I agree that the president should be able to wiretap, but that he should have to go through a court to do so. The issue is not whether the president should be able to wiretap in times of war, the issue is that Bush broke the existing law (that was very lenient and gave him 72 hours to retroactively seek a warrant if the need was so pressing). Judging from the court's record, I would say that the cases that Bush did not get approval for would be cases that even the rubber-stamp FISA court found would find unwarranted.
If Bush is given the power to wiretap without a warrant, do you trust him to only use it against terrorists?? Why did Bush wait until he got caught to complain about having to get warrants?
When there is a congressional election. If democrats can take back the house, they could possibly impeach the president; no Republican controlled house would ever betray their parties president (especially after he was re(s)elected). The angle that I don't think has been stressed enough is how Bush acted. If he really thought that having to go through a court that has approved 18,742 wiretap warrants and denied 5 was such an unconstitutional restraint of his power, he should have spoken up when he started doing it. Bush is asking for huge increases in executive power during a war he started under false premises.
According to a recent Zogby poll, 52% of Americans approve of impeaching Bush if he wiretapped an American citizen without a judges approval.
This wiretapping scandal can only get bigger as more and more layers get exposed. It appears Bush may have been wiretapping Americans before 9/11.
but the NSA has a website just for kids that has some puzzles, basic crypto problems, and simple ciphers. They call it the page for "Americas Future Codemakers & Codebreakers". They also have crypto-themed cartoon characters like Rosetta Stone and Decipher Dog.
I haven't played all the games on the list (only console I own is an N64), but I can comment on a decent amount of them.
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich A fairly good sequel using the original engine (graphics aren't much better than FF). I liked this game and played it to completion, but its not as good as the first one. It didn't add very many new characters to the freedom force, and none of them were introduced using the storyline (they would just show up as available for hire). If you haven't played Freedom Force or FFv3R, I would recommend just getting the original. Its cheaper ($10 at wal-mart), has a better story, and is a great game.
Brothers in Arms:Road to Hill 30 I played a little bit of this game and found it to be a pretty refreshing take on squad combat. I liked the command system, but it got a little hectic when you had multiple groups to control. The unreal engine lends itself to some pretty damn good graphics. The game is a console port, and has a lot of unlockable stuff like video clips, cheats, and medals. As a sidenote, it would be nice if every WWII game wasn't always about the 101st airborne.
Battlefield 2 A great game that should have been published by someone other than the cockgobblers at EA. The persistant statistics are nice, as are lots of medals and unlocks (of course EA charges $$ if you want a ranked server). DiCE definitely deserves extra kudos for the great squad system and microphone/headset support that add a lot to the already solid battlefield gameplay. Finding a server where squad mates work together and communicate is friggin awesome (and happens pretty often). The non-fuctioning server filters and generally shitty server browser (no surprise it's powered by Gamespy) are really frustrating (especially since the game already has a $30 expansion pack) and are quite indicative of EAs approach to publishing a game (release early, patch rarely, make lots of expensive expansion packs). Gripes about EA aside, the core game is really solid and I highly recommend it.
F.E.A.R. FEAR was one game I thought was less than the sum of its parts. It has great graphics, some decent scary parts (more startling than scary really), and does slow-mo better than any Max Payne game. I didn't care for the levels (office buildings are almost as boring in a game as in real life), and I really didn't like the lack of enemy variety. You face soldiers that all look a like (except different weapons), a demon or two, and some large Police robots. The graphics engine allowed for some really cool effects and lots of polygons; it would have been nice to see it put to work with some interesting foes. I didn't think the game was that scary either (hmm... its a long hallway, I wonder if I'll see yet another dissolving girl). The slow-mo effects (bodies light up when hit, bullets leave a trail like in the matrix) were pretty slick and I hope another developer rips them off and uses them in a more fun game. Speaking of scary games, are there any more Aliens vs. Predator games in the pipeline?
Call of Duty 2 I just got this game and haven't spent enough time to accurately evaluate it. The graphics have definitely been improved, and a good gamer friend says the missions in the game are really fun. The Multiplayer includes some new modes that weren't in the first game (I think CTF is new), and brings back the best CoD1 maps (Carentan, Brecourt, etc) and adds some new ones.
Psychonauts I have this game, but no gamepad, so I haven't played it yet. I will say, however, that its really great to see a game that has good, creative art and level design. Other than World of Warcraft and maybe Darwinia, there haven't been many titles with creative art. Its good to see a game that is an escape from reality rather than a crude attempt at duplicating it.
Mario Kart DS I played this game for about 5 minutes at Wal-Mart and I was instantly hooked. I wasn't sure I would like going from analog controls (ala Double Dash)
I haven't played all the games on the list (only console I own is an N64), but I can comment on a decent amount of them.
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich A fairly good sequel using the original engine (graphics aren't much better than FF). I liked this game and played it to completion, but its not as good as the first one. It didn't add very many new characters to the freedom force, and none of them were introduced using the storyline (they would just show up as available for hire). If you haven't played Freedom Force or FFv3R, I would recommend just getting the original. Its cheaper ($10 at wal-mart), has a better story, and is a great game.
Brothers in Arms:Road to Hill 30 I played a little bit of this game and found it to be a pretty refreshing take on squad combat. I liked the command system, but it got a little hectic when you had multiple groups to control. The unreal engine lends itself to some pretty damn good graphics. The game is a console port, and has a lot of unlockable stuff like video clips, cheats, and medals. As a sidenote, it would be nice if every WWII game wasn't always about the 101st airborne.
