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User: Rolgar

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  1. Re:Electoral College Democracy on 3D Election Results Map by County · · Score: 1

    As much as I'd prefer to go to a direct election that cuts out the popular election, what happens if you get an election as close as Florida 2000 nation wide. A recall would require every precinct nation-wide were there was any doubt of the count to be recounted, because every vote everywhere would have to be verified who knows how many times.

  2. Re:DnD replaced by MMORPG on Dungeons & Dragons Anniversary Gets Further Celebration · · Score: 1
    How about if you are using an audio chat ability and playing with friends (I have a co-worker that does this in SWG). It seems to me that you can hang out and play with friends and have some socialization at the same time.

    I've played D&D (tabletop without the table), and it's great, making voices, and acting out the parts yourself.

    Future cool projection: Linked holodecks. You log in to Everquest 20, from your holodeck. You look around, and the people in the game appear on your holodeck. PCs and NPCs alike are shown to you in 3D. If you were a halfling, the world would scale so that everything would have the correct deminsions (a tabletop would be eyelevel). When the GPLed gnu/D&Dholo client becomes available, your GM will be able to create and run a action D&D game customized to your party. Except your theif will have to go through traps training at the guild to learn trapping for real, and you'd probably want to practice up with lots of different weapons, just in case.

  3. Re:Not at this price on Google Goes Public at $85/share · · Score: 1
    Sure, for a company growing 10% a year or less, a P/E ratio above 30 is too high.

    For a company that is still growing, and has a chance to grow 2, 3, or 10 times better, people are betting that the people running the company will come up with ways to grow. After all, if the company triples in size in 5 years, what is now a 70 P/E will become a 23 P/E if the stock stays the same.

    Of course by then, if the company has other growth prospects, the people will bid the stock based on where they think the stock will go. That's the point of sales projections. The company has to give a short term forcast to help the stockholders tell if the company management has a realistic picture of how the company is doing, and if they are using effective strategies to face the challenges they are facing.

    After a short bit of trading, the stock has already topped $100. Basically, these investors are betting that the company will grow to the point that the P/E ratio will drop into the 25 range by increasing the E instead of dropping the P. If you disagree with this assessment strongly, you can put your money where your mouth is and short the stock, but you might have to hold on to the stock for a while just to hold even considering right now, you'd be losing money.

    Frankly, I read an article the other day where a journalist was attempting to buy the stock. A couple of brokers wouldn't let him. Why not? Surely they'd get a transaction fee, right. Well, you might suspect the brokerages conspired to keep the price low, bought the shares for themselves, planning to hold onto them and sell at the 100 P/E range, thus retaining some of the profit that they would have gotten under a traditional IPO. If they did that, then Google's plan to cut out the middleman didn't completely work.

  4. Legendary Achievement on Grinding Time - On MMORPG Character Advancement · · Score: 1
    Maybe what a game needs is the ability for the game to create a bio of legendary achievements the character has accomplished, that could be pulled up to see what a player has done (accomplished mission x,y, and z on first try, participated in some pvp battle killing n number of players). Maybe also create the ability to record and edit some adventures so you could show others cool clips of things you've done in game.

    Players could have a scoring system based on their accomplishments and successes, minus points for death, with the penalty being reduced by getting beat by an stronger player (not character, but player, who might be an expert player playing with an character). Players would have to be encouraged to try new things, maybe by reducing the reward of doing something new. The only reason left for killing a dragon for the 1000th time would be for the enjoyment of the experience, not because you need to do it an ungodly number of times to acqire some skill.

    Maybe take these, and create a legend ranking for the whole game world, that normalizes toward 0 over time, to give newer players an opportunity to move into the the top players list.

    If you do this, and add more player skill, reducing the importance of character numbers, you should be able to reduce the grind, and create a system that reduces the grind, and encourages adventuring over advancing.

  5. Bed restrictions on Sleeping Problems? · · Score: 1
    Don't do anything (especially read) in bed, at least I've heard that it can tamper with your bodies ability to recognize when you want to go to sleep.

