Jydsken-Østveg
Established Nation
Mapmaker’s Diary: January 2021
Book Churches
Here I am continuing a new segment that I hope other mapmakers will follow up with as well in the future. I want to start this up as a place to explain the work done and other musings from the mapmaker. Additionally, it will be ok to ask questions which I will try to get to depending on time constraints. So, let’s get started.
Reading is an important aspect to the human experience. Considering the fact that just 150 years ago it would be common for you to know and have illiterate people in your life, it is no surprise to find this statement as naturally a bit bourgeois. (Originally I was going to write about how illiteracy is still a major problem in the developed western world, but I didn't feel like doing the research required for a quality post - considering I'm already late.) Yet reading does impart some valuable tools for our minds. First of all those who read frequently are known to have better sense of empathy compared to those who say watch more TV. Is this the fault of reading? Or are couch potatoes just naturally less empathetic? Well, I’d like to think it is because we read. The idea that you can read what is going on in someone else’s mind and see points of view from someone else is quite powerful compared to the visual medium where you can’t tell what is going on in Katniss Everdeen’s head as she grapples between Peeta and Gale. Perhaps you’d know if you read the book though.
The point being is that the library is now a community center that gives locals the ability to not just read books, but also learn new skills or rent specialized tools that they cannot afford or cannot keep in their own homes. I think this is the future for libraries in America and the sooner local governments understand the greater potential for libraries the better we can keep everyone learning and perhaps equally important, reading.
Of course these are places I've been, and if you'd like share with us your own favorite libraries that you have visited! As I’ve eaten up a page of literature again, let’s read about the map.
First of all I think the most important part of this January edition to mention is that was largely a basic update of the map. There weren’t any large changes to landmasses, and I didn’t update anything visually. Requests were made and they were fulfilled. So this makes the Cecilia map quite boring as far as visuals go. What is new to this map is the fact that I have embraced nostalgia.
Additions include the return of the European Forum HQ which is housed in an old nation from the past: Frescania. Interesting is that this nation also housed an attempted UN in one of the old scenarios. This gives us a specific HQ for the EF which is similar to how we used to have it in the past. A nice neutral ground specifically made for us all to go to.
I then took the time to make other call backs and remove nameless places. Franken returns next to Eiffelland. Franken was ErAn’s last nation before he quit playing. Hajr returns as well, as Kapi’s last nation before he retired from the forum. He did try a brief comeback recently but it was nothing memorable… although his return would be nice. You’ll also note that the Isphilistines have been added, and this name comes from NSE Classic, where Ispal was one of the hot beds of RP. The last fun addition I made was Monterrey. Which was a fun colony of Frescania, and so now all EF Mandate’s are named. Now all we need is a functioning EF, which means perhaps I should work on a charter for that so we can RP it properly.
The last topic I want to seek opinions on is how we shall go about greening inactive players? Thus far we have at least three or four inactives that could be purged and open up space. I point specifically at Implaria, Natal, Galdea, and Meryan. None of these players have posted since November, or in some cases earlier. Nor have they posted on the absence thread. Considering that, I would like to put them on the inactive list. What does the inactive list mean though? Does that mean others can readily request territory in their pixels or their pixels entirely while still remaining on the map (greyed)? Or does that mean I outright remove them from the map? Do some players get special treatment for being on the forum for a long time? Or should all players be equally removed or greyed? These are questions I am open to hearing player opinion on. I won’t be holding a vote, and I won’t be debating opinions. I would like to hear them and consider them. Of course if I find them rational I might even institute some one else’s idea.
I'll speak about the what I've decided on the next mapmaker's diary. The next map I aim to have published on the 15th again, and the 15th of each month might be what I continue to aim for. That said, It is possible this next map finds itself slightly delayed as I am exploring new software and the transition could take time. If that happens, I'll create a special post on this topic.
As usual, feel free to respond to this post. I won’t respond to everything, but I do read all responses and consider all ideas given to me.
Book Churches
Here I am continuing a new segment that I hope other mapmakers will follow up with as well in the future. I want to start this up as a place to explain the work done and other musings from the mapmaker. Additionally, it will be ok to ask questions which I will try to get to depending on time constraints. So, let’s get started.
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I’ll be the first to acknowledge the fact that this entry is late. Very late. So while I'm at it, Happy New Year! A month late. I don't have any resolutions other than to learn to code in R. For those that do not know, I have been quite busy trying to secure a future direction for my career. That has included a return to education be that in the form of a PhD or a different Master’s degree. This was always likely to be my future but I did put it on hiatus at the beginning of the pandemic. A year later and not necessarily wiser (but certainly more impatient), I am back to the university application season and busily filling out applications and well… reading.Reading is an important aspect to the human experience. Considering the fact that just 150 years ago it would be common for you to know and have illiterate people in your life, it is no surprise to find this statement as naturally a bit bourgeois. (Originally I was going to write about how illiteracy is still a major problem in the developed western world, but I didn't feel like doing the research required for a quality post - considering I'm already late.) Yet reading does impart some valuable tools for our minds. First of all those who read frequently are known to have better sense of empathy compared to those who say watch more TV. Is this the fault of reading? Or are couch potatoes just naturally less empathetic? Well, I’d like to think it is because we read. The idea that you can read what is going on in someone else’s mind and see points of view from someone else is quite powerful compared to the visual medium where you can’t tell what is going on in Katniss Everdeen’s head as she grapples between Peeta and Gale. Perhaps you’d know if you read the book though.
