Most of these comments seem to be about people wondering whether or not a degree in Game Whatever will get them a job. Since when has college become a place that is supposed to provide you with job training?
College used to be a place of higher education where people went to learn, to gain perspective, etc.
Games are becoming an important social force in our world, so they are being studied. The proliferation of courses and programs does not indicate that more people want to WORK in video games, it means that more people are INTERESTED in them. They are evolving and demand attention.
I know a lot of Philosophy majors that never got good Philosophy Jobs or got to work in big Philosophy Companies. That doesn't mean it wasn't important to them...
Quite a few people consider it the best science fiction or fantasy trilogy ever. Myself included.
You have to give it sixty pages to get used to Peake's style, but if you do, you are going to read something you'll probably remember forever. A strange experience to read, and difficult to forget.
Don't be discouraged about the percentage of posters to readers. Most people have no idea how few people post out of a pool of readers. It's VERY small. You have to generate tremendous ammounts of traffic and/or prestige to get good discussion flowing.
Another thing most people don't realize is that most of the discussion on any posting board is created by a handful of dedicated and active posters. The posts are not generaly spread out evenly through the population. Most people don't post at all or rarely while a VERY FEW people post ALL THE TIME. Most of your PR and effort will be to attract these people. And it's not always easy, especialy when your topic is narrow and about work;)
The best way to cultivate those posters is to give them as much feedback as possible. Slashdot is an ideal place to see this in action. When you click on an article, most of the time, the actual information is merely linked to, but all the posts are displayed! Because here, the posting is the point. Also, the rating system does more than sort the posts, it gives many people a REASON to post. You WILL be seen (and modded, and flamed, etc;)
So put posts on the front page, respond to EVERY post, encourage the frequent posters, create stories from reader responses, do whatever you can to make your posters prominant. Don't be afraid to be aggressive in encouraging or recruiting these people. You HAVE to. Get your friends/colleagues involved etc. Actually ASK them to post. As another example, when the WELL (now Salon) started they actualy gave out free accounts to writers just to make sure that there would be interesting people writing !
Dilution may also be a problem. If you post a lot of stories with discussions attatched, you actualy dilute the pool of posters. Try to concentrate these posters around a few long-term posting boards at first that deal with general topics, and link the articles to these boards.
Obviously, this is a lot of work, but if you want lively discussions, you just have to put the energy in. There is no other way.
BTW, posting this on/. was a great idea. You're on the right track.
Probably nothing new here... I just wanted to be added to the list of people who think the DMCA and the way it is being enforced is terrifying.
Ten years ago I realized (as many did) that the US was heading into a corporate dark-age. This is the incident that announces to me, that it has truly arrived.
Countries are no longer sovereign; corporations are. They are USING countries in their battles at the expense of the citizens, and ultimately probably at their own expense though they are too short-sighted to see it.
Companies are creations of enormous power with huge intelligences and resources at their disposal, but only one motivation. To turn a profit by next quarter. That's it. Engines of mass-destruction who only want to grow faster and larger. I laugh when people talk about whether or not AI's or robots are going to take over the world... I think all we have to do is see whether corporations (our latest creations) are going to do so...
I have too much to say on this topic to write it all in this forum, but I don't mind saying that I'm getting scared. And that isn't hyperbole... I'm scared.
The only other thing I will say is that this is why the open source movement is so important now... Because when you get fed up enough with what's going on, and you just can't moraly support the companies that are banding together to take away every freedom to secure their own control... THERE WILL BE AN ALTERNATIVE. There will be software you can use, bands you can listen too, publications to read, communities of people to support you, and products you can make(or buy) that won't be used to further your own destruction.
It is essential to move open-source back to our physical communities as well, so that we can support each other in personal/physical ways too and complete the open-source movement.
What we are seeing isn't a great migration of web users to corporate content, but the fact that big corporations are HOSTING our content and our activities now. The majority of the time we spend on the four big companies' sites we are totaly ignoring them.
We aren't really reading through MSN or Yahoo, consuming corporate pablum about their products, we are hosting MILLIONS of OUR sites there... and reading OUR EMAIL there... and arguing with each other on OUR groups there... and CHATTING with OUR friends there...'
