January 14, 2024
Sunday Meeting
5:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place
Back to News
Transcript work by Varda.
[times are Central Time from Varda's Discord. Add one hour for
Eastern, which is Valar time and LotRO /servertime.]
["Notes" come from Varda when putting the transcript online.]
Attending (and typed): (5)
Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon,
Eonwe, Sandalf13, Varda (presiding)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
Web:
Games Site player levels include LotRO
updates now.
Gaming:
World of Warcraft, Hearthstone,
Diablo 4, Diablo 3, Diablo
Immortal, Overwatch 2, Lord
of the Rings Online
Tolkien:
Topic
from Arien: A few islands in Middle-earth hosted historical
events. Let's try to get the islands and events together.
After-meeting:
Smaug
the Dragon sculpture photos, model made for Sandalf by his
daughter, Elicia.
(non) Flashgaming
Reviews (plus) by Ar-Pharazon. Includes Blizzard games
afterwards.
Trilobite photos.
top
Before-meeting
Varda — 01/14/2024 3:59 PM
Coming up on time!
[4:03 PM]
Aiya!
top
Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:03 PM]
Membership:
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:03 PM
Aiya!
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:03 PM
Chatting with Arien in LotRO, Eonwe on the side in Discord, and here
with Phar!
[4:03 PM]
Yay Phar : )
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:06 PM
Aiya
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:06 PM
Aiya Sunshine!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:06 PM
Aiya Arien!
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:06 PM
Arien has limited time today, work work. : )
[4:06 PM]
Any other membership news?
[4:07 PM]
Phar loading down his new digs with Tolkien books yet?
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:08 PM
Not quite in order, but yes, they're here
[4:09 PM]
And the big map of Middle-Earth is hanging above my bed again as
well
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:10 PM
Ok, your room is now good. rejoice
[4:10 PM]
top
Web:
[4:10 PM]
Eonwe has updated some player info, so we know it's actually
operating now!
[4:11 PM]
So those of us with new updates can send them to him or tell our
branch leaders to get busy and send the latest for the week. cough
[4:11 PM]
top
Gaming:
[4:12 PM]
Feel free to add to the general gaming report as always.
[4:12 PM]
Eonwe, your shiny gavel!
[4:12 PM]
toss!
[4:13 PM]
(It's ok. It's not a dwarf.)
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 4:13 PM
World of Warcraft:
[4:13 PM]
This week's bonus event: Wrath of the Lich King Timewalking.
This week's PvP Brawl: Cooking Impossible.
[4:13 PM]
Check out This Week in WoW. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24053283/this-week-in-wow-january-8-2024
World of Warcraft
This Week in WoW: January 8, 2024 - WoW
Each week, we’ll look ahead to what’s in store
for World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the
know byte by byte. Mark your calendars for the Season of Discovery
Phase 2 beginning February 8.
[4:13 PM]
Check out Blues News. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24055593/blues-news-january-12-2024
World of Warcraft
Blues News: January 12, 2024 - WoW
Stay up to date with World of Warcraft when you
join us each week as we round up some of the latest top blue posts
and discussions.
[4:13 PM]
Check out these blogs for the Seeds of Renewal Content Update coming
Tuesday:
***
[4:14 PM]
Patch Notes ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24052633/dragonflight-seeds-of-renewal-content-update-notes
World of Warcraft
Dragonflight: Seeds of Renewal Content Update
Notes - WoW
Dragonflight: Seeds of Renewal arrives to World
of Warcraft on January 16!
[4:14 PM]
Take Flight When Seeds of Renewal Goes Live January 16 ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24053287/take-flight-when-seeds-of-renewal-goes-live-january-16
World of Warcraft
Take Flight When Seeds of Renewal Goes Live
January 16 - WoW
Discover the buried history of Azeroth and the
Dragon Isles through the Azerothian Archives Public Event, take
Dragonriding to the skies of old-world continents, storm
Dragonflight Dungeons alongside NPC companions, complete new
Campaign chapters in the continuation of the Dragon Isle epilogues,
and more!
