News: 1589545087

>But this is why we have Dungeons & Dragons – so society's untouchables can be kept out of sight in basements around the world

Seems like Richard is still sore that his 6th level fighter was killed by a brutal DM...

Sore that during my first time playing my half-elf wizard tried to initiate an adventure, while my school pals thought the first thing they would do would be to go fishing...?!

Of course, in the current environment of "social distancing", that's everybody.

Instead of looking at Wuhan, perhaps Donald should be investigating those nerdy DMs as the source of COVID-19?

That's not 'D&D', that's 'Paranoia'.

Yup, the anorak, please. Yes, and the backpack full of rule books and dice...

The computer is your friend, either way...

I would worry more about the 14th C plague "doctor". Someone with a hardcart yelling, " [1]Bring out your dead ".

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcbR1J_4ICg

At least he didn't end up saying [1]"Tis but a scratch"

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmInkxbvlCs

Actually all of this face mask theatre (either bloody useless or a medical article that other people are experiencing a shortage of, like medics, nurses) let me think about exactly that. At least a "plague nose" would be more efficient in protecting both the others and myself. If I put in a filter... hm.

(about the effectiveness of cloth masks: yeah, they do sort of protect the others a bit so you don't cough on them directly, but even better - and in fact what you still should do - is 1. keep distance, 2. wash hands and keep them out of your face, 3. when in doubt don't go out - feeling unwell? Stay at home! Don't use the train and ffs don't come into work (like people used to). 4. avoid being inside with others. A cloth mask mainly keeps back some of the bigger droplets you exhale). Ok, so it's not completely useless, but not terribly efficient either... And looking at how people are wearing theirs, or putting it on / taking it off - that makes it bloody dangerous to them or others. Touching all sides of the (worn already for a fortnight) mask before putting it on and then touching the shopping cart or the packages, or door handles, etc means that they are spreading whatever they are breeding in that almost perfect environment of their mask very efficiently. Then, when packing the mask away, they again touch all sides of it, so they can add every germ they have picked up to their mouth-covering (most seem to forget to cover the nose) petri dish. Sorry, but that had to get out. I'll grab a drink, it's Friday and I have all sorts of alcohol in my office (at home, workplace is dry, so not everything is bad). Stay healthy (and if you work in an important job, like healthcare: thanks! Though those probably don't have much time to read, surely not my drivel.)

One of the better articles on the topic.

https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them

Meanwhil SWMBO is busy making some masks. Yes, theatre of dubious value but it might become socially necessary theatre over the next few weeks..

Why worry about that? The "doctor" was wearing a face mask. Since the regulations around my neck of the woods "require" a mask, even if it's a scarf, then anything counts.

Yes, the Darth Vader mask is valid in my book.

Forget the guy with the sword, I'm more concerned about the cops walking around with a grenade launcher! What could possibly go wrong?

If this had happened in America then you would know it was a white guy, because they let him walk away instead of shooting him.

Very little could go wrong because it's loaded with baton rounds which is a "less lethal" way of taking down violent people with knives etc than a bullet. Technically it's the [1]Attenuating Energy Projectile.

Basically, if your a knife wielding nutter the UK police would try and tazer you as a first attempt. This is unlikely to work against somebody wearing armour, so they've dug out the baton gun. A few baton rounds tends to result in the guy with the knife dropping it, clutching the area hit and swearing profusely. The idea being that the police can then heroically slap the handcuffs on with only moderate risk of getting knifed.

The most serious injury with a Baton round to date in the UK was a bloke under the influence who charged an armed response squad with a bladed weapon. He took several baton rounds and kept going, the last at ~3 metres from the policeman resulted in a groin injury and he dropped the knife. And later had one testicle surgically removed, but that's still a rather better alternative than getting a 3 round burst of live ammo from a G36, which he was about a second away from getting.

[1] https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/armed-policing/attenuating-energy-projectiles/

Or in layman's terms, a ballistic beanbag in the bollocks...

https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/violence/rubberplasticbullet.htm

These tragic deaths are in the UK.

They were. And note it was plastic ammo fired in the 1980's, which would have been small rounds fired at high velocity which could still penetrate the body, hence why the use of those was discontinued in the UK.

The modern systems fire big rounds at lower speeds hence the "grenade launcher". There have been no deaths using that system.

Might be a tear gas launcher, too, but that sounds a lot more plausible.

Our police use the (infamous) Taser guns in our chunk of the world.

