I'll buy American when "American" means something that isn't designed by a blind man with attention deficit issues and that doesn't have the biggest, stinkingest coal-burning fart-can engine that can be shoe-horned into its wood-screws-in-sheet-metal body after the big tires and gun rack go in. Hope you like chrome packages and woodgrain stickers.
I'M an American. American cars are built for people like you, and that AIN'T American in my book.
I'm kinda bummed that a Prius video game exists and I don't have a PS2 to play it. Oh well.
Good luck getting a Prius--waiting lists are at a year in some places, and dealers have figured out that they can charge premium prices...going up as far as US$12,000 higher than MSRP in some cases.
I've had my new Prius for about two months, and I absolutely love it. It's the perfect geek car and it's a video game itself--you'll drive it with an eye on the consumption screen, trying to squeeze every bit of mileage out you can--a LOT more fun than it sounds.
Check out Priuschat.com if you want real information about the car.
I have an 04 Prius, and yes, I'm actually starting to get within the advertised mileage range as the car "breaks in." It seems that, off the lot, the cars tend to get in the mid to high 40's, then improve dramatically over the next 5000 or so miles. Additionally, there seems to be quite a bit of mileage variation based on tire selection and inflation pressures, plus other things...not to mention, of course, the big differentiator--driving style.
I will grant you that the Prius doesn't EASILY float into the EPA range right off the bat, which leads me to question the nature of the EPA driving tests (shouldn't the tests be a relflection of TYPICAL driving style?). The car DOES require a different style of driving from the normal floor-it-and-go style of many Americans. It's taken me some time to figure out just what I'm doing in the car. Now, I'm starting to see mpgs in the 50's as I become accustomed to the car and it breaks-in mechanically. In my new Prius, I have NEVER seen mileage on a tank below 45 mpg. Even if your friend drives a classic Prius, I would doubt that he has spent much time or thought trying to get better mileage out of the vehicle. The car CAN do within the posted mileage ranges, and I would fault the tests before I'd fault the car.
I'll give this a third. I've always wanted to see F.M. Busby's Bran and Rissa books moved to film--just for the space battles. For those who haven't read it, time dilation is a factor, weapons have to be set to heterodyne on targets, and real physics comes into play. The author left in some neat toys to beat real physics occasionally, but describes some pretty wild battles where figuring out to actually FIGHT in the stupid ships is the first course of action.
You know, I must concur. I like most ANY movie that really burns that message home. It's why, although I think Sands of Iwo Jima was good for its time, it'll never touch Band of Brothers in my book. Sci-fi would do well to learn such a lesson and portray war as hell...on everyone.
Yeah...The Last Starfighter had LOTS of promise, but the Deus Ex Machina ending....ick. "Death Blossom" wasn't it? Indeed. Push a button and you win. Why the hell was the kid needed at all?
I would vote the large-scale stuff from the original Buck Rogers movie over Last Starfighter. Also a big armada and a silly means of destroying it, but cool Terran ships and Erin Gray to boot. Of course, the best special effect of that movie was the princess-tig-ole-biddies and the anti-gravity jubblies.
The NBC series did okay, but mostly seemed to re-use the movie effects for in-flight scenes. Still, a great launch sequence.
Oh, and I almost forgot UFO. Maybe not the most cutting-edge in today's terms, but who among us wasn't scared of the alien ships (gave me memorable nightmares that I still remember), and loved those SHADO Interceptors? Nothing but an engine and a missile.
Interceptors!...1...2...3...
Wicked cool show. I hated that my Dinky SHADO Interceptor was metallic green rather than the white mil-spec look of the show.
I'll not comment on the practicality of such battle tactics, nor on the movie's total disregard for the book, but Starship Troopers had some interesting special effects during the assault on Klendathu--the bug homeworld. Seeing the Rodger Young and other transports lumbering about, colliding stupidly, and eating bug plasma was pretty cool--a good example of what happens when close formations of stupid people in big ships blindly fly over excellent AAA.
Ack. If they'd just paid a little attention to Heinlein's book. Sigh.
..author of such rubbish as The Difference Engine? God, I should hope not. It'd be full of techie-angst-mystery and Slashdotters would either point to it as the acme of Western culture or as the most disappointing let-down of the past 500 years...including the Comet Kohoutek.
Remember, screenwriters are more than just authors. And a bad author...ick. You'd get Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions all over again.
