Aurora's got an OS-tan art thread! Wait... what?!

[Siya]

Forgive me, Aurora, as I'm going to skip commenting on all of your pieces and just make a few quick comments about some of my favorites.  

First off:  OMG, 4k-tan and OS/2-tan in the Enterprise ride are adorable!  Their expressions are wonderful, as well!

The conclusion of the EXEC-sama project looks stunning.  Great colors and I really like her dress.

Chibi C65-tan is fun, too.  I never would have considered a peg-legged OS-tan before.  Now that you've done it, I see no reason why there shouldn't be one.

QDOS-tan looks so remarkably happy that I can't help but be happy with her.  ^^

~~~

Now, I think I shall sleep...

[C-Chan]

To be living and conscious but not self-aware (then acquiring self-awareness), I didn't know that was even possible!

Really? Just ask a coma victim! Or…or C-Chan.

Hardy harhar, very funny.  `v'

Well okay, supposing my wording is a bit on the dramatic side.  However, the whole point behind that "instant awareness" thing in my youth is that I can put a tangile memory behind the notion that a child's mine is not as fully developed.  It's one thing hearing about it,... it's another thing living it, feeling incomplete, limited, almost like a spectator to your own body and its impulses.

On the other hand, I know it's not a universal thing -- like my previous theories on brain stimulation I've written about, if a child's mind is stimulated early on it will mature faster and more efficiently.  On the other hand, shielding a child from good stimulae, or exposing them to the wrong kind of stimulae will simply retard it, sometimes as far into college age, sometimes for the remainder of the individual's adult life.

It's always been a particular paradox to me that a lot of children these days seem so advanced compared to how we were before,... and yet at the same time, they don't really "know" very much (certainly not where it counts).  But considering how dependent they are on others to guide their "impulses", I can't blame them anymore than I can blame myself for not making rationale decisions during my "unconscious" state.  

My mentality has changed a lot too over the years. I used to be very innocent and naive in my childhood but after many bad encounters with people I thought were my friends; I turned into bitter, spiteful, unforgiving and antisocial (only cheering up when reading, drawing, or in the presence of family and real friends). And these negative feelings worsened even further 2-3 years ago after having to deal with some of the lowliest, most vile, obnoxious (and likely dangerous) people in my neighborhood and school. They were devoid of any merit or good in their character and I had overwhelming hatred towards them and it just made me angrier and sad that I was completely powerless against them and that there was nothing I could do to make them go away. So I just repressed my anger.

I can't say I was betrayed by long-term "friends" as I really never had them to begin with -- the closest I had was schoolmates I knew who were fairly meek in primary school but became evil little monsters in Intermediate so quickly, I thought someone had flipped a switch in them.  And certainly those years were equally dark in my youth as they might've been for you -- the fact that so much vileness is allowed to fester the way it did (and still does by your account) often leads me to wonder if it's left like that as a kind of rite of passage.  Or worse, designed to foster a feeling of powerlessness so early on in life, in the hopes perhaps that they would remain like that for the rest of their lives (even if subconsiously).  

But in the past year, I started to get my problems sorted out (and talking to people who suffered worse than I did) and managed to let go of the problems and annoyances that plagued me in the past (because there's nothing I can do to change them! The past is the past and to worry and anger about past experiences is a complete waste of time and energy!) and I have became much less bitter (heck, my friends and most of my acquaintances see me as cheerful!) and such but of course I still maintained my sharp wit and liberal use of sarcasm (although in a more positive light)!

Or to put it another way, the reason why you're here today talking to us is because you managed to help yourself and not remain powerless for much longer (perhaps not physically, but certainly emotionally and that's what counts).  You were able to reason your way out of an addiction of self-loathing and indifference that plagues so many people who find that way of life easy and convenient.  [Why wouldn't they?  There's a whole industry set up to feed off their shortsightedness, lack of self-respect, and dependence on vices for personal fulfillment.]

I said it before and I'll say it again -- you're a strong one, Aurora-hime.  Very deserving of that honorific.  ^___^

And I thought that the central banks were part of the government in most countries!

That's a common fallacy, and one often propped up by the central bankers themselves.  The Federal Reserve Bank of the US, for example, added the "Federal" part to make it sound like a government institution -- and to a certain extent, they've managed to marry it quite well into the US government over the past 100 years.  Nevertheless, it was, still is, and has always been a cartel of private banks (including foreign ones) that manages the country's money supply and fiscal policies with no [or merely symbolic] government oversight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_reserve

What? To try to pay off that debt requires borrowing more money which just leaves Country A in a debt twice as big (plus interest)? x_x

Naturally, my example is a bit simplistic.  However, that's pretty much it in a nutshell, and the reason why inflation never disappears in a fiat currency system (because it keeps getting bigger and bigger by design).  Especially not in world where ALL countries abide by fiat currency.

Because of country B being able to buy stuff from Country A so cheaply, does that mean that Country A is not profitting enough to be able to pay off its debt?

No, on the contrary, Country A under such a situation profits remarkably well from a cheaper currency, if only because Country B buys so many goods from them.

Or rather I should rephrase that: the BUSINESSES and MERCHANTS from Country A profit handsomely from the weaker currency, whereas the people of course see their standard of living torn to shreds by inflation and the resulting rising prices in basic goods.

[And perhaps I should rephrase that even FURTHER,... Country A's merchants can only profit off the weaker currency IF it still creates things to sell.  If it's drowning in inflation AND is effectively resource-poor, then it's effectively screwed, with a mass exodus of investment flowing out of the country to add insult to injury.]

You can say therefore that Country B's businesses and merchants do not profit from their own strong currency -- and if their goal is to maximize their bottom line and promote some magical "infinite" economic growth, then you can be sure they'll pull all the strings they can to weaken their own currency.

Sur America presents an excellent case study of countries that traditionally did not want to get into economic debt and had plenty of socialized government safe guards to prevent against this (including nationalization of electricity, water treatment, railroads, etc).  It was only after the "miracle" of privatization was introduced (either willingly or by force) that you started seeing government and corporate entities scratch, claw and fight their way into massive debt.  

The idea was that the money generated by strong economic growth would be reinvested in the country and thus improve everyone's standard of living.  But as history and common sense showed us, the most common outcome is that all the money would simply fly out the country, leaving it an empty, gutted, impoverished husk of its former self.

I said before that the global market is like a poker game -- and even with 132 players on the table, you can only really have one winner for each round.

But didn't Country A try to pay off its debt earlier?

And in so doing so, created even more debt.  ^^'

But you do bring out a good point -- there are ways to pay off inflationary debt, although it's not looked at to kindly (ask the Paris Club what they think of Russia).  ^^;

You can use money garnered from Country B EXCLUSIVELY to pay off Country A's debt -- because it was Country B that "paid" for the money and is responsible for the interest on it.  Countries like Russia, Venezuela and Argentina are completely or almost debt-free thanks to the fact that a currency not of their own (the US Dollar) is circulating every where and can be used to pay off their debtors.  

Course, that would mean Country B gets stuck with the debt, but also with the theoretical "stronger economy", which is too coveted a prize for the merchants of Country A to give up.  For the solution to Country A's problems to be permanent, it not only has to follow this up with strong monetary reforms but it also has to start removing its over-dependence on foreign trade.  It has to sacrifice living beyond its means and start becoming self-sufficient -- manufacturing its own products, growing its own food, training its citizens to become producers and volunteers rather than just consumers.

In other words, it would be DANGEROUS, if only because it would step on too many toes that don't like to be stepped on.  `v'

The outcome of the legendary Executive Order 11110 is testament to that very sad truth.

So that is why countries with incredibly huge debts can still be well-off?

Basically because everyone is working for free in such a system -- or from a macroeconomic standpoint, we're working for favors.  

I'm taking economics class this trimester and I don't care for it because it doesn't include the history of economics.

Sorry.  Well... try to make the most of it.  ^___^

The 1933 Double Eagle coins! Those are so cool but such a shame that almost all of them had to be melted down. Even it was for the good of the US economy

Well its debatable whether that did any good to anyone but the central bankers, as the economy didn't improve even after the gold confiscations (only during WWII).  So it's safe to say that was a shameful thing through and through.

Whoa, C-Chan, you should be teaching economics somewhere O__O

Find a school willing to teach Austrian School of Economic theory, and I'll consider it.  Any other place would just toss me out in the sop with the rest of the pigs.  `v'

Besides...

No, she abided by the unpopular assumption that it’s way blown out of proportion and may not even be happening.

