The band Rush - [Geddy Lee (Vocals, Bassists, Keyboards) Alex Lifeson (Guitar, Strings, mebbe some hidden vocals?) Neal Peart (Percussionist aka. Drums etc., lyricist)]
started out in the 70's in Canada. They were big fans of Led Zepplin which led to the early high toned vocals and the Zep stereotypes. Through the 70's they developed more of their own style. In the 80's they went with a more modern synth image like most bands.(Y'know mod ties, styled hair and heavy use of synths and drum tracks) I challenge anyone to show me how you could call them a "hair band"!
In the 80's and early 90's they moved from a mod-synth image to a combo of alternative styles. Rush adapted with the times and became a more seasoned band where each member even took on some songwriting tasks. Each member also cut some solo albums. During the late 90's Neal Peart's daughter died in a car accident and following his wife died from a terminal illness. Peart has a rep for being a little pretentious, but being hit with such severe trauma made him go on hiatus. It was almost indefinite until Rush released another album in 2001.
BUT WHEN DID THE AUTHOR MISS THE FUCKING 17 RELEASED STUDIO,LIVE AND COMPILATIONS ALBUMS BETWEEN 1981 AND NOW!!!!
RUSH IS BACK??!!! WHEN DID THEY FUCKING LEAVE??!!! HEY!! MAN-ABOUT-FUCKING-TOWN!!! HOW ABOUT GETTING OFF YOUR GAY LUCAS ASS-KISSING BUTT AND GO TO A RECORD STORE ONCE IN A WHILE!!!!!
Ok. I feel better now. YMMV, but IMHO comparing Rush to the likes of Poison is like comparing Patrick Stewart to Tom Arnold.
I play for fun. I earn my money at a stressful job. I come home and play for fun and to de-stress. I actually meet some people online in games and it's very community building. Kinda like old pickup games at the ball yard or the hoops court.
Of course, I'm still one of the old timers that still play HL. HL2 deathmatch is still insane. CS is always good, but sometimes I just want to plink away and not worry about total 'one shot one kill' every time.
Let the obsessive wankers and professionals play for profit. I'm fine having fun on the public servers. If you're a Type A obsessive personality that must win! win! win!, stay away from my HL game.
Mistake 1: Thinking IT is on top of the food chain. No we are not IT is on the bottom of the food chain we need to service everyone. You may get paid more then the other guy and you may be more skilled but who ever you are doing work for is your boss.
Customer Service in an organization is vital. Who you work for is your client. But I ask you this: If IT isn't that important, why is IT is an after thought until something goes wrong? If I had a nickel for every war story where the company was saved by IT I'd be a very wealthy man. Don't under rate the importance of IT. The story's moral: IT is important, but be humble anyway ya prick!
Mistake 2: Not being professional. You should not stand out as the IT Guy because everyone else is wearing business casual and you are in tee-shirt and jeans. It is unfair and wrong but it is the way it is you need to dress to fit in. Otherwise you make people uncomfortable if they are uncomfortable your job can be at risk.
OK. This is right on the money. If you don't want IT to be involved in your workplace, go ahead and try to be an "individual". If people are comfortable with you, they will be willing to interact with you. Also they might trust your judgement more and get you more involved. Getting along sometimes is the grease on the wheel when pure logic isn't enough.
Mistake 3: Saying No. They need to get the job done just not doing it because you personally don't like it will not help anyone.
Saying 'No' just because you don't like it is BAD. Saying 'No' because you know it is NOT possible with the time,money and technology your organization has is GOOD. Have an open mind and at least look for a solution before completely canning it.
Mistake 4: Saying Yes. Being Blind to problems without brining them up in the beginning and getting someone else above you involved in a solution could lead you working on a quagmire.
Like Mistake 3. Too true. Mistake 4 is right on the money.
Mistake 5: Thinking you are better then everyone else. Just because they don't know the difference between USB and Firewire doesn't make them stupid. Just because you do doesn't make you a genius. Respect the people you are working with, and they will respect you back.
Completely on the money. Most low level IT work any monkey can do. You are hired because you took the time to learn those skills. Bob in accounting might be a wanker, but he too was hired for what he knows and what he can do! Also even if you are a genius, you can be replaced. Anytime anywhere. Like in Mistake 1 know your value but be humble.
