>oo< Online Write-Ins for Virtual Penguins

Holy cow! I'm having flashbacks to 1992! What sort of complicated geekfest instructions are these? FYI I couldn't get these instructions to work at all. The goodchatting website says to use IE 4.5 for Macs - sorry IE doesn't run at all on today's macs. Besides, that version of IE is about 100 years old, give or take. I think Macs might require an IRC client. All I know is that the goodchatting website gave no response at all when I typed in those commands.

I did download colloquy and after a couple of tries I got it to work. I recommend going into the connection preferences and setting the connection to auto launch into the room and bring the console up when starting the program. It was kind of convoluted getting back in after quitting unless I did that.

Nano Newbie and proud Lushguin.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm on a PC, and I'm pretty sure Amber is too, so it's hard for us to document the Mac side of things.

I'm glad you were able to figure out a way in! Do you think you could be our go-to person for other Mac users who need help using the chat?

Meanwhile, we'll pass your concerns along to the webmaster at GoodChatting.

ML Captain of Capital Ideas & Austin, TX Municipal Liaison

Hey, Austin folks!

First of all, I'd like to sincerely apologize for the technical issues that mamawildbear experienced! VERY long story short...

The page mamawildbear encountered was the page that's been around since something like 2006. A couple weeks ago, I updated the page with a new applet, new instructions on the page itself, etc. And then my webhost performed a server migration and replaced the new files I'd just uploaded with versions from, you know, 2006.

I JUST became aware of this screwup tonight when lazym told me about the issues mamawildbear had encountered.

My webhost has been properly chastised and I'm commencing a thorough check on my site's files to ensure everything is 100% up to date. The Austin page, however, is absolutely up to date and is displaying the updated Java applet (which should be compatible with Macs as well as PCs).

Thanks for your understanding, folks, and I wish you nothing but the best this coming November. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any issues at all, or let your MLs know and they'll get a hold of me. :)

Julie :)
Network Administrator, GoodChatting.com
NaNoWriMo Chatroom:
http://www.goodchatting.com/rooms/nanowrimo.php
server: irc.goodchatting.com / port: 6667 / channel: #nanowrimo

Thanks for clearing everything up, Julie =)

Here's Julie's Guide for Using mIRC during NaNo at Goodchatting.com: http://www.goodchatting.com/articles/mircnano/mirc2.php

I will be in the chatroom between 11 pm and the first 2 am. Pop in for a Word War if you can't make the live event.

~ Amber

BTW, I was able to download and us XChat on my Win XP and get in with no problems. XChat is a free IRC client for Linux, but they have a version for Windows too. Their web site is:

http://www.xchat.org/

Here's the instructions to get in once you've downloaded and installed it.

1. Open the program.
2. Click on "Add" next to the "Networks" window and enter any name you want. I used "AustinNaNo".
3. With your new network selected, click the "Edit" button.
4. On the window that pops up, click the "Add" button next to the "Servers" window.
5. With the "new server" selected, click the "Edit" button. Enter: irc.goodchatting.com and hit tab.
6. Under "Favorite channels" enter: #nanoaustin
7. Click the "Close" button.
8. Enter your nick name info in the fields at the top.
9. Select your new network and click the "Connect" button at the bottom, and you'll log into the NaNo chat room.
10. From here on out, all you have to do is open the program, select the NaNo network you created, and hit "Connect."

R. L. Copple
http://www.rlcopple.com
Infinite Realties
Transforming Realities

Edit: Nevermind

Minor Character/Extra Deaths: 17
Major Character Deaths: 0
Ninjas: 16
Explosions: 1
Romances: 3
Kisses: 2
Characters named after/ based on people I know: 7

Hey folks, please remember that there are young 'uns online and behave appropriately. Our chat room is rated "G." Please - no swearing and no discussions of sex or violence. Thank you!

