Please don't forget to read the bulletin board. Enter +read from anywhere.

The other night a new first happened with Spindizzy as Tarka (Resident Jester and Doom otter) for the first time took over Spindizzy and renamed it Doom Muck. It was an amazing... but rather short lived coup... for this otter who is one of the smaller people to inhabit Spindizzy. Now that it is over let us look over what really happened so that we know what to look for.

I was able to catch up with former Emperor Tarka and questioned him about exactly what a doom otter is. "Tarka, what exactly is a doom otter? I have heard that it has something to do with doom... but other people said that you were trying to raise a Doom Army to start a counquest of FurryMuck?"

Tarka: Well Tarqual... Sometimes the answer is a little complex then the question. A doom otter is a force of nature. It bends the world and causes hardship the world over. All kinds of doom just don't happen... but they radiate from me. Kind of like doom rays. So if your car brakes down, the computer stops works, or there is massive election fraud that happens to vote in a president that doesn't get the majority of the vote who then gets Napoleonic tendancies and invades other countries. That's all my fault. Now the Doom Army was just something for fun.

An answer that doesn't really tell us anything..

This is Tarquol, investigative reporter signing off.

Friday night, a group of furries gathered in the Rose Garden to watch a space launch. Argon provided a internet feed to NASA TV just minutes before the Soyuz took off.

From The Houston Chronicle's website:

A Soyuz rocket, with Russian, American and European astronauts on board, hurtled into orbit from Central Asia early today and steered toward a rendezvous with the international space station.

Further details are available on Russian Soyuz rocket launches a new crew to the international space station.

After the successful launch, there was a discussion of past and future space flight technology, including Gemini and Orion (a H-bomb powered space ship.) Butterfluff mentioned a laser driven space sail.

Friday's launch follows the launch and recovery Wednesday of China's first manned flight. Two launches in one week! Way to go, humans!

Why do players change their character names or want to create aliases? There may be many reasons, the player may become tired of the name, or wish to keep the sense of anonymity that mucks provide. However, this also means that over time, because these users-on-text have no face, people can lose track of one another. In other words, how do we keep in touch with our friends if they wish to remain anonymous?

People are not really lost on the Internet, as much as they are misplaced in a sense where there is always technically a way to locate someone by e-mail or ISP. However, usernames are changed easily and one player among millions of other players, or even hundreds, can quickly become hard to find. Spindizzy supports the right to player anonymity through the creation of multiple characters, and the renaming, or deletion of current characters.

The change in name represents more than just that; it is also a change in personality and appearance to others. The reasons for this change may be benign, in that the player may have gotten tired of the old name and wished to retire it, or in that they would like to create a separate persona for use in a game or other administrative purpose. Other reasons, less benign, may be that the player wishes to misrepresent him or herself for vindictive purposes such as trying to go around a ban, or make an attempt to harass another player. Both of these latter reasons are in violation of the AUP, and such incidents should be reported to a wizard as promptly as possible.

Difficulties can arise in a social situation because other players may not understand the reasons for a name change. The privacy concerns of others are something that should be respected. On the other hand, there should be a way for someone to keep track of his or her friends. However, sometimes not everyone gets the mail, may be gone for a while, or other things may occur to exclude people from getting the message. In that case, it's best to find a polite way to ask.

If the character is primarily OOC, Findra, a local Spindizzy wizard and one of the authors behind its civic policy, suggested that when addressing someone, to "be rather circumspect about it. I might end up asking, 'Do I know you from somewhere else?' That leaves the person with a chance to either answer in character or out of character." In other words, this gives the user the option of responding while at the same time not alerting everyone else to their possible identity.

Findra also suggested that the situation might be different depending on if the suspected character is typically IC. For example, if you ask a person a question during IC you're likely to get an IC response so it might be best to wait until after the RP for an opportunity. Your question might even be considered rude. Therefore, the question "Have I role-played with your before?" might be somewhat less risky. In general, asking an IC character questions overall is inherently more risky than a sometimes OOC one.

The ability to change names and create aliases offers a lot of freedom, but can also create awkward situations for friends. Something you might or should do, if you decide to create an alias or rename yourself, is to let your friends know how you would like this addressed, if at all, before they find themselves in a socially difficult situation. Additionally, if you suspect someone of having made such a change, respect their privacy first, and respect the AUP. There are many reasons for changing names, after all!

Special thanks for this article go to:

• Findra and Kinsor. I just wanted to thank the both of you again for your outstanding help in completing this article and especially in straightening it out! I'm much too technical for my own good. :
• Gilead for sharing thoughts and ideas for the article

Patch O'Black, local Jellicle cat, is pleased to announce the opening of the latest area of his Jellicle Fields. Called 'Midnight Meadows', these shadow-cloaked fields are used to grow special crops best raised under a full-moon! A few guests have already visited, reporting that the new treats include caramel apple trees and Jack-O-Lanterns.

Also, for vampire bats who no longer wish to feed off of their fellow furs, a rare treat: Bloodroots!

Patch O'Black says he is happy how the new snacks are growing, and that Midnight Meadows is open to the public.

To visit, from the Rose Garden, go 3 North, 6 east, path, jellicle fields, stone path

Terra Whitepelt here, reporting! What's that, you say? You don't know me? That's okay, at times I hardly know myself! But enough about me, we have bigger and better things to move on to! For instance, on Monday Night, the Rose Park was once again infiltrated by the infamous SED Ninjas. After falling into the pond, they were somehow placed into captivity by none other than yours truly. With my Compelling Finger of Point, I managed to hold the Ninjas captive for a few several seconds, and managed to make the SED Ninjas perform the Macarena before they regained their composure and left the Rose park as quickly as they came.

