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See above post for more information pertaining

This one is an option too:
http://www.belvilla.org/presentation.php?Huiscode=IT-06010-12&cat=10&countryid=it&ec=direct_nl&frames=nee&fromnumberpersons=11&Lo=vakink&periodid=1w&Pt=travisi=nl


including pool instead of moat! And it's in Italy, so it might even be warm enough to swim in it.
ax. 22 persons - pets though on the house's detail page it says no pets! Not that we care, no dogs/bitches expected at an event like Mittens)

Torre di Celle - Tutto / Place: Monte S. Maria Tiberina

3 apartments + 1 tower

including: ground floor:
3 living rooms (TV, fireplace, VCR, Stereo)
3 open kitchens with microwave, dishwasher, laundromat
3 bedrooms (2-persons bed)
1 bedroom (2x 1-persons bed)
3 bathrooms (shower, sink, toilet, bidet)  I foresee that to be used in very unadult ways, at least verbally/suggestively

1st floor:
licing room(TV, fireplace, VCR, Stereo)
open kitchens with oven, microwave, dishwasher
living kitchen (Fireplace, oven, microwave)  | don't ask me what a living kitchen is! It's well-equipped though.
bedrooms (2-persons bed)
bedroom (2x 1-persons bed)

Cleaning service: â,¬250

Oh, I believe the hills are also included in the rent.
Downside of this place, is that even if we're all close together when in the different houses, we will be in different houses (with a tower! Who knows how to make parachutes of umbrella's?
(yes, I DO foresee the temptations to do silly/hazardous things with it)

While I like the ide of staying in Australia (I actually have my mind set on backpacking in NZ, which is close by), I haven't considered it for Mittens (don't get upset) and while I really love the accent Ozzy and Kiwi girls have, I have started a new thread, thinking that this one was already closed, and posted some links with possible venues in different countries (UK, NL, Italy and France), since the kind of venue was my primary criterion. I'm sure you'll all find something of interest here (or post a venue yourselves):

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=38771.msg510194#msg510194

OK all, I think it's now long enough after Miamittens to start thinking about the next Mittens. As the list of links might suggest, I've put in a half- decent amount of thinking (not too much, of course; I've mostly been browsing the interwebs and asked my Italian colleague for some help, regarding the Italian possibilities. I've been inspired by the suggestion of staying in a castle, and I've found a few, but not in the Netherlands though. In fact, I've not found that many suitable places over here, there are a few, but mostly the venues are rather small (like this country as a whole - apart from politicians egos :-/ ) so they wouldn't fit ±25 persons like the Hollywood house (or the chateau) and when typing in a Dutch search term in Googol, I quickly end up i nBelgium and most likely then in the Ardennes - which was a nice place, but we've already done that. If we go back to France, I think we should be in another part of the country - I'm not opposed to going back to France!
Also, I've looked for "Casa Vacanza per venti persone" (or was it "persona"?) - 20 people's holiday residences in Italy. Anyway, there area lso a few British holiday hangouts (castles), I'm all up for those too! Also for the nice Villa's in Italy, no castello though.

Anyway, ladies and gentlepeople of other genders (if any), take your pick! One downside of the Italian villas might be trying to locate them on a map or in the country, since I might just be typing in wrong addresses in Googol Maps, but I always end up with a possible choice of 3 locations/coordinates. But I'm sure that can be solved.

And before you ask: Mittenzia is a jokular Italization of Mittens, Wanten is Dutch for Mittens and ovenmits, well, there are some British castles here too, they'll most likely have ovens....

http://www.celticcastles.com/a_to_z.asp

20pers:
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/amhuinnsuidhe/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/augillcastle/
http://www.celticcastles.com/chateaux/chateau-des-briottieres/
http://www.yourtuscanvilla.com/luxury_villa_tuscany_rental/profile.htm
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/ross-castle/
24 pers:
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/birkhill-castle/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/venlaw/
http://www.celticcastles.com/chateaux/chateau-de-jallanges/
http://www.celticcastles.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-barre/
26pers:
http://www.celticcastles.com/unique/corsewall-lighthouse/
http://www.celticcastles.com/chateaux/hattonchatel-chateau/
approx 22people
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/craigrownie-castle/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/eastnorcastle/
misc:
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/lachlan/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/castle-law/
http://www.celticcastles.com/chateaux/chateau-de-pomiro
from approx 30 pers and up:
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/comlongon/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/cringletie/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/culcreuch/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/dundas-castle/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/glenskirlie-castle/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/glin/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/mansfield-castle/
http://www.celticcastles.com/castles/portlick-castle/
http://goitaly.about.com/od/castlesinitaly/tp/italy_castles.htm
http://www.italofile.com/2009/04/08/tuscan-castle-vacation-from-799/
http://www.ardennentop.be/Presbytere.htm
http://www.yourtuscanvilla.com/tuscany_private_villas/list/rating/list.

