The Hammer and Cyclery was renting them for $200, BUT you get $100 back when you return the bike. So my options were either buy a shit bike at Walmart and give it away or rent one on site. The one on site has a guarantee to work and if it breaks / tire pops, I can go back and say - hey, your bike broke - can you help me fix it? The Wally world special - not so much.
Flying in from the East Coast and not having to deal with getting a bike was well work the $100. That said, we did discover some lower cost options in Gerlach, but they require either having a bike mount or schlepping it into the RV - and you do not want a dirty playafied bike in your RV on Monday.
Plus, it was my understanding the police were hassling people about "obscured licence plates" when a bike tire is in front of them. No bike mount = one less hassle to worry about.
I'm with you. Anytime I read an article on yahoo that was remotely provocative, I would always check the message boards. I will try, below, to recreate the average thread titles:
WHERES CINDYBIN http://www.cindybin.com/ NIGS LOVE CRIME IM SHAKING MY BIBLE IN ANGER REPUKES SUCK LIBTARDS ARE RESPONSIBLE! KILL ALL MUSLIMES!!! DO YOU SUCK BLACK C@CK?!
There are some other gems I'm missing, but you get the idea. Always entertaining. Always assured me humanity is doomed.
There is a compilation for the PS2 coming out...I think it was this week - Sega Genesis Collection - anyway, it has about 20 games, including PS 3 & 4 for about $20!
well, if the issue is a cross-console port, of course i want to play the nicest looking one - i have a 50" dlp after all. however, with something like Madden (which i have no interest in - if I had to pick one, i'd pick the one that was the most fun to play).
So I hit gamerankings.com for the top 10 games - 5 are nintendo (3 N64 and 2 GC) and 3 of those are in the top 5. The rest is 1 DC, 1 PS1, 1 Xbox, 1 PS2, and 1 PC. the only PS2 game is RE4 - which had a higher score on the GC.
I reject that Zelda or Metroid (Nintendo only games) are kids games. I'll give you mario, however i believe they are designed with adults in mind.
As far as your stats - I have to assume they are made up, as you gave no references. and wrt innovation, I feel that developing a new control mechanism is more interesting that flashier graphics.
Look, I'm going to buy either an Xbox or PS3 at some point in the future. probably a few years. ill wait and see what HD standard prevails and go with that one. I hope its the Xbox, since I never had the original version and would like to play some of the hits I missed.
Anyway, you seem to have some strong opinions on this (okay, im guilty too), and I doubt that I'm going to change your mind - or you mine.:)
"I also think that pro-Wii Nintendo fans, who will buy the console for Nintendo's franchises, have not yet realized the impact of buying a slightly-upgraded Gamecube down the line. In two or three years, when a game is released for Xbox360 or PS3 that really blows away the public (and it will happen, as it has happened in every generation) Wii owners are going to want to get in on that."
Agreed, but in 2 or 3 years, HD will have a much higher market penetration and the cost of the 360 and PS3 will be less. Plus a used console market will exist for those on an even tighter budget.
"A 600 dollar PC can have 1GB of Ram and a way better graphics card and a larger Hard drive than a PS3 or Xbox console. A PC can have 2 to three times the memory and hard drive space as a console and an upgradeable video card that is much more versatile. With a PC or Xbox your stuck with what you've got. Not to mention consoles are proprietary and not open. Halo PC is an example where the PC version is way better than the Console game. "
Yes, but a $600 PC can have viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, malware, memory leaks, and a host of other maladies that the average user does not know how to remedy. Nor does the average user know how to (or even that they can) update hardware.
With a console, everyone has the same setup - so true game optimization can occur. With a PC, there are a million variables.
And Halo PC? Really now - did anyone actually play that?
I'm a PC gamer - dont get me wrong, but goddamn, it's a losing battle in my opinion. See my post earlier regarding my recent experience getting FEAR to play...
So just yesterday I picked up FEAR and its expansion pack for $30 at BestBuy - sweet deal! So I get home and install them and the recent patch that came out about a week ago.
So now I'm excited and want to play the game. However when I launch it, an error message appears telling me that "A required security module was not able to execute." But there were no details on how to fix this or any weblinks to another patch or official word from Vivende.
So I hit the web and search for a resolution. Suggestions (all unofficial) include: uninstall Alcohol 120, anti-blaxx, daemon tools, hide/disable virtual drives - one suggestion was even to uninstall a critical security patch for xp.
How can PC gaming seriously be a contender in the coming console wars? It should not take 20 minutes to install a game and then another 40 to figure out how to actually use it.
In the end, I hit gamecopyworld and got some sketchy program called virtualcdhide that somehow tricked the game into working. Great job PC game makers.
