The solution to this situation is to cut the connection between large movie house sales and independent sales. The conscientious downloader should know who is likely to get the money if they were to otherwise make the purchase.
A good friend of mine was the first to clue me in about this sort of thing. Now, if I were to ever download music illegally (though I support the iTunes Music Store), I'd be sure to double-check that the record label was deserving of my scorn before I made my decision.
From the sometimes adult nature of the strips, it's clear that you're probably not easily offended. However, especially as a new parent, what role do you feel censorship should play in video gaming?
As wonderful as this might be (especially for those who are stuck working in a lab without a phone), there are still a couple of serious problems with the concept which could prove a hassle:
Pranking - Now, you could trigger a pizza order from your buddy who just happened to leave his shell open for a moment (or, worse yet, a virus/worm that triggered it). Also, people who were not particularly fond of the pizza place could jump from machine to machine across a college campus or wherever, triggering a flood of orders.
Delivery - If you happen to be someplace where you don't have a phone already, the likelihood that it's not easily accessible or would require you to meet the deliverer elsewhere might cancel out the benefit of placing the order on your machine. If they'll deliver to campus computer labs, for instance, I'd love it. However, I've yet to find any place that'd meet anywhere closer than out front of the building.
Identity - What happens if you leave the room and someone else then comes and takes your place at the machine? Without a solid way to prove that you were the person who placed the order, there could (potentially) be problems. Granted, among the other issues, this is the least, but it's still a possible headache for all involved.
So I can't really see too much use for it, aside from showing off your geek prowess (not that there's anything wrong with that). I'll probably try it out sometime myself, though I'd enjoy it more if it were possible to do this with all pizza places (instead of just Dominoes).
A caution to anyone who'd likely buy one of these new PowerBooks: may your lap beware!
I own one of the "older" 12" G4 PowerBooks (867 MHz), which I absolutely adore, but it has heat issues. The main heat venting location on the case (that I've found) is the bottom rear of the machine. This means that if you're sitting down with it on your lap and you're wearing shorts, prolonged use (3+ hours) may result in warming to the point of extreme skin discomfort. This isn't usually a problem, though it's something you become aware of after the first couple of times you accidentally scald yourself. With the increase in speed, however, the speedy processor would cause an even higher temperature level, barring a radical change to the way in which heat is vented (which is not apparent from the official specs).
Mercifully (in a way), a semi-recent update changed the fan kick-in temperature to a lower threshold, meaning less built-up heat but a lower battery life. Expect the batteries on the new PowerBooks to not quite last as long as they're listed as, though they'd probably last long enough as is. For a college student like me, just having them last through class so that I can go back to my dorm and plug in for the evening's homework is fine.
I'd still buy one (if I had the money and needed a new computer), though I'd be careful to do most of my work on a table.
Arguably, this might be just what MMORPGs need... something that enforces sociability and cooperation with a person who they don't get to choose. It's possible that two people creating an ogre character end up with personalities that mesh well, but in any other case the users would be forced to come up with a system of compromises and rules for how things will be done.
One particular book, Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman proposes the idea that humans which are forced into interacting with each other continuously will ultimately gain an empathy with humanity as a whole that will result in peacefulness and civility.
Yes, the book I mentioned is Sci-Fi, though the idea isn't too far off from reality. At a recent meeting of PUMUG, we had a demo of a recently released group-programming tool that was essentially just a text editor for more than 1 person. Most of the folks at the meeting had the program up and running, so we shared a common text file for editing. The chaos of ~10 people was incredible, though a sense of order was eventually established with the understand that each person got a particular line or set of lines to write on (with no outside interference) and that people would refrain from huge text pastes or deletes. There were the occasional annoyances, but most people that stuck it through were civil about it and managed quite an interesting conversation that entirely distracted from the meeting.
So yes, it is April 1st, but this is one story that I would hope might be real. If it were, I might very well play an ogre myself. Feel free to look for me... the name'll probably be something like Grantor\/\/1zzz3|2D, and I'll be going insane. Cheers.
While Requiem for a Dream would make for an interesting drug-related game experience, I'd have to argue that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would have the greater potential to leave a mark on the video game industry as a unique gaming experience and a well-needed break from the norm.
Why settle for one addiction when you can have twenty? The ideas of drug experimentation and mixing alone would make for a unique gaming experience (with pretty colors and oodles of famous quotes). Graphics designers could go wild, especially when the hallucinations and paranoia start setting in....
As for plot, a straight adaptation of the screenplay wouldn't make for much of a game. However, basing an open-ended exploration/adventure in the weird and wild world of Las Vegas could do it. With at least the movie-featured locations of bars, casinos, and carnivals the possibilities for character-environment interaction would be high.
Potential ESRB Rating? Definitely at least Mature. Exploring the darker side of human emotion and the world as seen through Mescaline-tinted glasses would hardly qualify for a children's game. In fact, checking out the ESRB site I spot at least 12 remarks that would fit including "Use of Drugs", "Strong Language", and "Mature Humor".
Would anyone buy it? I'm not sure. I know I would....
Slashdot Mirror
The solution to this situation is to cut the connection between large movie house sales and independent sales. The conscientious downloader should know who is likely to get the money if they were to otherwise make the purchase.
