The Spider-Man game that this article is referencing was a fun time and, for the most part, the physics and feel of flying through the air was decent. But here is what I've been thinking about for the sequel, and I think I read somewhere that these lines were being considered but I'm not sure it was going to be taken to this length.
Spider-Man meets GTA. Now this seems like a good possibility since GTA was such a huge seller and thus, a game company would like to pump out a clone. But anyway, I'd like an open ended Spidey game where you travel the city, stopping muggers, etc. And Spidey could carry a communication device, supplied by Reed Richards, that would scan the police band. Then, in the game, you could decide whether to check out the situation or let the cops handle it on their own. Here's another interesting twist: you could choose to use your powers for evil. The Daily Bugle would have photographers other than Peter on the case and if too many of your crimes are caught, then cops will start shooting you on sight. On the other hand, do enough good work and the public will love you!
Those are nice screenshots but I don't know how excited I can get about a game that's quite a ways off and wasn't even far enough along in development to be displayed at E3.
Although, multiplayer mode has me foaming at the mouth, but just a little bit. Since there's not a whole lot of information posted concernig this new Splinter Cell, here's a little poll. Which game did everyone like better Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid 2? And...which game are you more looking forward to, Metal Gear Solid 3 or Splinter Cell: Pandora?
But the CD-I was a poor gaming device. The first order of business when creating a console is to make sure it functions as a gaming device. What my point was that if it comes down to System X and System Y where X and Y are similar in their power and performance with regards to games, if X can play DVDs and mp3s but Y can't - I'm going to buy X. Now you are citing the CD-I, which was competing against the SNES and Genesis - which both did games better than the CD-I. As for the 3DO, I don't remember it doing much of anything other than playing games but maybe I'm wrong...anyway, the 3D0 was a decent machine but the pricepoint and developer support were wrong and lacking, respectively. My main point was that an extra feature or two can push the system into more homes and Nintendo's view that people just want their consoles to be consoles is, I believe, wrong. They want their consoles to play video games well but it wouldn't hurt if they could do a few other things. I believe the other reply to my post stated that some items are jack of all trades...but what I was originally trying to say is that being a master of one trade and jack off a few extra ones that aren't expected makes the end user happy even if the end user never uses those extra features. I am still stating that the most important selling points for a system are the games.
Yes, I didn't mean to suggest that unlimited copying of copyrighted works should be allowed. My thought was that if we look at how the RIAA has behaved - attacking legitimate users of distribution networks, then a library which is giving out digital copies of works that are past the copyright period, could receive those pesky cease and desist orders from an RIAA-like body. Of course now we're getting into the realm of copyright and the fact that Disney's mouse is going to be theirs forever...thus making my blood boil; so I'll stop this post here before someone has to invoke Godwin's law on me.
With all this trouble of digitizing books, when the publishers send their books to libraries - do they include digital copies? They really should. Although, I don't know if there's an RIAA equivalent in the literary world but if there is, the idea of giving a digital copy might frighten them. Librarians? Has a publisher ever mentioned digital copies that are in a non-crippled format?
" Nintendo last month indicated it sold about 2.72 million GameCube consoles worldwide in the second half, down from 3.29 million in the same period a year earlier."
Isn't that to be expected? I mean, for each generation of consoles don't all the people who are going to buy a console, buy one and then focus on buying games? Sure, you can get some new converts but that number is going to be much smaller than the number of people buying when the system is new. I remember reading an interview with someone at Sony who said they had a particular number for the year that they wanted to hit. I wonder if that number was higher or lower than the year before that.
"A game company's business strategy is either to limit the machine's functions to playing games or to target a wider range of consumers with additional functions,'' said Yorinobu Hara, who helps manage the equivalent of $970 million at Resona Asset Management Co and declined to say whether he owns Nintendo shares."