Maybe that $600 PS3 isn't so bad. If they have a keypad and a mouse, then fuck it - I'd rather play in my living room than in the basement anyway. It's worth the money to not deal with hassles.
One of the problems with HD is in the connection to the TV. If I connect it using component cables, it looks like crap. using HDMI, its amazing.
And your right, when you see a HD program instead of some upsampled crap, its very apparant. We have similar channels to you in northeast America - all in 1080i. I'm not aware of any 1080p broadcasts.
I vaguely worry about my decision a little over a year ago to purchase a 1080i set.. but I really doubt that 1080p is all that different. hell, maybe ill just give it to my parents or mother-in-law someday...
"School is for education after all, not physical fitness. Students shouldn't be required to dress in open locker rooms or shower in open locker rooms. Since the class would be optional then participation would be a requirement and tests could be administered to show how much the students have learned (although knowledge of a movement is what you would test, not physical ability to perform them). Being fit should never give a student an edge in any aspect of school."
Wow, so school should shield people from reality. Great.
Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina. If you see other people's hoo-hoo's, it's not a big deal. If you work out, you will see other naked humans. it's wierd to be so uptight.
Fit people have an advantage in life. Not just in the job sector, but in day to day life. Walking around, moving stuff, dating, whatever. It's not wrong to encourage excercise - and believe me, I hated it in school.
"I've seen a guy with six pack abs who could bench press 350 pounds strike up a friendly conversation with a 350 pound, 45 year old woman. He appreciated that she was trying to do something about her poor health."
Wow, you are so right about that.
I've been working out for the last 6 years pretty regularly. I've been to numerous gyms and worked out with a lot of different people. All of them would agree with you. For all the joking I've heard, it's almost always followed by a "well, I hope (s)he sticks with it". And that even applies to those n00bs at new years...
I've met a bunch of new people to the gym, myself included, that asssumed it was a bunch of hostile meatheads grunting at each other. Sure, it is that to some degree - but it is typically fairly friendly too.
"Some people seem to think that learning the disipline of taking your work home to finish it off in your own free time, make you a "better" person. In my book it make you a dumbass at best, and an employer's shill at worst."
I would guess that you're not in a sales position.
Before I earned a commission, I would've agreed with you. Now, I can see benefits to working from home - i.e. more cash.
If I was some salaried CS schlub who was coding some big project, then screw that - but to spend an hour here and there for what I consider a big ROI - why not?
dude, check out the new disturbed song - "land of confusion"
oh wait, that was a Genesis song from the 80's. never mind.
Although, I have to take some issue with your arguement. For instance, I have no idea who released Stratosfear, but I could tell you who put out the other two. Your tastes are not going to be the same as everyone else. Is Blink 182 a good band, i dont think so. same is true for Disturbed (i think they just keep making the same song). However, that doesnt make them any less important to thier fans.
Floyd, Zepplin, Rush, Beatles, etc - all classics, but they have stood the test of time. It's not like the 70's music scene only had hitmakers - there was a fair bit of shit, im sure. You're comparing some one-hit wonders to some of the greatest musicians of the 20th century...not exactly a fair comparison.
Yeah, I mean someone that plays video games must be really stupid...and must have the mentality of a 10 year old.
And those pot smokers, good god - choosing to use an illegal drug that has virtually no negative effects and is safer than alcohol - man, you have to keep those guys at bay. I mean, imagine someone like, oh, I dunno, Carl Sagen running the show. What a *dummy*!
And imagine if you had a pot smoking gamer - holy shit, it would be the end of civilization.
"They also aren't afraid to put clips of what politicians are saying now and what they said two years ago contradicting themselves, unlike most "news" programs.
So despite being a comedy show, The Daily Show has much more power to keep politicians on their toes then regular news programs because they don't have the taboos of regular news programs."
You know, it's amazing the "real" news programs don't embrace this format. Why wouldn't older / traditional viewers of network evening news be interested in seeing clips of politician X saying one thing and then either doing or saying the exact opposite? You would think at least one news agency would try it. It's not like they could lose more viewers...
There would probably be some pretty interesting politics if the normal press wasn't so damn chickenshit.
Slashdot Mirror
The Hammer and Cyclery was renting them for $200, BUT you get $100 back when you return the bike. So my options were either buy a shit bike at Walmart and give it away or rent one on site. The one on site has a guarantee to work and if it breaks / tire pops, I can go back and say - hey, your bike broke - can you help me fix it? The Wally world special - not so much.
Flying in from the East Coast and not having to deal with getting a bike was well work the $100. That said, we did discover some lower cost options in Gerlach, but they require either having a bike mount or schlepping it into the RV - and you do not want a dirty playafied bike in your RV on Monday.
