If you live in the Baltimore/Glen Burnie area, CrabTowne is worth your time. Not for the food mind you...but just walk on through to the game room with dozens of working arcades (Including Tapper!) and a perimeter lined with working pinball of all types. Really wonderful place. Really terrible chicken fingers.
Let me be the first of many to point out this article was posted July 31, 2008, though its central point still stands. Also worth nothing, this article was written before Intel's X-25 SSDs were released which moved the performance bar so high that their insane price (~3-4$/GB) started to make sense for the some people.
...On a TV. Where ad rights, restrictions, and most importantly prices are much different than they are on the web. Hulu's (well really Fox/NBC's) bean counters won't let that fly especially when they can get roughly 7 minutes of ad space on a broadcasted show versus 2 minutes on Hulu. I'd be willing to bet that the prices for those 2 minutes on Hulu are a lot cheaper than 2 minutes on TV for an equivalent show.
And to anyone complaining about having to dance through proxies to watch Hulu internationally, it's for the same reasons. What benefit does Charmin see from advertising toilet paper to people in the Netherlands?
All that aside, as someone who has a modded XBOX with XBMC and was living abroad,I can say with experience that all these shenanigans are tiring. Like any arms race where it's content producers vs. the internet, the internet will win in the end.
I remember my cousin waiting at the door for the delivery of his Eiger F10. He tore through the packaging and out slid a matte black device no bigger than a pack of cigarettes with a few silver buttons and a 3 digit LCD display like you'd find on the cheapest CD players.
If I recall the device had 32 megabytes of memory but accepted MMC type cards. The best part had to be the parallel port connection. A connection that (unbeknowenst to him) had to be reconfigured in the BIOS. After almost an hour of manual flipping and frantic swearing, he had finally transferred his first 8 songs to the first MP3 player available to consumers. And it only took 20 minutes! Oh progress...
I have to disagree. I watched the 1992 director's cut first and it's the version I've come to associate with "Blade Runner." The voice over is kludgey, awkward, and unnecessary. There only reason it's there is because the production went over budget and Ridley Scott lost control to the bondsman. Given control of the movie they decided that test audiences were getting too confused by the narrative and demanded a voice-over against Scott and apparently Harrison Ford's protest. The rumor is that Ford thought if he performed it poorly enough they would opt against using it. Obviously they went ahead and used it anyway. Granted this is just a rumor, but consider what the rumor is trying to say.
I think the voice-over ruins the subtlety of the movie and if you have the opportunity to watch it more than once, which I suggest you do if it turns out to be your cup of tea, new moments and discoveries will appear with each viewing. Hell I watched it for probably the 20th time last week and noticed something for the first time. In the scene where Deckard and Gaff check out an apartment they are let it by a landlord wearing some oxygen mask apparatus on his chest. And he's on screen for half a second!
The attention to detail and texture in Blade Runner is why it still holds together today, not just the sets and props, but the music, acting, and storytelling. I don't think the voice-over does anything to improve upon what Ridley intended, it ends up only marring a beautiful finish.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is a pretty good example of a band reaching high levels of success without the backing of a label. Their stuff made its way onto the internet and was picked up at various places including Pitchforkmedia.com, a pretty big "indie" music review site. The mountains of positive press increased demand to the point that they had to repress their debut CD, all without ever signing a record contract.
Fuck off. I didn't know that piece of trivia and now I do. Guh maybe if he referenced something from Firefly or Battlestar, or something with universal geek and mainstream cred, I could see the criticism. Nah, actually I can't, fuck off.
Your boat example is exactly what has been happening since internet sales exploded. I can go into a BestBuy and play with their selection of TV's in person and then go online and buy it for a hell of a lot cheaper. Is this ethical? In the case of Best Buy I haven't ever really cared, but it has come up when dealing with smaller Mom & Pop camera shops. The major problem I have with this bill is now consumers are effectively forced to submit to the brick and mortar style of buisness no matter what.
I'm aware that internet retails have been competing on service since their inception. They all have different track records with regards to shipping times, customer service, and return policies. But now this bill is creating an environment where online retailers are dragged down by their brick and mortar counterparts.
It's fantastic that Best Buy has semi-competent nerds running around in white shirts and black ties trying to upsell clueless consumers on expensive upgrades, but I don't need that. I have magazines, forums, and websites where I do my research for free. I don't like the idea of having to pay an extra 20, 30, or $amount more on Newegg because that's what BestBuy has to charge to make a profit. The only services that matter to me are centered around the product, I.e, buying it, maybe returning it, and dealing with everything in between those two.
Scott is nothing like Lucas. First of all, his film making skills didn't fall off a cliff in the early eighties, and second he understands the importance of preservation of his work. The upcoming release of Blade Runner will include the original theatrical (voiceover'd) cut, the 1992 director's cut, and the upcoming final cut. Not only that but it will be released on DVD/HD-DVD/ and Blu-Ray. As it stand there is pretty much zero cause for complaint with this re-release. I await the box set to make my final judgment though.