[4:14 PM]
Take the Lead in Follower Dungeons ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24054790/take-the-lead-in-follower-dungeons
World of Warcraft
Take the Lead in Follower Dungeons - WoW
In the Seeds of Renewal, players level 60-70 will
have the opportunity to play through Normal difficulty Dragonflight
dungeons solo, or with friends, with a little help from a few NPC
teammates.
[4:15 PM]
Dig Into the Dragon Isles with the Azerothian Archives ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24053285/dig-into-the-dragon-isles-with-the-azerothian-archives
World of Warcraft
Dig Into the Dragon Isles with the Azerothian
Archives - WoW
Discover the history of the Dragon Isles and meet
a unique cast of characters, hear stories of old, and witness the
iconography of a time long past.
[4:16 PM]
***
The Ruby Sanctum is live in Wrath Classic. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24054791/wrath-of-the-lich-king-classic-enter-the-ruby-sanctum-now-live
World of Warcraft
Wrath of the Lich King Classic: Enter the Ruby
Sanctum — Now Live! ...
Gather your allies and heed the call of the red
dragonflight in their time of need.
[4:16 PM]
Check out this week's hotfixes. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24030413/hotfixes-january-8-2024
World of Warcraft
Hotfixes: January 8, 2024 - WoW
Here you will find a list of hotfixes that
address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight,
Wrath of the Lich King Classic, Burning Crusade Classic, Season of
Discovery, and WoW Classic.
Hearthstone:
[4:16 PM]
A new mini-set is coming January 18th: Delve into Deepholm. ---
https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24046222/unearth-powerful-new-synergies-with-the-delve-into-deepholm-mini-set
Unearth Powerful New Synergies with the Delve
into Deepholm Mini-Set!
The Bloodrock Mining Co. has dug up dual-class
cards, new Excavate Treasures, new singleton payoffs, some familiar
faces, and more!
[4:17 PM]
Diablo 4:
A Developer Livestream Update will be held January 18th. ---
https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo4/24054371/tune-in-to-our-next-developer-update-livestream
Tune in to our Next Developer Update Livestream
Sit down with members of the development team as
they unearth details about Diablo IV’s third season, quality-of-life
updates, The Gauntlet, Leaderboards, and more.
Diablo 3:
[4:17 PM]
Season 30 is live. ---
https://us.diablo3.blizzard.com/en-us/blog/24046224/season-30-the-lords-of-hell-preview-1-5-2024
Diablo III
Season 30 The Lords of Hell - Preview
Diablo III Season 30 begins on January 12.
Eradicate Hell’s emissaries using powerful boons from Season 30’s
theme and see new Class balance changes.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:17 PM
...They dug too deep in Hearthstone, eh?
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 4:17 PM
Guess so, heh.
[4:18 PM]
Diablo Immortal:
New Bug fixes this week ---
https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo-immortal/23826549/diablo-immortal-bug-fixes-and-patch-notes-for-all-platforms
Diablo Immortal Bug Fixes and Patch Notes for All
Platforms
We will continually update this blog with all bug
fixes and patches the team implements for Diablo Immortal on all
platforms.
Overwatch 2:
There's a new Director's Take out: Our Development Values, Part 1.
---
https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24053284/director-s-take-our-development-values-part-1
Overwatch
Director’s Take: Our Development Values, Part 1
In this first Director’s Take blog of the year,
Aaron Keller looks at goals and plans for Overwatch 2 in 2024.
Lord of the Rings Online:
[4:19 PM]
Update 38.2 is out this week. ---
https://www.lotro.com/update-notes/lotro-update-38-2-release-notes-en
The Lord of the Rings Online
Update 38.2 Release Notes
Here are the release notes for Update 38.2,
released on Wednesday, January 10th, 2024.
