I should patent the concept of giving remuneration for work provided by employees. This way, whenever anyone in the world gets a paycheck, I'd get a cut of that action!
I think that people are panicking over nothing here. It's just another legislation that is required to [restricted] the internet function optimally. In time, we'll be able to overcome this new [restricted] and grow to embrace [restricted][restricted] and [restricted]. Furthermore, [restricted][restricted] so [restricted] and [restricted][restricted][restricted] bikini zombies.
For one thing, fewer and fewer people have access to unlimited bandwidth contracts as time goes by (my area's providers have all rescinded those plans a few years back) so downloading a game on a pay-per-use plan can jack up the price significantly. Another problem is the rise in interest from local governments in imposing taxes on online purchases, which they would certainly claim digital downloads are a part of. I'd rather avoid getting double-taxed for both the simple act of purchase and its digital nature as well (assuming a tax plan like this comes to pass, which is almost a certainty in the near future). Finally, there's our dearest friends at the RIAA. What if their pals at Mediasentry discover that you're downloading massive amounts of gigs through your interpipes and snag your IP address? Their typical work ethics means they'd just ASSUME you were downloading from illegal sources and BINGO, you're getting slammed with a lawsuit from the RIAA for half a million dollars. Good luck defending yourself from the Righteous Inquisition Army of Autocrats.
That mostly has to do with their every single victory having later been overturned in appeals so far. However, I think that they would rather cut off their own legs than turn over a single penny to one of the artists they supposedly represent.
If there's one thing I've learned from Dragon Ball and Castlevania, it's that bosses always fight in three forms. First there's the standard form (which was the We Are Right and Everybody loves Us), then the xenomorphic horror form (the currently dying form where everybody hates them for suing little girls and dead grandmothers) and finally, the last upcoming ultimate effeminate pretty boy form. Fear this last one the most - it's always that one that consumes planets whole.
I'm pretty sure that by now, a lot of managers, supervisors, CEOs and other various suits of the corporate genus are rubbing their hands together Monty Burns style, thinking they've finally found a way to control these pesky tech types and keep their sys admins under leash. But they should be very careful about sending them to jail for being protective of the passwords whose very security is paramount to getting the job done. They're already overworked, underpaid and given nowhere near the respect they deserve - if it should become a criminal offense to hold on to passwords with little to no defense or legal recourse against the corporate juggernauts, the suits will suddenly discover that the employee pool has suddenly dried up and no one wants to be their lapdo- I mean loyal employees anymore...
1.21 Jigawatts: the energy output of a man dancing a 1.21 minute jig.
So next time you jig, be very careful to dance either more or less than 1.21 minute, lest you suddenly go back in time to the 1950s where your dad is a spineless wimp.
This is the evidence to wwhat I've suspected all along - file sharing is patriotic and the RIAA is trying to destroy the economy by undermining media sales with their spamigation method!
*cue the super slow-motion shot of Buster holding a hard drive being blown up with a hundred pounds of C4, followed by Jamie picking up a blackened twisted shred of metal casing*
We've been seeing that for years with online reviews. Call it a logical consequence of the "First post" syndrome, with people being so eager to get on top of that page that they'll say anything at all even if it means nothing whatsoever.
Then again, should we really be surprised to see this happen, with interviews for upcoming releases taking the form of "this will be the greatest thing EVER!" for absolutely any game or movie that comes out, especially those that turn out to be complete garbage? Don't believe the hype machine, folks, is what I'm saying.
If human beings were able to recognize the success of others and earn without harming others (which is exactly what rational self-interest defines) then objectivism would work just fine. The problem starts when EMOTION checks in at the box office and requests the entirity of the first five rows without calling in ahead to make reservations, then starts screaming that it is entitled to the entire auditorium if it damn pleases. This is the major failing of objectivism, and why it has so much problem working in the real world. No room for emotions and irrational behavior, which is bound to happen sooner than later! It's also where Andrew Ryan fails - he sees Fontaine as another industrialist working for a similar goal, but instead of acknowledging his work, he calls foul and decides to act like a schoolyard bully who must have things his way or he ruins it for everyone - and then does exactly that.
