Slashdot Mirror
Miss Digital World 2005
dnix writes "With the slogan: "Don't hate me because I'm digital" this year we have a nice new Top Digital Model, called Mi, from Shinichi Yoshimoto. She is a nice cybernetic geisha who was chosen from 15 finalists from Italy, Germany, Spain, Pakistan, Iran, Usa, Chile, India, Australia, Brasil and Mexico."
This is about the only way most /.ians will ever get a girl. Now we just need half way decent VR and a "touch suit" (I should TM that name) and were well away.
I used to have a better sig but it broke.
The one time I actually want to SEE what the deal is, and it's already long gone...
(the article does NOT count)
This might be interesting news, though I remember reading this article the first time, in December 2004. Is anyone ambitious enough to search and see if this is indeed a dupe too?
All you do is hit delete.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
That's a shame, because I usually start examining females from the neck down.
8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
The 15 finalists were from USA, Germany, France, Italy, India, Argentina, Brazil and Japan.
Having carefully looked at the digi-babes, my vote would have gone to the French chick "Lea Duvall".
I'll do it for cheesy poofs.
Look at well the pubic bulge was modeled... I bet the modeler had to actually construct the vulva, and then put clothes on it, to generate this effect.
Do cyber models also appeal for world peace in their winning speech?
I personally feel that Mamegal has an eating disorder and we should not be helping her illness.
it was dead with 0 comments...
in this case the slashdot effect is like a psycho boyfriend... "IF I CANT VIEW HER, NO ONE WILL !"
this and mechanize it. I don't know, though a USB port, plug it in, and Ohhh! Think of the sex/porn possibilities!
Any CNC that works in latex?
This website includes the winners of the 2005 website which were announced on December 10. Unless slashdot posted a dupe within the last four days then I'd seriously doubt it. Then again Digg probably had it first (sarcasm).
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
1) Issue competition of best looking virtual girls
2) Post full finalists roundup including pictures on server
3) Post meta article on slashdot with link to said server
4) Retreat to safe distance as server gets warm and shows cracks
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Someone should give these models a virtual toilet where they can kneel down over the virtual lid and virtually snort virtual cocaine.
Brasil is absolutely correct.
...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
In Bra[z|s]il, they spell it Brasil.
Hate you because youre digital. I hate you because I can't Have you.
Isn't it spelt "Brasil" by Brazilians?
Let's find a site with digitally created high res pictures of women and post it on slashdot without a mirror.
That should go over well with everybody.
Here's a cached version of the page. Link
I do believe Brazil is properly: "República Federativa do Brasil".
The government website is at http://www.brasil.gov.br/
'Nuff said.
Brazil is just a hack on the name that English speakers gave it. Like Germany being Bundesrepublik Deutschland. You do not yell at people for referring to it as Deutschland, so why rant when someone says Brasil?
It's Brasil, actually. The Republica Fedarativa do Brasil to be specific. Brazil is just the English-language spelling.
Anyone bother to take a look at the date of the article? November 2004. I thought something was fishy and I was right; I already read this last year. In fact, I might have been linked to the page from slashdot (I can't recall) so this could be a dupe story too.
To the editors: please check the dates of the articles you submit. It's not "News for Nerds" if it happened over 12 months ago.
Hero of Allacrost, a FOSS RPG for *NIX/*BSD/OS X/Win
I can see it now. The human race slowly becoming extinct because everyone would rather hump a perfect digital partner in VR than interact with a real person. Perhaps we will have developed technology to the point where we can make babies in a tank though.
Funny thing is though, I know several guys that are probably never going to get a partner let alone have children simply because they have set their sights way to high. They want a perfect woman or nothing. In two cases it is perfect looks that they require and in another it's the perfect little obedient house wife (that last guy makes me cringe everytime we talk). I can't help feeling that there are a lot of guys out there that have lost touch with reality due to constantly having "beautiful" women displayed to them.
I used to have a better sig but it broke.
He was using the local short form: Brasil!
Wow, amazing....you seem to enjoy bashing American's ignorance while exposing your own:read the first sentence here, it tells you the official name of Bra(s/z)il in Portugese is...........drumroll please.....
República Federativa do Brasil!
