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Buy John Romero's Ferrari On EBay

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the california-is-the-one-true-ferrari dept.

TheMightyZog writes: "John Romero is selling his Ferrari Testarossa: eBay and his own site. Is anyone else distrubed by the graphic on the top of his home page?" At last check, the reserve was not yet met.

118 of 396 comments (clear)

  1. Vale adding feature by yobbo · · Score: 5, Funny

    The car comes with 50 free copies of daikatana. That together with 20 dollars of petrol, adds a combined total of 15 dollars to the price of the car! *BARGAIN*

    1. Re:Vale adding feature by Gecko(dude) · · Score: 2, Informative
      heh, do you not realize who the hell john romero is? the only game god ever to get fired, he made:
      • Wolfenstien 3d (good)
      • Doom (good)
      • Doom 2 (good, and it had his head on a stick at the end)
      • Quake (good)
      • Quake 2(good, he might of left ID after quake 1)
      • Diakatana (crap.)
      between him and john carmack there has been no one who has had as big an effect on the current game industry (with the except of warren spector and sid mierer). this was posted for the humor fact that he is broke as hell now, he used to buy such things like toys.
    2. Re:Vale adding feature by dark_panda · · Score: 5, Insightful
      between him and john carmack there has been no one who has had as big an effect on the current game industry (with the except of warren spector and sid mierer)

      And the possible exceptions of...
      • Shigeru Miymoto (Mario, Zelda, all things Nintendo)
      • Gumpei Yokoi (R.I.P. -- died in a car crash in '97; responsible for the GameBoy among other things)
      • Will Wright (all things Sim)
      • Hironobu Sakaguchi (all things Final Fantasy and Square).
      • Peter Molyneux (Populous, B&W)
      Carmack might be a 3-D engine/DeathMatch god, there's no question on that one, but all of the above guys have had major contributions to the entire concept of a video game. (There are many others, of course, these are but a few...)

      J
    3. Re:Vale adding feature by WNight · · Score: 2

      Oh thank the heavens for Miyamoto.

      Without him, we wouldn't have a game that involved running from one side of a map to another, to get a quest that involves running right back across the map, to get a quest ...

      And then, INNOVATION, he did it again but in 3D with crappy camera angles!

      He's also mastered the art of RPGs that measure your progress completely by the last checkpoint you passed (which means they're perfectly linear) and the ammount of gold you have. Of course, they don't actually store the gold, you have to collect that every time. But hey, 90% of the game is collecting gold by 1) slaughtering basic monsters or 2) pulling up flowers.

      What a tribute to the GOD of gaming.

      ... end sarcasm

    4. Re:Vale adding feature by WNight · · Score: 2

      I don't deny that he influenced a lot. I simply think we'd be better off if he hadn't.

      The games he's made seem like standard console crap. Limited interaction, lousy controls, etc.

      Mario is pretty good I guess, for a simple game. Zelda ruined RPG/Adventure games though.

      F-Zero I never played, but Mario Kart (and SMK) I played and they seem like fairly basic games. I don't see what the innovation here is? The crossover from Mario to racing?

      Donkey Kong was good, but if he brought it out today with the same level of interaction I feel that he'd call it an RPG.

      It's probably not really his fault, it's just that consoles are very very limited and you can't make real RPGs or (in the case of cartridge games) anything with much interaction. (And the limited space also explains the endless reuse of maps in those types of games.)

      In a car analogy, you don't insult the guy who designed the Gremlin, or Pinto, because he probably had a tiny budget and many constraints, but you also don't call him a design god.

      BTW, "How many cart games borrow from SMK?" Isn't that a problem with the Nintendo console? Few games (compared to the PS) and mostly derivative...

    5. Re:Vale adding feature by WNight · · Score: 2

      > Okay, so you've made your point that you're obviously an RPG fan

      Moreso than whatever Zelda is, yes. But mainly isn't just annoyance at games like that being called wonderful.

      > Lousy controls? Have you played Super Mario 64 or Zelda 64? They have near-perfect control,

      [choke] M64 has probably the worst control I've ever seen. You have to press in the direction Mario is facing to move forward, not "up" like you would in any well-designed game. This means that when he runs past a wall and the camera swings, you have to move the controls just the keep running in a straight line.

      This was less of an issue in Zelda 64 because there wasn't as much action, but I saw a few cases where I though the maps were designed very tight simply to make you fight the controls more than the bad guys.

      > I wouldn't even consider Zelda an RPG in the first place, more of an action/adventure,

      It's much more like King's Quest (imho) than an RPG, yes. With a little weird fighting tossed in to make it cross-genre. (To the annoyance of most people I know, who want either a good fighting game, or an adventure game without the twitch crap.)

      >The thing about F-Zero and SMK is is that they're both FUN.

      So is solitaire, if you're into that. But I don't think the inventor of a new form of solitaire is a game god. SMK is okay, but there are games that do that "silly racing" much better, like ReVolt (PC and maybe PS, I dunno).

      >You obviously don't think much of the man if you think him that insipid.

      I don't think he's insipid, but I don't think he's helped the gaming industry. The thing I don't like is people running around crowing about how wonderful M64 and Z64 are without a clue of what both could be if they didn't have lousy layout and controls.

      It's like I don't think Romero is an insipid freak, except for his "Suck it down, Daikatana will kick your ass!" stuff.

      > As for consoles and cartridges... what is your point? Maps make the game?

      Maps don't make the game, but stretching a game by including the same maps over and over again just to be able to claim more hours of "gameplay" (more like "Gamework") is cheap. How many times did you cross the central hub in Z64? 50+ I'd imagine, because it was used in all ages and you constantly had to run from one side to the other.

      They took a given ammount of content and stretched it very thin by making you run between distant points just to experience it.

      >Would Tetris be any more interactive or engaging if it came on a DVD with millions of background images

      No. But it would be less enjoyable if they made it take longer by having you perform busywork (run across a map, etc) between levels, just so they could claim it took longer to play. In Tetris they boiled away the crap and let people get to the actual gameplay.

      >This was never supposed to be about Nintendo, so I don't see what your point about "the Nintendo console"

      Most of Miyamoto's games are for the Nintendo, right?

      >I do mean that there are other games on other consoles that borrowed heavily from this game.

      Perhaps. But whenever I've seen nintendo consoles they'd had very standard games. Racing games like SMK (with or without weapons) and platform games like Mario. When I've seen the PS or Dreamcast they seemed to have a much wider variety of games. (I am willing to accept that this was just luck of the draw though.)

      I don't have a console (and never have) so I'm not biased against Nintendo for personal reasons.

      Look at Z64 though and tell me they didn't stretch gameplay.

      To get the special quiver you have to play a mini-game, but to play you need gold. And there are other examples that I don't remember, where you need gold to play a mini game to try to win an item. Technically they're optional, but most of very important.

      An "honest" game would let you either buy the item (by using money gained in the adventure) or endlessly play the mini-game. Requiring both is just a way to make the play take ten minutes between tries, thus a 15-second mini-game ends up taking two hours if the user needs ~10 tries.

