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Post by mziff on Sept 30, 2009 8:37:05 GMT -6
Hey nate, I need to interveiw you for my english class. It will just be basic questions about you and natopia and why you founded and all that jazz =) we can even use it as a natopian press release. ill put the questions up later today or tomorrow and I need them answered by friday so i can either ask more or write my paper. =) thanks.
PS this will be HUGE press for natopia, ill see if i can get more people o join because of this =D
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Post by mziff on Sept 30, 2009 8:47:20 GMT -6
- Are you the original founder, if so:
- when did you get the idea about natopia
- when did you found it
- why did you found it
- if not:
- when did you join
- why did you join
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- what was it like first starting out
- how did you come up with the different ideas?
- How did you spread the word
- What was it like writing the constitution
- What was it like making the crazy walks and the butter cow religion
- What was it like getting more people to join and dealing with everyone
- About when did natopia pick up speed?
- When did natopia become a success
- What is NIPPL and who ACTUALLY came up with it?
- Have you ever had to kick out people
- Worst situations to deal with
- Worst person and why
- Favorite natopian and why
- Favorite time in natopia
- Dealing with slower times
- Dealing with mcs and other nations
- Comments on natopia by other people, how do u feel about us being called not serious but still awesome (paraphrase =P)
- Why are not serious as apposed to everyone’s serious nations
- Bringing it back to life
- Abdication of the throne, why? Why kvz?
- Where do you think it will go
answer what you will/can. it can be in parts as long as its mostly finished by friday/saturday
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Post by siriain on Sept 30, 2009 16:38:12 GMT -6
Can I have permission to republish it (edited if necessary) in the Apollo Fireball V (or you could if you wanted to volunteer for occasional editorial duties)?
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Post by andreasthewise on Sept 30, 2009 20:55:33 GMT -6
Hmm - now INS has folded and MNews has become totally biased, I might be interested in writing the occasional Fireball article. How would I go about doing that?
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Post by Nathan on Sept 30, 2009 20:58:39 GMT -6
- Are you the original founder, if so:
I am one of the 3 original founders.
- when did you get the idea about natopia
In August of 2002 my friends and I were bored during a new student orientation for high school and we doodled an imaginary city on the back of a hand out. The city floated on clouds and had advanced aerospace technology. It also had a unique fascist totalitarian eugenics regime that executed "undesirables" and presidential succession was achieved officially through assassination.
- when did you found it
August 23, 2002... however the more "micronation-y" Natopia was set up closer to September.
- why did you found it
A lot of time on my hands and I really enjoyed playing SimCity.
- if not:
- when did you join
- why did you join
-
- what was it like first starting out
Natopia was first all off-line. Classmates were given ranks and titles and even formed rival nations. The World Domination Society and Emilyland were Natopia's first enemies, but the WDS eventually became an ally in our war against gravity. Natopia was a novelty that was a bit of fun for imaginative freshmen. August 23, 2003, the first Natopia Day, was even celebrated with a real life party with upwards of 15 people attending to celebrate Natopia.
- how did you come up with the different ideas?
There were many sources for ideas. Mostly from classes in school I'm taking. Early inspirations included the American government for the original Republic during freshman year civics class. The Holy Roman Empire was a basis for the first incarnation of the Sovereign Natopian Empire during a medieval history class. Athlon was first based on a Crusader State culture, but then evolved into a Greek themed culture after I took a Greek art class in college. The new Bovic religion taking root in Hazelwood is based on vodou after curating an exhibit on Haitian vodou.
- How did you spread the word
Early on it was mostly by word of mouth.
- What was it like writing the constitution
Natopia has had so many constitutions we can hardly be called a stable nation! Each new one changed when I had a new whim to fulfill.