And guess what, I'm an American! I've also had tech jobs on 3 continents before my 25th birthday! Go back and learn something about the world, then we can talk
Monstar L
Looks like the site is slashdotted pretty badly.
. . . I hope the gals are okay!
xkcd.com - a webcomic of mathematics, love, and language.
That's how Brasilians spell it. ;)
Ben Hocking
Need a professional organizer?
Than a chick with a high poly count.
The appropriate phrase would be: "I'd hit it"
When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
....with a thread starter message like "geisha" - that sight had to be bound for a /. notch
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
...
5) Profit!
-- thinkyhead software and media
.... Do they come with some sort of EULA?
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
We're speaking English.
Shh.
I tried getting kinky with a digital girl once - but she core-dumped on me.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
I like chicks alot. Been married, lived with a few others, like long term relationships. The thing is I don't get the uber smooth, cyber skinned, tricked out, fantasy girls, or, the equally poreless, celluloid supermodels. The first time I seriously came undone in the face of transcendent physical beauty was the first time I saw my first real girlfriend fresh out of the shower sans makeup.
I guess I'm just a regular guy that likes real regular chicks with attractive little flaws.
I'll take the time I've here and now cause obviously I'm not suited to the tailored, gene spliced and diced perfect world to come.
"Academicians are more likely to share each other's toothbrush than each other's nomenclature."
Cohen
First thing that crossed my mind when I read this...
"This thread is useless without pics"
I googled for it, but I can't seem to locate this heretofore unknown country 'Usa.' Any /.'ers know anything about it? Good place to escape to from the United States?
As long as she's not a transsexual, she's got my vote.
{splurt} oh, crap.
There are many precedents for the English language evolving to correct historical misspellings of place name. Peking / Beijing and Canton / Guangdong, for example. Brasil is the correct spelling, whether you like it or not.
http://www.missdigitalworld.com.nyud.net:8090/MDWC ontest/showpage/177
http://www.missdigitalworld.com.nyud.net:8090/MDWC ontest/showpage/179
http://www.missdigitalworld.com.nyud.net:8090/MDWC ontest/showpage/181
You're on your own with the videos
This post contains benzene, nitrosamines, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide.
There's no faster way to get around than to be /.ed
girls look so fake nowadays!
using anti-bacterial hand soap is like drying your feet in the middle of a shower.
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
What's worse is that this is about a year old. News to anyone, for nerds or not, this ain't.
Are there any better pictures than the ones in the article?
This one is looking spooky, like she just got a facelift, or saw a ghost.
She's got that Real Doll look.
This one has a cheap looking hair-weave. She's also looking a bit angry.
http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_
Go!
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
They look weird.
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
I don't think it's pathetic.
It's important from a technological perspective, of course. Not everybody is a kernel hacker, some of us have interests in CG and other areas.
It's important from a social perspective, too (where will RL models find jobs now?!!?!?!?, will they work as my secretaries? what about virtual actors? virtual environments populated by virtual people indistiguishable from other people?)
The article is from 2004, but that doesn't take away that there _is_ a 2005 Digital Fuckpuppet contest.
Pretty disgusting, apart from the paint-on clothing and _digital_ silicon breast implants the traditional role models are the thing that sets me on edge most. If I'd be polite I'd suggest the artists check out actual clothing, but that would probably mean checking out actual girls, so never no mind. Without the bodies, the women look pretty nifty, possibly even less standard than in a real Miss contest - except for the plucked/shaved eyebrows people must think women are born with nowadays. In short: I don't want to diss the creators, but please get your Pygmalion outta the business.
In the context presented, it most certainly is pathetic.
Maybe if it was more about function than form, but the focus is COMPLETELY on form here. That is what is sad.
Answer me this: Why the hell must it have tits for it to be a suitable virtual assistant? Really. What the fuck is with that.
No Comment.
I don't quite how to say this, but in a world of retouched, airbrushed, p0rn enhanced body mods, this seems a natural progression.
I think I shall change careers to be an undertaker. drug-lord or psychologist; I see an increase in suicide and despair as people try to conform to an unrealistic/unobtainable model of perfection.
All three should continue to be major growth industies, and are lucrative investments for the future
This is progress?
And you never have to worry about her snorting coke to stay slim!
Troll? Ok, sure.
But I was serious, and it obviously hit a nerve, didn't it?
