Except for the average user, Linux does not function "just as well as" OS X.
There's far more lacking than simply 3rd-party software support. There's ease-of-use issues, configuration issues and whether or not Linux even supports that "lower/just-as-good quality hardware" you just bought.
Many of the things that we view as par for the course are ridiculous and unnecessary to the normal computer user. Many of the things that the average computer geek views as ridiculous and unnecessary are an integral part of a normal user's experience.
You say "choose a Mac over Linux" when what you really mean is "choose Apple hardware over commodity PC hardware," and the answer is simple: OS X. Without a ridiculous amount of finagling, you can't get OS X to run on your commodity hardware, and there are many more programs than textmate that simply don't exist (and are, in fact, lacking viable equivalents for most users) on linux. Off the top of my head: Office, Scrivener, Coda, the Adobe suite, Garage Band, iMovie, and iDVD.
You can dual boot into Windows (or virtualize) to mitigate the average user's requirement for Adobe's products and Office, but on comparable (and yes, comparably equipped PCs and Macs are comparably priced when you don't build it yourself) Mac systems you could boot into Linux, Windows AND OS X. Also, if you think that any linux desktop even approaches the ease of use and learning curve of OS X, you've never used either.
Assuming that the average home user wants to dual boot in the first place. Too many computer geeks assume that their needs are the needs of the majority, and more importantly, that their abilities, resources, and desires are common, when in fact they are not. Most computer users don't want to dig into the insides of their system. Most of them never even loosen the screws on the case over the life of the system. They've never built a computer, they don't want to, and they never will. They don't like installing new software and they HATE upgrading their current software.
They aren't us. Don't assume they want the same things we want.
I can't believe I'm responding to this, but the iPhone isn't white, and neither is pretty much any of the latest generation of anything else Apple's put out. They got bored with white.... finally.
even if it has been as you said theres still a CONTINUITY concept. you can make 'changes' to a lore and twist it, but you cant overturn FUNDAMENTAL stuff amongst it. its not about color and such, its about coming up and saying "humans are actually not humans at all, humans are in fact holo-images projected by some alien civilization to fool just one actual human" in REAL world, in order to prepare some ground for some financial enterprise. its totally awkward. Perhaps you shouldn't watch The Matrix... Or read Slaughterhouse 5, or I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, or American Gods...
As with my original example of the vampire, it is quite possible (and acceptable in every other form of literature) to take elements or themes from older works and twist them into something completely new. Look at Neon Genesis Evangelion's take on Christianity. Or Masques and Martyrs, by Christopher Golden, where the first vampire is Jesus Christ. One must only maintain continuity within the story one is telling. Blizzard has no obligation to remain faithful to ancient mythologies in a world where Goblins talk like Budweiser commercials.
As for the origins of the Horde races in our own myths... The Tauren come from Greco-Roman myths, orcs, trolls and elves have their roots in Norse myth. There are "elfs" in Celtic myth, but the tall, noble sort comes from Norse legend. Orcs come from Beowulf, and Trolls are one of the under races of Norse myth.
First of all, you really have no proof that it was put in the game "just for the sake of game development and financial concerns," but even if it was, it's a game. Game development concerns are quite valid.
More importantly, just because you don't like where they went doesn't mean that it's "spoiled." Opinions are like assholes, after all. I personally find the echoes of imperialistic "civilized" society versus the "savage" natives using traditional fantasy tropes far more interesting than yet another stale retelling of Lord of the Rings, which is what "traditional" fantasy has become. The wider array of moral dilemmas introduced by having the Horde races not be blatantly evil, nor the Alliance be purely good is more entertaining for the nuances therein. The fact that parts of the Human race are corrupt simply makes them more, well, human.
As for changing Celtic myths (which they largely aren't, as I said and you ignored, they are mostly Norse), most of those myths were passed on orally, and is therefore quite suspect... There is no "canon" that is irrevocably "true," while all others are false. The world would be a far less colorful place if we could only tell a story one way.
Stories evolve, regardless of whether you agree with that evolution or not. To be fair, though, both LotR and WoW are actually based more heavily on Norse myths than they are any sort of Celtic myth. Trolls, elves, orcs, etc. are all Norse constructs.
