11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica

My father is giving away one of his prize possessions: the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1911.

According to my father, this was known as the “scholars edition” because it was the last edition that could be used as a primary resource. For example, the article on penicillin was written by Alexander Fleming; the article on Communism was written by Leon Trotsky.

The taker would have to pay the postage if they wanted it shipped to them. That would be substantial since technically the 11th edition had 33 volumes, though I don’t know if my father has all the supplements. If a library wanted it, my father would consider paying for the shipping.

The volumes are not bound uniformly. My father assembled the collection over the course of years, and the books come from at least two different printings.

Any takers?

Giveaway: Numenera Starter Set

Edit: A first came, was first served, and the game has been given away.

Worldbuilders is a charity run by geeks (most notably Patrick Rothfuss). Every year they hold a fundraiser/raffle to raise money to fight poverty and starvation. I usually send in the lowest level of participation in the raffle, because I give to other charities and I have to watch my budget.

This year, to my surprise, I won something. I received it in the mail yesterday: the starter kit for the Numenera tabletop RPG.

I admire the setting of Numenera. I experienced it in the computer game Torment: Tides of Numenera. It’s set billions of years in the future, in a setting with fantastical technology, alien races, and layers of civilizations and alternative dimensions.

However, I have no interest in the Numenera RPG. If I was able to GM a RPG again, I’d pick up my Argothald campaign, which uses the Fate Core system.

In the spirit of charity, I’m giving away the still-wrapped copy of the Numenera Starter Set. Just let me know that you want it and it’s yours. First come, first served.

Of course, if you want to share the blessing of receiving a gift from a charity, you can consider giving something to one of the charities I support: Worldbuilders, The Trevor Project, or The New York Times.

Another gadget giveaway!

I’m giving away two pieces of computer network hardware. They’re about five years old, but perfectly functional.

Electronics give-away

As I posted in my recent Twitter/Facebook status updates, I’ve finally indulged in a burst of rampant consumerism and purchased a Blu-ray player.  No, I did not buy it on credit!

With the purchase of this new toy, I took the opportunity to remove some electronics from my home theater system. I’m never going to use these items again. I know about Freecycle and whatnot, but I thought I’d offer to give them to my friends first before I gave them to strangers.