But that’s a different story…

Yeah, something like that would happen.  ^.^;
With respect to that, I do still think the teacher was likely full of it for grading you down, if only because it sounds like his/her assumptions were based on absolutes.  Climate change (and perhaps the dawning of a new ice age) is happening and we can see its rather dramatic effects in action.  I have much problem with the idea that humans are exclusively to blame for it -- on the one hand, because climate change (or global warming as it was once called) gets too much press, and likewise is pushed by parties with an economic vested interst in this.  It's no surprise that devastating corn-based biofuels are the only "eco-friendly" alternative stomached by the oil industry, as it secures the status quo under a new and more commercially-viable facade.

And precisely because of the above, it seems to me as a kind of straw man problem.  Of all the damage we as humans do to our environment and ourselves (e.g, ground water poisoning/depletion, air pollution and acid rain, overhunting/fishing, deforestation, desertification, oil/chemical spills, farmland soil damage and run-off, resource stripping, landfill and raw sewage toxicity, depleted uranium dispersal and other massive war devastation, etc, etc, etc), why focus on a particular factor that we have to search around to prove, when in fact the other issues are in our face virtually everywhere and every day (and threaten our long-term survival as a species just as much).

On the other hand, I'd rather people train themselves to be responsible stewards than end up as mindless warmongers -- in that case, even if the climate change is part of the natural life cycle of the planet, this sets more of a precedent to not exacerbate the problem even more, else we end up with a 10 degree global climate shift rather than just an 8 degree one.  After all, when your house is on fire, the last thing any sane person would do is have a barbeque.  `v'

I wonder if that sounds like a pretty good compromise?  If so, maybe I should become a teacher,... not....  -v-

====================================================

Alright, Genkier topics,... GO!

Ha ha! Them DOS-tans sure are short! But at least even QDOS-chan dwarfs CE-tan, Palm OS-tan, Newton-tan and the Damn Small-tans

NOW you're talking MA language!  

*lecherous laugh*

Hmmm…I wonder who the gun-wielding, horse-riding members of the group would have been…?

Eh, I was just speaking in abstract.  ^___^

And I bet Unix-sama would have had no problems with peasants--after all, for a long time in her early life, Unix-sama was mostly noncommercial and preferred to hang out with academic hacker crowd.

Only later when she decided to start bending her original principals and start catering to the commercial crowd would all hell break loose. -_-

Precisely.  She unconsiously became the thing she hated most.  ^___^'

That’s a good way yo look at it…but after all, the factions we thought up in the modern day--the LUC, CIOST, A$C, ect., none of them would have been around. Something would’ve had to fill the void.
…Bad time to mention the IBM mainframe-tans would have had a faction, too…?

Several, for sure.  ^^
Can't really think of what their pre-Guild names would be, though,... quite frankly, my head's still stuck in the here and now of the OS-tan world.  -v-'

I don’t collect coins, but when I find an interesting one I can’t bear to get rid of it; so a pile of odd coins has developed in one corner of my closet.

Lesse…I have a ten pence piece with Queen Elizabeth II on the front. Is it English…? I have a Canadian 25 cent piece, a 50 cent coin from Mexico, a US silver dollar from 1976, a bunch of old quarters and some state quarters I hadn’t seen before, and a game token with some Japanese writing on it ^/////^

*squeals with delight*

Now you'r talking.  ^.^

There's a strong possibilty the coin is English -- but keep in mind that many commonwealth nations also use "pence" (as well as that queen's effigy). Do you have a date on the Mexican coin?  What about the Canadian one?

The US dollar is likely an Eisenhower one -- only "silver" in name, as those dollars were already cupro-nickel by the time they were issued.  1964 heralded the last year of true silver coinage.  If any of your quarters are from before 1964, try to spin them on the table and see if you can hear a distinctive "ping" to them.  That's the beautiful sound of 90% silver coinage... REAL money as it should be.  ^_____^

Also, A/UX-tan is wearing a Russian-style gown (well... because "Perestroika" is one of A/UX's codenames)

Oooh, A/UX is a little Russian…neat

Even better.  A/UX-sama is my new Ekaterina Gamova.  

*sighs lovingly*

@Siya!

YAY!!  Welcome back here too!  

[Aurora Borealis]

*pant* I'm getting closer!

I also see the early Timesharing systems (certainly the MIT ones, and perhaps all of them) as having had their own faction.

I think so too

Good thing I have no intentions of becoming stinking rich. A friend once told me, "you don't have to be a millionaire to live like one"--in other words, if you go out, visit new places and enjoy life, it's better to do this than spend all your time trying to make a ton of money.

I don't intend to be stinking rich either- I just want to make enough money to still live comfortably.

That's actually very good advice, and one sadly most people would never heed to save their lives.  I've always said that it's not money that buys happiness, but rather responsibility.  You can give millions to an irresponsible person and see it disappear in a week, spent in all matter of short-term vices and frivolities that in no way ensure the enjoyment of life in the long term.

So true! There have been people who are/were filthy stinking rich but were still miserable and committed suicide

Sounds like some of my school experiences--for example, I had a teacher wth whom I disagreed with on the matter of climate change. I tried to give a bit...but rather than comprimise my beliefs, I answered as I saw fit--and got marked down because of it

Le sigh,... if the teacher abided by the popularly-held assumptions behind climate change, then I have the feeling you and I might be on the same page with this one.  In that case, that makes his mark-down all the more annoying to me.... -.-

The whole climate change thing is so confusing, with many still panicking about global warming (including me. I've seen "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Six Degrees Could Change the World"!) yet now there are claims on global cooling! Well, which is it?!

But whether it is global warming or cooling, either way it certainly would not hurt to transition out of using fossil fuels!

I has gotta do a fanart of A/UX-san, though :3

Yeah! I want to see that! *kneels, hands clasped, puppy dog expression on face*

*blink blink blink*  @___@

...

*passes out*  XvX

Wow,... this is literally a whole TSUNAMI of responses.  X.X;

I'm gonna be at this for a while,... ^^;

*starts typing,...*

Same here! *sigh* I have became so slow

Well I think I said it a bit more than that, but indeed -- it's hard to find an equivalent for ISMAI-chan.  Am hoping to include her in the CIOST Xmas comic cameo.  ^^

I'm hoping!

Frakkin HUEG apple.  ^^;

XBOX HUEG!

Course!  What else would I do it for?  ^^
I abide by the old (and rather rude) adage that "gambling and lotteries are a tax on the ignorant", and certainly try not to play in that game.  -v-

Good for you! Able to enjoy going to casinos without succumbing to addiction and its consequences!

Now that you mention it, the overwhelming majority of boys my age (during my so-called "awakening") were still impulsive and animalistic, and would remain so for years to come.  That not only ensured that my life in those schools would be a veritable hell, but also that the only friends I would have for a long time would be primarily girls and teachers.  

Aw man... a lot of my male classmates are like that, and the female classmates are not much more civilized T_T

If I had then my current disregard for whatever other people think, I'm sure I would've been very happy -- but alas, I allowed myself to believe that I was pathetic and thus failed to know happiness for a long lonh time.  In retrospect, I had no choice,... morally-speaking, I was all alone and heavily outgunned by brats, adults and television programs that expected me to [mis]behave in a preset way...  ;__;

I made those same mistakes for a long while too! But one day of of the blue, I stopped giving a darn about others and most of the things they think.

*imitates Kool-Aid*

OH YEEEEEAH!!!!!!!!!!  ^V^

I don't know how best to say it, so I'll say it in Romaji... GEM-chan looks puu-rii-ti and roo-buu-ri!  ^___^

She has a face that can melt butter, eyes like brilliant sapphire, hair that's primp and proper, and those ear-like attachments to her hat (as well as the color of her dress) that lends her an interesting uniqueness.

Thanks! (darn... can't think of original ways to respond! AAAAAUGH!)

However, the curved line delineating the roundness of her left shoulder could be a little smaller; and her hand on DRDOS-tan's left shoulder could use a small opening in the stroke bordering the hand and the forearm.

Okay. At least those are only minor screw-ups easily fixable!

*squeals!!*  ^.^

Wow, I said it before -- what a difference a little hair makes!  Adam-chan looks hAWt with that hair.  Aside from that doll, she looks like an elegant and professional young woman -- a far cry from her paranoid self. ^o^

And she doesn't have a bad hair day in that pic too! That's a rather rare moment!

By difficult to understand, would you say she does things that are weird, or just has a habit of mumbling incomprehensibly?  ^__^

A little bit of the former, but she does have the habit of mumbling stuff a lot!

