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OSOAWEEK 446 IS THE LAST ISSUE OF OSOAWEEK. OSOAWEEK HAS CEASED PUBLICATION.
446-------------------OSOAWEEK Ezine of Obliviana Super Occult Amusement Issue 446, 2/16/03 (Ts35, No. 4 / Tarb 18751 / Year 9) by Frank Edward Nora, Lord of Obliviana ----------- ------------------- LORD OF OBLIVIANA ----------- Sat 2/22/03 * 2:53 PM About 4 weeks ago I launched the New Obliviana. Shortly thereafter, an ad for Obliviana appeared in Weird NJ Roadside Guide. As far as I can tell, that ad has not generated any sales or emails... but it has probably introduced some people to Obliviana. This weekend, an ad appeared for Obliviana (I hope) in the program for a gaming convention in Piscataway, NJ (wildgazebo.com). I don't know if I'm gonna get a copy of it. Oh well, maybe I'll go down tomorrow... or maybe not... Checked my Obliviana mail last week, after not checking it for awhile. Nothing in there at all. Kinda depressing. A little over a week ago, I made a new ad for the Summer issue of Weird NJ, and emailed it to them. In Bluffcosm, I decided on a new bitrate, 48kbps stereo. Kind of the lowest stereo bitrate that sounds OK. I have ten Blufftoons directly downloadable from Bluffcosm.com. Plus the 96 on MP3.com, downloadable via the Bluffcosm Radio page on MP3.com. One of the Blufftoons on Bluffcosm.com, "50 Anniversity", I've been listening to a lot. It's a total classic! Now, last week's issue of OsoaWeek said that it was not online. Well, had I not changed the structure of things, it would not have been online. That is, at the time I was writing that part, OsoaWeek (all of it) was effectively "offline", since there was not a link to it from Obliviana.com. But, I resolved the issue somewhat, and indeed there was a link to it by the time I put it online. This was the whole Obliviana Underground thing I discussed last issue. Now, it might seem strange that I would have taken away the link to OsoaWeek in the first place, but it made sense at the time. I am trying to make Obliviana into a serious product, a product that someone would actually pay money to get. So, I really needed to figure out a way to "shield" people from OsoaWeek and all the other stuff that had been on Obliviana.com so as not to confuse them to the point of disinterest. Obliviana Underground is not a great solution, but it will do for now. See, Obliviana is a very complex thing, but I am trying to make it simpler. Response to the Black Envelope and Dashic Deeds... from people I have given it to... shows some things. Mainly, it is too damn complicated, with kind of no justification. So, last week, I decided to simplify the system, with a "35-B" release. I think that was last Saturday, but I decided to delay implemeneting the new idea for some time. Then there was the huge blizzard on Monday, which was Presidents Day, so I didn't have to go to work. And I took the next day off because of the snow. And around that time, I came up with a new idea... a new game idea... which I have named New Fonjo... but let me go back a little... Basically, if you look at the current Obliviana Dashic Deeds system (ie, Obliviana Super Occult Amusement), it has a part that is well-defined, and a part that is poorly defined. On each Deed there is a mission called "The Deed". This makes sense. Do The Deed, Scrawl the Deed. Yeah, double meaning for "Deed"... but this is not the complication I am talking about. Also, there is the "Stormjaunt Element" to set the Storm. This is not so badm but the Chaos Ticket system is a bit cumbersome, so I decided instead to "pre-set" the Storms on each Deed, adding a "Charge" and "Discharge" checkbox. In terms of the overall system, this does not change things too much... it just makes it easier to use. So, the parts that I have decided to radically change are these... Forge of Wander and the Deed Glyphs. And further, Tuoct and Your Fonosta Device. In the current system, each Deed has "Deed Glyph" which you are supposed to enter onto a Forge of Wander card. Well, this is very confusing and off-putting, and I have decided to remove it from the system at this time. Your Fonosta Device, which is a system that would somehow distill all your Stormjaunting into one graphical symbol (using the Tuoct patterns, in my latest idea), is something that I said was "coming soon" in version 1 of the OSOA instructions. Well, I am gonna get rid of it for now. These decisions I think are very wise for the time being. I am not saying that these expanded elements will NEVER be in the system, just that they are holding things back right now. Now, this whole thing did bum me out last week. Becuase it was kind of like giving up on trying to implement all of the Vision of Obliviana. But really, it is not "giving up", just allowing for an Obliviana product to exist in the now, while further development could implemenet these other ideas in the future. Another idea