[4:19 PM]
The Ill Omens event is going through January 31st.
That's it for my gaming news.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:19 PM
Thank you, Eonwe : )
[4:19 PM]
Lord of the Rings Online:
Valar Guild gamers showing up this past week in our LotRO kin
branches:
Landroval branch:
Aranuir
Arien
Eonwe
Falco
Fangorn
Nar
Nimrodel
Pengolodh
Tulkas
Varda
Crickhollow branch:
Eonwe
Falco
Fangorn
Treebeard branch:
Varda
[4:20 PM]
Any other gaming news?
Requests, etc?
On to
[4:20 PM]
top
Tolkien!
[4:21 PM]
Arien mentioned a topic. Islands in Tolkien's legendarium.
Arien, go ahead!
[4:21 PM]
(Oh, Winterstock still going in LotRO)
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:23 PM
yeah it is a topic that came to my myind while listening to song
called This is my island .. i thought theres a wfew islands
reslevant for events in Middlearth at different ftimes
[4:24 PM]
I thought it would be interesting to see whether we can get
the islands and relvannt events togethere :))
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:24 PM
Hah, nice. Like a game.
[4:25 PM]
So, you mentioned one from the Sil, had two names
historically. And we can ask about its history.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:25 PM
Tol Sirion?
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:26 PM
wow .. ur fast
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:26 PM
First one that came to mind for the Sil
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:27 PM
the event, P)hari? do you know that as well?
two events in fact
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:27 PM
Hmm, I've got what's probably the second... Beren and Luthien vs
Sauron.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:27 PM
(Also, for someone who once asked, this is open book in our chats!)
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:29 PM
were they on there as well? I thought about the death of fingon who
built a tower there
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:29 PM
Myes, that's the tower it took place at.
I guess there's 3 events then?
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:30 PM
but you are right , the island was captured by Sauron and later kown
as Tol in Gaurjpt
yep thats three events
Tol in Gaurhoth
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:30 PM
Aiya All! Sorry I am late...had to do some work today.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:30 PM
A busy island!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:31 PM
Aiya!
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:31 PM
aiya , Sandalf
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:31 PM
Welcome, Sandalf. Hey, someone has to do the work. : )
[4:31 PM]
We are talking about islands in Tolkien's legendarium. Name and why
famous. Right up your alley!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:32 PM
Let me review the transcript.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:33 PM
We only have Tol Sirion so far. : )
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:34 PM
btw .. the Tower built by ~Fingon was called Minas Tirith ..
[4:36 PM]
then there is ~Tol Morwen ... an islandon which after the flooding
of Beleriand stood a memorial to Morwen
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:36 PM
Was it spared in the War of Wrath, or just very tall?
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:37 PM
maybe the top of a mountain which stayed above the water line ?
[4:41 PM]
go on Sandalf
i saw your typing
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:42 PM
The sun's watching you type...
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:42 PM
: )
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:44 PM
well thats all of the time i can spare i am afraid .. to mention
others there were Tol Galen, where Beren and Luthien lived after
their return, of course the obvious ones Tol Eressea where some of
the Elves lived that didn t want to enter Middleearth , and wanted
to keep in sight distance of Valinor
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:45 PM
Balar came to mind earlier.
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:45 PM
aye
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:45 PM
And some sunken island later known as Atalante...
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:45 PM
Thank you for the topic, Arien!
Namarie for now. : )
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:45 PM
Namarie
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:45 PM
I am. I have a few geologic issues with the location of the
"islands" in the Third Age, and their implication for the geology of
ME. Thanks Arien and Namariue!
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:46 PM
Geologic issues are fun, but how about just some stuff from the
books? "Islands" and what their story was?
