is today, 11/09. So, that is what I find extremely interesting and weird about this whole conversation of making contact with another species out there. Even if it was posted late last night (based on Eastern US timezone).
Oh, just on the off chance that we find a single signal that lets us know we are not alone, then I say SETI is worth every penny and then some.
RIP Carl Sagan. Your vision and enthusiasm is missed.
Excellent and well thought out. Concise when you need to be and to the point. I like it a lot. I would also like to add the following:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
For, you see, some of the things you make mention of sound vaguely like the dystopian future mentioned in the Cyberpunk and Shadowrun RPGs as well as many novels of the cyberpunk genre - Gibson in particular. The one thing that went on in those worlds, and I truly fear might be coming for ours, is that the masses did not all sit idly by and let the MegaCorporations rule them - they fought back against the oppressors. In multiple ways, not just with arms. If the RIAA and MPAA and other "organizations" that are merely corporate shills keep pushing the 'cyberpunks' of this world to the edges of existence, I feel it is only a matter of time before they do exactly what Shakespeare mentions above and use that fourth box (Ammo) in favor of using the Soap, Ballot, or Jury boxes.
Many of you may think I'm losing my faculties suggesting such a radical change in the sea of apathy that is out there in the United States (and a lot of other democratic style nations - UK, Australia, Canada, and many more) and I truly hope I'm just being paranoid, but something is going to snap and soon. The battle between the gatekeepers and the freedom lovers is coming soon. I pray it can be worked out without resorting to that Ammo box, but I fear greatly that it will come to it. Sooner than any of us believe.
Who knows, maybe enough people in the United States will vote this election cycle and we'll get some common sense into positions of power? But I ain't holding my breath...:-p
and the preservation of books (knowledge). I've also read many of the discussions about Google vs. Project Gutenberg, Corporate vs. Non-Corporate, etc. Personally, I hope preservation of knowledge for all wins out over greed and ignorance. I also find it interesting that in a game, how many years old now?, there are several prophetic quotes including the following:
As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master. - Commissioner Previn Lal, Datalinks.
Pay close attention to that last line. I replayed the game not long ago and was shocked how many quotes from it could be taken in context and applied to today. Of course, generic enough quotes can apply to may eras but I think my point is still valid.
if you go into a store and steal a CD, that's the equivalent of downloading an album of mp3's from the internet and not paying for it
Errrrr, no, it is not. For the MP3s to be considered a LOSS, you would have to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was ACTUALLY going to purchase that CD/download full of songs in the first place - or at all. If I was NOT going to pay for the CD, ever, then a) taking the CD from the music store without paying for it IS stealing, since I deprived the store owner of a physical item which he paid for (there is a loss) but b) downloading the MP3s is NOT stealing, since I deprived no one of any tangible good that they paid for (there is no loss).
You can argue all you want that the music labels paid the artists (the artists would argue that point, I'm sure), they paid the producers, the backup band, etc, etc. but the fact of the matter remains - I was NOT going to pay for the music in the first place. Since I was not going to pay for the music, regardless of whether I stole the CD or copyright infringed by downloading the MP3s, then I did not "steal" the music when I downloaded it. I deprived NO ONE of anything by downloading the MP3s - the artist did not lose a sale, the music label did not lose income, and the person sharing the music did not lose their physical copy. Ergo, nothing was stolen. Now, walking out of a music store with the CD tucked into my hoodie did deprive someone of their physical copy - the music store - and as such, I should be punished for STEALING. I still wasn't going to pay for the music, but a theft did occur in that I deprived someone (the store owner) of a physical item which would have resulted in a loss of money for the store. The MP3s I downloaded resulted in no loss of money for anyone - since I wasn't going to buy the CD or pay for the downloads in the first place.
So, it all comes down to intent and perception really. Do you not agree?
By the way, I'm playing devil's advocate here. I do not promote copyright infringement in any way, even if I made a compelling argument (or justification rather) for it above. I managed a music store back in the day, and had fun doing it, but screw going back into retail hell again:-p
Looking back over the last couple of years, I get mod points around 1.5 times per month (sometimes 2 or 3 times a month, sometimes none, but averaging out to be almost twice a month). I don't know why exactly, but I try to post constructively and moderate the same way.
Especially so, because I play WoW, and NOBODY I KNOW PLAYS ON A MAC.
So you know exactly what percentage of the 8 MILLION people playing WoW to back up your assertion that the Mac has not, in fact, made an impact on the game? Around.0000375% or something like that? In other words, around 300 people or so. If that. Even if you extend that an order of magnitude, your sample size is woefully small.
Even if you could say you knew 30,000 WoW players this does not make you any more of an authority than the original poster. Basically, until someone comes up with solid numbers of Mac players on WoW you're each waving your flags at the other shouting "Mine is much prettier than yours!" The only people I'd trust to give a remotely accurate count on the Mac percentage of WoW players is Blizzard themselves. How about both of you drop the flags and go back to getting Kara attuned, um-kay?:)
That's exactly what they were doing. Many of the people I knew in SWG all said the same thing - they're dumbing down SWG to be like WoW. Copying the interface, making the "sandbox" style of play in SWG into the "pick this, you're that, go hit something" WoW play*, and several other things.
