Have you played the new Medal of Honor? If the fun is hiding in the multiplayer, I have yet to find it. The game's "difficulty" might have inspired this article, but really it should have been the game's "crappiness". $60 officially wasted.
Schools are out of control. Between this and "Zero Tolerance" policies, I'm scared for kids. Kids as young as 12 are getting fined for things as stupid as being tardy, and ARRESTED for doodling on desks. What posses someone to think its a good idea spy on children, or to arrest a 12 year old girl? Schools need to mind their own business, and realize that kids get into trouble. Mischief and stupid mistakes are part of growing up.
I've played in many rinks, and on more than one occasion, I've seen a rink temporarily evacuated because of fumes. I'm guessing its because the Zambonis weren't functioning right (some are kept in service a long long time). Its not common for fumes to be a problem, but it definitely happens.
As for electric ice resurfacers being such a problem to make, I don't agree. The weight issue doesn't seem to be a problem. I used to drive battery powered forklifts that easily lasted an 8 hour shift (moving around 1,500+ pounds). And I've seen many electric resurfacing machines, dating back at least 15 years. Some rinks don't even need a battery (or much of one). They just run a really long "extension chord" from the ceiling down to the machine. Since the ice resurfacer doesn't exactly need to go far, it seems to work fine.
I can't comment on overall cost savings, but I can tell you that here in Minnesota, many of our rinks operate year round and are used from ~5am-11:30pm every day. My local facility uses 2 Zambonis for 3 rinks. A modest estimate of 20 floods/day per machine is still over 7,000 floods in just one year. A savings of $2.75 per flood for many years definitely has potential.
This is a good reason to buy a stick instead of an automatic.
I couldn't agree more. I've always felt that manual has so much more control than automatic, especially for scenarios like snow and steep inclines. Every care I purchase only has 4 major requirements.
1. Quality 2. Good MPG 3. I need to fit in it (I'm 6'4") 4. Manual
Unfortunately, you'd be surprised just how difficult it is to find a car that meets these simple requirements. Many cars don't even have a manual option anymore (ex: Camry).
Is anyone else sick of this contract subsidizing excuse? Yes, I realize you can't sell a phone like this for $25, but all these phones have an insane price if you buy them out of contract. I have a hard time believing these things cost anywhere near $500 to build. For example, the ipod touch starts at $200, which is obviously sold for a profit. Meanwhile, the iphone (a pretty damn similar device), is $500. Its not like you get a reduced monthly price if you bring your own phone.
I loved Shadowrun, but since I don't see a real remake coming anytime soon, give Dystopia a try. Its my favorite mod for the Half-Life 2 engine. The game is full of cyber punk action, strategy, "hacking", and best of all its free.
But... there is also new servers, storage, replacing broken parts, web design/maintenance, and paying the people, and paying for the stuff they use who take car of all of that, the power bill, legal battles, etc...
Will these costs lower over time? Storage prices are constantly dropping, web design isn't a daily need, google is known for interesting power solutions, etc.
I read somewhere that cat fur alone can be a deterrent to rodents. Something about the scent...
Cat's shed a lot. Find someone with a cat and spread the shedding around the problem areas. If it works, great. If not, it didn't cost you anything... you know, except more cable
"It's tough to believe but there just isn't enough waste to cut"
Oh I dunno. The U.S spends about $600 Billion dollars on its military budget. That's roughly half of the entire world. I think a few cuts could be made.
I had the EXACT same thing happen to me a few months ago. Security freaked out about the sunblock, but let me on the plane with a big knife. Go figure.
My brother and I were flying out of the country for vacation, and we got stopped at luggage inspection. When the security guard angrily called us over, my brother turned pale, realizing he'd checked the wrong bag.
The guard shouted at him, yelling something about "the weapon" in his bag. He pulled out a 5 oz tube of sun block, and let us on the plane.
The reason my brother turned pale, wasn't because of the sun block. Resting directly underneath it was a 6 inch knife (don't ask me why he needed it for vacation). Apparently sun protection is a bigger risk than I thought.
That's the reason I stopped playing. The only "challenges" I really found were, finding a group, having the patience to eternally grind, the will to ignore my ass falling asleep, etc.
Take it as a flame if you want, but the game felt mindless to me. My mage pretty much used the same 3 or 4 spells over and over and over. I signed up for a world of adventure, not something more boring than my cubicle.
