As a long-time gamer & someone who's been in this same position of having a significant other far away, I suggest my favorite gaming genre- MMOs. They're social by nature & allow for collaboration. In terms of exploration, story, etc. that depends on the game. I'd suggest more of a sandbox type game. I just picked up The Secret World over the weekend (cuz it's 50% off 'til the end of the month!) for only $15. It's a "Buy To Play" title which means while it's an MMO, there's no monthly subscription fee, just buy the client & it's free forever after. TSW is a modern-day MMO w/3 playable factions- Illuminati, Templars & Dragon- & as you can guess by their names the story/writing is amazing & involves deep ties to historical events. So if you're both into history, like conspiracy theories & politics it'd be a great game.
Another GREAT story-based game is Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's "Free to Play" (F2P) which means you can download it & play it completely for free. Like TSW, SWTOR has great voice-over work & the choices you make matter & affect your storyline. It's set in the Star Wars universe but even if he/she isn't into SW, the story is amazing & all the different classes have very personal story lines that are extremely engaging. Aside from TSW & SWTOR, I'd suggest looking up any other F2P games as this new business model is king right now & there's literally TONS of games you & your significant other can play right now & engage w/each other. G'luck!
I know folks will argue with my choice based on tech advances, etc. But by far the game that blew the console market up again (after Atari, Intellivision & Colecovision folded) was John Madden Football for the Sega Genesis. This game not only revolutionized gaming but also blasted the door open on the lucrative sports gaming, sub-market. But innovations, you ask? How about utilizing celebrity to be a part of the game & in its marketing/naming
.
Besides, its the only game to date to have a full season worth of shows, for several season now, dedicated to it: ESPNs Madden Nation.
Quote: "Are Brits more open-minded than the rest of the world when it comes to choosing an OS?"
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No, it's just that Microsoft hasn't brainwashed the British populace into thinking there's only 1 main OS for so many years like MS has.
They'll NEVER mention Linux- it's leap years ahead of Windows AND free?! Not to mention that the entire EU has sued the pants off of MS for monopolistic practices (& earlier this year, MS lost the appeal & was fined 1.4 BILLION!). http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/08/03/tech/main221521.shtml
Sure, ignorance on our part is a factor but a more important factor, I'd argue, is that MS is an American company. You could poll any European country & I'd bet the results similar to the UK's choice of OS.
...I dunno, stop using Windows servers as their main architectural backbone for one. After all what is their $50 million/year technology budget buying, outdated windows licenses?
In a speech last night in Cincinnati, Barack Obama said he'd be going over the budget line-by-line. You don't think he's gonna stumble across their IT budget w/the line item labeled "Bill Gates - $50 million/year" & not go "WTF?!!!"
I couldn't agree more w/Mr. Crawford. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of only using static HTML. It's the 21st century & the majority of people think that, like with corny ass rappers sampling the same beats & being unoriginal, you're only legit if you're rockin' the bling-bling!
How is it delusional to state the fact that Microsoft has been putting out crappy software ever since Windows95? Vista is the latest example & epitomizes that while they've locked in tons of users (hence the lofty numbers), OS X & Linux will be reaping the rewards of folks making the switch. Just look at Dell, they've started reselling pc's with XP on it due to Vista's bad performance/reviews.
I don't care what Microsoft's CEO says about them having a gajillion installs by the end of next year, etc. They've brought their own shovel & are digging their own hole as more & more people recognize Vista for the crapware it is. More & more articles like this one are opening up people's eyes to the vast non-Windows world & how grand it truly is. Sure, Microsoft shot themselves in the foot w/Vista but user-friendly alternatives like OS X & Ubuntu (amongst a bevy of Linux distros) will be closing the gap rapidly in the next few years.
