INDEPENDENCE FLEET NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2002
It’s that time again! The newsletter! Things have been really busy for me over the past few weeks, and especially through the past few days (it’s been pretty crazy). I have a midterm in Economics tomorrow morning (for which I am not prepared). However, that’s okay because fall break starts on Thursday! Anyway, here’s the Independence Fleet Newsletter for October!
In this issue...
- News and Happenings
- 3 Rules of Simming
- September Award Winners
- The Genesis Award
- Mission Features
- Special Guest: Lt. Entera Danae
- Book and Movie of the Month
- Fantasy Football Standings
- Closing
NEWS AND HAPPENINGS
- Captain Shawn Edwards has taken a leave of absence from being CO of the USS Goliad due to some family issues. Acting Captain Victor Davidson has assumed the role of CO in his place. Please keep Shane (Edwards’ real name) and his family in your prayers.
- The USS Excalibur saw Post #1,000 sent on October 6th. The monumental post was written by CO Steve McCloud. The Excalibur is only the 2nd ship in fleet history to reach the 1,000 post mark. It took the crew of the Excalibur 6 months, 16 days, 21 hours, and 18 minutes to do it – a new record. Congratulations to the Excalibur on their accomplishment!
- The USS George W. Bush and the USS Liberty just completed a joint mission. This was the first ever joint mission for the George W. Bush and the third for the Liberty. The mission concept was pretty unprecedented, but both crews still had fun.
- The Admiraly would like to thank Captain James Britanicus, CO of the USS Horatio Nelson, for his assistance with choosing the August posting award winner. The Admiralty would like to especially thank Captain Damien Hawkins, CO of the USS Legend, for voting on the September awards. It should be noted that Captain Hawkins agreed to do this after being asked at the last possible moment. He helped out in a clutch time. Thanks.
3 RULES OF SIMMING
An article by Mr. Controversy himself,
Is anyone familiar with Isaac Asimov's famous Three Laws of Robotics (I would hope so, but if not they are listed here: http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/robotics.html), I'm not going to list them out but I am going to use them as a basis for this; but with a spin. I am proposing Three Laws of SIMing, not anything that is sanctioned by the Admiralty but I do believe they could be agreed upon by everyone:
Three Laws of SIMing
1. Have fun.
2. Post as often as possible not conflicting with real life or the overall flow of a ship and definitely not breaking Law #1.
3. Contribute to the 'ship' and Fleet as much as possible not conflicting with Law #1 or #2.
I think these outline the basic idea and the idea of them are heavily pirated from the great Mr. Asimov. So how far does one go fulfilling these Laws, since we are not robots and cannot be programmed with them or they cannot be directly enforced by CO's? I do not think that question can be directly answered but I do believe another can be looked at using these Three Laws: multiple characters.
I know several people within Independence Fleet have multiple characters and serve with them wonderfully, and in no way am I trying to critique them in any fashion I'm only delving into this idea. So, how much can a person contribute with one character? With two? With three? With ten? Twenty? One-hundred? Okay we shouldn't blow it out of proportion; I think the average number of multiple characters for most people would be two or three, simply because this is all they can handle. I mean they would have one character which we will call the primary which they spend probably 60% of their time contributing to and the then they split the remaining time with the other character or characters. So this seems perfectly okay just looking at it I mean the person contributes greatly with one character which could possibly be a CO or XO and then they fill a position of lesser importance on another ship just to be part of something else. I mean this makes perfect since, SIMs range from busy to a dead drag so if you have somewhere else to release all those raging ideas then your mind is most-likely better off. So this seems to be within the above mentioned Laws of SIMing since the person is probably having fun (if they are SIMing at all) and they are contributing to more than one thing.
Now when I look at the negative aspects: how many characters are too many? How many characters can a person contribute to productively and still have fun and or do the character justice? A SIM character on a ship is more than just a name on a web page and an email address on a group mailing list, in many ways it is a responsibility; and within my life too many responsibilities can be stressful therefore not fun, and breaking the first Law of SIMing. All I know on this is that at one time I tried having three characters on three ships...what a mistake! Posting quantity and quality both dropped from me because I had so much to keep up with. Three ships all throwing at least three posts a day into your inbox adds up and then when you try to post at least once a week with the two secondary characters and then at least 3 or 4 times a week with the primary became impossible for me at least. I know of other SIMers who can handle three or four characters as easy as many do two. But what happens when the number of character multiply? Could the post quality and quantity (quantity from individual characters) be increased with fewer characters? For me it did and that ?s all I can say.
