In a further showing that 12 megapixels is not the upper limit, Panasonic (the supplier of the 4/3 sensor type that Olympus uses) has apparently upped the megapixels to 14 and will be releasing their next DSLR based on that sensor. After making a big stir with his statement about how 12 megapixels was going to be the norm for a while, that'd make Watanabe look a bit silly, as Olympus will undoubtedly find themselves using that sensor in their newer cameras as well.
I think it's too early to say whether or not Olympus can compete in the megapixel race. Technology is constantly changing and moving forward. You'd also likely be right to say that the megapixel race isn't benefitting Olympus. Watanabe isn't wrong in attempting to refocus on what really matters (or rather, what people should realize really matters) at the consumer level. The truth is that the average consumer gauges a camera's quality by the number of megapixels that it has, and even the "pro" gearheads tend to gauge a camera by the size of its sensor (which, based on samples I've seen with my own eyes, is really exaggerated). I use an Olympus (you probably figured it out by now), and it's a bit frustrating to be met by the Nikon/Canon users who dismiss you outright because of the size of the sensor in your camera. Nobody likes to be dismissed like that, and it's also frustrating because it's almost like these people just buy into marketing and don't even think about where they're spending their money, nor why.
Actually, it's too early to say that DNA isn't everything. Identical twins may share the same DNA, but the expression of that DNA will not be identical. This is what the field of epigenetics is all about. Knowing the sequence of DNA does not tell you how it is expressed - you'd need to look into epigenetic factors (associated proteins and "markers") for that. It also seems that many epigenetic factors are not hereditary, either, but are instead essentially randomized.
Despite epigenetics, I agree with you that DNA alone is not everything. External factors and stimulus will alter your genetic expression as well as your brain development. Right now the variables of DNA sequence, epigenetic factors, and environmental stimulus are a bit too much for us to process. I don't think it's unrealistic to say that we may one day be able to predict what combinations of each would impact a person's development. In some ways that's an exciting prospect; in other ways, it's Brave New World come to life. I have mixed feelings about that prospect.
I'd say that was how Ultima Online felt to me, although your notion of quests still sounds a little WoW'ish. The thing that's weird about WoW is that it's an MMORPG, but it seems very structured (I haven't played it). You enter a quest, run through the mission, and then you're dumped back into the world. Many MMORPGs seem to be following that path. With Ultima Online the entire world was seamless. There were dungeon areas, but nothing quest-like about it. You could do what ever you wanted - be a craftsman (of which there were many classes), be a murderer, a warrior, a mage, a miner, and so on. I chose to be an animal/beast tamer, and had fun traversing the world. People could choose a starting city, and it seemed like many would stay there - so traveling between cities would put you into interactions with new people, all of whom were trying to do different things. It was a fantastic experience, although much of it was about "level grinding" (repeating actions to raise your skill in a specific area). There were quests put on by human game masters, but they were nothing like what the WoW quests seem to be. Still, I feel that WoW, with its structured content and set path, offers very little freedom in how it can be played. With Ultima Online it was truly like a second life... and a bit too addictive. After UO I promised myself I'd never touch an MMORPG again. Games like WoW barely seem MMO'ish by comparison, though.
You raise a good issue, and I'm somewhat surprised that nobody responded to you with this solution yet: go to a used CD store. You'll get to own the physical product, you'll likely pay much less, and none of the money goes to the RIAA. I often shop at a Japanese used CD and book store called Book Off - I've purchased many CDs from their $1-3 section, and they were all in like-new condition. There is only one downside to buying in this manner, and that is your purchase doesn't directly support the artist. No money goes to them, and your purchase does not boost their sale statistics. You can try to show your support in other ways if this is vitally important to you, of course.
I used to use an MPx220 with Windows Mobile 2003 on it, and I loved it. The phone has since died and I've moved on to a Symbian-based phone. I can't stand it, Windows Mobile was much better. I've looked over some Windows Mobile phones but can't find any that I liked much. What're you running, and would you recommend it?
You hit on something close to home for me. I was an engineering student for 2.5 years before I realized that it wasn't right for me and that it was closing me off to other fields. My GPA at the time that I decided to make the switch was a 2.8 - I'm only comforted by having read statistics at the time which stated that the national average for engineering majors was a 2.7. After I switched out I was earning 3.7's with relative ease, even taking science classes. It was the engineering classes and the insane engineering schedule that had seemingly been putting a damper on my abilities.
I won't go into the back story behind my decision, but I wanted to pursue medicine and medical research. Medical school is probably the most competitive that it's ever been. I applied knowing that I'd probably receive rejections without an interview from a single school, and so far I've been spot-on. Medical school is all about your GPA. I've had the opportunity to speak with high-ranking people along the admissions processes, and they are purely number-obsessed. For example, they mentioned to me that the average GPA of accepted students was around 3.7, and that many students were coming from Yale, Harvard, Stanford - a lot of the big-name schools. I've heard from some of my professors that a number of those schools engaged in GPA inflation, and I mentioned that. The response? "Well, the other schools that I mentioned don't." Do these people not understand what an average is, and what inflated numbers mean with regard to that?
To make it worse, I've heard of cases where medical admissions committees deliberated between engineering majors and non-science majors. In one particular case the engineering major was shunned because his GPA was just a bit lower than a history major. When it was implied that this was acceptable because engineering is difficult, the response was more or less "and you don't think that history is hard?" I don't intend any offense to history majors out there (memorizing dates and names isn't my strong point), but that's ridiculous!
