Re:"Pass on what you have learned!" Luke/Hammil st
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Star Wars TV Show
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Oddly, this basic story arc would be pretty interesting (if you cut out the mind tricks for sex bit). Even though you seem to be writing this somewhat tongue in cheek, it's a better idea than what Anderson did with the Jedi Academy trilogy.
I might not like all of the changes (especially Greedo shooting first), but I see GL's point. It's not just that GL is an "artist." He's a professional. He wanted to put his vision on screen, and he couldn't do it exactly the way he envisioned. I can completely understand the desire to go back years later, when he has his independent resources, and re-work the old movies to more perfectly match his original vision. It's his legacy, and he has control over how the movies will be viewed long after he is gone.
Keep this in mind: J.R.R. Tolkien made minor revisions to the Lord of the Rings several times after the books were first published (and then published in successive editions). And Tolkien didn't have to deal with a movie studio taking a huge chance on something that essentially no one had done before. Professionals (and I speak from experience) have an irrepressible desire to revisit our past work, because we always have a feeling that the demands of time and the client (or the editor or the studio) force us to push out work product that could be tweaked to perfection if only we had a little more time.
Thanks for sharing the info on the clean up of the negatives and the color timing adjustments. More than anything else (or rather in spite of everything else), that little tidbit of information has convinced me to get this box set. I can tolerate the digital mucking around, the lack of deleted scenes, and the fact that this set is just a stepping stone to a more fully featured six-disc set in a year or two, because the movies will look better than any other edition currently at my disposal.
I've always been in favor of Han shooting first, but I can live with simultaneous shooting. It always bothered me that Greedo was like a James-Bond-movie-villain: too much talking before killing the guy he was after ended up in his own demise. Simultaneous shots makes Greedo seem more like a serious bounty hunter who just gets beat because Han is better.
...and my poor, unsuspecting wife is about to become a Half Life 2 widow (and a Doom3 widow, as I intend on picking up a copy of that next week). And all those personal and household projects will go on hold for who knows how long. And all those books will go unread. And I will forget the taste of bread, the touch of grass, and the sun will burn my eyes and skin. *gollum*
Yes and no. On a personal level, if one is truly objective about it, the new movies aren't much worse (or are nearly as good as) the original trilogy. Except that Star Wars (Episode IV, A New Hope, whatever) completely rearranged my four-year-old mind in a way that no movie since has matched. Of course, the prequels could never have reproduced that magic for me. And in the interim, I grew up and began to expect intelligent dialogue, good acting, and sensible stories. The prequels can't cut it on my current standards. But if I let myself regress, I like the prequels for what they are: good, clean fun.
But some things about the prequels are inexcusable: the racial stereotyping, the misuse of fine actors (hey, Alec Guiness was better as Obi Wan than Liam Neason was as Qui Gon, but Neason is as fine an actor as Guiness was), and the midichlorians thing.
And on a larger, cultural level, the prequels fall far short of the original trilogy. Star Wars imitated World War II movies (bad guys with english accents and vaguely nazi-like uniforms, an evil empire intent on tyranny and murder of innocents, stormtroopers, dogfights, impossible odds against the heroes) and thus more easily captured the imaginations of adults at the time as well as children. The whole original trilogy mirrored our cultural experience not only fresh in history but rife with parallels to the Cold War and the Evil Empire. Star Wars also came at a time when, as a nation, we needed to heal ourselves from the divisiveness of the late 60s and early 70s, and one way to heal was by recalling past glories. The prequels aren't rooted in anything, except Flash Gordon serials. Those serials were the direct precursor to TV, and TV culture is focused on immediate, short term consumer exploitation. Those serials don't reflect anything more than materialism. And that's all the prequels reflect as a result.
So, yeah, on a superficial level, the prequels are no better or worse than the original trilogy, but on a deeper level, the prequels lack a significant connection to our cultural history, which was something that the original trilogy did have. In that sense, the prequels are much worse than the original trilogy.
No kidding. I long to see the Heir to the Empire series on the big screen. Just as cool would be the Dark Empire comic series (although the ending would need to be revamped because Empire's End sucked in the most disappointing way), which would be perfect as an animated film with the style heavily reliant on the art by the original guy (Cam Kennedy, right?). I can just picture an opening shot of the Emperor's ungodly huge starship orbiting Byss. *drool*
Unfortunately, the strength of Heir to the Empire was in the drama, but everyone expects a Star Wars movie to be action packed, so the series would get butchered.
