Oh, I don't disagree that there are those who worship Satan/Lucifer; the worship of Lucifer as Light-Bearer is actually a pretty trendy belief in certain Wicca/naturalistic religions. But what I meant was that child/virgin sacrifice, sex with the devil, that sort of stuff doesn't exist outside of fiction or Hollywood. Not sure what this has to do with intelligent design, but hey, it's not every day you get to talk about the occult on Slashdot!
But it should also be reasonable to assume that the definition of "Satanism" that I was riffing off of was not only the accurate one, but the one that made sense in the context. Devil worshippers believe that Satan is God and vice versa; Satanists don't believe in either.
"Why would you argue based on a name anyway?" Well, in a thread such as this, there's not going to be intelligent "argument"; rather, there's going to be pro-IDers and anti-IDers duking it out over dug-in ideological positions. Since there really isn't any point in debating this all over again, my post was intended as a joke (hence the "I'm shocked! Shocked" cultural reference). However, I wasn't really counting on my reference to Satanism being so obscure, generally thinking that most people know that Satanism || Devil-Worship. Obscure joke + religious story = 0, Flamebait.
"No, then they are not truely Satanists (sounds alot like hedonists, frankly, Wiki isn't correct on eveything you know). What you are refering to is most commonly called atheism (there is no god/satan/blah blah blah) or perhaps agnosticism (i could give a rats ass if there's a god/satan/etc, a more powerful standpoint in my opinion)."
Sigh. "Satanism" as you're definining it is "gothic satanism" - you know, the baby-eating, virgin-sacrificing type of Satanism that doesn't actually exist. Look up Satanism in the Encyclopaedia Britannica if you don't believe me, or any other reputable source; the Wiki was handy, which is why I used it.
"Satanism" as you describe it doesn't exist outside of fiction. I'm not terribly surprised that you have no idea what I'm talking about, but before continuing this conversation, why don't you look it up for yourself?
Um, where was I talking about evolution in my post?
Personally, I don't ascribe to material empiricism, so I don't really care one way or the other whether there's evidence to back up creation or evolution. On the contrary, my faith dictates that I believe in a God who created the universe. From a scientific point of view, it doesn't really matter to me *how* the universe was created; rather, I'm interested in *why* it was created, and what my place in it is as a result.
Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you call me a dummy twice in order to bolster your argument? That'll work!
As for your other points: here's what Wiki says about Satanism. "Satanism is a religious, semi-religious and/or philosophical movement whose adherents recognize Satan as an archetype, pre-cosmic force, or some aspect of human nature. Although named for Satan, a name associated with evil and temptation, Satanism is more commonly the name given to certain spiritual paths which emphasize the Left-Hand Path, as opposed to the much more common Right-Hand Path. Left-Handers believe in spiritual enrichment through their own work on themselves, and that ultimately they are answerable only to themselves, while Right-Handers believe in spiritual enrichment through the dissolution or submission of the self to (or into) something greater. Many Satanists do not in fact worship a deity called Satan, or necessarily any other deity, nor do they follow a principle of evil. This aspect of their beliefs is very commonly misunderstood."
Most Satanists, in fact, deny the existence of both God and Satan, which is why my original comment (snide as it was) is applicable.
Ha. I know you didn't write this, but the second last sentence is somewhat amusing to me: when exactly did advocates of evolution start believing in the existence of a metaphysical soul? That sounds like something that an "ideological crusader" would believe in.
"That's a silly statement - consoles are generally immune to hardware or software incompatibilies by their very nature. As a consumer, there's no way of connecting hardware to your Xbox when it was not explicitly designed to be used with an Xbox."
Um, the entire point of TFA was the fact that there *are* incompatibilities between console hardware and software - or did you miss that bit?
I've never had a console freeze on me; that doesn't necessarily mean that none of the above platforms are immune to it, but I've never had hardware/software incompatibilities except on a PC. Go figure.
There's a few dream sequences where these unfocused ghosts/spectres rush at you. The fact that they're ghosts isn't scary; rather, their eyes just before they get you are very, very creepy. Strange how they're scary in the dream sequences, and ridiculous as an Nvidia promo render outside of the dream.
"The prevailing geek culture absolutely prevents it. The prevailing culture is so biased, yes biased, against Microsoft that anybody claiming to be a MS enthusiast in not-so-proverbially booed off the proverbial stage."
I'm not sure this is necessarily the case. I think that most "geeks" (using the broadest sense of the term) use Windows simply because it's easier. Personally, I like building my own computers. Apple doesn't let me do this, and I've never been satisfied with any flavour of Linux (I used Red Hat 8.0 for about a year just to prove to myself that I'm not missing out, and it was, quite frankly, a relief to return to XP).
People complain all the time about Microsoft, but I really don't see why: if they made shoddy products, then would they really have such a huge marketshare? I've had *one* blue screen in the last year, and that was due to hardware; before that, I haven't had any system instability since 98SE. Windows is easy to use, supports a wide variety of hardware out of the box, and quite simply works. This might be true for Apple hardware, but it's also more expensive and there isn't a Mac equivalent system to a silent A64 system: for all the power in a G5, it sounds like a jet turbine when the fans rev up.