All this study shows is that companies have made it easier for us to host our activities with them instead of installing posting/chatting software etc on our own web pages the way we used to have to do it.
This isn't going to work. The entire idea of the data-haven as small and untouchable only works if no one knows where it is (or it is on the move). In other words, it only works if no one CAN shut it down (economicaly that is).
The only way a stable, useable data-haven is going to work is if it is located in a country large enough that shutting it down would require and act of aggression equal to war. If it's going to be public and stable, it has to be defendable.
Imagine a data-haven set up in Russia. If Iraq or Thailand decides to set up a data-haven it's going to be as hard to shut down as drugs are to stop now.
But back to reality, even if they get this Napster Clone to work, it STILL isn't going to make them any more money than NAPSTER has. NOTHING! And if people DO pay for subscription, then they'll have to compete against the record companies' future subscription services.
Add to that the fact that most of us would RATHER pay the artists if we're gonna have to pay anyway.
This idea is just wrong-headed. Interesting, good news, but not sustainable or even desireable.
Re:The movie wanked on the ending.
on
Hannibal's Return
·
· Score: 1
Think about it. There are really a limited number of ways that Harris could have ended the novel, most of them boring and predictable:
There are actualy an infinite number of ways that the movie (and book) could end, we are just so used to certain endings, that we don't feel we can expect more originality.
Starling pretends to have stopped Lecter in a cover-up leaving him free to escape.
Lecter and Starling go on a killing spree.
They get isolated together on a desert island neither ready to give up neither able (seemingly) to escape.
Lecter creates a cannibal/religion/cult and becomes a seductive underground media celebrity, while Starling puts a bullet in her brain in disgust and hopelessnes with the human race!
Despite the fact that 30 minutes into the movie I realized I'd SEEN this movie before (it's been re-made several times) there were two things about it that really impressed me.
First, the actors are amazing, and the movie is filled with inspired cameos and brilliant performances. Robin Wright Penn (you remember... Buttercup from The Princes Bride) who plays the snaggle-toothed and abused Lori was just amazing, as were Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, and the many other fine performers.
Secondly, the movie managed to generate an unconscious and spooky energy that is rare in the waste-land of recent thrillers. The use of fairy-tales, childhood memories, and grim natural settings helped to build a Jungian undercurrent that is deeply menacing. The killer becomes an unseeable darkness that never looses it's subtle menace, even after the movie reaches it's much discussed conclusion.
As to the plot... it didn't much matter to me. Let's face it, this genre has (pardon the pun) been done to death. Though some people say the ending was somehow special or new... it wasn't (to me). I mean, how many different endings ARE there; you catch the bad guy or you don't. So barring a new topic, or a new genre, the only thing you have left to judge is the movie's execution and it's STYLE. And I think this movie had enough style to make it work extremely well. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you like European film (and pacing) and you like the actors, I think you will be well rewarded with a great big chill right down your back for taking the time to see this creepy, well-crafted psychological mystery.
An even more minor nit pick
on
The Pledge
·
· Score: 1
"The Pledge", as you mentioned, has been filmed twice under the title "Es geschah am hellichten Tag" ("It Happened in Broad Daylight"), in 1958 and 1997 which was a TV release only that I have yet to see.
Actually, it was also remade in 1994 as "In the Cold Light of Day" bringing the total number of versions up to 3.
Truly there is no game more worthy of discussion here or anywhere than MORNINGTON CRESCENT. This game (as most know) is FULL of sums and even though it is devastatingly complicated, it has a child-like simplicity that becomes evident once the rules are properly understood. Children may have a hard time at first grasping the rather intimdating set of instructions, but there are many simplified versions of the game and one of these can readily be found to suite almost any level of play. Truly this is the most enchanting game I have ever played and it is a constant source of delight and inspiration.
It is possible to play the game at home, or online (for free) at many MC game servers. Some even provide computer opponents for those without friends, associates, or patience.
