I find the (hi)story of the Nobel Prize quite interesting :
Imagine, this guy was shocked to see people using his invention, dynamite, for violent purposes (naive as he was;) ) : So after he dies, the capital he leaves behind is invested in giving out yearly prizes to people who shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.
I always wondered what motivations (his conscience , religion, a nagging wife telling him every night he was a dumb man for inventing dynamite) were behind this price.
Teen interest in playing video games is on the decline.
But no mention of the rise on adult interest in playing video games ?
The latest surveys (not something to put all your trust in, but at least an indication) says that the general age of console owners is now around 27 years (and still, of course, mostly male) : It's funny to see how the last few years,definitely after the introduction of the PS, gaming has become more and more mainstream, and less of a 'kiddy thing':
Whereas I am a gamer at heart (grew up with a Vic20 and an Atari 2600), I don't know yet if this development has brought me more pros or cons.
Let's find out in the future, when adaption of games by the masses will even become bigger:
With Nintendo's Revolution I can even imagine my grandma picking up the controller and giving it a try : It's so much more intuitive than a controller is.
Universal Exec : Ok guys, let's do something completely new : We will make the first nine minutes of Serenity available online ! Henchman : Ok, but how much do we charge them for it ? Universal Exec : Nothing, we just let them see the first... Henchman : Ok, popups ? Right, popups ?! Universal Exec : No, we will just let them see... Henchman : I got you : Ads, right ? Banners ! Universal Exec : No, we will JUST let them see the first nine... Henchman : Ok, but we HAVE to annoy them somehow... How about some proprietary plugin instead of going for the normal formats ? Let's screw a littlebit with their minds before they get their free content. Universal Exec : Fuckit, it's lunchtime.
The site has the exact same layout as the countless of other (mostly Korean) free MMORPG's/multiplayer games, and from the article, also seems to be using the same kind of business model:
These games can be played for free, and people can buy items/clothes/weapons for real money : The strange thing I always found is that most of the Korean crowd -really- digs to buy virtual clothes for their characters (some clothes don't even do anything : They just look fancy).
One of these games I really liked for awhile (which is now out of service) was ASDF Hoverboard
Back on topic, this game looks very nice ; And I hope they'll make an English version soon.
There was a very extensive list of those free (translated) Korean MMORPG's on Fileplanet, but with their new overhaul of the site it's impossible for me to find atm.
When I read about those space elevators, I somehow always have to think about the Tower of Babel (and I'm not even religious) :
From Gen 11:1-9
1. Now the entire earth was of one language and uniform words.
2. And it came to pass when they traveled from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly"; so the bricks were to them for stones, and the clay was to them for mortar.
4. And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth."
5. And the Lord descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.
6. And the Lord said, "Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Now, will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do?
7. Come, let us descend and confuse their language, so that one will not understand the language of his companion."
8. And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city.
9. Therefore, He named it Babel, for there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of the entire earth.
So let's hope Liftport Group has their translators ready;)
Since the full email text is all embedded within the flashfile, finally an occasion to karma-whore with a reasonable reason;)
Dear Liberty Tree,
The internet is unambiguous evil. The only things worse than the internet are computer games and liberals. The fact of the matter is our Constitution clearly protects us against the internet. They had foresight, to go along with their wooden teeth, and the Constitution clearly alludes to "unwanted connectivity".
We want to turn the internet off before this parasite swallows all of us. The fact is, this may be an e-mail, but I am revolted with myself, and will punish myself, vigorously. We need to be free from the internet. It's getting mankind in a hideous and vice-like grip and before you know it, our lives, which were once perfect, will be reduced to nothing but cyber sex and learning things we have no business knowing, like the fact the government lies, or you can safely go on vacation outside the old 48 contiguous. It's revolting, and we're all suffering.
Only last week, I was using the internet to look up some information for my 15 year old niece, who is a keen water skier and state wide sailor. Trust me when I say this - searching under the subject matter "Teenage girls water sports" is not for the faint hearted. The fact is people who care about our society really should join our society. CLICK WWW.CITIZENSUNITEDNEGATINGTECHNOLOGY.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS.
I just bought the cellphone version of Zuma after a friend recommended it : It's a great game, and can best be described as some Bust-A-Move spin-off ; Allthough that wouldn't give to much credit to how it really plays.
Just as Bejeweled, it's a great game if you have a few spare minutes left.
Ironically, the CD version of Counter-Strike : Condition Zero allows just that : Playing the game from memory (it does not install anything besides your configs).
You mean the one that forces you to "update" before you can play its game? This system is making a player's life difficult too.
Yeah, I really hate it how it automatically, within notime (on a decent DSL connection) brings me my updates to my game(s) : I much rather go back to the good old days to connecting to a server, only to discover there's a new patch out I which I have to download.
