Yeah, I had a 5.1 Live card crap out on me for no apparent reason (weird sound distortion), so I replaced it with the exact same one, and had the exact same issue with sound quality after three months. I was probably under warranty, but at that point didn't think it was worth the effort. I know, I know, anecdotal, but I had the exact same hardware failure when manufacturing tolerances are supposed to be rather low when it comes to defects, so in theory the odds will go up against them substantially.
"That's why I prefer the company of mature women..."
It seems that you are equating maturity with age in your post. I certainly hope that isn't the case, since given what you said, you should realize that the two are not mutually exclusive. Correlation does not equal causation, etc. etc., all that jazz.
(And there go the mod points I used on this discussion.)
Speaking of which, why is the summary pretty much an unabashed, word for word copy and paste of the initial paragraph or two of the article? Isn't that plagiarism or something? Or is it different when it comes to reporting a news story, a la Reuters? Anyone?
"You wouldn't have to do anything but sit in front of a computer quietly, and concentrating on the problem at hand. A day where a complex plan can be translated directly will never come."
I don't think most gamers, including myself, would necessarily want this? I find when playing FPS games (such as my current bender, Team Fortress 2), I have a lot of respect for people who have the necessary combination of twitch *and* strategy skills. I'd argue that both are necessary for the best players, though I suppose this depends somewhat on the class.
Personally, I enjoy the gradual improvement that occurs in both of those areas since it gives me a sense of ongoing accomplishment. In that respect, I can pick up on the subtleties of strategy while (hopefully) improving my aiming, etc. In fact, in most FPS games and levels (depending on factors such as the gameplay, size of level, etc.), strategy becomes even more of a deciding factor.
Anyone who has ever watched 1v1 duels by professionals can see that they have the movement and aiming down to such a fine art that it is essentially automatic, which leaves the player able to consider their overall strategy involving map routes, pickups, outsmarting, etc. I suppose these "neural interface" tools could remove that learning curve with respect to aim, but I find that that is very much a part of the game.
Food for thought: I read an article about a professional gamer who worked on his reflexes and clarity of mind by living a well-rounded lifestyle, socially, physically, and mentally, growing as a person in many areas. It reminded me of some of the people I used to swim with competitively, a few of who have gone on to the Olympic Trials.
I've discovered that most people generally get really annoyed when you play the devil's advocate, poking holes in logically fallacious arguments. Also, people don't like being told what to do. In my opinion, a healthy sense of caution is good, and I've made more progress trying to inform people instead of telling them what they ought to do. If they don't want to take any action, well... It's their loss, in the end for the most part.
Of course, if they have access to something you'd rather keep private (such as documents, photos, conversations, etc.) then you're kind of at a loss there...
Food for thought: when we get all riled up about privacy, are we any better than the crazies who rail about pedophiles on the internet and make it seem like there are bogeymen around every corner?
There are some issues I have with the service, namely if it ever goes under (doesn't seem likely in the near future, but technology can be picky), what happens to all my purchases? (I only have currently one registered game on there but plan on picking up the Orange Box some time soon.) I don't know that Valve can just unlock the (already) sold products once and for all if they go under or if they'd have to keep running the authentication servers, etc.
Also, I don't have any problems with the whole needing to update before I play thing as I've always lived near major metropolitan centres in Canada, but for those people without broadband... Well, I remember 28.8 baud and 56k connections... That can't be much fun. Oh, and you need an internet connection before you can actually run the game. For some people, I can see how that'd be a show stopper.
You can't really buy a Steam game used, either. At least the prices are decently fair, particularly when bundled. I almost wonder if they bundle since it increases sales figures / helps them squeeze a few bucks more out of people since the bundles are a far better deal than buying things in singles...
That said, it's nice to not have to search for no-cd patches or duplicate my existing copies by working around really crappy copy protection schemes just so I can ensure my legitimately bought and paid for game is still playable five years from now, accidents notwithstanding. It's nice to not have to keep track of CDs and stuff when moving, and that I can wipe it off my hard drive and install it from the net with no consequences. In my mind, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages by a long shot. If you're worried about Valve taking the information they can collect re: your anonymous system statistics or just making a cash grab and running for it, well, they haven't done so thus far, but they could... As it stands, it's a pretty solid service, and they have to pay for the bandwidth / server costs / uptime somehow.