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:46 PM
islands in newer time , Cair Andros
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:46 PM
Remember, Sandalf, I know of at least one island that changed
locations
Arien Valar — 01/14/2024 4:46 PM
Namarie from for now and have fun
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:47 PM
The Sil was pulled from a mass of notes, many conflicting and not
expected to be published, heh. But we have fun with them!
@Ar-Pharazon-V
Remember, Sandalf, I know of at least one island that changed
locations
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 4:47 PM
That wouldn't be the "island" Fastitocalon, would it? :}
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:48 PM
Nah, I'm talking about one that was uprooted and used to ferry a
bunch of Elves across!
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:49 PM
That's a good one, Eonwe : )
The ferry that stopped!
Osse didn't really want them leaving.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:49 PM
You want Tolkien and islands? How about these:
[4:50 PM]
Tol Fuin - a little piece of Dorthonion that once was home to
Barahir and his outlaws, as well as the descendants of the same.
[4:51 PM]
Tol Morwen - the marker for the "graves" of Morwen, Turin, and
Nienoe. Hurin visited Morwen there just before she died, when she
told him that he was late...of course, there wasn't much that he
could do about that. A very, very sad place...full of sorrowful
memories.
[4:52 PM]
Tol Himling, furthest east of the three islands mentioned
here...once part of the stronghold of Maedhros.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:52 PM
There's our Sandalf. : )
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:53 PM
Now for the messy geology part. In the Sil, Tol Himling is described
as a "hill," as is Tol Morwen. HOw could these relatively small
hills remain above the sea when the far higher mountains surrounding
Thangorodrim were carried beneath the wave? This makes no sense,
unless those mountains weren't as big as Tolkien said they were
(literary license is, of course, allowed), or the "hills" were
bigger than the normal run-of-the-mill hill. hehe.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:54 PM
Chopped the tops off of the tall ones with the huge force of the
waves?
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:54 PM
Speaking as a geologist, not likely....but as we all know, Tolkien
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:55 PM
Spared from the battle, I'm thinking, maybe the land was sunk around
them.
As a geologist.. yeah, not sure.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:55 PM
Tolkien's geologic knowledge was poor to bad, at best..he was better
at geography.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:56 PM
Perhaps it never rained on these hills, and they were spared from
erosion.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:56 PM
The presence of those islands into the Third Age suggests to me that
the "Great Sea" is really an inland ocean, and not the true ocean at
all, much as Tokien would like it to be.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:56 PM
Inland ocean works. Let Vai be the big one. : )
[4:57 PM]
and yes
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:57 PM
Bringing us back to the time of the Lost Tales when Tol
Eressea was Great Britain
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:58 PM
And in some of his last writings, Tolkien writes about how mariners
upon the "Great Sea" would sometimes get a glimpse of the undying
lands to the west (somewhere) of Middle-earth before they died...
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 4:58 PM
If Tolkien had a hundred more years to work on all this I'm sure he
would've got it all figured out.
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:58 PM
Especially with all of us helping. ; )
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 4:59 PM
I think that both of your are right!
Varda — 01/14/2024 4:59 PM
Whole thing would be rewritten ten times!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 4:59 PM
Not to complain about the man's efforts, but judging from his final
(re)works, it seems more likely that there'd be nothing left of the
place.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 4:59 PM
Oh yes, I can imagine 150-ish year old Tolkien and his views on all
these Johnny-come-latelies critiquing him on the interwebz :}
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:00 PM
The Sil would still be unpublished
[5:01 PM]
And what we would get in the end, would be full of cosmological
changes from the tale we know now, including the moon being a
fortress of Morgoth, I believe.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:01 PM
No, we would've got about 30 different books, one for each of the
tales in the Silmarillion :}
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:02 PM
yay!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:02 PM
Sounds good to me!
Wouldn't mind The Lost Road either.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:03 PM
I don't know..Tolkien was something of a perfectionist, and his
perfectionism somedays slowed down the publication of his work...he
might not have added very much at all, and gotten bogged down in the
minutiae of a rewrite.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:03 PM
I don't know anything at all about that cough.
