US foreign policy infuriates the masses in the middle east, and makes them infinitely more inclined to listen to these extremist leaders. If most of the people didn't already hate the States, groups like Al-Qaeda would have an impossible time finding recruits.
Tampopo is a classic Japanese film, which I've only recently had the joy of seeing. The bulk of the movie is about making ramen. Seriously. And it is *fantastic*.
There are many other brief scenes interspersed throughout the movie, tied together with the common theme of food. Among the best of these are scenes involving a particular couple who are very in touch with the more 'sensual' aspects of world cuisine. The final of their scenes together features the death of the gangster husband/boyfriend, who is gunned down by an unshown assailant. This is absolutely the best death scene I have ever witnessed in a movie.
Our gangster protagonist lies dying in his moll's arms:
Him: "Have I told you about it?"
Her: "What?"
Him: "About hunting wild boars in winter."
Her: "..."
Him: "There's nothing much for them to eat, so they dig up yams. That's all they eat. When you shoot a boar, you immediately slit its belly and take its guts and grill them over an open fire. The intestines are full of yam. Yam sausages, you see! You grill them and then slice them and eat them hot."
Her: "..."
Him: "Sound good?"
Her: "Yes. They'd be nice with soy sauce and horseradish."
Him: "I would have loved to eat them with you."
Her: "We'll do that some day. We'll go hunting boars in winter."
One of the points of the article seems to be that equality of opportunity is a myth. Those who start weblogs today do NOT have the same opportunities that early adopters had.
Similarly, we today lack the economic opportunities that many of our forefather had, laying the foundations of our country. Instead, we're launched into the game with a personally-dependant finite resource supply. Few ever shrink or grow beyond their starting level.
Your statement may be logically correct in itself, but it is not an accurate representation of the world we live in on virtually any level.
I feel kinda silly saying this, because it just seems so obvious. But I haven't seen anyone who said it yet.
All that's really important is a good story.
I will believe in any bullshit technology, I will suffer through any cliche characters, I will keep reading as the author fills page after page about any breakfast cereal he likes. As long as it's in service of a good story.
Honestly, I wasn't a fan of this show, either. The whole "Gunsmoke in space" theme wasn't working for me, as I REALLY can't believe that human beings will still be having sword fights and rustling cattle two centries from now.
*sigh*
Comments like this make me a sad, sad boy.
Why do people still use vinyl records when CD's are available? They're basically an inferior technology - bulkier, more prone to breaking and scratching, more expensive to produce and seriously lacking in sound quality. Pretty much the only thing they have going for them, tangibly, is the larger album art. So why would any rational person buy an album on vinyl rather than CD?
Because vinyl records are just fucking cool!
That's it. That's the whole reason. They are cool goddamn creations, and if you don't get it, well, have fun with the CD's and the dying a virgin.
So why, 500 years from now, would people choose to have a swordfight? Did you even watch the episode? The fight was in the context of a duel to the death, occurring on a fairly well-developed Neo-Victorian planet. They clearly had superior weapons technology available, but they chose to use swords. Because swords are cool! Honestly, what geek could argue with that?
Let's see, in four hundred years they haven't invented anything better than 20th century shotguns and four wheelers (powered by internal combustion engines no less).
The fact that the technology exists does not mean that it is available to everyone.
The show is basically a sci-fi version of the post-Civil War American west. Let me tell you, Los Angeles probably looked pretty goddamn different from Paris or London or New York in 1871, both technologically and culturally. More distance to travel means fewer people and less resources.
Stetsons and dusters?
Train robberies?
These are in their because they're just fucking cool, and if you can't see that then I'll just shed a single tear and move on.
...sci-fi (not even science fiction)...
On the contrary. Firefly is, so far, probably the most realistic vision of the future I've ever encountered in the medium. The way people work on this show is the way people work. Just like Whedon's other creations.
Over the past few months/. has posted a couple of stories about the Indy Game Jam. The concept seemed interesting, so I went and checked out the page.
As one might expect, the games were reasonably simplistic, though on the whole surprisingly fun. The one that really stood out to me most was "Very Serious RoboDOOM".
This game isn't really a game. It has gameplay, but that's not what it's about. Really, it's a commentary on the state of the gaming industry. Go check it out, they talk about it a bit at the site.
My reaction to this was basically "Fuckin' A right on!" It's troubled me for ages that video games don't seem to be living up to their potential as a medium. The interactive element of gaming can be used for much more than just entertainment - by involving the "audience" and forcing their complicity in the action presented, games can make powerful statements in ways that have never been possible before. RoboDOOM is a great example of this, as are a couple of the games mentioned in the article (the ones by the French designers seem particularly inspired).
