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Three Rivers Region

Started by dedgren, December 20, 2006, 07:57:49 PM

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Tarkus

#1020
I have to concur with Kevin's and Dustin's sentiments here.  I really hope everything is going alright, and that we'll see you back here soon!
Reminds me that now that I got the RHW v13 beta released, I need to get my MD going again . . .

-Alex


Rayden

4 days without a post in here, this is not like you, hope everything is OK and that you're just preparing us a surprise. ;)

dedgren

Well. I can run but I can't hide...

This is just a teaser post.  Later today I do plan to honor our 1,000th commenter



and, as the snow has finally melted from around the mailbox, respond to several months worth of comments and questions.

...btw, while I was over at the museum, I saw something that let me finally figure out why SC4 does not have its own Magellan [linkie]...



So, as a great very non-prog rocker [linkie] once sang- Tonight's the Night!

Later.


David

All image rights reserved in the copyright holder.  Images are used and parodied here on this not-for-profit fansite under the "Fair Use Doctrine."
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

M4346

LOL! :D Very true...  :thumbsup:

Looking forward to that post then, and hoping that everything's going well that side of the equator and the Greenwhich Meridian! :P

Regards,

- Marius
New Horizons Productions
Berethor ♦ beskhu3epnm ♦ blade2k5 ♦ dedgren ♦ dmscopio ♦ Ennedi
emilin ♦ Heblem ♦ jplumbley ♦ moganite ♦ M4346 ♦ papab2000
Shadow Assassin ♦ Tarkus ♦ wouanagaine

Livin in Sim

Hi, David,

I think I know what you've been doing...visiting with your mother-in-law.  I know those visits can get a little long.  BTW, thanks for the pic of her... ??? oh, wait a minute,  :o  sorry--that was not her, it was Fearless Leader.   :P  Oh, how rude of me--Heather will never forgive me, let alone her mother.   :-[ 

All kidding aside, just dropping in to say "HI!!",   ;D and congrats for 1000!!!! %BUd%  And to Tarkus, too!!!

Please give my best to Heather and the fam.

--Liv

BigSlark

I can see someone BAT'ing The Tarkus Museum in the near future...

Glad to see you're back.

Cheers,
Kevin

thundercrack83

Hey, the Tarkus Museum of Prog Rock! Congratulations, Alex! I can't wait to see the official unveiling! I wonder if Robert Fripp will be there to cut the ribbons.

Tarkus

Wow . . . a prog rock museum in 3RR . . . thanks a million David.  I couldn't think of anything more fitting. :thumbsup:  And nice job putting "3RR" in a Roger Dean font!  That particular album got me started on prog in the first place--I even have the T-shirt :D.  (Apparently, the Emerson, Lake and Palmer Online Gift Shop also sells Tarkus T-Shirts [linkie], but they've been "Temporarily Sold Out" for over a year, so I don't have one yet.)

And Dustin (thundercrack83), I do hope Fripp is there--I'm a big King Crimson fan.  Glad to see you back as well, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the update!

-Alex

Gaston

Hmmmm, noone posted in 3RR since yesterday  ???   Very unusual indeed.


---Gaston
白龍

They say that the memory is the second thing that goes....
...dang , I wish I could remember the first.
WooHoo made Councilman - 05 FEB 07 Yipee made Mayor - 13 MAR 07 Hip Hip Hooray made Governor - 04 AUG 07 Rock On made Senator - 15 MAR 09

dedgren

#1029
Our friend Alex (Tarkus) had no idea...



I've been collecting CDs for just a little longer than I've been playing SC4- by about '89 I had replaced a fairly mammoth album collection on vinyl.  I've still got the old Marantz [linkie] belt driven turntable.

...God knows where I'd buy a cartridge and needle...

Rock and pop from the 60s and 70s, some stuff from the 80s, and just a very few artists into the 90s and current (Neil Young, Aimee Mann, James Taylor...

...oh, hey, cut me a break- guilty pleasures, and he's really improved over the years...

...Moby, David Bowie...

...after his muse returned from exile...

