UEF Bismark

The fifth short story of the summer is a surprise return to my writing roots - science fiction. Bearing some resemblance to my 2002 story "Diamond Genocide," "U.E.F. Bismark" follows the crew of a warship from Earth, commanded by the warmonger Colonel Brack.
Discover a new world, a new race, and an analogous commentary on violence and morality.

***

Your non-word of the day is "drow-non". You can reach your own conclusions about what that's all about. :-)

MOB Affiliates

To drum up support for my upcoming game, MInions of Battle, I am now looking for friends and friends of friends who are interested in exchanging banners or text ads that will cross-advertise with each other's sites.

If you own a website, a blog, a profile to your graphics or writing work online, a fansite, you name it - I want to affiliate with you.

Why affiliate with this site?
Affiliation increases the number of visitors to your site exponentially, in a process know as chaining. When I affiliate with Site1, I start recieving visitors from Site1 and my site. When Site1 is affiliated with Site2 and Site 3, I start receiving visitors from all three sites. A visitor that googled Site 2 can visit Site1 through Site2's affiliate links and then find my site in Site1's affiliates page.

Confused?
The short version = affiliating with my site means exponentially more visitors to your site(s), more replies to your blog, more feedback on your portfolio, and more people buying your products & services.

Don't have a banner ad to exchange?
Depending on your site, I will either make one for you for free, exchange text links, or make other arrangements with you.

You can FB message me to reply to this note, or simply e-mail us at minionsadmin@gmail.com.

www.minionsofbattle.com

My Second Fable

It can't really be explained. Read and enjoy, my fourth story of the summer: Beard Brush. Yes, it is a little strange. As explained in the forward, this story is a little more offbeat than I've been writing lately, but I hope that you will enjoy it anyway.

As always, your feedback is appreciated.

***

Truthy fact: bananas go bad faster if they are covered and sealed away somewhere. Bananas will last longer if you leave them out in the open at room temperature. Weird.

MOB Domain

A little update for you on the MOB website - some advanced functionality has been implemented behind the scenes. Users won't actually see it for a while yet, but you can feel better knowing that it's there.

In extremely happy news, Minions of Battle can now be accessed via minionsofbattle.com!

***

Your non-word of the day is "proregression," [pro-re-gress-tion]. The on-again, off-again pattern of progressing and regressing.

MOB Website Launches!

The year-long wait for a Minions of Battle website is over! Check out our new site at , which features a few new tidbits of information on the game, as well as a link to our game forum.

Check out this link for the official release thread.

***

In other MOB news, our second programmer has been hired, and will begin work tomorrow morning. This recent hire should put us back on track for a summer release of MOB's alpha testing version, leading later to a beta testing version, and hopefully a full public version to be fully playable before the end of the year. Depending on ad revenues & donation levels, we may be able to take months off of that timeline. More details will follow, as always!

The Classica Chronicles

My first project at WEbook is "The Classica Chronicles," described on-site:

"The Classica Chronicles" follows numerous classic characters, beginning with Ebenezer Scrooge, in an 18th century world populated by the people and places made famous by such authors as H.G. Wells and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. TCC takes a fresh look at these characters and examines the implications of their personality and life, and even other paths that life might have taken them if only events had transpired differently than in the original accounts.

I wrote this tale off and on throughout early 2008, and this is its first public showing! I hope you enjoy it; I know that I really enjoyed writing it.

MNL on WEbook!

Continuing in my endeavor gain exposure and pursue growth in my writing, I have now joined WEbook, a new site that has great promises for up-and-coming authors. I'll reserve judgment until I find out for myself, but the site appears to be useful. In the future, you may be able to access some of my writings at my WEbook profile.
I am also adding a link to the right side of this page, with my other MNL links.

***

Your non-word for the day is "fope" [fo-pe]. A bright look to the future with the understanding that something amazing is on the horizon. ie, "He had much fope despite his current standing."

Bringing MNL Projects to the Forefront

My Geocities page, defunct since 2005 (made so by the advent of my former permanent website) has just got it's first update in 3 years. Several images and links were added, all pointing to various MNL pages that are mentioned in previous posts on this blog, as well as this blog itself.

If you're unfamiliar with this technique: the more websites that you have linking to you, the better you do in the Google search listings. By linking from my old Geocities page, as well as from this blog, several of my sites have leapt up in the rankings. Please link to my sites on your own pages, blogs, forum posts, etc! Your help is greatly appreciated.

***

In other news, the Crosswalk.com "Toss a Topic" challenge #10 is currently being judged. "Antipode Avenue" got a less than stunning review compared to "Lady Spring," but it's not out for the count just yet. I'm considering making several key changes for future reprint of the story, mostly revolving around how the characters are identified, and the final action at the end.