Battlefield 2 A great game that should have been published by someone other than the cockgobblers at EA. The persistant statistics are nice, as are lots of medals and unlocks (of course EA charges $$ if you want a ranked server). DiCE definitely deserves extra kudos for the great squad system and microphone/headset support that add a lot to the already solid battlefield gameplay. Finding a server where squad mates work together and communicate is friggin awesome (and happens pretty often). The non-fuctioning server filters and generally shitty server browser (no surprise it's powered by Gamespy) are really frustrating (especially since the game already has a $30 expansion pack) and are quite indicative of EAs approach to publishing a game (release early, patch rarely, make lots of expensive expansion packs). Gripes about EA aside, the core game is really solid and I highly recommend it.
F.E.A.R. FEAR was one game I thought was less than the sum of its parts. It has great graphics, some decent scary parts (more startling than scary really), and does slow-mo better than any Max Payne game. I didn't care for the levels (office buildings are almost as boring in a game as in real life), and I really didn't like the lack of enemy variety. You face soldiers that all look a like (except different weapons), a demon or two, and some large Police robots. The graphics engine allowed for some really cool effects and lots of polygons; it would have been nice to see it put to work with some interesting foes. I didn't think the game was that scary either (hmm... its a long hallway, I wonder if I'll see yet another dissolving girl). The slow-mo effects (bodies light up when hit, bullets leave a trail like in the matrix) were pretty slick and I hope another developer rips them off and uses them in a more fun game. Speaking of scary games, are there any more Aliens vs. Predator games in the pipeline?
Call of Duty 2 I just got this game and haven't spent enough time to accurately evaluate it. The graphics have definitely been improved, and a good gamer friend says the missions in the game are really fun. The Multiplayer includes some new modes that weren't in the first game (I think CTF is new), and brings back the best CoD1 maps (Carentan, Brecourt, etc) and adds some new ones.
Psychonauts I have this game, but no gamepad, so I haven't played it yet. I will say, however, that its really great to see a game that has good, creative art and level design. Other than World of Warcraft and maybe Darwinia, there haven't been many titles with creative art. Its good to see a game that is an escape from reality rather than a crude attempt at duplicating it.
Mario Kart DS I played this game for about 5 minutes at Wal-Mart and I was instantly hooked. I wasn't sure I would like going from analog controls (ala Double Dash) t
In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, thousands of American soldiers died in an effort to stop the threat of Chinese communism. Today, China is one of our top trading "partners". What has changed? China is still one of the worst human rights violators, and routinely abuses its neighbors (Taiwan and Tibet). In trading terms, China is probably our most abusive partner. Any project done in China must also have any related side projects completed there. China also devalues their currency, further imbalancing trade.
The China situation probably pisses me off more than any single other issue. Its an issue where both parties are on the same side; the side of profit-whoring multinationals that have no problem selling out American workers and small business and buddying up to the rights-abusing monster that is the Chinese govt.
Nobel winner Harold Pinter had a few interesting comments in his lecture:
Political language, as used by politicians, does not venture into any of this territory since the majority of politicians, on the evidence available to us, are interested not in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power. To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives. What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies, upon which we feed.
As every single person here knows, the justification for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed a highly dangerous body of weapons of mass destruction, some of which could be fired in 45 minutes, bringing about appalling devastation. We were assured that was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq had a relationship with Al Quaeda and shared responsibility for the atrocity in New York of September 11th 2001. We were assured that this was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq threatened the security of the world. We were assured it was true. It was not true.
The truth is something entirely different. The truth is to do with how the United States understands its role in the world and how it chooses to embody it.
But before I come back to the present I would like to look at the recent past, by which I mean United States foreign policy since the end of the Second World War. I believe it is obligatory upon us to subject this period to at least some kind of even limited scrutiny, which is all that time will allow here.
Everyone knows what happened in the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe during the post-war period: the systematic brutality, the widespread atrocities, the ruthless suppression of independent thought. All this has been fully documented and verified.
But my contention here is that the US crimes in the same period have only been superficially recorded, let alone documented, let alone acknowledged, let alone recognised as crimes at all. I believe this must be addressed and that the truth has considerable bearing on where the world stands now. Although constrained, to a certain extent, by the existence of the Soviet Union, the United States' actions throughout the world made it clear that it had concluded it had carte blanche to do what it liked.
Direct invasion of a sovereign state has never in fact been America's favoured method. In the main, it has preferred what it has described as 'low intensity conflict'. Low intensity conflict means that thousands of people die but slower than if you dropped a bomb on them in one fell swoop. It means that you infect the heart of the country, that you establish a malignant growth and watch the gangrene bloom. When the populace has been subdued - or beaten to death - the same thing - and your own friends, the military and the great corporations, sit comfortably in power, you go before the camera and say that democracy has prevailed. This was a commonplace in US foreign policy in the years to which I refer.
The tragedy of Nicaragua was a highly significant case. I choose to offer it here as a potent example of America's view of its role in the world, both then and now.
I was present at a meeting at the US embassy in London in the late 1980s.
The United States Congress was about to decide whether to give more money to the Contras in their campaign against the state of Nicaragua. I was a member of a delegation speaking on behalf of Nicaragua but the most important member of this delegation was a Father John Metcalf. The leader of the US body was Raymond Seitz (then number two to the ambassador, later ambassador himself). Father Metcalf said: 'Sir, I am in charge of a parish in the north of Nicaragua. My parishioners built a school, a health centre, a cultural centre. We have lived in peace. A few months ago a Contra force attacked the parish. They destroyed everything: the school, the health centre, the cultural centre. They raped nurses and teachers,
Bioware for the most part makes RPGs. For the most part, the gamer that is interested in a bioware game is interested in engaging stories and deep characters, and are likely to also enjoy reading and writing (the staples of any online community).
