They're so corporate now, anything they produce is so mechanical, so by the numbers that it's hardly an art form anymore, it's a style. You could easily see the same story and visual structure in EVERY spielberg and Lucas film. (emphasis mine)
Ahhh... but you forget one crucial part of your argument. Spielberg and Lucas created that style. They changed movies forever. It is not surprising that a generation raised on that style expands on it, and bitches about it while the old fogeys don't get any other great and brilliant flashes.
Bobby Knight also invented the moving offense. A generation later people who grew up on the moving offense see its flaws, pick it apart, and innovate on it. They then proceed to beat him soundly on the court.
Ted Turner invented sattelite superstations and 24/7 worldwide news availability. He is also getting his butt kicked by the new generation as well.
This is all a very, very, natural process. Including the people that bitch about how the old generation has "lost it." Nonetheless, arguing about it is ridiculous. They were the first, and respect is due.
"Hey, I need to see this on the 'net. It says I need to install this thing called RealPlayer to see it... how do I do that?"
I am not the IT guy so I cannot tell them what to do, so I simply discourage them strongly. I tell them that, "RealPlayer is broken. It doesn't work anymore. The company died in the dotbomb. It is dangerous. It is created by terrorists. It destroys computers. You should never install it, and tell your friend that they should not use it. We can't play RealPlayer on our system. It was used on the old C-3PO operating system. Our computer doesn't support it. It is full of viruses. IT WILL KILL YOUR COMPUTER."
I hate lying to people. Hate it. However the urge to play anything, and I mean anything, no matter how inane, by their corporate buddy in another cubicle is SOOO STRONG (I mean moth to bug zapper strong) that they simply cannot exsist witout RealPlayer. After all, you are telling them not to do something, and they want to see that guy light his own flatulence. You see why you lose in that situation.
However, if you don't tell people a thousand reasons IN THE MOST EXTREME TERMS why they should not use RealPlayer, then the little moron will dodge your advice and install the danged thing. Then they will come to you with a computer that is half the speed that it was before and screws with you at all times. Then THEY START THE REAL LYING.
"I didn't install RealPlayer! No I didn't! You told me I shouldn't so I didn't!"
-TWO MINUTES LATER-
"Okay... Well, I just HAAAAD to see that baby dancing video! I saw it on an Ally McBeal rerun and it was soooo cute!"
It amazes me how many people have come to me for casual advice and then utterly bypass it to their own detriment. It is one thing to not know and accidentally install RealPlayer. It is another thing to ask, and then after hearing "EVIL! EVIL! EVIL!" from a person who knows, and still install it.
Between that and their incredibly profitable gene pool, they'll be per-capita, the wealthiest nation in the world soon enough.
Well, we cannot have them with a great gene pool. Why, that is unfair to the rest of the world. Gene pools are for the People, says I. Genes are not for profit. Genes are to be shared.
That is why, I, alone, should be sent to their country IMMEDIATELY to stop this profitable gene pool from propagating further in this direction, and the sweeping greed that consumes them. They need to have less profitable genes, say, like mine. I can see this as only benefitting humanity.
A screenwriting team has been hired and Milla Jovovich has been talking herself up for the lead.
Milla Jovovich as a hot Alice? In the stockings and the little black shoes? Maybe a tight little Bettie Page haircut?
I pretty much see that as being as the best f'n idea I have heard all year. Whoever is behind that idea deserves an Oscar almost as much as the guy that was responsible for putting the pool scene in Wild Things.
Actually, I am a member in good standing of the media in TN. I am a avid slashdotter, and apparently my plate has been too full to see this one coming down the street. Terribly sorry for the gaff, but here is some TN advice.
SO here is what I would suggest to people, as I know Phil Bredesen (the Gov), and interview him about once a week or more...
Pick a spokesman for the/. techies crowd. He will listen if you get the time. Here is the reason why:
He is a nerd. Harvard math. Grad school stuff. He likes computers. I kid you not. He will get technical with you in a second about a number of subjects (he one day asked what Kelvin the color temperature my camera was getting in the shade). It is actually refreshing to meet a man that is the governor that is also smart enough to look up to. This is a man that got elected on the "TN is not thinking smart about its finances, and I know finances" platform. He should know. He is a self-made millionaire, so he doesn't worry about re-election money or owing anyone anything. He's already got money. He even turned down his salary because of budget problems. I don't like politicians because I see them up close, but I actually like this guy.
