infofiend Posted September 25, 2005 Author Share Posted September 25, 2005 Um. Yeah, you have a fourth PC. Sort of. I think. It's a long story. ::wacko Pending ST approval, of course. ::unsure ::wink←No problem - I did see all of the posts a while back ... my laptop and the school network security permission woudn't let me post:)Happy to have more PCs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infofiend Posted September 25, 2005 Author Share Posted September 25, 2005 Cool. Someone who actualy knows what I am trying to feign knowing about. LOL - I think I will be e-mailing you with a draft of my Kenya supplement in the future if that is OK?I did try to research the place before making wild assumptions ... the debt was taken care of (well, more accurately it is being managed) with the help of many Novas (Bookman cheif amoung them).The thing that makes me happy is that I had the idea early on to make all of the Kenya reforms in the Nova age local in nature. I had a feeling that monolithic intervention (Utopia style) would be rejected. EDIT: Note my post on how (over the course of a decade) Daniel Arap Moi founf his faith, the desire to change the country for the better, and the respect of his people. This is a big monkey wrench in how real world Kenya developed ...With the law enforcement reform I had in mind - it was mostly directed towards making people in the beurocaracy and big business more accountable. I had a feeling that Daniel Arap Moi would have set up this kind of 'honest government' thing betting on the support of the people (and their memories of previous regiems) to push through the new anti-corruption reforms. He then added some paramilitary / police support elements (teeth) and left a framework open to start transfering oversight powers to the new squad on a case by case babsis (so that reforms can be put in place when corruption is discovered).You are exactly on the mark about a mega social Nova sweet talking the IMF. It was closed door stuff though, so I shall not post anymore on that little mystery.I would be happy to have you advise on some Kenya stuff, and of course you are welcome to play too.Good luck with your research and safe travels.If there was a single, easy way to fight poverty we probably would have done it by now. So in a fictious environment like this you can get away with a lot, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind.1. Trust.No legal reforms, deed registry programs, anti-corruption plans, law enforcement revamps or any other strategy you can think of will work without the people's cooperation, and you won't have that easily in a poor country where everybody's heard all your promises before. They won't let you register their property for fear you might take it away, they won't stop taking bribes before they see you actually increasing wages, they won't stop supporting local organized crime if they don't see the police taking care of them, and so on... Luckily, Mega-Socials go a long way to solve this particular problem.2. Foreign investments.You need money from abroad, but the last thing you want is a bunch of TransNational Corporations moving in and taking over your economy. Granted, it means a lot of work for your people, but it also means that most or all of the profits disappear out of your country. Through taxes, deals and regulations you need to make sure they don't rob you, while at the same time encourage local entrepreneurs. Novas can help here too. A strong scientific community led by a couple of nova geniuses would go a long way to lure foreign investments to your economy, even if they have to pay taxes...3. Global Institutions.Today - in nova-free 2005 - the IMF calls the tune when it comes to how to fight global poverty. Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) - which doesn't technically include Kenya at present, but they look like they're going that way - have to adopt neo-liberal strategies like increasing democracy, reducing government control and opening up borders, or they don't get the loans they need to get back on their feet. Many HIPC governments have been skeptic to the IMF's meddling both before and after the case. If the IMF still is a factor, your character needs to be the head of a democratic government - at least on paper - or you're on your own.4. Old debts.Kenya ows a lot of money, a lot of it loans granted under Daniel Arap Moi, and many feel that asking a formerly oppressed people to pay the bills for its earlier dictator is a bit over the top. If you could pull off giving IMF the finger and stop paying these unfair debts, you'd be a pretty popular leader - at least with your own people. Of course, a Mega-Social nova might be able to talk to the right people and get some of it cancelled completely...As for strategies...Property formalization, legal reform - based on the people's sense of justice, democratization, increasing and encouraging local organizations and initiative, taking a strong and active part in global politics - which should be easy for a nova, strengthening the African union to ensure a stronger trading bloc and position for negotiation, and so on...Don't think I have the time to be part of yet another game on these boards - especially with the return of four games I'm in - but I'll be watching with interest. ::smile Except when I'm going to Kenya to do some research next month...← Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infofiend Posted September 25, 2005 Author Share Posted September 25, 2005 KENYA GROUP ERUPTION:Ok - looks like we have a backstory forming for 3 (or is it 4 now?) chars.There is a major new Q-tech reactor in Kenya - for the Big University "Campus City". It is an exotic fusion pulse reactor that makes hydrogen through a high temperature process. It qualifies as a "Quantum" source and could be the focus of a typical comic-book style "radiation accident" (Hand me a Laremy's smoke Fallout Boy...). THE REACTOR: The new kinds of fusion reactors are not stable - so Yamamoto's designers simply made this one to keep firing up and destabilizing. There is a blowout every second, so you get the STNG warp engine noises and everything. The drawbacks are very expensive shielding materials (exotic particles are produced) and difficult robotic servicng (the reactor vessel interior and all of the compnenets become very radiactive due to the contant pulsed exposures). It is about as cost effective as the worst (economically speaking) fission reactor design, produces some radiactive waste (though secondar waste - not primary or fuel