Bioware also has a fair amount of developer interaction, its not uncommon to see Bioware employees answer questions directly.
Ok, off the top of my head, try having a mouse with more than 3 buttons, or setting X to use multiple resolutions or refresh rates, or creating a binary program that can run on different distros (or getting a binary from a third party if you don't have fedora or mandriva), or creating a device driver that doesn't require a kernel patch. Or copy/pasting to and from any app with multiple data types (I can select lines and points in autocad and paste them into word, or paste a bitmap into a cad drawing).
Here are some braindead things I noticed last time I use linux. * Using Konqueror (file browser), double clicking on a text file opened it in read-only preview mode, to actually edit a file, you had to right-click then open with. * Also, I couldn't figure out how to create a desktop shortcut to an app (that might have been me). * If you select copy and then close the app you copied from, the selection disappears. * I detailed my experiences with a linux install (SuSE) here
Whats the use of pointless eye-candy (like compositing and transparent xterms) when the underlying windowing system (X) is more broken than a New Orleans levee. The big problems in Linux won't ever be addressed because you can't get enough people to agree on a common vision and work to achieve it (well that and the hostility towards commercial developers).
Linux is a lot like windows, each new version is a little bit better, but it is chained to doing many of the important (and broken) things the same as every version before it. Linux won't ever be great when it gets developed a lot like a katamari, layers of hacks that get thicker and thicker as time goes on.
Only Apple (and Steve Jobs) has the guts to throw out all the old garbage (X windows, the many start up daemons, unix copy/paste, gtk) and replace it with fresh new ideas (quartz, launchd, xcode).
One, programmers are not free to modify the document format to suit their particular needs.
What is the point of a standard if anyone can change it?? If you need something different than the standard, create your own format. Don't dilute compatibilty by introducing non-standard elements (embrace and extend).
It still means that our data is locked into a format that we don't really own or control.
As long as the original standard is published, anyone is free to implement a converter or reader to access them and the data is hardly "locked".
An open format doesn't mean that everyone has a say in what the standard is (I don't have a say in determining standard screw sizes or pipe sizes); an open format means that anyone is free to implement the standard (I am free to use 1/4-20 screws in any project I like)and they can count on other implementations to be compatible (I know that my 1/4-20 hex nut will fit on any 1/4-20 bolt).
If getting a blowjob from an intern was no big deal, why did he lie to a grand jury about it? It seems pretty damn stupid to commit perjury over something so minor.
The FBI came calling in Windsor, Conn., this summer with a document marked for delivery by hand. On Matianuk Avenue, across from the tennis courts, two special agents found their man. They gave George Christian the letter, which warned him to tell no one, ever, what it said.
Under the shield and stars of the FBI crest, the letter directed Christian to surrender "all subscriber information, billing information and access logs of any person" who used a specific computer at a library branch some distance away. Christian, who manages digital records for three dozen Connecticut libraries, said in an affidavit that he configures his system for privacy. But the vendors of the software he operates said their databases can reveal the Web sites that visitors browse, the e-mail accounts they open and the books they borrow.
Christian refused to hand over those records, and his employer, Library Connection Inc., filed suit for the right to protest the FBI demand in public. The Washington Post established their identities -- still under seal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit -- by comparing unsealed portions of the file with public records and information gleaned from people who had no knowledge of the FBI demand.
The Connecticut case affords a rare glimpse of an exponentially growing practice of domestic surveillance under the USA Patriot Act, which marked its fourth anniversary on Oct. 26. "National security letters," created in the 1970s for espionage and terrorism investigations, originated as narrow exceptions in consumer privacy law, enabling the FBI to review in secret the customer records of suspected foreign agents. The Patriot Act, and Bush administration guidelines for its use, transformed those letters by permitting clandestine scrutiny of U.S. residents and visitors who are not alleged to be terrorists or spies.
The FBI now issues more than 30,000 national security letters a year, according to government sources, a hundredfold increase over historic norms. The letters -- one of which can be used to sweep up the records of many people -- are extending the bureau's reach as never before into the telephone calls, correspondence and financial lives of ordinary Americans.
Issued by FBI field supervisors, national security letters do not need the imprimatur of a prosecutor, grand jury or judge. They receive no review after the fact by the Justice Department or Congress. The executive branch maintains only statistics, which are incomplete and confined to classified reports. The Bush administration defeated legislation and a lawsuit to require a public accounting, and has offered no example in which the use of a national security letter helped disrupt a terrorist plot.
The burgeoning use of national security letters coincides with an unannounced decision to deposit all the information they yield into government data banks -- and to share those private records widely, in the federal government and beyond. In late 2003, the Bush administration reversed a long-standing policy requiring agents to destroy their files on innocent American citizens, companies and residents when investigations closed. Late last month, President Bush signed Executive Order 13388, expanding access to those files for "state, local and tribal" governments and for "appropriate private sector entities," which are not defined.
National security letters offer a case study of the impact of the Patriot Act outside the spotlight of political debate. Drafted in haste after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the law's 132 pages wrought scores of changes in the landscape of intelligence and law enforcement. Many received far more attention than the amendments to a seemingly pedestrian power to review "transactional records." But few if any other provisions touch as many ordinary Americans without their knowledge.
