mburnamfink

Michael Burnam-Fink

@mburnamfink

Vice Chancellor for Stupid Games and Stupid Prizes

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posts from @mburnamfink tagged #welcome to cohost

also: #introduction post, #welcome post, #introductions, #new to cohost, #intro, #introduction, #new user, #first post, #welcometocohost, #intro post, ##welcome to cohost
mburnamfink
@mburnamfink

Who am I?

I got asked this question recently, and fumbled it. So humble posters, my esprit d'escalier answer.

I'm a slightly singed idealist. I used to believe that there was a true universal knowledge out there, a pattern which would make everything make sense and ensure that everybody gets the justice they deserve. I searched very hard for it, and found out that if it's real, it's beyond my abilities. At least the facts and theories I collected along the way glitter and shine of their own accord. My main hobby is tabletop and strategy gaming, because in the closed world of the game these ideals actually are true, and it's a great distraction.

There's always music playing around me, mostly indie rock from the past 20 years. I read 100+ books a year, and review them all. I think it's important to take care of yourself, physically and emotionally, so you can take care of the people around you. I love to ski, and of course I love my dog and my son.

But the single fact that explains everything about me is there was not a single rectangular room in the house I grew up in.

mburnamfink
@mburnamfink

Welcome... to the desert of the real

Hi, my name is Michael, and I love the internet.
Hi, my name is Michael, and I hate the internet.

I'm old enough to remember when we earnestly believed that this game us kids were playing on our computers might actually change the world. That with all of the world's knowledge at our finger tips and billions of possible connections, we could do something great. And I hate what the internet has become: full of intrusive advertising, harassment, propaganda, scams, and bending to the whim of powerful people who's lack of empathy and understanding is unrivaled since the Tsars. So when I saw cohost and read the about section, I was like "neato!"

Not sure what I'll do with this place, but some of the things I care about.

  • BOOKS! I read over 100 books a year and review them all on Goodreads and maybe here now. Mostly science fiction, general technical explainers of infrastructure, and history. Always happy to talk about books.
  • Tabletop Roleplaying Games: My favorite games are Blades in the Dark, Lancer, and the 4th edition of the dragon game. Not currently running anything, but I'm looking forward to Torchship by Erika Chappell. Oh, and I'm a game designer trying to overcome impostor syndrome, starting with Steel Tempest, a game about desperate mercenaries and powerful war machines.
  • Videogames: Kind of my baseline. Currently sinking way too many hours into Factorio and Nebulous: Fleet Command. If you ever had an unhealthy attachment to Ender's Game, you have to check out Neb.
  • Internet Culture: Dumb memey bullshit, premium content, the machine that is eating everything. I want to look away and can't.
  • Military History: But hopefully in a cool Juggalo in the Dark Carnival of the Military Industrial Complex way, and not a cringey way.
  • Music: I'd say my favorite genres are synthpop, ska, and trip hop. If that hasn't horrified you, why not check out my latest on-loop hidden gem Leisure Cruise-Ragged Dawn, which I promise is actually good.
  • Elegant Computer Engineering: I'm a Python developer, and I work at a bank, so I have Seen Some Shit in terms of awful legacy code. I'm interested in how functional organizations write software, because I'd love to be part of one some day.