Then I will have to find that patch with a decent download and no ridiculous artificial ques (yes, I am talking about you Fileplanet), and then install it. And all do this within half an hour... max.
Ohwait, I forgot to add the sarcasm tag.
If you're talking about the online activation ; Yes. it sucks : But over here on Slashdot the tendency seems to be to focus on those 'negative' points (and no, I am not losing -any- of my privacy by using Steam), rather than the few great things Steam added (eg. IM-messaging/playing chess ingame, ingame server browsers, automatical updates, a-way-to-say-f*ck-you-to-the-publishers)
Completely off topic, but what do those 88's bracketing your nick stand for?
Some b*stard already registered NoSoup4U;) And 8 is my favorite number : So it doesn't stand for anything, just making sure that this nick -was- available.
Hmm, I'm not a fan of The Sims myself (only played/watched the first part for a few minutes), but I don't think your statement makes sense:
There is no other game like The Sims that is as good as it is in that genre.
You might not personally like it, but you got to give it some credit in capturing alot of people's attention (ifnot only for it being a game which alot of women play).
You forgot to add 'in the US' : I am 100 percent sure that my government won't let companies have that much power over the individual. (btw, I'm from the Netherlands).
I worked at Mcdonald's and one of the first things you get taught once you have to server customers is to ask 'Medium, Big?' when people ask for a drink (we don't have any bigger sizes here in the Netherlands), and conveniently leaving 'Small' out :
The thought behind it is a cheap psychological trick : People don't tend to downgrade (definitely not with other people around them) as it tends to make them look like a cheapskate.
I really disliked this policy, as I think they should serve people what they want and not push them to more expensive items : so there have been times when I 'rewarded' the 'brave' people (who just stuck to ordering what they initially wanted) with an occasional free upgrade to a medium soda, for the same price.
I read your wife's site, but I couldn't help but notice that the aftermath is missing from the report : Did she have any pains after the Lasik operation ? Did irritations occur ? How long did it take before it was all healed ?
As the site's purpose seems to be to inform people of those eye-laser surgeries, information as this is necesary for me to get a good view of the overall process.
And did I understand it right that the whole procedure gets done without an anestethic (sp?) ? Or did she leave that part out too.
Good writeup anyways (considering eye-surgery myself) but just wanted to point out that those obvious things (which people would want to know) are missing out from her report.
Hmm, I think motion blurring, or at least an effect that is very similar to it, is apparent in today's games : For example, getting hit in Battlefield 2 will cause a temporary blurry vision.
Also, I've seen alot of racing games lately using motion blur once you hit a very high speed (eg. GTA:San Andreas)
Damn, and all this time I thought you guys were going to use the Q3 engine : Am I crazy, or have you guys changed plans ? I would have sworn I'd seen that you people would be using that engine.
Anyways, kudos to you all, and it looks very promising.
Slashdot Mirror
Imagine, this guy was shocked to see people using his invention, dynamite, for violent purposes (naive as he was ;) ) : So after he dies, the capital he leaves behind is invested in giving out yearly prizes to people who shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.
I always wondered what motivations (his conscience , religion, a nagging wife telling him every night he was a dumb man for inventing dynamite) were behind this price.
But no mention of the rise on adult interest in playing video games ? ,definitely after the introduction of the PS, gaming has become more and more mainstream, and less of a 'kiddy thing' :
The latest surveys (not something to put all your trust in, but at least an indication) says that the general age of console owners is now around 27 years (and still, of course, mostly male) : It's funny to see how the last few years
Whereas I am a gamer at heart (grew up with a Vic20 and an Atari 2600), I don't know yet if this development has brought me more pros or cons. Let's find out in the future, when adaption of games by the masses will even become bigger :
With Nintendo's Revolution I can even imagine my grandma picking up the controller and giving it a try : It's so much more intuitive than a controller is.
Universal Exec : Ok guys, let's do something completely new : We will make the first nine minutes of Serenity available online !
Henchman : Ok, but how much do we charge them for it ?
Universal Exec : Nothing, we just let them see the first...
Henchman : Ok, popups ? Right, popups ?!
Universal Exec : No, we will just let them see...
Henchman : I got you : Ads, right ? Banners !
Universal Exec : No, we will JUST let them see the first nine...
Henchman : Ok, but we HAVE to annoy them somehow... How about some proprietary plugin instead of going for the normal formats ? Let's screw a littlebit with their minds before they get their free content.
Universal Exec : Fuckit, it's lunchtime.
You'll also be able to spectate games (if they have a multiplayer component) : Thus enticing someone to get that Gold subscription.
Serenity now !
These games can be played for free, and people can buy items/clothes/weapons for real money : The strange thing I always found is that most of the Korean crowd -really- digs to buy virtual clothes for their characters (some clothes don't even do anything : They just look fancy).
