Eulingu - a language project for Europe

For my first proper post for the new year, I'll talk 'bout the still-in-development Eulingu.

What is this "Eulingu" you might ask? Well, apart from being a language intended for a European audience, it's also a continuation of ideas from a previous conlang made by the starters of the Eulingu project, called "Duirún" (see the post on the Eulingu blog for more history), and was intended to be made by a community in a sort of open-source mentality rather than by one person. These things might not make it particularly special, and indeed there's limits to how much you can make a conlang open-source (in particular, development is currently closed off to the general public for a bit while ideas are floated and weighed against each other, with the focus on giving a near-finished product rather than expecting the greater community to do all the legwork - compare this to how many open-source programs tend to be made by a small knit group of people, but on release are shared on a much greater scale with anyone interested.)

Eventually, when Eulingu is "ready", the aim is to have the greater community mull over it and help improve it and sharpen it up. In some ways, this doesn't seem quite as exciting as the idea of having 2000 or so people vote on every single feature of a language, but I do believe there are people experimenting with that sort of language creation too! Regardless, the fun thing about Eulingu though is that you can get involved, ultimately.

The language also faces various challenges - Europeans might reject the project, instead favouring a natural language like English, German, or Spanish, or might prefer an alternative project, like Esperanto or Interlingua. Regardless, Eulingu is an attempt to create another project and see what benefits it will have, even in the face of uncertainty. If we were afraid of reinventing the wheel, why do we bother learning other languages or writing poetry or stories and so on? (and why would there be so many different types of wheel available today? ;))

As for the language itself (note, these details might eventually be outdated, if not already):
- Nouns of no gender end in -u, unless they're plural in which case it's "i".
Lingu = language, Lingi = languages

- Verbs use -er, and -et for the passive.
amer, amet = to love, to be loved (-er is the same as French -er)

- Tense is indicated using special copulae.
Estu- = present/am/are/is, Pastu- = past/was/were, Vadu- = future/going to be

- These copulae conjugate using the consonant from the pronouns provided, "mu" (me), "tu" (you), "su" (it, they), "nu" (we).
Estum = I am, Pastut = You were, and so on (Estu etc can be used without an ending in the 3rd person, or it can be "Estus").

- The same pronouns used for conjugating "Estu", "Pastu", etc, can be used in the accusative, possessive, even dative, without major changes, but should be modified with -i to be "mi", "ti", and so on to agree with plural things that are possessed (mi kati = my cats), and o/a for the male and female gender if they are used (mo kato = my male cat).

- Adjectives use -us, but replace the "u" with i/o/a if necessary. Ma kata matras = my maternal cat. Sometimes adjectival sort of phrases can be made using the genitive preposition "d'". There's also "lu" (or li, la, lo, etc) for the definite article, and "un-" for the indefinite article (un, uni, uno, una).
"La kata grandas d'ma patro" = the great female cat belonging to my father.

- Adverbs can be made using "-es" and normally follow the unconjugated verb (-er verbs). Manger rapides = eat quickly.

- Participles can be at this point made out of "er" and "et" using "-u(s)" (or changed for gender/plurality if needed) at the end. "Skriberu" = writer, "un katu ametus" = a loved cat, and so forth.

Currently, spelling is not entirely phonetic when it comes to "g" - at the moment it is being used for both hard and soft roles (pagu = 'pa:dZu, amer = a'me:). These sorts of things will be sorted out later.

Hopefully that's enough to get you interested if you're so inclined. If you are, I urge you to visit the Eulingu blog and Facebook pages for more info, or if you want to get involved. The language will no doubt grow over time, and start to appear differently, so don't lose track of it ;)

Eulingu @ Blogspot
http://eurolanguage.blogspot.com.au/

Eulingu @ Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/groups/eulingu/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eulingu/

Eulingu will most likely have its own site eventually, which will help consolidate things too!