So, if you can, make a very detailed, very compelling argument to him FROM HIS CONSTITUENTS and send it off. If he gets it I guarantee it will not pass over his head... few things do. I would help, but I work for the local news, and well, my microphone is pointing at him too often to get involved.
Personally, I think that Phil Bredesen is your best shot on shooting this down in TN. The TN House and Senate are the most political animals on the planet (truly "Old Southern Politics" at work) so there is no hope there with the lobbyists around.
Before everyone mods me down in knee jerk reaction to everyone's fav game discussion...
I just don't know if I'll be picking up Doom 3.
I mean, really, there has been a glut of great games that look fine out there. I am "Mr. Upgrade at the last minute," and I feel I represent many players that way. From the point of view of gameplay I just cannot see that Doom 3 will be really that exciting short of a LAN party contest to see if you have the fastest hardware and deepest visual requirements. Plus shelling out cash for all the requirements just feels insane.
There are some real reasons why I am unsure about Doom 3 and am only recently suspicious about Id:
1. I bought (RTC)Wolfenstein. Although it looked good for that time it didn't innovate anything short of Flamethrower effects and chicks in patent leather. That is why I play Battlefield now. I need innovation. Not visual innovation. Visual innovation is for Hollywood. If if plays in any fashion like the original Doom games, well, then, what is the point again? That was years ago. Goldeneye proved it was all about the friends and action, not the visuals. Dragging up prettier, spruced up versions of the past just feels like yet another money pit.
2. Brand loyalty has never panned out in video games. And there are really good FPSers out there. Like NOLF2. It will cost more than NOLF2. NOLF2 has stellar gameplay. NOLF2 looks good. NOLF2 has replay. Most games look good now and have good gameplay. If you are just running on the name now, then good luck. I am not a brand loyalist. I must inspect every purchase as much as possible these days, mostly because of the good choices out there.
3. There has been so much hype about it I have no idea where to turn to get an honest answer. Asking a geek about Id is like asking a person to make analysis about religion. So I have to wait and see. No honest sit downs from the doom team right now makes it feel like a turkey. I am afraid I am going to get this: "See? It's go the big 'Id Bang' at the beginning of the menu. See? Remember that? Its good!" Once again that is my opinion. It just smells fishy.
4. (RTC)Wolfenstein was short. If it is short, I'll be ticked off. Understandable reasons.
Id is starting to wear out its welcome in my mind. Game engines, yes, they're brilliant. They packed more through a 56k than I could ever imagine. Gameplay? After navigation, it jut ain't there. So let someone else deal with it. I know that everyone loves Carmack's skills instead of his games. I agree he is tight, but I just don't know if I care enough about hardware coolness to purchase a game over it.
And by the way, I ain't ever gonna rip it off. People deserve to be paid for their work. So either cough it up, wait it out, or don't play.
This is trying to tell the world that online gamers are not geeks... when everyone knows that no matter who you are, the moment you get out on the net and start playing Everquest, well...
YOU HAVE JUST BECOME A GEEK. There are no normal people that have gone that far. Normal is waiting all week to see what happens on the next episode of Friends.
Everquest just ain't normal. Here's your membership card.
should've ended the sanctions, (that would've prevented huge numbers of Iraqi deaths over the last 12 years)
Oh, do you mean via starvation? Because Saddam had the UN food and medicine for oil plan. That would end starvation. So what deaths do you mean?
Oh, I get it... you mean the non-economic deaths based upon the KILLING OF HIS OWN CITIZENS. I think you have no cogent argument about the UN sanctions causing the deaths of Iraqis. Please respond. I would love to hear your justification that the UN caused more deaths of Iraqis after the First Gulf War than Saddam did. Please back it up with facts.
Saddam kills his own people. I want to see Defense Department documents that prove we were complicit in the death of Iraqis that you claim. I can show you videotape right now that says that Saddam was a killer. You need to get your priorities straight, and stop reading websites that have outrageous claims and no proof.
Although, if "stuck" means living in a pretty good city for the size. I noticed that there was not one listing in the Midwest short of Chicago, or other places like that.
Thoughts like that are predicated on the fact that the USA is the only warlike group out there, and the rest of the world is not warlike in any fashion, and simply reacting to each other. If you look at the history of any region of the world at any time, that pretty much sinks that opinion.