Basically, they saw World of Warcraft eating Star Wars: Galaxies' (and other Sony games) lunch _big_ time and they let GREED rule their game. Instead of refining existing gameplay and stressing the openness and versatility (you could, with time, play every "class" there was) of the game, the player run economy, and other nice aspects of SWG they decided to try and clone WoW. The only fantasy that was involved in Star Wars was that Sony and LucasArts thought the cloning would work.
*Disclaimer - I was an early beta tester of World of Warcraft and loved the game. Still do, to a point. Nothing in WoW belonged in SWG though. Not the interface, not the play style, not the single delineation of "class" (discarded the unique SWG sandbox mix-and-match), NOTHING. I wouldn't play the load of crap called Star Wars: Galaxies right now if they gave ME $5 per month. Except to pay for my WoW account:-p
I have another question to add to your list above:
How fucking dumb can Sony and LucasArts be to completely ignore their existing fanbase and go ahead with not ONE but TWO game "redesigns" on Star Wars: Galaxies such that the end product was a completely new game? And thus, Star Wars: Galaxies - with a rabid fanbase* and new incoming fans - went from being in the top 3 MMORPGS to virtually non-existent. Which, I guess, actually answers the question I posed:-p
*I mean, come the frack on... I knew a LOT of people who had 2 or more accounts and from talking with them, they each had multiple friends with 2 or more accounts, and so on and so forth. After the first "Combat Upgrade" easily 1/3 of the accounts on EACH server vanished. When the news of the NGE "New Game Enhancement" (what a fucking joke that is) came out, I estimate _easily_ 1/2 of those remaining accounts left. My entire guild plus two allied guilds and some other friends all left which accounted for roughly 200+ accounts on one server. Most of us moved to WoW.
I know you were making a joke but be glad... Securom sucks. Why should I be tied to a trojan on my computer and be limited to 5 installs? I bet the pirates with a NoCD crack aren't worried about those things...
I'm not advocating piracy by any means. I don't own Bioshock and will never own it - more than likely. I still use Windows 2000 Pro because it is exceptionally stable and does everything I need it to do. I'd need to upgrade to Windows XP Pro and upgrade my video card just to enjoy the massively invasive DRM and limited use availability of the game.
Hmmm, let me think about that. Oh, yeah - go fuck yourself 2k Games. Stop treating your customers like criminals and also realize there is a very large percentage of people still using (d'oh!) Win2k. The Vista movement is rather constipated since most people don't want Microsoft in charge of their computer system. Personally, it is getting about time to switch to either Mac OSX or some flavor of Linux and give up on mainstream gaming. This sucks, imho, as I enjoy PC gaming more than I do console gaming (in general). Mouse + keyboard ftw!!!;-)
It has been mentioned multiple times in this discussion already as security, but those of us who have to deal with HIPAA are even more paranoid. Or should be.
I've heard several peers talking about using wireless networks in small medical/dental offices and every time the first thing that springs to mind is "What the fuck? Are you just too lazy to deal with a wired office?" because that is what it seems to boil down to - time. I always respond with the fact that most wireless encryption can be broken by someone with a 486 laptop and a couple of hours* to spare. Someone wanting to break into my wired network either has to a) have some professional equipment to eavesdrop on the lines or the monitors or b) has to gain physical access to my network or c) has to bypass my firewall and intrusion detection/prevention hardware. All of those instances take much more money or time than the laptop breaking wireless encryption does.
*I realize that the time it takes may be longer to break some of the newer encryption schemes but my point is still valid.
will vanish, for the most part, if it requires giving a DNA sample to visit the country. This is not only intrusive, it is vile and disturbing on more levels than I care to go into this early in the morning. I, for one, would never visit the country if DNA sampling was required to enter.
And let's go ahead and give a rest to that tired old bullshit about "If you have nothing to hide then..." Everyone has something they want hidden, even if they won't admit it. My argument is that, regardless of if I have something to hide or not, I _DO NOT TRUST ANY GOVERNMENT IN THIS WORLD_ with my DNA on file and for them to "protect" it while "only using it to solve crimes". Virtually all things that have been expressed in this manner are then perverted for some other use, above and beyond what the stated intent was. Someone in power will eventually decide they can use the database for other "good" and seek to extend their reach further and further into the homes and lives of all people - the criminal AND, especially, the INNOCENT.
I, for one, hope that the people of the United Kingdom will stand up against this complete and utter invasion of their lives and take back some control of the information that is connected to them. I also hope that the people of the United States and other countries (Australia, Canada, and many others) also stand up and take back control, because those so-called free countries many of us are living in are looking more and more like they're creeping into fascism and/or totalitarian or police states.
We must dissent.
(Kudos to all those who get the reference in my last line:)
LOL! Thank you for pointing that out. My comment was going to be "Wow, they had me right up until Windows Vista Ultimate flashed up on the slide show." Frankly, that one slide kinda made me sick-up. In my mouth. A little bit.