Plus, it was my understanding the police were hassling people about "obscured licence plates" when a bike tire is in front of them. No bike mount = one less hassle to worry about.
i was just singing that in my head!
scary.
I thought the M was for "Minors". Which is, conveniently, the largest group of people that are attracted to most games rated M...
That interesting - I like the "beta" version I'm using...
What don't you like about it?
I'm with you. Anytime I read an article on yahoo that was remotely provocative, I would always check the message boards. I will try, below, to recreate the average thread titles:
WHERES CINDYBIN http://www.cindybin.com/
NIGS LOVE CRIME
IM SHAKING MY BIBLE IN ANGER
REPUKES SUCK
LIBTARDS ARE RESPONSIBLE!
KILL ALL MUSLIMES!!!
DO YOU SUCK BLACK C@CK?!
There are some other gems I'm missing, but you get the idea. Always entertaining. Always assured me humanity is doomed.
This is too little too late, but I just bought a brand new PS2 version for a whopping $5 on Amazon about 2 weeks ago.
"The PS3 comes with no HD cable. The 360 Premium has always come with a HD cable."
I have no idea what ships with the 360, but I did see a pricetag for the PS3 HDMI cable at Bestbuy - $100!!!
I think the Nindendo component cables are $30... again, not sure what the 360 offers (does it have HDMI or only component?)
There is a compilation for the PS2 coming out...I think it was this week - Sega Genesis Collection - anyway, it has about 20 games, including PS 3 & 4 for about $20!
well, if the issue is a cross-console port, of course i want to play the nicest looking one - i have a 50" dlp after all. however, with something like Madden (which i have no interest in - if I had to pick one, i'd pick the one that was the most fun to play).
:)
So I hit gamerankings.com for the top 10 games - 5 are nintendo (3 N64 and 2 GC) and 3 of those are in the top 5. The rest is 1 DC, 1 PS1, 1 Xbox, 1 PS2, and 1 PC. the only PS2 game is RE4 - which had a higher score on the GC.
I reject that Zelda or Metroid (Nintendo only games) are kids games. I'll give you mario, however i believe they are designed with adults in mind.
As far as your stats - I have to assume they are made up, as you gave no references. and wrt innovation, I feel that developing a new control mechanism is more interesting that flashier graphics.
Look, I'm going to buy either an Xbox or PS3 at some point in the future. probably a few years. ill wait and see what HD standard prevails and go with that one. I hope its the Xbox, since I never had the original version and would like to play some of the hits I missed.
Anyway, you seem to have some strong opinions on this (okay, im guilty too), and I doubt that I'm going to change your mind - or you mine.
"The Nintendo (10 and under) fans will buy a Wii and the 11 and older crowd will want a PS3. "
I'm 29 and have no desire to rush out and get a PS3 - however, I do hope to get a Wii on launch day.
Sorry bub, but the whole Nintendo = kiddies arguement is just not true.
"I also think that pro-Wii Nintendo fans, who will buy the console for Nintendo's franchises, have not yet realized the impact of buying a slightly-upgraded Gamecube down the line. In two or three years, when a game is released for Xbox360 or PS3 that really blows away the public (and it will happen, as it has happened in every generation) Wii owners are going to want to get in on that."
Agreed, but in 2 or 3 years, HD will have a much higher market penetration and the cost of the 360 and PS3 will be less. Plus a used console market will exist for those on an even tighter budget.
"A 600 dollar PC can have 1GB of Ram and a way better graphics card and a larger Hard drive than a PS3 or Xbox console. A PC can have 2 to three times the memory and hard drive space as a console and an upgradeable video card that is much more versatile. With a PC or Xbox your stuck with what you've got. Not to mention consoles are proprietary and not open. Halo PC is an example where the PC version is way better than the Console game. "
Yes, but a $600 PC can have viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, malware, memory leaks, and a host of other maladies that the average user does not know how to remedy. Nor does the average user know how to (or even that they can) update hardware.
With a console, everyone has the same setup - so true game optimization can occur. With a PC, there are a million variables.
And Halo PC? Really now - did anyone actually play that?
I'm a PC gamer - dont get me wrong, but goddamn, it's a losing battle in my opinion. See my post earlier regarding my recent experience getting FEAR to play...
So just yesterday I picked up FEAR and its expansion pack for $30 at BestBuy - sweet deal! So I get home and install them and the recent patch that came out about a week ago.
So now I'm excited and want to play the game. However when I launch it, an error message appears telling me that "A required security module was not able to execute." But there were no details on how to fix this or any weblinks to another patch or official word from Vivende.
So I hit the web and search for a resolution. Suggestions (all unofficial) include: uninstall Alcohol 120, anti-blaxx, daemon tools, hide/disable virtual drives - one suggestion was even to uninstall a critical security patch for xp.
