It's weird about the game save points. At first they didn't work at all. But later, they did. If you have autosave on, the game will restart at the last checkpoint. But sometimes it didn't work. I think there's a bug in there.
Gotta disagree about Serious Sam 2. The whole joy of it was that endless stream of enemies, so many that your eyes roll back in your head and you start having uncontrollable spasms. I love that feeling!
Re:There needs to be a "Fun" score in every review
on
Black Review
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· Score: 1
Mercenaries is vastly more fun, in part because there's so much more to it. I still haven't played every possible Merc scenario. That's how much playability it has. Black is a fun, highly linear shooter that runs out far too soon.
And the worst part is...
on
Black Review
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· Score: 1
The game's way, way too short. I was shocked at how little game there was to this game. I remember how long it took to play all the levels of both Halo games. Black has maybe one-third as many maps. Just as you really get good at it, it's over. What a drag.
Amidst all the declarations that government spying won't work, because terrorists are too smart to be caught this way, has anyone noted this?
Excerpt:
Did the National Security Agency's controversial eavesdropping program really help to detect terrorists or avert their plots? Administration officials have suggested to media outlets like The New York Times--which broke the story--that the spying played a role in at least two well-publicized investigations, one in the United Kingdom and one involving a plan to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge.
Current and former U.S. counterterrorism officials familiar with the two cases and with the range of intelligence methods the United States has used since 9/11 say that breakthroughs are usually the result of information from several different intelligence methods. The officials, who requested anonymity because they were discussing intelligence matters, said that it was sometimes hard to determine which specific intelligence tactic really led to a major breakthrough.
Some officials familiar with the NSA monitoring program insist it played a critical role in providing U.S. intelligence agencies with an invaluable source of "early warning" information about potential Qaeda sleeper cells and plots to attack U.S. targets. Others, including some congressional sources, however, have questioned whether the NSA program's results were really so useful.
As this story shows, it's hard for us to know exactly how useful government wiretaps and other spying has been. But it seems rather absurd to assert, as so many have done here, that it's all useless...
Those scientists just couldn't handle the idea that they descended from black folks! They don't mind being related to the Chinese, but they want no part of us! Anything to keep the black man down!:-)
Oh, for heaven's sake, of course AI in Battlefront isn't that good. It's mainly designed for multiplayer, just like the game it copies--EA's Battlefield 1942.
As for AI quality, when is somebody going to mention Ghost Recon? It and FarCry are still the best, I think.
Akamai just told me it was a 90-minute glitch (between 8 and 9:30 Eastern time) caused by a software bug. The company says everything's back to normal.
Thanks for posting this deeply stupid article from the usually reliable Forbes. I'm linking to it on my blog, with brief but reasonably dismissive comments of my own.
From the otherwise persuasive Tech Central Station story:
If the RIAA were to somehow succeed in shutting down every "supernode" in America all this would do is transfer the traffic to the millions of file sharers in Canada. And, as 50% of Canadians on the net have broadband (as compared to 20% of Americans) Canadian file sharers are likely to be able to meet the demand.
Er...but there are 32 million Canadians, versus around 290 million Americans. So how does he figure the Canadians will be able to meet America's demand for stolen music?
Thanks for restating the transcendently obvious. Difficult as it it is for some Linux partisans to grasp, most people don't want to have to figure out a plethora of GUIs. We want to turn on the bloody machine and get to work. And this can best be achieved by designing the OS so that it delivers a consistent user experience. Linux still isn't there, and many Linux fans are actually proud of the fact, as if incoherence were a good thing. But if Linux is ever to break through to the masses, a simple, intuitive and consistent user interface isn't just a nice idea--it's an absolute necessity.
I've nothing against this meditation idea, but I can't help wondering. Would a company support employee prayer breaks? Not that I advocate such a practice--I can pray anytime I want, without company authorization. I'm just curious, is all...
Exactly right, Soup. I've been using one of the prototypes. At first it's a little annoying that you have to use the "official" pen on the tablet screen, but you soon realize that it's a great idea. Nothing that touches the screen will affect your data, except a compatible stylus. These guys really thought the thing through.
I've got an Acer prototype Tablet PC and I'm here to tell you it's way cool. Those Linux guys should be applauding. Those who say Microsoft never innovates will have to give it up for them this time. The Tablet PC is a major step forward in laptop technology. I'm not quite prepared to give up the keyboard. But if you use the model that's basically a convertible laptop/tablet device, you get the best of both worlds. If I were Apple, I'd be trying to copy this--quick. It's exactly the sort of thing Apple should have done first.
You guys should read the Globe. I wrote about these services months ago, and pronounced them well nigh worthless. It's as if the music industry wanted to give consumers more incentive to steal, instead of devising a fair, reasonable way to sell us their products.
Finally reaching the mainstream press? Faugh!
on
SSSCA Editorials
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· Score: 1
Mann's article is excellent--but somewhat flawed
on
Taming the Web
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· Score: 2, Interesting
I just got back from several African countries a few months ago. There are moves afoot to give countries on the west coast of the continent access to high-bandwidth undersea cable connections. The first such will be installed by year's end. When that happens, it will be possible to send data from, say, Togo, just about as easily as from Toulouse or Toronto. Mann is dead right that, contrary to myth and legend, large swaths of the world still have lousy Internet bandwidth availability. But in a couple years, that will have changed. Any country that wants in on the global economy has to get wired. So they're dropping cable like crazy. And that'll make it practical to run your Internet business out of Accra or Freetown.
Mann's still right about another key point, though. You'd better not set foot in the US if you use the Internet to break American law. And he's also right that international law is being modified to seal off the safe havens. So while one point of his argument isn't as strong as he might think, it still holds up pretty well.