Senior FBI officials acknowledged in interviews that the proliferation of national security letters results primarily from the bureau's new authority to collect intimate facts about people who a
I use lots of open source software on windows (firefox, VLC, thunderbird, etc.) and really enjoy it. I get the best of both worlds; I can use awesome software for free and I don't have to deal with any of the shortcomings of linux (my copy/paste works correctly, all my hardware is supported, and I can play games other than frozen bubble and tux racer).
I'm not sure why any open source developer would shun windows. On Windows, the users have no problems paying for good software (I bought x-chat for windows), and the market for software is a lot larger than the 3 or 4% that use linux.
Why doesn't slashdot just create one article titled "People that believe in God are stupid" and have all ID discussion there?
Heres the text of the letter:
Dear Dr. Posny:
Thank you for your August 22 letter asking us to examine the use of NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice, Middle School Edition in the current draft of the Kansas Science Education Standards. We appreciate the chance to review the treatment of our copyrighted material for accuracy and proper presentation.
Although the majority of the draft Kansas standards could proudly serve as a model for other states to emulate, there are significant errors regarding the theory of evolution. These inaccuracies are of such importance that they compromise the Kansas State Board of Education's (KSBE) stated vision and mission for these Standards, not to mention all of science.
Your mission statement reads, "Kansas science education contributes to the preparation of all students as lifelong learners who can use science to make informed and reasoned decisions that contribute to their local, state, national and international communities."
Your vision statement begins, "Science education in Kansas is intended to help students to develop the understandings and intellectual abilities they need to lead personal fulfilling lives, and to equip them to participate thoughtfully with fellow citizens in building and protecting a society that is open, equitable, and vital. The educational system must prepare the citizens of Kansas to meet the challenges of the 21st century."
We applaud these statements, but the standards, as currently written, will result in Kansas students being confused about the scientific process and ill-prepared both for the rigors of higher education and for the increasingly technological and scientific challenges we face as a nation.
Therefore, despite much outstanding material contained in the standards, we have no choice but to ask the KSBE to refrain from referencing or quoting from NSTA Pathways in the KSES. Specifically, the draft Kansas standards fail to recognize the theory of evolution as a major unifying theme of science and the foundation of all biology. NSTA strongly supports this premise and calls for science curricula, state science standards, and teachers to emphasize evolution in a manner commensurate with its importance as a unifying concept in science and its overall explanatory power. This position is consistent with those issued by the National Academies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the vast majority of scientific and educational organizations.
However, we believe that, working together, we can resolve the issues that stand in the way of our granting permission, and we stand ready and willing to work with the KSBE to ensure that your students receive the quality science education they need and deserve.
We do not maintain that science is superior to other ways of understanding our world nor do we think that scientific inquiry is inconsistent with a theological search for answers. Rather, there are profound differences between these ways of knowing and failure to understand them will put the students of Kansas at a competitive disadvantage as they take their place in the world.
We appeal to the Board to reconsider its position and work with us for the benefit of your students, science teachers, and your state.
I'm not sure why the parent comment is rated flamebait, but it shouldn't be. Apple's mice are most assuredly form before function (as anyone who use the imac puck mouse can attest).
I tried the Mighty Mouse in the apple store and while it is a step in the right direction (multiple buttons, scrolling, etc.) its still very uncomfortable to use.
To right click, you have to lift your left finger or it doesn't register. The side button was equally shitty; there is only one button (that is on both sides of the mouse), and it doesn't offer any feedback, you only know that you clicked it when it performs an action (all windows expose was the default. The scrollball seems like a good idea, just poorly executed. The ball is placed pretty far back on the mouse and you have to arch your fingers a lot to use it, and the ball is too small.
According to here, there are approximately 46 million abortions every year (1.4 million in the US). It seems a little hypocritical to hold massive protests and complain so much about the "mass slaughter of Iraqi and Afghani children" when the 126,000 unborn children destroyed every day are written off as "the right to choose".
Hello. This is Takuya. I read every time happily recently.
I apologize first. I am weak in English. Even if a strange sentence matches, please forgive me.
DS is extreme popularity in Japan. A video game for families of Sony is more popular than NINTENDO. But PSP is high-priced to write it in high efficiency. For reasons of 2 of there being a low-priced thing and the game that I can do only in DS, DS is supported.
An article strategy of a game resembles a survival strategy of a creature. They come to have a strong tusk and nail than anyone. They come to have a big body than anyone. Or they live in the place where a rival is not.
The company which made the article which there is only in the present when a game of many fields is sold, one's company is strong. There are a lot of companies I am imitated immediately by other companies, and to be defeated by. I am interesting.
He has some real gems on that site: This morning I did the Sub at 3 AM thing yet again. Parents went to the casino, I ordered a chicken finger sub, hot, oil, mayo, no onion and a box of fries. Powered those down in record time. The only thing is is that when you order from Partners Bar, they have to use the big fucking mini van with the big ass bright sign. I want to order more discretely. I am like a drug addict, only with food, so I consider the pizza guy to be like a drug dealer. I need to keep eating. I need to keep adding to my He-Hooters.
Slashdot Mirror
it looks pretty gay
I agree that the president should be able to wiretap, but that he should have to go through a court to do so. The issue is not whether the president should be able to wiretap in times of war, the issue is that Bush broke the existing law (that was very lenient and gave him 72 hours to retroactively seek a warrant if the need was so pressing). Judging from the court's record, I would say that the cases that Bush did not get approval for would be cases that even the rubber-stamp FISA court found would find unwarranted.
