ever noticed how mcdonalds serves nothing but coke, taco bell only pepsi, KFC only pepsi, and so on?
Even worse is the fact that, in the above example, both Coke and Pepsi are at some point related to each other, and that Taco Bell and KFC are now parts of the same company. In the record industry, just as in fast food, we have to be aware that this is not simply a pyramidal structure but that there are many, many cross-connections.
Well, the free market has already lost it's opportunity to decide anything because of massive government intervention.
Er, wasn't the massive government intervention called for due to MSFT corrupting the concept of the free market? In this case, at least, government intervetion is a result of loss of free market power, not a cause of it.
It is easy for us to criticize them. We'd get the benefits and not pay the costs. They'd pay the costs and not get the benefits.
Aside from the question of whether Washington would actually pay all that much (It's not like a split MSFT would move everything they have away, not to mention that the cost may be offset in other ways), I'm a little puzzled by the other side. How do you rationalize that the people of Washington aren't getting he same benefits the rest of us are? Do they have different licensing there or something?
Of course, being Canadian, I truly am getting all the benefits and none of the cost. =)
I remember Dragon's Lair (I'm sure you've been told since then that Don Bluth was the animator, who is reported to be working on a sequel). I sucked at it. Hard.
But there was another, similar game in the arcades at the same time that I enjoyed much more.
Cliff Hanger
Anyone remember that one? All the animation was Japanese, from the Lupin III series (footage was from Castle Cagliostro and Lupin and the Clones, IIRC) and while it had a similar interface, it seemed much more natural. At critical points you were prompted either for an action (hands or feet) or a direction (4-directional joystick). Loads of fun, although I never got past the bit in the hotel room with the armoured ninjas.
While the RIAA does not collect information on the specific costs that make up the price of a CD, there are many factors that go into the overall cost of a CD -- and the plastic it's pressed on, is among the least significant. CD manufacturing costs may be lower, but it takes more money than ever before to put out a new recording.
Your cost analysis is interesting, but ultimately flawed. I refer you to the much more interesting speech on the subject given by someone actually involved in this process.
But don't believe for a minute that the recording industry is the only one to use these tactics. There is an interesting analysis of the book industry and the advantage of going your own way here. It would be interesting, to say the least, to see what would happen should musicians follow a similar road.
Unlike a short-term near-earth mission, if there is any problem, even small, it has a lot more time to add up. In other words, an "Apollo 13"-style rescue operation would likely have much less chance of succeeding, and what would happen to the space program if we landed humans on Mars and then had to watch them slowly die of exposure.
There is a fortunate loophole in your observation. Certainly there is more time for problems to add up. But there is also more time for ingenuity to come up with solutions to those problems. Quick, non-linear thinking has gotten explorers out of jams more times than I can count (which in my case would be >2 =), and I suspect the same will happen ad infinitum as humanity moves off-planet.
But more importantly, there is also loads of time to prepare. As someone pointed out earlier, NASA loves to create redundency (and repetition). So assuming that it'll probably be another 20 years at least before a full manned mission goes up, that gives two full decades for NASA to simply fire off cargo ahead of time to wait for them. So we have the opportunity to build in loads of fail-safes into any colony years before anyone actually gets there.
The Slashdot crew isn't the mostly likely group to go hit the weights, but for me physical exercise really helps keep my mental side running smoothly.
I've heard this quite a lot, and it does make sense in both the biological and psychological senses.
Biologically, anything that improves the efficiency of absorbing oxygen into the bloodstream, and thus the brain, will help with thinking clearly and a general increase in energy. This is a much more beneficial method than sucking back gallons of Mountain Dew (although the latter has points to recommend it as well =).
But more important from my point of view is the psychological aspect. Most exercise doesn't necessarily occupy your mind on a deep level (exceptions abound, of course, the martial arts being an obvious one). So while the upper part of your mind is occupied with repetitive tasks like lifting weights or running in a straight line and thus freed from the immediate pressures of the job at hand, the rest of your brain is free to play with associations and ideas without the interference of the noisy conscious bit.
