Jump to content
UNRV Ancient Roman Empire Forums
  • entries
    131
  • comments
    378
  • views
    95,955

About this blog

With the eyes of the Overlord

Entries in this blog

 

Baby - one more time....

...first encounter, little sister meets new born son for the first time... I think they like each other...                           p.s....my genetic contribution to this planet is now over, thanks it was a pleasure

Viggen

Viggen

 

Weapon worn on belt

...in my series of "what people are looking at Google", my todays freak search phrase is "Weapon worn on belt",it never has been in the Top 20 search phrases, i couldnt find it even in the Top 40, and yesterday all of a sudden hundreds of people are looking for "weapon worn on belt", there are of course two things that could have caused this, first, all of a sudden (crossword, TV show, news report) people are searching for this, or people have always searched for this in numbers but for some google algorythmic reason we got promoted for this search phrase by google yesterday.   I can see us on the first page for "weapon worn on belt" and it goes to our Legionary Equipment Page.   cheers viggen

Viggen

Viggen

 

Battlefield post office

I have to send quite regualry maps to various customers around the world and luckily till about a few months ago the delivery rate was really good. I think one in 100 maps arrived damaged in some form or shape, so nothing to worry about. However...   About a month ago my post office informed me that round tubes are no longer served, i cannot use them anymore, reason beeing they cannot be stacked, they roll, so they are a logistical nightmare. Ok, whats the alternative? I was told that there is a very good alternative that cost the same and is basically a tube with corners , so they can stack..   well i show you how sturdy those bastards are below... (image thanks to a not so happy customer)     As you can see that thing is quite flat, so i learned two things; dont trust anyone, and those parcels are not handled with care... Conclusion, i invested in better tubes, in fact if they manage to break them than i give up, see below the monther of all tubes... cost three times as much as a normal one but apparently a Boing 747 can roll over it (not really)...  

Viggen

Viggen

 

Speed Reading

The average reader manages about 160 to 250 words per minute (wpm). I was a till a week ago at around 260 wpm which is already a bit above the average but nevertheless not really satisfied. I bought a speed reading book and practising now for one week, having managed to finish about a third of the exercises i am currently at a reading speed of 620 wpm. Reading fast without understanding is of course not really useful, so i am glad my speed reading book has its focus on not only reading faster but also understanding what you reading. I would estimate that i will eventually get to 800 wpm without compromising comprehension.   How fast are you reading?

Viggen

Viggen

 

Bye Bye Wordpress

...after 11 years it is time to move on. Worpress served us at times ok but security and spam issues are got so out of hand its no longer sustainable, and that despite the good reputation it has in general. There are just too many hack attacks and spam floods coming with it that i decided the time has come...   To give you an idea, we run wordpress really only for the front page, basically a news window to new content we produce. The forum, gallery, blog and download section is all one softare and integrated. Now the front page will join the party. Its a huge upgrade for us. There is one database driving than all comunity related. Looking really forward to that. The only thing that is left are the internal pages. Those are all hand coded with no database at all, that will be than the final step to have everything from one database.   A beautiful example (hey dont shoot me if you hate chelsea) is this page that uses the full software suite (forum, home page and content) http://www.talkchelsea.net/   ...so dont be surprised to see the home page soon in a bit different look...

Viggen

Viggen

 

E-mails oh E-mails

...one of the real pain in the ass consequences of having many fake accounts is that email get bounced, ALLOT! Which means the reputation with email providers (Gmail, hotmail, etc..) drops like a stone. Which in the end means almost no emails gets delivered, because everyone in the email-world thinks you really suck!   This happened in 2013 and with most of the internal notification system done via email, hardly anyone ever got a notification that someone replied, or that he got a new message or a post was quoted etc...   Which means we had a considerable drop in engagement as people just did not get notifications... In the end it got so bad i couldn't even send out a single email without having the dreadful "return to sender" mail coming back to me...   Luckily there are companies like Smtp2go. As of September we are using their service and it works like a charm. Not only does everything work again as it should be, now it is even better than before. Their reputation is so good that we can reach now people that had before our mails ending up in their spam folder...   All internal communication (and external for that matter) and notification are now via Smtp2go and you should get now all of them uninterrupted!   cheers viggen

