Personally, I would just like a clear distinction to be made between organised religion and personal beliefs/faith/spirituality. One no longer has anything whatsoever to do with the other (in most cases I see), part of the reason I abandoned the institutional church many years ago.
Freedom of speech, thought & expression should never be limited or stifled in any way by anyone else's religious beliefs or political agenda/views, more like. Separation of church and state must remain inviolate & fundamentally 'constitutional', even though the clause is not in ours down-under, sadly.
Our radio journo Jonesy & his station got dragged over hot coals recently for simply saying (at a Liberal party speech, NOT on national radio, mind you), that our PM's recently deceased father would have been mortally ashamed of her if her were still alive. I am yet to hear anyone offer any clear evidence to the contrary, funnily enough. Perhaps he was proud of her, or perhaps he did in fact 'die of shame' & is still turning over in his grave, who knows?
If you can't joke about death at a funeral, or kiddy-diddling at a church service, then WTF is our world coming to I say!? But yes, the Indians are only one half step better than the Iranians or other Islamic fundies. I think the first & last war on 'terror' should be fought by first extricating ALL religious & corporate control/influence from all countries' political power structures, plain & simple. Starting with the US of course:).
I would just like a filter to NOT see anything and everything related to Apple or their iCrap. Except the legal battles with Android - now they are fun reading!:)
1. Nethack already runs on Linux & most other toasters 2. Nethack, after you've played it a handful of times, is more of an obsessive compulsive disorder, rather than a game 3. Nethack is to 'real' gamers what Excel is to real programmers:)
I both agree & disagree with you. As I spend 2hrs on the train each day, I find myself often reading just a few pages of one book, then a few of another, or completely different ebooks at night, etc. What irks me is that this illusion of choice creates a type of reading ADD, so you either never quite finish a book, or lose the flow of the story. A book really had to be compelling for me to read it to the exclusion of all others these days...last time that happened was probably with a paperback, which had to sit on my bedside table, so was the only book I read until I finished it. So, you're correct, indirectly - having 1000s of ebooks at your fingertips is probably NOT conducive to quality reading in a lot of ways *sigh*.
Not at all - I'm well aware of the incestuous bi-partizan nature of Aus politics & bemoan the days long gone when we had the democrats & a couple other minor parties that actually had an impact. And the greens don't always align themselves with Labor, same for the independents, who are usually, well *independent* for a reason...except when they are promised a lifetime's rich pension/super for a couple years 'work', sitting on their arses & either raising or not raising their hand when the top dog says so.
I actually think it's a shame that being "in power" no longer means that the party or leader have real power any more as have to resort to wheeling & dealing & cajoling numerous third parties (& the opposition) to get anything passed through. It makes a mockery of the representative democratic process, as if it wasn't a mockery of itself enough already! I would actually like to see an executive branch, ala the US, in Aus, with perhaps the state branch being relegated to far lesser stature/power, while giving local councils a bit more actual power/budget/accountability. It is far easier to -scrutinise one man, who wilds ultimate power, than 40+ front/back benchers, all covering each other's arses & finger-pointing, in the musical cabinet-shuffle game.
Our condolences on the later...though it is cute how you managed to insert 'console' and 'gaming' into the same sentence while breathing through your nose.;-p
The real question is, why do we want to play games that were designed for Windoze in that first place...on Linux?:-/ If the devs don't deem it profitable or worthwhile (for whatever reasons) to support the Linux community, then are they worth supporting with our dollar? In the end, we're all shiny, precious whores when it comes to a great game. The only games I was eagerly anticipating with much saliva over the past 12 mths were SWTOR, Diablo3 & GW2. Only one of those made good on 90%+ of its promises, while the other 2 struggled to hit 50% imo.
But, I'm an alt-o-holic when it comes to mmo chars & same with games. I probably have literally several hundred installed or 'online' across 3 or 4 PCs (with a number on USB sticks or old HDDs), so I can either fire them up inside a couple mins, or install from images in under 10mins otherwise.