I had a VHS->DVD transfer done from my widescreen, original trilogy. They look and sound exactly like the VHS versions, which is to say the quality is mediocre, but they are watchable. Except for Greedo shooting first, I think the Special Editions are good. Unfortunately, while most people here are griping about the "lousy changes" in the Special Edition movies, few have mentioned the absolute gouging that this set represents. 70 bucks!? The Indiana Jones trilogy DVD set debuted at $45, IIRC. And this "Star Wars Trilogy" DVD set is only going to be released again as a larger set with all the prequels included. I think I'll wait.
Pi was good. But I suffer from migraines, and this movie actually induced one whopper of a migraine for me. By the end, I was wishing I could drill a hole in my own head. It makes my list of good movies I've seen, but will never, ever see again.
Okay, I'll agree that it was probably not the movie to see for a ten-year old's birthday, but Hoop Dreams was an outstanding documentary. You might hate it for the role it played in ruining your birthday, but it was a good movie.
Terrible, terrible, terrible in every way. Of course, the thing that bothered me most was that Bernie seemed to be immune from decomposition.
The only saving grace was that I saw it for free because my friend worked at the theatre. On the other hand, that hour and a half of my life is gone forever.
And in case you're wondering, I did not choose to see this movie. I was hanging out with my friend and his friends from work. They chose the movie, and I suffered. Some of them actually thought it was funny. Clearly, intelligence is not a requirement for working at a movie theatre.
Back in January this year, I built my first DIY PC. I had good instructions to follow through the head IT guy at my mother's workplace. He highlighted a few danger areas for me. Everything went well (except for a minor snafu when I tried to turn it on the first time, when nothing happened I remembered that I forgot to turn on the power supply, too--no problem, but still enough to startle a newbie). The processor is an AthlonXP 2500 (Barton) on an Asus A7N8X-X, so naturally I overclocked the processor to 200 Mhz frontside bus to have a 3200+ at less than half the price. Things is, I did this while using the stock heatsick.
I monitored the temp pretty carefully and everything seemed fine. But I couldn't run SETI all day anymore because the CPU would heat up gradually to around 50C. This solution worked fine until one day, I started getting random crashes, expecially while playing KOTOR. Well, I finally figured out that the CPU was getting unstable at around 49C while running the game. I down-clocked while waiting for the new heatsink.
Here's where it got fun: the new heatsink arrived, and I set about the replacement procedure. Taking off the old HS was no problem. I discovered that the thermal pad had basically become completely hardened and crusty. I scraped the left over bits off the CPU with a tissue. Then, not wanting to take out everything in order to put in the new HS, I tried to do the procedure with the MB still in the case. The new HS (some Thermaltake thing with a manual fan adjuster that takes up a 3.5" slot) was quite a bit bigger than the stock HS. I tried hard, but watching the MB flex underneath the pressure made me nervous. By this time, I was sweating and my hands were shaking. I started unplugging stuff, trying carefully to remember where everything went and should go again. Then I started unscrewing the MB. Unfortunately, the MB screws had seated so solidly into the standoff screws, that the standoff screws came out of the case rather than the MB screws coming out of the standoffs! (Not really a problem, but I shudder to think about replacing that MB in the future (guess I'll just have to get some more standoffs)). Well, of course, once the board was out, putting on the HS took 30 seconds. Finally, I put the MB back in and started reconnecting everything, carefully checking the MB and case manuals. I was still sweating. I connected that last component or wire, and as I stood up a drop of sweat came off my forehead straight into the case! It was like something out of Mission Impossible. I freaked. I figured "If I just wait for the water to dry everything should be fine, but what about the salt in my sweat?" Well, after carefully drying my forehead, I searched around the motherboard and actually found the wet area. Fortunately, the drop landed on the top of some chip (probably the on-board sound) and not on the copper paths, so the wet area was localized and limited. I quickly soaked up the drop with a tissue. The computer booted up just fine, and no ill effects were ever suffered to this day. But, damn, after flexing the MB, the problems with the screws, and the sweat, I figured I was just lucky I didn't completely ruin the darn thing.
I'd like to point out two things to all of you throwing up your arms in dismay about the alleged abuse of the Patriot Act in this case: the linked article is hosted at sg1archive.com, and it clearly is anything but fair and unbiased. The article makes it seem as if this gentleman never did anything except run fan forums and provide information about the show. However, one of the other posters here on Slashdot used the Wayback Machine to find out that this guy was hosting copies of episodes, which is unquestionably copyright infringement.
