One piece of praise I have heard about the LotR movies was how they stayed fairly true to the original novels. Now, you can all berate people and call them fanboys, but I'm sure if they renamed "Frodo" to "Brad" or something like that, it would have bothered quite a few people. Look at all of the bizzare names and concepts that were left alone in the LotR movies. No one had any problems with these staying true in LotR, so why can't we have a bit more faithfulness in other adaptations?
Now, why would they make these changes? Unfortunately, one theory is that Westerners might find Japanese-sounding names to be inaccessible. This is a sad reality of culture in the US. Yes, there have been major strides made in racial tolerance, but the fact is that certain ethnic groups are still looked down upon by the mainstream culture.
I'll hold off final judgment until I see the actual movie, but for a fan of the series, it's a bit disheartening when you start seeing changes like this.
I'm not really sure what I first downloaded, either, but the mp3 that made the biggest impact on me was from the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack. My friend played "Crazy Motorcycle Chase" for me, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was just a few months after I had finished the game, and before I started importing lots of soundtrack and anime CDs. Kind of an important moment in my geek evolution, I suppose.
If the controller actually works, then this could help some people be in better physical condition than they currently are, but we really shouldn't ignore cardiovascular fitness. In some ways, this could be a bad thing, because people will think they are in better physical condition than they really are (which is already a problem). Everyone should unplug for a while and go outdoors. You'll live a longer and higher-quality life (for the most part).
I believe the price of filing your taxes online has been dropping each year. Is it possible they are using the fees to offset some of the initial setup/development/research costs? And with time, it'll drop to more reasonable levels?
Just ignore the whole issue of less people using snail mail and the solution being to raise stamp prices.:)
Long live the small mom-and-pop business. Animeigo, a US anime company, does things like this. They allowed people to trade in their laserdiscs of an anime series called "Kimagure Orange Road" for DVD sets. They still had to pay money, but it was a nice gesture to recoup some trade-in value.
Of course, they now seem to be selling used LD sets on their website...:)
"A Senator-elect, eager to make good on a campaign promise to increase-the-peace, waives entry requirements for the Jedi. The result: mishap, mayhem and mismanagement, as the Force is flooded with bumbling buffoons, idealistic idiots, and quixotic quipsters. The Dark Side never had it so good."
I suggest that they hire Michael Winslow to play a role of a young (well, he's old now) padawan whose mastery of the Force gives him the ability to perform a variation of the Jedi mind trick using sound effects. The highlight of the movie in the eyes of many is when Mr. Winslow tricks some Stormtroopers into thinking he is armed with a lightsaber simply by using sound effects and Watto's iridescent butt.
Blake Stowell, an SCO spokesman said, "The fact that we are now offering a license for SCO's intellectual property for Linux in the U.K. opens up the door now to the fact that if customers in the U.K. choose not to purchase a license from us, the threat of legal action could be forthcoming".
I'm definitely reading too much into this, but I thought it was kind of funny that this spokesman likes the word "fact," when facts are sorely missing from this case. Trying to make it sound like they have a more solid foundation than they really do. This is why so many job postings list "communications skills" in job requirements.
and engage in more social activities.... Definitely false. Unless IRC and Instant Messaging is now considered a social activity.
While I think online interaction is a form of social interaction, I don't think people should use it as a substitute for interaction in the real world. I think, sadly, there are quite a few people that place more value in an online relationship that they really should. Not to say online relationships are no good, but they just lack something.
I once told a few friends online that my dog had run away (we eventually found him thanks to his tags), but having people try to console me with "/me hugs Chibi" and ":((((((((((" just seemed kind of shallow (but well-intentioned) to me.
I have a Speedpass, and I find it very useful. I've also used it at McDonald's a few times. The main reason I like this is that I have my Speedpass connected to a credit card with a rewards program. I don't eat at McDonald's too often, but it's nice to know I get 1% (better than nothing) back when I make purchases there. And before you jump to conclusions, I pay off my balances every month, so I'm not paying any interest, just earning rewards.
