Read other posts on that subject. I like the theory that it's non-Top-40 sales that they don't like - esp. because a good portion of what many people who don't listen to Top-40 music DO listen to is non-major-label stuff. (Mostly because >90% of what's on the Top-40 is crap.) _____
Neither. They're protecting the green paper that's lining their pockets, and assuring that there'll be more where it came from. That's all. They don't care that much about WHO is doing the selling - brick-and-mortar shops or online retailers - they just want what they believe is their piece of the pie. _____
Not true - I've downloaded entire CDs via Napster (also from friends' FTP servers) in MP3 format - if it's good, then I'll buy it. I'd RATHER cut a check directly to the artists (so they'd get more of MY money in THEIR pocket), but until we can do that, this way works - get moderate-quality MP3s, buy what you like to show the artists that yes, you really think they are good, and yes, you want to hear more of it. _____
I definitely buy more, and certainly better, music since I've been able to share MP3s with friends than ever before. Just lately, I've bought:
Mer de Noms (A Perfect Circle)
Tranceport (Paul Oakenfold)
Orbital 2 (Orbital)
This is Normal (Gus Gus)
And my selection of GOOD music has never been better. I've heard music that I wouldn't have heard otherwise, and I've been able to know if I like it before I buy it (even in stores where they have titles for sampling, they don't have very many, and it's mostly whatever's on the charts, doesn't mean it's good). _____
But there is no statistical link! In fact, the very opposite would seem to be implied! Child/teen violence rates have dropped significantly since the gaming industry took off in the early 90s. (Another post supplies a reference where you can get the actual numbers, but suffice it to say, the STATISTICS support what I'm saying.)
Why do we get the impression that it's on the rise? The media. The media has, in recent years (particularly the latter 90s) focused in on youth/teen violence. There was a hostage situation at my high school during my freshman year (back in 1991) - it DID NOT get on the national news! Flash-forward to the late 1990s - EVERY instance gets NATIONAL attention! Don't ask me why, I don't understand the reasoning.
Suffice to say, the media can make things look VERY different from the way they really are. That would definitely be the case with teen/youth violence - just because the media's giving it more attention, doesn't mean it's happening more often - apparently they just have nothing else to cover... _____
Exactly. Which is why the law should not intervene here either - games are (in general anymore) rated, and retailers should, if there is any question about the purchaser's age, ask for ID, or the presence of a parent/guardian, to buy games rated as too violent/graphic for their age. _____
Well, there's one big difference between you and the kind of people who immediately think this law is a GOOD thing - you're actually accompanying your kids, paying attention to what they're doing and where they're going. That's something that all too many parents don't bother to do at all anymore. Thank you for that - I think your children will grow up a whole lot more sane and stable than 90% or more of today's kids. _____
Umm. How are these games aimed at YOUNG MALES specifically? Also, these games are rated. Both Xatrix's "Kingpin" and Raven's "Soldier of Fortune" are rated by the ESRB. If parents are allowing their kids to buy these games, and not paying any attention to the fact that they're not intended for anyone under 17, HOW IS THIS *MY* PROBLEM? Just because parents seemingly can't be bothered to keep tabs on their own kids, I'm supposed to let them restrict what I can buy, or where I can buy it? It's just shifting the responsibility from the parents to everyone else.
As others have mentioned, I think the excuse that violent games cause violence is nothing but a cheap copout for the fact that there are going to be a few people who are just plain FUCKED UP. Also, teen/child violence statistics show a very visible downward trend since the gaming industry has taken off. Yet people keep banging the drum of "violent games are the DEVIL!!!! they're evil and bad for you!" - Give me a damn break already. Facts are facts, and the facts show that that reasoning is total bullshit. _____
As if because someone hasn't BEEN a parent, they haven't seen the parenting skills and behaviors (or frequent lack thereof) which seem to make this sort of senseless law seemingly necessary/valid. Give me a break - parents need to be parents again. Parents have gotten too many breaks, IMO - if you think you're good enough to pass on your genes to someone else, then I think you should be able to take some responsibility for it. Just because you undertook the responsibility (voluntarily or not - not my problem, not my kid), don't assume we should give up our rights just so you can spend less time parenting your kids.
Note, I don't want to have any kids. EVER. But you're still talking about making laws/restrictions that can affect ME as an adult citizen. I don't think that's cool. I REPEAT - your kids, your problem. Not mine. Don't make it my problem. _____
First part of your message: When she yells "Look out!" in the bar, when Logan's opponent from the cage match pulls a knife. (Of course, at that point, she doesn't know about his healing factor OR the adamantium claws.)
