I had a debit card when I was 15-18 so I could have bought music off the web had I chosen to and had the option been available. The real problem is that teens don't have that much cash. All my money was going into my ball and chain at the time (otherwise known as D&D), the ability to pirate music was there so I did it. Pirated music was a lot better than no music at all.
Aren't we forced to program the "AI" of the poker software as being this simple heuristic? Will programs ever be able to "read" players intelligently or will they rely on Markov models & statistics they develop from playing against the same human over and over?
Playing poker with 100% consistency is no way to be an excellent poker player. It's easy to make a bot that follows a set of statistics which give it a good chance to win regardless of how their opponent ha played in the past, but if the bot takes into account the player's past actions then it can improve its chances of success. Taking into account the opponent's aggressiveness becomes especially important late in a tournament style match (when other players have been eliminated), most bots aren't designed to play in these situations (hence why you don't see many bots in tournaments, playing instead at the normal tables).
The bot would, ideally, be as good as a very observant player, noting those who bluff and those who don't. Obviously noting 1 or 2 bluffs or non-bluffs would not be enough to make a decision, but over the course of a long tournament, or even better a poker playing career, this information would become very useful. The bot would learn its opponents, and this is what makes it an interesting problem.
Even more interesting is the network of poker bots that are set up and running some of the web sites that host poker players.
I'd argue that cheating at online poker isn't very interesting at all. Humans can do the exact same thing, and online poker companies monitor game's to ensure that there isn't an uncommonly high percentage of people in the same area playing any game. Obviously it might be easier to distribute the bots across the country, but I think it's still more likely (today) to run into actual players grifting you in this manner.
There's a reason why the percentages fluctuate on TV when cards are revealed whether they be in the flop or in another player's hand.
Quantum physics, right? You can accurately determine the odds of winning, or the cards in hand, but not both at the same time? Swear I read something about this somewhere.
A lot of people in the thread are bad mouthing it, but with good reason!
As to the gameplay, any RPG fan will love it. It has both variety and depth
I'd argue that it has neither. The dialogue is 99% click through (although it is pretty well written and well voiced). Speechcrafting, although interesting, is hardly of primary importance, and can easily be ignored by the player. The trading system has been toned down significantly since TES and now amounts to simply finding an npc with good standing and selling as much as you can to it.
I'd argue that the only gameplay mechanism of any import is the combat system (speech, travel, and trading are all just ways to facilitate combat) and this is where Oblivion falls short. As I mentioned in my original post up the page, the spells are of a disapointingly repetative nature, all that's been implemented is a simple resistence system and a few damage types to get around it. This stuff is simpler than Diablo 2 for god's sake, and most harp on Diablo for its decidedly simple combat mechanics.
Archery, although satisfying to use, offers a similar lack of innovation. You click, you hold, you shoot, the enemy takes damage... and little else happens. The magic arrows and the effects they offer are startingly mundane given the quantity available. Some paralyze arrows, and then a bunch of damage adding arrows, the variety of which is disapointingly similar to the spell casting system. The fun, more creative effects found in deeper CRPGS are not to be found. No multi shot type things, you can't pin your opponent to a wall, spell effects limited to stun or damage, little to no alteration effects, and those that do exist are simply meant to allow you to do more damage.
The melee combat system isn't *bad* but as I went through the game I found that the special attacks were hardly any more effective than the standard attacks. That's fine in a game like Baldur's Gate, when you're also managing spell casters etc. in combat, but if you're melee only it gets rather tiresome not being able to do anything but deal damage (and *occasionaly*, *rarely* stun or disarm).
The sneak system was, IMHO, too powerful, which lead to it being no challenge to use. At high levels you could zoom around the room while crouched, only occasionally being threatened by an enemy..
At any rate, the sum of all this is that combat requires too little thought. Maybe the enemies were too weak, or maybe the fact that you rarely took on more than 2 at a time lead to gameplay limitations. Whatever the case, combat ultimately resulted on clicking on the enemy, dealing damage, and then either fighting or running. You could sneak up if that was your though, or just engage from afar. Better CRPGs allow for more creative solutions to fights, and given the excellent physics system present in Oblvion I was disapointed in the repetative nature of the combat. Every fight in a given dungeon was almost identical, the only difference would be whether you had to chase the enemy (if they were a caster) or they chased you (if they were a melee'r).
The amount of content was impressive, and the amount of repetition in monsters and dungeon types wasn't too distracting (although the auto leveling of the world was rather disconcerting). A lot of the quests were enjoyable, but a lot of them were mundane. Ultimately it comes down to the sub par combat system, that's its flaw.