I remember reading somewhere that they increased their rate to encourage people to use a text message plan, so they could save money. That's some ridiculous reasoning.
Its not all bad though. I called Sprint and made a fuss about the rate increase, and told them I wanted out of your contract (for a number of reasons). They offered me free unlimited internet for all the phones on my plan, 600 free text messages per phone, and additional messages at the.10 rate. I still hate Sprint, but at least it costs a little less now.
So we should just roll over and accept things that aren't fair, because life isn't?
Like the GP said, insurance companies aren't just unfair, they're evil. They make unethical decisions to save money that cost people their lives.
As a personal example my brother recently needed hernia surgery and the insurance company was obligated to pay for it. Rather than just pay, they avoided his calls, and blew him off for a month, hoping he would just give up. Finally his doctor decided the surgery needed to be done immediately, and was kind enough to somehow settle the matter with the insurance company.
I never understood how it was legal to assume I'm a worse driver because of my age and sex. I have no sympathy for the insurance companies.
Sprint tried screwing me over from day 1. Every month I had to sit on the phone dealing with BS automated voice lines, bright employees, etc. But by sticking to it, I now have 4 phones all with unlimited internet, and text messages for $90/mo. If I'd been more of an ass, I probably could have gotten more.
The point is, we shouldn't put up with this crap. Demand not only a refund, but something for your time and lost trust as well.
Rush is an idiot. A few years ago he was whining about the minimum wage. If you're going to argue strongly against something, you should at least be well informed.
"It's -- whatever it is, six and a quarter, seven bucks an hour,"... "[t]he minimum wage has gotten so high that it's paying people that are not skilled to do anything." - Rush "75 percent of the people earning minimum wage are teenagers" - Rush
Given at the time minimum wage was $5.15/hr, and less for tipped employees (in Wisconsin it was $2.33/hr at the time) he wasn't even close. Not to mention that teenagers only make up about 1/3 of minimum wage employees.
Between that and his hypocritical drug garbage, I have no respect for the man, or his listeners.
"Will you buy MP3s, unrestricted, for a reasonable price?"
I don't really consider 99 cents (or anything more as the labels want to charge) as a reasonable price. They've eliminated the cost of shipping, physical medium, and storage, but we're essentially paying the same price per track. Especially if you want to factor in the age of some songs. I'm pretty sure they've recouped costs on Zeppelin and Beatles tracks by now...
"The problem is that this system will only be able to prove that you were in the bar, not that you were actually drinking."
That's a great point, but its not THE problem. The problem is that the government has no right to monitor our every action. There's more and more surveillance for the sake of "safety", but you could argue anything in the name of safety. Why stop there, why not RFID chips for everyone?
Draw the line people. "Safety" or Freedom. I'll take my chances with drunks and terrorists.
"they're just PICTURES..they don't prove the kids were DRINKING"
That's exactly what I was thinking. Digital photographic evidence is weak at best. Give me some time and I could crop Jesus into the photos. I realize that they almost certainly were drinking, and its was stupid of them to post photos, but its not really proof.
"it's obvious that you are more of an online shooter guy than someone who cares for a plot or atmosphere"
Its actually the opposite. I rarely do online shooters. But I thought this game had such unique weapons and scenery it could have a really interesting multiplayer aspect.
I'm all about plot and atmoshpere, which is why I found myself getting annoyed by the recordings and searching every trash can. The plot was pretty good, but it felt like a pain to get it. The recordings were cool at first, but I'd have liked hearing from more "ghosts", arguments, videos, etc. After beating the game, I looked up a summary on-line, and found I'd missed a lot.
The atmosphere was great, but once again, when you search every trash can, ashtray, and are taking a thousand photos for "research" it takes away from the atmosphere. I'm not asking to be "given" items, but maybe I could just walk over them, and just get a few good photos instead of tons (even rated at A, you still need a lot to max out).
Also, the security bots got old quick. They're everywhere, and after a while, you just want to fight more unique splicers.
Slashdot Mirror
In multiplayer.
Have you played the new Medal of Honor? If the fun is hiding in the multiplayer, I have yet to find it. The game's "difficulty" might have inspired this article, but really it should have been the game's "crappiness". $60 officially wasted.
Schools are out of control. Between this and "Zero Tolerance" policies, I'm scared for kids. Kids as young as 12 are getting fined for things as stupid as being tardy, and ARRESTED for doodling on desks. What posses someone to think its a good idea spy on children, or to arrest a 12 year old girl? Schools need to mind their own business, and realize that kids get into trouble. Mischief and stupid mistakes are part of growing up.
