I concur with the parent post. The space industry used to be a major source of inspiration for people. In the 60s many kids wanted to be an astronaut, because of the inspiration and glamour it had. Until recent events, astronomy/space exploration has been very dull, bland, and repetitive. Sure, the space shuttle launch is cool, but what is the goal?? To take another cargo-load worth of stuff to the ISS...woopdy-freakin doo. You ask kids today if they want to be an astronaut, and most would ask you what an astronaut was. NASA needs to get out of this stagnation and move forward...into the future. I think that Mars is probably the next big move...but I wish they would make it soon. A manned trip to the moon would get people talking. Maybe it would bring NASA back to the days of brilliance and creativity rather than moldy, oldy cargo trips.
I didn't even think about that (I was too busy wading through the Architect's speech). I knew I had heard the name of Meruvingian before, but couldn't pinpoint where. Too bad this is a few too many layers deep in the discussions...its worth modding up.
"There are two things I hate most: 1) people who can't tolerate other people's culture...2) the damn, bloody Dutch."
-Austin Powers Father (from Goldmember)
(-1 Offtopic)
I don't think Interplay will ever get anywhere with the Lord of the Rings series of games. They tried DOS and got to the Two Towers...then puked out. So they tried again...this time on the SNES...and puked out after the first one. JUST FINISH THE SERIES!!
At Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, a government-sponsored lab that opened on May 22, research could lead to external skeletons carrying artificial muscles that would make soldiers faster and stronger, said Paula Hammond, a research team leader.
Does this remind anybody else of the Green Goblins suit from Spiderman (minus the crazy-gas of course)??
Although it is good that the average American provides support for the greatest story of all time (okay...I am a fanboy)...LOTR, I get this sick feeling in my stomach that it isn't for real. Why is MTV supporting this movie? Is it because it really is good, or is it because it is popular (I don't have the answer because I have never known the definition of popular...I'm a fanboy:-) ). I hope that it is it's greatness that prompted this award, though I fear it isn't. Just like the screaming, blabbering schoolgirls annoying scream whenever Legolas comes onscreen (yeah, he's great and all, but shut the HELL up!!), It makes me sick.
I thought the first two books of the Sword of Truth series were good, but the others seemed to lack something. They aren't bad books, just that they get too repetative (maybe that's just my opinion). Seems to me that the whole series is becoming entirely too long, though all in all it isn't a bad series. The first two are definatelly worth the read.
I agree with many of the sibling posts that Tolkien is, indeed, VERY descriptive, and that's why I love his works. Your Readers Digest condensed edition is what's wrong with many writers today. They write novels that are meant to be a quick read. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that these novels are bad by any means, but rather they don't have the depth...the reality that Tolkien creates. Sure his songs can get obnoxious, but I would rather have them there to enhance the depth of Middle Earth than to cut them and become a flat, lifeless world. (And I'm sad that they cut the Ents warsong from the movie...that would have been great:-) ).
First of all, I am confused as why this was modded as funny (as hilarious as it may seem) and not as a troll...but anywho.
In regards to your comment about how the ring could never go to Gondor. As far as I understand, Ithilien is considered a part of northern Gondor (its definatelly not part of Mordor, but if in doubt, check the maps), and the trip through Ithilien in the novel would have lead to GAME OVER if what you said were true.
I am a purist. I've read the lord of the rings as many times as I possibly could (lost track a few years ago). I've read the Silmarillion 4 times, the Unfinished Tales 2 times, and I've read the first 5 book of the History of Middle Earth (I have the rest, but this little thing called college gets in the way of my reading habits). I constantly am stating how they could have made a better movie had they stuck to the book's plot (and I still back this up), but by no means am I going to deprive myself of a prime movie enjoyment (especially with the movies of late, with exceptions for X2 and Reloaded).
Now, if any rich benefactor out there wants to pay millions of dollars to make 6 movies (the number of movies I feel it would take to fully do the series), they can contact me and we'll get something started. Until then, I am going to live with the amazing world of middle earth and am also going to enjoy the great (but possibly flawed) movies.