I would simply encourage thinking about why and what you post, and if I could contribute such a thing, remember the Laws of SIMing I think they explain the idea in a simple way. I mean if posting becomes a mundane activity rather than a hobby one looks forward to try to modify your SIMing experience to fit within the Laws of SIMing. That ?s all I can say and I hope I did not offend anyone with the above arguments and points...peace and god bless.
FRQX
Captain Jasson Asuka
XO, USS George W. Bush
DSE Fleet Captain
SEPTEMBER AWARD WINNERS
More information on the September award winners will be included in next month’s newsletter. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We hope it won’t interrupt your life too bad.
Best Story Post: Lt. Cmdr. Dick Phelps, CIO, USS George W. Bush, Post #775
Best Character Post: Cmdr. Gorath, 2O, USS Liberty, Post #250
Funniest Post: Lt. J.G. Zingela, ASO, USS Washington, Post #1766
MVP: Lt. Cmdr. Ingoldo, CSO, USS Excalibur
Most Posts: Lt. Cmdr. Ingoldo, CSO, USS Excalibur, 35 posts
Rookie of the Month: 1st Lt. Kolar Rasmehlier, MCO, Starbase 10
Most Improved: Lt. Jon Buitlier, CE, USS Legend
Recruitment: Lt. J.G. Mira Rodale, CCO, Starbase 10
THE GENESIS AWARD
For September, a new award has been added. The Genesis Award is given to the author of the best mission starting post of the month.
In its inaugural month, the nominations were few, but they were still well done. I would first like to thank Lt. Cmdr. Xavier Leon of the Minerva and Lt. J.G. Mira Rodale of Starbase 10, for their help in determining the winners.
All of the posts were written very well, but the one that shone through belonged to Admiral Charles Star, of the George W. Bush, for Post #1/766 in their joint mission with the Liberty. It has everything going for it. It sets up the whole storyline beautifully, has enough humour to keep you interested, and it also has... Elvis! Star also integrates the characters well – no one is left wondering where they are.
The runner up this month goes to Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Seresin, on the USS Liberty, for his Post #268. Although it is long, it also gives the rest of the mission a sense of urgency, and ties it into different points of the Star Trek universe. For this, Seresin earns runner-up.
To everyone: good luck. This month is sure to be even better than the last.
The First Genesis Award Winner:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/USSGeorgeWBush/message/1085
Runner-Up:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Liberty4003/message/1787
Lieutenant J.G. Zingela
Assistant Science Officer
USS Washington, NCC-11988
MISSION FEATURES
USS Avalon, submitted by Captain Taylor Dorian:
Fluidic Space, A dimension where fluidic matter, not airless vacuum makes up the "space" which is between interstellar objects. There are no known stars here, but there have been certain rouge planets charted. Species: 8472. A Nomadic tribe of warriors, who call themselves the "Warriors of the Light." Peoples: "Warriors of the Light." Sector: Alpha Quadrant Entrance to fluidic space from the Alpha Quadrant is to be found through the fluidic gates, near the Torran Empire, in unaligned space. This sector has not been charted extensively.
USS George W. Bush and USS Liberty, submitted by Admiral Charles Star:
The USS Liberty is on a covert assignment to infiltrate a terrorist organization, the Turquoise Glove, on a remote asteroid complex, known as the Pink Briefcase, in the Romulan Neutral zone. The Pink Briefcase is known to have quite the party atmosphere. Captain Decade and several of his crew arrive incognito during an Elvis convention on the Pink Briefcase – all dressed as Elvis, of course. Later, several crewmembers from the George W. Bush beam down to the Pink Briefcase for some shore leave. Dick Phelps, of the GWB, unknowingly blows the cover of the Liberty’s away teams. Now, everyone is in danger from the Turquoise Glove and the Liberty will be hard pressed to finish their assignment. (Editor’s Note: This mission has been completed.)
USS Excalibur, submitted by Commodore Steve McCloud:
The Excalibur is sent on a first contact mission to the planet BermaShave. But on the way there, they are followed by two shady characters who have a Thought Maker. They are altering the mind of Chief Engineer Blaine and are looking to take revenge on McCloud, Tolbin and the Excalibur. The crew must stop these foul fiends from disrupting the mission and ruining their reputations.
SPECIAL GUEST: LT. ENTERA DANAE
This month’s guest is Lieutenant Entera Danae, CEO of the USS Minerva. Lt. Danae won the “Best Story Post” award for August 2002. First, here is some info on Danae’s favorite Star Trek episode:
My favorite episode of Star Trek? What kind of question is that to ask a Trekkie, but if I must pick... Well, it is a tie between two really, both TNG but of the two (timescape and parallels) I chose Timescape.