The more the U.S. kills people around the world the more enemies it makes. It needs to kill those new enemies. Better make better guns so you can kill more of those enemies...creating more enemies.
Is that the mothership I hear calling you home? Someone please fetch me the clue bat.
It is human to hate the other tribe. Human nature creates enemies without any political concerns whatsoever. We've been more adept at killing each other than we are than anything else. We've been attacking each other since before we've been cave painting. Climbing to the top of the heap is something that every person tries constantly from birth to death.
To say that war creates enemies is true, but human activity alone does a fine job doing that all by itself. The assertions that you make are practically saying that the other "peace loving nations" of the world have only been building armies in reaction to the US. That 1) makes US citizens "pure evil" that are only building armies to crush others and 2) and that the rest of the world is "pure good." The only pure anything of that statement, is, as I would say, is "pure horeshit." The poster is probably the same kind of ridiculous person that says the rich are automatically evil, and the poor are automatically good. I dare say there is a gentle subtext to everything... personal merits and national merits do weigh in.
They are not building in reaction to the USA.
If we were only so important to them. We're not. We're just another tribe. It is human nature people to want the resources, women, and land of your neighbor. To say that the US is going around the globe and creating enemies... well, that is insane. Humans do that easily without any provocation whatsoever.
The proof? France. We haven't fired a shot at France in anger, EVER. We have defended that nation several times now. We have had debts of honor to France, and have paid them in return too. WE SHOULD BE BEST FRIENDS. Until a while ago, France was the epitomy of cool in US culture. If you would hear the responses of French citizens to our behavior, it would sound like murder and rape. Once again, are we sparring with France? No. We're still training armies with France. But it is just naturally turing into a "screw that other tribe" situation, even without the juicy details.
The whole world situation smacks of "rock throwing," more than it smells of evil hegemony. It's all schoolyard politics with big budgets. The sooner you see that, the sooner you will stop hating GROUPS and start judging people as INDIVIDUALS.
Afer all, it is my humble opinion that groupthink on both sides of any conflict (real or percieved) is the real enemy of mankind. Everyone should make their own decisions, and suffer the benefits or penalties for their actions.
Did anyone notice that there is a brand new/. article about GPS being a new tech in phones about three slots down? And the military is already banning them?
Wowzers! I didn't realize that the Department of Defense was that fast...!!!
IF you really want trusted computing, do what I do...
Never put ANYTHING IMPORTANT on a computer with worldwide access. It's that simple. If you are deathly afraid of theft, pull the broadband out of the wall. That's trusted computing. I call it trusting yourself. It is the only way.
Trusted computing is a hoax. It is a concept that goes against human nature. Throughout history there have been criminal activities. People will always try to get something illegally, or through so little effort that it is nearly criminal.
The only method to trusted computing is the old methods, file it up, lock it up, seperate it, let only trusted members near it, and apply human protocols to make sure it stays secure. Just like we have been doing with sensitive things for generations.
Anyone that believes that this "trusted computing" scam won't be ripped apart in under a month is insane.
Stick with the human methods. No amount of code will ever save you from security problems, no matter how deep the code runs.
The reason why they will put money up for Tremors is that it will be cheap as hell.
1. Go to desert.
2. Shoot lots of upshots of people freaking and holding shotguns.
3. CG long plate shots of sand billowing and something moving underground.
One of the things I loved about Farscape is that everything was custom made for the show... after the first season, they got off of the main set (Moya the ship) quite a bit and they often used one set for one part of a story, AND THAT WAS IT. The same was true for the aliens... everyone liked the variety. But that variety was incredibly expensive.
We're spoiled. They cannot go back on the production values without jumping the shark, and they probably gave all the rest of that money to get all of the Indiana Jones movies (which anyone flipping through will watch) and mini-series features like Dune and Riverworld this year for the increased audience.
Farscape used to be it on Scifi. Now it isn't. It served them well. As usual, only the best shows die from neglect.
Besides, their own development team has no clue how to track down security bugs so they actually depend on independent hackers to find them for MS.
I bet you really meant this:
Besides, their own development team has no clue how to track down security bugs so they actually depend on independent hackers to find them for MS, and then try to call them such inflammatory statements as terrorists, try to give them jail sentences that are heavier than murderers, or coerce the community into shutting up about security holes as a fix, all in the name of expanded prosperity for one company.
