...here comes the SpaceDev eDonkey Server! Imagine the coolness factor of downloading the latest game, knowing that you've found an uploader using a SATELLITE!
"A good example: I plug a USB mouse into my Win2k system, and see 5 dialog boxes appear before it works. Indeed, I even get to confirm the download of a digitally signed driver. On another system (Linux), I plug it in, the mouse cursor appears, and it works."
How about this example: I plug my USB Wingman Rumblepad into my WinXP box, and it works. I plug in my EasyDisk 64MB USB KeyDrive and it works. I plug in my USB cordless Logitech optical mouse and it works. I plug in my HP 842C Deskjet printer and it works.
Maybe the problem isn't Microsoft, but Windows 2000. Seriously buddy, if you'd upgrade you'd realise that you'd have a lot less problems!
Back in the late 70's and early 80's, there were actually video games that worked like this. King's Quest 1 was one of them, as well as the PC version of Jumpman, Seamus, and many others. They worked. I dunno if I'd ever reboot my computer in order to play a video game today, however.
...but seriously, I can't wait. What geek would *not* love having the fridge door open, a Coke can fly out, and a coaster leaping in the air to catch it? The Cybernetic Force is strong with this one...
Dude, this has been going on for the better part of two, three hundred years. BTW, we don't need any laws that protect English -- that's what American cable companies are for.
"...I only trust unbiased sources like MacNN or Macworld magazine..."
So, let me get this straight: you don't like CNet because it's biased towards Wintel stuff, but you do like MacNN and Macworld mag because they're *not* biased? Let me give you a hint: if a magazine has "Mac" in the title, chances are they're not refering to kilts and haggis.
Okay. Usually I'd be the first one to argue against localisation of games, as I fully believe that entertainment should be experienced in the original language (this includes anime, films, and yes, even books if you can swing it.)
However, so many video games have such shaky audio dialogue that there's really no point in keeping the original. Might as well dub the entire game.
Menus are no problems. Any idiot can figure out what "save" and "load" are in French.
The only problem I see with this law is games such as Daggerfall and Morrowind. Imagine translating *every* single line of text from these games from English to French! How many thousands of scraps of books are there in the game? This was a daunting task in English, let alone for a translator.
If these laws mean that games like Morrowind cannot be sold in Quebec, then these laws suck. It's a lot easier for a Quebecois youth to learn English to play a game than it is for me to learn Japanese to watch anime or Spanish to read _Don_Quixote_ (ah, the time in my youth!)
This doesn't have anything to do with China's manned space mission, does it? I mean, now that China's got a man up in space (albeit temporarily), the USA wants its domination of space back?
i am dr zanzibar of the country canada. i would like to introduce you TO A limited time opportunity to become arrested quick. please send five hundred thousand (500,000) of these e-mails to various people around the world so that they will give you money. you will promise to give them many millions of dollars (>$1,000,000) this plan works real good.
PLEASE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED REPLY BACK TO MY ACCOUNT WITH YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND BANK PIN NUMBER. DO NOT WORRY I ALREADY HAVE YOUR BANK CARD AND AM WAITING TO COMPLETE THE DEAL. I RESPECT YOU AND REALLY LIKE YOU. I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY.
How about a site that has child pornography on its banners? Say CNN or something. Does that mean that I consent to view child pornography if I have no idea what the specific banners on a website are?
"...I would call that consent to view what they are sending you..."
Or, in my case, what they are not being allowed to send to me. I consent to have a big blank space where there should be a banner.
"For the same reason, the airwaves are free, the internet is free. But for advertising (which keeps it free) or subscriptions neither would exist."
I'm sorry, what Internet are you using? The one I've got costs $45 a month for a 1500/128 DSL line.
"In sum, if I were a webmaster or internet-based company who was faced with the prospect of my ads being taken away without my consent, I'd start looking at legal action in the vein of 'tortious interference with contract' among others; for example, all of the 'deep linking' and 'frames' cases of a few years ago about 'forcing advertising' onto others."
I'm going to give you a big "FUCK YOU" here. Ads are being forced on ME -- I can't go anywhere on the Net without looking at them. I do not consent to view these ads, so there is no "tortious interference with contract" here. Webmasters and internet-based companies need to look elsewhere to try to earn revenue, because you can best be sure that I'm not going to put up with this shit any longer.
If I pay for my connection to the Internet, I can do whatever the hell I want to do with the downloaded content, including refusing to download ads.
I agree with all the above, and would like to point out that the clamshell screen means that it's much less likely to get scratched if you don't have a case for it. Not only that, but scratches and dust are much less noticable using the SP than viewing the GBA original in direct light.
"When will I be able to build my own XBox? Build my own Playstation? Build my own Nintendo?"