It would be nearly impossible for Congress to outlaw encryption - for individuals or for anyone else. Encryption is used in many forms and facets of life from SSL to PGP to bank data to private communication between attorney and client to file systems that encrypt saved files to etc, etc, etc. The exclusions that would have to be included in any law trying to ban or outlaw encryption use for individuals (using IM or e-mail) would, by necessity, be a tangled web that anyone could get around the new law. Making that law null and void from the get-go.
Congress would do nothing more than give the People of the United States another jolt of reality wake-up that could actually cause them to rise up and actually vote - against those who passed such inane laws. Not to mention that you can't stop encryption globally. NYM servers and remailers come to mind immediately. Locate them in countries like Sweden or, heck, Antigua - they're pissed at the United States "gub'mint" already and I'm sure they'd be glad to help out.
but I am. Sort of. If the game can work on Windows XP then I see no technical reasons why it cannot run on Windows 2000 Pro. There are MANY people still using that system since it is stable, does everything we need it to do, and we don't have to un-prettify it to get basic functionality and ease of control back. Admittedly, all it takes to get most of the basics back on XP is a few clicks of the mouse but why should I have to?
I know the trend is toward dumbing down technology so it isn't as "scary" to the average user but how about everyone trend upward instead? How about we INCREASE the intelligence of the average user by giving him/her a good system and encouraging them to LEARN? Wow, what a concept? A highly educated populace that isn't afraid of technology! Everybody gets smarter!!
Guess that would mean the techno-elite like Bill would lose their place in the world and innovation might have to happen... hmmmm, guess that highly educated populace might not come to fruition after all. Bah, it feels like Monday all over again and I needed a rant:-p
Why not have a new trilogy and the start of the trilogy will show John Connor, not long after the last movie, gathering the remaining people of Earth together to form a fighting force against SKYNET. It will also show the rapid progression of SKYNET and the Terminator series of robots from the basics of the last movie towards what we saw in Terminator 1. The end of new movie 1 (NM1) would be a defeat by the humans against a plant creating machines that also gives us a hint that SKYNET is going to repeat what we know - build a time machine. This movie also gives us a chance to get to know John better, his wife, and his generals.
New movie 2 (NM2) will be the heart of the war, the massive fighting between Terminators and Hunter-Killers and the human resistance and the trials to find the time machine. You can flesh out some characters a little more, kill off a couple we have gotten to know, while infiltrating the time machine base and sending Reese back because it must be done - there was no time (no pun intended) to change reality.
New movie 3 (NM3) is where John, who still has all the knowledge of what's going to happen from his mother, decides to change reality with the hope that people might learn from the past. They (the human resistance) gain control of the time machine and send back information in the form of John Connor's son and a protector - a female terminator who doesn't know she is one (sort of replicant like). They appear right in the middle of a UN session and Connor's son begins giving the members the rundown of what has happened, what could happen, and what is happening right that moment. In the middle of this televised speech, a badass Terminator appears in the middle of the UN and begins killing all the delegates - live on TV. John's son and his protector manage to stop the rampaging Terminator at the cost of their own lives. Thus proving what they said was true. This gives impetus to where the people rise up against machines and begin destroying them all over the earth. Fade out and come back to the earth 20 years later and what do we find? A decimated population, roaming gangs, and a hunter-gatherer society with some agrarian enclaves - in other words, degeneration on the same order as if SKYNET had won, except some people are still alive and technology has faded into the background. In essence creating a semi-luddite paradise.
Of course, you could always pan to some remote farmhouse with solar panels on the roof and a couple of eggbeater windmills providing power to the banks of computers where a small group of people are working on something furiously. The camera pans around the rooms of the house and we see they're communicating with other technologically inclined people around the globe trying to recreate a world wide linked computer network. The last few frames would be focused on a monitor where you would see Skynet Global Network System: Ready To Initiate... blinking on the screen. Fade out to groans of the multitude of fans.
Ummm, why should I have to? That's like saying I have freedom of speech - but only in clearly defined zones. Not to mention that I specifically stated that the car had tinted windows so that there is VERY little to NO chance of peeping toms and video camera toting, internet posting invaders of privacy. How about this: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Basically, if you did manage to see past the tinted windows with your camera why not have the decency to NOT FILM IT? Don't give me that crap about "Well, you shouldn't be doing it in public if you don't want it to be seen!" since it is basically a straw-man arguement. Whatever happened sexually in the car with TINTED windows (so that the public should not be able to see in) was/is probably a spur of the moment, erotically charged act that was partially egged on by the fact the tinted windows (and speed of the car) do NOT allow the public to play voyeur.
Oh, yeah, where do you get off saying I want to fuck on the front porch on main street? NOWHERE in my response did I say I was an exhibitionist and wanted to be able to fuck on the train, the bus, the sidewalk, or the front porch. NOWHERE did I say I wanted to "let it all hang out in public spaces" (a car with tinted windows, DRIVING ITSELF down a public road is not in and of itself a public space - due to speed and the privacy afforded by the tint someone would have to ACTIVELY try to see who/what was in the vehicle). I was very specific about where and under what circumstances that things the public had no need to see were being done.
