Thanks for your opinion doc, oh wait, you aren't a doctor either? Maybe you are that 1% who aren't affected by what you read, see, hear or play, are you? Well congratulations.
I've played Doom, Quake, Warcraft. . . and I've never gone Columbine on anyone either. But maybe now I have been desensitized to it. Hmm, what sort of "goal" is it to blow someone up with a rocket launcher? Or sneak up on someone to shoot them in the back Rainbow 6 style? Does that help you build your socializing or "team" skills? Do you even understand how bad that sounds?
As for science, I studied physics as an undergrad, so I know a little bit about it. It is very difficult conclusively to prove anything. Global warming is a good example. It is hard to prove without a doubt to SUV driving suits that they are changing our atmosphere. Or even 20 years ago to have the tobacco companies admit the health hazards of smoking. But there is a very, very good chance there has been an increase Greenhouse affect and smoking does kill.
Am I a hypocrite? Well yeah. I like to play games also. But it is much too simplistic to argue that "there is no effect". And remember corporations spend billions of dollars a year on media to affect our collective behaviour. Just because you don't buy a Coke doesn't mean that 40 others won't.
All forms of media (TV, movies, music, video games, books . ..) can and do influence viewers to change their behaviour. Corporations spend billions of dollars each year to influence the behaviour of people. They take up my time and they attempt to get me to spend my money. I believe most people "avoid" ads as much as I try to avoid them, however companies still believe that ads are cost-effective. Therefore if people are influenced by "unwanted" media, what about the media that they willing seek out and pay for? Products placed in movies can be HUGE!! (Like Reese's Pieces in ET.)
Now it isn't that simple. I don't buy a Big Mac every time I watch a McDonald's commericial. Nor do I shoot someone after having played Jedi Knight. But it does influence. Every little bit influences. And that is why I don't buy the "media violence doesn't influence viewers" arguement. Violence is not entertaiment. If you think that it is, you should see a therapist. Now.
What short memories you have. Look I realize I'm probably going to troll myself out of existence. But remember what that VP "Steve Heckler, senior vice president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. According to him, Napster WILL lose, because "The [music] industry will take whatever steps it needs to protect itself and protect its revenue streams. It will not lose that revenue stream, no matter what." . . . "We will develop technology that transcends the individual user. We will firewall Napster at source -- we will block it at your cable company, we will block it at your phone company, we will block it at your [Internet-service provider]. We will firewall it
at your PC."
I'm NOT going to buy anything at Sony. All that technology that is mentioned (all vapor IMHO) will make sure that this guys fantasy will be a reality. Look, don't buy Columbia records. Don't watch Sony movies. Don't buy their computers and certainly don't buy their consumer electronics. Multinationals corporations that control content, distribution and the devices that play them are evil.
I guess I understand the concept of building a pretty big space station as the orbiting counterbalance. (Or capturing a giant "asteroid", whatever). Maybe I understand building a 50 KM high building on the ground straddling the equator. But how do you get the cable up? Does it have to been in one piece? Connecting pieces of cable in the upper atmosphere I imagine would be pretty tough. I would think that you would want one solid cable anyway. So do they stick a giant spool on the back of the space shuttle and launch?
Damn. I just told my wife that some foolish company in Seattle caved in to the capricious whims of some programmer and bought him a desk made of Legos. She told me to start looking for another job.
You do make some good points, but ultimately I must disagree. It is in our very nature to explore. We feel impelled to reach and discover and push the boundaries. I think that when we push the barrier that is when we learn about ourselves.
The amount of money spent on the space program is insignificant. The loss of one of the Martian probes was around 60 to 70 cents per American. My friend today spent that much adding cheese to the top of his burrito at lunch. I'm guessing that nearly the same amount of money was wasted on that movie "Battlefield Earth." Tons of tax dollars are wasted daily by the government at all levels, and getting rid of the space program wouldn't do a bit of good.
Look, I know that there are ancillary benefits that we probably wouldn't have had otherwise. But the main reason why we should go up into space is the same reason why your Hunter-gatherer ancestor went over that next ridge. Simply because we need to.
I am an American who used to work doing network support in Amsterdam. I believe that the reason why "all routers go to America" is the financial cost. Many times it is cheaper for the Europeans to run a leased line to NY and back than it is to stay in the country. For example; a friend of a friend ran an ISP in Bordeaux. It was cheaper to get connected to Paris through NY than to go straight through to Paris. Why? It is those huge Euro-telecoms. They can charge whatever they want. That is why I laugh whenever I hear about the Europeans trying to "catch up" with the Americans when it comes to the internet. They first have to cure their own telecom ills. And I bet that that applies to the rest of the world too. Also that is why I shudder whenever I hear DT or KPN or Telefonica is going to gobble up an American telephone company. sheesh
Can you imagine my disapointment? When I first read "Id's new Office" I thought "YES! This software will literally kick M$ all over the place." But then it turned out to be an actual building and not an software productivity suite. And I thought I would be able to train a BFG 9000 at everyone's favorite paperclip.
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Thanks for your opinion doc, oh wait, you aren't a doctor either? Maybe you are that 1% who aren't affected by what you read, see, hear or play, are you? Well congratulations.
