/----------------------------------------\ /| XXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX |\ /-------------/ | XXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX | \-------------\ | Volume No.: 1 | XX XX XXX XXX |Chris M DICKSON| | Issue No.: 02 | XX XXX XXX | Arco Room 007 | | Next Deadline | XX XXXX XXX XXX | Keble College | | 4 days before | XX XX XXX XXX | O X F O R D | | OMR Issue: 16 | XX XX XXX XXX | O X 1 3 P G | \-------------\ | XXXXX XX XXXXXXXXX XX XXX XX | /-------------/ \| XXX XX XXXXXXXXX XX XXX XX |/ \- E-mail to chris.dickson@keb.ox.ac.uk -/ Kindly note the GM CoA, and lack of 'phone number. Also kindly consider the implications of this CoA. Yes, I went back to Oxford. Having got back all the reasons not to go back became obvious once more, a very direct observation being the fact that in the most recent collection (and that's Oxford-speak for internal exam - counts nothing towards final degree, thank goodness, but the most direct feedback as to just how well you are doing) I failed to secure a pass. If I perform as dismally in the final examinations, in effect, my three years at University have come to nought. It also puts all plans of a 4-year maths course instead of 3 out of kilter. Rather nice to see myself in print again - as I type I've only had comment about GIT 1 from people who know me in person. The most striking reaction has been shock at the fact that I mentioned that I was (and, as it happens, still am) virgin. This makes writing that well worthwhile. Oh yes. Stretchy has informed me that I have an extra week after the main games deadline to produce GIT and get it to him. This I did not know - I have given you 5 days of those extra 7 to get your orders to me. Thank me. As my entire working week (and a considerable amount of the other 128 hours) are dedicated to academic work - in theory - I don't get much time to pick through newspapers, watch the news and keep up with the news via traditional media. This is true, though it's not to say I don't keep myself informed of what's going on in a few select - and regrettably highly trivial - areas. However I've picked up on a couple of things that I feel are worthy of discussion (or at least mention in an editorial). Cheestrings. I don't know if these are available in all regions or all countries, but count yourself lucky if you can't get them. Simply they are cylinders of "cheese" that you can peel and eat. Playing most strongly on the fact that kids like to play with their food these are most definitely aimed at kids to pester their parents into buying. Maybe I have very traditional tastes in this regard but food comes in fairly well defined shapes and does fairly understandable things, as far as I'm concerned, and you cannot peel cheese and swing strings of it around. Cheese comes in lumps which you cut with a knife or grate (or sprinkle if it's parmesan, or spread if it's cream cheese). Cheese should not come in tins, or packaged like crisps to be fully fiddled with before consumption. Extending this to all forms of food and all artificial shapes or methods of delivery suggested by other countries would only be fair in certain cases. Rather more seriously; not too long after OMR 15, a computer game hit the headlines in an interesting and unusual development. This game was "Schoolyard Slaughter", developed in America. 300 or 400 people in Britain were selling it for as little as 50p without any sort of licence, and it's corrupting Britain's youth etc. Now I'm not saying that the theme of the game is tasteful or worthy of merit at all, but molehill-inspired mountains exist. That game was not trying to cash in on the tragedy of Dunblane at all. First of all, it was written well before the incident occurred. Secondly, the writers made nothing whatsoever (or next to nothing) from doing it. That game was in the public domain; not nearly a major commercial effort with hundreds of hours of effort involved in its making, it's just one (or perhaps two) hobbyist programmers hacking away at a game principally for their own entertainment. They chose to make it so sick simply for novelty and to provoke reaction (I dare say they're lapping all the attention lavished up). You won't be able to stop people programming whatever they like involving sick themes of their choice and distributing the results to their friends - if the files get widely distributed so much the better; if not, no loss (from their point of view). The repositories for such material might be public domain libraries, existent to further the cause of those who program and produce software for fun and their own use. Trying to clamp down on amateur software would be like clamping down on amateur publishing and 'zines. The material will get round somehow.