What a scary, thought-provoking comment. What if the next version of XBox had two different hardware sets - one with ubergraphics, one cheaper? What if the PS3 is upgradable to a PS4? Or, in a tribute to Pokemon, what if you could combine a Nintendo GameSphere with a PS3 to create a SuperConsole? (Collect 'em all - better graphics, more games to combine)
I thought the subbed version was great. It's when you decide to cast Billy Bob Thornton as a Buddhist monk that you begin to run into problems... (of course, Gaiman had nothing to do with this....)
"If nothing else, that level is a prime example of why forced failure sucks in game design. I must have spent at least 4 or 5 hours on that level trying to defeat Gunther..."
You're telling me that you didn't take him out? Several rockets and snipes to the head took him out in a hurry... it was the invulnerable mechs that got me (they were "outside" of the level, as in an inaccessable area; this didn't stop them from firing at your character, however...)
"I found both of these books amazing and giving [sic] me better insight into the Matrix..."
Baudrillard is one crazy mofo. If you wanted to retain your sanity, all you had to read was his essays "The Precession of Simulacra" and "Simulation(?) and Science Fiction." As it is, saying that Baudrillard intorduced you to "new topics" is like saying that LSD introduced you to outer space.
$250 USD makes it a viable alternative to huge digital pads... grab this and a mini-PC and you've got a totally portable solution (minus the speakers, of course). Very interesting. I wonder how many people would give this a whirl...
So, are you an X-Box player or PC? Did you play the game two years ago or last month? More importantly, have you played Deus Ex or Max Payne?
As far as the PC goes, BF1942 did vehicles first and better. A souped up Humvee, a hovercraft and a tank don't make the game better.
As for "classic sci-fi" -- the reason that such works are called "classic" is because their plots were unique and groundbreaking. Perhaps you meant to say "overwrought and overdone"?
I hate to keep harping on the point, but Deus Ex does everything Halo does (minus the vehicles) better and with more class. RPG elements, fantastic story, RPG-like upgrades, more than two weapons at a time (with an RPG-like inventory), and aliens that freaked the hell out of me (and still do). System Shock 2 is another example of an FPS done right. And no, the muppets in Halo didn't count.
As a PC-only gamer (okay, okay, I have a GBA SP, but that doesn't count right now), I really don't understand what all the fuss was about Halo. The opening level was impressive, I'll give you that, but the majority of the game was fairly bland. The Library level was the worst level of *any* video game I've ever played (all the way back to some of the later levels on Jumpman... were those ever freaking impossible!), the weapons were mediocre, the enemies were laughable (aliens speaking English, saying, "Oh no, here he comes, help!"), and the plot wasn't compelling.
Perhaps I'm missing something, but I thought that Quake I was much, much better than Halo, and that's even counting the visuals in both games. Of course, I didn't play it when it came out for the X-Box, I never played it in co-op, and I played it three years after it was released. Understandably, my view might be a bit skewered, but Deus Ex came out around the same time (as well as Max Payne), and I'd much rather play either of those two games right now than Halo.
The first item on the ticker is "Pointless news goes up 37 percent." If *ANYBODY* took this seriously after that first item, they should have their Simpsons-watching rights revoked.
Slashdot Mirror
OT, I know, but this is an urban legend. Check here to verify.
...here comes the SpaceDev eDonkey Server! Imagine the coolness factor of downloading the latest game, knowing that you've found an uploader using a SATELLITE!
How about this example: I plug my USB Wingman Rumblepad into my WinXP box, and it works. I plug in my EasyDisk 64MB USB KeyDrive and it works. I plug in my USB cordless Logitech optical mouse and it works. I plug in my HP 842C Deskjet printer and it works.
Maybe the problem isn't Microsoft, but Windows 2000. Seriously buddy, if you'd upgrade you'd realise that you'd have a lot less problems!
Here's your nickel back. I've decided that I really don't want a better computer.
Back in the late 70's and early 80's, there were actually video games that worked like this. King's Quest 1 was one of them, as well as the PC version of Jumpman, Seamus, and many others. They worked. I dunno if I'd ever reboot my computer in order to play a video game today, however.
If FFVII was localised into English but still had a Japanese cover, it would still sell. Such is the nature of the North American gamer.
...but seriously, I can't wait. What geek would *not* love having the fridge door open, a Coke can fly out, and a coaster leaping in the air to catch it? The Cybernetic Force is strong with this one...
Dude, this has been going on for the better part of two, three hundred years. BTW, we don't need any laws that protect English -- that's what American cable companies are for.
So, let me get this straight: you don't like CNet because it's biased towards Wintel stuff, but you do like MacNN and Macworld mag because they're *not* biased? Let me give you a hint: if a magazine has "Mac" in the title, chances are they're not refering to kilts and haggis.
However, so many video games have such shaky audio dialogue that there's really no point in keeping the original. Might as well dub the entire game.
Menus are no problems. Any idiot can figure out what "save" and "load" are in French.