One interesting thing over the holidays... I used my Speedpass to pick up a tasty McDonald's breakfast one day, and they actually asked me to sign a copy of my receipt. This seemed odd and against the spirit of Speedpass (speed, duh). I asked the manager about this, paranoid that something was going on. It turns out that there had been some Speedpasses stolen in the area, and they were using the signatures as an extra layer of protection. Not very effective, of course, but I just thought it was kind of interesting.
Oh, and there is no information about you or your Speedpass printed on the receipts from McDonalds (as far as I can tell), for those who might actually care (like 5 people).
Anyway, in this day and age, everyone really should check their statements every month to look out for suspicious charges. In the one or two cases this has happened to me over the years, my credit card companies have always been very cooperative about clearing up any mistakes or inconsistencies.
As a child of the 80's, I'm generally ready to throw my hard-earned money at any company that is willing to help me relive my materialistic childhood. A couple of years ago, I wanted to pick up some Legos to relive some of my youth. I was shocked to see how expensive they were...
Looking online at this moment, I can see there are tubs of random pieces for sale for as little as $6.99. Did I just happen to stumble upon some of the commercially tied-in Legos a few years back or something? Or are these tubs the cast-offs that are supposed appeal to people who don't want to spend as much?
I played the recent ps2 2.5D Contra - they went back to the 2d formula, but used a 3d engine to draw it... and it RULES. It's really really difficult, but a ton of fun. Hopefully the new one will be more of the same.
Just curious, but do you mean "Contra: Shattered Soldier?"
It may surprise you, but Bill Gates and all the other CEOs didn't go into business to give you jobs. They went into business to make money.
The problem, which a lot of people point out, is that if people keep losing their jobs, who is going to have money to spend on the products of these companies?
It's sad, really. If these companies are saving so much money by sending jobs overseas, you would think that the end consumer would see some of these price reductions. But chances are that all of the saved money is used to report greater profits to boost their stock. Eventually, people will stop buying their products because: 1) they have been alienated by the company, 2) they simply cannot afford the prices the products are being sold for.
But why should any executives care? They'll have made enough money to last them and their expensive tastes for several lifetimes...
Why the hell did a sarcastic snipe from a PC-drone that believes we all have the exact same level of ability in everything get modded to 5:Insightful???
Do you really think that the government should do things like test individuals to see how much alcohol they can consume before having their driving skills impaired to the point where they will be a danger to themselves and to others? Maybe it can be something they add to our driver's licenses...
While I agree with you that different people have different levels of ability and tolerance, it gets a lot harder to accurately gauge your abilities when you have been drinking. And, unfortunately, most of us have a higher opinion of ourselves than we really should, so we feel that we are OK, when we might not be.
I have a relative who has received 2 DUIs. To this day, he will still not accept the fact that he broke the law. He likes to refer to his own "above average" alcohol tolerance and motor skills. Never mind the fact that he was probably binge-drinking prior to both incidents. It's really all a conspiracy against him. He's probably one of the more reckless drivers I know. I don't even feel safe in the car when he is sober (although I honestly question how often that happens these days). It gets tiring after a while, hearing everyone talk about how much better they are than everyone else...
I was giving a lecture on doing email marketing without spam, and was shocked to learn that someone in the audience had one of his IT guys write a program for him to do web-email-harvesting! It's even happening in the mom and pop shops. Pretty scary.
I think one problem you see is that there are too many people who do not fully understand the problems who are making the decisions. At my previous job, an internet consulting company, I heard one of our salespeople arguing that the reason we didn't have clients was because we were not sending out enough e-mails (read: spam). *sigh* I knew we were pretty much doomed when I heard that one.:)
OK, one point of clarification. I know that gender is determined by the male in human reproduction. I'm assuming this is the same for other creatures, but I could be wrong. If I'm wrong, I apologize. Anyway...
