The plain simple truth is this: For every dollar you receive that is not yours, and if you don't try to correct the error as soon as you are aware of it that is theft. Patrons demand that businesses are accurate in billing you for goods and services and that their employees follow that policy of accuracy. Businesses demand the same accuracy from you, the customer. Now, don't take this to mean that mistakes don't happen, because they do. If you as a customer, are charged too much, you will likely insist that the error be corrected as you discover the error. Why would this be any different for a business? If an ATM spits out too much money, it is not yours to keep just because there was an error. By not reporting it, you are no better than common petty thief.
I think that many of you complaining that the number is off seem to forget that this game is played in other countries and there are specific servers for those countries, as well.
While there are many gold farmers with accounts in this game, some of those gold farmers are Americans of a non-Asian ethnicity. You may also forget there are many many GIRLS that play WoW also. That will help boost those numbers. I being one of them. This game has appealed to more people within the world due to it's design as being for people of (almost)all ages. Granted most would be within the 14-25 range there can be found many players outside of this range. My husband and I fit that mold, both of us are above the age of 35.
Blizzard doesn't need to buff their numbers, why would they need too. The popularity of the game has far surpassed even their expectations.
Regardless of your opinions on the quality of the game, they have been very successful in the marketing strategy of this game, They've made it addictive and fun for people of wide ranges. They've allowed mod to influence the future changes / improvements of the game. They are constantly updating and improving the game. They work with in-game user to help resolve matters in the game that creep up. They provide forums for people to discuss, complain, compliment the game. They offer some measure of control on jerk who want to ruin it. They Perma-ban accounts for those who constantly abuse the rules that the customers accept with every patch.
Blizzard has done more for the gaming community than most others. Consider that.
I heard the audio article on NPR about a month or two ago. I believe that they are starting with old vinyls first and then they moving to the wax cylinder recordings.
In the article, I believe the played a Wax Cylinder recording as it originally sounded and then a fixed up version. There was a bit of improvement, but they haven't perfected the technology just yet.
While this may have be discussed and done in the last 15 years according to many posters, this is supposed to be using some better technology to improve sound quality. Unfortunately, I don't remember enough of the details of the audio article to provide better insight.
PONG Dave 2 - by John Carmack (I think) Scorched Earth Think
There was a $5 bin game called Think, great puzzle game for early gaming. Decent graphics, decent level of complexity in puzzles. I wouldn't call it a B-Game, but I've never met anyone else who's heard of it.
... to go back a few days before the spoiler and just make sure you somehow leave yourself a clue to not be tempted to read the spoilers you'll see in a couple of day.
Sheesh! Every good wizard knows about the time traveling necklace by now.
So how long before they charge you for singing in the shower?
I can see it now, I'm walking down the street and listening to my IPOD and singing to the current tune, some Joe Nobody will stop and have to pay me a dime because I'm singing it out loud and he's hearing it inadvertantly.
The human being needs space and to be able to have his/her own thoughts, feeling, and actions, be their own.
Why should be give up our right to privacy? It is a Constituational right. But it is also a personal right. Stop for a moment to consider how much you want other people knowing about your bad habits. Opposite side, of that picture, do you really want to know how much lint come from your neighbors...... pockets?
I say no. Privacy is needed for inner peace of mind. This includes the knowlege that you are not being watched 24/7. People are more stressed out stuggling to keep their private lives private rather than enjoying their lives.
My char on WoW is a female and when asked I admit to being a female playing a female. But once I'm on vent, people who don't know me often mistake the sound of my voice for being that of a young boy. The sad fact is that I'm a 36 year old woman.
... I've experienced something similar to this young individual's plight. I live within a commute to DC. I drive a chunk of the way up and then go to the Metro station. Well a few years ago, I pulled into the garage and saw that parking was $3.75, to be paid on exit. No where when I entered the structure did it say, it had to be paid on a Metro card.
At the end of the day I went to leave and found I couldn't without going to buy a metro card. So I go to buy one for $3.75. WRONG! They charged me $5.00 to buy the card and told me that I could not buy one for less then $10.00. Sounds fishy right? Sadly it is all perfectly legal.