Well, it's been a while

Sorry for anyone with an interest in this blog, I keep forgetting it exists ;) In the coming months though I should be using it a lot more as I try to keep tabs on a number of projects, one being writing, one being conlanging, and one being life in general (that's a project, right?).

All the best for 2012, here's to there being no apocalypses!

Ludrecenzo por Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Esperanto)

Tio ĉi estas reskribo de mia origina ludrecenzo pri la ludo "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker" (En Esperanto, la titolo tradukas al "Metala Aparato Solida: Pacmarŝanto").

Ne longtempe, eble nur unu semajno antaŭ hodiaŭ, mi aĉetis "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker" (MGS:PW), la lasta ludo en la fama ludserio "Metal Gear" de Koĝima Hideo. Mi devas diri, antaŭ mi ados,  ke tiu ĉi ludo estis nomata "Metal Gear Solid 5" antaŭ plua evoluado de la ludo daŭris. Mi diris tiun, ĉar mi pensas ke tiu ĉi ludo facile povus nomiĝadi kiel "la Kvina" sen sordidigo de la nomo de la "Metal Gear" serio.

La ludo estas por la Sony PSP konzolo, kaj pro tiu, estas eble ke Sony ne volis nomi la ludon "5", kiam la aliaj numeritaj ludoj en la serio ne aperas en la PSP konzolo, kaj okcidentaj ludantoj ne havas multaj de PSP konzoloj, nur PS3 konzoloj, do ili povus iĝi kolera al Sony ĉar "5" ne estus en la PS3.

Nun, la vera ludrecenzo, anstataŭ diskuto pri la publikado de la ludo. La ludo estas bonega ludo, kaj mi ne malcertus rekomendi la ludon al alia persono. Unue, la ludo "Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core" estis la ludo por la PSP havanto, kaj ankoraŭ estas havdeva, sed MGS:PW estas pli bona ludo grafike, sone kaj eĉ tute.

La rakonto de la ludo estas bonega kaj belega - mi nun preskaŭ kompletigis la ludon (malsame al la Angla lingva recenzo) kaj mi miras de la aferkoncerneco kaj la aldoneco al la pli granda super-rakonto de la ludserio. La ludo rakontas la komencon de la militista grupo Militaires sans Frontières (Soldatoj sen Limoj), kiu iĝos la nacion "Outer Heaven" en la frua "Metal Gear" ludo. Ĝi ankaŭ rakontas la okazon kiam Serpento (Granda Estro, "Snake/Big Boss") komencas ne zorgi pri la malbonaj pli fruaj okazoj en sia vivo.

Ankaŭ en la ludo estas:
- Metala Aparato ZEKE, metala aparato kiu oni faras kaj uzas.
- "Extra Ops", kromaj misioj en kiu oni eĉ povas batali kontraŭ la monstroj de la ludo "Monster Hunter".
- "Outer Ops", eksteraj misioj en kiu oni povas uzi oniajn soldatojn kiel en la ludo "Pokémon/Poketto Monsuta".
- "Co-Op", kie oni povas ludi kun amikoj en normaj kaj kromaj misioj
- kaj eĉ plu!

Mi pensas ke tiu ĉi ludo indas ~ 10 steloj

Steloj: **********

Game Review for Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker

Recently, in fact only 4 days ago, I bought Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, the latest game in Hideo Kojima's famous Metal Gear series. It should be noted before I continue that this game was originally called Metal Gear Solid 5, before further development occurred, and the reason I mention that is because this game could pass as the sequel to the main series quite easily. Nonetheless, Peace Walker is a game for Sony's PSP, so it's likely that Konami decided that calling it "5" would be met with hostility by western consumers who do not have any where near as many PSPs as they do PS3s etc (in Japan though, PSPs continue to sell like hotcakes even this far into their life).

Now for reviewing the actual game rather than discussing some of the intricacies related to how it was published. Peace Walker itself is an extremely good game, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to any PSP owner. Originally, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core was the game for PSP owners, and it still is a must have, but in graphics, sound, and overall presentation, it does lack a bit now compared to MGS:PW. In fact, MGS:PW has better graphics than many games from the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era. There are some noticeable texture resolution problems, but these should only ever stand out once you've unlocked a certain set of Extra Ops missions (I shall get to that later).

