I liked My New LiveJournel Account to My Blogger Account

I found myself making a LiveJournel account to contact other people on LiveJournel. With a little bit of work, I was able to link it to this blog.

Using Google Wave for Gaming

I found this article published on the RetroRolePlayingBlog. Thought it was interesting.

---

RetroRolePlayingBlog:

Using Google Wave for Gaming: "Google Wave seems to be the new 'must have' thing on the Internet judging by the buzz on sites like Lifehacker. Gamers are already thinking about how to use it in online games. So far, most people I've seen using it for RPGs are using it like a chat room and not taking much planned advantage of its special features.

Will Hindmarch had a interesting article on using Google Wave for gaming on his gameplaywright blog. Although his blog is aimed more at Story Games than pure RPGs, his ideas for using Google Wave in gaming are quite adaptable and very much worth a look: Playing On A Wave.

Dungeons and Dragons: Who will inherit the legacy?

I got an Email from Amazon asking if I wanted to sell any Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 material. I think it highlights the popularity of the d20 system and the failure of the fourth edition. Usually, about now, everyone is dumping their previous version to purchase the new one. The market for 3.5 materials should be flooded with players wanting to upgrade and prices should be depressed. Instead, now that the previous version is out of print, demand is higher than ever. A player’s handbook fetches about $90 new and $60 used. This while the free and remarketed Dungeons and Dragons Online is becoming wildly popular (to the point of server overload) and the entire online system is built on the 3.5 rule set.

Meanwhile, Green Ronin Publishing is pushing hard to replace the D20 system with their True20 system that is built on the 3.5 System Reference Documents that were released by Wizards and published under the Open Gaming License. I have seen their true20 on the shelves of two game stores I have visited in the last month. Clearly they are poised to strike at Wizards weakness and are looking to push True20 in as the real heir to the Dungeons and Dragons gaming legacy. They like to say, “True20 is the latest in generations of adventure roleplaying games that have been around since the 1970s.”

I have two 3.5 player handbooks at my disposal that are shared between two campaign groups. I want players to consider purchasing the books themselves. Should I place a $60-$90 burden on them? I think I could ask them to purchase the True20 players handbook at $30, or at least the PDF version for $9.99.

Hasbro’s downsizing last year saw Wizards of the Coast dump Jonathan Tweet (the main author of the 3.5 handbook). With this behavior you have to wonder what of interest will be coming out of Wizards in the future. Meanwhile a small upstart is attempting to co-opt a legacy.

Play Testing is Complete for this Year

There will be no Battle Game play testing on October 24th, 2009 in Fort Collins. It has been cancelled because of conflicting activities. This pretty much finishes up this seasons play testing. I do not expect to host any more battle game activities until March 2010.

More Battle Play Testing October 17th

Battle Day and Weapons Construction Workshop, October 17th, Fort Collins, CO

There will be another play test activity for the book "Battle Gaming: The New American Sport" on October 17th at Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins. Directions are below.

The schedule is as follows:

• 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Weapons construction in the basement of the River Rock Cohousing Community House located adjacent to Lee Martinez Park. (Directions below)
• 12:30PM - 1:00 PM Lunch and Feedback, I will provide sandwich bar
• 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Battling. We play test specific scenarios
• 3:00 PM - free fighting time

I hope that you will come and participate. You can help shape the book that is likely to shape the future of this sport.

What to bring:

Any and all Amtgard/Belegarth/Dagorhir weapons. The system in the book is inclusive to all these weapon technologies. You may also wish to bring armor as we will be doing some play testing with armor.

If you are attending the weapons construction workshop, please consider bringing some supplies. I have many supplies which I will happily donate, but my supply chest is not bottomless. Typical stuff such as foam camping pads, pool noodles, tape, cores (PVC pipe/kite spar/fiberglass rods) and cloth are always useful.

More Information:
Additional information can be found at www.OpenBattleGaming.org, or by calling Dave Graham at 970-484-4577.

Directions:
Google Maps: Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins

Fort Collins is located about 60 miles from Denver.