Viggen

Viggen

 

117.2 kg (258,381771 pounds) was enough

When you are 187cm (6.1 ft) tall and reach 117.2kg (258,38 pounds) than you know you have a (weight) problem, i didnt like it at all, so about a month ago i started to eat less and better, and 4 weeks later i am down now to 112,9 kg (248,90 pounds). While this is cool and all i realised that eating habit change alone is not going to make me feel better and there will be not much room for a little sin here and there, so i walked yesterday to a gym, signed up and today i already had my first hour there...   I am a early bird, its not unusual for me to wake up at 4 in the morning, but on average i wake up between 5 and 6, so it was to my great excitement when i saw that this particular gym has opening hours from 6 in the morning, which has the added benefit that there is no crowd of muscle packed hunks and super slim barbie dolls, and Mr. 249 pound in the middle... Had this morning first session and well who would have thought, but muscle packed hunks and super slim barbie dolls apparently work out already at 6 on a sunday morning. They were all pretty cool helpful and well more busy with themselves than with me, so yeah, feels good to have some work out early in the morning, i hope to shed now weight on a bit faster rate...   ....i keep you up to date..

Viggen

Viggen

 

Why it`s hard not to hate the South African Post Office

08th of April birthday parcel sent from Austria to South Africa 30th of April, first enquiry at the South African Post Office for the parcel as no collection slip has yet arrived - Answer; no parcel has arrived 08th of May, second enquiry for same reasons with same result 22th of May, third enquiry for same reasons with same result 05th of June, fourth enquiry for same reason - were told, "oh, that parcel has been sent back to Austria as no one collected it" FUUUUUUUUUUUCK

Viggen

Viggen

 

When a hobby turns into work....

Phew, now when we (PP, Moon and I) started in 2003 with Unrv.com we couldnt imagine how this all would turn out, all we wanted was a simple site with some basic info for a online role play game that theme was the Roman Empire...   The growth of articles and members and contributers is growing in a pace thats just incredible, to give you some examples...   Google has 58.000 pages indexed, now thats massive looking back starting with about 20 a few years back...   2007 till yesterday Unrv.com had almost 3.000.000 pageviews and almost a million unique visitors   I (not sure how many PP gets but assume plenty to afraid to ask ) get about 20 to 50 emails a day concerning Unrv.com   We get contacted by bestselling authors, top universities and Professors from all over the world, and all that i have to manage in a few hours in the morning.   So please excuse me if my replies are sometimes slow, or a review isn`t published right away, the newsletter is not as often, or you dont see me around as much as you think i should...   We have hundreds of ideas how to make Unrv.com even better or more interesting, however we all have a day-job, so implementing new stuff takes unfortunatly more time then we want...   ...sometimes i wonder if i should just ignore all the monthly bills that i have, quit my job and work full time on Unrv.com...   ...anyway thanks to all the contributers that makes this place special...

Viggen

Viggen

 

12288 / 1024

12288 / 1024 thats the fastest (and sort of affordable) dsl rate in austria. I know that austria is relatively expensive when it comes to broadband fees, for that 12288 down/ 1024 up connection you pay 89 Euro per month (about 95 dollars), i wonder what the fees are in other places around the world.   Here are some prices for broadband in Austria;   12288 / 1024

Viggen

Viggen

 

Chick Flicks

I was recently told i am one of the few male that actually enjoys watching chick flicks, now what does that say about me?   Chick flick (also "chick's flick") is slang for a film designed to appeal to a female target audience.... Although many types of films may be directed toward the female gender, "chick flick" is typically used only in reference to films that are heavy with emotion or contain themes that are relationship-based (though not necessarily romantic)...   ...to put it even more drastic, i would like to quote Jude Law`s Character Graham Simpkins in The Holiday, as he referred to himself as a weeper when it comes to romantic movies...   ...to my testosterone`s defence, i have to say though, that i do not have problems to go, after watching (and weeping) The English Patient, out on the hockey field and body-check the hell out of the opposition... now what does that really say about me? LOL   ...whats your ultimate chick flick?

