My Favorite Quest was to get the Four Ingredients for an Evil Spell so that a rich frog could take over the world:
1. Four hairs from a Yeti
2. A piece of the London Fog Monster
3. Two feathers from a Vampire Duck
4. A twig from a witch's broom
While I did not vote for Nader ever, I am appalled by your attitude.
Here is some food for thought: If every fool who "reluctantly voted for Kerry" actually read up on third party candidates and voted for said candidates, we might not have Bush in Office. We might still have Bush in office. Regardless, a strong message would be sent to DC saying "We're not relunctantly voting for your candidates anymore, so you'll have to start presenting some real candidates."
Oddly enough, how many of the previous attacks on our children in our schools have been made by these tens of thousands of trained Islamofascist terrorists or those who support them? It usually seems to be done by a fellow American that has no ties to Islam.
The problem I and many others have is that we are pretty sure that even if the government had all the data mining capabilities in the world, a large terrorist organization will still find a flaw in the system and abuse it. The issue is not that we don't have enough information. The issue is that most of our governmental systems and security as a whole are lacking even the most basic competence. The overall end result? There are fights on what should be held private and what should not be while a larger issue is appears to be left ignored.
For every possible scenario you can produce on what might happen if we don't infringe more on everyone's privacy, I can produce actual situations where security (be it government or private) is particularily negligent and can let through a terrorist attack without issue right now.
Does this mean when the next X-Box comes out, there won't be 5 billion "news" pieces about the X-Box? It really annoys me when news channels make "news specials" that are really just additional commercials for a product.
Hopefully Sony won't make a similar partnership, as I'm sure they'd do the same for their next generation Playstation.
"We must unite with the proletariat of all the capitalist countries, with the proletariat of Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and all other capitalist countries, before it is possible to overthrow imperialism, to liberate our nation and people, and to liberate the other nations and peoples of the world."
A political leader who insists that other nations must be liberated from their evil governments...where have I seen speeches like this recently?
And it doesn't stop there. Many Americans want to sacrifice many freedoms for their safety. Right now China, in terms of tourism, is often ranked the MOST safe nation in the world. They don't, however, have as many freedoms as we do.
While America certainly has more freedoms than China and one can still easily contrast between the two nations, it appears the similarities between the two governments are increasing.
I've got news for you. One of the main drops in midtown Manhattan was completely inept at handling the blackout. They only had enough power to run either the equipment or the Air Conditioning, so they decided to run the equipment. Surely enough, everything came up for a good 2 hours or so, but then everything fried due to overheating and overall, out of all the carriers the company I work for utilize, Verizon took the longest to get back online.
I've worked with many carriers, and Verizon is quite possibly the worst. Even their account representatives don't seem to care. With their current level of quality of service, I am baffled at how they turn a profit.
I walked down from the 40th floor of 1WTC on 9/11.
I am trying to marry a non-American.
I have been personally affected by both terrorism and the government's response to terrorism. I'll leave it to you to guess if I've been affected positively or negatively.
High Schools are still not even touching how one can handle and manage their own finances. They preach they're preparing people for the real world, yet most kids have no idea how to live inside a budget, manage wealth, etc.
How to handle money is a critical skill that almost eveyone needs. How cooking, shop, phsycial education, etc can be forced onto every student, yet there is no financial training whatsoever is mind-boggling.
Re:Is it still only for people without a life?
on
Everquest 2 Launches
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
See, this is what I don't get. If it took a real time year to get from level 1 to 50, but I was going on real adventures, doing real quests, affecting the gaming world, etc, I wouldn't mind... because I was having fun doing it.
If the game isn't going to be fun unless you're leveling, why waste so much of your time?
Honestly, the way 3e plays, I constantly feel like I have fallen into some terrible video game. Something about a GM asking me to roll a die to see if I convinced someone or not feels forced.
I honestly can't stand the new sorceror or monk classes, and I have a hard time picturing dwarven mages. I feel 2e had more depth in story and less "here's some BS story to make the game mechanics work out". I do like some changes in 3e, but when I get to choose between the two and the DM has some experience, I prefer 2e. To each his/her own.