Mistake 6: Respect your boss. They are a lot of bad bosses out there also a lot of good ones. Even if your boss seems to be cut from Dilbert you should give him the respect that they deserve. For being in that position. It means things like not publicly humiliating them and when arguing your point try not to make it personal.
I don't always like my bosses. Matter of fact I can hate my boss and think he is an embodiment of the Peter Principle. My boss also, signs my checks and does my performance reviews. I put my two cents in when asked and do my job. YMMV, but make sure you communicate with your boss and always CYA with emails if things go awry.
Mistake 7: Trying to change the world. Don't try to change the world just try to make your work environment better. Put your feelings about GNU, Patents, Microsoft.... Aside and focus on getting your work done.
Yup. Leave the soap box at home. If the opportunity opens to try to Open source etc. throw it out as an option, but don't look like a revolutionary fanboy while doing it. Nice concise logical arguments. Especially ones that show where your organization saves the money.
Mistake 8: Money doesn't matter. It does always keep an eye on how you are effecting the bottom line. You can save 10 minutes a day in computation but the cost for you to make that change would take 100 years to recove
Turn in your geek card. Highslander II: The sickening was a very bad piece of pandering tripe.
Killed the whole mystique of immortals as an ancient race. Instead they are SPACE PEOPLE sentenced to earth. Lame. Unexplained in many parts and killed the previous story continuity.
I'll give you the director/writers's view of the future was interesting. Though provoking? Hmmmm . . . I'm gonna say no.
I watched the video. You could barely see the begining of the incident. You could hear some of it.
Before anyone bitches one way or the other, I have something to ask. Have any of you been tazered? I have. Not as a result of a crime, but during training to know what it feels like. After being tazered once, I had to have someone help me up. This was at a time when I was young and physically fit. When you tazer someone, they are not always going to "get up" under their own power. I keep thinking in my head "If you want him to get out after the first taze you will need to move him. Duh." Being tazed for a no show on ID is a little extreme, but he did continued to be uncooperative.
As a security officer (I'm not talking real law enforcement), you usually give your badge number if someone has a complaint.
I'm kinda surprised the mob didn't rush them. When they started going too far.
Trollin' Trollin' Trollin' Keep them doggies Trollin' Man your ass is spewin' Rawhide!
Anon Coward says And no this isnt trolling. I am not doing this for the sole purpose of pissing people off. I am saying this because its my opinion. Tolkien is boring. He was a linguist not an author. It was an experiment. Get over it.
Congrats. You are a successful troll and I have taken the bait. You have pissed me off. Tolkien was also a reader and researcher of epic poems and tales. The Lord of the Rings was meant to have a little of that in it. Just because you are a wanking Phillistine doesn't mean the rest of us don't have any taste or respect for the classics.
I plan on boycotting any Hobbit film without Wingnut films being involved. Lest we go back to well meaning, but skanky adaptations http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077869/.
In latter comments some of the focus is on quality of education. If they want to have quantity, how about not making education not so f'ing expensive!
If I didn't have to pay for exorbitant student loans. I wouldn't be worried about transforming myself into a working machine for "The Industry". Yes, the industry doesn't know what it wants, but they want it NOW!
Remember the "Need 5 years Java experience" in 2000?
Bringing in H1-B folks doesn't solve it either long term. What happened to bringing someone with some decent pay and benefits who stay at your company forever. Y'know company loyalty.
1. Send robots. Find out what the asteroids are made of. NASA Should PR the crap out of this. 2. Send people. Mine them sumbitches! 3. Soft land mined materials back to earth. 4. Make inorganic raw materials so cheap as to be economically valueless. Like grass or wood or
minerals in Starcraft. 5. Ravage various economies. 6. Profit!
YMMV on steps 1-5. But at least I've solved that nasty ???? between ideas and profit!
Yes citizen. This is a random genetic event. Four finned dolphins are not any sign of evolution! Move along citizens! Move along! Remember, War is Peace, we have always been at war with Pacifica *blah* *blah* *blah*.
Anonymous Coward, I appreciate your right to free speech. You have used it admirably. Allow me to exercise my right to free speech. If you feel that strongly about not voting and government as an ever-growing-power-base-so-why-vote. Leave my country now.
