Anime conventions have been doing gatherings for a while successfully.
I only point to Otakon, since it's the anime con whose practices I'm most familiar . This con started with a few guys putting some seed money together and frankly losing money, because of insurance and liability costs that sometimes need to be acquired for larger venues. Then they went non-profit and things were greatly improved. Also the philosophy was very similar to most other conventions as how to run it.
- Elect your corporate officers and convention president every year. It keeps things from going too stale and political
- Have a group goal and keep to it. Otakon's at least was and should still be a 'By fans for fans' convention while showcasing East Asian culture to the public.
- Improve every year. Regardless of how good or bad you did the mantra should be 'We can do better.'
Those are just the highlights, but years when I thought Otakon would go down it has kept going and growing.
This is exactly the case. This is something Congress can do that might possibly redeem their abysmal approval rating in the public. For the vast majority out there which no nothing about video games, this is a win.
We know it's a loss and a colossal one. How do we convince people about it? This is no more than the rating system with movies. Back in the day when a movie was rated R kids didn't see it for many reasons:
1) Movies theaters and movie ushers didn't sell tickets to underage kids 2) There was a stigma to even going IN to see an R rated film 3) Parents could make the individual decision when it came out on cable, TV, VHS, Beta, RCA Video Disc etc.
This is the same thing. Parents, if you see a game rating above your child's age - don't buy it! or if you really feel that little Johnny can handle Nun Slashers Effect 3 for the Sony EyeStation then go ahead, but don't blame the video game industry when your son gets busted for assault and ends up living with you until he's 45!
Personally, I'm going to contact my representatives and also call and warn my Congressmen that this bill is a bad idea for these specific reasons. It only takes usually 25 calls per office to make a particular view on an issue stand out. If even part of Slashdot's collective might calls or writes in then this bill can be removed and we can move on with more important issues. Remember to also calmly include that you are a voting constituent and if you are of their party then mention that too.
We have all been seriously owned. The Daily Mail receives website hits and we banter about on a topic that really has no merit nor a drop of reality in it.
I post this as a warning to others. Don't waste anymore brain power on it.
If anyone with influence in the international community takes this seriously it should be struck down and its supporters immediately considered completely out of touch with reality. Then ignored.
For example, the phone feature of the iPhone. The other week I was getting increasingly frustrated that my iPhone doesn't provide any way to block unwanted callers. Some telemarketer was calling a dozen times a day for several days, and it was pissing me off. How hard would it be to implement call blocking?
Uh Chief? . . . I feel for you, but that's something that should be handled by your phone service provider. Not necessarily by the device.
Tackling telemarketers.
Put your cel phone number on the Fed Do Not Call List. Your state might have one too. https://www.donotcall.gov/
Some telemarketers bypass this by claiming a "business relationship". Calmly tell the telemarketer to take you off his call list and you do not want to receive any more calls.
If they call again then you call your phone service provider (aka Verizon, AT&T etc.) to have the number blocked.
If the provider doesn't do anything then call the police and tell them you are being harassed. Be sure to have the dates and times of all the phone calls.
Yes, it would be more simple if the phone handled it, but sometimes you have to do your own legwork.
[Fade in on a roadhouse bar in a small Washington state logging town. A singer on stage croons a haunting tune about falling. We pan over to Harrison Ford, Kyle Maclaughlin and Russell Mulcahy sitting at a table. Harrison is eating sushi with a bottle of whiskey, Kyle is eating pie and Russell is on the phone with Christopher Lambert.]
Singer: Falling . . . Falling . . .
[The bar goes dark. The band disappears from the stage. A bright white light appears on the trio at the table and on stage. Russell stops his call and all three stand to look mesmerizingly at the stage. A very tall man in the likeness of Mr. Homn from ST.TNG fades into view on stage.]
Tall Man: [Speaking to Russell] It is happening again. ..It is happening again.
[A small dwarf in a red suit dances up to Harrison. He hands him a cel phone.]