I'm just proposing some possible venues here (since otherwise we'll be arguing well into '11 about where to host Mittens '10)

Because I really dug the stay in a castle idea, I've also compiled a list of castles including British ones, see above. Since the idea of staying in a castle sounds more important to me than either Holland or Italy, I've proposed these venues. I suggest that we all go and find (European)venues and post them here, whichever venue gets liked (by) most, we'll use, whereever it is. That seems like the best/fastest way to go about it.

Looking for castles/farms/etc. in NL:
http://www.vakantieineenkasteel.nl/zoeken.html

This one looks nice and big enough (23 pple)
http://www.belvilla.org/presentation.php?Huiscode=NL-4527-04&cat=10&countryid=nl&ec=direct_nl&frames=nee&fromnumberpersons=11&Lo=vakink&periodid=1w&Pt=travisi=nl

Bu this one looks most like a castle and therefore coolest (24 ppl):
http://www.belvilla.org/presentation.php?Huiscode=NL-4527-04&cat=10&countryid=nl&ec=direct_nl&frames=nee&fromnumberpersons=11&Lo=vakink&periodid=1w&Pt=travisi=nl
1 week â,¬1972, sorry it its rather a long way removed from Amsterdam, but your plane will most likely arrive and leave from there though, so you could come a little sooner and leave a little later and see if the place is all it's cracked up to be, (cracked down might be the case, since some people have negative opinions about it).
I must say that this is my favourite of all the Dutch venues.


Max 32 pple:
http://www.belvilla.org/presentation.php?Huiscode=NL-7121-02&cat=10&countryid=nl&ec=direct_nl&frames=nee&fromnumberpersons=11&Lo=vakink&periodid=1w&Pt=travisi=nl

So it's not entirely adventure (or game)-related, but still funny nonetheless: I once got a funny guitar-effects box, the Talent boost control, where your amount of guitar-playing talen could be accurately fine tuned (not reduced!), so as to be better than most of your audience and band members, but not outshine them. (which would be distasteful and would also make you unpopular with them). I must say it worked a treat, in all the time I've used it I never was significantly better than them (well, apart fro that one bass-playing woman who had some issues with relating to reality, maybe I'm thinking that brcause of all the fights we've had, her successor was a big improvement!

Pay particular close attention to the safety-cautions, they're great! "in case of flood, proceed uphill, in case of flash-flood, proceed uphil quickly".

http://picasaweb.google.com/magicmojo1/Gein?feat=directlink

[Wikipedia]

Stars give off light (or rather, radiation, if you want to be technical) in the entire electromagnetic spectrum? Why wouldn't they show up on a video? 

You must be joking right?    Ok, I'll bite...

First of humans can't see the entire electromagnetic spectrum, only a small portion of it.  Electromagnetic radiation that people can see is referred to as (surprise-surprise) visible light.  People can't see IR (Infra-Red) because it is not visible light.

Second of all even if humans could see IR, IR images would not show up on a photograph, film, or video unless the film or video recorder were sensitive to it.  There is no point in goingto the expense of making video recorders that are sensitive to IR because nobody would be able to see it any way. 

Thirdly, even if people could see IR and all video recorders could record it there would still not be very much to see because the earth's atmosphere filters out almost all of it. 

Wikipedia - "The principal limitation on infrared sensitivity from ground-based telescopes is the water vapour in the Earth's atmosphere, which absorbs a significant amount of infrared radiation. For this reason most infrared telescopes are built in very dry places at high altitude (above most of the water vapour in the atmosphere). Suitable locations on Earth include Mauna Kea Observatory at 4205 meters above sea level, the ALMA site at 5000 m in Chile and regions of high altitude ice-desert such as Dome C in Antarctic...."

