Gary Kleppe's Web Site

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:28:55 -0500

Back in the late 1970s I spent most of my time in High School playing and/or writing computer games. Recently an acquaintance pointed me toward the source code of Swords, a game that I played back then. For the curious, that source code is here, along with a description of the game. Anyway, I wanted to play this game again, so I ported the code to be able to run in a web browser. Now you too can play below (or click the "Read More" link if you're viewing this on the front page). Enjoy!

Please report any bugs in comments. Let me make one thing perfectly clear (an expression we used a lot in the '70s for some reason): I did not make this game, I only ported it to this platform. Any credit or blame for the game itself should not go to me. The original game was by Bruce D. Turrie of Antwerpen, Belgium. The version that I played circa 1979 was by Richard B. Peterson of Milwaukee Public Schools (who probably should've credited Turrie but didn't); this revision had some different text in a few places, most of which I've used here, but in terms of overall gameplay nothing seems to have fundamentally changed.

Tue, 2 Sep 2025 17:16:25 -0500

This site had problems that made it display wildly incorrectly when viewed using HTTPS rather than HTTP. When I started out way back in the dark ages, my web host did not support HTTPS, at least not with the $4/month plan that I was on. Apparently they do now, which is good because pretty much every site uses HTTPS these days, but my Nucleus CMS installation was not properly set up for it, so the display was wildly off.

I've put in a quick fix but am contemplating completely redoing everything.

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 19:55:16 -0500

Because nobody asked. Keep in mind these are my opinions only, and I don't claim to speak for anyone else. There's a fair number of races with only one Democratic candidate (such as my own for Precinct Committeemortal in York Township Precinct 87, a job no one else seems to want) which I won't mention. (But didn't I just mention them? Oh well.)

You may not even know that Governor Jay Pritzker has a primary challenger, one Beverly Miles. In general, I do think we need more non-billionaires in government, but it's not clear to me why Ms. Miles is running or what she wants to accomplish, and she doesn't seem like a particularly strong campaigner considering how few people even know who she is. Her web site touts her military experience, which I really don't care about, but lists few or no specific policies that she wants to implement. I'm officially endorsing Pritzker, but feel free to vote for Miles if you don't like him and want a protest vote, because this race is a pretty foregone conclusion anyhow.

The Secretary of State race is much more competitive this year, with long-time incumbent Jesse White not running again. My biggest recommendation is don't vote for Giannoulias. People outside the Democratic bubble don't much trust him, and based on how much special interest money he rakes in, I can't say it's entirely for bad reasons. He's also not a good choice even if you just want any Democrat in this office, considering that he's already lost a statewide election to Mark Kirk in 2010. I don't have any major preference as far as the other three candidates but will probably vote for Anna Valencia as she seems to be the strongest challenger.

For Congress, many of us are in new districts for the new decade. The new District 3 is a latino-heavy area, and the best candidate is State Rep Delia Ramirez who is running a grass-roots people-powered campaign. For the new District 6, which includes my precinct, and in which two incumbents are fighting it out, the clear better choice is Marie Newman. Newman does not take corporate PAC money and supports Medicare for All which would provide full health coverage for everybody in the country for less than we're currently paying. Super-PACs backing her opponent have been sending out lots of mailers over trumped-up scandals. Think about how much that costs, and what they'd be expecting in return. For District 8, which used to be my district but isn't anymore, I support challenger Junaid Ahmed over the incumbent; Junaid is better on pretty much every issue.

One office you might not be familiar with is that of State Central Committeeman and Committeewoman. This is an often overlooked position, but an important one because the State Central Committee oversees the operations of the state party and elects the state party chair. Incumbent Patrick Watson has put in a lot of work and deserves to continue.

For DuPage County Board, District 2, which like every other district this year has three openings, I recommend Yeena Yoo, Paula Garcia, and Maryann Vasquez. The fourth candidate, Liz Chaplin, has been on the board longer than any other Democrat. I at one time admired Chaplin's work in fighting against Republican corruption on that board. That changed during a local party election in which Chaplin, as party vice-chair (a position that I myself had nominated her for), basically stacked the deck for her preferred candidate. After that, I can't in good faith recommend her for any position of public trust.