It sickens me every time someone goes on a screed how voting is worthless. It is because people DON'T vote that causes the problem. Become more aware and active. I only hear these reasons for not voting:
1. I don't agree with either party 2. I'm not registered to vote 3. My vote doesn't count 4. I'm too young and uninformed to vote
1. Fine. If you don't agree with either party. In this day and age it's understandable to not have any party identity considering how far to the left and right each party has gone. Why not form an actual third party? Maybe call it the Moderate party, because that is where the majority of Americans are in their views. No one candidate can be everything to everybody, but common sense would be nice. If every disenfranchised voter cast a vote for a third party, that candidate would win by a landslide. Do I have any evidence to back that up? No, but check around your own circles of friends and peer groups. Who isn't a voter tired of the two party system? We wouldn't even have articles about eletronic voting fraud if people weren't upset by what it does to the value of your vote.
2. OK. We're all busy people, but then support motor voter registration laws. How about registering on an off election year and that way you are done. College student with residency back home? How about an absentee ballot?
3. I look at it like this. Americans died in wars all the way from the American Revolution until now to support our way of life which includes the right to vote(representation). It might not have been what the war was about, and might not justify a particular war. That was and IS a part of what US soldiers are fighting for when they fight for "The American way of life". Sounds like propeganda. Probably, but for those who justly died and put their life on the line, so I could vote I'm going to do it! I'm going to fight and struggle to make sure my vote does count and my voice is heard. My one vote might not do it. I am one of many. I look forward to the day when politicians have to consider the "Geek vote" or the "Computer Worker" vote.
It's difficult to hold this opinion when there is potential for voter fraud and confimed allegations of voter fraud in the past.
4. For all those men and women who are 18. I look back and regret every day I didn't vote. I didn't start until right before I graduated college. Trust me. You are ready to vote. If you dont' feel you are ready then read, learn and ask people. After that, find your own opinion and VOTE! I think would be especially crucial to those folks going to state universities and colleges. Depending on the place, State government does have some impact on your tuition.
I wonder how the next administration will do, but I doubt whether they will be able or willing to turn this trend around (even the democrats).
That is a point which we are forgetting. It is a redeeming hope for the US and the world. The US gets for vote for someone else in 2008. In fact, many Republicans are running scared for their Senate and Representative electorial races this year. I say to the world: Watch and wait. Pres. Howdy Doody may be a real suck-ass, but normal sane American citizens(if there are any) are trying to fix it. If we didn't have to focus so much on everyone being violently and extremely pissed off at us, we might be able to work on resolving some of our injustices to the world. Injustice and violence on both sides is inexcusable. Do we want to resolve this issues and get on with our lives, or keep killing each other back and forward which perpetuates the cycle of violence?
Is there a resolution to Islamic extremism? Probably not unless some Muslim extremists want to stand up and actually tell us what is wrong. I can't hear you over the explosions of your suicide bombers. And I know you can't hear me over the clank of jail doors and the sonic boom of US air strikes.
Look at a blank page and then create a full story arc. Try it.
coaxial said- Nice try, but it's a completely facicious statment. Lucas didn't even do this. He wrote one movie. It made money. He then wrote two more, but to say that Darth Vader is Luke's father in 1976, is just wrong. That's not how the stories were written. Lucas himself says that.
If you look at my original post, the point I try to make is we nitpick something that has already been created. Trying to create something even from borrowed material is still difficult. Yes, Lucas has a whole host of inconsistancies in his storyline, and it does make me want to rip out my hair in Biblical fashion. I also recognize Lucas had some good moments which are hard to replicate. We may disagree on his quick fix choices for the movies, but overall as an epic the trilogy (any maybe the prequel) has some merit.
Now create something that no one else has done. Make an original story. Begin now.
coaxial said- Star Wars is heavily influenced by Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. Lucas has said this repeatedly.
Coming up with an "original" story is the easy part, especially since there hasn't been an original story since the very first stories told. That's not a knock, but they are reoccuring storylines. The coming of age story. The destiny story. The hero story. The downfall story. The redemption story. They've all been told before. Sure, the execution is different, and some are better than others, but the stories are the same. They're the same, because these stories resonate with human experience. People like these story outlines. They always have, and they always will.