Off topic, yes, but how many people here think the Daily Show will have infinite material after tonight's debates? The Puppet comments alone could be used to make a miniseries.
To both candidates:
Recently there have been multiple efforts in the form of laws to stifle technology to prevent the chance of potential (not real) copyright infringement. Additionally, the length of copyrights has been extended to the point that most works will never be seen in the public domain. As we, the United States of America, continue to stifle innovation with laws and other countries such as China operate without such restrictions, are we dooming ourselves to being the number 2, 3, or lower technological superpower in the world?
"the Bush administration has opposed the introduction of enforced cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions and has refused to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol."
Now to me, this is a way to show Bush in a bad light, because he won't sign the Kyoto Protocol; however,
"a Kerry-Edwards administration will not sign up to the Kyoto Protocol, partly because the short-term goals are unfeasible, says Devona Dolliole, a spokeswoman for the campaign."
So the difference is: Bush flatout won't sign up to the Kyoto Protocol while Kerry won't because it's not feasible. I don't see how this as "Contrasting" the two politicians.
Even funnier still is that people think these politicians will actually do what they say. Heck, for Bush (being his second term), he could say "I will sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and make it even more expensive for developed countries" without consequence (besides losing the funding of some oil companies and car manufacturers).
Emissions should be controlled at the state level first. California is taking new initiatives to make the emissions guidelines for automobiles even more stringent than they already are, affecting automobile manufacturing. As California takes the lead, other states can follow. It's like an Alpha phase, then a Beta, and finally all the states can adopt over time. Now I know Bush definitely did nothing to see if this was possible within states he had power, but does anyone know if Kerry did with Massachusetts? (I'm from MA and nothing comes to mind, but I could be wrong)If he didn't, I'll take his current stance as "what can I do to get more votes" and not "what I actually believe in"
NOTE: I am a fan of neither candidate. I would have much rather seen Nader's and Badnarik's comments next to these questions.
AP Tests are a joke. One or two may get transferred, but on the whole, spending a huge amount of time on them is a waste.
So you apply to colleges using your GPA and class rank up to and including your Junior Year, meaning that keeping a high class rank senior Year is unimportant unless you want to go up and make a pretty speech?
What do you do? I know in MA there is a loophole in their rules that pretty much lets anyone with at least a 3.2 GPA attend a State College for classes instead of High School. "So what?" you may ask "The colleges I'm applying to won't accept Programming Class college credit because I went to some silly state school." I would agree with you. Instead of taking programming classes, figure out what liberal arts / non-technical electives the schools you are applying to require you to take, and take those at the college. I went to a State School my senior year, loaded up on English, History, and Poli Sci classes, and transferred all of them to the Engineering school I attended. With the free time gained from this, I was able to get a Bachelor's in Engineering and a MIS at the same time.
And there you have it. Apparently, piracy is capitalism. Just another form of "competition." Not paying for something is capitalism. And if you believe in paying for the CD at the store and not getting for free, you don't believe in capitalism. Again, the mind boggles, but this deserves further examination.
Apparently, you do not understand capitalism. Funny thing about it is that if any product ends up costing the consumer and exhorbant amount more than their perceived value of the product, the more consumers will likely steal/copyright infringe said product. It's not a matter of "morality", as capitalism and morality have nothing to do with each other.
Additionally, many stores I once bought CD's from had all titles available to me at $11.99 or less (in America) about 8 years ago. CD's have not reached those prices at these stores in ages (and I know people who work there, and the reason for inflated prices is not because of the store looking to make a larger profit).
And when this new broadcast flag "technology" comes out, how many weeks do you think it will take for some one to find a way to circumvent it?
Meanwhile, to appease this silly laws, extra software/hardware solutions will have to be added to new recording equipment, likely raising prices for a lost cause.
The problem is, your number 1 reason kicks in the second one of your competitors outsources some of its labor and is able to offer whatever product/service you are offering for much (or even a little) less, unless you can come up with another clever way to cut costs within a short period of time.