• Take I25 to Exit 269B which is CO-14 also known as Mulberry Street.
• Follow Mulberry Street approximate 3.5 miles and turn right onto Riverside Ave. This will be the intersection just after you pass the rail road tracks.
• Riverside Ave will become Jefferson St.
• Go across where it intersects with College Ave. You will now be on Maple St.
• Go four blocks and turn right on to N. Sherwood St.
• Follow N. Sherwood to the end (it ends in the park) and then turn right and go down the hill and park by the ball fields.
• Walk directly south to a fire lane (gravel) and follow it up hill to the east and you will be at the back of the River Rock Community House. Look for signs.
• Look forward to seeing you there.

Please note there will be no play testing on October 10th, instead more effort is being put into getting a larger crowd out for October 17th.

Book Play Testing on Sep. 5th in Fort Collins

Battle Day and Weapons Construction Workshop, September 5th, Fort Collins, CO

The book is comming along nicely. It is still currently titled "Battle Gaming: The New American Sport." Crynolyn is working on photos for the book.

A certain amount of play testing and player feedback needed to complete this project. Therefore I am organizing a series of play test and weapons construction activities that you are invited to attend.

Each of these activities will take place at Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins. Directions are below.

The schedule is as follows:

• 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM Weapons construction in the basement of the River Rock Cohousing Community House located adjacent to Lee Martinez Park. (Directions below)
• 12:30PM - 1:00 PM Lunch and Feedback, I will provide sandwich bar
• 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Battling. We play test specific scenarios
• 3:00 PM - free fighting time

I hope that you will come and participate. You can help shape the book that is likely to shape the future of this sport.

In addition to September 5th, additional play testing and weapon workshops with be held on September 12, October 10, 17, and 24. These events will occur rain or shine. In the event of rain, we will primarily focus on making weapons and armor.

What to bring:

Any and all Amtgard/Belegarth/Dagorhir weapons. The system in the book is inclusive to all these weapon technologies. You may also wish to bring armor as we will be doing some play testing with armor.

If you are attending the weapons construction workshop, please consider bringing some supplies. I have many supplies which I will happily donate, but my supply chest is not bottomless. Typical stuff such as foam camping pads, pool noodles, tape, cores (PVC pipe/kite spar/fiberglass rods) and cloth are always useful.

More Information:
Additional information can be found at www.OpenBattleGaming.org, or by calling Dave Graham at 970-484-4577.

Directions:
Google Maps: Lee Martinez Park in Downtown Fort Collins

Fort Collins is located about 60 miles from Denver.

• Take I25 to Exit 269B which is CO-14 also known as Mulberry Street.
• Follow Mulberry Street approximate 3.5 miles and turn right onto Riverside Ave. This will be the intersection just after you pass the rail road tracks.
• Riverside Ave will become Jefferson St.
• Go across where it intersects with College Ave. You will now be on Maple St.
• Go four blocks and turn right on to N. Sherwood St.
• Follow N. Sherwood to the end (it ends in the park) and then turn right and go down the hill and park by the ball fields.
• Walk directly south to a fire lane (gravel) and follow it up hill to the east and you will be at the back of the River Rock Community House. Look for signs.
• Look forward to seeing you there.
  

He's Barack Obama

I thought this was pretty fun.

This I Believe

Our friend Jenny asked my wife Margaret "What keeps you in your marriage?" And of course Margaret put the question to me. At the time I gave a short answer:

My relationship with Margaret not only allows for growth, it demands it.

Now I have had time to think and it really has to do with my outlook on life.

Comfort - I believe this value is far over rated. Comfort is the place of mediocrity and is a place where things are not so bad that you wish to change them, but not so good that you are enjoying anything.

Victimhood - This is just out. I believe here are no adult victims in life, absolutely none, we are all simply experiencing the consequences of our own choices.

Service - I believe the purpose of life is to live a life of service. I view serving others as a privilege and a joy. I seek meaning in serving the world. I never forget to server myself, so I will continue to have the energy to give to others.

Balance - I believe that life is a balance between "doing" activities and "being" present. Every "doing" should be balanced with a consciousness of "being" to give it meaning.

Choice - I believe I am always in choice. I may not be able to choose the "doing", but I can always choose the "being". So even when I am faced with an event that is force upon me, I can choose my emotional reaction to that event.

Happiness - I believe in authentic happiness that comes from optimism, human interaction, appreciation, working hard, learning new things, taking risks, and having new experiences. I am not much of a fan for short term pleasure and I rarely watch TV or read fiction.

Leadership - I believe although the purpose of life is service, to lead others in service is to help them find purpose. Waiting for someone else to take the lead is always a waste of time. This is true at home as well as at work.