On the other hand, I know it's not a universal thing -- like my previous theories on brain stimulation I've written about, if a child's mind is stimulated early on it will mature faster and more efficiently.  On the other hand, shielding a child from good stimulae, or exposing them to the wrong kind of stimulae will simply retard it, sometimes as far into college age, sometimes for the remainder of the individual's adult life.

And there are the overprotective parents who try at all costs to protect their little snowflakes from bad stimulae, but at the same time they miss out on good stimulae and their overprotective efforts are more harm than good.

It is good to protect kids from bad stimulae, but it is not good to take it too far!

It's always been a particular paradox to me that a lot of children these days seem so advanced compared to how we were before,... and yet at the same time, they don't really "know" very much (certainly not where it counts).  But considering how dependent they are on others to guide their "impulses", I can't blame them anymore than I can blame myself for not making rationale decisions during my "unconscious" state.  

I wonder if that's a side effect from all that overprotective parenting these days -_-

I can't say I was betrayed by long-term "friends" as I really never had them to begin with -- the closest I had was schoolmates I knew who were fairly meek in primary school but became evil little monsters in Intermediate so quickly, I thought someone had flipped a switch in them.

And I thought I had a tough time in grade school! I really did, but looks like you've had to endure harder than I had to. I did have some real friends in the later part of grade school and we formed somewhat of a posse but when going on to junior high, I lost almost all contact with my friends because I was unlucky with my schedules and rarely if ever had any of my friends in my classes. And even when an old friend is in one of my classes, I usually don't talk to them or anyone because I am focused on my work and getting it done

I've noticed that junior high often changes people for the worse. No wonder why the majority of people I know did not like it!

And certainly those years were equally dark in my youth as they might've been for you -- the fact that so much vileness is allowed to fester the way it did (and still does by your account) often leads me to wonder if it's left like that as a kind of rite of passage.

I think so too. Very VERY few people I know over the age of 14 still have an innocent mentality.  

Or worse, designed to foster a feeling of powerlessness so early on in life, in the hopes perhaps that they would remain like that for the rest of their lives (even if subconsiously).  

That was part of why I decided to attempt to change. I don't want to end up like the other people who suffered the same powerlessness I did, and I hope I succeed.

Or to put it another way, the reason why you're here today talking to us is because you managed to help yourself and not remain powerless for much longer (perhaps not physically, but certainly emotionally and that's what counts).  You were able to reason your way out of an addiction of self-loathing and indifference that plagues so many people who find that way of life easy and convenient.

Ahhhh yes... I took the hard way, off the beaten path and it feels great!

[Why wouldn't they?  There's a whole industry set up to feed off their shortsightedness, lack of self-respect, and dependence on vices for personal fulfillment.]

And that industry's products temporarily satisfy the shortsighted and self-loathing, only getting them to crave more of their products, leaving those people resistant to change and solving their personal issues ;014

I said it before and I'll say it again -- you're a strong one, Aurora-hime.  Very deserving of that honorific.  ^___^

Thank you so much! That really does make me feel stronger!

I'll continue with catching up on the remaining responses later.

But here's some Xenix-san!:

[Aurora Borealis]

No, on the contrary, Country A under such a situation profits remarkably well from a cheaper currency, if only because Country B buys so many goods from them.

Oh! I see!

Or rather I should rephrase that: the BUSINESSES and MERCHANTS from Country A profit handsomely from the weaker currency, whereas the people of course see their standard of living torn to shreds by inflation and the resulting rising prices in basic goods.

So not everyone suffers from the debt and inflation! (although the vast majority still do)

You can say therefore that Country B's businesses and merchants do not profit from their own strong currency -- and if their goal is to maximize their bottom line and promote some magical "infinite" economic growth, then you can be sure they'll pull all the strings they can to weaken their own currency.

Sur America presents an excellent case study of countries that traditionally did not want to get into economic debt and had plenty of socialized government safe guards to prevent against this (including nationalization of electricity, water treatment, railroads, etc).  It was only after the "miracle" of privatization was introduced (either willingly or by force) that you started seeing government and corporate entities scratch, claw and fight their way into massive debt.

I understand now... Country B would purposely weaken its own currency so that another country with a strong economy would want to buy lots of stuff from them to profit more than before!   

The idea was that the money generated by strong economic growth would be reinvested in the country and thus improve everyone's standard of living. 

A country purposely getting itself into debt to try and profit more is good in theory...

But as history and common sense showed us, the most common outcome is that all the money would simply fly out the country, leaving it an empty, gutted, impoverished husk of its former self.

...But bad in practice!

But you do bring out a good point -- there are ways to pay off inflationary debt, although it's not looked at to kindly (ask the Paris Club what they think of Russia).  ^^;

What happened there?

You can use money garnered from Country B EXCLUSIVELY to pay off Country A's debt -- because it was Country B that "paid" for the money and is responsible for the interest on it.

Good idea that would get Country A out of debt... Until Country B gets stuck in it and can no longer buy stuff from Country A in which both economies could come crashing down, unless they both become self-sufficient.

Course, that would mean Country B gets stuck with the debt, but also with the theoretical "stronger economy", which is too coveted a prize for the merchants of Country A to give up.  For the solution to Country A's problems to be permanent, it not only has to follow this up with strong monetary reforms but it also has to start removing its over-dependence on foreign trade.  It has to sacrifice living beyond its means and start becoming self-sufficient -- manufacturing its own products, growing its own food, training its citizens to become producers and volunteers rather than just consumers.

Just like that!

Sorry.  Well... try to make the most of it.  ^___^

It's getting more interesting now, I'm doing stock market activities!

And precisely because of the above, it seems to me as a kind of straw man problem.  Of all the damage we as humans do to our environment and ourselves (e.g, ground water poisoning/depletion, air pollution and acid rain, overhunting/fishing, deforestation, desertification, oil/chemical spills, farmland soil damage and run-off, resource stripping, landfill and raw sewage toxicity, depleted uranium dispersal and other massive war devastation, etc, etc, etc), why focus on a particular factor that we have to search around to prove, when in fact the other issues are in our face virtually everywhere and every day (and threaten our long-term survival as a species just as much).

Now that you mention it, I do not see those other topics in the news often and they are just as serious of issues as global climate change!

On the other hand, I'd rather people train themselves to be responsible stewards than end up as mindless warmongers -- in that case, even if the climate change is part of the natural life cycle of the planet, this sets more of a precedent to not exacerbate the problem even more, else we end up with a 10 degree global climate shift rather than just an 8 degree one.  After all, when your house is on fire, the last thing any sane person would do is have a barbeque.  `v'

Still... even less than an 8 degree change will be absolutely devastating. As mentioned in "Six Degrees Could Change the World", 6 degrees warmer is the absolute doomsday scenario.

With major cities, coastal areas and whole countries underwater as well as other areas turned to desert and ravaged by droughts; there would be hundreds of millions of refugees crowding into cities and order would completely break down as no city would have nearly enough resources for everyone and everyone starts killing and stealing from each other as they all struggle to survive.

Modern human civilization cannot handle climate change well at all.

This is so depressing

Alright, Genkier topics,... GO!

Yeah! This thread seriously needs more genki-ness!

And I bet Unix-sama would have had no problems with peasants--after all, for a long time in her early life, Unix-sama was mostly noncommercial and preferred to hang out with academic hacker crowd.

Only later when she decided to start bending her original principals and start catering to the commercial crowd would all hell break loose. -_-

Precisely.  She unconsiously became the thing she hated most.  ^___^'

Whoa... Let me see if I can get this right...

Unix-sama was a rebel in her youth, especially against the stuffy Multics-sama who herself yearned for freedom? But after commercialization she had to go against what she believed in and became kinda stuffy herself, hence why a lot of her daughters and grand daughters have rebelled against Unix-sama... And she likes Linux-sama because she is like Unix-sama if she didn't become commercialized... And despite her own authoritarian nature, Unix-sama still yearns for freedom and able to step down from her position of power?

Yet she is reluctant to step down because she can't trust any of her daughters with her power and the one person she could trust [Linux-sama] she is hestitant to give her powers to, afraid that Linux-sama could end up like how Unix-sama is now?

I hope my understanding is good enough!

Several, for sure.  ^^
Can't really think of what their pre-Guild names would be, though,... quite frankly, my head's still stuck in the here and now of the OS-tan world.  -v-'

I know for sure that in the past, the IBM mainframes had their own factions. And IIRC, there are several IBM mainframes from different 'families' or 'clans' and each of then would be factions.

