Dead End

Dear Readers,

Ever heard of text-based adventure games? You will after you finish this post. I have only a few comments before we get into the riveting action.
First, I'm not playing computer games of late, in an effort to redeem time for better activities. So far most of the "redeemed" time has gone to watching other people play computer games. I would like to say this didn't count as breaking my virtual fast, but I'm not so sure. Just because it's old and text-based doesn't mean it isn't a time-nivorous computer game.
Second, if you have Ubuntu linux you can get this game for yourself. It actually comes with the emacs GTK text editor (who would have thought?) which I just installed to use for fortran editing. So I was actually innocently checking out the capabilities of my new editor when I stumbled upon the "games" folder in the menu. Who knew so many games could be built on a text editor?
Enough of this. Enjoy my first attempt at a little game known as:
"Adventure."

You are at a dead end of a dirt road. The road goes to the east.
In the distance you can see that it will eventually fork off. The
trees here are very tall royal palms, and they are spaced equidistant
from each other.
There is a shovel here.

>take shovel
Taken.

>examine shovel
It is a normal shovel with a price tag attached that says $19.99.

>remove tag
I don't understand that.

>walk east
I don't understand that.

>go east
E/W Dirt road
You are on the continuation of a dirt road. There are more trees on
both sides of you. The road continues to the east and west.
There is a large boulder here.

>examine boulder
It is just a boulder. It cannot be moved.

>sit boulder
I don't understand that.

>stand boulder
I don't understand that.

>examine sky
I don't know what that is.

>examine road
I don't know what that is.

>examine trees
They are palm trees with a bountiful supply of coconuts in them.

>climb tree
You manage to get about two feet up the tree and fall back down. You
notice that the tree is very unsteady.

>shake tree
You begin to shake a tree, and notice a coconut begin to fall from the air.
As you try to get your hand up to block it, you feel the impact as it lands
on your head.
You are dead.
You have scored 0 out of a possible 90 points.

German Longsword: An Academic Pursuit?

Regardless of how tired some of my readers may be of hearing me explain to them in person how much I like Western Martial Arts (WMA for short -- think sword-fighting), I thought it was worth a few minutes to share some visual evidence.

The first of our evidences is a video by "The Real Gladiatores", who appear to be group of longsword enthusiasts. Not only their swordplay, but their costumes, setting, camera-work, and music are impressive.

The second evidence is another video by the same group, in which the camera shows multiple angles of each stage of several sequences, which the makers have reconstructed from ancient German texts written by swordmasters Sigmund Ringeck and Peter von Danzig. Translations are provided in the side panel.

The second video in particular reveals a curious notion which you will soon become acquainted with if you research WMA, that the study of swordplay is to some degree an academic subject. As far as I know, there is no such thing as Swordfightology, yet the makers of these videos, and many others, spend a great deal of time, thought, and study, on their "hobby." Professors of language help them study the texts, and I have even come across written arguments over the meanings of particular German technical terms. There are recognized authorities on the different techniques, and hearty debates concerning old and new interpretations. Given some formalization involving academic papers and titles, we might see the study of ancient martial arts become a legitimate field!

While I am partly poking fun at mine and others' mania, it does raise some interesting questions. All current academic fields were once not recognized as such. I wonder to what degree ancient followers of even more ancient philosophers were considered to be "enthusiasts" pursuing a "hobby," and had to fiercely defend their expenditure of means in its continuance. The sword enthusiast can claim physical, mental, and historical benefits from his hobby. Should it be looked down upon as *sniff* "unacademic" simply because it involves physical exertion?

With this said, there remains the truth that WMA would be absurd as an academic field, reminiscent of the Beverley Hillbillies in a mansion. Why? Because academia has a well-defined look: it must be scientific, well-established, and, well, respectable. Attack any field in academia, and some of the members of that field are prepared to defend themselves with forceful intellectual arguments. The idea of disenfranchising any field has a faint aura of anathema surrounding it on campus. WMA is on the outside of academia, so such staunch loyalty and self-importance is silly applied to it. Just imagine people walking around in coats and ties on a billion dollar campus built for the sole purpose of studying how people in the middle ages defended and attacked with sharp implements!

So the question for today is, would my field, Physics, or any other academic field look the same way if it did not have the academic aura around it? Physicists and their forebears have claimed for centuries that ultimate understanding of the universe is just around the next order of magnitude of magnification, or at the end of the next chain of calculations. Is it not silly that some continue to make such claims, even though they have been wrong every single time before? The profession does not deserve slander; I pursue it with hopes of doing real good in the world and bringing glory to God! But I and others who together are the creators and sustainers of academia would do well to notice and guard against arrogance in themselves and their fields.

Guards. Oh yes, that's something you can learn about with swords.