Ridley Scott: Hey there big guy! Me and the guys at Fox are lookin' to green light a sequel for Blade Runner! Starts a 1.5 Mil with 2.5% in points. Tell me you're in!
[Time slows downs. Russell reaches for the phone.]
Russell: Noooooooo!
[He throws the phone at the back bar wall and shatters the mirrored glass. The bright lights fade and everything returns to normal except the glass.]
Russell: I'm . . . I'm sorry Harrison. I don't know what came over me. I just can't let that happen again.
Kyle: It's OK, Russell, already been there. Done that.
[The trio leaves money on the table and get up to leave as everyone looks at them. Harrison tosses a coin on the bar.]
Mobile . . . said You think you're so creative. You don't know what it's like to really create something; to create a life; to feel it growing inside you. All you know how to create is death...
An Anon Coward said WTF?
AgentSmith What? You never saw Terminator 2? Pfft! Meh. Kids these days!
Now get off my lawn before I let Clint Eastwood out of the house. (10 points for that reference and a shiny new donkey (Another 10 points for that reference, so let me check my notes (Another 10 points for that reference. Auugh help I'm trapped in a recursive loop. (Another 10 points for that reference. No! Seriously! Somebody reboot the Matrix! I'm frickin' trapped! (Another 10 points for that reference . . . ^P)&*(T%*DVUO*^%F&$DRO*&T&^G ^C
Reboot now? Y
AMIBIOS(C) 2007 American Megatrends Inc. ASUS P5KPL ACPI BIOS Revision 1010 CPU: Intel(R) Pentium Core2Pro Dual CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz Speed: 3.01 GHz Count : 2
Press DEL to run Setup Press F8 for BBS POPUP Initializing USB Controllers . . Done 4096 OK
Educate younger programmers to not accept this. Even if it is their "dream job". There are plenty of game development houses out there who do not treat people like this. Whether they are indie game companies or big names. The people I know in the game industry started out programming and creating test games on their own like a portfolio. They shopped themselves around to game companies as either an artist, a programmer or both.
Educate the consumers. Are there not places aside from Labor and Industry departments where a programmer or a collective group of programmers can anonymously report these practices? This should allow the consumer to vote with their wallets! This next part is a little pie-in-the-sky, but consumers also have to care enough about how their games are being made. When a game company's name lands on this 'website' is should be equivalent to saying that someone has B. O. along the lines of the Black Plague. Companies should work hard to get their name off that list not unlike a SPAM blacklist.
Don't forget about Mexican bashing, a la Lou Dobbs,
Oh bullshit. He just starting talking about the elephant in the room. I don't know every specific word that came out of his mouth, but my viewings of Lou Dobbs usually included his statements concerning 'Illegal Immigrants'. Meaning people who are in this country that have broken (and are breaking) our Federal Immigration and Naturalization laws. A major percentage happen to come from either from Mexico or Central America. (A cursory Google search even found that.) People who are illegal immigrants are still people, but it's a slap in the face to everyone of my friends who took the time to go legally go through either the naturalization process to become a citizen or to keep their green card status up to date.
There are many things we can do to secure our border and improve the naturalization and asylum process, but that can't realistically happen until certain people starting recognizing the difference between illegal and legal immigrants. Stop apologizing for an entire population who are continually breaking the law even after multiple amnesty attempts in the past.
As for good ol' mary jane? Legalize it and be done. The great fear of Reefer Madness is over. Marijuana might be a gateway drug, but it still is going to end up like alcohol in its treatment. The really big fear is that someone is going to be stoned on the road or be stoned while they are performing my surgical operation. The real truth is that they already are. Legalization should be a pathway towards getting people off of drugs when possible. It's also a possible side benefit because of human nature. Smoking pot won't be part of the cool counterculture anymore. The forbidden thrill will be gone.
Cost. Even galaxy conquering space monsters have accountants.
[Cut scene to a dimly lit counting house in the outer reaches of the of Sol galaxy. Pan down to a green blobish looking fellow behind a raised desk and a Dalek gliding into the room]
Dalek: HERE IS MY REQUISITION FORM FOR DEADLOCK DOORS!