How's about we talk about it instead of shouting 'troll' and ignoring it?
Funny how if you disagree with the general stance, instead of discussing you rather get censored.
IMHO, If I could, I'd have censored the article itself.
No Comment.
You've hit the nail right on the head. What I want to do is offer an explanation why this happens. In most cases, the bachelors has nothing to do with the job you turn out to perform. Even in technical fields, you only use a tiny fraction of your college knowledge. So why do they require it? Signaling. It's hard for them to tell if you're going to be diligent, intelligent, and/or play by the rules. A degree provides some assurance that you're a weighted combination of these.
So why not just hire everyone and sack the ones that suck? Well,
1) It's expensive to retrain.
2) It may be hard to fire without a "good reason" to avoid being sued.
3) They can't do "probationary" periods.
and most importantly:
4) The market is already saturated with college graduates, so they might as well cull the field.
4) is due to heavy subsidies for education, which I believe are ultimately counterproductive. Yes, they make it easier for any one person to get an (unnecessary) education, but they also make it so that everyone has to get more education to prove the same thing to potential employers. In their absence, you would see a shift back to on-the-job training and tighter labor markets which keep up wages and make threats of firing all the less threatening.
It used to be that high school educations were so rigorous and had such high standards that they had the same signaling effect that college does now. Then people could make a decent living at 18. So, poor high schools are part of the problem too, and I guess I'll let you guys fight over what the cause of that is. (Creationism in biology class can only explain a tiny portion of the problem, in case you were about to say something like that.)
My recommendation is to remove subsidies for higher education, make it easier to hire *and fire* people, and introduce competition to public high schools. But that's not going to happen any time soon.
Rank my idea: http://www.sinceslicedbread.com/node/531
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ br.html#Govt
read before you link, lest you look like an idiot:
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
lots of dollar signs right after the backslash.
You can't handle the truth.
We're geeks. We're sad and pethetic and we like technology. What's your point?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Kaya was proportedly created to be a virtual newscaster, or some such. She was designed to have big teeth, pudgy nose, blemished skin -- all traits humans find unattractive, so as to appear non-threatening. In some ways she is the antithesis of this contest, and your complaint. Just a little FYI. They don't HAVE to be virtual sex toys, they could be giving you updated information at a mall kisok, for example.
6) If your server is a Dell, turn of furnace and save on heating bills, even if you're in the Canadian North.
When I finished school in 2000 (while working full time) we already had two children. And a house. No, I didn't make mega-bucks (still don't and we have 4 children and a much nicer home) but we were very careful with our money and still are. I don't have gadgets (unless you count the XBox, which doubles as our DVD player), my computer is older than my first born (and cobbled together with parts I bought from a wholesaler) and I drive an old car with a lot of miles on it. I bring my lunch from home and we don't eat out much, maybe once every 8 weeks. We rent movies instead of going to the movie theatre. I don't have a lot of spending money, about $15 every two weeks. And yet, I wouldn't trade any amount of money or so-called social freedom for my family. Oh, and by the way, no one I have ever met or heard of was ready for children before they came. They kind of grow on you and you cannot get that kind of practice any other way. Some responsibilities cannot be prepared for until after the weight of them has already settled onto your shoulders and having children is one of those responsibilities.
Poverty is not a poor financial statement. It is a state of mind. I remember an old Appalachian woman being asked what she would do if she got some money. This was in the last few years that she was interviewed. She lived in a one room shack without indoor plumbing, out in the sticks. She said, "Well, I suppose I would give it to the poor." If you must have loads of spending money and lots of cool stuff in order for you to think of yourself as not poverty stricken, well, you don't really want children, do you? It's about your priorities.
Well, I do carry on, don't I? Point is, if you want to take on the responsibilities of children, don't wait until you are ready, because you never will be until you have them in your life.
... can we see the other finalists as well, please? Strictly as a matter of ... technical interest, of course.
Someone forgot to render the chap stick on Kaya's lips. Those things are nice but on the verge of cracking open.
[My english is better than most other people's german, so please point out mistakes politely. Thank you.]
I thought you might want to know that both English and German should be capitalized. You're very welcome.
In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
webbie
happy
leads to the creation of digital women. Really folks, this is pathetic.
