Quite the contrary, we WANTED dvd to catch on with the masses. It was the only way to ensure its survival and ensure that it got a decent catalog of releases (and it way exceeded our every expectation in that regard).
The elitists in those early days were the Laserdisc supporters (who bemoaned the fact that the DVD format had rendered their $80-disc/$1,000-player status symbols obsolete and brought high-end video to the filthy masses).
I remember back in the mid/late 90's when alt.video.dvd was THE place to go to talk about dvd's. Back in the earliest days of the format, there were great debates like "DVD vs. Laserdisc, which is better?" and "Will DVD survive?" and so on. As the format gained in popularity, though, the group declined as such questions became irrelevant. Now the group is mostly just spam and off-topic posts. A sad state of affairs for a newsgroup that was once at the forefront of the new technology.
Seriously, it's just convenient, I can do it from anywhere, and Google Groups makes following a thread's history a LOT easier than any usenet reader (particularly when you're coming into the middle of a conversation).
I've been on usenet since the early 90's, and still use it. It's one of the few places you can still go where there is no censorship at all, and no moderators with big egos to deal with. This sometimes produces flame wars and trolls, sure. But it also is the only place you can go and be completely honest about controversial subjects without fear of being banned by some politically-correct or biased moderator.
It's a shame that usenet has fallen into decline in recent years. But for those still interested in using usenet for discussion, it is still available (no matter who your ISP is) via Google Groups.
20 years ago, a reporter would CALL them on the lie. Now, in the "fair and balanced"/Fox News era, the most we can hope for is for the reporter to offer a liar on the opposing side a chance for rebuttal.
Arghhh, now them ninjas be confused and thinkin' they be surrounded from all sides! A perfect chance for a broadsides against their scurvy headquarters!
I know that in our politically-correct world, postulating even the very *idea* that there are cultural differences between groups of people automatically makes you a raving racist Nazi who wants to send everyone without blond hair and blue eyes to the gas chambers. So, now that we've dispensed with the mutual bullshit and established that I'm obviously a Klan member who would dare deny that we are all exactly the same in every way, I feel compelled to respond with some clarifying (and obviously racist) observations.
Believe it or not, asian parents DO tend to push there kids much harder than most other groups. Not all of them, certainly, but more than enough to make this obvious to all but the most deluded of observers. And, not coincidentally, this puts a lot of asian kids under a lot of stress to perform. And what happens when you put something under a lot of stress and suddenly release the valve? Well, sometimes it can cause problems. Not all the time, but more than the norm.
And, observant reader that you are, I'm glad you also ignored the "Didn't happen to all of them" statement in my original post to see the obvious truth that what I *really* meant to say was that "ALL asians are over-achievers" and "ALL over-achievers implode in college." I wouldn't want anyone confused by any nuance or qualification.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Klan meeting to attend. This week we're spewing our hate by posting shocking allegations on the internet saying that the majority of illegal immigrants in the United States are hispanic. Can you believe our ignorance?
In many fields (particularly the humanties and liberal arts), social understanding is ESSENTIAL to scholarship. How could you begin to understand history, literature, etc. if you don't understand the human world around you or feel attached to it? And even in the sciences, a scholar who is not socially well adjusted is going to be at a serious disadvantage. It's going to be difficult to go very far in your field if you're prone to periodic mental breakdowns, regularly insult or offend your colleagues/assistants/mentors/grantors, and have difficultly collaborating or taking criticism.
Just look at the best scholars out there. While the image of the "nutty professor" may be well-known and everyone knows some eccentrics, the most successful scholars are the ones who get along with colleagues, have relatively normal romantic relationships, can hold down a job, etc. Do you think Einstein would have gotten as far as he did if he spent his life with no friends, working like a secluded monk and acting like a mental patient?
No, it's a warning to those who push their kids too hard, too young. The best scholar is the kid who is naturally curious and socially well-adjusted, not the kid whose parents tell him "Score an A or else!" and expect him to win every spelling bee.
When I was in college, the kids who were the over-achievers in high school were always the first to crash and burn when they hit college. Without their parents to drive them, they went nuts (sometimes literally). Didn't happen to all of them, but it was a lot more common with them than with the rest of us. Probably about half of the Governor's Scholars and Presidential Scholars I knew failed out their freshmen year.
The asian kids were the worst too. My asian high school co-valedictorian had to (I kid you not) be institutionalized after his first semester. His first week of college, his roommate physically kicked him out of his room because his intensity was too much to handle (he was the kind of guy who would snap your head off if you even spoke to him while he was studying). Then, shortly thereafter, he swung wildly in the other direction and became a full-blown alcoholic (not going to class at all).
It's actually all part of our "Give a Chinese kid a free computer" charity. We even toss in a dozen obsolete video cards and a busted monitor for the little guy.
Actually, this is right out of their classic playbook. Scientology does use the "they've attacked us" bit, it's true. But their nastiest form of attack is the one used in "Operation Freakout", in which they planned to pose as their enemy and then threaten the President (and Arab consulate) by phone and mail, then have high-placed friends back this up by "warning" the FBI and Secret Service about these threats (just in case they missed them).
Slashdot Mirror
Quite the contrary, we WANTED dvd to catch on with the masses. It was the only way to ensure its survival and ensure that it got a decent catalog of releases (and it way exceeded our every expectation in that regard).
The elitists in those early days were the Laserdisc supporters (who bemoaned the fact that the DVD format had rendered their $80-disc/$1,000-player status symbols obsolete and brought high-end video to the filthy masses).