The lack of abilities and spells such as this is what made combat in Oblivion so boring to me. Whereas other RPGS (the BG series will always be my goto example for well done CRPGs) have a variety of attacks and defenses, Oblivions arsenal was decidedly repetitive (the spell library consisted primarily of DD's and DOT's, with a few stun/paralyze type things thrown in, but only a limited variety of those). BG had all sorts of great defensive spells (stoneskin and all the various shields) to go along with a variety of unique transformation spells (polymorph self, polymorph other) and some great AE spells (admittely, you can add AE to Obvlivion spells, but they're still just damage spells, nothing interesting like a mass sleep or web).
Part of the problem is that there's no group to play with in Oblivion, no classes with complementary skills etc. But still, your character can become such a powerful jack-of-all-trades I think it's hard to justify the mundane nature of his/her abilities.
Cool stuff like this just adds a ton of gameplay possibilities, and the designer of the mod knows it. Changing into the rat form, for instance, isn't just some gimmick. You can then sneak into/outof places you normally wouldn't fit. Stuck in jail? Sneak through the bars. Chased by the guard? Sneak through a crack in the wall.
It's surprisngly well done, too. There obviously aren't animations between forms, but the transformation (accompanied by a puff of smoke type effect) isn't too jarring, and the animations once you've changed are all in place. Great to see mods for this game that don't ruin the immersion. I haven't gotten to play with it yet, but hopefully the spells have appropriate costs/requirements associated with them.
At any rate, this is really just a concealed rant against Oblivion's focus on graphics rather than what should have been a really awesome combat system. That and a little thank you to the modders for noting the potential here, and fixing what Bethseda forgot about.
Pity this point wasn't made higher up in the thread, as it's key to the discussion at hand. Features like pause and save game have made games considerably easier to beat than games that existed before such things were common place. I once beat Half-life without taking any damage (aside from the freezer) but can RARELY get passed the third level on Marble Madness.
Every game I buy now I find I'm quite capable of completing, with skill to spare no less. Older games will no doubt outpace me as I age, but I doubt the new ones will. As long as there's an audience there will be game makers to cater to that demographic and ensure that the games aren't frustratingly difficult...
It's great to look at things as entities that exist in some kind of purely economical abstract universe, but that's simply not the case.
Many artists don't want to sell their tickets to the highest bidder, simply because that highest bidder isn't the real fan. Having a bunch of 30 or 40 somethings in the front row of a rock concert, simply because they were able to outbid everyone else doesn't create the type of concert atmosphere that a band enjoys playing. Sure, some bands just care about the monies but for many their gig is more than just some job.
Furthermore, the idea presented in the summary that all the extra proceds go to TicketMaster is even more distressing. Luckily TFA says it is just a flat fee or percentage, but no doubt this translates (ultimately) into more money for TM, which is never a good thing.
All in all this is pretty heinous, it just results in less control over the concert/event atmosphere for the actual organizer, and more for TM. Scalpers are stupid, and a giant corporate scalper is even lamer.
Not even bumbling beuracracy could keep people in poverty were the GP's replicator a reality. At some point it becomes impossible to hold the masses down, hopefully we'll reach that point within our lifetimes*.
When resources are no longer scarce, then socialism will be inevitable. Only the greedy will think otherwise, and they'll be dismissed rather quickly... There's no need for a Walmart when your neirghborhood EE can just set up a replicator.
*if you're really old, sorry but you're outta luck.
Healthy people cost less money to make better, unhealthy people cost more money. The US burns through healthcare money not because of the poor service, but because they're unhealthy long before they get to the Doctor's office (or the ER). Honestly, how can you say that the country home to some of the best hospitals in the world (Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins, etc.) is second tier in terms of services rendered?
You could argue that most citizens never make it into these tier one hospitals, that they are reserved for the rich, but TFA makes the point that our health is worse across the board (from richest to poorest.) The issue that this article is bringing up isn't about poor healthcare, it's about poor lifestyle (whether that's too much work, too little exercise, too much food, or whatever would probably require further research).
According to TFA coverage isn't the issue here. The purpose of the study was to compare health across the board, not just of the working class or poor (who would benefit from a universal healthcare system) and it found that regardless of income Americans were less healthy than UKers. Which is bizarre, considering we (the US) are still the richest country in the world, and should therefore have the best top tier healthcare.. or at least one would think.
