This is an awesome idea... and it fits in really well.
- Every customer is a user, operating their program-construct while they play, and allowing actions to occur while the player isn't online.
- The construct backups periodically, but the player continues (explaining why there is ongoing knowledge, and how toons keep popping back from the dead.
- A variety of different vehicles and tools to use
- Combat for sport or as a representative of security
- huge range of potential talents, all of which actually make sense in the game...man, I'm excited. I want to go find a copy of TRON 2.
The Birth of Plenty postulates that four qualities are needed for ongoing development and wealth creation, such as that experienced by the west over the past 300 years:
Property rights (you own what you build and invent)
Access to finance, and limited liability
Effective transport mechanisms
Mechanical power
In the book, the author explicitly addresses why Rome (and others) didn't develop better tech... the senate stripped property rights away from the plebeians, and crushing penalties on failing to repay a loan. (Similar conditions applied to most other civilizations.) So Rome didn't develop the steam engine because it didn't have anyone willing to finance (or repay) the investment required to invent the needed technology.
It wasn't until the sixteenth century that Holland got these conditions right, and began sustained growth. England shortly followed suit and triggered the Industrial Revolution. All the progress since then has been a result of the sustained growth, plus the exporting of England's legal principles around the world. As a result, the evolution of law over the 'Dark Ages' is a key part of modern society.
You could try An Index to Creationist Claims, which is an attempt (by the science side) to figure out exactly what ID is claiming. It deals in detail with claims like Neanderthals were humans with rickets, providing claim, source and rebuttal. A seriously interesting read.
Ignore all the stuff about quantum mechanics. The IT equivalent would be something like:
* New chip design contains 5 times more transistors
* Automation technique reduces materials consumption and pollution by 416%
The proposed product was to produce energy at 1.2 cents per kilowatt, versus 5 cents for coal.
Game development busines model
on
Ask Sid Meier
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· Score: 2, Interesting
The current business model for games is getting ruinously expensive: more detailed textures, more frames, features added because they're standard (e.g. multiplayer modes). Games are now easily a dozen man years and several millions of dollars in cost, making game development a high risk investment. Do you see any possible business models which may help reduce the risks which stem from such high costs?
I didn't think to post these when the last Enterprise story went up, but here's a couple of comments from JMS about writing a Star Trek series.
The first talks about JMS thoughts of Star Trek, and his interest in doing a series, the second (written a day later) talks about finding out that Paramont had no interest in doing anything more with Star Trek for a few years, and he was busy anyway.
and in _Earth_, by David Brin. Pretty much the same, although it got augmented with powerful computing, so the computer would (if appropriate) recreate the sound of *your* voice.
To all those sneering at the fact that he caved: think about his situtation. Support for family, loss of house - non-trivial.
The only people entitled to say he should have gone to jail are those who *have* gone to jail over a similar subject. And even then, if you didn't have a wife and kids to support, you may not count.
Anyone care to offer the beliefs they went to prison for?
Slashdot Mirror
This is an awesome idea... and it fits in really well. - Every customer is a user, operating their program-construct while they play, and allowing actions to occur while the player isn't online. - The construct backups periodically, but the player continues (explaining why there is ongoing knowledge, and how toons keep popping back from the dead. - A variety of different vehicles and tools to use - Combat for sport or as a representative of security - huge range of potential talents, all of which actually make sense in the game ...man, I'm excited. I want to go find a copy of TRON 2.
- Property rights (you own what you build and invent)
- Access to finance, and limited liability
- Effective transport mechanisms
- Mechanical power
In the book, the author explicitly addresses why Rome (and others) didn't develop better tech... the senate stripped property rights away from the plebeians, and crushing penalties on failing to repay a loan. (Similar conditions applied to most other civilizations.) So Rome didn't develop the steam engine because it didn't have anyone willing to finance (or repay) the investment required to invent the needed technology. It wasn't until the sixteenth century that Holland got these conditions right, and began sustained growth. England shortly followed suit and triggered the Industrial Revolution. All the progress since then has been a result of the sustained growth, plus the exporting of England's legal principles around the world. As a result, the evolution of law over the 'Dark Ages' is a key part of modern society.You could try An Index to Creationist Claims, which is an attempt (by the science side) to figure out exactly what ID is claiming. It deals in detail with claims like Neanderthals were humans with rickets, providing claim, source and rebuttal. A seriously interesting read.
Ignore all the stuff about quantum mechanics. The IT equivalent would be something like: * New chip design contains 5 times more transistors * Automation technique reduces materials consumption and pollution by 416% The proposed product was to produce energy at 1.2 cents per kilowatt, versus 5 cents for coal.
The current business model for games is getting ruinously expensive: more detailed textures, more frames, features added because they're standard (e.g. multiplayer modes). Games are now easily a dozen man years and several millions of dollars in cost, making game development a high risk investment. Do you see any possible business models which may help reduce the risks which stem from such high costs?
hmm...
So many of the comments here talk about breasts, when the original complaint was "graphic sex acts". Keep the context correct.
I didn't think to post these when the last Enterprise story went up, but here's a couple of comments from JMS about writing a Star Trek series.
The first talks about JMS thoughts of Star Trek, and his interest in doing a series, the second (written a day later) talks about finding out that Paramont had no interest in doing anything more with Star Trek for a few years, and he was busy anyway.
and in _Earth_, by David Brin. Pretty much the same, although it got augmented with powerful computing, so the computer would (if appropriate) recreate the sound of *your* voice.
Maybe they haven't delivered anything yet... once the deadline passes, then they're part of the 95%
To all those sneering at the fact that he caved: think about his situtation. Support for family, loss of house - non-trivial.
The only people entitled to say he should have gone to jail are those who *have* gone to jail over a similar subject. And even then, if you didn't have a wife and kids to support, you may not count.
Anyone care to offer the beliefs they went to prison for?