So, the real answer for me is, 'most of them', but I could narrow it down to 10 to 12 that take up most of my time these days, if I really had to. Add to that *all* new games & you might get me & many other Win gaming victims to switch to Linux of some flavour. I'd even switch to Linux if I could get a reliable, stable, fully-featured VM to run inside my Win7 environment, but even that has its problems.
^ This an only this. Is there another game worth wasting quality time on, compared to this star in the crown jewels of online (in fact, any) gaming...?
Whereas it is widely accepted in palaeontology circles that humans and donkeys share a common ancestor (through mammalia), unfortunately, most dinosaurs have a different reptilian ancestor to ours, which started in the Triassic. Ok, I have NFI idea where I was going with this, but I have to hit post now that I've typed this much!;-p
We're pretty much 2-party as well down-under, though we now have a marginal gov in power, bought and paid for with few independent & greens votes. And Labor is still in power as a result, even though the Libs have 1 more seat in the house of reps (your congress). This is as much as failing of the 51% 'representative' democratic systems in the western world, which have devolved from what the 2-tier Westminster system was created & meant to stand for (even in the UK). All we get now are front/back benchers shuffling cabinets, mostly for arse-covering reasons; the prime minister/president is a figurehead with little real power as far as exercising the 'will of the people' goes; and the parties have set it up so you always have to choose the lesser of 2 evils, just like Coke & Pepsi. Is it time for the ammo box, as you yanks put it so eloquently...?;)
Best post so far in this thread (though I'm not from the US & generally neutral as far as your politics go). And I blew my mod points when I posted earlier here...dang.
One more thing: as per the #1 item on the OWS wish list, TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS! Every last red cent (if you have one - our minimum coin is a silver 5c piece now).
That seems to be the same insanity that's creeping back into the population now here down-under. Labor, though they have fucked up & lied in every imaginable way (& some unimaginable!) are closing the gap in the polls. What is it that the mind does next after it *boggles* lol? Though it's probably unfair to draw parallels as I don't know enough about US politics to have an informed argument, even though I watched your pres elections with more interest than our last federal ones. We have to remember that this was just the pres elections & the GOP still rules congress I believe, though the Ds control the senate...errr...correct? It's just like a 3-ring circus over there, ey guys?;)
I do like your sig though - I have a motivational poster with another one of his favourite quotes of mine: “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” - if more politicians subscribed to these two extremely simple & easy principles...well, you can imagine.;)
Looking at the kickstarter deals, a couple things jump out at me like an alien face hugger:
1. why are the entry level $30-35 deals 'sold out' ffs? These are digital copies of the game, so I'd really like to know why they are limited to a few thou copies, other than the obvious - to force you to the higher unlimited $40+ brackets. 2. Not pay to win...? You sure? Just look at the starting bonuses the higher deals get you. Nuff said. (in any case, unless there is competitive PvP, pay-to-win becomes irrelevant, especially as there will be trainers & mods/hacks within 5 mins of this going live, eh)
As much as I was a humongous fan of Elite 1/2/3, I'm not getting that warm & fuzzy feeling with the way this has been set up or the direction certain things are headed, just reading between the lines. I certainly don't just want another re-skinned Elite with mmo gankfesting (just wait & see how long it takes for the sociopaths to force PvP into the game!), or another trading/mining spreadsheet-disguised-as-a-game timesink ala EVE.
Once you've played a game like GW2, which as IGN said, actually respects your time, and where every single minute you play is *fun*, I'm not convinced there is room in this gaming world for another 80s mega spacegrind neo-sim. I guess 30K pledges & 1.7mill can't be wrong, ey...? Flame away fanbois!
Hey, even if they can pull the wool over everyone's eyes & the emperor does in fact have some clothes...I can't see a market for this. Except maybe invisiporn.
Good luck carrying 1000+ ebooks around in your pocket, like I do on my S2 (or reading them in the dark at night so you don't keep the other half awake). Along with a multitude of movies, music, comics, audio-books, news-feeds AND internet browsing, etc, etc! Oh, it's also a phone too I think...
Ep4 cost $11m & ESB only a tad more at $18m way back then. They've grossed 1.25billion since.