The problem for these fish is that they would have no way of knowing beforehand who has this trait and who doesn't have this trait. Females would definitely have an advantage in choice of mates based on proportions, but they would still need males for reproduction. And some of these males would have the all-male-offspring gene. The concern is that in future generations, more and more of the male population would have this gene. And unless there is some other trait that can be used to factor in choice of mates (and I don't believe there is) these males will continue to mate and produce all-male offspring, while normal males will produce a mix. If these "all-male" fish continue to mate successfully, then the population continues to skew towards males that may have the all-male gene.
*sigh* Thanks for trying to put words into my mouth. I wasn't trying to imply that this would happen overnight (or within a single generation).
The fact is, the article makes no mention of any effect to the fish besides the gender of the offspring. There's no individual advantage or disadvantage for this trait. So, there's really no trait for natural selection to apply in this case. But it does have a negative impact on the population as a whole.
I wanted to point out that this genetic trait had a possibility of existing in the offspring, so it would still be present in future generations, potentially skewing the gender proportions enough so that you would eventually have generations where enough offspring were not produced to survive to reproductive age. I will concede that it is possible that the fish will just reach some type of equilibrium state, where the proportions fluctuate slightly from generation to generation.
Another thing to consider is that it is also possible for the offspring to get introduced into another population, contributing this genetic trait to its new population, and it's possible that, over time, it would have a similar effect of skewing the population gender proportions.
How is any gene that causes infertility suppose to multiply or spread anywhere? It's absurd on the face of it.
As far as I can tell, this gene manipulation doesn't cause infertility. It just prevents female offspring. You see, the point is that the male offspring have a certain likihood of possessing this gene, so males with this gene will also only produce male offspring. If these males were to somehow migrate and begin breeding in other populations, then this new population will be skewed towards males. The concern is that if enough of these males are able to spread and breed in other carp populations, then the species as a whole is at risk - too many males not enough females, not unlike the geek population.;)
How exactly do they expect people who have never read anything by Asimov to catch on that this is a movie? I've seen people I know linking to the website in their journals and saying something like "I want one of these."
Simple. They don't. They want people to talk about this really cool commercial they saw in the theater, to generate a buzz. Then slowly, people learn it's a movie, but the movie will stick in their heads for the next few months, until they start seeing the real trailers, etc. The ultimate hope being that people will go see this movie that they still remember, based on a very neat teaser commercial.
Look at it this way. This commercial/trailer/teaser will stick in the heads of a lot of people. It's a lot more effective than yet-another-trailer with lots of explosions and boobies. Not that there's anything wrong with explosions or boobies...:)
Why would you download all of the trailers, when you can simply purchase the movies, barring the latest? Is this a recent fad, hoarding "previews"?
Well, I keep a few trailers on my computer at work. Just to play when I'm bored or going out of my mind because of work (did I just repeat myself there?;).
My work computer doesn't have a DVD-ROM drive, and I don't have a portable player. Not to mention, I'd rather not carry my DVDs all over the place, lest they get damaged or stolen.
Yeah, it's not a huge deal, but, then again, we're talking about movie trailers, so none of this topic is really a big deal.:)
The thing to consider, though, is that all of those shows you listed (COPS, Survivor, Blind Date, Elimidate, etc. ad nauseum) are reality TV shows which are relatively inexpensive to create. You don't even have to pay for too many actors, since there are so many people who hope to get famous (or infamous as is the case for some) by being on these shows. You don't really have to pay writers, since the show just kind of "happens." Etc, etc... The truth is most people in the game serve the almighty dollar (or whatever your currency of choice may be) first and foremost... which is why we're in the state we are in.
I honestly have never been able to understand why someone would choose a career they have no great intrest in simply because they could make fairly good money.
I had a classmate in my CS program who basically looked at it like this: work is what he does, so he can get money to enjoy his life. I see nothing wrong with someone wanting to do something for financial motivations. Not everyone either wants to be or can afford to be the proverbial starving artist.
That said, you are correct in that there are a lot of different kinds of jobs out there. The issue is knowing which ones you can be good at and getting your foot in the door.
of course you cant to most of that with cd's... but the labels at least have to try.