Each of these digital "people" suffers from the same problem most movies full of digital actors suffer from: they look like animated dead people. We humans are pretty good at accepting cartoon characters as "real" when they don't look like humans, but once they start looking too real we start looking for those details indescribable that show they are alive. When they don't move/look 100% natural, they tend to just register in our minds as dead bodies moved by puppet strings...
Posted from the wireless couch.
I do a fair bit of CGI profesionally, and I have to say a lot of these images and the work people have done in general on rendering humans is really amazing. There is also a lot more to creating a convincing looking human than to creating a photorealistic city, car, office building, etc.
I've seen better images than what were in the wired article (the other site was slashdotted unfortunately), but they were still highly impressive.
A lot of the problem is that skin is one of the most difficult materials to accurately render. Aside from minor imperfections and blemishes that lend realism to an image, it's difficult to manage proper material attributes that look "real". Such as multiple layers, subsurface refraction, bump mapping, reflectivity, etc.
If I weren't afraid of slashdotting my own server I would post some of my own renders, but I am, so I won't.
Anyone got a cached link of the main site? I'd like to have a look at some of the other entries.
Famous Last Words: "hmm...wikipedia says it's edible"
They look weird.
The technical term is "digital".
After the initial awe has dropped, and we've saved a local copy the contestants, someone will ask: Who made these girls in the first place? And WHY?
Defining Statistics and Social Research
Looker http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082677/ Michael did not have today's FX, but the theme is familiar.
From TFA:
...
Kaya is ravishing. She has full lips, long lashes, and a slightly upturned nose. Her expression radiates confidence and power, and her smooth skin is well scrubbed and dotted with freckles. But she doesn't have much of a body. At all.
Kaya
HEIGHT: 5'5"
WEIGHT: 121 pounds
So what we have here folks is a 5'5" tall, 121 lb head.
It's Brazil not Brasil.
Yeesh, some people think God invented war to teach Americans geography. I don't know why.
According to YOUR OWN SOURCE , it is both. Follow the link, and search for the string "Brasil" within the page. You will find yourself staring at the following text:
I have no problem with people posting corrections, even being pedantic, but be right, and for the love of $diety, don't be stupid!
www.wavefront-av.com
What did the blonde say when she heard that 10 Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq?
"I didn't know there were that many soldiers in the whole world!"
"I have as much authority as the pope, I just
don't have as many people who believe it" - George Carlin
I can't understand why the 'Woman in the Red Dress' wasn't a finalist!!
To reproduce the most authentic personalities for virtual women, they should all run like Windows - do I really need to elaborate?
The 'Net is a waste of time, and that's exactly what's right about it. - William Gibson
From the website:
HEIGHT: 5'5"
WEIGHT: 121 pounds
POLYGON COUNT: 48,200
Never ask a lady her polygon count!
-- Cheers!
None of the four in the Wired article appear to using translucent skin techiques discussed at SIGGRAPH the past three years. Human skin has lots of oil, and different amounts in different places. Locks more realistic when you do this right. But is an expensive computation.
But they are! The English have London, and the German have Berlin (and used to have Bonn, to boot). Also, I don't see how that's any of GP's business.
I wasn't talking about virtual girls being virtual assistants. I was talking about models losing their jobs, and working as real life assistants!!
Maybe _that_ is pathetic, and only technology won't change it, of course.
About virtual assitants, well, virtual stuff is usually associated with fantasy. If you take into account that men are the main consumers of "virtual" products, it's logical that there should be tits involved. It's a marketing issue, more than a design issue.
I don't think commercials need to show naked women in them, but I understand why they do. I does make sense. It's about maximizing sales, taking into account what the consumer likes. Men don't want a deodorant, they want blondes with huge racks. And when it comes to virtual environments, a blonde with a huge rack beats Clippy every time.
4) Retreat to safe distance as server gets warm and shows cracks
I do kind of want to see cracks..
Yeesh, some people think God invented war to teach Americans geography. I don't know why.
Apparently, the Americans invented war to teach God how to spell geographical names.
Sorry, are we posting pr0n now?
Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious
Slightly offtopic but I have to say that Pakistani ladies seem to be some of the most beautiful in the world. Being of very conservative views they dont enter the miss world competition but I would not be surprised to find a Pakistani lady among the top 3. There is something to their beauty that makes you want to gaze on. I am saying this from experience, I went to Karachi and Lahore last year and was left speechless by their beauty...