    Oh, and have sex, which is usually good for helping me get to sleep.

    I also find forcing myself to yawn tells my body that I'm trying to sleep, and usually helps put me out within 10-15 minutes, although I could finally just get tired.

  6. Re:What is this, High School? on Visiting Every Latitude and Longitude Intersection · · Score: 1

    What could be really cool to do with this would be to make a futuristic globe, touch a spot on the globe, and it will show downloaded (to keep upto date and not need a hard drive) images (The interface would take some work, but what parent wouldn't get there kid one of these if they had broadband and wireless internet at home. This could be great for geography classes as well.

  7. Re:There are other ways of getting the money... on WA Bans Gift-Card Expirations, Fees · · Score: 1

    I've bought at least 15 of these since Thanksgiving.

    They charge a $1 or $1.50 service charge for each card they move (The first time, I got charged 1.50, the second time, when I got 14 cards, they were a dollar a piece). You can use them anywhere VISA is accepted. After 6 months, they start charging a certain amount for every month the account is open. I don't think there is a way to delay the onset of the fee, so you don't want to recharge the card (and I don't know if you can).

  8. Re:A bit crusty... on Digital Praise Takes Up Christian Gaming Cause · · Score: 1

    On top of that, the Greek and Aramaic words translated as remembrance have the implied meening of the real, physical pressence of the one being remembered, something lost in the English translation.

  9. Re:*Disney* came out ahead when they dumped Pixar on Welcome To Planet Pixar · · Score: 1

    1. While Disney might have the rights to those previously created franchises, they can't really extend them, because in attempting to do so, they could ruin the value of what they have. A Monsters 2, made by some one other than Pixar could leave a bad taste in a lot of fans' mouths.

    2. Sure Pixar is committed to making two more movies. Disney will still lose in the long run. And 0% of Pixar's business is far worse than getting a regular client.

    3. If movies is a hit business, the article indicated Pixar has gone to a lot of effort to recruit and develop better talent in writers, artists, producers and software develoment.

    4. Pixar doesn't have to be successful forever to make this a bad deal for Disney. To continue to expect Pixar to give up it's best assets, ideas and control of it's own products is to ignore the fact that control of these is critical to the little guy. As the article said, Lucas got a great deal from Fox, and Pixar can do the same. Considering they will be losing little, the Disney name which has been tainted by poor performers lately, and gaining a lot. Betting against Pixar would be a losing proposition, and Disney will come out behind.

  10. Re:The non-clickable download link on Firefox/Thunderbird Plugins: Is Less More? · · Score: 1

    Turn off your pop-up blocker, and go to a pr0n site. You'll get all the free samples you want.

  11. Sunspots on Worst Explanation From Tech Support? · · Score: 1

    I work as a contractor for the Postal Service. We have National Support (through EDS I think). Anyway, the Desktops, file servers, and networking are supported from the National Support. A while back, we were experiencing a problem with a new computer we were attemting to set up. The network card lights were acting unusally, and we couldn't get it to connect to a server. After about 4 hours of dickering around with it, we finally decide to test DHCP. We turned on a machine that hadn't been on for over a month, and bingo, no IP address. Steve, our Network Engineer, calls the help desk to activate a new range of addresses on DHCP, that we lease, but they administer for us. He gets on with the Tier 1 guy, who immediately attributes the problem to sunspots, because of the sunspot forcast that had been broadcast widely that morning. Steve gets ticked, and tells the guy, "I want to talk to somebody who knows something about DHCP please." This guy gets someone else on the line. He starts to give Steve some line, and Steve quickly cuts him off with: "Do you want to do this your way, or do you want to hear how come we know what the problem is?" After about 10 seconds of silence, Steve tells the guy that we can release and renew and the computer will get a new address OK, but a machine without an IP can't get one. The guy decides to take a look, and of course, every IP we've made available is leased. He then spends about 15 minutes activating new IPs, and sends us on our way. To this day, anytime we have an new issue pop up that can't be immediately be solved, it's chalked up to those sunspots.