I have wanted to pursue and that is stalled is to make each of the eight Bluffs a unique "theme" or "idea". But this also must wait. Now, it was not long after I made this whole decision to simplify OSOA that I came up with the "New Fonjo" idea. And this idea has kind of thrown everything off balance again! Basically, in the Vision of Obliviana I have desired to create a "little addictive game that scales up into the full system". Well, New Fonjo seemed to be a candidate for this, though I can't see how it can scale up... Last Tuesday I was very happy about the game idea It was very simple, and though I have not yet playtested it, I felt confident it would be a very good game. At that time, I was calling it "Thinkfang Cardgame". "Thinkfang" is a term in Obliviana that remains undefined... So, this past Wednesday some around, and I go to work, thinking a lot about the game. Then this whole other thing happens, which has occupied me totally until last night, when I had another "breakthrough" idea in the game. Whew... okay, alotta ideas this week... okay, here's the thing that happened on Wednesday, which was not Obliviana related... Opie & Anthony are "DJs" (in the general vein of Howard Stern, if you've never heard of them). They have been extrememly popular in the New York area for several years. I am a big fan of theirs. Then, six months ago, they got kicked off the air for a "radio stunt" in which a couple alledgedly had sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral on live radio. Anyway, they've been off the air, and I've been following the news and online message boards and stuff to see what's going on with the situation. So, on Wednesday, I read that an email had just gone out the night before that Opie & Anthony would be going to WNEW (on 57th St. in Manhattan), their former place of work, to empty out their offices, and that they offered that if anyone wanted to show up in front of the building, they might give away some of the stuff from the offices. I work in Manhattan, just a 15-minute subway ride to the place this would be happening. And, I just happened to have my tape recorder with me, with a mostly-unused tape. I went a long time not carrying my tape recorder with me, but with my recent focus on bringing Bluffcosm back, I've been carrying it around more. And... here, let me digress a little more. Last Saturday was the "last video game meeting", and I recorded "Classictronica #4"... more on that later... Anyway, I went to the place, and indeed Opie & Anthony showed up, and it they gave away all sorts of cool stuff, and I recorded the whole thing. That night, I made an MP3 and posted a link to it on an Opie & Anthony message board. People were really happy to be able to hear the event, since at most 40 people had been there in person. One person posted on the message board that what I did was "one of the coolest things a fan has ever done". Yesterday, I got kind of concerned that the downloads would be too much for my web account, which has a limit in terms of data transferred. But I later realized that I was misinterpreting the data by a factor of ten. That is, I was seeing it as 10x more than it actually was... oh well. Anyway, last night I kind of got back to thinking about New Fonjo, and a whole new aspect of the game came to me, in line with previous games I have worked on... and now I need to really work on this new idea. But will this new idea relate to the overall system? Will it affect my decision to simplify OSOA? Hmm... well, I have a lot more to talk about, but my wife and I are going to see "The Lion King" on Broadway now, so I will have to continue later! Sun 2/23/03 * 2:33 PM I think this is going to be the last issue of OsoaWeek. I have come to the conclusion that the Vision of Obliviana is a delusion that is, over time, increasing its crippling effect on my life and creative work. Specifically, Vision of Obliviana as the goal of creative a kind of multifaceted entertainment system where my various creative works combine synergistically to form a greater whole, based on 209 and the Forge of Wander. This idea, upon examination, makes very little sense. I believe that I "came up" with this idea subconsciously to help me occupy my creative and rational abilities. And I think that the delusion has benefitted me, but it's beneficial effects have now been far outweighed by its harmful effects. OsoaWeek is one of the main manifestations of the Vision of Obliviana. That is why OsoaWeek must end, now. Also, I must "resign" as "Lord of Obliviana". Seeing myself as the Lord of Obliviana is also a big part of the delusion. OsoaWeek for a long time now has been basically two things: a personal journal, and a place for Superior. Well, I can start a new personal journal, and I can also create a new place for Superior. OsoaWeek is no longer needed. It's over. This is the last issue of OsoaWeek. I have to go to Long Island now. Mon 