Vogon Accountant: Get stuffed! We can't afford it. The Galactic Economy is complete in stook thanks to you lot failing all the time!
Dalek: THE LOCKS ARE EFFICIENT! THE LOCKS WILL KEEP OUT THE DOCTOR ! WE WILL NOT FAIL!!!!
Vogon Accountant: I can't get money from nowhere! Can't you conquer something?! How about the Cybermen? They keep hording gold away like their lives depend on it.
Dalek: CYBERMEN ARE NOT THE PROBLEM! THE DOCTOR IS THE PROBLEM! WE WILL EXTERMINATE HIM WHEN THE DALEK RACE IS SECURE!!! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!! EX-TER-MIN-NATE!!!!!!
Vogon Accountant: Oh Hells Bells! [Accountant pushes a button on his console] Imelda, another Dalek 'client' has turned foaming mouth mental again. Bring out some of my . . . poetry. [Imelda hands him a large leatherbound tome which he unlocks] Yes, now then! Fie gorlble sond on one summer day. Tise doc! Doc doc! Tise doc!
Dalek: Naggggg! MY SENSORS ARE IMPARED!! Narrrghhh!! MY PLUNGY THING CANNOT REACH MY BRAIN!!! AAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!
[Dalek explodes. Two Vogon janitors in coveralls come by and wheel the remaining Dalek stump away.]
Vogon Accountant: Shoulda used a Sonic Screwdriver. Stupid blobby git.
Because people forgot how to make real root beer. Depending on where you live, try to find a Pennsylvania Dutch version of root beer or a backwoods version from Maine or Vermont.
Oh, don't be such a chav'vy pratt, Bert, and hand me the scalpel.
All right! It was a 'oliday! Now I'm callin' me barrister and it'll be the high jump for you when 'e's done with the discrimination and harrasment suit!
I always wondered what Attenborough on Humans would sound like... "And here... he buys her a drink. Alas, this time she drinks it... has a second look... and gives him the wrong number...
OK. I nearly laughed my lungs out.
Well done, sir! Well done! If only I had mod points.
Yes. This is exactly their ploy. With the uproar to cut spending and remove "government control" all Republican representatives are playing to what their constituencies asked them to represent. The next election, specifically presidential, they will go back to their states and say "We (Republicans/Tea Party members) tried to represent you and enact your will, but HE (President Obama) and his cronies blocked us in every way!"
Remember the old adage "No one got fired for buy Microsoft." Well "No one lost an election by playing to the loudest voices."
We should start by examining worst offending influences. Its possible that violent video games can lead to violence, but misreading religious texts can lead to genocide.
There. I fixed that for you. Now back to topic.
You can't stop people from having sex, and eventually having children. I agree with previous posts that we should understand these effects. I don't let my kids play video games without reviewing it first and understanding it to where I can make the decision to bar them from playing with it, explaining it to them in term they understand, or (if benign enough) let them play it.
Not all parents are like this. If this helps parents realize that throwing a game at little Johnny to occupy him is going to lead to consequences down the road, then all the better. If my son isn't interacting well with other kids I take it as a personal responsibility, as a father, to realize changing my parenting is part of the solution. Some parents don't get this opportunity, since they might be working two or three jobs. Others are just plain ignorant about child development. I know the human species has lived for millenia without knowing how humans learn and develop. In this day and age, it's not enough to assume how you were raised is good enough unless you have the perfect life and can replicate those conditions exactly for your kids. We have to be better. We have to stop assuming that everything we absorb through our senses isn't affecting us.
You may toss it in the bin (as well you should), but you will at least remember this prick vs. all the other pricks that peddle their crowd/infotainment/life coach/success coach wares. It's the negative publicity angle. Even bad news is good publicity and thus marketing. "I guarantee crowds! What do you do?!" He might get that, but what meaning does it have in life to guarantee crowds. If you believe in a soul his is carved out with a melon baller for his success. On my part I'd call it sour grapes, since I dislike my job except when I compare it to the alternative of acting like him.