Attention - I believe those things I wish to flourish must be given attention. Attending the family, health, work, and personal finances are my highest priorities. I am aware that attention is a limited resource and I must choose where I apply it. Some things, such as a clean house, often fall off the end of the list.

These are the things I believe. My relationship with Margaret is not one of idyllic easy-going pleasure, instead it is filled with challenge, growth, and meaning. This is what keeps me in my marriage.

Reorganizing my Web Presence

I am in the process of reorganizing my web presence to create more of a flow of information leading up to the publication of the my new book Battle Gaming: The New American Sport which will happen some time this fall.

Yesterday I launched www.OpenBattleGaming.org as a blog where I will be posting updates about the Open Battle Gaming™ system and eventually this site will see the publication of the of this battle game rule system. I am in the process of attaching a Google group for discussion of this system.

Changes that are coming soon include the retirement of www.AdventuresForYouth.com and www.CreativeSwordPlay.com as that business has been over for more than a year. Also I am going to move www.ExtremeStandardization.org into an archive blog. I hope to get back to this project in a few years.

As we draw closer to the book publication I will be kicking off a number of new web sites. Check back later for more about that.

Good LARP/Battle Gaming Video

Illinois LARPing from Aubyn Niemi on Vimeo.

Problems with Realm Crafter Mega Terrain Module

I reciently purchased Realm Crafter for my son Will after he completed his 3D Game Design Camp which used the same software. I then purchased the MegaTerrain Module for the system, but are finding that it has a strange bug. The land area is tiny. Checking the Realm Crafter boards I have found that this may be related to the video card, but this is a very new computer with a new video card. If anyone has any information that might help, please post a comment.

Book Update "Battle Gaming: The New American Sport"

People have been asking me about the state of the book. So I decided it is about time for an update.

As many of you know I am writing a book called "Battle Gaming: The New American Sport." Some of you have heard me say that it is a book about Dagorhir, Belegarth, Amtgard and Darkon. This is not entirely true. It is a book about Battle Gaming which I believe is what is at the core of what Dagorhir, Belegarth, Amtgard and Darkon do.

As for the schedule, the book is now officially running 5 months behind schedule. And I believe the schedule will continue to slip. The main drivers for schedule slippage are:

1) Reworking all the weapons construction stuff.

2) My day job just drains me.

3) Writing a book takes longer than I thought.

Here is what's going on.

I am simplifying weapons contraction instructions with a focus on accessibility of materials. My original plan of using many of my Action Armory instructions has not panned out well. The instructions I had created for specific kits where I provided the materials. Many of these materials I bulked ordered through Action Armory for the production of kits. The average reader of the book is not likely to have access to some of these materials (at least not easily). Therefore a new approach to a modular weapons construction instruction set is being created. This is a major undertaking and represents a rewrite of about 1/2 the book. This includes standardized methods for creating sharp points (thrusting points), hammer heads, punch protectors, pommels, sticks weapons, ax heads and pole arms. The new system is an ala-carte set of instructions. There is one worksheet for making a pommel, it is used on all weapons. A flail is simply a noodle sword (one worksheet) with a chain and ball (another worksheet). A arrow head is the same as a sharp spike you would find at the end of a small ax. Etc. I tested some of the instructions on the neighborhood kids with some success. Several people from Dagorhir Mordor have seen some of the samples I have been bringing out to practice and they want to know more. I will soon be inviting them to a weapons making workshop and see if we can shake out the instructions.

The book is targeted at a new player who is expected to be between 10-19 years of age. Test drives find that the book is written at a minimum 13 year old reading level. I will probably not try to fix that. There was some feedback that I need more information for parents working with kids. I had originally planned (2 years back) to have a chapter specific to this topic, but it did not exist in current work. I started building this chapter from all the work we did with Creative Sword Play, but then realized I would need to cut most of it. I will likely merge some material into Part I. It will talk about the 3 general groupings of kids: 6 and younger - they love the swords and have no concept of taking shots; 7-9 years - are ready for the simple stuff; 10-13 are ready to go, but need some safety guidance; with 14 and up are ready for the full deal.

