I'd still plunk down a quarter or two for Smash TV and Rampage. Though with MAME I can play it at home even if I could find the original machines anymore.
One of my strongest memories of Bard's Tale was how all of the houses in the town all looked the same and you practically needed a AAA map to find your way around (the compass spell helped alot). Then you could open doors like Monty Hall and reveal a few monsters. Who'da thought monsters would live in condos?
My brother and I would race home from school to fight over who would play Wizardry on our Apple II. Usually one of us ended up doing the mapping on a sheet of graph paper while the other typed. We'd stay down there until our parents yelled at us to get out of the basement and do our homework. Seeing now those blotchy graphics and the combat that consisted of lists of monsters makes me realize that you can't capture the past.
I'll also toss in memories of Sierra On-Line games and a bunch of Scott Adams adventures.
I'm not sure why you gave a lecture on economics. I think the parent comment was just expressing sympathy for the people losing their jobs. Try having a little compassion.
The problem with the smaller places is that they tend to be one horse towns. They usually have one big employer (like Micron in Boise) and a few much smaller companies that rarely hire and that is it. If you moved there to work for the big company and got sick of it or they had a layoff you'd basically have to sell the house and move. Your choices are just too limited in those places. Also the cost of living might be lower but so would your pay. Ok you say? But the cost of cars, plane tickets, computer toys, etc doesn't go down for you. You generally pay the same as the guy in NYC. They aren't going to sell you that cool new car at half price just because you live in East Belch MO.
Now if I could get a job in, say, Grand Junction CO so I could hike in some incredible terrain every weekend I might be willing to make an exception.
I had to travel to Huntsville a few times for NASA work. It got barren pretty quickly when you drove anywhere and it was brutally hot. People who lived there said it was too hot in the summer to do much of anything and the lack of any pedestrian features (like sidewalks) encouraged a lot of the waistlines I saw. One local even said he felt safer visiting Boston than being in downtown Huntsville after dark. Most of the jobs and companies down there are dependent on government $ which means that they are at the mercy of politics. The focus on the military also means there is little variety in the types of jobs available.
I wish there was a way to stop the leadership from looting the company and handing out extravagent severance pay for failed execs, massive bonuses even when the company is struggling, etc. The damage an IT guy can cause pales in comparision to what the CEO and the board can cause.
My wife got very excited when I recently bought her a Canon 830 printer (she has a home office). Before going to bed we both hit the color copy button together.
They cannot recklessly test however. They have to push testing as far as they can before going to a human. For the effects to be this extreme leads me to think they cut corners to save time and money before trying it on a person. They already are guilty, so paying restitution to these people might be better for them in the long run (i.e. banned from any more testing thus killing them as a drug firm if they don't).
I'm against the excessive use of lawsuits but this is a case where I'd support a few.
"I agree. But the problem was lack of oversight and accountability during the project, not with the workers... who are just looking for a paycheck to survive."
Too many managers of public projects are political appointees. They are hired based on political connections and being good donors in the past. They aren't hired based primarily on merit or skills. Every party does this. Gov Romney of MA complained about the Head of the Turnpike Authority (in charge of the tunnel) being hired due to political connections to the legislature. John Cogliano's (Romney's appointed head of the Highway Dept) major qualifications however are connections to the Republican party and being a good donor to the party. Nothing changes.
I'm not inclined to let the workers off the hook either. They do the actual work and so can't avoid any responsiblity. I see a lot of "oh, someone is supposed to watch over my shoulder" mentality when they should check their own work. Being in a union shouldn't be an excuse to hide behind a flag and avoid responsibility.
"The second aspect of the construction is the actual assembly of the project. There could be a problem here. According to a reputable source, about 14% of the laborers in the construction industry are illegal aliens [professionalroofing.net]. In some segments (e.g., roofing workers), the percentage of illegal aliens can be as high as 29%."
Bah! Maybe if you live in the SW US this is true but up around "Irish/Italian and Proud!" Boston the construction workers are white and supposedly speak English. If they did sloppy work it was probably more due to "lets just get this done and go home" or poor instructions than due to speaking English as a 2nd language.
Who needs the gonzo writers anyway? They served a role when access to the public was channeled through magazines, books, and tv. Now (for better or worse) anyone can put their writing on the web. It has become much more democratic. Why do I care what some guy named Hunter Thompson thinks any more than some guy ranting on "Answer Me!". Thompson became popular not just because he could write but because Rolling Stone and others published him while other potential good writers weren't. Now the web has an endless stream of writers and opinions, some better than others but that's always been the case.
Just like cable and satellite TV knocked the big three networks from their lofty perches by giving us far more options so has the web made having only a few voices less vital. We aren't dependant on being fed by a few sources anymore.
I think they mean that the individual galaxies and gas clouds of the object are gravitationally bound to one another. They measure the velocities of the objects and can see that they are less than the escape velocity for the mass as a whole, just like the stars in a globular cluster.
Slashdot Mirror
I'd still plunk down a quarter or two for Smash TV and Rampage. Though with MAME I can play it at home even if I could find the original machines anymore.
One of my strongest memories of Bard's Tale was how all of the houses in the town all looked the same and you practically needed a AAA map to find your way around (the compass spell helped alot). Then you could open doors like Monty Hall and reveal a few monsters. Who'da thought monsters would live in condos?
My brother and I would race home from school to fight over who would play Wizardry on our Apple II. Usually one of us ended up doing the mapping on a sheet of graph paper while the other typed. We'd stay down there until our parents yelled at us to get out of the basement and do our homework. Seeing now those blotchy graphics and the combat that consisted of lists of monsters makes me realize that you can't capture the past.