2/24/03 * 8:03 PM Let me go over the events I wanted to relate before. The last video game meeting, my friend closing the store. Been listening to an audiobook of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". The main character's intellectual journey kind of parallels my own. Got a Madplayer, a kind of music generator, for Bluffcosm. Somehow got double-charged for it, credit card mistake, etc. Worked on a Palm ebook of "Book of Duskaway", all the Duskaway Superiors. I don't know if I'm gonna continue with that project. Okay! Here we are. I am anxious to end OsoaWeek. But I will talk a little about the situation. Today, it has been sinking in. My Obliviana delusion, crippling my life for so many years. I kept the faith, and believed that it would end with a fantastic success, thus putting the years of struggle into perspective. If that happened, it would all make sense. But that is not what happened. It has not ended well. But better for it to end than for it to continue on. The Vision of Obliviana. Really kind of a vision for a cult with myself as leader. Self-aggrandizing. Creating my own subculture. All my creative works, all my supernatural ideas, with an avid audience loving all of it. Yeah, it sounds completely pathetic, a childish fever dream. But it has been a delusion so ingrained in my mind that I could not see the forest for the trees. It really was like being in a cult. Believing an irrational thing to the core of your being. But the damage to my life had gotten too severe for me to ignore the problem any longer. And so, I am "Getting out of it", deprgramming myself, etc. But I will continue on with my creative endeavors. Actually, I am now much more free to pursue my creative projects, because no longer do I have to fit them into the grand scheme of the Vision of Obliviana. Right now, I am planning on pursuing these projects: Bluffcosm, Severe Repair, Zope, Superior, and Dashic Deeds. Dashic Deeds. Yes, I am going to continue with these, but in a simplified form. And I will keep 209 in the system. From my new perspective, I see the OsoaWeek archive as kind of worthless. An embarrassing record of my pathetic delusions. I know there is some good stuff in OsoaWeek, but I don't know if anyone would ever want to read it. So much rambling, so much wasted effort. So that's it. OsoaWeek is done. I've gotten as much Obliviana as I can take. Mon 2/24/03 * 8:16 PM ------------------- SUPERIOR REVIEW ----------- SUPERIOR 446 * 1/4/96 To flail panties, urge soaked, through lime-scented museums of despair, and loving it. I have a photo of the nipple I am licking. Took a long walk before, calmed me down. Roger must die. Video collection, I said get on with the real world, girl. You meet a lot. It was salty, like tears, and we juxtaposed them. Laugh, it was special, the first hit of that drug in months, and the two of us bathing. (((From OsoaWeek076--1/5/96))) ***** Hey. This is gonna be the last Superior Review in OsoaWeek, because this is the last issue of OsoaWeek. Superior and Superior Review may continue, in another place, but I have no immediate plans. Kind of tough to review this one. I am seeing Superior in a new light, just like Obliviana in general. Just a big waste of time. This writing, Superior, I don't know if it is as good as I believed in my decade-spanning Obliviana delusion. Yeah, I just wanna finish this last issue of OsoaWeek and move on with my life. Anyway, this Superior, kinda okay. Definitely a fictional voice. (Reviewed 2/24/03) ------------------- SUPERIOR 4: HURRICANER ----------- HURRICANER 079 * 2/24/03 * SUPERIOR 1101 The end of OsoaWeek, and end of the Vision of Obliviana. And Superior maybe ending too. Childish obsession with an impossible goal, went on way too long. A cult of one, with me as leader and follower. Now I deprogram myself. And see Superior in a new light. I know there's some good stuff in Superior, but I don't think it's as good as my deluded view of it. HURRICANER 080 * 2/24/03 * SUPERIOR 1102 I am offering you the Modenarc Reptile. HURRICANER 081 * 2/24/03 * SUPERIOR 1103 This could be the last Superior. It all started at 170 Thompson Street, my apartment in Greenwich Village, back in Fall 1987. I went there today, walked into the entrance area. Sour curtain. ------------------- END -----------