Slashdot Mirror
It's weird about the game save points. At first they didn't work at all. But later, they did. If you have autosave on, the game will restart at the last checkpoint. But sometimes it didn't work. I think there's a bug in there.
Gotta disagree about Serious Sam 2. The whole joy of it was that endless stream of enemies, so many that your eyes roll back in your head and you start having uncontrollable spasms. I love that feeling!
Mercenaries is vastly more fun, in part because there's so much more to it. I still haven't played every possible Merc scenario. That's how much playability it has. Black is a fun, highly linear shooter that runs out far too soon.
The game's way, way too short. I was shocked at how little game there was to this game. I remember how long it took to play all the levels of both Halo games. Black has maybe one-third as many maps. Just as you really get good at it, it's over. What a drag.
Excerpt:
Did the National Security Agency's controversial eavesdropping program really help to detect terrorists or avert their plots? Administration officials have suggested to media outlets like The New York Times--which broke the story--that the spying played a role in at least two well-publicized investigations, one in the United Kingdom and one involving a plan to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge.
Current and former U.S. counterterrorism officials familiar with the two cases and with the range of intelligence methods the United States has used since 9/11 say that breakthroughs are usually the result of information from several different intelligence methods. The officials, who requested anonymity because they were discussing intelligence matters, said that it was sometimes hard to determine which specific intelligence tactic really led to a major breakthrough.
Some officials familiar with the NSA monitoring program insist it played a critical role in providing U.S. intelligence agencies with an invaluable source of "early warning" information about potential Qaeda sleeper cells and plots to attack U.S. targets. Others, including some congressional sources, however, have questioned whether the NSA program's results were really so useful.
As this story shows, it's hard for us to know exactly how useful government wiretaps and other spying has been. But it seems rather absurd to assert, as so many have done here, that it's all useless...
Flamebait? Sheesh! You guys got zero sense of humor!
Those scientists just couldn't handle the idea that they descended from black folks! They don't mind being related to the Chinese, but they want no part of us! Anything to keep the black man down! :-)
Oh, for heaven's sake, of course AI in Battlefront isn't that good. It's mainly designed for multiplayer, just like the game it copies--EA's Battlefield 1942.
As for AI quality, when is somebody going to mention Ghost Recon? It and FarCry are still the best, I think.
Yer durn tootin'! I think Lego Star Wars was one of this year's great sleeper games. A total hoot--perfect for kids, but I love it too!
What do I have to do to get some love around here?
Check out this one. It's really impressive.
I recently covered the same terrain.
Dude, where's my Slashdot?
Akamai just told me it was a 90-minute glitch (between 8 and 9:30 Eastern time) caused by a software bug. The company says everything's back to normal.
I'm sorry to hear of your trouble. I offer prayers for you and your sister.
Oops...the blog is at www.monitortan.com.
Thanks for posting this deeply stupid article from the usually reliable Forbes. I'm linking to it on my blog, with brief but reasonably dismissive comments of my own.
From the otherwise persuasive Tech Central Station story:
If the RIAA were to somehow succeed in shutting down every "supernode" in America all this would do is transfer the traffic to the millions of file sharers in Canada. And, as 50% of Canadians on the net have broadband (as compared to 20% of Americans) Canadian file sharers are likely to be able to meet the demand.
Er...but there are 32 million Canadians, versus around 290 million Americans. So how does he figure the Canadians will be able to meet America's demand for stolen music?
Thanks for restating the transcendently obvious. Difficult as it it is for some Linux partisans to grasp, most people don't want to have to figure out a plethora of GUIs. We want to turn on the bloody machine and get to work. And this can best be achieved by designing the OS so that it delivers a consistent user experience. Linux still isn't there, and many Linux fans are actually proud of the fact, as if incoherence were a good thing. But if Linux is ever to break through to the masses, a simple, intuitive and consistent user interface isn't just a nice idea--it's an absolute necessity.
I've nothing against this meditation idea, but I can't help wondering. Would a company support employee prayer breaks? Not that I advocate such a practice--I can pray anytime I want, without company authorization. I'm just curious, is all...
Exactly right, Soup. I've been using one of the prototypes. At first it's a little annoying that you have to use the "official" pen on the tablet screen, but you soon realize that it's a great idea. Nothing that touches the screen will affect your data, except a compatible stylus. These guys really thought the thing through.
I've got an Acer prototype Tablet PC and I'm here to tell you it's way cool. Those Linux guys should be applauding. Those who say Microsoft never innovates will have to give it up for them this time. The Tablet PC is a major step forward in laptop technology. I'm not quite prepared to give up the keyboard. But if you use the model that's basically a convertible laptop/tablet device, you get the best of both worlds. If I were Apple, I'd be trying to copy this--quick. It's exactly the sort of thing Apple should have done first.
You guys should read the Globe. I wrote about these services months ago, and pronounced them well nigh worthless. It's as if the music industry wanted to give consumers more incentive to steal, instead of devising a fair, reasonable way to sell us their products.
I wrote about this
last September, and again a couple of weeks ago.
"Finally," indeed!
I just got back from several African countries a few months ago. There are moves afoot to give countries on the west coast of the continent access to high-bandwidth undersea cable connections. The first such will be installed by year's end. When that happens, it will be possible to send data from, say, Togo, just about as easily as from Toulouse or Toronto. Mann is dead right that, contrary to myth and legend, large swaths of the world still have lousy Internet bandwidth availability. But in a couple years, that will have changed. Any country that wants in on the global economy has to get wired. So they're dropping cable like crazy. And that'll make it practical to run your Internet business out of Accra or Freetown.
Mann's still right about another key point, though. You'd better not set foot in the US if you use the Internet to break American law. And he's also right that international law is being modified to seal off the safe havens. So while one point of his argument isn't as strong as he might think, it still holds up pretty well.
Or just click here...