If you've played Bioshock just for the guns and plasmids without paying attention to the deeper layers of story, shame on you. After taking the time to read some very interesting dissertations and essays on the origins of Rapture, Andrew Ryan and his twisted relation with Fontaine, I was amazed to discover a deep critical view of Ayn Rand's objectivist theories. How did 2K games propose to criticise her ideas? By pushing them to their utmost, some would say inevitable, conclusion. While many of her ideas sound good on paper, one must never forget that human beings are exactly that - human. Humans are flawed by design, driven deep down by pragmatic needs that all the ideals in the world can't satisfy. Andrew Ryan's utopia is defeated by one of the greatest forces of the dark side of man, GREED, and thus does one man's dream goes down the drain as he himself drinks down the poisoned river he once denounced. A fascinating analysis, perhaps biased by personal worldviews of the writers... but isn't that precisely the ultimate failure of objectivism?
"In theory, Marge, communism works. IN THEORY." - Homer Simpson
One factor which I've noticed tends to create addictive puzzlers is quite simplicity of form. The resulting purity of function lends itself perfectly to entrancing, mesmerizing marathon sessions of blocks dropping, diamond spinning or whatnot, always seeking "one more combo!" as the points rack up on top of the screen. Tetris, Lumines, Bejeweled, the list goes on. Keep the concept simple, the list of controls short and the rules easy to learn. If I looked up the amount of time I spent trying to line up that four-block line in a perfect spot for maximum points, I'm pretty sure the number would be terrifyingly high.
So they ARE out to get me! That's why they're making scientific studies to discover my mental weaknesses! *gulps more coffee to maintain state of catlike readiness*
They can't be making any money off this. The kinds of people they sue aren't among the wealthier members of society. There's a big difference between getting a judgment and actually collecting the money.
This isn't about making money. It's about supervillains with indestructible iron skin and the strength of Hulk walking around, picking on random normal people in order to juggernaut them into submission. They KNOW these people can't possibly afford a lawyer for long, if at all. Anyone who can show up in court with a lawyer, they can simply force into defeat by using well-known delaying tactics until the defendants can't afford rent, food AND their own defense. This is why they're not suing 12 year old girls. Imagine Lex Luthor showing up in super armor and laser cannons at a kindergarten...
Once again, they back down, meaning that they performed the legal equivalent of "Ha Ha Ha, just kidding, can't you take a joke?" At some point, they're going to get slapped down hard for these tactics and on that day, there will be much cheering from Slashdot.
What every kid needs is to be shown how ridiculous gaming tropes and conventions are patently absurd if you apply them to real life situations. has been doing this to hilarious results. Highlights include Altair freaking out people at a flea market as well as Ryu and Sagat trying to destroy a real car. One look at those and they'd never think that any of it makes any sense outside of the game world.
Interesting fact - because of the guitar controller it comes bundled with, the regular sale price of GH3 is DOUBLE that of any other regular game (like Gears of War, GTA4, Resistance 2 and so on). Factor in purchased downloadable music tracks, and suddenly GH3 may not have sold as many copies as this article seems to imply. This higher purchase price and nearly endless source of added income suddenly makes it pretty easy to hit the billion dollar mark as opposed to say, Halo 3 or Little Big Planet (with nearly infinite FREE downloable potential).
Could we perhaps see an amount of UNITS SOLD, with comparisons to other best selling titles?
Since I was a kid, I was exposed to the following "violent" media: I watched uncensored Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and Yosemite Sam cartoons. I have played with realistic looking plastic toy guns. I have played realistic FPS games. I have watched horror movies and sci-fi television that would have most conservative watchdogs today scream out loud "OMG THE CHILDREN!".
Taking in account ALL of these sources of "influence", how do I react when I see on television of REAL LIFE shootings and deaths? I'm still shocked and dismayed. Yes, it's true, violent movies and games have YET to make me a violent individual who thinks that killing people is acceptable.
It's amazing how well-grounded a parent can make their child just by pointing out to him "It's all made up of course - see that guy who just got shot? It's faked, he'll just stand up as soon as the director yells CUT!"