Of course, your precious Star Wars is in large part a retelling of those same myths from the "badass" side... Loki's full name is.... Loki Skywalker.
That would be valid if, indeed, World of Warcraft was 5000 year old celtic mythology.
It's not. It's barely decades old Warhammer mythology repackaged to avoid licensing issues.;P
It is perfectly valid to use somewhat recognizable archetypes in new ways without "nullifying" a different take. Look at vampires, for instance. What you would likely consider the "archetypal" vampire is only a construct of the 19th century that "nullifies" myths that have existed in every known human culture. The seductive undead nobility of Carmilla and Dracula have nothing to do with the mindless revenants that existed before Le Fanu got his hand on the creatures, and yet they have every bit as much of a place in the world's fiction and literature as the Vrykolakas, the Strigoi or the Penangallan.
If you can't look at the Warcraft universe in its own context, rather than intertextualizing your own preconceptions, that's not really Blizzard's problem, it's yours.
If you play SWG, you're already used to paying to play mediocre crap rushed out the door to maximize profits and capture whatever the current trend is, so this should be business as usual for you.;P
It makes sense from a corporate standpoint that the iPod Touch would fall under the same restrictions that the iPhone does, from both a technical and a commercial standpoint. From a technical standpoint, it is far simpler to maintain a largely similar set of software than it would be to put both items on different platforms, a piece of software (mail, and the apparently unintentional calendar differences) notwithstanding. I think the release firmware of the iPod Touch is the victim of an overzealous application of the second reason, and will be (mostly) remedied in the next few updates.
The second reason is simply, commercially, it is important that the iPod Touch be "good enough" to sell without being good enough to cannibalize sales of people who aren't quite sure they really need an iPhone.
Having worked as a waiter before, I'd say that you have no idea how stressful and hectic it can be. A good waiter does have a number of specialized skills, including diplomacy, efficient time management, and expectation management. Having a good memory, the ability to multitask and think on your feet, and keep the customer satisfied as their sole conduit to the (usually harried and even more frazzled) kitchen staff is a lot more challenging than you'd think.
The whining over how "awful" the black level on the new iPod Touch is, the "I'm unimpressed," attitude every time Apple releases something, simply because the mac rumors community builds every announcement up to be the second coming... Much of the Apple Faithful are disappointed when it's only revolutionary.
Apple fanatics are vicious to Apple. They devour their god, and their bloated bellies are never full.
I think the part you missed about the article was that he wasn't actually complaining about how much CDs cost in the US, but in Australia, where prices are apparently ridiculous. Honestly I'm not sure what to make your "he-man" comment, and I was neither defending Reznor's actions nor condemning them, I was simply pointing out that $44.50 for a ticket to a concert of the scale of a Nine Inch Nails show is pretty reasonable in today's market.
But then, I tend to go to more underground shows in small venues, and pay around $8.00 to $20 for a ticket, and all the bands I know survive (literally) off their merchandise sales at the shows. If they sell well, they eat, if they don't, well... they don't.
That's relatively low for an act with that much drawing power. I've seen tickets for sale for more than that EACH.
Besides, the labels generally set concert prices, and pay for marketing the album and the concerts... and then bill the artist for the marketing. There was a good article where Courtney Love itemized how Hole did financially off their first album... She ended up owing a couple hundred grand, even considering how well the album did.
Also, and possibly more important... It's not like WotC is going to come to your house and destroy your books. If there's a rule that says you can't play old editions of games, I must have missed the memo. Guess I have to destroy my old Top Secret S.I. box, and my old WoD books, and my Stormbringer and Call of Cthulhu books, and HoL, and AEon, and...
Right. Nobody's forcing you to stop playing 3.5e, 3e, 2nd edition AD&D, or hell, break out the old Unearthed Arcana and let's play some 1st edition. Or blue box. Or red box. The books are rules, man. The game's imagination.
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Except for the average user, Linux does not function "just as well as" OS X.
There's far more lacking than simply 3rd-party software support. There's ease-of-use issues, configuration issues and whether or not Linux even supports that "lower/just-as-good quality hardware" you just bought.