"Once you understand Mornington Crescent, nothing else in your life makes any sense..." -- annon
Well User #266026, besides the fact that the "non-whites and Jews" aren't going to LET the half-wit wonder-bread "nation" exterminate them or anyone else, your solution would leave you with NO technological innovations because the world would be completely at the mercy of an evolutionary glitch with the proven inability to reason. A lost world of carnivorous marshmallows with mayonaise for brains wacking each other over the head with their ignorance.
Slashdot Mirror
Most of these comments seem to be about people wondering whether or not a degree in Game Whatever will get them a job. Since when has college become a place that is supposed to provide you with job training?
College used to be a place of higher education where people went to learn, to gain perspective, etc.
Games are becoming an important social force in our world, so they are being studied. The proliferation of courses and programs does not indicate that more people want to WORK in video games, it means that more people are INTERESTED in them. They are evolving and demand attention.
I know a lot of Philosophy majors that never got good Philosophy Jobs or got to work in big Philosophy Companies. That doesn't mean it wasn't important to them...
Gormenghast Trilogy
Quite a few people consider it the best science fiction or fantasy trilogy ever. Myself included.
You have to give it sixty pages to get used to Peake's style, but if you do, you are going to read something you'll probably remember forever. A strange experience to read, and difficult to forget.
No kidding...
LWH-
Don't be discouraged about the percentage of posters to readers. Most people have no idea how few people post out of a pool of readers. It's VERY small. You have to generate tremendous ammounts of traffic and/or prestige to get good discussion flowing.
Another thing most people don't realize is that most of the discussion on any posting board is created by a handful of dedicated and active posters. The posts are not generaly spread out evenly through the population. Most people don't post at all or rarely while a VERY FEW people post ALL THE TIME. Most of your PR and effort will be to attract these people. And it's not always easy, especialy when your topic is narrow and about work
The best way to cultivate those posters is to give them as much feedback as possible. Slashdot is an ideal place to see this in action. When you click on an article, most of the time, the actual information is merely linked to, but all the posts are displayed! Because here, the posting is the point. Also, the rating system does more than sort the posts, it gives many people a REASON to post. You WILL be seen (and modded, and flamed, etc
So put posts on the front page, respond to EVERY post, encourage the frequent posters, create stories from reader responses, do whatever you can to make your posters prominant. Don't be afraid to be aggressive in encouraging or recruiting these people. You HAVE to. Get your friends/colleagues involved etc. Actually ASK them to post. As another example, when the WELL (now Salon) started they actualy gave out free accounts to writers just to make sure that there would be interesting people writing !
Dilution may also be a problem. If you post a lot of stories with discussions attatched, you actualy dilute the pool of posters. Try to concentrate these posters around a few long-term posting boards at first that deal with general topics, and link the articles to these boards.
Obviously, this is a lot of work, but if you want lively discussions, you just have to put the energy in. There is no other way.
BTW, posting this on
I feel like that. COMPLETELY. It makes me feel like I'm riding on the back of some crazy animal, and I can't stop it, and I'm not safe from it.
:)
Or SOMETHING
Probably nothing new here... I just wanted to be added to the list of people who think the DMCA and the way it is being enforced is terrifying.
Ten years ago I realized (as many did) that the US was heading into a corporate dark-age. This is the incident that announces to me, that it has truly arrived.
Countries are no longer sovereign; corporations are. They are USING countries in their battles at the expense of the citizens, and ultimately probably at their own expense though they are too short-sighted to see it.
Companies are creations of enormous power with huge intelligences and resources at their disposal, but only one motivation. To turn a profit by next quarter. That's it. Engines of mass-destruction who only want to grow faster and larger. I laugh when people talk about whether or not AI's or robots are going to take over the world... I think all we have to do is see whether corporations (our latest creations) are going to do so...
I have too much to say on this topic to write it all in this forum, but I don't mind saying that I'm getting scared. And that isn't hyperbole... I'm scared.