And here I think Nintendo went wrong. The more functionality you can build into the system, the better. Now I know that Sony's DVD support hasn't been the greatest from that previous article (I've never had a problem with my PS2) BUT it's a feature that people can point to as yet another reason to buy the machine. If Sony had included mp3 playback in their PS2s, I would have bought mine much sooner because something that plays mp3s, dvds, and video games sounds very appealing - even if I know that in all likelihood, I wouldn't listen to mp3s using it. And as far as the Gameboy Advance interfacing with the Gamecube: so far Nintendo hasn't sold me on it so I can understand why investors haven't been exactly captivated. The Pacman thing was a little cool BUT I don't know if it's a reason for me to go drop my money on the table for both a Gamecube and a Gameboy Advance. Since that's a game that requires at least two players to even bother with plugging the Gameboy in, how much use would I get out of it? And really, couldn't the same type of game be done using an online game? Multiple Gamecubes linked together is a great idea because I can find other people with Gamecubes but having to buy a Gamecube and a Gameboy Advance to play a game? Seems like a jump...
I've been waiting with high anticipation for the TG50. I'm a long time Palm user and looking to replace my aging Palm V. I know that I want a Clie because I've heard and read a lot of good reviews about them.
When I found out about the TG50, I immediately thought that this would be "THE" Clie for me. The price is right and the spec is pretty impressive... Palm OS 5, 200 Mhz processor, built-in keyboard, and built-in Bluetooth. Bluetooth is significant for me as I already own a Bluetooth phone and I want to do hot-sync to my PC via Bluetooth.
Last night I had my first opportunity to check out the TG50 at a local store. But in my 30 minutes of playing with it, I found several annoyances with this unit. They really bugged me and they made me change my mind about getting the TG50.
I'll warn you that my review will be negative because I'm disappointed with this model for the reasons I'll explain below. I'm *not* saying that this model is bad. This is a very capable unit that will make a lot of people happy. Unfortunately those annoyances do really bug me and I won't be happy with it.
OK, here are some of the annoyances I found:
I found that the flip cover is a bit hard to open. When the cover is closed, its edges are flush against the unit and there's no easy way to grab it with my fingers. Also because the cover is so thin, my fingers always grab both the unit and the cover at the same time, making it even more difficult to open the cover.
The TG50 doesn't have a dedicated Graffiti area. Actually this is a feature of Palm OS 5, which supports "virtual" Graffiti pad (the Graffiti pad can be shown on the screen as necessary). The other Clie models that implement this is the NX and NZ models. They have a small "soft" button on the right hand corner of the screen to show/hide the virtual Graffiti pad. I use the term "soft" button for buttons that are shown on the screen itself (as opposed to real "hard" button). On the NX and NZ, you can show/hide the Graffiti pad anytime you like.
The TG50, on the other hand, has a dedicated hard button to show/hide the virtual Graffiti pad. Immediately I found some quirks with this button.
1. Apparently Sony implements a rule that "you can show the Graffiti pad ONLY if you're currently in text mode" (i.e. with the cursor blinking). If you're not in text mode, pressing this button will give you an error message! Note that in the NX/NZ, you can display the Graffiti pad at will, regardless of whether you're in text mode or not. This is very annoying IMHO to say the least because now I cannot use Graffiti unless I'm editing text.
2. When the Graffiti pad appears on the screen, it occupies about the bottom 3/4 of the screen. The upper 1/4 area is used to show what you're editing/typing (fields, row, etc). So if you're editing a long memo for example, you see only 3 or 4 lines at a time.
3. I found it very clumsy to display/hide the Graffiti using the hard button. You're holding the stylus, then you have to press the button with your finger. Do this several times and you'll see what I mean.
4. I don't understand why but I get the impression that Sony seems to favor the keyboard than Graffiti. But then the keyboard is also hard to use. The keyboard is cramped and the keys are really close to one another and they don't have good tactile feedback when pressed. I found that the keyboard on the NX/NZ is way better.