Second part: amen. Enough of Katz - as I said in an earlier post, he's stuck on one subject. Sounds like a broken record. And from reading many of the other posts here, it sounds like we're in good company. _____
As I said: If the people from their own country find out about this, don't you think these leaders would then be deposed, if the people are so fearful/pissed off at mutants? Wouldn't they then be unable to reconsider any such laws going through? _____
Did you see the part where he went "sploosh" all over the med room in the X-Men's headquarters? I think he's finished. And even if he's not, don't you think the rest of my statement would probably be correct? _____
Nod. I don't see how that would help - their own people would probably reject them (right before they die an unusual death, as Senator Kelly did). But of course, Magneto has a sort of twisted sense of things, which is part of what makes his character. _____
When she yelled "Look out!" when the bald guy in the bar (Bill Goldberg? Looked kinda like him) pulled a knife on Wolverine/Logan. (Of course, she doesn't at that point know about his healing factor.) _____
Thank you for a well-balanced review. (Yea, some people will say I'm biased. Whatever.) Of course, X-Men is not Hamlet - it's based on a comic book, for cripes' sake (as you mentioned.) But it's a fun and well-written movie, so there's certainly a lot to enjoy about it.
Katz:
Dude. SHUT UP. Go back to Salon, where someone is still interested in your whining about "geek oppression". I think the funniest thing about it is, on a self-professed nerd/geek/whatever site, you preach to US about what it's like to be a geek-type person - how would YOU know? You aren't us. It's that simple.
You're TOO stuck on this one subject. Find something new, we're getting tired of it.
Michael:
You're right - as I mentioned above, X-Men is a far cry from Hamlet - look where it's coming from. But you've got to give Bryan Singer and company some credit. Your review sounds like you were expecting a filet mignon, and you got something that was a couple notches down (New York strip, maybe?) - it didn't meet all your expectations, and therefore the movie industry sucks (2600, Emmanuel Goldstein, blah blah blah).
There have been a handful of really barrier-breaking films lately - none of which will probably compare with anything Shakespeare wrote, but they're still well-written, well-acted, and at least fairly balanced. Comparing this stuff to Shakespeare, though, and saying "Well, if it doesn't meet this standard, it's drek" is no good - no one's going to meet that standard. You're not going to find perfection. But you may as well enjoy a good story instead of nitpicking because it's not flawless. _____
Well, I'd count it as "different" from 3.11, since Windows 3.11 wasn't an "operating system" but an operating environment. Well, okay, Windows 9x (including ME) still really IS, it just happens that DOS is in the same package now, and microsoft has decided that they are to be tied together, so we say it's an OS unto itself. And as far as the first release of NT goes (NT 3.1) it might've been in '92. I don't remember 100% for sure though, so '93 might be right... _____
I don't think it would bother people so much if they'd comply with established standards. XML, CSS, DHTML, whatever - follow the standards. Unfortunately, Microsoft refuses to follow the standards - why? Because they don't WANT to be compatible with everyone else. They want to be an island unto themselves, where they can reign supreme and unquestioned over their platform, with no one to compete with them over who gets what. _____
Besides that fact that its kernel is apparently all x86 assembly? Yes, hand-coded, well-tuned assembly is small, and handy for performance reasons, but BOY is it hard to maintain. And don't even start on porting. Is QNX available on anything but IA32? Why, I think not... _____
No, you're right. The non-geek contingent isn't interested in setting up Linux and configuring their window manager. But, quite frankly, I'm going to have to go with Marie Antoinette on this: "Let them eat cake." People want all the power, and none of the responsibility. I say, you want power? Fine, but be willing to learn the skills it takes to get it. Don't bitch to me about how you want everything to only require the IQ of your average housepet. You have a large brain, so start using it god damnit. _____
1. OSOpinion's deterioration into the whine-of-the-week page for people who have nothing better to do than say how "Gee, I use X, but Y is so much better, because of A, B and C. I sure wish X would be more like Y." Piss off - if you like something better, GO USE IT. No one's making you use something you don't want to.
2. Slashdot's downward spiral from "News for Nerds" into a "let's-boost-the-hit-counts" click-count funnel, skipping real news for shiny things and loud voices. C'mon guys, grow the fuck up. _____
Slashdot Mirror
Probably the beep after the announce message. Seems the most likely method.
_____
Read other posts on that subject. I like the theory that it's non-Top-40 sales that they don't like - esp. because a good portion of what many people who don't listen to Top-40 music DO listen to is non-major-label stuff. (Mostly because >90% of what's on the Top-40 is crap.)