As many people are still wanting the wife/husband, 2.3 kids, a dog/cat, 2 cars, a TV, home theatre, good computer (maybe 2), etc, goods and services will have to remain relatively inexpensive.
Now add in health insurance for the family, dental insurance, minumum wages, retirement matching, etc etc that a company has to setup for its labor in American, and you'll see that goods and services cannot be inexpensive if made in America. The cost of labor is too high here if we are to guarantee cheap goods and services.
It's an interesting paradox: In order to keep prices reasonable for a middle class, a majority of the labor needs to be paid at or just above the poverty line...which would theoretically remove the middle class.
So what should we do? In my eyes you either make wages worth more to the people (ie lower taxes) so you can offer less, or you cut down the overhead cost of labor (ie have the government install laws against frivolous malpractice lawsuits to reduce health insurance costs).
Right. "Independent thinking" is encouraged in the classroom. Maybe you went to a private school, or you had one or two teachers that gave a damn, but for the most part, K-12's job is to keep you educated enough to buy into whatever marketing is thrown your way (be it commercial, political, whatever) and steer you clear of independent thinking. The job of public schools is to keep you in the "awkward" (child-like in maturity and responsibility, but in that perfect phase where the majority of people's one desire is to fit in) phase as long as possible. Doing this makes you the most susceptible to much of the marketing done today. "Buy this car and you'll fit in!", "Buy this T shirt that costs 30 bucks because a designer name is on it and you'll fit in!", and many others come to mind. Very little has to deal with independent thinking.
While I think in college many people's independent thinking is praised and nurtured, I do not see such practices done in the K-12 (the exceptions are of course the motivated teacher, but unfortunately they seem few and far between).
Hell, intelligence in general is shunned in the public schools in America. My girlfriend (from Sichuan, China) and I were watching TV one night, and she noticed every show about the school years was based mostly on social status. She asked me "Doesn't your academic standing determine how popular you are?"
I think the rigid testing of the Asian culture does have its drawbacks, but at least their culture praises academics at the parental, teacher, and peer social levels(Disclaimer: My girlfriend hasn't been in High School for many years and she did only attend one of many schools in China, but she did insist that this was common across China).
A hero? A hero would indicate that an individual player means something. Most of the MMORPG'S ( I dare say all) does nothing to make you feel like a hero. You just kill things that will eventually come back. The only reward is an item to help you kill something bigger. Any resemblence to a plot in these games is truly laughable, and half the time it contradicts another plot in the game (while the other half makes no sense it all).
But the problem at large is not usually the game designers alone: it's the players too. If everyone only cares about getting the bigger hammer to bonk the bigger mole, then to keep subscriptions and sales up, the designers will cater to the masses. If you do not cater to the masses, you do not earn as much of a profit as the other companies that do, and then your management says "You're not meeting our expectations". It's an ugly cycle. Similar to how much of america watches reality tv, despite the fact that most of it is garbage. Would you put on a quality show that could only produce a fraction of the ratings of Survivor?
1) This award was more for the music of the whole trilogy. They said it was for the film, but these rewards were saved up for the trilogy.
2) A Mighty Wind had better songs, but honestly the music for "The Triplets of Bellville", especially the piece in the club where the old ladies improvise with a newspaper, a vacuum cleaner, and an old refrigerator, blew away the competition. I was sad to see Triplets not get any awards. C'est la vie.
When Hillary Clinton was running for Senator, I received multiple spam messages in my hotmail account telling me to vote for her.
The true irony? The picture of her attached to the email was her surrounded by a community of african americans. I am 100% irish and not of african american lineage. Interesting ad.
Yeah. I was that guy during 9/11. Except, I wasn't a ham; I just had a blackberry pager. So while both pay phones and cell phones weren't working, I sent out many emails via my pager so that many people knew their loved ones weren't dead. What instance are you referring to where EVERY other system is down?