Again from my original post- (I know Lucas wasn't original since he used traditional archtypes and he copied from all his fav directors anyway, but you get my drift.)
Maybe I took the wrong angle in explaining my point. I know exactly what Lucas' influences and story formula was (Thanks Joseph Campbell ya prat! : ) ). My subtle point was modern entertainment relies too heavily on the archtypes. In a post-modern world (if you want to call it that) keeps cannibalizing almost exactly what was done in the past and you end up with Starsky and Hutch remakes. As you said, the stories are all the same, but can we present them in a more creative or original fashion? I've tried on my own and failed miserably. I'll admit, I'm not a good writer. My stories always come out like hacked formulaic trash that has horrible contrived dialogue. We complain about Lucas doing the same thing. To our complex and more learned audiences, can anyone make anything that doesn't look and sound like contrived trash?
And that was the real hook with Tales of the Jedi. The Sith history and background. Real in depth and conflicted characters. You see the inevitable fall towards the dark side and see the tragedy. With Episode III you see the inevitable flaw and think "Boy, that was stupid."
Exar Kun Fatal Flaw: Pride and the quest to seek out knowledge in all manner of the force. Dark or light, all should be explored.
Anakin Skywalker Fatal Flaw: Gotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save Padme(Damn Obi Wan!)Gotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save Padme
More indepth exposure of the sith would have made it darker and more fulfilling.
The one thing facing me in complaining about the prequels. Lucas started from scratch on this and made it into a new thing. How many people on/. have created a complete Space Opera? Or even an outline story arc? He did it once with the Star Wars trilogy and got it right because it was the right series at the right time. We weren't as complex an audience in the 70's as we are now. Hell, even Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the Shining were pretty damn cool at the time. It's difficult to create something new these days with every shrub and zuul complaining about the nitpicks. Let alone doing the armchair critic equivalent of proof reading an already finished work. I know my afore mentioned statements about the sith make me a hypocrite, but I guess that's the duality of this arguement. Sure see the crap, but see the nitpicker in yourself and know that writing is difficult.
Look at a blank page and then create a full story arc. Try it.
Now create something that no one else has done. Make an original story. Begin now.
After you pour a great deal of time into it and you think it's finished. Try having someone read it as a finished work.
I'm not saying scriptwriters are these awesome colossal beings, but it is hard to make something even slightly original from your mind. (I know Lucas wasn't original since he used traditional archtypes and he copied from all his fav directors anyway, but you get my drift.)
Maybe the lyrics are all a misprint and she meant to say:
"Isn't it ionic. Dontcha think." "It's like covalent bonds on your wedding day." "It's like orbitals that have already flashed." "That professors had already figured."
Wow! Nice rant buckaroo. Care to back that up with some time honored wisdom towards the actual question? Yeah, I've dealt with prima donnas too, but when others don't lead by example it's hard to see through the hypocracy. That's why the "management numbers out the ass" comment comes in. Try programming something when management gives you the deadline which completely departs from reality. Good luck trying to finish something in 2 weeks that should really take 3 months.
Slashdot Mirror
When was Rush ever Metal?
Kinda around the 2112 days.
Look people, it's like this.
The band Rush -
[Geddy Lee (Vocals, Bassists, Keyboards)
Alex Lifeson (Guitar, Strings, mebbe some hidden vocals?)
Neal Peart (Percussionist aka. Drums etc., lyricist)]
started out in the 70's in Canada.
They were big fans of Led Zepplin which led to the early high toned vocals and the Zep stereotypes.
Through the 70's they developed more of their own style.
In the 80's they went with a more modern synth image like most bands.(Y'know mod ties, styled hair and heavy use of synths and drum tracks)
I challenge anyone to show me how you could call them a "hair band"!
In the 80's and early 90's they moved from a mod-synth image to a combo of alternative styles.
Rush adapted with the times and became a more seasoned band where each member even took on some songwriting tasks. Each member also cut some solo albums.
During the late 90's Neal Peart's daughter died in a car accident and following his wife died from a terminal illness. Peart has a rep for being a little pretentious, but being hit with such severe trauma made him go on hiatus. It was almost indefinite until Rush released another album in 2001.
