Basic cable costs around $25 a month.
My cable internet connection costs around $45.
And my cable company is worried... why? Unless the cost of running their cable internet operation is significantly higher, they're actually making more money off me than they would were I merely a cable subscriber. It seems to me that if they adapt to the times, and focus on become one of the primary providers of high-bandwidth internet connections to people's homes, they'll be in good shape. Much of the infrastructure they'd need is already in place. They already have lines going into everyone's homes capable of providing much of the bandwidth people need. In the future it will simply be cable vs. DSL, as opposed to cable vs. sattelite.
It's my understanding that RPG's didn't become a big deal until tanks and other heavy, armored equipment did. They were, in a sense, a cheap response to an expensive problem. From what I recall (and feel free to correct me, I very well may be wrong) you can acquire RPG rounds for suprisingly little in some areas of the middle east - we're talking around $20. My suspicion is that this point-defense system isn't nearly as inexpensive to fire. We're presenting their cheap response with another expensive problem. I'd be curious how difficult it would be to build a radar jammer that could confuse this system enough to allow something through. I wonder how cheap it would be to build said jammers, and duct-tape them on to existing RPG launchers.
I don't have any doubt that systems like these, designed to save the lives of people who put themselves on the line for this country, are valuable assets. However, I do question the economy of it all. When we have to spend millions of dollars for every 20 bucks our enemies do, one has to wonder how that will play out in the long run.
It's good to know that when other government agencies are starting to become increasingly paranoid, there is one that values keeping their records available to the public.
Ahh, dormatory networks. If this wifi network is anything like mine, I'll have to go around replacing people's background images with:
"This is a test. This is only a test. If you are reading this message, you should probably change your network sharing permissions. You know... so amateur weirdos like me aren't able to have our way with your machine. Had this not been a test, you'd probably be looking at gay porn right now."
Not to mention that adding realism to a Bugs Bunny cartoon would be somewhat counterproductive.
Fudd: [takes careful aim with his shotgun]
Bugs: [stuffs carrot in shotgun]
Fudd: [camera pans downward as the disctinctive rapport of gunfire fills the air. blood and carrot juice splatter the ground.]
Porky: "Thhththtthat's all folks!"
I suspect, when it comes right down to it, the RIAA's policy as far as lawsuits are concerned really have nothing to do with enforcing the law. When you look at the pattern of their lawsuits, it almost seems that they intentionally avoid sparing anyone - be they children, old women who have never used a computer before, or people who more than likely had someone sneak onto their unsecured wi-fi network. These are people who are either obviously innocent, or don't deserve to be subjected to lawsuits that could cost them tens of thousands of dollars. At their worst, most of these folks a being nailed for a few bucks worth of music. The punishment doesn't particularly fit the crime, in this case, and the RIAA likely knows this. Frankly, the penalty for downloading copyrighted material is rather terrifying. The lawsuits filed by the RIAA are an attempt to capitalize on this terror. They're not designed to stop dedicated pirates. As many people have pointed out in the past, dedicated pirates will get what they want regardless. However, by creating an atmosphere where you just don't know who's going to get sued next, they intimidate your 'average Joes' into sticking off the filesharing networks. The fact that these lawsuits pretty much pay for themselves is an added bonus.
What really gets my goat about this entire campaign is that it's done at great expense to many of its victims. These are people who are being subjected to lawsuits for no purpose other than to make an example to the rest of the country of just what happens when you mess with the music industry. They bear an unfair burden, under the law, to scare those the industry can't catch in the act into getting in line. I hope this madness comes to an end soon.
Neat! So our new strategy is making stuff up and putting it on the internet? Let me try.
"We're thinking that we'll take things to a whole new level." Commented a representative from the department of defense. "You know, when our enemies try to download new ring tones, all they'll hear is the theme song to 'Team America, World Police' whenever they get a call."
"b) real humans take turns playing key "NPCs", perhaps in exchange for their monthly online fee."
Hmm.
ShinyArmor559: "Princess, I'm here to save you!"
Princess Princess: "LAWLZ I 4m 4 dude f001"
ShinyArmor559: "... ok then. This way, sir princess, to safety!"
Princess Princess: "4hhh m1n0t4rz!!!1!"
ShinyArmor559: "Nooo, you fool! Not that way!"
Princess Princess: "1 4m und3r 4tt4ckz h341z m3!"
ShinyArmor559: "You had all the time to translate that into your leet giberish, but not enough to hit the 'w' key to run my way?"
Princess Princess: "U suk."
Check please!
You people have no vision! Look at the subtleties of the current administration's plan: if the economy goes far enough down hill we won't need to control our borders.
Are you kidding? Packaging is advertising. Every single product in the store is a little advertisement for itself, right down to the last bag of beef jerkey. Mmm. Beef Jerkey.
If the problem is that studends are just copying whatever it is she's saying, how will switching to paper fix that? It sounds like the real problem she has is that students are merely taking down data, rather than actually thinking about what she's saying. Forcing students to switch to paper would probably just aggrevate matters.
If people are getting by the class just copying what she says, maybe the problem is as much in her lecture style as the student's notetaking technique.