I also observe that the "article" asks for donations to this guy's legal defense fund. Before anyone clicks to donate, I suggest that you consider that the "article" is a clearly biased view of the facts. He admits to no wrongdoing, but even a Slashdot poster has been able to show that this guy has some culpability. Shame on Slashdot for accepting this submission and allowing it to be passed off as truth.
I don't know if you are joking or not, but the levels won't be the same. However, if you are eager to re-experience the original, you should download the JDoom engine and 3d model packs from Doomsday. You can then experience the classic game in high-resolution, OpenGL goodness (provided you still have copies of the original WAD files from Doom and Doom 2, otherwise you can only play the shareware versions).
This askslashdot is off the wall. Not everyone uses their computer for coding. At work, I use my computer for typing letters, memos, etc., and my secretary does even more typing than I do. The capslock is useful, even if it isn't the most used key on the keyboard.
I actually learned how to type in a typing class in eighth grade, and I learned how to use the capslock key properly. You use the capslock key when you want to type out even just one word in all caps, so you don't have to hold down a shift key for the whole word (which would be slower because you probably have to switch which shift key you pressed part of the way through the word). Of course, in the days of computer word processing programs, people just highlight and change case, but it's actually faster if you know how to use your keyboard.
I live in Buffalo, and our local NPR affiliate (WBFO WBFO has been covering this story quite well. (Unfortunately, I can't find any link to their coverage through the site, but then the coverage mostly comes with daily news reports as part of the Morning Edition feed). The last report I heard was that none of the stuff found in his house was found to be harmful. Also, no charges have been filed against him. I am surprised to hear that the FBI is continuing to investigate. I had thought that we had heard the last of it.
I think the important thing to realize is that in our post-9/11 world, if you do something involving radical viewpoints AND dangerous/hazardous materials, you can expect to undergo a little more scrutiny than you otherwise might think is fair. The fact is, law enforcement is completely in the dark, and thus they completely overreact to everything, on the theory that false positives are not as bad as one false negative.
I hope that if Kurtz was simply creating harmless art, as his colleagues claim, then he will eventually be exonerated. But frankly, some of the things mentioned in the article (e.g., releasing mutated flies in a "battle against the biotech industry") smack of bioterrorism. If Kurtz was planning something similar, then he can hardly call his work art, and he shouldn't be surprised to be under investigation.
In the article Watson is quoted as saying that any hacker can figure out this exploit in five minutes from the vaguest explanation. If that's true, why reveal the exploit until someone has figured out how to completely patch it? Or has the fix already been figured out? I couldn't tell from the article.
One thing I have noticed about certain series of games is that the sequels aren't true sequels, they are retellings of the original game (with some minor plot changes) using better technology. Doom 3 is a ideal example of this kind of thing. Other games that I think qualify: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (sure the plot continued, but it was basically a chance to lightsaber fights and force powers better with upgraded technology); AvP2, GTA3, Diablo II, Warcraft 3, and Homeworld 2.
A great concept can have a lot of longevity, and it makes a lot of sense to keep updating the technological structure surrounding a great concept. Although certain sequels are tired rehashings of a mediocre concept, sequels like Diablo II, Warcraft 3, and Doom 3 give great games a fresh boost.
For as long as people have PCs in their homes, someone will create games for people to play on their PCs. For as long as someone is creating games for PCs, someone will try to use every little ounce of processor power from the PC to make the game look good and play well. For as long as someone is writing games that push the edge of the PC power envelope, there will be an incentive for companies like ATI and Nvidia to produce aftermarket products that add processing power and make games even better for people with the disposable income to buy the product. For as long as all the previous statements are true, there's money to be made in creating PC games.
Maybe the PC will be a less popular gaming platform, but it is never going away. Big developers are not the be-all-end-all of games. If EA stopped writing PC games tomorrow, another company (or group of small companies) would step into EA's place to grab the abandoned market share.
I am very positive on CS:CZ. First and foremost, the bots are remarkable. They talk to you, listen to you, work with you, complete mission objectives if you go down, and navigate well. Enemy bots, at least in the lower levels of difficulty, are not hard to kill or outsmart, but they do work to achieve their objectives with a surprising amount of intelligence. For example, if the T bomb-carrier goes down, the rest of the Ts will work to to get the bomb and carry out their mission. The only bug I have seen in bot behavior is when a bot is clearly looking in one direction but is able to fire and hit you in another direction.