BUT WHEN DID THE AUTHOR MISS THE FUCKING 17 RELEASED STUDIO,LIVE AND COMPILATIONS ALBUMS BETWEEN 1981 AND NOW!!!!
RUSH IS BACK??!!! WHEN DID THEY FUCKING LEAVE??!!! HEY!! MAN-ABOUT-FUCKING-TOWN!!! HOW ABOUT GETTING OFF YOUR GAY LUCAS ASS-KISSING BUTT AND GO TO A RECORD STORE ONCE IN A WHILE!!!!!
Ok. I feel better now.
YMMV, but IMHO comparing Rush to the likes of Poison is like comparing Patrick Stewart to Tom Arnold.
Yo! I'm there.
Giant Spider: Chk chk chk chk
Giant Slug: Slurrrrrrpppp. Gurble. phtttttttbtt.
Giant Spider: Chk chk chk!!!
Human Foreman: No! Get back! *whip* Get Back!! *whip* *whip* *whip* Oh God no!! Auuuggghhhh!
[Rip shread tear]
Giant Spider: Chk Chk Chk
Even Giant Spiders get pissed when "The Man" doesn't let them have a fly break.
Preach on brother!
I play for fun. I earn my money at a stressful job.
I come home and play for fun and to de-stress. I actually meet some
people online in games and it's very community building. Kinda like
old pickup games at the ball yard or the hoops court.
Of course, I'm still one of the old timers that still play HL.
HL2 deathmatch is still insane. CS is always good, but sometimes I just want
to plink away and not worry about total 'one shot one kill' every time.
Let the obsessive wankers and professionals play for profit. I'm fine having fun
on the public servers. If you're a Type A obsessive personality that must win! win! win!, stay away from my HL game.
A breakdown and rebuttal
Mistake 1: Thinking IT is on top of the food chain. No we are not IT is on the bottom of the food chain we need to service everyone. You may get paid more then the other guy and you may be more skilled but who ever you are doing work for is your boss.
Customer Service in an organization is vital. Who you work for is your client. But I ask you this: If IT isn't that important, why is IT is an after thought until something goes wrong? If I had a nickel for every war story where the company was saved by IT I'd be a very wealthy man. Don't under rate the importance of IT. The story's moral: IT is important, but be humble anyway ya prick!
Mistake 2: Not being professional. You should not stand out as the IT Guy because everyone else is wearing business casual and you are in tee-shirt and jeans. It is unfair and wrong but it is the way it is you need to dress to fit in. Otherwise you make people uncomfortable if they are uncomfortable your job can be at risk.
OK. This is right on the money. If you don't want IT to be involved in your workplace, go ahead and try to be an "individual". If people are comfortable with you, they will be willing to interact with you. Also they might trust your judgement more and get you more involved. Getting along sometimes is the grease on the wheel when pure logic isn't enough.
Mistake 3: Saying No. They need to get the job done just not doing it because you personally don't like it will not help anyone.
Saying 'No' just because you don't like it is BAD. Saying 'No' because you know it is NOT possible with the time,money and technology your organization has is GOOD. Have an open mind and at least look for a solution before completely canning it.
Mistake 4: Saying Yes. Being Blind to problems without brining them up in the beginning and getting someone else above you involved in a solution could lead you working on a quagmire.
Like Mistake 3. Too true. Mistake 4 is right on the money.
Mistake 5: Thinking you are better then everyone else. Just because they don't know the difference between USB and Firewire doesn't make them stupid. Just because you do doesn't make you a genius. Respect the people you are working with, and they will respect you back.
Completely on the money. Most low level IT work any monkey can do. You are hired because you took the time to learn those skills. Bob in accounting might be a wanker, but he too was hired for what he knows and what he can do! Also even if you are a genius, you can be replaced. Anytime anywhere.
Like in Mistake 1 know your value but be humble.
Mistake 6: Respect your boss. They are a lot of bad bosses out there also a lot of good ones. Even if your boss seems to be cut from Dilbert you should give him the respect that they deserve. For being in that position. It means things like not publicly humiliating them and when arguing your point try not to make it personal.
