The biggest revelation in the game that I can think of is fairly close to the beginning, when you see the scientist get slaughtered by some commando's. Now _there_ is a revelation - these people are NOT your friend!
Of course if he meant that, he has only seen a rather small portion of the game. But think about it: how would he know if it was two minutes from the end, if he has never played that far?
Years ago as I watched Star Trek, I was always left wondering just how Kirk and Spock managed to control all those alien devices they found. Eventually Bluetooth came around, and I realized it was because soon every device in the universe will have a Bluetooth interface (if you are in the US this may be hard to believe, but bear with me). Clearly the tricorder has a Bluetooth interface as well, which is why it can talk to and even control doomsday weapons, planetary defences, ancient medical equipment, etc.
That still left the question how the tricorder came into being. Did someone sit down one day and say to himself, "I am going to build myself a tricorder?" That just doesn't seem very likely to me.
But now I finally figured that out too. The tricorder will evolve from the mobile phone! Every year you can see how more and more sensor functionality is added, while the physical size of the phone is getting smaller and smaller. First they could just acquire audio signals. Then came video signals. Soon it will be able to monitor your heartrate, body temperature, and various other vital signs, and maybe even automatically call 911 if you get into trouble. Sensors for electricity, magnetism, seismic waves, spectral analysis, alien energy, and other things will invariably follow, driven as they are by our lust for gadgets, useless functionality, and the latest and greatest. Meanwhile rest assured that ever-increasing software capabilities will provide the ability to make rudimentary medical diagnosis, do chemical analysis, and contain drivers for every alien Bluetooth-enabled device in a thousand lightyears.
While we are at it, you can rest assured that the very moment someone develops a universal translator, it will be embedded in a mobile phone.
So there we have it: the tricorder in a small, handy package. There are only two downsides that I can see: if we are to believe Star Trek, it will at some point lose its communication functionality (Kirk was always using a separate communicator), and based on current trends the battery life may not exceed 2-3 minutes...
What good do lessons about ecology do us when we don't apply them? We have more than enough technology to solve the problems here on earth--the obstacles are purely social and political. Colonizing Mars isn't going to solve that.
Those are problems we do not _want_ to solve (if we wanted to we could!). So saying we need to solve them first is the same as saying you _never_ want to explore space.
Indeed, anyone sitting on his ass and reading slashdot (I won't even mention posting) could be the next Einstein or Ghandi, if only we could manage to waken ourself from the hypnotic lure of clicking refresh... refresh... refresh...
And I don't think the food situation is all that bad anywhere in the world at this time, so there might very well be more of us wasting our lives here than there are people starving. Kinda sad...
The fact I am posting here myself is crushing me with irony...
With the increasing use of Linux on the desktop, this could be really useful for people who want to double boot into Windows, but do not want the hassle of having to repartition their drives.
Needless to say, this is good news for Microsoft as it may increase the acceptance of Windows as an alternative to Linux on the desktop;-)
I'm not so sure about the actual number of games, but surely the number of types of games has diminished dramatically over the years. Sure, there are plenty of FPS'es and RTS'es, but where are things like The Sentinel, Marble Madness, Knightlore (wouldn't that look gorgeous with 24-bit hi-res graphics), Bubble Bobble, Space Harrier, R*Type, Xevious, or even Tetris? Where are the abstract games? The puzzle games? The 2D shooters? Platformers? etc...
But if the article is true, they will (in the end) be paying the US far more than the US is paying them. If that is true, and assuming they can do the math, why would they go along with it?
While I agree that renaming files is time consuming, I have a great deal of trouble believing that people who put _every single file they have_ on their desktop as a matter of policy would go to the trouble of correctly labelling them with metadata. Assuming they knew how to do it, which is highly questionable in the first place.
I can personally see the advantages though. I have no trouble organizing things, and I have been looking for a good meta-data scheme to organize my large and varied collection of pr0n for a long time;-)
I just watched the news and the exact same story was reported about Dutch record stores. Is this just a coincidence or some sort of global media offensive?
It surprised me to hear that piracy is considered responsible for the demise of classical music stores as well. I find it hard to believe that hardcore Bach-lovers are swapping the latest tracks on Kazaa...
Sometimes I am wondering if this is the reason the Powers that Be are hammering on "intellectual property" so much: because they are already aware that the entire concept of production will eventually disappear, and _intellectual_ property will be the only real scarce property to remain...
Sounds like SF, and I don't expect to see it happen in my lifetime. But if we ever manage to make nano-replicators, this could eventually become reality.
At least all those people share one language, albeit with strong accents. I have to sit through conference calls with Dutch, French, Italians, and Germans that are only nominally in the English language.
On a more positive note, I have become a fluent speaker of "franglais"...
Linux bundles applications from hundreds, even thousands of "vendors". How exactly is this monopolistic? The various distributions are doing exactly what Microsoft _should_ be doing: taking applications written by third parties and delivering these with the OS, without prejudice. The only thing that could stop an application from being included is sheer incompetence. Otherwise, anyone can write something and request it to be added. And if it is good enough, it will be.
But rest assured, the EU is investigating Linux as well. Of course the question here is "can we switch to this?" instead of "should we ban this?"...
Not really. It certainly looks like Tuxracer, but it plays rather differently. It is hard to describe: in part racing, shooting, gambling, and exploring, it is a unique blend of everything. And it is fun to play, too.
