install anything that is not officially sanctioned by BMW, your guarantee will be void
Which is, basically, not necessarily a bad idea. If you install, say, brakes of inferior quality, and you have an accident - people get killed and BMW is not really responsible for it (assuming, of course, that the brakes are the reason for the accident, and not a drunken driver). With parts for cars you basically get what you pay for.
Ink, on the other hand, is not much different whether it is expensive or cheap. And if you use cheap ink, nothing bad will happen. Maybe some parts of the printer get clogged up (quite unlikely), but they can be cleaned and noone will die.
Another point is that manufacturers of printers sell the hardware at a subsidised price, trying to get the real income from cartriges. BMW doesn't sell the Mini for $1000 and charges you another $1000 for every oil change (which you'd have to do four time a year)...
the choice is in the consumer hands
Basically, I totally agree with you. But... which company sells printer and ink cartriges for a fair price? Well, maybe I'll buy me a laser printer, hoping that tones cartriges cost less than a new printer:)
Those are, after all, the key factors that make a game fun. As someone else noted, a good storyline and plot glue you to the monitor. I'd like to add interaction. That's what made Deus Ex or System Shock (IMHO) brilliant games.
But I wouldn't call games "art". Yes, it's a long, costly and tedious process to create a game. Many people are involved, they contain novel ideas (I talk about the good games here). So I didn't mean that comment in any way to play down the quality of or the efford put into games.
What is art? Paintings/Graphics, Music, Movies, Theatre etc. are all passive: the artists (normally) wants to convey a message, and the consumer must see/hear the art to get it. In games, you are active, you shape and change the outcome by you actions. In a way, you are creating art.
And here lies the problem. Honestly, you cannot rate or judge art. One mans trash can be another mans treasure (got that one from blogger.org, I think). Some ppl like Britney Spears, others hate her, others don't care. Take a Van Gogh picture. Maybe you like it, maybe you don't - would you hang one in your living room if you could afford one (and you always can afford a replica)? Game magazines had to be ultimately reduced to demo magazines, since every person had to see the game itself before deciding whether it was good or not.
it's almost impossible to defend against an inside job
Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but (IT) security firms generally estimate that 80% of (computer) crime come from inside a company (a disgruntled employee, low security passwords, bribes, taking data home from work etc.). Only 20% of all attacks happen from the internet. The numbers may be a bit outdated, but I doubt they have changed significantly.
I totally agree with you. Security can never be 100%, no matter how many gimmicks or firewalls you install.
Yes, there is a technology called "indoor GPS". It's about creating "fake" satellites inside a building. Useful for locating a receiver *inside* a building. So Coca Cola is rigging *every* house with indoor GPS gear? That's nice... expensive, but nice.;)
Uh... tracking someone with GPS?!? Not likely. GPS is a system that provides satellites in earth orbit, sending out time-stamped signals. A receiver picks up those signals from 3 or more satellites (even 4 or 5) and calculates the position from the time differences. Other sources of information, like wireless network base stations (GSM etc.) enhance accuracy. [end of very rough description]
Bottom line: GPS does not work within buildings. You need to see the sky - or to be more exact, you need a line of sight to at least 3 satellites.
Now, even if you assume that everyone is running around outside holding their cans high up over their head... the coke can would be able to find out its own position (and I'm not even convinced that there are GPS receiver small enough to fit inside a can...) That does not mean that Coca Cola will know the position of the can, because how will the can transmit it's position back to the company? Are they going to fit a cell phone into the can, too??
No, I honestly don't believe the story right now, I need to see that can first.
I don't think it's logical to pursue a virtual crime, done in a virtual world, in real life. Note that this excludes hacking a server or a user account, which has to happen in the real world, and is therefore a matter of the "real world law".
In a virtual world, the aim is - explicitly! - to create an experience not connected to real life. That's why people play online games, to escape (if you want to call it that) from real life, and do things they can't do in reality. It's the purpose and the gist of online games. So if (mis)behaviour online affects real life, you take away the basis for those games.