The book teaches the Open Battle Gaming System Core Rules. This is simply a system that I created that is a merger of Dagorhir, Advanced Dagorhir, Belegarth, Amtgard and Darkon. It plays on the common root of these clubs. It attempts to draw some of the most interesting concepts from each of these systems. There are light, mortal, and death wounds as found in Darkon. There are heavy weapons that can break shields like Dagorhir and Amtgard. There are throwing weapons like found in Amtgard. There is a core set of rules that play a very generic strike and tag game. There are lots of optional rules that effectively allow the rules to morph into Dagorhir, Belegarth, Amtgard or Darkon like combat.

The Open Battle Gaming System separates the combat rules from the mock weapon technology used for play. These are covered by the Padded Weapon Technology Rules which basically are designed to grandfather in most existing Dagorhir, Amtgard, Belegarth, and Darkon weapons. So in some ways it is a slightly looser standard. In many ways it is more ridged. This standard specifies things like the minimum amount of closed cell foam or open cell foam that is needed for a particular construction. It specifies the density for open cell used in certain constructs. It specifies the use of punch protectors (blunts) at the ends of cores, as well as the use of rip resist parts. It also states that meeting the minimum padding may not be sufficient to get your weapon past the referee inspection. The entire Padded Weapon Technology Rules are demonstrated in the weapon construction portion of the book.

Since the combat rules and the technology rules are kept separate in the Open Battle Gaming System, there is a small portion of the book about applying the combat rules and battle game scenarios using SCA Rapier and SCA Heavy Weapons combat. I also hint at applying the combat system and games using latex style molded LARP weapons. All of this is at the edge of the scope of the book, so do not expect detailed instructions.

The Open Battle Gaming System also has the concept of player classes like found in Amtgard as well as creature class found as Amtgard monsters. But to keep it simple Core Rules has no concept of levels and only define the standard (Dagorhir/Belegarth) player classes: Warrior, Archer, and Healer. Players by default are limited the creature class: Human (as in Dagorhir/Belegarth). The main purpose for allowing the concept of a player and creature classes was to make it more ease to describe the battle games. A zombie tag game includes the creature class Zombie which then defines the actions a player who is playing this creature class can take.

There is no concept of a simulated magic in the Open Battle Gaming System Core Rules.

The system is specifically designed to be morphed by players, organizers, and game designers. The Open Battle Gaming System Core Rules in the Appendix of the book are being published under the Wizards of the Coast Open Game License v1.0a. I have specifically have no intention for there to ever be an Open Battle Gaming national organization. I would rather the rules be used like D&D or GURPs are today. Many clubs, running their own variation of the games with their own variation of the rules.

The book is suffering from overcrowding at this point. From a usability and price point it needs to be limited to 300 pages. It is clear that the contents have exceeded this limit. As a result there will be a major cut of content. Feel free to leave feedback about my suggested cuts shown in the outline below.

The plan for marketing the book is to sell it in two forms. There will be a black and white soft cover addition as well as a color E-book addition. Printing in color is not cost effective, so I decided that if an individual wishes to print a color version, they can purchase the E-book and print it themselves. I have not decided on the print house yet, but it will be self published under the name of my new company (more about that in a later post).

Here is my latest outline. Some things to note: A Worksheet is an item with very specific instructions to create a very specific item. A How To is a more general instruction set that requires some skill on the part of the reader to figure out how to make the project work. These are primarily armor projects where materials, tools, and patterns will vary from one reader to the next. The order for the Worksheets within chapters is still yet to be determined.

I have marked items that I am considering cutting from the book due to content overflow. The book looks like it will go from three parts to two parts. The remaining part which mostly contains "Part III: Running the Games" will be repackaged into a second book. This book will be published about six months after the initial book. It will likely be something of a game masters guide.

Please write comments and send me feedback.

Dave

PART I: Playing the Games

1) Chapter 1: A New Kind of Sport

2) Chapter 2: Safety First

• a) Referees
• b) Outdoor Cautions
• c) Ensuring Safety
• d) Safety Equipment

3) Chapter 3: Quick Start Guide

4) Chapter 4: Let the Games Begin!