Many of the things that we view as par for the course are ridiculous and unnecessary to the normal computer user. Many of the things that the average computer geek views as ridiculous and unnecessary are an integral part of a normal user's experience.
You say "choose a Mac over Linux" when what you really mean is "choose Apple hardware over commodity PC hardware," and the answer is simple: OS X. Without a ridiculous amount of finagling, you can't get OS X to run on your commodity hardware, and there are many more programs than textmate that simply don't exist (and are, in fact, lacking viable equivalents for most users) on linux. Off the top of my head: Office, Scrivener, Coda, the Adobe suite, Garage Band, iMovie, and iDVD.
You can dual boot into Windows (or virtualize) to mitigate the average user's requirement for Adobe's products and Office, but on comparable (and yes, comparably equipped PCs and Macs are comparably priced when you don't build it yourself) Mac systems you could boot into Linux, Windows AND OS X. Also, if you think that any linux desktop even approaches the ease of use and learning curve of OS X, you've never used either.
Assuming that the average home user wants to dual boot in the first place. Too many computer geeks assume that their needs are the needs of the majority, and more importantly, that their abilities, resources, and desires are common, when in fact they are not. Most computer users don't want to dig into the insides of their system. Most of them never even loosen the screws on the case over the life of the system. They've never built a computer, they don't want to, and they never will. They don't like installing new software and they HATE upgrading their current software.
They aren't us. Don't assume they want the same things we want.
Yes, because that worked so well in 2000...
Since one of the two links from the summary is an official statement, I'm guessing this is more than a rumor.
I can't believe I'm responding to this, but the iPhone isn't white, and neither is pretty much any of the latest generation of anything else Apple's put out. They got bored with white.... finally.
I'm not sure they even LOOK at patent applications anymore.
Actually, you wouldn't hold the REE, and you'd combine the "ree" noise and the "yoo" to a large extent.
;P
Only Texans pronounce it KEE-yoto.
As with my original example of the vampire, it is quite possible (and acceptable in every other form of literature) to take elements or themes from older works and twist them into something completely new. Look at Neon Genesis Evangelion's take on Christianity. Or Masques and Martyrs, by Christopher Golden, where the first vampire is Jesus Christ. One must only maintain continuity within the story one is telling. Blizzard has no obligation to remain faithful to ancient mythologies in a world where Goblins talk like Budweiser commercials.
As for the origins of the Horde races in our own myths... The Tauren come from Greco-Roman myths, orcs, trolls and elves have their roots in Norse myth. There are "elfs" in Celtic myth, but the tall, noble sort comes from Norse legend. Orcs come from Beowulf, and Trolls are one of the under races of Norse myth.
First of all, you really have no proof that it was put in the game "just for the sake of game development and financial concerns," but even if it was, it's a game. Game development concerns are quite valid.
More importantly, just because you don't like where they went doesn't mean that it's "spoiled." Opinions are like assholes, after all. I personally find the echoes of imperialistic "civilized" society versus the "savage" natives using traditional fantasy tropes far more interesting than yet another stale retelling of Lord of the Rings, which is what "traditional" fantasy has become. The wider array of moral dilemmas introduced by having the Horde races not be blatantly evil, nor the Alliance be purely good is more entertaining for the nuances therein. The fact that parts of the Human race are corrupt simply makes them more, well, human.
As for changing Celtic myths (which they largely aren't, as I said and you ignored, they are mostly Norse), most of those myths were passed on orally, and is therefore quite suspect... There is no "canon" that is irrevocably "true," while all others are false. The world would be a far less colorful place if we could only tell a story one way.
Stories evolve, regardless of whether you agree with that evolution or not. To be fair, though, both LotR and WoW are actually based more heavily on Norse myths than they are any sort of Celtic myth. Trolls, elves, orcs, etc. are all Norse constructs.
Of course, your precious Star Wars is in large part a retelling of those same myths from the "badass" side... Loki's full name is.... Loki Skywalker.
That would be valid if, indeed, World of Warcraft was 5000 year old celtic mythology.
;P
It's not. It's barely decades old Warhammer mythology repackaged to avoid licensing issues.
