posted 05-04-99 04:42 AM ET        

I received the sad message below last night from Don. What is happening to him is terrible, but it's good news for one person:

THERE IS AN VACANT POSITION IN AREDHRAN'S CHALLENGE.
If someone wants to take his place as Leader of the University of Planet, simply send me an e-mail. The first one to do so will be the new Provost. In the interim, as your CMN, I will assume the position of Vice-Provost (cousLee, please send the turn to me).

Aredhran
CMN of the First Challenge

-------

I am the one responsible for the hold up in the challenge match.
After receiving the file from cousLee, my wonderful computer decided
it was time to corrupt the registry and start dumping things left
and right. After fiddling with Win95 for a time, it became clear
that I'd have to do a fresh install of the OS - so, I decided to
make the small jump to Windows 98. After trying three times myself,
and three times for the Microsoft techies over the phone (3 1/2
hours on the phone with Microsoft in one afternoon!), everyone
involved decided to give up on the upgrade. However, it appears that
the actual install process of Win98 physically damaged my hard drive
- now, one of the techies told me that was not possible, but every
time I tried another Win98 install, more bad clusters would appear
on the drive - apparently damaging files needed by Win98 to continue
the install process. Long story short, I got my $35 back for making
the help call and am in the process of getting M$ to cover the cost
of a new hard drive.

I'm back to Win95 and no new clusters have appeared, strengthening
my belief that Win98 was doing the damage and it wasn't a drive
going bad all by itself (it's barely over one year old) ... I curse
Bill's name every day. Win95 isn't what it used to be, and I'm still
a long way from reinstalling the hardware drivers that Win95 can't
seem to find for itself, so things aren't pretty at home. The lost
time has backlogged a vital web project for me (en educational grant
that pays the bills) so that is now my priority, along with getting
my computer through each day. This has been a frustrating experience
from one end to the other, and it has taken great willpower not to
take a sledgehammer to the computer back home.

So, here I email from on-campus at 6am and ask you all to forgive
me. Though, if you all choose to curse my name as I curse Bill's and
the titles of all his evil products, I will understand.

I am returning the game file as received from cousLee (it was to go
to Goob next) -- my computing situation is strained, at best, and
doomed at worst, and now I have to play catch-up with my main source
of income. I hope you all can find someone to take my spot, and I
really wish I was not bailing on this, but influences beyond my
control have forced my hand in this matter.

Sorry 'bout all this. Please pray for the future health of my
computer - I've tried every deity I know, and none has responded to
my calls for succor.

posted 05-04-99 11:06 AM ET            

Though I feel like the carrion crow
swooping upon the king's carcass below,
I feel it's my duty
so please don't get snooty
and if I can help, let me know.

posted 05-04-99 11:45 AM ET            

A plaque on the monument in Don's memory,
let's show him our support, and hope he'll come out of this.

posted 05-04-99 12:11 PM ET            

Why, thank you <blushing> for your support.

Aredhran & others,

I will gladly turn it back over to Don after he is able to come back to Planet. That is, if I haven't done such a poor job of things that he doesn't want it back. I was wondering why we hadn't seen any postings from him recently. I truly enjoyed his insightful and eloquent posts. A true paragon of civility. Don...we'll miss you, come back soon!

posted 05-04-99 12:37 PM ET            

I feel that JAMheISbutiAMNOT, needs to make more of a contribution. If we all compile a list of phone numbers of our favorite take out restaurant and give them to JAMiHAVEcreditcardANDiWANTtoPLAY he could get us all dinner. That would let him into Aredhran's Challenge. After that he would need to share from the Resources of the University's research so that we could Determine that it was not this illicit research that damaged the good Mr Brodale's computer in the first place.

I say we vote on these issues before we allow MR. JAMiWRITElimericksSOiAMcool into "our little club".

posted 05-04-99 01:01 PM ET            

Goob,
How's that for supplication? Now, can I please, please, please play with you guys?

posted 05-04-99 01:19 PM ET            

JAMiAM has been accepted as new Provost of the UoP, in replacement of Don

posted 05-04-99 02:24 PM ET            

I haven't a clue as to what you were saying. I'm not very fluent in technospeak. I input your last 2 posts in my Universal Translator and all I got out was "I'm drunk on Amaretto and my cat's sleeping on the keyboard again."

Aredhran,

Now that I've gotten myself into the Aredhran Challenge, perhaps you or one of the others can tell me how this CMN type pbem might differ from a regular pbem game. All of the others that I'm involved in have started from Planetfall. The turns have been passed directly from human to human player and the AI does its own thing in the interim(s). Please be very specific and feel free to treat me like the idiot that I am. Leave out nothing.

posted 05-04-99 03:56 PM ET            

(480) 496-4988 I want the house Lo Mein (Chow Mein) with steamed rice. I will be by to pick it up at 11:0 am tomorrow (Pacific time) please make the call a half hour in advance.

I will also give you some free CMN advice, since you did "defend" me.

One important thing to do is to leave all your units motionless for ten years, and in your cities take all your workers and make them Doctors for 12 years, this will fully make up for the bad Mojo inherited from earlier players.

Remember buddy this advice is just between you and me, don't go sharing it with all those "others" out there.

posted 05-04-99 06:39 PM ET            

I sent you via e-mail all the information you'll ever need about Aredhran's Challenge and "CMN-style" PBEM games.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

posted 05-05-99 03:55 AM ET            

Good morning! Don't like the sweet stuff, huh? Personally, I like a good whiskey myself. Rum will do though, in a pinch.