"Wii" conjures up memories of my childhood and my mother pointing out my "wee wee" or taking a "wee wee" in woods while camping. "Revolution" is far more descriptive and edgy than "Wii", isn't too "industry" and doesn't have the penis connotations with it either.
and call it "Wii" or whatever the fuck you want in Japan. Wouldn't be the first time as the NES was called Famicom in Japan.
Did they ask anyone outside of Japan what they thought of the name? Do they even care? The rest of the world is going to scratch their heads and wonder what the hell "Wii" is.
It's been pointed out that anyone who knows anything about computers almost always moves on to a higher paying job where their knowledge is put to better use. Some move into repair, like the Geek Squad, some move into programming, or networking, etc.
I worked for an electronics retailer as a salesman for close to ten years and I can tell you that it shouldn't matter what level of technical expertise the salesperson has because it is extremely unlikely that you'd be the first person to ask them a particular question. Seriously, my job involved answering a lot of the same questions every single day. Do you carry the battery for the Canon model x? How much is it? What's the difference between PCMCIA and PCI? What is a DVD? People would ask these questions dozens of times a day. It is nothing but utter laziness or inattentiveness to their job not find out the answers. It makes their job easier, reduces customer complaints, increases their efficiency, leaves them more time to sell (which for a good salesperson is the enjoyable part of the job) and, in commissioned sales, earns them more money. The odd time you do get a question you haven't heard before, tell the customer you don't know but will find out and grab the manual or play with the product and figure it out. Nine times out of ten the question will come up again and if it doesn't, well, you learned something new.
It seems that no one has any pride in doing a job to the best of their ability anymore. At one time sales was a reputable job and garnered respect. My uncle sold appliances for Eatons (before they went bankrupt, but that's another issue entirely) and he was well respected in the company earned a very good living. Of course, as the years went on the commissions and earnings were cut to compete with discount vendors and the level of service suffered resulting in a cycle of reduced commissions, reduced service, etc. Well, there we go.
If someone can be convicted for viewing ficticious criminal activity against a child why has the same not happened to those that produce and consume other fictional criminal activity, like The Godfather or even the movie Hostel, which I found stomach turning? It is nothing more than thought crime.
the Judicial Branch and U.S. Constitution containing the Bill of Rights. However, Congress is not doing its job as counterbalance to the Executive Branch in the first place as too many civil liberties issues get decided by judges in a court room.
I remember when Super Mario 2 was released and I rushed home to play it. At first I was like, "What the fuck?", but the game grows on you. It was cool to be able to play as different characters with their different abilities. I also enjoyed the change in gameplay and level design and it was nice to see different backgrounds from the ubiquitous black in Super Mario.
I have the All Stars cartridge and have played the "Lost Levels". Some of them are pretty hard (and I really didn't get past the first few), but I think overall the US version of SMB 2 was needed to push the series into new territory.
Almost a year after installing Firefox I've learned that you can have a standards compliant browser that doesn't prop it's ass up on a cushion waiting for the next fancy boy to come along. I haven't had a single spyware/malware infection since moving to Firefox from last summer. I got so tired of the scan with Hijackthis, Ad Aware, and Spybot merry-go-round that I knuckled under and installed Firefox.
Is Firefox perfect? Of course not, and I hear the code base is getting to be a rat's nest and will require a complete rewrite at some point. Sure it has bugs and security holes, but they're almost always fixed within days (for security related fixes at least). I can surf with confidence knowing that if I do stray into a grey area of the web my browser isn't going to let my system get ass raped as easily as IE.
I agree that in many ways we end up with superior service for less cost than our U.S. neighbors. My main gripe has more to do with the television aspect of the CRTC and not the telecommunications aspect (I should have said it was the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission, but I wasn't thinking).
The Canadian content and simultanous substitution regulations drive me crazy, especially if you're trying to get a decent HDTV picture from any Canadian satellite or cable companies.
You're also right in that many of the commissions and committees do make good, solid decisions, but not always the first time around. There is a definite bureaucratic mentality in this country that can be so frustrating.
I believe the SSHRC decision highlights a different problem in Canada, namely bureaucratic inteptitude and not some paranoid fantasy that Intelligent Design is making inroads in Canada. Canada has a long history of government by committee where balancing interests and compromise is seen as the primary goal before making good decisions. One only needs to look at the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) to find almost universal distaste for the quality of their decision making.
Most Canadians have no taste for the kind of right wing politics found in the United States as we've been slowly growing into a more liberal society. Intelligent Design or Creationism is not taught in any public school and probably only a handful of private Christian schools. The ID movement is a non-starter here and I don't see that ever changing given our liberal climate.
I chalk this one up to bureaucracy gone stupid, as usual.
Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia have laws that codify compliance with the ESRB ratings. Also, retailers like Walmart and EB Games have voluntarily agreed to apply the ESRB ratings to purchases in their stores across Canada.
I feel I should amplify the parent's comments further. SonicStage isn't one of the worst pieces of Windows software, it is the worst . The software has numerous versions where many times one version or another will not install on a particular computer only to find that an earlier or later version will. I cannot over-emphasize how bloated, bug-ridden and completely and utterly unreliable this software is.
I bought one of the first Sony NetMD models and as an experienced computer support professional with years of software support behind me, I have never been so frustrated with a piece of software as I have with SonicStage. I was quite literally brought to tears attempting to get this software to work and that's sad considering that the hardware is actually very well made and offers great features like durabilty, long battery life and excellent sound.
Now I can power my Rainbow Brite (tm) oven from across the room without a cord! I can't wait until the court order expires and I can tell all the girls at the elementary school!
The article, scant as it was, is remarkably balanced.
I have a DS, but through a friend I had a chance to test the PSP over the weekend. It's hard not to love the PSP -- the screen is amazing, the graphics are superb and the ability to play MP3s and custom video on a memory card is a huge bonus. That said, the PSP has three weaknesses that the DS does not have namely, in-game battery life is a short four hours (which drops like a rock to two hours if playing a WIFI game. Straight MP3 play time is a respectable ten hours, though), the screen is extremely easy to scratch or mar with fingerprints and game load time is excessively long on occasion.
The DS doesn't really have these drawbacks as the battery life is a phenomenal nine hours (in fact, I haven't charged mine in over a month of on and off use. The DS Lite is expected to have a theoretical battery life of 15 hours), the screens seem impervious to scratches and smudges to a large degree and game load time is negligible. That's not to say the DS doesn't have its flaws as I feel the design is clunkly, the built in speakers offer tinny sound and the 3D graphics capabilities are underwhelming.
On the whole, I'd have to say the PSP is ideal for the type of 3D single player game you're used to on a PS3, but the DS is perfectly suited for multiplayer WIFI games like Metroid Prime and Advance Wars DS (duh, considering there doesn't seem to be a PSP analog to either game).
I was extremely confident that Microsoft could pull a rabbit out of the hat and that the 360 would offer, at the very least, workable compatibility for their "A" list of games. As anyone can tell you, most of the "compatible" games are barely so and some listed as compatible just aren't. There are a handful of games that are playable, notably Halo 2, but the level of compatibility for some games, such as Ninja Gaiden, is so bad that they're basically unplayable. In time Microsoft will probably get the compatibility up, but there are going to be some games that will never be compatible regardless of Microsoft's commitment to do so.
I hate to say it, but if you're going to buy a 360 based in part on the ability to play existing Xbox games as I was, hold off, because it just ain't there yet. Those without an Xbox and waiting for the 360 to come down in price should really check out the existing Xbox, which currently sells for as little as $177 Canadian with two games.
but my Playstation 2 plays Crash Bandicoot flawlessly, just as you would expect when Sony advertised that the Playstation 2 would be compatible with Playstation games. Kind of neat how that works, huh? Isn't that surprising considering that Playstation games weren't designed to play on a Playstation 2?
What's got everyone's panties in a knot is that Microsoft lists compatibility with original Xbox games as a feature of the Xbox, but the level of compatibility is abysmally low. Wouldn't you be pissed if your Playstation 2 didn't play original Playstation games like Sony said it would? Microsoft is the one pushing the compatibility agenda here with their pronouncement that they expect to have every Xbox title emulated for the Xbox 360. I am sorry that you feel that people who trust Microsoft to deliver Xbox compatibility based on Microsoft's own assertions should just shut up because you consider that Xbox compatibility is just a "bonus".
The book by Charles Fishman is called [i]The Walmart Effect[/i] not [i]The Man Who Said No to Walmart[/i], which is the title of the Fast Company article that forms the basis for the Slashdot article.
but not that big. Nintendo is making a killing and the new DS Lite and the coming Zelda are just going push things even higher I expect.
A guy from work is willing to buy my DS for his daughter at a fair price if I want to trade up to the DS Lite. I guess a lot of children are asking their parents for them. My dentist will even loan one to you so that you can play other patients while they clean you teeth, fix a cavity, whatever.
Slashdot Mirror
Paid eight what? Grecks? Beers? Shillings? Drachmas? Space Hookers?
It only took me 20 to write this when it could taken me 5, but that's the convenience of having a 1.2 vs an 800.
that you have actually leave the basement to take part in these fantasy job positions, right?
Just wondering.
"Wii" conjures up memories of my childhood and my mother pointing out my "wee wee" or taking a "wee wee" in woods while camping. "Revolution" is far more descriptive and edgy than "Wii", isn't too "industry" and doesn't have the penis connotations with it either.
