True, but federal funding is usually extremely important to any major scientific research project. As long as the federal government withholds that funding, stem cell research in the US will be limited at best.
The problem lies in the fact that it has become a political issue, and private investment is scared away as a result. There may be individuals that have enough money, but there's too much risk involved.
People who use power-leveling services are in somewhat of a quandry: on one hand, they want to be the best (even if it means hiring someone to do all the work for them) but on the other hand they're worried about being ripped off (understandably) and losing their character/avatar/items/gold etc. Basically, their desire to be the best is at war with their obsession over the game and how horrible it would be to lose stuff due to a scam.
Then there's the amount of money invested in the service, which is usually a couple hundred dollars. Combine those two and it's not surprising to hear that they check in often.
You could be correct if you subscribe to the notion that "any publicity is good publicity as long as they get your name right." However, are the production costs and time spent developing the game really worth it just to get material for a couple of PA comics? IMHO, not really. PA doesn't seem to lack for material as it is constantly generated by the video games they discuss on the site and the companies that make said video games.
The title, far from being an indicator that they expect it to fail, actually reflects the PA style quite well (no, don't ask me to define it because I can't.) My bet is that they'll try to make a game that isn't too serious but fun and playable at the same time. But as mentioned before, there are pitfalls to be overcome.
I do agree that even if they fail at the video game, it may not be much of a problem as PA fans tend to be quite loyal. Personally, a failed video game would be disappointing but not a terrible tragedy. In the end, I am a fan of PA because of the on-the-mark game commentary (usually) and the laughs that the comic inspires quite frequently. I imagine that many other PA readers share the same sentiments.
The main problem with stem cell research (in the US, mostly) is the moral dimension. This method removes that, and may allow stem cell research to move ahead in the US, although it may be too late. Other countries are less concerned with the moral implications of embryonic stem cells (I believe The Economist had an article about stem cell research in Singapore recently) and are ahead of the US as a result. Can the US catch up fast enough using this method?
There is also the possibility that any stem cell research will be very limited in the US for some time to come, regardless of the method. This is due to the current administration's attitude towards stem cell research, although the attitude may shift with a new administration in '08.
...as a video game. Considering the comic is famous (or infamous, if you're Jack Thompson) for its focus on video games, how well would that work when made into a video game itself? It'll be interesting to see what sort of game it is.
There's also the issue of living up to expectations. Penny Arcade has a huge following, so if their video game is a flop, it's not going to look good and they'll catch some flak as a result. In addition, I expect this game to be very hyped simply because PA is so widely read, and that could contribute to any unreasonable expectations being formed about how good this game will be.
In short, there are pitfalls here that they will have to overcome. The question is whether or not they'll succeed.
I was wondering about that too. Apparently most/. readers seem to think that SONY's problems can't get any worse, but they can if what you're suggesting is true. It's certainly possible, at any rate.
That being said, I don't think SONY is stupid enough to ignore the implications of what is becoming a huge and costly scandal for them. Their own line of laptops should also be affected, and I'm surprised they haven't announced a recall of the batteries yet. I wonder why this is? I'm going out on a limb here, but perhaps they sell the low quality batteries to the other companies and use higher quality batteries for laptops like the Vaio? That sort of reasoning implies they knew about potential defects before this issue came up, but I wouldn't be surprised about that.
It will be interesting to see if this "comes home to roost" for SONY (or not.)
In the wake of their battery recall and complaints about bad tech support (no surprise there) they are likely cutting their losses and allocating the capital spent on this player to other areas such as better advertising, and (hopefully) better tech support. A smart move on their part as it's too late to make a significant impact on this market now IMHO.
As for going quietly/gently, that is probably the right way to do it as share holders are scrutinizing their Dell stock and wondering whether or not they should be selling it. News that Dell has dropped their MP3 player, while certainly not a tragedy, may indicate either a weakness or a willingness to cut loose products that just aren't taking off. In effect they're playing it safe.
First, it's nothing new. Many have been claiming video games are violent and detrimental to today's youth, and many more have been saying "hogwash!" to the whole idea.
But second, and most importantly, the same thing has been said about many other forms of entertainment, such as rock music and Victorian novels (correct me if I'm wrong on that second one!)
Of course they'll try to dig up any juicy tidbits they can. Why? Simply put, credibility. If his character is damaged, his credibility is damaged as well. It's probably unlikely that sort of maneuver would work in this situation, but they can still try.
This sort of thing is just common sense... doing a bit of research on video cards and their performance instead of going with the most expensive one out there is being a smart consumer and really isn't too hard what with all the reviews available on the 'net. Unfortunately, many people just don't do this for various reasons.