Just to be clear, I don't think that running around PKing everyone (exception: FPS) and using rude language is ok. But if you misbehave online, it is sufficient to be banned from a server. No need to file a lawsuit.
[...] significant blackouts within the same six month period?
My bet is on the weather this summer, at least here in Europe. Nuclear power plants had to reduce their energy output (some down to 50%) because the streams and rivers used for cooling the plant were too warm (max. temp is, iirc, 25 celsius). If a majority of the power plants had to do this, the total amount of power produced is reduced, increasing the chance for an outage...
Overall, while harsh market conditions might create "inferior products", due to budget restraints, those failings put the company in a bad light. I guess the budget for the energy infrastructure will rise in the next years.
In theory, yes. But since many of those business are registered in some remote country, it's very hard a) to track them down and b) file a lawsuit. But even if they were in the US, it wouldn't help european users, for the same reasons.
So... Steam lets you play games and chat... and AOL lets you chat and play games... and IRC lets you chat and play chat based games... and Talk lets you chat, but no games...
"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble-gum. And I'm all out of gum."
Which is, IIRC, also a quote from the John Carpenter classic (1988) movie "They Live", just before Piper starts, well, to kick ass:)
What was the name of those games again...
on
Microwave Fun
·
· Score: 1
...where you can have fun with a microwave?
Something like "Maniac Mansion" and "Zack McKraken"...:) So, toying around with a microwave can not only be fun, it can also help saving the world (or a girl).
The benefit of board games is that you can play them with friends and family and they are relatively easy to learn. After a round or two you normally know the rules and develop basic strategies. And you have an excellent opportunity to communicate and create a sense of community. Compare this to a networked FPS: the rules are simple enough, but a new player will die faster than you can say "frag" causing massive demotivation.
Of course adults need more elaborate games than children. Just rolling a die gets boring quickly, so a good games challenges you mentally (or lets you challenge the other players).
If you lose all the time, try a different style of play: try to lose from the beginning, announce it, and act accordingly:) Go wild. With Settlers of Catan, give your cards away for free (to anyone, of course). With Monopoly, try to go bankrupt as fast as possible. Bring in some humor.
I've noticed that you will win, despite your best effords to lose. Oh, and don't overdo it. One or two rounds are fun, after that it wears off and becomes tiresome, ultimately annoying everyone else;)
European universities consider their 4-year degree to be equivalent to a Bachelor's AND a Master's from our Universities
No, I guess we think it's actually better;) (SCNR, please not the smiley!)
I'll drop in some info about german universities, because some aspects seem to be overlooked in the discussion. Please note that the following is NOT about which universities in which country are BETTER. It's just some background information that may help. Furthermore, it's not really a reply to the parent, but the parent mentioned several interesting and true issues that I'd like to elaborate.
After school in Germany, you basically have two choices for your study. The universities focus on research, although that focus has shifted over the last few years. The "Fachhochschulen" have a more practical approach. So if you are planning on a career in research or higher management, universities are probably the way to go. If you are looking for a "normal" job, the FHs will give you the skills and practical experiences you need.
Importing credits from foreign universities is tricky. The rules can be very strict. A major problem is that you probably had several courses on one topic (giving you very detailed, in-depth knowledge), whereas at the german university only one course was required (among several other courses covering completely differrent topics, giving you a broader perspective). So you only get credit for that one course... YMMV, of course.
I was like a fish out of water
I'm really sorry to hear that:( Some universities offer exchange programs with partner universities in other countries. Students participating in these exchange programs are usually looked after, and have a chance to meet every now and then (whether this is good or bad is another point).
Do it because you want to study in Europe
Excellent point. Broaden your vision. Show your employer that you are flexible, willing to visit other countries, eager to seek a challenge. That should be the focus. Don't expect that e.g. JAVA is taught better here than in the US. For factual knowledge, you can grab a book and teach yourself. Changing (or demonstrating) your values and experiences is not possible with a book.
...will a game's Internet forums ever be a source of positive publicity post-launch?