All members of the Tennesse Highway patrol are now REQUIRED to take animal training courses. The penalties for animal abuse have been raised in TN. Officers are getting a optional course in animal control and bite training in TN now if they want it. Most municipalities are asking their officers to go.
So the Patton Smoak incident made TN one of the most progressive states as far as animal training is concerned, short of New York state, where there is hardly any livestock and pets are companions.
I should know. I covered the story yesterday. TN State Senator Steve Cohen wanted more penalties, but he got a pretty good compromise.
So even compared to other states, TN is moving up in animal welfare.
And by the way for all of you asshats, TN doesn't blast dogs for fun, so don't f'n generalize, OKAY?
And yes, they're still endearing, and ultimately hilarious. I would still to this very day buy fresh replacements of the missing ones.
The scalp tonic syndicate (Opus as a drug runner, Miami Vice style), Bill and Opus's Politics run, The Banana Jr. computer, The stealth Basselope, and Bill the Cat's picture with an AK-47 and Jeanne Kirkpatrick for the sandanistas (my "Mujarhadeen Mama") are still some of the funniest, most inspired things ever in comics.
However, I never laughed at Doonesbury. I wonder why.
Willaim Hurt should have had his SAG card yanked for that performance. Honestly, he really phoned that one in.
But still, think about the production costs. Think about the blindingly huge concepts the books have to cover. With all of that in mind, you really get to the point that there are some real impossibilities with making these work IN ANY FASHION. I am impressed that they even try.
Yet they do. And although not perfect, they do in my estimation a bang up job. SO FOR THAT, I consider them a success.
Slashdot Mirror
They're so corporate now, anything they produce is so mechanical, so by the numbers that it's hardly an art form anymore, it's a style. You could easily see the same story and visual structure in EVERY spielberg and Lucas film. (emphasis mine)
Ahhh... but you forget one crucial part of your argument. Spielberg and Lucas created that style. They changed movies forever. It is not surprising that a generation raised on that style expands on it, and bitches about it while the old fogeys don't get any other great and brilliant flashes.
Bobby Knight also invented the moving offense. A generation later people who grew up on the moving offense see its flaws, pick it apart, and innovate on it. They then proceed to beat him soundly on the court.
Ted Turner invented sattelite superstations and 24/7 worldwide news availability. He is also getting his butt kicked by the new generation as well.
This is all a very, very, natural process. Including the people that bitch about how the old generation has "lost it." Nonetheless, arguing about it is ridiculous. They were the first, and respect is due.
"Hey, I need to see this on the 'net. It says I need to install this thing called RealPlayer to see it... how do I do that?"
I am not the IT guy so I cannot tell them what to do, so I simply discourage them strongly. I tell them that, "RealPlayer is broken. It doesn't work anymore. The company died in the dotbomb. It is dangerous. It is created by terrorists. It destroys computers. You should never install it, and tell your friend that they should not use it. We can't play RealPlayer on our system. It was used on the old C-3PO operating system. Our computer doesn't support it. It is full of viruses. IT WILL KILL YOUR COMPUTER."
I hate lying to people. Hate it. However the urge to play anything, and I mean anything, no matter how inane, by their corporate buddy in another cubicle is SOOO STRONG (I mean moth to bug zapper strong) that they simply cannot exsist witout RealPlayer. After all, you are telling them not to do something, and they want to see that guy light his own flatulence. You see why you lose in that situation.
However, if you don't tell people a thousand reasons IN THE MOST EXTREME TERMS why they should not use RealPlayer, then the little moron will dodge your advice and install the danged thing. Then they will come to you with a computer that is half the speed that it was before and screws with you at all times. Then THEY START THE REAL LYING.
"I didn't install RealPlayer! No I didn't! You told me I shouldn't so I didn't!"
-TWO MINUTES LATER-
"Okay... Well, I just HAAAAD to see that baby dancing video! I saw it on an Ally McBeal rerun and it was soooo cute!"
It amazes me how many people have come to me for casual advice and then utterly bypass it to their own detriment. It is one thing to not know and accidentally install RealPlayer. It is another thing to ask, and then after hearing "EVIL! EVIL! EVIL!" from a person who knows, and still install it.
Between that and their incredibly profitable gene pool, they'll be per-capita, the wealthiest nation in the world soon enough.
Well, we cannot have them with a great gene pool. Why, that is unfair to the rest of the world. Gene pools are for the People, says I. Genes are not for profit. Genes are to be shared.
