It does make me wonder. Don't the happy people at MIT have something better to be doing instead of re-running variants of "The Matrix" in their academic papers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLcrvMfHUJM
Other AI YouTube Memes:
Saturday, 30 May 2026
MIT predicts 12 Plausible Endings to the AI Story (Spoiler Alert: Not a fairy story ending)
It does make me wonder. Don't the happy people at MIT have something better to be doing instead of re-running variants of "The Matrix" in their academic papers?
Friday, 29 May 2026
Roll of Honour for "dead" blogs: "Tidying up Blogs I Like to Read" [1]
I was checking the bottom of my "Blogs I Like to Read" list and there seems to be deadwood.
Blogs that are no longer with us (sniff).
Lest they not be forgotten, they served to amuse me, I shall miss their passing.I honour their digital memory!
Hrothgars FollyLasted Updated 2010Unfollowed
No posts remain or were ever postedNo posts remain or were ever posted
3rd PhaseDead Blog-RemovedMad About GamingDead Blog-Removed
Sideway Shuffle - Takeo IchikawaNo posts remain or were ever posted
Little Soldier CompanyBroken Link
Touching HistoryNo posts remain or were ever posted
Ferrets Attention SpanNo posts remain or were ever posted
The Savage AfterWorldBroken Link
It all started when I wanted to follow a new Blog but I had filled up the blogs I could follow quota!
Bydnd
Thursday, 28 May 2026
More 28mm WWII Undercoating - US Infantry, US Paras, 1940 BEF Brits and French, Japanese
Just to complete the full story (or is it?) of the "Spray Can Day" event!
Wargames Atlantic French 1940 Infantry:
German Late War Infantry - Warlord Games:
US Paras - Warlord Games:
US Infantry - Perry Miniatures and Warlord Games:
Left with empty spray cans! Job well done!
Wednesday, 27 May 2026
Next Projects - Wargame Atlantic/Victrix 28mm Figures: Three Boxes
I blame them (Wargames Atlantic), yes them, for making such nice figures you "have to" buy them and then, er, find a use for them? So I have three (new)projects:
Project One: Wargames Atlantic German Sentries - Coming in useful from being used as nasty Colditz sentries, to combatting partisan operations, commando raids, deadly SAS missions, Para airborne drops on radar installations and even denizens of "Weird WWII" dark laboratories (see below, all sorts of uses beckon - all being behind enemy lines):
There is even a healthy proportion of Alsatian dogs to German sentries (10 dogs to 30 soldiers). The poses come straight from the movies and are definitely "behind the front lines" Security Police support troops. The officer literally looks straight from the lead in "The Man in the High Castle" (see below, this is a highly recommended set - no other excuse needed to buy it):
Second Project Victrix Napoleonic Old Guard Infantry - Next we move on to a "man (or rather a wargamer) of a certain age" issue. One who to his embarrassment wakes up one day and realises that he does not have a unit of French Napoleonic Old Guard in 28mm to show off to his friends (see below, thank you Vixtrix for coming to my rescue, in fact they do the Middle Guard as well in plastic [but as time of writing I have only seen the Young Guard in very expensive metal]):
Third Project Wargames Atlantic Pulp Adventure Operators - Then there was the "buy it" because you saw it and you knew you already had a use for it. Specifically skirmish level gaming with 28mm Modern Special Forces - Terrorists - Hostage Release SWAT - Jungle LRRP/Mercenaries. Twenty Figures in total but four sprues, so a sprue for each of these categories will do (see below, the options on each sprue is fantastic):
I know one game these are destined to play is Hostage Cluedo, even borrowing a dog from the German Sentries box for a K-9 handler, now that is synergy (see below, a "niche" but also a nice buy):
I certainly seem to be in a "28mm assembly and paint mode of operations", also fuelled by the range of nice painting tutorials readily accessible on the Internet. Im short I am just having fun!