To conclude, those are the flaws I found in my first 30 minute of using the TG50. It's a very nice package with a nice spec, but I can't stand the annoyances so I gave it 2 stars. If you're looking into buying this unit, please try it first and see if you can live with the annoyances I described.
As for me, I've decided to go with the NX60. The NX60 price has fallen and now it can be had for just a few bucks more than the TG50. I've played with the unit a lot and I haven't found anything I don't like about it.
Correct: there is probably not room in the market for four consoles. There probably isn't enough room for three consoles BUT, and here's the important point, just because there's not room for four products does not mean that a new entry in the race cannot take the place of a console already in the market. Remember when Sony was the upstart? I'm sure plenty of people who bought the Saturn when it came out thought the Playstation was not going to be around for very long. Companies who are new to the game can succeed in the market if it's a quality console with good developer support and some exclusive titles worth owning. The Atari Jaguar had none of these things AND it had that awful controller which was not designed for humans.
Quite right: this is why we, the movie-going public, need to rise up and demand that these kickbacks be passed along to the end user. If Intel wants me to watch their commercial within the movie, I will require a quarter. I don't even need the quarter, the theatre can just subtract it from my ticket price. Here's an idea: a megaplex that shows the regular run of the mill Hollywood movies but before they are shown, commercial images are branded onto them locally. Of course, digital film would make this much more possible. Anyway, Tom's Local Chicken Shack can pay the local theatre some money to have their commercial within the movie and because of this added profit, the theatre can charge less per movie. For instance, if there are five adverts within a film, my ticket is discounted at some factor times five. What a great idea! Oh, but I think this type of editing is illegal under the DMCA...
Camping isn't cheating. It's poor playmanship but it's not a "cheat" in that you are given an unfair advantage in the way that this article is talking about.
Yeah, it's surprising that nothing is being mentioned about NFL 2K4. I'm sure it must have been at E3 - Madden 2004 certainly has been pushed by EA so Sega should be doing the same thing 2K4. There's an article here with a features list that looks like it came straight from the Sega PR department but it's confirmation of the existence of 2K4, at the very least.
Also, it's noted that NFL 2K4 is being listed as coming out on both the PS2 and the XBox. I know there had been rumors that 2K4 would become an XBox exclusive - I guess that's either not going to happen or Microsoft hasn't signed the check yet.
The real question is whether or not I can be playing two different games on the same subscription at the same time. Probably Sony wouldn't want this but it would make a nice family plan if one of the kids could be playing online in one room while the other was playing online in a different.
Insert obligatory 'people should spend more time talking to each other in real life and less time playing video games' paragraph here. Throw in a bit at the end about enjoying the beautiful weather with the ones you love.
I don't know if I agree that it will matter. If I'm considering buying a console and weighing my options between the XBox and the PS2, a 9% difference isn't going to be a huge consideration. I'd be much more apt to look at game libraries, support, and expected lifetime of the system.
If I were already willing to spend $180, I don't think $20 more is going to sway me a lot. Maybe you're right - I'm talking from my own personal vantage point. I just didn't think that consumers were so fixated on price and saving that extra few bucks that they'd make it the only consideration.
Why did I buy a PS2? GTA III. Why haven't I bought an XBox? There's no killer game that I feel I need to have and can't get anywhere else. Why am I heavily considering buying a Gamecube? Zelda. My train of thought keeps the price point firmly at the back. I mean, all three consoles are in the same general price zone so I don't think the differences make it a significant selling point.
But Microsoft must have people who analyze the market and I guess they've determined I am completely wrong and that $20 is a big deal.
from Slashdot.org: "confirmed exclusives for Playstation 2 are both Metal Gear Solid 3:Snake Eater, and the 'next Grand Theft Auto title', although we don't know anything more about the new GTA yet."