Last but not least, there's one competitive judge primary on the ballot in my area. I know relatively little about what makes a good judge, but a friend who is an immigration lawyer says that James Murphy is the better candidate in the Appellate Court race.

Sun, 4 Nov 2018 09:25:12 -0600

This.

DuPage County Judge Patrick O'Shea has been removed from all his judicial duties after his arrest Friday on a reckless conduct charge in Wheaton.

There's also this.

After his administrative assistant filed a sexual harassment report against him in 2016, DuPage County Court Judge Patrick J. O’Shea complained to her boss about the assistant’s “gang-related” tattoos and threatened to have her locked up, according to a complaint filed Thursday by the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board.

When Republicans come to you saying what great and upstanding people their local candidates are, remind them that they said the same thing about this guy.

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:38:18 -0600

By Lam Poone
Washington Pest staff reporter

The word "gullible" is not actually a legitimate word and does not appear in English dictionaries, according to top US intelligence officials. "For many years, the public has been misled into thinking that this is a legitimate word, but it actually isn't," said CIA Assistant Deputy Director for Linguistic Affairs Naim Ridaktyd. "It's actually not in any of the dictionaries. Not even the big unabridged ones that you need a forklift to carry."

Other CIA officials confirmed the absence of "gullible" from dictionaries, and suggested theories as to why the English-speaking public has for years been using what is not an actual word. "I'm pretty sure [Russian president Vladimir] Putin is behind this," said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Suum Gai. "The whole thing started long before he was in any position of power, and even before he was born, but what can I say, he's fiendishly clever." Gai said that the Obama administration is still trying to determine Putin's ultimate goal in fabricating a fake English word, but that clearly it was something nefarious.

"It's very unsettling that the public could be deceived into believing in the existence of what turns out to not be a real word," said Chuck L. Head, retired CIA agent and president of security consulting firm Wars R Us. "I think it shows, unfortunately, that the general public is very, er, able to be easily tricked."

Mon, 7 Nov 2016 20:15:21 -0600

I've done "Who to vote for" posts a number of times, and the only ones I ever hear back from are the ones who I don't recommend. So, screw it. Here are people who should not under any circumstances be put into the offices they're running for. Find their names on the ballot, and vote for the other person. Do not vote for #1: Donald Trump

Does anyone really need to be told this? Both in terms of his experience and his personal temprament, Trump is the last person who should be anywhere near the Oval Office. My dog would make a better president, and I don't own a dog. His much-touted business acumen consists of how to get investors to finance projects and then take the losses when they go bad. He then takes a big tax deduction for the money that he didn't actually lose, allowing him to keep living off of the money he inherited from daddy. Or he just runs straight-out con games, like his so-called university. Trump's not only a liar, but an extremely clumsy liar, who frequently swears up and down he hasn't said something when there's video all over the Internet of him saying it. He's sexually assaulted women and bragged about it, and his biggest supporters are white supremacists. Oh, and he knows basically nothing about policy, and the people he surrounds himself with are the worst right-wingers. There's much, much more, but you get the point.

Do not vote for #2: Gary Johnson

You might think that this guy is a serious and worthy alternative to Trump. Sadly, you'd be wrong. Johnson's ineptness on foreign policy is well-known; when asked by an interviewer on national TV, he couldn't name one foreign leader. Even on the domestic front, his policies are mostly a warmed-over version of Republican pro-corporate austerity. Yeah, he'll legalize marijuana, but you won't be able to afford any, because after he repeals labor law your job will pay eighty cents an hour with no health or other benefits.

Do not vote for #3: Mark Kirk

Basically everything about this guy is phony, but especially so is his reputation as an independent voice in Congress. He's built it by picking votes where he knew his vote wouldn't make a difference, because there was already a majority committed to one side or the other, and then and only then voting against his party. When it comes down to it he's a standard-issue Republican, the kind that think government shouldn't be protecting your health but should be protecting Wall Street profits.

Do not vote for #4: Leslie Munger

Bruce Rauner has been an absolute disaster for Illinois. Unfortunately barring impeachment we can't get rid of him this term but we can get his hand-picked self-described wingman out of the Comptroller's office, who openly brags in TV commercials about planning withhold pay from legislators if they don't bow to Rauner's agenda. Separation of powers? Nope, never heard of it.