_____
Neither. They're protecting the green paper that's lining their pockets, and assuring that there'll be more where it came from. That's all. They don't care that much about WHO is doing the selling - brick-and-mortar shops or online retailers - they just want what they believe is their piece of the pie.
_____
Not true - I've downloaded entire CDs via Napster (also from friends' FTP servers) in MP3 format - if it's good, then I'll buy it. I'd RATHER cut a check directly to the artists (so they'd get more of MY money in THEIR pocket), but until we can do that, this way works - get moderate-quality MP3s, buy what you like to show the artists that yes, you really think they are good, and yes, you want to hear more of it.
_____
- Mer de Noms (A Perfect Circle)
- Tranceport (Paul Oakenfold)
- Orbital 2 (Orbital)
- This is Normal (Gus Gus)
And my selection of GOOD music has never been better. I've heard music that I wouldn't have heard otherwise, and I've been able to know if I like it before I buy it (even in stores where they have titles for sampling, they don't have very many, and it's mostly whatever's on the charts, doesn't mean it's good)._____
Ok. You obviously weren't listening the first half-dozen times this got mentioned:
Sorenson claims that they are under EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT with Apple, such that Apple is preventing them from licensing the codec. To ANYONE.
Apple then says it's Sorenson's call, and they don't know why Sorenson's saying Apple is stopping them from licensing it.
So which is it? Someone's lying here, and if you can figure it out, and get the appropriate part(y|ies) set straight, we'd all be VERY happy...
_____
You mean, it isn't already?
_____
But there is no statistical link! In fact, the very opposite would seem to be implied! Child/teen violence rates have dropped significantly since the gaming industry took off in the early 90s. (Another post supplies a reference where you can get the actual numbers, but suffice it to say, the STATISTICS support what I'm saying.)
Why do we get the impression that it's on the rise? The media. The media has, in recent years (particularly the latter 90s) focused in on youth/teen violence. There was a hostage situation at my high school during my freshman year (back in 1991) - it DID NOT get on the national news! Flash-forward to the late 1990s - EVERY instance gets NATIONAL attention! Don't ask me why, I don't understand the reasoning.
Suffice to say, the media can make things look VERY different from the way they really are. That would definitely be the case with teen/youth violence - just because the media's giving it more attention, doesn't mean it's happening more often - apparently they just have nothing else to cover...
_____
Exactly. Which is why the law should not intervene here either - games are (in general anymore) rated, and retailers should, if there is any question about the purchaser's age, ask for ID, or the presence of a parent/guardian, to buy games rated as too violent/graphic for their age.
_____
Well, there's one big difference between you and the kind of people who immediately think this law is a GOOD thing - you're actually accompanying your kids, paying attention to what they're doing and where they're going. That's something that all too many parents don't bother to do at all anymore. Thank you for that - I think your children will grow up a whole lot more sane and stable than 90% or more of today's kids.
_____
Umm. How are these games aimed at YOUNG MALES specifically? Also, these games are rated. Both Xatrix's "Kingpin" and Raven's "Soldier of Fortune" are rated by the ESRB. If parents are allowing their kids to buy these games, and not paying any attention to the fact that they're not intended for anyone under 17, HOW IS THIS *MY* PROBLEM? Just because parents seemingly can't be bothered to keep tabs on their own kids, I'm supposed to let them restrict what I can buy, or where I can buy it? It's just shifting the responsibility from the parents to everyone else.
As others have mentioned, I think the excuse that violent games cause violence is nothing but a cheap copout for the fact that there are going to be a few people who are just plain FUCKED UP. Also, teen/child violence statistics show a very visible downward trend since the gaming industry has taken off. Yet people keep banging the drum of "violent games are the DEVIL!!!! they're evil and bad for you!" - Give me a damn break already. Facts are facts, and the facts show that that reasoning is total bullshit.
_____
As if because someone hasn't BEEN a parent, they haven't seen the parenting skills and behaviors (or frequent lack thereof) which seem to make this sort of senseless law seemingly necessary/valid. Give me a break - parents need to be parents again. Parents have gotten too many breaks, IMO - if you think you're good enough to pass on your genes to someone else, then I think you should be able to take some responsibility for it. Just because you undertook the responsibility (voluntarily or not - not my problem, not my kid), don't assume we should give up our rights just so you can spend less time parenting your kids.
Note, I don't want to have any kids. EVER. But you're still talking about making laws/restrictions that can affect ME as an adult citizen. I don't think that's cool. I REPEAT - your kids, your problem. Not mine. Don't make it my problem.
_____
First part of your message: When she yells "Look out!" in the bar, when Logan's opponent from the cage match pulls a knife. (Of course, at that point, she doesn't know about his healing factor OR the adamantium claws.)