I don't build Wintel computers because my friends would all look down on me should I choose any other option; quite frankly, I don't care what kind of computers other people use, and I'm not so elitist as to look down my nose at somebody who uses a different computer than I do. So chalk me up as an enthusiastic Windows user: for my needs, I don't see any options elsewhere.
The key word is "eventually" - history might redeem PA, but who knows what will happen until then? (Yes, my tin-foil hat is on straight; why do you ask?)
On the other end of the spectrum, I think that immersion isn't at all related to the graphics, but to the story/compelling gameplay of the game itself. When I was a kid, I was the pilot in Zaxxon; I was the guy in Jumpman. I've felt this immersion lately while playing F-Zero GX and Ikaruga - you have to be the ship if you want to get anywhere in either game;)
This isn't even taking into consideration the various RPGs I've played throughout the years where I've been extremely attached to the character.
Carnivale S1E4 (Black Blizzard), for instance, is unwatchable with *any* compression. *Any* movement in any film is painful if you compress a 2 hr film down to 600MB. Maybe this kind of compression is watchable on a 2" screen, but your statement "A 600M xvid file will give you a movie at DVD quality" as it is is simply not true.
I know you're being funny, but what does this mean for film makers outside of China? Will the Chinese develop a player that can play several formats, or will Chinese consumers be unable to watch Hollywood films at all?
I would have agreed, had they not cancelled Carnivale. Hell, bring back Carnivale and I'll not only subscribe to your hypothetical HBO-torrent service, but I'll order it via cable as well (again - cancelled when HBO dropped Carnivale).
"Perhaps this is why Nintendo has different handhelds: People don't always agree."
Exactly! Sony's not going to have *four* different iterations of the PSP within four years, and all Nintendo's doing is giving us more choice, which is always a good thing.
I know you're attempting to be humorous, but as far as I'm concerned, the GBA SP is simply a better purchase because A) the screen is larger, B) it's cheaper, C) the screen has the same intensity now as the Micro, D) it fits in my pocket just fine, and E) the clamshell design prevents the unit from screen damage (not just scratches, but physical damage - I have a toddler who knows how to dual wield remote controls).
The new GBA SP is a better unit to me; the fact that it's $20 (in the US) cheaper is icing on the cake. Here in Canada, the Micro is $130 CAD, whereas I can pick up a new GBA SP with improved lighting for $90 CAD. For $40 cheaper, I'd rather pick up the (IMHO) superior unit.
But if it pushes sales of GBA games and gets more money to game devs, then I can honestly care less whether people buy the micro over the SP - as long as I get to play Chrono Trigger on a handheld in my lifetime, I don't care if they develop a niche GBA that fits in one of your nostrils.
...I just placed an order for the DVD: they charged me a whopping $1.60 USD for shipping, and they're apparently shipping with USPS. Finally, a US company that not only doesn't want to gouge their Canadian customers, but are actually charging a reasonable price for shipping!
Bear in mind that the site is still slashdotted, so I'm essentially ordering the DVD sight-unseen, but with the Canadian dollar worth $0.85 of 1 USD, *and* the fact that I'm not supporting the MP** with this purchase, it's worth it already.
Slashdot Mirror
Um, Fight Club?
Oh, I don't disagree that there are those who worship Satan/Lucifer; the worship of Lucifer as Light-Bearer is actually a pretty trendy belief in certain Wicca/naturalistic religions. But what I meant was that child/virgin sacrifice, sex with the devil, that sort of stuff doesn't exist outside of fiction or Hollywood. Not sure what this has to do with intelligent design, but hey, it's not every day you get to talk about the occult on Slashdot!
"Why would you argue based on a name anyway?" Well, in a thread such as this, there's not going to be intelligent "argument"; rather, there's going to be pro-IDers and anti-IDers duking it out over dug-in ideological positions. Since there really isn't any point in debating this all over again, my post was intended as a joke (hence the "I'm shocked! Shocked" cultural reference). However, I wasn't really counting on my reference to Satanism being so obscure, generally thinking that most people know that Satanism || Devil-Worship. Obscure joke + religious story = 0, Flamebait.
Sigh. "Satanism" as you're definining it is "gothic satanism" - you know, the baby-eating, virgin-sacrificing type of Satanism that doesn't actually exist. Look up Satanism in the Encyclopaedia Britannica if you don't believe me, or any other reputable source; the Wiki was handy, which is why I used it.
"Satanism" as you describe it doesn't exist outside of fiction. I'm not terribly surprised that you have no idea what I'm talking about, but before continuing this conversation, why don't you look it up for yourself?
Personally, I don't ascribe to material empiricism, so I don't really care one way or the other whether there's evidence to back up creation or evolution. On the contrary, my faith dictates that I believe in a God who created the universe. From a scientific point of view, it doesn't really matter to me *how* the universe was created; rather, I'm interested in *why* it was created, and what my place in it is as a result.