It is perfectly valid to use somewhat recognizable archetypes in new ways without "nullifying" a different take. Look at vampires, for instance. What you would likely consider the "archetypal" vampire is only a construct of the 19th century that "nullifies" myths that have existed in every known human culture. The seductive undead nobility of Carmilla and Dracula have nothing to do with the mindless revenants that existed before Le Fanu got his hand on the creatures, and yet they have every bit as much of a place in the world's fiction and literature as the Vrykolakas, the Strigoi or the Penangallan.
If you can't look at the Warcraft universe in its own context, rather than intertextualizing your own preconceptions, that's not really Blizzard's problem, it's yours.
If you play SWG, you're already used to paying to play mediocre crap rushed out the door to maximize profits and capture whatever the current trend is, so this should be business as usual for you. ;P
I liked it with CGA graphics, back on Prodigy.
It makes sense from a corporate standpoint that the iPod Touch would fall under the same restrictions that the iPhone does, from both a technical and a commercial standpoint. From a technical standpoint, it is far simpler to maintain a largely similar set of software than it would be to put both items on different platforms, a piece of software (mail, and the apparently unintentional calendar differences) notwithstanding. I think the release firmware of the iPod Touch is the victim of an overzealous application of the second reason, and will be (mostly) remedied in the next few updates.
The second reason is simply, commercially, it is important that the iPod Touch be "good enough" to sell without being good enough to cannibalize sales of people who aren't quite sure they really need an iPhone.
Having worked as a waiter before, I'd say that you have no idea how stressful and hectic it can be. A good waiter does have a number of specialized skills, including diplomacy, efficient time management, and expectation management. Having a good memory, the ability to multitask and think on your feet, and keep the customer satisfied as their sole conduit to the (usually harried and even more frazzled) kitchen staff is a lot more challenging than you'd think.
Comic Con is a completely different beast. It's really more of a trade show than a convention in the sense that PAX and Dragon*Con are.
You don't hang out on mac boards much, do you?
The whining over how "awful" the black level on the new iPod Touch is, the "I'm unimpressed," attitude every time Apple releases something, simply because the mac rumors community builds every announcement up to be the second coming... Much of the Apple Faithful are disappointed when it's only revolutionary.
Apple fanatics are vicious to Apple. They devour their god, and their bloated bellies are never full.
I'm fairly sure Dragon*Con, the largest sci-fi/fantasy/insert-geeky-ass-thing-here convention in the US had around 37k this year.
I think the part you missed about the article was that he wasn't actually complaining about how much CDs cost in the US, but in Australia, where prices are apparently ridiculous. Honestly I'm not sure what to make your "he-man" comment, and I was neither defending Reznor's actions nor condemning them, I was simply pointing out that $44.50 for a ticket to a concert of the scale of a Nine Inch Nails show is pretty reasonable in today's market.
But then, I tend to go to more underground shows in small venues, and pay around $8.00 to $20 for a ticket, and all the bands I know survive (literally) off their merchandise sales at the shows. If they sell well, they eat, if they don't, well... they don't.
That's relatively low for an act with that much drawing power. I've seen tickets for sale for more than that EACH.
Besides, the labels generally set concert prices, and pay for marketing the album and the concerts... and then bill the artist for the marketing. There was a good article where Courtney Love itemized how Hole did financially off their first album... She ended up owing a couple hundred grand, even considering how well the album did.
Someone needs to play some Bioshock. ;P
Also, and possibly more important... It's not like WotC is going to come to your house and destroy your books. If there's a rule that says you can't play old editions of games, I must have missed the memo. Guess I have to destroy my old Top Secret S.I. box, and my old WoD books, and my Stormbringer and Call of Cthulhu books, and HoL, and AEon, and...
Right. Nobody's forcing you to stop playing 3.5e, 3e, 2nd edition AD&D, or hell, break out the old Unearthed Arcana and let's play some 1st edition. Or blue box. Or red box. The books are rules, man. The game's imagination.
3rd Edition was out for 8 years. White Wolf games pre-nWoD generally had a new edition every 2 years. I'd say 8 years is decent.