***

Your non-word for today is spreadiferous. [Spread-if-er-ous] . Something that effectively reaches out to far away corners in an attempt to be noticed. ie, "MNL sites are attempting to become more spreadiferous of late."

MOB Updates

More updates have been added to the "Official Announcements" topic on the MOB forum.

Check back often to see how the game is progressing!

Also, quick links have been added for your convenience on the right side of this page, so you can now access my various project pages directly.

FWD: And you thought spying was easy yesterday

No comments are really necessary - check out this news clip i stumbled upon.

Antipode Avenue

My third short story of the summer is "Antipode Avenue," written as an entry in the Crosswalks.com "Toss a Topic" challenge #10. Please read the story and vote for me at the Crosswalks.com forum!

My second story of the summer is "Captivo," which was entered into the FaithWriters' "Writing Challenge." Click here to read!

You can read my award-winning first story, "Lady Spring" here. Registration is required, but you should join anyway so that you can read my stories!

MNL Design Portfolio

My portfolio has just undergone a thorough work through, and the amount of content has more than tripled. Check it out here!

You can see numerous logos, signs, banners, avatars and much more! To break out of the box a little, you should especially check out the "Bringing Customer Designs to Life" set! To view sets that are not currently visible, click the link below the four visible sets labeled, "[view all sets]."

As always, I am available for hire for all major forms of print & online graphics work.

ATTENTION GAMERS, FACEBOOK, & INSTANT MESSENGER USERS:
I provide free services for all individual avatars, display pictures, and other related graphics. All I ask in return is that you advertise my services to your friends and colleagues.

Thanks, and enjoy!

1.5 Years Later

It feels like just yesterday that I was pouring out my soul onto the open road of cyberspace, but alas, it has in fact been nearly a year and a half. They say that time flies when you're having fun, so I must be having more fun than the entire cast of The Office, because time has eluded me with great haste.

So, what have I been doing with myself over these past months? Well, i'm happy to say that i'm not a Junior at Liberty University, and I have plenty to say about my various projects. In case you are a long-time reader, i'll start with projects that you may be familiar with:

1. MikeLovdal.com - my long-held website was in a period of undisturbed slumber... that is until my provider decide to forget that I owned the domain. We'll see what happens with that, but for the time being, there is no website.
2. The Cyst List - TCL, as well as all other TruthyReport features went down with the MikeLovdal.com mothership, and is not more. Try not to sob too openly, but alas, there she blows.
3. The ECW (Emerging Christian Writers) - after a long period of inactivity and server problems, our glorious group petered out into nothingness. Much to my dismay and chagrin, but such is life.
4. Fused #1 - my first book has been completed! I'm just picking a publisher, and will soon be taking pre-orders! Fused #2 is now in the early planning stages. We'll see what happens with that.
5. Song Lyrics - long-time readers will know that I used to host around 40+ song lyrics on my site before it went down. Well, my number of songs is upwards of 200 now, so expect a book of song lyrics to be released sometime in the future.

Now, projects that you may not be as aware of:
1. Short Stories - I have been entering numerous short story contests lately, and i've been posting them on my FaithWriters.com and Writing.com profile pages. Please check them out and leave your feedback! Feedback has been exceptional thus far, so i'm very pleased.
2. MOB (Minions of Battle) - my massively multiplayer RPG / strategy game is well on it's way! Please register at our temporary forum and start posting as we keep you informed with game developments!

A special note regarding all projects, especially MOB - we are always looking for volunteers to work with us on a number of these projects. If you are interested in getting involved, please reply to this thread with a means of contacting you. Remember that any information that you send will be public, so avoid using phone numbers or other more personal means of communication.

Thanks, and welcome back to the TruthyReport!

Truthy Be Told

Welcome back, loyal Truthy Report fans, and welcome for the first time, ye wandering nomads!

As you can see, the Truthy Report has had a few minor aesthetic changes. That's not all that's changed:

my website, MikeLovdal.com is in a period of hibernation as I go through university. Also,

the ECW forum has moved to http://ecw.jconserv.net/index.php

Christian writers and readers are encouraged to join up, and get in on what's going on.

You'll also start seeing more actual blog entries here, so keep checking back!

The Real Matrix

Morpheus: What is the Matrix? Control. The Matrix is a computer-generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this.
[holds up a Duracell battery]
Neo: No, I don't believe it. It's not possible.
Morpheus: I didn't say it would be easy, Neo. I just said it would be the truth.