At any rate, as cool as universal healthcare would be, TFA really isn't bringing that issue up. Rather, I think it alludes to the hire levels of stress or maybe more generally the unhealthy ways we Americans live. Universal Healthcare can't make you sleep 8 hours every night or eat all your vegetables, and I think that's really the point that should be driven home by the article... as Americans, we just aren't living healthily (and no amount of healthcare can make up for that.)
I think anyone that's worked a job with time-and-a-half for overtime will tell you that those kind of overtime hours never come in the quantites of the ones you get from say.. EA or Ubisoft:)
Even the U.S. obesity epidemic couldn't solve the mystery. The researchers crunched numbers to create a hypothetical statistical world in which the English had American lifestyle risk factors, including being as fat as Americans. In that model, Americans were still sicker.
I'm sure their methods were a little more rigorous than your heresay. I'd say that the GP is bang on, we're working ourselves to death.
Another interesting tidbit:
[...] the United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation, yet trails in rankings of life expectancy.
The United States spends about $5,200 per person on health care while England spends about half that in adjusted dollars.
Spending is only going to keep you alive for so long when you're overweight and out of shape from a poor diet and little exercise. That culture of 50 hour work weeks (or worse) just compounds these problems and shortens lives even more.
The guy stars in and writes his own ironic/sarcastic talk show every day of the week, I'm fairly confident he knows the kind of message he's sending when he says things like:
"Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash." (regarding Bush's polls)
He had a chance to say things he felt needed to be said, and he took it... No doubt about it.
Maybe in the short term, but once the car vs. human war really kicks off natural selection will kick in and start weeding out the stupids.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, think about this: If cars can park themselves what do they need humans for?....
The answer is lots of things, but nevermind that. Anime and Asimov have taught us that autonomous machines will inevitably rise up against us, this self parking thing is just the first of several tiny robot steps into a dark, tentacle-rape filled future.
And proof that there will always be some idiot will make wild assumptions re: other's musical tastes.
I bet you don't even know who made this song, you probably think it was some guy named "Gnarls Barkely", nevermind that such a person doesn't actually exist. For your information Gnarls is a collaboration between Cee-lo and DangerMouse. I'm not much of a Cee-lo fan, but DangerMouse is the shit. His Grey Album (half White Album, half Black Album) was as close to bittorrent platinum as an album could be, and DangerDoom (another collaboration, this time with MF Doom) was an awesome hip hop album (you probably hate hip hop, but I guess that's your loss).
At any rate: forget the past of these two artists, this song is awesome and I'm really looking forward to their album.
Seriously, this is the dumbest pseudo-scientific media dribble/. has posted in awhile. One guy in Toronto decides electricity is giving him (and a handful of others.. maybe) chronic back pain is reason enough to suggest that electricity is destroying us all? Why aren't untold millions suffering?
The guys heresay even made the summary! He even qualifies it in the next sentence with "There is no proof of this, it's just an opinion." (direct quote from TFA). Not only that but none of the informal "studies" cited were done in a remotely scientific way... it looks like every one lacked any kind of control group (placebo or otherwise).
Definitely seems useful for making movies, but I don't see how George Lucas could use this. Isn't he in the business of shattering childhood memories??
Everyone has their imperfections or crutches. In my experience its far more disruptive to work with someone with a personality defect than someone that smokes pot on the weekends. Honestly, I get far more trouble from that workaholic or socialite who keeps pestering me.
Obviously, there are certain drugs that can take a person over, making them completely useless.. but weed, cigarettes, or alcohol? Those hardly cause enough trouble to warrant some kind of aggressive filtering.
I totally agree, and can only hope that the GP really meant that implementing poorly designed comuterized voting systems are a huge mistake. A well designed computer system (with some similarly well designed analog outputs for independent verification) could add levels of transparency totally impossible with a 100% dead-tree based system.
For instance, a system could be designed whereby every individual vote was published (names removed) in a simple format (*.txt?) as to allow each user to count the vote for themselves, as well as verify that their vote was cast correctly. A highly superior system for ensuring that an election is not a farce, compared to the blind faith we maintain in paper...
That said, Diebold's systems are certainly worse than paper. Leaving elections in the hands of private companies who seem to have little interest in maintaing any kind of democracy/republic gives me the willies..
Not sure about its RSS integration but I find bittornado to have all the features I want whle not hogging resources/crashing.
A lot of clients have some quirks (most are still in beta, and will probably be there forever:) ) so it comes down to experimentation if you're really picky feature-wise.