...and a couple of others) now make up a collection that has grown to about 5,500 CDs.

It's funny, though.  Just as I got on the front end of the recorded music paradigm shift from LP-needle to disc-laser, I moved more or less right on to fully playerless mode.  Everything I have is ripped into 192 kbps .ogg files on a bunch of honkin' big hard drives with Winamp [linkie] as a front-end (the music, of course, still goes from the computer through the amp and speakers).  I haven't touched most of my CDs in years, except to burn them into digital files.

So, of course, seeing Alex's sig "Certified Prog Rock Enthusiast," and being a huge fan of the genre myself, I knew early on that this was a member whose acquaintance I'd have to make.

3RR has a funny way of causing things to happen.  While Alex was a 3RR Regular* over at 3RR-ST, his commenting only really became frequent once we moved over here to SC4D last December.  And, I'm pleased to be able to say, our cyber-friendship has grown right along with the months since.  Alex is one of the initial collaborators on developing the region, and he and memo have taken on getting the wide-radius curve textures I developed onto the LEX for everyone to enjoy.  Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of the other transit projects he's involved in, and they will, I'm sure, be a significant feature of 3RR-Collaboration.

And now he's made the 1,000th post on this MD....

I'm not going to do "I'm just so amazed" thing again here.  You all have read it before and know, of course, that I truly am.  The response to 3RR here at SC4D has been nothing short of phenomenal.  With a far smaller base of members, we have bested the time that it took us to reach 1,000 at 3RR-ST by several months.  What can I say other than Thank You! that is really apropos of this situation?

I also won't go through the "numbers don't add up to nothin" [linkie] bit again either.  Every comment here is equally worthy, and I treasure all of them.  There's just something about those zeroes, though...

* * *

So, Alex, my friend, this will obviously be a continuing story throughout the coming year.



When the museum is opened, 3RRDOT has a sign ready to go.



It's great to have you as part of the 3RR "scene."  It'll be interesting to see which of the "proggies" are up for opening night.


David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

MAS71

#1030
Wao!!
&aplsCongratulation David!! over thousand replies!! &apls
(sorry too late blessing :-[)

however, Where will your diary to go!?
will the making of your cities extend to the whole world? ;D
Please come to my country sometimes by all means ! :thumbsup:

I pray for further development of your fantastic diary David. ;)

mightygoose

great to see 1000 replies, hopefull the next 1000 will go twice as quick.
NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

thundercrack83

5,500 CDs?!!? That's insane! I have between 200-300 and friends of mine think I have a lot, but you have me beat by, oh...5000 or so! I did notice you have The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in that picture you posted--that's a great CD. (I've got a mouse and he hasn't got a house, I don't know why I call him Gerald...)

Anyway, just want to point out my amazement at your collection, my friend. I'll be waiting for the next update...

BigSlark

Well, David and Alex have made me realize that I have no idea what prog rock really is!

So, where should I start? The only music I don't like is contemporary pop, so I'm open to suggestions

Cheers,
Kevin

/End off-topic MD-jack

Heinz

hello! i'm back! and 'grats to alex on the museum. i see you have the rhw v13 which could be well suited for 3rr... anyway.. that may be in the wrong thread. david, glad you're back too. RL kept me away since shortly after the 1000th post. would love to see things move along fluid from now. hope all's well

Elektra

@BigSlark - Prog Rock Enthusiast - Progressive Rock Enthusiast - mostly music that was recorded early in the 70's

I have to admit I fall with in this group of people and I have a huge collection on vinyl and cd, though not as extensive as David's (somewhere in the 3000 range) and that is not mentioning the 15gigs I have digitally.
Pink Floyd is mah fav.

ps. Congrats on the 1000th posting in 3RR  :thumbsup:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
A. Einstein

Tarkus

#1036
David, and thanks for the kind words, the awesome museum and roadsign!  I consider myself a truly lucky man (couldn't resist).  Likewise, I'm a big fan of 3RR, and really glad to have you as a cyber-friend as well.   I'm really excited to be a part of the 3RR collaboration, and thanks again for the opportunity.  I should have your curves done shortly as well, and I look forward to further enhancing the transit networks of 3RR. ;) 

And that CD collection . . . puts mine to shame--in my defense, though, I was only born in 1985.  Looks like you've got really good stuff there. :D  And good old Marantz . . . they made some good stuff.  My dad still uses his Marantz stereo amp quite a bit.  I've gone digital as well, though--my iTunes Library has about 17GB in it. 