Business cards are still around in the non-tech circles. The etiquette of which symbolizes a more civil time of business interaction. Look at how the Japanese handle business cards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meishi
men would have been stoned to death for not being virgins on their wedding nights
Without using any medical tools, how do you expect to biologically prove that a man is a virgin? Reasonably easy to detect with women, although sometimes historically done in very creepy and inappropriate ways.
I'm not invalidating any part of your argument, but that does explain why men couldn't be stoned for being non-virginal aside from the norms of a patriarchal society.
It's more likely that they realise that a lot of parents are fucking morons who don't give two shits about what they're buying for their children and the lawmakers are actually worried that little kids are a hot-button issue that could mean the difference between re-election and having to get a real job.
Too right.
Which is why I say - rename it Mortal Wombat, throw in a couple marsupial related characters that probably appeal to these crusty politicians' patriotic and national sympathies then call it a day.
Because who would ban an educational game that has cuddly little creatures in it?! That's just despicable! Won't somebody please think of the children!
Slashdot Mirror
Anime conventions have been doing gatherings for a while successfully.
I only point to Otakon, since it's the anime con whose practices I'm most familiar . This con started with a few guys putting some seed money together and frankly losing money, because of insurance and liability costs that sometimes need to be acquired for larger venues. Then they went non-profit and things were greatly improved. Also the philosophy was very similar to most other conventions as how to run it.
- Elect your corporate officers and convention president every year. It keeps things from going too stale and political
- Have a group goal and keep to it. Otakon's at least was and should still be a 'By fans for fans' convention while showcasing East Asian culture to the public.
- Improve every year. Regardless of how good or bad you did the mantra should be 'We can do better.'
Those are just the highlights, but years when I thought Otakon would go down it has kept going and growing.
This is exactly the case. This is something Congress can do that might possibly redeem their abysmal approval rating in the public. For the vast majority out there which no nothing about video games, this is a win.
We know it's a loss and a colossal one. How do we convince people about it? This is no more than the rating system with movies. Back in the day when a movie was rated R kids didn't see it for many reasons:
1) Movies theaters and movie ushers didn't sell tickets to underage kids
2) There was a stigma to even going IN to see an R rated film
3) Parents could make the individual decision when it came out on cable, TV, VHS, Beta, RCA Video Disc etc.
This is the same thing. Parents, if you see a game rating above your child's age - don't buy it! or if you really feel that little Johnny can handle Nun Slashers Effect 3 for the Sony EyeStation then go ahead, but don't blame the video game industry when your son gets busted for assault and ends up living with you until he's 45!
Personally, I'm going to contact my representatives and also call and warn my Congressmen that this bill is a bad idea for these specific reasons. It only takes usually 25 calls per office to make a particular view on an issue stand out. If even part of Slashdot's collective might calls or writes in then this bill can be removed and we can move on with more important issues. Remember to also calmly include that you are a voting constituent and if you are of their party then mention that too.
We have all been seriously owned. The Daily Mail receives website hits and we banter about on a topic that really has no merit nor a drop of reality in it.
I post this as a warning to others. Don't waste anymore brain power on it.
If anyone with influence in the international community takes this seriously it should be struck down and its supporters immediately considered completely out of touch with reality. Then ignored.
"Hey, Mildred, that burger is YOU!" and the resulting LOLS
This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Eat Me!"
A little more Douglas Adams into it.
You got metal fever boy!
DON'T DATE ROBOTS!
Brought to you byyyyyyyyyyyyyy the Space Pope!
For example, the phone feature of the iPhone. The other week I was getting increasingly frustrated that my iPhone doesn't provide any way to block unwanted callers. Some telemarketer was calling a dozen times a day for several days, and it was pissing me off. How hard would it be to implement call blocking?
Uh Chief? . . . I feel for you, but that's something that should be handled by your phone service provider. Not necessarily by the device.
Tackling telemarketers.
