PotFace

[quote name='Bob Ilyani' timestamp='1286686211' post='2480172'] Congrats on 6 months (soon) BCOM. I still think of Bad Company whenever I see your abbreviation. [/quote] Thank you very much. We've been bad company for ourselves, yet for everyone else, we're the sunshine of the gathering most of the time. Never really looked at it that way before. Odd.

[quote name='xR1 Fatal Instinct' timestamp='1286685396' post='2480163'] Glad to still see you guys around. Without proper activity, is recruiting even going on in BCOM? Is keeping BCOM open in BCOM's members best interest? [/quote] Excellent question. To my knowledge, the last recruiting effort made by BCOM which we can account for, was made by World Peace on 01 September 2010. And for the 2nd part of your question, yes, it certainly is in their best interest. Nothing is more detrimental to an individual nation than a sudden disbandment of the alliance that it belongs to. That would leave them open-season for tech raiders.

[center][img]http://www.blackstonecommission.com/bcomseal.png[/img][/center] Well, as a few of you may know, the Blackstone Commission declared itself to be on 20 April 2010. That means that our 6-month mark is approaching, and out of goodwill toward our neighbors here on Bob, it's our political responsibility to give everyone a summary of where we are today, how we got here, and some other information that you guys may or may not find useful. So, without further adieu, I present to you the most depressing, disappointing, and yet gallant alliance address of 2010: [u][b]The Beginning[/b][/u] Right from the get-go, BCOM stacked itself against pretty big odds. The "Blackstone" name wasn't remembered by many in the CN community, but enough people remembered it for the name to become a liability in itself. Its look and feel were also similar to the "Blackstone Collusion", a failed spy alliance that played a part in NPO's CB against OV, sparking the Karma War. Not exactly a great way to begin an alliance, sure, but the Commission's founding was initially intended to be more or less of a political experiment. And so, after 6 weeks of preparation, BCOM made its DoE with 4 founders and two newly enemies who were turned away from participating in BCOM's founding. We were surprised at the reception that we received upon DoE - bids of good luck, welcome, and offers of assistance seemed to be the opposite of what we had expected. We turned on the "Open" sign, began recruiting, and put into place many of the military, economic, and educational programs that successful alliances have. We experimented with government, board lay-out, culture, and other major categories that compose the internal structure of an alliance. Meanwhile, we began reaching out with the establishment of our Foreign Affairs department, securing military and economic protection from UINE early on. Over the course of BCOM trying to "find itself", as well as its allies, it had jumped spheres, from black, to brown, to blue, where it currently resides. During the course of its moves, it had allied itself with NSO, AzN, CIA, UINE, and IAA, while maintaining superb relations with other alliances that it considered allies, yet had no binding official documentation to, such as Ronin, IRON, OBR, NpO, and FnKA. Yet, during the course of these trials, tribulations soon followed, as they do with all alliances. [u][b]Internal Strife[/b][/u] Some of the experimentation was met with hostility and opposition. It was argued that so many changes displayed gross instability, and ultimately resulted in the resignations of Blind Murder v2, Dora the Explorer, Hadrian, and Reagan, as well as Combat Pope and Necromancer V4L. To complicate the consequences that came with these resignations, RL seemed to have policed up the rest - Tiberious, Newborn1000 and myself. The Commission found itself in a state of great stagnation - the likes of which almost always spell disbandment. For a micro-alliance, this was a detrimental loss. BCOM attempted to stay active politically to assure our allies that such a loss will be of no liability to them. The Blackstone Chronicle was one such source of pride and joy for BCOM, as well as its high activity amongst its embassies. And despite all odds, the Commission continues to offer what I like to call "the basic package" - that being, the provision of a safe place to grow nations. During this internal struggle to remain operational, the basic package has naturally been, and will always be, the highest BCOM priority. [u][b]Today's Commission[/b][/u] The Blackstone Commission continues to struggle, maintaining a skeleton crew under the active guidance of SemperFidelis, Georgelopez, and Zhaan. With one of its closest allies (CIA) gone, activity has plunged into what is seemingly a "negative", having stopped publication of the Chronicle and losing its public channel to stagnation. But, we're still here, and as I've told everyone there, we will continue to stay afloat even if it means tying our ship to a really tall pier. We're not going around starting wars or causing any trouble, we still have the basic package, and the programs (and their policies) that we worked so hard on, are still there. All we lack is manpower and enthusiasm. And how many other alliances out there can say the same thing? As bad as it is now, we're not going anywhere !!! I would like to extend my greatest gratitude to the Imperial Assault Alliance for being the life-blood of our alliance. We will pick ourselves up and make you proud one day. Thank you for sticking with us through thick and thin as you have. Everyone is free to post their questions about us here, but I can't guarantee any timely response.