I've noticed that a few new CDs are being advertised on television bundled with a DVD. Yeah, you might be able to download the DVD content online, too, but this is perhaps a sign of the music industry trying to do more to entice CD purchases (although there are still those who clamor for them to increase the quality of the actual music first).
I import quite a bit of Japan (yes, I watch too much anime), but the Japanese pack their initial releases with tons of goodies that definitely entice people to buy the actual products. Silkscreens, postcards, DVDs, other kinds of knick-knacks. Looks like the US market might be following suit a bit?
And for the record, I think despite these rewards, the Japanese also have a problem with piracy, partially due to the fact that their distribution is loaded with so many middlemen that their prices are even more outrageous than in the US.
It actually irks me to see everyone call "Moore's Law" a "law" and consider it as such. Isn't it really more a trend that has, thus far, continued and held true? When I think of laws, I think of gravity, themodynamics, etc. Things which will never fail. And if they do, we're majorly screwed.:)
If a new faster computer doesn't come out, then I guess I just have to play the newest FPS at a slightly lower frame-rate... I'd say that most people would just shrug their shoulders and not care too much if/when Moore's Law doesn't hold. Not a big deal.
I'm reminded of an episode of "King of the Hill" where Hank tells Bobby not to play "lawyer ball." You make sense, but in a lawyer kind of way.:)
I think most people have issue with the word "create." It was created by the tech folks living in the underground labs (yes, I'm exaggerating). Gore did play a large role in the opening of the internet and helping it become what it is, but his word choice implies he was like Dr. Frankenstein to the monster.
Look at it this way, it's like your boss telling you to write some code and then taking credit for it, telling others that he created the new app that everyone loves. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate that, and that's why people have a beef with this saying.
In some ways, it's worse because he is a politician, who is supposed to be an intelligent, capable speaker. And, yes, before the hyper-liberals start pointing out all of GWB's verbal boners, it happens to virtually all politicians.
Here are some of Al Gore's other screw-ups:
"A zebra does not change its spots." - Al Gore, attacking President George Bush in 1992. (Sources: The Toronto Sun, 11/19/95; May 13th page of the "365 stupidest things ever said, 1999 Calendar." ALL quotes from this calendar are from a book called "The 700 Stupidest Things Ever Said") The book and calendar are by a brother and sister team called Ross and Kathryn Petras. The original book "The 776 Stupidest things ever said" was printed in March 1993, and the calendar was printed August 1998.)
Repeat after me, ALL public speakers goof from time to time. Why not try to treat them on equal footing rather than attack those who have different political views than you, and ignoring the mistakes of those you share political views with? (note: this is a general comment, not directed at you in particular)
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One piece of praise I have heard about the LotR movies was how they stayed fairly true to the original novels. Now, you can all berate people and call them fanboys, but I'm sure if they renamed "Frodo" to "Brad" or something like that, it would have bothered quite a few people. Look at all of the bizzare names and concepts that were left alone in the LotR movies. No one had any problems with these staying true in LotR, so why can't we have a bit more faithfulness in other adaptations?
Now, why would they make these changes? Unfortunately, one theory is that Westerners might find Japanese-sounding names to be inaccessible. This is a sad reality of culture in the US. Yes, there have been major strides made in racial tolerance, but the fact is that certain ethnic groups are still looked down upon by the mainstream culture.
I'll hold off final judgment until I see the actual movie, but for a fan of the series, it's a bit disheartening when you start seeing changes like this.
I'm not really sure what I first downloaded, either, but the mp3 that made the biggest impact on me was from the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack. My friend played "Crazy Motorcycle Chase" for me, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was just a few months after I had finished the game, and before I started importing lots of soundtrack and anime CDs. Kind of an important moment in my geek evolution, I suppose.