waste), can be used for medical and research isotope production (though not a flexibly as a fission reactor - on the upside it is useless for making nukes). On the big upside it is very safe (well, with just one hickup that might make a bunch of resonant novas) and environmentally friendly (provided the very small amount of secondary waste is managed properly).EDIT: Note that this is a Q-tech device - it is not intergrated with baseline tech, and is not the kind of cheap, easy to build, and clean reactor that one sees in the Trinity era. It is, however, a decent deisgn with very low maintence as Q-tech goes - and has the merit of being useful for research.This was being fired up more than on year ago ... with Yamamoto's early programs in Kenya. So the timing is good for use in the eruption scene. The medical staff on scene can help out with radiation poisoning - which the average Nova phsyiology can deal with post decontam. Besides - this is 'good' radiation ::biggrin OK then, you still have those three free Resistance Dots and eruption itself. Those will have to do.We could just borrow the “accidental melt down” scene from that movie (RL story) about building the first A-bomb. Someone accidentally dropped two pieces of radioactive material together. The guy closest to them reached in with his bare hand and separated them (thus averting a meltdown). Then he has everyone draw their location in chalk on the floor and he does lots and lots of calculations. He decides that the people away from the reaction will be OK, but he is dead.Something unexpected happens in the reaction room while it is being shown off. Everyone is contaminated with one big burst of exotic particles and radiation. Alarm bells go off, everyone panics, and the relevant ones erupt.Lex understands just how bad this is, and he erupts and gets immunity to radiation (which ironically he doesn’t need since the act of erupting cured him) and his exotic particle theme (ditto).B-810 erupts and teleports to safety.Bookman’s character erupts figures out just how bad it was, and also figures out he is fine.And any residue radiation is handled easily by the standard nova resistance dots. So, is it just us three? I need to know for the number of background dots.← Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infofiend Posted September 25, 2005 Author Share Posted September 25, 2005 OH MY - FORGOT A VERY IMPORTTANT THING:Nothing about Kenya will make sense without this.,,For the Kenya crew ... Daniel Arap Moi is still in power, but a pivitol thing happened about 10 years years back. He had a near death experience after a shooting and devloped a strong faith. Now a devout Cathloic he has embraced a new style of leadership. After consulting with advisors from the Vatcan and talented consultants (here you are before eruption Bookman) he fundamentaly changed Kenya. Some of the changes are as follows:- Constitiutional Reforms- increasing democratization balanced with longer presidential terms- Anti-corruption laws (these will eventually culminate in the currrent militaryreforms)- increased corporate taxes, abolishment of family-level income tax- mandatory education (gradeschool ... this was phased in)- A meritocratic exam system ... this stremlined the government andimproved the management of govt resources- Encouraged Light industry and Information technology sectors. Some of the worlds best call centers are in Kenya. He is noted for his good relations with both Russia and the U.S. There is a major series of U.S. military bases (mostly support services) in Kenya today. Russian interests now provide Kenya with oil ... benifiting the Russian economy. Note that there is still poverty - especially in rural areas. The last decade has taken some of the sting out of daily life for the poor, but it is still a struggle at times.The trauma of the shooting and the tremendous strain of rebuilding his country have taken their toll on this now-respected world leader. He is a humble man now, shattered by a decade of ordeal. He is better than ever at PR and has been 'forgiven for his sins' by the people (though those sins are never explicitly stated for the public). He has recently been diagnosed with inoperable brain Cancer, though doctors suspect that he still might live a few more years.EDIT: This was also a nescesary step in altering the timeline to make Kenya a little less hopelss on the economic front ... things haven't gone quite as poorly over the last 10 years though the corruption of previous regiems (and Moi's earlier style of leadership) still takes it's toll.OK - that takes care of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookman Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 This Kenya stuff is great. Prehaps the four of us, I think there are four? That are involved in this nation should work out a time to have a long MSN chat or something. I am not sure if I have all of your emails, or at least they might be buried a bit by others, if you couls all send me an email with your ideas and maybe a bit (or a bit more) about the background that'd be grand. I'll do the same for you then...So that we can, indeed, get this ball rolling... Anyone else that want so build stuff or do stuff in Kenya, email me, prehaps we could talk? I may be able to provide a project grant or business loan.My character history is pretty much as stands in the other thread. Though I will probably write a bit more soon and email it to you three...We should hammer out some policies. Ethopia, one of the big bases of Utopia is not so far away. Some might say that they are in Africa to forment conflict so that they can step into save it... Our nation, led as it will be by novas, might not fit into their world vision... And yet they might not all be bad, who knows? Let us discuss...My hope also is to make the country very comfortable for other novas to come live. A refuge, even. This will involve some cunning as far as disuading Utopia monitoring, prehaps. Other foreign policy should also be be developed. As we enrich ourselves we should start thinking about helping the neighbouring nations onto their feet as well. DeVeers. They are also not so far away and we must develop a relationship, one way or another with them. They are very much involved, no doubt, in the wars that occur on this continent of ours. And they profit greatly from them. We must make a plan about how to deal with them or they shall, no doubt decide that for us. I am interested in a peaceful united Africa, prehaps we can somehow arrange that they can profit greatly