And, like the article implies, the scene was there because the technology was there. Today's arcades (at least in the US) just don't have the same attraction as the interactive, inexpensive gaming console or pc. You get it, all right.
Man, you and I BOTH were there. Can you imagine anyone writing a song about the aforementioned "Generic Racer X 2450 blah blah"? Much less an entire ALBUM of songs (I bought the Buckner and Garcia tape for such classics as "Goin' Berzerk" along with "Pac Man Fever.")!? It's just not the same thing.
Now we have the pay-to-play PC and console bars; could THIS be the new model? Beer and Counterstrike in a never-ending LAN party?
This isn't some big icon of popular culture that's going to go down in history as a symbol for the age - it's a videogame and a couple of mediocre movies.
You're thinking about Ark 2. If you look well, you'll notice several differences between the Ark and the Damnation Alley "landmaster" vehicles. According to THIS GUY the Ark 2 vehicle was taken apart to become another prop. He's pretty sure about it, and appears to anger easily.:) Still, they ARE both pointy, multi-wheeled vehicles.
Seriously, though - I grew up the only child of the founder of a large concrete and construction company. You start responding to this error in knee-jerk fashion over time. Sorta like the way I like to make college kids -who "know" C++ - cry.
And don't call it a cement truck either. A cement truck is a dry bulk container truck, usually with multiple, bottom-dump sleeves. A concrete truck has a big rotating drum.
Back in 1978, our rockets were made of carved balsa - no foam at all. The big tip? Make sure your fins gave the rocket a slightly nose-down attitude when moving on the cables. SO many people were crapped out at the start when their rockets nosed up and fouled their propellers in the lines.
Slashdot Mirror
Just what we need, a browser that screams "Yeeooooooow! Gootgawd! Huh!" on startup.
The Brownzilla project....
Well, the Swedish "Stealth Ship" isn't a ship, either. Didn't see three masts in a ship-rig, did you? Dorks.
And I would argue that the submarine is the first "stealth ship."
Grow some balls, coward.
I'll buy American when "American" means something that isn't designed by a blind man with attention deficit issues and that doesn't have the biggest, stinkingest coal-burning fart-can engine that can be shoe-horned into its wood-screws-in-sheet-metal body after the big tires and gun rack go in. Hope you like chrome packages and woodgrain stickers.
I'M an American. American cars are built for people like you, and that AIN'T American in my book.
I'm kinda bummed that a Prius video game exists and I don't have a PS2 to play it. Oh well. Good luck getting a Prius--waiting lists are at a year in some places, and dealers have figured out that they can charge premium prices...going up as far as US$12,000 higher than MSRP in some cases. I've had my new Prius for about two months, and I absolutely love it. It's the perfect geek car and it's a video game itself--you'll drive it with an eye on the consumption screen, trying to squeeze every bit of mileage out you can--a LOT more fun than it sounds. Check out Priuschat.com if you want real information about the car.
Don't know much about the Prius, do you?
Yes, I own one.
Just make damned certain you spell "fisking" correctly....
Especially if you're at work.
I have an 04 Prius, and yes, I'm actually starting to get within the advertised mileage range as the car "breaks in." It seems that, off the lot, the cars tend to get in the mid to high 40's, then improve dramatically over the next 5000 or so miles. Additionally, there seems to be quite a bit of mileage variation based on tire selection and inflation pressures, plus other things...not to mention, of course, the big differentiator--driving style.
I will grant you that the Prius doesn't EASILY float into the EPA range right off the bat, which leads me to question the nature of the EPA driving tests (shouldn't the tests be a relflection of TYPICAL driving style?). The car DOES require a different style of driving from the normal floor-it-and-go style of many Americans. It's taken me some time to figure out just what I'm doing in the car. Now, I'm starting to see mpgs in the 50's as I become accustomed to the car and it breaks-in mechanically. In my new Prius, I have NEVER seen mileage on a tank below 45 mpg. Even if your friend drives a classic Prius, I would doubt that he has spent much time or thought trying to get better mileage out of the vehicle. The car CAN do within the posted mileage ranges, and I would fault the tests before I'd fault the car.
Thank you, Jos. You took the words right outta my mouth.
I'll give this a third. I've always wanted to see F.M. Busby's Bran and Rissa books moved to film--just for the space battles. For those who haven't read it, time dilation is a factor, weapons have to be set to heterodyne on targets, and real physics comes into play. The author left in some neat toys to beat real physics occasionally, but describes some pretty wild battles where figuring out to actually FIGHT in the stupid ships is the first course of action.