If Bush is given the power to wiretap without a warrant, do you trust him to only use it against terrorists?? Why did Bush wait until he got caught to complain about having to get warrants?
When there is a congressional election. If democrats can take back the house, they could possibly impeach the president; no Republican controlled house would ever betray their parties president (especially after he was re(s)elected). The angle that I don't think has been stressed enough is how Bush acted. If he really thought that having to go through a court that has approved 18,742 wiretap warrants and denied 5 was such an unconstitutional restraint of his power, he should have spoken up when he started doing it. Bush is asking for huge increases in executive power during a war he started under false premises.
According to a recent Zogby poll, 52% of Americans approve of impeaching Bush if he wiretapped an American citizen without a judges approval.
This wiretapping scandal can only get bigger as more and more layers get exposed. It appears Bush may have been wiretapping Americans before 9/11.
but the NSA has a website just for kids that has some puzzles, basic crypto problems, and simple ciphers. They call it the page for "Americas Future Codemakers & Codebreakers". They also have crypto-themed cartoon characters like Rosetta Stone and Decipher Dog.
Snopes says this quote is bullshit.
I haven't played all the games on the list (only console I own is an N64), but I can comment on a decent amount of them.
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich
A fairly good sequel using the original engine (graphics aren't much better than FF). I liked this game and played it to completion, but its not as good as the first one. It didn't add very many new characters to the freedom force, and none of them were introduced using the storyline (they would just show up as available for hire). If you haven't played Freedom Force or FFv3R, I would recommend just getting the original. Its cheaper ($10 at wal-mart), has a better story, and is a great game.
Brothers in Arms:Road to Hill 30
I played a little bit of this game and found it to be a pretty refreshing take on squad combat. I liked the command system, but it got a little hectic when you had multiple groups to control. The unreal engine lends itself to some pretty damn good graphics. The game is a console port, and has a lot of unlockable stuff like video clips, cheats, and medals. As a sidenote, it would be nice if every WWII game wasn't always about the 101st airborne.
Battlefield 2
A great game that should have been published by someone other than the cockgobblers at EA. The persistant statistics are nice, as are lots of medals and unlocks (of course EA charges $$ if you want a ranked server). DiCE definitely deserves extra kudos for the great squad system and microphone/headset support that add a lot to the already solid battlefield gameplay. Finding a server where squad mates work together and communicate is friggin awesome (and happens pretty often). The non-fuctioning server filters and generally shitty server browser (no surprise it's powered by Gamespy) are really frustrating (especially since the game already has a $30 expansion pack) and are quite indicative of EAs approach to publishing a game (release early, patch rarely, make lots of expensive expansion packs). Gripes about EA aside, the core game is really solid and I highly recommend it.
F.E.A.R.
FEAR was one game I thought was less than the sum of its parts. It has great graphics, some decent scary parts (more startling than scary really), and does slow-mo better than any Max Payne game. I didn't care for the levels (office buildings are almost as boring in a game as in real life), and I really didn't like the lack of enemy variety. You face soldiers that all look a like (except different weapons), a demon or two, and some large Police robots. The graphics engine allowed for some really cool effects and lots of polygons; it would have been nice to see it put to work with some interesting foes. I didn't think the game was that scary either (hmm... its a long hallway, I wonder if I'll see yet another dissolving girl). The slow-mo effects (bodies light up when hit, bullets leave a trail like in the matrix) were pretty slick and I hope another developer rips them off and uses them in a more fun game. Speaking of scary games, are there any more Aliens vs. Predator games in the pipeline?
Call of Duty 2
I just got this game and haven't spent enough time to accurately evaluate it. The graphics have definitely been improved, and a good gamer friend says the missions in the game are really fun. The Multiplayer includes some new modes that weren't in the first game (I think CTF is new), and brings back the best CoD1 maps (Carentan, Brecourt, etc) and adds some new ones.
Psychonauts
I have this game, but no gamepad, so I haven't played it yet. I will say, however, that its really great to see a game that has good, creative art and level design. Other than World of Warcraft and maybe Darwinia, there haven't been many titles with creative art. Its good to see a game that is an escape from reality rather than a crude attempt at duplicating it.
Mario Kart DS
I played this game for about 5 minutes at Wal-Mart and I was instantly hooked. I wasn't sure I would like going from analog controls (ala Double Dash)
I haven't played all the games on the list (only console I own is an N64), but I can comment on a decent amount of them.
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich
A fairly good sequel using the original engine (graphics aren't much better than FF). I liked this game and played it to completion, but its not as good as the first one. It didn't add very many new characters to the freedom force, and none of them were introduced using the storyline (they would just show up as available for hire). If you haven't played Freedom Force or FFv3R, I would recommend just getting the original. Its cheaper ($10 at wal-mart), has a better story, and is a great game.
Brothers in Arms:Road to Hill 30
I played a little bit of this game and found it to be a pretty refreshing take on squad combat. I liked the command system, but it got a little hectic when you had multiple groups to control. The unreal engine lends itself to some pretty damn good graphics. The game is a console port, and has a lot of unlockable stuff like video clips, cheats, and medals. As a sidenote, it would be nice if every WWII game wasn't always about the 101st airborne.