445-------------------OSOAWEEK Ezine of Obliviana Super Occult Amusement Issue 445, 2/9/03 (Ts35, No. 3 / Tarb 18709 / Year 9) by Frank Edward Nora, Lord of Obliviana ----------- ------------------- LORD OF OBLIVIANA ----------- Sun 2/9/03 * 11:09 PM This issue of OsoaWeek is going onto the Internet, but it will be inaccessible. I think this is the first issue I've ever put online that no one can get to. It's there, but there are no pathways to it. How did things get like this? Well, I'm in the middle of an Obliviana Crisis. I think there have been Obliviana Crises before, but this one has gotta be the biggest. But I have a good feeling about it. I think that on the other side of this crisis are greener pastures for Obliviana. Here's what happened. Two weeks ago, I launched the new Obliviana website. Specific product for sale, Black Envelopes with Dashic Deeds. Good idea, pretty coherent, seemingly the idea I've been after all these years. On that first version of the page were some links to all the old stuff in Obliviana. All the issues of OsoaWeek, all the old versions of the website. The next day at work, a coworker (who I had received the email I sent) was perusing OsoaWeek001. This made perfect sense, because the first link on the OsoaWeek graphic was to the first set of issues. I was horrified, because OsoaWeek001 descirbes a vision of Obliviana that is quite alien and conflicting with the current system. And I saw that there was a problem. The old stuff in Obliviana does very little to add to the new system, and does a lot to "muddy the waters". So, I moved the links to another page, with a link all the way at the bottom of the page saying "To the archives..." Well, it stayed this way till this weekend. Yesterday and the day before were pretty crazy, with a lot of changes, a lot of conflict, and a lot of progress. I decided that it might be a good idea to stop trying to fit everything together. Once I decided this, all my conflict over "Obliviana Radio" disappeared. I would no longer have to try and cram Bluffcosm into the box of Obliviana Radio, in which it did not fit. Bluffcosm was free to be its own thing, without having t "fit into" any kind of Obliviana Structure. Obliviana, too, was free. Free to be a simple system with endless potential, without the "entertainment divisions" to muddy the waters. Okay. Well, this left a few major projects in Obliviana without a home. Severe Repair and Zope are two projects of mine that I see having their own homepages, eventually. These would also be separate, not having to fit into any overall scheme. All these separate websites... giving up on the dream of synergy between my projects. But hey, seeking the elusive secrets of Obliviana has really fucked up my life. I can't "seek" any more. Or can I...? So what about OsoaWeek and Superior? Well, I could imagine Superior with its own site... but somehow that doesn't feel quite right. All this separation... And OsoaWeek. The OsoaWeek archive. Kinda doesn't add much to the new Obliviana, and detracts greatly. Wow. So what about the OsoaWeek archive. What about the OsoaWeek I'm writing right now? I have to say, I don't want people reading it. This. I don't want people reading THIS. The last paragraph... very disturbing... but it is true. If I want to sell, I need to make changes. And OsoaWeek doesn't fit into the new scheme. So... what's up? Well, the "archives" page is still online. And this issue will be linked from it, but... you can't get to it, except by typing in the url obliviana.com/archives.htm. But who am I kidding? No one would read it anyway. Got an ad in Weird NJ... sent out the email... no orders, no emails, except from people I know. I know that this is to be expected... but still... my dream... falling apart... I really do like the synergistic Obliviana that's in my head. It's great. All the different aspects co-exist and make each other all the more powerful for their interconnections. In reality, I have been forced to break everything apart. I have given up. Well, not entirely yet. And the whole Obliviana thing, the Dashic Deeds, the Black Envelopes. I have kind of a negative feeling about it. See, I had been seeking after this synergy thing with the idea that this whole system with 209 at its heart would allow me to publish my entertainment works and make money from it. But now, the system has excluded the entertainment works. I have to say that Obliviana by itself, just the 209 thing... I don't know... I am kind of bored by it. I'm kind of angry that I have succeeded in one way, but failed in another. I succeeded in creating a workable 209/Stormjaunting system. But I failed to create the synergistic system. Damn, I was sure that Dashic Deeds held the key to the synergy. But they don't. I don't think. Um... so I got a new idea today. I have no idea if it is really a good idea, but I gotta pursue it. I am getting tired of this endlessly-unfolding quest. And this new idea is yet another level of unfolding, and I'm getting really bored with the whole process. I have been drained, and I am getting older. It is kind of sad. Wasted half my life on a pointless quest. But maybe I should wait to see if this idea works out before I say that. So here's the idea. I have this domain and logo, Thinkfang.com. It was originally for an idea about a new way to distribute entertainment. I shoved it aside long ago. And now I have a new idea for it, and it involves a new way to distribute entertainment. Yeah, wow, great, look, everything happens for a reason. Look, I