  12. Re:Macray's Keep on Playing Pen-and-Paper RPGs Online with Friends? · · Score: 1

    Rondak's Portal on the other hand is about the same, but completely free (donations accepted) and alternative browser friendly. Macray's used to be free, and then Macray decided to charge for some of functions like dice rolling, chat rooms, and access to modifying the character sheets, at least for players.

  13. The mistakes on Interview with Peter Jackson on LoTR Bloopers · · Score: 2, Informative

    Revealing: When Theoden is talking to Eowyn before he dies one can see that he is wearing contact lenses.

    Audio problem: In the scene where Gandalf enters the chambers of Gondor to speak with the Steward of the throne, the sound of his staff striking the floor matches the action in sporadic patches only. In the shot where he departs, that specific sound is consistent.

    Continuity: In the final battle scene, when Aragorn and crew are creating a "diversion" outside the gates of Mordor, everyone is on horseback. Later in the scene, when Aragorn and the other warriors charge the enemy, they are on foot. Even if they did dismount, where are the horses?

    Continuity: When Gollum accuses Sam of eating the lembas bread, the crumbs on his shoulder don't appear until the shot when Gollum brushes them away.

    Continuity: In the scene where Frodo is helped by Galadriel in Shelob's lair (in the "dream sequence") he lays on the ground. In his hair on HIS right side (viewers' left) is what appears to be some clovers or leaves or grass. The camera cuts to Galadriel then back to Frodo, the thing in his hair is gone. The camera cuts to her again and back to Frodo, the thing is back in his hair.

    Factual error: Hobbits can't grow beards, yet Samwise Gamgee has stubble in most of his close-ups in Return Of The King. Even if they could grow beards, it seems unlikely they would be in a position to be shaving on that journey.

    Continuity: When Gandalf enters the castle of Rohan, the shot of his back shows him holding his staff in a vertical position. When the shot turns to his front, he is holding his staff in an horizontal position. The shot turns to his back, and the staff is again in the vertical position. Then the shot turns again to his front, showing his staff in a horizontal position.

    Continuity: When Gollum drops the lembas from the ridge, you see the leaves it was wrapped in fluttering away, and the wafers fall roughly straight down. However, when Sam finds it later, the lembas is still mostly wrapped in the leaves, with only a few morsels broken off and laying around unwrapped.

    Continuity: When Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf, Gimli etc, ride up to the gates of Mordor, the main characters go up to the gate on their own to demand it opens. The trails the horses leave on the way towards the gate are different to those that you see in the shot when they retreat after the gate has opened.

    Continuity: In one of the final scenes of the movie, Frodo is writing in the book "There and Back Again," adding his own story. As he is finishing, he clutches the wound he received from one of the Nazgul in "The Fellowship of the Ring." In the hand that he uses clutch the wound, he still holds the quill pen. At the same time, Sam is entering Bag-End. When the camera angle changes, Frodo is still clutching the wound, but the pen has found its way into the ink jar.

    Other: As Aragorn leads the army from Minas Tirith towards the Black Gates, look at "Pippin" sitting in front of Gandalf. Rather than the usual scale stand-in actor, it is a rather stiff dummy.

    Revealing: In the scene where the paciderm animals of Mordor are introduced in the battle, there's a shot that pans the front of the line of them. One animal has wood connecting its larger tusks, complete with barbs jutting out from the wood. As the orcs flee to regroup behind the animals, several run through the contraption unharmed.

    Continuity: In the final scene of the film, as Sam returns home and his children rush out to meet him, the cows in the background change position each time the camera goes back to Sam.

    Continuity: In the scene where King Theoden is dying under his horse after Eowyn has slain the Witch King, there are three spots of mud on Theoden's right cheek that are so clear that they almost appear to be a tattoo. The camera cuts to Eowyn, then back to Theoden, and the spots on his face are faint, smudged, and in different locations. The camera cuts again from Theoden to Eowyn and back, and the sp

  14. Re:ACLU apply their standards *very* unevenly on Joining the ACLU? · · Score: 1
    Some of the controversy has to do with the ACLU's interaction with Christian organizitions on issues other than abortion.
    A Christian organization's point of view on the ACLU.
    Boy Scouts, gays, and the ACLU
    The ACLU currently has an article on its homepage on how to go to Canada and get married if you are gay.
    The First Admenment center has several articles over about the ACLU attemting to override local laws, and requiring the removal of the Ten Commandments from public places.

