Let's stir up as much heat as possible about frivolous issues that distract from what actually needs to be done.
Not only that, what better target is there than video games?--a medium that is already stereotyped and reviled by millions of people who don't know any better and don't really care to consider other possible viewpoints.
I wish jury service was a voluntary duty, not unlike voting.
I would argue that voting ought to be a mandatory obligation, much like jury service - as a citizen who enjoys the protection of government, it should be your duty to determine the standards of that protection.
I have no problem with Wikileaks; in fact, I agree with the principles that it advocates and its stance against censorship in journalism.
What I do have a problem with is the self-righteousness, arrogance, and tactlessness with which it seems to go about its business. You can protect freedom of the press without being snide or disrespectful, and some thought on their part could prevent unnecessary collateral damage (or alternatively, thoughtlessness could bring about unnecessary harm). The freedom to extend your fist ends where somebody else's nose begins.
It seems that some are conflating the importance of Wikileaks with the integrity of Assange's character. They prematurely accuse others of unfairly judging Assange without sufficient evidence while themselves pointing fingers at everything under the sun except him, without any of that aforementioned evidence. "Innocent until proven guilty," not "Innocent because the charges were drummed up by a complicit and broken Swedish justice system at the behest of covert US operatives who believe in silencing opponents of right-wing America's oppressive agenda... and so on."
Next thing you know people will be yelling about what a good movie Chinatown was.
So can we expect a situation similar to the business world, with top-ranking guys going back and forth between wall street and the SEC with knowledge of all the government loopholes, etc? Has Obama taken a page from this manipulative book in order to take the copyright juggernauts down a peg?
I don't think it will be like Serenity though, because the fans of Bebop already got their equivalent of Serenity back in 2001. It will, however, do well in the box offices precisely because of Reeves, in my opinion. I think most of the money will come from people who have never even heard of Cowboy Bebop, going to see a cool space action flick starring the most popular piece of cardboard in history.
The best actor ever to play batman?
Kevin Conroy, who was the voice of Batman in the animated series of the early 90s. Likewise, the best actor to play the joker was Mark Hamill, in the same series.
...until, of course, the Dark Knight. My expectations might have been unreasonably high, but the Dark Knight still managed to blow them completely out of the water, and it was pretty much a perfect film. I draw this comparison because the English voice actors for Bebop were absolute perfect fits. This is no easy task, as fans of anime might know, because poor English dubs can ruin even the best series.
I like Cowboy Bebop even more than I did the Batman series, and I just can't see Keanu Reeves, judging by his body of work (read: a travesty), doing anything but destroying Spike Spiegel forever.
And that's just the lead role. Who knows what will become of all the other aspects of the series that made it so good? It seems to me that this is yet another remake or "tribute" made to extort as much money as possible out of us unaware Americans by giving it broader appeal (Why else would they cast Reeves? Why bother even making a movie? The fans got what they wanted with Knockin' On Heaven's Door.) instead of actually paying homage to one of the greatest TV series ever made.
In 2006, the video game industry contributed $3.8 billion to the US GDP, not to mention $1.7 billion to California's economy (our friendly representative's home state). The industry also directly and indirectly supplies over 80,000 jobs nationwide. Source (something this bill conspicuously lacks.)
Although some economists remain optimistic about the continued success of the industry, I can't help but wonder how restrictive, unwarranted, baseless legislation like this and other "nanny" bills will affect the health of not just the video game industry but the US economy as a whole. Care to address that, representative who has no business talking about video games, ever?
On another note, this bill would have all games rated "T" or higher branded with a warning. For some perspective, according to the ESRB, video games rated "T" include:
SingStar ABBA - "A karaoke music game in which players sing along with music videos featuring the disco group, ABBA." This one got its "T" rating because of its lyrics. Better slap that warning on every ABBA cd too.
Commander In Chief - Geo-Political Simulator - "A political simulation game in which players can assume the role of the head of state or government of a real country. Using text-based menus, players can enter military alliances, monitor political party activity, make economic and social decisions, and retain overall popularity." I'll be damned if my kids ever get near this travesty.
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? - "A 2D side-scrolling action game in which players control a talking penguin on its whimsical quest to retrieve a fabled ultra-delicious dessert." Just... wow.
Thank you, Joe Baca, for not only wasting everyone's time but actively distracting from any of the real problems facing this country.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's stir up as much heat as possible about frivolous issues that distract from what actually needs to be done.