Kevin Zuccato, head of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre in Canberra, says terrorists can gain training in games such as World of Warcraft in a simulated environment, using weapons that are identical to real-world armaments. Oh yea, I'm shivering in my boots as I await getting attacked by goblin-engineered bombs, rusty daggers & getting MC'ed (mind controlled)!!!/shiver
Why? Because Micro$oft has made it a tradition to release an OS & then IMMEDIATELY needs to release a patch like the next day. It's to the point where it's a joke in the industry. It's been happening, to my experience, ever since the release of Windows 95. That's 13 years of a bad record. As long as home consumers know no better & businesses are bound to their OS, it'll never change.
Having tried out a TON of distros over the years, I fail to see how Linspire even registers a blip on the news radar. Never was it even in the top 20 most popular (either w/unix-heads or non). Sad to say, this just makes them even more worthless. Thank goodness for the TONS of great distros out there still to help spread the great word about Linux.
The fact that the Japanese have been doing this (had technology) for a while still doesn't diminish the fact that this is awesome. It has tons of uses, from preserving history to listening to great, original music. As a DJ, I know this to be a great tool for preserving & restoring some of our best timepieces (music). NPR, like these technologies, is the gift that keeps on giving!
I'm glad that cooler heads prevailed & thought about the children- since this is what the whole idea behind OLPC is about (& not some bickering about who should do what). Having this marriage benefits everyone- the kids win now & our world wins in the future. Additionally, the technology & peripherals used in these laptops will be deployed commercially so we'll all win in the near future (since the technology used is miles ahead of what current laptops have the capacity to do- full weather-proof laptops, screens that aren't affected by sunlight at all & better wifi antennas, etc.).
Sure, it's cool to go back in time & play games you loved like Donkey Kong, Shinobi, Double Dragon, etc...for like 10 MINUTES!!! But c'mon, the whole point of paying $300 for a console is to play some of the great next-gen games w/all the shiny graphics. If I wanted to play older games, I'd just get an emulator. It's just a marketing ploy by Micro$oft so they can say "look at us & all the games you can play through xbox live." But hey, it's not my buck.
Yea, I agree, it's kinda insane (not to mention INANE)!
This is the very reason why I don't own an iPod. If I own MY MUSIC & encode it to mp3 for space-saving purposes, why would I want a media player that doesn't jive (mp4) & that tells me what I can & can't do (or deletes my very own files). No thx, I'll wait for someone to come up with a better solution. People think they're so cool w/their little iPods but all they've done is give up complete creative control of THEIR media...the Zune isn't much different.
As a DJ/Producer, giving up creative control of something that I own is the worst scenario possible. It's this very reason why SO many musicians are going to indie or smaller labels since going to large record labels usually ends up with them losing total creative control (not to mention a smaller slice of the cd sales pie). Different industry, similar model.
Screw how many pci slots it has! I live in a warm climate w/no AC so my rig can get kinda warm so I don't overclock. But the cooling technology of cooling 2 different parts of the board is brilliant! I've been hoping for this for a long time. Engineers thinking outside the box (no pun intended) is where it's at, yo!
This might not be illegal but it's highly unethical. It's clear he was trying to "dump on" the corporation he wanted to buy in order to drive interest/stock price of Wild Oats down. I sure hope he gets punished in some way, shape or form. CEO's should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us since they have an inordinate amount of power in the business world ala athletes & celebrities in pop culture.
Props to Karen Lodrick for her immense determination. Most people would've given up & let the chips fall where they may. The only bad part is that this is a RARE case of an identity theft investigation being solved. The odds are just too staggering against law enforcement. It seems that people that resort to such thievery are experts at knowing where the cracks in the system are. Still, though, it gives all folks who've been victimized as such some sort of hope which is good since, in this digital age, this type of crime seems to be growing at an exponential rate.