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:03 PM
hehehehe
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:03 PM
So let's give him another 100 years!
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:03 PM
Right, Phar!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:03 PM
And us too, since we want to be around to read it.
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:04 PM
Good point.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:04 PM
You get 100 years! And you get 100 years!
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:04 PM
Good thing we're Valarites. No time problem.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:04 PM
Imagine the literature we'd get if we were all ageless like Elves.
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:05 PM
Except, we hit the hour.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:05 PM
I am not....just a lowly plebian. I am not sure I will make it to
100.
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:05 PM
Oh, we'd procrastinate, Phar
[5:05 PM]
Well, give it a shot, Sandalf!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:05 PM
Did you hear? Shakespeare just brought out his 473rd play!
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:05 PM
You're a Tolkien Valarite.
[5:06 PM]
the gavel hops along, reading the latest opus
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:06 PM
Let me Guess....The Tragedy of Denethor
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:06 PM
gavel trips over the hammerpad
blonnnnk!
top
After-meeting!
[5:06 PM]
Enough of that. Feel free to continue unabated.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:06 PM
I doubt Tolkien would give permission for that. They've not been on
speaking terms since the whole elf-debacle.
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:07 PM
They might have time to collaborate at last!
heh, the whole Oberon and Titania thing, yep.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:07 PM
The Tragedy of Darth Denethor the Wise? ducks behind a Harry
Potter fan
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:08 PM
Snape kills Gandalf!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:08 PM
Snape wouldn't do that....maybe Voldemort would.
IF he could...but I doubt it,
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:09 PM
Gandalf returns as Gandalf the Plaid.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:09 PM
Fool of a Potter!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:09 PM
Hey...you are encroaching on my name...I was originally called
"Sandalf the Mottled" at Lafayette.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:11 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxYZQOH4B0g
YouTube
Atthe Movies
Spaceballs - They've Gone To Plaid
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:12 PM
That's the plaid I'm talking about. : )
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:12 PM
Soil mottling (blotchy discloration in the vertical soil
profile)...not like Saruman"s many-colored guise...but I liked the
blotchy part.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:14 PM
Wow, I'd forgotten that even after the introduction of PG-13 in
1984, Spaceballs managed to get just a PG rating 1987.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:15 PM
mottled is a very old word, used to describe the presence of many
different colors in a haphazard, irregiular fashion...and often
blotchy.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:18 PM
Would've thought a couple of those jokes would've pushed them over
into PG-13 territory.
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:19 PM
Aye. Must've just skated past the time
[5:20 PM]
Well, maybe not
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:20 PM
My kids loved Spaceballs and would play it over and over
again on our old VHS.
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:25 PM
One of the best scenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSnp6iC_QUc
YouTube
Curtis Jordan
Spaceballs - Fooled You!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:27 PM
I do have a few photos to post, if anyone is interested. My daughter
Elicia made a sculptur of Smaug the Dragon for
me...here are some pix:
[5:27 PM]
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196234267647291472/20240107_143002.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196234268154810499/20240107_143026.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196234268620357732/20240107_144452.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196234269643772006/20240107_144506.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196234270038052894/20240107_144516.jpg
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:28 PM
Nice action sculpting!
Eonwë Valar — 01/14/2024 5:29 PM
Not bad.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:29 PM
She is pretty good at that art stuff...
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 5:36 PM
Namarie for now...got to get to work on Chapter 4 after
dinner....will check in later for Ar's report. Sei gesund! And stay
warm!
Varda — 01/14/2024 5:42 PM
Namarie! Enjoy dinner : )
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 5:45 PM
Namarie! And nice sculpture
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 8:00 PM
Aiya Ar!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 8:01 PM
Aiya!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 8:01 PM
Are you still with us? Or juet me?