The old rubber bullets also used to have issues with the police intentionally firing at the ground so the rubber would then come off the projectile before it ricocheted. Thus making it substantially more unpleasant than before.

And who says the police don't have a sense of humor or fair play..

I must be blind as I'm not seeing a grenade launcher but state of the art rifles. On the other hand, a guy in armor with a sword might justify a grenade launcher.

I know Bootnotes articles don't need it, but there is one: the incident took place just 1Km south of "Pascal Close", "Fortran Road" and "Cobol Road".

For anyone disbelieving, [1]here's the map .

The lake in question is near the bottom of that map near the railway, and the roads near the top in the pink-coloured industrial area. The names show up as viewed in my web browser, but you may need to zoom in a bit if they don't.

Actually, do try zooming in, to the bit where Fountain Lane joins Fortran Road and... no, tell you what, [2]I'll do it for you . Openstreetmap, eh?

M.

[1] https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/51.5241/-3.0810

[2] https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/51.52880/-3.08634

Ha ha, well spotted.

I'm curious what a "bust stop" is? On the other hand, I might not want to know. Must be something that's part of British culture. Or a Monty Python thing.

And in case anyone though you couldn't make it up here's another Pascal Close surrounded by a few more interesting names: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=488645&Y=290360&A=Y&Z=110

Will people dress as the Donald

but the orange one carrying a bottle of Clorox is a shoe-in for future Halloweens.

"No criminal offences were committed and the man was given suitable advice."

Presumably "and don't do it again, sunshine" which is the most galling thing when having done nothing illegal, let alone anything wrong.

The one made from Coke can ring-pulls ->

(Yes, that dates me)

"Just casually... strolling around the village in a plague costume? That's just not normal, is it? Do it indoors, it's bloody terrifying for poor little kids," a witness said.

Molly-coddled kids these days.

Far scarier was served up as childrens TV in my day [1]'Noseybonk' a prime example.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOkuiHZH4zI

Not to mention some of Tommy Boyd's jumpers on the same show...

A man has been seen walking around with a shed on his head. A shed that blasts music and has disco lights. Oh, and has flames coming out of the chimney.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/mystery-man-walking-down-bristol-2795702

I'm sure we've all been wondering whether the major side-effect of lockdown will be an explosion of creativity, or a mental health crisis.

Based on that story the answer is yes, yes it will.

I'm sure we've all been wondering whether the major side-effect of lockdown will be an explosion of creativity, or a mental health crisis.

Based on that story the answer is yes, yes it will.

Bit of both probably, look at Van Gogh.

Hopefully better output than a row of bricks or some tarts unmade bed.

I was in a Cardiff pub many years ago when Arthur Pendragon announced his presence towards last orders. He then cajoled most of the drinkers into joining hands in a big circle and having a dance in the courtyard after kicking-out time. He said he was in town for an "inter-faith concert with the Right Reverend Lional Fanthorpe at Raja's Snooker Club" the next evening, obviously.

Ok, Arthur Pendragon is a druid (indeed, Britain's top druid) and not a knight, but still, as sightings go it seems in the same ballpark.

You mean Britain's top fake druid.

Druidism died out in the British Isles.

(For many reasons. Mostly Christian persecution.)

And it was an oral tradition so no primary source historical record exists.

What passes for druidism now in an 18th century confection.

So a bit like Scientology in some respects?

You mean Britain's top fake druid.

Druidism died out in the British Isles.

(For many reasons. Mostly Christian persecution.)

And it was an oral tradition so no primary source historical record exists.

What passes for druidism now in an 18th century confection.

So a bit like Scientology in some respects?

The most of what we have on 'the druids' was Roman writings, so I'm not even sure most of it is any more accurate than horned vikings or upright Tyranosaurus Rex.

As to 18th century confection?. Most of science, history and archeology also springs from dubious 18th/19th Century practices.

Not anything like Scientology.

I think you will find that the Romans did for the Druids more due to 'political' expedience than religion.

The Druids were the main movers and groovers in Celtic society, they were literally king makers and the Romans didn't like that.

Look up the Angelsey massacre of Druids where most of the last Druids on the British mainland were killed.

Just a flesh wound!

The masks were leather with the snout filled with wool, through which breath was taken. Would wool have had some sort of filtering effect from y. pestis -- not clear.

For LARP tape. Oh whoops, just posted it on the internet. No wonder I'm not a multi million dollar startup owner. :(