I don't mind not having GPA inflation, and I don't mind taking a 3.0 instead of a business major's 4.0. What kills me is this absolute ignorance from non-engineers that if you're not getting a 4.0 along with the English majors, that you must be a slacker or otherwise not smart. Engineers can get 4.0's but it's a hell of a lot harder than for non-engineers, I've discovered. I was very impressed with the dedication and mental capacities of my fellow engineering students, and it really saddens me to think that these people might be held back even slightly just because their grades weren't as high as those from an easier program of study.
That's a really neat idea. I'd imagine that it'd take people time to get used to it (and some probably would never become proficient with controlling it effectively, if at all) but that'd be very useful. Can you imagine how weird it'd feel to use it for even a few months and suddenly not have it anymore, though?
I don't have this issue, nor do I have it on any of the five Mac systems I administer at work. I doubt it's an issue unique to you, but it certainly isn't unanimous to the OS.
I disagree with your analogy about speeding. I've driven from New York to Los Angeles and back, and I noticed something very interesting. When you're driving along the Midwest/East you pass through states relatively quickly, and it's not unusual for each state to set their speed limit a bit differently. The interstate roads are long and largely straight. (I may remember the speed limits a bit off here, so apologies to those state residents who can pick out an incorrect number.)
The Illinois speed limit was 75 MPH. I'd say most of us on the road were doing 75 - there's always going to be a speeder, but most of us felt comfortable doing 75. We passed into Indiana, and I believe the limit dropped to 70. Most of us kept on pulling 75. By the time we hit Ohio, the limit dropped to 65. Most of us were still doing 75. It's tempting to ascribe that to psychology, but by that point I don't know that it's safe to assume that we were all coming from Illinois and were used to the 75 MPH limit. More likely people are naturally comfortable with doing 75 MPH on those types of roads, and so they'll do what they're comfortable with.
What you're trying to say is that it doesn't matter how nice the limits are, people will still try to break them. There are plenty of people like this, it's true. If we're talking about the masses, however, I don't think it holds. People will do what they are comfortable with. On some of the highways here in NY the limit is 55, but people tend to do 65 on the windier areas and 75 on the straight areas. They're not speeding for the sake of speeding, but because they can efficiently drive at that speed around those areas and feel comfortable doing it. If you made the speed limit 100 I believe that people would only be doing 100 because they felt that the law was compelling them to and that it might not be safe to be too far under the limit.
Everyone has been posting with regard to simply replacing the battery, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned another aspect of having a replacable battery: forcefully shutting down the device. I'm replying to you specifically, because your story shows how integrated batteries are good. Let me counter that: I use a Windows-based smartphone, and occasionally, it has completely frozen on me. Go ahead and laugh - holding down the power button, or any other keys, does nothing. The fix in those cases was to pop the battery out, and then reinstert it and reboot the phone. A critical (to some) bit of technology like that shouldn't be at the mercy of waiting for the battery to drain.
My other experience was with my iPod (3rd generation). It froze after I disconnected it from my computer. Again, no key combination would do anything to it. I had to wait for the battery to drain on its own before I could use it. Not critical, but an example of what can happen. I don't really care if it happens so infrequently - I don't want it to happen to me at a bad time. And even though I'm typing this on an Apple system and love smartphones, I'm wary of complex, critical devices that give me less overall control.
I've also had to change the battery in my smartphone, so of course I'm in support of a do-it-yourself option, but others have already argued for that.
Basically (and mind you, this is typical of avoidant people), I feel like I don't offer anything that a potential mate would find attractive. It's not that I don't like myself (self esteem), it's that I assume everyone else is going to reject me (self image). Factor in that the self image produces a panic mode when I find someone that I'd like to get to know better (if in person, my right hand usually starts twitching... in all cases, I build up this massive certainty that I will be rejected (or worse, accepted only to be abused because I think they see me as weak) and I simply shut down.) It's easier to avoid putting myself into that situation all together. Ultimately, I'll see someone interesting, avoid going up to talk to her and later end up regretting it and mentally punishing myself for it.
Not to sound like I'm patronizing, but I can tell you one thing that you have to offer a potential mate: you seem to be a thoughtful person. It's a pretty rare trait. For all I know you're really a big-time ass, but based off of what you've written so far, you seem more thoughtful and considerate than anything. I can understand your description of what happens when you see someone you'd like to get to know better. But you've overcome it before, haven't you? You've dated before, which is pretty big stuff. I've only dated twice (one of which is still ongoing and hopefully will last for life), and was rejected my first time. A relationship is big stuff, and to initiate one takes a lot of effort. Maybe not for the stereotypical frat boy types, but for types like us (I'm presuming we're pretty similar), the entire experience is one of intense nervousness. You've successfully made the moves before. What do you have to lose? Just try, and don't let the outcome dictate your confidence - let the fact that you did it dictate your confidence.
As for your dad's stroke at 21 messing up your college and career path, I can only say that it sounds really terrible. If you don't have any resentment against your father, you're a very big person. Of course, it isn't his fault, but to think that it's holding you back is very frustrating. But don't despair over it. Have you considered adult education classes, night classes... anything of that sort? One of my favorite stories from one of my engineering professors was about a friend of his. This guy wanted to be a lawyer, but for whatever reason, he ended up in a grocery store, just working the cash register and bagging groceries. I don't know how long he did this for. But at some point, his drive to become a lawyer was rekindled. He did night classes alongside his job, maybe even taking on two jobs to fund everything. Eventually, he was accepted to law school. Today, he's working as a lawyer. I love that story because it shows that even though you might be at what some people would consider to be the bottom of the barrel, if you have the drive to do it, you can go wherever you want. Your situation is different, of course, because you're not living on your own, and you have to care for someone. But are there other options? If taking care of your father is the issue, could you find a caretaker for your father? If the location is the issue, could you possibly relocate yourself, or yourself and your father? I'm not suggesting that you do something totally crazy, but this is your life, after all. Go on and win it!