There was nothing wrong with "Revolution".
and call it "Wii" or whatever the fuck you want in Japan. Wouldn't be the first time as the NES was called Famicom in Japan.
Did they ask anyone outside of Japan what they thought of the name? Do they even care? The rest of the world is going to scratch their heads and wonder what the hell "Wii" is.
Brilliant Nintendo, brilliant.
It's been pointed out that anyone who knows anything about computers almost always moves on to a higher paying job where their knowledge is put to better use. Some move into repair, like the Geek Squad, some move into programming, or networking, etc.
I worked for an electronics retailer as a salesman for close to ten years and I can tell you that it shouldn't matter what level of technical expertise the salesperson has because it is extremely unlikely that you'd be the first person to ask them a particular question. Seriously, my job involved answering a lot of the same questions every single day. Do you carry the battery for the Canon model x? How much is it? What's the difference between PCMCIA and PCI? What is a DVD? People would ask these questions dozens of times a day. It is nothing but utter laziness or inattentiveness to their job not find out the answers. It makes their job easier, reduces customer complaints, increases their efficiency, leaves them more time to sell (which for a good salesperson is the enjoyable part of the job) and, in commissioned sales, earns them more money. The odd time you do get a question you haven't heard before, tell the customer you don't know but will find out and grab the manual or play with the product and figure it out. Nine times out of ten the question will come up again and if it doesn't, well, you learned something new.
It seems that no one has any pride in doing a job to the best of their ability anymore. At one time sales was a reputable job and garnered respect. My uncle sold appliances for Eatons (before they went bankrupt, but that's another issue entirely) and he was well respected in the company earned a very good living. Of course, as the years went on the commissions and earnings were cut to compete with discount vendors and the level of service suffered resulting in a cycle of reduced commissions, reduced service, etc. Well, there we go.
If someone can be convicted for viewing ficticious criminal activity against a child why has the same not happened to those that produce and consume other fictional criminal activity, like The Godfather or even the movie Hostel, which I found stomach turning? It is nothing more than thought crime.
the Judicial Branch and U.S. Constitution containing the Bill of Rights. However, Congress is not doing its job as counterbalance to the Executive Branch in the first place as too many civil liberties issues get decided by judges in a court room.
I remember when Super Mario 2 was released and I rushed home to play it. At first I was like, "What the fuck?", but the game grows on you. It was cool to be able to play as different characters with their different abilities. I also enjoyed the change in gameplay and level design and it was nice to see different backgrounds from the ubiquitous black in Super Mario.
I have the All Stars cartridge and have played the "Lost Levels". Some of them are pretty hard (and I really didn't get past the first few), but I think overall the US version of SMB 2 was needed to push the series into new territory.
Almost a year after installing Firefox I've learned that you can have a standards compliant browser that doesn't prop it's ass up on a cushion waiting for the next fancy boy to come along. I haven't had a single spyware/malware infection since moving to Firefox from last summer. I got so tired of the scan with Hijackthis, Ad Aware, and Spybot merry-go-round that I knuckled under and installed Firefox.
Is Firefox perfect? Of course not, and I hear the code base is getting to be a rat's nest and will require a complete rewrite at some point. Sure it has bugs and security holes, but they're almost always fixed within days (for security related fixes at least). I can surf with confidence knowing that if I do stray into a grey area of the web my browser isn't going to let my system get ass raped as easily as IE.
I agree that in many ways we end up with superior service for less cost than our U.S. neighbors. My main gripe has more to do with the television aspect of the CRTC and not the telecommunications aspect (I should have said it was the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission, but I wasn't thinking).
The Canadian content and simultanous substitution regulations drive me crazy, especially if you're trying to get a decent HDTV picture from any Canadian satellite or cable companies.
You're also right in that many of the commissions and committees do make good, solid decisions, but not always the first time around. There is a definite bureaucratic mentality in this country that can be so frustrating.
I believe the SSHRC decision highlights a different problem in Canada, namely bureaucratic inteptitude and not some paranoid fantasy that Intelligent Design is making inroads in Canada. Canada has a long history of government by committee where balancing interests and compromise is seen as the primary goal before making good decisions. One only needs to look at the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) to find almost universal distaste for the quality of their decision making.
Most Canadians have no taste for the kind of right wing politics found in the United States as we've been slowly growing into a more liberal society. Intelligent Design or Creationism is not taught in any public school and probably only a handful of private Christian schools. The ID movement is a non-starter here and I don't see that ever changing given our liberal climate.
I chalk this one up to bureaucracy gone stupid, as usual.
Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia have laws that codify compliance with the ESRB ratings. Also, retailers like Walmart and EB Games have voluntarily agreed to apply the ESRB ratings to purchases in their stores across Canada.