    All of these lead many Christians to assume that the ACLU is for the protection and advancement of immorality, and well, you can immagine how all the televangelists and (even worse) the radio-evangelists consider this a bad thing, and make a big ruckus.

  15. Re:I-70 on Proof Is In: Kansas Is Flatter Than A Pancake · · Score: 1

    I've always said that the biggest problem isn't the fact that parts of the state are flat, it's that there are few enough trees (compared to the area from the Ozarks to Ohio), and our roads are built up enough, that you can see how flat the horizon is in most places especially along I-70. Being from Topeka, and driving to Manhattan as a college student in the 90s, I noticed that most of the time when you are on a hill, the next hill is the same height, giving the illusion of flatness, when you have a large valley in between. I very much agree with your assessment that judging the whole state on the terrain surrounding I-70. I hate that. Pick any spot in eastern Kansas that you can get off of I-70, and drive 20 miles north or south, and you problably wouldn't guess you were in Kansas, especially if you aren't sitting on a hilltop. Another good spot to recommend is the Praire Reserve a couple of miles south of Manhattan. You can see about 10 miles looking west, but it would be a very hilly walk, and it's always a very beautiful view. All that said, I'd just as soon all of you people from outside of Kansas not go about debunking the myth, to keep hordes of people from moving here, filling up our roads (rush hour traffic in Topeka means having 30 cars at the same stop light as you), bringing the metropolitan attitudes with them, and all the other things that come from too many people. My fiance would hate it as well. But feel free to come, see, and prove us wrong.

  16. Re:Open source solution? on US Supreme Court Upholds CIPA · · Score: 1
    I've thought of something along these lines myself. A Rating tag, that maybe has several different categories (sex, language, ect.). Build the filter into the browser, with a password. Require all explicitly adult websites to self rate, with the penalty of stiff fines for not doing so. The library and home parent users set up the browsers' filters, and have the filters be password protected. This would be very cost effective.

    I'm not a parent, yet, but I have a difficult time imagining that a parent can monitor a child every moment that they might be using a computer for a week, much less for 15 years (I wouldn't imagine many 2 year olds could browse the web). Give us tools, require the porn provider to use them (they could probably kill their required "Provide us a Credit Card number to prove your age" page as well, although maybe they won't want to).

  17. Vendor liable on Indemnity Protection for Linux? · · Score: 1

    It seems to me that the vendor who was making money from selling a patent infringing product could be sued, but I can't think of anyway that a company could be liable for using software. Wouldn't that be like Chevy suing owners of a Ford vehicle that infringed on some patent of Chevy's. You might check with your legal department about that

  18. Space flight is where it's at on Antimatter Atoms Captured · · Score: 1
    So far, this (like fussion) results in a net loss in energy for our current level of technology. Also, both technologies are somewhat dangerous do to the large amounts of energy involved. Think of the A-bombs of World War II, the 3-mile island and Chernobyl meltdowns and you will have an understanding of what is going on. That is, we are attempting to control very volatile technology (that has been already been developed for use in war in the case of fussion) for cheap power. However, many hold hope that cold fussion or antimatter will become a cheap alternative to fossil fuels.

    One place where these technologies will be needed is deep space, where solar power is useless. The ability to carry large amounts of energy in a small amount of matter becomes crucial. Otherwise, the more matter you have to take, the more fuel you will need to go. The biggest obstacle to a trip to Mars, right now, is that current fuels do not have a high enough thrust-mass ratio. Antimatter and fussion have much better ratios, and a small tank of either could do more than a modern power plant, and we could build a large reserve here and send that along instead of the entire production process.