Your situation is a difficult one, and I just wish I could give you a solid set of instructions that work. But life would be too easy if we all had something like that, I suppose. If I could give you one thing to work to improve on, I'd say it'd be your outlook. As of now you have no reason to have a bright outlook, but ultimately your vision dictates where you'll go in life. And you already said it: depressed people (depressing people, too) usually don't attract people. Understandably so. Almost all people these days seem to have some really rough spot... my own sufferings don't match with what you're going through, though, so I can't really
Thanks for sharing. I used to play Ultima Online, and while I didn't consider myself addicted, I recognize that there is something addictive about it. I say that because around the same time each year, for a few years after I quit (played for 3-4 years), I'd get an urge to go back. I'd return to the server's message forums, and find that many of the people who had played during my time were doing the same thing. Some of them would actually start playing again, but most of us just posted a bit, and then faded off, only to return around the same time the following year. It was bizarre. I still get the urge to play some of the newer MMORPGs, just because I remember the thrill and fun of UO. But I know that I don't have the time for them, and I can't let it happen in my life at this point. I won't even let myself pick up the box of some of the MMORPGs out there. I think you're right on to say that the social aspects of the game are really what's addictive.
But I also wanted to comment on one of your latter statements. Congratulations on being 30! But why say that you'll never have a family of your own? I'm not sure what age people usually have families at, to be honest. My parents are both doctors - as you probably know, due to the amount of schooling and training it takes to be a doctor, your life "starts" a bit later than others. My mother was around 30 when I was born; my father was 35. I have ambitions to be a doctor myself, and I'm nearing the end of my university experience. My girlfriend would also like to be a doctor. I don't foresee myself having a family before 30. I guess I just wanted to reach out to you and to say don't despair, because for some walks of life, it's perfectly normal, and perfectly doable. Just stay healthy and live a nice, long life to even it out:) Best wishes to you.
Similarly, the tropical diseases you mention are not truly tropical. They are transmitted by insects (mostly mosquitoes) that thrive in water. The reason that they are largely found in the tropics now is that the tropics are largely poor and dominated by bad governments. In Europe and North America public works of sanitation, drainage and insect extermination have largely eliminated these diseases, and they could in the tropics, if they were used.
I'll call you on this one: there's more to it than just that. We're talking about the fact that certain species are limited to certain environments. Just as a random example that I can recall off-hand, there's some species of mosquitoes that act as a vector for disease against a species of bird. The birds occupy a niche upon a mountain. The environment was too cold for the mosquitoes to access. As the region warmed, the mosquitoes moved up the mountain, and the birds also migrated up. Tell me, what happens when the cool zone prohibiting mosquitoes disappears?
I admit I'm being vague as I don't recall exactly what species were involved, but the zones along the mountain is correct. Mosquito control is difficult in any region - I'm from New York, and we had a nice scare over West Nile Virus a few years back. Mosquitoes were the vector there, too. You're correct in saying that poverty plays a role, but you have to be stretching it pretty thin to say that the environmental conditions aren't playing a major role as well.
That the immune system requires exposure to be effective was something that I feel was common knowledge, it seems so basic. However, a year or so ago I read somewhere (can't remember, but it was a credible source) of a study performed on chickens. One batch of chickens was brought up normally, while the other batch was brought up under sterile conditions. I expected to read how the chickens brought up in the sterile environment were much more prone to sickness than the normal chickens when removed from sterile conditions, and yet was disappointed to read that there was no difference between the two: the immune systems of the sterile chickens was just as effective.
I'm fairly certain that there was more to the study than that, but I can't recall it. I also have a "gut feeling" that it's wrong, although I didn't read the scientific article itself and couldn't examine the materials and methods. I don't like to tell it to people for fear that they'd use it as justification for trying their best to create sterile conditions. There are more reasons than just potentially maintaining your immune system for having non-sterile conditions, after all (and if anyone wants to know, just reply back).
The only thing I know about the future is that I will die one day, and when I reach that day, it will not matter to me what the final score is, but it will matter to me a lot (a) which team I was on, and (b) whether I was playing my best, or whether I'd taken myself out of the game.
Epic - words like those are the kind that become quoted and serve as inspiration to others.
People like to trash one particular service or another, but the phone that they use makes a huge difference. Case in point: I use Cingular, my girlfriend uses T-Mobile. She gets horrid reception in her apartment; I get full service. One day she had to make an important and lengthy call. I swapped out my SIM card and inserted hers. Full reception, and the phone registered to a T-Mobile station, not Cingular (although they do share stations, the phone claimed "T-Mobile" and not "Cingular"). I use a Motorola MPx220, and she uses some entry-level Samsung. I'm not impressed by many of these service reviews.
Cingular's customer service is absolute garbage, though - I can tell you that from plentiful experience. Their service, in both the Los Angeles and New York areas, are quite nice however. But check your phone.
By any chance, do you know what passage that is? At my college campus I get accosted by plenty of Christians looking to make conversions. That'd be a handy passage to bring up.