Considering that most fraudulent software companies rarely get fined more than they made in their unscrupulous practices, I'll agree with your idea and raise you one massive class-action suit:)
The scumbags who make the popups that tell you that your computer's been infected and needs to buy their product or OMG you'll lose all your family photos and pr0n! Such low-life tactics should be amptly rewarded with a swift chapter eleven - or should be, at least in my opinion.
Far easier to just use a solid metal bullet. The technology's proven itself reliable over the years. Also, while your body may resist this high-tech poisoning attempt, no immune system has ever been shown to have the ability to ignore your arteries being torn to shreds.
Slashdot Mirror
I should patent the concept of giving remuneration for work provided by employees. This way, whenever anyone in the world gets a paycheck, I'd get a cut of that action!
I think that people are panicking over nothing here. It's just another legislation that is required to [restricted] the internet function optimally. In time, we'll be able to overcome this new [restricted] and grow to embrace [restricted] [restricted] and [restricted]. Furthermore, [restricted] [restricted] so [restricted] and [restricted] [restricted] [restricted] bikini zombies.
It's like bronzy or coppery, except it's made of iron!
For one thing, fewer and fewer people have access to unlimited bandwidth contracts as time goes by (my area's providers have all rescinded those plans a few years back) so downloading a game on a pay-per-use plan can jack up the price significantly. Another problem is the rise in interest from local governments in imposing taxes on online purchases, which they would certainly claim digital downloads are a part of. I'd rather avoid getting double-taxed for both the simple act of purchase and its digital nature as well (assuming a tax plan like this comes to pass, which is almost a certainty in the near future). Finally, there's our dearest friends at the RIAA. What if their pals at Mediasentry discover that you're downloading massive amounts of gigs through your interpipes and snag your IP address? Their typical work ethics means they'd just ASSUME you were downloading from illegal sources and BINGO, you're getting slammed with a lawsuit from the RIAA for half a million dollars. Good luck defending yourself from the Righteous Inquisition Army of Autocrats.
That mostly has to do with their every single victory having later been overturned in appeals so far. However, I think that they would rather cut off their own legs than turn over a single penny to one of the artists they supposedly represent.
If there's one thing I've learned from Dragon Ball and Castlevania, it's that bosses always fight in three forms. First there's the standard form (which was the We Are Right and Everybody loves Us), then the xenomorphic horror form (the currently dying form where everybody hates them for suing little girls and dead grandmothers) and finally, the last upcoming ultimate effeminate pretty boy form. Fear this last one the most - it's always that one that consumes planets whole.
I'm pretty sure that by now, a lot of managers, supervisors, CEOs and other various suits of the corporate genus are rubbing their hands together Monty Burns style, thinking they've finally found a way to control these pesky tech types and keep their sys admins under leash. But they should be very careful about sending them to jail for being protective of the passwords whose very security is paramount to getting the job done. They're already overworked, underpaid and given nowhere near the respect they deserve - if it should become a criminal offense to hold on to passwords with little to no defense or legal recourse against the corporate juggernauts, the suits will suddenly discover that the employee pool has suddenly dried up and no one wants to be their lapdo- I mean loyal employees anymore...
1.21 Jigawatts: the energy output of a man dancing a 1.21 minute jig. So next time you jig, be very careful to dance either more or less than 1.21 minute, lest you suddenly go back in time to the 1950s where your dad is a spineless wimp.
This is the evidence to wwhat I've suspected all along - file sharing is patriotic and the RIAA is trying to destroy the economy by undermining media sales with their spamigation method!
"Well there's your problem!"
Then again, should we really be surprised to see this happen, with interviews for upcoming releases taking the form of "this will be the greatest thing EVER!" for absolutely any game or movie that comes out, especially those that turn out to be complete garbage? Don't believe the hype machine, folks, is what I'm saying.
"Is everything you say total bullshit?"