Here's a great discussion topic that I don't recall ever seeing. The "fear" of getting rolled has a tremendous impact in the way political relations in the cyberverse unfold. How so? And what types of alliances does the abundance or lack thereof create? While it's clear that different alliances have different viewpoints of war and why we should or should not avoid war, these viewpoints directly affect their political power. An excellent model to use for such analyzation would be the New Pacific Order. The NPO, for years, was in a position of power - so much power, that it had little to no fear of being rolled, and yet at the same time, took many actions that would get most other alliances rolled. Today, after having been rolled in the Karma War, we can see a tremendous change in its foreign affairs policies. Here's my personal belief (yes, that's a disclaimer): While we can attribute power more to an alliance's political connections rather than the military strength of an alliance itself, this balance in itself seems to have an effect on whether or not an alliance is willing to march to war. Naturally if your odds of winning are greater, the less likely you are to want to avoid war. This isn't always the case - some alliances are less arrogant than others. But for the most part, alliance size does [i]not[/i] matter. Having said that, I also happen to believe that alliances who have no fear of being rolled also happen to be alliances that care more about principal and global influence, while at the same time, posing as the greatest liability to their allies (unless of course, their allies have the same mentality). For alliances that [u]do[/u] fear being rolled, I think that they carry the belief (again, for the most part) that growing as large and as strong as possible will gain more political influence - in some cases, even abandoning any and all principals to do so. What do you think? Who's more respectable? Alliances with the top priority of providing a safe place to grow nations, or alliances that make it a goal to influence the cyberverse at any and all costs? Alliances that fear being rolled, or those that don't?

[quote name='Seth Muscarella' timestamp='1283559335' post='2440872'] I know, as if! Baseless accusations aside, I was the one after all that denied your protectorate request with the agreement of all my peers and FA staff. It doesn't take much competence to recognize such a phony as yourself. [/quote] I'm not sure as to what your intentions are here, but if you're insulting everyone else that HAS granted us protection, then you're not really off to a great start proving your competence or leadership abilities... and unless you've ever tried leading an alliance yourself, you really don't have room to comment on such things. Edit: spelling

[quote name='Seth Muscarella' timestamp='1283556780' post='2440833'] Well, hopefully this will put some competent leadership in charge of BCOM. That is, if Tiberious isn't as much of a PotFace fanboy as the rest of the alliance was when it started. [/quote] As if you'd know anything about competence or leadership.

[quote name='Alfred von Tirpitz' timestamp='1283313899' post='2437880'] Not necessarily, it need not be a jarring "normal-100% opacity" stroke. A subtle, faded one would maybe bring out the graphic and make it better without making it all toony. [/quote] Yeah, that had occurred to me too, but then I remembered what color the background would be. Maybe some texturing on the skull would have solved that issue. That crossed my mind as well, but then I saw how the frame for the sig looked a bit "cartoony" in itself, and so I decided to blend the two effects together like that. Now, if I was to use this strictly on a dark background, you can bet I would have made that skull opaque The glowing text and colored lights- meh, that's just something that I've been on for a few weeks now. I recently made a sig for Amos that uses a similar look as my submission: [img] http://blackstonecommission.com/amos2a.png[/img] [img]http://blackstonecommission.com/tiberioussig.png[/img] I might go through another "glassy" phase again soon. Who knows.

[quote name='Alfred von Tirpitz' timestamp='1283312857' post='2437858'] [img]http://www.blackstonecommission.com/mynewsig.png[/img] Hey potface, do you have a copy of that with a 1px center/outside black stroke on the skull? I would like to see which looks better, your current one or the one with a stroke. [/quote] No, I sure don't. That stroke was an overlooked mistake that I went back and corrected. That image had about 15 layers to it - the more complex you make graphics, the more opportunity there is to make a "boo boo". What do you think about the submissions so far? Looks like some pretty stiff competition huh?