Yeah, one of my youngest cousins is a bit of a nutjob from lack of discipline and the fact that he pretty much absorbs whatever the media spews at him. His parents et al. encourage him because he's the 'young' and they think it's funny. The worst part is that his parents don't discipline him, and it shows. A summer or two ago he was acting out of line by kicking sand at me repeatedly, so I told him to stop and warned him to do so. He didn't, so I flicked my towel at him lightly to get him away. I accidentally rat-tailed him in the eye... No remorse there... Just desserts, in my mind.
Having worked with children, it's obvious that not all parents are crazy. A subset of them are nutters, but most of them are sane and had sane parents. Not all hope is lost. I just wish this super politically correct attitude would stop, since I'm sick of having to provide all discipline other people's children. (I used to be a volunteer camp counselour, so yeah, I've seen how awful this can get.)
Then again, not much changes on some level. Just avoid the politically correct nazi police and you'll be fine.
I'm wondering if there are any federal restrictions imposed on contract law in the States / Canada / Europe / anywhere else when it comes to inventions being the property of the company... It seems strange to me that, if you make something on your own time, it's the property of the company. That sounds kind of megalomanicial on some level.
I think you forgot that robot game. Roboblitz, I think it is? I was under the impression that it was the first to use the engine in a demo and perhaps first released too.
This Film is Not Yet Rated was not a particularly informative movie, in my opinion. To me, it simply felt like the director was just wanking off for a couple hours about his feelings regarding ratings with very little substance to back it up. Oooh, anecdote! Yes, I can see why he did that -- judgments are subjective -- but honestly, as a movie with the purported logical high ground (over knee-jerk morality, that is), it failed utterly. Comparing A to B in terms of how naked this person got or how vulgar this scene was is a wholly subjective judgement. I suppose the MPAA should consider prior art in this instance, so yes, their system is flawed. What bureacracy isn't?
In short, it felt like an exercise in soapbox preaching wrapped in a pseudo-documentary format. Really, it wasn't informative -- like most political pieces, it stuck too close to its ideological base and simply appealed to emotional arguments... Much like the very politicians he was against. Kinda sad if you ask me, seeing as I generally agree with his position -- let the movies be made and then let the public decide whether they wish to see it or not, and don't put crazy restrictions on ratings in mainstream theatres.
One could argue that mainstream theatre restrictions is part of the market regulating itself for the benefit of Joe Clueless the consumer, but I think that comes right back to the crux of the issue at hand... Movies, like video games or art or what have you, are subject to similar restrictions by retailers and the like, all to protect those who would rather have society raise their children. Newsflash: if you have kids, it is *your* responsibility to raise them yourself! If I have children, I will raise them appropriately and make mistakes in judgement from time to time. Instead of expecting nature to just run its course and turn kids into angels, try taking an active interest in your children!! They'll be thankful for it, and its easier if you start young.
Don't forget the market as a whole, caught between political correctness and the desire to maximize profits. Bleh. It's pretty sickening, if you ask me.
That's just my two cents in a nutshell. To come full circle, I guess the beauty of it is that you can actually get movies like this "unrated" film at the video store. Good luck getting an unrated video game at any retail store. Far as I know, it's pretty difficult.
Strangely enough, the sole reason I looked at buying a DS (or perhaps a GP2X) is *because* I can tinker with it using DS Linux and other such things. I am considering getting some sort of handheld that can also function as an organizer, and the notion that I can fiddle with the device (yes, at my own risk / cost / expense etc.) is intriguing to say the least.
Then again, I may not have the time to do so. I'm considering just getting something that "just works" for the moment and leave the tinkering for when I'm done university. Then again, you only live once...
In short, for someone like myself (though I am likely part of a very miniscule portion of their marketshare), that would be the sole reason I would wish to buy the hardware in the first place. Why should they care? The company still makes their money, and the government still takes the taxes right off the top.
I have been bullied in various ways over the years, none all that particularly scarring. I have even been "cyberbullied" to use that hip term, and I agree with the above posts about it regarding anonymity.
