Insults, and 1reasonwhy.

So, you're in an online game, and someone starts yelling about how something is 'gay'.

Why do they do this? It is not because they are homophobic (most likely) but because they probably don't have another adjective at the ready.

I've been fomenting ways to help fix the situation. We need a script of sorts, of appropriate language. And a script of canned responses to casual sexism...or racism..or other ism.

So what are your favorite gender free, non homophobic, non racist insults?

Some of mine, that I borrow from my Father liberally:

'Jack Wagon'
'Ignorant Spitoon'
'Doorknob'

The whole 'shit' suite is okay. (Shit head, shit disturber)

'Sharp as a bowling ball'
'Odd like a spherical cow'
'Irrational like pi'

So what are some of yours?

EDIT: From my wife 'coprophagic belching donkey'

I used to be #1reasonwhy

This blog post isn't going to be EvE related, so if you're just interested in shenannigans, you are going to have to wait a bit more.

The title says it all. I used to be part of the problem. I'm getting better tho.

A bit of history. I've been doing games for about eighteen years now. And I used to be part of the problem. I wasn't a groper or a creeper. I didn't pre-judge my female co-workers (The few of them that I had). But at the workplace we were rough on each other with insults. Artists were 'bitches' if they complained. I'd casually toss out phrases like "You've got sand in your vag." or "Go choke on a bag of dicks.". And the ever present terms 'pussy' and 'fag' or comparisons to something that is 'gay'.

You get the idea. And I worked on some really good games, that had some *very* bad stereotypes.

Outlaw Golf, Outlaw Volleyball, Outlaw Tennis. Solid games, solid gameplay, serious stereotype overload. I assuage myself a bit now by telling myself the games are parody based and are over the top like that on purpose. (For those of you not familiar...There are some screen images available.)

And then I got married. And then I had kids. Couple of girls. And I realized that these two girls, and my wife, were being lessened by my insults and by my attitude. Comparisons to people to bad female stereotypes in a demeaning fashion demeans the entire group. And that goes for any other stereotype that is based on orientation, race, religion or gender.

So I'm trying to be better, and trying to be part of the solution by calling it out. The casual homophobia, misogyny, racism that peppers the language.

It doesn't take much for any of you reading this. To curb your own language. To *think* about what you say before it drops out of your mouth. And listen to what others are saying and call them out on the casual misogyny and homophobia.

It doesn't take much to stop being part of the problem, and to start being part of the solution. I'm most certainly not perfect. But I am trying. Not for my sake, but for my kids sake. Because I help to form the world they will grow up in. And you do too.

Why aren't there more women in the gaming industry? Because of people like I used to be. When will there be more women in the gaming industry? It will take years, and it will just take all of us to stop and think, and a bit of personal courage to call folks out on their behavior.

Blog Banter: Home

Home is...complicated.

For the past few years, my home in EvE has been everywhere. Wherever there was can mining, I would be there.

Where there were stupid people doing plexes in 0.0 with an obvious wartarget or at least a neutral in local. I was there.

Was I terribly effective? Heck no. There's only so much time I could devote to my pass time of punishing the stupid. Did I make someone's day bad..Yes. But I always made myself as much at home as was possible. A cache of ships as near as I could get. Probes, a hauler, various tools of punishment. My inventory list is awesome. Enough combat and hauling to start a megacorporation. Over 250 stations with a pvp capable ship and a hauler. Over 90% of empire covered and visited at least once.

Home was everywhere. And then I went into retirement. And I've anchored myself to a new 'home'.

It isn't a bad home. I've already found neighbors who don't like me and are also stupid so they are easy to take advantage of. I can mission and mine. I've even got corpmates now who mission and mine, and we've done it together. For the first time in a long while (Probably since home was Dodixie, and Suddenly Ninjas was young and being bothersome) I've got folks of like minds to do something with on a continuing basis.

And that my friends, is where home is really. I suppose Home is where you can fulfill your purpose. Be it a doggerel scoundrel existence or something more puritanical. Your home is where you can *do* that thing. Is your thing tilting at windmills? Taking over deep space? Being a foot soldier? A scammer? Your home is where you can *do* that, in your own space and time. Log in, do your thing, get closer towards your goal in your own place. You may be sharing with 2000 people (Looking at you Jita Scammers and Traders right here) or 20 people (My new home) But, it is *yours* because that is where you can fulfill your needs, the *why* of your eve existence.

Hm..the stuffing's been kicked out here and there.

Well, it looks like the recent war with the goons have gone and pretty well wrecked the snot out of the Honda Accord and the Tadakastu-Obata Corporation. Seeing as all that's been logging in lately have been six people...