It's actually "_whips_ the llama's ass," unless they changed it at some point. :)
If the controller actually works, then this could help some people be in better physical condition than they currently are, but we really shouldn't ignore cardiovascular fitness. In some ways, this could be a bad thing, because people will think they are in better physical condition than they really are (which is already a problem). Everyone should unplug for a while and go outdoors. You'll live a longer and higher-quality life (for the most part).
I believe the price of filing your taxes online has been dropping each year. Is it possible they are using the fees to offset some of the initial setup/development/research costs? And with time, it'll drop to more reasonable levels?
Just ignore the whole issue of less people using snail mail and the solution being to raise stamp prices. :)
Long live the small mom-and-pop business. Animeigo, a US anime company, does things like this. They allowed people to trade in their laserdiscs of an anime series called "Kimagure Orange Road" for DVD sets. They still had to pay money, but it was a nice gesture to recoup some trade-in value.
Of course, they now seem to be selling used LD sets on their website... :)
"A Senator-elect, eager to make good on a campaign promise to increase-the-peace, waives entry requirements for the Jedi. The result: mishap, mayhem and mismanagement, as the Force is flooded with bumbling buffoons, idealistic idiots, and quixotic quipsters. The Dark Side never had it so good."
I suggest that they hire Michael Winslow to play a role of a young (well, he's old now) padawan whose mastery of the Force gives him the ability to perform a variation of the Jedi mind trick using sound effects. The highlight of the movie in the eyes of many is when Mr. Winslow tricks some Stormtroopers into thinking he is armed with a lightsaber simply by using sound effects and Watto's iridescent butt.
I'm definitely reading too much into this, but I thought it was kind of funny that this spokesman likes the word "fact," when facts are sorely missing from this case. Trying to make it sound like they have a more solid foundation than they really do. This is why so many job postings list "communications skills" in job requirements.
While I think online interaction is a form of social interaction, I don't think people should use it as a substitute for interaction in the real world. I think, sadly, there are quite a few people that place more value in an online relationship that they really should. Not to say online relationships are no good, but they just lack something.
I once told a few friends online that my dog had run away (we eventually found him thanks to his tags), but having people try to console me with "/me hugs Chibi" and ":((((((((((" just seemed kind of shallow (but well-intentioned) to me.
I have a Speedpass, and I find it very useful. I've also used it at McDonald's a few times. The main reason I like this is that I have my Speedpass connected to a credit card with a rewards program. I don't eat at McDonald's too often, but it's nice to know I get 1% (better than nothing) back when I make purchases there. And before you jump to conclusions, I pay off my balances every month, so I'm not paying any interest, just earning rewards.
One interesting thing over the holidays... I used my Speedpass to pick up a tasty McDonald's breakfast one day, and they actually asked me to sign a copy of my receipt. This seemed odd and against the spirit of Speedpass (speed, duh). I asked the manager about this, paranoid that something was going on. It turns out that there had been some Speedpasses stolen in the area, and they were using the signatures as an extra layer of protection. Not very effective, of course, but I just thought it was kind of interesting.
Oh, and there is no information about you or your Speedpass printed on the receipts from McDonalds (as far as I can tell), for those who might actually care (like 5 people).
Anyway, in this day and age, everyone really should check their statements every month to look out for suspicious charges. In the one or two cases this has happened to me over the years, my credit card companies have always been very cooperative about clearing up any mistakes or inconsistencies.
As a child of the 80's, I'm generally ready to throw my hard-earned money at any company that is willing to help me relive my materialistic childhood. A couple of years ago, I wanted to pick up some Legos to relive some of my youth. I was shocked to see how expensive they were...
Looking online at this moment, I can see there are tubs of random pieces for sale for as little as $6.99. Did I just happen to stumble upon some of the commercially tied-in Legos a few years back or something? Or are these tubs the cast-offs that are supposed appeal to people who don't want to spend as much?
Just curious, but do you mean "Contra: Shattered Soldier?"
The problem, which a lot of people point out, is that if people keep losing their jobs, who is going to have money to spend on the products of these companies?
It's sad, really. If these companies are saving so much money by sending jobs overseas, you would think that the end consumer would see some of these price reductions. But chances are that all of the saved money is used to report greater profits to boost their stock. Eventually, people will stop buying their products because: 1) they have been alienated by the company, 2) they simply cannot afford the prices the products are being sold for.
But why should any executives care? They'll have made enough money to last them and their expensive tastes for several lifetimes...
Do you really think that the government should do things like test individuals to see how much alcohol they can consume before having their driving skills impaired to the point where they will be a danger to themselves and to others? Maybe it can be something they add to our driver's licenses...
While I agree with you that different people have different levels of ability and tolerance, it gets a lot harder to accurately gauge your abilities when you have been drinking. And, unfortunately, most of us have a higher opinion of ourselves than we really should, so we feel that we are OK, when we might not be.
I have a relative who has received 2 DUIs. To this day, he will still not accept the fact that he broke the law. He likes to refer to his own "above average" alcohol tolerance and motor skills. Never mind the fact that he was probably binge-drinking prior to both incidents. It's really all a conspiracy against him. He's probably one of the more reckless drivers I know. I don't even feel safe in the car when he is sober (although I honestly question how often that happens these days). It gets tiring after a while, hearing everyone talk about how much better they are than everyone else...
I think one problem you see is that there are too many people who do not fully understand the problems who are making the decisions. At my previous job, an internet consulting company, I heard one of our salespeople arguing that the reason we didn't have clients was because we were not sending out enough e-mails (read: spam). *sigh* I knew we were pretty much doomed when I heard that one. :)
OK, one point of clarification. I know that gender is determined by the male in human reproduction. I'm assuming this is the same for other creatures, but I could be wrong. If I'm wrong, I apologize. Anyway...
The problem for these fish is that they would have no way of knowing beforehand who has this trait and who doesn't have this trait. Females would definitely have an advantage in choice of mates based on proportions, but they would still need males for reproduction. And some of these males would have the all-male-offspring gene. The concern is that in future generations, more and more of the male population would have this gene. And unless there is some other trait that can be used to factor in choice of mates (and I don't believe there is) these males will continue to mate and produce all-male offspring, while normal males will produce a mix. If these "all-male" fish continue to mate successfully, then the population continues to skew towards males that may have the all-male gene.
*sigh* Thanks for trying to put words into my mouth. I wasn't trying to imply that this would happen overnight (or within a single generation).
The fact is, the article makes no mention of any effect to the fish besides the gender of the offspring. There's no individual advantage or disadvantage for this trait. So, there's really no trait for natural selection to apply in this case. But it does have a negative impact on the population as a whole.
I wanted to point out that this genetic trait had a possibility of existing in the offspring, so it would still be present in future generations, potentially skewing the gender proportions enough so that you would eventually have generations where enough offspring were not produced to survive to reproductive age. I will concede that it is possible that the fish will just reach some type of equilibrium state, where the proportions fluctuate slightly from generation to generation.
Another thing to consider is that it is also possible for the offspring to get introduced into another population, contributing this genetic trait to its new population, and it's possible that, over time, it would have a similar effect of skewing the population gender proportions.
As far as I can tell, this gene manipulation doesn't cause infertility. It just prevents female offspring. You see, the point is that the male offspring have a certain likihood of possessing this gene, so males with this gene will also only produce male offspring. If these males were to somehow migrate and begin breeding in other populations, then this new population will be skewed towards males. The concern is that if enough of these males are able to spread and breed in other carp populations, then the species as a whole is at risk - too many males not enough females, not unlike the geek population. ;)
Simple. They don't. They want people to talk about this really cool commercial they saw in the theater, to generate a buzz. Then slowly, people learn it's a movie, but the movie will stick in their heads for the next few months, until they start seeing the real trailers, etc. The ultimate hope being that people will go see this movie that they still remember, based on a very neat teaser commercial.
Look at it this way. This commercial/trailer/teaser will stick in the heads of a lot of people. It's a lot more effective than yet-another-trailer with lots of explosions and boobies. Not that there's anything wrong with explosions or boobies... :)
Well, I keep a few trailers on my computer at work. Just to play when I'm bored or going out of my mind because of work (did I just repeat myself there? ;).
My work computer doesn't have a DVD-ROM drive, and I don't have a portable player. Not to mention, I'd rather not carry my DVDs all over the place, lest they get damaged or stolen.
Yeah, it's not a huge deal, but, then again, we're talking about movie trailers, so none of this topic is really a big deal. :)
The thing to consider, though, is that all of those shows you listed (COPS, Survivor, Blind Date, Elimidate, etc. ad nauseum) are reality TV shows which are relatively inexpensive to create. You don't even have to pay for too many actors, since there are so many people who hope to get famous (or infamous as is the case for some) by being on these shows. You don't really have to pay writers, since the show just kind of "happens." Etc, etc... The truth is most people in the game serve the almighty dollar (or whatever your currency of choice may be) first and foremost... which is why we're in the state we are in.
I had a classmate in my CS program who basically looked at it like this: work is what he does, so he can get money to enjoy his life. I see nothing wrong with someone wanting to do something for financial motivations. Not everyone either wants to be or can afford to be the proverbial starving artist.
That said, you are correct in that there are a lot of different kinds of jobs out there. The issue is knowing which ones you can be good at and getting your foot in the door.
I've noticed that a few new CDs are being advertised on television bundled with a DVD. Yeah, you might be able to download the DVD content online, too, but this is perhaps a sign of the music industry trying to do more to entice CD purchases (although there are still those who clamor for them to increase the quality of the actual music first).
I import quite a bit of Japan (yes, I watch too much anime), but the Japanese pack their initial releases with tons of goodies that definitely entice people to buy the actual products. Silkscreens, postcards, DVDs, other kinds of knick-knacks. Looks like the US market might be following suit a bit?
And for the record, I think despite these rewards, the Japanese also have a problem with piracy, partially due to the fact that their distribution is loaded with so many middlemen that their prices are even more outrageous than in the US.
It actually irks me to see everyone call "Moore's Law" a "law" and consider it as such. Isn't it really more a trend that has, thus far, continued and held true? When I think of laws, I think of gravity, themodynamics, etc. Things which will never fail. And if they do, we're majorly screwed. :)
If a new faster computer doesn't come out, then I guess I just have to play the newest FPS at a slightly lower frame-rate... I'd say that most people would just shrug their shoulders and not care too much if/when Moore's Law doesn't hold. Not a big deal.
I'm reminded of an episode of "King of the Hill" where Hank tells Bobby not to play "lawyer ball." You make sense, but in a lawyer kind of way. :)
I think most people have issue with the word "create." It was created by the tech folks living in the underground labs (yes, I'm exaggerating). Gore did play a large role in the opening of the internet and helping it become what it is, but his word choice implies he was like Dr. Frankenstein to the monster.
Look at it this way, it's like your boss telling you to write some code and then taking credit for it, telling others that he created the new app that everyone loves. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate that, and that's why people have a beef with this saying.
In some ways, it's worse because he is a politician, who is supposed to be an intelligent, capable speaker. And, yes, before the hyper-liberals start pointing out all of GWB's verbal boners, it happens to virtually all politicians.
Here are some of Al Gore's other screw-ups:
"A zebra does not change its spots." - Al Gore, attacking President George Bush in 1992.
(Sources: The Toronto Sun, 11/19/95; May 13th page of the "365 stupidest things ever said, 1999 Calendar." ALL quotes from this calendar are from a book called "The 700 Stupidest Things Ever Said") The book and calendar are by a brother and sister team called Ross and Kathryn Petras. The original book "The 776 Stupidest things ever said" was printed in March 1993, and the calendar was printed August 1998.)
http://www.gargaro.com/algore.html
Repeat after me, ALL public speakers goof from time to time. Why not try to treat them on equal footing rather than attack those who have different political views than you, and ignoring the mistakes of those you share political views with? (note: this is a general comment, not directed at you in particular)