      I feel about Z64 and M64 (and Miyamoto) like I would about _Dude, Where's My Car_ and _Water Boy_ if someone said they were the best movies ever and Adam Sandler was a genius.

      I understand that they can be enjoyable (and very popular) but they're tragicly shallow and full of the same formula jokes that have been used in bad movies for twenty years.

      Ditto with people who loved ST:Enterprise because of the detox scene. There's better porn available free online, and better shows on, but flash a little T&A and the market jumps.

      Which brings me to Tomb Raider. Many people say it's one of the best games ever, but it has so many flaws and bugs (and lousy gameplay) that it'd never get rated that way if it weren't for tits.

      So M64 and Z64 may be good games, worth playing if you've got an N64 even, but they aren't shining examples of the best games ever made.

    6. Re:Vale adding feature by dark_panda · · Score: 2

      To each their own then, I guess. Personally I thought SM64 had excellent play control. I doubt that holding up to run in the direction Mario is facing would have been an improvement, though. I mean, how stiff was the control in Resident Evil, which used a similar approach? I believe Bubsy 64 tried a similar approach and its overall design was quite similar to SM64, and although I haven't tried Bubsy 64, I hear it's an utter mess. I do agree about Tomb Raider and ST:E, though. (Although, Tomb Raider did have that "press up to go where X is facing" and its controls were still terrible. But I doubt that anything could have fixed that game.)

      The only other thing I'm wondering about -- Zelda and King's Quest? King's Quest had zero action in it, especially the earlier ones where you had to type out commands and such. Man, those early ones got annoying...

      > look box
      It looks like a box
      > look IN box
      It's closed
      > open box
      It's locked
      > unlock box
      You unlocked the box
      > look in box
      The box is closed
      > OPEN BOX
      The box is open
      > LOOK IN FUCKING BOX
      I don't understand what you are trying to say

      Ugh. They sure seemed fun at the time. I used to love those games. I still have an original King's Quest V CD, actually, haven't pulled that sucker out in quite a while. I still have copies of Police Quest 1 and 2 and Space Quest 1 through 4 sitting around somewhere. (Spread out across 40 3.5" floppies, of course.)

      J

    7. Re:Vale adding feature by WNight · · Score: 2

      Well, as a general game design issue, I tend to like single-genre games, action or adventure, or puzzle, etc.

      I often found the RPG (collect money) aspects and the twitch-gaming got in the way of an otherwise fairly enjoyable adventure while I was playing Z64. Had I wanted twitch I'd have played SMK or Skyfox.

      Yeah, the early King's Quest games were kinda bad for that.

      I haven't played Bubsy or RE so I can't comment. Tomb Raider had "logical" control layout, but the camera moved around (imho to allow tit viewing) and made it hard to move accurately near a wall for instance.

      As for RE having bad control despite the layout, in the early day of first-person shooters there were many that used the same controls as Doom and yet felt bad, sluggish or something. While a good layout is essential it isn't everything.

      My favorite games from the past are Loderunner, Ultima 5 (though 4 was pretty good too), Tetris knockoffs, and SSI's AD&D roleplaying games.

      I do like most genres of games, however I dislike it when you're playing an RPG and have to use twitch skills all of a sudden. Or if you were playing Loderunner and had to advance in levels to dig big holes.

    8. Re:Vale adding feature by el_chicano · · Score: 2
      this was posted for the humor fact that he is broke as hell now, he used to buy such things like toys.

      Broke? According to this Time article he was worth an estimated ten million dollars in 1998.

      He must of gotten some bad investment advice -- was he a major Enron stockholder or something?
      --
      A man who wants nothing is invincible
  2. Quite frankly by Metrollica · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is anyone else distrubed by the graphic on the top of his home page?

    Quite frankly, I am disturbed by all the graphics.

    --



    --Metrollica
    1. Re:Quite frankly by CarbonJackson · · Score: 5, Funny

      Quite frankly, I am disturbed by John Romero.

      --

      MikeAtIF*ckStuffedAnimalsDotCom
    2. Re:Quite frankly by arkanes · · Score: 3, Funny

      You know, what I find disturbing is that he's just now learning DirectX. And that he's REALL EXCITED about the new games! Because! His page has lots! Of exclamation points!

    3. Re:Quite frankly by discogravy · · Score: 2

      why? She's so pretty!

      --
      FreeBSD for the impatient.
  3. DOESNT HONOR BIDS! by Romothecus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Did anyone else notice a comment under user feedback at ebay, claiming that Romero won an auction and didn't pay for the item? Kind of what I felt after buying Daikatana.

    1. Re:DOESNT HONOR BIDS! by niola · · Score: 2, Funny

      The one comment in his eBay profile that caught my eye was the one that said he ordered the Dokken video tape. LOL, and I thought he only looked like an 80's reject :) --Jon

    2. Re:DOESNT HONOR BIDS! by Fjord · · Score: 2

      The first thing I went to after the main ebay page was the seller's ratings. Yup, there it is.

      "Complaint : Won Item..3 e-mails- never received payment since 3/30. DOESN'T HONOR BIDS."

      --
      -no broken link
    3. Re:DOESNT HONOR BIDS! by Rogerborg · · Score: 2

      And while we're at it, he's also blatantly in breach of the T&C's by linking to a site that attemps to sell the car outside of eBay, rather than just providing more information on it.

      • Links from the eBay Item page to pages that promote off eBay sales in any way are forbidden [...] Users may not use systems or techniques to circumvent eBay fees. Some examples include ... Offering in a listing the opportunity to purchase the item or other merchandise outside of eBay.

      And last but not least:

      • [Banned:] Listings with an e-mail address or domain name in the title

      Seller is John rome.ro, right? ;-)

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    4. Re:DOESNT HONOR BIDS! by Mr_Perl · · Score: 5, Informative

      To be fair, the guy complaining has 9 negatives and 12 neutrals.

      Not exactly ebay premo himself.

      --

      My poetry site welcomes the unusual.
    5. Re:DOESNT HONOR BIDS! by Malc · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Why is this marked as interesting? This seems like a miss-leading troll. That's one complaint out of 60. In most cases, the praise is very high. In that light, I think I would more than overlook that one complaint and just assume that something else happened for which I know not the facts, or that the complainer was a bad apple.

  4. about the home page graphic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is anyone else distrubed by the graphic on the top of his home page?

    Well, look at the face on the far right of the graphic. I see someone how's definitely not fit to drive. Maybe that explains why he's selling his Ferrari on EBay?

  5. Comments from an Auto Enthusiast by Buran · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm vastly amused by the fact that this Italian supercar is humbled by the same annoying automatic seatbelts that I, to this day, cannot stand. It was DOT regulation at the time, so all US-market cars in 1991 had them, but ... you just don't think about that when you think about Ferraris.

    Incidentally, "testa rossa" is Italian for "redhead" -- I believe it was a reference to the fact that at least some of these had red valve covers (or something like that -- anyone know?) in the engine. Most are red to go with the meaning of the name.