That is why, I, alone, should be sent to their country IMMEDIATELY to stop this profitable gene pool from propagating further in this direction, and the sweeping greed that consumes them. They need to have less profitable genes, say, like mine. I can see this as only benefitting humanity.
I am simply a servant of my fellow man.
Power to the people!
A screenwriting team has been hired and Milla Jovovich has been talking herself up for the lead.
Milla Jovovich as a hot Alice? In the stockings and the little black shoes? Maybe a tight little Bettie Page haircut?
I pretty much see that as being as the best f'n idea I have heard all year. Whoever is behind that idea deserves an Oscar almost as much as the guy that was responsible for putting the pool scene in Wild Things.
When will we get to the point where storage is so cheap and fast that we no longer need RAM?
Anyone have any ideas?
Actually, I am a member in good standing of the media in TN. I am a avid slashdotter, and apparently my plate has been too full to see this one coming down the street. Terribly sorry for the gaff, but here is some TN advice.
SO here is what I would suggest to people, as I know Phil Bredesen (the Gov), and interview him about once a week or more...
Pick a spokesman for the
He is a nerd. Harvard math. Grad school stuff. He likes computers. I kid you not. He will get technical with you in a second about a number of subjects (he one day asked what Kelvin the color temperature my camera was getting in the shade). It is actually refreshing to meet a man that is the governor that is also smart enough to look up to. This is a man that got elected on the "TN is not thinking smart about its finances, and I know finances" platform. He should know. He is a self-made millionaire, so he doesn't worry about re-election money or owing anyone anything. He's already got money. He even turned down his salary because of budget problems. I don't like politicians because I see them up close, but I actually like this guy.
So, if you can, make a very detailed, very compelling argument to him FROM HIS CONSTITUENTS and send it off. If he gets it I guarantee it will not pass over his head... few things do. I would help, but I work for the local news, and well, my microphone is pointing at him too often to get involved.
Personally, I think that Phil Bredesen is your best shot on shooting this down in TN. The TN House and Senate are the most political animals on the planet (truly "Old Southern Politics" at work) so there is no hope there with the lobbyists around.
Good luck guys.
Chock up another score for the "Japanese are perverts" tote board.
WoW. That is totally weird.
The good news is that everyone thinks you're post was witty and stylish...
Now the bad news...
You're about to get 5000 catalogs in the mail.
Before everyone mods me down in knee jerk reaction to everyone's fav game discussion...
I just don't know if I'll be picking up Doom 3.
I mean, really, there has been a glut of great games that look fine out there. I am "Mr. Upgrade at the last minute," and I feel I represent many players that way. From the point of view of gameplay I just cannot see that Doom 3 will be really that exciting short of a LAN party contest to see if you have the fastest hardware and deepest visual requirements. Plus shelling out cash for all the requirements just feels insane.
There are some real reasons why I am unsure about Doom 3 and am only recently suspicious about Id:
1. I bought (RTC)Wolfenstein. Although it looked good for that time it didn't innovate anything short of Flamethrower effects and chicks in patent leather. That is why I play Battlefield now. I need innovation. Not visual innovation. Visual innovation is for Hollywood. If if plays in any fashion like the original Doom games, well, then, what is the point again? That was years ago. Goldeneye proved it was all about the friends and action, not the visuals. Dragging up prettier, spruced up versions of the past just feels like yet another money pit.
2. Brand loyalty has never panned out in video games. And there are really good FPSers out there. Like NOLF2. It will cost more than NOLF2. NOLF2 has stellar gameplay. NOLF2 looks good. NOLF2 has replay. Most games look good now and have good gameplay. If you are just running on the name now, then good luck. I am not a brand loyalist. I must inspect every purchase as much as possible these days, mostly because of the good choices out there.
3. There has been so much hype about it I have no idea where to turn to get an honest answer. Asking a geek about Id is like asking a person to make analysis about religion. So I have to wait and see. No honest sit downs from the doom team right now makes it feel like a turkey. I am afraid I am going to get this: "See? It's go the big 'Id Bang' at the beginning of the menu. See? Remember that? Its good!" Once again that is my opinion. It just smells fishy.
4. (RTC)Wolfenstein was short. If it is short, I'll be ticked off. Understandable reasons.
Id is starting to wear out its welcome in my mind. Game engines, yes, they're brilliant. They packed more through a 56k than I could ever imagine. Gameplay? After navigation, it jut ain't there. So let someone else deal with it. I know that everyone loves Carmack's skills instead of his games. I agree he is tight, but I just don't know if I care enough about hardware coolness to purchase a game over it.