Astronomers are able to make IR images visible to the human eye by using false colors (i.e. frequency shifting IR image into the visibe spectrum).  You can click here to see a false color IR image of the Milkyway captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope.
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/mediaimages/zooms/ssc2006-02a/index.html

and some other images here
http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/Outreach/Edu/sform.html

To add some spicer to the IR on camera-issue: One tip for anyone who thinks that his IR remote contrrol is broken, you ca test that by pointing it at your digicam (like on your cellphone)Your digicam’s monitor will show a small dot  when you push a remote button and it works. So you should be able  to record IR-light of stars or UFO’s on a camera. (assuming that this light isn’t filtered by the atmosphere.

Warning - controversial (political) views ahead, proceed at your own caution

I have developed my own little theory about (visits by) ETs - they're here to drop off some of their kind, not kidnap humans.
You know how Australia has gotten populated by caucasians? Because it was a penal colony for the British government to get rid of their criminals. (Ryan, I'm not trying to offend you - or anyone else - by this theory!) Well, likewise, planet earth is a penal planet for some technologically (but not morally) advanced alien race, who ditch their crazed inmates on earth.
When here, they gather themselves in what we know as "political parties" - the aliens suffer from incurable political correctness, wihch is the reason their government wanted them removed from their society, to prevent it from spreading and infecting/harming their own. As we all know, political correctness tends to be aimed at the western / earthly society as a whole, so the aliens are so miffed about not being on their home planet anymore, that they take their frustration out on us, because we're available, and gullible..

OK, so this theory isn't to be taken seriously, even if it is the only reasonable explanation for some (the majority) of current (and past) politics. Oh and I also don't believe that we're alone in the universe - even though there's a good chance thatalien life-forms haven't yet developed beyond the larve-stage yet, have yet to climb out of the water into the trees, nevermind about them having developed intergalactic space travel yet.

Oh, and furthermore back on topic: no, I myself don't believe in ghosts. The way I look at it, even living humans don't have a soul, and therefore, there is no part of living humans that can continue existing after death. If the mechanism which makes up the "soul" dies, so does the "soul" (mind) which exists as a result of that mechanism (the brain).

Oh, and I remember many years ago, at night, I coudldn't sleep and was staring out the bedroom window, when i saw 3 dots of light close together in the sky, slowly moving apart from eachother, I sat there for quite some time, looking at it, and they kept moving apart slowly, until I lost sight of them (they moved out of -the window- frame), and shortly thereafter I went back to sleep. but later, when I looked out the same window again, I noticed that our neighbour's house was in the way, and I couldn't have seen the dots in the place I remembered seeing them. This had me puzzled for a while - both at what the points could have been (not an aircraft as I first thought, they moved way too slowly and in the wrong directions for that) - and aftre noticing the house, maybe it was a sleep-induced hallucination.

DVD training 3: Character Animation http://www.blender3d.org/e-shop/product_info.php?products_id=113
On the upside, Blender 3D is for free, the DVD costs money though. If you´ve created the walkcycles, you could pixel over them to  create incredibly detailed and accurate sprites.

Thanks Mr Ooze-ee-air! It'll have to be USB stick sorry bud, your all new car will have to rely on YOU for said SD Let me know if you need PAL or NTSC!!!

NOTEAGE: Okay, maybe even a commentary on the USB too

Oh well (worth a try, wasn't it? Killing 2 hoarseys with one bat No, mr concierge <Mills>, that´s not the same as beating a dead horse).

I'd prefer PAL, BTW I´m sure I´ll be able to put the USB to good use.Like receiving the movie on, for a start.

Signed up, paid by Paypal. I'm looking forward to getting an HQ version of the film and looking forward to seeing the extras. And an 8GB memory thingie willl never hurt. BTW Mark, if possible I'd like an 8GB SD card instead of a USB-stick.  Or am I making preposterous demands now? (in that case; I apologize) I don't really mind which kind of media you send, but I have more uses for the SD-cards. (I have a really cool SD-changer in my car, http://loudlink.eu which takes SD-cards)

Okay, after a long (and warm! well, mostly) stay in (several parts of) the USA, I have come home and uploaded my photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rpost01.o5/MittensViceEdition09?authkey=Gv1sRgCKCM1ZjBjNSRsQE&feat=directlink
More photos are underway, of the Museum and zoo visits in Miami and of the rest of my vacation (not that you'll care about that).