I remember getting bullied back in middle school. It had nothing to do with my being weak, in fact, quite the contrary. I had a reupation for being one of the more physically intimidating people on campus. I was bullied precisely because I was the kind of person who didn't fight back. It looks damned impressive when a kid can taunt someone bigger than they are with impunity. I suspect that, had I ever stood up for myself, chances are I wouldn't have dealt with nearly the amount of crap I did. I honestly regret never punching the kid in the face. Escalation? Bruises heal, and once someone learns you're not easily trifled with they'll lay off.
It reminds me of something Kevin Mitnick said about his time in prison, during an interview on the ill-fated show "The Broken". When another prisoner wanted his shoes, he fought for them even knowing he was going to lose. The point wasn't to get his shoes back, so much as to make it known that anyone trying to take advantage of him would have to pay a price to do it.
I believe that this escalation you're concerned about is more a result of not fighting back than anything else.
A little personality goes a long way
on
Black Review
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
He also cites Half Life 2 as a good example of a game with a plot. If I recall, the plot of Half Life 2 was kind of flat as well. You're a guy who kicks ass, on a mission to take down an evil dictator and his alien chums. In a twist from the original Duke Nukem, you are a doctor.
What made Half Life 2 more immersive than your average shooter wasn't the plot, so much as the characters. Especially with the care and patience Valve took to get the expressions just right on everyone's faces, the people you encountered in Half Life 2 ended up having much more personality than your average video game characters. That was one of the things that really impressed me about the game - all to often artists end up making everyone in the game look either constipated or slightly stoned.
I thought most boards on the net already log your IP address. Your IP address can be traced back to your ISP, and your ISP can usually provide your info in such a case where it's actually appropriate to disclose it. I don't see why enacting a law for this is even necessary.
I honestly disagree with this asessment of how gold farmers affect the in-game economy. From what I have seen of the in-game economy for WoW, you basically have four uses for gold.
* Getting your epic mount
* Repairing your equipment and purchasing reagents after battle
* Purchasing various rewards for battling other factions
* Purchasing items from other players at the auction house
Of these things, only one is actually subject to any kind of inflation. If anything, as gold gets added to the economy things like epic mounts (whose purchase price is extremely high) become more easily accessable. The first three all have fixed prices which do not change regardless of how much gold is present in the game's economy. Now, let's look at how gold farmers affect the economy. Typically, gold farmers will generate three things.
* Gold, sold off for real money through the internet
* Equipment and Recipes which are are sold to other players for gold
* Raw materials such as ore, which are sold to other players for gold
The poster above me claims that all the extra items the farmers place on the auction house drives prices down, thus making the market significantly less appealing for sellers. However, this also makes the market much easier on buyers - particularly where more common items are concerned. This applies primarily to raw materials and common equipment drops. Also, take into account that the players who buy gold typically *aren't* generating either items to place on the auction house or gold themselves. They are dead weight, as far as the economy is concerned. I also think it's important to note that the farmers add a large amount of items to the economy that would not have been there otherwise - mainly 'rare' drops. These drops are extremely hard to get, and the fact that there is a body of players constantly generating them and putting them on the auction house means that there are more to go around for the players who use them. Some of these items end up having absurd prices, but many are made significantly more affordable. I, for one, would be curious if blizzard has modified drop rates to account for the items being generated by farmers.
All told, I think your assessment is rather narrow-sighted, and doesn't take into account how the big picture ends up working out. I still think gold-buying is kind of cheap, though.
I was under the impression that the original Playstation 2 took a while to come out as well, and did just fine on release despite the dreamcast being available long before it (and, in some ways, being a superior piece of hardware). I look at all the hype that's being slung around, and I wonder why people obsess so much about the systems themselves. Ultimately it's going to come down to a matter of games - it doesn't matter what your system is capable of if no one developes for it. The Dreamcast should be proof positive of that.
Release titles are what will matter - how many people would have picked up an xbox had it not been for Halo?
I see how it is... I guess I'll just have to recruit on slashdot now.
Join my guild!
Guild application for Guildzorz, the hottest all-lesbian guild on WoW! See answer key on below!
Question 1: Are you really a dude (y/n)? Correct answer: N Question 2: Do you mind that I'm a dude? (y/n)? Correct answer: N Question 3: Do you like cyber? (y/n) Correct answer: Y Question 4: Your race: (1. Night Elf, 2. Human, 3. Gnome, 4. Dwarf) Correct answer: 1
Haven't PETA members been responsible for firebombing facilities that did animal testing in the past? Seems like the government would have good reason to have them under a close eye.
Sure, become a cog in the very system you despise. Then you won't even have to leave home to make these sort of complaints about the world you live in!
"Hey, I'm an asshole! Wow!"
The next obvious step is to file suit against yourself for slander!
Wow!
This kind of life can be yours, if only you chose to be the lowest common denominator!
The only thing I'm afraid of is what will happen with all the old controllers if this technology catches on. It'll mean having to learn to play games all over again. Imagine playing an old-school game in an arcade, only to have some nearby child scoff.
"You play that with both hands? That's for babies!"