Other former factions that once existed include the IBM-Microsoft Family (split up in the early 1990's), the Commodore Family (dissolved in 1994), the House of Apple (changed to the House of Mac in 1993 after Apple ][-sama, Lisa-tan and GS/OS-tan left). And of course the DEC faction! I also think that the Acorn-tans used to have their own faction (don't know when it broke up though)

Lesse…I have a ten pence piece with Queen Elizabeth II on the front. Is it English…? I have a Canadian 25 cent piece, a 50 cent coin from Mexico, a US silver dollar from 1976, a bunch of old quarters and some state quarters I hadn’t seen before, and a game token with some Japanese writing on it ^/////^

Cool! I used to have a few foreign coins although I lost them.

I used to have a Canadian penny, British 5 pence and a 10-cent Jamaican coin.

I still have some now rare American coins though. Some half-dollar coins including a bicentennial one, some Susan B. Anthony dollar coins and a Sakageuwea (I can't spell her name right!) dollar coin.
---

Still working on the QDOS+DRDOS+GEM pic and the last two pages to the first Flashbackstory Chronicles story but look what else I am in progress on...

REVAMPED CHIBIS!

First up... QNX-tan! (aka: QNX Neutrino)

I've also added in a lot more backstory for her!

QNX-tan's first job was as a teacher (QNX was first used in the non-embedded market for the Unisys ICON computer that was used in Canadian schools to attempt to standardize one kind of computer) but later lost it because her popularity was failing in comparison to MS DOS-tan and the Windows-tans who were seen as less expensive alternatives. (The Unisys ICON computers running QNX were expensive ($2,400 each or so and this was back in the 1980's when Apple ]['s and Commodore computers were still in use at schools. Later the Windows and DOS PCs replaced all of these)

But since the Unix Wars were going on at this time, it was possible that QNX-tan was being discriminated against despite that she's only a Unix-like and did not participate in any of the combat but felt like giving them a piece of her mind because their fighting caused her to get fired.

Or for some sap: She lost her teaching job due to having a low attendance rate because she was also a medic who helped all sides of the Unix Wars because she did not want to see anyone die despite that she probably did not know any of the Unices very well. And while she has let go of most of her memories of the Unix Wars, she is still sad that she couldn't save Xenix-san in time...

Shortly after the Unix Wars ended, she acquired her new job as a mechanic after fixing some industrial equipment that was damaged during the war. Her skills expanded further as she learned how to fix and modify automobiles which is now her favorite part of her job.

And while she very much liked her new job, she still felt the need to seek out some more thrill in her life. That is when she starts her 'mad scientist' hobby and also when she encounters OS/2-tan and RISC OS-tan (and TRS DOS-tan?) of the Anti$oft Coalition in the middle of one of their missions and she is fascinated and watches them and although the A$C's mission predictably fails, QNX-tan still applauds them and wishes to join them part-time at least. And upon getting to know her better, the A$C members find QNX-tan to be a great ally because of her technical skills (and that she was screwed over by the Windows-tans when she lost her teaching job) and let her join.

Oh, and she doesn't care that the Unices who knew of her during the Unix Wars think she has long gone crazy, because she knows she is crazy!

Next up will be a chibi Solaris-tan!

[C-Chan]

Same here! *sigh* I have became so slow

That's perfectly understandable, though, since you do have schoolwork to attend to.  That's why I'm seriously considering capping my responses... it's not right for me to put pressure on you to reply to BILLIONS of points, when I don't have schoolwork myself.  

Besides, that way I can draw more too, including m0ar Aurora-hime fanart.  

And there are the overprotective parents who try at all costs to protect their little snowflakes from bad stimulae, but at the same time they miss out on good stimulae and their overprotective efforts are more harm than good.

It is good to protect kids from bad stimulae, but it is not good to take it too far!

Agreed, it's the case of stuff not done in moderation.  Plus according to the "Exotic Becomes Erotic" psychological theory, forbidding anything to a young person without reason or explanation only encourages him/her to seek it out.  Almost like an unintended reverse psychology.

And I thought I had a tough time in grade school! I really did, but looks like you've had to endure harder than I had to. I did have some real friends in the later part of grade school and we formed somewhat of a posse but when going on to junior high, I lost almost all contact with my friends because I was unlucky with my schedules and rarely if ever had any of my friends in my classes. And even when an old friend is in one of my classes, I usually don't talk to them or anyone because I am focused on my work and getting it done

I wouldn't really say I endured it harder -- in fact, that's purely subjective so something like that can't be said outright.  ^^'

I was fortunate, however, to land myself in a very decent secondary school (=high school), so at least during my later adolescence I knew a little peace and quiet for the first time.
(Well okay, not really -- what I gained from decent, goal-oriented classmates, I lost in the tons of workload required to just be there.  ^^;)

Thank you so much! That really does make me feel stronger!

And I hope you do understand that I mean it.  I know words are cheap, but in this case believe me I know where you're coming from for the most part.  -v-

So not everyone suffers from the debt and inflation! (although the vast majority still do)

Well think of it this way,... if the sons and daughters of politicians were forced into the frontlines of the wars they declare, you would see a sudden, HUGE upsurge in diplomacy.

Likewise, if everyone suffered from debt and inflation, there wouldn't be any -- the ultra rich and powerful would fight tooth and nail to keep it at bay, so that it doesn't ruin their profits.

The fact that it's allowed to not only to go rampant, but actually be an integral part of our modern economic policy, means that someone out there is benefiting from it. ^^;

I understand now... Country B would purposely weaken its own currency so that another country with a strong economy would want to buy lots of stuff from them to profit more than before!

It's common nowadays to use China as an example of a Country B in this particular scenario.  Or perhaps more appropriately, China of the mid/late 90's, early 21st -- the dynamics today are slowly changing to the point where some of the manfucturers fear they may not be able to produce and sell cheap crap forever.  From the POV of greedy people who are mentally-incapable of changing with the times, a national rise to a superpower status, as well as a slow but steady standard-of-living increase for the population, are seen as some kind of diseases.

BTW, I had a translational goof.  I said "Sur America" thinking of "South America" -- you might have thought I mean "Sure America".  ^^;

A country purposely getting itself into debt to try and profit more is good in theory...

...But bad in practice!

But not if you can profit from it -- that's the point.  Those kinds of silly economic miracle plans are peddled by the same kind of minsdet used by infomercial and psychic hotline people....

You try to advertise something as being grand, fanstastic, life-changing, can't-live-without-it, and hope that enough gullible people will fall for it and fork over their hard-earned money to make you rich (very quickly).

The governments that bought into these silly plans were either stupid beyond all belief, or were promised a small cut of the profit (as well as safety in case the people revolted).  It's a dangerous (but unfortunately very common) fallacy to assume that just because someone is in a high position of governmental power, they are somehow above any baser human weaknesses like greed, lust, treachery, self-preservation, peer pressure, and, above all, hypocrisy.

What happened there?

Like the IMF, the Paris Club lends out money to countries "in need", and makes a killing off the interest and the other specific terms and conditions of the repayment plan.

Russia paid off the entirety of their debt to the Paris Club...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5271122.stm

And the Paris Club did not like that one bit, for reasons perhaps not too obvious to the less cynical-minded.  ^^;

Good idea that would get Country A out of debt... Until Country B gets stuck in it and can no longer buy stuff from Country A in which both economies could come crashing down, unless they both become self-sufficient.

Just like that!

Speaking of which, Russia is probably a good example of a Country A in this particular scenario (and also trying to get close to a state of self-sufficiency).  One could almost say that the weak US dollar (which translates to higher oil prices) has virtually paid for their economic recovery, thus paving the road for them to regain their full superpower status.

I imagine this also wasn't very well-liked by the countries stuck with the debt.  Provocations like the missile shield plans in Eastern Europe, the unilateral blame of Russia for the South Ossetia War, and the current Black Sea NATO buildup, might be meant as reminders of this dissatisfaction.  (which has to be done with military posturing, since it's no longer viable to threaten Russia financially)

It's getting more interesting now, I'm doing stock market activities!

Aa sou sou... I recall doing something similar as well.  ^__^
Lost money on all my virtual investments -- I knew then and there that the stock market and I were never meant to be.  ^v^

Now that you mention it, I do not see those other topics in the news often and they are just as serious of issues as global climate change!

Might seem risky, but in the age of the internet it's certainly more feasible than not...