The only problem I see with this law is games such as Daggerfall and Morrowind. Imagine translating *every* single line of text from these games from English to French! How many thousands of scraps of books are there in the game? This was a daunting task in English, let alone for a translator.
If these laws mean that games like Morrowind cannot be sold in Quebec, then these laws suck. It's a lot easier for a Quebecois youth to learn English to play a game than it is for me to learn Japanese to watch anime or Spanish to read _Don_Quixote_ (ah, the time in my youth!)
This doesn't have anything to do with China's manned space mission, does it? I mean, now that China's got a man up in space (albeit temporarily), the USA wants its domination of space back?
Ironically, I've never played Metal Gear. Ever. I pulled the name out of the air.
i am dr zanzibar of the country canada. i would like to introduce you TO A limited time opportunity to become arrested quick. please send five hundred thousand (500,000) of these e-mails to various people around the world so that they will give you money. you will promise to give them many millions of dollars (>$1,000,000) this plan works real good.
PLEASE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED REPLY BACK TO MY ACCOUNT WITH YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND BANK PIN NUMBER. DO NOT WORRY I ALREADY HAVE YOUR BANK CARD AND AM WAITING TO COMPLETE THE DEAL. I RESPECT YOU AND REALLY LIKE YOU. I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY.
DR. ZANZIBAR, CONCERNED AND ECCENTRIC PERSON.
"...I would call that consent to view what they are sending you..."
Or, in my case, what they are not being allowed to send to me. I consent to have a big blank space where there should be a banner.
I'm sorry, what Internet are you using? The one I've got costs $45 a month for a 1500/128 DSL line.
"In sum, if I were a webmaster or internet-based company who was faced with the prospect of my ads being taken away without my consent, I'd start looking at legal action in the vein of 'tortious interference with contract' among others; for example, all of the 'deep linking' and 'frames' cases of a few years ago about 'forcing advertising' onto others."
I'm going to give you a big "FUCK YOU" here. Ads are being forced on ME -- I can't go anywhere on the Net without looking at them. I do not consent to view these ads, so there is no "tortious interference with contract" here. Webmasters and internet-based companies need to look elsewhere to try to earn revenue, because you can best be sure that I'm not going to put up with this shit any longer.
If I pay for my connection to the Internet, I can do whatever the hell I want to do with the downloaded content, including refusing to download ads.
I agree with all the above, and would like to point out that the clamshell screen means that it's much less likely to get scratched if you don't have a case for it. Not only that, but scratches and dust are much less noticable using the SP than viewing the GBA original in direct light.
What a scary, thought-provoking comment. What if the next version of XBox had two different hardware sets - one with ubergraphics, one cheaper? What if the PS3 is upgradable to a PS4? Or, in a tribute to Pokemon, what if you could combine a Nintendo GameSphere with a PS3 to create a SuperConsole? (Collect 'em all - better graphics, more games to combine)
I thought the subbed version was great. It's when you decide to cast Billy Bob Thornton as a Buddhist monk that you begin to run into problems... (of course, Gaiman had nothing to do with this....)
You're telling me that you didn't take him out? Several rockets and snipes to the head took him out in a hurry... it was the invulnerable mechs that got me (they were "outside" of the level, as in an inaccessable area; this didn't stop them from firing at your character, however...)
Baudrillard is one crazy mofo. If you wanted to retain your sanity, all you had to read was his essays "The Precession of Simulacra" and "Simulation(?) and Science Fiction." As it is, saying that Baudrillard intorduced you to "new topics" is like saying that LSD introduced you to outer space.
$250 USD makes it a viable alternative to huge digital pads... grab this and a mini-PC and you've got a totally portable solution (minus the speakers, of course). Very interesting. I wonder how many people would give this a whirl...
I know what you mean about Deus Ex, tho... I just skip past the dialogue to get to the action.
As far as the PC goes, BF1942 did vehicles first and better. A souped up Humvee, a hovercraft and a tank don't make the game better.
As for "classic sci-fi" -- the reason that such works are called "classic" is because their plots were unique and groundbreaking. Perhaps you meant to say "overwrought and overdone"?
I hate to keep harping on the point, but Deus Ex does everything Halo does (minus the vehicles) better and with more class. RPG elements, fantastic story, RPG-like upgrades, more than two weapons at a time (with an RPG-like inventory), and aliens that freaked the hell out of me (and still do). System Shock 2 is another example of an FPS done right. And no, the muppets in Halo didn't count.
Perhaps I'm missing something, but I thought that Quake I was much, much better than Halo, and that's even counting the visuals in both games. Of course, I didn't play it when it came out for the X-Box, I never played it in co-op, and I played it three years after it was released. Understandably, my view might be a bit skewered, but Deus Ex came out around the same time (as well as Max Payne), and I'd much rather play either of those two games right now than Halo.
The first item on the ticker is "Pointless news goes up 37 percent." If *ANYBODY* took this seriously after that first item, they should have their Simpsons-watching rights revoked.