Slashdot Mirror
I had a debit card when I was 15-18 so I could have bought music off the web had I chosen to and had the option been available. The real problem is that teens don't have that much cash. All my money was going into my ball and chain at the time (otherwise known as D&D), the ability to pirate music was there so I did it. Pirated music was a lot better than no music at all.
The bot would, ideally, be as good as a very observant player, noting those who bluff and those who don't. Obviously noting 1 or 2 bluffs or non-bluffs would not be enough to make a decision, but over the course of a long tournament, or even better a poker playing career, this information would become very useful. The bot would learn its opponents, and this is what makes it an interesting problem.
I'd argue that cheating at online poker isn't very interesting at all. Humans can do the exact same thing, and online poker companies monitor game's to ensure that there isn't an uncommonly high percentage of people in the same area playing any game. Obviously it might be easier to distribute the bots across the country, but I think it's still more likely (today) to run into actual players grifting you in this manner.
Quantum physics, right? You can accurately determine the odds of winning, or the cards in hand, but not both at the same time? Swear I read something about this somewhere.
This isn't directly related to the topic at hand, but my collection of people's fingers also goes 'online' today.
I needed a hobby and a little more cash, this should solve both of those problems.
I'd argue that it has neither. The dialogue is 99% click through (although it is pretty well written and well voiced). Speechcrafting, although interesting, is hardly of primary importance, and can easily be ignored by the player. The trading system has been toned down significantly since TES and now amounts to simply finding an npc with good standing and selling as much as you can to it.
I'd argue that the only gameplay mechanism of any import is the combat system (speech, travel, and trading are all just ways to facilitate combat) and this is where Oblivion falls short. As I mentioned in my original post up the page, the spells are of a disapointingly repetative nature, all that's been implemented is a simple resistence system and a few damage types to get around it. This stuff is simpler than Diablo 2 for god's sake, and most harp on Diablo for its decidedly simple combat mechanics.
Archery, although satisfying to use, offers a similar lack of innovation. You click, you hold, you shoot, the enemy takes damage... and little else happens. The magic arrows and the effects they offer are startingly mundane given the quantity available. Some paralyze arrows, and then a bunch of damage adding arrows, the variety of which is disapointingly similar to the spell casting system. The fun, more creative effects found in deeper CRPGS are not to be found. No multi shot type things, you can't pin your opponent to a wall, spell effects limited to stun or damage, little to no alteration effects, and those that do exist are simply meant to allow you to do more damage.
The melee combat system isn't *bad* but as I went through the game I found that the special attacks were hardly any more effective than the standard attacks. That's fine in a game like Baldur's Gate, when you're also managing spell casters etc. in combat, but if you're melee only it gets rather tiresome not being able to do anything but deal damage (and *occasionaly*, *rarely* stun or disarm).
The sneak system was, IMHO, too powerful, which lead to it being no challenge to use. At high levels you could zoom around the room while crouched, only occasionally being threatened by an enemy..
At any rate, the sum of all this is that combat requires too little thought. Maybe the enemies were too weak, or maybe the fact that you rarely took on more than 2 at a time lead to gameplay limitations. Whatever the case, combat ultimately resulted on clicking on the enemy, dealing damage, and then either fighting or running. You could sneak up if that was your though, or just engage from afar. Better CRPGs allow for more creative solutions to fights, and given the excellent physics system present in Oblvion I was disapointed in the repetative nature of the combat. Every fight in a given dungeon was almost identical, the only difference would be whether you had to chase the enemy (if they were a caster) or they chased you (if they were a melee'r).
The amount of content was impressive, and the amount of repetition in monsters and dungeon types wasn't too distracting (although the auto leveling of the world was rather disconcerting). A lot of the quests were enjoyable, but a lot of them were mundane. Ultimately it comes down to the sub par combat system, that's its flaw.
The lack of abilities and spells such as this is what made combat in Oblivion so boring to me. Whereas other RPGS (the BG series will always be my goto example for well done CRPGs) have a variety of attacks and defenses, Oblivions arsenal was decidedly repetitive (the spell library consisted primarily of DD's and DOT's, with a few stun/paralyze type things thrown in, but only a limited variety of those). BG had all sorts of great defensive spells (stoneskin and all the various shields) to go along with a variety of unique transformation spells (polymorph self, polymorph other) and some great AE spells (admittely, you can add AE to Obvlivion spells, but they're still just damage spells, nothing interesting like a mass sleep or web).