"Long term effects" sums up my concern precisely. It also reminds me of an interesting study that I heard given by a researcher in Japan.
He had studied sleep, and I'll admit that I found his presentation somewhat questionable - it seemed a bit too basic. However, what I took away from the presentation was a graph that he presented. It showed average lifespan vs. average number of hours of sleep received per night. People with 5 hours or less had the lowest life expectancy. Life expectancy increased pretty drastically up until an average of 8 or 9 hours; beyond that, life expectancy began to sag, but not all that quickly. I don't remember the age values - sorry to those who'd be interested.
I question how one could get accurate data for such a graph, but that's a different issue. If there's even a bit of truth to this, it may have enormous implications for something like this. To be honest, I've dreamt (ha) of creating something like this - where a person can either avoid sleep or they can receive the effects of a full night's sleep in a few minutes, even seconds. I always figured that if something like that were to be created, the frequency with which a person should be allowed to use the technology should be strictly limited.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with this.
It has been noted that cancer cells typically suffer massive mutations in their genetic code. On top of deletions, amplifications of the same line of code, laid side-by-side, may occur as much as 60 times. These are the regular cancer cells, and they are unstable. According to one of my professors, these cells are so unstable that over time they would die out. The tumor would be gone.
To illustrate this point, he cited an experiment that was performed with mice. Regular tumor cells were injected into one mouse, and the cancerous stem cells were injected into another. The mouse with the regular tumor cells was cancer-free; the mouse with the stem cells developed cancer. If I remember correctly, the tumor cells can still metastize (move around the body and create new tumors), but their ability to do this is much, much less than the stem cells.
What are the implications of this discovery? Current anti-cancer drugs target the tumor cells, not the stem cells. Aside from the fact that the cells have different receptors, the tumor cells are fast-dividing cells. The stem cells are slow-dividing cells. The implications behind drug development are enormous. There are also implications for surgery: the cancerous stem cells do not necessarily need to be located within the tumor itself. In other words, a tumor may surgically be removed, but the stem cells (the "feeder cells" for the tumor) may be located in the bone marrow.
... with the accused fingerprints on it nearby some ashes that have remnants of the victims DNS embedded in the one tooth that survived the burning process etcetcetcetc.
e360, you have no chance of murdering Spamhaus and getting away with it - the police can find remnants of the DNS now!
That was an incredibly insightful comment, and very interesting. While HolyMonkey's post is true for those rare cases, your end message is that hard work can overpower natural "gifts." It's a lesson I've heard many times from my parents, both M.D./Ph.D's who came from relatively low-level backgrounds. I never really understood it until I made it out of high school and began to struggle under the university system. Natural abilities don't override the value of work - nobody is exempt from working. Thank you for sharing your story - I'm hopeful that many people will read it over, think about it, and realize how true it is.
I think it's just because he did it for business purposes, as a business. I went through a fun process of trying to get a phone unlocked as well; my SIM card is AT&T, but my bills are now Cingular. However, the phone saw my SIM as a foreign SIM and demanded an unlock code before I could use any aspect of it. I tried calling Cingular for it, Motorola for it, even conference called Motorola and Cingular representatives, but it yielded nothing.
The issue could have been remedied by either giving me the unlock code, or programming a Cingular SIM card with my account. Instead, Cingular was insistant that I "upgrade" my account to one of Cingular's accounts. Why would I do that? To get almost the same plan as I have now (but still not as good) it'd still cost me a fair bit more per month! It's an example of company discrimination ("Cingular Blue" vs. "Cingular Orange"). The best part was this: one of the representatives at the store I went to informed me that if I went a bit farther down the road, there was a store that would unlock the phone for $15. I suppose the representative was being nice to me, but it didn't sit well with me, and still doesn't. A company would tell a paying customer to either change, or go to a third party, just to use the phone in the first place? Come on.
In the end I returned the phone (which I purchased without any assistance from Cingular, thank you very much) and bought the same model from a different retailer, unlocked. It was imported, but the GSM bands don't care which country the phone comes from. Ironically, I ended up saving money by doing this, as the phone was cheaper than the Cingular-branded one.
I'll also throw in a plug for my model of phone, since I love it so much. If you're looking for a new phone, consider the Motorola MPx220. Windows Mobile 2003 (and I hear 2005 has now been released for newer devices) is actually quite decent, and the phone is pretty nice: ARMv4 processor (dual core), clocked ~190 MHz and can be reliably overclocked to 240 MHz, 32 MB of RAM, a MiniSD card reader with stable support for cards up to 1 GB, quad-band support... based off of my experiences with this phone, my next phone will definitely be a smartphone as well.
Digital Devil Saga has an amazing storyline, though I'd imagine some will find it similar to other science fiction pieces. (Admittedly, I have not yet played the second installment, which I plan to do during winter break.)
Have you played SMT: Nocturne? The story is much more open than Digital Devil Saga, but in many ways it's amazingly compelling. I think that, between the two series, I'd say that I preferred Nocturne. Because it's more open, and perhaps because the character is supposed to be you, the entire experience just feels much more involved. Digital Devil Saga is also involved, but plays somewhat like a movie (though not nearly on the level that Xenosaga did).
The Final Fantasy series is weakening, unfortunately, as quality characters, gameplay, and storylines are fading and being replaced purely with beautifully designed environments and improved graphics. The Shin Megami Tensei series never received much attention, but anyone who happens upon it will not be disappointed by the look, feel, and substance it provides.