Hey, I know Apple is definitely NOT Microsoft, but it's still a big corporation. What are they doing about privacy concerns related to old data stored on the computer hard drives? I'd expect it to be a problem because the majority of the people who would use this service may not know how to properly get rid of any data on their hard drives, and taking apart the computer to get at the hard drive may be too much to expect.
... that 'ol Uncle Sam would do this? I'm not sure if this will be effective or not, since the whole operation (probably, I'm no expert) violates a whole lot of privacy laws. Even considering national security issues, it's a stretch.
What about the current employers of the person who wants to try this? I somehow doubt they'd take it well if an employee told them they wanted to try out another job for a few days. Might make them wonder if this employee is thinking of quitting... and they may decide to fire them before they quit voluntarily.
I don't think there's any real way of making it look like a harmless activity if you're the employee wanting to try it. Call in sick for a few days, maybe...?
AFAIK, cellphone plans work the same way (that's assuming a lot, so don't kill me on details... just provide them in case I'm totally wrong here.) That is, you agree to a contract and pay a certain amount, maybe get a certain amount of minutes each month, week, whatever... and then pay any extra minutes you use. Why not apply this to dial-up usage in the same way? Customers would probably be familiar with the same system when they use their cellphones.
Because they're the RIAA! They can say anything they want even if it has no factual basis. Example: the RIAA claims p2p file sharing hurts music sales. Other studies that have been done on that same subject show no, it doesn't... it actually helps! And no, I don't have any linkage to those studies... I know BBC news featured one awhile back, though.
You make some good points, and I'll admit that I should have thought more about it before I submitted that comment!
You mentioned that many new genres sprung up in the 90s, and is it a coincidence that technology seems to have made leaps and bounds in that same period of time? Probably not. So, maybe the main source of the argument that there isn't enough innovation in the games industry is that new technology cannot keep up with demand for innovation. As more technology is available to the general public and the games industry, they will find new games to create using that technology. If that's true, people (such as myself) who want new and innovative games will have to wait for the next technological leap to get it.
Konami's lineup contains almost no new games whatsoever... Bomberman, DDR, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid. These are all games we've seen before, and it seems these are just updates to take advantage of better technology. The only possible exception to Konami's lineup is Death Jr. 2. I can't say much about it since I haven't played the original, but again we see the sequel mentality here.
LucasArts isn't much better, really. Lego Star Wars? Give me a break, really. The second title is only rumor, and as far as the Indiana Jones game... well, there've been previous Indiana Jones games out before this one. So again, no new games here. Just updates to old ones.
It's starting to sound like a broken record, but there's just no innovation anymore. And why is that? Is it because the games industry has become so weighted down with the old games and so afraid that new ideas won't sell that it just rehashes games over and over? That's what I think, but then again I could be wrong, partially or totally. Who really knows.
Give users a cool, savvy looking test that makes them choose between two equally suspicious looking webpages, then reveal their horrible results. Oh no! But with SiteAdvisor, never fear... you'll have a handy site report to base your decisions off of!
Yes, easy to see what the purpose of this test REALLY is... promotion promotion promotion! I'd even point to the fact that this is on/. as an indicator it's a shameless plug for their product, except the majority of intelligent Slashdotters is hardly prone to falling for this.
Then again, what do I know? I got a 5 out of 8 on the quiz. Boy, am I a dumb intarweb user! Better go install that SiteAdvisor after all...
...unlike a car. When someone tries to steal a car and a car alarm goes off, the car itself isn't going anywhere (although you may have a broken window or two.) Unfortunately, when someone tries to steal a Macbook and the iAlertU alarm goes off, I don't think the Macbook will fare too well as a result. Most likely it would be dropped out of sheer surprise, or dropped/thrown in the process of trying to escape the irate Mac owner and the local security guards.
Still, I suppose even an inoperable Macbook with the hard drive intact is better than having all your corporate and personal data stolen.
1. A/. user actually attracted a female? wait wait, AND got married? CONGRATS DUDE. 2. But but... what about SEX? Or do you have a string of mistresses in every big city, you sly fox you?
And lastly, RELATIVELY on topic: Nice that it serves beer, but where are the female robots dammit! (and I believe I speak for every lonely/.er here, including myself.)
Slashdot Mirror
True, but federal funding is usually extremely important to any major scientific research project. As long as the federal government withholds that funding, stem cell research in the US will be limited at best.
The problem lies in the fact that it has become a political issue, and private investment is scared away as a result. There may be individuals that have enough money, but there's too much risk involved.
-Parallax
People who use power-leveling services are in somewhat of a quandry: on one hand, they want to be the best (even if it means hiring someone to do all the work for them) but on the other hand they're worried about being ripped off (understandably) and losing their character/avatar/items/gold etc. Basically, their desire to be the best is at war with their obsession over the game and how horrible it would be to lose stuff due to a scam.
Then there's the amount of money invested in the service, which is usually a couple hundred dollars. Combine those two and it's not surprising to hear that they check in often.
-Parallax
You could be correct if you subscribe to the notion that "any publicity is good publicity as long as they get your name right." However, are the production costs and time spent developing the game really worth it just to get material for a couple of PA comics? IMHO, not really. PA doesn't seem to lack for material as it is constantly generated by the video games they discuss on the site and the companies that make said video games.
The title, far from being an indicator that they expect it to fail, actually reflects the PA style quite well (no, don't ask me to define it because I can't.) My bet is that they'll try to make a game that isn't too serious but fun and playable at the same time. But as mentioned before, there are pitfalls to be overcome.
I do agree that even if they fail at the video game, it may not be much of a problem as PA fans tend to be quite loyal. Personally, a failed video game would be disappointing but not a terrible tragedy. In the end, I am a fan of PA because of the on-the-mark game commentary (usually) and the laughs that the comic inspires quite frequently. I imagine that many other PA readers share the same sentiments.
-Parallax
The main problem with stem cell research (in the US, mostly) is the moral dimension. This method removes that, and may allow stem cell research to move ahead in the US, although it may be too late. Other countries are less concerned with the moral implications of embryonic stem cells (I believe The Economist had an article about stem cell research in Singapore recently) and are ahead of the US as a result. Can the US catch up fast enough using this method?
There is also the possibility that any stem cell research will be very limited in the US for some time to come, regardless of the method. This is due to the current administration's attitude towards stem cell research, although the attitude may shift with a new administration in '08.
...as a video game. Considering the comic is famous (or infamous, if you're Jack Thompson) for its focus on video games, how well would that work when made into a video game itself? It'll be interesting to see what sort of game it is.
There's also the issue of living up to expectations. Penny Arcade has a huge following, so if their video game is a flop, it's not going to look good and they'll catch some flak as a result. In addition, I expect this game to be very hyped simply because PA is so widely read, and that could contribute to any unreasonable expectations being formed about how good this game will be.
In short, there are pitfalls here that they will have to overcome. The question is whether or not they'll succeed.
-Parallax
I was wondering about that too. Apparently most /. readers seem to think that SONY's problems can't get any worse, but they can if what you're suggesting is true. It's certainly possible, at any rate.
That being said, I don't think SONY is stupid enough to ignore the implications of what is becoming a huge and costly scandal for them. Their own line of laptops should also be affected, and I'm surprised they haven't announced a recall of the batteries yet. I wonder why this is? I'm going out on a limb here, but perhaps they sell the low quality batteries to the other companies and use higher quality batteries for laptops like the Vaio? That sort of reasoning implies they knew about potential defects before this issue came up, but I wouldn't be surprised about that.
It will be interesting to see if this "comes home to roost" for SONY (or not.)
In the wake of their battery recall and complaints about bad tech support (no surprise there) they are likely cutting their losses and allocating the capital spent on this player to other areas such as better advertising, and (hopefully) better tech support. A smart move on their part as it's too late to make a significant impact on this market now IMHO.
As for going quietly/gently, that is probably the right way to do it as share holders are scrutinizing their Dell stock and wondering whether or not they should be selling it. News that Dell has dropped their MP3 player, while certainly not a tragedy, may indicate either a weakness or a willingness to cut loose products that just aren't taking off. In effect they're playing it safe.
First, it's nothing new. Many have been claiming video games are violent and detrimental to today's youth, and many more have been saying "hogwash!" to the whole idea.
But second, and most importantly, the same thing has been said about many other forms of entertainment, such as rock music and Victorian novels (correct me if I'm wrong on that second one!)
-Parallax
Of course they'll try to dig up any juicy tidbits they can. Why? Simply put, credibility. If his character is damaged, his credibility is damaged as well. It's probably unlikely that sort of maneuver would work in this situation, but they can still try.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? [Who will police the police?]
- Latin proverb
... you never installed the update in the first place. Mwahahaha! For once, a bad habit of not installing updates right away pays off.
This sort of thing is just common sense... doing a bit of research on video cards and their performance instead of going with the most expensive one out there is being a smart consumer and really isn't too hard what with all the reviews available on the 'net. Unfortunately, many people just don't do this for various reasons.
Hey, I know Apple is definitely NOT Microsoft, but it's still a big corporation. What are they doing about privacy concerns related to old data stored on the computer hard drives? I'd expect it to be a problem because the majority of the people who would use this service may not know how to properly get rid of any data on their hard drives, and taking apart the computer to get at the hard drive may be too much to expect.
... that 'ol Uncle Sam would do this? I'm not sure if this will be effective or not, since the whole operation (probably, I'm no expert) violates a whole lot of privacy laws. Even considering national security issues, it's a stretch.
Yeah, what would Microsoft's advertisement on this service look like?
...And More!
Test-drive Microsoft CEO position!
You'll learn how to:
- Throw chairs across a room, with accuracy!
- Learn how to "fucking kill" someone, the Microsoft way!
What about the current employers of the person who wants to try this? I somehow doubt they'd take it well if an employee told them they wanted to try out another job for a few days. Might make them wonder if this employee is thinking of quitting... and they may decide to fire them before they quit voluntarily.
I don't think there's any real way of making it look like a harmless activity if you're the employee wanting to try it. Call in sick for a few days, maybe...?
AFAIK, cellphone plans work the same way (that's assuming a lot, so don't kill me on details... just provide them in case I'm totally wrong here.) That is, you agree to a contract and pay a certain amount, maybe get a certain amount of minutes each month, week, whatever... and then pay any extra minutes you use. Why not apply this to dial-up usage in the same way? Customers would probably be familiar with the same system when they use their cellphones.
Because they're the RIAA! They can say anything they want even if it has no factual basis. Example: the RIAA claims p2p file sharing hurts music sales. Other studies that have been done on that same subject show no, it doesn't... it actually helps! And no, I don't have any linkage to those studies... I know BBC news featured one awhile back, though.
Clowns are free, lawyers are not? Most clowns, anyway...
You make some good points, and I'll admit that I should have thought more about it before I submitted that comment!
You mentioned that many new genres sprung up in the 90s, and is it a coincidence that technology seems to have made leaps and bounds in that same period of time? Probably not. So, maybe the main source of the argument that there isn't enough innovation in the games industry is that new technology cannot keep up with demand for innovation. As more technology is available to the general public and the games industry, they will find new games to create using that technology. If that's true, people (such as myself) who want new and innovative games will have to wait for the next technological leap to get it.
Konami's lineup contains almost no new games whatsoever... Bomberman, DDR, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid. These are all games we've seen before, and it seems these are just updates to take advantage of better technology. The only possible exception to Konami's lineup is Death Jr. 2. I can't say much about it since I haven't played the original, but again we see the sequel mentality here.
LucasArts isn't much better, really. Lego Star Wars? Give me a break, really. The second title is only rumor, and as far as the Indiana Jones game... well, there've been previous Indiana Jones games out before this one. So again, no new games here. Just updates to old ones.
It's starting to sound like a broken record, but there's just no innovation anymore. And why is that? Is it because the games industry has become so weighted down with the old games and so afraid that new ideas won't sell that it just rehashes games over and over? That's what I think, but then again I could be wrong, partially or totally. Who really knows.
Give users a cool, savvy looking test that makes them choose between two equally suspicious looking webpages, then reveal their horrible results. Oh no! But with SiteAdvisor, never fear... you'll have a handy site report to base your decisions off of!
/. as an indicator it's a shameless plug for their product, except the majority of intelligent Slashdotters is hardly prone to falling for this.
Yes, easy to see what the purpose of this test REALLY is... promotion promotion promotion! I'd even point to the fact that this is on
Then again, what do I know? I got a 5 out of 8 on the quiz. Boy, am I a dumb intarweb user! Better go install that SiteAdvisor after all...
Contans? Don't you mean contains? Had to say it!
...unlike a car. When someone tries to steal a car and a car alarm goes off, the car itself isn't going anywhere (although you may have a broken window or two.) Unfortunately, when someone tries to steal a Macbook and the iAlertU alarm goes off, I don't think the Macbook will fare too well as a result. Most likely it would be dropped out of sheer surprise, or dropped/thrown in the process of trying to escape the irate Mac owner and the local security guards.
Still, I suppose even an inoperable Macbook with the hard drive intact is better than having all your corporate and personal data stolen.
1. A /. user actually attracted a female? wait wait, AND got married? CONGRATS DUDE.
/.er here, including myself.)
2. But but... what about SEX? Or do you have a string of mistresses in every big city, you sly fox you?
And lastly, RELATIVELY on topic: Nice that it serves beer, but where are the female robots dammit! (and I believe I speak for every lonely