The $33m is what John Carter actually cleared, so it was kinda profitable, but on a $250m budget I imagine Disney wouldn't consider an 11-12% profit margin that good overall.
Would be interesting to know what Hamill/Ford/Fisher charge for appearance, heh.
I'd also like to see Chewie, the bots & perhaps Lando back as older versions. Happy if all these are small/cameo roles ala uncle/aunt Lars, so long as they don't end up same way inside 5 mins...:-/ I could see Han with grandkids teaching them how to shoot a blaster lol, Leia smacking him upside the head, Luke visiting from the Academy to recruit more grandkids, Chewie with his own family of rugrats, Lando running an orbital space casino somewhere coming to visit for the 20th End of Empire Thanksgiving, etc. Ok, now it's starting to sound like one of those Walton xmas specials. I take it all back!!!
I remember reading that the original nonalogy (from "Journal of the Whills") had the robots in Ep7, 50 years or so after ROTJ & then the last 2 books were set well into the future. Not sure how that sits with current EU cannon, but I'm recalling something I read over 20yrs ago, so Lucas could have well butchered everything & included bambi, the carebears & the rest of the muppet show since!
I was trying to inject some reality into the conversation. I will try to remember where I am next time...
I was talking about removing a tax entirely, which happens very rarely with governments (usually to be replaced with another, renamed/hidden/rebadged tax), vs expecting commercial special price discounts to go on forever unconditionally, which they rarely do. In any case, how did taxation get into the conversation ffs? I thought this was about two giant corporates exchanging monetary fluids...?
Slashdot Mirror
I recall something similar happening & in almost exactly the same way, in Germany in the mid/late 30s...hmmm...if only I could put a finger on it...
Good posts & very informative guys (+1 if I had mod points), as far as Indian politics go, cheers. ;)
Personally, I would just like a clear distinction to be made between organised religion and personal beliefs/faith/spirituality. One no longer has anything whatsoever to do with the other (in most cases I see), part of the reason I abandoned the institutional church many years ago.
Freedom of speech, thought & expression should never be limited or stifled in any way by anyone else's religious beliefs or political agenda/views, more like. Separation of church and state must remain inviolate & fundamentally 'constitutional', even though the clause is not in ours down-under, sadly.
Our radio journo Jonesy & his station got dragged over hot coals recently for simply saying (at a Liberal party speech, NOT on national radio, mind you), that our PM's recently deceased father would have been mortally ashamed of her if her were still alive. I am yet to hear anyone offer any clear evidence to the contrary, funnily enough. Perhaps he was proud of her, or perhaps he did in fact 'die of shame' & is still turning over in his grave, who knows?
If you can't joke about death at a funeral, or kiddy-diddling at a church service, then WTF is our world coming to I say!? But yes, the Indians are only one half step better than the Iranians or other Islamic fundies. I think the first & last war on 'terror' should be fought by first extricating ALL religious & corporate control/influence from all countries' political power structures, plain & simple. Starting with the US of course :).
I would just like a filter to NOT see anything and everything related to Apple or their iCrap. Except the legal battles with Android - now they are fun reading! :)
Hello. Ma name's Larry. This is ma brutha Daryl and this is ma utha brutha Daryl!
I'd prefer something more eponymous, such as "Slashdotter" or just "Slash". <BFG>
1. Nethack already runs on Linux & most other toasters :)
2. Nethack, after you've played it a handful of times, is more of an obsessive compulsive disorder, rather than a game
3. Nethack is to 'real' gamers what Excel is to real programmers
I both agree & disagree with you. As I spend 2hrs on the train each day, I find myself often reading just a few pages of one book, then a few of another, or completely different ebooks at night, etc. What irks me is that this illusion of choice creates a type of reading ADD, so you either never quite finish a book, or lose the flow of the story. A book really had to be compelling for me to read it to the exclusion of all others these days...last time that happened was probably with a paperback, which had to sit on my bedside table, so was the only book I read until I finished it. So, you're correct, indirectly - having 1000s of ebooks at your fingertips is probably NOT conducive to quality reading in a lot of ways *sigh*.