Well, Captain Picard, Data, Gordi, and Troi are traveling back to the Enterprise in a shuttle craft. All the sudden, everything freezes except for Troi. As she stands up and tries to figure out what is going time unfreezes and everything is back to normal again. They all look up at Troi trying to figure out how she got to that location with out them knowing it. Data runs some scans on her... then she freezes in time and when she 'wakes up' Data’s scans find she is younger than she should be if she had accelerated through time as they did. They slowly begin to realize something is wrong. They maneuver around the many time distortions until they come across the Enterprise which is frozen in time with a Romulan Warbird which is firing at it. They are all very confused at this, and need to get the Enterprise out of the time distortion. Gordi thinks for a while and figures out that they can use the personal pattern enhancers as a personal shielding device, keeping thier bodies in the time frame that they are in and not freezing when they enter the other. When they go to the Enterprise, they find everyone frozen in time (they later find out that they are not frozen, but just advancing at a very slow rate). The Away team of Data, Troi, and Picard transport back to the shuttle when Picard’s shield almost fails he goes hysterical... The new away team of Troi, Gordi and Data then go to the Romulan ship to find out what is going on. When they get to the engine room, they find that the artificial quantum singularity has some type of organic matter in it. As Data is scanning this, time moves forward for a second, and a warp breach on the Enterprise takes place during this, but Data uses his phaser to reverse the process and return time to it snail like pace. Gordi is attacked by a 'Romulan' and Troi and Data leave Him in that time frame, so that he can be saved later. They beam themselfs and the 'Romulan' to the shuttle and discover that this man is not a Romulan, but is a life form that places its young in qunatum singularites. Because of this the surrounding time was distorted and as the Enterprise was giving the war bird a 'power boost' it had a surge which caused the Enterprise to have a warp core breach. Eventually everything ends up fine, once the other life forms go away and the distortions are repaired.
This episode kept you at the edge of your seat for a while. At the beginning you tend to think Troi has some kind of mental problem or something, but it turns out to be very different. When you find out that everything was caused by a species that survives in another plane of existence, it just puts another spin on an already strange story. I found this episode intellectually interesting and that is why it is currently my favorite.
And now for the interview...
Interviewer: Good evening everyone. Tonight we have the privilege of speaking to Lt. Entera Danae of the USS Minerva. Lt. Danae, we're glad to have you with us.
Danae: I am glad to be here, a little surprised I must say.
Interviewer: Cool. Let's go back to the beginning of your story, when did you get involved with simming and how did it happen?
Danae: Well, it all started in feb. when it was snowing outside. I had nothing better to do and got online. I instant messaged Greg (Captian Krol) and we had a long conversation, he eventually asked me if I wanted to join the Potomac, and I accepted the invitation.
Interviewer: That's pretty neat. What did you think when Capt. Krol first told about it?
Danae: I had looked into other fleets before, but did not feel comfortable because of the fact that I did not know anyone simming. He explained it to me, and I thought that it was awesome that we could write Star Trek and not just watch it.
Interviewer: Good stuff. What did you think of it after you first joined?
Danae: I actually sat back for a couple of weeks, and tried to figure out what everyone was doing and how they were doing it. I found it interesting how everyone contributed to a part of the story and added their own twist to the plot. I eventually built up the courage and had an argument with Ms. Potomac (this was before the Potomac rejoined the fleet).
Interviewer: And how do you think you fit into the crew of the Minerva now?
Danae: I am now Chief Engineer, and I think that I am currently a major character on the Minerva and fit in quite well. I try to put in as much as I can (well, as much as Entera can) into the missions and character development.
Interviewer: What's been your favorite mission to date?
Danae: That’s a hard question... but I have to say that my favorite mission was when we did a 'peak performance' type thing... It was our last mission in fact, We split the crew and those on the gutted ship (the USS Kriemheld) had to use what they had in their minds to try to defeat the Minerva. I was on the Kriemheld, and Entera had a lot of fun with the prefix codes of the Minvera...
Interviewer: Sounds interesting. What personally have you gotten out of simming these past few months?
Danae: I have built a lot of friendships with people I would have never known if I had not started to sim. I have also become a better writer over the months.
Interviewer: And that -- being a better writer -- can come into play in many, many different fields. What kind of career are you interested in pursuing?
Danae: Since I was young I have wanted to do something related to science. Over the past few years I have grown to love physics and engineering and I plan to pursue. I tend to lean more towards the physics side though. (that was, I plan to pursue...)
Interviewer: Physics is interesting. Are you ever able to apply any of it in your posting?
Danae: Not as of yet. I still find it hard to do so, but I have tried.
Interviewer: lol, ah. You recently won the "Best Story Post" award from Independence Fleet. What do you think makes a post great?
Danae: Any post that has involvement from many characters is good, this way you include many view points and are able to advance the story line further than a person just using their own character.