Battlefield 2
A great game that should have been published by someone other than the cockgobblers at EA. The persistant statistics are nice, as are lots of medals and unlocks (of course EA charges $$ if you want a ranked server). DiCE definitely deserves extra kudos for the great squad system and microphone/headset support that add a lot to the already solid battlefield gameplay. Finding a server where squad mates work together and communicate is friggin awesome (and happens pretty often). The non-fuctioning server filters and generally shitty server browser (no surprise it's powered by Gamespy) are really frustrating (especially since the game already has a $30 expansion pack) and are quite indicative of EAs approach to publishing a game (release early, patch rarely, make lots of expensive expansion packs). Gripes about EA aside, the core game is really solid and I highly recommend it.
F.E.A.R.
FEAR was one game I thought was less than the sum of its parts. It has great graphics, some decent scary parts (more startling than scary really), and does slow-mo better than any Max Payne game. I didn't care for the levels (office buildings are almost as boring in a game as in real life), and I really didn't like the lack of enemy variety. You face soldiers that all look a like (except different weapons), a demon or two, and some large Police robots. The graphics engine allowed for some really cool effects and lots of polygons; it would have been nice to see it put to work with some interesting foes. I didn't think the game was that scary either (hmm... its a long hallway, I wonder if I'll see yet another dissolving girl). The slow-mo effects (bodies light up when hit, bullets leave a trail like in the matrix) were pretty slick and I hope another developer rips them off and uses them in a more fun game. Speaking of scary games, are there any more Aliens vs. Predator games in the pipeline?
Call of Duty 2
I just got this game and haven't spent enough time to accurately evaluate it. The graphics have definitely been improved, and a good gamer friend says the missions in the game are really fun. The Multiplayer includes some new modes that weren't in the first game (I think CTF is new), and brings back the best CoD1 maps (Carentan, Brecourt, etc) and adds some new ones.
Psychonauts
I have this game, but no gamepad, so I haven't played it yet. I will say, however, that its really great to see a game that has good, creative art and level design. Other than World of Warcraft and maybe Darwinia, there haven't been many titles with creative art. Its good to see a game that is an escape from reality rather than a crude attempt at duplicating it.
Mario Kart DS
I played this game for about 5 minutes at Wal-Mart and I was instantly hooked. I wasn't sure I would like going from analog controls (ala Double Dash) t
In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, thousands of American soldiers died in an effort to stop the threat of Chinese communism. Today, China is one of our top trading "partners". What has changed? China is still one of the worst human rights violators, and routinely abuses its neighbors (Taiwan and Tibet). In trading terms, China is probably our most abusive partner. Any project done in China must also have any related side projects completed there. China also devalues their currency, further imbalancing trade.
The China situation probably pisses me off more than any single other issue. Its an issue where both parties are on the same side; the side of profit-whoring multinationals that have no problem selling out American workers and small business and buddying up to the rights-abusing monster that is the Chinese govt.
People like you make up less than 3% of the PC market, why should they care about you?
Nobel winner Harold Pinter had a few interesting comments in his lecture:
Political language, as used by politicians, does not venture into any of this territory since the majority of politicians, on the evidence available to us, are interested not in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power. To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives. What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies, upon which we feed.
As every single person here knows, the justification for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed a highly dangerous body of weapons of mass destruction, some of which could be fired in 45 minutes, bringing about appalling devastation. We were assured that was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq had a relationship with Al Quaeda and shared responsibility for the atrocity in New York of September 11th 2001. We were assured that this was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq threatened the security of the world. We were assured it was true. It was not true.
The truth is something entirely different. The truth is to do with how the United States understands its role in the world and how it chooses to embody it.
But before I come back to the present I would like to look at the recent past, by which I mean United States foreign policy since the end of the Second World War. I believe it is obligatory upon us to subject this period to at least some kind of even limited scrutiny, which is all that time will allow here.
Everyone knows what happened in the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe during the post-war period: the systematic brutality, the widespread atrocities, the ruthless suppression of independent thought. All this has been fully documented and verified.
But my contention here is that the US crimes in the same period have only been superficially recorded, let alone documented, let alone acknowledged, let alone recognised as crimes at all. I believe this must be addressed and that the truth has considerable bearing on where the world stands now. Although constrained, to a certain extent, by the existence of the Soviet Union, the United States' actions throughout the world made it clear that it had concluded it had carte blanche to do what it liked.
Direct invasion of a sovereign state has never in fact been America's favoured method. In the main, it has preferred what it has described as 'low intensity conflict'. Low intensity conflict means that thousands of people die but slower than if you dropped a bomb on them in one fell swoop. It means that you infect the heart of the country, that you establish a malignant growth and watch the gangrene bloom. When the populace has been subdued - or beaten to death - the same thing - and your own friends, the military and the great corporations, sit comfortably in power, you go before the camera and say that democracy has prevailed. This was a commonplace in US foreign policy in the years to which I refer.
The tragedy of Nicaragua was a highly significant case. I choose to offer it here as a potent example of America's view of its role in the world, both then and now.
I was present at a meeting at the US embassy in London in the late 1980s.
The United States Congress was about to decide whether to give more money to the Contras in their campaign against the state of Nicaragua. I was a member of a delegation speaking on behalf of Nicaragua but the most important member of this delegation was a Father John Metcalf. The leader of the US body was Raymond Seitz (then number two to the ambassador, later ambassador himself). Father Metcalf said: 'Sir, I am in charge of a parish in the north of Nicaragua. My parishioners built a school, a health centre, a cultural centre. We have lived in peace. A few months ago a Contra force attacked the parish. They destroyed everything: the school, the health centre, the cultural centre. They raped nurses and teachers,
Bioware for the most part makes RPGs. For the most part, the gamer that is interested in a bioware game is interested in engaging stories and deep characters, and are likely to also enjoy reading and writing (the staples of any online community).