Of course, a game is not 100% presentation (although I suspect that MGS:PW could win alone with just that), and MGS:PW has a brilliant addition to the over-arching Metal Gear plot. In particular, it chronicles the birth of Militaires Sans Frontières, which for those not learned in French, means "Soldiers without Borders". The significance of this being that this group becomes Outer Heaven, which serves as a future plot point in some other games - or should I say, a past plot point, since the original Metal Gear games are rather old now. It also delves into the personal story of Big Boss and his post-mortem relationship with his mentor The Boss. Also covered in the plot are the rescues of some Sandanista members (part of a revolutionary force in Central America), and most importantly the stopping of a new weapons platform.

And this is where fans of the series are in for a treat - this game not only pits you against a new Metal Gear (as per usual), which is quite important as far as the plot goes, but also pits you against various AI machines of similar attributes, while being able to use scrap from defeated bosses to build your own Metal Gear (this actually reflects part of the original Metal Gear plot, which only really gets resolved in Metal Gear Solid: 4). So expect all the fun boss battles from the other Metal Gear games. Not only that, but these bosses also have excellent presentation - the graphics are excellent, as are the animations, movements, attacks, and everything else.

This brings the review to another wonderful quirk about this game - Kojima studios have teamed up with so many different franchises this time round to give fans some extra treats. For the AIs, the voicing is done by Yamaha's Vocaloid tool (done especially for Peace Walker), so expect some funky (OK, "creepy" is a much better word) Hatsune Miku style singing to come from the AIs when battling them (or hearing them flying overhead). This adds to the sense of innocence and naïvety the AIs will give you, making you feel as if you're fighting not against gruff killer machines, but children given very dangerous weapons thinking the fighting's all a game. Another franchise crossover is evident as soon as you start listening to one character's (Chico, one of the Sandinistas) briefing tapes, and start hearing the words "monster" and "hunter" being repeated over and over again. Eventually (you'll probably need help from the internet for this), you'll find a certain Monster Hunter Freedom Unite character in an Extra Ops mission, who, mistaking you for a brave hunter, will take you to las islas del monstruos.

And you'll fight a Rathalos.

The fun part: It's about 1000x times more deadly than in Monster Hunter, and your "bowgun" (lame reference by me to the gun style weapon class in Monster Hunter) is about 1000x more deadly too (well, lets face it, Snakes lock-on missile launcher vs a crossbow with gunpowder?). So expect a very intense battle. And a lot of swearing directed at the weaker monsters running around jumping on you.

So, basically when you buy the game you get:
- The main story's missions (a decent amount at that)
- Extra ops, missions that don't progress the story much but often involve mercenary or clean up work (there's something like 120+)
- A Co-Op mode that allows you to play the above missions in 2-4 player mode (for most missions anyway), but be warned that this requires that you play in person with someone rather than over the internet (Ad hoc only)
- Outer Ops, sort of like automatically-played out pokémon style battles, where you send off troops while you're completing missions then see the results of battles in a fairly well presented format
- Mother Base/Outer Heaven, related to the "RPG" side of the game, where you put recruited soldiers into different departments that help your main game, e.g. R&D who make new weapons and items for you, the Combat Unit used for Outer Ops, a sickbay, a medical team (of course!), and various other teams required to keep the joint running smoothly
- A Metal Gear you get to work on and modify slowly, and then send into Outer Ops battles
- R&D where you go and make new items for the main game, and repair vehicles for the Outer ops

Not to mention in game there are many treats too, like a Sony Walkman which allows the player to listen to MGS music while playing (also upgradeable by R&D to later and later models released by Sony), the fulton recovery system (basically, a parachute you attach to prisoners or knocked out guards to send them to Mother Base and force them to join your team) which ironically doesn't alert enemy guards despite how noisy it is (they must be used to people being kidnapped or something), and various other bonus features.