The parking garage is a privately owned operation. So I was subjected to having to use their currency. Next, I asked in a letter to them why I was force to spend $10.00 to get out of a $3.75 parking garage. They explained that attendants were stealing from them, so they are passing the bill to me to buy the technology of having to use their card. Next they mentioned that the card could / would be useable for the Metro too. I was livid, but had no course of action for within the station, it posted that the garage fee was to be paid via a metro card and those were the terms of using the service.
So as I've read the Treas.gov link I realized even more so how F'd up this system is.
When we see the $ we naturally assume cash because that is how we've been trained to think. $ = money. So really the terminology should be changed, to Credit or Check value without the use of $'s. It is a huge undertaking, but if you expect people to use your currency you should define it before services are ever rendered which allows the customer / client to decide if it is indeed worth bringing their business to you.
There are many informative and interesting posts in this thread, but I have failed to see where we hold the people directly responsible.
There is a sense of responsibility on the Consumer, that no one here seems to be addressing. Your information is YOUR information. If you are careless with YOUR information then you, the consumer are responsibile.
Don't be so willing to provide your name and address to anyone. Don't read or give anyone your SSN like it's candy. Protect all credit card receipts and credit cards. Don't leave wallets and purses out so thieves can steal your info.
Don't sign up for every freaking credit card offer available.
Read your statements. Make sure you are aware of every purchase and at the first sign of a compromised account, you simply call your credit card company and get a new card issued.
Shred old paperwork with personal info, I don't mean strip shredding, I mean really shred that stuff good.
If you dispose of an old credit card, don't just shred it, throw away pieces in different places so that the info on the old card can't be used later.
If all this is too much, then go back to writing checks and hand delivering them to a location where you can pay your bills. Deal with cash only. People are much more careful when they have that physical green in hand. They should treat their info with the same care.
Yes this is alot of responsibility, but this would stop a majority of fraud right away. Then it would be easier to stop the other fraudulent activities because they would be so exposed.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is standard practice to fingerprint for any job in a Financial institution, or any job for that matter where the information is highly sensitive. When you work for a Financial institution, you have access to people's private info. Names, SSN, Finances.
Financeial Institutions include some of the following: Credit Card Companies Mortgage Brokers Stock Market Firms Anywhere on Wall Street Banks Casinos Govt jobs...
Think of it from the consumer side, would you want your private data trusted to someone with a criminal record or an Identity thief? NO. So to ensure the consumer that their data is safe and not be sued by consumers, Companies must check out their potential employees.
I read in this thread, when did we lose our FREEDOM? Well honestly, we are losing freedoms every day. How many of us who bitch "When did we lose our Freedom?" stop to fight for keeping said freedoms? People don't fight for rights they way they were fought for from 1776 through the early 20th century. Our citizens have lost that will to secure their civil liberties.
You want freedoms, help stop theft, go march in DC, work for your freedoms... don't just sit on the sideline looking all confused. If your smart enough to realize you've lost a freedom, then you were smart enough to fight to keep it. Why didn't you?
National Geographic did a hugh article in March called Diamonds, The Real Story. Sadly, almost all precious stones fall under the symbol of Deadly Love Token. The article not only points out how people are just killed for even looking like they took a diamond from a Diamond Cartel, children are mutilated to show warning signs. As a single female, I like the look of diamonds, but if I'd rather it be purchase from somewhere where someone didn't die to get it to the market. I'd rather see a token of love shared be more unique then the big Rock. I don't want a Deadly Love Token.
These are just my thoughts, and I'll probably be a hypocrit when that day comes...
Slashdot Mirror
The plain simple truth is this: For every dollar you receive that is not yours, and if you don't try to correct the error as soon as you are aware of it that is theft. Patrons demand that businesses are accurate in billing you for goods and services and that their employees follow that policy of accuracy. Businesses demand the same accuracy from you, the customer. Now, don't take this to mean that mistakes don't happen, because they do. If you as a customer, are charged too much, you will likely insist that the error be corrected as you discover the error. Why would this be any different for a business? If an ATM spits out too much money, it is not yours to keep just because there was an error. By not reporting it, you are no better than common petty thief.