But the real problem isn't just the design of games, it is how gaming is percieved as a whole. Even here on Slashdot, where there is a more than healthy hardcore gaming audience, games seem to be considered trivial - entertainment, nothing more. Look at the other comments on this story! The truth is, gaming (as a medium) is still in its infant state, like so many media before it. Television, radio, cinema, comics, all were seen as means of simple amusement. All took decades to mature into the artforms they (sometimes) are today. The earliest examples, the earliest signs of the potential these media held were only recognized by a very few. It saddens me to see that the few who should be recognizing the beginnings of gaming's growth spurt are so seemingly oblivious.
Maybe this isn't a major new development on the political commentary scene - honestly, I don't think it is myself. But it is a major step in the development of gaming. And, for sure, that is something worth noting.
Check out the Olympia-based independant label Kill Rock Stars, home of bands like Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, and Bratmobile. The bands share profits directly with the label, and have full control of every aspect of production, from what colors to use on the liner notes to when and where to tour. The label's advertising budget is minimal, but word-of-mouth and "grassroots" style adverts have proven quite effective in expanding awareness of the bands.
Ultiamtely, bands on the label don't sell nearly as many copies as, say, Blink 182. And they will not become rock stars; check the label name again. But that's not what they're in it for - they're out to make music, and to make good music, and to earn a decent living doing it. And most of the bands manage to do just that, thanks to the far higher share of the profits they get.
Proof positive that a record label that supports the artists is not an oxymoron.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is to recall startup software for the 1.25 million PlayStation2 until that it has shipped in Japan to date, in a costly attempt to fix a bug which allows the consoles to play foreign DVDs.
Due to an international agreement signed by DVD-player manufacturers and film companies, it is illegal in Japan to play back the content of DVDs sold overseas. In light of the serious bug in current PlayStation2 consoles, SCEI has had to ask owners to return the relevant software by mail from April 1, and following that through Seven-Eleven convenience stores nationwide.
A presumably downcast SCEI official said, "Production of replacement software and its mailing will cost us substantially." PlayStation2 consoles will now ship with software that does not support the playing of foreign DVDs.
It's not the hardware being recalled, it's the software.
"Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, but that almost goes without saying. Definitely one of the best sci-fi books out there. "The Martian Chronicles" and just about anything else by Ray Bradbury. "1984" is a classic. Stephen Jay Gould is another author worth reading.
Slashdot Mirror
US foreign policy infuriates the masses in the middle east, and makes them infinitely more inclined to listen to these extremist leaders. If most of the people didn't already hate the States, groups like Al-Qaeda would have an impossible time finding recruits.
Tampopo is a classic Japanese film, which I've only recently had the joy of seeing. The bulk of the movie is about making ramen. Seriously. And it is *fantastic*.
There are many other brief scenes interspersed throughout the movie, tied together with the common theme of food. Among the best of these are scenes involving a particular couple who are very in touch with the more 'sensual' aspects of world cuisine. The final of their scenes together features the death of the gangster husband/boyfriend, who is gunned down by an unshown assailant. This is absolutely the best death scene I have ever witnessed in a movie.
Our gangster protagonist lies dying in his moll's arms:
Him: "Have I told you about it?"
Her: "What?"
Him: "About hunting wild boars in winter."
Her: "..."
Him: "There's nothing much for them to eat, so they dig up yams. That's all they eat.
When you shoot a boar, you immediately slit its belly and take its guts and grill them over an open fire. The intestines are full of yam. Yam sausages, you see! You grill them and then slice them and eat them hot."
Her: "..."
Him: "Sound good?"
Her: "Yes. They'd be nice with soy sauce and horseradish."
Him: "I would have loved to eat them with you."
Her: "We'll do that some day. We'll go hunting boars in winter."
One of the points of the article seems to be that equality of opportunity is a myth. Those who start weblogs today do NOT have the same opportunities that early adopters had.
Similarly, we today lack the economic opportunities that many of our forefather had, laying the foundations of our country. Instead, we're launched into the game with a personally-dependant finite resource supply. Few ever shrink or grow beyond their starting level.
Your statement may be logically correct in itself, but it is not an accurate representation of the world we live in on virtually any level.
Uh, Daikatana came out, it's in bargain bins by now, making it a non-vapourware product.
You're so smart.
I feel kinda silly saying this, because it just seems so obvious. But I haven't seen anyone who said it yet.