Do not vote for #5: Pete DiCianni

DiCianni in a debate said that we have crime because we just aren't giving police the tools they need to do their jobs. I guess having enough military armaments to destroy most small countries, and being able to murder unarmed black people with no real consequences are just not enough. His web site says he would like to "Amend or replace Obama care with a better, lower cost, bi-partisan solution." What might that be? Only Pete and his proctologist know, and neither one is telling. Making health care a public service as other countries have done would be better and lower-cost, but somehow I don't think that's what he has in mind. Interesting fact, you can drive through the Eighth District and find many different places where DiCianni's campaign has found places where his opponent's signs were and put his own signs an inch in front them. That should give you an idea of how strong his ethics and morals are.

Do not vote for #6: Seth Lewis

This guy claims to be independent, which is kind of laughable if you read his financial reports. He's gotten literally hundreds of thousands of dollars and in-kinds from the Illinois Republican Party, the RSSCC, and various local power players. Most of these sources are in turn funded by Rauner and various other billionaires. So independence isn't what it used to be. Lewis' issues positions are vague to a fault, and he's taken very few definite stands, but I hear he's strongly in favor of sunny days and cute puppies. Unless the person he's talking to isn't, of course.

Do not vote for #7: Heidi Holan

I've met Ms. Holan (who shall not be referred to as "Heidi Ho," not even by those of us who appreciate classic Blood, Sweat, and Tears tunes, because that would be wrong) at my train station twice. She is an energetic campaigner. What she lacks is any ideas that would actually solve the budget problems she decries. Her specific proposal is workman's compensation "reform" that she admits would only save about $500 million. That may sound like a lot but it's less than $50 per person, a drop in the bucket of a state budget in the tens of billions. Holan is opposed to a graduated income tax or any other measure that would target the rich, which might have something to do with who is financing her campaign.

Do not vote for #8: Chris Kachiroubas

Kachiroubas has been a somewhat low-key player in DuPage politics, and there aren't the kind of horror stories about him like there are about some of the others. But while he's not Cronin or Berlin, he's a central cog in the system that brought us those guys and more.

Do not vote for #9: Bob Grogan

That Grogan is the incumbent County Auditor and at the same time the Chair of the Downers Grove Township Republicans should tell you all you need to know. Can we say fox guarding the henhouse? This is akin to being a sports referee and at the same time the president of the home team recruiting committee. Anyone who seriously thinks that one of the guys charged with protecting county elected officials' positions can also be an impartial watchdog, please leave your contact information in comments, because I have a bridge to sell you, cheap.

Do not vote for #10: Fred Bucholz

Again, not a lot of specific history here, though it should be noted that Bucholz' buddies tried to keep his opponent off the ballot so he could run unopposed. Yet another Republican who thinks that their party owns the county and the rest of us just live here.

Do not vote for #11: Richard Blass

Incumbent Liz Chaplin has been one of the very few elected officials in DuPage who actually looks out for the public, and actually practices the fiscal responsibility and opposition to government waste that the Republicans love to talk about. She pretty much single-handedly stopped the county clerk from accepting extra personal compensation for work at the Forest Preserve that was done by employees at the Clerk's office. She's spoken out against the County Board giving themselves fat paychecks and generous benefits for a job that only requires maybe ten hours a week work. The list goes on. Blass, her opponent, is in a lot of ways the anti-Liz. As a Bellwood police officer, he was suspended and eventually fired, which some say was for personal use of police resources. Blass is also claiming a Daily Herald endorsement on his campaign lit, which is disingenuous to put it mildly; the Herald did endorse Blass over his three Republican opponents in the primary but picked Chaplin in the general.

Do not vote for #12: Liam Brennan

A lot of DuPage Republicans aren't fond of democracy and would rather knock their opponents off the ballots using alleged legal technicalities than actually compete on their merits. Brennan, or parties acting on his behalf, takes it to new lows. Thomas Laz, Brennan's Republican primary opponent, was challenged on the basis that his voter signatures didn't exactly resemble the signatures that the same persons had signed when registering to vote forty years ago. They tried the same thing on his Democratic opponent, Jennifer Wiesner. When that failed, they tried to disqualify Wiesner on the grounds that she had not raised her right hand as her statement of candidacy was being notarized. You remember how this was a requirement for every other candidate, right? Me neither. This challenge was upheld by Dan Cronin's hand-picked Election Commissioners, but it was challenged in court and not even the local Republican judges could sustain such a ridiculous decision. Naturally, Brennan claims that he himself had no involvement in any of this, but even if we believe him, we should ask what it is about him that makes him so loved by people who hate democracy.