Second, the single player game is fun and mildly challenging (on Normal difficulty, which is all I have tried so far). Although the single player game is a bit of a rehash of the original CS with bots for opponents and teammates, it is a sufficient challenge to keep me going for "just that next map." And it's fun. I enjoy playing CS, but I don't play all the time, and I am far from 1337. In single player, I can actually compete. It's not as difficult as being online, but it's still fun in a different way.
Third, Steam is a great way of delivering content. CS:CZ pre-loaded without any action on my part. Then I pre-ordered the game without any trouble. On Tuesday morning, I started up the game and was playing without any significant snags (except for restarting CS:CZ a couple times when my firewall needed me to grant permission to the game for online play). No trips to the store, no CD, no hassle. I love Steam.
I also tried out the Deleted Scenes bonus game (I played only the first level, so these are first impressions only). It would be nice for an occasional diversion, but I'm glad that Valve told Ritual and Gearbox that their attempt at CS:CZ wasn't up to snuff. The Deleted Scenes is nothing like actual CS and everything like a traditional FPS including poor enemy AI, unrealistic damage models, health packs, etc.
Overall, CS:CZ is what CS retail ought to have been. It's a great intro to the game for new players (I'm not sure that there is a big market there anymore though). It's a great game for those of us who are not 1337 and who want the occasional chance to pwn. It's probably not all that interesting to highly competitive, 1337 online players.
Actually, I generally don't use my cell phone in public, and I am an absolute freak about using a hands-free unit while driving. When I say "people around here" I mean my parents (my mom has a cell phone that is turned off most of the time), my wife (who never answers her cell phone), and my mother-in-law who doesn't have a cell phone. My friends all live in other cities now, and I communicate with them via cell almost exclusively.
However, I am the one who is mostly to blame for the fact that people call my land line instead of my cell phone, because I generally never answer either one of them. I don't live and die by my cell phone, it's not by my side all the time, which means that I probably miss half the calls that come into it. If someone needs to get me right away, they call both phones.
Another factor to consider, in addition to the post above, is whether each participant owns a copy of the game. I don't know the mechanics of a LAN party, but I assume that each computer must have its own, licensed copy of the game. In that case, and as long as there are no spectators (I mean people sitting around watching the game who aren't sitting at a computer "spectating" via their own copy of the game), you probably are not making a public performance.
I think there is also an open question of whether a game is an "audiovisual work," although, on its face, it appears that a game would qualify. But the next question is whether playing a game qualifies as performing an audiovisual work. The answer to that question is clouded, but we can look to the rest of the world for some indication: If you set up a server that is open to the world and you allow users to both play the game and just log on and spectate, are you creating a public performance of the game for which you should get the copyright holder's permission? Well, either you don't need permission, or the game comes with the copyright holder's implicit permission for this use. Otherwise, multiplayer online games would be irretriveably crippled (imagine every server admin getting explicit permission from the publisher to start up a server; it would defeat the entire purpose behind this kind of game).
My first reaction to this annoucement was "Great, I can finally ditch my phone that I never use, but keep my DSL!" But on a second's more thought, I think I'd rathre keep the phone line. I don't use it much, and I have my billing set up so that I pay per call (even local calls). Because I don't use the phone much, my phone bill is ridiculously low, like less than $16 a month (including taxes and fees but not including the DSL charge). Now, even though I don't use my phone that much, my friends and family call me on it all the time (what can I say, people around here just have not adjusted to the idea of cell phones being the number one form of voice communication). I don't get charged for incoming calls, and, as a matter of convenience, it's easier for me to keep the voice line and the number.
The idea that "video games are for kids" is just hogwash. I'm 30, and video games are my entertainment of choice. I get more value from my entertainment dollar by buying a $40.00 game than I do by paying $50.00 a month for cable television. A well-designed video game is a thing of beauty. I live for the moment when I find a game that hooks me from start to finish with intuitive gameplay that goes deeper and deeper the more I play. You can't get that kind of entertainment from television. And then there are the mods and the games, like Morrowind, that anyone with a little imagination can learn to modify. I get to exercise my creative side which is something no one can do while watching TV. If games are for little kids, then we all need a little more kid inside us.