Viggen

Viggen

 

European Union Elections

Why i got up this morning and went to the voting poll...   Living at the border to two other EU countries (Italy and Slovenia) makes you appreciate the EU a bit more then the average european. I mean i remember the times going on holiday to Italy very well, you already lost money by exchanging currencies and you had no real clue what things would really cost (Italians had the lira back then and the smallest denomination was the 1.000 Lira note).   For Example; if you want to work for another EU country, well you know, just move there, no applications, no forms, no questions, you are citizen of the EU, just go there and start to work...   For Example; Europe must be the bloodiest battle field in the History of mankind, so to all youngsters out there, it wasn`t always the way it is today, you know, chances are my grandfather was shooting at your forefathers and vice versa...   There are a million reasons why the EU sucks, but believe me there are even more reasons if we didnt have one...

Viggen

Viggen

 

111.8 kilograms = 246.476809 pounds

...my road to loose weight will take much longer than i anticipated, however i make it as pleasant as possible and try to make lifestyle changes rather than just a diet and some workout. I started to read up allot on paleo and primal diet, (very low carb, lots of protein and fat), so if you are a vegetarian, this is defenitely not for you...   As with many things in live i rather aproach this with a relaxed attitude and small things can make a difference already. For example I knew one of my problems where my excessive coffee intace (caffeine stimulates insuline production), so i reduced it now to 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the afternoon (thats 50% less, so you see there was something i had to work on), of course i dont sweeten the coffee either, but with the spirit of primal eating i use full cream instead of milk (low fat is a total no go for primal eating).   I must say although i am far away from being primal, i do feel already much more energized, i am stronger, healthier and have more endurance, btw. weight is now at 111.8 kilograms = 246.476809 pounds which is compared to two months ago 117.2 kg (258,381771 pounds) so in 8 weeks i lost 5,4 kg (11.9049622 pounds) , thats 0.675 kilograms = 1.48812027 pounds per week which is very pleasing as i built muscle as well in that time, and its a rate that is sustainable for the next couple of months...

Viggen

Viggen

 

How to become a politician

I contaced (via email) every political party that is represented in austrian parliament! I had one question regarding a specific issue and what there stand is on it, and also if there are any person i could talk about it in my town and maybe (if i am happy with it) join their political party....   8 weeks later i must say it was rather interesting....   2 parties have not responded till today 2 parties have responded with a canned automatic response, not going into the fact that i want to speak with someone in my town 1 party did all i asked, (relatively quick reply, gave me contact person in my town and send me information how to become a member) 1 party i contacted even though they are not in the parliament, but getting lot of press lately here; the pirate party (but it is so chaotic there i couldnt work with them, i guess when you beyond a certain age, you need some sort of structure)   I had a constructive talk with representative of party Nr.5 and after i am back from Rio de Janeiro, i might join them. I am not going to be the next president,but i might change some local stuff that i always wanted to be fixed. What better way to actually try and do something about it than just complain, right?

Viggen

Viggen

 

Decades before Industrial became mainstream...

Loud, pounding drums; harsh, whispered vocals; unusual instrumentation; and a somewhat catchy tune buried underneath. That old-timey bit at the beginning? That's sampling. Caledonia by Cromagnon has all the staples of modern industrial music (minus the angsty lyrics), and it came out way back in 1969.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPiO_G-DEHs

Viggen

Viggen

 

Tudo Bem?

...to combine the need to learn portuguese with making my blog more active, i will keep this as a diary of my progress, (well we will see about that progress part)...   ....as it happens Transparent Language gave away free downloadable language course in exchange of writing about the experience, so here i am busy downloading a 330 MB file, its a bit slow for my liking (just under 200kb/s) but hey, its a free download. There is also an option to download an Ipod version, (dont have one, so skip that). All in all i am rather excited, i should have started learning portuguese long ago...   I keep you up to date...     p.s. they even have a Latin course available....