Slashdot Mirror
My Favorite Quest was to get the Four Ingredients for an Evil Spell so that a rich frog could take over the world:
1. Four hairs from a Yeti
2. A piece of the London Fog Monster
3. Two feathers from a Vampire Duck
4. A twig from a witch's broom
While I did not vote for Nader ever, I am appalled by your attitude.
Here is some food for thought: If every fool who "reluctantly voted for Kerry" actually read up on third party candidates and voted for said candidates, we might not have Bush in Office. We might still have Bush in office. Regardless, a strong message would be sent to DC saying "We're not relunctantly voting for your candidates anymore, so you'll have to start presenting some real candidates."
Oddly enough, how many of the previous attacks on our children in our schools have been made by these tens of thousands of trained Islamofascist terrorists or those who support them? It usually seems to be done by a fellow American that has no ties to Islam.
The problem I and many others have is that we are pretty sure that even if the government had all the data mining capabilities in the world, a large terrorist organization will still find a flaw in the system and abuse it. The issue is not that we don't have enough information. The issue is that most of our governmental systems and security as a whole are lacking even the most basic competence. The overall end result? There are fights on what should be held private and what should not be while a larger issue is appears to be left ignored.
For every possible scenario you can produce on what might happen if we don't infringe more on everyone's privacy, I can produce actual situations where security (be it government or private) is particularily negligent and can let through a terrorist attack without issue right now.
Does this mean when the next X-Box comes out, there won't be 5 billion "news" pieces about the X-Box? It really annoys me when news channels make "news specials" that are really just additional commercials for a product.
Hopefully Sony won't make a similar partnership, as I'm sure they'd do the same for their next generation Playstation.
"We must unite with the proletariat of all the capitalist countries, with the proletariat of Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and all other capitalist countries, before it is possible to overthrow imperialism, to liberate our nation and people, and to liberate the other nations and peoples of the world."
A political leader who insists that other nations must be liberated from their evil governments...where have I seen speeches like this recently?
And it doesn't stop there. Many Americans want to sacrifice many freedoms for their safety. Right now China, in terms of tourism, is often ranked the MOST safe nation in the world. They don't, however, have as many freedoms as we do.
While America certainly has more freedoms than China and one can still easily contrast between the two nations, it appears the similarities between the two governments are increasing.
I completely agree with you, and this explains why whenever I call myself I get a busy signal.
I've got news for you. One of the main drops in midtown Manhattan was completely inept at handling the blackout. They only had enough power to run either the equipment or the Air Conditioning, so they decided to run the equipment. Surely enough, everything came up for a good 2 hours or so, but then everything fried due to overheating and overall, out of all the carriers the company I work for utilize, Verizon took the longest to get back online .
I've worked with many carriers, and Verizon is quite possibly the worst. Even their account representatives don't seem to care. With their current level of quality of service, I am baffled at how they turn a profit.
I walked down from the 40th floor of 1WTC on 9/11.
I am trying to marry a non-American.
I have been personally affected by both terrorism and the government's response to terrorism. I'll leave it to you to guess if I've been affected positively or negatively.
High Schools are still not even touching how one can handle and manage their own finances. They preach they're preparing people for the real world, yet most kids have no idea how to live inside a budget, manage wealth, etc. How to handle money is a critical skill that almost eveyone needs. How cooking, shop, phsycial education, etc can be forced onto every student, yet there is no financial training whatsoever is mind-boggling.
See, this is what I don't get. If it took a real time year to get from level 1 to 50, but I was going on real adventures, doing real quests, affecting the gaming world, etc, I wouldn't mind... because I was having fun doing it.
If the game isn't going to be fun unless you're leveling, why waste so much of your time?
Honestly, the way 3e plays, I constantly feel like I have fallen into some terrible video game. Something about a GM asking me to roll a die to see if I convinced someone or not feels forced.
I honestly can't stand the new sorceror or monk classes, and I have a hard time picturing dwarven mages. I feel 2e had more depth in story and less "here's some BS story to make the game mechanics work out". I do like some changes in 3e, but when I get to choose between the two and the DM has some experience, I prefer 2e. To each his/her own.