• a) Game Types, Sizes, Configurations
• b) 20 Game Descriptions (I have limited it to 20, I could have more)

5) Chapter 5: Combat in Detail (mostly OBGS Core Rules with interpretation)

• a) Target Zones
• b) Weapon Classes
• c) Shield Classes
• d) Armor Classes
• e) Actions - Sports Actions, Attacker Actions, Defender Actions
• f) Optional Combat Rules

6) Chapter 6: From Sport to Game

• a) Athletics vs. Strategy Game
• b) Player Classes
• c) Creature Classes
• d) Common Game Creatures
• e) Creating Your Own Player or Creature Class (Considered for Dropping)

7) Chapter 7: On The Battle Field

• a) Forming a Team
• b) Taking Shots
• c) Movement and Strategy

i) Individual Techniques (a lot on how to sword fight)

ii) Unit Strategy (strategy at the team level) (Considered for Dropping Some Items)

Part II: Equipment

8) Chapter 8: What You Will Need

• a) General info about Weapons
• b) General info about Costuming
• c) General info about Camping at Events

9) Chapter 9: Technology

• a) History of the Mock Padded Weapon
• b) Flat blades vs. Round blades
• c) Internal Parts of a Padded Weapons
• d) Design Guidelines (OBGS Padded Weapon Technology Rules)
• e) Constructing Your Own Weapons (background)
• f) Construction Materials Catalog
• g) Construction Tools Catalog

10) Chapter 10: Swords

• a) About the Worksheets
• b) From Dagger to Great Sword
• c) Worksheet: Make a Pommel
• d) Worksheet: Make a Pool Noodle Sword
• e) Worksheet: Make a Tubular Weapon Cover
• f) Worksheet: Make a Box Style Puncture and Rip Resist
• g) Worksheet: Make a Flat Blade Sword
• h) Worksheet: Make a Simple Guard
• i) Worksheet: Make a Rope Handle Grip

11) Chapter 11: Pokies and Bludgeons

• a) Worksheet: Make a Sharp Point
• b) Worksheet: Make a Pick
• c) Worksheet: Make a Spear
• d) Worksheet: Make a Hammer Head
• e) Worksheet: Make a Hammer
• f) Worksheet: Make a Stick or Staff
• g) Worksheet: Make a Circular Mace
• h) Worksheet: Make a Flanged Mace
• i) Worksheet: Make a Horseman's Flail
• j) Worksheet: Make a Footman's Flail (Considered for Dropping)
• k) Worksheet: Make Numchakus

12) Chapter 12: Axes and Pole Arms

• a) Types of Pole Arms
• b) Worksheet: Make an Ax Head
• c) Worksheet: Make an Ax
• d) Worksheet: Make a Pole Arm
• e) Worksheet: Make a Pommel Spike

13) Chapter 13: Thrown Weapons

• a) Worksheet: Make a Throwing Dagger
• b) Worksheet: Make a Bandelier (Considered for Dropping)
• c) Worksheet: Make a Throwing Hammer
• d) Worksheet: Make a Javelin
• e) Worksheet: Make a Cool Rock
• f) Worksheet: Make a Pot or Kettle
• g) Worksheet: Make a Brick

14) Chapter 14: Archery and Arrows

• a) Selecting a Bow
• b) Selecting a Crossbow (Considered for Dropping)
• c) Selecting Arrows
• d) Worksheet: Make a Padded Arrow
• e) Worksheet: Make a Crossbow Bolt (Considered for Dropping)
• f) Worksheet: Make a Standard Quiver
• g) Worksheet: Make a Large Quiver (Considered for Dropping)

15) Chapter 15: Shields

• a) Shield Size, Weight, and Cores
• b) Shield Shapes
• c) Worksheet: Make a Plywood Backed Shield
• d) Worksheet: Make a Saucer Sled Shield (Considered for Dropping)
• e) Worksheet: Make a Solid Foam Shield
• f) Worksheet: Make a Curved Shield (Considered for Dropping)

16) Chapter 16: Armor

• a) General thoughts on Armor Construction
• b) How To: Make a Gambeson
• c) How To: Make Light Leather Armor

i) Adding Studs

ii) Adding Rings (Considered for Dropping)

iii) Adding Scales

• d) How To: Make a Heavy Leather Breast Plate
• e) How To: Make Heavy Leather Vambraces
• f) How To: Make Heavy Leather Greaves
• g) How To: Make a Leather Gorget
• h) How To: Make Heavy Leather Pauldrons
• i) How To: Make Chainmail
• j) How To: Make Brigantine (Considered for Dropping)

17) Chapter 17: Helmets

• a) Battle Game Safety Standards
• b) Worksheet: Make a Banded Helmet
• c) Worksheet: Make a Dark Age Helmet (Considered for Dropping)
• d) Worksheet: Make a Psudo-Roman Safety Helmet
• e) Worksheet: Attach a Hockey Grill to a Helmet