Viggen

Viggen

 

110.7 kilograms = 244.051724 pounds

This is hard, much much harder than i thought. I fear with age the ability to loose weight fast disappears....   I tried really hard with exercise and not eating too much, despite all my efforts for a long time i was stuck at around the same weight level. It was as if my body pulled a switch and decided to not loose any weight anymore. Only a few days ago this "threshold" seems to have been broken through and i finally have a new weight to announce, slow very slow but nevertheless the pounds are melting...   i keep you up to date...

Viggen

Viggen

 

Karelian Bear Dog

Right now, the Karelian Bear Dog is the most named dog in Austria. Given that this breed was basically unknown a couple of days ago here, it is a rather big jump in popularity! So how did this Karelian Bear Dog became so famous overnight?   There is a bear in western austria, he is ratherr naughty and kills sheep, destroys dens and gets closer to humans every day, experts speak about a "problem bear" meaning he lost fear of humans. Now one way would be to just shoot him. However the european brown bear is protected in Austria, so next best thing is to catch him. Thats were the Karelian Bear Dog comes in to play. A handfull of this breed came over to Austria from Finland. and now they search for the bear and Austria is watching....   ...here is an english article about "Bruno" the Bear

Viggen

Viggen

 

UNRV Anual Digital Classics Conference

...last night i had a really strange dream,we were hosting a conference for publisher and authors, but who knows maybe i just glimpsed into the future...     UNRV Anual Digital Classics Conference London   UNRV ADCC Agenda Overview   09:00am-9:15am Conference Welcome by Chris Heaton   09:15am-10:00am Opening Keynote by Elinor Hirschhorn (Executive Vice President, Chief Digital Officer Simon & Schuster) Classics in the Digital Age - Challenge and Opportunity   10:00am-11:15am Adrian Goldsworthy - How to write for the mainstream without compromising quality   11:15am-11:45am Coffee and Tea   11:45am-12:30pm Caroline Lawrence - Children and the Classics - Why you shouldnt write for little adults but for Kids   12:30pm-13:15pm Andrew Brown, (Managing Director, Cambridge University Press) - Meeting the needs of authors, readers and publishers   13:15pm-14:45pm Lunch   14:45pm-15:30pm Professor Mary Beard, (Classics editor of the TLS) - Engaging the Reader/How to make your writing come alive   15:30pm-16:15pm Olivia Hetreed, (screenwriter) - From the Book to the Screen - Insights from a screenwriter   16:15am-16:45am Coffee and Tea   16:45pm-17:30pm Steven Kessel, (Senior Vice President Amazon) - Kindle/How to profit from electronic books   17:30pm-18:30pm Live Panel - Discussion with all participating speakers who will answer questions from the audience   ...i dream of weird things, right?

Viggen

Viggen

 

ethiopia roman empire red sea closed

...the search phrases with which people arrive via google to our site remain pretty stable and are predictably the same, however one or two are the odd out, every week at least one funny, interesting or obscure search phrase sticks out like a sore thumb....   last week was (150 times searched)   ethiopia roman empire red sea closed which directs the people to this forum thread   ...probably a school project of sorts...

Viggen

Viggen

 

Blue is my colors when it comes to hockey

My hometown in southern austria sucks in any sport except in hockey, thats the only thing we are good at, the only thing that attract crowds... (6 times austrian champion) and we have of course an arch enemy the capital Klagenfurt which is just 40 km to the east... yesterday for the 295th time we played against each other, thanks to the NHL lock out even with three players from the NHL Sam Gagner (Edmonton Oilers) and Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres) for the Reds and Michael Grabner (NY Islanders) for my team.   Michael Grabner is a native Villach guy, so it was a question of honor for him to play here. (btw. just a few miles to the south comes a Stanley Cup winner Anze Kopitar [slovenia] from the LA Kings)   ...in any case, 1:3 and 2:4 behind and we turned the game in the last 10 minutes to a 5:4 win!   fantastic crowd, full house and very very loud!   Blue and White forever!   here a highlight video of the game http://www.laola1.tv...28--100364.html

Viggen

Viggen

×