As for your other points: here's what Wiki says about Satanism. "Satanism is a religious, semi-religious and/or philosophical movement whose adherents recognize Satan as an archetype, pre-cosmic force, or some aspect of human nature. Although named for Satan, a name associated with evil and temptation, Satanism is more commonly the name given to certain spiritual paths which emphasize the Left-Hand Path, as opposed to the much more common Right-Hand Path. Left-Handers believe in spiritual enrichment through their own work on themselves, and that ultimately they are answerable only to themselves, while Right-Handers believe in spiritual enrichment through the dissolution or submission of the self to (or into) something greater. Many Satanists do not in fact worship a deity called Satan, or necessarily any other deity, nor do they follow a principle of evil. This aspect of their beliefs is very commonly misunderstood."
Most Satanists, in fact, deny the existence of both God and Satan, which is why my original comment (snide as it was) is applicable.
Ha. I know you didn't write this, but the second last sentence is somewhat amusing to me: when exactly did advocates of evolution start believing in the existence of a metaphysical soul? That sounds like something that an "ideological crusader" would believe in.
Colour me shocked that somebody with the nick "SatanicPuppy" would be against the concept of creation by an intelligent designer. Shocked!
I played the Player's Choice version of MP, so maybe that's why I never had any problems with it.
Um, the entire point of TFA was the fact that there *are* incompatibilities between console hardware and software - or did you miss that bit?
Let's see: Gameboy? Nope. GBC? Nope. GBA? Nope. NES? Nope. SNES? Nope. Gamecube? Nope.
I've never had a console freeze on me; that doesn't necessarily mean that none of the above platforms are immune to it, but I've never had hardware/software incompatibilities except on a PC. Go figure.
There's a few dream sequences where these unfocused ghosts/spectres rush at you. The fact that they're ghosts isn't scary; rather, their eyes just before they get you are very, very creepy. Strange how they're scary in the dream sequences, and ridiculous as an Nvidia promo render outside of the dream.
He could have meant "Pandora's Box."
I'm not sure this is necessarily the case. I think that most "geeks" (using the broadest sense of the term) use Windows simply because it's easier. Personally, I like building my own computers. Apple doesn't let me do this, and I've never been satisfied with any flavour of Linux (I used Red Hat 8.0 for about a year just to prove to myself that I'm not missing out, and it was, quite frankly, a relief to return to XP).
People complain all the time about Microsoft, but I really don't see why: if they made shoddy products, then would they really have such a huge marketshare? I've had *one* blue screen in the last year, and that was due to hardware; before that, I haven't had any system instability since 98SE. Windows is easy to use, supports a wide variety of hardware out of the box, and quite simply works. This might be true for Apple hardware, but it's also more expensive and there isn't a Mac equivalent system to a silent A64 system: for all the power in a G5, it sounds like a jet turbine when the fans rev up.
I don't build Wintel computers because my friends would all look down on me should I choose any other option; quite frankly, I don't care what kind of computers other people use, and I'm not so elitist as to look down my nose at somebody who uses a different computer than I do. So chalk me up as an enthusiastic Windows user: for my needs, I don't see any options elsewhere.
He believed that a patch that removed the blurring effect did *what*? You're missing the rest of your sentence ;)
The key word is "eventually" - history might redeem PA, but who knows what will happen until then? (Yes, my tin-foil hat is on straight; why do you ask?)
This isn't even taking into consideration the various RPGs I've played throughout the years where I've been extremely attached to the character.
Carnivale S1E4 (Black Blizzard), for instance, is unwatchable with *any* compression. *Any* movement in any film is painful if you compress a 2 hr film down to 600MB. Maybe this kind of compression is watchable on a 2" screen, but your statement "A 600M xvid file will give you a movie at DVD quality" as it is is simply not true.
I know you're being funny, but what does this mean for film makers outside of China? Will the Chinese develop a player that can play several formats, or will Chinese consumers be unable to watch Hollywood films at all?
I would have agreed, had they not cancelled Carnivale. Hell, bring back Carnivale and I'll not only subscribe to your hypothetical HBO-torrent service, but I'll order it via cable as well (again - cancelled when HBO dropped Carnivale).
Exactly! Sony's not going to have *four* different iterations of the PSP within four years, and all Nintendo's doing is giving us more choice, which is always a good thing.
The toddler's daddy's going to get a revo, but the toddler himself is going to stay far, far away from the controllers ;)
The new GBA SP is a better unit to me; the fact that it's $20 (in the US) cheaper is icing on the cake. Here in Canada, the Micro is $130 CAD, whereas I can pick up a new GBA SP with improved lighting for $90 CAD. For $40 cheaper, I'd rather pick up the (IMHO) superior unit.
But if it pushes sales of GBA games and gets more money to game devs, then I can honestly care less whether people buy the micro over the SP - as long as I get to play Chrono Trigger on a handheld in my lifetime, I don't care if they develop a niche GBA that fits in one of your nostrils.
Do guys taking their MA in English at the U of R count?
Bear in mind that the site is still slashdotted, so I'm essentially ordering the DVD sight-unseen, but with the Canadian dollar worth $0.85 of 1 USD, *and* the fact that I'm not supporting the MP** with this purchase, it's worth it already.