Guess what? An intro!

[Catharacta]

Basic Info:

EVE character - Catharacta
Your preferred nick/name - Catharacta or Cath
TTI Division (or major occupation if unsure) - Defense--although I'd like a few weeks to get some skills trained before I start any pvp combat operations.
Email Address - lordpomposity at gmail dot com
Your (approximate) age -20
Timezone in the world -US Central

Extended Info:

1) What are your unique characteristics that set you apart from most people? (your views, achievements, etc):

A couple years ago, I made the decision to renounce Christianity. For a lot of people, the decision to become an atheist is simply the gateway to a more rational type of thinking. That's quite important in and of itself, but to me it was more. When I was religious, I was among the worst type out there--no, not the fringe crazies, but the type who think that God and prayer are the answers to every problem in their lives and in the world. I didn't sit around doing nothing but playing with rosary beads, but I viewed the work I did myself as being an enabler, of strictly secondary importance. A lot of people would argue that God helps those who help themselves, and that I was doing it wrong--which I certainly was. But I still think the "God helps those who help themselves" outlook and the "God shall provide" outlook are simply two degrees of the same problem.

After I decided I was done with religion, I felt alone for the first couple of weeks. Somewhere in there, I realized I felt better that way. I asked fewer favors and considerations of other people, and began to feel much more confident in my own abilities to do what I wanted. Recently, I've started to put a lid on agreeing to do every favor that's asked of me--something I now consider to be one of my greater flaws.

Now, I'm no misanthrope. I don't go around saying no to people for the sake of demonstrating how fiercely independent I am. I'll do things for others if I expect that they will/would do proportionately demanding things for me were the need to arise--an informal economy of favors, if you will.

I don't consider myself a liberal or a conservative--this isn't because my positions are moderate, but because they tend to be extreme in wildly diverging directions (at least according to the left/right political spectrum so popular in American politics). I am, for example, against the Iraqi War, anti-religion, anti-creationism, supportive of abortion, gay rights, and stem cell research, and pro-environment; but I'm also in favor of the Afghani War, gun rights, and nuclear power and against welfare (at least in any form resembling its current manifestation in the United States) and For Your Own Good laws.

Until a few months ago, I hadn't really taken the time to read up on what Ayn Rand and Objectivism were all about; in fact, I'd kind of assumed she was just another right-wing idiot. Big mistake there, obviously; as you can tell from the above paragraph, Objectivism matches my own positions a lot better than pretty much any other philosophy I've run into.

(Yes, I realize Objectivism isn't simply a set of political positions. But my politics are derived from a philosophy of independence and self-reliance similar to that promoted by Rand, so I believe the above is a fair statement).

I'm currently a college sophomore studying chemistry, with a focus on inorganic. I've picked up enough to start on an actual research project this semester (developing an iron-57 NMR technique, for anyone who knows what I'm talking about) and I look forward to continuing that.

I also tend to write a lot more than I initially planned to. Jesus Christ.

2) Why are you playing EVE?

Short answer: It's in space. Pew pew.

Long answer: I find Eve quite impressive in that it has a functional economy. This means that intelligence and hard work allow a player to reach his goals, as opposed to other RPGs where success is based strictly on how often one plays and, often, dumb luck. Diablo II, my previous online RPG experience, was especially horrendous in this regard.

As both someone without an excess of free time and someone with a functional brain, I want to play a game where thinking about what I'm going to do has more of an effect on my success than just going out and killing stuff. That said, I also enjoy a satisfying explosion, particularly when it's a result of me coming up with a good idea. I'm reluctant to use cookie-cutter ships or to parrot setups that other people have posted. This does, of course, often lead to a less optimal use of time than I might make if I took one of the established gank loadouts and ran with it. But in my opinion it's more fun, and I can sometimes do specialized things that most other players I meet can't.

That brings me to the other players--for me, the multiplayer aspect is the most important part of a multiplayer game. From hanging around public channels, I can tell that Eve players are a good deal more mature than what I'm used to in other games. Even in rookie help, the leet kiddies seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

3) Why are you applying to Taggart?

As I mentioned above, I like to play with other players and Taggart's seem to be the most intelligent and reasonable out there. I don't make a huge pile of ISK right now, so I'd rather not throw a huge pile of ISK at my corporation every month for the privilege of being told what to do and when to do it (come to think of it, I'd have to be paid a rather generous amount to do that).

Wow, one paragraph that time.

Well, thanks for taking the time to read my intro. I'll be glad to clarify if anyone has questions.

[Aryana Orinogu]

I just wanted to take two or three seconds and say I really like the way you worded "informal economy of favors.'"

[Catharacta]

Hey, thanks. That at least means you made it through the atheist rant. :p

[Tolthar Lockbar]

Greetings Caterina, I sent you the full application.

Have fun with it.

[Oleksandr]

Hey, thanks. That at least means you made it through the atheist rant. :p

If you like to write and read similar stuff, check out http://forum.objectivismonline.net/index.php

[Kushan]

Nice intro. I liked it. Good luck with the application - hope to see you with us soon.

[Catharacta]

Greetings Caterina, I sent you the full application.

Have fun with it.

Catharacta. Thanks for the app. Quite interesting--it'll most likely take me a few days.

If you like to write and read similar stuff, check out http://forum.objectivismonline.net/index.php

Thanks for the link. I'll give it a look.

Nice intro. I liked it. Good luck with the application - hope to see you with us soon.

Thanks. Me too.

[Tolthar Lockbar]

Greetings Caterina, I sent you the full application.

Have fun with it.

When I said this, there was actually a character called Caterina in the Taggart channel. For some reason I didn't look close enough, I guess.