Cuz, ya know... shift happens.

... And I guess I like playing with it when it does. :)

}} Go visit Phaelia to see what I'm talking about. {{

I'm not really the type of person to ask for everyone to vote for me, but I encourage you to put in your vote for whichever new shirt you prefer. There are some great designs in the running.

Ah, and if the naked man-flesh isn't to your taste, I was going to create a naked-girlelf version for the boys if my shirt wins. So, y'know... just keep that in mind. We're not gender-biased here at POC! Much.

:9 Purple man...

An' It Be a Holiday!

If'n ye 'as an ounce o' sense in yer barnacle-'fested, landlubber brain, ye'll 'ave already seen 'Ripides' warnin' an' perpared yerself. If'n not, then ye deserves ta dangle from th'mizzenmast by yer rotted toes, ye blitherin' slackjaw squiffy!

T'day be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, an' ain't nothin' like an 'earty chorus of avasts an' ahoys t'make th' lowest jack be feelin' like a swashbucklin' 'ero with a wench on each arm, I tells ye.

So, hoist the mainsails, ye scurvey sons o' a biscuit eater. Tis time t'be takin' th'ways of the sweet trade t'yer black 'an twisted 'earts 'til ya be loaded t'th' gunwales an' caterwhaulin' loudly 'nuff what t'send th' lilly-livered runnin' fer shore. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

An' be makin' sure ye raise at leas' one mug o' grog t'th' cap'n an' 'is best mate. They be deservin' th'honor, says I. 'Sides, Cap'n Slappy an' Ol' Chumbucket been knowed t'put th' black mark on scalliwag's fer less'n that.

'Appy Talk Like a Pirate Day, ye pack 'o scurvey dogs!

Piratical linkin's:

• The Official Home of Talk Like a Pirate Day


• The Official Pirate Booty


• Talk Like a Pirate Day's official British HQ


• The news column that launched a thousand Pirate ships.
  
  
• Talk Like a Pirate Day on Wikipedia
  
  
• Lady Jess tells us how to be a Pirate for a day in WoW
  
  
• Anyone else feelin' a bit like Ratshag be infestin' they brain? >_O

The Name of the Game

A blog's name is a very large part of its identity. It is the author's 'face' to the masses, her signpost on the busy highway of webbitude, and the map that gets drawn whenever someone wants to spread the word about her blog. That's why, when wise bloggers write about how to get yourself started, they draw attention to the importance of choosing a name.

What's in a name?

Points of Convergence was named for a relatively simple concept. We who play World of Warcraft with the kind of love and dedication that has kept us in the game for literal years face a challenge that is new to modern society. We live in two worlds at once, bound to each by responsibilities both assigned and assumed. We need to go to school or work. We need to go to raid or gain levels. We need to pay bills and make soccer practice. We need to grind Badges and study Hunter specs.

Demands from the real world become comparable to demands from Azeroth and Outlands, forcing us to walk a very fine mental, physical, and emotional line between one and the other.

That's why I wanted to create a blog to write about the points where these two worlds meet; to try to remind everyone that there is more bridging Azeroth and Earth than a login screen. The inspiration that comes from our second home can create beautiful art, touching fiction, wonderful crafts, and even lively social discourse. The every day needs that come from our first home can be met in healthful and intelligent ways without forcing us to sacrifice one life for the other. It seemed only natural to me that a blog about these convergence points between our two homes was named... yes... Points of Convergence.

However, with the self-hosted blog in the works, I've encountered an unexpected weakness in the title: it doesn't translate very well to an ergonomic URL. Now, at this point, we could digress into a discussion of what makes a good, 'ergonomic' URL, but I don't want y'all to fall asleep and drool on my web page. Suffice to say that I want to adhere to three simple rules for the new site's URL:

1. It should be clearly evocative of the blog title.  Bonus points if it can also be evocative of the blog's purpose and its larger affiliation to the World of Warcraft.
2. It should be reasonably short and easy to type. Length is more acceptable than it used to be, but I would like to adhere as much as possible to a K.I.S.S.philosophy in the new blog. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) Shorter is better. Also, if you have to pull out a dictionary to spell my URL, I have done something wrong (and possibly educated you :) ).
3. It should be available. More and more, people are 'speculating' on the URL market, which means that the finite combinations of meaningful URLs are slowly being claimed. A lot of perfectly good options are not options because they're already taken. 