So, yeah, Vice City and III will be showing up on the Cube and XBox but the newest GTA is going to be another PS2 exclusive. I'm considering buying a Gamecube so I can play Zelda and Metroid, maybe later this summer.
Why haven't I heard of True Crime? I better go check ign for this. Is it a Gamecube only game?
First off, the network adapter as part of the package is great news for those of us who already have a network adapter. Sony's online plan has been a bit unfocused and it's good to see that they're starting to get things together.
The commitment made from EA Sports basically means that if you want the best sports games, you need a PS2. Online gameplay is becoming fundamental to sports games and I fully expect this to drive some people to the PS2.
Any time anyone mentions a new GTA, I get excited. Vice City was one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played and a nice improvement over GTA 3 - another great game - so I expect a good effort for GTA 4 and not just a tired rehash.
But maybe I can see your point. The announcements of games wasn't anything new and it seems like your bent is towards different genres than mine. Although, deep network adapter market penetration means more and more games will be going online, which is good for people who like any genre.
To me, the most satisfying experience in an arcade is pumping a dollar into Lethal Enforcers and gunning through the game with both guns blazing. I don't know why a company didn't release a game that used two guns for a single player by design. Sure, you don't get twice the quarters from the people who already play these games that way BUT I don't think that many people are playing that way. But anyway, I'm getting off topic here - yeah, two guns at the same time rule. I've heard it described as John Woo-style so I think Sega has the right guy here. Did they release any details about whether this is going to be a company supervising console games or arcade machines? Does anyone still make arcade machines that don't involve dancing?
Exactly the reason I haven't purchased Episode I or II (ignoring the fact that they were mediocre movies at best); I want to own the entire collection in a nice little package. Of course, this is a case for digital delivery of products that obviously should be done this way. Think about it, buy the initial release and then when all ten special editions are released over the next two years, you just download the updates for a nominal fee. Consumer is happy!
Exactly the reason why it won't happen. Why sell the consumer one product and update it when you can sell the consumer almost the same product ten times. But, you know, in a perfect world and whatnot...
I think the Detroit Free Press must have gotten it wrong. I believe Lucas originally had a general idea of a nine story sequence but he's since said, in many places and it has been widely reported, that only six will be made.
Well, you're right - Episodes I and II were disappointments. As much as I wanted to enjoy them the way I enjoyed IV - VI, I couldn't. That being said, some artists only have a few great works in them. I think it might be safe to assume that Lucas has used up his stock so at least he's pushing the technology so that future teams will have digital film as the standard, rather than the costly alternative. It seems clear that Lucas has lost his vision and that when I think of Star Wars, it will only be IV - VI, but perhaps someday when the copyright period is over, some kid will create a new Star Wars film that rivals Empire; oh wait...copyright extends infinitely thanks to Congress and Disney now; my bad.
I believe the article is making reference to how to create a movie that will be appreciated by the masses. The majority of movie-goers don't need that much plot as evidenced by the majority of swill that gets released and does well at the box office and the quality films that can barely make a profit because they're a bit too "talky."
Third, all those requests would be coming from one IP address.
If I were going to take the time to create this type of script (or simply make it a distributed project where people submit sites that allow for junk mail to be produced and build an entire directory - not time consuming at all) why wouldn't I just use some MS Outlook exploit to have the attacks come from a number of nodes? Again, it's not neccescarily easy to get the project up and running but once it is, targets are a simple matter.
And you prove my point that this is not limited to just spammers. There is a certain amount of ironic justice in sending spam to a spammer but any figure that becomes infamous has a large number of people upset with him or her and thus, could bring this type of attack upon him.
How are blogs being identified as opposted to non-blog pages? I can see how newsgroups could be moved to a separate search but blogs aren't easily identifiable. Will Google rely on bloggers to identify their sites to Google? I suppose that could work as the article states that bloggers want to legitimize what they do through such a move as Google is approaching.