My last sig was ridiculed
...and using birth control pills is a great way to increase your risks for ovarian and endometrial cancer, not to mention PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease). Which is natural? I'm sorry, what was your point again?
Errr, is this supposed to be funny because I don't understand it.
Are you trying to say that Brazil has a small army? If so, why is that funny? If you are belittling another country for having a small army, don't you think that's rather pathetic? Having a big army and using it to project power over others to coerce them to your will is nothing to be proud of.
Kaya was proportedly created [...] as to appear non-threatening.
Which is interesting, because of all the pictures on that site, I think Kaya looks the best. Her teeth aren't perfect, she's got freckles (reminds me of Kate on Lost), she's looking away from the camera (not straight on it like 3 of the others) and she's got hair. I say that last comment because 'Sophie Winters' looks creepy with the bald head. Maybe if she had long, dark, shoulder length hair, she'd be a decent contender, but who knows.
I can totally see these kind of CG models used in animated billboards like the ones in Minority Report, in the mall stores when Tom Cruise went in to get the new clothes and all the girls were trying to get him to buy stuff.
"brazilian" sounds like "a zillion"
OMGWTFBBBQ!!!!11!! You are no Slashdotter, your a fake! If you where real you would of remember that you forgot something.
5) ???
6) PROFIT!
they spell it brasileiros.............
Mestre Bimba ele morreu
Mestre Bimba ele morreu
Mestre Bimba ele morreu
mas no coração do povo
ele nunca faleceu
deus te ponha em bom lugar
esse homem varonil
que deixou a capoeira
para o povo do brasil
meu senhor amigo meu
meu senhor amigo meu
me contou uma história
capoeira hoje em dia
é a arte é a glória, camará
iê viva meu mestre
Iê viva meu mestre, camarà
iê quem me ensinou
Iê quem me ensinou, camarà
iê a malandragem
Iê a malandragem, camarà
iê da capoeira
Iê da capoeira, camarà
iê vamos embora
Iê vamos embora, camarà
Fly Fish? Participate in our forum
and she says she likes nerds.... Now all I have to do is carry around a little sock of quarters to bash nerds with glasses bigger than mine.
...England used to have Winchester. The capital wasn't moved to London until quite late on.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
I question whether this stereotype is true. Most nerdy slashdot-reading guys I know, (myself included,) are either married or have girlfriends.
We all own Ferraris too!
That or there's the symptothermal method where the female checks their body temperature upon waking which is also highly accurate. However, using non-artifical methods shouldn't be seen as a carte blanche. A good Catholic should consider whether they're actually delaying kids for a good reason (can't support them yet, conditions currently make childbirth an iffy proposition) or if it's for more selfish reasons (want to buy that new sportscar first, can't stand the possibility of losing free time to tending children, don't want to risk ruining their figure). *shrug* And not everyone follows that, but that's what's suggested.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
For digital wack off
Personally, I'm not altogether morally outraged by physical means of contraception, although I do not plan on using them. The chemical methods I'm less kosher with as a) I'm leary of manipulating body chemistry for entertainment purposes and b) the only reason the horomone based methods are classified as "contraceptive" rather than "potential abortifacent" is that the manufacturers lobbied to have the official definition of a contraceptive as not preventing contraception, but preventing implantation. Even then, it's estimated that some 5% of cases involve a child who implants but dies of starvation shortly after. Besides which, the NFP and related methods statistically lead to happier and longer-lasting marriages.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
I just checked the site and they're still only showing faces.
The joke originally cited the rhythm method, which did have a fair amount of "failure" to it. Many people either haven't noticed that the method has improved, or don't want to acknowledge it. *shrug* NFP is in the 99.999% range when done properly and is statistically correlated with happy and long marriages. I'm not sure why they're so afraid to consider it.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Oh come on! You know very well that nothing be really be capitalized until after its IPO.
while (sig==sig) sig=!sig;
that there are some exceptionally sick guys who would think that was perfect.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Yeah, well that door swings both ways. Read some personal ads by women some day. Thay want the perfect guy who just stepped out of a cheesy romantic comedy who dotes on their every whim and is always around except when he goes to his job- managing (for about 45 minutes a day) the upscale art gallery he owns.
