I recently resubbed after taking a year or so off, and I'm enjoying it again. And space PvP is launching in the next couple of weeks! The PvP aspect really appeals to me, while I can't be bothered to check out endgame PvE. To each their own.
You can play for free if you'd like to check it out.
Both of your points are spot on and the are reason I refuse to give any money to Wikimedia as well as contribute to it. And Jimmy's response/attitude just reinforces that my feelings are justified. Seriously Fark that guy!
The deletionist movement in particular runs contrary to the whole idea of a crowd sourced informational website.
I rarely post here, but I just wanted to offer my support to your observations, since I have noticed them as well.
I'm currently on AT&T but don't have a smart phone nor contract. Just month to month, and while I want to stay with them since they have the best coverage in my area, it seems this is just screwing over the customers who didn't get an iPhone or unlimited plan prior, even more.
I really want an Android phone and am willing to pay for an unlocked HTC one, but I wouldn't be able to get an unlimited data plan. However I can always sign up for Verizon and get the same HTC phone, which AT&T doesn't even offer and get an unlimited data plan. Hell I can sign up right now for an iPhone with Verizon and get unlimited too. Not so much from AT&T.
This makes absolutely no sense if your goal is to retain customers. If I didn't hate Verizon so much I would have probably already signed up.
I've had a recent change of heart as well when it comes to Blizzard. Not as a result of this, but some of their other recent and monetary based decisions. I have been a fan from the beginning and have bought all of their games. But no longer. I've already sent them an email expressing my feelings.
It's sad that such a great company is being run my greedy wankers.
The gift that is life/consciousness/whatever you want to call it, is that choice! Even if you choose to not believe in it, you have still excised your right to choose.
Yes humans are animals in nature, and creatures of habit. But it's that choice that separates us from the animals.
Ahhh yes... Good old Stillwater. I did my time @ Creative back in the day, and remember the second level helpdesk station quite vividly. And no I wasn't the victim of the prank.
I do remember working with a certain cute female, and there were some guys on the floor who would hang up on you, only to call back hoping they would get a chance to talk to the cute girl. hehe
Wow! I haven't thought about those days in a long long time.
As a former Creative Labs employee, Creative's actions are not surprising in the least.
I havent' worked for them in over 10 years, but I still recall this story. This was before Creative Lab's even thought about providing developer support.
Anyways, a game developer contacted Creative looking for some assistance. He was developing a new game, and wanted some insight with their drivers and the best way to interface with them. Well Creative spurned his request, dismissing him as a nobody. He was upset, but moved on and solved his problems without Creative's help. The developer's name was John Carmack, and he goes on to release Doom. The rest is history.
I remember the developer support department being created during that time in response to the whole thing. And then a year or so later Creative tries to capitilize on id's success by getting them to use Creative's new audio technology. Carmack remembering how fondly he was treated when he was a nobody, turns down every offer Creative threw at him. Classic!
Not sure if we worked together, but it's pretty obvious that things haven't changed much in the 11 years since I left Creative.
I am surprised they have lasted this long to be honest.
Most of the posters here are obviously not parents
on
The ESRB Gets An 'F'
·
· Score: 1
Disclaimer, neither am I, however, I have not forgotten what it is like to be a teen.
A lot of people are talking about 15-16 year olds having money, well let me tell you that they aren't spending it all on video games, and video games should be the least concern for parents. Think about it.
When it comes to younger kids, then yes video games should be a concern, and then it falls back on the parents because it is they who are giving/buying them a $300 console & $50 per game.
Personally I despise all laws and regulations that try and take the responsibility out of parenting. Yes my parents controlled what I watched, played, listened to, until I reached 16-17. Did it suck? Yes. Am I probably better off because of it? Yes.
Why should retailers be responsible for parenting kids? They are retailers, their job is to sell product and make money.
If more parents took more interest in their children's lives I don't think that we would be having this discussion.
Also how come everyone has forgetten the allure of a restricted product/act? The bigger deal that society makes about something, the more alluring it is to those who are restricted.
Even as adults, I know lots of people who have the mentality that "the more someone tells me I can't do something, the more I am going to do it"
The bigger deal that people make about games like GTA: Vice City and such, the more they are going to drive kids to play it and see what all the fuss is about.
Not sure who is the originator but the quote "There is no such thing as bad publicity" holds true in this case.
And game developers like Rockstar, publicy decry negative reports and ratings, but you know that in the board room, they are loving them, because they see higher sales results from negative reports than from positive reviews.
So why the NIMF likes to think they are protecting kids and decreasing sales, they really aren't doing anything but feed the fire.
First off let me state that I am posting this from a Debian box & Firefox, and have been using Linux for a long time.
It is my defacto server install. I replace Windows servers left and right with it and get praises for it.
But it drives me crazy as a desktop computer!!! I can't wait for my Mac! I curse it almost as much as I cursed my Windows box.