And Kevin, prog rock is short for "progressive rock" [linkie].  To expand on Elektra's definition, it's a genre that originated in the late 1960s and was very prevalent in the early 1970s, and infused rock with classical music and jazz.   Some of the more familiar bands include Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer (ELP), King Crimson, Genesis, Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull.  It's essentially the antithesis of contemporary pop. :D  And though it's not oft-publicized, prog rock is still around today.

As far as where to start, I'd personally recommend the album Fragile by Yes [linkie]--that's what initially got me into it.  If you want more recommendations, you're more than welcome to PM me. ;)  Of course, it seems there's a lot of prog enthusiasts around SC4D--maybe we need a prog rock discussion thread . . . [end off-topic]

And thanks for the congratulations everyone--though really, David's the one who ought to be congratulated for making this fantastic MD that made it to 1,000 posts in such a short time. :thumbsup:

-Alex


mightygoose

slightly off topic, i only just noticed the CD picture in your post david. unfortunately i only own two of the CD's in it. genesis,who to be honest i never would have considered as progressive rock, and kraftwerk, which is definately not progressive rock. but several others there i have listened to. hey hoo back to work i suppose.
NAM + CAM + RAM + SAM, that's how I roll....

barnatom

Off topic, too. Nice to see Kraftwerk on top. One of my own favorites  :)

dedgren

#1039
Here, finally, is the long-overdue "We've got Mail..." (WGM) post I've noted over the last little bit.  It's been so long I'm faced with open revolt at the 3RRPS, and I certainly don't want those folks going postal [linkie] on me.  So the mailbags, so to speak, are dumped on the floor out in front of me, and I'll try today to work my way as far back as I can.  First, though, a few

Notes and Asides

-Heather.  I want to say generally to the many, many wonderful folks who commented and PMd, you are some of the finest people that it has ever been my pleasure to associate with.  We are now past, apparently, the below-the-neck part of what's going on.  Thyroid gland issues loom over the summer, but the docs seem to have a pretty good handle on a strategy, and so time will tell.  My wife appears to not miss her gall bladder too very greatly (even after being told in some detail by medical experts I'm still not really sure what a gall bladder actually does- except cause a lot of trouble when it goes sideways), the incisions are healing (her abdominal area looked like she'd been in a drive-by [linkie] for a while), and she's back to work.  She really does feel better, and is certain that some of that improvement tracks back to all the thoughts and wishes that were left here.  She read every one of those comments several times, especially in the days right after she came home, and has asked me several times to pass along her thanks and appreciation to every one here.  We're planning that she'll make her own "thank you" post here in the days coming up, and we'll just let that speak for itself.

* * *

-The Mother-in Law Visit.  As many of you know, Fearless Lea (LOL, Liv) Heather's mother came up here to "help out" after Heather's surgery.  She left last night...

...I haven't counted the brooms, but I suspect I'm missing one- she was, after all, flying back home...

...but not before helping to customize the car I commute in.



Well, make that used to commute in.  That's (US) $6,000+ worth of body damage, and there'd be a separate bill for engine and drive train repairs.  As Fred Rogers [linkie] would say, "Can you spell total?"

Mother-in-Law who, like the rest of the breed, is invulnerable to injury, was just fine.  She told me a day or two after she arrived that I should get rid of my old car...

...little did I know she'd follow up on that!

* * *

-Windows Vista.  I am pretty conservative when it comes to upgrading operating systems.  I'm actually just now getting really comfortable with Windows 2000 Pro.