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 8:02 PM
Still here, but still gaming. Will give report later.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 8:02 PM
BTW, that was a wonderful picture that you sent a few weeks ago of
you and your girlfriend. Looking good! Send us some more, when you
get a chance.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 8:03 PM
Wasn't that Shelob?
[8:03 PM]
Not me.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 8:04 PM
I am so sorry! You are so right! The picture was from the
Netherlands. though, so it sort of stuck in my mind as you. I still
hope you will post a few pictures of yourself sometime.
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Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:09 PM
Personal gaming report:
For (non)flashgaming, I'll give you
https://www.kongregate.com/games/Iurii1/shoot-sow
Kongregate
Shoot & Sow
Shoot ampamp; Sow is an action-packed top-down
arena shooter with roguelike elements that set you on an exciting
adventure against anthropomorphic fruits and veg...
[9:10 PM]
Note, you're not shooting pigs... you're shooting hostile plants and
sowing seeds for upgrades.
[9:14 PM]
Anyway, it's an action and upgrade game with some random elements.
You play a farmer who has to fight off hordes of plants and
vegetables, with bossfights on each day. Along the way you collect
gold and various random upgrades from seeds and reward boxes,
spending the gold on weapon upgrades until you die or complete the
day, at which point you get to move on to the next day, with more
and tougher fights.
[9:15 PM]
When you die, the bossfights you've completed in that run will give
you stars, which you can use for more permanent upgrades, to make
your ascension through the days more doable.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:16 PM
You can also switch characters, with each one having advantages and
disadvantages in combat. Try to get 3 stars in an individual
bossfight for all of them!
[9:17 PM]
And complete all the 8 days
[9:18 PM]
Blizzard gaming:
[9:20 PM]
Hearthstone:
Level 87 on the reward track now.
[9:21 PM]
Got enough gold on the last day of the week to buy yet another skin,
this one being Shadowmoon Gul'dan, from his early horde days.
[9:22 PM]
No idea which the next ones'll be that come up
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:23 PM
Hope the skin fits you well.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:23 PM
Like a glove
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:23 PM
:)
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:24 PM
Brawl this week is When Clones Attack!
[9:25 PM]
You choose a class, get a random deck for that class, and every
minion you play spawns a clone of it with 1/1 stats next to it.
[9:26 PM]
Various options are viable, such as druids and warriors who may have
more access to taunt, or hunters and death knights that can thrive
on having multiple minions on the board. But it's up to you!
[9:29 PM]
Warcraft Rumble: A new collection level, reaching level 25.
Supposedly the Molten Core raid will require at least 26, so I'm
almost there, but it's been a few months and it's not even out yet,
or has gotten a release date. There's been no news about it for
ages. But if it happens, I'll at least be leveled enough
[9:30 PM]
It's horde week in the dungeon, and I've gotten 2 new dungeon
levels/army upgrades so far, getting a few new slots to silver for
the leader Cairne.
[9:31 PM]
Season 2 is almost over as well, and while we won't get the epic
core for 30k, we should be able to reach 20k and the emoji in the
last week, at least.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:32 PM
Honestly, in our little guild, based on our WoW guild, there seem to
be only 3 of us who get our arcane surges done for that, so it's no
surprise we won't make the maximum goal. But for now, 20k will be
enough
[9:33 PM]
Made some progress in pvp as well, getting silver rank 1 and pushing
2 of my leaders over 1000 rating, moving their mini level cap in pvp
from 1 to 3.
And finally, got the meat wagon and quillboar upgraded to Uncommon
quality. Haven't gotten the right talents for them yet, though.
[9:34 PM]
Also on the grid right now is a straight 14-star rare upgrade for he
rifleman, skipping uncommon, so I'm saving some gold for that as
well.
WoW:
[9:35 PM]
Raiding continuing! We got Tindral Sageswift down on heroic for the
first time, which just leaves Fyrakk himself.
And ever since someone referred to the boss as T. Swift tonight, I
can't unsee...