- What was it like making the crazy walks and the butter cow religion
The Ministry of Silly Walks was created when Natopia adopted an economy. Due to the technology, the government held all the money and distributed it out via salaries. Not all citizens held government jobs, so to get the money to the people, I set up the Ministry as a type of welfare system. Basically free money and a little bit of cultural development. The Butter Cow religion came about from the Natopia Day tradition to have a party "in real life." After the parties declined in popularity, and due to the nearness of dates, I took some friends to the Springfield Illinois State Fair and they always have a Butter Cow sculpture. Because it was an "official" Natopia Day outing, the Butter Cow was adopted as a mascot for Natopia in the same way Malarbor is the mascot for Shireroth. Butter Cow continued as a news mascot until, because of a constitutional crisis, Natopia collapsed. Athlon seceded from Natopia and adopted the Butter Cow as a divinity to bridge the cultural gap and declare itself the successor to Natopia. When Natopia was reformed and annexed Athlon back, the Butter Cow religion came to the forefront of Natopia and was organized into a Catholic-style hierarchy as the Dozan Bovic Church. With myself as leader of both the church and Natopia, soon I fused the church with the state, which violated the many years of official Natopian secularization.
- What was it like getting more people to join and dealing with everyone
I never really "got" people to join... perhaps one of the problems with long term activity. People just sort of trickled in... some from other nations, others from out of no where (of course those people just could have been using fake names)
- About when did natopia pick up speed?
Natopia progressed most quickly in the very early days with Tasneem, Ryan and myself. Since Tasneem and Ryan were my friends in real life but lived too far away to hang out with, Natopia became our primary forum of communication and thus an explosion of Natopian culture. The Free Juice and Bagels Party and the legislative Frenzy are legacies of this time.
- When did natopia become a success
I don't really know. It was just kind of a general plateau of existing.
- What is NIPPL and who ACTUALLY came up with it?
NIPPL is the Natopian Institute for the Promotion of Primate Literature. It is the "citizens only" discussion forum. Matt Ziff came up with the idea of a Natopian institution to research the "infinite monkey theorem." However, another citizen, Tom Mills, devised the scandalously appropriate acronym.
- Have you ever had to kick out people
I've made it a personal policy to not kick anyone out of Natopia. But there have been some I've wanted to.
- Worst situations to deal with
- Worst person and why
- Favorite natopian and why
My favorite Natopia was Tasneem. She was one of the very first to join in high school and stayed for several years. During some of the slower times when I considered ending Natopia or annexing it to another nation, she always kept me on track and kept Natopia independent.
- Favorite time in natopia
I enjoyed the one successful Summer Arts Festival we had. We had participants from several nations and filled the Library with some really nice works of art and literature, something I have always fancied being one of Natopia's strong points.
- Dealing with slower times
I always remember that every time Natopia slows down to a crawl, within a month activity always picks up. If it didn't we wouldn't be here for 7 years.
- Dealing with mcs and other nations
When Natopia was first settling into the Micras sector, I wanted Natopia very diplomatically involved. However as time went on I had less time to keep up with other nations and the nations Natopia was closely involved with closed up shop. Our dealings with the MCS have always been favorable.
- Comments on natopia by other people, how do u feel about us being called not serious but still awesome (paraphrase =P)
I fully endorse being called not serious but awesome. I allowed Natopian culture to grow naturally, instead of imposing a "cookie cutter culture" on it such as German, Roman, English, etc. And when the population was mainly teenagers, the culture developed into that "immature" track. But we have one of the most unique cultures out there and I would rather have Natopia's awesome unseriousness over way too serious with a lot of activity.
- Why are not serious as opposed to everyone’s serious nations
Oops I think I answered this in the last question.
- Bringing it back to life
Restoring Natopia was really a no brainer. It had been a part of my life for so long and I was still involved in micronations so there was no reason to not restore it. Allowing it to collapse and have Athlon and South Mehlville secede provided a very interesting historical element however and Natopian history fully embraces the collapse, calling it the Dark Ages, which I think adds a sense of realism to the nation.
- Abdication of the throne, why? Why kvz?
Simple answer, no time anymore because of grad school. Also by abdicating and showing that I am willing to let someone else shape and guide Natopia, perhaps it will encourage immigration. Natopia is, after all, named after me, it may not encourage people to join and think they can implement their own ideas. Konrad was chosen as my successor because he has acted as my Regent for many years and has been an extremely loyal and dependable citizen. He has been active and involved in Natopia long enough that I trust him with something I have spent nearly one third of my life on.