WHICH MEANS IT IS TIME TO RECRUIT!

Do you need somewhere to relax with other vets and folks who are so new they squeak?

Do you feel the need to go and blow someone up (even your corpmates) in brand new pre-fit rifters? (Coming soon as part of our pvp 'get used to dying' training regimen.)

Bantam Ball Tournament (Coming Soon as part of our situational awareness training regimen with PRIZES!)

Mining ops with equal splits and Orca Support until you get into your own barge/exhumer! (Yes,that's right, come on down in your mining cruiser..there's room!)

Be Big, Be STRONG, Be SHINY. Tada-O!

http://space-llamas.net for our official site. Our in-game channel is TADA-O. Come on in and have a warm cup of SHINY!

The IEEE Rides into the sunset.

There are no more standards to properly enforce. The arrival of the new mining barges and exhumers have put a nail into the can mining coffin. And it is pretty well gone for good.

It takes the most new of the new about a week to get into a Retriever. And they don't bother with cans any more. They either have an orca or just shuttle back and fort to station now.

Without folks mining into cans and being generally bad mining operators, the IEEE no longer has a way to make the meager income required to stock the photocopier with paper, the coffee maker with coffee, and pay the Gallente secretary.

So with a heavy heart, I have mothballed the IEEE.

I was expecting the crimewatch changes to be the actual final nail, but it is the lack of folks operating their corporations so badly as to be noticed.

It has been a while coming. The IEEE will be out there, holding its name and ticker and a storage place for the stories. But the heart and soul behind it are gone.

Your intrepid Chief Librarian is going into semi retirement (aka: Going Full Bear(tm)) and have joined up with an industrial alliance. Currently at war with goons and others. And will be pulling the bears (kicking and screaming if need be) into some semblance of being able to work together and spit in the goons' eyes instead of hunkering down and turtling.

I don't expect that any thing we do will actually effect the goons as a whole, but you never know.

The blog will be updated as fun things happen. Or as I figure out this 'Production' thing I keep hearing about (I'll finish PE 5 at some point)

Zed

A return of the itty of doom.

I'm in empire for a while, quite possibly a long while due to helping a few friends of mine, which involves an awful lot of down time unfortunately. And what does an IEEE agent do when faced with nothing else to do? He goes out and looks for miners mining against the book.

The iteron is just as I remembered it being the last time I took it out. Stately and slow. Still loaded and waiting for the return of its pilot. They have an incredible cpu capacity, greater than most battleships, but nothing on the hull usually requires anything even remotely that powerful. The current iteration is an armor tanker. Ever since webs stopped working very well and nosferatu changed, the shield versions have become interesting but ultimately less capable.

Unfortunately everyone mining is doing so in approved manners. Orca pilots riding herd or solo miners flying off when their holds were filled. But then I ran across some wreckage. Some unfortunate pilot has been ganked. His retreiver wreck sitting full next to a thrasher wreck colored blue. Putting two and two together, I picture what happened. A low skilled pilot toiling away with his barge, and someone just wandered up and suicide ganked him.

I light up the burner and see what is left in the wreck. Taking everything as another retreiver wanders in. Oh goodness it is the unfortunate pilot who just lost his retreiver. And a thrasher shows up. The same pilot who ganked him. And I'm waiting for the flash and desperately trying to target both of them. While the cpu is great in an iteron, the sensors are unmitigated pieces of crap.

But the thrasher yellow boxes me, and the retreiver flies off. How odd... I hear the tell-tale sound of a scanner go off...I think the thrasher might be scratching his head when the retreiver pilot shows back up. In a thorax. I take a look, and see at least three different gun types, at least two rails, and one thing that isn't a hybrid at all and decide that it should be do-able. Willing the sensors to lock faster, I start looking like I'm running away.

I'm waiting for the thorax to lock me up, and it isn't happening. No yellow box. I almost give up on him when the love taps arrive. Ungrouped 200mm rails and a light 250mm artillery pieces? And way out of range neutron blasters. I turn the itty around, mash the burners, he's out of tackle range but I can charge him..at a stately 350m/sec. Damage signals going off as the thin shields on the iteron evaporate and the deck twitches as the blasters get their range. But now he's in my range and targetting actually comes online. Cranking up the blaster I flip a couple small armor repairers on and the secret weapon against all hybrid boats, the energy neutralizer. I can smell smoke from the iterons electronics. Duct taped modifications on the hull making the reppers work extra hard, and the capacitor feed lines have that arcid smell of over use. Especially when the small cap boosters are pumping out twice their normal output to keep things going. The navy boosters are great but play hell with everything. Prayer is involved when shunting this much power through every system in what is essentially a converted hauler, but things seem to be holding together. The trip through the shield is taking forever because it is hardened and boosting? Everything is quiet in local. Just the gentle noise of my blaster, and the larger noises of his blasters and rails and projectiles and drones. Until all but one of his guns goes silent. Capped out. The pilot disconnects, helpless. The crackling ozone smell that the energy neutralizer always sends streaming through the access ways adding further strain to the capacitor feeds. I start playing games staggering my reps to try and stop swallowing the navy cap boosters.