I've known this method to work for quite a lot of creative people, coders, writers, artist, you name it. I've tried it myself, and I do recommend it.
An interesting experiment
on
Biotransistors
·
· Score: 1
Personally, whether the bio-chips work out or not (I expect they will eventually), a more immediate source of interest for me is watching how many/. posters, having slammed the space program for too many dollars spent on projects with no immediate benefit, will support a computer-related project doing precisely the same thing.
I was actually refereing to the character design and the lack of hair that resembles modern art. Blame that on sailor moon. Tenchi, of course, takes that to the ultimate extreme.
But wouldn't Tezuka be guilty of the same offences? Take a look at some of the Tetsuwan Atom and Black Jack designs, they're as freaky as anything you see in Tenchi, in their own way.
Not that I'm complaining. I like character designs that don't look like everyone else's stuff, as with a lot of American series (compare the designs in Godzilla and NASCAR Racers, for instance).
1) Ghibili's work... I can hear the see, as well as the more traditional "Nauscaa, Mononoke, Laputa etc". These are great stories with fairly good animation. The character designs are not real extravagent, but in the post-sailor moon days that's probibly a good thing. They all tell a story (most of which I disagree with) but are excelent. This tends to be the man vs. nature themese that were so prevelant early on in the century.
I agree with your choices, but I do have a comment or two on the above. It should be noted that nature is very much idealized by urban Japanese, and a connection to nature is considered by Japanese to be a big part of their character, regardless of whether they practice it or not. So the Ghibli stories, concentrating on the natural world and nostalgic themes (as in the wonderful "Only Yesterday") touch on a powerful societal chord.
Also, I don't think you meant it as such, but it does look like you're defining the Ghibli work as "post-sailor moon", which we know isn't the case. Much of Miyazaki's work comes from before the magical girl genre.
And don't be too quick to discount the value of shows like Sailor Moon. Those who have seen the original version know that there's a hell of a lot more depth to the story and characters that never made it to these shores. Blind SM-bashing for the sake of protecting machismo or some such is one thing, but let's be fair here.
More generally, yes, we need to know about human adaptation to microgravity if we are to engage in long-term space travel. However, we've already learned most of what we need to from Mir and Skylab, and I sincerely doubt we will learn anything truly new from the ISS in this regard.
Actually, that brings up a question that I've been wondering about, but haven't known who to ask.
Granted, we've learned loads about the effects of microgravity from the sources you mention, but I've been wondering if that data tells the whole story. After all, Skylab and Mir weren't exactly palaces, so I wonder if the cramped quarters involved didn't skew the data just a little.
It can hardly be doubted that even here on Earth, living in small, cramped conditions with no access to wide open spaces, even if you do exercise, is hardly the same as having a fairly wide environment that you have to move about in, just look at your average/. poster. =)
But in all seriousness, does anyone believe that having some more space in, er, space would have some influence on the effects of microgravity? I'd really like to know.
If DVD's start being pirated, couldn't MPAA start suing all the distributors of DeCSS? (Even if thay can't prove a specific site led to it - sue them all and hope one sticks)
That's a foolish concept at best. Lawsuits aren't a cheap matter, and the cumulative cost of that many lawsuits, not to mention counter-suits filed by parties found to be innocent (likely most of them), is enough to give even groups with deep pockets pause.
To say nothing of the public relations nightmare that sort of policy would be. It's bad enough as it is.
While I would take my kids to a viewing of The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, or Aladdin, I know that if I took them to the original Fantasia, they would be both bored and annoyed (or annoying..).
It's interesting to note that my actual experience varies quite a lot with your assumptions.
When the original Fantasia was re-released to theatres a couple of years back, I took the chance to go see it. With me in the theatre were Ghod knows how many children of varying ages right down to toddlers. As you would expect, in the time leading up to the movie and during the previews, most of them were fussy and chatty, and the occasional baby cried. Nothing unusual there, I expected like you to have to deal with it throughout.