I don't always like my bosses. Matter of fact I can hate my boss and think he is an embodiment of the Peter Principle. My boss also, signs my checks and does my performance reviews. I put my two cents in when asked and do my job. YMMV, but make sure you communicate with your boss and always CYA with emails if things go awry.
Mistake 7: Trying to change the world. Don't try to change the world just try to make your work environment better. Put your feelings about GNU, Patents, Microsoft.... Aside and focus on getting your work done.
Yup. Leave the soap box at home. If the opportunity opens to try to Open source etc. throw it out as an option, but don't look like a revolutionary fanboy while doing it. Nice concise logical arguments. Especially ones that show where your organization saves the money.
Mistake 8: Money doesn't matter. It does always keep an eye on how you are effecting the bottom line. You can save 10 minutes a day in computation but the cost for you to make that change would take 100 years to recove
Pave the earth. Chrome the moon!
Turn in your geek card.
Highslander II: The sickening was a very bad piece of pandering tripe.
Killed the whole mystique of immortals as an ancient race. Instead they are SPACE PEOPLE
sentenced to earth. Lame. Unexplained in many parts and killed the previous story continuity.
I'll give you the director/writers's view of the future was interesting. Though provoking? Hmmmm . . .
I'm gonna say no.
Better than a karma kissing ass whore, eh Anon Coward?
I watched the video. You could barely see the begining of the incident. You could hear some of it.
Before anyone bitches one way or the other, I have something to ask.
Have any of you been tazered?
I have. Not as a result of a crime, but during training to know what it feels like.
After being tazered once, I had to have someone help me up. This was at a time when
I was young and physically fit. When you tazer someone, they are not always going to
"get up" under their own power. I keep thinking in my head "If you want him to get out
after the first taze you will need to move him. Duh."
Being tazed for a no show on ID is a little extreme, but he did continued to be uncooperative.
As a security officer (I'm not talking real law enforcement), you usually give your badge number if someone has a complaint.
I'm kinda surprised the mob didn't rush them. When they started going too far.
Trollin' Trollin' Trollin'
Keep them doggies Trollin'
Man your ass is spewin'
Rawhide!
Anon Coward says
And no this isnt trolling. I am not doing this for the sole purpose of pissing people off. I am saying this because its my opinion. Tolkien is boring. He was a linguist not an author. It was an experiment. Get over it.
Congrats. You are a successful troll and I have taken the bait. You have pissed me off.
Tolkien was also a reader and researcher of epic poems and tales. The Lord of the Rings was meant to have a little of that in it. Just because you are a wanking Phillistine doesn't mean the rest of us don't have any taste or respect for the classics.
I plan on boycotting any Hobbit film without Wingnut films being involved. Lest we go back to well meaning, but skanky adaptations http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077869/.
In latter comments some of the focus is on quality of education.
If they want to have quantity, how about not making education not so f'ing expensive!
If I didn't have to pay for exorbitant student loans. I wouldn't be worried about
transforming myself into a working machine for "The Industry". Yes, the industry doesn't know what it wants, but they want it NOW!
Remember the "Need 5 years Java experience" in 2000?
Bringing in H1-B folks doesn't solve it either long term. What happened to
bringing someone with some decent pay and benefits who stay at your company forever.
Y'know company loyalty.
Forget that!
1. Send robots. Find out what the asteroids are made of. NASA Should PR the crap out of this.
2. Send people. Mine them sumbitches!
3. Soft land mined materials back to earth.
4. Make inorganic raw materials so cheap as to be economically valueless. Like grass or wood or
minerals in Starcraft.
5. Ravage various economies.
6. Profit!
YMMV on steps 1-5. But at least I've solved that nasty ???? between ideas and profit!
Yes citizen. This is a random genetic event. Four finned dolphins are not any sign of evolution! Move along citizens! Move along! Remember, War is Peace, we have always been at war with Pacifica *blah* *blah* *blah*.
Anonymous Coward, I appreciate your right to free speech. You have used it admirably.
Allow me to exercise my right to free speech.
If you feel that strongly about not voting and government as an ever-growing-power-base-so-why-vote.
Leave my country now.
It sickens me every time someone goes on a screed how voting is worthless. It is
because people DON'T vote that causes the problem. Become more aware and active.