Fuba!
Fuba!
Fuba!
Ding!
What'a a Wii?
I wish he'd stop pushing my buttons....
Sorry about much of the mis-spelling in my post, I didn't have a lot of time to post it, and I didn't have time to proof-read.
I think that many of you complaining that the number is off seem to forget that this game is played in other countries and there are specific servers for those countries, as well.
While there are many gold farmers with accounts in this game, some of those gold farmers are Americans of a non-Asian ethnicity. You may also forget there are many many GIRLS that play WoW also. That will help boost those numbers. I being one of them. This game has appealed to more people within the world due to it's design as being for people of (almost)all ages. Granted most would be within the 14-25 range there can be found many players outside of this range. My husband and I fit that mold, both of us are above the age of 35.
Blizzard doesn't need to buff their numbers, why would they need too. The popularity of the game has far surpassed even their expectations.
Regardless of your opinions on the quality of the game, they have been very successful in the marketing strategy of this game, They've made it addictive and fun for people of wide ranges. They've allowed mod to influence the future changes / improvements of the game. They are constantly updating and improving the game. They work with in-game user to help resolve matters in the game that creep up. They provide forums for people to discuss, complain, compliment the game. They offer some measure of control on jerk who want to ruin it. They Perma-ban accounts for those who constantly abuse the rules that the customers accept with every patch.
Blizzard has done more for the gaming community than most others. Consider that.
I heard the audio article on NPR about a month or two ago. I believe that they are starting with old vinyls first and then they moving to the wax cylinder recordings.
In the article, I believe the played a Wax Cylinder recording as it originally sounded and then a fixed up version. There was a bit of improvement, but they haven't perfected the technology just yet.
While this may have be discussed and done in the last 15 years according to many posters, this is supposed to be using some better technology to improve sound quality. Unfortunately, I don't remember enough of the details of the audio article to provide better insight.
PONG
Dave 2 - by John Carmack (I think)
Scorched Earth
Think
There was a $5 bin game called Think, great puzzle game for early gaming. Decent graphics, decent level of complexity in puzzles. I wouldn't call it a B-Game, but I've never met anyone else who's heard of it.
... to go back a few days before the spoiler and just make sure you somehow leave yourself a clue to not be tempted to read the spoilers you'll see in a couple of day.
Sheesh! Every good wizard knows about the time traveling necklace by now.
My dad gave my mom a Mobius strip wedding ring. Neither one of them had any idea what it was.
.... cuz I'm gonna take it. /look left /look right /vanish
It's awesome....when she dies, it mine....
And yet another intrusion into the private life of the consumer.
How about those of us who don't want ANY advertisements at all.
"Bad Microsoft, bad bad Microsoft"!
This is a sinful pleasure of mine, but honestly...
Worst Movie Evar!
So how long before they charge you for singing in the shower?
I can see it now, I'm walking down the street and listening to my IPOD and singing to the current tune, some Joe Nobody will stop and have to pay me a dime because I'm singing it out loud and he's hearing it inadvertantly.
Just a crazy thought.
Good point, thanks for the correction.
Sum times me nub
The human being needs space and to be able to have his/her own thoughts, feeling, and actions, be their own.
Why should be give up our right to privacy? It is a Constituational right. But it is also a personal right. Stop for a moment to consider how much you want other people knowing about your bad habits. Opposite side, of that picture, do you really want to know how much lint come from your neighbors...... pockets?
I say no. Privacy is needed for inner peace of mind. This includes the knowlege that you are not being watched 24/7. People are more stressed out stuggling to keep their private lives private rather than enjoying their lives.
My char on WoW is a female and when asked I admit to being a female playing a female. But once I'm on vent, people who don't know me often mistake the sound of my voice for being that of a young boy. The sad fact is that I'm a 36 year old woman.
LAWL!
... I've experienced something similar to this young individual's plight. I live within a commute to DC. I drive a chunk of the way up and then go to the Metro station. Well a few years ago, I pulled into the garage and saw that parking was $3.75, to be paid on exit. No where when I entered the structure did it say, it had to be paid on a Metro card.