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 15:09:20 -0500

My thoughts on the current election. Does anyone care? Is there anybody out there? And what of Rhonda's forbidden love for Edgar? Tune in tomorrow!
Senator Bernie Sanders is by far the best choice for President. Bernie has spent his whole career fighting for working people. He takes no campaign money from Wall Street and opposes corporate trade treaties like the Trans-Pacific Partnership that force us to compete for jobs with countries that pay pennies per hour. He supports a plan for health care as a public service which will cover everyone while saving the average family thousands of dollars. As a member of Congress he voted against the Iraq war and pretty accurately predicted what its consequences would be for the region.
But can Bernie beat the Republicans? As Democrats, we believe in science when it comes to things like evolution and climate change, so we should look to science to tell us who is electable. All available scientific evidence shows that Sanders can win. polling match-ups consistently show him doing better than his main opponent against any likely Republican nominee. He also has a higher approval rating and polls much higher among independents and “swing” voters. He draws huge crowds to his speeches which will lead to higher turnout. When Democrats are inspired and turn out to vote, we win.

The winner of the US Senate Democratic primary will go on to face a Republican, probably incumbent Mark Kirk. Tammy Duckworth is currently our member of Congress and is the party leadership's choice for this Senate seat. I'm not that big a follower of the party leadership and I'd happily support an outsider candidate like Andrea Zopp or Napoleon Harris if one of them were clearly better but I don't think either Zopp or Harris has all that much to offer that Duckworth doesn't.

The Eighth Congressional is the hottest local race right now. Those living in the district have probably seen the mailers and TV ads. The candidates are Mike Noland, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Deb Bullwinkel. I like all these candidates. Each one has a lot to offer and any of them would make a good Congressional representative.

State Senator Noland has the most political experience. His record is mostly very good, with a few blemishes &msdash; he, along with the rest of the state legislature, voted for a bill that prohibited anyone receiving state funds from advocating a boycott of Israeli apartheid — but for the most part he's been a strong and independent progressive. He is also better than the others on some issues, most notably on health care where he is the only one advocating eliminating private insurance and making health care a public service.
Krishnamoorthi is a very strong campaigner and will add badly-needed diversity to a Congress that is still mostly white. He is highly knowledgeable on just about any issue you can name, and says most of the right things, but without any sort of legislative record it's hard to be absolutely sure that he would follow through on them.
Deb Bullwinkel's strength include compassion and a strong connection to the community, but as a late entrant into the race and someone who is new to national-level politics she hasn't built up the experience and knowledge base that the other two have.

Some other races on side two of my ballot are worth mentioning. Moon Khan is running as a write-in for County Recorder. He had previously filed petitions to be on the ballot for that office but they were challenged by Republicans and he was forced to withdraw. If you live in DuPage County please write in Moon Khan for recorder. Note that to do a write-in you must both bubble in the oval next to the write-in blank and then write the name in the blank. Note also that Khan is a write-in only for Recorder; please do not write him in for President or Senator.
Also of note, Jennifer Shalakis Wiesner is running for judge in a circuit that includes most of DuPage. She has no primary opponent, but the race is interesting because of the ridiculous lengths the Republicans have already gone to try to keep her from running. At first they challenged the validity of the signatures that she had collected. When that didn't pan out, they tried to claim that she didn't live at her stated address and reportedly even hired a private detective to follow her around to prove it. Finally they asserted that she should be off the ballot because she failed to raise her right hand as her statement of candidacy was notarized. Anyone involved in politics knows that this has never been required of any candidate anywhere, but the DuPage Election Commission, of which all three members including the supposed Democrat were hand-picked by DuPage County Führer Dan Cronin, decided this was reason to throw Wiesner off the ballot. Fortunately this decision went to court and was reversed, but it's a good reminder of what we're up against in DuPage. Wiesner's opponent, Liam Brennan, still has enormous advantages; he has money, connections, and a county where a lot of people automatically vote Republican. Wiesner on the ballot isn't a huge threat to Brennan's position and power. It will, however, necessitate his backers to spend some money that they otherwise might not. DuPage County, where we try to deter democracy, because having it can run into money.