I'll be in line overnight for the next one (again)!!
I live in Montana...it's just as bad here as the rest of the states. I love how everybody likens us to the Unibomber (oops...pretty soon the gov'ts gonna knock down my door and arrest me for "terrorism now") and/or the Freemen. Unfortunatelly we are plagued with the same problems here as everywhere else + some. Our governer (don't get me started) is facing a MAJOR budget deficit, so she cuts education funding (I'm a college student, so I get raped pretty badly for that), but she wants to "lower taxes." In Laurel, where I'm originally from, there was a high schooler who burned his own flag in his own yard. He got arrested and a huge lawsuit against him (evidentally there's a law against it on the books). As of right now, I have no idea where the case sits in court.
Well, my point is that we may have lots of "open space" here, but we have lots of "open space" between the ears of our politicians/business bullies.
I once heard a story that seems to relate really well to this topic. During the Space Race of JFK's time, NASA spent billions of dollars developing a pen that would write in Zero-gravity...the Soviets just used a pencil.
I don't think that the problem is that they are being abused yet nessesarilly, but rather that these laws have the ability to be abused. Laws that can be abused shouldn't be created for that reason alone...they can be abused. So they haven't been abused yet, does that mean we should just stop caring, or should we constantly be vigilant (hm...hope this doesn't sound vigilante) for when it is being abused.
I can see how the drop in sales of his recent release could be thought to be because of the "increase in pirating," but I believe that that is a wrong assumption. Look at his last release and then look at the songs he did. He was trendy then. Everybody liked Moby, not because of his music, but because it was the "cool" thing to do. He did songs with other trendy artists like Gwen Stephani (sp??), so everybody liked that release. The trends have changed and the "coolness" of electronica has left, leaving us geeks as untrendy as we have always been.
Slashdot Mirror
I concur with the parent post. The space industry used to be a major source of inspiration for people. In the 60s many kids wanted to be an astronaut, because of the inspiration and glamour it had. Until recent events, astronomy/space exploration has been very dull, bland, and repetitive. Sure, the space shuttle launch is cool, but what is the goal?? To take another cargo-load worth of stuff to the ISS...woopdy-freakin doo. You ask kids today if they want to be an astronaut, and most would ask you what an astronaut was. NASA needs to get out of this stagnation and move forward...into the future. I think that Mars is probably the next big move...but I wish they would make it soon. A manned trip to the moon would get people talking. Maybe it would bring NASA back to the days of brilliance and creativity rather than moldy, oldy cargo trips.
I didn't even think about that (I was too busy wading through the Architect's speech). I knew I had heard the name of Meruvingian before, but couldn't pinpoint where. Too bad this is a few too many layers deep in the discussions...its worth modding up.
"There are two things I hate most: 1) people who can't tolerate other people's culture...2) the damn, bloody Dutch." -Austin Powers Father (from Goldmember) (-1 Offtopic)
I don't think Interplay will ever get anywhere with the Lord of the Rings series of games. They tried DOS and got to the Two Towers...then puked out. So they tried again...this time on the SNES...and puked out after the first one. JUST FINISH THE SERIES!!
At Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, a government-sponsored lab that opened on May 22, research could lead to external skeletons carrying artificial muscles that would make soldiers faster and stronger, said Paula Hammond, a research team leader. Does this remind anybody else of the Green Goblins suit from Spiderman (minus the crazy-gas of course)??
Although it is good that the average American provides support for the greatest story of all time (okay...I am a fanboy)...LOTR, I get this sick feeling in my stomach that it isn't for real. Why is MTV supporting this movie? Is it because it really is good, or is it because it is popular (I don't have the answer because I have never known the definition of popular...I'm a fanboy :-) ). I hope that it is it's greatness that prompted this award, though I fear it isn't. Just like the screaming, blabbering schoolgirls annoying scream whenever Legolas comes onscreen (yeah, he's great and all, but shut the HELL up!!), It makes me sick.