    Don't care much for the wheels. I'd think a good set of BBS wheels, like the ones on this car, would be nicer. But if you have that much money to spend on a car, you have the money to drop $1500 on a good set of wheels and tires.

    --
    i am a soviet space shuttle
    1. Re:Comments from an Auto Enthusiast by yobtah · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually, the regulation required some sort of "passive restraint". Cars could either include the motorized seatbelts or airbags. In 1990 and 1991, most manufacturers hadn't added airbags to all cars, so many cars were sold with the motorized seatbelts as a temporary solution to meet the requirement. A few 1990 and 1991 cars actually have airbags. Ferrari is a fairly small manufacturer, so developing a working airbag system probably required some time.

    2. Re:Comments from an Auto Enthusiast by BitwizeGHC · · Score: 3, Funny


      Incidentally, "testa rossa" is Italian for "redhead" -- I believe it was a reference to the fact that at least some of these had red valve covers (or something like that -- anyone know?) in the engine. Most are red to go with the meaning of the name.


      Whatever the case, I've taken to calling them Testosteronas for reasons which should be obvious.
      --
      N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
    3. Re:Comments from an Auto Enthusiast by Chris+Hiner · · Score: 2

      There are cars before 1990 with airbags. Dual airbags were standard equipment on the 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo. My insurance company regularly removes my airbag discount, as someone there keeps thinking that a 1988 car couldn't have them.

    4. Re:Comments from an Auto Enthusiast by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 2

      Ironically, my sister bought a used VW from about that period that _only_ had the motorized shoulder strap attached to door. No lap belt at all! If the door was open, there was literally nothing holding you in the car.

      I can't believe something like that was ever allowed to be sold. (Or that my sister and her husband would buy such a car (which they no longer own)).

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    5. Re:Comments from an Auto Enthusiast by Buran · · Score: 2

      I was not sure, and I was hoping that someone would be able to set me straight; hence the 'anyone know?'. Thank you for the information. Perhaps sometime I'll look for a photo of a Testarossa engine.

      --
      i am a soviet space shuttle
  6. His ferrari, eh? by Eskimo+Bob · · Score: 3, Troll

    Sure, it's all shiney an' purty, but...

    I'd rather bid on a lock of his hair.

    So I could secretly make... A JOHN ROMERO CLONE WHO IS 10 TIMES SEXIER THAN THE ORIGINAL JOHN ROMERO!

    I mean, just look at the man! Look at the mans hair! Does it not totally scream out how utterly and completely sexy he is, it is?

    it's hard to try to make a joke when yer abs are cramping up from coughing.

    --
    I am a big, fluffy, cute, cuddly bunny. fear me.
    1. Re:His ferrari, eh? by el_chicano · · Score: 2
      Sadly, that sexy John Romero chick cut her hair. Now it's all short and butch-looking. And to think, she used to be hot!

      Calm down, Beavis!
      --
      A man who wants nothing is invincible
  7. Graphic ... by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Is anyone else distrubed by the graphic on the top of his home page?"

    Yes, very much so, as it makes my mozilla segfault.

    --

    ---
    "The chances of a demonic possession spreading are remote -- relax."
  8. to slashdot advertising department by woolite · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I would be most grateful if someone could send me the advertising rates for these kind of adverts.

    TIA

    1. Re:to slashdot advertising department by Chris+Burke · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hey, it's only advertising if you think someone will buy it. And linux users don't pay for anything, remember? :)

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
  9. No sidekicks please by oingoboingo · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd bid for it as long as it didn't include any annoying sidekicks that got in the way of your driving and always died at inopportune moments.

  10. Who would want that car? by KL1NK · · Score: 4, Funny

    It probably has lots of his long, silky hair in it.

  11. Revenge? by Gogo+Dodo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is /.'ing his server revenge for Daikatana?

    1. Re:Revenge? by slittle · · Score: 3, Funny

      Nothing could ever make up for that.. but this comes close..

      --
      Opportunity knocks. Karma hunts you down.
    2. Re:Revenge? by Lord+Sauron · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nothing beats Walter Mercado and his mystic powers. And, yes, it's a man.

    3. Re:Revenge? by schlach · · Score: 3, Funny
      Puh-leeeze! Everyone knows the best thing to come out of the Daikatana fiasco (excepting Old Man Murray's coverage of said fiasco; who can forget "Daikatana Development to be aided by Helpful Monkey", and "John Romero Reserves the Right to Suck It Down"?) was the Laziest Men on Mars' Superfly's Johnson. From mp3.com's description:

      A parody of one of the worst games ever made, "John Romero's Daikatana." A game that was notoriously late, terribly designed and without any redeeming qualities... except... when the characters' dialogue is taken out of context and laid over a trashy 70's waka-chika porn groove, the game suddenly becomes _much_ more interesting. A must-have for Romero bashers and FPS players.


      If you haven't ever listened to this, I strongly recommend you download it. You'll never feel like Daikatana was worthwhile until you do...
  12. A Geek's Car by stuffman64 · · Score: 5, Funny
    As stated on his page:

    ...conversion from Naturally Aspirated (carburator) to Electronic Fuel Injection with a Motec system. You can have your passenger plug a laptop into the computer (behind the passenger seat, inside) and remap the fuel ranges while you're driving!


    I can see it now. While driving along peacefully at 65mph, obeying the speed limit, your 14 year old script-kiddie son sitting next to you remaps the fuel injector to inject the fuel at full capacity regardless of throttle position. Since he was running Windows, his computer crashes shortly afterwards and you find yourself cruising down the highway at 200mph. You put her in neutral, in a vain attempt to lose speed, but the engine over-revs and blows up. As you finally coast to a stop (about 10 minutes later), you teach your son a lesson.

    Never remap fuel settings in Windows!

    (Ok, so the above story wouldn't actually work because the butterfly valves would prevent any air intake to the engine, but who cares..)
    --
    --- At my sig, unleash hell.
    1. Re:A Geek's Car by G-funk · · Score: 2

      Actually unless you're using a dedicated system, you always remap fuel settings in windows. But running the car too rich would just blow fuel and smoke out the back and backfire, not over-rev the engine.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
    2. Re:A Geek's Car by Don+Negro · · Score: 3, Funny

      No script-kiddie son of mine will be running Windows!

      --

      Don Negro
      Perl 6 will give you the big knob. -- Larry Wall

  13. Background? by dayL8 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Could someone post some background on this story, like who is John Romero and why would one care that he is selling his car?

    --
    The real problem is entropy.
    1. Re:Background? by Yakman · · Score: 5, Funny
      Could someone post some background on this story, like who is John Romero and why would one care that he is selling his car?

      John Romero was a "rock star" of the computer game industry in the early 90s. He then disappeared to work on the "ultimate computer" game. Instead fucking it up, releasing Daikatana, and now needing to sell his Ferrari to buy Ramen Noodles.

      In summary, he's no one relevant and you shouldn't care.