With the internet being what it is, do the producers really think that closing the forum is a good move? I assume that problems and negative opinions will be voiced in other forums, wikis, product sites,./, game reviews... On their forum, they have at least some form of control over it (I assume).
The truth is out there and everyone will know it, eventually:)
For those really secure passwords, I look around in my office, pick a token, and use something from it as a password. Could be the ISBN number from my favourite book. Could be a book title. Could be the favourite track on a CD (or the MD5 sum of your favourite MP3). The model of your monitor. Anything. It's unlikely you will forget which token you used and what from that token you took as a password. If you really forgot, just take a look around, and you'll remember.
This assumes, of course, that there are passwords that you only need at work, and not at home (and vice versa). It's a start, though, and reduces the number of password you really need to memorize.
Players have grown accustomed to difficulty levels that are far too easy and I think it's contributing to their boredom with many games
The real topic is that games should have various difficulty settings: one for beginners, one for intermediates and one for experts. And the settings should be really different. That way, anyone can pick their favourite level of challenge. And after having played through a game on an easy level, chances are that the player will re-play the game with harder settings.
Good examples include System Shock (puzzles? shooter? your choice!), DN3D (come get some!), Quake or Civ 3. Or Grand Prix 3/4, where you could enable several stages of realism.
Also a good choice if your game has levels: first levels are easy, then become more difficult. Baldurs Gate (2) did it like that, although some parts were (for me) extremely difficult. No problem if there is a cheat. And after failing 10 times at the exact same position, I'm inclined to cheat.
Slashdot Mirror
install anything that is not officially sanctioned by BMW, your guarantee will be void
:)
Which is, basically, not necessarily a bad idea. If you install, say, brakes of inferior quality, and you have an accident - people get killed and BMW is not really responsible for it (assuming, of course, that the brakes are the reason for the accident, and not a drunken driver). With parts for cars you basically get what you pay for.
Ink, on the other hand, is not much different whether it is expensive or cheap. And if you use cheap ink, nothing bad will happen. Maybe some parts of the printer get clogged up (quite unlikely), but they can be cleaned and noone will die.
Another point is that manufacturers of printers sell the hardware at a subsidised price, trying to get the real income from cartriges. BMW doesn't sell the Mini for $1000 and charges you another $1000 for every oil change (which you'd have to do four time a year)...
the choice is in the consumer hands
Basically, I totally agree with you. But... which company sells printer and ink cartriges for a fair price? Well, maybe I'll buy me a laser printer, hoping that tones cartriges cost less than a new printer
playability, graphics, sound and longevity
;)
Those are, after all, the key factors that make a game fun. As someone else noted, a good storyline and plot glue you to the monitor. I'd like to add interaction. That's what made Deus Ex or System Shock (IMHO) brilliant games.
But I wouldn't call games "art". Yes, it's a long, costly and tedious process to create a game. Many people are involved, they contain novel ideas (I talk about the good games here). So I didn't mean that comment in any way to play down the quality of or the efford put into games.
What is art? Paintings/Graphics, Music, Movies, Theatre etc. are all passive: the artists (normally) wants to convey a message, and the consumer must see/hear the art to get it. In games, you are active, you shape and change the outcome by you actions. In a way, you are creating art.
And here lies the problem. Honestly, you cannot rate or judge art. One mans trash can be another mans treasure (got that one from blogger.org, I think). Some ppl like Britney Spears, others hate her, others don't care. Take a Van Gogh picture. Maybe you like it, maybe you don't - would you hang one in your living room if you could afford one (and you always can afford a replica)? Game magazines had to be ultimately reduced to demo magazines, since every person had to see the game itself before deciding whether it was good or not.
I hope I made sense, sorry if I didn't
...of magnetic storage devices as we know them :)
the B in IMHBO stands for biased
;)))
I Make Hot Biased Omelettes?!? Ooookaaayyy...
I bought one for myself
;)
:)
Just one? The FAQ recommends buying one orb for every room
Pity the network is only available in the US... but maybe there is hope for Europe, it sure looks cool
it's almost impossible to defend against an inside job
Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but (IT) security firms generally estimate that 80% of (computer) crime come from inside a company (a disgruntled employee, low security passwords, bribes, taking data home from work etc.). Only 20% of all attacks happen from the internet. The numbers may be a bit outdated, but I doubt they have changed significantly.
