses, and let's solve the universe! And if you fail, don't blame me, I'll just ignore you.

If you must have a name for this movement, call it Brinsism for convention's sake.

But what's that? You claim that DOESN'T solve the universe?! Nonsense! And anyway, I suppose YOU have a better solution... aside from killing everyone, of course... although, come to think of it, that's probably the best solution... but then, if everyone was dead, there wouldn't be any need for a solution, so it wouldn't be a solution anymore... and our genes would be most displeased, what with being incapable of propogating themselves. Therefore, the new solution would have to be to make the genes like each-other. Get to it! I don't care if they're selfish, just DO IT!!

In case you hadn't guessed, yes, the philosophy club is BACK, which should at least partially explain my amusing musings (look! You've made me resort to puns now!). This time, it was Plato's ideal government. Here's the overview:

1) Ruling is a skill; craftmanship is a skill; tennis-playing is a skill; by common logic, everyone ought to be trained and allowed to do what they do best. So..

2)Destroy democracy, pick out those with best ruling potential and train them to be good rulers, ensuring they don't become corrupt and handle government in the best way. Makes sense, doesn't it? Why have a ruler rule just because the public (the vast majority of which have little to no knowledge of proper ruling) said so? So, Plato's ideal government is awesome!

But wait... what's this?! Ensure that the greatest male rulers breed only with the greatest female rulers?! Disallow any form of familial pursuits amongst the 'inferior classes'?! Kill any chidlren who don't appear to 'cut the mustard', in the ultimate hope that the inferiors will be wiped out and the human race will be supremely intellectual with very closely monitored breeding patterns?! For some reason, this makes me think of the 'apocalyptic future' style world: mixing chemicals, altering DNA etc. in order to propogate a race of supremely excellent people, and killing/imprisoning anyone who falls below awesomeness.

As odd as it all seems, it sparked something in me, and a very interesting point it is too: supposing Plato's system happens. Take a hundred years, and *POOF*! The whole world is 100% clever, even perfect people. Great. Yeah. That's it. Now what?

Considering Plato's government more deeply inevitably brings rise to the question: Why should we exist? In order to be perfect? But once you're perfect, you're perfect. You can work together to make an ideal society for future generations... who can, in turn, make an ideal society for future generations. I find it hard to put into words, but when you come to the question of whether mass genocide is suitable for creating an ideal society, then you can't shake retort of what's so much better about everyone being perfect and keeping society running ideally than having everyone normal and keeping society running normally. Do you want to live in a perfect world? I mean that. Do you want to spend a whole life time being perfect, where everyone/thing else is perfect? For some reason, the idea outright sickens me. It's the mixture of life, from the downright horrific to the ubiquitious; the poorest slave to the richest aristocraft; indeed, every kind of person; that makes life interesting. A society where there are no problems to correct, where everyone is perfect and content, comes across to me as frightening; even naive. It's the kind of thing you see on sci-fi programmes and think, 'it's just not right'. There's something inherently wrong and depressing about the notion. Of course, that's just me.

Another thought on that note: we're all ourselves; each one of us has experienced an entire lifetime of our life, no-one else's. One person (say, the rich aristocrat) may look down on another person (say, the poor slave) and think, 'what a horrible life he must have had.' An, from his perspective, he certainly has. 'I don't know what makes him keep on living.'

Good question. But he does. Why? Well, if you've lived your entire life with your eyes, and your experiences, as far as you're concerned, that's normal. For all you know, the slave could be looking back up at him and asking the exact same question. It's all about perspective; the worst-case scenario is an aristocrat who becomes a slave: living one kind of life, and being banished to another, is really the ultimate torture, and perhaps only breach of this clause.

These are all my conjectures, not opinions; I'd rather not be judged on this stuff, really, because I am Captain Average, not Philosophical-Madman Paul. I am you and you are me. Look into my eyes.

My, I really am a complete fool, am I not?
  ¶ 7:55 pm