Anonymity and such tend to make it all the more jarring in a way, since IMO there are a finite number of perceptions each individual can offer over the internet (i.e. you're either a jerk or a nice person, honest or a liar, etc.). I believe this is because
I'll chalk this up to various things such as the inability to convey emotion easily (i.e. sarcasm, wry tone, joking, gentle ribbing, a calm rational tone, etc.) can all come across as much more abrasive given the other person's mindset and the naked words on the proverbial page. (Well, screen.) I've seen people who know each other fairly well send very angry emails back and forth simply because one person read something into what was said... Something that wasn't even really there.
In my own experience, I used to frequent an online music forum. After awhile, I felt like a comfortable part of the community, and given my honest and trusting nature, I opened up. Long story short, people I thought were friendly to me or at least civil ended up being extremely calloused and insulted me a lot behind my back, and I eventually got wind of it. They thought this was hilarious. Since I had put so much of myself out there, so to speak, I took this sort of hard. On one hand, I was simply annoyed and severely disappointed, since I'd thought some of those involved to be generally nice people. It was probably more teenage drama than anything else (and my manic depressive mindset probably didn't help), but it really struck me at that point in my life. I guess I just forgot the cardinal rule about technology...
Just unplug.
I decided that I didn't want to deal with their crap, so I left. Granted, most bullying situations are not that simple, and in many ways, their attitudes can be infectious and very hard to ignore. In the end, as hard as it may be, it's clear to me that probably everyone needs someone in their corner at times (we've all been through our own set of trials), but we all need to stand up for ourselves as well. I agree with the sentiments about public shunning, disapproval, and such that are harder to implement due to anonymity or "electronic distancing" (i.e. hiding behind a screen), but at the end of day, the solution is much the same as real life... Do what you can to adapt. If you don't like it, change it if you can.
It's all easier looking back, but now that I do, cyberbulling seems kind of laughable by comparison to the more pressing, everyday things that are harder to avoid. I suppose it's becoming somewhat more prevalent due to the Internet being a larger part of young peoples' lives every day. Though I consider a childish, irrational behaviour, it obviously does not necessarily stop there. People can and do change, yet some people will continue to bully for whatever reason. When it comes to cyberbulling, it seems to me that there's one good solution... And that's unplug. (OT: Why don't kids go play outside instead? I run a kids program at the local library and though I love technology, far too many children just come into the library to mooch the computers to play Runescape. There's a good article on TwitchGuru about its impact on children, blahblahblah. Anyways...)
In summary, adapt. It's a natural mechanism (whether you believe in evolution or not -- see the difference between micro- and macroevolution, as needed.)
All the usual disclaimers apply... IANAP (psychologist), anecdote does not equal cold hard data...
Note how they are listed in the summary as makers of KotOR and NWN... I would've thought that the classic Baldur's Gate would've been of greater importance (I heard that NWN was only worthwhile with the expansion sets, made mostly by a dedicated community), but I could be wrong. I suppose it's all relative.
"From looking at my friends and thier relationships with thier parents as both kids and adults I know that I'm thankful as hell that my parents showed me trust and respect. When I went to uni, I'd been trusted to make my own unrestricted decisions about who to hang out with, when I came home, etc for a couple of years. My parents knew who I was with and what I was doing (for the most part:P). They'd talk with me about why they felt something was a bad idea (and the really dumb stuff I was talked out of...), but I was *allowed* to make mistakes when I was still living at home with the parental safety net in place.
I'll leave you to imagine what my friends did at uni and what I didn't do... but it should be pretty obvious... I didn't have the desire to prove that I was on my own and could make decisions without my parents stepping on me."
Ahh. Many early freshman students in a nutshell... Irresponsible, immature, yet somehow... Independent! =)
Sounds like my ex. Actually, the spitting image, really.
I've seen this "college CD store owner" example several times before. It is very likely that this post is a troll. That, or the person just posited their basic premise on a troll. I don't know if that *makes* it a troll, but I figured you should know that there is a "CD store vs. downloads" troll out there.
Thank you. Hence why I don't badger others with my faith and don't bash atheism either. As pointed out in the book 'The Life of Pi', atheism and religion are very similar -- both believe in something that can't be proved 100%. The concept of God in most major religions is unprovable (mine included). It's a simple paradox -- in a nutshell, if God can be proved by something tangible... Then it/he/she/they/whatever is not really very transcendent and such. This is especially true of a creationist theory in every religion. Logically, a deity would not create a reality to which it was confined. Of course, there's a lot in this world that's pretty much wholly illogical anyways, so the jury's out on that one. (Me too.)