But I didn't. Once the movie started every single one of those children shut up and stayed that way, enraptured apparently, through the entire> movie. I even heard a couple on the way out saying how much they liked it. I was astounded, not to mention vastly pleased.
The lesson I took away from my experience (rather than conjecture, like yours) is that people want a spectacle they can become immersed in. Even children.
The reasoning behind this is because children (and the vast majority of all adults and adolesents) today are media slobbering brain-washed babboons that not only don't want something better, they don't even realise that there COULD BE.
Sounds like you're making the same assumptions the studios are, which is why we get so much crap. Self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps?
I begin to wonder, given this sort of "news" article.
If irrelevant show-biz nonsense qualifies as "news for nerds", then we had best rethink what gets posted. How about the current stock price of Mountain Dew? That affects a lot more nerds in my circle of friends than yet another season of a show that got worn out years ago.
Um, two flavors of Slayers? Last I checked, there were Slayers, Slayers Next, and Slayers Try, plus at least one OAV.
Actually, what I meant was Slayers (which follows the adventures of Lina, Gourry, Zell and Amelia) and Slayers Special (a different continuity which follows Lina and her arch-rival, Naga the Serpent).
Quite a good list, actually. But I would add a couple of other recommendations:
My favourite movie ever is Whisper of the Heart. I'm not certain if it was included in the Disney/Ghibli deal, but if you can find a fansubbed version of it, it's well worth the effort. I would consider it a family film in the true sense, rather than the "for kids but with a few jokes aimed at the parents" sense Disney usually uses. Little kids might find it a little slow, since it doesn't really have much action to speak of.
But if you do want something for the younger crowd and are willing to wait a little while, Castle in the Sky (Laputa: Castle in the Sky was the original title) definitely is part of the Disney deal, since they already released a trailer for it with Kiki's Delivery Service.
Other recommendations include Rurouni Kenshin (historical action), Excel Saga (flat-out humour and self-parody), La Fillette Revolutionaire Utena (stylistic swordplay and androgeny) and Slayers (humourous sword and sorcery, two flavours available!).
Kudos to Disney for actually listening to the fans.
Having worked in child protection law for a few years, I can attest to the impact that violence can have on small children, not to mention the impact of having parents who can't be bothered monitoring such things. However, I must disagree that violent video games in arcades (which is the venue this law seems aimed at) are really going to impact that many 3 year olds. These games, from my experience, are usually played by teenagers and above, with the little kids quickly becoming bored of such things, or at least muscled out of the way by the older crowd.
But there's another aspect that makes me wonder a little. Apparently the law is also against "strong sexual content" in arcade machines as well. Strong sexual content? In arcade machines? I've been gaming for a long time (cut my teeth on Space Invaders) and I haven't seen as much overt sexual content in all that time as in any three episodes of Murphy Brown. And we can all be sure that small children have much more access to the television than an arcade machine.
Finally, a tip of the hat to all those who pointed out the very clear message that having government step in on a social issue is a very, very bad thing. Check out my essay on what happens when this happens in the real world.
How many of them had good (or even ANY) artwork? Of those that did have good artwork, for how many of them did the artwork contribute to the playability?
You seem to be confusing "art" with "artwork". That "art" of a game goes considerably beyond the pretty (or not so pretty) pictures that populate your screen. To define it as such means you're devaluing the writing and general design of the script as well.
Personally, I consider all creative aspects of a game to be the "art" component. A game need not have incredibly flashy visuals to be artistic. Look at GnomeHack, for instance. Very simple game, minimal graphics. But there has been undeniable creativity in the design of the game. The same applies for games such as Baldur's Gate, where I am not terribly fond of the visuals, but like the writing a great deal.
I know this from experience, as co-writer on an Open Source game, Adonthell. No one is going to confuse us with Final Fantasy VIII. But no one is going to accuse us of not being artistic wither. The fact is, Adonthell is the result of many creative people working together in an Open Source setting, and we are getting good results.