Hmmm... I wonder if maybe there's a difference not necessarily in what they expect, but what they'll settle for? I know that with the guys I know, there's often a particular physical model they're looking for and they find it hard to compromise on it, particular if their standards involve skinniness. Contrast against the average female personal ad which seems to focus more on personality traits, which can sometimes be changed and trained.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Not to be a wet blanket, but do we really need more confusion of reality? I mean, I'm all for art and the admiration of the female form, but I can see the future of this: people having full conversations with the AI versions of Kaya or Webbie. They then fall in love, get cyber married, then create AI children. Next comes a cyber house with a cyber dog and cyber neighbors...all because we've learned how to create (literally) our own "perfect" world instead of engaging in the real world. I say leave modeling to the professionals: humans.
Health Insurance Quotes
Uh, thanks for the sermon, reverend.
Heh, I remember when that act got signed, all of the anime people were in a tizzy because technically speaking, Sailor Moon and her crew were all well underage. Never mind that they looked like they were much older...
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Heh... ever see S1m0ne? Magic technology, of course, but the concept was interesting enough. Admittedly, he used a virus (on a floppy with convenient skull screen labels) to wipe her out rather than just a delete key.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
Though "here" would be incorrect.
They all look like they've just been hit in the back of the head with a bean bag, you know, a blank expression stare-into-space-look just before losing consciousness.
It looks like there are two (not mutually exclusive) possibilities here:
/. can see the evidence for #2.
#1 You married a loser.
#2 She married a loser.
As far as proof goes:
We have one witness for #1.
All of
I'd like to offer a small correction. The small-minded, petty and purile will opt for teledildonics and wipe themselves out. And this is a problem, how? As I see it, the ones who will do well here are going to be the artists (who are generally kept in extreme poverty in western - or any other - civilization) and the computer geeks. The ones who will do badly are those who let their testosterone levels think for them - generally the power-drunk people that geeks keep complaining about, along with those who aspire to be power-drunk. I fail to see how anybody actually looses from such people rendering themselves extinct.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
for the article :)
Perhaps I just don't know enough about music that I don't like, but I could have sworn that Mr. Lennon recieved money for his music, and never put any of it in the public domain.
From the description:
So detailed it's like being with a real Asian girl!
Your right! I'd never notice it's not the real thing! Except....oh....maybe that 99% of her body's missing!!
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
"That's so sad. How many is a Brazillian?"
Peeflix? That sounds nasty.
The type of person you typically find on Slashdot is probably more introverted than the norm. I am borderline autistic and I really find maintaining relationships with people to be extremely trying. I orchestrate all my human interactions to make them as BRIEF and superficial as possible. I have a super-hot girlfriend, but I only really enjoy her company for the physical aspect. If she never said a word, I'd like her better.
That said, I especially don't see any value in a virtual girl. If you can't touch her, then what's the point? To have a conversation?
Maybe the point of our existence is to learn to get along with each other. If that's the case, the only foolproof method I've learned is to avoid people altogether.
Some of us thrive on reclusion. I'd argue that because we are not dependent on the emotional support of others that we are in a way superior, not defective.
I guess I would use the word selfish because, in the reasons I listed, it's the people deciding that they want these resources more than they would want their children to have them. Short of farming your children out as labor, you do tend to wind up with less materially. You'll have to sacrifice considerable time and money in their uptake. Even once they're successful engineers or doctors, there is no guarantee of money funneling back because they have their own lives and possibly their own families to tend to. So yes, I would characterize choosing not to have kids as being selfish versus selfless simply by definition. On the other hand, there are sometimes good reasons not to have children. If you really are unable to care for them, you have good reason to delay children.
As for not having them at all... that's a sticky point to me. I'm Catholic and I believe that the purpose of marriage is ultimately to have a family. It also seems weird from my perspective because children our your legacy, your gift to the world. You live on through them and, if you raise your kids right, they will enrich the world. Again, we get into the whole selfish versus selfless thing.
And, in the end, I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me. That is their right, even if I think they're wrong. There will always be people who will decide that their life is better off without children to get in the way. There will be those who blatantly couch in those terms and those who will talk about population explosions or "not wanting my kid to grow up like me." I'm just stating my opinion on the matter.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
My GF looks just like the fifth virtual finalist!