I have to admit, the concept of existence always existing is something I can't wrap my mind around either. Same with eternity, so you might say I'm at a crossroads of sorts.
This is what they do at the EB Games around here -- boxes only. I asked the salesperson today, and he said that apparently people stll run off with boxes often, even though they're obviously empty -- give them a light shake, and you can tell it's just cardboard, even by the weight.
Still, it's obviously worth the effort to them. Saves them a lot of coin in theft, I'm sure.
Most people do not possess your critical thinking skills, my friend. This is why I shy away from stating that I have anarchic beliefs, a conservative disposition, believe in God, am a Christian, and a number of other things.
The above is not mutually exclusive... I don't see why any two of those statements are incompatible, when explained thoroughly... Simply put, most people prefer to use the labels to skip over the critical thinking -- say anarchic beliefs to many, and you get the "He's a bleeding heart leftist!" response. That kind of ignores the fact that I try to strike a balance and don't tromp all over others beliefs without a second thought. This is also why I actually tend to be very upset with the church and right wing media... to the point where I eschew the labels. Sadly, I think we all stereotype to a certain degree. I admit that I do it... A vicious cycle (or is it circle?) indeed.
Does acquire entail Apple buying out AMD? IIRC, AMD is worth a huge chunk of change, and they're going through hard times now, what with their performance lag behind Intel and Nvidia (having bought ATI).
In summary... As many have said, bad idea. Particularly if acquire means to buy the whole damn company...
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe [s]he meant more like what flavour of Jones Soda is it?
Yeah, I had a 5.1 Live card crap out on me for no apparent reason (weird sound distortion), so I replaced it with the exact same one, and had the exact same issue with sound quality after three months. I was probably under warranty, but at that point didn't think it was worth the effort. I know, I know, anecdotal, but I had the exact same hardware failure when manufacturing tolerances are supposed to be rather low when it comes to defects, so in theory the odds will go up against them substantially.
Um, is this what you're looking for with regards to address information?
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/about/contact_us/
They own a bunch of other companies / imprints too. See Wikipedia for that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagate_Technology#Corporate_affairs
Google is your friend! (If only for searching things and not privacy, mayhaps.)
"That's why I prefer the company of mature women..."
It seems that you are equating maturity with age in your post. I certainly hope that isn't the case, since given what you said, you should realize that the two are not mutually exclusive. Correlation does not equal causation, etc. etc., all that jazz.
(And there go the mod points I used on this discussion.)
"That's where journalistic integrity comes in"
Speaking of which, why is the summary pretty much an unabashed, word for word copy and paste of the initial paragraph or two of the article? Isn't that plagiarism or something? Or is it different when it comes to reporting a news story, a la Reuters? Anyone?
"You wouldn't have to do anything but sit in front of a computer quietly, and concentrating on the problem at hand. A day where a complex plan can be translated directly will never come."
I don't think most gamers, including myself, would necessarily want this? I find when playing FPS games (such as my current bender, Team Fortress 2), I have a lot of respect for people who have the necessary combination of twitch *and* strategy skills. I'd argue that both are necessary for the best players, though I suppose this depends somewhat on the class.
Personally, I enjoy the gradual improvement that occurs in both of those areas since it gives me a sense of ongoing accomplishment. In that respect, I can pick up on the subtleties of strategy while (hopefully) improving my aiming, etc. In fact, in most FPS games and levels (depending on factors such as the gameplay, size of level, etc.), strategy becomes even more of a deciding factor.
Anyone who has ever watched 1v1 duels by professionals can see that they have the movement and aiming down to such a fine art that it is essentially automatic, which leaves the player able to consider their overall strategy involving map routes, pickups, outsmarting, etc. I suppose these "neural interface" tools could remove that learning curve with respect to aim, but I find that that is very much a part of the game.
Food for thought: I read an article about a professional gamer who worked on his reflexes and clarity of mind by living a well-rounded lifestyle, socially, physically, and mentally, growing as a person in many areas. It reminded me of some of the people I used to swim with competitively, a few of who have gone on to the Olympic Trials.