I totally agree with you. Security can never be 100%, no matter how many gimmicks or firewalls you install.
indoor gps
;)
Yes, there is a technology called "indoor GPS". It's about creating "fake" satellites inside a building. Useful for locating a receiver *inside* a building. So Coca Cola is rigging *every* house with indoor GPS gear? That's nice... expensive, but nice.
[...] and more often than not too LOUD.
THX - The Audience Is Now Deaf
Or like Grandpa Simpson said: "Turn it up! Turn it up!"
Uh... tracking someone with GPS?!? Not likely. GPS is a system that provides satellites in earth orbit, sending out time-stamped signals. A receiver picks up those signals from 3 or more satellites (even 4 or 5) and calculates the position from the time differences. Other sources of information, like wireless network base stations (GSM etc.) enhance accuracy. [end of very rough description]
Bottom line: GPS does not work within buildings. You need to see the sky - or to be more exact, you need a line of sight to at least 3 satellites.
Now, even if you assume that everyone is running around outside holding their cans high up over their head... the coke can would be able to find out its own position (and I'm not even convinced that there are GPS receiver small enough to fit inside a can...) That does not mean that Coca Cola will know the position of the can, because how will the can transmit it's position back to the company? Are they going to fit a cell phone into the can, too??
No, I honestly don't believe the story right now, I need to see that can first.
I don't think it's logical to pursue a virtual crime, done in a virtual world, in real life. Note that this excludes hacking a server or a user account, which has to happen in the real world, and is therefore a matter of the "real world law".
In a virtual world, the aim is - explicitly! - to create an experience not connected to real life. That's why people play online games, to escape (if you want to call it that) from real life, and do things they can't do in reality. It's the purpose and the gist of online games. So if (mis)behaviour online affects real life, you take away the basis for those games.
Just to be clear, I don't think that running around PKing everyone (exception: FPS) and using rude language is ok. But if you misbehave online, it is sufficient to be banned from a server. No need to file a lawsuit.
[...] significant blackouts within the same six month period?
My bet is on the weather this summer, at least here in Europe. Nuclear power plants had to reduce their energy output (some down to 50%) because the streams and rivers used for cooling the plant were too warm (max. temp is, iirc, 25 celsius). If a majority of the power plants had to do this, the total amount of power produced is reduced, increasing the chance for an outage...
Overall, while harsh market conditions might create "inferior products", due to budget restraints, those failings put the company in a bad light. I guess the budget for the energy infrastructure will rise in the next years.
.sig heil?
You may take the offending business to court
In theory, yes. But since many of those business are registered in some remote country, it's very hard a) to track them down and b) file a lawsuit. But even if they were in the US, it wouldn't help european users, for the same reasons.
That's ok, unless your karma runs over my cats...
So... Steam lets you play games and chat... and AOL lets you chat and play games... and IRC lets you chat and play chat based games... and Talk lets you chat, but no games...
I'm confused.
...from UT. And from "Kennedy Approach" (raise your hand if you remember, don't be too shy to admit you are old):
"Aihr Fraenks 700 -- turn -- right -- at -- VOR -- at -- four -- thousand feet -- *krsshhhROGERsshhhh*"
"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble-gum. And I'm all out of gum."
:)
Which is, IIRC, also a quote from the John Carpenter classic (1988) movie "They Live", just before Piper starts, well, to kick ass
...where you can have fun with a microwave?
:) So, toying around with a microwave can not only be fun, it can also help saving the world (or a girl).
Something like "Maniac Mansion" and "Zack McKraken"...
The benefit of board games is that you can play them with friends and family and they are relatively easy to learn. After a round or two you normally know the rules and develop basic strategies. And you have an excellent opportunity to communicate and create a sense of community. Compare this to a networked FPS: the rules are simple enough, but a new player will die faster than you can say "frag" causing massive demotivation.