created this idea several years ago, and it made no sense back then but now it makes perfect sense, like fate! Yeah, I am a little bitter. But maybe I should respect this process, kind of like wiping away the grime to see something ever more clearly. Sometimes parts don't seem to make sense till you uncover more areas. So the idea is of, um, having cards like Dashic Deeds, but called Thinkfangs, and each card would represent one piece of entertainment which is available online or on CD or whatever. Yeah... another kind of card. I'm not thrilled by this idea. I would obviously like to merge my two "card systems". But I can't arrive back to where I was, trying to jam these "Entertainment Deeds" into the Dashic Deeds system. So maybe... maybe the two systems should be separate. Or... maybe Dashic Deeds could be a subset of Thinkfangs? This is ridiculous. But I think I may have something here. But I am not convinced. I don't know if this idea will stand up to scrutiny. So, I gotta keep on trying to resolve these conflicts in Obliviana... or is it even "Obliviana" anymore? ThinkfangWeek, anyone? Mon 2/10/03 * 11:46 PM Okay. I was pretty messed-up today, thinking about all this. I was a total wreck in K-Mart. But I finally came up with a solution. Obliviana Underground. Everything goes in there. That's it. No Thinkfang meta-deal, card, thing, whatever. Thinkfang will remain undefined. There's Obliviana Super Occult Amusement, the collectible reality adventure system, and then there is the Obliviana Underground, where all the other stuff is. I don't know if this is quite the best solution, but I am at the end of my rope, and I can't spend additional years searching for the right setup. This is good enough. I have to change the way I think. Drop the insane and obsessive behaviour. While also not giving in and becoming a normal person. Get all Obliviana. ------------------- SUPERIOR REVIEW ----------- SUPERIOR 445 * 1/4/96 A bright-eyed Danielle, and I'm drunk and the elevator operator. If she could only see the real me. The rock star, the novelist, the movie star. Sacrifice for one's relatives is called noble. For me, the sacrifices I have made have prevented me from attaining the stardom and riches I have the raw talent for. But they come to me--brothers, cousins, sisters, aunts--you name it. I should have thrown them all into the street, but no. I have abandoned my dreams to support bad lives and bad habits. (((From OsoaWeek076--1/5/96))) ***** First sentence: brilliant. The rest: really weak. Fictional voice, dull storyline. (Reviewed 2/10/03) ------------------- SUPERIOR 4: HURRICANER ----------- HURRICANER 076 * 2/10/03 * SUPERIOR 1098 Yeah OK, like lame restauarant as cool. The world is bugs. Mind under pressure. Not good. Gotta get movin'. Astor Place subway and New Aster typeface. And a perfect K-Mart psycho meander. HURRICANER 077 * 2/11/03 * SUPERIOR 1099 Weak little insecure nobody loser fucks, all pompous and judgmental, all like above it all, what fucking fake fucks. Soho fuckers, I'm getting tired of their blank, smug expressions. They have dreams and they're trying... but dissing people by being arrogant makes people hate your worthless guts. HURRICANER 078 * 2/11/03 * SUPERIOR 1100 Electronica ferris wheel, blam the newly-grunged future. ------------------- END -----------
444-------------------OSOAWEEK Ezine of Obliviana Super Occult Amusement Issue 444, 2/2/03 (Ts35, No. 2 / Tarb 18667 / Year 9) by Frank Edward Nora, Lord of Obliviana ----------- ------------------- LORD OF OBLIVIANA ----------- Mon 1/27/03 * 7:48 PM Over the past few weeks, and especially over this past weekend, I made a great leap forward in making Obliviana a reality. I worked hard, and the "muse" was with me. I was inspired, and I now stand at the brink of plausibility. But, there is a negative side, and I've grown wise enough not be be at all surprised by it. See, I've been steadily producing creative works, and putting them online, for the past 8.5 or so years. This heap of raw creativity is barely comprehendible to me, so I can imagine how impenetrable it would be to someone else. And now I am standing face to face with it, and wondering what to do with it. All this "fear of success" talk over the years, the self-defeatism. Maybe where I am now is one of the consequences my subconscious mind wished to protect me from with all this defeatism. On the new website, I have two 196x196 pixel squares. One is for OsoaWeek, and has links to all issues, in 8 chunks, because the issues are spread across 8 places. The other square is "Deep Archive: Years of Insanity on the Obliviana Website". So let's call this whole mass of stuff, including OsoaWeek, the "Deep Archive" (DA). The DA has stuff mostly from the four years of 1999-2002. The websites of 1995-1998 are on CD-R, and someday I'll get them all together. I'd like to make a CD-R of all the versions of the website, on one disc. Of