ML Captain of Capital Ideas & Austin, TX Municipal Liaison

Hi, all! Those of you who've been in the chatroom know I'm still doing mommy things at 8 pm. So we're shifting the time for the hosted chats from 9 to 11.

See ya then =)

Hey Julie!!

I'm really sure this isn't the forum for having problems with goodchatting site, but I don't know how else to find you. I logged on fine to GC the first night, but ever since all I get is "Undefined string" when I try to sign in....

Help? Suggestions? I miss my virtual buds!!

Hi, SeaEmcee =)

It just kicked me out and now all I'm getting is "Undefined string" also. And I was just about to win a word war ;)

I'll try to contact Julie and see if we can get some help.

~ Amber (ADHDiva)

You're the best!!!! Sorry about the word war though... .

I'm just getting "undefined string."

I wasn't able to use chat last year either, though, so maybe I'm just web-iliterate (tho I own five domains of my own and designed them all...)

Sigh.

_______________________
Deanna
Austin ScriptFrenzy ML
www.deannaroy.com

Apparently the IRC server went down. I was kicked off of XChat too, and successive tries to get back on just time out.

So apparently the server went down, and we'll have to wait till it gets back up. Meanwhile, I'm still writing!

R. L. Copple
http://www.rlcopple.com
Infinite Realties
Transforming Realities

/me wails.

you weren't either going to win that, Diva!

xo
mitda

OK. We're chatting via IM. Anyone who wants in can contact me at akelsey333 [at] msn [dot] com

And go RL =)

Hi! I'm sorry y'all had problems with the chat. Just a note - Julie doesn't read our forums. She just popped over that one time to say hi. Amber (ADHDiva/ akelsey333) has Julie's contact information and will email her with any problems - which she did! We haven't heard back yet, but are hoping to have it all ironed out in time for tonight's chat.

ML Captain of Capital Ideas & Austin, TX Municipal Liaison

The Austin chatroom is up and running again.

Chat with y'all tonight =)

Are we broken again? Everything was good before I left for dinner, and now I can't get back in. I think I might die. I need NaNo Austin word wars!

NaNo 2009:

So, I love you guys. I just thought I would let you know that. RL hit me like a mac-truck during week one, and I stumbled majorly on my word count, but logging on last night is the sole reason I actually met my doubled up daily word goal (3000) I've set for myself until I finish playing catchup.

I also met a new friend.

Not bad for a mIRC greenhorn logging into the chatroom for the first time.

In summation: I love you guys. That is all.

The mystery is afoot!

"Writing is an acceptable form of Schizophrenia." ~E. L. Doctorow

Thanks to all my online buddies for your support while I lie in a hospital bed (albeit a great one in a great hospital - a shout out to St. David's on 32nd!! ). I have had 2 nurses want to read what I have so far and I feel like I am out witnessing for the Church of NaNoWriMo!

Again - I really love you guys so much already! (no - this is not the morphine talking!)

See ya tonight, and hopefully with 10,000 under my belt by the time I log in!

BrandiTAM

Tabitha A. Miller
(otherwise known as Brandi)

As requested: Friday the 13th prompts:

1. The asteriod 2004 MN4 will make its close encounter on Friday, April 13, 2029.
The asteroid Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 because initial observations indicated a small probability (up to 2.7%) that it would strike the Earth in 2029.

Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon in 2029. However, a possibility remains that during the 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole, a precise region in space no more than about 600 meters across, that would set up a future impact on April 13, 2036. This possibility kept the asteroid at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006. It broke the record for the highest level on the Torino Scale, being, for only a short time, a level 4, before it was lowered.

2. The Andes Plane Crash of 1972 took place on Friday the 13th.
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, also known as the Andes flight disaster, and in South America as Miracle in the Andes (El Milagro de los Andes) was a chartered flight carrying 45 rugby team members and associates that crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972. The last of the 16 survivors were rescued on December 23, 1972. More than a quarter of the passengers died in the crash and several more quickly succumbed to cold and injury. Of the twenty-nine who were alive a few days after the accident, another eight were killed by an avalanche that swept over their shelter in the wreckage.