At the end of the day I went to leave and found I couldn't without going to buy a metro card. So I go to buy one for $3.75. WRONG! They charged me $5.00 to buy the card and told me that I could not buy one for less then $10.00. Sounds fishy right? Sadly it is all perfectly legal.
The parking garage is a privately owned operation. So I was subjected to having to use their currency. Next, I asked in a letter to them why I was force to spend $10.00 to get out of a $3.75 parking garage. They explained that attendants were stealing from them, so they are passing the bill to me to buy the technology of having to use their card. Next they mentioned that the card could / would be useable for the Metro too. I was livid, but had no course of action for within the station, it posted that the garage fee was to be paid via a metro card and those were the terms of using the service.
So as I've read the Treas.gov link I realized even more so how F'd up this system is.
When we see the $ we naturally assume cash because that is how we've been trained to think. $ = money. So really the terminology should be changed, to Credit or Check value without the use of $'s. It is a huge undertaking, but if you expect people to use your currency you should define it before services are ever rendered which allows the customer / client to decide if it is indeed worth bringing their business to you.
There are many informative and interesting posts in this thread, but I have failed to see where we hold the people directly responsible.
There is a sense of responsibility on the Consumer, that no one here seems to be addressing. Your information is YOUR information. If you are careless with YOUR information then you, the consumer are responsibile.
Don't be so willing to provide your name and address to anyone. Don't read or give anyone your SSN like it's candy. Protect all credit card receipts and credit cards. Don't leave wallets and purses out so thieves can steal your info.
Don't sign up for every freaking credit card offer available.
Read your statements. Make sure you are aware of every purchase and at the first sign of a compromised account, you simply call your credit card company and get a new card issued.
Shred old paperwork with personal info, I don't mean strip shredding, I mean really shred that stuff good.
If you dispose of an old credit card, don't just shred it, throw away pieces in different places so that the info on the old card can't be used later.
If all this is too much, then go back to writing checks and hand delivering them to a location where you can pay your bills. Deal with cash only. People are much more careful when they have that physical green in hand. They should treat their info with the same care.
Yes this is alot of responsibility, but this would stop a majority of fraud right away. Then it would be easier to stop the other fraudulent activities because they would be so exposed.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is standard practice to fingerprint for any job in a Financial institution, or any job for that matter where the information is highly sensitive. When you work for a Financial institution, you have access to people's private info. Names, SSN, Finances.
...
Financeial Institutions include some of the following:
Credit Card Companies
Mortgage Brokers
Stock Market Firms
Anywhere on Wall Street
Banks
Casinos
Govt jobs
Think of it from the consumer side, would you want your private data trusted to someone with a criminal record or an Identity thief? NO. So to ensure the consumer that their data is safe and not be sued by consumers, Companies must check out their potential employees.
I read in this thread, when did we lose our FREEDOM? Well honestly, we are losing freedoms every day. How many of us who bitch "When did we lose our Freedom?" stop to fight for keeping said freedoms? People don't fight for rights they way they were fought for from 1776 through the early 20th century. Our citizens have lost that will to secure their civil liberties.
You want freedoms, help stop theft, go march in DC, work for your freedoms... don't just sit on the sideline looking all confused. If your smart enough to realize you've lost a freedom, then you were smart enough to fight to keep it. Why didn't you?
-Silly
National Geographic did a hugh article in March called Diamonds, The Real Story. Sadly, almost all precious stones fall under the symbol of Deadly Love Token. The article not only points out how people are just killed for even looking like they took a diamond from a Diamond Cartel, children are mutilated to show warning signs. As a single female, I like the look of diamonds, but if I'd rather it be purchase from somewhere where someone didn't die to get it to the market. I'd rather see a token of love shared be more unique then the big Rock. I don't want a Deadly Love Token.
These are just my thoughts, and I'll probably be a hypocrit when that day comes...
I don't think I could have said it better myself. Well spoken.
The meaning of the name Celest is "Angel from Heaven", for anyone who is curious its meaning.