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Oddly, this basic story arc would be pretty interesting (if you cut out the mind tricks for sex bit). Even though you seem to be writing this somewhat tongue in cheek, it's a better idea than what Anderson did with the Jedi Academy trilogy.
I might not like all of the changes (especially Greedo shooting first), but I see GL's point. It's not just that GL is an "artist." He's a professional. He wanted to put his vision on screen, and he couldn't do it exactly the way he envisioned. I can completely understand the desire to go back years later, when he has his independent resources, and re-work the old movies to more perfectly match his original vision. It's his legacy, and he has control over how the movies will be viewed long after he is gone.
Keep this in mind: J.R.R. Tolkien made minor revisions to the Lord of the Rings several times after the books were first published (and then published in successive editions). And Tolkien didn't have to deal with a movie studio taking a huge chance on something that essentially no one had done before. Professionals (and I speak from experience) have an irrepressible desire to revisit our past work, because we always have a feeling that the demands of time and the client (or the editor or the studio) force us to push out work product that could be tweaked to perfection if only we had a little more time.
Thanks for sharing the info on the clean up of the negatives and the color timing adjustments. More than anything else (or rather in spite of everything else), that little tidbit of information has convinced me to get this box set. I can tolerate the digital mucking around, the lack of deleted scenes, and the fact that this set is just a stepping stone to a more fully featured six-disc set in a year or two, because the movies will look better than any other edition currently at my disposal.
Oh, I hope they did. I couldn't believe it when that scene survived into the Special Edition. God, I love that part...
I've always been in favor of Han shooting first, but I can live with simultaneous shooting. It always bothered me that Greedo was like a James-Bond-movie-villain: too much talking before killing the guy he was after ended up in his own demise. Simultaneous shots makes Greedo seem more like a serious bounty hunter who just gets beat because Han is better.
...and my poor, unsuspecting wife is about to become a Half Life 2 widow (and a Doom3 widow, as I intend on picking up a copy of that next week). And all those personal and household projects will go on hold for who knows how long. And all those books will go unread. And I will forget the taste of bread, the touch of grass, and the sun will burn my eyes and skin. *gollum*
Yes and no. On a personal level, if one is truly objective about it, the new movies aren't much worse (or are nearly as good as) the original trilogy. Except that Star Wars (Episode IV, A New Hope, whatever) completely rearranged my four-year-old mind in a way that no movie since has matched. Of course, the prequels could never have reproduced that magic for me. And in the interim, I grew up and began to expect intelligent dialogue, good acting, and sensible stories. The prequels can't cut it on my current standards. But if I let myself regress, I like the prequels for what they are: good, clean fun.
But some things about the prequels are inexcusable: the racial stereotyping, the misuse of fine actors (hey, Alec Guiness was better as Obi Wan than Liam Neason was as Qui Gon, but Neason is as fine an actor as Guiness was), and the midichlorians thing.
And on a larger, cultural level, the prequels fall far short of the original trilogy. Star Wars imitated World War II movies (bad guys with english accents and vaguely nazi-like uniforms, an evil empire intent on tyranny and murder of innocents, stormtroopers, dogfights, impossible odds against the heroes) and thus more easily captured the imaginations of adults at the time as well as children. The whole original trilogy mirrored our cultural experience not only fresh in history but rife with parallels to the Cold War and the Evil Empire. Star Wars also came at a time when, as a nation, we needed to heal ourselves from the divisiveness of the late 60s and early 70s, and one way to heal was by recalling past glories. The prequels aren't rooted in anything, except Flash Gordon serials. Those serials were the direct precursor to TV, and TV culture is focused on immediate, short term consumer exploitation. Those serials don't reflect anything more than materialism. And that's all the prequels reflect as a result.
So, yeah, on a superficial level, the prequels are no better or worse than the original trilogy, but on a deeper level, the prequels lack a significant connection to our cultural history, which was something that the original trilogy did have. In that sense, the prequels are much worse than the original trilogy.
No kidding. I long to see the Heir to the Empire series on the big screen. Just as cool would be the Dark Empire comic series (although the ending would need to be revamped because Empire's End sucked in the most disappointing way), which would be perfect as an animated film with the style heavily reliant on the art by the original guy (Cam Kennedy, right?). I can just picture an opening shot of the Emperor's ungodly huge starship orbiting Byss. *drool*
Unfortunately, the strength of Heir to the Empire was in the drama, but everyone expects a Star Wars movie to be action packed, so the series would get butchered.