The way I've grown to see it, I play a little mind game when I hear mainstream news headlines.  Basically, it operates like this:  if they say something, then the opposite must be true.

Then take whatever "anti-headline" mosts interests you and research it thoroughly on the internet, cross-referencing it with foreign press, historical material, and individual opinions.  Once done, you'll learn infinitely more about the subject at hand (including other related subjects you never though would pique your curiosity), and approach something that more closely approximates the truth.

How will you know its the truth?  
Given the adage that "truth hurts", more than likely it will be a conclusion that will offer both comfort and discomfort -- free of absolutes and not above identifying faults in both the presumed aggressor and the presumed victim.

Still... even less than an 8 degree change will be absolutely devastating. As mentioned in "Six Degrees Could Change the World", 6 degrees warmer is the absolute doomsday scenario.

With major cities, coastal areas and whole countries underwater as well as other areas turned to desert and ravaged by droughts; there would be hundreds of millions of refugees crowding into cities and order would completely break down as no city would have nearly enough resources for everyone and everyone starts killing and stealing from each other as they all struggle to survive.

Modern human civilization cannot handle climate change well at all.

This is so depressing

I used to think it was depressing too -- still can be if you acknowledge the threat of nuclear weapons (the only man-made creations that can truly change the climate and initiate an E.L.E.).  But as you gain a more holistic outlook on life, you might come to the same conclusion as I have:

1) Not everyone wants to save him/herself.

2) My county is not modern human civilization.

The former is just a sad fact that has to be accepted -- few people are willing to do something about anything if it doesn't affect their lives (or WILL affect it negatively, if they stick their nose where it's not meant to belong).  

If they lose the reason to live, MAYBE they might do something heroic and selfless -- but in the end, the only person you can be sure of changing for the better is yourself.  

The latter is just a friendly reminder that there are indeed governments, states, cities, villages, groups of people, and individuals in the world who ARE taking it upon themselves to live their lives without impacting the environment adversely.  And the majority don't even know they'e doing it -- from the nomad who reuses the same cheap plastic bottle for years, to the poor who gut landfills to find paper/cans/etc to recycle, to communities who subsist on locally-grown crops without the need to export them so they can wind up as one of a million varieties of instant white rice boxes in some flashy supermarket (that will likely have to be tossed away anyway).  To governments like Brazil who invest heavily in clean alternative energies to become energy independent and the forefront of a new energy-based economy, thus reducing overdependence on farming and mining exports (which previous administrations used to absolutely ravage the Amazon rainforest).

So that all humanity is doomed because it can't help itself I feel does a grave injustice to people like you and me and them who, yes, have their own set of faults, but by no means actively work to destroy the world.

The actual problem to climate change (or more appropriately, any environmental problem) is a lot simpler, but certainly no less irritating....

A few people want to ruin it for the rest of us.  Unfortunately, those people also have their hands on guns and tanks and nukes, and yes even media coverage, so we can't just storm in and beat the shark out of them for being greedy, glutinous slobs.

So coming back to the issue at hand, it sounds like it should be depressing, but at the same time it mustn't be.  Nothing is going to be fixed by you feeling sad -- on the contrary, to feel depressed and at fault just feeds the general acknowledgement that we're all emo and destined to destroy ourselves.  If on the other hand they see sommeone as happy, smart, optimistic, and powerful as you to brighten many people's day, then it gives them hope that there are still beautiful things left in the world.

People need hope (especially from powerlessness) before they can get inspired by some vision of a cleaner, prouder future.  They need an incentive to change their way of life, in the hopes that [perhaps] they can benefit from it too.

In short, I feel that people need heroes/heroines -- as contrary as this sounds to so many proclamations of individualism, I think its simply pure common sense for people to want others to "go in first" into the realm of the unknown, before they themselves gather the courage to follow behind.  It's not easy being a hero, mind you, but it's not hard to become one; certainly once you feel the pride of being one, it becomes harder for things to depress you.  ^^

Yet she is reluctant to step down because she can't trust any of her daughters with her power and the one person she could trust [Linux-sama] she is hestitant to give her powers to, afraid that Linux-sama could end up like how Unix-sama is now?

I hope my understanding is good enough!

It is -- but should also add that she's also worried that naming Linux-sama as heir would cause a HUGE row among the Unices and lead to another civil war.  Until Linux-sama can grow stronger, she simply cannot risk that no matter how trustworthy Linux-sama is.  '__'

I still have some now rare American coins though. Some half-dollar coins including a bicentennial one, some Susan B. Anthony dollar coins and a Sakageuwea (I can't spell her name right!) dollar coin.

That would be Sacagawea.  the only modern US dollar coin I like.  My heart goes strickly to the older silver dollar coins, such as the Peace and Morgan dollars.  ^___^

EVAMPED CHIBIS!

First up... QNX-tan! (aka: QNX Neutrino)


I've also added in a lot more backstory for her!

Ah sorry, I spent too much energy writing up that pep speech, so now I barely have enough steam to swoon.... XvX

*offers half-assed swoon*

But the slightly revamped QNX-sama is certainly 25% cuter, and very vibrant.  ^.^

And you've done an excellent job of fleshing out her story -- before that, she was just kinda "there" and that's it.  ^^

I would think she came before TRSDOS-chan (since TRSDOS-chan would've been too much of a handful for an ovreworked, under-staffed OS/2-sama/RISC-san pairing).  And the fact that she worked partime helps tie back to her role in your Zerosanity comic.  ^^

Next up will be a chibi Solaris-tan!

Well she be in gala dress or waitress dress?  ^.^

[Bella]

Oh wow, Xenix-san is looking very pretty, and I like the backstory you’ve added to QNX-tan. I’ve always wondered how she would’ve fared during the Unix wars, as she was one of the few Unix-likes available for microcomputers back in the day.

Hardy harhar, very funny. `v'

Well okay, supposing my wording is a bit on the dramatic side. However, the whole point behind that "instant awareness" thing in my youth is that I can put a tangile memory behind the notion that a child's mine is not as fully developed. It's one thing hearing about it,... it's another thing living it, feeling incomplete, limited, almost like a spectator to your own body and its impulses.

On the other hand, I know it's not a universal thing -- like my previous theories on brain stimulation I've written about, if a child's mind is stimulated early on it will mature faster and more efficiently. On the other hand, shielding a child from good stimulae, or exposing them to the wrong kind of stimulae will simply retard it, sometimes as far into college age, sometimes for the remainder of the individual's adult life.

It's always been a particular paradox to me that a lot of children these days seem so advanced compared to how we were before,... and yet at the same time, they don't really "know" very much (certainly not where it counts). But considering how dependent they are on others to guide their "impulses", I can't blame them anymore than I can blame myself for not making rationale decisions during my "unconscious" state.

That does sound pretty terrible…I do think that I’ve known people who were kinda the same way, but maybe not to the extent you described… O__o

I can't say I was betrayed by long-term "friends" as I really never had them to begin with -- the closest I had was schoolmates I knew who were fairly meek in primary school but became evil little monsters in Intermediate so quickly, I thought someone had flipped a switch in them. And certainly those years were equally dark in my youth as they might've been for you -- the fact that so much vileness is allowed to fester the way it did (and still does by your account) often leads me to wonder if it's left like that as a kind of rite of passage. Or worse, designed to foster a feeling of powerlessness so early on in life, in the hopes perhaps that they would remain like that for the rest of their lives (even if subconsiously).

I seem to have gone through a lot of friends in my youth…while I thought I was rather close with them, within a couple of years they’d move on to a new set of friends and kinda leave me in the dust. Not to mention I lost touch with a great deal of friends when my family moved. Luckily, I maintain a small but very devoted group of long time friends--friends that I’ve had longer than I can really remember--that are really more like close relatives by now (in fact, a few of them are related ). Ironically, some of my closest friends are seemingly nothing like me, and we would quite often quarrel and fight, but there’s just some bond that’s always kept us together.

That's a common fallacy, and one often propped up by the central bankers themselves. The Federal Reserve Bank of the US, for example, added the "Federal" part to make it sound like a government institution -- and to a certain extent, they've managed to marry it quite well into the US government over the past 100 years. Nevertheless, it was, still is, and has always been a cartel of private banks (including foreign ones) that manages the country's money supply and fiscal policies with no [or merely symbolic] government oversight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_reserve

Ah! I actually knew this little fact!