Mine likes nerds, too. Her favorite nickname for me is 'dork'. Gotta say, though, most girls I dated were not really into the nerdiness. My vast toy spaceship collection works pretty good to sort out the nerd-haters from the nerd-lovers.
Oh that's soooo weak.
Looks to me as if the eyes were taken straight from the top National Geographic magazine cover (http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/afghangir l/).
You can't help but stare at those eyes for a few seconds... very captivating.
...does she dream of electric sheep?
If my call is important, why am I talking to a recording?
Interesting fact: one Brazillion is roughly 186,112,794 i.e. the number of people living in Brazil right now. The fact that nobody actually knows this is the real joke which us mathematical types have been laughing at behind the scenes for some time now.
qntm.org
Just because a woman is in traditional Japanese kimono does not make her a geisha. If you've ever seen a real geisha, or even just a photo, or even looked the word up in a dictionary, you'd know the difference. The new Memoirs of a Geisha looks pretty bad, but will probably help a few people out in understanding the difference between a courtesan/entertainer and every other woman in Japan.
"Give a man fire, and he'll be warm for a day; set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life
Amazing!!! Here these people had a chance to invent their ideal woman from scratch. FROM SCRATCH! And that's the best they can do???? Sad. /end rant
Nothing is inexplicable; only unexplained -Tom Baker, Doctor Who
You didn't get modded as a troll for your opinion. You got modded for expressing your opinion like a complete asshat. You could have phrased your position politely and you might have gotten modded up as interesting.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
The Catholic Church mantains that having sex for fun is not to be done.
The only purpose of sex is reproduction according to them, thus any method that would allow you to enjoy sex without worrying about procreating is un-catholic.
I wish I was joking, but that is how that people see the world.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
And I know better because I saw it on tv.
No, the server is down, you can't see any cracks at all.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Countries are known by different names in different languages, get over it. At least Brazil sounds like Brasil, you should hear what Deutschland is called in different languages: "Germany", "Allemagne", "Niemcy", "Tyskland". Slashdot involves discussions in English, if you don't like it, go to Orkut with the other 90% of speakers of Brazillian Portugese.
When Argumentum ad Hominem falls short, try Argumentum ad Matrem
There is only one Latin language, and, contrary to what the record labels want you to believe, it ain't what they speak in Cuba.
The term you're looking for is Romance (I've got another bone to pick with you, Harlequin Books Ltd).
Apparently you've been living in a fantasy world, so I guess someone should point out to you: different cultures could very well have different languages and therefore, by gosh by golley, might spell things differently too!
GET OVER IT.
Gee, and what language do we post in on this site? Perhaps... oh... ENGLISH??
Ever here a native of the country or a Latin language (Spanish, Portugese, Italian, etc.) speaker pronounce the name?
Did you mean Español, Português, Italiano, etc.?
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$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
Is it just me or did this one get slashdotted out the ... nose :-D
It's OK Bender, there's no such thing as 2.
I stand corrected. Romance languages is correct. AKA those languages descended closely from Latin.
It's a shame that adoption is so hard and expensive these days. I know childless couples who want to adopt, but are stymied by the hurdles they have to jump in this country. Two couples I know have wound up going to China to adopt, but that costs a lot of money, is filled with a lot of risks involving the condition of the child when you get them or whether you get them at all, and smacks of buying a child to some people. On one hand, I can see the purpose of keeping people from adopting children who they would proceed to abuse or use, but any kid can face that whether they're with their birthparents or not.
*sigh* And I'm sorry for my post getting you in such a temper. I don't know if I explicitly stated health reasons in my non-selfish list earlier or not. I don't know if you read the grandparent post by me. Either way, I probably brought up a painful subject for you. Like I said before, I've got some understanding of the situation with my brother's marriage. Not personal understanding, me being unmarried, but it's a pretty close secondhand thing.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
As someone who works with 3D characters everyday, I can call this "competition" what it is: a joke. 90%+ of the entries (not from TFA, which is from last year) are straight out of Poser. The only talent required is dressing the premade model with premade clothes, and then posing her.
If you want to see world class characters you should visit http://www.cgtalk.com/, or buy the book they printed recently, Exotique (you can see sample pages here:http://tinyurl.com/8c3rr). Even at the small sample page size you can easily see that the quality is much, much higher.