Off topic, yes, but how many people here think the Daily Show will have infinite material after tonight's debates? The Puppet comments alone could be used to make a miniseries.
To both candidates:
Recently there have been multiple efforts in the form of laws to stifle technology to prevent the chance of potential (not real) copyright infringement. Additionally, the length of copyrights has been extended to the point that most works will never be seen in the public domain. As we, the United States of America, continue to stifle innovation with laws and other countries such as China operate without such restrictions, are we dooming ourselves to being the number 2, 3, or lower technological superpower in the world?
"the Bush administration has opposed the introduction of enforced cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions and has refused to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol."
Now to me, this is a way to show Bush in a bad light, because he won't sign the Kyoto Protocol; however,
"a Kerry-Edwards administration will not sign up to the Kyoto Protocol, partly because the short-term goals are unfeasible, says Devona Dolliole, a spokeswoman for the campaign."
So the difference is: Bush flatout won't sign up to the Kyoto Protocol while Kerry won't because it's not feasible. I don't see how this as "Contrasting" the two politicians.
Even funnier still is that people think these politicians will actually do what they say. Heck, for Bush (being his second term), he could say "I will sign up to the Kyoto Protocol and make it even more expensive for developed countries" without consequence (besides losing the funding of some oil companies and car manufacturers).
Emissions should be controlled at the state level first. California is taking new initiatives to make the emissions guidelines for automobiles even more stringent than they already are, affecting automobile manufacturing. As California takes the lead, other states can follow. It's like an Alpha phase, then a Beta, and finally all the states can adopt over time. Now I know Bush definitely did nothing to see if this was possible within states he had power, but does anyone know if Kerry did with Massachusetts? (I'm from MA and nothing comes to mind, but I could be wrong)If he didn't, I'll take his current stance as "what can I do to get more votes" and not "what I actually believe in"
NOTE: I am a fan of neither candidate. I would have much rather seen Nader's and Badnarik's comments next to these questions.
AP Tests are a joke. One or two may get transferred, but on the whole, spending a huge amount of time on them is a waste. So you apply to colleges using your GPA and class rank up to and including your Junior Year, meaning that keeping a high class rank senior Year is unimportant unless you want to go up and make a pretty speech?
What do you do? I know in MA there is a loophole in their rules that pretty much lets anyone with at least a 3.2 GPA attend a State College for classes instead of High School. "So what?" you may ask "The colleges I'm applying to won't accept Programming Class college credit because I went to some silly state school." I would agree with you. Instead of taking programming classes, figure out what liberal arts / non-technical electives the schools you are applying to require you to take, and take those at the college. I went to a State School my senior year, loaded up on English, History, and Poli Sci classes, and transferred all of them to the Engineering school I attended. With the free time gained from this, I was able to get a Bachelor's in Engineering and a MIS at the same time.
Know the system and outsmart it.
And there you have it. Apparently, piracy is capitalism. Just another form of "competition." Not paying for something is capitalism. And if you believe in paying for the CD at the store and not getting for free, you don't believe in capitalism. Again, the mind boggles, but this deserves further examination.
Apparently, you do not understand capitalism. Funny thing about it is that if any product ends up costing the consumer and exhorbant amount more than their perceived value of the product, the more consumers will likely steal/copyright infringe said product. It's not a matter of "morality", as capitalism and morality have nothing to do with each other.
In fact, Sony recognizes piracy as a competitive force.
Additionally, many stores I once bought CD's from had all titles available to me at $11.99 or less (in America) about 8 years ago. CD's have not reached those prices at these stores in ages (and I know people who work there, and the reason for inflated prices is not because of the store looking to make a larger profit).
And when this new broadcast flag "technology" comes out, how many weeks do you think it will take for some one to find a way to circumvent it?
Meanwhile, to appease this silly laws, extra software/hardware solutions will have to be added to new recording equipment, likely raising prices for a lost cause.
The problem is, your number 1 reason kicks in the second one of your competitors outsources some of its labor and is able to offer whatever product/service you are offering for much (or even a little) less, unless you can come up with another clever way to cut costs within a short period of time.