There is even a healthy proportion of Alsatian dogs to German sentries (10 dogs to 30 soldiers). The poses come straight from the movies and are definitely "behind the front lines" Security Police support troops. The officer literally looks straight from the lead in "The Man in the High Castle" (see below, this is a highly recommended set - no other excuse needed to buy it):
Second Project Victrix Napoleonic Old Guard Infantry - Next we move on to a "man (or rather a wargamer) of a certain age" issue. One who to his embarrassment wakes up one day and realises that he does not have a unit of French Napoleonic Old Guard in 28mm to show off to his friends (see below, thank you Vixtrix for coming to my rescue, in fact they do the Middle Guard as well in plastic [but as time of writing I have only seen the Young Guard in very expensive metal]):
Third Project Wargames Atlantic Pulp Adventure Operators - Then there was the "buy it" because you saw it and you knew you already had a use for it. Specifically skirmish level gaming with 28mm Modern Special Forces - Terrorists - Hostage Release SWAT - Jungle LRRP/Mercenaries. Twenty Figures in total but four sprues, so a sprue for each of these categories will do (see below, the options on each sprue is fantastic):
I know one game these are destined to play is Hostage Cluedo, even borrowing a dog from the German Sentries box for a K-9 handler, now that is synergy (see below, a "niche" but also a nice buy):
I certainly seem to be in a "28mm assembly and paint mode of operations", also fuelled by the range of nice painting tutorials readily accessible on the Internet. Im short I am just having fun!
Tuesday, 26 May 2026
A "Reiving" We Shall Go! - 28mm Fun and Frolics on the Scottish Border (Cow Snatching) - One Hour Skirmish Rules
Time for a fun game of cattle reiving in the Scottish borders! (see below, some nice 28mm figures come out to play alongside John Lambshead's,One Hour Skirmish Wargame Rules [a very nice set of rules]):
The stage is set for a raid on the Scott Clan to relieve them of some of their prize cattle. In particular a fine new acquisition, a bullock, covetously spied at the local market.No good will come of this envy from the Natt Clan. Stealing through the night the Natts surprise the sleepy Scott sentries (se below, "Alarm, alarm, Reivers are amongst us!" (see below, a hand to hand tussle but the second Scott shouts an alarm):
The Natts are fast at work as the Scott bothy empties, each Scot clansman grans the nearest weapon and charges out into the night (see below, one poor quality cow is being pushed away, but the Natts did not do well in their reconnaissance before the alarm went up, so they are simply grabbing what they can):
Around a firefight, where the advantage of ranged weaponry becomes apparent, the Natts try to make off with a second more highly prized cow, but no sign of the bullock! Fallen bodies of Reivers and law abiding citizens (Reivers themselves but on the receiving end of tonight's fray) litter the farmyard (see below, the Natts decide it is time to make a sharp getaway as too many heavily armed Scotts are now about for their liking - cows are rather slow moving beast when they want to be):
To quote the outraged Scott, "No' so fast you canny Reiver that ma' prize cow ya' after! Stitch that Jimmy [thwack, biff, pow]!" (see below, the prize cow is returned to its "rightful" owner):
Proceedings for the night close as the Natt Clan departs. A fun night out, the Scott Clan is now minus a few clan members and are one poor quality cow down, but they have as their prisoner a rival Natt Clan Leader (low level presumably, not the mighty Natt himself) to be ransomed! The Natt Clan are also down a few clan members. All told was quite a bloody night on the borderlands! Break out the whiskey, mead and ale!