I've discovered that most people generally get really annoyed when you play the devil's advocate, poking holes in logically fallacious arguments. Also, people don't like being told what to do. In my opinion, a healthy sense of caution is good, and I've made more progress trying to inform people instead of telling them what they ought to do. If they don't want to take any action, well... It's their loss, in the end for the most part.
Of course, if they have access to something you'd rather keep private (such as documents, photos, conversations, etc.) then you're kind of at a loss there...
Food for thought: when we get all riled up about privacy, are we any better than the crazies who rail about pedophiles on the internet and make it seem like there are bogeymen around every corner?
Well, there's this tidbit I stumbled on awhile back:
http://psdoom.sourceforge.net/
There are some issues I have with the service, namely if it ever goes under (doesn't seem likely in the near future, but technology can be picky), what happens to all my purchases? (I only have currently one registered game on there but plan on picking up the Orange Box some time soon.) I don't know that Valve can just unlock the (already) sold products once and for all if they go under or if they'd have to keep running the authentication servers, etc. Also, I don't have any problems with the whole needing to update before I play thing as I've always lived near major metropolitan centres in Canada, but for those people without broadband... Well, I remember 28.8 baud and 56k connections... That can't be much fun. Oh, and you need an internet connection before you can actually run the game. For some people, I can see how that'd be a show stopper. You can't really buy a Steam game used, either. At least the prices are decently fair, particularly when bundled. I almost wonder if they bundle since it increases sales figures / helps them squeeze a few bucks more out of people since the bundles are a far better deal than buying things in singles... That said, it's nice to not have to search for no-cd patches or duplicate my existing copies by working around really crappy copy protection schemes just so I can ensure my legitimately bought and paid for game is still playable five years from now, accidents notwithstanding. It's nice to not have to keep track of CDs and stuff when moving, and that I can wipe it off my hard drive and install it from the net with no consequences. In my mind, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages by a long shot. If you're worried about Valve taking the information they can collect re: your anonymous system statistics or just making a cash grab and running for it, well, they haven't done so thus far, but they could... As it stands, it's a pretty solid service, and they have to pay for the bandwidth / server costs / uptime somehow.
Yeah, one of my youngest cousins is a bit of a nutjob from lack of discipline and the fact that he pretty much absorbs whatever the media spews at him. His parents et al. encourage him because he's the 'young' and they think it's funny. The worst part is that his parents don't discipline him, and it shows. A summer or two ago he was acting out of line by kicking sand at me repeatedly, so I told him to stop and warned him to do so. He didn't, so I flicked my towel at him lightly to get him away. I accidentally rat-tailed him in the eye... No remorse there... Just desserts, in my mind. Having worked with children, it's obvious that not all parents are crazy. A subset of them are nutters, but most of them are sane and had sane parents. Not all hope is lost. I just wish this super politically correct attitude would stop, since I'm sick of having to provide all discipline other people's children. (I used to be a volunteer camp counselour, so yeah, I've seen how awful this can get.) Then again, not much changes on some level. Just avoid the politically correct nazi police and you'll be fine.
I'm wondering if there are any federal restrictions imposed on contract law in the States / Canada / Europe / anywhere else when it comes to inventions being the property of the company... It seems strange to me that, if you make something on your own time, it's the property of the company. That sounds kind of megalomanicial on some level.
I think you forgot that robot game. Roboblitz, I think it is? I was under the impression that it was the first to use the engine in a demo and perhaps first released too.
Well, all I can say is if you're ass is polyhedral, let us know if you succeeded on the DC 30 "Surgically reattaching one's buttocks."
This Film is Not Yet Rated was not a particularly informative movie, in my opinion. To me, it simply felt like the director was just wanking off for a couple hours about his feelings regarding ratings with very little substance to back it up. Oooh, anecdote! Yes, I can see why he did that -- judgments are subjective -- but honestly, as a movie with the purported logical high ground (over knee-jerk morality, that is), it failed utterly. Comparing A to B in terms of how naked this person got or how vulgar this scene was is a wholly subjective judgement. I suppose the MPAA should consider prior art in this instance, so yes, their system is flawed. What bureacracy isn't?