P.s. Chris, I can live with not haing fired a gund while in America (nor having been shot at - I think I can [literally] better live (longer) without that) but having missed the strip club (you never mentioned that!) peeves me a little. You never mentioned you were fixing to go there (well, not in my vicinity anyway).

OK, this one of the Museum in Miami is done already:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rpost01.o5/MiamiMuseum09?authkey=Gv1sRgCITfvZeI2-mGogE&feat=directlink

Jess, I took some photos in honour/memory of you at the SF MOMA:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rpost01.o5/SF09?authkey=Gv1sRgCInMspaOlrS5LA&feat=directlink
(just look for the ones tagged with the text "Ms Finkenstein")

So you thought the master meter was a nuisance, here's what I kept running into in Baltimore:
http://picasaweb.google.nl/lh/photo/3Z7UsJBucJzghShNeYSMkA?feat=directlink

Not that I have much to add, but just letting people now that I'm still alive, typing this from inside of an Apple store (ab) using their internet connection on one of their computers.

I have just visited the MOMA in Saint Grundislav (San Francisco)while I'm not at all into modern art, I have been thinking of Jess a few times, since she's not the only artist who's into penii. Pictures will be posted end of the month when I'm home.

Internetting costs money, but here in the Apple store it's free (until you get kicked out) BTW, I 've discovered that the Florida climate is typical (though extreme) for that of most of the USA, here in SF is the  first time it is  cold (not hot n humid)during all my travels so far Man, Virginia Beach was uncomfy. Multiple showers in the day were needed (no wonder they complain about water restrictions!), not that I did that, I'm not that extravagant...
Anyway I managed to put in a little Mittens-related comment, back to Mittens!

I don't know if I'll be able to get more time off (a colleague will have to take over my job for me whenever I'm away, don't want to tax hum too much - and this month's already taken quite a big bite out of the bank) but this sounds nice enough for me to preliminarily say "yeah I'll come)

Post-Mittens report from the one who didn't get back on his plane right after Mittens

Guess who else came to town? (the Baltimore Hostel) Some real-life AGS'es (American Girl Scouts). Just wanted to let you know of this strange coincidence, not to gloat on my chances of hunting chicks or whatever (they're way too young - I know at Mittens, it was suggested that " if they bleed, they're old enough" - welll, the authorities may not agree with you on that, and besides, I do not intend to poke knives into them to see if they're old enough...

OK let me chip in a bit:

Italy: I' d fınd that very cool, it'd give me more of a feeeling I were on vacation (upside of people speaking another language)
Downside of people speaking another language: I don't understand it (apart from the labels on the instruments in my -Italian- car - aqua, benzina, etcetera) nor does any other AGSer. I can see how this could be a real bummer.
Sure Italian food is nice - and Eric, no more apologizing for the quality of the pizzas, ' mkay? not while we're in Italy.

Netherands: I'd be honored to (at least co-) organize the event. It could still feel like a holiday for me, what with even if this is only a small country, you could still get into some nice surroundings (especially if we book a place on or near the Veluwe - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veluwe (a beautiful area and since I spend most of my time here in or near cities, it'd be a very welcome change of scenery to get into the countryside a bit))
So all in all, I must say that my preference does go to NL, but I'd also be very excited about Italy). Most people esp. the younger ones - understand English - though I must warn you about the reputation of Amsterdam's taxi-drivers - who can be a bit hostile towards American tourists (I'm ashamed to say this - ubtr most people are very nice so I hope I won't instill too much fear)
Also, don't expect to only smell Tulips - we have cows here too who produce their own typical scent, one that you'd haeve to get used to like the farmers seem to do, how else can they endure it? Sure, the hot humidity is also something you have to grow used to, and like ' eau de vache" it tends not to linger indoors, if you keep doors + windows closed.

If we'd choose Italy, anyone could book a place for Mittens - thanks to the wonderful interwebs... and I'd be very honoured to help organize any location we're going to.

So Ken, put me down for NL over Italy (since I must make a choice)

Ps,the "decison" to go to Holland was a sort of de-facto thing, which just grew into being there, no serious talks were held (this being Mittens), I just happily went along with it (sure, I might've actually lit the flame a bit myself). Of course, Mils' game suggested Mittens too, that does add some clout I'd say.

http://www.sylpher.com/photos.php?photo=41&album=2
Yes, it's too late now, Todd. In fact, as I'm typing this, I look around but there's nobody taking a photo. [cry]Where are you?? Anybody??[/cry] Oh ewll, the people heremake for a decent substitute, but you can't beat the real thing!