:) Go wild. With Settlers of Catan, give your cards away for free (to anyone, of course). With Monopoly, try to go bankrupt as fast as possible. Bring in some humor.
;)
Of course adults need more elaborate games than children. Just rolling a die gets boring quickly, so a good games challenges you mentally (or lets you challenge the other players).
If you lose all the time, try a different style of play: try to lose from the beginning, announce it, and act accordingly
I've noticed that you will win, despite your best effords to lose. Oh, and don't overdo it. One or two rounds are fun, after that it wears off and becomes tiresome, ultimately annoying everyone else
European universities consider their 4-year degree to be equivalent to a Bachelor's AND a Master's from our Universities
;) (SCNR, please not the smiley!)
:( Some universities offer exchange programs with partner universities in other countries. Students participating in these exchange programs are usually looked after, and have a chance to meet every now and then (whether this is good or bad is another point).
No, I guess we think it's actually better
I'll drop in some info about german universities, because some aspects seem to be overlooked in the discussion. Please note that the following is NOT about which universities in which country are BETTER. It's just some background information that may help. Furthermore, it's not really a reply to the parent, but the parent mentioned several interesting and true issues that I'd like to elaborate.
After school in Germany, you basically have two choices for your study. The universities focus on research, although that focus has shifted over the last few years. The "Fachhochschulen" have a more practical approach. So if you are planning on a career in research or higher management, universities are probably the way to go. If you are looking for a "normal" job, the FHs will give you the skills and practical experiences you need.
Importing credits from foreign universities is tricky. The rules can be very strict. A major problem is that you probably had several courses on one topic (giving you very detailed, in-depth knowledge), whereas at the german university only one course was required (among several other courses covering completely differrent topics, giving you a broader perspective). So you only get credit for that one course... YMMV, of course.
I was like a fish out of water
I'm really sorry to hear that
Do it because you want to study in Europe
Excellent point. Broaden your vision. Show your employer that you are flexible, willing to visit other countries, eager to seek a challenge. That should be the focus. Don't expect that e.g. JAVA is taught better here than in the US. For factual knowledge, you can grab a book and teach yourself. Changing (or demonstrating) your values and experiences is not possible with a book.
...will a game's Internet forums ever be a source of positive publicity post-launch?
./, game reviews... On their forum, they have at least some form of control over it (I assume).
:)
With the internet being what it is, do the producers really think that closing the forum is a good move? I assume that problems and negative opinions will be voiced in other forums, wikis, product sites,
The truth is out there and everyone will know it, eventually
If you have a PDA, use a software to store the (encrypted) passwords. And make damn sure your PDA won't get stolen :)
For those really secure passwords, I look around in my office, pick a token, and use something from it as a password. Could be the ISBN number from my favourite book. Could be a book title. Could be the favourite track on a CD (or the MD5 sum of your favourite MP3). The model of your monitor. Anything. It's unlikely you will forget which token you used and what from that token you took as a password. If you really forgot, just take a look around, and you'll remember.
This assumes, of course, that there are passwords that you only need at work, and not at home (and vice versa). It's a start, though, and reduces the number of password you really need to memorize.
Players have grown accustomed to difficulty levels that are far too easy and I think it's contributing to their boredom with many games
The real topic is that games should have various difficulty settings: one for beginners, one for intermediates and one for experts. And the settings should be really different. That way, anyone can pick their favourite level of challenge. And after having played through a game on an easy level, chances are that the player will re-play the game with harder settings.
Good examples include System Shock (puzzles? shooter? your choice!), DN3D (come get some!), Quake or Civ 3. Or Grand Prix 3/4, where you could enable several stages of realism.
Also a good choice if your game has levels: first levels are easy, then become more difficult. Baldurs Gate (2) did it like that, although some parts were (for me) extremely difficult. No problem if there is a cheat. And after failing 10 times at the exact same position, I'm inclined to cheat.
So...how do you bring back a dead man?
:)
Ah, thats easy. Think "Alien 4" or "Star Wars 5"