Anyway, I'm gonna wrap up and say "GET THIS GAME". It's definitely a 10/10 PSP game, and is better than many console games (although the controls, while excellent, can get irritating after 3 hours straight play, due to how slippery the PSP feels in your hands).

If I have time later this week or month or year, I might rewrite this review in French or something...

Stars: **********

The Automatic. English Indie Band.

Ok, so they might be Welsh. But who cares, these guys rock. They have a good sound, they let you preview their tracks, they um... have a forum on their website?

Seriously though, do yourself a favour and listen to these dudes. Especially if you like bands from the UK or Australia, like Gyroscope. They have a similar sounding accent, but their songs are cooler IMHO.

Go now! Listen!




... You're not listening... LISTEN DAMMIT!

Thank you! :)

Our childhood dreams pave our futures

Some of you probably have heard about the big whooping dome they want to build over Houston. Just search on Google for "Houston dome project" and you'll find many links on this ambitious idea.

A rundown for the unacquainted is that they basically want to build a big geodesic dome over the U.S. city of Houston, which has gotten some positive coverage from the Discovery Channel's website. Now, why on EARTH would you want to build a big friggin dome over such a large city? Well, basically it's to do the same thing a Greenhouse does for plants but for people: condition the habitat for its occupants (in this case vegetables, including the special variant known as couch potatoes). It uses a material that allows UV rays to come through and thus allow plant growth, and the dome would be able to open up certain panels for ventilation et cetera. Overall it's a nice plan if you find a way to convince everyone to drive electric cars and figure out a way for the local new chopper to get it.

So sounds like a nice, futuristic idea, bringing the days depicted in science fiction one step closer. But this isn't the first example of human ingenuity reflecting themes and ideas brought about in science fiction. This makes me ask - are our fantastical ideas of the future as children or in the books we read or movies we see influencing our innovations of tomorrow? It certainly seems so. Of course, some things don't work out - building the tripods from War of the Worlds would be foolish as we A. don't have any murderous martians to put into them, and B. 3 legged transport is inefficient. Anyone who has watched Gundam would know 2 legged transport is the way of the future ;)

So if we really are making our future reflect what we think it should be like, how can we use this to make things better? Could this be used to implement perfect utopia? Could we have human-like AI controlled robots running around as bonafide members of society? And how come certain things (like city-wide domes and robot puppies) are worked on while other grand ideas like socks that never wear out that can be worn as shoes (not quite like this) or holographic HUD sunnies never quite grab attention?

Either way, the future looks very interesting, and given the trend so far, I think we can expect our lower-level dreams of the future to come to fruition soon. At least in Houston :)

Update: This is more what I meant by socks that double as shoes, but with a much less obvious sole (preferably none, but that's thinking a bit TOO big) and with a much longer neck/cuff/whatever the hell you call the long part of a knee high sock. Oh and a single colour, like long white school or sports socks. Now that'd be cool. You can probably guess that I hate wearing shoes.

A can of LOL.

The other day I drunk a whole can of LOL.

No, I wasn't in hysteria. LOL is a new kind of carbonated fruit juice (a whole 99% fruit juice! ZOMG@!!!!!@#!@!!!!!ONEW!!!! - altho 1%'s all you need to still something toxic in).
It's made by Golden Grove in Australia (maybe elsewhere too, I don't know nor care) and it, well, doesn't really taste all that awesome. It's not bad, it's just not good. Although it feels like you're drinking a UDL or Red Bear mixed vodka drink. I swear that remaining 1% not-fruit-juice is vodka.

I find this funny though, as this comes after the iSnack 2.0 debacle where people got emotional over naming a new vegemite product something so crud. But then that makes me ask - Why are you so emotional over something that looks like they put tar or crude oil in a jar and marketed it as spread for your toast?! Seriously, it's as if the Queen has gone an' knighted George W. Bush Jr and revived the East India Company and put him in charge!  Although that would be hilarious.