And by the way, I ain't ever gonna rip it off. People deserve to be paid for their work. So either cough it up, wait it out, or don't play.
Just my $.02.
Well, I think this report is skewed.
This is trying to tell the world that online gamers are not geeks... when everyone knows that no matter who you are, the moment you get out on the net and start playing Everquest, well...
YOU HAVE JUST BECOME A GEEK. There are no normal people that have gone that far. Normal is waiting all week to see what happens on the next episode of Friends.
Everquest just ain't normal. Here's your membership card.
should've ended the sanctions, (that would've prevented huge numbers of Iraqi deaths over the last 12 years)
Oh, do you mean via starvation? Because Saddam had the UN food and medicine for oil plan. That would end starvation. So what deaths do you mean?
Oh, I get it... you mean the non-economic deaths based upon the KILLING OF HIS OWN CITIZENS. I think you have no cogent argument about the UN sanctions causing the deaths of Iraqis. Please respond. I would love to hear your justification that the UN caused more deaths of Iraqis after the First Gulf War than Saddam did. Please back it up with facts.
Saddam kills his own people. I want to see Defense Department documents that prove we were complicit in the death of Iraqis that you claim. I can show you videotape right now that says that Saddam was a killer. You need to get your priorities straight, and stop reading websites that have outrageous claims and no proof.
Who here has a Warhammer 40k map? I mean, the scale is practically perfect. Certainly close enough to make one heck of a battleground.
Now if I could only find someone near me.... hmmmmmm.
Lookie, it's korn. Looks just like it did when it began.
My thoughts exactly. Now that is funny.
Stuck in Nashville too.
Although, if "stuck" means living in a pretty good city for the size. I noticed that there was not one listing in the Midwest short of Chicago, or other places like that.
Anyway, have a good one. Hermitage, Tn, out.
I think that statement is completely nuts.
Thoughts like that are predicated on the fact that the USA is the only warlike group out there, and the rest of the world is not warlike in any fashion, and simply reacting to each other. If you look at the history of any region of the world at any time, that pretty much sinks that opinion.
The more the U.S. kills people around the world the more enemies it makes. It needs to kill those new enemies. Better make better guns so you can kill more of those enemies...creating more enemies.
Is that the mothership I hear calling you home? Someone please fetch me the clue bat.
It is human to hate the other tribe. Human nature creates enemies without any political concerns whatsoever. We've been more adept at killing each other than we are than anything else. We've been attacking each other since before we've been cave painting. Climbing to the top of the heap is something that every person tries constantly from birth to death.
To say that war creates enemies is true, but human activity alone does a fine job doing that all by itself. The assertions that you make are practically saying that the other "peace loving nations" of the world have only been building armies in reaction to the US. That 1) makes US citizens "pure evil" that are only building armies to crush others and 2) and that the rest of the world is "pure good." The only pure anything of that statement, is, as I would say, is "pure horeshit." The poster is probably the same kind of ridiculous person that says the rich are automatically evil, and the poor are automatically good. I dare say there is a gentle subtext to everything... personal merits and national merits do weigh in.
They are not building in reaction to the USA.
If we were only so important to them. We're not. We're just another tribe. It is human nature people to want the resources, women, and land of your neighbor. To say that the US is going around the globe and creating enemies... well, that is insane. Humans do that easily without any provocation whatsoever.
The proof? France. We haven't fired a shot at France in anger, EVER. We have defended that nation several times now. We have had debts of honor to France, and have paid them in return too. WE SHOULD BE BEST FRIENDS. Until a while ago, France was the epitomy of cool in US culture. If you would hear the responses of French citizens to our behavior, it would sound like murder and rape. Once again, are we sparring with France? No. We're still training armies with France. But it is just naturally turing into a "screw that other tribe" situation, even without the juicy details.
The whole world situation smacks of "rock throwing," more than it smells of evil hegemony. It's all schoolyard politics with big budgets. The sooner you see that, the sooner you will stop hating GROUPS and start judging people as INDIVIDUALS.
Afer all, it is my humble opinion that groupthink on both sides of any conflict (real or percieved) is the real enemy of mankind. Everyone should make their own decisions, and suffer the benefits or penalties for their actions.