Not only that, what better target is there than video games?--a medium that is already stereotyped and reviled by millions of people who don't know any better and don't really care to consider other possible viewpoints.
I wish jury service was a voluntary duty, not unlike voting.
I would argue that voting ought to be a mandatory obligation, much like jury service - as a citizen who enjoys the protection of government, it should be your duty to determine the standards of that protection.
I have no problem with Wikileaks; in fact, I agree with the principles that it advocates and its stance against censorship in journalism.
What I do have a problem with is the self-righteousness, arrogance, and tactlessness with which it seems to go about its business. You can protect freedom of the press without being snide or disrespectful, and some thought on their part could prevent unnecessary collateral damage (or alternatively, thoughtlessness could bring about unnecessary harm). The freedom to extend your fist ends where somebody else's nose begins.
It seems that some are conflating the importance of Wikileaks with the integrity of Assange's character. They prematurely accuse others of unfairly judging Assange without sufficient evidence while themselves pointing fingers at everything under the sun except him, without any of that aforementioned evidence. "Innocent until proven guilty," not "Innocent because the charges were drummed up by a complicit and broken Swedish justice system at the behest of covert US operatives who believe in silencing opponents of right-wing America's oppressive agenda... and so on."
Next thing you know people will be yelling about what a good movie Chinatown was.
...but you not having any idea of the vast quantity and depth of correlation that could be done.
Is it just me, or does it seem like this is already the case...
Wasn't this idiot disbarred a couple years ago? Could he really be so desperate to feed his narcissism?
So can we expect a situation similar to the business world, with top-ranking guys going back and forth between wall street and the SEC with knowledge of all the government loopholes, etc? Has Obama taken a page from this manipulative book in order to take the copyright juggernauts down a peg?
100% agreed about Keanu's poor casting.
I don't think it will be like Serenity though, because the fans of Bebop already got their equivalent of Serenity back in 2001. It will, however, do well in the box offices precisely because of Reeves, in my opinion. I think most of the money will come from people who have never even heard of Cowboy Bebop, going to see a cool space action flick starring the most popular piece of cardboard in history.
The best actor ever to play batman?
...until, of course, the Dark Knight. My expectations might have been unreasonably high, but the Dark Knight still managed to blow them completely out of the water, and it was pretty much a perfect film. I draw this comparison because the English voice actors for Bebop were absolute perfect fits. This is no easy task, as fans of anime might know, because poor English dubs can ruin even the best series.
Kevin Conroy, who was the voice of Batman in the animated series of the early 90s. Likewise, the best actor to play the joker was Mark Hamill, in the same series.
I like Cowboy Bebop even more than I did the Batman series, and I just can't see Keanu Reeves, judging by his body of work (read: a travesty), doing anything but destroying Spike Spiegel forever.
And that's just the lead role. Who knows what will become of all the other aspects of the series that made it so good? It seems to me that this is yet another remake or "tribute" made to extort as much money as possible out of us unaware Americans by giving it broader appeal (Why else would they cast Reeves? Why bother even making a movie? The fans got what they wanted with Knockin' On Heaven's Door.) instead of actually paying homage to one of the greatest TV series ever made.
In 2006, the video game industry contributed $3.8 billion to the US GDP, not to mention $1.7 billion to California's economy (our friendly representative's home state). The industry also directly and indirectly supplies over 80,000 jobs nationwide. Source (something this bill conspicuously lacks.)
Although some economists remain optimistic about the continued success of the industry, I can't help but wonder how restrictive, unwarranted, baseless legislation like this and other "nanny" bills will affect the health of not just the video game industry but the US economy as a whole. Care to address that, representative who has no business talking about video games, ever?
On another note, this bill would have all games rated "T" or higher branded with a warning. For some perspective, according to the ESRB, video games rated "T" include:
SingStar ABBA - "A karaoke music game in which players sing along with music videos featuring the disco group, ABBA." This one got its "T" rating because of its lyrics.
Better slap that warning on every ABBA cd too.
Commander In Chief - Geo-Political Simulator - "A political simulation game in which players can assume the role of the head of state or government of a real country. Using text-based menus, players can enter military alliances, monitor political party activity, make economic and social decisions, and retain overall popularity."
I'll be damned if my kids ever get near this travesty.
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? - "A 2D side-scrolling action game in which players control a talking penguin on its whimsical quest to retrieve a fabled ultra-delicious dessert."
Just... wow.
Thank you, Joe Baca, for not only wasting everyone's time but actively distracting from any of the real problems facing this country.