I've played Doom, Quake, Warcraft. . . and I've never gone Columbine on anyone either. But maybe now I have been desensitized to it. Hmm, what sort of "goal" is it to blow someone up with a rocket launcher? Or sneak up on someone to shoot them in the back Rainbow 6 style? Does that help you build your socializing or "team" skills? Do you even understand how bad that sounds?
As for science, I studied physics as an undergrad, so I know a little bit about it. It is very difficult conclusively to prove anything. Global warming is a good example. It is hard to prove without a doubt to SUV driving suits that they are changing our atmosphere. Or even 20 years ago to have the tobacco companies admit the health hazards of smoking. But there is a very, very good chance there has been an increase Greenhouse affect and smoking does kill.
Am I a hypocrite? Well yeah. I like to play games also. But it is much too simplistic to argue that "there is no effect". And remember corporations spend billions of dollars a year on media to affect our collective behaviour. Just because you don't buy a Coke doesn't mean that 40 others won't.
All forms of media (TV, movies, music, video games, books . . .) can and do influence viewers to change their behaviour. Corporations spend billions of dollars each year to influence the behaviour of people. They take up my time and they attempt to get me to spend my money. I believe most people "avoid" ads as much as I try to avoid them, however companies still believe that ads are cost-effective. Therefore if people are influenced by "unwanted" media, what about the media that they willing seek out and pay for? Products placed in movies can be HUGE!! (Like Reese's Pieces in ET.)
Now it isn't that simple. I don't buy a Big Mac every time I watch a McDonald's commericial. Nor do I shoot someone after having played Jedi Knight. But it does influence. Every little bit influences. And that is why I don't buy the "media violence doesn't influence viewers" arguement. Violence is not entertaiment. If you think that it is, you should see a therapist. Now.
What short memories you have. Look I realize I'm probably going to troll myself out of existence. But remember what that VP "Steve Heckler, senior vice president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. According to him, Napster WILL lose, because "The [music] industry will take whatever steps it needs to protect itself and protect its revenue streams. It will not lose that revenue stream, no matter what." . . . "We will develop technology that transcends the individual user. We will firewall Napster at source -- we will block it at your cable company, we will block it at your phone company, we will block it at your [Internet-service provider]. We will firewall it at your PC."
http://slashdot.org/articles/00/08/23/0212232_F.sI'm NOT going to buy anything at Sony. All that technology that is mentioned (all vapor IMHO) will make sure that this guys fantasy will be a reality. Look, don't buy Columbia records. Don't watch Sony movies. Don't buy their computers and certainly don't buy their consumer electronics. Multinationals corporations that control content, distribution and the devices that play them are evil.
I guess I understand the concept of building a pretty big space station as the orbiting counterbalance. (Or capturing a giant "asteroid", whatever). Maybe I understand building a 50 KM high building on the ground straddling the equator. But how do you get the cable up? Does it have to been in one piece? Connecting pieces of cable in the upper atmosphere I imagine would be pretty tough. I would think that you would want one solid cable anyway. So do they stick a giant spool on the back of the space shuttle and launch?
Damn. I just told my wife that some foolish company in Seattle caved in to the capricious whims of some programmer and bought him a desk made of Legos. She told me to start looking for another job.
I guess that beats the hell out of an IP-enabled refrigerator.
You do make some good points, but ultimately I must disagree. It is in our very nature to explore. We feel impelled to reach and discover and push the boundaries. I think that when we push the barrier that is when we learn about ourselves.
The amount of money spent on the space program is insignificant. The loss of one of the Martian probes was around 60 to 70 cents per American. My friend today spent that much adding cheese to the top of his burrito at lunch. I'm guessing that nearly the same amount of money was wasted on that movie "Battlefield Earth." Tons of tax dollars are wasted daily by the government at all levels, and getting rid of the space program wouldn't do a bit of good.
Look, I know that there are ancillary benefits that we probably wouldn't have had otherwise. But the main reason why we should go up into space is the same reason why your Hunter-gatherer ancestor went over that next ridge. Simply because we need to.
I am an American who used to work doing network support in Amsterdam. I believe that the reason why "all routers go to America" is the financial cost. Many times it is cheaper for the Europeans to run a leased line to NY and back than it is to stay in the country. For example; a friend of a friend ran an ISP in Bordeaux. It was cheaper to get connected to Paris through NY than to go straight through to Paris. Why? It is those huge Euro-telecoms. They can charge whatever they want. That is why I laugh whenever I hear about the Europeans trying to "catch up" with the Americans when it comes to the internet. They first have to cure their own telecom ills. And I bet that that applies to the rest of the world too. Also that is why I shudder whenever I hear DT or KPN or Telefonica is going to gobble up an American telephone company. sheesh
Can you imagine my disapointment? When I first read "Id's new Office" I thought "YES! This software will literally kick M$ all over the place." But then it turned out to be an actual building and not an software productivity suite. And I thought I would be able to train a BFG 9000 at everyone's favorite paperclip.
What sort of cruel parents would name their kid "Rodona"? And that face, eeeuuuooow. . .