A PoC by any other name...

Herein lies the problem. www.pointsofconvergence.net (.com is taken) rather forcefully violates the second rule. It's long and tough to spell. Of course, every possible version of 'converge' or 'convergence' or 'PoC' was claimed back when the internet was a baby at Al Gore's knee.

Thus, I have been stretching the old right-brain to try to come up with some decent (though perhaps less obvious) alternatives, either through creative rescramblification of Points of Convergence or through... yes, renaming the blog. It's not something I would choose to do lightly, but when your ergonomic URL is at stake, you need to consider all feasible options.

Here's some of what I've been brainstorming:

URL:  pointsconverge.com	URL:  ptsofconvergence.com	URL:  weconverge.com
Name: Arcane Tomes URL:   arcanetomes.com	Name: Beneath Two Skies URL:  twoskies.net	Name: Nexus Points URL: nexus-points.com

I have my favorites and my less-favorites. I also have a longer list with some that are downright crazy. What I'd like to know, though, is what you think. Which of these could you see yourself typing in that browser bar*?

* HA! As if anyone actually types URLs, any more. Hello, Google and Feed Readers. :)

WHadLibs?

Here on the technological cutting-edge that is Points of Convergence, we have long had a tool that is beautiful and new to the BlogAzeroth community. (Ahem. Well, not new so much as resumed after the forum upgrade and institution of a new theme. But hey, let me dramatize, okay? It makes things tastier.)

As I was saying, BlogAzeroth has a new toy that has been proving a little oddly fun to play with. Here is a transcript of the thread that started what I can only call a new game with great potential.

Post title: WE CAN HAZ TOOLTIPS!

Phaelia: I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts.

Rhoelyn: I'm a model. You know what I mean, and I do my little turn on the catwalk.

Behemothdn: And I'm too sexy for my hat
Too sexy for my hat what do you think about that?

Phaelia: Also, I shake my little tush on the catwalk.

StoppableForce: And I'm too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I'm disco dancing

Behemothdn: I'm too sexy for my cat too sexy for my cat
Poor pussy poor pussy cat

Leaf: I'm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love.
Love's going to leave me.

Hrm. Well, maybe we all need to go back and review the lyrics, but much random fun has been had. Worse, though. It's given me an idea. Drumroll, please...

Let's play WHadLibs! Here's how it works:

Below, you'll find a short excerpt from ... something. Anything can do, but for today, it's a great piece of wit from my idol, Khol Drake. In the passage, I've marked certain words in boldface and underline. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to take each of the marked words and find the funniest, most clever, at least semi-relevant WoWHead link you can to turn it into a hyperlink. You have all of the contents of WoWHead to play with, but bonus brownie points can be earned by choosing links that are creative, unique, funny, and / or alter the meaning of the sentence. (Get it? It's Madlibs, but with Java code and prettier graphics. Thus, it's WoWHeadLibs... WHadLibs. BOHOHO! My dorkery knows no bounds. )

Copy, paste, and add in your links, then post your version of the story in the comments. We'd all love to be amused by whatever you can come up with. Heck, who knows. If this is a fun enough game, I'd love to turn it into a contest and have a weekly WHadLibs winner. I'd give you a badge of honor and a spotlight widget on the sidebar. :)

Remember, to get a good tooltip, you'll want to avoid NPCs and places, as only objects, abilities, quests and spells have proper popups. The idea is that no one should have to click through to WoWHead to read your story. (Sorry, WoWHead dudes, but c'mon. You don't really need the extra hits from 'lil ol' us.) Also, it's worth mentioning that in order to read the comments with proper tooltips displaying, you will have to read them on this post's permalink page. Blogger's comment entry page is staid and boring and does not support anything as fun as little boxes that follow your mouse around like lost puppies.

Ah, well. ... soon, we will be free, my minions! Duh-duh-DUHHHH.... >:}

Achem. Anyway. Here's your WHadlib for the day:

“Really, Frank—can I call you Frank? You don’t even have to actually have any real information, Frank. Just point me toward someone who does and you get to stumble away from here...well, once your kneecaps heal, anyway.”

“M’name’s Edward,” the lieutenant slurred through his swollen, bleeding lips. I probably shouldn’t have punched him in the mouth so many times. He was having trouble speaking.

-- excerpt from A Stab In the Dark, Part the Twelfth: Uncomfortable Compromises

Have at thee!