Here are some of my complaints.
Multimedia:
Linux suffers here, and as the net grows more media rich, it will continue to suffer. I have MPlayer installed and using it with hesitations. The version installed by Debian and upgraded with apt-get crashed on certain MP3 files. I had to recompile MPlayer to correct this. Average Joe Blow does not want to recompile an app everytime there is a problem or fix.
And MPlayer can't seek streams or DVDs. I can't even pause a stream, it starts over from the beginning when I press play again. Two things the even WMP can handle with ease.
Download Manager:
I have searched for a simple easy to use Download manager and I can't find one. If someone knows of one please let me know. Net Transport and Download Mage are still some of my favorite apps. I like the ability to queue and download files while I sleep.
CD/DVD Burner software:
Linux is totally lacking in this department. I am burning both CDs and DVDs but it is not as simple and feature rich as it is on a Mac or Windows box. I don't even bother burning some stuff at all on Linux, and use my Windows box instead.
Libraries:
I can't tell you how many times I have had to find/download/compile some library just to get some app to work. Or find out that it only supports a certain version of said library. It can be a pain in the ass to even the most experienced user. The average computer user definately does not want to have to deal with this in the slightest.
Support:
Don't even get me started on this. I can't tell you how many times I have had someone get all uppity when I try and seek help to a question, especially to something that should just work. There are a lot of zealots out there that need to lay off the Kool-aid for a minute and actually try listening to someone who wants to use Linux and help them out, instead of immediately going on the defensive and belittling the user. It happens a lot more than people think or realize.
I can go on, but these are the ones that haunt me on a regular basis. And while they might seem trivial to you, I find them very annoying as I would not have to deal with any of these issues on Mac or Windows PC. Not to mention they would probably completely baffle the average Joe user.
I wish everyone the best success on trying to get Linux to the desktops, but I feel that it has a looong way to go. There are a lot of problems that are inherent to Linux due to Linux itself. And I don't see them going away anytime soon.
And that is why I promote Linux 100% in the server arena, and Macs for the desktop.
Kind Herb -- "Whether you suffer from glaucoma, or you just rented The Matrix, medical marijuana can make things fabulous, medically!" --Homer J. Simpson
Slashdot Mirror
I recently resubbed after taking a year or so off, and I'm enjoying it again. And space PvP is launching in the next couple of weeks! The PvP aspect really appeals to me, while I can't be bothered to check out endgame PvE. To each their own.
You can play for free if you'd like to check it out.
Both of your points are spot on and the are reason I refuse to give any money to Wikimedia as well as contribute to it. And Jimmy's response/attitude just reinforces that my feelings are justified. Seriously Fark that guy!
The deletionist movement in particular runs contrary to the whole idea of a crowd sourced informational website.
I rarely post here, but I just wanted to offer my support to your observations, since I have noticed them as well.
I'm currently on AT&T but don't have a smart phone nor contract. Just month to month, and while I want to stay with them since they have the best coverage in my area, it seems this is just screwing over the customers who didn't get an iPhone or unlimited plan prior, even more.
I really want an Android phone and am willing to pay for an unlocked HTC one, but I wouldn't be able to get an unlimited data plan. However I can always sign up for Verizon and get the same HTC phone, which AT&T doesn't even offer and get an unlimited data plan. Hell I can sign up right now for an iPhone with Verizon and get unlimited too. Not so much from AT&T.
This makes absolutely no sense if your goal is to retain customers. If I didn't hate Verizon so much I would have probably already signed up.
*sigh*
I've had a recent change of heart as well when it comes to Blizzard. Not as a result of this, but some of their other recent and monetary based decisions. I have been a fan from the beginning and have bought all of their games. But no longer. I've already sent them an email expressing my feelings.
It's sad that such a great company is being run my greedy wankers.
The gift that is life/consciousness/whatever you want to call it, is that choice! Even if you choose to not believe in it, you have still excised your right to choose.
Yes humans are animals in nature, and creatures of habit. But it's that choice that separates us from the animals.
Aloha AC!
Ahhh yes... Good old Stillwater. I did my time @ Creative back in the day, and remember the second level helpdesk station quite vividly. And no I wasn't the victim of the prank.
I do remember working with a certain cute female, and there were some guys on the floor who would hang up on you, only to call back hoping they would get a chance to talk to the cute girl. hehe
Wow! I haven't thought about those days in a long long time.
As a former Creative Labs employee, Creative's actions are not surprising in the least.
I havent' worked for them in over 10 years, but I still recall this story. This was before Creative Lab's even thought about providing developer support.
Anyways, a game developer contacted Creative looking for some assistance. He was developing a new game, and wanted some insight with their drivers and the best way to interface with them. Well Creative spurned his request, dismissing him as a nobody. He was upset, but moved on and solved his problems without Creative's help. The developer's name was John Carmack, and he goes on to release Doom. The rest is history.