"most web based boards are horrid, operated by a ego driven owner"
Sadly, usenet is suffering a "death by a thousand pricks." Or, more accurately, "death by a thousand pricks and their websites."
I remember back in the mid/late 90's when alt.video.dvd was THE place to go to talk about dvd's. Back in the earliest days of the format, there were great debates like "DVD vs. Laserdisc, which is better?" and "Will DVD survive?" and so on. As the format gained in popularity, though, the group declined as such questions became irrelevant. Now the group is mostly just spam and off-topic posts. A sad state of affairs for a newsgroup that was once at the forefront of the new technology.
I post via Google Groups, you insensitive clod!
Seriously, it's just convenient, I can do it from anywhere, and Google Groups makes following a thread's history a LOT easier than any usenet reader (particularly when you're coming into the middle of a conversation).
I've been on usenet since the early 90's, and still use it. It's one of the few places you can still go where there is no censorship at all, and no moderators with big egos to deal with. This sometimes produces flame wars and trolls, sure. But it also is the only place you can go and be completely honest about controversial subjects without fear of being banned by some politically-correct or biased moderator.
It's a shame that usenet has fallen into decline in recent years. But for those still interested in using usenet for discussion, it is still available (no matter who your ISP is) via Google Groups.
The sad thing is you probably had to break the law to fix it. Just another example of the travesty that is the DMCA.
...I will never send my kids to a public school.
I was a PS3 owner before you and I don't recall giving you authority to decide who is and isn't welcome in our community, little bitch.
Try it a few years from now when EA's servers aren't working anymore.
Cliff Burton was the lucky one.
20 years ago, a reporter would CALL them on the lie. Now, in the "fair and balanced"/Fox News era, the most we can hope for is for the reporter to offer a liar on the opposing side a chance for rebuttal.
Forget that MAVAN shit. If you're ready to part with gas, grass, or ass, you can ride in MYVAN for free.
There already is an official "Ninja Day," it's just that it sneaks up on you and is over before you even realize it was there.
Arghhh, now them ninjas be confused and thinkin' they be surrounded from all sides! A perfect chance for a broadsides against their scurvy headquarters!
I know that in our politically-correct world, postulating even the very *idea* that there are cultural differences between groups of people automatically makes you a raving racist Nazi who wants to send everyone without blond hair and blue eyes to the gas chambers. So, now that we've dispensed with the mutual bullshit and established that I'm obviously a Klan member who would dare deny that we are all exactly the same in every way, I feel compelled to respond with some clarifying (and obviously racist) observations.
Believe it or not, asian parents DO tend to push there kids much harder than most other groups. Not all of them, certainly, but more than enough to make this obvious to all but the most deluded of observers. And, not coincidentally, this puts a lot of asian kids under a lot of stress to perform. And what happens when you put something under a lot of stress and suddenly release the valve? Well, sometimes it can cause problems. Not all the time, but more than the norm.
And, observant reader that you are, I'm glad you also ignored the "Didn't happen to all of them" statement in my original post to see the obvious truth that what I *really* meant to say was that "ALL asians are over-achievers" and "ALL over-achievers implode in college." I wouldn't want anyone confused by any nuance or qualification.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Klan meeting to attend. This week we're spewing our hate by posting shocking allegations on the internet saying that the majority of illegal immigrants in the United States are hispanic. Can you believe our ignorance?
Don't bother, grammar Nazi. You're addressing a believer in descriptive linguistics, not an smug prescriptivist.
In many fields (particularly the humanties and liberal arts), social understanding is ESSENTIAL to scholarship. How could you begin to understand history, literature, etc. if you don't understand the human world around you or feel attached to it? And even in the sciences, a scholar who is not socially well adjusted is going to be at a serious disadvantage. It's going to be difficult to go very far in your field if you're prone to periodic mental breakdowns, regularly insult or offend your colleagues/assistants/mentors/grantors, and have difficultly collaborating or taking criticism.
Just look at the best scholars out there. While the image of the "nutty professor" may be well-known and everyone knows some eccentrics, the most successful scholars are the ones who get along with colleagues, have relatively normal romantic relationships, can hold down a job, etc. Do you think Einstein would have gotten as far as he did if he spent his life with no friends, working like a secluded monk and acting like a mental patient?
No, it's a warning to those who push their kids too hard, too young. The best scholar is the kid who is naturally curious and socially well-adjusted, not the kid whose parents tell him "Score an A or else!" and expect him to win every spelling bee.
The asian kids were the worst too. My asian high school co-valedictorian had to (I kid you not) be institutionalized after his first semester. His first week of college, his roommate physically kicked him out of his room because his intensity was too much to handle (he was the kind of guy who would snap your head off if you even spoke to him while he was studying). Then, shortly thereafter, he swung wildly in the other direction and became a full-blown alcoholic (not going to class at all).
Maybe they can introduce a "push" application next.
The creator later acknowledged that he got the "Snake" name and look of the character from Snake Plissken (in the movie Escape From New York).
Hey Bruce Sterling, wanna get high?
It's actually all part of our "Give a Chinese kid a free computer" charity. We even toss in a dozen obsolete video cards and a busted monitor for the little guy.
Yeah, really worked out for the Romans in the end.
Actually, this is right out of their classic playbook. Scientology does use the "they've attacked us" bit, it's true. But their nastiest form of attack is the one used in "Operation Freakout", in which they planned to pose as their enemy and then threaten the President (and Arab consulate) by phone and mail, then have high-placed friends back this up by "warning" the FBI and Secret Service about these threats (just in case they missed them).