In short, it felt like an exercise in soapbox preaching wrapped in a pseudo-documentary format. Really, it wasn't informative -- like most political pieces, it stuck too close to its ideological base and simply appealed to emotional arguments... Much like the very politicians he was against. Kinda sad if you ask me, seeing as I generally agree with his position -- let the movies be made and then let the public decide whether they wish to see it or not, and don't put crazy restrictions on ratings in mainstream theatres.
One could argue that mainstream theatre restrictions is part of the market regulating itself for the benefit of Joe Clueless the consumer, but I think that comes right back to the crux of the issue at hand... Movies, like video games or art or what have you, are subject to similar restrictions by retailers and the like, all to protect those who would rather have society raise their children. Newsflash: if you have kids, it is *your* responsibility to raise them yourself! If I have children, I will raise them appropriately and make mistakes in judgement from time to time. Instead of expecting nature to just run its course and turn kids into angels, try taking an active interest in your children!! They'll be thankful for it, and its easier if you start young.
Don't forget the market as a whole, caught between political correctness and the desire to maximize profits. Bleh. It's pretty sickening, if you ask me.
That's just my two cents in a nutshell. To come full circle, I guess the beauty of it is that you can actually get movies like this "unrated" film at the video store. Good luck getting an unrated video game at any retail store. Far as I know, it's pretty difficult.
/ rant off
Interesting thought. You might want to offer up your email if anyone is actually interested in contacting you. =)
Strangely enough, the sole reason I looked at buying a DS (or perhaps a GP2X) is *because* I can tinker with it using DS Linux and other such things. I am considering getting some sort of handheld that can also function as an organizer, and the notion that I can fiddle with the device (yes, at my own risk / cost / expense etc.) is intriguing to say the least.
Then again, I may not have the time to do so. I'm considering just getting something that "just works" for the moment and leave the tinkering for when I'm done university. Then again, you only live once...
In short, for someone like myself (though I am likely part of a very miniscule portion of their marketshare), that would be the sole reason I would wish to buy the hardware in the first place. Why should they care? The company still makes their money, and the government still takes the taxes right off the top.
This syndrome has a name in the comic art world.
r s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_refrigerato
Enjoy. Just thought I'd fuel the flames of your irkdom a bit more.
I have been bullied in various ways over the years, none all that particularly scarring. I have even been "cyberbullied" to use that hip term, and I agree with the above posts about it regarding anonymity.
Anonymity and such tend to make it all the more jarring in a way, since IMO there are a finite number of perceptions each individual can offer over the internet (i.e. you're either a jerk or a nice person, honest or a liar, etc.). I believe this is because
I'll chalk this up to various things such as the inability to convey emotion easily (i.e. sarcasm, wry tone, joking, gentle ribbing, a calm rational tone, etc.) can all come across as much more abrasive given the other person's mindset and the naked words on the proverbial page. (Well, screen.) I've seen people who know each other fairly well send very angry emails back and forth simply because one person read something into what was said... Something that wasn't even really there.
In my own experience, I used to frequent an online music forum. After awhile, I felt like a comfortable part of the community, and given my honest and trusting nature, I opened up. Long story short, people I thought were friendly to me or at least civil ended up being extremely calloused and insulted me a lot behind my back, and I eventually got wind of it. They thought this was hilarious. Since I had put so much of myself out there, so to speak, I took this sort of hard. On one hand, I was simply annoyed and severely disappointed, since I'd thought some of those involved to be generally nice people. It was probably more teenage drama than anything else (and my manic depressive mindset probably didn't help), but it really struck me at that point in my life. I guess I just forgot the cardinal rule about technology...
Just unplug.
I decided that I didn't want to deal with their crap, so I left. Granted, most bullying situations are not that simple, and in many ways, their attitudes can be infectious and very hard to ignore. In the end, as hard as it may be, it's clear to me that probably everyone needs someone in their corner at times (we've all been through our own set of trials), but we all need to stand up for ourselves as well. I agree with the sentiments about public shunning, disapproval, and such that are harder to implement due to anonymity or "electronic distancing" (i.e. hiding behind a screen), but at the end of day, the solution is much the same as real life... Do what you can to adapt. If you don't like it, change it if you can.
