Scott McCloud just put up a BitPass only comic at -
http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/trn/intro.html
He's been proselytizing about micropayment since his book "Re-Inventing Comics".
I bought this bundle in the US last month -
http://www.discountanimedvd.com/dvd_detail.asp?dvd no=1696
They are listed as 'All code, Region Free' on the website.
The only problem I've had is that the "Spirited Away" discs do not play on my PC's DVD drive (a pioneer drive). 'Spirited Away" does play in my Playstation 2. So take that for what it's worth.
I've enjoyed every movie so far and I'm half way throught the set.
"I thought that a plane cabin was the one place I would never have to deal with people who won't quit talking on the phone."
I thought I was safe while running the Twin Cities Marathon last month, but I was wrong. On mile five I hear an annoying personalized ring and a "Hello!". The guy next me rigs up his hands free ear piece and starts jabbering away.
Where will it end? Church? Public bathrooms? Theaters? I've heard cell phones in all of them! No place is safe!
I meant to finish that post by saying that Chomsky's writing don't touch on the processes that get more attention for one young girl's kidnapping than another. But he writes about the role of Mass Media in our democratic society, and how pulic opinion is shaped and coercered by it.
If you agree with him or not he'll definitely make you think about your realtionship with Mass Media organizations and their motives for providing you with 'news'.
Anyone interested in truely alternative modern mass media critiques should read Noam Chomsky's "Necessary Illusions: Thought Control In Democratic Societies" or "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media" (or watch the documentary by the same name by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick).
A quote from the zmag chomsky archive website says "The authors identify the forces that they contend make the national media propagandistic -- the major three being the motivation for profit through ad revenue, the media's close links to and often ownership by corporations, and their acceptance of information from biased sources."
Chomsky's writing don't touch on the processes that make one young girl's kidnapping more
Quote:While I don't agree that The Simpsons has "Jumped the Shark"
Are you kidding? The Simpsons "Jumped the Shark" the day Homer swore for the first time.
The Simpsons went 10 years without a single character using profanity to get laughs. The day Homer swore is the day the show ran out original material.
Up to that day the Simpsons relied on parody, biting social commentary and literay allusion to generate laughs. The writing was deep and thoughtful, with layers of humor.
Take for example the writing on the episode title "Treehouse of Horror" from the mid-nineties(text of the show here). Homer overhears Lisa telling Bart the Edgar Allen Poe classic "The Raven". Homer imagines the world of the "Raven" with himself as the tortured soul and Bart as the Raven antagonist. The short sequence re-writes the Raven (in Poe's poetic style), uses James Earl Jones as the narrator (for a wonderfully scary effect), and sets Marge Simpsons long lost Lenore. Absolutely wonderful writing and humor.
Juxtapose that short, wonderful segment with a recent episode where Homer secedes from Springfield. The premise of the story is... well I guess don't know. Homer is mad that because the phone company changed his area code. Somehow this involves a badger and the 70's rock band "The Who".
Homer swears repeatedly for comedic effect. Great. Hilarious. I could have watched Roseanne to see that. Maybe Homer will grab his crotch next.
The Who episode had no story line, no parody and no literary allusion. In the end they are *saved* by guest stars "The Who". Great, another washed up band who is currently on tour gets a cross-promotional spot on the Simpsons (I wonder how much bands pay to get on the show?).
Unreal Tournament is a three year old game that is still very popular because of mods. Specifically in capture the flag mode (CTF), which was really an after thought for the game.
The player/developer community work together solving CTF problems (spawn killing mods), creating new ways to play the game (CTF relics that enhance your character abilities) and making it more fun (StrangeLove Rockets you can fly around a board).
Check out this site www.planetunreal.com. The bottom left side of the navigation has about 25 different sites dedicated to mods. Many of them CTF related.
Great independant CTF servers like www.unrealmafia.com and www.stealthdp.com contribute to the mod community. They give mods developers feedback and a place to test new ideas. Many of the mod developer s post regularly to the forums of these sites asking for feedback or ideas. Check out the mod forums of both CTF servers.
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Scott McCloud just put up a BitPass only comic at - http://www.scottmccloud.com/comics/trn/intro.html He's been proselytizing about micropayment since his book "Re-Inventing Comics".