Put your cel phone number on the Fed Do Not Call List. Your state might have one too.
https://www.donotcall.gov/
Some telemarketers bypass this by claiming a "business relationship". Calmly tell the telemarketer to take you off his call list and you do not want to receive any more calls.
If they call again then you call your phone service provider (aka Verizon, AT&T etc.) to have the number blocked.
If the provider doesn't do anything then call the police and tell them you are being harassed. Be sure to have the dates and times of all the phone calls.
Yes, it would be more simple if the phone handled it, but sometimes you have to do your own legwork.
[Fade in on a roadhouse bar in a small Washington state logging town.
A singer on stage croons a haunting tune about falling. We pan over to Harrison Ford, Kyle Maclaughlin and Russell Mulcahy
sitting at a table. Harrison is eating sushi with a bottle of whiskey, Kyle is eating pie and Russell is on the phone
with Christopher Lambert.]
Singer: Falling . . . Falling . . .
[The bar goes dark. The band disappears from the stage. A bright white light appears on the trio at the table and
on stage. Russell stops his call and all three stand to look mesmerizingly at the stage. A very tall man in the likeness of Mr. Homn from ST.TNG
fades into view on stage.]
Tall Man: [Speaking to Russell] It is happening again. . .It is happening again.
[A small dwarf in a red suit dances up to Harrison. He hands him a cel phone.]
Dwarf: Âɥɥɥɥn ÉÉÉÉÉ¥ É¥ÉÉ¥ÉÉ¥ÉÉ¥ÉÉ¥ ÉÉu ÂÊÊoÉ"s ÊZÇ×YpÄ±É sı Êı ÂooÊZ ÉoÉY zı ÇuoÉ¥d ÇÉ¥Ê Ë(TM)pÉoÉY Ë(TM)ÉÉ
[Harrison puts it on speaker.]
Ridley Scott: Hey there big guy! Me and the guys at Fox are lookin' to green light a sequel for Blade Runner! Starts a 1.5 Mil with 2.5% in points. Tell me you're in!
[Time slows downs. Russell reaches for the phone.]
Russell: Noooooooo!
[He throws the phone at the back bar wall and shatters the mirrored glass. The bright lights fade and everything returns to normal except the glass.]
Russell: I'm . . . I'm sorry Harrison. I don't know what came over me. I just can't let that happen again.
Kyle: It's OK, Russell, already been there. Done that.
[The trio leaves money on the table and get up to leave as everyone looks at them. Harrison tosses a coin on the bar.]
Harrison: Sorry about the mess.
Well, it's a series of tubes...
What my distinguished colleague really meant is: the internet is a series of Hobbit holes. . .
Agreed.
Maybe they should also look into organizations like the church of scientology. One of the genesis points of Anonymous. If there can be such as thing.
Mobile . . . said
You think you're so creative. You don't know what it's like to really create something; to create a life; to feel it growing inside you. All you know how to create is death...
An Anon Coward said
WTF?
AgentSmith
What? You never saw Terminator 2?
Pfft! Meh. Kids these days!
Now get off my lawn before I let Clint Eastwood out of the house. (10 points for that reference and a shiny new donkey (Another 10 points for that reference, so let me check my notes (Another 10 points for that reference. Auugh help I'm trapped in a recursive loop. (Another 10 points for that reference. No! Seriously! Somebody reboot the Matrix! I'm frickin' trapped! (Another 10 points for that reference . . . ^P)&*(T%*DVUO*^%F&$DRO*&T&^G
^C
Reboot now? Y
AMIBIOS(C) 2007 American Megatrends Inc.
ASUS P5KPL ACPI BIOS Revision 1010
CPU: Intel(R) Pentium Core2Pro Dual CPU E8400 @ 3.00GHz
Speed: 3.01 GHz Count : 2
Press DEL to run Setup
Press F8 for BBS POPUP
Initializing USB Controllers . . Done
4096 OK
Attempting to restart Windows . . .
