[quote]Play WiiSports with a group of friends, the magic will be back, trust me. : ) [/quote]
Which, undeniably, is why Nintendo invented this system and called it the "Wii," to expressly encourage group play and social entertainment around their videogame system. However, if your friends don't think getting together for an evening of Wii Sports sounds enticing, or if your circle of friends is particularly small, or if area makes frequent social gatherings a burden or a hefty committment, then you're likely to experience the same waning excitement and same "this is just gimmicky" response.
For instance, I moved to a new area and within the past year have developed only ONE other gaming friend in the same state. When I was in undergrad, the Wii would have been a blast. But now... I don't have a large group of friends within 100 yards of one another...
I don't understand why such a large portion of the Church is opposed to science and evolution. It depends on what you mean by "the Church". I am a Roman Catholic and intelligent design has never, ever been broached as a topic by any of the priests that deliver mass at my church. Additionally, this creationism vs evolution vs intelligent design debate has never once surfaced in my family, entirely Roman Catholic, or with any of my Roman Catholic friends.
I'd be curious if the ID / creationism "push" originates from a singular christian denomination...
"2) have a massive clientele defection (unlikely because they're a monopoly like the telcos) or...
It's all PR. "
Item #2 in your list is directly related to public image. If fallout from Jobs' statements and/or anti-DRM crusade reaches critical mass with the public, that's bad PR for the **AA's. Steve Jobs' name recognition lends him "expert" and "genius" status in the eyes of the average person, and most people will see him inextricably tied to the issue through music through iTunes and the iPod. if someone with those kinds of credentials and that kind of (relative) stake in the industry gets continuously ignored by the industry (the **AA's), then it's bad PR for the others and Item #2 in your list is reached.
Every time I watch that movie, I think about how painful that would have been. On a slightly related health topic...
I'd be curious to know the lifetime of said electronics within the human body, its potential for signal degradation over time, and the percent of subjects whose bodies react adversely to the foreign material.
I had a similar experience with Logitech. The analog knobs on the wireless controller I had purchased from them for use with my Playstation 2 gradually stopped responding. I contacted their customer service about it and they were very accomodating, and sent me a newer model immediately.
I have also had good experience with Antec. I have a case of theirs and, though it still has a defect I have yet to report, they have been very prompt about sending me replacements for parts without any charge to me, whatsoever.
Please remember there is a difference between IP and durable goods. Repeat productions of a durable good have high costs (e.g. making that second and third corvette is going to cost money for the materials and labor) Repeat productions of an IP work have trivial, if any, costs (e.g. a CD is a quarter in bulk, copying is as laborious as a mouseclick).
Think of it like knock-off Oakley sunglasses. You can buy the real things in stores for $120, just like you can buy a real CD in stores for $15, or you can buy the knockoff sunglasses, which aren't quite as good (analogous to lower bitrate, no case/cover/art) for $5 on the street, just like you can buy an MP3 from AllofMP3 for $0.25.
I agree, it seems likely that Harry will still interact with Dumbledore in the seventh book, however I venture that it is exceedingly likely that all interaction will be through the new portrait of Dumbledore that appeared in the Headmaster's Office after Dumbledore's death. I believe we will find out just to what degree the living portraits in JK Rowling's world are able to think, act, and remember.
Additionally, I would venture that Snape's order to kill Dumbledore, the order which came from Dumbledore himself, will arrive at Harry through his own self-realization, and not through Dumbledore himself. This will probably occur at the same time that Snape reveals his reason for his hatred of Harry, as well as the reason Dumbledore trusts Snape. (For a prediction: this is one and the same: Lily Evans. Snape loved her in secret, and Harry represents a continual reminder of the love he lost to his bitter rival, James Potter; moreover, Snape's unwitting assistance in the death of Lily Evans is the reason for his abandonnment of the dark side).
Slashdot Mirror
[quote]Play WiiSports with a group of friends, the magic will be back, trust me. : ) [/quote] Which, undeniably, is why Nintendo invented this system and called it the "Wii," to expressly encourage group play and social entertainment around their videogame system. However, if your friends don't think getting together for an evening of Wii Sports sounds enticing, or if your circle of friends is particularly small, or if area makes frequent social gatherings a burden or a hefty committment, then you're likely to experience the same waning excitement and same "this is just gimmicky" response. For instance, I moved to a new area and within the past year have developed only ONE other gaming friend in the same state. When I was in undergrad, the Wii would have been a blast. But now... I don't have a large group of friends within 100 yards of one another...
"2) have a massive clientele defection (unlikely because they're a monopoly like the telcos) or... It's all PR. " Item #2 in your list is directly related to public image. If fallout from Jobs' statements and/or anti-DRM crusade reaches critical mass with the public, that's bad PR for the **AA's. Steve Jobs' name recognition lends him "expert" and "genius" status in the eyes of the average person, and most people will see him inextricably tied to the issue through music through iTunes and the iPod. if someone with those kinds of credentials and that kind of (relative) stake in the industry gets continuously ignored by the industry (the **AA's), then it's bad PR for the others and Item #2 in your list is reached.
Every time I watch that movie, I think about how painful that would have been. On a slightly related health topic... I'd be curious to know the lifetime of said electronics within the human body, its potential for signal degradation over time, and the percent of subjects whose bodies react adversely to the foreign material.
I had a similar experience with Logitech. The analog knobs on the wireless controller I had purchased from them for use with my Playstation 2 gradually stopped responding. I contacted their customer service about it and they were very accomodating, and sent me a newer model immediately.
I have also had good experience with Antec. I have a case of theirs and, though it still has a defect I have yet to report, they have been very prompt about sending me replacements for parts without any charge to me, whatsoever.
Please remember there is a difference between IP and durable goods. Repeat productions of a durable good have high costs (e.g. making that second and third corvette is going to cost money for the materials and labor) Repeat productions of an IP work have trivial, if any, costs (e.g. a CD is a quarter in bulk, copying is as laborious as a mouseclick). Think of it like knock-off Oakley sunglasses. You can buy the real things in stores for $120, just like you can buy a real CD in stores for $15, or you can buy the knockoff sunglasses, which aren't quite as good (analogous to lower bitrate, no case/cover/art) for $5 on the street, just like you can buy an MP3 from AllofMP3 for $0.25.
(some spoliers may follow)
I agree, it seems likely that Harry will still interact with Dumbledore in the seventh book, however I venture that it is exceedingly likely that all interaction will be through the new portrait of Dumbledore that appeared in the Headmaster's Office after Dumbledore's death. I believe we will find out just to what degree the living portraits in JK Rowling's world are able to think, act, and remember.
Additionally, I would venture that Snape's order to kill Dumbledore, the order which came from Dumbledore himself, will arrive at Harry through his own self-realization, and not through Dumbledore himself. This will probably occur at the same time that Snape reveals his reason for his hatred of Harry, as well as the reason Dumbledore trusts Snape. (For a prediction: this is one and the same: Lily Evans. Snape loved her in secret, and Harry represents a continual reminder of the love he lost to his bitter rival, James Potter; moreover, Snape's unwitting assistance in the death of Lily Evans is the reason for his abandonnment of the dark side).