And a note to anyone thinking of getting into Shin Megami Tensei games: buy them as soon as you can. ATLUS' marketing strategy is quite different from Square-Enix's: rather than flooding the market, they release very few copies (by comparison, anyway) and have a fairly short release time frame. When I purchased Digital Devil Saga, about a month after it was released, the vendor told me that supposedly ATLUS had already stopped printing the game. It's smart marketing because people begin to understand what's happening and will either pre-order or buy the games at full price when they're released, rather than waiting for a price drop. In both scenarios, ATLUS cuts losses generated from overprinting games and not having them sell or having them sell for less.
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Actually, if you calculate it out the 4/3 sensor should be able to be brought to 25 (24 effective) megapixels. Reference: http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/43/sensor-size.html
In a further showing that 12 megapixels is not the upper limit, Panasonic (the supplier of the 4/3 sensor type that Olympus uses) has apparently upped the megapixels to 14 and will be releasing their next DSLR based on that sensor. After making a big stir with his statement about how 12 megapixels was going to be the norm for a while, that'd make Watanabe look a bit silly, as Olympus will undoubtedly find themselves using that sensor in their newer cameras as well.
I think it's too early to say whether or not Olympus can compete in the megapixel race. Technology is constantly changing and moving forward. You'd also likely be right to say that the megapixel race isn't benefitting Olympus. Watanabe isn't wrong in attempting to refocus on what really matters (or rather, what people should realize really matters) at the consumer level. The truth is that the average consumer gauges a camera's quality by the number of megapixels that it has, and even the "pro" gearheads tend to gauge a camera by the size of its sensor (which, based on samples I've seen with my own eyes, is really exaggerated). I use an Olympus (you probably figured it out by now), and it's a bit frustrating to be met by the Nikon/Canon users who dismiss you outright because of the size of the sensor in your camera. Nobody likes to be dismissed like that, and it's also frustrating because it's almost like these people just buy into marketing and don't even think about where they're spending their money, nor why.
Actually, it's too early to say that DNA isn't everything. Identical twins may share the same DNA, but the expression of that DNA will not be identical. This is what the field of epigenetics is all about. Knowing the sequence of DNA does not tell you how it is expressed - you'd need to look into epigenetic factors (associated proteins and "markers") for that. It also seems that many epigenetic factors are not hereditary, either, but are instead essentially randomized.
Despite epigenetics, I agree with you that DNA alone is not everything. External factors and stimulus will alter your genetic expression as well as your brain development. Right now the variables of DNA sequence, epigenetic factors, and environmental stimulus are a bit too much for us to process. I don't think it's unrealistic to say that we may one day be able to predict what combinations of each would impact a person's development. In some ways that's an exciting prospect; in other ways, it's Brave New World come to life. I have mixed feelings about that prospect.
I'd say that was how Ultima Online felt to me, although your notion of quests still sounds a little WoW'ish. The thing that's weird about WoW is that it's an MMORPG, but it seems very structured (I haven't played it). You enter a quest, run through the mission, and then you're dumped back into the world. Many MMORPGs seem to be following that path. With Ultima Online the entire world was seamless. There were dungeon areas, but nothing quest-like about it. You could do what ever you wanted - be a craftsman (of which there were many classes), be a murderer, a warrior, a mage, a miner, and so on. I chose to be an animal/beast tamer, and had fun traversing the world. People could choose a starting city, and it seemed like many would stay there - so traveling between cities would put you into interactions with new people, all of whom were trying to do different things. It was a fantastic experience, although much of it was about "level grinding" (repeating actions to raise your skill in a specific area). There were quests put on by human game masters, but they were nothing like what the WoW quests seem to be. Still, I feel that WoW, with its structured content and set path, offers very little freedom in how it can be played. With Ultima Online it was truly like a second life... and a bit too addictive. After UO I promised myself I'd never touch an MMORPG again. Games like WoW barely seem MMO'ish by comparison, though.
You raise a good issue, and I'm somewhat surprised that nobody responded to you with this solution yet: go to a used CD store. You'll get to own the physical product, you'll likely pay much less, and none of the money goes to the RIAA. I often shop at a Japanese used CD and book store called Book Off - I've purchased many CDs from their $1-3 section, and they were all in like-new condition. There is only one downside to buying in this manner, and that is your purchase doesn't directly support the artist. No money goes to them, and your purchase does not boost their sale statistics. You can try to show your support in other ways if this is vitally important to you, of course.
I used to use an MPx220 with Windows Mobile 2003 on it, and I loved it. The phone has since died and I've moved on to a Symbian-based phone. I can't stand it, Windows Mobile was much better. I've looked over some Windows Mobile phones but can't find any that I liked much. What're you running, and would you recommend it?
You hit on something close to home for me. I was an engineering student for 2.5 years before I realized that it wasn't right for me and that it was closing me off to other fields. My GPA at the time that I decided to make the switch was a 2.8 - I'm only comforted by having read statistics at the time which stated that the national average for engineering majors was a 2.7. After I switched out I was earning 3.7's with relative ease, even taking science classes. It was the engineering classes and the insane engineering schedule that had seemingly been putting a damper on my abilities.