Also, this is a frigging hypothetical situation where a car was driving itself and, if it is self-driving, what need for clear windows at all? How about the fact that about the time we have self-driving cars, we'll also have safety glass in those same cars that can - with a flick of a switch - tint themselves so dark you'd think it was midnight in the car thereby removing the issue of driving down a "public" road. Oh, yeah, how about you realize that I was putting forward extreme situations in response to the parent poster and not the things I do on Sunday drives, mmmkay?:)
...if the car's going to drive itself, why not take mass transit?/endquote
Because I can have a private conversation in my personal vehicle with someone riding with me while on the way to a jobsite (or interview or other function) that the general public doesn't need to know about? How about I can talk on a cellphone while my car drives itself without bothering anyone else at all? Maybe I'm a freaky person and wish to masturbate on my way to work in the morning? Hey, if the car is driving and I have both hands free (and tinted windows) why not take advantage of the situation? Or, hey, maybe my girlfriend wishes to give me a "surprise" for my birthday and since I don't have to drive the car and she can't muck with the gearshift while leaning over into my seat then what a wonderful thing;)? How about I can do some last minute work on my laptop involving sensitive materials that do not need to be viewed by anyone else in the public - all while my car drives me to work?
I guess you can sense my theme here is that of PRIVACY. That one thing a lot of Americans (and others) seem to want to give up to advance technology (save gas) and governmental control of your life (for the sake of "security"). You know that _right_ to privacy, because there ARE times I want to do things that everyone else does not fucking need to know about.
But it would not matter, really. If the judge had been appointed to Small Claims court but had aspirations of a higher office then, more than likely, it would be a position in which they would need to appear before the public and run for office.
So, by tarnishing their 'good' name with a show of factual evidence proving that said judge couldn't be bothered to take your case seriously enough to read the claim you filed - and, apparently, because they didn't think it was a "worthy" case - then what are they going to do in a higher court of the land? Decide that little girl A is just faking she was raped so why bother to read the claim/brief? Decide that the robber needs to go free since he only stole $499 (but threatened my family with death)? Give me a break. If a judge can't be bothered to take their job even semi-seriously, regardless of which court they are elected/appointed to, then I say fuck 'em and write an op-ed piece, file ethics charges, file complaints against them, and damn sure drop notes to all the local press about what's going on.
Enough bad press can, in this case, be just that - bad press. Going to make it very hard to get elected when the press is asking you questions like "Since you couldn't take 5 or 6 minutes of your time to read a brief on a spam case, why should we think you'll take the necessary time to read the briefs on a rape case? Or a murder case? Or a break-in? Assault?" For every person you piss off (regardless of industry - sales or service) they tell 15 to 20+ people about it (average). For every person you make ecstatic, they tell 5 to 10 (average). So, it takes 3 to 4 people being pleased to make up for that 1 being pissed. And with a global audience on the internet, you can multiply those numbers nearly exponentially to see what kind of damage being an asshole can bring about. Ruin your 'good' name? That would only be the beginning.
My $.02US worth. Which makes it about $.10US since copper prices are up:-p
There is a massive hole with your fantasy world - namely that the police and the government (through the Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines/Reserves) would still have guns. Lots of them and the majority of them fully automatic and/or highly explosive. Do YOU _really_ trust YOUR government and police force to be the only people with guns? God help you if you do because I don't. These (government and police forces in the USA) are the people who have constantly proven thy can NOT be trusted with the power they already have with a well-armed populace (militia, aka The People) to keep them in check NOW. Can you imagine the gutting the Constitution would take - and civil rights? - if the barrier of an armed populace was removed as a check to the powermongers sitting in the White House, Congress, and the police forces around the country?
Have the British completely forgotten the lessons of a ragtag bunch of individuals in the 13 colonies taught them? That oppression can and will be met with armed force where necessary? That in defense of life and liberty the good of the common man, the PEOPLE must take up arms against their leaders when all else has failed? The problem with your fantasy world of NO GUNS - NO DEATHS is that We, the People, would not be able to take up arms against those oppressing us. At least not as easily or quickly and, quite possibly, not enough of them to make a difference.
Has everyone alive forgotten the lessons of Nazi Germany? Where everyone stood by while other groups were oppressed and did nothing? Why? Because one of the first things Hitler did in his rise to power was to remove all personal weapons from THE PEOPLE. Those same people who he then oppressed right into gas chambers by the thousands and thousands. Those same people he used in scientific experiments into deadly diseases and biological/chemical warfare. Those same people that, if they had had the means to rise up against those who were massacring them, could have fought back and maybe World War II might not have happened at all - or might have been fought on a much smaller scale.
Before you spout off about NO GUNS - NO DEATHS, please remember the lessons that history can teach those willing to learn from it.
Also, my apologies if you meant absolutely no guns in anyone's hands (including the government and police forces) but from my initial impression in the thread it seems you meant just The People should not have guns or access to them and so the history reminder.