I've played in many rinks, and on more than one occasion, I've seen a rink temporarily evacuated because of fumes. I'm guessing its because the Zambonis weren't functioning right (some are kept in service a long long time). Its not common for fumes to be a problem, but it definitely happens.
As for electric ice resurfacers being such a problem to make, I don't agree. The weight issue doesn't seem to be a problem. I used to drive battery powered forklifts that easily lasted an 8 hour shift (moving around 1,500+ pounds). And I've seen many electric resurfacing machines, dating back at least 15 years. Some rinks don't even need a battery (or much of one). They just run a really long "extension chord" from the ceiling down to the machine. Since the ice resurfacer doesn't exactly need to go far, it seems to work fine.
I can't comment on overall cost savings, but I can tell you that here in Minnesota, many of our rinks operate year round and are used from ~5am-11:30pm every day. My local facility uses 2 Zambonis for 3 rinks. A modest estimate of 20 floods/day per machine is still over 7,000 floods in just one year. A savings of $2.75 per flood for many years definitely has potential.
This is a good reason to buy a stick instead of an automatic.
I couldn't agree more. I've always felt that manual has so much more control than automatic, especially for scenarios like snow and steep inclines. Every care I purchase only has 4 major requirements.
1. Quality
2. Good MPG
3. I need to fit in it (I'm 6'4")
4. Manual
Unfortunately, you'd be surprised just how difficult it is to find a car that meets these simple requirements. Many cars don't even have a manual option anymore (ex: Camry).
Is anyone else sick of this contract subsidizing excuse? Yes, I realize you can't sell a phone like this for $25, but all these phones have an insane price if you buy them out of contract. I have a hard time believing these things cost anywhere near $500 to build. For example, the ipod touch starts at $200, which is obviously sold for a profit. Meanwhile, the iphone (a pretty damn similar device), is $500. Its not like you get a reduced monthly price if you bring your own phone.
I loved Shadowrun, but since I don't see a real remake coming anytime soon, give Dystopia a try. Its my favorite mod for the Half-Life 2 engine. The game is full of cyber punk action, strategy, "hacking", and best of all its free.
But... there is also new servers, storage, replacing broken parts, web design/maintenance, and paying the people, and paying for the stuff they use who take car of all of that, the power bill, legal battles, etc...
Will these costs lower over time? Storage prices are constantly dropping, web design isn't a daily need, google is known for interesting power solutions, etc.
"Free speech is about being allowed to say whatever you want...Saying something anonymously is not part of that definition"
So you wouldn't mind sharing your voting record with the world?
I agree that its based on the game. I'll pay more for a game with high replay value. Starcraft, CoD 4, etc.
$60 for a HL2 mod seems ridiculous to me. 4 characters, 4 levels, very limited weapons, and about 4 hours to get bored with it.
Maybe the reason so many people bought this at $25, is because they knew it wasn't worth $50 or $60.
Well, actually- it points out the absurdity of a contract without a signature.
Ever heard of an oral contract?
Meow?
I read somewhere that cat fur alone can be a deterrent to rodents. Something about the scent...
Cat's shed a lot. Find someone with a cat and spread the shedding around the problem areas. If it works, great. If not, it didn't cost you anything... you know, except more cable
the Vice President isn't in charge of the senate?
"It's tough to believe but there just isn't enough waste to cut"
Oh I dunno. The U.S spends about $600 Billion dollars on its military budget. That's roughly half of the entire world. I think a few cuts could be made.
I had the EXACT same thing happen to me a few months ago. Security freaked out about the sunblock, but let me on the plane with a big knife. Go figure.
My brother and I were flying out of the country for vacation, and we got stopped at luggage inspection. When the security guard angrily called us over, my brother turned pale, realizing he'd checked the wrong bag.
The guard shouted at him, yelling something about "the weapon" in his bag. He pulled out a 5 oz tube of sun block, and let us on the plane.
The reason my brother turned pale, wasn't because of the sun block. Resting directly underneath it was a 6 inch knife (don't ask me why he needed it for vacation). Apparently sun protection is a bigger risk than I thought.
That's the reason I stopped playing. The only "challenges" I really found were, finding a group, having the patience to eternally grind, the will to ignore my ass falling asleep, etc.