1. I know this question gets tossed around a lot on MUCKs, but how did you get your name?
"Well, where I came from, we didn't have names. We just knew each other by scents. So how did I get to be called Brenda Derlin? Basically, my planet was attacked by the Imperial army and I was rescued off planet by a guy named Bren Derlin. Long story short, we wound up in the Rebel Alliance, he died during the attack on Hoth, and I took on his name (with a small modification) to honor him."

2. Were there any noteworthy influences your player inspired on when coming up with you?
Brenda's player answers for her "Well, basically, she's what I would've been if I was her. Meaning, we have VERY similar personalities...except, I'm a bit more shyer than her." Both Brenda and her player blush at that. =*^.^*=

3. What major changes have you gone through since you were created?
Brenda ponders "I think I'm somewhat more open than when I first came here...and I'm not sure, but do you think gaining several tens of feet in size count as well?"

4. What was your favorite class in Jedi School?
"I think it was the meditation classes. They gave me a chance to just sit, relax, and just...feel the Force around me. It was very soothing, serene, and gave me a chance to collect my thoughts."

5. If SpinDizzy membership got you a complimentary car. What kind of car would you ask for?
Brenda giggles "If I'm not macro, a Mercury Cougar. Try to guess why. Otherwise, I don't really NEED a car to get around." ;)

6. Who should Archie go out with? Betty or Veronica?
Brenda blinks. "Who?" =o.O=

7. Favorite scent?
Brenda ooooss..."So many choices...either freshly baked pizza, or freshly baked cinnimon rolls." =^.^=

8. Your house catches on fire, and you can only save either your mother or your father… What would you like to do to people who ask you this question?
Brenda giggles "For starters, ask THEM the same question and refuse to answer before they do. Make them feel what it's like to be asked that." ;)

9. Should the rabbit get the Trix?
Brenda smiles "I say 'yes, dammit!' After all those years of the rabbit doing everything better than the kids yet can't get the Trix because he's a rabbit. It's bloody discrimination, I tell you!"

10. Five letter word meaning "cowabunga!".
Brenda smirks "Cowabunga: expression meaning 'Party time, dude!'"

11. What advice would you give Wile E. Coyote and the folks at home?
Brenda smirks at Carlos "My advice: Stop using ACME products! Especially if they keep failing on you."

Every other week, I will be calling attention to the new members of our community. (Editor's Note; ...with the permission of each of the new folks featured, of course. Folks who don't want to be featured in this series, will of course, have that wish fufilled.) This is not to embarrass them, but rather I do it in the hopes that it will encourage everyone to give them a special welcome and friendship.

The following members are new to our community as of a week or two ago at most. Please give them a warm welcome and offer assistance if needed. Who knows, you might even make a new friend or two!

• TimothyPine - male Human((North American land Ape))
• Valerius - musical diurnal big fluffy snuggly Male Minotaur - "Moof, says the dogcow. Mind you, I am no dogcow, but minotaur. ...Anyway. Where was I going with this?"
• HarmonyBear - helpful cuddly empathetic snuggly plush fluffy Fluff Care Bear

Welcome to latest edition of Bearing up, the advice column where Ba'ar (That's me!) has answers to your most challenging questions.

Dear Ba'ar
Why are some furs so large and others so small?
signed, Butter

Dear Butter:
Furs vary in size because that's how they're made. Some furs are HUGE macrofurs while others are microfur sized. Other furs become either macro or micro sized due to magical powers or mutations. I hope this helps.

Remember possums (to steal a term from Dame Edna ;-D), if you have any questions, please page mail me (Ba'ar) online or send mail to big_bear@operamail.com. Thanks.

This week, Argon asked a question suggested by Mavra, "If you were to go into space, what sort of name would you want to call yourself"

• Sunshine says, "Buzz!"
• Mavra says, "Astrotaur!"
• Brenda would want to go as a Felinut! =^.^=
• Ba'ar growls, "I'd like to be called an astronaut..(And I just finished watching Apollo 13 a few days ago. for mewling out loud) ;-D"
• Butterfluff says, "Merchanter."
• Gem will, of course, still be referred to as 'Gem'. Unless some jerk decides to call him a cosmo-chicken, or something. Ovo
• Chanspot says, "Heya...I have no idea what I would call myself if I went to space, I'm afraid. I suppose that means my head is a vacuum? :)"
• Terry -- I'd want to call myself a tourist. Or maybe a 'space tourist'.
• Suri -- Suri the Lemur!
• Vesper == Dragon Mage Vesper of the 27-teenth and a half century!!!!

Click on image for larger version.

Submitting a story or artwork for @Action News is easy! Just send it to newspaper@spindizzy.org or qmail or page Argon about it.
@Action News is published weekly on or after 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Monday. Most any type of story or article will be accepted. Generally, we'd prefer things that aren't out and out lies or flames about other folks, and have a basis in the reality of SpinDizzy. Things that occur in public areas are fair game. The things reported don't have to have actually happened, (any more than anything that happens here does) but make sure you don't overstep the social boundaries and rules of interaction that we have. These are pretty broad guidelines, but we expect good sense to apply.

Thanks! Argon, Editor @Action News