Slashdot Mirror
See subject.
is today, 11/09. So, that is what I find extremely interesting and weird about this whole conversation of making contact with another species out there. Even if it was posted late last night (based on Eastern US timezone). Oh, just on the off chance that we find a single signal that lets us know we are not alone, then I say SETI is worth every penny and then some. RIP Carl Sagan. Your vision and enthusiasm is missed.
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?
For, you see, some of the things you make mention of sound vaguely like the dystopian future mentioned in the Cyberpunk and Shadowrun RPGs as well as many novels of the cyberpunk genre - Gibson in particular. The one thing that went on in those worlds, and I truly fear might be coming for ours, is that the masses did not all sit idly by and let the MegaCorporations rule them - they fought back against the oppressors. In multiple ways, not just with arms. If the RIAA and MPAA and other "organizations" that are merely corporate shills keep pushing the 'cyberpunks' of this world to the edges of existence, I feel it is only a matter of time before they do exactly what Shakespeare mentions above and use that fourth box (Ammo) in favor of using the Soap, Ballot, or Jury boxes.
Many of you may think I'm losing my faculties suggesting such a radical change in the sea of apathy that is out there in the United States (and a lot of other democratic style nations - UK, Australia, Canada, and many more) and I truly hope I'm just being paranoid, but something is going to snap and soon. The battle between the gatekeepers and the freedom lovers is coming soon. I pray it can be worked out without resorting to that Ammo box, but I fear greatly that it will come to it. Sooner than any of us believe.
Who knows, maybe enough people in the United States will vote this election cycle and we'll get some common sense into positions of power? But I ain't holding my breath... :-p
Pay close attention to that last line. I replayed the game not long ago and was shocked how many quotes from it could be taken in context and applied to today. Of course, generic enough quotes can apply to may eras but I think my point is still valid.
We Must Dissent
Errrrr, no, it is not. For the MP3s to be considered a LOSS, you would have to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was ACTUALLY going to purchase that CD/download full of songs in the first place - or at all. If I was NOT going to pay for the CD, ever, then a) taking the CD from the music store without paying for it IS stealing, since I deprived the store owner of a physical item which he paid for (there is a loss) but b) downloading the MP3s is NOT stealing, since I deprived no one of any tangible good that they paid for (there is no loss).
You can argue all you want that the music labels paid the artists (the artists would argue that point, I'm sure), they paid the producers, the backup band, etc, etc. but the fact of the matter remains - I was NOT going to pay for the music in the first place. Since I was not going to pay for the music, regardless of whether I stole the CD or copyright infringed by downloading the MP3s, then I did not "steal" the music when I downloaded it. I deprived NO ONE of anything by downloading the MP3s - the artist did not lose a sale, the music label did not lose income, and the person sharing the music did not lose their physical copy. Ergo, nothing was stolen. Now, walking out of a music store with the CD tucked into my hoodie did deprive someone of their physical copy - the music store - and as such, I should be punished for STEALING. I still wasn't going to pay for the music, but a theft did occur in that I deprived someone (the store owner) of a physical item which would have resulted in a loss of money for the store. The MP3s I downloaded resulted in no loss of money for anyone - since I wasn't going to buy the CD or pay for the downloads in the first place.
So, it all comes down to intent and perception really. Do you not agree?
By the way, I'm playing devil's advocate here. I do not promote copyright infringement in any way, even if I made a compelling argument (or justification rather) for it above. I managed a music store back in the day, and had fun doing it, but screw going back into retail hell again :-p
Looking back over the last couple of years, I get mod points around 1.5 times per month (sometimes 2 or 3 times a month, sometimes none, but averaging out to be almost twice a month). I don't know why exactly, but I try to post constructively and moderate the same way.
So you know exactly what percentage of the 8 MILLION people playing WoW to back up your assertion that the Mac has not, in fact, made an impact on the game? Around .0000375% or something like that? In other words, around 300 people or so. If that. Even if you extend that an order of magnitude, your sample size is woefully small.
Even if you could say you knew 30,000 WoW players this does not make you any more of an authority than the original poster. Basically, until someone comes up with solid numbers of Mac players on WoW you're each waving your flags at the other shouting "Mine is much prettier than yours!" The only people I'd trust to give a remotely accurate count on the Mac percentage of WoW players is Blizzard themselves. How about both of you drop the flags and go back to getting Kara attuned, um-kay? :)
That's exactly what they were doing. Many of the people I knew in SWG all said the same thing - they're dumbing down SWG to be like WoW. Copying the interface, making the "sandbox" style of play in SWG into the "pick this, you're that, go hit something" WoW play*, and several other things.
:-p
Basically, they saw World of Warcraft eating Star Wars: Galaxies' (and other Sony games) lunch _big_ time and they let GREED rule their game. Instead of refining existing gameplay and stressing the openness and versatility (you could, with time, play every "class" there was) of the game, the player run economy, and other nice aspects of SWG they decided to try and clone WoW. The only fantasy that was involved in Star Wars was that Sony and LucasArts thought the cloning would work.