I also like the analogy made by the article to the voting system where a page votes for a topic: an expert site on turtles voting for turtles once a day every year vs. a blog mentioning turtles once in that same period leads to the expert site winning.
But don't you see that the target of the current attack isn't always going to be the same. There is no reason that this DoS attack must be directed at spammers and spammers only. And the reason the spammer has brought this attack on himself is by upsetting a great number of people. Now, as the article mentions, a script which would simulate the large number of people could be written so that one person could launch the attack and sign a single person up for a huge amount of junk mail. So, basically - if you, as a non-spammer, upset someone with a modest amount of technical saavy, it could lead to the same type of DoS attack that this spammer is enduring.
There is no reason that only a spammer could be attacked in such a manner.
Slashdot Mirror
Spider-Man meets GTA. Now this seems like a good possibility since GTA was such a huge seller and thus, a game company would like to pump out a clone. But anyway, I'd like an open ended Spidey game where you travel the city, stopping muggers, etc. And Spidey could carry a communication device, supplied by Reed Richards, that would scan the police band. Then, in the game, you could decide whether to check out the situation or let the cops handle it on their own. Here's another interesting twist: you could choose to use your powers for evil. The Daily Bugle would have photographers other than Peter on the case and if too many of your crimes are caught, then cops will start shooting you on sight. On the other hand, do enough good work and the public will love you!
Done right, this game could be GREAT.
Although, multiplayer mode has me foaming at the mouth, but just a little bit. Since there's not a whole lot of information posted concernig this new Splinter Cell, here's a little poll. Which game did everyone like better Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid 2? And...which game are you more looking forward to, Metal Gear Solid 3 or Splinter Cell: Pandora?
But the CD-I was a poor gaming device. The first order of business when creating a console is to make sure it functions as a gaming device. What my point was that if it comes down to System X and System Y where X and Y are similar in their power and performance with regards to games, if X can play DVDs and mp3s but Y can't - I'm going to buy X. Now you are citing the CD-I, which was competing against the SNES and Genesis - which both did games better than the CD-I. As for the 3DO, I don't remember it doing much of anything other than playing games but maybe I'm wrong...anyway, the 3D0 was a decent machine but the pricepoint and developer support were wrong and lacking, respectively. My main point was that an extra feature or two can push the system into more homes and Nintendo's view that people just want their consoles to be consoles is, I believe, wrong. They want their consoles to play video games well but it wouldn't hurt if they could do a few other things. I believe the other reply to my post stated that some items are jack of all trades...but what I was originally trying to say is that being a master of one trade and jack off a few extra ones that aren't expected makes the end user happy even if the end user never uses those extra features. I am still stating that the most important selling points for a system are the games.
Yes, I didn't mean to suggest that unlimited copying of copyrighted works should be allowed. My thought was that if we look at how the RIAA has behaved - attacking legitimate users of distribution networks, then a library which is giving out digital copies of works that are past the copyright period, could receive those pesky cease and desist orders from an RIAA-like body. Of course now we're getting into the realm of copyright and the fact that Disney's mouse is going to be theirs forever...thus making my blood boil; so I'll stop this post here before someone has to invoke Godwin's law on me.
With all this trouble of digitizing books, when the publishers send their books to libraries - do they include digital copies? They really should. Although, I don't know if there's an RIAA equivalent in the literary world but if there is, the idea of giving a digital copy might frighten them. Librarians? Has a publisher ever mentioned digital copies that are in a non-crippled format?
When I found out about the TG50, I immediately thought that this would be "THE" Clie for me. The price is right and the spec is pretty impressive... Palm OS 5, 200 Mhz processor, built-in keyboard, and built-in Bluetooth. Bluetooth is significant for me as I already own a Bluetooth phone and I want to do hot-sync to my PC via Bluetooth.
Last night I had my first opportunity to check out the TG50 at a local store. But in my 30 minutes of playing with it, I found several annoyances with this unit. They really bugged me and they made me change my mind about getting the TG50.
