Random Thoughts 9: Attack of the Vapid Posts

[aimeeandbeatles]

I still want to know who made me princess.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I still want to know who made me princess.

You were drafted. What you do with the job now is up to you. Princesses are usually queens-in-training, so I'm sure that you and Mary will be benevolent rulers.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I think Mary abdicated

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I think Mary abdicated

So do you want your coronation to be a coattails affair or can I show up in a canadian tuxedo?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

As long as you ride a moose.

 

[AdamCrock]

Random thought: I nearly bought another penguin last night.

How many penguins have You got already ? :O

PS: (sales pitch) Would You care for a furry little tribble to go with Your penguin collection ?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

As long as you ride a moose.

TIL learned that riding moose is actually a thing. When I saw this I thought "no way a moose puts up with that," but a quick search changed my mind. I'm still thinkin' that @hobbsyoyo probably shouldn't try to mount the first giant beast with horns that he happens across, but more power to him if he gives it a shot.

 

[Farm Boy]

...probably shouldn't try to mount the first giant beast with horns that he happens across...

I think there's a season.

Wait, what?

 

[Patine]

You were drafted. What you do with the job now is up to you. Princesses are usually queens-in-training, so I'm sure that you and Mary will be benevolent rulers.

Though some are not royals, but sovereign nobles, who rule a Principality in their own right - eg, Monaco and Liechtenstein (and there used to be a lot more of them kicking around before the First World War). And, the de facto head of the Florentine Republic was called a Prince (or in one isolated case, a Princess) despite being legally of the Middle Class by old feudal reckoning - the were just filthy rich plutocrats and, after a while, all of the Medici Family.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Though some are not royals, but sovereign nobles, who rule a Principality in their own right - eg, Monaco and Liechtenstein (and there used to be a lot more of them kicking around before the First World War). And, the de facto head of the Florentine Republic was called a Prince (or in one isolated case, a Princess) despite being legally of the Middle Class by old feudal reckoning - the were just filthy rich plutocrats and, after a while, all of the Medici Family.

Is that where the term "merchant prince" originates?

 

[Patine]

Is that where the term "merchant prince" originates?

Indeed, as well as the title of Nicholo Machiavelli's most well-known book.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I think Mary abdicated

Hopefully she just stepped back and will return at some point. But in the meantime there's no reason you can't be Acting Queen (there are RL provisions in place for Charles or William to assume most of Queen Elizabeth's duties if she becomes ill or incapacitated; the list used to include Andrew and Harry, but doesn't anymore, for obvious reasons).

How many penguins have You got already ? :O

PS: (sales pitch) Would You care for a furry little tribble to go with Your penguin collection ?

Last time I counted them, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-something. I've just done a spot count of the ones that are up and around my living room, kitchen, and hallway, and the total is 110. That doesn't count the ones on ACEO cards or Scrabble tile jewelry that are put away. And I may have missed counting one or two. I'm including all the different items, whether plush, resin figurine, crystal, ceramic, jewelry, mugs, cards, jigsaw puzzles, calendars, wrapping paper, magnets, Christmas ornaments, a hat, and artwork. Again, I'm likely missing something (I revised my count upward by 14 since starting to type this post as I realized I'd missed counting various ones)... oh, right. I forgot about the cross-stitch and needlepoint patterns, the ice cube molds, and I'm not sure if I still have any penguins I already stitched for one of the craft sales I used to sell at (it's been years since I last did that).

Mind you, they range in size from very small (0.5 inches) to one that's not many inches from the real-life height of an adult Emperor penguin, and a wide variety of kinds of items.

I've had my eye on a plush penguin in a sweater from the Penguin Place (haven't decided which one to get yet), and there are a couple of vendors on Etsy who sell penguin paper dolls. Some day I might talk myself into a scarf that the Penguin Place sells (haven't yet because I don't wear scarves and would have to figure out where to put it). It's got to be a really good sale, though, at least 25%, if not 30% (since the prices are USD and shipping costs as well).


Hm... tribbles. Well, I do have one that I bought at a science fiction convention about 30 years ago. It's black and has a button attached to it. The button says "Property of Space Station K-7". I did remember not to feed it, so it hasn't reproduced.

I've made some myself, out of fun fur, and realized that some kinds of craft poms would make perfect Tribble jewelry. So I made some of that as well. Someone tried to talk me into the Tribble slippers that ThinkGeek was selling, but I didn't know if Maddy would love them or attack them.

What did you have in mind?

 

[Patine]

Hopefully she just stepped back and will return at some point. But in the meantime there's no reason you can't be Acting Queen (there are RL provisions in place for Charles or William to assume most of Queen Elizabeth's duties if she becomes ill or incapacitated; the list used to include Andrew and Harry, but doesn't anymore, for obvious reasons).

What about all of these British "subjects," (seemingly hoping the term is temporary) who would jump at the chance of "seeming instability" in the Royal Family succession.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_advocates_of_republicanism_in_the_United_Kingdom

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Indeed, as well as the title of Nicholo Machiavelli's most well-known book.

I thought the hypothetical "prince" there was the as yet unnamed individual who needed to unite Italy into a nation state sized kingdom in order for it to survive in a world with France, England, Spain, and other large scale unified blocks. The failure of Italy and Germany to form unified nation states promptly put them irreparably behind when they eventually did, and Machiavelli saw that happening.

I'm seeing it played out yet again, because I'm playing Europa Universalis. The endless chaos of squabbling single province "states" just cannot produce a competitor for the actual powers of the day. The only way Italy or Germany amounts to anything is if the human player sets everything easy enough that they can play one of those little nubs into a power that can subjugate the entire sodding mess around them.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Indeed, as well as the title of Nicholo Machiavelli's most well-known book.