Not at all - I'm well aware of the incestuous bi-partizan nature of Aus politics & bemoan the days long gone when we had the democrats & a couple other minor parties that actually had an impact. And the greens don't always align themselves with Labor, same for the independents, who are usually, well *independent* for a reason...except when they are promised a lifetime's rich pension/super for a couple years 'work', sitting on their arses & either raising or not raising their hand when the top dog says so.
I actually think it's a shame that being "in power" no longer means that the party or leader have real power any more as have to resort to wheeling & dealing & cajoling numerous third parties (& the opposition) to get anything passed through. It makes a mockery of the representative democratic process, as if it wasn't a mockery of itself enough already! I would actually like to see an executive branch, ala the US, in Aus, with perhaps the state branch being relegated to far lesser stature/power, while giving local councils a bit more actual power/budget/accountability. It is far easier to -scrutinise one man, who wilds ultimate power, than 40+ front/back benchers, all covering each other's arses & finger-pointing, in the musical cabinet-shuffle game.
Our condolences on the later...though it is cute how you managed to insert 'console' and 'gaming' into the same sentence while breathing through your nose. ;-p
The real question is, why do we want to play games that were designed for Windoze in that first place...on Linux? :-/
If the devs don't deem it profitable or worthwhile (for whatever reasons) to support the Linux community, then are they worth supporting with our dollar?
In the end, we're all shiny, precious whores when it comes to a great game. The only games I was eagerly anticipating with much saliva over the past 12 mths were SWTOR, Diablo3 & GW2. Only one of those made good on 90%+ of its promises, while the other 2 struggled to hit 50% imo.
But, I'm an alt-o-holic when it comes to mmo chars & same with games. I probably have literally several hundred installed or 'online' across 3 or 4 PCs (with a number on USB sticks or old HDDs), so I can either fire them up inside a couple mins, or install from images in under 10mins otherwise.
So, the real answer for me is, 'most of them', but I could narrow it down to 10 to 12 that take up most of my time these days, if I really had to. Add to that *all* new games & you might get me & many other Win gaming victims to switch to Linux of some flavour. I'd even switch to Linux if I could get a reliable, stable, fully-featured VM to run inside my Win7 environment, but even that has its problems.
^ This an only this. Is there another game worth wasting quality time on, compared to this star in the crown jewels of online (in fact, any) gaming...?
Whereas it is widely accepted in palaeontology circles that humans and donkeys share a common ancestor (through mammalia), unfortunately, most dinosaurs have a different reptilian ancestor to ours, which started in the Triassic. ;-p
Ok, I have NFI idea where I was going with this, but I have to hit post now that I've typed this much!
-- :)
GENERATION 23: because I dislike social experiments a a rule.
We're pretty much 2-party as well down-under, though we now have a marginal gov in power, bought and paid for with few independent & greens votes. And Labor is still in power as a result, even though the Libs have 1 more seat in the house of reps (your congress). This is as much as failing of the 51% 'representative' democratic systems in the western world, which have devolved from what the 2-tier Westminster system was created & meant to stand for (even in the UK). All we get now are front/back benchers shuffling cabinets, mostly for arse-covering reasons; the prime minister/president is a figurehead with little real power as far as exercising the 'will of the people' goes; and the parties have set it up so you always have to choose the lesser of 2 evils, just like Coke & Pepsi. Is it time for the ammo box, as you yanks put it so eloquently...? ;)
Best post so far in this thread (though I'm not from the US & generally neutral as far as your politics go). And I blew my mod points when I posted earlier here...dang.
One more thing: as per the #1 item on the OWS wish list, TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS! Every last red cent (if you have one - our minimum coin is a silver 5c piece now).
That seems to be the same insanity that's creeping back into the population now here down-under. Labor, though they have fucked up & lied in every imaginable way (& some unimaginable!) are closing the gap in the polls. What is it that the mind does next after it *boggles* lol? ;)
Though it's probably unfair to draw parallels as I don't know enough about US politics to have an informed argument, even though I watched your pres elections with more interest than our last federal ones. We have to remember that this was just the pres elections & the GOP still rules congress I believe, though the Ds control the senate...errr...correct? It's just like a 3-ring circus over there, ey guys?