For the nth time, the campaign that you refer to was:
A. Based solely around the image of white woman dominating a black woman.
B. Built around the message "white is right"
C. Made and presented in the racially-hypersensitive United States of America.
D. None of the above.
If you knew how to use the Google you would've discovered the answer is D.
As this Joystiq post illustrates, there were several images in the ad series in addition to the incindiary one of the white female grabbing the black one. For those new to the situation, each woman represents a color of the Sony Playstation Portable, that ad series was meant to announce the release of a white PSP. For bonus points, where was the billboard series actually presented? Amsterdam. Not the United States.
Sony's ad agency had to know the outrage it would create if the ads were released here where the first thought is always race. The purpose of the ads was anthropomorphizing something mundane and aesthetic. To spice things up they made the young hot models show aggression. Rather than a bumble it would appear the ad agency knew exactly who they were marketing to.
The agency major miscalculation came in forgetting about the internet. Obviously someone was going to take pictures of these and send them around the world the moment the dropped. Apparently they figured the drawbacks didn't outweigh the potential gains. Given the controversy in combination with Sony's reverend blunder factory, I think they would've been better off without.
Getting back on topic, I agree with your sentiment that this furor over something completely innocent (middle finger pixels aside) is ridiculous.
Even if Sony never said "white is right."
I will use any opportunity to discuss my favorite games of all time. And at the top of that list is Super Metroid for SNES. I first played it back after its release in '94 and I haven't stopped since. I would play through till the end trying to find every last missle tank and power bomb. As much as the metroid series is known for item collection though, it was the atmosphere that really engrossed me. The way Samus's suit breathed, the way the environments felt real and alive. And of course, the music. If there is one thing that can make or break a game in my opinion, its music. The drums in the ancient area of Norfair or the subtle mysteriousness of Maridia still brings back memories like some SPC induced Flashback.
My two other favorite games of all time, Mechwarrior 2 for the PC and Final Fantasy III, (VI in Japan) for the SNES, both have stayed that way because of gameplay and music, certainly not graphics. I can definately say that these three games have influenced how I think and see visually more than any other games that I have played. Because of these video games my intrest in computers skyrocketed, landing me in the well off position of art school. It's because of these games I still have my SNES connected, while my PS1 and N64 gather dust like a forgotten relative. I would still be playing Mech2, except it requires some god awful configuration where every component must be just so, and must be played while standing on one foot, while jumping, with the jupiter in line with the moon. So I opt out and just listen the music for nostalgia instead.
Unbelieveable, I know, games based on conflict and viloence actually had a positive effect in a child's life. Must've been some wierd fluke...
Slashdot Mirror
If you live in the Baltimore/Glen Burnie area, CrabTowne is worth your time. Not for the food mind you...but just walk on through to the game room with dozens of working arcades (Including Tapper!) and a perimeter lined with working pinball of all types. Really wonderful place. Really terrible chicken fingers.
Let me be the first of many to point out this article was posted July 31, 2008, though its central point still stands. Also worth nothing, this article was written before Intel's X-25 SSDs were released which moved the performance bar so high that their insane price (~3-4$/GB) started to make sense for the some people.
And to anyone complaining about having to dance through proxies to watch Hulu internationally, it's for the same reasons. What benefit does Charmin see from advertising toilet paper to people in the Netherlands?
All that aside, as someone who has a modded XBOX with XBMC and was living abroad,I can say with experience that all these shenanigans are tiring. Like any arms race where it's content producers vs. the internet, the internet will win in the end.
Mod +5, Spit Squash Soup on Monitor
You might have a battle with some prior art...behold, Jug Hero!
I remember my cousin waiting at the door for the delivery of his Eiger F10. He tore through the packaging and out slid a matte black device no bigger than a pack of cigarettes with a few silver buttons and a 3 digit LCD display like you'd find on the cheapest CD players.
If I recall the device had 32 megabytes of memory but accepted MMC type cards. The best part had to be the parallel port connection. A connection that (unbeknowenst to him) had to be reconfigured in the BIOS. After almost an hour of manual flipping and frantic swearing, he had finally transferred his first 8 songs to the first MP3 player available to consumers. And it only took 20 minutes! Oh progress...
I have to disagree. I watched the 1992 director's cut first and it's the version I've come to associate with "Blade Runner." The voice over is kludgey, awkward, and unnecessary. There only reason it's there is because the production went over budget and Ridley Scott lost control to the bondsman. Given control of the movie they decided that test audiences were getting too confused by the narrative and demanded a voice-over against Scott and apparently Harrison Ford's protest. The rumor is that Ford thought if he performed it poorly enough they would opt against using it. Obviously they went ahead and used it anyway. Granted this is just a rumor, but consider what the rumor is trying to say.
I think the voice-over ruins the subtlety of the movie and if you have the opportunity to watch it more than once, which I suggest you do if it turns out to be your cup of tea, new moments and discoveries will appear with each viewing. Hell I watched it for probably the 20th time last week and noticed something for the first time. In the scene where Deckard and Gaff check out an apartment they are let it by a landlord wearing some oxygen mask apparatus on his chest. And he's on screen for half a second!