MBR Failure . . .
ntldr not found
Ha Ha suckers! LULZSEC haxxord you Matrix!!!
A big mirror makes a big beam!
Education
Educate younger programmers to not accept this. Even if it is their "dream job". There are plenty of game development houses out there who do not treat people like this. Whether they are indie game companies or big names. The people I know in the game industry started out programming and creating test games on their own like a portfolio. They shopped themselves around to game companies as either an artist, a programmer or both.
Educate the consumers. Are there not places aside from Labor and Industry departments where a programmer or a collective group of programmers can anonymously report these practices? This should allow the consumer to vote with their wallets! This next part is a little pie-in-the-sky, but consumers also have to care enough about how their games are being made. When a game company's name lands on this 'website' is should be equivalent to saying that someone has B. O. along the lines of the Black Plague. Companies should work hard to get their name off that list not unlike a SPAM blacklist.
Don't forget about Mexican bashing, a la Lou Dobbs,
Oh bullshit. He just starting talking about the elephant in the room. I don't know every specific word that came out of his mouth, but my viewings of Lou Dobbs usually included his statements concerning 'Illegal Immigrants'. Meaning people who are in this country that have broken (and are breaking) our Federal Immigration and Naturalization laws. A major percentage happen to come from either from Mexico or Central America. (A cursory Google search even found that.)
People who are illegal immigrants are still people, but it's a slap in the face to everyone of my friends who took the time to go legally go through either the naturalization process to become a citizen or to keep their green card status up to date.
There are many things we can do to secure our border and improve the naturalization and asylum process, but that can't realistically happen until certain people starting recognizing the difference between illegal and legal immigrants. Stop apologizing for an entire population who are continually breaking the law even after multiple amnesty attempts in the past.
As for good ol' mary jane? Legalize it and be done. The great fear of Reefer Madness is over. Marijuana might be a gateway drug, but it still is going to end up like alcohol in its treatment. The really big fear is that someone is going to be stoned on the road or be stoned while they are performing my surgical operation. The real truth is that they already are. Legalization should be a pathway towards getting people off of drugs when possible. It's also a possible side benefit because of human nature. Smoking pot won't be part of the cool counterculture anymore. The forbidden thrill will be gone.
But I tried to go for a +1 funny D:
Standard procedure reply on Slashdot when someone doesn't 'get it' is WHOOOOSH!
Corridors! We used to dream of filming in corridors!
We had a panaflex camera and used a rubbish bag and a septic tank!
Cost. Even galaxy conquering space monsters have accountants.
[Cut scene to a dimly lit counting house in the outer reaches of the of Sol galaxy.
Pan down to a green blobish looking fellow behind a raised desk and a Dalek gliding into the room]
Dalek: HERE IS MY REQUISITION FORM FOR DEADLOCK DOORS!
Vogon Accountant: Get stuffed! We can't afford it. The Galactic Economy is complete in stook thanks to you lot failing all the time!
Dalek: THE LOCKS ARE EFFICIENT! THE LOCKS WILL KEEP OUT THE DOCTOR ! WE WILL NOT FAIL!!!!
Vogon Accountant: I can't get money from nowhere! Can't you conquer something?! How about the Cybermen? They keep hording gold away like their lives depend on it.
Dalek: CYBERMEN ARE NOT THE PROBLEM! THE DOCTOR IS THE PROBLEM! WE WILL EXTERMINATE HIM WHEN THE DALEK RACE IS SECURE!!! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!! EX-TER-MIN-NATE!!!!!!
Vogon Accountant: Oh Hells Bells! [Accountant pushes a button on his console] Imelda, another Dalek 'client' has turned foaming mouth mental again. Bring out some of my . . . poetry. [Imelda hands him a large leatherbound tome which he unlocks] Yes, now then! Fie gorlble sond on one summer day. Tise doc! Doc doc! Tise doc!
Dalek: Naggggg! MY SENSORS ARE IMPARED!! Narrrghhh!! MY PLUNGY THING CANNOT REACH MY BRAIN!!! AAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!