Slashdot Mirror
As a long-time gamer & someone who's been in this same position of having a significant other far away, I suggest my favorite gaming genre- MMOs. They're social by nature & allow for collaboration. In terms of exploration, story, etc. that depends on the game. I'd suggest more of a sandbox type game. I just picked up The Secret World over the weekend (cuz it's 50% off 'til the end of the month!) for only $15. It's a "Buy To Play" title which means while it's an MMO, there's no monthly subscription fee, just buy the client & it's free forever after. TSW is a modern-day MMO w/3 playable factions- Illuminati, Templars & Dragon- & as you can guess by their names the story/writing is amazing & involves deep ties to historical events. So if you're both into history, like conspiracy theories & politics it'd be a great game. Another GREAT story-based game is Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's "Free to Play" (F2P) which means you can download it & play it completely for free. Like TSW, SWTOR has great voice-over work & the choices you make matter & affect your storyline. It's set in the Star Wars universe but even if he/she isn't into SW, the story is amazing & all the different classes have very personal story lines that are extremely engaging. Aside from TSW & SWTOR, I'd suggest looking up any other F2P games as this new business model is king right now & there's literally TONS of games you & your significant other can play right now & engage w/each other. G'luck!
It should be noted that LinuxJournal.com was the first to report on this story yet the author from Wired doesn't cite his/her sources. Great project!
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/open-source-8-bit-computer-save-world
I know folks will argue with my choice based on tech advances, etc. But by far the game that blew the console market up again (after Atari, Intellivision & Colecovision folded) was John Madden Football for the Sega Genesis. This game not only revolutionized gaming but also blasted the door open on the lucrative sports gaming, sub-market. But innovations, you ask? How about utilizing celebrity to be a part of the game & in its marketing/naming
. Besides, its the only game to date to have a full season worth of shows, for several season now, dedicated to it: ESPNs Madden Nation.
Its not a bug, its a feature!!!
Valid source as in some Windows server (after all, GoW is an xbox-only game) or something on XBox Live? That is a fail-fail proposition.
;)
If only they could blame that on the red ring of death, as well.
Quote: "Are Brits more open-minded than the rest of the world when it comes to choosing an OS?" - No, it's just that Microsoft hasn't brainwashed the British populace into thinking there's only 1 main OS for so many years like MS has.
They'll NEVER mention Linux- it's leap years ahead of Windows AND free?! Not to mention that the entire EU has sued the pants off of MS for monopolistic practices (& earlier this year, MS lost the appeal & was fined 1.4 BILLION!).
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/08/03/tech/main221521.shtml
Sure, ignorance on our part is a factor but a more important factor, I'd argue, is that MS is an American company. You could poll any European country & I'd bet the results similar to the UK's choice of OS.
...I dunno, stop using Windows servers as their main architectural backbone for one. After all what is their $50 million/year technology budget buying, outdated windows licenses?
In a speech last night in Cincinnati, Barack Obama said he'd be going over the budget line-by-line. You don't think he's gonna stumble across their IT budget w/the line item labeled "Bill Gates - $50 million/year" & not go "WTF?!!!"
Now if only our automobile makers could come up with ways to use urine as a fuel, we'd be cooking with GAS!
...it's all about the red pills baby!
I mean, after all, Microsoft knows absolutely nothing about monopolozing markets right?
OMG! A politician who not only knows something about tech but is also down with open source?
Could there be hope for our future politicians? Hire this cat to run the country right now!!!
I couldn't agree more w/Mr. Crawford. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of only using static HTML. It's the 21st century & the majority of people think that, like with corny ass rappers sampling the same beats & being unoriginal, you're only legit if you're rockin' the bling-bling!
How is it delusional to state the fact that Microsoft has been putting out crappy software ever since Windows95? Vista is the latest example & epitomizes that while they've locked in tons of users (hence the lofty numbers), OS X & Linux will be reaping the rewards of folks making the switch. Just look at Dell, they've started reselling pc's with XP on it due to Vista's bad performance/reviews.