Of course, I do agree with Draeker and Tyberghein. The artistic portions of a game are difficult to Open Source, and there's no point fooling ourselves that they are of the same nature as the programming. Open Source allows for the script, for instance, to be changed every bit as much as it does the code. But would it be improved thereby? Possibly. But I'm willing to bet it wouldn't.
It helps a great deal to have some reason to have your book online.
In my case, I'm working on a novel to tie in with an open source game being developed named Adonthell. When completed, the work will be available for free in plain text format at the Adonthell site. So I'll have immediate contact with the people I most want to read my book.
But this doesn't prevent a Dead Tree version being published, and in fact enjoying an audience. Simply put, the DT edition should have some sort of value independent of the online text version. I have settled on having interior illustrations and a bonus short story, but other writers may have other ideas. Unusual formats, added bonuses (say, a sheet of stickers or something) and other little extras not only make a book interesting and draw welcome attention, but they also help distinguish it from the free online version, and thus everyone's happy.
Try a few of these, they're worth the trouble: Ghost in the Shell - An obvious choice for a geek crowd, the lines between human and machine grow rather thin at times. I recommend the subtitled version, particularly since the soundtrack was altered from the original natural-instrument version (reminiscent of Akira and making a good counterpoint with the relentless tech of the visuals) to a rather yawn-inducing techno mix. Patlabor - The movies were done by the same director as GitS above and are quite well done, but I recommend checking out some of the TV series first to get the background. Essentially, this is a near-future story where humanoid robots are used by the police and military, as well as criminals. Akira - A little old, but a classic of its type. Both high- and low-tech thrills covering the spectrum from orbital lasers to pipe-weilding motorcycle gangs with psychic powers and spontaneous mutation thrown in for fun. Slayers - A personal favourite, pure goofy sword-and-sorcery following Lina Inverse's quest to get lots of money and eat delicious meals. Her companions are every bit as odd and make for a very entertaining mix of personalities. Whisper of the Heart - Not commercially released in North America but available as a fansub I believe, this is my absolute favourite movie. Very low-key, the story hinges on a young girl discovering herself in urban Tokyo. The rendition of "Country Roads" in Japanese halfway through is an experience that you'll remember. Martian Successor Nadesico - The aliens from Jupiter (or further) have attacked humananity and it seems the only chance we have is a privately built battleship called the Nadesico. Unfortunately, the best and the brightest have all been snapped up by the military so they were forced to choose a bunch of talented lunatics as crew. Vision of Escaflowne - High fantasy at its best. A lovely series with a solid plot that gives little away lightly, the visuals are stunning and the music is even more stunning. Don't miss this one. There are literally tons more, but that's a good start. The best in Nova Scotia fandom - NSAMO
You may have had problems wtih MSNBC's poll in Netscape
Not really. I'm running Netscape 4.6 under RedHat 6.0, and the page came down fast and smooth. Faster, in fact, than the/. main page.
I always wonder when I see comments about how Netscape performs so badly, when it's been an extremely rare thing for me to find a page that won't load.
Plugins, of course, are another story. Netscape blows when it comes to plugins for *nix.
You may have had problems wtih MSNBC's poll in Netscape Not really. I'm running Netscape 4.6 under RedHat 6.0, and the page came down fast and smooth. Faster, in fact, than the/. main page.
I always wonder when I see comments about how Netscape performs so badly, when it's been an extremely rare thing for me to find a page that won't load.
Plugins, of course, are another story. Netscape blows when it comes to plugins for *nix.
Slashdot Mirror
Even worse is the fact that, in the above example, both Coke and Pepsi are at some point related to each other, and that Taco Bell and KFC are now parts of the same company. In the record industry, just as in fast food, we have to be aware that this is not simply a pyramidal structure but that there are many, many cross-connections.