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Even still the written word has been appreciated by all civilizations that had it. Accordingly we built churches of sorts to honor these words. The long lost Library of Alexandria being one of the most famous ones. How a people honor their books perhaps says something about them. Visit the library of any place you go and you can get an idea for how these people think and feel. Seriously, on your travels I cannot recommend more that you visit the best library in that city. It can be fascinating! (Another interesting thing to visit when you travel are cemeteries, as similarly how a people honor their dead can be as interesting as how they honor their books, but that is another topic entirely.) I have always enjoyed the library at the University of Washington (Suzzallo Library - Above Right). Often said locally that it feels as if you were in Harry Potter. One of my recent favorites is oddly the old library in Stockholm (Stockholms stadsbibliotek - Right). Its round circular hall makes you feel in awe of the books that stack high around you.
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Libraries as we’ve moved into the digital age seem to have fallen dramatically in importance. In the United States local governments don’t seem to understand the place for them anymore and funding is often cut. Who goes to the library anymore other than children? Why have all these books and journals when you can just lease them digitally on a tablet or computer? As we are not a uniquely American forum, and I am not a uniquely American person, I know other places have found different kinds of futures for their libraries. My favorite on my travels takes us to Helsinki’s Oodi. Their library has turned into something more than just books. Of course you can get books, but they also have classes for sewing, cooking, renting 3d printers, or if you want you can rent a video game console and play in a semi-private room. The atmosphere is special too. Massive ceilings and a great deal of openness make the multi story library a place you want to stay and relax. I also can recommend the cafe there. I enjoyed pancakes when I visited, but obviously it is not a special cafe. Just nice. Equally interesting is taking a trip on the twisted staircase (Oodi Double-Helix Staircase - Right) they have and even visiting the unique exhibit they dedicate to the European Union. You can learn quite a bit about well, everything there!The point being is that the library is now a community center that gives locals the ability to not just read books, but also learn new skills or rent specialized tools that they cannot afford or cannot keep in their own homes. I think this is the future for libraries in America and the sooner local governments understand the greater potential for libraries the better we can keep everyone learning and perhaps equally important, reading.
Of course these are places I've been, and if you'd like share with us your own favorite libraries that you have visited! As I’ve eaten up a page of literature again, let’s read about the map.
First of all I think the most important part of this January edition to mention is that was largely a basic update of the map. There weren’t any large changes to landmasses, and I didn’t update anything visually. Requests were made and they were fulfilled. So this makes the Cecilia map quite boring as far as visuals go. What is new to this map is the fact that I have embraced nostalgia.
Additions include the return of the European Forum HQ which is housed in an old nation from the past: Frescania. Interesting is that this nation also housed an attempted UN in one of the old scenarios. This gives us a specific HQ for the EF which is similar to how we used to have it in the past. A nice neutral ground specifically made for us all to go to.
I then took the time to make other call backs and remove nameless places. Franken returns next to Eiffelland. Franken was ErAn’s last nation before he quit playing. Hajr returns as well, as Kapi’s last nation before he retired from the forum. He did try a brief comeback recently but it was nothing memorable… although his return would be nice. You’ll also note that the Isphilistines have been added, and this name comes from NSE Classic, where Ispal was one of the hot beds of RP. The last fun addition I made was Monterrey. Which was a fun colony of Frescania, and so now all EF Mandate’s are named. Now all we need is a functioning EF, which means perhaps I should work on a charter for that so we can RP it properly.
The last topic I want to seek opinions on is how we shall go about greening inactive players? Thus far we have at least three or four inactives that could be purged and open up space. I point specifically at Implaria, Natal, Galdea, and Meryan. None of these players have posted since November, or in some cases earlier. Nor have they posted on the absence thread. Considering that, I would like to put them on the inactive list. What does the inactive list mean though? Does that mean others can readily request territory in their pixels or their pixels entirely while still remaining on the map (greyed)? Or does that mean I outright remove them from the map? Do some players get special treatment for being on the forum for a long time? Or should all players be equally removed or greyed? These are questions I am open to hearing player opinion on. I won’t be holding a vote, and I won’t be debating opinions. I would like to hear them and consider them. Of course if I find them rational I might even institute some one else’s idea.
I'll speak about the what I've decided on the next mapmaker's diary. The next map I aim to have published on the 15th again, and the 15th of each month might be what I continue to aim for. That said, It is possible this next map finds itself slightly delayed as I am exploring new software and the transition could take time. If that happens, I'll create a special post on this topic.
As usual, feel free to respond to this post. I won’t respond to everything, but I do read all responses and consider all ideas given to me.
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