Yeah, something like that would happen. ^.^;
With respect to that, I do still think the teacher was likely full of it for grading you down, if only because it sounds like his/her assumptions were based on absolutes. Climate change (and perhaps the dawning of a new ice age) is happening and we can see its rather dramatic effects in action. I have much problem with the idea that humans are exclusively to blame for it -- on the one hand, because climate change (or global warming as it was once called) gets too much press, and likewise is pushed by parties with an economic vested interst in this. It's no surprise that devastating corn-based biofuels are the only "eco-friendly" alternative stomached by the oil industry, as it secures the status quo under a new and more commercially-viable facade.

And precisely because of the above, it seems to me as a kind of straw man problem. Of all the damage we as humans do to our environment and ourselves (e.g, ground water poisoning/depletion, air pollution and acid rain, overhunting/fishing, deforestation, desertification, oil/chemical spills, farmland soil damage and run-off, resource stripping, landfill and raw sewage toxicity, depleted uranium dispersal and other massive war devastation, etc, etc, etc), why focus on a particular factor that we have to search around to prove, when in fact the other issues are in our face virtually everywhere and every day (and threaten our long-term survival as a species just as much).

On the other hand, I'd rather people train themselves to be responsible stewards than end up as mindless warmongers -- in that case, even if the climate change is part of the natural life cycle of the planet, this sets more of a precedent to not exacerbate the problem even more, else we end up with a 10 degree global climate shift rather than just an 8 degree one. After all, when your house is on fire, the last thing any sane person would do is have a barbeque. `v'

I wonder if that sounds like a pretty good compromise? If so, maybe I should become a teacher,... not.... -v-

With fairness to this teacher, she did give credence to the ideas of human pollution; she just didn’t like the theories surrounding climate change.

And I can see why some people would be a bit doubtful, as the idea of climate change if often touted by critics as being some kind of liberal pipe dream. This irritates me the most, the politicization of environmental (and social) issues; I wish that people could put their own ideologies aside and try to see a problem for what it really is. Or, if they can't do that, at least try to look at it from the opposite point-of-view.

Though I do think I’m a bit doubtful about global cooling…Both prospects would be scary, but honestly, global cooling scares me less. If anything, if could negate all that global warming a bit O__o

Oh yeah, and I hate the biofuel scam as well. They could chose to make electric vehicles. GM made the EV-1 back in the 90s, and it was a huge success--among the 600 people they let lease the cars, and until they destroyed them all…T___T

Precisely. She unconsiously became the thing she hated most. ^___^'

You just summed up the entire situation in one line. Good job.

Several, for sure. ^^
Can't really think of what their pre-Guild names would be, though,... quite frankly, my head's still stuck in the here and now of the OS-tan world. -v-'

You’re lucky I’m a self-proclaimed OS-tan cultural anthropologist….

*squeals with delight*

Now you'r talking. ^.^

There's a strong possibilty the coin is English -- but keep in mind that many commonwealth nations also use "pence" (as well as that queen's effigy). Do you have a date on the Mexican coin? What about the Canadian one?

The US dollar is likely an Eisenhower one -- only "silver" in name, as those dollars were already cupro-nickel by the time they were issued. 1964 heralded the last year of true silver coinage. If any of your quarters are from before 1964, try to spin them on the table and see if you can hear a distinctive "ping" to them. That's the beautiful sound of 90% silver coinage... REAL money as it should be. ^_____^

*looks at the coins again*

The Canadian coin is from 1975, and the Mexican one is from…it’s pretty worn…but I think see 1993...I think that’s a 9...

Yeah! I want to see that! *kneels, hands clasped, puppy dog expression on face*

*thinks*

Okay, I’ll see what I can do… :3

And there are the overprotective parents who try at all costs to protect their little snowflakes from bad stimulae, but at the same time they miss out on good stimulae and their overprotective efforts are more harm than good.

It is good to protect kids from bad stimulae, but it is not good to take it too far!

I know what you mean. On one hand, I was raised with a lot of good stimuli. But I was also exposed to some cussing, violence, drinking, and smoking (mostly in the media, but some in real-life too)--and guess what? I don’t really cuss (too often XD), I’m not violent, I don’t drink or smoke and would never think of doing either--because my parents took the time to teach me not to. So I guess the environment a child lives in has a certain effect, but I think a parent’s guidance and friends that are good influences can make up for some of that. Maybe…?

I'll continue with catching up on the remaining responses later.

Please don’t feel obliged to respond to every response! I certainly don’t. It’s not that I don’t read your posts, it’s just that I try to only respond when I think I can bring something to the table…in example, I sorta followed this discussion about economics, but I felt I couldn’t add anything to it. So…

Whoa... Let me see if I can get this right...

Unix-sama was a rebel in her youth, especially against the stuffy Multics-sama who herself yearned for freedom? But after commercialization she had to go against what she believed in and became kinda stuffy herself, hence why a lot of her daughters and grand daughters have rebelled against Unix-sama...

I don’t know if Unix-sama so much rebelled against Multics-sama, as I don’t believe either of them would have had much contact with one another. Nor do I  think her commercialization was the reason why her daughters rebelled, though. I think a lot of her daughters would have been born commercial themselves, excluding BSD-chan and Plan 9-chan. But Unix-sama becoming commercialized would meant she would have to takes sides, and she ended up lined up with more proprietary side of the culture.

We’ve supposed open-source OS-tans are healthier than their closed source counterparts, so this could also account for some of her health problems.

And she likes Linux-sama because she is like Unix-sama if she didn't become commercialized... And despite her own authoritarian nature, Unix-sama still yearns for freedom and able to step down from her position of power?

Yet she is reluctant to step down because she can't trust any of her daughters with her power and the one person she could trust [Linux-sama] she is hestitant to give her powers to, afraid that Linux-sama could end up like how Unix-sama is now?

Yeah, I do think she’d view Linux-sama as herself if she had been born in a better time, or had made better choices. But as C-Chan pointed out, letting Linux-sama take over for her would probably cause a massive war among her followers…once again.

I know for sure that in the past, the IBM mainframes had their own factions. And IIRC, there are several IBM mainframes from different 'families' or 'clans' and each of then would be factions.

Other former factions that once existed include the IBM-Microsoft Family (split up in the early 1990's), the Commodore Family (dissolved in 1994), the House of Apple (changed to the House of Mac in 1993 after Apple ][-sama, Lisa-tan and GS/OS-tan left). And of course the DEC faction! I also think that the Acorn-tans used to have their own faction (don't know when it broke up though)

This sounds about right…:)

But I do think the IBM faction would be one entity, with separate sub-factions (probably a bad comparison, but like the different “Houses” at Hogwarts School in Harry Potter. What I mean is, each would have their own goals, skills, and  cultures, and there certainly would be rivalry between them)

Might seem risky, but in the age of the internet it's certainly more feasible than not...

The way I've grown to see it, I play a little mind game when I hear mainstream news headlines. Basically, it operates like this: if they say something, then the opposite must be true.

Then take whatever "anti-headline" mosts interests you and research it thoroughly on the internet, cross-referencing it with foreign press, historical material, and individual opinions. Once done, you'll learn infinitely more about the subject at hand (including other related subjects you never though would pique your curiosity), and approach something that more closely approximates the truth.

How will you know its the truth?
Given the adage that "truth hurts", more than likely it will be a conclusion that will offer both comfort and discomfort -- free of absolutes and not above identifying faults in both the presumed aggressor and the presumed victim.

Wow, that’s a pretty…interesting idea…

I find the news pretty depressing, though. My idea of a good news show is the Colbert Report XD

I used to think it was depressing too -- still can be if you acknowledge the threat of nuclear weapons (the only man-made creations that can truly change the climate and initiate an E.L.E.). But as you gain a more holistic outlook on life, you might come to the same conclusion as I have:

1) Not everyone wants to save him/herself.

2) My county is not modern human civilization.

The former is just a sad fact that has to be accepted -- few people are willing to do something about anything if it doesn't affect their lives (or WILL affect it negatively, if they stick their nose where it's not meant to belong).

If they lose the reason to live, MAYBE they might do something heroic and selfless -- but in the end, the only person you can be sure of changing for the better is yourself.

The latter is just a friendly reminder that there are indeed governments, states, cities, villages, groups of people, and individuals in the world who ARE taking it upon themselves to live their lives without impacting the environment adversely. And the majority don't even know they'e doing it -- from the nomad who reuses the same cheap plastic bottle for years, to the poor who gut landfills to find paper/cans/etc to recycle, to communities who subsist on locally-grown crops without the need to export them so they can wind up as one of a million varieties of instant white rice boxes in some flashy supermarket (that will likely have to be tossed away anyway). To governments like Brazil who invest heavily in clean alternative energies to become energy independent and the forefront of a new energy-based economy, thus reducing overdependence on farming and mining exports (which previous administrations used to absolutely ravage the Amazon rainforest).