Part of the problem is that there's no group to play with in Oblivion, no classes with complementary skills etc. But still, your character can become such a powerful jack-of-all-trades I think it's hard to justify the mundane nature of his/her abilities.
Cool stuff like this just adds a ton of gameplay possibilities, and the designer of the mod knows it. Changing into the rat form, for instance, isn't just some gimmick. You can then sneak into/outof places you normally wouldn't fit. Stuck in jail? Sneak through the bars. Chased by the guard? Sneak through a crack in the wall.
It's surprisngly well done, too. There obviously aren't animations between forms, but the transformation (accompanied by a puff of smoke type effect) isn't too jarring, and the animations once you've changed are all in place. Great to see mods for this game that don't ruin the immersion. I haven't gotten to play with it yet, but hopefully the spells have appropriate costs/requirements associated with them.
At any rate, this is really just a concealed rant against Oblivion's focus on graphics rather than what should have been a really awesome combat system. That and a little thank you to the modders for noting the potential here, and fixing what Bethseda forgot about.
Pity this point wasn't made higher up in the thread, as it's key to the discussion at hand. Features like pause and save game have made games considerably easier to beat than games that existed before such things were common place. I once beat Half-life without taking any damage (aside from the freezer) but can RARELY get passed the third level on Marble Madness.
Every game I buy now I find I'm quite capable of completing, with skill to spare no less. Older games will no doubt outpace me as I age, but I doubt the new ones will. As long as there's an audience there will be game makers to cater to that demographic and ensure that the games aren't frustratingly difficult...
Can't believe I had to scroll this far to find a Dune reference! Shame on you Slashdot.. Shame.. on.. you!
It's great to look at things as entities that exist in some kind of purely economical abstract universe, but that's simply not the case.
Many artists don't want to sell their tickets to the highest bidder, simply because that highest bidder isn't the real fan. Having a bunch of 30 or 40 somethings in the front row of a rock concert, simply because they were able to outbid everyone else doesn't create the type of concert atmosphere that a band enjoys playing. Sure, some bands just care about the monies but for many their gig is more than just some job.
Furthermore, the idea presented in the summary that all the extra proceds go to TicketMaster is even more distressing. Luckily TFA says it is just a flat fee or percentage, but no doubt this translates (ultimately) into more money for TM, which is never a good thing.
All in all this is pretty heinous, it just results in less control over the concert/event atmosphere for the actual organizer, and more for TM. Scalpers are stupid, and a giant corporate scalper is even lamer.
Not even bumbling beuracracy could keep people in poverty were the GP's replicator a reality. At some point it becomes impossible to hold the masses down, hopefully we'll reach that point within our lifetimes*.
When resources are no longer scarce, then socialism will be inevitable. Only the greedy will think otherwise, and they'll be dismissed rather quickly... There's no need for a Walmart when your neirghborhood EE can just set up a replicator.
*if you're really old, sorry but you're outta luck.
Healthy people cost less money to make better, unhealthy people cost more money. The US burns through healthcare money not because of the poor service, but because they're unhealthy long before they get to the Doctor's office (or the ER). Honestly, how can you say that the country home to some of the best hospitals in the world (Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins, etc.) is second tier in terms of services rendered?
You could argue that most citizens never make it into these tier one hospitals, that they are reserved for the rich, but TFA makes the point that our health is worse across the board (from richest to poorest.) The issue that this article is bringing up isn't about poor healthcare, it's about poor lifestyle (whether that's too much work, too little exercise, too much food, or whatever would probably require further research).
My bad, only pointing out that obesity was ruled out as the cause of the health disparity...
According to TFA coverage isn't the issue here. The purpose of the study was to compare health across the board, not just of the working class or poor (who would benefit from a universal healthcare system) and it found that regardless of income Americans were less healthy than UKers. Which is bizarre, considering we (the US) are still the richest country in the world, and should therefore have the best top tier healthcare.. or at least one would think.
At any rate, as cool as universal healthcare would be, TFA really isn't bringing that issue up. Rather, I think it alludes to the hire levels of stress or maybe more generally the unhealthy ways we Americans live. Universal Healthcare can't make you sleep 8 hours every night or eat all your vegetables, and I think that's really the point that should be driven home by the article... as Americans, we just aren't living healthily (and no amount of healthcare can make up for that.)