The crash survivors, thinking they would be found and rescued within days, had little food and no source of heat in the harsh climate, at over 3,600 metres (12,000 ft) altitude. Faced with starvation and radio news reports that the search for them had been abandoned, the survivors fed on the dead passengers who had been preserved in the snow. Rescuers did not learn of the survivors until 72 days after the crash when passengers Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, after a 12-day trek across the Andes, found a Chilean huaso, who gave them food and then alerted authorities about the existence of the other survivors.

3. An Abstract of a 1993 study in the British Medical Journal, "Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?" concluded that, yes, in fact, it is.
With the aim of mapping "the relation between health, behaviour, and superstition surrounding Friday 13th in the United Kingdom," its authors compared the ratio of traffic volume to the number of automobile accidents on two different days, Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th, over a period of years.

Incredibly, they found that in the region sampled, while consistently fewer people chose to drive their cars on Friday the 13th, the number of hospital admissions due to vehicular accidents was significantly higher than on "normal" Fridays. Their conclusion: "Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."

4. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. What if one suddenly appears in your novel?

5. Legend has it: If 13 people sit down to dinner together, one will die within the year.
Twelve gods were invited to a banquet at Valhalla. Loki, the Evil One, god of mischief, had been left off the guest list but crashed the party, bringing the total number of attendees to 13. True to character, Loki raised hell by inciting Hod, the blind god of winter, to attack Balder the Good, who was a favorite of the gods. Hod took a spear of mistletoe offered by Loki and obediently hurled it at Balder, killing him instantly. All Valhalla grieved. And although one might take the moral of this story to be "Beware of uninvited guests bearing mistletoe," the Norse themselves apparently concluded that 13 people at a dinner party is just plain bad luck.

6. There are 13 witches in a coven.
Friday was a holy day for heathens so Church fathers felt it must not be so for Christians — thus Friday became known in the Middle Ages as the "Witches' Sabbath."

7. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck.
One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell once and for all the widespread superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned, named "H.M.S. Friday." They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday, and was never seen or heard from again.

8. Some say Friday's bad reputation goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
It was on a Friday, supposedly, that Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit. Adam bit, and they were both ejected from Paradise. Tradition also holds that the Great Flood began on a Friday; God tongue-tied the builders of the Tower of Babel on a Friday; the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday; and, of course, Friday was the day of the week on which Christ was crucified. It is therefore a day of penance for Christians.

9. Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue.
'The number 13 will always be a contentious number with many homebuyers,' says Richard Aldous, sales and marketing manager of Hopkins Homes.

'The majority of purchasers refuse to complete the sale on Friday the 13th. And at one of our recent developments in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk County Council would not allow us to have a number 13 in the address as they were concerned that the house may not sell.'

10. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck.
Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.

11. Don’t walk under a ladder.
There are certain similarities between a ladder leaning against a wall and a gallows. In earlier times, anything associated with a gallows was considered ill luck, so walking under one- or a ladder that looked like one- was not advisable. If you’ve walked under a ladder, you can ward off bad luck by spitting three times through the rungs of the ladder, or spitting on your shoe. Make sure you don’t look at your shoe until the spit has dried, however. Failing these tactics, cross your fingers until you find a dog, or simply back out the way you came in and make a wish!

12. Superstitions about salt
General superstitions take on special power on the 13th. In biblical times, salt was a highly prized commodity. It was expensive, crucial in preserving food, and was often used in lieu of currency. So spilling salt was considered an almost sacrilegious offence, and left one perilously exposed to the devil's machinations.

Throwing salt over your shoulder is akin to blessing someone after they've sneezed -- it's a way of keeping the devil at bay while you're in an especially vulnerable moment. Depending on your interpretation, the salt is either intended to blind the devil so he can't witness your error, or keep him from sneaking up on you while you're cleaning up your mess.

