Compromise and Conceit

Infernal adventuring…

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An Australian statistician and role-player living in Japan, interested in the theory and practice of role-playing…

Category: Nerd Culture

  • Sudden Existential Crisis

    Iain M. Banks is dying: having seen off threats from militaristic empires and proto-gods, his galaxy-spanning, anarchist semi-utopian Culture has less than a year to live because of cancer. This marks the sad end of a great science fiction career, and a well-respected fiction writer. My first encounter with Banks was his first Culture novel,…

  • What to do About Maths?

    On Monday I was required to monitor at the Tokyo University undergraduate entrance exams. I shepherded 60 terrified 17 year olds through a 2.5 hour Japanese language test and then a 100 minute maths test. These tests were part of a two day examination process for those want to enter the humanities faculty of Tokyo…

  • AKB 48: Modern Nuns?

    Today we heard word of a scandal overtaking the modern Tokyo phenomenon of AKB48. Their 14th most popular member, Minegishi Minami, was caught by a journalist leaving the house of a “boyfriend,” a 19 year old member of some random boy band (compared to AKB48, the boy band in question is largely irrelevant). The pictures…

  • Peter Jackson’s Hobbit: Too Many Goals for One Movie?

    In the last week I have watched the Hobbit twice, first with my partner and then as part of an end-of-year party with my players. In both cases, the people who attended the movie with me gave it the thumbs up – we all really enjoyed it – and I can definitely say that it…

  • Rushdie vs. le Carre: the Battle from the Land Before Time

    Today’s Guardian reports on an exchange of letters between Salman Rushdie and John le Carre, from 1997, in which they disagree vehemently about the limits of free speech. At this point in his career Rushdie was in hiding from Islamic fundamentalists, and le Carre was in trouble for criticizing Israel – which of course put…

  • Ethical Concerns in the Study of Online Communities

    A few weeks ago I put up a post about the research challenges in studying online communities, in which I suggested that online surveys are  an essential but flawed tool for the study of communities that are largely defined by their internet rather than their physical presence. My post was in the context of the…

  • Are Online Surveys a Good Way to Study Online Communities?

    Some academic has written a paper suggesting global warming (AGW) skeptics are moon-landing conspiracy theorists, and this has sparked a bit of a controversy. One of the many complaints about it is that it recruited subjects online through a survey posted on blogs, and therefore is completely unrepresentative of skeptics in the community. I’m going…

  • Is the Blogosphere Really Responsible for Hysteria in Modern Debate?

    A couple of days ago Australia’s prime minister (PM) Julia Gillard found herself in the unprecedented position of having to host an extended news conference to hose down allegations of corruption from 17 years ago. A slightly abridged version of the news conference is available here, and it’s a barn-storming performance by Ms. Gillard that…

  • Privacy Policy at the Faustus Academy

    It’s come to my attention recently that I’ve never actually written a comments policy, or stated what my privacy policy is on this blog. Even though very few people visit this tiny part of the internet, it may surprise both of you to discover that I have actually had to enact an element of my…

  • Gender Equality in Games Participation in Japan

    Twelve days into the Olympics and 75% of Japan’s gold medals are due to women winning combat sports: one judo and two wrestling. One female wrestler, Kaori Icho, has completely dominated her sport for the last 12 years – she is the first Japanese woman to win three gold medals in a row, has won…