All that's really important is a good story.
I will believe in any bullshit technology, I will suffer through any cliche characters, I will keep reading as the author fills page after page about any breakfast cereal he likes. As long as it's in service of a good story.
*sigh*
Comments like this make me a sad, sad boy.
Why do people still use vinyl records when CD's are available? They're basically an inferior technology - bulkier, more prone to breaking and scratching, more expensive to produce and seriously lacking in sound quality. Pretty much the only thing they have going for them, tangibly, is the larger album art. So why would any rational person buy an album on vinyl rather than CD?
Because vinyl records are just fucking cool!
That's it. That's the whole reason. They are cool goddamn creations, and if you don't get it, well, have fun with the CD's and the dying a virgin.
So why, 500 years from now, would people choose to have a swordfight? Did you even watch the episode? The fight was in the context of a duel to the death, occurring on a fairly well-developed Neo-Victorian planet. They clearly had superior weapons technology available, but they chose to use swords. Because swords are cool! Honestly, what geek could argue with that?Let's see, in four hundred years they haven't invented anything better than 20th century shotguns and four wheelers (powered by internal combustion engines no less).
The fact that the technology exists does not mean that it is available to everyone.
The show is basically a sci-fi version of the post-Civil War American west. Let me tell you, Los Angeles probably looked pretty goddamn different from Paris or London or New York in 1871, both technologically and culturally. More distance to travel means fewer people and less resources.
Stetsons and dusters?
Train robberies?
These are in their because they're just fucking cool, and if you can't see that then I'll just shed a single tear and move on.
On the contrary. Firefly is, so far, probably the most realistic vision of the future I've ever encountered in the medium. The way people work on this show is the way people work. Just like Whedon's other creations.
Over the past few months /. has posted a couple of stories about the Indy Game Jam. The concept seemed interesting, so I went and checked out the page.
As one might expect, the games were reasonably simplistic, though on the whole surprisingly fun. The one that really stood out to me most was "Very Serious RoboDOOM".
This game isn't really a game. It has gameplay, but that's not what it's about. Really, it's a commentary on the state of the gaming industry. Go check it out, they talk about it a bit at the site.
My reaction to this was basically "Fuckin' A right on!" It's troubled me for ages that video games don't seem to be living up to their potential as a medium. The interactive element of gaming can be used for much more than just entertainment - by involving the "audience" and forcing their complicity in the action presented, games can make powerful statements in ways that have never been possible before. RoboDOOM is a great example of this, as are a couple of the games mentioned in the article (the ones by the French designers seem particularly inspired).
But the real problem isn't just the design of games, it is how gaming is percieved as a whole. Even here on Slashdot, where there is a more than healthy hardcore gaming audience, games seem to be considered trivial - entertainment, nothing more. Look at the other comments on this story! The truth is, gaming (as a medium) is still in its infant state, like so many media before it. Television, radio, cinema, comics, all were seen as means of simple amusement. All took decades to mature into the artforms they (sometimes) are today. The earliest examples, the earliest signs of the potential these media held were only recognized by a very few. It saddens me to see that the few who should be recognizing the beginnings of gaming's growth spurt are so seemingly oblivious.
Maybe this isn't a major new development on the political commentary scene - honestly, I don't think it is myself. But it is a major step in the development of gaming. And, for sure, that is something worth noting.
...Linux is the new Punk Rock.
I feel cool because I get this.
Check out the Olympia-based independant label Kill Rock Stars, home of bands like Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, and Bratmobile. The bands share profits directly with the label, and have full control of every aspect of production, from what colors to use on the liner notes to when and where to tour. The label's advertising budget is minimal, but word-of-mouth and "grassroots" style adverts have proven quite effective in expanding awareness of the bands.
Ultiamtely, bands on the label don't sell nearly as many copies as, say, Blink 182. And they will not become rock stars; check the label name again. But that's not what they're in it for - they're out to make music, and to make good music, and to earn a decent living doing it. And most of the bands manage to do just that, thanks to the far higher share of the profits they get.
Proof positive that a record label that supports the artists is not an oxymoron.
And another thing. Does everybody here think that because they read Slashdot that they are "different?"
No. I read Slashdot and I am different. No causal relationship.
Unless
It's not the hardware being recalled, it's the software.
"Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson, but that almost goes without saying. Definitely one of the best sci-fi books out there. "The Martian Chronicles" and just about anything else by Ray Bradbury. "1984" is a classic. Stephen Jay Gould is another author worth reading.