*Disclaimer - I was an early beta tester of World of Warcraft and loved the game. Still do, to a point. Nothing in WoW belonged in SWG though. Not the interface, not the play style, not the single delineation of "class" (discarded the unique SWG sandbox mix-and-match), NOTHING. I wouldn't play the load of crap called Star Wars: Galaxies right now if they gave ME $5 per month. Except to pay for my WoW account
I have another question to add to your list above:
:-p
How fucking dumb can Sony and LucasArts be to completely ignore their existing fanbase and go ahead with not ONE but TWO game "redesigns" on Star Wars: Galaxies such that the end product was a completely new game? And thus, Star Wars: Galaxies - with a rabid fanbase* and new incoming fans - went from being in the top 3 MMORPGS to virtually non-existent. Which, I guess, actually answers the question I posed
*I mean, come the frack on... I knew a LOT of people who had 2 or more accounts and from talking with them, they each had multiple friends with 2 or more accounts, and so on and so forth. After the first "Combat Upgrade" easily 1/3 of the accounts on EACH server vanished. When the news of the NGE "New Game Enhancement" (what a fucking joke that is) came out, I estimate _easily_ 1/2 of those remaining accounts left. My entire guild plus two allied guilds and some other friends all left which accounted for roughly 200+ accounts on one server. Most of us moved to WoW.
I know you were making a joke but be glad... Securom sucks. Why should I be tied to a trojan on my computer and be limited to 5 installs? I bet the pirates with a NoCD crack aren't worried about those things...
;-)
I'm not advocating piracy by any means. I don't own Bioshock and will never own it - more than likely. I still use Windows 2000 Pro because it is exceptionally stable and does everything I need it to do. I'd need to upgrade to Windows XP Pro and upgrade my video card just to enjoy the massively invasive DRM and limited use availability of the game.
Hmmm, let me think about that. Oh, yeah - go fuck yourself 2k Games. Stop treating your customers like criminals and also realize there is a very large percentage of people still using (d'oh!) Win2k. The Vista movement is rather constipated since most people don't want Microsoft in charge of their computer system. Personally, it is getting about time to switch to either Mac OSX or some flavor of Linux and give up on mainstream gaming. This sucks, imho, as I enjoy PC gaming more than I do console gaming (in general). Mouse + keyboard ftw!!!
It has been mentioned multiple times in this discussion already as security, but those of us who have to deal with HIPAA are even more paranoid. Or should be.
I've heard several peers talking about using wireless networks in small medical/dental offices and every time the first thing that springs to mind is "What the fuck? Are you just too lazy to deal with a wired office?" because that is what it seems to boil down to - time. I always respond with the fact that most wireless encryption can be broken by someone with a 486 laptop and a couple of hours* to spare. Someone wanting to break into my wired network either has to a) have some professional equipment to eavesdrop on the lines or the monitors or b) has to gain physical access to my network or c) has to bypass my firewall and intrusion detection/prevention hardware. All of those instances take much more money or time than the laptop breaking wireless encryption does.
*I realize that the time it takes may be longer to break some of the newer encryption schemes but my point is still valid.
will vanish, for the most part, if it requires giving a DNA sample to visit the country. This is not only intrusive, it is vile and disturbing on more levels than I care to go into this early in the morning. I, for one, would never visit the country if DNA sampling was required to enter.
:)
And let's go ahead and give a rest to that tired old bullshit about "If you have nothing to hide then..." Everyone has something they want hidden, even if they won't admit it. My argument is that, regardless of if I have something to hide or not, I _DO NOT TRUST ANY GOVERNMENT IN THIS WORLD_ with my DNA on file and for them to "protect" it while "only using it to solve crimes". Virtually all things that have been expressed in this manner are then perverted for some other use, above and beyond what the stated intent was. Someone in power will eventually decide they can use the database for other "good" and seek to extend their reach further and further into the homes and lives of all people - the criminal AND, especially, the INNOCENT.
I, for one, hope that the people of the United Kingdom will stand up against this complete and utter invasion of their lives and take back some control of the information that is connected to them. I also hope that the people of the United States and other countries (Australia, Canada, and many others) also stand up and take back control, because those so-called free countries many of us are living in are looking more and more like they're creeping into fascism and/or totalitarian or police states.
We must dissent.
(Kudos to all those who get the reference in my last line
Fuck. You.
LOL! Thank you for pointing that out. My comment was going to be "Wow, they had me right up until Windows Vista Ultimate flashed up on the slide show." Frankly, that one slide kinda made me sick-up. In my mouth. A little bit.
lol! Very true. Also close to what I was going to say, which is "Depends on if that was my aim or not..."
It would be nearly impossible for Congress to outlaw encryption - for individuals or for anyone else. Encryption is used in many forms and facets of life from SSL to PGP to bank data to private communication between attorney and client to file systems that encrypt saved files to etc, etc, etc. The exclusions that would have to be included in any law trying to ban or outlaw encryption use for individuals (using IM or e-mail) would, by necessity, be a tangled web that anyone could get around the new law. Making that law null and void from the get-go.
