We come in come in come in come in peace

So, how about that election, huh.
Things went reasonably well at my end. There wasn't a lot of work, just very very long hours. For the second half of the day people told me their names and I looked them up and asked for their signatures. The first half of the day I spent creating voter cards, which required that I press a button. That was my job: Guy Who Presses The Button. If our polling place had been Galaxy Quest, I would be Sigourney Weaver.
But then all this boredom was made up for by the incredibly complicated procedures at the beginning and end of the day. Aside from having to take care of those silly machines, there were printouts to sign and put in sealed canisters, four rosters, an elaborate provisional ballot coding system, pink pages in pink envelopes, blue pages in blue envelopes...it was as thought the protagonist from Myst had been transplanted to a game of Paranoia.

Anyways. I just now realized that I forgot to explain my most recent blog name change. "Violent Action Ensues" is a reference to Star Control 2, which you should play if you haven't already. I have mentioned this game already, and it is really one of the greatest games of all time.
Though made in 1992, it has aged surprisingly well. Despite the quaintness of its presentation (and even the old-fashioned .mod alien theme songs are still pretty dang catchy), the mechanics of the game are just about perfect, with an excellent combat engine, but also exploration, resource management, puzzles, and diplomacy. The last of these is the most important; your interactions with the exotic aliens who can help you save the galaxy make the game not only epic, but also really really funny. Words fail me. Why are you still reading this, go play it.