Anyway, I'm writing this (belatedly) from the hostel in Baltimore, I know I said I'd go to Charleston, SC and Atlanta GA, but I couldn't find any suitable (suitably located) accomodation there, so I took another (tiring!) busride over here. Now to consider where to go next.

BTW I've done a quick browse on the interwebs for the venue for next Mittens, and I've found this:

http://www.vakantieverblijf-nederland.nl/accommodatie/2357

a bit small(12-15people): http://www.familieweekend-drenthe.nl/

I've briefly also considered this:
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleis_op_de_Dam

pro's: includes staff (cooks, cleaners, etc), quite well maintained, centrally located (downtown Amsterdam).

Cons: already includes royalty (occasionally),  Sometimes contains politicians (a big bummer for a party atmosphere - though they might be good subjects for making fun of), security would make it rather diffficult to get into. I think they have a night-lockout too, + it's probably too expensive (if  for rent at all).

So I'm thinking, even though I haven't looked at any prices yet (of any venues), that the Palace on Dam-square (Paleis op de dam) should be deleted from the list.

But back to the Vice-Mittens: I've already thanked Grundy for organizing it, but I'll do it again (and also thank you for driving me to the busstation): Francisco, thanks for the (good!) organisation. It was cool to see almost everyone again, and as for those who haven't made it, the replacements did a good job.

My only regret: missing on going to the gun range. (well,..... the other regret: we didn't get to finish the movie)

(an untrelated dislike: the heat + climate)
Oh, the penis gun was hilarious,  so I'm thinking for next Mittens we buy Jess a pair of penis-clogs, or a squirting tulip (you could possibly actually buy those, but you'd have to put a knob on yourself). Oh well, she can go buy them herself in Amsterdam when she's here.

As long as I can turn off the voices to avoid Dominic Armato's incredibly annoying nasalspeak I'll give these a try.  I'd rather play them with just the text, anyway.

Of course you can - there has been an incredible invention callde the power toggle - on your speakers (if you have those small active ones) (or, as in my case, on the old stereoset beside my PC which I use for sound), if that won't work, you could always pull the plug out from your PC's sound card. Of course, this won't guarantee you will be able to follow the dialog at all, since maybe they don't have those "old-fashioned" lines of dialog floating above the heads of the characters.

I hope this post was of any help - I myself found it quite funny to write, anyway.

I'd choose aesthetic appeal because I found that that's what drwe me into DOTT and FoA, But thinking about it a little more, I thikn some untangible things like atmosphere and good puzzles (challenging but solvable - DOTT again), I'd like to point out that I really enjoyed the vaccuum - a game with minimalist rgaphics, but nevertheless they worked real well, and I enjoyed playing the game - until I ran into a puzzle that I couldn't solve. I'm affraid to say I ended up quitting shortly thereafter. I found I couldn't even solve the game by going bak a few saves  - the way it was made (which was kinda cool), was thateven small decisions filtered through in a big way. - And I had made the wrong decisions - so I'd have to replay from the beginning - I didn't want to.

And I agree that Boobs will help - but they won't salvage a bad game, esp. not if they're too low-res

You kids have fun!! 

Somebody have a pint of Guinness for me. Better yet, somebody send me a pint of Guinness.

I'd rather have a pint of Smithwicks.

I'm gunna miss not being there.

Someone please give me the winning lottery numbers for tomorrow night.

You can have mine when I'm done with them - I hope you won't object to some mildly second-hand numbers? I promise I'll keep up on the maintenance schedule, regular oil-changes etc. I'll even polish them up for you before the hand-over, put them in a shiny new envalope (I can afford all the new envelopes I want, even ones with diamonds ruond the edges - once I'm done winning the lottery).

I like it a lot! I also like how you let the reader wonder about the motive of the hammerer, I might also compliment you on your grasp of the English language, as well as your poetic competence. Thank you for sharing this with us! Do you have any more works? I would most definitely be interested.

But I feel compelled to mention this: shoulder and louder don't rhyme. (sorry for being a party-pooper!)

And I failed to spot the "ting"inconsistency you mentioned.