%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------%
% www.interests.m
% Ralph Becket <rafe@cs.mu.oz.au>
% Fri Nov  1 15:11:31 EST 2002
% vim: ft=mercury ts=4 sw=4 et wm=0 tw=0
%
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:- module www__interests.

:- interface.

:- func interests_url = url.

:- func interests_html = html.

%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------%
%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------%

:- implementation.

%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------%

interests_url = "interests.html".

interests_html =
    myhtml(
        "Ralph's Other Interests",

        hr ++

        ul(
            li(a("#aikido",     "Aikido")) ++
            li(a("#go",         "Go")) ++
            li(a("#games",      "Abstract Board Games")) ++
            li(a("#scifi",      "Science Fiction")) ++
            li(a("#poetry",     "Poetry")) ++
            li(a("#english",    "Good English"))
        ) ++

        hr ++

        aref("aikido") ++ h3("Aikido") ++

        p(
            a(cato_you_fool_url,
                "align=right width=58 height=166" >>
                    img("images/aikido.gif")
            ) ++

            "In September 2002 I took up" ++
            a("http://www.aikiweb.com", "aikido") ++
            "at the" ++
            a("http://www.martial.com.au", "Field Aikido") ++
            "dojo in Fitzroy.  This is very handy because I live just around
            the corner.)"
        ) ++

        p(
            "The emphasis in aikido is on
            diverting the energy of an attack and unbalancing the aggressor,
            rather than reducing them to quivering chunks of bloody sushi."
        ) ++

        p(
            "I recently passed my shodan grading (first black belt) on 5
            November 2005, which entitles me to wear the hakama (truly enormous
            and very cool looking black pants)." ++
            a("http://www.martial.com.au/downloads/051107_dan_all_who_passed.jpg",
            "Here's") ++ "a picture of us after the grading; I'm the good
            looking one, second row, second from the right."
        ) ++

        aref("go") ++ h3("Go") ++

        p(
            a("http://www.britgo.org", "Go") ++ "is one of the oldest,
            deepest and most beautiful games in the world.  It has been
            said that if chess is a battle, then go is the whole
            campaign."
        ) ++

        p(
            "My rank is 8 kyu; if there is anybody in Melbourne
            interested in a game then please get in touch - I haven't
            had much luck finding players since I moved here."
        ) ++

        p(
            "align=right width=260 height=260" >>
                img("images/goboard.gif") ++

            "Some facts about go..." ++

            ul(
                li(
                    "There are only four simple" ++
                    a("http://senseis.xmp.net/?BasicRulesOfGo", "rules") ++
                    "to learn (legal move, capture, ko and counting.)"
                ) ++

                li(
                    "The handicap system is an integral part of the game,
                    and ensures that both players face an interesting
                    challenge."
                ) ++

                li( 
                    "Despite much effort, the best" ++
                    a("http://www.britgo.org/gopcres/gopcres.html",
                        "go playing computer programs") ++
                    "are only slightly better than myself; I've probably
                    only spent a couple of years studying go reasonably
                    seriously in the time I've been playing."
                )
            )
        ) ++

        p(
            "This is a rather cute twist: a" ++
            a("http://www.escape.de/users/shusaku/euro96/issue3/roundgo.htm",
                "circular") ++
            "go board."
        ) ++

        aref("games") ++ h3("Abstract Board Games") ++

        p(
            "I love playing board games in general.  One of these days
            I'll find enough time to explore Richard Rognlie's" ++
            a("http://www.gamerz.net/~pbmserv", "Play-by-E-Mail") ++
            "service."
        ) ++

        p(
            "If you want to challenge me, my user-id is" ++
            tt("ralphbecket") ++
            "and currently I'd be most interested in playing" ++
            a("http://www.britgo.org", "go,") ++
            a("http://www.traxgame.com", "trax,") ++
            a("http://www.tantrix.com", "tantrix,") ++
            a("http://www.gipf.com/zertz/index.html", "zertz") ++ "and" ++
            a("http://www.clickhere.nl/abalone/", "abalone.") ++
            "Slow games though, I'm afraid: I doubt I'd
            have time to make more than one move per day or so."
        ) ++

        aref("scifi") ++ h3("Science Fiction") ++

        p(
            a("audio/he-showed-promise.wav",
                "align=right width=345 height=259" >>
                    img("images/ming.jpg")
            ) ++

            "Sorry, it goes with being a computer scientist."
        ) ++

        p(
            "Some authors
            everybody should read: Lois McMaster Bujold, Alastair Reynolds,
            Frank Herbert, Jack Vance, Gene Wolf, William Gibson, early
            Roger Zelazny."
        ) ++

        p(
            "Stephen Donaldson's" ++ em("Gap") ++ "novels are excellent.
            But don't, whatever you do, read the" ++ em("Thomas Covenant") ++
            "trilogy unless you're a serious glutton for punishment."
        ) ++

        p(
            "I'm just finishing Peter F. Hamilton's" ++
            em("Fallen Dragon,") ++
            "which is really rather good.  I've always thought
            Hamilton's work enjoyable pulp; this one is quite a bit
            better."
        ) ++

        p(
            em("I have missed many grate orfers off this list that are
            parked somewhere in my library.  I'll extend the list as
            I remember.")
        ) ++

        aref("poetry") ++ h3("Poetry") ++

        p(
            a(poetry_url, "I know what I like...")
        ) ++

        aref("english") ++ h3("Good English") ++

        p(
            "At first we all thought how wonderful it would be if
            everybody had a voice.  Now we have the internet, it's not so
            clear that we were being realistic."
        ) ++

        p(
            "It's really not that hard to communicate clearly; find out
            how at Ralph's" ++ a(grammar_url, "Grammar Snobbery") ++ "Page."
        ) ++

        h3("And There's More...") ++

        p(  
            "But one has to do some work sometime..."
        )
    ).

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