"Drawers cost money, and if Sony can shave off a few bucks for this sucker, they'd more than likely do it"
In addition to the drawer, it has 2 USB ports and a PCMCIA card slot, which seems like overkill on a dedicated game console with network connectivity for internet and gaming purposes. It seems odd to me that they added these extras instead of trying to get the price lower.
Japanese retail distribution channels are a tangled mess. Governed by longstanding relationships between corporate families, the channel adds quite a bit onto the final price tag.
The US market has developed a very cost efficient distribution channel. And when you deal with the kind of volume the American market demands, economy of scale keeps things like shipping costs down.
There are always going to be negative stereotypes of certain groups by people outside those groups.
The notion that football fans are prone to domestic violence has been propogated by "statistics" that show the day after the superbowl is the busiest day for shelters for battered women. Never mind that this isn't true.
It doesn't take much - one Columbine, for example - for people with pre-existing predjiduces to sieze their "proof" that video games are evil. Studies like this will not dissuade those people.
I too am appalled at Jon's suggestion that adults hang around movie theaters and sneak kids into R rated movies. I am a parent, and when I drop my kid off at the multiplex to see Tarzan, I don't want strangers escorting my child into a movie I don't approve of him seeing. What other restrictions does Jon dislike? Does he think it's unfair that my child has to be 18 years old to buy pornography? Maybe he could hang around convenience stores and purchase copies of Penthouse for kids. And while you're at it, why not sneak some kids into a local tavern and get them drunk. Why not buy cigarettes for kids, because it's ridiculous for the teenage 7-11 clerk to question my child's decision to smoke. And those unreasonable gun laws!
I agree with Jon's column yesterday. If a parent feels it's okay for the kids to see the movie, that' one thing. But the restrictions that society puts on minors is to protect them. There are ways for children to see an R rated movie - with their parents! If you want your kids to see an R rated movie, take them! It's that simple.
But it seems you are trying to do the same thing you are condemning - institute societal standards of parenting. The MPAA puts out these restrictions so children aren't seeing things they aren't supposed to, taking the decision out of the parents hands. So Jon wants vigilantes to sneak children in to see movies, regardless of what the child's parents think, taking the decision out of their hands.
Take for example, Eyes Wide Shut (ha! I knew I'd get a chance to discuss it!!!). If Kubrick was alive it would have gotten the NC-17 rating in the States because he was very adamant about not editing the film
Kubrick was not adamant about not editing it. He oversaw the insertion of digital characters that covered up some of the action that the MPAA considered objectionable. He did it himself! Kubrick felt it didn't hurt his vision, and understood the realities of the marketplace. His contract stipulated that he deliver an R rated movie, and he honored that.
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"Drawers cost money, and if Sony can shave off a few bucks for this sucker, they'd more than likely do it"
In addition to the drawer, it has 2 USB ports and a PCMCIA card slot, which seems like overkill on a dedicated game console with network connectivity for internet and gaming purposes. It seems odd to me that they added these extras instead of trying to get the price lower.
Japanese retail distribution channels are a tangled mess. Governed by longstanding relationships between corporate families, the channel adds quite a bit onto the final price tag.
The US market has developed a very cost efficient distribution channel. And when you deal with the kind of volume the American market demands, economy of scale keeps things like shipping costs down.
BPM stands for Bunnim-Murray Productions. They produce Road Rules and Real World shows.
There are always going to be negative stereotypes of certain groups by people outside those groups.
The notion that football fans are prone to domestic violence has been propogated by "statistics" that show the day after the superbowl is the busiest day for shelters for battered women. Never mind that this isn't true.
It doesn't take much - one Columbine, for example - for people with pre-existing predjiduces to sieze their "proof" that video games are evil. Studies like this will not dissuade those people.
I too am appalled at Jon's suggestion that adults hang around movie theaters and sneak kids into R rated movies. I am a parent, and when I drop my kid off at the multiplex to see Tarzan, I don't want strangers escorting my child into a movie I don't approve of him seeing. What other restrictions does Jon dislike? Does he think it's unfair that my child has to be 18 years old to buy pornography? Maybe he could hang around convenience stores and purchase copies of Penthouse for kids. And while you're at it, why not sneak some kids into a local tavern and get them drunk. Why not buy cigarettes for kids, because it's ridiculous for the teenage 7-11 clerk to question my child's decision to smoke. And those unreasonable gun laws!
I agree with Jon's column yesterday. If a parent feels it's okay for the kids to see the movie, that' one thing. But the restrictions that society puts on minors is to protect them. There are ways for children to see an R rated movie - with their parents! If you want your kids to see an R rated movie, take them! It's that simple.
But it seems you are trying to do the same thing you are condemning - institute societal standards of parenting. The MPAA puts out these restrictions so children aren't seeing things they aren't supposed to, taking the decision out of the parents hands. So Jon wants vigilantes to sneak children in to see movies, regardless of what the child's parents think, taking the decision out of their hands.
Take for example, Eyes Wide Shut (ha! I knew I'd get a chance to discuss it!!!). If Kubrick was alive it would have gotten the NC-17 rating in the States because he was very adamant about not editing the film
Kubrick was not adamant about not editing it. He oversaw the insertion of digital characters that covered up some of the action that the MPAA considered objectionable. He did it himself! Kubrick felt it didn't hurt his vision, and understood the realities of the marketplace. His contract stipulated that he deliver an R rated movie, and he honored that.