I remember the developer support department being created during that time in response to the whole thing. And then a year or so later Creative tries to capitilize on id's success by getting them to use Creative's new audio technology. Carmack remembering how fondly he was treated when he was a nobody, turns down every offer Creative threw at him. Classic!
Some things never change.
hehehe you too?
Not sure if we worked together, but it's pretty obvious that things haven't changed much in the 11 years since I left Creative.
I am surprised they have lasted this long to be honest.
Disclaimer, neither am I, however, I have not forgotten what it is like to be a teen.
A lot of people are talking about 15-16 year olds having money, well let me tell you that they aren't spending it all on video games, and video games should be the least concern for parents. Think about it.
When it comes to younger kids, then yes video games should be a concern, and then it falls back on the parents because it is they who are giving/buying them a $300 console & $50 per game.
Personally I despise all laws and regulations that try and take the responsibility out of parenting. Yes my parents controlled what I watched, played, listened to, until I reached 16-17. Did it suck? Yes. Am I probably better off because of it? Yes.
Why should retailers be responsible for parenting kids? They are retailers, their job is to sell product and make money.
If more parents took more interest in their children's lives I don't think that we would be having this discussion.
Also how come everyone has forgetten the allure of a restricted product/act? The bigger deal that society makes about something, the more alluring it is to those who are restricted.
Even as adults, I know lots of people who have the mentality that "the more someone tells me I can't do something, the more I am going to do it"
The bigger deal that people make about games like GTA: Vice City and such, the more they are going to drive kids to play it and see what all the fuss is about.
Not sure who is the originator but the quote "There is no such thing as bad publicity" holds true in this case.
And game developers like Rockstar, publicy decry negative reports and ratings, but you know that in the board room, they are loving them, because they see higher sales results from negative reports than from positive reviews.
So why the NIMF likes to think they are protecting kids and decreasing sales, they really aren't doing anything but feed the fire.
Kind Herb
First off let me state that I am posting this from a Debian box & Firefox, and have been using Linux for a long time.
It is my defacto server install. I replace Windows servers left and right with it and get praises for it.
But it drives me crazy as a desktop computer!!! I can't wait for my Mac! I curse it almost as much as I cursed my Windows box.
Here are some of my complaints.
Multimedia:
Linux suffers here, and as the net grows more media rich, it will continue to suffer.
I have MPlayer installed and using it with hesitations. The version installed by Debian and upgraded with apt-get crashed on certain MP3 files. I had to recompile MPlayer to correct this. Average Joe Blow does not want to recompile an app everytime there is a problem or fix.
And MPlayer can't seek streams or DVDs. I can't even pause a stream, it starts over from the beginning when I press play again. Two things the even WMP can handle with ease.
Download Manager:
I have searched for a simple easy to use Download manager and I can't find one. If someone knows of one please let me know. Net Transport and Download Mage are still some of my favorite apps. I like the ability to queue and download files while I sleep.
CD/DVD Burner software:
Linux is totally lacking in this department. I am burning both CDs and DVDs but it is not as simple and feature rich as it is on a Mac or Windows box. I don't even bother burning some stuff at all on Linux, and use my Windows box instead.
Libraries:
I can't tell you how many times I have had to find/download/compile some library just to get some app to work. Or find out that it only supports a certain version of said library. It can be a pain in the ass to even the most experienced user. The average computer user definately does not want to have to deal with this in the slightest.
Support:
Don't even get me started on this. I can't tell you how many times I have had someone get all uppity when I try and seek help to a question, especially to something that should just work. There are a lot of zealots out there that need to lay off the Kool-aid for a minute and actually try listening to someone who wants to use Linux and help them out, instead of immediately going on the defensive and belittling the user. It happens a lot more than people think or realize.
I can go on, but these are the ones that haunt me on a regular basis. And while they might seem trivial to you, I find them very annoying as I would not have to deal with any of these issues on Mac or Windows PC. Not to mention they would probably completely baffle the average Joe user.
I wish everyone the best success on trying to get Linux to the desktops, but I feel that it has a looong way to go. There are a lot of problems that are inherent to Linux due to Linux itself. And I don't see them going away anytime soon.
And that is why I promote Linux 100% in the server arena, and Macs for the desktop.
Kind Herb
--
"Whether you suffer from glaucoma, or you just rented The Matrix, medical marijuana can make things fabulous, medically!" --Homer J. Simpson
None of the 50 companies in the initial lawsuits are based in California.
So how come PanIP, a Ca. based company, isn't suing another Ca. based company?
Is there something that PanIP knows that the rest of us doesn't?
Or is it to skip the state courts and proceed directly to the federal level?
--Kind Herb
"Whether you suffer from Glaucoma, or you just rented the Matrix, marijuana can make things fabulous, medically!" --Homer J. Simpson