I always thought that the the title was "The Prince", merchant not being part of it. Of course, "The Little Prince" is a much better book how to rule.

 

[Patine]

I thought the hypothetical "prince" there was the as yet unnamed individual who needed to unite Italy into a nation state sized kingdom in order for it to survive in a world with France, England, Spain, and other large scale unified blocks. The failure of Italy and Germany to form unified nation states promptly put them irreparably behind when they eventually did, and Machiavelli saw that happening.

I'm seeing it played out yet again, because I'm playing Europa Universalis. The endless chaos of squabbling single province "states" just cannot produce a competitor for the actual powers of the day. The only way Italy or Germany amounts to anything is if the human player sets everything easy enough that they can play one of those little nubs into a power that can subjugate the entire sodding mess around them.

I always thought that the the title was "The Prince", merchant not being part of it. Of course, "The Little Prince" is a much better book how to rule.

No, it was specifically (without directly actually writing his name) Giovanni di Medici, Machiavelli's former employer when the latter had been Minister of Defense of the Florentine Republic. Though many also believe Machiavelli saw the "wisdom" of Giovanni de Medici's governing style and the Italian Merchant City-State Republic as an ideal model for other Western European nations to emulate, in place of their "antiquated feudal monarchies."

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I update my user title accordingly.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

But wasn't the idea that said Florentine Republic should unify Italy by whatever means necessary to promote the long term good? I always read it as more of a call for "the prince" to take a comparable throne rather than any promotion of the "fine for a city but not really for the necessary sizeable state" republic form. That republic form may have been ahead of its time, but it was singularly inappropriate for the time, as demonstrated by those "antiquated feudal monarchies" absolutely dominating the world stage for the next few centuries.

 

[AdamCrock]

Hopefully she just stepped back and will return at some point. But in the meantime there's no reason you can't be Acting Queen (there are RL provisions in place for Charles or William to assume most of Queen Elizabeth's duties if she becomes ill or incapacitated; the list used to include Andrew and Harry, but doesn't anymore, for obvious reasons).


Last time I counted them, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-something. I've just done a spot count of the ones that are up and around my living room, kitchen, and hallway, and the total is 110. That doesn't count the ones on ACEO cards or Scrabble tile jewelry that are put away. And I may have missed counting one or two. I'm including all the different items, whether plush, resin figurine, crystal, ceramic, jewelry, mugs, cards, jigsaw puzzles, calendars, wrapping paper, magnets, Christmas ornaments, a hat, and artwork. Again, I'm likely missing something (I revised my count upward by 14 since starting to type this post as I realized I'd missed counting various ones)... oh, right. I forgot about the cross-stitch and needlepoint patterns, the ice cube molds, and I'm not sure if I still have any penguins I already stitched for one of the craft sales I used to sell at (it's been years since I last did that).

Mind you, they range in size from very small (0.5 inches) to one that's not many inches from the real-life height of an adult Emperor penguin, and a wide variety of kinds of items.

I've had my eye on a plush penguin in a sweater from the Penguin Place (haven't decided which one to get yet), and there are a couple of vendors on Etsy who sell penguin paper dolls. Some day I might talk myself into a scarf that the Penguin Place sells (haven't yet because I don't wear scarves and would have to figure out where to put it). It's got to be a really good sale, though, at least 25%, if not 30% (since the prices are USD and shipping costs as well).


Hm... tribbles. Well, I do have one that I bought at a science fiction convention about 30 years ago. It's black and has a button attached to it. The button says "Property of Space Station K-7". I did remember not to feed it, so it hasn't reproduced.

I've made some myself, out of fun fur, and realized that some kinds of craft poms would make perfect Tribble jewelry. So I made some of that as well. Someone tried to talk me into the Tribble slippers that ThinkGeek was selling, but I didn't know if Maddy would love them or attack them.

What did you have in mind?

Oh You know I've just recently watched the "Trouble with Tribbles" episode of Star Trek OS - it was hilarious! Athough it left me wondering where do the tribbles come from ? Judging from their reaction to Klingon and the fact that traveling merchant visited the area, their origins are in Klingon space, possibly their home planet, where there are many predators around justifying their reproduction rate. I also remember one of the Klingons in cantina recognised one and called it a "pest" or a "vermin" or some such. I am surprised how many details in ST actually make sense !
I admit You've got a lot of penguins ^^ If Your collection grows geometrically f(n) = (2^n) I think You might even hit tribble reproduction rate ! I didn't think You mentioned an origami penguin but You probably have one from those craft sales (or maybe they are all plush ? ) Anyways just want to say I am impressed with Your collection ! (At the least I have a safe bet on what to buy in case of birthday or some other event ! )

I update my user title accordingly.

All hail the Queen ! Who so graciously let me live in Her closet and in Her Sims town Oakbrook (nah I don't mind an "occasional" fire here and there Hail Queen of the North ! (yeah a GoT reference )

 

[Birdjaguar]

No, it was specifically (without directly actually writing his name) Giovanni di Medici, Machiavelli's former employer when the latter had been Minister of Defense of the Florentine Republic. Though many also believe Machiavelli saw the "wisdom" of Giovanni de Medici's governing style and the Italian Merchant City-State Republic as an ideal model for other Western European nations to emulate, in place of their "antiquated feudal monarchies."

I know who the book was about; I was quibbling about your post that the term Merchant Prince was the title. Tim asked if that is where the term Merchant Prince came from and you said it was the title of his book. No worries.