Finally...http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=17153320 (Or, just for EnderCapitalG: http://ieee.eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=14246280)

The pod e-warps off. The thrasher having stayed the whole time to watch. And suddenly the thrasher goes red as he tries to volley the iteron of doom. It hurt worse than anything the thorax came up with and being unsure of possible friends I kick all three reppers up, slamming the overheat and dump both cap boosters at once. Going from half armor to full in practically no time. Willing the lock to come through before concord arrives to at least get on the kill report. But no dice.

I collect everything and wander off. The station nearby offering expensive repairs for all the overheated and damaged modules. There being no point in offering assistance in local or a pointer to the IEEE sites for a disconnected pilot. And somewhat pleased with the iteron again. It has been a very long time since I pulled it out of the hangar. And as I pulled it in, I knew it would sit there waiting for me again to take it on a crusade against the stupid.

Anatomy of a scam, or how to talk to a goon about joining.

Anatomy of a scam, or how to talk to a goon about joining.

So, as some of you know. I'm actually shutting the IEEE down. It is taking its sweet time to figure out where to go. I was going to join the Honda Accord, due to some of you (you know who you are) actually reccomending them as they wouldn't fold over a revenge dec over my presence.

This has involved joining up with the accord as a defender. Flying out to Delve and VFK, and shooting at stuff that I think I can kill, and variously getting blown up due to bad decisions, good traps, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(Note, I hold no illusions that I'm actually making a difference. Except to possibly sharpen up some goons and to provide teachable moments to others. More or less, if you got killed by me, you did something incredibly stupid. If you killed me, I did something incredibly stupid.)

But during the weeks (and I've been at this for weeks) I've had many...er..interesting offers spewed in local:

mookkc > fuck me... I flew my branch archon here
Zedrik Cayne > Not even with Mittani's dick.

Bagu Oskold > Zedrik, you leaving soon?  I want to rat.
Zoinker Cadelanne > How long has he been camping the system today?
Zedrik Cayne > I just got in from groceries...it shas been 7 hours or so.
Zoinker Cadelanne > You should let us know when you're afk! It's the polite thing to do.
Zedrik Cayne > Ah, but then you could tell the difference between me afk and me just not replying in local so I can kill one of you.
Zoinker Cadelanne > Why do you hate us?
Zedrik Cayne > I don't hate you. But you are in the way of what I wanted to do.

Hotlips Va-jay-jay > Yah,  Zedrik Cayne is already infamous in highsec.  He like a long lost brother of the goons
Zedrik Cayne > I frame my activities in a different light. I'm not out to ruin *your* game. I'm out to teach you not to be dumb.

doyilooki > Zedrik Cayne could you link me your blog please?
Mara Tessidar > while you're at it can I have your babies
Syndicatecyborg > wtf ?
SmashTech > I, too, would enjoy siring your children
Aldric Sauveterre > ... he has a blog?
SmashTech > Everyone who's anyone has a blog, Aldric.
doyilooki > it is what i have heard, I am looking for it and i do not seem to be able to find it
Aldric Sauveterre > Having an EVE blog: http://imgur.com/DGnyR
Zedrik Cayne > http://lmgtfy.com/?q=zedrik+cayne&l=1
SmashTech > what is google
Mara Tessidar > I heard it was some kind of porn site
Aldric Sauveterre > Oh look he's clever too

But, then something comes across in one of the honda accord's public channels:

Scooter McCabe > well if you can sneak around and check out VFK and youd like to join up one day let me know
Zedrik Cayne > I  just left there...And what's up with everyone trying to recruit me?
Zedrik Cayne > Aside from the obvious 500 miil scams.
Scooter McCabe > Well Nal will tell you I was trying to set up an event where after checking us out honda accord members were welcome to join on an open recruitment day
Zedrik Cayne > I know..I was actually here when you were offering.
Zedrik Cayne > But that didn't actually answer the question.
Nalera > I'm curious about that, too. I've heard all kinds of people say they've had recruitment offers from Goonswarm
Psykotic Fox > Interesting, then again why would GSF event bother eh
Scooter McCabe > Yeah here is the deal
Scooter McCabe > Issler shot her mouth off about how Honda had a better culture one time and Mittens basically tapped me and a couple others to give open offers to you guys
Zedrik Cayne > I see.
Scooter McCabe > Honestly we knew you wouldnt go for it or Issler would just clamp down on you but it would serve to make a point and embarass her for making such a wild claim
Scooter McCabe > So the offer stands and Issler by my sources has not be exactly active
Scooter McCabe > at least with her main any way
Psykotic Fox > She's been busy in RL with some stuff is all
Zedrik Cayne > Okay, I'm probably going to regret this.. See you in about 24 hours Scooter :)
Scooter McCabe > Cool man
Zedrik Cayne > Might as well give this a shot.
Scooter McCabe > okay time to talk

Now, I'm at least as smart as the next guy, and having done my research know this is probably a scam attempt. But hell, why not give it a shot? If it goes well...I'm in goonswarm. If not, no skin off my nose. And who knows? Maybe being in goons is as good as it is purported to be.
*Ding* Private Convo:

Zedrik Cayne > I'll be needing a reference code.
Zedrik Cayne > (Was digging around the wiki earlier today)
Scooter McCabe > Well here is the thing you are not Honda Accord, I just looked.
Zedrik Cayne > Well dur...I have been trying to join up with them but being unable to because of war etc.
Scooter McCabe > Second lets skip the silly shit if you give me your full api I can check it from there and get you in.
Zedrik Cayne > You want new or old style?
Scooter McCabe > Then you can hang out in Tada-o as living proof
Scooter McCabe > new style full api
Zedrik Cayne > No worries.
Zedrik Cayne > kk
Zedrik Cayne > 505749
Zedrik Cayne > EJXL3NFrAhv0sMIAaz7owOPPR5vEs1g7rdgOqsQU9mTufFdFcRgVcLzVz0bKew41
Scooter McCabe > okay give me a minute to check it out
Zedrik Cayne > *tapdance....*
Scooter McCabe > looking good so far
Scooter McCabe > yeah your clean
Scooter McCabe > Okay couple of things
Zedrik Cayne > Pfft...I'm clean as the driven slush.

I've actually got a relatively clean background. I go take a look at the api logs. Nothing terribly surprising, unless a full asset check is surprising for joining a corp. Red flag #2 (Red flag #1 is I'm talking to someone about joining goons..but the original story sounded relativley legit.)

Scooter McCabe > First you are going to need to apply to Sundering and you will need to register your api stuff for our forums and comms
Scooter McCabe > you also need to keep your full api full at all times
Scooter McCabe > otherwise you will get purged
Scooter McCabe > fair enough?
Zedrik Cayne > No problem.
Zedrik Cayne > I can apply now, but I've got about 22 hours of stasis left,.
Scooter McCabe > thats fine
Scooter McCabe > i can wait
Scooter McCabe > Okay Sundering does indy and pvp right now our big project is rolling up the Zydrine market

Right, here is where folks get lazy. Things seem to be going well, they say 'Hey, you look like good material' And then give you some 'inside information'. No real details, but you are now one of us so that we can let you in on this *great deal*. Like all good con-games, it is all about a good story.

Zedrik Cayne > Hm...24 hours of stasis..apparently doing the resign thing doesn't work while you're in space.
Scooter McCabe > do you have roles?
Zedrik Cayne > I was ceo.
Zedrik Cayne > Er..still am..
Scooter McCabe > Well wait
Zedrik Cayne > Hang on..docking.
Scooter McCabe > dont do anything
Scooter McCabe > Okay yeah you do need to dock and do this
Scooter McCabe > Right so about the Zydrine market if you want in its on your own dime and you sell when we sell so we can make the projected 400% profit

And again, dishing out the 'Hey, cool thing!'

Scooter McCabe > Next thing are you near Jita
Zedrik Cayne > With 3 bil, that's not making a dent in any market.
Scooter McCabe > no but when its alliance wide it does
Zedrik Cayne > And no...I'm about 13 jumps out.
Scooter McCabe > You near a trade hub
Scooter McCabe > because I dont think you want to jump all your stuff up here one thing at a time

Yeah, if you are near a market hub, we can haul all your stuff. Let's just shut that avenue down.

Zedrik Cayne > I'll be buying there.
Zedrik Cayne > Or flying it in.
Scooter McCabe > Cool
Scooter McCabe > If you need a jump freighter I got one you can use if you have the skills

See? Look, I'll trust you with a jump freighter! You're so damn cool.