Interviewer: That is sound advice, advice that everyone should take heed to. Where do you see the fleet 6 months from now?
Danae: I honestly do not know, The strong ships of the fleet will go on, and hopefully sprout some sister ships off to attract more people to join, At our current rate I see the fleet being very successful with more ships than we currently have. I think posting will go up to, especially as people get used to their school schedules and are able to work in more internet/simming time.
Interviewer: An optimistic outlook. What do you think each crewmember can do to help us get there?
Danae: I think if every should crewmember try to post once a week every week and worked their character in more often into the plot line. This would help missions move along faster and also keep people from feeling left out.
Interviewer: Yes, being active is the most important thing. Simply having a character on a ship creates nothing more than deadweight that everyone else has to pull. Well, we're running out of time. Is there anything you would like to add, Entera? Can I call you Entera, by the way?
Danae: Yes you may call me Entera if you wish. I would just like to say that everyone involved in this should do their duty and post, but most of all everyone should have fun doing this. If you do not enjoy simming, then get out of it because you end up hurting the crew (and yourself if your commanding officer is after you).
Interviewer: lol, very true. Well, thanks for joining us, Entera. Good luck with your future endeavors on the USS Minerva. I'm sure we'll be hearing about you later on.
Danae: Thanks!
Interviewer: Thank you. And farewell.
BOOK AND MOVIE OF THE MONTH
Book of the Month...
This month's book of the month is Mind Hunter, by John Douglas. This autobiography of Douglas's life is a view of the life of the FBI's first profiler. Douglas recounts countless moments where is fear, and mind have been tested as he battles his way into becoming a credited edition to crime detection. He also reviews countless files on serial killers, such as Edward Gien, Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, and even Charles Manson. Mind Hunter is a terrific read for anyone interested in profiling, or the FBI.
On a scale of one to ten this book ranks above a 15. It is an excellent book to read if you truly want to understand how profiling works. Mind Hunter can be found in the true crime section of most Libraries and book stores. You can also see more of Douglas's work with Obsession and Journey into darkness.
Movie of the Month...
This month's movie of the month is Red Dragon. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, and Ralph Fiennes. This is based on the novel, Red Dragon, which precedes Silence of the Lambs as Harris's Lector trilogy. Hopkins reprises his role as the evil Hannibal Lector, who helps his former associate Will Graham (Norton) on a case. Graham is the man who caught Lector, but he still needs Lector's insight into getting into the mind of the killer, Ray Fiennes. The killer has all ready gotten to two families and Will has three weeks to stop him before another family will be hit.
Red Dragon is a good step away from the action thriller Hannibal, and tends to lean on the more traditional uses of psychological fear. Having an all star cast, the movie has become a box office smash, and fans everywhere are hailing it almost better that Silence of the Lambs. The movie is out in theaters now and is rated R, but it is a must see for any viewers who love Hannibal Lector, or who are a fan of Thomas Harris' books.
The Book and Movie of the Month article was written by Captain Damien Hawkins, CO of the USS Legend.
FANTASY FOOTBALL STANDINGS
After six weeks of NFL action, here are the standings from the official Independence Fleet Fantasy Football League...
1. Fruitland Firecrackers – 56,433
2. Bleeding CarolinaBlue – 47,729
3. Houston Heroes – 47,615
4. Salisbury Imperials – 47,209
5. Summerfield Satists – 47,063
6. Bath Tubs – 46,918
7. North Carolina Wolverines – 46,667
8. Hagerstown Howitzers – 40,546
9. Lucky Stars – 40,503
10. Cheektowaga Flamingoes – 32,420
11. Harrisonburg Plungers – 29,673
12. williamston bulldogs – 26,478
13. Danzig hohenzoellers – 26,612
14. K.L Troopers – 10,850
15. Baltimore Patriots – 9,782
The Fruitland Firecrackers are coached by Adm. Charles Star
The Houston Heroes are coached by Capt. Victor Davidson (acting CO of the USS Goliad)
The Salisbury Imperials are coached by Vadm. Robert Seldon
The Baltimore Patriots are coached by Lt. J.G. Jima Jarvas, SCP of the USS Patriot
The Cheektowaga Flamingoes are coached by Lt. J.G. Veronica Eckel, Y of the USS Washington
Each week coaches manage a roster of 14 players and a salary cap. Points are awarded based on the on-field performances of the players. More detail about this will be included in a future newsletter.
CLOSING
This newsletter is a little shorter than normal, but I hope you still found it both informative and entertaining. If you have any suggestions or comments, please send them to LodeStar82@aol.com. That’s the only way I’ll know how I’m doing with it. Your insight is always welcome. Anyway, until next time...
Admiral Charles Star
Commanding Officer
USS George W. Bush, NCC-2004