I won't go into the back story behind my decision, but I wanted to pursue medicine and medical research. Medical school is probably the most competitive that it's ever been. I applied knowing that I'd probably receive rejections without an interview from a single school, and so far I've been spot-on. Medical school is all about your GPA. I've had the opportunity to speak with high-ranking people along the admissions processes, and they are purely number-obsessed. For example, they mentioned to me that the average GPA of accepted students was around 3.7, and that many students were coming from Yale, Harvard, Stanford - a lot of the big-name schools. I've heard from some of my professors that a number of those schools engaged in GPA inflation, and I mentioned that. The response? "Well, the other schools that I mentioned don't." Do these people not understand what an average is, and what inflated numbers mean with regard to that?
To make it worse, I've heard of cases where medical admissions committees deliberated between engineering majors and non-science majors. In one particular case the engineering major was shunned because his GPA was just a bit lower than a history major. When it was implied that this was acceptable because engineering is difficult, the response was more or less "and you don't think that history is hard?" I don't intend any offense to history majors out there (memorizing dates and names isn't my strong point), but that's ridiculous!
I don't mind not having GPA inflation, and I don't mind taking a 3.0 instead of a business major's 4.0. What kills me is this absolute ignorance from non-engineers that if you're not getting a 4.0 along with the English majors, that you must be a slacker or otherwise not smart. Engineers can get 4.0's but it's a hell of a lot harder than for non-engineers, I've discovered. I was very impressed with the dedication and mental capacities of my fellow engineering students, and it really saddens me to think that these people might be held back even slightly just because their grades weren't as high as those from an easier program of study.
That's a really neat idea. I'd imagine that it'd take people time to get used to it (and some probably would never become proficient with controlling it effectively, if at all) but that'd be very useful. Can you imagine how weird it'd feel to use it for even a few months and suddenly not have it anymore, though?
I don't have this issue, nor do I have it on any of the five Mac systems I administer at work. I doubt it's an issue unique to you, but it certainly isn't unanimous to the OS.
The Illinois speed limit was 75 MPH. I'd say most of us on the road were doing 75 - there's always going to be a speeder, but most of us felt comfortable doing 75. We passed into Indiana, and I believe the limit dropped to 70. Most of us kept on pulling 75. By the time we hit Ohio, the limit dropped to 65. Most of us were still doing 75. It's tempting to ascribe that to psychology, but by that point I don't know that it's safe to assume that we were all coming from Illinois and were used to the 75 MPH limit. More likely people are naturally comfortable with doing 75 MPH on those types of roads, and so they'll do what they're comfortable with.
What you're trying to say is that it doesn't matter how nice the limits are, people will still try to break them. There are plenty of people like this, it's true. If we're talking about the masses, however, I don't think it holds. People will do what they are comfortable with. On some of the highways here in NY the limit is 55, but people tend to do 65 on the windier areas and 75 on the straight areas. They're not speeding for the sake of speeding, but because they can efficiently drive at that speed around those areas and feel comfortable doing it. If you made the speed limit 100 I believe that people would only be doing 100 because they felt that the law was compelling them to and that it might not be safe to be too far under the limit.
Everyone has been posting with regard to simply replacing the battery, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned another aspect of having a replacable battery: forcefully shutting down the device. I'm replying to you specifically, because your story shows how integrated batteries are good. Let me counter that: I use a Windows-based smartphone, and occasionally, it has completely frozen on me. Go ahead and laugh - holding down the power button, or any other keys, does nothing. The fix in those cases was to pop the battery out, and then reinstert it and reboot the phone. A critical (to some) bit of technology like that shouldn't be at the mercy of waiting for the battery to drain.
My other experience was with my iPod (3rd generation). It froze after I disconnected it from my computer. Again, no key combination would do anything to it. I had to wait for the battery to drain on its own before I could use it. Not critical, but an example of what can happen. I don't really care if it happens so infrequently - I don't want it to happen to me at a bad time. And even though I'm typing this on an Apple system and love smartphones, I'm wary of complex, critical devices that give me less overall control.
I've also had to change the battery in my smartphone, so of course I'm in support of a do-it-yourself option, but others have already argued for that.
Basically (and mind you, this is typical of avoidant people), I feel like I don't offer anything that a potential mate would find attractive. It's not that I don't like myself (self esteem), it's that I assume everyone else is going to reject me (self image). Factor in that the self image produces a panic mode when I find someone that I'd like to get to know better (if in person, my right hand usually starts twitching... in all cases, I build up this massive certainty that I will be rejected (or worse, accepted only to be abused because I think they see me as weak) and I simply shut down.) It's easier to avoid putting myself into that situation all together. Ultimately, I'll see someone interesting, avoid going up to talk to her and later end up regretting it and mentally punishing myself for it.
Not to sound like I'm patronizing, but I can tell you one thing that you have to offer a potential mate: you seem to be a thoughtful person. It's a pretty rare trait. For all I know you're really a big-time ass, but based off of what you've written so far, you seem more thoughtful and considerate than anything. I can understand your description of what happens when you see someone you'd like to get to know better. But you've overcome it before, haven't you? You've dated before, which is pretty big stuff. I've only dated twice (one of which is still ongoing and hopefully will last for life), and was rejected my first time. A relationship is big stuff, and to initiate one takes a lot of effort. Maybe not for the stereotypical frat boy types, but for types like us (I'm presuming we're pretty similar), the entire experience is one of intense nervousness. You've successfully made the moves before. What do you have to lose? Just try, and don't let the outcome dictate your confidence - let the fact that you did it dictate your confidence.