So that all humanity is doomed because it can't help itself I feel does a grave injustice to people like you and me and them who, yes, have their own set of faults, but by no means actively work to destroy the world.

The actual problem to climate change (or more appropriately, any environmental problem) is a lot simpler, but certainly no less irritating....

A few people want to ruin it for the rest of us. Unfortunately, those people also have their hands on guns and tanks and nukes, and yes even media coverage, so we can't just storm in and beat the shark out of them for being greedy, glutinous slobs.

So coming back to the issue at hand, it sounds like it should be depressing, but at the same time it mustn't be. Nothing is going to be fixed by you feeling sad -- on the contrary, to feel depressed and at fault just feeds the general acknowledgement that we're all emo and destined to destroy ourselves. If on the other hand they see sommeone as happy, smart, optimistic, and powerful as you to brighten many people's day, then it gives them hope that there are still beautiful things left in the world.

People need hope (especially from powerlessness) before they can get inspired by some vision of a cleaner, prouder future. They need an incentive to change their way of life, in the hopes that [perhaps] they can benefit from it too.

In short, I feel that people need heroes/heroines -- as contrary as this sounds to so many proclamations of individualism, I think its simply pure common sense for people to want others to "go in first" into the realm of the unknown, before they themselves gather the courage to follow behind. It's not easy being a hero, mind you, but it's not hard to become one; certainly once you feel the pride of being one, it becomes harder for things to depress you. ^^

I find that I can’t think about all this gloom and doom. I could worry myself sick with this stuff, but I choose not to. I mean…if it’s any consolation, there have been points in history when we’ve been close to destruction (say, the Cuban Missile Crisis) and we’ve always pulled through. I have faith that we will pull though again and that in the end, sanity will prevail. I hope. : |

[Siya]

Oooh!  Xenix-san looks very elegant and QNX-tan's revamp is rather nice, too! ^^

[C-Chan]

AWWW CRAP!  I knew I forgot something!  (Xenix-sama)

I'll comment on her when I return.  Was VERY tempted to draw her too, but resisted... not when I'm still knee-deep in the CIOST pic.  ^^'

[Aurora Borealis]

And I forgot to ask what are Xenix-san's hair color, eye color and color scheme of her outfit!

But here's something I didn't forget: Chibi Solaris-tan!

[Bella]

Oooh, cute! I liked how you combined my formal outfit+your waitress outfit for Solaris-san. I also like her hair and eyes!

It's times like this it's hard to believe she's a magnetic field-manipulating, solar flare-capturing, repressed emotion-amplifying cold-hearted fighter XD

The only problem I can spot might be with the folds on her dress. I think the lines should have been moved down just a tad, to line up with the fold lines on her dress. But other than that, she's perfect!

As for Xenix-sama, I think her color scheme is mostly blue, but I'm not positive about this.

[Siya]

I like Solaris-tan's anklets!

[Aurora Borealis]

Thanks, Bella and Siya!
---

I absentmindedly forgot to mention this, but last night, this thread turned 2 years old! And I couldn't have gotten that far without the encouraging comments and new fresh ideas of other commentors such as yourselves!

Never before have I had a level of success on a forum or other online community as nearly as much as that here. Not by a long shot!

Well, on previous artistic attempts in other places, I did get a few comments but they were all just stuff like "meh, this is okay I guess" or "cute! ^_^ " or "The proportions suck and you can't shade to save your life!" but weren't particularly helpful. I already knew I was mediocre, darnit! And I guess the fact that I liked obscure fandoms (like OS-tans) and original characters was kind of a liability.

But in the late summer, I checked back at OSC through some random bookmark browsing and I was delighted at what it had  became: A specialized place dedicated entirely to OS-tans that encourages new characters and backstories!

Even if this forum is still small, that's okay! It is the quality, not the quantity of the members that counts! And because of such quality members- I have been able to continue this far and surely there will be more to come!

[Siya]

*Gasp!*  This thread's birthday is a day before mine?  Happy birthday, thread! ^^

Congratulations, Aurora-san, on pulling your thread through two years! ^^

[C-Chan]

GYAAAAAAAAH!!!  ^V^
I know I have tons of replies to do, but let me get through this one first since it touched me to the core!  

You're right!  It's amazing how time flies, but this thread really is 2 years old!  Remarkable how time flies... seemed like only yesterday you stopped by and posted a whole line-up of hand-drawn OS-tan chibis.  ^___^

I still remember that momentous post when I first met you.... ^.^

http://ostan-collections.net/post-4792.html#4792

We didn't get very much traffic then (in a way, we've come full circle to that ^__^), and while SleepyD, Darknight, Captain and myself did draw a couple of things during the summer, it never amounted to much relative to other pastimes (like off-topic posts that bugged the heck out of Pitkin).  There certainly wasn't much of a driving force to create "New" characters that we could call our own -- basically Amiga-san, Palm-chan and a few assorted chibis were my only offerings in creating something distinctly "OSC"esque.  I had some support for what I did, yes, even from people I've since never seen again or with whom I've long had a falling out.  But despite all the magic of those early days and despite not feeling necessarily unwanted, I did always feel alone.

And then you came,...  ^^

I know that sounds cliche, but it's the truth.  You're the first person I knew who really worked very hard, day and night, to create something new and original -- and you didn't just create one or two pics like I did, but unleashed a barrage of chibis and comics within the following days and weeks that truly highlighted an unparalleled commitment to our fandom!  @v@
No... fandom is not the right word.  Fanart was all there ever was before that.  Yours was something new -- still tied to the old Futaba canon, yes, but with more than enough seeds sown that would ultimately form the foundation to your explosion of inventiveness.  I remember viewing your DeviantArt page, impressed by the sheer volume of old comics you had already amassed before setting foot into the OS-tan realm -- each one was unique and bursting with flavor, but even then it never occurred to me that I would see such an incredible degree of "flavor burst" in your OS-tan artwork, let alone for 2 whole years!  ^v^

I actually do remember you mentioning less-than-flattering experiences in prior forums (even ones you were still active in before migrating here full-time).  I even remember that one incident in early '07 when you get verbally assaulted by scoundrels because of the anatomical this-and-that of your characters.  I won't even bother to find that page anymore (it still pisses me off to this day), but I hope you remember what I told you and why I cherished your work and why I wanted to start our first collaboration (it was for the old Mac Party comic and the wallpaper, no?).

Your early artwork wasn't flawless anymore than my early pieces were (I cringe now watching my first Amiga picture), but only shallow people would focus on some contrived preconception of artistic qualities as the sole basis for a picture's merit and of an artist's integrity.  Missing from the equation is both detail (so vital to fresh and original works) and intent -- which shows lack of intelligence and foresight for the first, and just lack of regular decency for the second.  If you're kind, generous and willing enough to devote some of your time (away from things like schoolwork and family life) to draw something for free to have fun with other like-minded people -- AND if you respect other's decision to share in the same pastime, as you've done time and time again -- then you deserve nothing but respect in turn, as well as an understanding as to why you draw a particular way, and an ongoing faith that you will know best how to evolve your craft.

It's funny that I once motivated you and Bella and Siya and Infinity-Zero and Gussy and SleepyD and Thurosis Kami-Tux and IceLilly and Tsubashi and countless other smaller contributors following the above approach, but then under the hope that I could generate a greater VOLUME of artwork to make us more like the Japanese art boards.  It's no surprise that, despite the sheer volume of our own works, overall as a forum we've fallen miserably short of that expectation.  The fact is, I (like many people then and now) assumed incorrectly  that just the act of drawing and contributing something (anything!) will somehow garner interest in other people and turn on some magic "commitment" button in them.

That's because I didn't realize then that my own concepts of in-depth artistic merit also applied at a cultural level as well -- and in just admiring the artwork for the sake of art, we overlook the detail, then intent and the natural teamwork that went into honing those inspiring pieces of artwork.  It's the fact that we can think of ourselves as a team -- as real flesh and blood human beings (or pigs ^^) with needs, wants, quirks and sensitivies -- that ultimately has helped us stay strong for so long, produce QUALITY works that grow from the soul!  Even if the artwork may not be a tit-for-tat imitation of Japanese artwork as I had hoped long ago, I believe we've gained something better -- we've inadvertently, through honesty and respect and even a dash of cute and playful irreverence, gained the essence of team spirit!  Of friendship!  ^__^

To quote another cliche, I wouldn't trade in ONE Aurora-hime for all the pieces of so-called quality artwork in the world -- because Aurora-hime, like my other friends, makes me feel alive and happy to be here!  