from that instead. It would also be nice if, god forbid, another African nation declares war on us that we could somehow ensure they either stay out of it or are only on our side...We should discuss the economic and scientific plans. Our friendly neighbourhood social scientist has given many excellent suggestions on how to proceed on this front but we must continue to work on it. Let us talk about how to proceed here. On the scientific front we must allocate resources to research projects and so on.Clearly poverty relief is important, job creation, terraforming, forging further diplomatic alliances with other local and distant powers etc. What think you?Science:I was thinking we might start by building a quantum-tech super computer. This might be a very good way to faciliate any and all future projects, social, economic and scientific. The name Multivac comes to mind...From there the projects that most interest me are, in the very long term, a space program and the eventual building of a space elevator or other similarly useful launch device and gathering the best minds around together to study the problem of taint.The latter, of course, might have to be a rather secretive effort but it is essential. For taint, especially the mental defects it causes, is a serious concern to all of us. It could, very well, doom humanity.This brings up another issue as well. There is quite a bit of science and engineering we will want to do. We must make sure that we can either keep the stuff that might be quashed by Utopia secret or else put ourselves in a position where it cannot be.Isaac Yamamoto's interest in our nation hold great promise as well. I think he'll make an excellent ally and we must seek to foster his involvment.That's all I can think of at the moment... But this is but the very beginning of something most complex...So, again pbensamson@gmail.com is my email address. Send me your ideas. First Kenya. Tomorrow the world.OH MY - FORGOT A VERY IMPORTTANT THING:Nothing about Kenya will make sense without this.,,For the Kenya crew ... Daniel Arap Moi is still in power, but a pivitol thing happened about 10 years years back. He had a near death experience after a shooting and devloped a strong faith. Now a devout Cathloic he has embraced a new style of leadership. After consulting with advisors from the Vatcan and talented consultants (here you are before eruption Bookman) he fundamentaly changed Kenya. Some of the changes are as follows:- Constitiutional Reforms- increasing democratization balanced with longer presidential terms- Anti-corruption laws (these will eventually culminate in the currrent militaryreforms)- increased corporate taxes, abolishment of family-level income tax- mandatory education (gradeschool ... this was phased in)- A meritocratic exam system ... this stremlined the government andimproved the management of govt resources- Encouraged Light industry and Information technology sectors. Some of the worlds best call centers are in Kenya. He is noted for his good relations with both Russia and the U.S. There is a major series of U.S. military bases (mostly support services) in Kenya today. Russian interests now provide Kenya with oil ... benifiting the Russian economy. Note that there is still poverty - especially in rural areas. The last decade has taken some of the sting out of daily life for the poor, but it is still a struggle at times.The trauma of the shooting and the tremendous strain of rebuilding his country have taken their toll on this now-respected world leader. He is a humble man now, shattered by a decade of ordeal. He is better than ever at PR and has been 'forgiven for his sins' by the people (though those sins are never explicitly stated for the public). He has recently been diagnosed with inoperable brain Cancer, though doctors suspect that he still might live a few more years.EDIT: This was also a nescesary step in altering the timeline to make Kenya a little less hopelss on the economic front ... things haven't gone quite as poorly over the last 10 years though the corruption of previous regiems (and Moi's earlier style of leadership) still takes it's toll.OK - that takes care of that.← Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infofiend Posted September 29, 2005 Author Share Posted September 29, 2005 MISC. SETUP STUFF:Point things out to me: Ok - Nullifier has started a very good trend and pointed out that his high taint char. would have trouble at the setup social situation.That is true, and the good trend is pointing these things out to me. A related bad on my part - in my head I had some behind the scense Nova support providing soothe effects to help out high taint novas ... but that is a very special exception to what would normally happen. (Balthazaar - one of the Paladins, the Vatican Nova Group which has alot of public info and rep - is known to be 'strange' i.e. high taint. Hence, those super smart people with taint or those people that have soother, or have experience dealing with many novas, etc. could put all this together). The next few posts here will likely be me adressing these kind of scene setting issue so that RP can start. This will work best if players all e-mail or PM me about likely issues with the scene, as not all of them may have a solution _______________________________Starting RP: Feel free to be freeform when starting up the scene. As long it is In Charachter and at the event it works fine. Another good way would be to post char history (summary) bits that are public OOC. This way other players have material to work with.We could have little trading card style descriptions of chars ... random thought. _________________________________Good - I see Kenya backgound work being done. Good - I will check in to see what has solidified after my mid-term on Monday is over with.Cheers,Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 Hey Underwood, welcome to EON. ::cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infofiend Posted October 18, 2005 Author Share Posted October 18, 2005 Hello all,I am back. Unfortunately, my father passed away and I am now responsible for my disabled mother. The game will still go on, though replies will be a bit slow in coming.Sincerely,Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 I'm sorry to hear that. Good luck. ::unsure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Green Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 Ouch. Good luck indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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