November 6, 2024: The Times They Are A-Changing!

According to GURPS Fourth Edition, which has an even better predictive track record than Illuminati if you pick your data points carefully, we're going to hit a milestone at midnight between December 31 and January 1:

The world will reach tech level 9! (Which is no doubt why so much Apple and Tesla stuff is being discounted right now.)

All our incomes will go up 50%!

I can hardly wait.

Thanks to Alden Loveshade for the tip.

-- Steve Jackson

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November 5, 2024: INaturalist

Have you ever wished you knew the name of a strange plant on your local hiking trail, or the unassuming snake that's hanging out on the pavement? If so, consider downloading iNaturalist, an app that helps you identify local flora and fauna using a combination of AI and crowdsourcing.

The app is pretty simple to use. After creating an account, you can use iNaturalist to take photos of plants, animals, insects, and fungi. You'll then be prompted to identify what you saw based on some recommendations. Once you've made your selection, your photo is entered into a database that other citizen scientists can view. They'll refine your initial identification to make sure it's correct. Once there is general consensus about your observation, it earns "research grade" status and can be used by local researchers or conservation groups to help catalog biodiversity in the region.

I've . . .

[more]

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November 4, 2024: One-Page Bulge Second Edition Kickstarter Ending Soon!

Imagine, if you will: an entire wargame, with strategic depth and intriguing possibilities . . . and the rules fit on one page.

If you're a long-time fan of Steve Jackson Games (or you saw the Daily Illuminator post from a couple of weeks ago), you know where we're going with this. One-Page Bulge – originally released in 1980 – did exactly what its title suggests, with Steve Jackson flexing his inimitable game-design skills to deliver a Battle of the Bulge wargame where the rules fit on one sheet of 8.5" × 11" double-sided paper.

This classic game is back with a new edition: One-Page Bulge Second Edition – in time for the 80th anniversary of the pivotal battle itself!

Thanks to Kickstarter (and fans like you), this updated version funded in 40 minutes! In honor of that success, we're providing a few more details about what makes it worth checking out.

One-Page Bulge Second Editio . . . [more]

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November 3, 2024: Vote Against The Illuminati

November 5 is Election Day. I'll get back to that in a minute.

But first . . . Once upon a time I did not believe in conspiracy theories. That's why I enjoyed creating Illuminati and INWO. They showed the world through the eyes of a few complete nutballs, and it was a fun place to visit.

Things have changed, and not in a good way. The Internet made it easy for the nutballs to find each other and set up an echo chamber, and a tragic number of people found the simplicity of a Great Evil Conspiracy to be very attractive, compared to the messy complexities of the real world.

Also, some people REALLY ARE awful, and the net let THEM get together, too.

So now I really do believe in one conspiracy theory. If we were to diagram it as an INWO card layout, it would look like this . . .

At the center we have the Illuminati, of course. If we have to pick an analog from the game the Gnomes of Zurich are closest, . . . [more]

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November 2, 2024: Trivia Question: Omega?

A few months ago, we asked a trivia question about Steve Jackson Games titles. For this installment, we're starting with the easier version of an obvious question because, in my opinion, the other version of it is a bit trickier . . .

Our database has thousands of items running across the past, present, and future of our company. The question for this post is two-fold:

• What is the last item alphabetically that is currently available for sale, and . . .

• What is the last item alphabetically that is a complete game and currently available for sale?

For those who may want a hint, here's a clue in ROT13 format: Gur gjb vgrzf ner pybfryl eryngrq . . .

If you want to chat about your guesses, feel free to do so on the forums. Answers will come sometime in the future!

-- Steven Marsh

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Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

The playtester transforms the shiftless teddy bear. November 6, 2024: The Times They Are A-Changing! According to GURPS Fourth Edition, which has an even better predictive track record than Illuminati if you pick your data points carefully, we're going to hit a milestone at midnight between December 31 and January 1: The world will reach tech level 9! (Which is no doubt why so much Apple and Tesla stuff is being discounted right now.) All our incomes will go up 50%! I can hardly wait. Thanks to Alden Loveshade for the tip. -- Steve Jackson Share this post! November 5, 2024: INaturalist Have you ever wished you knew the name of a strange plant on your local hiking trail, or the unassuming snake that's hanging out on the pavement? If so, consider downloading iNaturalist, an app that helps you identify local flora and fauna using a combination of AI and crowdsourcing. The app is pretty simple to use. After creating an account, you can use iNaturalist to take photos of plants, animals, insects, and fungi. You'll then be prompted to identify what you saw based on some recommendations. Once you've made your selection, your photo is entered into a database that other citizen scientists can view. They'll refine your initial identification to make sure it's correct. Once there is general consensus about your observation, it earns "research grade" status and can be used by local researchers or conservation groups to help catalog biodiversity in the region. I've . . . [more] Share this post! November 4, 2024: One-Page Bulge Second Edition Kickstarter Ending Soon! Imagine, if you will: an entire wargame, with strategic depth and intriguing possibilities . . . and the rules fit on one page. If you're a long-time fan of Steve Jackson Games (or you saw the Daily Illuminator post from a couple of weeks ago), you know where we're going with this. One-Page Bulge – originally released in 1980 – did exactly what its title suggests, with Steve Jackson flexing his inimitable game-design skills to deliver a Battle of the Bulge wargame where the rules fit on one sheet of 8.5" × 11" double-sided paper. This classic game is back with a new edition: One-Page Bulge Second Edition – in time for the 80th anniversary of the pivotal battle itself! Thanks to Kickstarter (and fans like you), this updated version funded in 40 minutes! In honor of that success, we're providing a few more details about what makes it worth checking out. One-Page Bulge Second Editio . . . [more] Share this post! November 3, 2024: Vote Against The Illuminati November 5 is Election Day. I'll get back to that in a minute. But first . . . Once upon a time I did not believe in conspiracy theories. That's why I enjoyed creating Illuminati and INWO. They showed the world through the eyes of a few complete nutballs, and it was a fun place to visit. Things have changed, and not in a good way. The Internet made it easy for the nutballs to find each other and set up an echo chamber, and a tragic number of people found the simplicity of a Great Evil Conspiracy to be very attractive, compared to the messy complexities of the real world. Also, some people REALLY ARE awful, and the net let THEM get together, too. So now I really do believe in one conspiracy theory. If we were to diagram it as an INWO card layout, it would look like this . . . At the center we have the Illuminati, of course. If we have to pick an analog from the game the Gnomes of Zurich are closest, . . . [more] Share this post! November 2, 2024: Trivia Question: Omega? A few months ago, we asked a trivia question about Steve Jackson Games titles. For this installment, we're starting with the easier version of an obvious question because, in my opinion, the other version of it is a bit trickier . . . Our database has thousands of items running across the past, present, and future of our company. The question for this post is two-fold: • What is the last item alphabetically that is currently available for sale, and . . . • What is the last item alphabetically that is a complete game and currently available for sale? For those who may want a hint, here's a clue in ROT13 format: Gur gjb vgrzf ner pybfryl eryngrq . . . If you want to chat about your guesses, feel free to do so on the forums. Answers will come sometime in the future! -- Steven Marsh Share this post! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 1020th superior mutant here today. (30147297 since August 1, 1995)