- Where do you think it will go
It will go forward, as it always does. With a change in leadership and the return of valued old citizens, I have high expectations for Natopia.
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Post by mziff on Sept 30, 2009 21:03:45 GMT -6
Thanks so much Nate!!!! yes go right ahead and use oit for whatever you want as long as nate gives you permission. you dont have to do any of the other questions, thats more than i needed =D ill be sure to post the final paper. should be done by wend of next week.
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Post by Nathan on Sept 30, 2009 23:02:39 GMT -6
I give permission for reprint too. I look forward to readin it  |
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Post by Emperor Konrad on Oct 1, 2009 5:59:56 GMT -6
This should be a good article to read. Hope you go well with your paper mziff!
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Post by Nathan on Oct 2, 2009 18:41:00 GMT -6
A bit curious as to what kind of assignment requires you to interview a micronationalist though  |
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Post by Emperor Konrad on Oct 3, 2009 2:54:51 GMT -6
Might be an english subject?
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Post by siriain on Oct 3, 2009 10:30:11 GMT -6
@ Andreas:
If your Novatanian e-mail address is registered to a Blogger account, I can just add it to the list of Fireball members, (or PM me an alternative e-mail) then you should be able to start writing whenever you want to.
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Post by mziff on Oct 4, 2009 9:13:36 GMT -6
yes it is for an english assignment. we are learning about interveiws and my teacher told us to pick anyone we want to so I decided to pick Nate. ill have the papaer up late tonight or early tomorrow.
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Post by mziff on Oct 4, 2009 11:02:46 GMT -6
Alright everybody, prepare for the rough draft =) this turned out to be almost a history of Natopia. When the final draft is done i will post it and attach it. I hope that someone will please submit it to the Library to and the archives (or where ever its supposed to go)
I, Nathan, am one of the 3 original founders of the Bovic Empire of Natopia.
In August 2002, my friends and I were bored during a new student orientation for high school and we doodled an imaginary city on the back of a hand out. The city floated on clouds and had advanced aerospace technology. It also had a unique fascist totalitarian eugenics regime that executed "undesirables" and presidential succession was achieved officially through assassination.... however the more "micronation-y" Natopia was set up closer to September.
I did this because I had a lot of time on my hands and I really enjoyed playing SimCity.
Natopia was first all off-line. Classmates were given ranks and titles and even formed rival nations. The World Domination Society and Emilyland were Natopia's first enemies, but the WDS eventually became an ally in our war against gravity. Natopia was a novelty that was a bit of fun for imaginative freshmen. August 23, 2003, the first Natopia Day, was even celebrated with a real life party with upwards of 15 people attending to celebrate Natopia.
The idea for Natopia came from many different places. Mostly from classes in school I'm taking. Early inspirations included the American government for the original Republic during freshman year civics class. The Holy Roman Empire was a basis for the first incarnation of the Sovereign Natopian Empire during a medieval history class. Athlon was first based on a Crusader State culture, but then evolved into a Greek themed culture after I took a Greek art class in college. The new Bovic religion taking root in Hazelwood is based on voodoo after curating an exhibit on Haitian voodoo. Natopia has had so many constitutions we can hardly be called a stable nation! Each new one changed when I had a new whim to fulfill. It has been rewritten so many times…Many different parts came together to form what we have now.
A fun, yet important part of Natopia is The Ministry of Silly Walks. It was created when Natopia adopted an economy. Due to the technology, the government held all the money and distributed it out via salaries. Not all citizens held government jobs, so to get the money to the people, I set up the Ministry as a type of welfare system. Basically free money and a little bit of cultural development. Another part of fun part of Natopia is the Natopian Institute for the Promotion of Primate Literature, or NIPPL. It is the "citizens only" discussion forum. Matt Ziff came up with the idea of a Natopian institution to research the "infinite monkey theorem." However, another citizen, Tom Mills, devised the scandalously appropriate acronym.