Actually up until fairly recently, I used JASC Paint Shop Pro 7. Now, for those of us who have been doing this for a while, we know that JASC was bought out by Corel, and PSP7 - PSP9 is now FREE. In terms of performance, it's not as good as say, Photoshop, however, if you know how to work it, and you're up against someone that isn't a Photoshop god (which is most of us), then you can definitely come out on top. I prefer PSP over Photoshop for its user-friendliness. Now, if you absolutely MUST have the most recent version of PSP, you can get a 30-day trial version free from the Corel site. It's very powerful. Everyone that I introduced to PSP became artists, and those that I introduced to Photoshop.... didn't. So, there's no need to spend tons of cash or do anything illegal to participate here using a powerful program. Go get yourselves some art power. And while you're at it, don't forget that regardless of where raw materials come from (i.e., art that you did not develop, which you have incorporated into [i]your[/i] art), the object here is to produce the best-looking graphics. The artists who developed the scraps that we commonly use, posted their work on the internet for the world to access and use. Those who didn't want their art to be used by others, have watermarked or stamped their graphics, rendering them useless. I think you guys might be trying to direct attention to a problem that simply doesn't exist. In reality, there's very few artists here that are proficient enough to do it for a living. We do the best we can with what we have to work with. And the cyberverse is a bit more prosperous as a result. And bringing prosperity to a group of people, in large part, is the drive that most, if not all artists share with one another. This competition relies on voters to vote based on skill and creativity. Not whether or not something is "art". If you make a submission that doesn't even attempt to display either, then yes, you will not be able to participate. Go get a decent program, and learn how to use it like the rest of us did. Problem solved.

Will someone please exterminate these people ??!!

[quote name='Rhobar II' timestamp='1283203587' post='2436113'] Okay, here's my submission: [img]http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/9215/dictator.jpg[/img] [/quote] Hmmmm. Provacative, simple, and representative of the contemporary mindset. Yet, disturbingly futile, with an element of childishness at the same time. It has an effect that suggests directing attention away from a [i]true[/i] meaning, and replaces it with an [i]implied[/i] meaning, which makes it self-defeating. Its sharp and contrasting colors make for a great example of a black and white piece, yet its content depicts the feelings of an angry little boy who has classified and judged art in much the same fashion as the subject of his cries. ::nibbles on cheese and takes a sip of wine::

Good luck with this. Where's your submission?

[quote name='Davian Thule' timestamp='1283143861' post='2435501'] You're not arguing in fairness at all, you're just indirectly attacking me with all your plagiarism comments and you know full well that's all you're here to do. It's getting old and I really couldn't care what you say. So how 'bout you make a submission or stop coming back. [/quote] I second this notion - and I just got here. Thule is the boss here, and he made a reasonable ruling. It's pretty simple stuff, once you get on the same page as everyone else.

[quote name='Drai' timestamp='1283141248' post='2435443'] I realize that, still doesn't mean you're completely unrelated. Honestly the connection doesn't affect my view of you guys. I was just amused at the irony of my comment. [/quote] Heh me too. No, BC and BCOM aren't entirely unrelated - just the graphics and the name "Blackstone" are your similarties. I did graphics for both ... well... I don't want to call "BC" an "alliance", but rather both, er, [i]organizations[/i]. On a side note, HeroofTime, I asked Tiberious to take my place while I go explore the realm of RL. And while everyone has different leadership styles, I feel very confident that Tiberious has what it takes to usher BCOM to glory. The protests that I made against RoK for its assault on NSO were indeed my own personal comments - they were not made on behalf of the Commission. Since I failed to clarify that, Tiberious did so for me. Thanks Ti. And with allies such as TSCE on BCOM's side, the Commission's leadership has a helping-hand anytime it needs one. o/BCOM o/TSCE

Uh, I made that sig about 30 minutes ago, from a picture I took in Canada.

[img]http://blackstonecommission.com/tiberioussig.png[/img]

[quote name='Van Hoo III' timestamp='1283051129' post='2434443'] We weren't even aware that it had happened. To be honest, despite your best attempts, Ragnarok hasn't had a single discussion about you or your alliance. [/quote] Well, that's great to hear. I take it NSO isn't the only alliance that doesn't have a full screening procedure in place before making new friendships. Anyhoo, I've done my part here, no need to keep bumping it. You guys have a wonderful day now, hear?

Congrats NPO !!! Believe it or not, there's a few of us still out there left that have an appreciation for the significance of such a thing as a 7-year anniversary. Also, as you can see, post-Karma ignorance has surged at the hands of the dominant forces in this game. The good news is, those groups won't be celebrating those types of anniversaries, I'm sure.

[quote name='Louisa' timestamp='1282966152' post='2433460'] You strike me as a very upset young nation ruler, which is sort of hilarious at this time of night in Rerollapalooza. Could I interest you in some anger management perhaps? (Low low prices!) + congratulations etc to Ragnarök & SUN [/quote] Mmmm. What are the going rates?