[9:38 PM]
Weekly quest is timewalking in Northrend, and got pretty lucky there
with the dungeon length, getting 2 soul forges and an Azjol-Nerub,
as well as an interesting shortcut in Gundrak. No luck with the
reward though.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:39 PM
And have not actually had time for alting this week, twas remarkably
busy. Hopefully next week!
And that's my report for this week!
Namarie
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:41 PM
Thank you for some pleasurable reading! Namarie! Have a good week,
and stay warm!
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:41 PM
You too! I think the worst freezing is over now.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:41 PM
Do you have time for three more small photos?
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:41 PM
Go for it!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:41 PM
OK!
[9:41 PM]
Find a rock....
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196298190589268048/20240113_180803.jpg
[9:42 PM]
Crack it open carefully....
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196298268062253086/20240113_180758.jpg
[9:42 PM]
And see what is inside! This little fellow has been entombed in this
concretion for well over 450,000,000 years, and doesn't look a day
older.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1196298441568043038/20240113_180815.jpg
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:43 PM
Oh wow Cute little trilo.
How'd you know it was in there?
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:43 PM
Thanks! I thought you would like it.
Varda — 01/14/2024 9:44 PM
Nice!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:44 PM
The concretions from this area of Peru are famous worldwide. Get a
concretion from a store or online, and the chances are good you can
crack it open and find a trilobite. It preferentially splits along
the plane in which the fossil is lying.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:45 PM
Hmm, nice. I suppose something concreting around a fossil would give
a distinct outward appearance.
Varda — 01/14/2024 9:45 PM
What area of Peru?
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:46 PM
The western slopes of the Andes, however, I will have to do some
research to get you the formation name of the sedimentary rock that
contains these concretions. I shall report back once I find out!
Varda — 01/14/2024 9:46 PM
No worries. Wondering what area is all. Although it would be
interesting.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:47 PM
Not a problem for me to look it up....I should know by the end of
the week...
Varda — 01/14/2024 9:52 PM
Lower Ordovician?
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:53 PM
That would be about right. Near the height of the trilobite record.
[9:56 PM]
Oy Weh. My age was off by about 200,000,000 years. This little guy
is PERMIAN in age, near the end of the Trilobite range, just before
the Great Permian Extinction Event (95% of all species DISAPPEARED).
FRrm the Curiosamente, se encontraron trilobites peruanos en la
Formación Copacabana del Pérmico Temprano
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:57 PM
Myeah, a bit later than lower ordovician
Varda — 01/14/2024 9:57 PM
What's a measly 200,000,000 amongst Valar?
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 9:57 PM
Just a wink.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:58 PM
How could I make such a mistake? I was told in the brochure that it
was Ordovician. Now I have to pull out my Moore, Lalicker, and
Fisher (the CLASSIC book of Paleozoic fossils, from three professors
at University of KAnsas back in the 1940-50s) to look for a similar
picture, and see if I can get a real handle on what is going on
here.
Varda — 01/14/2024 9:58 PM
There were Ordovician trilobites.
[9:59 PM]
Looking it up online in places like Nature.com
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 9:59 PM
Yes. There were Trilobites from the Lower Cambrian to the end
of the Permian Extinction, but their heyday was in the late Cambrian
through Ordovician. Too many things like to eat them, and they
dwindled (but hung on) all through the Paleozoic.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:00 PM
Tough being yummy.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:01 PM
Yup. Although over time, they did evolve some defense against being
eaten...one of the first, believe it or not, was EYES. Trilobites
show some of the first development of eyes...the better to see the
predators with!
It is hard for us today to realize that they earliest animals could
not "see."