You know, I must concur. I like most ANY movie that really burns that message home. It's why, although I think Sands of Iwo Jima was good for its time, it'll never touch Band of Brothers in my book. Sci-fi would do well to learn such a lesson and portray war as hell...on everyone.
Yeah...The Last Starfighter had LOTS of promise, but the Deus Ex Machina ending....ick. "Death Blossom" wasn't it? Indeed. Push a button and you win. Why the hell was the kid needed at all?
I would vote the large-scale stuff from the original Buck Rogers movie over Last Starfighter. Also a big armada and a silly means of destroying it, but cool Terran ships and Erin Gray to boot. Of course, the best special effect of that movie was the princess-tig-ole-biddies and the anti-gravity jubblies.
The NBC series did okay, but mostly seemed to re-use the movie effects for in-flight scenes. Still, a great launch sequence.
Oh, and I almost forgot UFO. Maybe not the most cutting-edge in today's terms, but who among us wasn't scared of the alien ships (gave me memorable nightmares that I still remember), and loved those SHADO Interceptors? Nothing but an engine and a missile.
Interceptors!...1...2...3...
Wicked cool show. I hated that my Dinky SHADO Interceptor was metallic green rather than the white mil-spec look of the show.
I'll not comment on the practicality of such battle tactics, nor on the movie's total disregard for the book, but Starship Troopers had some interesting special effects during the assault on Klendathu--the bug homeworld. Seeing the Rodger Young and other transports lumbering about, colliding stupidly, and eating bug plasma was pretty cool--a good example of what happens when close formations of stupid people in big ships blindly fly over excellent AAA.
Ack. If they'd just paid a little attention to Heinlein's book. Sigh.
..author of such rubbish as The Difference Engine? God, I should hope not. It'd be full of techie-angst-mystery and Slashdotters would either point to it as the acme of Western culture or as the most disappointing let-down of the past 500 years...including the Comet Kohoutek.
Remember, screenwriters are more than just authors. And a bad author...ick. You'd get Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions all over again.
And, like the article implies, the scene was there because the technology was there. Today's arcades (at least in the US) just don't have the same attraction as the interactive, inexpensive gaming console or pc. You get it, all right.
Man, you and I BOTH were there. Can you imagine anyone writing a song about the aforementioned "Generic Racer X 2450 blah blah"? Much less an entire ALBUM of songs (I bought the Buckner and Garcia tape for such classics as "Goin' Berzerk" along with "Pac Man Fever.")!? It's just not the same thing.
Now we have the pay-to-play PC and console bars; could THIS be the new model? Beer and Counterstrike in a never-ending LAN party?
I would argue that you're assuming you're INNOCENT. The rule-of-thumb: 1) if you're innocent, trial by judge 2) if you're guilty, trial by jury.
Obviously, a guilty man has much to benefit from a panel of easily-swayed sheep. (cough cough OJ cough cough)
...and for dessert....here it comes....blueberry pie!
:)
Thanks, Violet.
"Who really gives a shit?"
This isn't some big icon of popular culture that's going to go down in history as a symbol for the age - it's a videogame and a couple of mediocre movies.
Sheesh.
You're thinking about Ark 2. If you look well, you'll notice several differences between the Ark and the Damnation Alley "landmaster" vehicles. According to THIS GUY the Ark 2 vehicle was taken apart to become another prop. He's pretty sure about it, and appears to anger easily. :) Still, they ARE both pointy, multi-wheeled vehicles.
I would argue that the school's mascot - the boilermakers - would probably have a lot more to do with the idea for the technology.
Great stuff!
Ha! Good one!
Seriously, though - I grew up the only child of the founder of a large concrete and construction company. You start responding to this error in knee-jerk fashion over time. Sorta like the way I like to make college kids -who "know" C++ - cry.
No, you retards.
Cement is what goes into concrete.
And don't call it a cement truck either. A cement truck is a dry bulk container truck, usually with multiple, bottom-dump sleeves. A concrete truck has a big rotating drum.
William Gibson!?
*COUGH*Hack!*COUGH*
I've gotta get over this cold...
Back in 1978, our rockets were made of carved balsa - no foam at all. The big tip? Make sure your fins gave the rocket a slightly nose-down attitude when moving on the cables. SO many people were crapped out at the start when their rockets nosed up and fouled their propellers in the lines.