Congress would do nothing more than give the People of the United States another jolt of reality wake-up that could actually cause them to rise up and actually vote - against those who passed such inane laws. Not to mention that you can't stop encryption globally. NYM servers and remailers come to mind immediately. Locate them in countries like Sweden or, heck, Antigua - they're pissed at the United States "gub'mint" already and I'm sure they'd be glad to help out.
Pardon me, but is that like how many times you can use "fuck" in a sentence?
;-)
Fuck those fucking fuckers.
Those fucked-up fucking fuckers are fucked.
And many other versions. Basically, you can use the word in every part of a sentence. Versatile, as it were.
Remember everyone - profanity is the crutch of an inarticulate motherfucker!
but I am. Sort of. If the game can work on Windows XP then I see no technical reasons why it cannot run on Windows 2000 Pro. There are MANY people still using that system since it is stable, does everything we need it to do, and we don't have to un-prettify it to get basic functionality and ease of control back. Admittedly, all it takes to get most of the basics back on XP is a few clicks of the mouse but why should I have to?
:-p
I know the trend is toward dumbing down technology so it isn't as "scary" to the average user but how about everyone trend upward instead? How about we INCREASE the intelligence of the average user by giving him/her a good system and encouraging them to LEARN? Wow, what a concept? A highly educated populace that isn't afraid of technology! Everybody gets smarter!!
Guess that would mean the techno-elite like Bill would lose their place in the world and innovation might have to happen... hmmmm, guess that highly educated populace might not come to fruition after all. Bah, it feels like Monday all over again and I needed a rant
Why not have a new trilogy and the start of the trilogy will show John Connor, not long after the last movie, gathering the remaining people of Earth together to form a fighting force against SKYNET. It will also show the rapid progression of SKYNET and the Terminator series of robots from the basics of the last movie towards what we saw in Terminator 1. The end of new movie 1 (NM1) would be a defeat by the humans against a plant creating machines that also gives us a hint that SKYNET is going to repeat what we know - build a time machine. This movie also gives us a chance to get to know John better, his wife, and his generals.
New movie 2 (NM2) will be the heart of the war, the massive fighting between Terminators and Hunter-Killers and the human resistance and the trials to find the time machine. You can flesh out some characters a little more, kill off a couple we have gotten to know, while infiltrating the time machine base and sending Reese back because it must be done - there was no time (no pun intended) to change reality.
New movie 3 (NM3) is where John, who still has all the knowledge of what's going to happen from his mother, decides to change reality with the hope that people might learn from the past. They (the human resistance) gain control of the time machine and send back information in the form of John Connor's son and a protector - a female terminator who doesn't know she is one (sort of replicant like). They appear right in the middle of a UN session and Connor's son begins giving the members the rundown of what has happened, what could happen, and what is happening right that moment. In the middle of this televised speech, a badass Terminator appears in the middle of the UN and begins killing all the delegates - live on TV. John's son and his protector manage to stop the rampaging Terminator at the cost of their own lives. Thus proving what they said was true. This gives impetus to where the people rise up against machines and begin destroying them all over the earth. Fade out and come back to the earth 20 years later and what do we find? A decimated population, roaming gangs, and a hunter-gatherer society with some agrarian enclaves - in other words, degeneration on the same order as if SKYNET had won, except some people are still alive and technology has faded into the background. In essence creating a semi-luddite paradise.
Of course, you could always pan to some remote farmhouse with solar panels on the roof and a couple of eggbeater windmills providing power to the banks of computers where a small group of people are working on something furiously. The camera pans around the rooms of the house and we see they're communicating with other technologically inclined people around the globe trying to recreate a world wide linked computer network. The last few frames would be focused on a monitor where you would see Skynet Global Network System: Ready To Initiate... blinking on the screen. Fade out to groans of the multitude of fans.
LOL! No, it wasn't animal porn - it was furries. Which, technically, could be the same thing :-p
/quote ...So do them at home? /endquote
:)
Ummm, why should I have to? That's like saying I have freedom of speech - but only in clearly defined zones. Not to mention that I specifically stated that the car had tinted windows so that there is VERY little to NO chance of peeping toms and video camera toting, internet posting invaders of privacy. How about this: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Basically, if you did manage to see past the tinted windows with your camera why not have the decency to NOT FILM IT? Don't give me that crap about "Well, you shouldn't be doing it in public if you don't want it to be seen!" since it is basically a straw-man arguement. Whatever happened sexually in the car with TINTED windows (so that the public should not be able to see in) was/is probably a spur of the moment, erotically charged act that was partially egged on by the fact the tinted windows (and speed of the car) do NOT allow the public to play voyeur.
Oh, yeah, where do you get off saying I want to fuck on the front porch on main street? NOWHERE in my response did I say I was an exhibitionist and wanted to be able to fuck on the train, the bus, the sidewalk, or the front porch. NOWHERE did I say I wanted to "let it all hang out in public spaces" (a car with tinted windows, DRIVING ITSELF down a public road is not in and of itself a public space - due to speed and the privacy afforded by the tint someone would have to ACTIVELY try to see who/what was in the vehicle). I was very specific about where and under what circumstances that things the public had no need to see were being done.