I had a VHS->DVD transfer done from my widescreen, original trilogy. They look and sound exactly like the VHS versions, which is to say the quality is mediocre, but they are watchable. Except for Greedo shooting first, I think the Special Editions are good. Unfortunately, while most people here are griping about the "lousy changes" in the Special Edition movies, few have mentioned the absolute gouging that this set represents. 70 bucks!? The Indiana Jones trilogy DVD set debuted at $45, IIRC. And this "Star Wars Trilogy" DVD set is only going to be released again as a larger set with all the prequels included. I think I'll wait.
Pi was good. But I suffer from migraines, and this movie actually induced one whopper of a migraine for me. By the end, I was wishing I could drill a hole in my own head. It makes my list of good movies I've seen, but will never, ever see again.
Okay, I'll agree that it was probably not the movie to see for a ten-year old's birthday, but Hoop Dreams was an outstanding documentary. You might hate it for the role it played in ruining your birthday, but it was a good movie.
Terrible, terrible, terrible in every way. Of course, the thing that bothered me most was that Bernie seemed to be immune from decomposition. The only saving grace was that I saw it for free because my friend worked at the theatre. On the other hand, that hour and a half of my life is gone forever. And in case you're wondering, I did not choose to see this movie. I was hanging out with my friend and his friends from work. They chose the movie, and I suffered. Some of them actually thought it was funny. Clearly, intelligence is not a requirement for working at a movie theatre.
Back in January this year, I built my first DIY PC. I had good instructions to follow through the head IT guy at my mother's workplace. He highlighted a few danger areas for me. Everything went well (except for a minor snafu when I tried to turn it on the first time, when nothing happened I remembered that I forgot to turn on the power supply, too--no problem, but still enough to startle a newbie). The processor is an AthlonXP 2500 (Barton) on an Asus A7N8X-X, so naturally I overclocked the processor to 200 Mhz frontside bus to have a 3200+ at less than half the price. Things is, I did this while using the stock heatsick.
I monitored the temp pretty carefully and everything seemed fine. But I couldn't run SETI all day anymore because the CPU would heat up gradually to around 50C. This solution worked fine until one day, I started getting random crashes, expecially while playing KOTOR. Well, I finally figured out that the CPU was getting unstable at around 49C while running the game. I down-clocked while waiting for the new heatsink.
Here's where it got fun: the new heatsink arrived, and I set about the replacement procedure. Taking off the old HS was no problem. I discovered that the thermal pad had basically become completely hardened and crusty. I scraped the left over bits off the CPU with a tissue. Then, not wanting to take out everything in order to put in the new HS, I tried to do the procedure with the MB still in the case. The new HS (some Thermaltake thing with a manual fan adjuster that takes up a 3.5" slot) was quite a bit bigger than the stock HS. I tried hard, but watching the MB flex underneath the pressure made me nervous. By this time, I was sweating and my hands were shaking. I started unplugging stuff, trying carefully to remember where everything went and should go again. Then I started unscrewing the MB. Unfortunately, the MB screws had seated so solidly into the standoff screws, that the standoff screws came out of the case rather than the MB screws coming out of the standoffs! (Not really a problem, but I shudder to think about replacing that MB in the future (guess I'll just have to get some more standoffs)). Well, of course, once the board was out, putting on the HS took 30 seconds. Finally, I put the MB back in and started reconnecting everything, carefully checking the MB and case manuals. I was still sweating. I connected that last component or wire, and as I stood up a drop of sweat came off my forehead straight into the case! It was like something out of Mission Impossible. I freaked. I figured "If I just wait for the water to dry everything should be fine, but what about the salt in my sweat?" Well, after carefully drying my forehead, I searched around the motherboard and actually found the wet area. Fortunately, the drop landed on the top of some chip (probably the on-board sound) and not on the copper paths, so the wet area was localized and limited. I quickly soaked up the drop with a tissue. The computer booted up just fine, and no ill effects were ever suffered to this day. But, damn, after flexing the MB, the problems with the screws, and the sweat, I figured I was just lucky I didn't completely ruin the darn thing.
I'd like to point out two things to all of you throwing up your arms in dismay about the alleged abuse of the Patriot Act in this case: the linked article is hosted at sg1archive.com, and it clearly is anything but fair and unbiased. The article makes it seem as if this gentleman never did anything except run fan forums and provide information about the show. However, one of the other posters here on Slashdot used the Wayback Machine to find out that this guy was hosting copies of episodes, which is unquestionably copyright infringement.