I'll warn you that my review will be negative because I'm disappointed with this model for the reasons I'll explain below. I'm *not* saying that this model is bad. This is a very capable unit that will make a lot of people happy. Unfortunately those annoyances do really bug me and I won't be happy with it.
OK, here are some of the annoyances I found:
I found that the flip cover is a bit hard to open. When the cover is closed, its edges are flush against the unit and there's no easy way to grab it with my fingers. Also because the cover is so thin, my fingers always grab both the unit and the cover at the same time, making it even more difficult to open the cover.
The TG50 doesn't have a dedicated Graffiti area. Actually this is a feature of Palm OS 5, which supports "virtual" Graffiti pad (the Graffiti pad can be shown on the screen as necessary). The other Clie models that implement this is the NX and NZ models. They have a small "soft" button on the right hand corner of the screen to show/hide the virtual Graffiti pad. I use the term "soft" button for buttons that are shown on the screen itself (as opposed to real "hard" button). On the NX and NZ, you can show/hide the Graffiti pad anytime you like.
The TG50, on the other hand, has a dedicated hard button to show/hide the virtual Graffiti pad. Immediately I found some quirks with this button.
1. Apparently Sony implements a rule that "you can show the Graffiti pad ONLY if you're currently in text mode" (i.e. with the cursor blinking). If you're not in text mode, pressing this button will give you an error message! Note that in the NX/NZ, you can display the Graffiti pad at will, regardless of whether you're in text mode or not. This is very annoying IMHO to say the least because now I cannot use Graffiti unless I'm editing text.
2. When the Graffiti pad appears on the screen, it occupies about the bottom 3/4 of the screen. The upper 1/4 area is used to show what you're editing/typing (fields, row, etc). So if you're editing a long memo for example, you see only 3 or 4 lines at a time.
3. I found it very clumsy to display/hide the Graffiti using the hard button. You're holding the stylus, then you have to press the button with your finger. Do this several times and you'll see what I mean.
4. I don't understand why but I get the impression that Sony seems to favor the keyboard than Graffiti. But then the keyboard is also hard to use. The keyboard is cramped and the keys are really close to one another and they don't have good tactile feedback when pressed. I found that the keyboard on the NX/NZ is way better.
To conclude, those are the flaws I found in my first 30 minute of using the TG50. It's a very nice package with a nice spec, but I can't stand the annoyances so I gave it 2 stars. If you're looking into buying this unit, please try it first and see if you can live with the annoyances I described.
As for me, I've decided to go with the NX60. The NX60 price has fallen and now it can be had for just a few bucks more than the TG50. I've played with the unit a lot and I haven't found anything I don't like about it.
Correct: there is probably not room in the market for four consoles. There probably isn't enough room for three consoles BUT, and here's the important point, just because there's not room for four products does not mean that a new entry in the race cannot take the place of a console already in the market. Remember when Sony was the upstart? I'm sure plenty of people who bought the Saturn when it came out thought the Playstation was not going to be around for very long. Companies who are new to the game can succeed in the market if it's a quality console with good developer support and some exclusive titles worth owning. The Atari Jaguar had none of these things AND it had that awful controller which was not designed for humans.
Quite right: this is why we, the movie-going public, need to rise up and demand that these kickbacks be passed along to the end user. If Intel wants me to watch their commercial within the movie, I will require a quarter. I don't even need the quarter, the theatre can just subtract it from my ticket price. Here's an idea: a megaplex that shows the regular run of the mill Hollywood movies but before they are shown, commercial images are branded onto them locally. Of course, digital film would make this much more possible. Anyway, Tom's Local Chicken Shack can pay the local theatre some money to have their commercial within the movie and because of this added profit, the theatre can charge less per movie. For instance, if there are five adverts within a film, my ticket is discounted at some factor times five. What a great idea! Oh, but I think this type of editing is illegal under the DMCA...