Also, this is a frigging hypothetical situation where a car was driving itself and, if it is self-driving, what need for clear windows at all? How about the fact that about the time we have self-driving cars, we'll also have safety glass in those same cars that can - with a flick of a switch - tint themselves so dark you'd think it was midnight in the car thereby removing the issue of driving down a "public" road. Oh, yeah, how about you realize that I was putting forward extreme situations in response to the parent poster and not the things I do on Sunday drives, mmmkay?
...if the car's going to drive itself, why not take mass transit? /endquote
;)? How about I can do some last minute work on my laptop involving sensitive materials that do not need to be viewed by anyone else in the public - all while my car drives me to work?
Because I can have a private conversation in my personal vehicle with someone riding with me while on the way to a jobsite (or interview or other function) that the general public doesn't need to know about? How about I can talk on a cellphone while my car drives itself without bothering anyone else at all? Maybe I'm a freaky person and wish to masturbate on my way to work in the morning? Hey, if the car is driving and I have both hands free (and tinted windows) why not take advantage of the situation? Or, hey, maybe my girlfriend wishes to give me a "surprise" for my birthday and since I don't have to drive the car and she can't muck with the gearshift while leaning over into my seat then what a wonderful thing
I guess you can sense my theme here is that of PRIVACY. That one thing a lot of Americans (and others) seem to want to give up to advance technology (save gas) and governmental control of your life (for the sake of "security"). You know that _right_ to privacy, because there ARE times I want to do things that everyone else does not fucking need to know about.
But it would not matter, really. If the judge had been appointed to Small Claims court but had aspirations of a higher office then, more than likely, it would be a position in which they would need to appear before the public and run for office.
:-p
So, by tarnishing their 'good' name with a show of factual evidence proving that said judge couldn't be bothered to take your case seriously enough to read the claim you filed - and, apparently, because they didn't think it was a "worthy" case - then what are they going to do in a higher court of the land? Decide that little girl A is just faking she was raped so why bother to read the claim/brief? Decide that the robber needs to go free since he only stole $499 (but threatened my family with death)? Give me a break. If a judge can't be bothered to take their job even semi-seriously, regardless of which court they are elected/appointed to, then I say fuck 'em and write an op-ed piece, file ethics charges, file complaints against them, and damn sure drop notes to all the local press about what's going on.
Enough bad press can, in this case, be just that - bad press. Going to make it very hard to get elected when the press is asking you questions like "Since you couldn't take 5 or 6 minutes of your time to read a brief on a spam case, why should we think you'll take the necessary time to read the briefs on a rape case? Or a murder case? Or a break-in? Assault?" For every person you piss off (regardless of industry - sales or service) they tell 15 to 20+ people about it (average). For every person you make ecstatic, they tell 5 to 10 (average). So, it takes 3 to 4 people being pleased to make up for that 1 being pissed. And with a global audience on the internet, you can multiply those numbers nearly exponentially to see what kind of damage being an asshole can bring about. Ruin your 'good' name? That would only be the beginning.
My $.02US worth. Which makes it about $.10US since copper prices are up
There is a massive hole with your fantasy world - namely that the police and the government (through the Army/Navy/Air Force/Marines/Reserves) would still have guns. Lots of them and the majority of them fully automatic and/or highly explosive. Do YOU _really_ trust YOUR government and police force to be the only people with guns? God help you if you do because I don't. These (government and police forces in the USA) are the people who have constantly proven thy can NOT be trusted with the power they already have with a well-armed populace (militia, aka The People) to keep them in check NOW. Can you imagine the gutting the Constitution would take - and civil rights? - if the barrier of an armed populace was removed as a check to the powermongers sitting in the White House, Congress, and the police forces around the country?
Have the British completely forgotten the lessons of a ragtag bunch of individuals in the 13 colonies taught them? That oppression can and will be met with armed force where necessary? That in defense of life and liberty the good of the common man, the PEOPLE must take up arms against their leaders when all else has failed? The problem with your fantasy world of NO GUNS - NO DEATHS is that We, the People, would not be able to take up arms against those oppressing us. At least not as easily or quickly and, quite possibly, not enough of them to make a difference.
Has everyone alive forgotten the lessons of Nazi Germany? Where everyone stood by while other groups were oppressed and did nothing? Why? Because one of the first things Hitler did in his rise to power was to remove all personal weapons from THE PEOPLE. Those same people who he then oppressed right into gas chambers by the thousands and thousands. Those same people he used in scientific experiments into deadly diseases and biological/chemical warfare. Those same people that, if they had had the means to rise up against those who were massacring them, could have fought back and maybe World War II might not have happened at all - or might have been fought on a much smaller scale.
Before you spout off about NO GUNS - NO DEATHS, please remember the lessons that history can teach those willing to learn from it.
Also, my apologies if you meant absolutely no guns in anyone's hands (including the government and police forces) but from my initial impression in the thread it seems you meant just The People should not have guns or access to them and so the history reminder.
The term is pro bono publico. There is irony in that term, thanks to an Irish rock star. Funny that, eh? :)