I'll also toss in memories of Sierra On-Line games and a bunch of Scott Adams adventures.
I'm not sure why you gave a lecture on economics. I think the parent comment was just expressing sympathy for the people losing their jobs. Try having a little compassion.
The problem with the smaller places is that they tend to be one horse towns. They usually have one big employer (like Micron in Boise) and a few much smaller companies that rarely hire and that is it. If you moved there to work for the big company and got sick of it or they had a layoff you'd basically have to sell the house and move. Your choices are just too limited in those places. Also the cost of living might be lower but so would your pay. Ok you say? But the cost of cars, plane tickets, computer toys, etc doesn't go down for you. You generally pay the same as the guy in NYC. They aren't going to sell you that cool new car at half price just because you live in East Belch MO.
Now if I could get a job in, say, Grand Junction CO so I could hike in some incredible terrain every weekend I might be willing to make an exception.
I had to travel to Huntsville a few times for NASA work. It got barren pretty quickly when you drove anywhere and it was brutally hot. People who lived there said it was too hot in the summer to do much of anything and the lack of any pedestrian features (like sidewalks) encouraged a lot of the waistlines I saw. One local even said he felt safer visiting Boston than being in downtown Huntsville after dark. Most of the jobs and companies down there are dependent on government $ which means that they are at the mercy of politics. The focus on the military also means there is little variety in the types of jobs available.
Qualifications for that job seem to include starring in "The Terminator".
It wouldn't be the first time an entertainer was elected president (ref Ronald Reagan).
Sounds like a good Paranoia scenario. I'm Ultraviolet and love the computer!
For IT people I've found you need only two simple words, "FREE PIZZA"
I wish there was a way to stop the leadership from looting the company and handing out extravagent severance pay for failed execs, massive bonuses even when the company is struggling, etc. The damage an IT guy can cause pales in comparision to what the CEO and the board can cause.
Oooooh, 5000 fps! I'm sure that some rich guy somewhere will buy this and be on a game server going "Damnit! I spent $17,500 and I still get owned!".
If kids are allowed to build tree houses in the wrong places then the terrorists win.
I'm glad to see that some police have given up on the archaic skills of communicating and understanding. Just blindly follow the manual boys!
You've never gotten to third base? That's because you didn't have a bitch'n tree house.
My wife got very excited when I recently bought her a Canon 830 printer (she has a home office). Before going to bed we both hit the color copy button together.
5 minutes? BAH! I'll stick with the tried and true "Lawn Chair Suspended from Lots of Big Balloons" method. Fly for as long as you want.
They cannot recklessly test however. They have to push testing as far as they can before going to a human. For the effects to be this extreme leads me to think they cut corners to save time and money before trying it on a person. They already are guilty, so paying restitution to these people might be better for them in the long run (i.e. banned from any more testing thus killing them as a drug firm if they don't).
I'm against the excessive use of lawsuits but this is a case where I'd support a few.
"I agree. But the problem was lack of oversight and accountability during the project, not with the workers... who are just looking for a paycheck to survive."
Too many managers of public projects are political appointees. They are hired based on political connections and being good donors in the past. They aren't hired based primarily on merit or skills. Every party does this. Gov Romney of MA complained about the Head of the Turnpike Authority (in charge of the tunnel) being hired due to political connections to the legislature. John Cogliano's (Romney's appointed head of the Highway Dept) major qualifications however are connections to the Republican party and being a good donor to the party. Nothing changes.
I'm not inclined to let the workers off the hook either. They do the actual work and so can't avoid any responsiblity. I see a lot of "oh, someone is supposed to watch over my shoulder" mentality when they should check their own work. Being in a union shouldn't be an excuse to hide behind a flag and avoid responsibility.
"The second aspect of the construction is the actual assembly of the project. There could be a problem here. According to a reputable source, about 14% of the laborers in the construction industry are illegal aliens [professionalroofing.net]. In some segments (e.g., roofing workers), the percentage of illegal aliens can be as high as 29%."
Bah! Maybe if you live in the SW US this is true but up around "Irish/Italian and Proud!" Boston the construction workers are white and supposedly speak English. If they did sloppy work it was probably more due to "lets just get this done and go home" or poor instructions than due to speaking English as a 2nd language.
"but if there was a widget to turn me to a woman for a day at time, I'd be first in the line"
;)
In my case I'd rephrase that...
"but if there was a widget to turn on a woman to me for a day at time, I'd be first in the line"
Can I interest you in the Mansiere (tm)?
Who needs the gonzo writers anyway? They served a role when access to the public was channeled through magazines, books, and tv. Now (for better or worse) anyone can put their writing on the web. It has become much more democratic. Why do I care what some guy named Hunter Thompson thinks any more than some guy ranting on "Answer Me!". Thompson became popular not just because he could write but because Rolling Stone and others published him while other potential good writers weren't. Now the web has an endless stream of writers and opinions, some better than others but that's always been the case.
Just like cable and satellite TV knocked the big three networks from their lofty perches by giving us far more options so has the web made having only a few voices less vital. We aren't dependant on being fed by a few sources anymore.
"...the real problem with the media today - they think everyone is an idiot."
In the case of Fox News it is just a matter of they know their audience.
"You'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American Public" - Attributed to PT Barnum
A very detailed and thorough comment. Too bad you posted it to the wrong article.
I think they mean that the individual galaxies and gas clouds of the object are gravitationally bound to one another. They measure the velocities of the objects and can see that they are less than the escape velocity for the mass as a whole, just like the stars in a globular cluster.