The only other thing I will say is that this is why the open source movement is so important now... Because when you get fed up enough with what's going on, and you just can't moraly support the companies that are banding together to take away every freedom to secure their own control... THERE WILL BE AN ALTERNATIVE. There will be software you can use, bands you can listen too, publications to read, communities of people to support you, and products you can make(or buy) that won't be used to further your own destruction.
It is essential to move open-source back to our physical communities as well, so that we can support each other in personal/physical ways too and complete the open-source movement.
LWH
What we are seeing isn't a great migration of web users to corporate content, but the fact that big corporations are HOSTING our content and our activities now. The majority of the time we spend on the four big companies' sites we are totaly ignoring them.
We aren't really reading through MSN or Yahoo, consuming corporate pablum about their products, we are hosting MILLIONS of OUR sites there... and reading OUR EMAIL there... and arguing with each other on OUR groups there... and CHATTING with OUR friends there...'
All this study shows is that companies have made it easier for us to host our activities with them instead of installing posting/chatting software etc on our own web pages the way we used to have to do it.
Alt.sex.stupid.racist.slashdot.ac
This isn't going to work. The entire idea of the data-haven as small and untouchable only works if no one knows where it is (or it is on the move). In other words, it only works if no one CAN shut it down (economicaly that is).
The only way a stable, useable data-haven is going to work is if it is located in a country large enough that shutting it down would require and act of aggression equal to war. If it's going to be public and stable, it has to be defendable.
Imagine a data-haven set up in Russia. If Iraq or Thailand decides to set up a data-haven it's going to be as hard to shut down as drugs are to stop now.
But back to reality, even if they get this Napster Clone to work, it STILL isn't going to make them any more money than NAPSTER has. NOTHING! And if people DO pay for subscription, then they'll have to compete against the record companies' future subscription services.
Add to that the fact that most of us would RATHER pay the artists if we're gonna have to pay anyway.
This idea is just wrong-headed. Interesting, good news, but not sustainable or even desireable.
1. Starling catches Lecter.
2. Starling fails to catch Lecter (movie version).
3. Lecter catches starling, eats her.
4. Lecter catches starling (book version).
There are actualy an infinite number of ways that the movie (and book) could end, we are just so used to certain endings, that we don't feel we can expect more originality.
Just to get the ball rolling, how about...
Despite the fact that 30 minutes into the movie I realized I'd SEEN this movie before (it's been re-made several times) there were two things about it that really impressed me.
First, the actors are amazing, and the movie is filled with inspired cameos and brilliant performances. Robin Wright Penn (you remember... Buttercup from The Princes Bride) who plays the snaggle-toothed and abused Lori was just amazing, as were Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, and the many other fine performers.
Secondly, the movie managed to generate an unconscious and spooky energy that is rare in the waste-land of recent thrillers. The use of fairy-tales, childhood memories, and grim natural settings helped to build a Jungian undercurrent that is deeply menacing. The killer becomes an unseeable darkness that never looses it's subtle menace, even after the movie reaches it's much discussed conclusion.
As to the plot... it didn't much matter to me. Let's face it, this genre has (pardon the pun) been done to death. Though some people say the ending was somehow special or new... it wasn't (to me). I mean, how many different endings ARE there; you catch the bad guy or you don't. So barring a new topic, or a new genre, the only thing you have left to judge is the movie's execution and it's STYLE. And I think this movie had enough style to make it work extremely well. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you like European film (and pacing) and you like the actors, I think you will be well rewarded with a great big chill right down your back for taking the time to see this creepy, well-crafted psychological mystery.
Actually, it was also remade in 1994 as "In the Cold Light of Day" bringing the total number of versions up to 3.
It is possible to play the game at home, or online (for free) at many MC game servers. Some even provide computer opponents for those without friends, associates, or patience.
"Once you understand Mornington Crescent, nothing else in your life makes any sense..." -- annon
Well User #266026, besides the fact that the "non-whites and Jews" aren't going to LET the half-wit wonder-bread "nation" exterminate them or anyone else, your solution would leave you with NO technological innovations because the world would be completely at the mercy of an evolutionary glitch with the proven inability to reason. A lost world of carnivorous marshmallows with mayonaise for brains wacking each other over the head with their ignorance.