So, I've watched from the sidelines as Vista has made its appearance on the scene.  Do I really need a dual-core microprocessor?  More pastel colors on my desktop?  To see W. Gates & Co. get (US) $179.00 more of my hard-earned money?

Nothing is giving me any compelling "yes" answers to these questions.  Vista, however, has arrived at my home.  The MIL (see previous entry) determined, about the same time she told me I needed to replace my old car, that Heather was among the computer-disadvantaged in that we did not have laptop parity.  In other words, I had one for my own exclusive use, my wife didn't, and that is a clear sign that I am a lousy provider, insensitive and that, if I don't watch it, our marriage is headed straight to h-ll.  Never mind that 98.8% of Heather's computer use is checking her email, playing Yahoo games, and that, if she was going to have her own 'puter, she'd really rather have a Mac like she uses at school...

So I arrived home one evening and found that a brand new Gateway [linkie], having diminished the family treasury by a grand or so [linkie] earlier in the day, was now being set up for Heather right in front of me.

Oh, in the "Ever Wondered if These People Really Exist" department...



They do.

Heather's mom apparently had it on good information from somewhere that I was not qualified to set up a computer, so of course "we" sprang, at "only" another (US) 400 bucks or so, for a lifetime (about 11 months in the computer industry these days) of service from the Geekers.

...I wonder if they do marital counseling?

Sigh.  So, as far as Vista goes, the next time Heather has evening parent-teacher conferences at her school, I'm going to install SC4 and give it a test run for a couple of hours.  I get back to you as to any observations.

* * *

-"In-water Rapids".  So as to end these N&A on an upbeat basis, I'll pass along that I was contacted by our good friend Andreas (metasmurf) while I was in Texas and asked whether I could pass along the "in-water" rapids lots I had cobbled together a while ago.  You remember, these...





Attached at the end of this post is a zip file containing four of these lots.  There are three that are different patterns of rapids- they should be plopped with the arrow pointing upstream.  The fourth is a line of the rapids effects I've used to simulate a low waterfall (see the last pic above).  They all need to be entirely in "game" water and that water should be "shallow" and have as level a bottom as possible.  There are no dependencies, but these are really raw creations- I have not run them through the Reader or otherwise prettied their appearance on the "Parks" menu in any way.

Anyone wishing to do this, btw, has my blessing, and should take all the credit on uploading them to the LEX.  I am not going to start another project until I finish a bunch of the ones I have already at hand, and that might take a while.

On to the mail...

* * *

Thomas (barnatom)- Earlier today, you echoed others in remarking


QuoteOff topic, too.

My friend, "3RR means never having to apologize for going off topic."  That's because 3RR, by definition, is always off topic.  The region is simply a central tendency [linkie].

Thanks for being a 3RR Collaborator, and for the hard work so far.  I'm a Kraftwerk fan, too!

* * *

mightygoose, another 3RR Collaborator, also observed music-wise today as to


Quotegenesis,who to be honest i never would have considered as progressive rock, and kraftwerk, which is definately not progressive rock.

Well, my friend, that's the great thing about music genres... your opinion is as good as anyone else's.  Nobody's necessarily right, or has to be.  If you like some band's music, that's way more important than where you classify it.

* * *

Alex (Tarkus - Argentum)-  Yesterday you remarked


QuoteI consider myself a truly lucky man (couldn't resist).

Oooh, Alex... resist, resist!  We all know what happened to that guy [linkie].

Thanks for all the way too kind words.  It's an honor to have you among 3RR's collaboration team.  I know as well that we're about to see, based on your work with folks like memo, wide-radius road curves [linkie].



* * *

Wendi (Elektra)- Yesterday you noted


QuoteI have to admit I fall with in this group of people

Who knew?- 3RR is actually a secret cabal of prog rock fans.  Hey, thanks so much for gracing this thread with your great comments.

* * *

Heinz, a 3RR Collaborator from day one, observed with reference to our friend Tarkus yesterday


Quotei see you have the rhw v13 which could be well suited for 3rr

RHWV13 is the 3RRDOT spec for non-urban freeways.