Although The Matrix has a more confused theology than Tom Cruise, it raises a very interesting point about life. Where The Matrix postulates that the real world is the illusion, I would use this famous quote to describe a different beast altogether. We know that reality is exactly that - real. The Matrix is entertaining fiction. Entertaining, but fiction. That world that was built to keep us under control - that isn't nearly as fictional as we would like to believe. There are no machines sucking our bodily fluids (unless you're recovering in a hospital), and there are no vicious programs trying to conquer humanity - but there is a virtual world that is trying to suck you into it.

If you don't know what I am referring to just yet, don't feel bad. Up until today, neither did I. Have you ever lost contact with a friend or family member because they don't use e-mail? I know that I have. I said to myself the slogan of progress, "If you're not online, you don't exist". The world gets smaller with every advancement of technology - and yet... something's missing.

I discovered why the world seems smaller now. It is. No, i'm not suggesting that the Earth is like a cotton shirt being washed for the first time - i'm suggesting that those of us that are not able to join the new world are left to die in the old one, making our new world nice and small. The virtual world is the Gentleman's club of the 21st Century. It is the Hall of Lords and the Order of the privileged. It is also an extremely ignorant and narrow view of a world largely unassociated with the rest of existence.

I am not suggesting that the internet is inherently evil. If I were anti-technology, I wouldn't be wasting my time typing blogs that nobody reads. I'm saying that we have to be extraordinarily careful not to loose touch with the world that matters - that vast world that hasn't grown smaller. That sea of faces that aren't able to access the world-within-a-world.

Surf, e-mail, poke, re:, Skype - but most of all, LIVE. Befriend the human beings that live around you, and don't worry so much about that dude that you met on MSN or AIM. mIRC, chat sites, Yahoo and MSN groups - all this is meaningless if you use them to replace what is real.

Today I unregister from my forums, and I delete my "hey", "hey" contacts. If you don't know what I mean by that, consider yourself blessed.

God bless you, and may He reveal his creation to you in a new and powerful way. There's a whole world to explore out there - don't just read about it!

ECW²

Long-time readers of the Truthy Report will recodnise the ECW as the Emerging Christian Writers, a writing group that I co-founded. Well, i'm sad to announce that that particular group is dwindling and is quietly waiting to die. This isn't an atmosphere that new visitors are going to want to join up with to promote their writing - therefore, my co-founder and I have decided to disband the current ECW.

I'm not so quick to give up, however. ECW2 is the temporary project name for the ECW's replacement-in-training. The following is my initial members-only release as announced on echristianwriters.com/phpBB. Please note that this cannot be viewed by non-members, which is why I post it below for you.

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ECW 2 : Let's Light This Candle!

Update:

ECW2 is starting to look like this, at least in it's initial stage:

New name - the ECW was a joint venture between Peter, Kevin & I - I don't want to drag the name around when only my vision drives it. The new name will reflect certain changes in mission and purpose:

Contemporary - where conservatism and political correctness defined everything that the ECW did, ECW2 will take a leap of artistic faith and try to embrace the freedom of the 21st century (that is, - no bland colors, and no formal speech) while still respecting biblical values.

Focussed - Instead of welcoming in members indiscriminately ECW2 will be designed to be more publicity and less community oriented. Targets must be met to achieve membership status and to maintain membership status. These may include staying active, being published (self-published or professionally), and being screened to avoid un-biblical theologies.

Website - The emphasis will be not so much on the forum, but on the website itself. For those of you that are concerned about what this new site will look like, I can assure you that it will utilize a template as its core, with custom material on top. Initial color schemes are looking like black baground with bright highlights, or white background with punchy highlights. Whatever it ends up being, it will look somewhat futuristic with a touch of artistry.

The mission of this new group will be push emerging Christian authors that aren't afraid to be punchy, write genre-stretching material (no bland rehashes of the classics), and to draw in a fanbase that will actually improve our authors' sales, as opposed to the ECW which unfortunately catered more to members than to generating new readers.

I'm still working on the details, but that's my preliminary vision. (Well, my secondary preliminary vision I suppose. A few people were already privy to my blunt and short primary preliminary. lol.)

What do you think? Is this something that you would be interested in following me with?

I'm always interested in everyone's comments, congratulations, and constructive criticisms, the 4 great C's of progress. Okay, I just made that up. Sounds catchy though...

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I can be reached at cmikeff@hotmail.com. I am accepting members even now, before this goes any farther, so let me know if you are interested. As I mentioned above, prospective members will be screened to insure that the ECW2 is free from bad theology and individuals of questionable character.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

"And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I with you, even to the end of the age." Amen.