I think anyone that's worked a job with time-and-a-half for overtime will tell you that those kind of overtime hours never come in the quantites of the ones you get from say.. EA or Ubisoft :)
From TFA:
Even the U.S. obesity epidemic couldn't solve the mystery. The researchers crunched numbers to create a hypothetical statistical world in which the English had American lifestyle risk factors, including being as fat as Americans. In that model, Americans were still sicker.
I'm sure their methods were a little more rigorous than your heresay. I'd say that the GP is bang on, we're working ourselves to death.
Another interesting tidbit:
[...] the United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation, yet trails in rankings of life expectancy.
The United States spends about $5,200 per person on health care while England spends about half that in adjusted dollars.
Spending is only going to keep you alive for so long when you're overweight and out of shape from a poor diet and little exercise. That culture of 50 hour work weeks (or worse) just compounds these problems and shortens lives even more.
The guy stars in and writes his own ironic/sarcastic talk show every day of the week, I'm fairly confident he knows the kind of message he's sending when he says things like:
"Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash."
(regarding Bush's polls)
He had a chance to say things he felt needed to be said, and he took it... No doubt about it.
Mmm.. excellent, most buckle under the strain, allowing the little beast consume them totally.
Well played, sir.. Well played.
Ah yes, the chinese finger trap of flash-based splash intros... the harder you try to get past it, the firmer its grip becomes.
I'm afraid you've most likely "pulled" so hard that you're trapped forever.
Maybe in the short term, but once the car vs. human war really kicks off natural selection will kick in and start weeding out the stupids.
.. ..
If you don't know what I'm talking about, think about this: If cars can park themselves what do they need humans for?
The answer is lots of things, but nevermind that. Anime and Asimov have taught us that autonomous machines will inevitably rise up against us, this self parking thing is just the first of several tiny robot steps into a dark, tentacle-rape filled future.
And proof that there will always be some idiot will make wild assumptions re: other's musical tastes.
I bet you don't even know who made this song, you probably think it was some guy named "Gnarls Barkely", nevermind that such a person doesn't actually exist. For your information Gnarls is a collaboration between Cee-lo and DangerMouse. I'm not much of a Cee-lo fan, but DangerMouse is the shit. His Grey Album (half White Album, half Black Album) was as close to bittorrent platinum as an album could be, and DangerDoom (another collaboration, this time with MF Doom) was an awesome hip hop album (you probably hate hip hop, but I guess that's your loss).
At any rate: forget the past of these two artists, this song is awesome and I'm really looking forward to their album.
Seriously, this is the dumbest pseudo-scientific media dribble /. has posted in awhile. One guy in Toronto decides electricity is giving him (and a handful of others.. maybe) chronic back pain is reason enough to suggest that electricity is destroying us all? Why aren't untold millions suffering?
The guys heresay even made the summary! He even qualifies it in the next sentence with "There is no proof of this, it's just an opinion." (direct quote from TFA). Not only that but none of the informal "studies" cited were done in a remotely scientific way... it looks like every one lacked any kind of control group (placebo or otherwise).
Stoo-pid.
Definitely seems useful for making movies, but I don't see how George Lucas could use this. Isn't he in the business of shattering childhood memories??
You don't open crates in Oblivion, you just open them.
I know this is terribly disapointing, but I thoguht I should tell you before you ruin your weekend.
Everyone has their imperfections or crutches. In my experience its far more disruptive to work with someone with a personality defect than someone that smokes pot on the weekends. Honestly, I get far more trouble from that workaholic or socialite who keeps pestering me.
Obviously, there are certain drugs that can take a person over, making them completely useless.. but weed, cigarettes, or alcohol? Those hardly cause enough trouble to warrant some kind of aggressive filtering.
I totally agree, and can only hope that the GP really meant that implementing poorly designed comuterized voting systems are a huge mistake. A well designed computer system (with some similarly well designed analog outputs for independent verification) could add levels of transparency totally impossible with a 100% dead-tree based system.
For instance, a system could be designed whereby every individual vote was published (names removed) in a simple format (*.txt?) as to allow each user to count the vote for themselves, as well as verify that their vote was cast correctly. A highly superior system for ensuring that an election is not a farce, compared to the blind faith we maintain in paper...
That said, Diebold's systems are certainly worse than paper. Leaving elections in the hands of private companies who seem to have little interest in maintaing any kind of democracy/republic gives me the willies..
Not sure about its RSS integration but I find bittornado to have all the features I want whle not hogging resources/crashing.
:) ) so it comes down to experimentation if you're really picky feature-wise.
A lot of clients have some quirks (most are still in beta, and will probably be there forever