Raithe

If we're talking classics from 1996. A touch long winded, but at the time... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvPQHdVG1lc Which also reminds us of... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sawWLwzV6yQ

Chicago Tribune - US Soldiers revealing sensitive information by jogging

Because it's always worth a repost whenever I see it...

The small things occasionally drive home how much money Amazon must be making. My phone went wonky, and I needed a new one, so rather then get stuck in an expensive two year contract, I thought I'd do the initial expenditure, buy a new phone, and keep a small sim only contract. Thus, I ordered a Blackberry Keyone from Amazon. It turned up, but they dropped it in the porch without signing for it, and the packaging was...bizarely odd for an Amazon package. A normal amazon paperback size box was cellotaped around the phones box. Not properly sealed, not the right size, and with no protective packing inside. So I emailed Amazon about this, and without batting an eye, without asking for any proof or evidence, they simply waved it with a "Eh, we'll refund you. Or if you want to keep it, we'll refund you 20% of the cost."

I knew that one would get some responses on this forum...

Seeing the announcement about PoE2 pre-order times, makes me feel I really should try and carve out some time to do that replay of PoE and finally get around to playing the White Marches....

Re-reading Michelle West's House War. If you like epic fantasy types of story, definitely worth a read, but it is a bit of an investment slog. To be fair, it's actually several different series that all intersect in the same universe. The Sacred Hunt Duology was published first: "The Kingdom of Breodanir is facing a threat unlike any seen for centuries. An orphan boy and his adopted brother struggle against the ties that bind them together (and to their land) as they complete an impossible journey to save the world - at the risk of their own destruction. These are the first books set in the Essalieyan universe to be published." Then you had The Sun Sword sexalogy : "Sixteen years after the events of The Sacred Hunt, the Empire of Essalieyan and the Dominion of Annagar are at war due to machinations of the Kialli. The resulting struggle for power will define the lives of those who would bring an end to the Kialli threat. Events laid out in The Sacred Hunt are referenced, but are not necessary to follow the story." Now, here's where it gets.. quirky, as mentioned, events from The Sacred Hunt are referenced, but...it basically tells a slice of the story or rather, a particular story revolving around several characters as the Kialli (basically a form of fallen angel / demons) manipulate events so the Demon-God has managed to return to the mortal plane and is unfolding his manipulations. Now, while the principle story is begun and finished, it doesn't actually involve the defeat of the mentioned Demon-God, just.. that part of the story. And, partway through the plot, a bunch of secondary characters are brought in with various subplots and accompanying movements. A bunch of those movements are not wrapped up in these six books. It actually makes it feel like a living, breathing universe in some ways because of that. So, complicated, sprawling, 6 book fantasy epic laid out, with references to a two-part semi-epic and expanding on elements presented there. Then you have the (as yet) unfinished House War series where it gets a touch complicated. The first three books in this series are actually prequels of a sort. They tell the story of how one of those secondary characters in the Sun Sword series grew up and ended up in the position they did, plus in part, how the Demon-God managed to escape the Hells and come ot the mortal plane. Then the rest of the series picks up in the aftermath of the Sun Sword series weaving elements from that into everything else and starts moving those unfinished subplots into major plotlines and how it all snowballs together and onwards. It might sound awkward, but it works surprisingly well at weaving all those elements in together, showing how the viewpoints can shift, and seeing characters evolve over decades, at how what might be minor subplots to one group of people turn out to be major things occuring elsewhere. Lots of little butterfly wings causing tornado's as it were.