Tue, 1 Dec 2015 14:27:04 -0600

Photos from our Hawaii trip. All the commentary is by Ted (age 9). You should be able to "View Image" on any picture to see it full-sized.

Ted in the front seat of the helicopter

Our first day at our resort, this is what the outside looks like.

Kilauea Caldera from the helicopter window. Notice the Sulfur Dioxide [SO2] coming out of the crater.

Another picture of our resort. This is what the west part of the island looks like.

Another picture of Kilauea caldera from the Helicopter. Another name for the crater is Halemaumau (that's what the natives call it). Look and you see lava inside of the caldera.

We were at Black Sand Beach near south point. We saw some little urchins near a little stream of sand.

One of the old eruption sites. it may have been in any of the Kilauea eruptions between 1983 and 2012, but it is also likely that it was from Mauna Loa's eruption in 1984.

Sulfur Dioxide coming out of Kilauea's caldera (Kilauea is the second of the active volcanoes in the state of Hawai'i. The other is Mauna Loa, also on the big island.) No one would want to go in there, also because Kilauea erupts more than any other volcano on earth!

Along the chain of craters road, there was an isolated forest in the middle of an active lava field. Now, we were on a helicopter at this time, so it is only one out of the hundreds of unique things on our tour. Another thing strange is there is a drop (mini-crater) in the isolated forest. It is an old [VERY] eruption site from about 1000 to 960000 years ago!

Rainbow falls from a distance. We didn't get lucky and see the rainbow, though.

Welcome to the Lava field of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes! There are many little holes like these in the lava field. A lava field is special beacause the lava holes are only a few feet deep, and they go to all the way through the mantle layer of the earth! The mantle is regularly 30 miles deep, but in this lava field, the mantle is 10 meters deep!.

More of the Lava holes in the field. Notice the rubbery stuff on the outside. 1000-20000 years ago, that might have been active lava flows!

One of the small lava flows in the field. One this small is not common or rare.

Sunset at our luau (in hawai'ian language means festival). Some of the locals say that the west side of the island (Kona) will promise you two things 99% of the time: A sunny day, and A beautiful sunset. Well, this is both of them!

Ted's friend Josh with Ted. They are loking at sea urchins inside of their mini-beach fort.

Another picture of the lava field except that you see trees with green and gray leaves. Also there are some trees that got cut down by the lava in the field.

You may be thinking: why are you taking a picture of rocks? Well, if you look closley, you see a red thing. It is Josh's pet, Big Mama!

If this is Hilo, be very surprised, because: #1: It always rains in Hilo. There are two sides of the island, The West is the Kona side, and the East is the Hilo side. The Kona side is considered the Plains/Dry side of the island, while the Hilo side is considered the swamp side. #2: Once it rains in Hilo, be excpected to wait a couple months before it stops. Also, it is not raining in this picture.

We took a little hike to the 'ai'opio fishtrap and saw this. You may be thinking: what the heck is that?! Look more, and you see a square-like fishtrap.

One of the valleys on the northeast side of the island (I forgot its name). This is the small one. If you are staying in Hilo (under the condition that there are only 3 resorts in Hilo) it is not too far away from Hilo airport.

Now, this may seem a little weird, BUT! these are turkeys. in HAWAI'I! They are coming beacause people are feeding them, so that is proabably why Ted calls them invasive in Hawai'i.

Cliffs just north of the small valley near Hilo. Look a little closer and you will see a waterfall flowing into the ocean.

Ted in the Co-Pilot seat of the helicopter. Behind the window you see a bunch of waterfalls in a valley.

More of the waterfalls, except this is on the north side of the northernmost big valley. Look down, and you see the side of a black sand beach. It's not as popular as the one near south point, though.