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:03 PM
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359236814_Extraordinary_Ordovician_trilobite_Fantasticolithus_gen_nov_from_Peru_and_its_bearing_on_the_trinucleimorph_hypothesis
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 10:04 PM
I remember reading about a simulation of how the eye could have
evolved from a simple layer of light-sensitive cells to modern
complexity in 1000 tiny steps, each one improving on the last. I can
imagine them gradually appearing as a defensive mechanism, sure.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:04 PM
The Trilobites are Arthropods, and form one of the four great groups
of Arthropods: Trilobita, Crustacea, Chelicerata, and Insecta.
All are around still, except for the Trilobita.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:10 PM
Sort of makes one wonder if some are hidden somewhere.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:11 PM
Who knows? Lots of supposedly extinct species have been
rediscovered, a la the Coelacanth off the coast of Madagascar in the
1930s.
I just read that scientists are trying to revive the Tasmanian Wolf.
As well as the Dodo.
[10:12 PM]
I tend to think that the Trilobites are truly gone, but I will never
say that some may be in existence somewhere...such is my estel.
[10:13 PM]
The trouble is, their favored environment, continental shelves near
the coastline, are pretty well explored today in terms of species.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:13 PM
Chances are pretty dim.
But do we need the Tasmanian Wolf and the Dodo? : )
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:14 PM
Who knows? As a very famous man recently said, "Who am I to judge?"
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:15 PM
Apparently some scientists believe they should turn back extinction.
Just because maybe we can, should we?
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:15 PM
That is an excellent question, and requires at least a few beers to
discuss fully.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:16 PM
hehe
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 10:16 PM
Well, personally I'm all for biodiversity. Biggest shame to lose
such unique variations of evolved life. But you also gotta be
practical, things go extinct all the time, with or without our help.
[10:17 PM]
And you gotta consider the changes in ecosystem that a revived
species might bring, and how it could bring negative effects to
other species.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:17 PM
Also, we'd have to change conditions for them to survive. And that
can cause other things to be endangered or go extinct. Heh, what you
said.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:17 PM
All true. And if you ever come out to Colorado, I promise to bring
you to some really good local brew pubs, where we can properly
consider this question (and others, like Tolkien) in full.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:18 PM
Sorry, tee-totaler. ; )
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:18 PM
I can find some non-alcoholic beer too...
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 10:18 PM
Well, things like the Dodo and Taz can probably be reintroduced to
the islands we took them from, as long as we leave em alone after
that. But more widespread species... yeah, that will require a lot
more.
[10:19 PM]
And of course we've removed a lot of habitat ourselves.
Anyway, goodnight
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:20 PM
Sleep well : )
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 10:20 PM
You too!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:20 PM
Goodnight and Namarie, Ar! Thank you for letting me post those
pictures.
Ar-Pharazon-V — 01/14/2024 10:20 PM
Namarie And no problem, I like em
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:20 PM
Very cool trilobite photos!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:21 PM
I too shall bid everyone a fair goodnight...time to do some reading.
I am working on a book entitled "The Golem of Brooklyn," verhy
humorous. Perfect reading before bed. It is so cold, I just feel
like jumping under the covers of my warm waterbed and drifting off
to never-never-land.
[10:23 PM]
I hope that you can come up here someday, Varda. Lots of neat
fossils and minerals to show you...but you would probably find all
the pump jacks around my neighborhood boring....my house is in the
southern portion of the huge Wattenberg field of Colorado...one of
the oldest in the state. It has been revived for shale oil
production, and is very active once again. There is a pump jack in
the park in the middle of my subdivision. I feel right at home.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:24 PM
Sounds like an entertaining book. : )
Sounds interesting. And we're old oilfield hands.
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:24 PM
I will let you know when I am done. I am interested in the
original Golem stories...there are lots of them.
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:24 PM
Enjoy : )
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:24 PM
And the Golem is made from CLAY! How much more geologic can you get?
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:24 PM
hehe
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:25 PM
Namarie!
Varda — 01/14/2024 10:25 PM
Namarie!
Sandalf13 — 01/14/2024 10:25 PM
:)
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