The attention to detail and texture in Blade Runner is why it still holds together today, not just the sets and props, but the music, acting, and storytelling. I don't think the voice-over does anything to improve upon what Ridley intended, it ends up only marring a beautiful finish.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is a pretty good example of a band reaching high levels of success without the backing of a label. Their stuff made its way onto the internet and was picked up at various places including Pitchforkmedia.com, a pretty big "indie" music review site. The mountains of positive press increased demand to the point that they had to repress their debut CD, all without ever signing a record contract.
Fuck off. I didn't know that piece of trivia and now I do. Guh maybe if he referenced something from Firefly or Battlestar, or something with universal geek and mainstream cred, I could see the criticism. Nah, actually I can't, fuck off.
Your boat example is exactly what has been happening since internet sales exploded. I can go into a BestBuy and play with their selection of TV's in person and then go online and buy it for a hell of a lot cheaper. Is this ethical? In the case of Best Buy I haven't ever really cared, but it has come up when dealing with smaller Mom & Pop camera shops. The major problem I have with this bill is now consumers are effectively forced to submit to the brick and mortar style of buisness no matter what.
I'm aware that internet retails have been competing on service since their inception. They all have different track records with regards to shipping times, customer service, and return policies. But now this bill is creating an environment where online retailers are dragged down by their brick and mortar counterparts.
It's fantastic that Best Buy has semi-competent nerds running around in white shirts and black ties trying to upsell clueless consumers on expensive upgrades, but I don't need that. I have magazines, forums, and websites where I do my research for free. I don't like the idea of having to pay an extra 20, 30, or $amount more on Newegg because that's what BestBuy has to charge to make a profit. The only services that matter to me are centered around the product, I.e, buying it, maybe returning it, and dealing with everything in between those two.Scott is nothing like Lucas. First of all, his film making skills didn't fall off a cliff in the early eighties, and second he understands the importance of preservation of his work. The upcoming release of Blade Runner will include the original theatrical (voiceover'd) cut, the 1992 director's cut, and the upcoming final cut. Not only that but it will be released on DVD/HD-DVD/ and Blu-Ray. As it stand there is pretty much zero cause for complaint with this re-release. I await the box set to make my final judgment though.
Ok, I'll bite.
For the nth time, the campaign that you refer to was:
A. Based solely around the image of white woman dominating a black woman. B. Built around the message "white is right" C. Made and presented in the racially-hypersensitive United States of America. D. None of the above.
If you knew how to use the Google you would've discovered the answer is D.
As this Joystiq post illustrates, there were several images in the ad series in addition to the incindiary one of the white female grabbing the black one. For those new to the situation, each woman represents a color of the Sony Playstation Portable, that ad series was meant to announce the release of a white PSP. For bonus points, where was the billboard series actually presented? Amsterdam. Not the United States.
Sony's ad agency had to know the outrage it would create if the ads were released here where the first thought is always race. The purpose of the ads was anthropomorphizing something mundane and aesthetic. To spice things up they made the young hot models show aggression. Rather than a bumble it would appear the ad agency knew exactly who they were marketing to.
The agency major miscalculation came in forgetting about the internet. Obviously someone was going to take pictures of these and send them around the world the moment the dropped. Apparently they figured the drawbacks didn't outweigh the potential gains. Given the controversy in combination with Sony's reverend blunder factory, I think they would've been better off without.
Getting back on topic, I agree with your sentiment that this furor over something completely innocent (middle finger pixels aside) is ridiculous. Even if Sony never said "white is right."
I will use any opportunity to discuss my favorite games of all time. And at the top of that list is Super Metroid for SNES. I first played it back after its release in '94 and I haven't stopped since. I would play through till the end trying to find every last missle tank and power bomb. As much as the metroid series is known for item collection though, it was the atmosphere that really engrossed me. The way Samus's suit breathed, the way the environments felt real and alive. And of course, the music. If there is one thing that can make or break a game in my opinion, its music. The drums in the ancient area of Norfair or the subtle mysteriousness of Maridia still brings back memories like some SPC induced Flashback.
My two other favorite games of all time, Mechwarrior 2 for the PC and Final Fantasy III, (VI in Japan) for the SNES, both have stayed that way because of gameplay and music, certainly not graphics. I can definately say that these three games have influenced how I think and see visually more than any other games that I have played. Because of these video games my intrest in computers skyrocketed, landing me in the well off position of art school. It's because of these games I still have my SNES connected, while my PS1 and N64 gather dust like a forgotten relative. I would still be playing Mech2, except it requires some god awful configuration where every component must be just so, and must be played while standing on one foot, while jumping, with the jupiter in line with the moon. So I opt out and just listen the music for nostalgia instead.
Unbelieveable, I know, games based on conflict and viloence actually had a positive effect in a child's life. Must've been some wierd fluke...