As for your dad's stroke at 21 messing up your college and career path, I can only say that it sounds really terrible. If you don't have any resentment against your father, you're a very big person. Of course, it isn't his fault, but to think that it's holding you back is very frustrating. But don't despair over it. Have you considered adult education classes, night classes... anything of that sort? One of my favorite stories from one of my engineering professors was about a friend of his. This guy wanted to be a lawyer, but for whatever reason, he ended up in a grocery store, just working the cash register and bagging groceries. I don't know how long he did this for. But at some point, his drive to become a lawyer was rekindled. He did night classes alongside his job, maybe even taking on two jobs to fund everything. Eventually, he was accepted to law school. Today, he's working as a lawyer. I love that story because it shows that even though you might be at what some people would consider to be the bottom of the barrel, if you have the drive to do it, you can go wherever you want. Your situation is different, of course, because you're not living on your own, and you have to care for someone. But are there other options? If taking care of your father is the issue, could you find a caretaker for your father? If the location is the issue, could you possibly relocate yourself, or yourself and your father? I'm not suggesting that you do something totally crazy, but this is your life, after all. Go on and win it!
Your situation is a difficult one, and I just wish I could give you a solid set of instructions that work. But life would be too easy if we all had something like that, I suppose. If I could give you one thing to work to improve on, I'd say it'd be your outlook. As of now you have no reason to have a bright outlook, but ultimately your vision dictates where you'll go in life. And you already said it: depressed people (depressing people, too) usually don't attract people. Understandably so. Almost all people these days seem to have some really rough spot... my own sufferings don't match with what you're going through, though, so I can't really
Thanks for sharing. I used to play Ultima Online, and while I didn't consider myself addicted, I recognize that there is something addictive about it. I say that because around the same time each year, for a few years after I quit (played for 3-4 years), I'd get an urge to go back. I'd return to the server's message forums, and find that many of the people who had played during my time were doing the same thing. Some of them would actually start playing again, but most of us just posted a bit, and then faded off, only to return around the same time the following year. It was bizarre. I still get the urge to play some of the newer MMORPGs, just because I remember the thrill and fun of UO. But I know that I don't have the time for them, and I can't let it happen in my life at this point. I won't even let myself pick up the box of some of the MMORPGs out there. I think you're right on to say that the social aspects of the game are really what's addictive.
:) Best wishes to you.
But I also wanted to comment on one of your latter statements. Congratulations on being 30! But why say that you'll never have a family of your own? I'm not sure what age people usually have families at, to be honest. My parents are both doctors - as you probably know, due to the amount of schooling and training it takes to be a doctor, your life "starts" a bit later than others. My mother was around 30 when I was born; my father was 35. I have ambitions to be a doctor myself, and I'm nearing the end of my university experience. My girlfriend would also like to be a doctor. I don't foresee myself having a family before 30. I guess I just wanted to reach out to you and to say don't despair, because for some walks of life, it's perfectly normal, and perfectly doable. Just stay healthy and live a nice, long life to even it out
I'll call you on this one: there's more to it than just that. We're talking about the fact that certain species are limited to certain environments. Just as a random example that I can recall off-hand, there's some species of mosquitoes that act as a vector for disease against a species of bird. The birds occupy a niche upon a mountain. The environment was too cold for the mosquitoes to access. As the region warmed, the mosquitoes moved up the mountain, and the birds also migrated up. Tell me, what happens when the cool zone prohibiting mosquitoes disappears?
I admit I'm being vague as I don't recall exactly what species were involved, but the zones along the mountain is correct. Mosquito control is difficult in any region - I'm from New York, and we had a nice scare over West Nile Virus a few years back. Mosquitoes were the vector there, too. You're correct in saying that poverty plays a role, but you have to be stretching it pretty thin to say that the environmental conditions aren't playing a major role as well.
I'm fairly certain that there was more to the study than that, but I can't recall it. I also have a "gut feeling" that it's wrong, although I didn't read the scientific article itself and couldn't examine the materials and methods. I don't like to tell it to people for fear that they'd use it as justification for trying their best to create sterile conditions. There are more reasons than just potentially maintaining your immune system for having non-sterile conditions, after all (and if anyone wants to know, just reply back).
Epic - words like those are the kind that become quoted and serve as inspiration to others.
The end of your post was like an alarm clock. Nice story-telling abilities!
People like to trash one particular service or another, but the phone that they use makes a huge difference. Case in point: I use Cingular, my girlfriend uses T-Mobile. She gets horrid reception in her apartment; I get full service. One day she had to make an important and lengthy call. I swapped out my SIM card and inserted hers. Full reception, and the phone registered to a T-Mobile station, not Cingular (although they do share stations, the phone claimed "T-Mobile" and not "Cingular"). I use a Motorola MPx220, and she uses some entry-level Samsung. I'm not impressed by many of these service reviews.
Cingular's customer service is absolute garbage, though - I can tell you that from plentiful experience. Their service, in both the Los Angeles and New York areas, are quite nice however. But check your phone.
By any chance, do you know what passage that is? At my college campus I get accosted by plenty of Christians looking to make conversions. That'd be a handy passage to bring up.
"Long term effects" sums up my concern precisely. It also reminds me of an interesting study that I heard given by a researcher in Japan.
He had studied sleep, and I'll admit that I found his presentation somewhat questionable - it seemed a bit too basic. However, what I took away from the presentation was a graph that he presented. It showed average lifespan vs. average number of hours of sleep received per night. People with 5 hours or less had the lowest life expectancy. Life expectancy increased pretty drastically up until an average of 8 or 9 hours; beyond that, life expectancy began to sag, but not all that quickly. I don't remember the age values - sorry to those who'd be interested.