It's important to note that the superstition calls for the offender to throw salt over the left shoulder. As one web site notes, many ancient traditions place the devil to the left of the straight and narrow path. The classic image of a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other often shows the sinister imp sitting on the left side.

If you want to really follow the letter of the law, you're encouraged to throw the salt with your "good," or right hand. Throughout history, the association of right with good and left with bad caused a number of perfectly respectable left-handed people to be burned at the stake.

13. “I ain’t superstitious, but a black cat crossed my path.”
In pagan times, cats were known for giving good luck. More recently, black cats are a symbol of evil omens, and have been suspected of being the familiars of witches.

The black cat in folklore has been thought to change into human shape to act as a spy or courier for witches or demons. During the Middle Ages, these superstitions led people to kill black cats. This had the unintended consequence of increasing the rat population and the spread of the Black Plague and other diseases carried by rodents.

However, the supernatural powers ascribed to black cats were sometimes viewed positively, for example by sailors considering a Ship's cat in general and a black one in particular as lucky for their ship. Sometimes, fishermen's wives would keep black cats at home too, in the hope that they would be able to use their influence to protect their husbands at sea.

14. For luck!
Ancient civilizations weren't unanimous in their dread of 13. The Chinese regarded the number as lucky, as did the Egyptians in the time of the pharaohs.

To the ancient Egyptians, life was a quest for spiritual ascension which unfolded in stages — twelve in this life and a thirteenth beyond, thought to be the eternal afterlife. The number 13 therefore symbolized death, not in terms of dust and decay but as a glorious and desirable transformation.

ML Captain of Capital Ideas & Austin, TX Municipal Liaison

Thanks for the prompts, Em! They inspired my climax scene :)

The Virtual Penguin chats are still running nightly from 9 until 11. And many of us participate in Word Wars until the wee hours of the morning. Official NaNoers aged 13 and older are welcome to drop in =)

Keep in mind that we do have younger folks chating in the room, so the public chats need to stay PG-13.

~ Amber (ADHDiva)

Hello, all Virtual Penguins =)

We have been challenged by the PandaLantas (the Atlanta NaNoers) to two 15 minute word wars. The Pandas are currently undefeated Word War champions, but *I* think the Penguins can change that.

The competition will take place Friday night at 8 pm. Pop in for a while and help the Penguins whomp the Pandas.

~ Amber

Tell me about Word Wars, please.

How do they work? What does one do?

I am a newbie and don't understand all the traditions.

Thanks, Susan farmtomarketroad

Hey all. Apparently there's been some confusion about our chat rules. This seems like as good a time as any to clarify. (I'm going to put this in both chat threads in the hope that it will be seen in one place or the other by everyone.)

Our chat is provided for you to stay in touch when you can’t come to events, to help you increase your word count, and to have fun. Chats are not a regional requirement, and not all regions have one. I am extremely grateful to Amber (ADHDiva on the chat) for moderating; without her contribution of time and effort, our region would not have a chat.

To use our chat, you must follow these rules. These rules apply at all times, whether or not a moderator is present. Use of our chat signifies that you agree to all of the following:

1. Be courteous and respectful of others.
2. Just as you must be at least 13 years old to participate in NaNoWriMo, you must also be at least 13 years old to participate in our chat.
3. Remember that there are young people in our chatroom. The same rules apply to the chat as to our regional forum. Discussions will be G-rated. There will be no swearing and no discussions of sex or violence. If you wouldn’t hear it on network news, you should not say it in our chat.

ADHDiva and lazym are your moderators, and what they say goes. If you do not adhere to the rules, you will be warned. Repeated warnings may result in your being banned from the chat.

ML Captain of Capital Ideas & Austin, TX Municipal Liaison

Hi, Susan :)

Word wars are creative sprints of mad typing. We set a time limit--most of us prefer 20 minutes-- and whoever types the most words in that amount of time "wins." It's a fun way for more competitive folks to boost their word counts.

Pop into the chat room and you'll see :)

~ Amber