My brother and some others have started a project called Occupy The Mailbox that aims to have visitors to Occupy Wall Street write traditional letters to their friends and family, and gives them the opportunity to have them published to the site.

Follow that link, and also follow @OccupyMailbox for updates.

Nerdiversary!  I started playing the game Magic: The Gathering 18 years ago today — and I still play weekly.  I must celebrate.  Celebrate my Magic-geekiness reaching majority.  Take it to the UK and buy it a beer or something.

You scoff or chortle?  The game’s mechanics taught me important concepts of computer science, early and well.  Learning to trade was a better immersion in economic theory than any Intro to Econ class ever created.  Group play taught me lessons in game theory that I still mentally refer to.  Selling a binder of cards bought me the computer on which I taught myself to program, and that led to a career.  And the draw to play the game got me out of my bedroom and forced a socially-awkward and introverted kid out into the world.

Have I taught Niall this game?  You bet I have!  And he loves it.  Here’s to another 18 years of this fantastic game entertaining, educating, and inspiring people.

I was playing Magic at my local gaming store tonight, and had the following exchange:

Me:  “Do you have an extra Endless Ranks of the Dead?”

Opponent, pointing at a drafting table:  “No, but ask John.”

Me:  “Which one’s John?”

Opponent:  “The guy in black.”

Me, seeing five:  “That … doesn’t really narrow it down.”

Opponent:  “In the black sweatshirt.”

Me, seeing three:  “…”

Opponent:  “Sitting next to the guy in the red shirt.”

Me, seeing two:  “…”

Opponent:  “With the beard.”

Me:  “Oh, him.  Thanks”

Yes, “Occupy Wall Street” is on my mind.  Yes, that’s why I selected these lyrics today.

½ Full

Climbing over mountains
Floating out on the sea
Far from lights of a city
The elements they speak to me

Whispering that life
Existed long before greed
Balancing the world
On its knee

Don’t see some men as half empty
See them half full of shit
Thinking that we’re all but slaves

There ain’t gonna be
No middle anymore
It’s been said before

The haves be having more
Yet still bored

Won’t someone save?
Won’t someone save the world?

This one’s for search engine visitors:  As of 17 September 2011, trying a distribution upgrade of Ubuntu Natty Narwhal to the Oneiric Ocelot beta on a Toshiba T135D notebook will leave your computer in an unusable state and will require a full re-install of Natty.  Don’t try it yet.