I only hear these reasons for not voting:
1. I don't agree with either party
2. I'm not registered to vote
3. My vote doesn't count
4. I'm too young and uninformed to vote
1. Fine. If you don't agree with either party. In this day and age it's understandable to not have any party identity considering how far to the left and right each party has gone. Why not form an actual third party? Maybe call it the Moderate party, because that is where the majority of Americans are in their views. No one candidate can be everything to everybody, but common sense would be nice. If every disenfranchised voter cast a vote for a third party, that candidate would win by a landslide. Do I have any evidence to back that up? No, but check around your own circles of friends and peer groups. Who isn't a voter tired of the two party system? We wouldn't even have articles about eletronic voting fraud if people weren't upset by what it does to the value of your vote.
2. OK. We're all busy people, but then support motor voter registration laws. How about registering on an off election year and that way you are done. College student with residency back home? How about an absentee ballot?
3. I look at it like this. Americans died in wars all the way from the American Revolution until now to support our way of life which includes the right to vote(representation). It might not have been what the war was about, and might not justify a particular war. That was and IS a part of what US soldiers are fighting for when they fight for "The American way of life". Sounds like propeganda. Probably, but for those who justly died and put their life on the line, so I could vote I'm going to do it! I'm going to fight and struggle to make sure my vote does count and my voice is heard. My one vote might not do it. I am one of many. I look forward to the day when politicians have to consider the "Geek vote" or the "Computer Worker" vote.
It's difficult to hold this opinion when there is potential for voter fraud and confimed allegations of voter fraud in the past.
4. For all those men and women who are 18. I look back and regret every day I didn't vote. I didn't start until right before I graduated college. Trust me. You are ready to vote. If you dont' feel you are ready then read, learn and ask people. After that, find your own opinion and VOTE! I think would be especially crucial to those folks going to state universities and colleges. Depending on the place, State government does have some impact on your tuition.
rvw says-
I wonder how the next administration will do, but I doubt whether they will be able or willing to turn this trend around (even the democrats).
That is a point which we are forgetting. It is a redeeming hope for the US and the world. The US gets for vote for someone else in 2008. In fact, many Republicans are running scared for their Senate and Representative electorial races this year. I say to the world: Watch and wait. Pres. Howdy Doody may be a real suck-ass, but normal sane American citizens(if there are any) are trying to fix it.
If we didn't have to focus so much on everyone being violently and extremely pissed off at us, we might be able to work on resolving some of our injustices to the world. Injustice and violence on both sides is inexcusable. Do we want to resolve this issues and get on with our lives, or keep killing each other back and forward which perpetuates the cycle of violence?
Is there a resolution to Islamic extremism? Probably not unless some Muslim extremists want to stand up and actually tell us what is wrong. I can't hear you over the explosions of your suicide bombers. And I know you can't hear me over the clank of jail doors and the sonic boom of US air strikes.
They sorta are.
Stun and shock belts.
http://www.securityprousa.com/prstbeshbeco.html
Inmate has belt around waist. He gets out of line. zzzzbbbbbttt!
Cash? The root of all evil.
We should go back to bartering goats, loaves of bread and weasel pelts.
Frankly, we should have never left the trees.
Hey!
You!
Get off'a my cloud!
Don't hang around cause 10's a crowd.
or in Scottish
Ha!
Yuu!
Git oof me claewd!
Look at a blank page and then create a full story arc. Try it.
coaxial said-
Nice try, but it's a completely facicious statment. Lucas didn't even do this. He wrote one movie. It made money. He then wrote two more, but to say that Darth Vader is Luke's father in 1976, is just wrong. That's not how the stories were written. Lucas himself says that.
If you look at my original post, the point I try to make is we nitpick something that has already been created. Trying to create something even from borrowed material is still difficult. Yes, Lucas has a whole host of inconsistancies in his storyline, and it does make me want to rip out my hair in Biblical fashion. I also recognize Lucas had some good moments which are hard to replicate. We may disagree on his quick fix choices for the movies, but overall as an epic the trilogy (any maybe the prequel) has some merit.
Now create something that no one else has done. Make an original story. Begin now.
coaxial said-
Star Wars is heavily influenced by Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress. Lucas has said this repeatedly.