Bioware also has a fair amount of developer interaction, its not uncommon to see Bioware employees answer questions directly.
Ok, off the top of my head, try having a mouse with more than 3 buttons, or setting X to use multiple resolutions or refresh rates, or creating a binary program that can run on different distros (or getting a binary from a third party if you don't have fedora or mandriva), or creating a device driver that doesn't require a kernel patch. Or copy/pasting to and from any app with multiple data types (I can select lines and points in autocad and paste them into word, or paste a bitmap into a cad drawing).
Here are some braindead things I noticed last time I use linux.
* Using Konqueror (file browser), double clicking on a text file opened it in read-only preview mode, to actually edit a file, you had to right-click then open with.
* Also, I couldn't figure out how to create a desktop shortcut to an app (that might have been me).
* If you select copy and then close the app you copied from, the selection disappears.
* I detailed my experiences with a linux install (SuSE) here
Whats the use of pointless eye-candy (like compositing and transparent xterms) when the underlying windowing system (X) is more broken than a New Orleans levee. The big problems in Linux won't ever be addressed because you can't get enough people to agree on a common vision and work to achieve it (well that and the hostility towards commercial developers).
Linux is a lot like windows, each new version is a little bit better, but it is chained to doing many of the important (and broken) things the same as every version before it. Linux won't ever be great when it gets developed a lot like a katamari, layers of hacks that get thicker and thicker as time goes on.
Only Apple (and Steve Jobs) has the guts to throw out all the old garbage (X windows, the many start up daemons, unix copy/paste, gtk) and replace it with fresh new ideas (quartz, launchd, xcode).
One, programmers are not free to modify the document format to suit their particular needs.
What is the point of a standard if anyone can change it?? If you need something different than the standard, create your own format. Don't dilute compatibilty by introducing non-standard elements (embrace and extend).
It still means that our data is locked into a format that we don't really own or control.
As long as the original standard is published, anyone is free to implement a converter or reader to access them and the data is hardly "locked".
An open format doesn't mean that everyone has a say in what the standard is (I don't have a say in determining standard screw sizes or pipe sizes); an open format means that anyone is free to implement the standard (I am free to use 1/4-20 screws in any project I like)and they can count on other implementations to be compatible (I know that my 1/4-20 hex nut will fit on any 1/4-20 bolt).
If getting a blowjob from an intern was no big deal, why did he lie to a grand jury about it? It seems pretty damn stupid to commit perjury over something so minor.
The FBI came calling in Windsor, Conn., this summer with a document marked for delivery by hand. On Matianuk Avenue, across from the tennis courts, two special agents found their man. They gave George Christian the letter, which warned him to tell no one, ever, what it said.
Under the shield and stars of the FBI crest, the letter directed Christian to surrender "all subscriber information, billing information and access logs of any person" who used a specific computer at a library branch some distance away. Christian, who manages digital records for three dozen Connecticut libraries, said in an affidavit that he configures his system for privacy. But the vendors of the software he operates said their databases can reveal the Web sites that visitors browse, the e-mail accounts they open and the books they borrow.
Christian refused to hand over those records, and his employer, Library Connection Inc., filed suit for the right to protest the FBI demand in public. The Washington Post established their identities -- still under seal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit -- by comparing unsealed portions of the file with public records and information gleaned from people who had no knowledge of the FBI demand.
The Connecticut case affords a rare glimpse of an exponentially growing practice of domestic surveillance under the USA Patriot Act, which marked its fourth anniversary on Oct. 26. "National security letters," created in the 1970s for espionage and terrorism investigations, originated as narrow exceptions in consumer privacy law, enabling the FBI to review in secret the customer records of suspected foreign agents. The Patriot Act, and Bush administration guidelines for its use, transformed those letters by permitting clandestine scrutiny of U.S. residents and visitors who are not alleged to be terrorists or spies.
The FBI now issues more than 30,000 national security letters a year, according to government sources, a hundredfold increase over historic norms. The letters -- one of which can be used to sweep up the records of many people -- are extending the bureau's reach as never before into the telephone calls, correspondence and financial lives of ordinary Americans.
Issued by FBI field supervisors, national security letters do not need the imprimatur of a prosecutor, grand jury or judge. They receive no review after the fact by the Justice Department or Congress. The executive branch maintains only statistics, which are incomplete and confined to classified reports. The Bush administration defeated legislation and a lawsuit to require a public accounting, and has offered no example in which the use of a national security letter helped disrupt a terrorist plot.
The burgeoning use of national security letters coincides with an unannounced decision to deposit all the information they yield into government data banks -- and to share those private records widely, in the federal government and beyond. In late 2003, the Bush administration reversed a long-standing policy requiring agents to destroy their files on innocent American citizens, companies and residents when investigations closed. Late last month, President Bush signed Executive Order 13388, expanding access to those files for "state, local and tribal" governments and for "appropriate private sector entities," which are not defined.
National security letters offer a case study of the impact of the Patriot Act outside the spotlight of political debate. Drafted in haste after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the law's 132 pages wrought scores of changes in the landscape of intelligence and law enforcement. Many received far more attention than the amendments to a seemingly pedestrian power to review "transactional records." But few if any other provisions touch as many ordinary Americans without their knowledge.