I don't care what Microsoft's CEO says about them having a gajillion installs by the end of next year, etc. They've brought their own shovel & are digging their own hole as more & more people recognize Vista for the crapware it is. More & more articles like this one are opening up people's eyes to the vast non-Windows world & how grand it truly is. Sure, Microsoft shot themselves in the foot w/Vista but user-friendly alternatives like OS X & Ubuntu (amongst a bevy of Linux distros) will be closing the gap rapidly in the next few years.
Why? Because Micro$oft has made it a tradition to release an OS & then IMMEDIATELY needs to release a patch like the next day. It's to the point where it's a joke in the industry. It's been happening, to my experience, ever since the release of Windows 95. That's 13 years of a bad record. As long as home consumers know no better & businesses are bound to their OS, it'll never change.
...half of them are Chinese gold farmers!
Having tried out a TON of distros over the years, I fail to see how Linspire even registers a blip on the news radar. Never was it even in the top 20 most popular (either w/unix-heads or non). Sad to say, this just makes them even more worthless. Thank goodness for the TONS of great distros out there still to help spread the great word about Linux.
The fact that the Japanese have been doing this (had technology) for a while still doesn't diminish the fact that this is awesome. It has tons of uses, from preserving history to listening to great, original music. As a DJ, I know this to be a great tool for preserving & restoring some of our best timepieces (music). NPR, like these technologies, is the gift that keeps on giving!
I'm glad that cooler heads prevailed & thought about the children- since this is what the whole idea behind OLPC is about (& not some bickering about who should do what). Having this marriage benefits everyone- the kids win now & our world wins in the future. Additionally, the technology & peripherals used in these laptops will be deployed commercially so we'll all win in the near future (since the technology used is miles ahead of what current laptops have the capacity to do- full weather-proof laptops, screens that aren't affected by sunlight at all & better wifi antennas, etc.).
Sure, it's cool to go back in time & play games you loved like Donkey Kong, Shinobi, Double Dragon, etc...for like 10 MINUTES!!! But c'mon, the whole point of paying $300 for a console is to play some of the great next-gen games w/all the shiny graphics. If I wanted to play older games, I'd just get an emulator. It's just a marketing ploy by Micro$oft so they can say "look at us & all the games you can play through xbox live." But hey, it's not my buck.
Yea, I agree, it's kinda insane (not to mention INANE)!
This is the very reason why I don't own an iPod. If I own MY MUSIC & encode it to mp3 for space-saving purposes, why would I want a media player that doesn't jive (mp4) & that tells me what I can & can't do (or deletes my very own files). No thx, I'll wait for someone to come up with a better solution. People think they're so cool w/their little iPods but all they've done is give up complete creative control of THEIR media...the Zune isn't much different.
As a DJ/Producer, giving up creative control of something that I own is the worst scenario possible. It's this very reason why SO many musicians are going to indie or smaller labels since going to large record labels usually ends up with them losing total creative control (not to mention a smaller slice of the cd sales pie). Different industry, similar model.
...the cooling technology that's going into it!
Screw how many pci slots it has! I live in a warm climate w/no AC so my rig can get kinda warm so I don't overclock. But the cooling technology of cooling 2 different parts of the board is brilliant! I've been hoping for this for a long time. Engineers thinking outside the box (no pun intended) is where it's at, yo!
This might not be illegal but it's highly unethical. It's clear he was trying to "dump on" the corporation he wanted to buy in order to drive interest/stock price of Wild Oats down. I sure hope he gets punished in some way, shape or form. CEO's should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us since they have an inordinate amount of power in the business world ala athletes & celebrities in pop culture.
Props to Karen Lodrick for her immense determination. Most people would've given up & let the chips fall where they may. The only bad part is that this is a RARE case of an identity theft investigation being solved. The odds are just too staggering against law enforcement. It seems that people that resort to such thievery are experts at knowing where the cracks in the system are. Still, though, it gives all folks who've been victimized as such some sort of hope which is good since, in this digital age, this type of crime seems to be growing at an exponential rate.