    2. Re:Background? by billcopc · · Score: 2

      Beh.. he should keep the car and sell his girlfriend instead. A geek knockout who can design her own maps AND kick my ass at Quake simultaneously .. finally some proof that there is a god out there! :)

      --
      -Billco, Fnarg.com
  14. Distrubed? by arnoroefs2000 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I might feel 'distrubed' if I had a clue what it meant, is it like feeling 'lubed'? Some car slang maybe?

  15. Heavily modified by slashdot.org · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Although this goes well beyond what should be discussed on /. and has practically no significance at all, I have to say that 'Heavily Modified' bothers me when it comes to cars like this.

    I always find it a bit sad. Like the original creators didn't do a good job. If you spend that much money, why buy a car that you don't agree with?

    And if you (apparently) plan to sell it, it's pretty silly. Almost no-one will agree your mods are so kewl. By now they are out-dated, start to fail (believe me, I had a 911 Turbo and the one mod caused me a major headache) and it's practically impossible to bring the car back to it's original condition.

    When a car like this is modified it usually means that it was just a rich kids toy. Not someone that bought it because they loved the car. For the true lover, there's nothing but the original.

    In any case, the $100K Buy It Now is horribly over-priced. You get an original Testarossa from the same year for a little more than half of that. And it will still be worth something 10 years from now. (for example, not that I anything about this car, so this is not a recommendation) ;o)

    1. Re:Heavily modified by psych031337 · · Score: 5, Interesting
      As stated before, this is far away from being "stuff that matters".

      What bugs me as weird though, is the fact that the car had a new angine at a little more than 33000 miles. I know that Ferrari's are not really known for longevity, but the engines are commonly seen as the best parts of the entire car. How can you kill an engine with that few miles? He must have a terrible driving style... I don't think I would buy that car based on that info.

      And it will still be worth something 10 years from now

      It might be worth somethin, but not a lot. A buddy of mine has worked at the Hamburg (germany) outlet of Ferrari for three years. He had the time of his life, for sure, but also had his illusions taken away from him. These cars rock if you turn them in for heavy inspection every 5000miles or once a year and face a 8000 bill every time. If you dont, the thing will fall apart under your ass in less than 5 years. EVERYTHING is inferior save the engine, gearbox and suspension. The interior is cheap and cracks and chuckles in fast turns. The door fittings (the rubber parts) are porous after two years of middle-european weather (mild winters, actually). They start falling off in the third year. Also, rusting is an issue if you don't live in the middle of the desert (or Italy). People who use their Ferrari on a regular basis (daily driving, at least when road conditions permit) buy a Ferrari exactly ONCE. The only regular customers are those who drive their car a few times a year (and even those get rid of it after 3 years max).

      Ergo: The image is better than the cars.
      --
      +++ath0
    2. Re:Heavily modified by swb · · Score: 2

      He mentioned that it had titanium pistons. I'm suspecting that the engine wasn't shot completely, but in order to add goodies like the pistons and other things which might add longevity to the car at its increased power, a "new" overhauled, custom-assembled engine was put in.

      Or, maybe being a rich young guy in a hot car, he trashed the motor.

    3. Re:Heavily modified by cgleba · · Score: 3, Flamebait

      "If you dont, the thing will fall apart under your ass in less than 5 years."

      What do you expect from the country that brought you the Fiat (which the lovely Yugo was based on)? What can you expect from the country that tried to 'fix' the Leaning Tower of Piza just before the second World War and instead made it lean more then it ever had?

      Face it, the Italians make excellent food and have good style but they can't engineer for the life of them :)

      (this is in jest, obviosly)

    4. Re:Heavily modified by Rogerborg · · Score: 2
      • A buddy of mine [worked for] Ferrari for three years [and] had his illusions taken away . [...] People who use their Ferrari on a regular basis buy a Ferrari exactly ONCE

      Sounds like your buddy should have done his research. Ferrari's have always been (practically) "sold as seen" even when new, and Enzo was notorious for the contempt he showed for customers who brought theirs back with a problem. Ferraris were and always have been sold as ongoing projects, not finished vehicles. Heck, maybe the $100k Romero blew on this folly was just to keep it running.

      • What bugs me as weird though, is the fact that the car had a new angine at a little more than 33000 miles

      Various .plans down the years indicate that Romero's use of his toy was tooling about at 25mph blipping the throttle to attract attention, intersperced with bouts of frenzied drag racing (you know, like real car racing, but modified for a ten second attention span). It's a wonder it's lasted as long as it has, to be honest.

      By the way, I'm not criticising Romero's essential childishness, as I own an equally impractical Lotus 7 replica, I'm just narked because I had to build my folly lovingly by hand from bits of old Fords, while Romero blew $200k of our and venture capital money for his toy, and is still trying to promote it as "cool" (not cool enough for him any more though) rather than having the panache to market it as what it is: a hugely useless, stupid and self indulgent penis extension. Come on John, show a little self awareness. Your cred went in the trash at the same time as all those copies of Daikatana.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    5. Re:Heavily modified by Zeinfeld · · Score: 2
      When a car like this is modified it usually means that it was just a rich kids toy. Not someone that bought it because they loved the car. For the true lover, there's nothing but the original.

      Absolutely, unless you plan to actually race the car, kewl modifications almost always detract from the value.

      I have a '77 MGB which probably hasn't lost any value because it lost its CA emissions system many years ago and picked up some Weber Carbs. to replace the standard SU units, but the same mods on an E-Type or a TR would cut into value.

      As a performance car the problem with the TR is that it will spend more time in the shop than on the road. For not much more than the current bid price you can buy a brand new XK8 that will likly be trouble free. For less than the current bid price ($50K) you can buy a clean TR of the same year which has not been messed with.

      The last thing you want to do with a Ferrari is make it less reliable.

      The other problem with the car is that it is the wrong color, Ferraris are RED.

      --
      Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
      Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
    6. Re:Heavily modified by Skyshadow · · Score: 2
      Plus, it doesn't appear that it'd be street legal (at least not in CA -- no catalytic converters or muffler).

      For that kind of money, go buy a new 911 GT; less HP, but at least it'll last more than two years.

      --
      Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
    7. Re:Heavily modified by M-G · · Score: 2

      What bugs me as weird though, is the fact that the car had a new angine at a little more than 33000 miles. I know that Ferrari's are not really known for longevity, but the engines are commonly seen as the best parts of the entire car. How can you kill an engine with that few miles? He must have a terrible driving style... I don't think I would buy that car based on that info.

      Well, it was either Romero or Carmack who was featured in Car and Driver a few years back. Whoever it was, they didn't give a shit about longevity....they just did mods to boost performance.

      The article was great, as I recall, but unfortunately, C&D's archive on their web site doesn't go back that far.

    8. Re:Heavily modified by ThatComputerGuy · · Score: 2

      And we all know what FIAT stands for... Fix It Again, Tony.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    9. Re:Heavily modified by psych031337 · · Score: 2
      And we all know what FIAT stands for... Fix It Again, Tony.


      Here in Germany they're dubbed "Fehler in allen Teilen" which translates to "Faulty in all of its parts".