Camping isn't cheating. It's poor playmanship but it's not a "cheat" in that you are given an unfair advantage in the way that this article is talking about.
Also, it's noted that NFL 2K4 is being listed as coming out on both the PS2 and the XBox. I know there had been rumors that 2K4 would become an XBox exclusive - I guess that's either not going to happen or Microsoft hasn't signed the check yet.
I'd post this AC but someone on my subnet has been misbehaving and I can't post annonymously.
Insert obligatory 'people should spend more time talking to each other in real life and less time playing video games' paragraph here. Throw in a bit at the end about enjoying the beautiful weather with the ones you love.
If I were already willing to spend $180, I don't think $20 more is going to sway me a lot. Maybe you're right - I'm talking from my own personal vantage point. I just didn't think that consumers were so fixated on price and saving that extra few bucks that they'd make it the only consideration.
Why did I buy a PS2? GTA III. Why haven't I bought an XBox? There's no killer game that I feel I need to have and can't get anywhere else. Why am I heavily considering buying a Gamecube? Zelda. My train of thought keeps the price point firmly at the back. I mean, all three consoles are in the same general price zone so I don't think the differences make it a significant selling point.
But Microsoft must have people who analyze the market and I guess they've determined I am completely wrong and that $20 is a big deal.
So, yeah, Vice City and III will be showing up on the Cube and XBox but the newest GTA is going to be another PS2 exclusive. I'm considering buying a Gamecube so I can play Zelda and Metroid, maybe later this summer.
Why haven't I heard of True Crime? I better go check ign for this. Is it a Gamecube only game?
First off, the network adapter as part of the package is great news for those of us who already have a network adapter. Sony's online plan has been a bit unfocused and it's good to see that they're starting to get things together.
The commitment made from EA Sports basically means that if you want the best sports games, you need a PS2. Online gameplay is becoming fundamental to sports games and I fully expect this to drive some people to the PS2.
Any time anyone mentions a new GTA, I get excited. Vice City was one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played and a nice improvement over GTA 3 - another great game - so I expect a good effort for GTA 4 and not just a tired rehash.
But maybe I can see your point. The announcements of games wasn't anything new and it seems like your bent is towards different genres than mine. Although, deep network adapter market penetration means more and more games will be going online, which is good for people who like any genre.
Exactly the reason why it won't happen. Why sell the consumer one product and update it when you can sell the consumer almost the same product ten times. But, you know, in a perfect world and whatnot...
I think the Detroit Free Press must have gotten it wrong. I believe Lucas originally had a general idea of a nine story sequence but he's since said, in many places and it has been widely reported, that only six will be made.
Well, you're right - Episodes I and II were disappointments. As much as I wanted to enjoy them the way I enjoyed IV - VI, I couldn't. That being said, some artists only have a few great works in them. I think it might be safe to assume that Lucas has used up his stock so at least he's pushing the technology so that future teams will have digital film as the standard, rather than the costly alternative. It seems clear that Lucas has lost his vision and that when I think of Star Wars, it will only be IV - VI, but perhaps someday when the copyright period is over, some kid will create a new Star Wars film that rivals Empire; oh wait...copyright extends infinitely thanks to Congress and Disney now; my bad.
I believe the article is making reference to how to create a movie that will be appreciated by the masses. The majority of movie-goers don't need that much plot as evidenced by the majority of swill that gets released and does well at the box office and the quality films that can barely make a profit because they're a bit too "talky."
And you prove my point that this is not limited to just spammers. There is a certain amount of ironic justice in sending spam to a spammer but any figure that becomes infamous has a large number of people upset with him or her and thus, could bring this type of attack upon him.
I also like the analogy made by the article to the voting system where a page votes for a topic: an expert site on turtles voting for turtles once a day every year vs. a blog mentioning turtles once in that same period leads to the expert site winning.
There is no reason that only a spammer could be attacked in such a manner.