As many people are still wanting the wife/husband, 2.3 kids, a dog/cat, 2 cars, a TV, home theatre, good computer (maybe 2), etc, goods and services will have to remain relatively inexpensive.
Now add in health insurance for the family, dental insurance, minumum wages, retirement matching, etc etc that a company has to setup for its labor in American, and you'll see that goods and services cannot be inexpensive if made in America. The cost of labor is too high here if we are to guarantee cheap goods and services.
It's an interesting paradox: In order to keep prices reasonable for a middle class, a majority of the labor needs to be paid at or just above the poverty line...which would theoretically remove the middle class.
So what should we do? In my eyes you either make wages worth more to the people (ie lower taxes) so you can offer less, or you cut down the overhead cost of labor (ie have the government install laws against frivolous malpractice lawsuits to reduce health insurance costs).
What do you think?
Right. "Independent thinking" is encouraged in the classroom. Maybe you went to a private school, or you had one or two teachers that gave a damn, but for the most part, K-12's job is to keep you educated enough to buy into whatever marketing is thrown your way (be it commercial, political, whatever) and steer you clear of independent thinking. The job of public schools is to keep you in the "awkward" (child-like in maturity and responsibility, but in that perfect phase where the majority of people's one desire is to fit in) phase as long as possible. Doing this makes you the most susceptible to much of the marketing done today. "Buy this car and you'll fit in!", "Buy this T shirt that costs 30 bucks because a designer name is on it and you'll fit in!", and many others come to mind. Very little has to deal with independent thinking.
But you don't have to take my word for it
While I think in college many people's independent thinking is praised and nurtured, I do not see such practices done in the K-12 (the exceptions are of course the motivated teacher, but unfortunately they seem few and far between).
Hell, intelligence in general is shunned in the public schools in America. My girlfriend (from Sichuan, China) and I were watching TV one night, and she noticed every show about the school years was based mostly on social status. She asked me "Doesn't your academic standing determine how popular you are?"
I think the rigid testing of the Asian culture does have its drawbacks, but at least their culture praises academics at the parental, teacher, and peer social levels(Disclaimer: My girlfriend hasn't been in High School for many years and she did only attend one of many schools in China, but she did insist that this was common across China).
A hero? A hero would indicate that an individual player means something. Most of the MMORPG'S ( I dare say all) does nothing to make you feel like a hero. You just kill things that will eventually come back. The only reward is an item to help you kill something bigger. Any resemblence to a plot in these games is truly laughable, and half the time it contradicts another plot in the game (while the other half makes no sense it all).
But the problem at large is not usually the game designers alone: it's the players too. If everyone only cares about getting the bigger hammer to bonk the bigger mole, then to keep subscriptions and sales up, the designers will cater to the masses. If you do not cater to the masses, you do not earn as much of a profit as the other companies that do, and then your management says "You're not meeting our expectations". It's an ugly cycle. Similar to how much of america watches reality tv, despite the fact that most of it is garbage. Would you put on a quality show that could only produce a fraction of the ratings of Survivor?
Ahhh Yes.
Guys night out gone terribly wrong.
I feel for you, buddy.
Two things to consider:
1) This award was more for the music of the whole trilogy. They said it was for the film, but these rewards were saved up for the trilogy.
2) A Mighty Wind had better songs, but honestly the music for "The Triplets of Bellville", especially the piece in the club where the old ladies improvise with a newspaper, a vacuum cleaner, and an old refrigerator, blew away the competition. I was sad to see Triplets not get any awards. C'est la vie.
When Hillary Clinton was running for Senator, I received multiple spam messages in my hotmail account telling me to vote for her.
The true irony? The picture of her attached to the email was her surrounded by a community of african americans. I am 100% irish and not of african american lineage. Interesting ad.
Yeah. I was that guy during 9/11. Except, I wasn't a ham; I just had a blackberry pager. So while both pay phones and cell phones weren't working, I sent out many emails via my pager so that many people knew their loved ones weren't dead. What instance are you referring to where EVERY other system is down?