* * *

Kevin (BigSlark)- Yesterday, you lamented


QuoteThe only music I don't like is contemporary pop, so I'm open to suggestions

...well, for starters, turn off your radio when it comes on...

Yet another 3RR Collaborator (lots of room, be a long time before it gets crowded).  Kevin, it's great to have you with us.  Before we're done, you'll probably be a "Certified Prog Rock Fan," too.  Or not.

We'll see!

* * *

Dustin (thundercrack83), also a 3RR Collaborator, observed on 4/17


Quote5,500 CDs?!!? That's insane!

Oh no, not insane.  Insane would be if I had bought those over a 15 year period, which would have been an average of one purchased each day...

...it's taken me 20.

(Which one is Pink?) Floyd is a personal favorite.  My purchase of Atom Heart Mother [linkie] in about 1971 led to my building a pair of speakers- I couldn't buy a ready-made pair that were big enough.

* * *

mightygoose (4-17)- Thank you, my friend.

* * *

MAS71- Welcome, my good friend from Japan.  On 4-17 you asked


Quotehowever, Where will your diary to go!?
will the making of your cities extend to the whole world?  ;D

I think that collaboration, which will take, if I am right, about a year from beginning to end and will ultimately involve the efforts of 75 or so people, will create more or less the equivalent of an SC4 world.  There will be a backstory that supports more or less everything placed or developed on a quad- that will allow a degree of consistency and common purpose in creating a huge region that has never been achieved up until now.

One of the things I look forward to most will be seeing some of the great BAT creations from SC4 masters in your country.  I've been so focused over the past year on bringing 3RR to the point where it is that I have fallen far behind keeping up with what is available out there- I am sure all of the current collaborators are bringing new ideas conceived in Japan and elsewhere to the table.  The next few months should be a very exciting time.


QuotePlease come to my country sometimes by all means ! thumbsup

I would love to visit Japan and bicycle tour from Hokkaidō [linkie] in the north to the islands in the south on the wonderful network of minor roads I see on maps.  That's been my dream for years.  Thank you so very much for your kind invitation.

* * *

Al (Gaston), a 3RR Collaborator and one of my oldest and best friends in the SC4 community, noted in an alarmed tone on 4-17


QuoteHmmmm, noone posted in 3RR since yesterday  ???  Very unusual indeed.

Well, that was unusual, but, given that RL is always out there, just going to happen every so often when I'm absent for a few days.

Now here's something that really is amazing-  3RR started as an MD here at SC4D on December 20, 2006 (exactly four months ago tomorrow- hadn't thought of that).  The only day since that it has not received at least one reader comment was December 23, 2006.  That's you doing that, folks.  Back out my posts and there's an average of between eight and nine comments a day made here.  I've never in my life felt closer to a group of folks than I feel right now to the readers of this marvelous endeavor.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you've done!

* * *

Alex (Tarkus), Dustin (thundercrack83) and Kevin (BigSlark)- On the 16th, each of you remarked on the Tarkus Museum of Prog Rock, coming soon to a location somewhere in East Pineshore [linkie].  I'm sure we'll be having some fun over the coming months with that...

* * *

Liv (Livin in Sim), on April 16, 2007, you probably got removed from my MIL's Christmas card list permanently...

...don't worry, I'm not on it, either...

Fearless Leader...



Heh!  Who knew?

Liv, seeing your nic among 3RR's commenters always brightens my day.  Thanks for all the kind words over the months.

* * *

Marius (M4346 - The Imperial Republic of Elytheria)-  M, my friend and fellow 3RR Collaborator, on 4-16 you sent your wishes that


Quoteeverything's going well that side of the equator and the Greenwhich Meridian!  :P

That's another great thing about 3RR- reading the comments each day is like going to the mailbox and finding a bunch of unexpected cards from one's friends just wishing you the best.  If I ran the world, that's how things would work out for everyone.

Marius, thanks so much for your great comments here and elsewhere on the forums.  My best to you as well.

* * *

Well, I'll close this post out here, and continue this WGM somewhere up the page later today.  Thanks, as always, for stopping by.


David


D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren