Look, I'm a communist (though I don't buy that "state capitalism" cop-out) and I found his counterpoise as irritating as you did, but nobody wants to hear you whine about it in this context. Try not to irritate those you wish to convert.;)
"The GPL is permissive the same way the 13th amendment is permissive. Both prevent you from taking away the rights of others."
No, because under copyright law, you never had that right in the first place. The GPL gives you *more* rights than you had, it just doesn't give you the right to not give the same rights to others. You know, you can argue about legal definitions to your hearts content, but it doesn't change the practical reality of the situation one tiny bit (with the possible exception of loopholes).
I'd love to see a remake of Deus Ex to take advantage of modern hardware. It had a great plot, interesting characters, and believable missions. I'd like to see a good sequel. Ever play Deus Ex 2? The gameplay was very dumbed down. What we need is a new Deus Ex with the exact same gameplay formula as the original. Nothing wrong with giving more of what works.
Why do people only seem to complain when a company in a monopoly position doesn't release technical information? Apple should be held to the same standard
Again, your facts are a bit off. Microsoft was found to be illegally using its monopoly to get into new markets. It is not illegal to have a monopoly. Second point - Apple does not have a monopoly and is actively pursuing efforts to open iTunes music to all players (by removing DRM). Effectively, they're opening up to more competition.
I think you should reread his comment. He very clearly implied that Apple isn't "in a monopoly position" (since it's safe to assume he wasn't saying that Apple's a monopoly that DOES release technical information), but asked why it shouldn't be held to the same standard. But even if he was saying that, I fail to see how "but it's not illegal" is a good rebuttal.
So does that mean when I'm in Canada, I must try the Cuban cigars
From what I've heard (from the movie Sicko, I think - yay BitTorrent!), in parts of Canada frequented by USian visitors, you can see lots of shops loudly advertising that they cell Cuban cigars.
Cuba... [has] made steps towards getting removed from the US ban list
You mean unlike before, when when they were trying to stay on it? Or like the way they've finally stopped trying to interfere in US affairs and hurt US industry (through an embargo!) like they did for 50 years? You're sadly mistaken if you think being on the list has anything to do with what Cuba does, other than not whatever we want them to.
Actually, the reason the embargo is being challenged is because US companies have realized they can make alot of money trading with Cuba. Those trading in goods that are excepted from the embargo (just food, IIRC) already do.
with Fidel teetering on death's edge, who knows what the future will bring.
The US government has fooled itself, through wishful thinking (the Bush regime doesn't have the best grounding in reality), that Castro will die and Cuba will suddenly realize they wanted to go back to being a US neo-colony all along. It's not going to happen.
Cuba is one of the friendliest nations on the World stage on Earth. Heck, they even offered to send doctors to New Orleans after Katrina (we gave no reply). Please don't blame Cuba for their treatment by the US.
I think you have one of the most reasonable takes on the article here on Slashdot. But I have some comments.
"Male geeks, such as myself, are one of America's most hated cultural minorities," he writes. "Unlike racial hatred, it is considered socially acceptable to indulge in such hatred." This is obviously completely ridiculous.
Yes, it is, as stated, a totally wrong opinion, I agree (anyone who thinks that personal_opposition_to_racism = lack_of_racism is sadly a fool). But there is some validity to the "it is considered socially acceptable to indulge in such hatred" argument. This is clearly what he's reacting too, but he just as clearly takes it too far. And I also get the feeling that he takes it too far not just in his words, but in his own mind - but I could certainly be wrong.
He then proceeds to use this as an excuse for a lot of strange behavior, such as wanting to "teach the culture of manhood to little boys, with all of its inherent opposition to wallowing in wimpiness" (talking about playing hours and hours of Battlefield Vietnam with his six year old son).
Not only that, but he believes in this so strongly that he has his son learn these "lessons" behind his mothers back and apparently considers them VITAL, psychologically. Also, in my personal opinion - take it or leave it - he makes FAR too much of the difference between the male and female psyche.
All in all it seems likely to me that Hans did indeed murder Nina.
That's what I kept thinking too. Here's the main reason I wanted to respond to you: none of this is direct evidence of guilt. However, it is my opinion that he is fully capable of falling so far into the deep end at least long enough to believe that such drastic measures as murder are necessary long enough to follow through with it. Is that direct evidence or guilt? Of course not. You don't think so either. Anyway... I just thought that that was the clearest way to put it.
Woah. Woah, man. I fail to understand this conclusion. First of all, "bi-S&M-druggies" are close to my heart. I resent the notion that theres anything wrong with any of them, nor is it suspicious that they might come in groups. Second, people fall in love with other people. It happens. Remember, they were talking like they were soul mates (or wolves or something crazy). We have no reason to assume she was any more "untrustworthy" than any other human being.
It's Reiser who comes off weird for attacking his friend for being a pervert for having two very common sexual preferences and ranting for thirty-somes pages in a court filing about how violent video games can teach boys to be men.
You're right, none of this weirdness should count much, if at all, in a court of law.
However, this guy is seriously nuts. I mean, his son remembers him telling him not to tell his mom that they still play Battlefield: Vietnam together, so Mr. Reiser concludes that she was taking their son to some sort of specialist to implant false memories in the boy. And all this talk about making him play violent video games to make him into a man is just fucked up, and that's beyond any POV argument. Granted, I have a certain love for crazy geniuses but I'm still creeped out.
Let's start with the hypothesis that GOD said 'poof' and the Earth was made exactly 2000 years ago. It must have been created in some initial state. This initial state includes rocks, sand, water, trees... Why could fossils not have been part of this initial state?
This idea is weak to me.
1) Time is an illusion. There is no past, only now. The past exists only in its echoes in the present. 2) Therefore, the difference between what "really was" and what there is only EVIDENCE for (perfect, not mistaken evidence) is imaginary.
Okay, if you don't buy that, then theres a more sensible argument: If this really is the case, it's completely inconsequential. If the Universe was created with a pre-existing past, that past is just as studiable as the "real" past. And don't you find it strange that this "imaginary" past leads us to an "imaginary" origin: the Big Bang? Why wouldn't "GOD" just have started it there? To quote a Mr. Adams, this "real" origin disappears in a poof of logic.
GOD cannot be proven or disproven.
Maybe not, but if everything can (at least in theory) be explained, then the existence of "GOD" is similarly inconsequential.
By all means mock belief in GOD:)
Will do.:)
But there is nothing more intelligent/scientific about disbelief.
It had some good games, sure. Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time. But everything interesting was happening on the PSX (Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII to give two examples) after the initial wave of N64 games. The reason for this was hardware. That's why I said the N64 itself sucked.
Dude, temper. I don't know where you were, but the demise of Nintendo was considered an inevitability almost the day after the Gamecube came out. Not because it sold horribly, but because all the video games happenings were on other systems. Few games, especially the interesting ones, came out on Gamecube. It seemed to guarantee that Nintendo wasn't going to do what it had to to retake the lead after the N64 sucked so hard. I certainly expected Nintendo to be gone by the next gen.
Seriously, if gaming habituation becomes an addiction, and then a "disease", how long before the Americans with Disabilities Act protection kicks in so I can play my games at work without getting the ire of the bosses?
You mean like how alcoholics have the legal right to be drunk at work?
I think that only goes for show business. "Saturday June 24, Linux Users Eat More Babies" just ain't good for Linux no matter how you interpret the meaning of the title.
Yeah, I had to re-read that sentence a number of times to see what was wrong with it. Finally I noticed: nowhere does the article say that open-source is about the source code being available. That's gotta be it, right?
I think the problem is not so much that Sega wants to put its favorite icon in all sorts of game. The problem is not so much that they made these games, but that they STOPPED making classic sonic games. That's the sad part. There's no reason they can't do both. I think it's been long overdue that game makers get over their phobia of 2D.
Slashdot Mirror
Look, I'm a communist (though I don't buy that "state capitalism" cop-out) and I found his counterpoise as irritating as you did, but nobody wants to hear you whine about it in this context. Try not to irritate those you wish to convert. ;)
Boy, I sure would love to meet whoever moderated paying attention to practical reality as "overrated."
No, because under copyright law, you never had that right in the first place. The GPL gives you *more* rights than you had, it just doesn't give you the right to not give the same rights to others. You know, you can argue about legal definitions to your hearts content, but it doesn't change the practical reality of the situation one tiny bit (with the possible exception of loopholes).
For the record, Microsoft has not said it won't publish AO games, or Manhunt 2 in particular.
I'm no expert on the (L)GPL, but I believe that anybody who has purchased the offending software already has a legal right to see the offending code.
I think you should reread his comment. He very clearly implied that Apple isn't "in a monopoly position" (since it's safe to assume he wasn't saying that Apple's a monopoly that DOES release technical information), but asked why it shouldn't be held to the same standard. But even if he was saying that, I fail to see how "but it's not illegal" is a good rebuttal.
And I would have very happily asked him where I could order a copy that will work on my home-built computer currently running Windows.
I've attempted to play Zork many times in the past. I've never got past the Flood Control Dam. Do I suck?
From what I've heard (from the movie Sicko, I think - yay BitTorrent!), in parts of Canada frequented by USian visitors, you can see lots of shops loudly advertising that they cell Cuban cigars.
You mean unlike before, when when they were trying to stay on it? Or like the way they've finally stopped trying to interfere in US affairs and hurt US industry (through an embargo!) like they did for 50 years? You're sadly mistaken if you think being on the list has anything to do with what Cuba does, other than not whatever we want them to.
Actually, the reason the embargo is being challenged is because US companies have realized they can make alot of money trading with Cuba. Those trading in goods that are excepted from the embargo (just food, IIRC) already do.
The US government has fooled itself, through wishful thinking (the Bush regime doesn't have the best grounding in reality), that Castro will die and Cuba will suddenly realize they wanted to go back to being a US neo-colony all along. It's not going to happen.
Cuba is one of the friendliest nations on the World stage on Earth. Heck, they even offered to send doctors to New Orleans after Katrina (we gave no reply). Please don't blame Cuba for their treatment by the US.
Yes, it is, as stated, a totally wrong opinion, I agree (anyone who thinks that personal_opposition_to_racism = lack_of_racism is sadly a fool). But there is some validity to the "it is considered socially acceptable to indulge in such hatred" argument. This is clearly what he's reacting too, but he just as clearly takes it too far. And I also get the feeling that he takes it too far not just in his words, but in his own mind - but I could certainly be wrong.
Not only that, but he believes in this so strongly that he has his son learn these "lessons" behind his mothers back and apparently considers them VITAL, psychologically. Also, in my personal opinion - take it or leave it - he makes FAR too much of the difference between the male and female psyche.
That's what I kept thinking too. Here's the main reason I wanted to respond to you: none of this is direct evidence of guilt. However, it is my opinion that he is fully capable of falling so far into the deep end at least long enough to believe that such drastic measures as murder are necessary long enough to follow through with it. Is that direct evidence or guilt? Of course not. You don't think so either. Anyway... I just thought that that was the clearest way to put it.
Woah. Woah, man. I fail to understand this conclusion. First of all, "bi-S&M-druggies" are close to my heart. I resent the notion that theres anything wrong with any of them, nor is it suspicious that they might come in groups. Second, people fall in love with other people. It happens. Remember, they were talking like they were soul mates (or wolves or something crazy). We have no reason to assume she was any more "untrustworthy" than any other human being.
It's Reiser who comes off weird for attacking his friend for being a pervert for having two very common sexual preferences and ranting for thirty-somes pages in a court filing about how violent video games can teach boys to be men.
You're right, none of this weirdness should count much, if at all, in a court of law.
However, this guy is seriously nuts. I mean, his son remembers him telling him not to tell his mom that they still play Battlefield: Vietnam together, so Mr. Reiser concludes that she was taking their son to some sort of specialist to implant false memories in the boy. And all this talk about making him play violent video games to make him into a man is just fucked up, and that's beyond any POV argument. Granted, I have a certain love for crazy geniuses but I'm still creeped out.
This idea is weak to me.
1) Time is an illusion. There is no past, only now. The past exists only in its echoes in the present.
2) Therefore, the difference between what "really was" and what there is only EVIDENCE for (perfect, not mistaken evidence) is imaginary.
Okay, if you don't buy that, then theres a more sensible argument: If this really is the case, it's completely inconsequential. If the Universe was created with a pre-existing past, that past is just as studiable as the "real" past. And don't you find it strange that this "imaginary" past leads us to an "imaginary" origin: the Big Bang? Why wouldn't "GOD" just have started it there? To quote a Mr. Adams, this "real" origin disappears in a poof of logic.
Maybe not, but if everything can (at least in theory) be explained, then the existence of "GOD" is similarly inconsequential.
Will do.
But science renders belief in "GOD" irrelevant.
Surely that should be, "In Soviet Peru a Beowulf cluster of Giant Penguins imagines you."
I know the name of the next Ubuntu release: giant peruvian
It had some good games, sure. Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time. But everything interesting was happening on the PSX (Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII to give two examples) after the initial wave of N64 games. The reason for this was hardware. That's why I said the N64 itself sucked.
Dude, temper. I don't know where you were, but the demise of Nintendo was considered an inevitability almost the day after the Gamecube came out. Not because it sold horribly, but because all the video games happenings were on other systems. Few games, especially the interesting ones, came out on Gamecube. It seemed to guarantee that Nintendo wasn't going to do what it had to to retake the lead after the N64 sucked so hard. I certainly expected Nintendo to be gone by the next gen.
You mean like how alcoholics have the legal right to be drunk at work?
I think that only goes for show business. "Saturday June 24, Linux Users Eat More Babies" just ain't good for Linux no matter how you interpret the meaning of the title.
Yeah, I had to re-read that sentence a number of times to see what was wrong with it. Finally I noticed: nowhere does the article say that open-source is about the source code being available. That's gotta be it, right?
Wow. I don't even know what to say to that.
I think the problem is not so much that Sega wants to put its favorite icon in all sorts of game. The problem is not so much that they made these games, but that they STOPPED making classic sonic games. That's the sad part. There's no reason they can't do both. I think it's been long overdue that game makers get over their phobia of 2D.