One of these games I really liked for awhile (which is now out of service) was ASDF Hoverboard
Back on topic, this game looks very nice ; And I hope they'll make an English version soon.
There was a very extensive list of those free (translated) Korean MMORPG's on Fileplanet, but with their new overhaul of the site it's impossible for me to find atm.
IIRC, Bram Cohen has already been (temporarily?) hired by VALVe, probably trying to optimize the distribution of content through Steam.
From Gen 11:1-9
1. Now the entire earth was of one language and uniform words.
2. And it came to pass when they traveled from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly"; so the bricks were to them for stones, and the clay was to them for mortar.
4. And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth."
5. And the Lord descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built.
6. And the Lord said, "Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Now, will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do?
7. Come, let us descend and confuse their language, so that one will not understand the language of his companion."
8. And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city.
9. Therefore, He named it Babel, for there the Lord confused the language of the entire earth, and from there the Lord scattered them upon the face of the entire earth.
So let's hope Liftport Group has their translators ready ;)
Dear Liberty Tree,
The internet is unambiguous evil. The only things worse than the internet are computer games and liberals. The fact of the matter is our Constitution clearly protects us against the internet. They had foresight, to go along with their wooden teeth, and the Constitution clearly alludes to "unwanted connectivity".
We want to turn the internet off before this parasite swallows all of us. The fact is, this may be an e-mail, but I am revolted with myself, and will punish myself, vigorously. We need to be free from the internet. It's getting mankind in a hideous and vice-like grip and before you know it, our lives, which were once perfect, will be reduced to nothing but cyber sex and learning things we have no business knowing, like the fact the government lies, or you can safely go on vacation outside the old 48 contiguous. It's revolting, and we're all suffering.
Only last week, I was using the internet to look up some information for my 15 year old niece, who is a keen water skier and state wide sailor. Trust me when I say this - searching under the subject matter "Teenage girls water sports" is not for the faint hearted. The fact is people who care about our society really should join our society. CLICK WWW.CITIZENSUNITEDNEGATINGTECHNOLOGY.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS.
Just as Bejeweled, it's a great game if you have a few spare minutes left.
The obvious answer is of course : Send all those thousand employees an Gmail invite !
Ironically, the CD version of Counter-Strike : Condition Zero allows just that : Playing the game from memory (it does not install anything besides your configs).
Yeah, I really hate it how it automatically, within notime (on a decent DSL connection) brings me my updates to my game(s) : I much rather go back to the good old days to connecting to a server, only to discover there's a new patch out I which I have to download.
Then I will have to find that patch with a decent download and no ridiculous artificial ques (yes, I am talking about you Fileplanet), and then install it. And all do this within half an hour... max.
Ohwait, I forgot to add the sarcasm tag.
If you're talking about the online activation ; Yes. it sucks : But over here on Slashdot the tendency seems to be to focus on those 'negative' points (and no, I am not losing -any- of my privacy by using Steam), rather than the few great things Steam added (eg. IM-messaging/playing chess ingame, ingame server browsers, automatical updates, a-way-to-say-f*ck-you-to-the-publishers)
Some b*stard already registered NoSoup4U ;) And 8 is my favorite number : So it doesn't stand for anything, just making sure that this nick -was- available.
Thanks.
And don't forget the voice interaction : Also another important part in immersing the player on an emotional front.
There is no other game like The Sims that is as good as it is in that genre.
You might not personally like it, but you got to give it some credit in capturing alot of people's attention (ifnot only for it being a game which alot of women play).
I just read somewhere that the price is going to be dropped from $150 to $130.
You forgot to add 'in the US' : I am 100 percent sure that my government won't let companies have that much power over the individual. (btw, I'm from the Netherlands).
Take a look at VALVe, at least they released the source of Half-Life 2 before the game was released...
Ohwait...
The thought behind it is a cheap psychological trick : People don't tend to downgrade (definitely not with other people around them) as it tends to make them look like a cheapskate.
I really disliked this policy, as I think they should serve people what they want and not push them to more expensive items : so there have been times when I 'rewarded' the 'brave' people (who just stuck to ordering what they initially wanted) with an occasional free upgrade to a medium soda, for the same price.
As the site's purpose seems to be to inform people of those eye-laser surgeries, information as this is necesary for me to get a good view of the overall process.
And did I understand it right that the whole procedure gets done without an anestethic (sp?) ? Or did she leave that part out too.
Good writeup anyways (considering eye-surgery myself) but just wanted to point out that those obvious things (which people would want to know) are missing out from her report.
Ok, I'll burn in hell.
Also, I've seen alot of racing games lately using motion blur once you hit a very high speed (eg. GTA:San Andreas)
Damn, and all this time I thought you guys were going to use the Q3 engine : Am I crazy, or have you guys changed plans ? I would have sworn I'd seen that you people would be using that engine.
Anyways, kudos to you all, and it looks very promising.