      Actually this seems to be not an overall-Italian problem. Alfa's run very good and have a decent longevity.
      --
      +++ath0
    10. Re:Heavily modified by psych031337 · · Score: 2
      Hehe I had visions of old white haired master craftsmen taking months to hone every part of every car to perfection

      You'd have to visit the old Bentley plant for that. When they were taken over, the controllers checking the production for possible optimizing were astonished to find the guy who was sewing the leather steering wheels. He would produce two or three at most during a month. But this guy fits your description of a beardy guru who is a crack in his field.
      --
      +++ath0
    11. Re:Heavily modified by Fishstick · · Score: 2, Funny

      AUDI - Automobile Unsafe Designs, Inc.
      BUICK - Big, Ugly, Import Car Killer
      CHEVROLET - Constantly Having Every Vehicle Recalled Over Lousy
      Engineering Techniques
      CHEVROLET - Can Hear Every Valve Rattle On Long Extended Trips
      CHEVY - Charged HEaVilY
      CHEVY - Cheapest Heap Envisioned Yet
      CHEVY NOVAS:- (are actually designed by Toyota: Chevota or Toyolet?)
      DATSUN - Disgraceful Auto That Stalls UNceasingly
      DODGE - Driven Only During Grey Evenings
      DODGE - Drips Oil, Drips Gas Everywhere
      FIAT - Fails In Attempted Turns
      FIAT - Fix It Again Tony
      FIAT - Fine Italian Automotive Technology
      FORD - Fought Off Recall Demands
      FORD - Found On Road Dead
      FORD LTD - Found on road dying, Left to die.
      FORD - F___er Only Runs Downhill
      FORD - Fix Or Repair Daily
      FORD - First On Race Day
      FORD - First On Rust Development
      FORD - Fork Over Repair Dough
      FORD - Founded On Reservation Dump
      GEO - Good Engineering Overlooked
      GEO - Gets Eventually Over 50
      GMC - Gets More Chicks
      GMC - Garage Mechanic's Companion
      JEEP - Junk Engineered Executed Poorly
      LTD - Laughable Trash Dump
      MAZDA - My! Another Zany Detroit Assassin!
      OLDS - Old Ladies Driving Slowly
      OLDSMOBILE - Old Ladies Drive Slow - Mostly Over Bridges Into Lake Erie
      PINTO - Paid Inspector Nicely To Overlook
      PLYMOUTH - Police Laugh, Young Men Ogle, all Underestimating This Heap
      PONTIAC - Penniless Old Nicaraguan Thinks It's a Cadillac
      PONTIAC - Poor Old Nick Thinks It's A Cadillac
      PONTIAC - Pours Out Noxious Toxins In American Cities
      PORSCHE - Proof Only Rich Suckers Can Have Everything
      SAAB - Sad Attempt At Beauty
      SAAB - Sorry Auto, Always Broken
      SUBARU - Screwed up beyond all repair usually.
      TRIUMPH - This Really Is Unreliable Man, Please Help!
      TRIUMPH - Tried Repairing It Until My Parts Hurt!
      TRIUMPH - The Risk In Useless Machinery Pays Heavily
      TOYOTA - Toyauto
      TOYOTA - Towed Often, Yearly Overrunning Triple A

      --

      There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
      Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.

    12. Re:Heavily modified by _ph1ux_ · · Score: 2

      Hello - didnt you see his girlfriends site?

      yes, ok - she had her own geek qualities - but the thing is that you hafta see how romero drove that thing to impress the ladies:

      romero pulls upto local dallas club (post ID BTW) and the ladies see his car... he drops a lot of cash at the clubs (coke, drinks, whatever)

      gets girl in car... drives to his pad. On way she gives him a BJ while driving (this is *not* good for your driving style - slow fast - slow fast etc)

      he mis-shifts many times while "she is at the controls"...

      repeat this over many weekends and A) you would need a new engine as well, and B) you would be broke to the point that you had to sell the thing for said ramen noodles.

  16. Screw the Ferrari by slashdot.org · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm waiting for him to get rid of his girlfriend

    1. Re:Screw the Ferrari by Riktov · · Score: 2, Funny

      ...so you can screw THE FERRARI?!

    2. Re:Screw the Ferrari by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Personally I'd like to fuck her tits

      Thank for for your attention.

      Moderation advice: +5 Tits

    3. Re:Screw the Ferrari by grum · · Score: 3, Funny

      The funny part is that she's "heavily modified" too!

    4. Re:Screw the Ferrari by toupsie · · Score: 2

      I think I would think twice about touching Stevana. Besides the obviously made up name, she has put her hand near Bill Clinton's crotch! God knows what has been running around that!

      --
      Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
    5. Re:Screw the Ferrari by buckeyeguy · · Score: 2, Funny

      In other words, with lungs like those, she's 'unnaturally aspirated' ;)

      --
      I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
    6. Re:Screw the Ferrari by laserjet · · Score: 2

      wow, she really looks bad in that picture! that must have been before a ton of plastic surgery? either that or makeup has gotten REALLY good...

      Take a look at it, it's just a picture of Billiam clinton shaking her hand...

      --
      Moon Macrosystems. Sun's biggest competitor.
  17. More then the car is worth? by jsimon12 · · Score: 2

    Why does he expect it to sell for more then the Blue Book Nada value for the car (I garnered this from his 100,000 buy it now option and who knows what the reserve price is). Suffice to say John Romero really must be sorta full of himself, least in my opinion, if he thinks someone is foolish enough to pay almost twice the value of the car just cause he drove it?!?!?!?! Sure it has a new engine and updated body? But my question is what happened to the old engine? Then again what am I saying, I have met the guy a couple times and in my opinion he is full of himself.

    1. Re:More then the car is worth? by cgleba · · Score: 2

      "But my question is what happened to the old engine?"

      Running 14lbs of boost on stock NA pistons, connecting rods and crank either did a number on them or he feared that he would do a number on them and decided to rebuild the engine with stronger parts to handle the boost.

      All you need is for the engine to lean out ONCE at a good level of boost and you'll literally burn right through the pistons. He was probably screwing with his "fuel curve" via his laptop while driving and leaned out the engine.

  18. Certainly Newsworthy. by servasius_jr · · Score: 3, Funny

    Will /. be running adverts for QVC next?

  19. Re:Hmm.. great deal by dimator · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So... care to point me to an article in which you read that the Testarossa is the worst car Ferrari has made?

    some arrogant fuck who you know is going to have cared for the car very badly.

    If you read his page, you'd see that was not the case. He's got a turbo (625HP!!!!), a new clutch/trans., computer controlled EFI, and a new engine (500 miles), among other things.

    --
    python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
  20. Well.. by mESSDan · · Score: 2

    Now we know the real cost of Daikatana. It sucked so bad that the guy had to go and sell his Ferrari. heh.

    --

    -- Dan
  21. Times must be tough.. by Nazghal · · Score: 3, Funny

    Selling his car..
    Stooping to doing commander keen clones for pocket pc for a living..
    He even recently cut his hair short (expect it on ebay soon?)