Second part: amen. Enough of Katz - as I said in an earlier post, he's stuck on one subject. Sounds like a broken record. And from reading many of the other posts here, it sounds like we're in good company.
_____
As I said: If the people from their own country find out about this, don't you think these leaders would then be deposed, if the people are so fearful/pissed off at mutants? Wouldn't they then be unable to reconsider any such laws going through?
_____
Did you see the part where he went "sploosh" all over the med room in the X-Men's headquarters? I think he's finished. And even if he's not, don't you think the rest of my statement would probably be correct?
_____
Nod. I don't see how that would help - their own people would probably reject them (right before they die an unusual death, as Senator Kelly did). But of course, Magneto has a sort of twisted sense of things, which is part of what makes his character.
_____
When she yelled "Look out!" when the bald guy in the bar (Bill Goldberg? Looked kinda like him) pulled a knife on Wolverine/Logan. (Of course, she doesn't at that point know about his healing factor.)
_____
Taco:
Thank you for a well-balanced review. (Yea, some people will say I'm biased. Whatever.) Of course, X-Men is not Hamlet - it's based on a comic book, for cripes' sake (as you mentioned.) But it's a fun and well-written movie, so there's certainly a lot to enjoy about it.
Katz:
Dude. SHUT UP. Go back to Salon, where someone is still interested in your whining about "geek oppression". I think the funniest thing about it is, on a self-professed nerd/geek/whatever site, you preach to US about what it's like to be a geek-type person - how would YOU know? You aren't us. It's that simple.
You're TOO stuck on this one subject. Find something new, we're getting tired of it.
Michael:
You're right - as I mentioned above, X-Men is a far cry from Hamlet - look where it's coming from. But you've got to give Bryan Singer and company some credit. Your review sounds like you were expecting a filet mignon, and you got something that was a couple notches down (New York strip, maybe?) - it didn't meet all your expectations, and therefore the movie industry sucks (2600, Emmanuel Goldstein, blah blah blah).
There have been a handful of really barrier-breaking films lately - none of which will probably compare with anything Shakespeare wrote, but they're still well-written, well-acted, and at least fairly balanced. Comparing this stuff to Shakespeare, though, and saying "Well, if it doesn't meet this standard, it's drek" is no good - no one's going to meet that standard. You're not going to find perfection. But you may as well enjoy a good story instead of nitpicking because it's not flawless.
_____
Well, I'd count it as "different" from 3.11, since Windows 3.11 wasn't an "operating system" but an operating environment. Well, okay, Windows 9x (including ME) still really IS, it just happens that DOS is in the same package now, and microsoft has decided that they are to be tied together, so we say it's an OS unto itself. And as far as the first release of NT goes (NT 3.1) it might've been in '92. I don't remember 100% for sure though, so '93 might be right...
_____
By Andre Hedrick himself, no less. (the Linux IDE guy) Andre was quite pissed, and rightly so.
_____
Err. Standard NTSC supports up to 640x400 resolution, with 29.97 fps framerate. Just thought you might like to know.
_____
I don't think it would bother people so much if they'd comply with established standards. XML, CSS, DHTML, whatever - follow the standards. Unfortunately, Microsoft refuses to follow the standards - why? Because they don't WANT to be compatible with everyone else. They want to be an island unto themselves, where they can reign supreme and unquestioned over their platform, with no one to compete with them over who gets what.
_____
Besides that fact that its kernel is apparently all x86 assembly? Yes, hand-coded, well-tuned assembly is small, and handy for performance reasons, but BOY is it hard to maintain. And don't even start on porting. Is QNX available on anything but IA32? Why, I think not...
_____
No, you're right. The non-geek contingent isn't interested in setting up Linux and configuring their window manager. But, quite frankly, I'm going to have to go with Marie Antoinette on this: "Let them eat cake." People want all the power, and none of the responsibility. I say, you want power? Fine, but be willing to learn the skills it takes to get it. Don't bitch to me about how you want everything to only require the IQ of your average housepet. You have a large brain, so start using it god damnit.
_____
I think we're seeing two things at work here:
1. OSOpinion's deterioration into the whine-of-the-week page for people who have nothing better to do than say how "Gee, I use X, but Y is so much better, because of A, B and C. I sure wish X would be more like Y." Piss off - if you like something better, GO USE IT. No one's making you use something you don't want to.
2. Slashdot's downward spiral from "News for Nerds" into a "let's-boost-the-hit-counts" click-count funnel, skipping real news for shiny things and loud voices. C'mon guys, grow the fuck up.
_____