Er, wasn't the massive government intervention called for due to MSFT corrupting the concept of the free market? In this case, at least, government intervetion is a result of loss of free market power, not a cause of it.
Aside from the question of whether Washington would actually pay all that much (It's not like a split MSFT would move everything they have away, not to mention that the cost may be offset in other ways), I'm a little puzzled by the other side. How do you rationalize that the people of Washington aren't getting he same benefits the rest of us are? Do they have different licensing there or something?
Of course, being Canadian, I truly am getting all the benefits and none of the cost. =)
But there was another, similar game in the arcades at the same time that I enjoyed much more.
Cliff Hanger
Anyone remember that one? All the animation was Japanese, from the Lupin III series (footage was from Castle Cagliostro and Lupin and the Clones, IIRC) and while it had a similar interface, it seemed much more natural. At critical points you were prompted either for an action (hands or feet) or a direction (4-directional joystick). Loads of fun, although I never got past the bit in the hotel room with the armoured ninjas.
Your cost analysis is interesting, but ultimately flawed. I refer you to the much more interesting speech on the subject given by someone actually involved in this process.
But don't believe for a minute that the recording industry is the only one to use these tactics. There is an interesting analysis of the book industry and the advantage of going your own way here. It would be interesting, to say the least, to see what would happen should musicians follow a similar road.
There is a fortunate loophole in your observation. Certainly there is more time for problems to add up. But there is also more time for ingenuity to come up with solutions to those problems. Quick, non-linear thinking has gotten explorers out of jams more times than I can count (which in my case would be >2 =), and I suspect the same will happen ad infinitum as humanity moves off-planet.
But more importantly, there is also loads of time to prepare. As someone pointed out earlier, NASA loves to create redundency (and repetition). So assuming that it'll probably be another 20 years at least before a full manned mission goes up, that gives two full decades for NASA to simply fire off cargo ahead of time to wait for them. So we have the opportunity to build in loads of fail-safes into any colony years before anyone actually gets there.
I've heard this quite a lot, and it does make sense in both the biological and psychological senses.
Biologically, anything that improves the efficiency of absorbing oxygen into the bloodstream, and thus the brain, will help with thinking clearly and a general increase in energy. This is a much more beneficial method than sucking back gallons of Mountain Dew (although the latter has points to recommend it as well =).
But more important from my point of view is the psychological aspect. Most exercise doesn't necessarily occupy your mind on a deep level (exceptions abound, of course, the martial arts being an obvious one). So while the upper part of your mind is occupied with repetitive tasks like lifting weights or running in a straight line and thus freed from the immediate pressures of the job at hand, the rest of your brain is free to play with associations and ideas without the interference of the noisy conscious bit.
I've known this method to work for quite a lot of creative people, coders, writers, artist, you name it. I've tried it myself, and I do recommend it.
FWIW, I support both.
But wouldn't Tezuka be guilty of the same offences? Take a look at some of the Tetsuwan Atom and Black Jack designs, they're as freaky as anything you see in Tenchi, in their own way.
Not that I'm complaining. I like character designs that don't look like everyone else's stuff, as with a lot of American series (compare the designs in Godzilla and NASCAR Racers, for instance).
I agree with your choices, but I do have a comment or two on the above. It should be noted that nature is very much idealized by urban Japanese, and a connection to nature is considered by Japanese to be a big part of their character, regardless of whether they practice it or not. So the Ghibli stories, concentrating on the natural world and nostalgic themes (as in the wonderful "Only Yesterday") touch on a powerful societal chord.
Also, I don't think you meant it as such, but it does look like you're defining the Ghibli work as "post-sailor moon", which we know isn't the case. Much of Miyazaki's work comes from before the magical girl genre.
And don't be too quick to discount the value of shows like Sailor Moon. Those who have seen the original version know that there's a hell of a lot more depth to the story and characters that never made it to these shores. Blind SM-bashing for the sake of protecting machismo or some such is one thing, but let's be fair here.
Actually, that brings up a question that I've been wondering about, but haven't known who to ask.