Did anyone notice that there is a brand new
Wowzers! I didn't realize that the Department of Defense was that fast...!!!
IF you really want trusted computing, do what I do...
Never put ANYTHING IMPORTANT on a computer with worldwide access. It's that simple. If you are deathly afraid of theft, pull the broadband out of the wall. That's trusted computing. I call it trusting yourself. It is the only way.
Trusted computing is a hoax. It is a concept that goes against human nature. Throughout history there have been criminal activities. People will always try to get something illegally, or through so little effort that it is nearly criminal.
The only method to trusted computing is the old methods, file it up, lock it up, seperate it, let only trusted members near it, and apply human protocols to make sure it stays secure. Just like we have been doing with sensitive things for generations.
Anyone that believes that this "trusted computing" scam won't be ripped apart in under a month is insane.
Stick with the human methods. No amount of code will ever save you from security problems, no matter how deep the code runs.
I think the fourth episode of Enterprise was a rerun of the second.
But the good thing is that with no real plots or character changes, you can run practically anything at any time.
Genius! YOU CAN RUN SHOWS AT ANY TIME AS LONG AS NOTHING CHANGES.
Yet the fans still watch. WHY? (Pounding chest like Heston) WHY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO YOU STILL WATCH?
Honestly, I stopped watching Star Trek when the characters could not grow, for the exact same reason that you mentioned.
The reason why they will put money up for Tremors is that it will be cheap as hell.
1. Go to desert.
2. Shoot lots of upshots of people freaking and holding shotguns.
3. CG long plate shots of sand billowing and something moving underground.
One of the things I loved about Farscape is that everything was custom made for the show... after the first season, they got off of the main set (Moya the ship) quite a bit and they often used one set for one part of a story, AND THAT WAS IT. The same was true for the aliens... everyone liked the variety. But that variety was incredibly expensive.
We're spoiled. They cannot go back on the production values without jumping the shark, and they probably gave all the rest of that money to get all of the Indiana Jones movies (which anyone flipping through will watch) and mini-series features like Dune and Riverworld this year for the increased audience.
Farscape used to be it on Scifi. Now it isn't. It served them well. As usual, only the best shows die from neglect.
Besides, their own development team has no clue how to track down security bugs so they actually depend on independent hackers to find them for MS.
I bet you really meant this:
Besides, their own development team has no clue how to track down security bugs so they actually depend on independent hackers to find them for MS, and then try to call them such inflammatory statements as terrorists, try to give them jail sentences that are heavier than murderers, or coerce the community into shutting up about security holes as a fix, all in the name of expanded prosperity for one company.
All members of the Tennesse Highway patrol are now REQUIRED to take animal training courses. The penalties for animal abuse have been raised in TN. Officers are getting a optional course in animal control and bite training in TN now if they want it. Most municipalities are asking their officers to go.
So the Patton Smoak incident made TN one of the most progressive states as far as animal training is concerned, short of New York state, where there is hardly any livestock and pets are companions.
I should know. I covered the story yesterday. TN State Senator Steve Cohen wanted more penalties, but he got a pretty good compromise.
So even compared to other states, TN is moving up in animal welfare.
And by the way for all of you asshats, TN doesn't blast dogs for fun, so don't f'n generalize, OKAY?
Do not taunt happy fun ball.
I've got a shelf full of Bloom County books.
And yes, they're still endearing, and ultimately hilarious. I would still to this very day buy fresh replacements of the missing ones.
The scalp tonic syndicate (Opus as a drug runner, Miami Vice style), Bill and Opus's Politics run, The Banana Jr. computer, The stealth Basselope, and Bill the Cat's picture with an AK-47 and Jeanne Kirkpatrick for the sandanistas (my "Mujarhadeen Mama") are still some of the funniest, most inspired things ever in comics.
However, I never laughed at Doonesbury. I wonder why.
SO WHERE ARE THE SOUND GUNS AT IN THIS ONE?
That was the best part anyway.
(Dives into a bunker and holds his Jiffy-Pop Tin out the doorframe)
Willaim Hurt should have had his SAG card yanked for that performance. Honestly, he really phoned that one in.
But still, think about the production costs. Think about the blindingly huge concepts the books have to cover. With all of that in mind, you really get to the point that there are some real impossibilities with making these work IN ANY FASHION. I am impressed that they even try.
Yet they do. And although not perfect, they do in my estimation a bang up job. SO FOR THAT, I consider them a success.