  22. Shop around first by Metrollica · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you really wanted that same model, you could find it from another less well known seller and end up paying less for basically the same car. Minus the mods made to it. Shop around first of all. You don't have to buy it off the famous John Romero.

    Description for anyone wanting it.

    Now some other Ferrari Testarossas that are better deals

    http://www.findit.co.uk/uk/cars/ferrari/173188.h tm

    http://www.findit.co.uk/uk/cars/ferrari/174393.h tm

    http://www.findit.co.uk/uk/cars/ferrari/195377.h tm

    http://pro-auto.com/showroom/91fertest.htm

    --



    --Metrollica
    1. Re:Shop around first by cgleba · · Score: 3, Funny

      Forget that. Why woud you want a Ferrari when you can have a 10-second K-car?

      Check out this video .

      The cheer from the crowd is much cooler then the looks one gets for driving a Ferrari :).

      (BTW check out this guys site. . .he did it with a 2.2L 4-cylinder, lots of boost and no nitrous).

  23. Re:Question by Tet · · Score: 5, Informative
    Who exactly is John Romero?

    A few years ago he wrote a little computer game with John Carmack. You may have heard of it... it was called Doom. He went on to do Quake before falling out with Carmack, and leaving id software to start his own company, Ion Storm. They released the moderately successful Deus Ex, and the, erm..., not so successful Daikatana.

    --
    "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
  24. Re:Question by Osty · · Score: 3, Informative

    theRomero was on the Quake team. Deus Ex, however, was done by the awesome, ever-so-talented Warren Specter. Deus Ex was also done at the ION Storm Dallas (or wherever it was -- not Austin, where theRomero was) office, which was not closed. Instead, it went for some name change, I don't remember what. That same studio is now working on Thief 3, as well as Deus Ex 2. ION Storm Austin is gone. Dead. Finito. Tom Hall (also an ex-id guy, sucked into ION Storm by theRomero, made the moderately successful yet still fun Anachronox) and theRomero started Monkeystone Games, where they make games for various handhelds. They already have one game out for the PocketPC, something about a delivery boy. Maybe theRomero is learning, since this game was done in a matter of months, rather than years.


    And remember, "Design is Law!" Oh, yeah, and theRomero has cut his hair. He's no longer sexy.

  25. Re:Hmm.. great deal by barzok · · Score: 2

    If the engine's been replaced, other parts have probably been abused as well.

  26. Apologies to Office Space and Mike Judge... by edmudama · · Score: 5, Funny

    Adrian Carmack: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?
    John Romero: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think with my rippin' Ferarri and my wad I could hook that up, cause chicks dig a dude with money.
    Carmack: Well, not all chicks.
    John Romero: Well the kind of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.

    --
    More data, damnit!
  27. Re:Question by shut_up_man · · Score: 3, Informative

    Even though Ion Storm did release the quite successful Deus Ex, I think it needs to be made clear that Romero was not involved in the project. Executive producer was Warren Spector, lead designer was Harvey Smith. Check the Deus Ex Team list for more details.

  28. Re:Question by RoninM · · Score: 2

    I thought he was a programmer, but based upon the pictures, I'd venture a guess he's some combination of (a) a model for 5-cent romance novels; (b) the next spokesperson for "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter;" (c) Fabio post-run-in with a well-trained goose.

    --
    If a corporation is a personhood, is owning stock slavery?
  29. Re:Hmm.. great deal by Rogerborg · · Score: 3, Interesting
    • If you read his page, you'd see that was not the case. He's got a turbo (625HP!!!!), a new clutch/trans., computer controlled EFI, and a new engine (500 miles), among other things.

    So, we're basically agreeing that he talked a good game about how amazing and genre redefining it was going to be when it finally matched his supreme vision, turned on the money hose, gave vague instructions to some minions to "make it cool" without any consideration for the usability, then when it eventually matched his bonkers specification, he gave it a token test drive then lost interest and wandered off to rave about another project-of-the-nanosecond? Sounds about right.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  30. Who Cares! Slashdot==Drudgereport? by tarbabyxxxx · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is Slashdot becoming the Drudgereport?

    --
    Will the last company to abandon Linux please turn off the lights??!
  31. Moderation. by Night0wl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why is it they never give me moderation points when good stories come along?

    I'm a funny guy, I prefer to moderate when things are funny. Instead they give it to me when some company is fined millions involving thinks I don't know or care about.

    Or when something scientific has happened over my head. I don't have a clue what's going on.

    But this story, I see lots of moderation needing to be done here. "Who the fuck is John Remero?" +1 Interesting.

    "Daikatana sucked!" +1 Insightfull

    "I can't believe it's not butter" +1 Funny.

    But for once, I find my self joining those usually modded down. This is news for nerds? Stuff that matters? Please.

    I don't care if bill gates sells his wifes vibrator. I don't want to hear about it. We might as well start posting submissions for Penny Arcade.

    "It's Monday, and PA is back at it!"
    Posted by Whomever: Todays, 2:45AM
    Timmy_l33t was first in line this morning, with important news about penny arcade! Amazingly they've posted yet another comic, this one apperently asking /. to stop linking them, and that HomeLAN is considering cancelling there sponsorship, isn't that a hoot?

    Flame, troll, funny, I don't really care. :p

    --
    Computational Madness in a round package.
    1. Re:Moderation. by bachelor3 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't care if bill gates sells his wifes vibrator.

      Really?!? Where?
      ;)

    2. Re:Moderation. by Raleel · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually, if you have information on Bill Gate's selling his wife's vibrator, I'm sure slashdot and several other news papers would love to know about it.

      Inquiring minds want to know, after all ;)

      --
      -- Who is the bigger fool? The fool or the fool who follows him? --
    3. Re:Moderation. by startled · · Score: 4, Informative

      Gosh, it must be a slow news day, huh? Maybe there isn't stuff going on like spyware reading your forms, system config, and search engine queries.

      Sigh. Well, I've got something more up their alley. There you go, guys. I've got extra karma, so one of you can submit it.

  32. Re:Engine Swap? by muffel · · Score: 3, Informative
    He has completely screwed up the car though, yellow is NOT the colour for a ferrari
    Urm. Actually, Yellow is the classical Ferrari color. Red came later.
    --

    bla
  33. Not even street legal by Faeton · · Score: 5, Funny
    There's no muffler and no catalytic converters, just pure sound blasting out of the turbo, which acts as a kind of muffler.

    The lack of muffler and cat makes this car illegal for use on normal roads. But nowhere in the ad does JR mention that. Yet another undocumented feature.

  34. I would buy it... by k0der · · Score: 2, Funny

    but the mileage has past 31337

    --
    meh
  35. OK... and...??? by mr.ska · · Score: 2

    Normally I don't make these kinds of comments, but this really typifies the very antithesis of "Stuff that matters". Is there a story quota you were deperate to meet, or what??