The greatest bestest birthday wish for your thread, and thank you very very much for making me feel proud of being a part of this little community we've formed!  I too would never have been able to get this far without you!  ^v^

*Gasp!* This thread's birthday is a day before mine? Happy birthday, thread! ^^

Congratulations, Aurora-san, on pulling your thread through two years! ^^

Oh wow, another Septemberite in our midsts.  (mine's 10 days from now)  ^.^

In that case, let me drop everything for now and make a quick birthday gift to my other good friend, Siya-san.  ^___^

I'll get back to the appointed responses later (and yes, that includes a careful assessment of your chapter ideas, Bella-hime!).  ^__~

[Bella]

I absentmindedly forgot to mention this, but last night, this thread turned 2 years old! And I couldn't have gotten that far without the encouraging comments and new fresh ideas of other commentors such as yourselves!

Never before have I had a level of success on a forum or other online community as nearly as much as that here. Not by a long shot!

Well, on previous artistic attempts in other places, I did get a few comments but they were all just stuff like "meh, this is okay I guess" or "cute! " or "The proportions suck and you can't shade to save your life!" but weren't particularly helpful. I already knew I was mediocre, darnit! And I guess the fact that I liked obscure fandoms (like OS-tans) and original characters was kind of a liability in artistic communities dominated by the fandoms of mainstream anime, video games and yaoi.

But in the late summer, I checked back at OSC through some random bookmark browsing and I was delighted at what it had became: A specialized place dedicated entirely to OS-tans that encourages new characters and backstories!

Even if this forum is still small, that's okay! It is the quality, not the quantity of the members that counts! And because of such quality members- I have been able to continue this far and surely there will be more to come!

Happy 2-year anniversary, Aurora-sama! I am so happy you rediscovered this place, because we wouldn't be half of what we are without you.

I can honestly say you are one of the people who inspired me to draw my own OS-tan designs, to learn Inkscape, and you even inspired me to research different OSes. Before I joined in March of 07, I lurked around this forum for a bit, trying to get a feel of what the place was like. It sounds unimaginable now, but I was mostly interested in canon designs; there was just something so familiar and easy about drawing something that hundreds of people had drawn before.

But when I browsed through your thread, starting on the first page, and looked though you gallery and saw your designs, I was amazed. I began to see that some of the most interesting, imaginative characters could be the ones based on the most obscure OSes. So I set to researching new OSes--mostly Linux distros--and drew some of my first Linux-tans. I remember seeing Leopard-tan and thinking that she was so cool--I actually did a fanart before I had even posted here!



Since I first joined here, I have watched in amazement at the incredible depth of your characters, comics and backstories, and at the steady improvement you have made in your artwork. Many of your drawings and comics have always been whimsical, upbeat, and a lot of fun; equally beautiful and moving is your dramatic artwork.

That being said, some of the best times are spent just chatting. I find you to be quite like-minded, and I have really loved coming up with backstories and stuff with you, as well as just talking about plain nothing. I think our collaboration on the Amiga/ME-chan picture went quite well (if not for my departure it may be have been finished by now), and I'd love to see what else we could work on in the future.

Thank you for finding and rediscovering OSC, and for contributing so much to our community. We'd be lost without you, I believe.

GYAAAAAAAAH!!! ^V^
I know I have tons of replies to do, but let me get through this one first since it touched me to the core!

You're right! It's amazing how time flies, but this thread really is 2 years old! Remarkable how time flies... seemed like only yesterday you stopped by and posted a whole line-up of hand-drawn OS-tan chibis. ^___^

I still remember that momentous post when I first met you.... ^.^

http://ostan-collections.net/post-4792.html#4792

We didn't get very much traffic then (in a way, we've come full circle to that ^__^), and while SleepyD, Darknight, Captain and myself did draw a couple of things during the summer, it never amounted to much relative to other pastimes (like off-topic posts that bugged the heck out of Pitkin). There certainly wasn't much of a driving force to create "New" characters that we could call our own -- basically Amiga-san, Palm-chan and a few assorted chibis were my only offerings in creating something distinctly "OSC"esque. I had some support for what I did, yes, even from people I've since never seen again or with whom I've long had a falling out. But despite all the magic of those early days and despite not feeling necessarily unwanted, I did always feel alone.

And then you came,... ^^

I know that sounds cliche, but it's the truth. You're the first person I knew who really worked very hard, day and night, to create something new and original -- and you didn't just create one or two pics like I did, but unleashed a barrage of chibis and comics within the following days and weeks that truly highlighted an unparalleled commitment to our fandom! @v@
No... fandom is not the right word. Fanart was all there ever was before that. Yours was something new -- still tied to the old Futaba canon, yes, but with more than enough seeds sown that would ultimately form the foundation to your explosion of inventiveness. I remember viewing your DeviantArt page, impressed by the sheer volume of old comics you had already amassed before setting foot into the OS-tan realm -- each one was unique and bursting with flavor, but even then it never occurred to me that I would see such an incredible degree of "flavor burst" in your OS-tan artwork, let alone for 2 whole years! ^v^

I actually do remember you mentioning less-than-flattering experiences in prior forums (even ones you were still active in before migrating here full-time). I even remember that one incident in early '07 when you get verbally assaulted by scoundrels because of the anatomical this-and-that of your characters. I won't even bother to find that page anymore (it still pisses me off to this day), but I hope you remember what I told you and why I cherished your work and why I wanted to start our first collaboration (it was for the old Mac Party comic and the wallpaper, no?).

Your early artwork wasn't flawless anymore than my early pieces were (I cringe now watching my first Amiga picture), but only shallow people would focus on some contrived preconception of artistic qualities as the sole basis for a picture's merit and of an artist's integrity. Missing from the equation is both detail (so vital to fresh and original works) and intent -- which shows lack of intelligence and foresight for the first, and just lack of regular decency for the second. If you're kind, generous and willing enough to devote some of your time (away from things like schoolwork and family life) to draw something for free to have fun with other like-minded people -- AND if you respect other's decision to share in the same pastime, as you've done time and time again -- then you deserve nothing but respect in turn, as well as an understanding as to why you draw a particular way, and an ongoing faith that you will know best how to evolve your craft.

It's funny that I once motivated you and Bella and Siya and Infinity-Zero and Gussy and SleepyD and Thurosis Kami-Tux and IceLilly and Tsubashi and countless other smaller contributors following the above approach, but then under the hope that I could generate a greater VOLUME of artwork to make us more like the Japanese art boards. It's no surprise that, despite the sheer volume of our own works, overall as a forum we've fallen miserably short of that expectation. The fact is, I (like many people then and now) assumed incorrectly that just the act of drawing and contributing something (anything!) will somehow garner interest in other people and turn on some magic "commitment" button in them.

That's because I didn't realize then that my own concepts of in-depth artistic merit also applied at a cultural level as well -- and in just admiring the artwork for the sake of art, we overlook the detail, then intent and the natural teamwork that went into honing those inspiring pieces of artwork. It's the fact that we can think of ourselves as a team -- as real flesh and blood human beings (or pigs ^^) with needs, wants, quirks and sensitivies -- that ultimately has helped us stay strong for so long, produce QUALITY works that grow from the soul! Even if the artwork may not be a tit-for-tat imitation of Japanese artwork as I had hoped long ago, I believe we've gained something better -- we've inadvertently, through honesty and respect and even a dash of cute and playful irreverence, gained the essence of team spirit! Of friendship! ^__^

To quote another cliche, I wouldn't trade in ONE Aurora-hime for all the pieces of so-called quality artwork in the world -- because Aurora-hime, like my other friends, makes me feel alive and happy to be here!

The greatest bestest birthday wish for your thread, and thank you very very much for making me feel proud of being a part of this little community we've formed! I too would never have been able to get this far without you! ^v^

That is so touching, C-Chan. I echo these sentiments one-hundred percent  :..)

Oh wow, another Septemberite in our midsts. (mine's 10 days from now) ^.^

In that case, let me drop everything for now and make a quick birthday gift to my other good friend, Siya-san. ^___^

I'll get back to the appointed responses later (and yes, that includes a careful assessment of your chapter ideas, Bella-hime!). ^__~

C-Chan, I thought I remember hearing your birthday's in September!

So what'll it be...do you have any ideas for what kinda gift you'd like (as in characters), or shall I surprise you? ^^