It's all easier looking back, but now that I do, cyberbulling seems kind of laughable by comparison to the more pressing, everyday things that are harder to avoid. I suppose it's becoming somewhat more prevalent due to the Internet being a larger part of young peoples' lives every day. Though I consider a childish, irrational behaviour, it obviously does not necessarily stop there. People can and do change, yet some people will continue to bully for whatever reason. When it comes to cyberbulling, it seems to me that there's one good solution... And that's unplug. (OT: Why don't kids go play outside instead? I run a kids program at the local library and though I love technology, far too many children just come into the library to mooch the computers to play Runescape. There's a good article on TwitchGuru about its impact on children, blahblahblah. Anyways...)
In summary, adapt. It's a natural mechanism (whether you believe in evolution or not -- see the difference between micro- and macroevolution, as needed.)
All the usual disclaimers apply... IANAP (psychologist), anecdote does not equal cold hard data...
Note how they are listed in the summary as makers of KotOR and NWN... I would've thought that the classic Baldur's Gate would've been of greater importance (I heard that NWN was only worthwhile with the expansion sets, made mostly by a dedicated community), but I could be wrong. I suppose it's all relative.
"From looking at my friends and thier relationships with thier parents as both kids and adults I know that I'm thankful as hell that my parents showed me trust and respect. When I went to uni, I'd been trusted to make my own unrestricted decisions about who to hang out with, when I came home, etc for a couple of years. My parents knew who I was with and what I was doing (for the most part :P). They'd talk with me about why they felt something was a bad idea (and the really dumb stuff I was talked out of...), but I was *allowed* to make mistakes when I was still living at home with the parental safety net in place.
I'll leave you to imagine what my friends did at uni and what I didn't do... but it should be pretty obvious... I didn't have the desire to prove that I was on my own and could make decisions without my parents stepping on me."
Ahh. Many early freshman students in a nutshell... Irresponsible, immature, yet somehow... Independent! =)
Sounds like my ex. Actually, the spitting image, really.
I've seen this "college CD store owner" example several times before. It is very likely that this post is a troll. That, or the person just posited their basic premise on a troll. I don't know if that *makes* it a troll, but I figured you should know that there is a "CD store vs. downloads" troll out there.
Thank you. Hence why I don't badger others with my faith and don't bash atheism either. As pointed out in the book 'The Life of Pi', atheism and religion are very similar -- both believe in something that can't be proved 100%. The concept of God in most major religions is unprovable (mine included). It's a simple paradox -- in a nutshell, if God can be proved by something tangible... Then it/he/she/they/whatever is not really very transcendent and such. This is especially true of a creationist theory in every religion. Logically, a deity would not create a reality to which it was confined. Of course, there's a lot in this world that's pretty much wholly illogical anyways, so the jury's out on that one. (Me too.)
I have to admit, the concept of existence always existing is something I can't wrap my mind around either. Same with eternity, so you might say I'm at a crossroads of sorts.
This is what they do at the EB Games around here -- boxes only. I asked the salesperson today, and he said that apparently people stll run off with boxes often, even though they're obviously empty -- give them a light shake, and you can tell it's just cardboard, even by the weight.
Still, it's obviously worth the effort to them. Saves them a lot of coin in theft, I'm sure.
Most people do not possess your critical thinking skills, my friend. This is why I shy away from stating that I have anarchic beliefs, a conservative disposition, believe in God, am a Christian, and a number of other things.
The above is not mutually exclusive... I don't see why any two of those statements are incompatible, when explained thoroughly... Simply put, most people prefer to use the labels to skip over the critical thinking -- say anarchic beliefs to many, and you get the "He's a bleeding heart leftist!" response. That kind of ignores the fact that I try to strike a balance and don't tromp all over others beliefs without a second thought. This is also why I actually tend to be very upset with the church and right wing media... to the point where I eschew the labels. Sadly, I think we all stereotype to a certain degree. I admit that I do it... A vicious cycle (or is it circle?) indeed.
Does acquire entail Apple buying out AMD? IIRC, AMD is worth a huge chunk of change, and they're going through hard times now, what with their performance lag behind Intel and Nvidia (having bought ATI).
In summary... As many have said, bad idea. Particularly if acquire means to buy the whole damn company...