    --

    Mr. Ska

  36. big deal, not street legal by Lumpy · · Score: 2

    no muffler or cats.. ok so you cant license this car in any of the 50 states or legally drive it on the road.

    I also like the "kenwood stereo that hides away so noone can see it" What the hell for? you're afraid that someone will break into the car to steal a $300.00 car stereo?? the window glass and damage from the break in would cost more. leave it in the open, and the doors unlocked.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  37. Only one? by Pedrito · · Score: 2

    Sorry, but unless you already have a Ferrari, I'd recommend against bidding on this one. Why? Ask anyone who owns one (I'm not one, fortunately), but you always buy them in pairs because one is always "in the shop." Not that they aren't great cars, but unless you have a place where you can drive it 150mph, the engines will always have problems. These cars are clearly built to be driven fast, and if you don't drive them fast, it's brutal on the engines.

    If you already have one and need another for those days when your other Ferrari is in the shop, then feel free to bid.

  38. To win this car... by rimdo · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...you must outbid me, John Romero. Hey, if someone would buy it for $1e5, why not up the ante to $1.2e5 to help make up for the Diakatana bust?

  39. His girlfriend's server by mizhi · · Score: 5, Interesting

    1) The picture on top is scary.
    2) Fuck Romero's site, I'm more interested in his girlfriend's server. She's got some nice pics there and she's quite the looker. :-)

    --
    Humorless sig goes here.
    1. Re:His girlfriend's server by Andrewkov · · Score: 3, Informative

      The scariest thing is his girlfriends dog .. that mutt looks damn right evil!!

    2. Re:His girlfriend's server by jonbrewer · · Score: 2

      Covered in Slashdot, quite some time ago. Here's a link. For fullest enjoyment, browse this one at -1.

      (hi Stevie.)

  40. I wouldn't buy it with *his* money... by Thaidog · · Score: 2, Funny

    New engine ehh? -Oh yeah... that means this thing's been ragged out like my mom in a junior high crackfest...

    "Heavily modified"... Car lingo for: "Yeah.. we run drugs..."

    "you will swear you're in a top fuel dragster as the car geometrically accelerates to a top speed of 200 mph..." Yeah... down hill in tropical storm bertha..

    "A 10% non-refundable deposit will be required within 48 hours, and the balance must be paid within 5 working days..." Translation: My swiss bank account has mad interest so get yo ass a job

    "This is the most awesome Ferrari Testarossa you'll ever see." You.. have... *seen* a Ferrari... right?

    "Inside the car, add-ons include a cell phone, a Kenwood CD player, woofer-speaker box, and front and rear radar detectors." Golly gee really?

    "The floor mats are slightly worn as are the edges of the seats, but there are no tears or cuts anywhere inside." -Translation: Hey! I know your girlfriend... eh..

    "The rest of the body is just beautiful." ...but you'll see those sides after you pick it up, heh...

    "Amazing handling & smooth ride" -You've... never felt the clutch on a sports car have you?....

    --

    ||| I still can't believe Parkay's not butter.

  41. Thats not at all unusual, by tgd · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm actually suprised he got that kind of milage out of a Ferrari engine (not at ALL known for reliability) running turbocharged (which is absolute HELL of an engine not designed for it), and that kind of power level. That is absolutely fantastic that he got that kind of lifespan out of his engine. I know people who have burned out $15k engines with $10k of mods on them in a couple thousand miles!

    As someone who has spent way too much money modifying cars, I can say for certain that reliability is entirely dependant on how well done the entire collection of modifications is. At that price level, even on a Ferrari, he didn't just slap a turbo on the engine and call it there. I'm sure there was a lot of fabricated parts that went to ensuring the whole package ran reliably, and clearly whoever did it did a fantastic job.

  42. Followup by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 2
    "You're forgetting the best game he EVER made: Commander Keen. Damn, I STILL play Keen4, 5 and 6."

    Actually I think he was only on the teem for Keen1,2 and 3. Those were great too.

  43. Ebay Feedback by nyquist_theorem · · Score: 5, Funny
    From his feedback:

    minakokenshou (387) Jan-05-01 10:11:29 PST 503523037
    Praise : Took awhile, but very polite. Thanks!


    Hmmm, sounds rather like that last game attempt of his, doesn't it?
    --
    -- "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." (Charles Darwin)
  44. Motec is a pretty serious system by DG · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Motec ECU is a pretty serious system. It gets used in LeMans LMP cars, WRC cars, and the like.

    http://www.motec.com to see. You can download evaluation copies of the programs to play with, if you like.

    I have a similar system in my race car, made by GEMS (http://www.gems.co.uk) and it's awesome. Computerized fuel injection has revolutionized racing. You wouldn't believe the crap that thing can do.

    Of course, the downside to having complete and total control over the engine is that you have to do all the calibration yourself. After having programmed the idle control/antistall stepper motor, and the accursed warmup maps, I have a huge amount of resepct for the OEM calibration guys.

    Getting a car to idle smoothly under all weather conditions is tough work.

    In any case, if Romero's Ferrari has a Motec system in it, then that ain't your garden variety Ferarri.

    DG

    --
    Want to learn about race cars? Read my Book
  45. hidden stereo by sunhou · · Score: 3, Funny

    From John's description of the car:
    The stereo is in a hideaway spot in the center of the car so when someone looks in, it's not there.

    Yeah, people often break the window of a $100,000 car just to steal the stereo. I'm glad whoever buys this car won't have to worry about that. He better also make sure he doesn't leave a $20 bill lying out in the open on the dashboard.

  46. Actually, it's not entirely obvious... by Svartalf · · Score: 2

    He's got a new company that's producing and publishing games for handhelds. His first game for the PocketPC (Yeah, I know...) has gotten good reviews and it looks like a good candidate for a GBA game from the screenshots they've done.

    The only odd thing is that they're purportedly operating out of Quinlan, TX- that's this little town that's about a 20 minute drive to the south of Greenville, TX. Greenville is the county seat of Hunt county, some 45 minutes to the north and east of the Dallas side of the DFW metro area. It'd cost next to nothing to open up shop in Greenville or Quinlan as the rent's definitely much, much cheaper (One of the main Pharmacy tracking/billing/etc. software packages on the PC is developed in Greenville...)- I know this because I used to live in Greenville, TX.

    It could very well be that he's selling the car to capitalize the GBA version of his game or any other number of things of that sort of nature.

    --
    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  47. The money says she's gone soon by buckeyeguy · · Score: 2

    Heh, don't know about this Kimble guy, but I do know that when the cash has dried up, the women move on... ;)

    --
    I'd have a personalized plate on my car, but "toxic bachelor" won't fit into 7 letters.
  48. Personal cutdowns by juju2112 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why do you all feel the need to insult John Romero?

    Why do you think he's "full of himself", and "egotistical"? Just because of some overzealous marketing department? On what basis do you make this statement?

    To you, he is only words on a screen. But he's a real person. When he reads all this, he will most likely feel insulted, hurt, or pissed off. Is there something wrong with treating your fellow man with respect?