How can PC gaming seriously be a contender in the coming console wars? It should not take 20 minutes to install a game and then another 40 to figure out how to actually use it.
In the end, I hit gamecopyworld and got some sketchy program called virtualcdhide that somehow tricked the game into working. Great job PC game makers.
Maybe that $600 PS3 isn't so bad. If they have a keypad and a mouse, then fuck it - I'd rather play in my living room than in the basement anyway. It's worth the money to not deal with hassles.
How is Pirates?
One of the problems with HD is in the connection to the TV. If I connect it using component cables, it looks like crap. using HDMI, its amazing.
And your right, when you see a HD program instead of some upsampled crap, its very apparant. We have similar channels to you in northeast America - all in 1080i. I'm not aware of any 1080p broadcasts.
I vaguely worry about my decision a little over a year ago to purchase a 1080i set.. but I really doubt that 1080p is all that different. hell, maybe ill just give it to my parents or mother-in-law someday...
"The 4:3 ratio is much better for action."
Play God of War in widescreen progressive scan mode and tell me that.
"School is for education after all, not physical fitness. Students shouldn't be required to dress in open locker rooms or shower in open locker rooms. Since the class would be optional then participation would be a requirement and tests could be administered to show how much the students have learned (although knowledge of a movement is what you would test, not physical ability to perform them). Being fit should never give a student an edge in any aspect of school."
Wow, so school should shield people from reality. Great.
Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina. If you see other people's hoo-hoo's, it's not a big deal. If you work out, you will see other naked humans. it's wierd to be so uptight.
Fit people have an advantage in life. Not just in the job sector, but in day to day life. Walking around, moving stuff, dating, whatever. It's not wrong to encourage excercise - and believe me, I hated it in school.
"I've seen a guy with six pack abs who could bench press 350 pounds strike up a friendly conversation with a 350 pound, 45 year old woman. He appreciated that she was trying to do something about her poor health."
Wow, you are so right about that.
I've been working out for the last 6 years pretty regularly. I've been to numerous gyms and worked out with a lot of different people. All of them would agree with you. For all the joking I've heard, it's almost always followed by a "well, I hope (s)he sticks with it". And that even applies to those n00bs at new years...
I've met a bunch of new people to the gym, myself included, that asssumed it was a bunch of hostile meatheads grunting at each other. Sure, it is that to some degree - but it is typically fairly friendly too.
"Some people seem to think that learning the disipline of taking your work home to finish it off in your own free time, make you a "better" person. In my book it make you a dumbass at best, and an employer's shill at worst."
I would guess that you're not in a sales position.
Before I earned a commission, I would've agreed with you. Now, I can see benefits to working from home - i.e. more cash.
If I was some salaried CS schlub who was coding some big project, then screw that - but to spend an hour here and there for what I consider a big ROI - why not?
dude, check out the new disturbed song - "land of confusion"
oh wait, that was a Genesis song from the 80's. never mind.
Although, I have to take some issue with your arguement. For instance, I have no idea who released Stratosfear, but I could tell you who put out the other two. Your tastes are not going to be the same as everyone else. Is Blink 182 a good band, i dont think so. same is true for Disturbed (i think they just keep making the same song). However, that doesnt make them any less important to thier fans.
Floyd, Zepplin, Rush, Beatles, etc - all classics, but they have stood the test of time. It's not like the 70's music scene only had hitmakers - there was a fair bit of shit, im sure. You're comparing some one-hit wonders to some of the greatest musicians of the 20th century...not exactly a fair comparison.
There are many valid and interesting posts (on topic) modded down to 0 or -1.
Yeah, I mean someone that plays video games must be really stupid...and must have the mentality of a 10 year old.
And those pot smokers, good god - choosing to use an illegal drug that has virtually no negative effects and is safer than alcohol - man, you have to keep those guys at bay. I mean, imagine someone like, oh, I dunno, Carl Sagen running the show. What a *dummy*!
And imagine if you had a pot smoking gamer - holy shit, it would be the end of civilization.
"They also aren't afraid to put clips of what politicians are saying now and what they said two years ago contradicting themselves, unlike most "news" programs.
So despite being a comedy show, The Daily Show has much more power to keep politicians on their toes then regular news programs because they don't have the taboos of regular news programs."
You know, it's amazing the "real" news programs don't embrace this format. Why wouldn't older / traditional viewers of network evening news be interested in seeing clips of politician X saying one thing and then either doing or saying the exact opposite? You would think at least one news agency would try it. It's not like they could lose more viewers...
There would probably be some pretty interesting politics if the normal press wasn't so damn chickenshit.
I had no idea - I'm still rocking AGP...
The name "May Ann" was such a good choice...