If human beings were able to recognize the success of others and earn without harming others (which is exactly what rational self-interest defines) then objectivism would work just fine. The problem starts when EMOTION checks in at the box office and requests the entirity of the first five rows without calling in ahead to make reservations, then starts screaming that it is entitled to the entire auditorium if it damn pleases. This is the major failing of objectivism, and why it has so much problem working in the real world. No room for emotions and irrational behavior, which is bound to happen sooner than later! It's also where Andrew Ryan fails - he sees Fontaine as another industrialist working for a similar goal, but instead of acknowledging his work, he calls foul and decides to act like a schoolyard bully who must have things his way or he ruins it for everyone - and then does exactly that.
"Layers" of story here makes about as much sense as adding deep, critical views of Ayn Rand's objectivist theories to professional wrestling.
I don't know about that, I'm pretty sure that Randy Savage has some pretty interesting views about the rationals of self-interest.
"In theory, Marge, communism works. IN THEORY." - Homer Simpson
One factor which I've noticed tends to create addictive puzzlers is quite simplicity of form. The resulting purity of function lends itself perfectly to entrancing, mesmerizing marathon sessions of blocks dropping, diamond spinning or whatnot, always seeking "one more combo!" as the points rack up on top of the screen. Tetris, Lumines, Bejeweled, the list goes on. Keep the concept simple, the list of controls short and the rules easy to learn. If I looked up the amount of time I spent trying to line up that four-block line in a perfect spot for maximum points, I'm pretty sure the number would be terrifyingly high.
So they ARE out to get me! That's why they're making scientific studies to discover my mental weaknesses! *gulps more coffee to maintain state of catlike readiness*
They can't be making any money off this. The kinds of people they sue aren't among the wealthier members of society. There's a big difference between getting a judgment and actually collecting the money.
This isn't about making money. It's about supervillains with indestructible iron skin and the strength of Hulk walking around, picking on random normal people in order to juggernaut them into submission. They KNOW these people can't possibly afford a lawyer for long, if at all. Anyone who can show up in court with a lawyer, they can simply force into defeat by using well-known delaying tactics until the defendants can't afford rent, food AND their own defense. This is why they're not suing 12 year old girls. Imagine Lex Luthor showing up in super armor and laser cannons at a kindergarten...
Once again, they back down, meaning that they performed the legal equivalent of "Ha Ha Ha, just kidding, can't you take a joke?" At some point, they're going to get slapped down hard for these tactics and on that day, there will be much cheering from Slashdot.
What every kid needs is to be shown how ridiculous gaming tropes and conventions are patently absurd if you apply them to real life situations. has been doing this to hilarious results. Highlights include Altair freaking out people at a flea market as well as Ryu and Sagat trying to destroy a real car. One look at those and they'd never think that any of it makes any sense outside of the game world.
Could we perhaps see an amount of UNITS SOLD, with comparisons to other best selling titles?
Since I was a kid, I was exposed to the following "violent" media: I watched uncensored Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn and Yosemite Sam cartoons. I have played with realistic looking plastic toy guns. I have played realistic FPS games. I have watched horror movies and sci-fi television that would have most conservative watchdogs today scream out loud "OMG THE CHILDREN!".
Taking in account ALL of these sources of "influence", how do I react when I see on television of REAL LIFE shootings and deaths? I'm still shocked and dismayed. Yes, it's true, violent movies and games have YET to make me a violent individual who thinks that killing people is acceptable.
It's amazing how well-grounded a parent can make their child just by pointing out to him "It's all made up of course - see that guy who just got shot? It's faked, he'll just stand up as soon as the director yells CUT!"
Considering that most fraudulent software companies rarely get fined more than they made in their unscrupulous practices, I'll agree with your idea and raise you one massive class-action suit :)
The scumbags who make the popups that tell you that your computer's been infected and needs to buy their product or OMG you'll lose all your family photos and pr0n! Such low-life tactics should be amptly rewarded with a swift chapter eleven - or should be, at least in my opinion.
Far easier to just use a solid metal bullet. The technology's proven itself reliable over the years. Also, while your body may resist this high-tech poisoning attempt, no immune system has ever been shown to have the ability to ignore your arteries being torn to shreds.