18) Chapter 18: Uniforms and Costuming

• a) Making First Impressions
• b) Basic Costuming
• c) Winter Costuming
• d) Worksheet: Make a T-tunic
• e) How To: Make a Belt Pouch (Considered for Dropping)
• f) Worksheet: Make a Weapon Clip

19) Chapter 19: Game Props (Considered for Dropping, Entire Chapter)

• a) Getting the Setup
• b) Worksheet: How to Make Raised Hoops
• c) Making Your Portable Keep
• d) Worksheet: The Portable Wall
• e) Worksheet: The Portable Entryway

Part III: Running the Games

20) Chapter 20: The Organizations

• a) History of the Battle Gaming Movement
• b) Dagorhir and Belegarth
• c) Amtgard
• d) Darkon
• e) The SCA and Battle Gaming
• f) The Crossover Player

21) Chapter 21: Starting Your Own Club (Considered for Dropping, Entire Chapter)

• a) Setting Goals
• b) Types of Battle Gaming Clubs
• c) The Evolution of a Battle Gaming Club
• d) The Demographics of Battle Gaming
• e) Controlling Your Liability

i) Using Property

ii) Hosting Minors

iii) Non-Profits

• f) Creating Your Legal Entity

i) 501(c)3 vs. 501(c)7

ii) Filing for Incorporation

iii) Applying for an EIN Number

iv) By Laws - Your Operational Methods

v) Involuntary Dissolution

vi) Trademarks

• g) Promoting Your Club

i) Newspapers

ii) Radio and TV

iii) Internet

22) Chapter 22: The Successful Game Day (Considered for Dropping, Entire Chapter)

• a) Choosing the Games
• b) Finding a Site
• c) Organizing Players
• d) Ensuring Safety
• e) Game Oversight
• f) Dealing with Problem Players
• g) The After Game

23) Chapter 23: Working with Kids

• a) Matching Abilities
• b) Equipment for Young People (Considered for Dropping)
• c) After School Programs (Considered for Dropping)
• d) Summer Camp Programs (Considered for Dropping)

24) Chapter 24: Build on Success

• a) Using Positive Reinforcement (Considered for Dropping)
• b) Write Your Own Game Scenarios (Considered for Dropping)
• c) Creatively Extend Battle Gaming (Considered for Dropping)
• d) A Shared Vision of Fun

Appendices

• Organizational Rules Comparison Tables

o Weapon Classes Across Organizations

o Shield Classes Across Organizations

o Armor Classes Across Organizations

o Player Classes Across Organizations

• Open Gaming License v1.0a
• Open Battle Gaming System Core Rules v1.0
• Open Battle Gaming Rules Variant Definition Document v1.0 (Considered for Dropping - post online)
• Open Battle Gaming Game Definition Document v1.0 (Considered for Dropping - post online)
• OBGS Amt Rules Variant - A rules variation that plays similarly to Amtgard
• OBGS Dag Rules Variant - A rules variation that plays similarly to Dagorhir (Considered for Dropping - too similar to the Belegarth Variant, post online)
• OBGS Dark Rules Variant - A rules variation that plays similarly to Darkon
• OBGS Belegarth Rules Variant - A rules variation based on the Belegarth rules published under the GNU Open Document License.

SharePoint Developer Tip of the Day

I have started a new blog called SharePoint Developer Tip of the Day. It is basically very short entries designed to give SharePoint developers a small amount of information that they can digest in a single quick read. It is also to help spread my knowlege of SharePoint to my coworkers and the broader community.

Microsoft docx - Macintosh File System resource forks return

Do you have Word 2007?  Have you ever renamed a .docx file to a .zip file and opened it to see what was inside.  I have known that the docx file was a zip file for a while, but lately work has been forcing me to read up on Microsoft’s Open Packaging Conventions and it has been very insightful.  What I noticed is that in 2007 Microsoft introduced the same technology that Apple had introduced in its 1984 Macintosh File System. Wikipedia: “MFS was notable both for introducing resource forks to allow storage of structured data, and for storing metadata needed to support the graphical user interface of Mac OS.” Wow! 23 years later Microsoft has created the OPC with content forks to allow storage of structured data, and for the storing the metadata needed to support the GUI of its applications.  Apple was always ahead of its time.