I bought this bundle in the US last month - http://www.discountanimedvd.com/dvd_detail.asp?dvd no=1696
They are listed as 'All code, Region Free' on the website. The only problem I've had is that the "Spirited Away" discs do not play on my PC's DVD drive (a pioneer drive). 'Spirited Away" does play in my Playstation 2. So take that for what it's worth.
I've enjoyed every movie so far and I'm half way throught the set.
Could we see a MRTG report or other type of traffic analysis when you're done? I love to see pretty charts of servers getting beat up.
"I thought that a plane cabin was the one place I would never have to deal with people who won't quit talking on the phone."
I thought I was safe while running the Twin Cities Marathon last month, but I was wrong. On mile five I hear an annoying personalized ring and a "Hello!". The guy next me rigs up his hands free ear piece and starts jabbering away.
Where will it end? Church? Public bathrooms? Theaters? I've heard cell phones in all of them! No place is safe!
You've obviously read most of his books and objectively critiqued his ideas. I stand corrected.
I meant to finish that post by saying that Chomsky's writing don't touch on the processes that get more attention for one young girl's kidnapping than another. But he writes about the role of Mass Media in our democratic society, and how pulic opinion is shaped and coercered by it.
If you agree with him or not he'll definitely make you think about your realtionship with Mass Media organizations and their motives for providing you with 'news'.
Anyone interested in truely alternative modern mass media critiques should read Noam Chomsky's "Necessary Illusions: Thought Control In Democratic Societies" or "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media" (or watch the documentary by the same name by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick).
A quote from the zmag chomsky archive website says "The authors identify the forces that they contend make the national media propagandistic -- the major three being the motivation for profit through ad revenue, the media's close links to and often ownership by corporations, and their acceptance of information from biased sources."
Chomsky's writing don't touch on the processes that make one young girl's kidnapping more
Quote:While I don't agree that The Simpsons has "Jumped the Shark"
... well I guess don't know. Homer is mad that because the phone company changed his area code. Somehow this involves a badger and the 70's rock band "The Who".
Are you kidding? The Simpsons "Jumped the Shark" the day Homer swore for the first time.
The Simpsons went 10 years without a single character using profanity to get laughs. The day Homer swore is the day the show ran out original material.
Up to that day the Simpsons relied on parody, biting social commentary and literay allusion to generate laughs. The writing was deep and thoughtful, with layers of humor.
Take for example the writing on the episode title "Treehouse of Horror" from the mid-nineties(text of the show here). Homer overhears Lisa telling Bart the Edgar Allen Poe classic "The Raven". Homer imagines the world of the "Raven" with himself as the tortured soul and Bart as the Raven antagonist. The short sequence re-writes the Raven (in Poe's poetic style), uses James Earl Jones as the narrator (for a wonderfully scary effect), and sets Marge Simpsons long lost Lenore. Absolutely wonderful writing and humor.
Juxtapose that short, wonderful segment with a recent episode where Homer secedes from Springfield. The premise of the story is
Homer swears repeatedly for comedic effect. Great. Hilarious. I could have watched Roseanne to see that. Maybe Homer will grab his crotch next.
The Who episode had no story line, no parody and no literary allusion. In the end they are *saved* by guest stars "The Who". Great, another washed up band who is currently on tour gets a cross-promotional spot on the Simpsons (I wonder how much bands pay to get on the show?).
Unreal Tournament is a three year old game that is still very popular because of mods. Specifically in capture the flag mode (CTF), which was really an after thought for the game.
The player/developer community work together solving CTF problems (spawn killing mods), creating new ways to play the game (CTF relics that enhance your character abilities) and making it more fun (StrangeLove Rockets you can fly around a board).
Check out this site www.planetunreal.com. The bottom left side of the navigation has about 25 different sites dedicated to mods. Many of them CTF related.
Great independant CTF servers like www.unrealmafia.com and www.stealthdp.com contribute to the mod community. They give mods developers feedback and a place to test new ideas. Many of the mod developer s post regularly to the forums of these sites asking for feedback or ideas. Check out the mod forums of both CTF servers.
Take it from the expert, Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, October 29, 2000 - http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20001029.html
there is a video feed of the McWhortle CEO on the Yahoo - http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=2952
Gawd, you made me shoot water outta my nose. Thanks.