Take it as a flame if you want, but the game felt mindless to me. My mage pretty much used the same 3 or 4 spells over and over and over. I signed up for a world of adventure, not something more boring than my cubicle.
I remember reading somewhere that they increased their rate to encourage people to use a text message plan, so they could save money. That's some ridiculous reasoning.
.10 rate. I still hate Sprint, but at least it costs a little less now.
Its not all bad though. I called Sprint and made a fuss about the rate increase, and told them I wanted out of your contract (for a number of reasons). They offered me free unlimited internet for all the phones on my plan, 600 free text messages per phone, and additional messages at the
-That's nasty. It teaches customers that they can't trust Microsoft or a Microsoft product.
I think we all learned that from Windows ME...
So we should just roll over and accept things that aren't fair, because life isn't?
Like the GP said, insurance companies aren't just unfair, they're evil. They make unethical decisions to save money that cost people their lives.
As a personal example my brother recently needed hernia surgery and the insurance company was obligated to pay for it. Rather than just pay, they avoided his calls, and blew him off for a month, hoping he would just give up. Finally his doctor decided the surgery needed to be done immediately, and was kind enough to somehow settle the matter with the insurance company.
I never understood how it was legal to assume I'm a worse driver because of my age and sex. I have no sympathy for the insurance companies.
Sprint tried screwing me over from day 1. Every month I had to sit on the phone dealing with BS automated voice lines, bright employees, etc. But by sticking to it, I now have 4 phones all with unlimited internet, and text messages for $90/mo. If I'd been more of an ass, I probably could have gotten more.
The point is, we shouldn't put up with this crap. Demand not only a refund, but something for your time and lost trust as well.
Rush is an idiot. A few years ago he was whining about the minimum wage. If you're going to argue strongly against something, you should at least be well informed.
"It's -- whatever it is, six and a quarter, seven bucks an hour,"... "[t]he minimum wage has gotten so high that it's paying people that are not skilled to do anything."
- Rush
"75 percent of the people earning minimum wage are teenagers"
- Rush
http://mediamatters.org/items/200408130005
Given at the time minimum wage was $5.15/hr, and less for tipped employees (in Wisconsin it was $2.33/hr at the time) he wasn't even close. Not to mention that teenagers only make up about 1/3 of minimum wage employees.
Between that and his hypocritical drug garbage, I have no respect for the man, or his listeners.
"Will you buy MP3s, unrestricted, for a reasonable price?"
I don't really consider 99 cents (or anything more as the labels want to charge) as a reasonable price. They've eliminated the cost of shipping, physical medium, and storage, but we're essentially paying the same price per track. Especially if you want to factor in the age of some songs. I'm pretty sure they've recouped costs on Zeppelin and Beatles tracks by now...
"The problem is that this system will only be able to prove that you were in the bar, not that you were actually drinking."
That's a great point, but its not THE problem. The problem is that the government has no right to monitor our every action. There's more and more surveillance for the sake of "safety", but you could argue anything in the name of safety. Why stop there, why not RFID chips for everyone?
Draw the line people. "Safety" or Freedom. I'll take my chances with drunks and terrorists.
"they're just PICTURES..they don't prove the kids were DRINKING"
That's exactly what I was thinking. Digital photographic evidence is weak at best. Give me some time and I could crop Jesus into the photos. I realize that they almost certainly were drinking, and its was stupid of them to post photos, but its not really proof.
"it's obvious that you are more of an online shooter guy than someone who cares for a plot or atmosphere"
Its actually the opposite. I rarely do online shooters. But I thought this game had such unique weapons and scenery it could have a really interesting multiplayer aspect.
I'm all about plot and atmoshpere, which is why I found myself getting annoyed by the recordings and searching every trash can. The plot was pretty good, but it felt like a pain to get it. The recordings were cool at first, but I'd have liked hearing from more "ghosts", arguments, videos, etc. After beating the game, I looked up a summary on-line, and found I'd missed a lot.
The atmosphere was great, but once again, when you search every trash can, ashtray, and are taking a thousand photos for "research" it takes away from the atmosphere. I'm not asking to be "given" items, but maybe I could just walk over them, and just get a few good photos instead of tons (even rated at A, you still need a lot to max out).
Also, the security bots got old quick. They're everywhere, and after a while, you just want to fight more unique splicers.
Again, great game, but definitely not perfect.