I also observe that the "article" asks for donations to this guy's legal defense fund. Before anyone clicks to donate, I suggest that you consider that the "article" is a clearly biased view of the facts. He admits to no wrongdoing, but even a Slashdot poster has been able to show that this guy has some culpability. Shame on Slashdot for accepting this submission and allowing it to be passed off as truth.
I don't know if you are joking or not, but the levels won't be the same. However, if you are eager to re-experience the original, you should download the JDoom engine and 3d model packs from Doomsday. You can then experience the classic game in high-resolution, OpenGL goodness (provided you still have copies of the original WAD files from Doom and Doom 2, otherwise you can only play the shareware versions).
This askslashdot is off the wall. Not everyone uses their computer for coding. At work, I use my computer for typing letters, memos, etc., and my secretary does even more typing than I do. The capslock is useful, even if it isn't the most used key on the keyboard.
I actually learned how to type in a typing class in eighth grade, and I learned how to use the capslock key properly. You use the capslock key when you want to type out even just one word in all caps, so you don't have to hold down a shift key for the whole word (which would be slower because you probably have to switch which shift key you pressed part of the way through the word). Of course, in the days of computer word processing programs, people just highlight and change case, but it's actually faster if you know how to use your keyboard.
I live in Buffalo, and our local NPR affiliate (WBFO WBFO has been covering this story quite well. (Unfortunately, I can't find any link to their coverage through the site, but then the coverage mostly comes with daily news reports as part of the Morning Edition feed). The last report I heard was that none of the stuff found in his house was found to be harmful. Also, no charges have been filed against him. I am surprised to hear that the FBI is continuing to investigate. I had thought that we had heard the last of it.
I think the important thing to realize is that in our post-9/11 world, if you do something involving radical viewpoints AND dangerous/hazardous materials, you can expect to undergo a little more scrutiny than you otherwise might think is fair. The fact is, law enforcement is completely in the dark, and thus they completely overreact to everything, on the theory that false positives are not as bad as one false negative.
I hope that if Kurtz was simply creating harmless art, as his colleagues claim, then he will eventually be exonerated. But frankly, some of the things mentioned in the article (e.g., releasing mutated flies in a "battle against the biotech industry") smack of bioterrorism. If Kurtz was planning something similar, then he can hardly call his work art, and he shouldn't be surprised to be under investigation.
Link here (soul reaving required).
In the article Watson is quoted as saying that any hacker can figure out this exploit in five minutes from the vaguest explanation. If that's true, why reveal the exploit until someone has figured out how to completely patch it? Or has the fix already been figured out? I couldn't tell from the article.
One thing I have noticed about certain series of games is that the sequels aren't true sequels, they are retellings of the original game (with some minor plot changes) using better technology. Doom 3 is a ideal example of this kind of thing. Other games that I think qualify: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (sure the plot continued, but it was basically a chance to lightsaber fights and force powers better with upgraded technology); AvP2, GTA3, Diablo II, Warcraft 3, and Homeworld 2.
A great concept can have a lot of longevity, and it makes a lot of sense to keep updating the technological structure surrounding a great concept. Although certain sequels are tired rehashings of a mediocre concept, sequels like Diablo II, Warcraft 3, and Doom 3 give great games a fresh boost.
For as long as people have PCs in their homes, someone will create games for people to play on their PCs. For as long as someone is creating games for PCs, someone will try to use every little ounce of processor power from the PC to make the game look good and play well. For as long as someone is writing games that push the edge of the PC power envelope, there will be an incentive for companies like ATI and Nvidia to produce aftermarket products that add processing power and make games even better for people with the disposable income to buy the product. For as long as all the previous statements are true, there's money to be made in creating PC games.
Maybe the PC will be a less popular gaming platform, but it is never going away. Big developers are not the be-all-end-all of games. If EA stopped writing PC games tomorrow, another company (or group of small companies) would step into EA's place to grab the abandoned market share.
I am very positive on CS:CZ. First and foremost, the bots are remarkable. They talk to you, listen to you, work with you, complete mission objectives if you go down, and navigate well. Enemy bots, at least in the lower levels of difficulty, are not hard to kill or outsmart, but they do work to achieve their objectives with a surprising amount of intelligence. For example, if the T bomb-carrier goes down, the rest of the Ts will work to to get the bomb and carry out their mission. The only bug I have seen in bot behavior is when a bot is clearly looking in one direction but is able to fire and hit you in another direction.