I do like your sig though - I have a motivational poster with another one of his favourite quotes of mine: ;)
“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” - if more politicians subscribed to these two extremely simple & easy principles...well, you can imagine.
Looking at the kickstarter deals, a couple things jump out at me like an alien face hugger:
1. why are the entry level $30-35 deals 'sold out' ffs? These are digital copies of the game, so I'd really like to know why they are limited to a few thou copies, other than the obvious - to force you to the higher unlimited $40+ brackets.
2. Not pay to win...? You sure? Just look at the starting bonuses the higher deals get you. Nuff said. (in any case, unless there is competitive PvP, pay-to-win becomes irrelevant, especially as there will be trainers & mods/hacks within 5 mins of this going live, eh)
As much as I was a humongous fan of Elite 1/2/3, I'm not getting that warm & fuzzy feeling with the way this has been set up or the direction certain things are headed, just reading between the lines. I certainly don't just want another re-skinned Elite with mmo gankfesting (just wait & see how long it takes for the sociopaths to force PvP into the game!), or another trading/mining spreadsheet-disguised-as-a-game timesink ala EVE.
Once you've played a game like GW2, which as IGN said, actually respects your time, and where every single minute you play is *fun*, I'm not convinced there is room in this gaming world for another 80s mega spacegrind neo-sim. I guess 30K pledges & 1.7mill can't be wrong, ey...? Flame away fanbois!
Hey, even if they can pull the wool over everyone's eyes & the emperor does in fact have some clothes...I can't see a market for this. Except maybe invisiporn.
Kudos to beating me & being first to mention ninjas dude! ;)
If you can include tactile AND olfactory feedback, that'd be grand!
No, no, guys, one is a whiteout (like the above pic), the other a blackout. But neither is invisible really, just depends on your background :).
There are a lot of pics online of people wearing invisible suits - just Google it dude.
** WHOOOOOSH *** - the sound made by passing ideas which are completely missed.
Good luck carrying 1000+ ebooks around in your pocket, like I do on my S2 (or reading them in the dark at night so you don't keep the other half awake). Along with a multitude of movies, music, comics, audio-books, news-feeds AND internet browsing, etc, etc! Oh, it's also a phone too I think...
Ep4 cost $11m & ESB only a tad more at $18m way back then. They've grossed 1.25billion since.
The $33m is what John Carter actually cleared, so it was kinda profitable, but on a $250m budget I imagine Disney wouldn't consider an 11-12% profit margin that good overall.
Would be interesting to know what Hamill/Ford/Fisher charge for appearance, heh.
I'd also like to see Chewie, the bots & perhaps Lando back as older versions. Happy if all these are small/cameo roles ala uncle/aunt Lars, so long as they don't end up same way inside 5 mins...:-/
I could see Han with grandkids teaching them how to shoot a blaster lol, Leia smacking him upside the head, Luke visiting from the Academy to recruit more grandkids, Chewie with his own family of rugrats, Lando running an orbital space casino somewhere coming to visit for the 20th End of Empire Thanksgiving, etc. Ok, now it's starting to sound like one of those Walton xmas specials. I take it all back!!!
I remember reading that the original nonalogy (from "Journal of the Whills") had the robots in Ep7, 50 years or so after ROTJ & then the last 2 books were set well into the future. Not sure how that sits with current EU cannon, but I'm recalling something I read over 20yrs ago, so Lucas could have well butchered everything & included bambi, the carebears & the rest of the muppet show since!
I was trying to inject some reality into the conversation. I will try to remember where I am next time...
I was talking about removing a tax entirely, which happens very rarely with governments (usually to be replaced with another, renamed/hidden/rebadged tax), vs expecting commercial special price discounts to go on forever unconditionally, which they rarely do. In any case, how did taxation get into the conversation ffs? I thought this was about two giant corporates exchanging monetary fluids...?