I thought the first two books of the Sword of Truth series were good, but the others seemed to lack something. They aren't bad books, just that they get too repetative (maybe that's just my opinion). Seems to me that the whole series is becoming entirely too long, though all in all it isn't a bad series. The first two are definatelly worth the read.
I agree with many of the sibling posts that Tolkien is, indeed, VERY descriptive, and that's why I love his works. Your Readers Digest condensed edition is what's wrong with many writers today. They write novels that are meant to be a quick read. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that these novels are bad by any means, but rather they don't have the depth...the reality that Tolkien creates. Sure his songs can get obnoxious, but I would rather have them there to enhance the depth of Middle Earth than to cut them and become a flat, lifeless world. (And I'm sad that they cut the Ents warsong from the movie...that would have been great :-) ).
First of all, I am confused as why this was modded as funny (as hilarious as it may seem) and not as a troll...but anywho.
In regards to your comment about how the ring could never go to Gondor. As far as I understand, Ithilien is considered a part of northern Gondor (its definatelly not part of Mordor, but if in doubt, check the maps), and the trip through Ithilien in the novel would have lead to GAME OVER if what you said were true.
I am a purist. I've read the lord of the rings as many times as I possibly could (lost track a few years ago). I've read the Silmarillion 4 times, the Unfinished Tales 2 times, and I've read the first 5 book of the History of Middle Earth (I have the rest, but this little thing called college gets in the way of my reading habits). I constantly am stating how they could have made a better movie had they stuck to the book's plot (and I still back this up), but by no means am I going to deprive myself of a prime movie enjoyment (especially with the movies of late, with exceptions for X2 and Reloaded).
Now, if any rich benefactor out there wants to pay millions of dollars to make 6 movies (the number of movies I feel it would take to fully do the series), they can contact me and we'll get something started. Until then, I am going to live with the amazing world of middle earth and am also going to enjoy the great (but possibly flawed) movies.
I'll be in line overnight for the next one (again)!!
I live in Montana...it's just as bad here as the rest of the states. I love how everybody likens us to the Unibomber (oops...pretty soon the gov'ts gonna knock down my door and arrest me for "terrorism now") and/or the Freemen. Unfortunatelly we are plagued with the same problems here as everywhere else + some. Our governer (don't get me started) is facing a MAJOR budget deficit, so she cuts education funding (I'm a college student, so I get raped pretty badly for that), but she wants to "lower taxes." In Laurel, where I'm originally from, there was a high schooler who burned his own flag in his own yard. He got arrested and a huge lawsuit against him (evidentally there's a law against it on the books). As of right now, I have no idea where the case sits in court. Well, my point is that we may have lots of "open space" here, but we have lots of "open space" between the ears of our politicians/business bullies.
Nah, the trillions of dollars they want to rape from college kids will more than fill the gap.
I once heard a story that seems to relate really well to this topic. During the Space Race of JFK's time, NASA spent billions of dollars developing a pen that would write in Zero-gravity...the Soviets just used a pencil.
I don't think that the problem is that they are being abused yet nessesarilly, but rather that these laws have the ability to be abused. Laws that can be abused shouldn't be created for that reason alone...they can be abused. So they haven't been abused yet, does that mean we should just stop caring, or should we constantly be vigilant (hm...hope this doesn't sound vigilante) for when it is being abused.
I can see how the drop in sales of his recent release could be thought to be because of the "increase in pirating," but I believe that that is a wrong assumption. Look at his last release and then look at the songs he did. He was trendy then. Everybody liked Moby, not because of his music, but because it was the "cool" thing to do. He did songs with other trendy artists like Gwen Stephani (sp??), so everybody liked that release. The trends have changed and the "coolness" of electronica has left, leaving us geeks as untrendy as we have always been.
Oh...yeah...first post!!