A good friend of mine was the first to clue me in about this sort of thing. Now, if I were to ever download music illegally (though I support the iTunes Music Store), I'd be sure to double-check that the record label was deserving of my scorn before I made my decision.
Robin Hood didn't rob from the random.
Knowing the popularity and fame of HHGG and it's creator, did you have any hesitations before agreeing to work on the movie?
I used to think it was bad to be named after one of the Beatles. Maybe it's a good thing my parents aren't geeks.
Oh, and I can't believe no-one mentioned this (scroll down to 2nd news post). Not nearly as strange, I suppose.
From the sometimes adult nature of the strips, it's clear that you're probably not easily offended. However, especially as a new parent, what role do you feel censorship should play in video gaming?
As wonderful as this might be (especially for those who are stuck working in a lab without a phone), there are still a couple of serious problems with the concept which could prove a hassle:
Pranking - Now, you could trigger a pizza order from your buddy who just happened to leave his shell open for a moment (or, worse yet, a virus/worm that triggered it). Also, people who were not particularly fond of the pizza place could jump from machine to machine across a college campus or wherever, triggering a flood of orders.
Delivery - If you happen to be someplace where you don't have a phone already, the likelihood that it's not easily accessible or would require you to meet the deliverer elsewhere might cancel out the benefit of placing the order on your machine. If they'll deliver to campus computer labs, for instance, I'd love it. However, I've yet to find any place that'd meet anywhere closer than out front of the building.
Identity - What happens if you leave the room and someone else then comes and takes your place at the machine? Without a solid way to prove that you were the person who placed the order, there could (potentially) be problems. Granted, among the other issues, this is the least, but it's still a possible headache for all involved.
So I can't really see too much use for it, aside from showing off your geek prowess (not that there's anything wrong with that). I'll probably try it out sometime myself, though I'd enjoy it more if it were possible to do this with all pizza places (instead of just Dominoes).
A caution to anyone who'd likely buy one of these new PowerBooks: may your lap beware!
I own one of the "older" 12" G4 PowerBooks (867 MHz), which I absolutely adore, but it has heat issues. The main heat venting location on the case (that I've found) is the bottom rear of the machine. This means that if you're sitting down with it on your lap and you're wearing shorts, prolonged use (3+ hours) may result in warming to the point of extreme skin discomfort. This isn't usually a problem, though it's something you become aware of after the first couple of times you accidentally scald yourself. With the increase in speed, however, the speedy processor would cause an even higher temperature level, barring a radical change to the way in which heat is vented (which is not apparent from the official specs).
Mercifully (in a way), a semi-recent update changed the fan kick-in temperature to a lower threshold, meaning less built-up heat but a lower battery life. Expect the batteries on the new PowerBooks to not quite last as long as they're listed as, though they'd probably last long enough as is. For a college student like me, just having them last through class so that I can go back to my dorm and plug in for the evening's homework is fine.
I'd still buy one (if I had the money and needed a new computer), though I'd be careful to do most of my work on a table.
Arguably, this might be just what MMORPGs need... something that enforces sociability and cooperation with a person who they don't get to choose. It's possible that two people creating an ogre character end up with personalities that mesh well, but in any other case the users would be forced to come up with a system of compromises and rules for how things will be done.
One particular book, Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman proposes the idea that humans which are forced into interacting with each other continuously will ultimately gain an empathy with humanity as a whole that will result in peacefulness and civility.
Yes, the book I mentioned is Sci-Fi, though the idea isn't too far off from reality. At a recent meeting of PUMUG, we had a demo of a recently released group-programming tool that was essentially just a text editor for more than 1 person. Most of the folks at the meeting had the program up and running, so we shared a common text file for editing. The chaos of ~10 people was incredible, though a sense of order was eventually established with the understand that each person got a particular line or set of lines to write on (with no outside interference) and that people would refrain from huge text pastes or deletes. There were the occasional annoyances, but most people that stuck it through were civil about it and managed quite an interesting conversation that entirely distracted from the meeting.
So yes, it is April 1st, but this is one story that I would hope might be real. If it were, I might very well play an ogre myself. Feel free to look for me... the name'll probably be something like Grantor\/\/1zzz3|2D, and I'll be going insane. Cheers.
While Requiem for a Dream would make for an interesting drug-related game experience, I'd have to argue that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would have the greater potential to leave a mark on the video game industry as a unique gaming experience and a well-needed break from the norm.
Why settle for one addiction when you can have twenty? The ideas of drug experimentation and mixing alone would make for a unique gaming experience (with pretty colors and oodles of famous quotes). Graphics designers could go wild, especially when the hallucinations and paranoia start setting in....
As for plot, a straight adaptation of the screenplay wouldn't make for much of a game. However, basing an open-ended exploration/adventure in the weird and wild world of Las Vegas could do it. With at least the movie-featured locations of bars, casinos, and carnivals the possibilities for character-environment interaction would be high.
Potential ESRB Rating? Definitely at least Mature. Exploring the darker side of human emotion and the world as seen through Mescaline-tinted glasses would hardly qualify for a children's game. In fact, checking out the ESRB site I spot at least 12 remarks that would fit including "Use of Drugs", "Strong Language", and "Mature Humor".
Would anyone buy it? I'm not sure. I know I would....