Zedrik Cayne > I can fly all four.
Zedrik Cayne > But you should know this by now.

He never actually checked my skills.

Zedrik Cayne > I tend to spread stuff around the universe a lot.
Scooter McCabe > fair enough
Scooter McCabe > after you get up here and fly around a bit we are doing an optional Titan Fund so we can start elevatoring people around and if you want we can set you up with a production pos
Scooter McCabe > Now I think since you are CEO you can just straight up quit and avoid the 24 hours of fun
Zedrik Cayne > Er...no. The corporation is meant to live. I'm parking it on an alt.
Scooter McCabe > Ah
Zedrik Cayne > Otherwise I'd have torn it down weeks ago :P
Scooter McCabe > no it makes sense
Zedrik Cayne > At any rate. Where do you want/need me?
Scooter McCabe > Okay get your stuff taken care of hang out in Jita
Scooter McCabe > In 24 hours time contact me back and I will place you within Goons
Scooter McCabe > welcome
Zedrik Cayne > Thanks..I think.
Scooter McCabe > No worries
Scooter McCabe > no one is going to ask you to give money or ships so you are cool
Scooter McCabe > It may be a little disorienting because of all the wonderful stories you hear about us but this is part of the project
Scooter McCabe > plus I fully expect you to share with the rest of the people over at Honda Accord that this is bona fide after you are in
Zedrik Cayne > Good lord. I've been logged into game over 2 years total time.

I'm busy poking my own api stuff so I can segment out the queries he has made vs mine or vs battleclinic or eve-kill.

Zedrik Cayne > Nah, I think I get it actually.
Zedrik Cayne > Me and some goons have long chats about it.
Zedrik Cayne > Goons don't trust the 'other'
Zedrik Cayne > Other being, anyone not a goon.
Scooter McCabe > you definately get it then
Scooter McCabe > i think you will fit in good
Zedrik Cayne > Everyone else is...'Ramen'
Zedrik Cayne > 'definitely' by the way...pet peeve.
Scooter McCabe > sorry
Zedrik Cayne > No worries, you didn't know,
Scooter McCabe > well i will keep it mind for the future
Zedrik Cayne > Did you read the blog by the way?
Scooter McCabe > which one
Scooter McCabe > Mittens blog, EVE 24 News or the Dev blogs?
Zedrik Cayne > Heh..you're not remembering our previous conversation where you said I needed to write something to join up.
Zedrik Cayne > And I pointed you at my blog.
Zedrik Cayne > At any rate, we should probably get the other bits and pieces re: authentication forums etc done.
Scooter McCabe > Yeah i assume you know which site to go to
Zedrik Cayne > Yes, but I'm going to need...oh damnit I was just looking at it earlier. A reccomendation code.
Zedrik Cayne > Ah, a 'sponsorship' code.
Zedrik Cayne > That's the ticket.
Scooter McCabe > You looking on Remedial's wiki or the new one
Zedrik Cayne > https://wiki.goonfleet.com/Joining_GoonWaffe_101
Zedrik Cayne > Linked off the main page. :)
Scooter McCabe > Good the other one just links off to a dead page
Scooter McCabe > 8bcd446a0b16227
Scooter McCabe > Thats will work
Zedrik Cayne > Thank you.
Zedrik Cayne > And the wiki says I should be clicking the top one. But I'm not applying to goonwaffe. Is that just a bad muff on the page or are the other bits just broken to hell.
Scooter McCabe > And Dont Forget its for SUNDERING or very bad things...
Scooter McCabe > yeah that
Zedrik Cayne > As I know by reading all this junk it is probably duct tape and bailing wire php on the back end and I don't wanna break it.
Zedrik Cayne > So click on the second [  I DO NOT have an account I am registering under a Member Corp or I am an Ally  ]
Scooter McCabe > http://www.goonfleet.net/?action=apply

And zzzt. Notice I've been linking off of goonfleet.com...and our friend here has linked goonfleet.net. goonfleet.net is a honeypot. Made to look good, like you've been really accepted and things are cool.

We eventually run into the wall with respect to goonfleet.com. It won't let anything go any further until I get into an allied corporation. And we shoot the shit for another hour or two. Always banking back to the offers. No real details about any of them.

And that is a 'scam' conversation from a goon in a nutshell. Good luck trying to join goonfleet if that is what you are trying to do. But follow https://wiki.goonfleet.com/Joining_GoonWaffe_101

If you are not, you're probably being lied to. But that is okay. That is part of the game.