Second, the single player game is fun and mildly challenging (on Normal difficulty, which is all I have tried so far). Although the single player game is a bit of a rehash of the original CS with bots for opponents and teammates, it is a sufficient challenge to keep me going for "just that next map." And it's fun. I enjoy playing CS, but I don't play all the time, and I am far from 1337. In single player, I can actually compete. It's not as difficult as being online, but it's still fun in a different way.
Third, Steam is a great way of delivering content. CS:CZ pre-loaded without any action on my part. Then I pre-ordered the game without any trouble. On Tuesday morning, I started up the game and was playing without any significant snags (except for restarting CS:CZ a couple times when my firewall needed me to grant permission to the game for online play). No trips to the store, no CD, no hassle. I love Steam.
I also tried out the Deleted Scenes bonus game (I played only the first level, so these are first impressions only). It would be nice for an occasional diversion, but I'm glad that Valve told Ritual and Gearbox that their attempt at CS:CZ wasn't up to snuff. The Deleted Scenes is nothing like actual CS and everything like a traditional FPS including poor enemy AI, unrealistic damage models, health packs, etc.
Overall, CS:CZ is what CS retail ought to have been. It's a great intro to the game for new players (I'm not sure that there is a big market there anymore though). It's a great game for those of us who are not 1337 and who want the occasional chance to pwn. It's probably not all that interesting to highly competitive, 1337 online players.
Actually, I generally don't use my cell phone in public, and I am an absolute freak about using a hands-free unit while driving. When I say "people around here" I mean my parents (my mom has a cell phone that is turned off most of the time), my wife (who never answers her cell phone), and my mother-in-law who doesn't have a cell phone. My friends all live in other cities now, and I communicate with them via cell almost exclusively.
However, I am the one who is mostly to blame for the fact that people call my land line instead of my cell phone, because I generally never answer either one of them. I don't live and die by my cell phone, it's not by my side all the time, which means that I probably miss half the calls that come into it. If someone needs to get me right away, they call both phones.
Another factor to consider, in addition to the post above, is whether each participant owns a copy of the game. I don't know the mechanics of a LAN party, but I assume that each computer must have its own, licensed copy of the game. In that case, and as long as there are no spectators (I mean people sitting around watching the game who aren't sitting at a computer "spectating" via their own copy of the game), you probably are not making a public performance.
I think there is also an open question of whether a game is an "audiovisual work," although, on its face, it appears that a game would qualify. But the next question is whether playing a game qualifies as performing an audiovisual work. The answer to that question is clouded, but we can look to the rest of the world for some indication: If you set up a server that is open to the world and you allow users to both play the game and just log on and spectate, are you creating a public performance of the game for which you should get the copyright holder's permission? Well, either you don't need permission, or the game comes with the copyright holder's implicit permission for this use. Otherwise, multiplayer online games would be irretriveably crippled (imagine every server admin getting explicit permission from the publisher to start up a server; it would defeat the entire purpose behind this kind of game).
My first reaction to this annoucement was "Great, I can finally ditch my phone that I never use, but keep my DSL!" But on a second's more thought, I think I'd rathre keep the phone line. I don't use it much, and I have my billing set up so that I pay per call (even local calls). Because I don't use the phone much, my phone bill is ridiculously low, like less than $16 a month (including taxes and fees but not including the DSL charge). Now, even though I don't use my phone that much, my friends and family call me on it all the time (what can I say, people around here just have not adjusted to the idea of cell phones being the number one form of voice communication). I don't get charged for incoming calls, and, as a matter of convenience, it's easier for me to keep the voice line and the number.
The idea that "video games are for kids" is just hogwash. I'm 30, and video games are my entertainment of choice. I get more value from my entertainment dollar by buying a $40.00 game than I do by paying $50.00 a month for cable television. A well-designed video game is a thing of beauty. I live for the moment when I find a game that hooks me from start to finish with intuitive gameplay that goes deeper and deeper the more I play. You can't get that kind of entertainment from television. And then there are the mods and the games, like Morrowind, that anyone with a little imagination can learn to modify. I get to exercise my creative side which is something no one can do while watching TV. If games are for little kids, then we all need a little more kid inside us.