Granted, we've learned loads about the effects of microgravity from the sources you mention, but I've been wondering if that data tells the whole story. After all, Skylab and Mir weren't exactly palaces, so I wonder if the cramped quarters involved didn't skew the data just a little.
It can hardly be doubted that even here on Earth, living in small, cramped conditions with no access to wide open spaces, even if you do exercise, is hardly the same as having a fairly wide environment that you have to move about in, just look at your average /. poster. =)
But in all seriousness, does anyone believe that having some more space in, er, space would have some influence on the effects of microgravity? I'd really like to know.
That's a foolish concept at best. Lawsuits aren't a cheap matter, and the cumulative cost of that many lawsuits, not to mention counter-suits filed by parties found to be innocent (likely most of them), is enough to give even groups with deep pockets pause.
To say nothing of the public relations nightmare that sort of policy would be. It's bad enough as it is.
It's interesting to note that my actual experience varies quite a lot with your assumptions.
When the original Fantasia was re-released to theatres a couple of years back, I took the chance to go see it. With me in the theatre were Ghod knows how many children of varying ages right down to toddlers. As you would expect, in the time leading up to the movie and during the previews, most of them were fussy and chatty, and the occasional baby cried. Nothing unusual there, I expected like you to have to deal with it throughout.
But I didn't. Once the movie started every single one of those children shut up and stayed that way, enraptured apparently, through the entire> movie. I even heard a couple on the way out saying how much they liked it. I was astounded, not to mention vastly pleased.
The lesson I took away from my experience (rather than conjecture, like yours) is that people want a spectacle they can become immersed in. Even children.
The reasoning behind this is because children (and the vast majority of all adults and adolesents) today are media slobbering brain-washed babboons that not only don't want something better, they don't even realise that there COULD BE.
Sounds like you're making the same assumptions the studios are, which is why we get so much crap. Self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps?
Considering that he thinks that 1979 - 2000 is more than 25 years, the moon could actually be around Saturn.
If irrelevant show-biz nonsense qualifies as "news for nerds", then we had best rethink what gets posted. How about the current stock price of Mountain Dew? That affects a lot more nerds in my circle of friends than yet another season of a show that got worn out years ago.
Actually, what I meant was Slayers (which follows the adventures of Lina, Gourry, Zell and Amelia) and Slayers Special (a different continuity which follows Lina and her arch-rival, Naga the Serpent).
My favourite movie ever is Whisper of the Heart. I'm not certain if it was included in the Disney/Ghibli deal, but if you can find a fansubbed version of it, it's well worth the effort. I would consider it a family film in the true sense, rather than the "for kids but with a few jokes aimed at the parents" sense Disney usually uses. Little kids might find it a little slow, since it doesn't really have much action to speak of.
But if you do want something for the younger crowd and are willing to wait a little while, Castle in the Sky (Laputa: Castle in the Sky was the original title) definitely is part of the Disney deal, since they already released a trailer for it with Kiki's Delivery Service.
Other recommendations include Rurouni Kenshin (historical action), Excel Saga (flat-out humour and self-parody), La Fillette Revolutionaire Utena (stylistic swordplay and androgeny) and Slayers (humourous sword and sorcery, two flavours available!).
Kudos to Disney for actually listening to the fans.
But there's another aspect that makes me wonder a little. Apparently the law is also against "strong sexual content" in arcade machines as well. Strong sexual content? In arcade machines? I've been gaming for a long time (cut my teeth on Space Invaders) and I haven't seen as much overt sexual content in all that time as in any three episodes of Murphy Brown. And we can all be sure that small children have much more access to the television than an arcade machine.
Finally, a tip of the hat to all those who pointed out the very clear message that having government step in on a social issue is a very, very bad thing. Check out my essay on what happens when this happens in the real world.
mmmm....Food of the Gods...
There already is. Check out Peer 2 Peer.