Senior FBI officials acknowledged in interviews that the proliferation of national security letters results primarily from the bureau's new authority to collect intimate facts about people who a
I use lots of open source software on windows (firefox, VLC, thunderbird, etc.) and really enjoy it. I get the best of both worlds; I can use awesome software for free and I don't have to deal with any of the shortcomings of linux (my copy/paste works correctly, all my hardware is supported, and I can play games other than frozen bubble and tux racer).
I'm not sure why any open source developer would shun windows. On Windows, the users have no problems paying for good software (I bought x-chat for windows), and the market for software is a lot larger than the 3 or 4% that use linux.
Why doesn't slashdot just create one article titled "People that believe in God are stupid" and have all ID discussion there?
Heres the text of the letter:
Dear Dr. Posny:
Thank you for your August 22 letter asking us to examine the use of NSTA Pathways to the Science Standards: Guidelines for Moving the Vision into Practice, Middle School Edition in the current draft of the Kansas Science Education Standards. We appreciate the chance to review the treatment of our copyrighted material for accuracy and proper presentation.
Although the majority of the draft Kansas standards could proudly serve as a model for other states to emulate, there are significant errors regarding the theory of evolution. These inaccuracies are of such importance that they compromise the Kansas State Board of Education's (KSBE) stated vision and mission for these Standards, not to mention all of science.
Your mission statement reads, "Kansas science education contributes to the preparation of all students as lifelong learners who can use science to make informed and reasoned decisions that contribute to their local, state, national and international communities."
Your vision statement begins, "Science education in Kansas is intended to help students to develop the understandings and intellectual abilities they need to lead personal fulfilling lives, and to equip them to participate thoughtfully with fellow citizens in building and protecting a society that is open, equitable, and vital. The educational system must prepare the citizens of Kansas to meet the challenges of the 21st century."
We applaud these statements, but the standards, as currently written, will result in Kansas students being confused about the scientific process and ill-prepared both for the rigors of higher education and for the increasingly technological and scientific challenges we face as a nation.
Therefore, despite much outstanding material contained in the standards, we have no choice but to ask the KSBE to refrain from referencing or quoting from NSTA Pathways in the KSES. Specifically, the draft Kansas standards fail to recognize the theory of evolution as a major unifying theme of science and the foundation of all biology. NSTA strongly supports this premise and calls for science curricula, state science standards, and teachers to emphasize evolution in a manner commensurate with its importance as a unifying concept in science and its overall explanatory power. This position is consistent with those issued by the National Academies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the vast majority of scientific and educational organizations.
However, we believe that, working together, we can resolve the issues that stand in the way of our granting permission, and we stand ready and willing to work with the KSBE to ensure that your students receive the quality science education they need and deserve.
We do not maintain that science is superior to other ways of understanding our world nor do we think that scientific inquiry is inconsistent with a theological search for answers. Rather, there are profound differences between these ways of knowing and failure to understand them will put the students of Kansas at a competitive disadvantage as they take their place in the world.
We appeal to the Board to reconsider its position and work with us for the benefit of your students, science teachers, and your state.
Sincerely,
Michael Padilla
NSTA President
I'm not sure why the parent comment is rated flamebait, but it shouldn't be. Apple's mice are most assuredly form before function (as anyone who use the imac puck mouse can attest).
I tried the Mighty Mouse in the apple store and while it is a step in the right direction (multiple buttons, scrolling, etc.) its still very uncomfortable to use.
To right click, you have to lift your left finger or it doesn't register. The side button was equally shitty; there is only one button (that is on both sides of the mouse), and it doesn't offer any feedback, you only know that you clicked it when it performs an action (all windows expose was the default. The scrollball seems like a good idea, just poorly executed. The ball is placed pretty far back on the mouse and you have to arch your fingers a lot to use it, and the ball is too small.
According to here, there are approximately 46 million abortions every year (1.4 million in the US). It seems a little hypocritical to hold massive protests and complain so much about the "mass slaughter of Iraqi and Afghani children" when the 126,000 unborn children destroyed every day are written off as "the right to choose".
The storage capabilities of cartridges hurt the N64 a lot more than their cost did.
A typical N64 cartridge was 32 or 64 megs. Compare that to 650 for a Playstation CD and you can see why discs were more popular with devs.
Hello.
This is Takuya.
I read every time happily recently.
I apologize first.
I am weak in English.
Even if a strange sentence matches, please forgive me.
DS is extreme popularity in Japan.
A video game for families of Sony is more popular than NINTENDO.
But PSP is high-priced to write it in high efficiency.
For reasons of 2 of there being a low-priced thing and the game that I can do only in DS, DS is supported.
An article strategy of a game resembles a survival strategy of a creature.
They come to have a strong tusk and nail than anyone.
They come to have a big body than anyone.
Or they live in the place where a rival is not.
The company which made the article which there is only in the present when a game of many fields is sold, one's company is strong.
There are a lot of companies I am imitated immediately by other companies, and to be defeated by.
I am interesting.
I'm replying to this to set a marker so I can find the parent post again later.
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
hahahahaha
He has some real gems on that site:
This morning I did the Sub at 3 AM thing yet again. Parents went to the casino, I ordered a chicken finger sub, hot, oil, mayo, no onion and a box of fries. Powered those down in record time. The only thing is is that when you order from Partners Bar, they have to use the big fucking mini van with the big ass bright sign. I want to order more discretely. I am like a drug addict, only with food, so I consider the pizza guy to be like a drug dealer. I need to keep eating. I need to keep adding to my He-Hooters.