I question how one could get accurate data for such a graph, but that's a different issue. If there's even a bit of truth to this, it may have enormous implications for something like this. To be honest, I've dreamt (ha) of creating something like this - where a person can either avoid sleep or they can receive the effects of a full night's sleep in a few minutes, even seconds. I always figured that if something like that were to be created, the frequency with which a person should be allowed to use the technology should be strictly limited.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with this.
It has been noted that cancer cells typically suffer massive mutations in their genetic code. On top of deletions, amplifications of the same line of code, laid side-by-side, may occur as much as 60 times. These are the regular cancer cells, and they are unstable. According to one of my professors, these cells are so unstable that over time they would die out. The tumor would be gone.
To illustrate this point, he cited an experiment that was performed with mice. Regular tumor cells were injected into one mouse, and the cancerous stem cells were injected into another. The mouse with the regular tumor cells was cancer-free; the mouse with the stem cells developed cancer. If I remember correctly, the tumor cells can still metastize (move around the body and create new tumors), but their ability to do this is much, much less than the stem cells.
What are the implications of this discovery? Current anti-cancer drugs target the tumor cells, not the stem cells. Aside from the fact that the cells have different receptors, the tumor cells are fast-dividing cells. The stem cells are slow-dividing cells. The implications behind drug development are enormous. There are also implications for surgery: the cancerous stem cells do not necessarily need to be located within the tumor itself. In other words, a tumor may surgically be removed, but the stem cells (the "feeder cells" for the tumor) may be located in the bone marrow.
e360, you have no chance of murdering Spamhaus and getting away with it - the police can find remnants of the DNS now!
That was an incredibly insightful comment, and very interesting. While HolyMonkey's post is true for those rare cases, your end message is that hard work can overpower natural "gifts." It's a lesson I've heard many times from my parents, both M.D./Ph.D's who came from relatively low-level backgrounds. I never really understood it until I made it out of high school and began to struggle under the university system. Natural abilities don't override the value of work - nobody is exempt from working. Thank you for sharing your story - I'm hopeful that many people will read it over, think about it, and realize how true it is.
I think it's just because he did it for business purposes, as a business. I went through a fun process of trying to get a phone unlocked as well; my SIM card is AT&T, but my bills are now Cingular. However, the phone saw my SIM as a foreign SIM and demanded an unlock code before I could use any aspect of it. I tried calling Cingular for it, Motorola for it, even conference called Motorola and Cingular representatives, but it yielded nothing.
The issue could have been remedied by either giving me the unlock code, or programming a Cingular SIM card with my account. Instead, Cingular was insistant that I "upgrade" my account to one of Cingular's accounts. Why would I do that? To get almost the same plan as I have now (but still not as good) it'd still cost me a fair bit more per month! It's an example of company discrimination ("Cingular Blue" vs. "Cingular Orange"). The best part was this: one of the representatives at the store I went to informed me that if I went a bit farther down the road, there was a store that would unlock the phone for $15. I suppose the representative was being nice to me, but it didn't sit well with me, and still doesn't. A company would tell a paying customer to either change, or go to a third party, just to use the phone in the first place? Come on.
In the end I returned the phone (which I purchased without any assistance from Cingular, thank you very much) and bought the same model from a different retailer, unlocked. It was imported, but the GSM bands don't care which country the phone comes from. Ironically, I ended up saving money by doing this, as the phone was cheaper than the Cingular-branded one.
I'll also throw in a plug for my model of phone, since I love it so much. If you're looking for a new phone, consider the Motorola MPx220. Windows Mobile 2003 (and I hear 2005 has now been released for newer devices) is actually quite decent, and the phone is pretty nice: ARMv4 processor (dual core), clocked ~190 MHz and can be reliably overclocked to 240 MHz, 32 MB of RAM, a MiniSD card reader with stable support for cards up to 1 GB, quad-band support... based off of my experiences with this phone, my next phone will definitely be a smartphone as well.
Just out of curiosity, who is your provider, and if they're a relatively small provider, what region of the United States do they cover?
Digital Devil Saga has an amazing storyline, though I'd imagine some will find it similar to other science fiction pieces. (Admittedly, I have not yet played the second installment, which I plan to do during winter break.)
Have you played SMT: Nocturne? The story is much more open than Digital Devil Saga, but in many ways it's amazingly compelling. I think that, between the two series, I'd say that I preferred Nocturne. Because it's more open, and perhaps because the character is supposed to be you, the entire experience just feels much more involved. Digital Devil Saga is also involved, but plays somewhat like a movie (though not nearly on the level that Xenosaga did).
The Final Fantasy series is weakening, unfortunately, as quality characters, gameplay, and storylines are fading and being replaced purely with beautifully designed environments and improved graphics. The Shin Megami Tensei series never received much attention, but anyone who happens upon it will not be disappointed by the look, feel, and substance it provides.
And a note to anyone thinking of getting into Shin Megami Tensei games: buy them as soon as you can. ATLUS' marketing strategy is quite different from Square-Enix's: rather than flooding the market, they release very few copies (by comparison, anyway) and have a fairly short release time frame. When I purchased Digital Devil Saga, about a month after it was released, the vendor told me that supposedly ATLUS had already stopped printing the game. It's smart marketing because people begin to understand what's happening and will either pre-order or buy the games at full price when they're released, rather than waiting for a price drop. In both scenarios, ATLUS cuts losses generated from overprinting games and not having them sell or having them sell for less.