[quote name='lazaraus45' timestamp='1282964649' post='2433435'] you're potfacing again, stop trying to make this thread about BCOM, what are you inferring, that Ragnarok was gonna deal with BCOM by having them become part of our protectorate? [/quote] Lazarus, if you're going to ask a question about BCOM, prepare to expect an answer about BCOM. This is pretty simple stuff, here. Do try and keep up. What I'm "inferring", is that when we have a merger offer from someone who just became allies with an alliance that will jump to war in the manner that it did, then we can only assume that there is a possibility of malice behind those intentions. Especially when you consider BCOM's reaction to that war. Sure, we don't know for sure if there is or isn't. But, we are paying attention, and it's better to just be on the safe side and just say "it is what it is". You probably don't have any additional input other than "it's just a coincidence". But if you're wondering why I didn't take that merge offer as a compliment, and why I came here to announce this to the cyberverse, it's for accountability purposes, just in case in the future, RoK decides to go after another stupid war that involves BCOM. When you go after wars in the manner that RoK did with NSO, this is a typical reaction that you can expect to see from others. Accountability to the nth degree. So, for the 4th time, and for accountability purposes, SUN offered a merger proposal immediately after allying itself to RagnablocK. We laughed at them, and came here to inform the applicable parties of this, and of the fact that BCOM will seek allies that are not tied to RoK.

[quote name='lazaraus45' timestamp='1282964314' post='2433426'] what does a merger offer from SUN have to do with them joining the bloc? [/quote] AH !! There it is. Do you have an answer? I mean, it was probably just a coincidence, seeing as how this past war has resulted in BCOM's enthusiastic and very vocal hatred for the assaulting parties. Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

[quote name='Aurion' timestamp='1282963944' post='2433417'] Oh, I remember the original Blackstone. The point is that you were the one who brought up your alliance in the [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=91216&view=findpost&p=2432417"]first place[/url]. Which was then followed by [url="http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=91216&view=findpost&p=2433360"]this[/url], wherein you stated: I pointed out that's it's rather ironic of you to make the comment in bold, given that [i]you were the one who brought Blackstone up.[/i] Do you get it now? [/quote] Ah. No, I brought up SUN. And it's merger proposal to Blackstone. And Blackstone's response. If this was [i]about[/i] Blackstone, I would have made a new topic.

[quote]I laughed pretty hard at this, given who brought Blackstone up [u]in the first place[/u] and all.[/quote] Maybe you guys aren't knowledgeable enough on CN history to be making comments about the past. I thought you guys were talking about the old Blackstone. Because if you had of been, you would have actually been attempting to reach some kind of a point. You guys are at the helm of this "discussion". As I've said twice already, I came here to inform everyone that SUN had had approached us with a merge proposal immediately after joining RagnablocK. It's not my fault you guys are too A.D.D. receive and process simple information. Maybe "lazarausing" could refer to derailing a discussion, and then blaming it on someone else.

[quote name='Aurion' timestamp='1282961190' post='2433374'] Suddenly, the idea of Rok signing about fifty more MDPs sounds incredibly appealing. I laughed pretty hard at this, given who brought Blackstone up in the first place and all. [/quote] Well, I've already admitted to having played a part in the old Blackstone, but that's all it was - a part. If I remember correctly, they were all anonymous. So if you know something that I don't, then feel free to enlighten us. In a more appropriate place than someone else's bloc treaty. You guys want to be rude to me, but you're actually just being rude to SUN and RagnablocK. Just the kind of fail I would expect to see here. Best of luck to SUN and to RagnabloK... looking at the past few weeks, I can tell you guys need it. I just wanted to drop in and let you guys know that SUN had approached us with a merger proposal, and we laughed at them. And that our future allies won't be tied to RoK in any way. BCOM is a love/hate alliance, apparently. Maybe you guys should get together and figure out what it's going to be.

[quote name='lazaraus45' timestamp='1282960497' post='2433346'] given that you probably had a very biased view of the last war i guess i can understand how you would come to this conclusion........... .........nice to know that you're trusting RoK to dictate your future FA decisions anyway though [/quote] Certainly. You see here on Bob, you have these things we like to call "political connections". Whenever you hear the term "treaty web", that's what it's referring to. Most alliances take it into consideration when making new friends. Not just BCOM. Glad to see that everyone's so interested in what BCOM's up to these days though.