The Butter Cow religion came about from the Natopia Day tradition to have a party "in real life." After the parties declined in popularity, and due to the nearness of dates, I took some friends to the Springfield Illinois State Fair and they always have a Butter Cow sculpture. Because it was an "official" Natopia Day outing, the Butter Cow was adopted as a mascot for Natopia in the same way Malarbor is the mascot for Shireroth. Butter Cow continued as a news mascot until, because of a constitutional crisis, Natopia collapsed. Athlon seceded from Natopia and adopted the Butter Cow as a divinity to bridge the cultural gap and declare itself the successor to Natopia. When Natopia was reformed and annexed Athlon back, the Butter Cow religion came to the forefront of Natopia and was organized into a Catholic-style hierarchy as the Dozan Bovic Church. With myself as leader of both the church and Natopia, soon I fused the church with the state, which violated the many years of official Natopian secularization.
Citizens of Natopia we some what sporadic, I never really "got" people to join... perhaps one of the problems with long term activity. People just sort of trickled in... some from other nations, others from out of no where (of course those people just could have been using fake names). I've made it a personal policy to not kick anyone out of Natopia. But there have been some I've wanted to. Natopia progressed most quickly in the very early days with Tasneem, Ryan and myself. Since Tasneem and Ryan were my friends in real life but lived too far away to hang out with, Natopia became our primary forum of communication and thus an explosion of Natopian culture. The Free Juice and Bagels Party and the legislative Frenzy are legacies of this time. Natopia was never really a success per say. I don't really know, it was just kind of a general plateau of existing. I always remember that every time Natopia slows down to a crawl, within a month activity always picks up. If it didn't we wouldn't be here for 7 years.
After Natopia slowed, restoring it was really a no-brainer. It had been a part of my life for so long and I was still involved in micro-nations so there was no reason to not restore it. Allowing it to collapse and have Athlon and South Mehlville secede provided a very interesting historical element however and Natopian history fully embraces the collapse, calling it the Dark Ages, which I think adds a sense of realism to the nation.
When Natopia was first settling into the Micras sector, I wanted Natopia very diplomatically involved. However as time went on I had less time to keep up with other nations and the nations Natopia was closely involved with closed up shop. Our dealings with the MCS have always been favorable. In the past, we have had many comments by other nations, and I need to say that I fully endorse being called not serious but awesome. I allowed Natopian culture to grow naturally, instead of imposing a "cookie cutter culture" on it such as German, Roman, English, etc. When the population was mainly teenagers, the culture developed into that "immature" track. We have one of the most unique cultures out there and I would rather have Natopia's awesome unserious ness over way too serious with a lot of activity.
I really enjoyed some special parts of Natopia, my favorite Natopia was Tasneem. She was one of the very first to join in high school and stayed for several years. During some of the slower times when I considered ending Natopia or annexing it to another nation, she always kept me on track and kept Natopia independent. .It was a sad day when she left, she brought many good times to Natopia. Tasneem is now happily married and graduating Michigan State this upcoming spring. My favorite time was the one successful Summer Arts Festival we had. We had participants from several nations and filled the Library with some really nice works of art and literature, something I have always fancied being one of Natopia's strong points. A lot of Natopia’s own citizens have work submitted to the library through this day including Monkey Wrench, a one-act play by a former citizen, Zechariahs Azilin (Z).
Recently, the throne of Natopia was abdicated and my friend Konrad V Z (kvz) has taken over. He will be coroneted on October 10th, 2009. Why would I give up my throne of 7 years strong? Simple answer, no time anymore because of grad school. By abdicating and showing that I am willing to let someone else shape and guide Natopia, perhaps it will encourage immigration. Natopia is, after all, named after me, it may not encourage people to join and think they can implement their own ideas. Konrad was chosen as my successor because he has acted as my Regent for many years and has been an extremely loyal and dependable citizen. He has been active and involved in Natopia long enough that I trust him with something I have spent nearly one third of my life on.
Natopia will go forward, as it always does. With a change in leadership and the return of valued old citizens, I have high expectations for Natopia. I hope that soon Natopia can blossom into the active and powerful nation it deserves to be.
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Post by Nathan on Oct 4, 2009 12:54:21 GMT -6
*thumbs up* ;D
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Post by Emperor Konrad on Oct 4, 2009 18:14:17 GMT -6
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[M:0]
[M:0]