course, OsoaWeek spans the entire time from 7/28/94 to the present. I was reading some OsoaWeeks from 97 and 98 recently, and I myself was deeply confused by the writing. "Surface O" was something that I was apparently very concerned with back then, but now my memory of it has faded, and the entire concept behind it seems a little alien to my current point of view. Always seeking, I have been, a means of putting content into context. Surface O had content be in the context of a highly structured web interface. At least, that's what I think it was about. And though that idea is very different from the Dashic Deeds of today, there is similarity--putting content into context. Dashic Deeds put content into context by having the reading/listening/playing of the content being represented by a Dashic Deed. I am fairly confdent that I have arrived at the right idea after all these years. Now I have to face the success I have feared for so long. Success has many levels. Just having arrived at the right idea is a success. And so on, up to being able to make a living off of the whole thing, making an impact on the world, etc. I have written in the past few years in OsoaWeek about how I really don't WANT to do the whole 209/Stormjaunting thing, but that it seems that in order to be able to pursue my creative goals, I need to establish that system. Well, I still feel this way, to some extent. But I am committed to continuing on with the quest of establishing this new system of Obliviana Super Occult Amusement. Yes, I am drifting in my writing, shifting from topic to topic, stream of consciousness, etc. And I realize that even what I am writing right now is a part of the confusing heap of the Deep Archive. I want to continue on with OsoaWeek as it has been, but I also don't want to make it something that's front and center. A few issues ago, I talked about having three different kinds of Obliviana news every week. On the surface, the idea seems ridiculous. But now, I am thinking about really separating OsoaWeek from some kind of "news" section. And then there would be the audio news... the audio side... Obliviana Radio... Obliviana Wander Radio... Stormtoon... Blufftoon... Bluffcosm... Bluffcosm.com... Jaloppio... The New Computerized Audio Entertainment... Wow, I make thing complicated. Let me focus on one question. Let's say I made an archive of my website 1995-1998. Would I want to put it online? I don't think so. I know that a lot of the content on those sites was OsoaWeek, Severe Repair, Superior, etc. before Aerie Obliviana, which brought all the writing together quite well. So I would not want to put those online... So it is a question of content... content I want to keep online, available to be sucked into archives that could last for thousands of years... I think that an updated Aerie would be a good idea. A lot of work, and maybe not of direct use to the world Dashic Deeds, but it would help ease the chaos somewhat. And the other stuff... what else is in the Deep Archive? All sorts of abandoned and suspended ideas... Zope Comics... Bluffcosm News... Ciffipur Pathways... Frank Edward Nora Trading Cards... Obliviana School... So... some kind of compromise... some way of keeping the material available, and in an orderly way, but without it being something someone would casually click on. In other words, to a new visitor, to prevent the ugly confusion of the Deep Archive from hurting the opinion of Obliviana in general. But... something like Ciffipur Pathways, say... does this really even need to be online? I don't really like it. Yes, it's mildly interesting, but it's kind of blah. And Obliviana School... also kind of interesting, but presents information that is contradictory to some of the current Obliviana ideas. On the other hand, ZopeTV is something that I would want to keep online. And Aerie Obliviana, and all of OsoaWeek... and a new Aerie... all I would like to keep online. So maybe a weeding out of junk... outright deleting or making hard to get to... hmm... Now, I realized that with this new Obliviana there is a focus, a context. It is Obliviana Super Occult Amusement, the crazy little game played with cards called Dashic Deeds, each having a far-out mission for you to go on. And all the insanity of the Deep Archive can now be viewed in the context of this new setup. Wow... this issue... what I am writing right now... I realize that I really don't want someone who's just discovering Obliviana to read it. This, and a lot of other stuff. So, what is the solution? Well, I think that I need to move the whole OsoaWeek archive and Deep archive links off the main page. 8:43 PM Well, the whole idea of having one big page with all the content... this is on conflict with the idea that there is some content I want to "hide", so as not to tarnish the image of the new Obliviana. So, I just need some kind of link that will get those who want to get there there, but keep away those that don't... But... does anyone want to go "there"? Hmm... accessible via Deed? Hmm... explore the Deep Archive... a Deed.... Maybe. But then what of OsoaWeek? Hmm... Well, Deep Archives could be handled by a Deed. Well, a Deed that would provide a link to a page for the Deed that would then lead to the Deep Archives. Could there be a virtual Deed, with no physical counterpart? No... I could see Deeds for some areas of the DA. Like ZopeTV... to read the whole thing... But I need to solve the immediate problems of making the OsoaWeek archive and the DA not accessible directly from the homepage. Now, as far as OsoaWeek goes, I should maybe call it a "journal"... Maybe with "about the creator"...? 