I post this here primarily because I have to memorise it for my evangelism class in thirty minutes, but secondly because i'm ticked off that we have to memorise it in NKJV. I wish my EVAN professor would speak to my BIBL professor, who's told us all about the problems with NKJV. They are extensive. I should devote a post to them sometime...

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It seems that it has been a very long time since I posted a non-word for your enjoyment, so here it is:
newkrappyjello version - "new-crap-ee-jell-oe" - a translation of the Bible that is based on innacurate texts that jiggles in the mouth when you try to read it aloud.

Hit or Miss?

Every once in a while I like to post a 'Hit or Miss' list, listing the top 10 (and/or worst 10) of something in my given category.

SONGS THAT I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO LATELY:

HIT
1. Don't Give Up - Sanctus Real
2. Beautiful Love - The Afters
3. Listen to Your Hear (Remix) - DHT, Jamie
4. Happy Birthday - Flypside
5. It's Dangerous Business Walking out Your Front Door - Underoath
6. Apparations of Melody - Kids in the Way
7. Frontline - Pillar
8. Piece of Heaven - Cascada
9. Dancing in September - Earth, Wind & Fire
10. The Thief - Relient K

Royal Insecurity

For years a silent debate has waded through Canada, from sea to sea. Every few years it resurfaces, but is quickly drowned out by a proud and traditional populace. We have, as a nation, been working for years to become an independent and sovereign nation. We pleaded with the British crown to give us rights beyond that of a Dominion of the Crown, we opened our doors to every culture and every people group in the world. We have become so determined to be our own self, set apart from those who’s shadow we cannot escape, that we even fly in the face of the world’s only superpower whenever it suits us.

For all of this flag waving and chest thumping, we have forgotten one key fact that holds us victim to another power’s will. Our head of state isn’t even a Canadian. Somewhere in a far away land, an elderly Queen sips her tea and sits on her British throne. In that far away land, five time-zones apart from our Nation’s capital, she holds the power to snoop or possibly even wield the internal workings of our government.

Some of us anti-crown-patriots may be merely irritated that a foreign dignitary’s head still covers our coined currency, but metal-silhouetted Royals should be the least of our worries. Australia has already recognized that they cannot truly be independent as long as Britain still has its gloved hands so deep into their power structure. So to is it with Canada. What secret powers does she have at her disposal? What sensitive information is she privy to? Finally, if a national security issue existed between Canada and the UK, where do you think her loyalties would lie? Heaven forbid that we should ever have to actively fight against our British ‘mother’.

What Canadians have to realize is, the Queen’s position as our head of state isn’t just a threat to our sovereign identity – it’s a threat to our national security.

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Notes:
1. Australia voted against leaving the commonwealth, although support was strong.
2. I do not at this time understand what information or powers the Queen has. This blog entry was written simply to get people thinking about how outrageous it is that our head of state is British.
3. I have nothing against the Royals, in my opinion they are no more relevant to our nation than Hollywood celebrities. In fact, that’s exactly what they have become – the British monarchy is now the Hollywood of the UK.

CALL FOR FEEDBACK:
Are you a Canadian? How do you feel about our Royal Insecurity?
Are you American, or from another truly independant country? What are your thoughts?

The Silent Weeks

Between the Old and New Testaments, there was a period of four-hundred years is not covered known as the 'Silent Years'. Whether it was insignificant, or merely insufficiently significant to warrant coveted space in the Book of Books, I have no idea.

The Truthy Report has gone through a silent period of it's own, I’m calling the 'Silent Weeks'. Not that this blog in any way compares to the Bible, but the term seems appropriate.

Unlike my theories on why the Bible ignores the 'Silent Years', my quiet time has more to do with being so completely busy that I haven't had time for any pleasantries or indulgences. Nearly one month ago, I underwent surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed. The next three weeks of my life involved a frightening balance of trying not to die from cellulitis (an infection in my neck), and preparing myself for University - a task that is never truly complete.

As I begin my third week of University, I finally have time to jot down just a few words - i.e. this post. I hope you feel better informed now! Also, hopefully not all of my readers have given up on me ever posting again. Future updates will be more frequent, although the days of weekly posts may be over. Who knows? Maybe the semester will get lighter as it goes on.

...

ya right.

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The Truthy Report is now syndicated on my FaceBook! www.facebook.com
Welcome to new FaceBook readers! For those of you that are unfamiliar with this blog, I highly recommend that you read my first-ever post. Cheers, and God bless!

...

(***omg! He said God bless!***)

Ya, that's right. I've discovered that 90%+ of my readers are Christians, and all of my new readers will also be Christians, so i'm dropping all pretense of subtlety. This is first and foremost a blog that glorifies God, and so it shall.