We did it … we really did, 45 years ago:

Title: “Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Fantasy Roleplaying Fundamentals”

Authors: “Wizards RPG Team”

Rank: 14

Blurb: “Explore subterranean labyrinths! Plunder hoards of treasure! Battle legendary monsters!”

Review, Illustrating Everything We Hate About D&D…

Characters have races (e.g., human, elf, halfling, etc.), classes (e.g., fighter, wizard, rogue, etc.), backgrounds (i.e., backstory that both provides motivations as well as some specific skills), and equipment. Each character has six primary attributes called abilities that include the standard set of: Strength, dexterity, Constitution, intelligence, wisdom and charisma. These ability scores generate modern fires in ranges. For example, an average ability score in the 10 to 11 range has a modifier of zero.

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Just watch him fall apart at the end:

Title: “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment”

Author: Eckhart Tolle

Rank: 88

Blurb: “Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present. The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being, ‘the eternal, ever-present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death.’”

Review: “After nearly three decades of practicing meditation to become enlightened (some day) I found it disheartening to conclude that I wasn’t really getting anywhere.”

Customers Also Bought: “Buddhism For Dummies”

Footnote: And here we thought Enlightenment involves embracing the world, not escaping it. You can’t rid your life of pain — that’s the curse of consciousness — but if you’d like to cut down on the drama, try letting some air out of your ego.

The Power of Now [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon Kickback Link]

Went to Ithaca in ’93 to check out Cornell. While I was there I saw a Rabbit convertible with Carl Sagan at the wheel … only now does that automotive choice make sense. His Corvair, restored:

Okay, these players are not really hotties for today’s post, but The Guardian has produced a series of videos using Lego men to animate the highlights of World Cup football matches.  Below, they show some (not all) of the goals made by Germany in their 7-1 drubbing of Brazil on Tuesday.  If only there were a word in German for taking joy in the suffering of another.

The meaningless third place game is Saturday between Brazil and the Dutch, and Sunday is the Mengele Bowl as Germany and Argentina face off.  Only two more games of soccer hotties!