We must topple the Titanian dictators and secure the oil... I mean, uh, we must help the Titanians discover democracy and the wonderful world of giving us their loot. We will be welcomed with open arms!
On the day the ad hits, they'd better be damn sure they've got a set-up that can take what may be a bit more potent than a slashdotting to handle the downloads.
During the.com era, I had a very good friend who worked at a Superbowl advertiser. About 5 seconds after their ad ran, their site was borked.
Firefox as an app is ready, IMO (I don't use IE anymore and don't have to dick around) - just make sure the infrastructure is ready, too.
Actually, I think I've noticed a different change in things, namely that they've had far, far fewer errors in the time since, and the whole experience of shopping has come to feel much more efficient and less frustrating.
Yeap, I cost them a bunch over the film mistake, however they also refined their process and, in the end, I'd say the company is probably better for it.
Had it been a mom&pop, I would have just mentioned the error and not taken advantage - it would have been a *horrific* blow to them profit wise. However, it was the honkin' big Osco chain.
Maybe it's just situational ethics, but I absolutely don't have a problem min/maxing vs. someone like them, when their business practice is to plonk down stores all over the place, obliterate smaller operations, and then close the extra stores.
At the stores I shop at, there's a thing of "if we messed up the price, you get 1 for free."
This way, they encourage people to mention all pricing discrepancies, including the ones in their favor. So, for the price of 1 whatever, they get an immediate alert of the incorrect pricing, and then they update it instantly, which is much better than having people keep pricing errors in their favor a secret, over all.
At the local Osco, a few years back, before they had a limit of 1 item free, I discovered an error of $.40 on film - I "bought out" their entire stock of 35mm film for nothing:) The manager was pissed - he clearly saw I was abusing the system, but ultimately he had to accept the loss. They either have a policy or they don't.
Of course, the joke was on me... I now have a digital camera so the film just sits there unuses.
There are some pretty serious names on that list. My point is, why now? The nostalgia for the first trilogy of films is good and all, but really, they were only 3 movies.
It isn't just the films, it's everything else. ILM, Skywalker Sound - hell, even Pixar was at one point a Lucas deal.
Forget Star Wars - he's done a lot to the industry as a tool-maker. Oh, and a merchandiser:p
Make an MMO based not so much on playing an individual athlete, but a franchise owner.
Have the franchise owners compete with each other. During the competition they can take the part of one of the athletes.
The thing is, this isn't really an MMO - it's more of just an online matching service.
MMO's are great for letting people be 1 person and doing stuff 1 person in that environment could do - so games along those lines will be more easy to work with and so on.
I, for one, would love to see MMOs with interestin g concepts behind them rather than just the same old "level yourself up", but it's going to take some doing to find a nifty way to do it AND appeal to enough people. Outside of the hardcore gamers, real novelty doesn't do too well in the marketplace.
Except that you can't control which operating system comes up: That will be completely random. If you are unlucky, you'll get the desired operating system only after a lot of boot cycles.
But since all possible boot cycles happen simultaneously, this shouldn't be a problem.
Your books always seem to go on forever, and then rapidly accelerate and then just *stop*. What's the deal?
I love the prose, love the ideas, and have read all your stuff - but this sudden impact always leaves me a bit... stunned, like a cow who's just been air-hammered between the eyes... when I finish one of your books.
If HIV/AIDS is a punishment from god, then I guess lesbians are the chosen people, as there's a markedly lower incidence of infection among that particular segment of the population.
Encouraging people - any people who are eligible - to vote is not a bad thing, period, end of story.
People who vote, even if they suspect their vote doesn't matter, even if they have to hold their noses while doing so, are going to have a higher sense of franchise, are going to have more of a sense of connection to the process, and maybe, just maybe, some of them will take the opportunity to get involved and fix what they feel is wrong.
The first step to changing the world is getting your ass off the couch. If it takes Sonic the Hedgehog to do it, so be it.
Slashdot Mirror
We must topple the Titanian dictators and secure the oil... I mean, uh, we must help the Titanians discover democracy and the wonderful world of giving us their loot. We will be welcomed with open arms!
On the day the ad hits, they'd better be damn sure they've got a set-up that can take what may be a bit more potent than a slashdotting to handle the downloads. During the .com era, I had a very good friend who worked at a Superbowl advertiser. About 5 seconds after their ad ran, their site was borked.
Firefox as an app is ready, IMO (I don't use IE anymore and don't have to dick around) - just make sure the infrastructure is ready, too.
Actually, I think I've noticed a different change in things, namely that they've had far, far fewer errors in the time since, and the whole experience of shopping has come to feel much more efficient and less frustrating. Yeap, I cost them a bunch over the film mistake, however they also refined their process and, in the end, I'd say the company is probably better for it. Had it been a mom&pop, I would have just mentioned the error and not taken advantage - it would have been a *horrific* blow to them profit wise. However, it was the honkin' big Osco chain. Maybe it's just situational ethics, but I absolutely don't have a problem min/maxing vs. someone like them, when their business practice is to plonk down stores all over the place, obliterate smaller operations, and then close the extra stores.
This way, they encourage people to mention all pricing discrepancies, including the ones in their favor. So, for the price of 1 whatever, they get an immediate alert of the incorrect pricing, and then they update it instantly, which is much better than having people keep pricing errors in their favor a secret, over all.
At the local Osco, a few years back, before they had a limit of 1 item free, I discovered an error of $.40 on film - I "bought out" their entire stock of 35mm film for nothing :) The manager was pissed - he clearly saw I was abusing the system, but ultimately he had to accept the loss. They either have a policy or they don't.
Of course, the joke was on me... I now have a digital camera so the film just sits there unuses.
It isn't just the films, it's everything else. ILM, Skywalker Sound - hell, even Pixar was at one point a Lucas deal. Forget Star Wars - he's done a lot to the industry as a tool-maker. Oh, and a merchandiser :p
Hope they update punkbuster.
Make an MMO based not so much on playing an individual athlete, but a franchise owner.
Have the franchise owners compete with each other. During the competition they can take the part of one of the athletes.
The thing is, this isn't really an MMO - it's more of just an online matching service.
MMO's are great for letting people be 1 person and doing stuff 1 person in that environment could do - so games along those lines will be more easy to work with and so on.
I, for one, would love to see MMOs with interestin g concepts behind them rather than just the same old "level yourself up", but it's going to take some doing to find a nifty way to do it AND appeal to enough people. Outside of the hardcore gamers, real novelty doesn't do too well in the marketplace.
Nah, I'm pretty sure we're still supposed to be polarized and fractuous.
But since all possible boot cycles happen simultaneously, this shouldn't be a problem.
So dual booting won't be such a pain in the ass, then. Excellent!
Your books always seem to go on forever, and then rapidly accelerate and then just *stop*. What's the deal? I love the prose, love the ideas, and have read all your stuff - but this sudden impact always leaves me a bit... stunned, like a cow who's just been air-hammered between the eyes... when I finish one of your books.
If HIV/AIDS is a punishment from god, then I guess lesbians are the chosen people, as there's a markedly lower incidence of infection among that particular segment of the population.
Encouraging people - any people who are eligible - to vote is not a bad thing, period, end of story. People who vote, even if they suspect their vote doesn't matter, even if they have to hold their noses while doing so, are going to have a higher sense of franchise, are going to have more of a sense of connection to the process, and maybe, just maybe, some of them will take the opportunity to get involved and fix what they feel is wrong. The first step to changing the world is getting your ass off the couch. If it takes Sonic the Hedgehog to do it, so be it.