View of Mauna Kea from a helicopter. On maps Mauna Kea is 13,796 feet above ground, but from the bottom of the ocean, it is 34,895 feet above ground. Mount everest is only 29,035 feet above ground! The only exception is Mauna Loa, It's considered height is 13,679 feet, but from the bottom of the ocean, it's 55,976 above the bottom of the sea. Mount Everest would proabably be considered puny to both of them! Look very close into the picture, and you see silver dots around the top of Mauna Kea. Those are Observatories. They only have them on Mauna Kea for two reasons. #1: It is 14,000 feet above the height of costal level of Hawai'i. #2: it hasn't erupted for a VERY long time. Mauna Loa just erupted in 1984, so no one wants to build there. This fact is for all of the people who like snow: In the morning, it always snows on Mauna Kea. if you visit the top between 10AM to 7PM, you are too late.

Fri, 19 Dec 2014 15:19:13 -0600

Facebook is full of this kind of quiz, so I thought I'd try making my own. (It may not work properly in some older Microsoft browsers.)

What is your favorite color?

Click here to begin

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 13:07:38 -0500

Because nobody asked for it.... My candidate choices for the Democratic primary are here, with explanation of reasons below the fold. I should emphasize that I am speaking for myself only, not for York Township Democratic Organization nor anyone else. Also, since I'm friends with some of the people running here, let's be clear that these recommendations are based only on which persons I see as the better fit for the particular job for which they're contesting, and not on who I like or don't like on a personal level.

Governor: Pat Quinn
DuPage County Board District 4: M. Moon Khan
State Central Committee District 8: Rose Fitzpatrick and Bob Wagner
Precinct Committee York Township Precinct 55: Arthur Biladeau

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to rant or rave in comments. But click the "Read More" link first.Pat Quinn's record as governor has been a mixed bag. He's the only governor in recent memory who's made a serious and honest attempt to address Illinois' budget problems. But his approach has mostly centered around pension and spending cuts while the real root of the problem is the state's regressive tax system. If there were a strong progressive challenger, I'd consider backing him or her. But Tio Hardiman doesn't seem to have the resources to compete state-wide and if up against someone like Bruce Rauner would likely be overwhelmed.

DuPage County District Four which includes the Wheaton bible belt will be a difficult pick-up for any Democrat. M. Moon Khan only recently became a Democrat, but since then he's made a good-faith effort to support the local party. His opponent, Jeremy R. Custer, also a former Republican according to his primary voting record, has only recently moved into the district from Chicago, something that won't elicit trust from the average DuPage voter; if that weren't enough to doom any chance he would have against a long-time incumbent like Grant Eckhoff, there's this from barely over four years ago. Even Khan, who is a former township trustee and has much stronger roots in the community, will have a tough time winning this one. His strategy, to energize and bring out Asian-Americans and others who don't traditionally vote in large numbers, is a longshot. With a similar approach he didn't even come close to winning as village of Lombard president. But him as the nominee will certainly bring out some of those voters, which will benefit all of the party's other candidates up and down the ballot.

The state central committee manages the affairs of the Democratic Party of Illinois, including electing the state party chair. The current chair, Michael Madigan, is getting on in years, so those elected to the committee this time around may well face the important task of picking a new one. I personally know all of the candidates for District 8; three out of four are friends whom I've worked closely with in the local party. Carol B. Davis brings great enthusiasm, energy, and passion, but the SC needs careful judgment and the ability to keep one's head in a tense situation, and Rose Fitzpatrick has the edge there. Mike Noland has been a strong independent voice in the state senate, while Bob Wagner has served with integrity and thoughtful dedication in a number of positions, currently on the Villa Park board of trustees. As someone who holds no office in state government, Wagner brings a citizen's perspective to the Central Committee position that isn't possible for a sitting legislator. Fitzpatrick and Wagner are endorsed.

I wouldn't normally butt into a local precinct-level race, but the current York 55 election is a true David vs. Goliath scenario. Arthur Biladeau, one of the best precinct walkers in the area, is being challenged by Thomas Cullerton, the current State Senator for the district. Cullerton has the advantages of money access and name recognition, but as a sitting legislator he can't put the time into working the precinct that Biladeau does. Biladeau is a self-described regular guy with no political aspirations, the kind of person we need to be more involved, not less.

Gary Kleppe's Web Site

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