You seem to be confusing "art" with "artwork". That "art" of a game goes considerably beyond the pretty (or not so pretty) pictures that populate your screen. To define it as such means you're devaluing the writing and general design of the script as well.
Personally, I consider all creative aspects of a game to be the "art" component. A game need not have incredibly flashy visuals to be artistic. Look at GnomeHack, for instance. Very simple game, minimal graphics. But there has been undeniable creativity in the design of the game. The same applies for games such as Baldur's Gate, where I am not terribly fond of the visuals, but like the writing a great deal.
I know this from experience, as co-writer on an Open Source game, Adonthell. No one is going to confuse us with Final Fantasy VIII. But no one is going to accuse us of not being artistic wither. The fact is, Adonthell is the result of many creative people working together in an Open Source setting, and we are getting good results.
Of course, I do agree with Draeker and Tyberghein. The artistic portions of a game are difficult to Open Source, and there's no point fooling ourselves that they are of the same nature as the programming. Open Source allows for the script, for instance, to be changed every bit as much as it does the code. But would it be improved thereby? Possibly. But I'm willing to bet it wouldn't.
In my case, I'm working on a novel to tie in with an open source game being developed named Adonthell. When completed, the work will be available for free in plain text format at the Adonthell site. So I'll have immediate contact with the people I most want to read my book.
But this doesn't prevent a Dead Tree version being published, and in fact enjoying an audience. Simply put, the DT edition should have some sort of value independent of the online text version. I have settled on having interior illustrations and a bonus short story, but other writers may have other ideas. Unusual formats, added bonuses (say, a sheet of stickers or something) and other little extras not only make a book interesting and draw welcome attention, but they also help distinguish it from the free online version, and thus everyone's happy.
Try a few of these, they're worth the trouble: Ghost in the Shell - An obvious choice for a geek crowd, the lines between human and machine grow rather thin at times. I recommend the subtitled version, particularly since the soundtrack was altered from the original natural-instrument version (reminiscent of Akira and making a good counterpoint with the relentless tech of the visuals) to a rather yawn-inducing techno mix. Patlabor - The movies were done by the same director as GitS above and are quite well done, but I recommend checking out some of the TV series first to get the background. Essentially, this is a near-future story where humanoid robots are used by the police and military, as well as criminals. Akira - A little old, but a classic of its type. Both high- and low-tech thrills covering the spectrum from orbital lasers to pipe-weilding motorcycle gangs with psychic powers and spontaneous mutation thrown in for fun. Slayers - A personal favourite, pure goofy sword-and-sorcery following Lina Inverse's quest to get lots of money and eat delicious meals. Her companions are every bit as odd and make for a very entertaining mix of personalities. Whisper of the Heart - Not commercially released in North America but available as a fansub I believe, this is my absolute favourite movie. Very low-key, the story hinges on a young girl discovering herself in urban Tokyo. The rendition of "Country Roads" in Japanese halfway through is an experience that you'll remember. Martian Successor Nadesico - The aliens from Jupiter (or further) have attacked humananity and it seems the only chance we have is a privately built battleship called the Nadesico. Unfortunately, the best and the brightest have all been snapped up by the military so they were forced to choose a bunch of talented lunatics as crew. Vision of Escaflowne - High fantasy at its best. A lovely series with a solid plot that gives little away lightly, the visuals are stunning and the music is even more stunning. Don't miss this one. There are literally tons more, but that's a good start. The best in Nova Scotia fandom - NSAMO
Not really. I'm running Netscape 4.6 under RedHat 6.0, and the page came down fast and smooth. Faster, in fact, than the /. main page.
I always wonder when I see comments about how Netscape performs so badly, when it's been an extremely rare thing for me to find a page that won't load.
Plugins, of course, are another story. Netscape blows when it comes to plugins for *nix.
I always wonder when I see comments about how Netscape performs so badly, when it's been an extremely rare thing for me to find a page that won't load.
Plugins, of course, are another story. Netscape blows when it comes to plugins for *nix.