The stage is set for a raid on the Scott Clan to relieve them of some of their prize cattle. In particular a fine new acquisition, a bullock, covetously spied at the local market.No good will come of this envy from the Natt Clan. Stealing through the night the Natts surprise the sleepy Scott sentries (se below, "Alarm, alarm, Reivers are amongst us!" (see below, a hand to hand tussle but the second Scott shouts an alarm):
The Natts are fast at work as the Scott bothy empties, each Scot clansman grans the nearest weapon and charges out into the night (see below, one poor quality cow is being pushed away, but the Natts did not do well in their reconnaissance before the alarm went up, so they are simply grabbing what they can):
Around a firefight, where the advantage of ranged weaponry becomes apparent, the Natts try to make off with a second more highly prized cow, but no sign of the bullock! Fallen bodies of Reivers and law abiding citizens (Reivers themselves but on the receiving end of tonight's fray) litter the farmyard (see below, the Natts decide it is time to make a sharp getaway as too many heavily armed Scotts are now about for their liking - cows are rather slow moving beast when they want to be):
To quote the outraged Scott, "No' so fast you canny Reiver that ma' prize cow ya' after! Stitch that Jimmy [thwack, biff, pow]!" (see below, the prize cow is returned to its "rightful" owner):
Proceedings for the night close as the Natt Clan departs. A fun night out, the Scott Clan is now minus a few clan members and are one poor quality cow down, but they have as their prisoner a rival Natt Clan Leader (low level presumably, not the mighty Natt himself) to be ransomed! The Natt Clan are also down a few clan members. All told was quite a bloody night on the borderlands! Break out the whiskey, mead and ale!
Monday, 25 May 2026
From Green to Black Petrol Cans but the same Lawnmower
The Green (US Army style) petrol or jerry can is no more, so a trip to B&Q was required and it looks like I have changed nationalities (see picture below, it has a certain er, how can we say Panzer feel to it?):
Deployed in the field or rather back garden (see below, the question being is the Mountford lawnmower is a suitable stand in for a WWII armoured fighting vehicle?):
Fun bit over, now I have to mow the lawn and combat teh wild verges (partisan territory if you ask me)!
Deployed in the field or rather back garden (see below, the question being is the Mountford lawnmower is a suitable stand in for a WWII armoured fighting vehicle?):
Fun bit over, now I have to mow the lawn and combat teh wild verges (partisan territory if you ask me)!
Sunday, 24 May 2026
Remote Gaming over Google Hangouts: Escape from The Dark Sector (Boardgame)
I have played a fantasy board game called "Escape From The Dark Castle" over Google Hangouts with friends several times with good fun results. There, each character's abilities was represented by a special RPC "dice" that scored a result appropriate to their class' abilities - basically their contribution to overcome the challenge card from the story deck. Remotely all the players needed to do was convert a normal d6 to their character dice, as in a simple lookup table (or let me roll the dice for them). I wanted to see if its sister sci-fi board game, "Escape from the Dark Sector" could also be played remotely as well (see below, instead of a castle you have done something wrong in space, and your spaceship is impounded, so you hatch a cunning plan and break out):
"Dark Sector" is more complicated in that it allows two modes of combat, "ranged" and "close" combat, basically guns of various forms or stabby-spikey-shocky things picked up. This posed a problem as there were far more special dice involved in the range combat. Everybody had to trust me as I rolled the dice (I was also walking through teh rules in the first play but the players were good friends and very patient). It was engrossing and despite the odds our "first time playing the game" luck held (see below, the reverse of the box shows the various its components - notice lots more dice):
It worked well "as a casual pick-up" game (we finished it over two sessions) and we definitely be planning another outing (a nice dark night sort of game).
"Dark Sector" is more complicated in that it allows two modes of combat, "ranged" and "close" combat, basically guns of various forms or stabby-spikey-shocky things picked up. This posed a problem as there were far more special dice involved in the range combat. Everybody had to trust me as I rolled the dice (I was also walking through teh rules in the first play but the players were good friends and very patient). It was engrossing and despite the odds our "first time playing the game" luck held (see below, the reverse of the box shows the various its components - notice lots more dice):
It worked well "as a casual pick-up" game (we finished it over two sessions) and we definitely be planning another outing (a nice dark night sort of game).
Board Game Geek (see link below):
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