Coming up with an "original" story is the easy part, especially since there hasn't been an original story since the very first stories told. That's not a knock, but they are reoccuring storylines. The coming of age story. The destiny story. The hero story. The downfall story. The redemption story. They've all been told before. Sure, the execution is different, and some are better than others, but the stories are the same. They're the same, because these stories resonate with human experience. People like these story outlines. They always have, and they always will.
Again from my original post-
(I know Lucas wasn't original since he used traditional archtypes and he copied from all his fav directors anyway, but you get my drift.)
Maybe I took the wrong angle in explaining my point. I know exactly what Lucas' influences and story formula was (Thanks Joseph Campbell ya prat! : ) ). My subtle point was modern entertainment relies too heavily on the archtypes. In a post-modern world (if you want to call it that) keeps cannibalizing almost exactly what was done in the past and you end up with Starsky and Hutch remakes. As you said, the stories are all the same, but can we present them in a more creative or original fashion? I've tried on my own and failed miserably. I'll admit, I'm not a good writer. My stories always come out like hacked formulaic trash that has horrible contrived dialogue. We complain about Lucas doing the same thing. To our complex and more learned audiences, can anyone make anything that doesn't look and sound like contrived trash?
And that was the real hook with Tales of the Jedi. The Sith history and background. Real in depth and conflicted characters. You see the inevitable fall towards the dark side and see the tragedy. With Episode III you see the inevitable flaw and think "Boy, that was stupid."
/. have created a complete Space Opera? Or even an outline story arc? He did it once with the Star Wars trilogy and got it right because it was the right series at the right time. We weren't as complex an audience in the 70's as we are now. Hell, even Close Encounters of the Third Kind and the Shining were pretty damn cool at the time. It's difficult to create something new these days with every shrub and zuul complaining about the nitpicks. Let alone doing the armchair critic equivalent of proof reading an already finished work. I know my afore mentioned statements about the sith make me a hypocrite, but I guess that's the duality of this arguement. Sure see the crap, but see the nitpicker in yourself and know that writing is difficult.
Exar Kun Fatal Flaw: Pride and the quest to seek out knowledge in all manner of the force. Dark or light, all should be explored.
Anakin Skywalker Fatal Flaw: Gotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save Padme(Damn Obi Wan!)Gotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save PadmeGotta save Padme
More indepth exposure of the sith would have made it darker and more fulfilling.
The one thing facing me in complaining about the prequels. Lucas started from scratch on this and made it into a new thing. How many people on
Look at a blank page and then create a full story arc. Try it.
Now create something that no one else has done. Make an original story. Begin now.
After you pour a great deal of time into it and you think it's finished. Try having someone read it as a finished work.
I'm not saying scriptwriters are these awesome colossal beings, but it is hard to make something even slightly original from your mind. (I know Lucas wasn't original since he used traditional archtypes and he copied from all his fav directors anyway, but you get my drift.)
Insensitive Clod are Soviet Russia you fool. . .no . . . wait. That's not right.
.CUT!
Lemme try again.
In Soviet Russia, insensitive clods are . .
OK, AgentSmith you're fired. The corporate heads decided to outsource you anyway.
Allright people! That's a wrap! We'll get it in postedit.
i AM in being Soviet Russia fools with hardware are clod.
Solid!
Maybe the lyrics are all a misprint and she meant to say:
"Isn't it ionic. Dontcha think."
"It's like covalent bonds on your wedding day."
"It's like orbitals that have already flashed."
"That professors had already figured."
No, no maybe that's not it.
Hand me that Staff of Magius over there. Th' one that says "Bad Muthafucka" on it!
Wow! Nice rant buckaroo. Care to back that up with some time honored wisdom towards the actual question? Yeah, I've dealt with prima donnas too, but when others don't lead by example it's hard to see through the hypocracy. That's why the "management numbers out the ass" comment comes in. Try programming something when management gives you the deadline which completely departs from reality. Good luck trying to finish something in 2 weeks that should really take 3 months.
This deserves a 21 Flamebait mod salute!
*Yawn*
Bill gets challeneged in court and dies.
Couldn't we just get the current videogame ratings enforced instead
of the geschtapo tactics?
I know, it's beyond Jack-off's reach to understand such things.