10:10 PM Well, I changed the website. The links to OsoaWeek and DA are now on an "Archives" page, gotten to by a link at the very bottom of the Deed graphics on the left, saying "To the archives..." The Archives page itself is pretty weak right now, but I felt it was important to get this stuff off the main page, because both OsoaWeek and DA could negatively affect a person's point of view about Obliviana. Case in point, at work this morning, a co-worker was reading OsoaWeek #1, which makes sense, since "001-270" is the first link, and 001 is the first link on the next page. But to me, reading OsoaWeek #1 is about the worst thing someone could do in terms of understanding what the current Obliviana is all about. So, hopefully, the links being on a separate page that is somewhat hard to get to will help alleviate this problem. Right now, even the current issue of OsoaWeek is in the "Archives". But this is OK, because like I mentioned, I don't want people that are checking out Obliviana for the first time to be exposed to OsoaWeek, because it... this... is fucking confusing. It's my personal journal plus weird poetry. Yeah... reality hitting me in the face... OsoaWeek is not fit for public consumption... But I do need to add some "acceptable" content to the homepage, because right now it's pretty barren. ----- Promotional Email sent 1/26/03 to 123 email addresses Subject: The restless, sun-dappled freezing daytime... obliviana.com. --- Hello there, Obliviana Super Occult Amusement, the "collectible reality adventure system", is a crazy little game played with cards called "Dashic Deeds", each of which has a far-out mission for you to go on! It's available now on my website: http://www.obliviana.com Let me know what you think of it! 11010001ly, Frank Edward Nora Lord of Obliviana --- ----- Sun 2/2/03 * 7:32 PM This week... worked on Jaloppio audio links page... Book of Duskaway... The Bluffcosm 5-Minute Vacation from Sanity #6... refining the site a little... trying to figure out how to incorporate Obliviana Radio, Obliviana Books, etc. Also, I finished up the 35-A series of Black Envelopes. All done, all ready to go. Also, I've been playing Obliviana myself, done 5 Deeds so far. My ad in the Weird New Jersey Roadside Guide 2003 came out this week. Came out pretty well. Also, I placed an ad in a convention program, "Wild Gazebo" convention, later this month... Yeah, still trying to figure out how to incorporate the old stuff in with the new system. I just read my writing above, from last Monday... really confusing, meandering stuff. What is the deal with OsoaWeek? I think that to call it a "blog" is kind of accurate. I've been writing in a vacuum for so long... kind of just writing to myself... gotta try and wake up a little... Obliviana is still so complicated, though I've been trying to simplify it. I gotta get the Obliviana Radio page up... there is one up now, but very rudimentary, just for Evil Farm Deed. 8:00 PM One more subject this week. Fear of success. Creativity in a safe little bubble. I have been working in a bubble, being able to be creative without having to face criticism. Of course, there has been some from time to time, some criticism, but very little. I am a very creative person. And somehow, creating in a safe little insulated world is more pleasant, though it prevents traditional success, like recognition and money. I am starting to see the effects of breaking out of the bubble, and there are some negative aspects. But I have to accept those effects because I want to interface with a real audience. Yeah yeah yeah... okay okay... Get all Obliviana. ------------------- SUPERIOR REVIEW ----------- SUPERIOR 444 * 1/4/96 Whatever today is, I was with a bright star of a girl, I wanted her, but she didn't want me. Got me thinking darkly. They say that the swans fights wars every bit as brutal as ours. Jet fighters, nukes, submarines, the works. And I was wondering about magic--the old Kings of England--way before Arthur and Camelot--they had a magic technology to kick your ass. That is what I am wondering. (((From OsoaWeek075--12/29/95))) ***** Hmm... this one is a little puzzling, in that I'm trying to separate the "real" and "fake" aspects. In early 1996, I had recently experienced one or several rejections from girls, so that first part is probably inspred by that. The whole next part, I think is kind of in the voice of an imaginary character, the whole idea of swans fighting wars and magic technology and stuff. "Swans fights" looks like a typo. In my work on Book of Duskaway this week, I am trying to deal with the issue of typos in Superior... not an easy issue... So, this one, overall, not bad, but not great. (Reviewed 2/2/03) ------------------- SUPERIOR 4: HURRICANER ----------- HURRICANER 073 * 1/25/03 * SUPERIOR 1095 In 1980 snow was this cold and people were this weird. Maybe god doesn't want obedient little pansies--maybe it's a test to see who has the spirit to defy. Working with virginia auto. HURRICANER 074 * 2/2/03 * SUPERIOR 1096 Greedy ears, relucant warfare the slapdog. Get me in to here, the mechanisms are understandable here. Funny the precious nature of some writing, kind of thin glossy paper, scrapbook crap. Getting self-conscious, haha, fearing an audience. Am I losing something? HURRICANER 075 * 2/2/03 * SUPERIOR 1097 January 28, 1986 to February 1, 2003. 17 years, 4 days, time between two space shuttle disasters. My creative journey of Obliviana really got started for real in February of 1986. And I seem to have reached a new level right about now. Kind of funny my creative life being punctuated like this by space disasters. It's just a coincidence, just a funny coincidence. But of course, my hyperactive mind is looking for a deeper meaning. Man I gotta wake up. ------------------- END -----------
443-------------------OSOAWEEK Ezine of Obliviana Super Occult Amusement Issue 443, 1/26/03 (Ts35, No. 1 / Tarb 18625 / Year 9) by Frank Edward Nora, Lord of Obliviana ----------- ------------------- LORD OF OBLIVIANA ----------- Sat 1/25/03 * 10:17 PM Slight adjustment to the Tarb. I think I had been calculating without the Leap Day in 2000. But I calculated this one several different ways, and it seems to be right. There have been exactly 18,625 periods of 4 hours between 7/28/94 and 1/26/03. The "Ts" or "Trick Sojourn" has become a lot more important in the new Obliviana . But what about Tarb? Right now, Tarb is kind of meaningless in Obliviana, but I think I could incorporate it into the Obliviana system a little more. Now... WELCOME TO THE NEW OBLIVIANA! I am Frank Edward Nora, Lord of Obliviana. 443 weeks ago, I started this little ezine and made my first attempt to launch Obliviana. That was July 28, 1994. The mid-90s! Wow, what a different time. Before the Internet got big. And me, 26 years old, and I had a lot of growing up to do. There have been a lot of "New Oblivianas" over the years. But I think this one is different. Here is a brief overview of what's going on. I am selling a "collectible reality adventure system" called "Obliviana Super Ocuult Amusement" via a product called the "Obliviana Black Envelope", each of which contains 13 random Dashic Deeds and instructions. I have designed a new website. But many of the older versions of the website are still online, and I have links to these on the home page. I am trying to put as much as possible on the home page, as opposed to having a bunch of sub-pages. As far as OsoaWeek goes, I have decided to continue it in its current form. I may add some features soon. Ah... now it is 12:27 AM and Ts35 has begun! Cool! Well, I'll try and figure out some more stuff next issue. Get all Obliviana! ------------------- SUPERIOR REVIEW ----------- SUPERIOR 443 * 1/3/96 Young, did I say that? Forest. Forgetting riverpeople. Nights of lights, who said that. Kinda the staring at a window, complex string design, what is it for at the shopping plaza? Older women who hold no sexuality. Their life. Use it. Not what I meant. The stop of coffee, I am knowing sleep, oh I am good. (((From OsoaWeek075--12/29/95))) ***** So, this is the Superior whose number matches the number of the issue of OsoaWeek that marks the start of the new Obliviana, eh? So let's see, let's take a look, is it any good? Yes, it is good. Quite demented and complex. (Reviewed 1/25/03) ------------------- SUPERIOR 4: HURRICANER ----------- HURRICANER 070 * 1/25/03 * SUPERIOR 1092 Foalflake, baby horse took her first steps, and the squirrels and chipmunks watched, and they were awed. Sturdiness, this phosphorescent Christmas, its heels nipped by Californianess, we are truly married. HURRICANER 071 * 1/25/03 * SUPERIOR 1093 A pine tree from the old times is in my mind has no shape or form. The restless, sun-dappled freezing daytime. Mirrors and windows and angles and strikes, frozen water called ice. HURRICANER 072 * 1/25/03 * SUPERIOR 1094 Return to the Yellow Denim Arcade. Tennis Road, Sleuth Radio, Xtreme Pet Birdhouses, Creature Called The Yale, Full Bandwidth Coffee. ------------------- END -----------
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