    1. Re:Personal cutdowns by wurp · · Score: 2

      Because he has a ferrari and we don't. Is there a better reason?

  49. The top of the page by The+Madpostal+Worker · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
    The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later.
    Apache/1.3.20 Server at rome.ro Port 80
    HTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 15:38:21 GMT Server: Apache/1.3.20 (Unix) mod_throttle/3.1.2 mod_bwlimited/0.8 PHP/4.0.6 DAV/1.0.2 mod_log_bytes/0.3 FrontPage/5.0.2.2510 mod_ssl/2.8.4 OpenSSL/0.9.6
    Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
    The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later.
    Apache/1.3.20 Server at rome.ro Port 80

    Yeah, that is slightly disturbing. You would think he would have a real ISP.

    --

    /*
    *Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
    */
  50. Aside from the obvious . . . by phantumstranger · · Score: 2
    . . . I can't see paying some $60,ooo for a car. If it's speed you want (aside from the looks of a Testy) I can modify a freakin' Ford Focus that'll smoke that slashdotted machine to hell.

    I swear this isn't flamebait or a troll. I see this as the equivelant of buying a PowerMac instead of building the comprable machine yourself. Mod it to hell if you want, but the Ford team came in second overall in World Rally for 2001 and is poised for greatness in 2002 (Go Colin!!!)

    --
    "From of old, there are not lacking things that have attained Oneness." - Lao Tzu
  51. really? by hawk · · Score: 2
    >Ran great for another 500 miles.


    You were able to go 500 miles without having to stop and screw the forward right sparkplug back in? Good thing those things had engine pans, or the plugs for my 74 superbeetle would have killed me.


    and once, for good measure, It dropped *two* plugs: I felt the hesitation, worse then usual, and pulled over to put the usual plug back in. It was still sluggish. I went back, and an extra one fell out.


    hawk

  52. Re:Hmm.. great deal by phantumstranger · · Score: 2
    Honestly, not to burst a bubble but (625HP!!!!) for a sport / race car isn't all _that_ swell. If you want outlandish ponies try a 4,000 HP 4-Cyl Integra!!!

    --
    "From of old, there are not lacking things that have attained Oneness." - Lao Tzu
  53. HAHAH, the final nail in the coffen (not the car) by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    But the slashdoting. The guy can't even afford decent hosting anymore :P

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    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  54. BG's wife's vibrator by rarose · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nope... wouldn't happen. Her vibrator was licensed, not sold. But don't blame Bill... it's those damn vibrator manufacturers and their "per-vagina" licensing model.

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    --Rob
  55. Re: Of course this "matters" by Self-Important · · Score: 2, Informative

    As stated in other posts, John Romero was a kind of 90's game-designing rock star. His conspicous excesses, trophy girl, and dubious new-money lifestyle became emblematic of dot.com and new tech millionaire waste in general. Thus, the fact that Romero is selling his Ferrari (an object scorned and ridiculed at Oldmanmurray.com, among others) is also emblematic of how the mighty have fallen.

    And, to accomodate an earlier post: no, long hair, especially girlish long hair, is *not* sexy on men. It's silly and immasculating. Anyone not half as "tough looking" as Lorenzo Lamas (ha!) comes off appearing oh-too-fey. This isn't 1988, John Romero. The '80's called, and they want...actually, you know what? The '80's didn't call you at all. Nobody is, in light of the Daikatana debacle.

    Rock and Roll, baby.

  56. The disturbing graphic ... by Reziac · · Score: 2

    ... that informs us "Bandwidth Limit Exceeded" ?? :)

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    ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  57. He does... He just didn't pay for more bandwidth. by Svartalf · · Score: 3, Informative

    He's got a real hosting service, I suspect that he didn't expect the page views that he just got today and didn't pay for the larger service agreement from them.

    He's obviously not being extravagant like he was with Ion Storm these days. The core Ion Storm crowd seems to have formed a new company called MonkeyStone and they're producing games for handhelds (Something less ambitious than Daikatana and more easily done on a garage style development budget). The official offices are in Quinlan, TX (A small town some 15 or so miles to the south of Greenville, TX, a town 45 minutes drive time to the east on I-30 from the Dallas side of the DFW metro area...)- office space is dirt cheap there in Quinlan (it's not exactly "pricey" in Greenville, either...).

    Looks like he's going for the garage games route of develoment, etc.- something sustainable with reasonable resources. Your guess is as good as mine as to why he's selling it. Could be he's trying to capitalize the GBA version of his game (they DO have to pay a license fee to produce the game for GBA) or he just decided it was an expensive toy (read: penis extention) that he just couldn't justify anymore and is trying to shift it for that reason.

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    I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
  58. Re:Hmm.. great deal by Keeper · · Score: 2

    The only thing that drag car shares with an Integra is that the body vaguely resembles one. It sure as hell isn't "streetable" either.

  59. The price! by geoffeg · · Score: 2

    Huh, certainly seems like Romero is satanic. The price of the car is currently $66,766.66. Screenshot. I would definetly have this car inspected and taken to your local exorcists-R-US before driving it around.

    Geoffeg

  60. I'll back you up. by SethJohnson · · Score: 2


    That 944 Turbo of yours is a FAST car. It's also reliable and cheap to buy and maintain. For people looking to get into Porches, the 944 Turbo may not represent, but it is a very fun car.

    I'd throw my vote for the worst porsche at the forthcoming Cayenne
    SUV they've been vaporously planning to launch for the last year or so. Jesus.

    In pop-culture there is a term for when something great goes bad. "Jumping the shark." As in the episode of Happy Days where Fonzi jumps a shark on his motorcycle. In
    Porsche's history, this SUV will be where the company Jumps the Shark much like SGI jumped the shark when it began shipping WinNT boxes. So much engineering resources have been directed at this project that they've withdrew their work on GT racing and basically let the Dodge Viper dominate where Porsche was once king. If you think it sucks working at a tech company as a developer and having to follow the Dilbertesque whims of the Product Marketing department in planning features, etc. imagine what it must have been like for those engineers working on f-ing fast race cars and having to design a 4x4 mini-van to sell to the insane SUV market in the US! For thee I shed a tear, Porsche Engineers.
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    $5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
  61. Re:Huh? by Skyshadow · · Score: 2

    Make that 911 GT2. 456 horses, overall drop-dead impressive:

    http://www.edmunds.com/new/2002/porsche/911/gt2r wd 2drcoupe36l6cylturbo6m/prices.html

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    Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
  62. Re:Harsh by el_chicano · · Score: 2
    ..But maybe nicer for him than the Repo man.

    A Ferrari Testarossa? The Repo Man's wet dream!

    "Never broke into a car. Never hot-wired a car. Kid. I never broke into a trunk. I shall not cause harm to any vehicle nor the personal contents thereof. Nor through inaction let that vehicle or the personal contents thereof come to harm. That's what I call the repo code kid. Don't forget it etch it in your brain. Not many people got a code to live by anymore."

    Bud, from the Repo Man movie (quote from the online Repo Man script)
    --
    A man who wants nothing is invincible