Unlike many older games this could be remade in glorious 3D without losing any of its charm or unique character. Frankly I am stumped why Konami has never bothered doing just that. And since we are talking about them anyway, the same is true for S.D. Snatcher.
Of course the their third great MSX games is now a world-famous bestseller...
How about this: if I write something, is the thing I have written my property or not? If it is, why should I not be allowed to give it to others for free? SCO appears to be arguing that this should not be allowed, on the grounds of it being unconstitutional.
Simple example: if I write a shopping list, I will not be allowed to print it (unlawful duplication!). If I write a letter, the receiver will not be allowed to read it (since I, as the copyright owner, cannot give my consent for this action).
It is obvious that madness follows quickly. Nonetheless, this is what SCO is arguing when they argue against the GPL.
Well, that certainly explains a few things... If your only contact with western civilisation is through Leisure Suit Larry and Mortal Kombat, I understand why they hate it so much.
Slashdot Mirror
Of course if he meant that, he has only seen a rather small portion of the game. But think about it: how would he know if it was two minutes from the end, if he has never played that far?
Evolve! Evolve, damnit!
That still left the question how the tricorder came into being. Did someone sit down one day and say to himself, "I am going to build myself a tricorder?" That just doesn't seem very likely to me.
But now I finally figured that out too. The tricorder will evolve from the mobile phone! Every year you can see how more and more sensor functionality is added, while the physical size of the phone is getting smaller and smaller. First they could just acquire audio signals. Then came video signals. Soon it will be able to monitor your heartrate, body temperature, and various other vital signs, and maybe even automatically call 911 if you get into trouble. Sensors for electricity, magnetism, seismic waves, spectral analysis, alien energy, and other things will invariably follow, driven as they are by our lust for gadgets, useless functionality, and the latest and greatest. Meanwhile rest assured that ever-increasing software capabilities will provide the ability to make rudimentary medical diagnosis, do chemical analysis, and contain drivers for every alien Bluetooth-enabled device in a thousand lightyears.
While we are at it, you can rest assured that the very moment someone develops a universal translator, it will be embedded in a mobile phone.
So there we have it: the tricorder in a small, handy package. There are only two downsides that I can see: if we are to believe Star Trek, it will at some point lose its communication functionality (Kirk was always using a separate communicator), and based on current trends the battery life may not exceed 2-3 minutes...
Those are problems we do not _want_ to solve (if we wanted to we could!). So saying we need to solve them first is the same as saying you _never_ want to explore space.
I would sort of expect the MSX2 version to be there. It was, after all, the _very first_ of the series...
And I don't think the food situation is all that bad anywhere in the world at this time, so there might very well be more of us wasting our lives here than there are people starving. Kinda sad...
The fact I am posting here myself is crushing me with irony...
Needless to say, this is good news for Microsoft as it may increase the acceptance of Windows as an alternative to Linux on the desktop ;-)
I'm not so sure about the actual number of games, but surely the number of types of games has diminished dramatically over the years. Sure, there are plenty of FPS'es and RTS'es, but where are things like The Sentinel, Marble Madness, Knightlore (wouldn't that look gorgeous with 24-bit hi-res graphics), Bubble Bobble, Space Harrier, R*Type, Xevious, or even Tetris? Where are the abstract games? The puzzle games? The 2D shooters? Platformers? etc...
But if the article is true, they will (in the end) be paying the US far more than the US is paying them. If that is true, and assuming they can do the math, why would they go along with it?
I can personally see the advantages though. I have no trouble organizing things, and I have been looking for a good meta-data scheme to organize my large and varied collection of pr0n for a long time ;-)
It surprised me to hear that piracy is considered responsible for the demise of classical music stores as well. I find it hard to believe that hardcore Bach-lovers are swapping the latest tracks on Kazaa...
How many ads do you respond to that say "we expect you to work 80 hours for 20 hours worth of pay"?
Thought so.
Sounds like SF, and I don't expect to see it happen in my lifetime. But if we ever manage to make nano-replicators, this could eventually become reality.
- It is flat terrain, increasing the probability of a succesful landing.
- It will be very easy to prove the presence of water.
- I've always wanted my own rover ;-)
On a more positive note, I have become a fluent speaker of "franglais"...
But rest assured, the EU is investigating Linux as well. Of course the question here is "can we switch to this?" instead of "should we ban this?"...
Checking up on how far we have come to building a fully working Enterprise, were you? ;-)
Unlike many older games this could be remade in glorious 3D without losing any of its charm or unique character. Frankly I am stumped why Konami has never bothered doing just that. And since we are talking about them anyway, the same is true for S.D. Snatcher.
Of course the their third great MSX games is now a world-famous bestseller...
Penguin Adventure. Would be great as a Linux game, too.
Well, now you have _certainly_ gone and stolen SCO's IP...
Simple example: if I write a shopping list, I will not be allowed to print it (unlawful duplication!). If I write a letter, the receiver will not be allowed to read it (since I, as the copyright owner, cannot give my consent for this action).
It is obvious that madness follows quickly. Nonetheless, this is what SCO is arguing when they argue against the GPL.
Indeed, some countries have turned roundabouts into an art form.
I'm sure glad they mentioned that. I might have gotten confused with all the other kinds of Windows currently on the market.
And I agree ATV is an excellent idea, but then I'd say that - I'm working on it ;-)
Well, that certainly explains a few things... If your only contact with western civilisation is through Leisure Suit Larry and Mortal Kombat, I understand why they hate it so much.