I feel I should amplify the parent's comments further. SonicStage isn't one of the worst pieces of Windows software, it is the worst . The software has numerous versions where many times one version or another will not install on a particular computer only to find that an earlier or later version will. I cannot over-emphasize how bloated, bug-ridden and completely and utterly unreliable this software is.
I bought one of the first Sony NetMD models and as an experienced computer support professional with years of software support behind me, I have never been so frustrated with a piece of software as I have with SonicStage. I was quite literally brought to tears attempting to get this software to work and that's sad considering that the hardware is actually very well made and offers great features like durabilty, long battery life and excellent sound.
She loved ponies.
Now I can power my Rainbow Brite (tm) oven from across the room without a cord! I can't wait until the court order expires and I can tell all the girls at the elementary school!
The article, scant as it was, is remarkably balanced.
I have a DS, but through a friend I had a chance to test the PSP over the weekend. It's hard not to love the PSP -- the screen is amazing, the graphics are superb and the ability to play MP3s and custom video on a memory card is a huge bonus. That said, the PSP has three weaknesses that the DS does not have namely, in-game battery life is a short four hours (which drops like a rock to two hours if playing a WIFI game. Straight MP3 play time is a respectable ten hours, though), the screen is extremely easy to scratch or mar with fingerprints and game load time is excessively long on occasion.
The DS doesn't really have these drawbacks as the battery life is a phenomenal nine hours (in fact, I haven't charged mine in over a month of on and off use. The DS Lite is expected to have a theoretical battery life of 15 hours), the screens seem impervious to scratches and smudges to a large degree and game load time is negligible. That's not to say the DS doesn't have its flaws as I feel the design is clunkly, the built in speakers offer tinny sound and the 3D graphics capabilities are underwhelming.
On the whole, I'd have to say the PSP is ideal for the type of 3D single player game you're used to on a PS3, but the DS is perfectly suited for multiplayer WIFI games like Metroid Prime and Advance Wars DS (duh, considering there doesn't seem to be a PSP analog to either game).
Quite honestly, I am tired of waiting for the .xxx TLD. Without the .xxx TLD where else am I going to obtain my adult entertainment?
I was extremely confident that Microsoft could pull a rabbit out of the hat and that the 360 would offer, at the very least, workable compatibility for their "A" list of games. As anyone can tell you, most of the "compatible" games are barely so and some listed as compatible just aren't. There are a handful of games that are playable, notably Halo 2, but the level of compatibility for some games, such as Ninja Gaiden, is so bad that they're basically unplayable. In time Microsoft will probably get the compatibility up, but there are going to be some games that will never be compatible regardless of Microsoft's commitment to do so.
I hate to say it, but if you're going to buy a 360 based in part on the ability to play existing Xbox games as I was, hold off, because it just ain't there yet. Those without an Xbox and waiting for the 360 to come down in price should really check out the existing Xbox, which currently sells for as little as $177 Canadian with two games.
but my Playstation 2 plays Crash Bandicoot flawlessly, just as you would expect when Sony advertised that the Playstation 2 would be compatible with Playstation games. Kind of neat how that works, huh? Isn't that surprising considering that Playstation games weren't designed to play on a Playstation 2?
What's got everyone's panties in a knot is that Microsoft lists compatibility with original Xbox games as a feature of the Xbox, but the level of compatibility is abysmally low. Wouldn't you be pissed if your Playstation 2 didn't play original Playstation games like Sony said it would? Microsoft is the one pushing the compatibility agenda here with their pronouncement that they expect to have every Xbox title emulated for the Xbox 360. I am sorry that you feel that people who trust Microsoft to deliver Xbox compatibility based on Microsoft's own assertions should just shut up because you consider that Xbox compatibility is just a "bonus".
The book by Charles Fishman is called [i]The Walmart Effect[/i] not [i]The Man Who Said No to Walmart[/i], which is the title of the Fast Company article that forms the basis for the Slashdot article.
FYI
Let me pre-visualize the next George Lucas project for everyone:
.--o
o
|
|.-
^ ^
George -> Us
but not that big. Nintendo is making a killing and the new DS Lite and the coming Zelda are just going push things even higher I expect.
A guy from work is willing to buy my DS for his daughter at a fair price if I want to trade up to the DS Lite. I guess a lot of children are asking their parents for them. My dentist will even loan one to you so that you can play other patients while they clean you teeth, fix a cavity, whatever.
He also goes on to mention that they plan to have the DS shortage problem at least partially taken care of by the end of April.
What shortage problem? I live in Canada and I see lots of them in stores. Is this a problem outside of North America?
It's just the still unfixed floating point bug in the Pentium rearing it's ugly head.
They get that in post.
"When basement worlds collide".
Ah, that's better.