[Dalek explodes. Two Vogon janitors in coveralls come by and wheel the remaining Dalek stump away.]
Vogon Accountant: Shoulda used a Sonic Screwdriver. Stupid blobby git.
whether you can enjoy root beer and twizzlers
Because people forgot how to make real root beer. Depending on where you live, try to find a Pennsylvania Dutch version of root beer or a backwoods version from Maine or Vermont.
As for twizzlers, dead on. Braided plastic.
It's a jolly 'oliday wiv you Dr. Poppins!
Oh, don't be such a chav'vy pratt, Bert, and hand me the scalpel.
All right! It was a 'oliday! Now I'm callin' me barrister and
it'll be the high jump for you when 'e's done with the discrimination and
harrasment suit!
I always wondered what Attenborough on Humans would sound like... "And here... he buys her a drink. Alas, this time she drinks it... has a second look... and gives him the wrong number...
OK. I nearly laughed my lungs out.
Well done, sir! Well done!
If only I had mod points.
Yes. This is exactly their ploy. With the uproar to cut spending and remove "government control" all Republican representatives are playing to what their constituencies asked them to represent. The next election, specifically presidential, they will go back to their states and say "We (Republicans/Tea Party members) tried to represent you and enact your will, but HE (President Obama) and his cronies blocked us in every way!"
Remember the old adage "No one got fired for buy Microsoft." Well "No one lost an election by playing to the loudest voices."
We should start by examining worst offending influences. Its possible that violent video games can lead to violence, but misreading religious texts can lead to genocide.
There. I fixed that for you. Now back to topic.
You can't stop people from having sex, and eventually having children. I agree with previous posts that we should understand these effects. I don't let my kids play video games without reviewing it first and understanding it to where I can make the decision to bar them from playing with it, explaining it to them in term they understand, or (if benign enough) let them play it.
Not all parents are like this. If this helps parents realize that throwing a game at little Johnny to occupy him is going to lead to consequences down the road, then all the better. If my son isn't interacting well with other kids I take it as a personal responsibility, as a father, to realize changing my parenting is part of the solution. Some parents don't get this opportunity, since they might be working two or three jobs. Others are just plain ignorant about child development. I know the human species has lived for millenia without knowing how humans learn and develop. In this day and age, it's not enough to assume how you were raised is good enough unless you have the perfect life and can replicate those conditions exactly for your kids. We have to be better. We have to stop assuming that everything we absorb through our senses isn't affecting us.
You may toss it in the bin (as well you should), but you will at least remember this prick vs. all the other pricks that peddle their crowd/infotainment/life coach/success coach wares. It's the negative publicity angle. Even bad news is good publicity and thus marketing. "I guarantee crowds! What do you do?!" He might get that, but what meaning does it have in life to guarantee crowds. If you believe in a soul his is carved out with a melon baller for his success. On my part I'd call it sour grapes, since I dislike my job except when I compare it to the alternative of acting like him.
Business cards are still around in the non-tech circles. The etiquette of which symbolizes a more civil time of business interaction. Look at how the Japanese handle business cards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meishi
men would have been stoned to death for not being virgins on their wedding nights
Without using any medical tools, how do you expect to biologically prove that a man is a virgin?
Reasonably easy to detect with women, although sometimes historically done in very creepy and inappropriate ways.
I'm not invalidating any part of your argument, but that does explain why men couldn't be stoned for being non-virginal aside from the norms of a patriarchal society.
It's more likely that they realise that a lot of parents are fucking morons who don't give two shits about what they're buying for their children and the lawmakers are actually worried that little kids are a hot-button issue that could mean the difference between re-election and having to get a real job.
Too right.
Which is why I say - rename it Mortal Wombat, throw in a couple marsupial related characters that probably appeal to these crusty politicians' patriotic and national sympathies then call it a day.
Because who would ban an educational game that has cuddly little creatures in it?! That's just despicable! Won't somebody please think of the children!
Rainier Wolfcastle: Ah! My eyes! The website . . .it does nothing!