Take a look at the picture of the controller. It's nice and symmetrical. This means a user relying on their left hand will have a controller that is exactly the same for them as one build for right-handed folk. The only other system I can recall that did something like this was the Lynx (bless it's bulky silicone heart), which allowed you to flip the device over to provide ambidexterous control. I really like this idea, but only time will tell if Nintendo is able to make it work.
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft domain corrector has detected that you may have mis-typed your desination address.
You were trying to access, "whitehouse.gov".
Did you really mean, "whitehouse.com"?
Basic cable costs around $25 a month.
My cable internet connection costs around $45.
And my cable company is worried... why? Unless the cost of running their cable internet operation is significantly higher, they're actually making more money off me than they would were I merely a cable subscriber. It seems to me that if they adapt to the times, and focus on become one of the primary providers of high-bandwidth internet connections to people's homes, they'll be in good shape. Much of the infrastructure they'd need is already in place. They already have lines going into everyone's homes capable of providing much of the bandwidth people need. In the future it will simply be cable vs. DSL, as opposed to cable vs. sattelite.
It's my understanding that RPG's didn't become a big deal until tanks and other heavy, armored equipment did. They were, in a sense, a cheap response to an expensive problem. From what I recall (and feel free to correct me, I very well may be wrong) you can acquire RPG rounds for suprisingly little in some areas of the middle east - we're talking around $20. My suspicion is that this point-defense system isn't nearly as inexpensive to fire. We're presenting their cheap response with another expensive problem. I'd be curious how difficult it would be to build a radar jammer that could confuse this system enough to allow something through. I wonder how cheap it would be to build said jammers, and duct-tape them on to existing RPG launchers.
I don't have any doubt that systems like these, designed to save the lives of people who put themselves on the line for this country, are valuable assets. However, I do question the economy of it all. When we have to spend millions of dollars for every 20 bucks our enemies do, one has to wonder how that will play out in the long run.
It's good to know that when other government agencies are starting to become increasingly paranoid, there is one that values keeping their records available to the public.
Ahh, dormatory networks. If this wifi network is anything like mine, I'll have to go around replacing people's background images with:
"This is a test. This is only a test. If you are reading this message, you should probably change your network sharing permissions. You know... so amateur weirdos like me aren't able to have our way with your machine. Had this not been a test, you'd probably be looking at gay porn right now."
Not to mention that adding realism to a Bugs Bunny cartoon would be somewhat counterproductive.
Fudd: [takes careful aim with his shotgun]
Bugs: [stuffs carrot in shotgun]
Fudd: [camera pans downward as the disctinctive rapport of gunfire fills the air. blood and carrot juice splatter the ground.]
Porky: "Thhththtthat's all folks!"
I suspect, when it comes right down to it, the RIAA's policy as far as lawsuits are concerned really have nothing to do with enforcing the law. When you look at the pattern of their lawsuits, it almost seems that they intentionally avoid sparing anyone - be they children, old women who have never used a computer before, or people who more than likely had someone sneak onto their unsecured wi-fi network. These are people who are either obviously innocent, or don't deserve to be subjected to lawsuits that could cost them tens of thousands of dollars. At their worst, most of these folks a being nailed for a few bucks worth of music. The punishment doesn't particularly fit the crime, in this case, and the RIAA likely knows this. Frankly, the penalty for downloading copyrighted material is rather terrifying. The lawsuits filed by the RIAA are an attempt to capitalize on this terror. They're not designed to stop dedicated pirates. As many people have pointed out in the past, dedicated pirates will get what they want regardless. However, by creating an atmosphere where you just don't know who's going to get sued next, they intimidate your 'average Joes' into sticking off the filesharing networks. The fact that these lawsuits pretty much pay for themselves is an added bonus.
What really gets my goat about this entire campaign is that it's done at great expense to many of its victims. These are people who are being subjected to lawsuits for no purpose other than to make an example to the rest of the country of just what happens when you mess with the music industry. They bear an unfair burden, under the law, to scare those the industry can't catch in the act into getting in line. I hope this madness comes to an end soon.
Neat! So our new strategy is making stuff up and putting it on the internet? Let me try.
"We're thinking that we'll take things to a whole new level." Commented a representative from the department of defense. "You know, when our enemies try to download new ring tones, all they'll hear is the theme song to 'Team America, World Police' whenever they get a call."
"b) real humans take turns playing key "NPCs", perhaps in exchange for their monthly online fee." Hmm. ShinyArmor559: "Princess, I'm here to save you!" Princess Princess: "LAWLZ I 4m 4 dude f001" ShinyArmor559: "... ok then. This way, sir princess, to safety!" Princess Princess: "4hhh m1n0t4rz!!!1!" ShinyArmor559: "Nooo, you fool! Not that way!" Princess Princess: "1 4m und3r 4tt4ckz h341z m3!" ShinyArmor559: "You had all the time to translate that into your leet giberish, but not enough to hit the 'w' key to run my way?" Princess Princess: "U suk." Check please!
What I'm waiting for is when they figure out how to use this as a marital aid. Your partner starts looking bored and bzzzzzzzzz!
You people have no vision! Look at the subtleties of the current administration's plan: if the economy goes far enough down hill we won't need to control our borders.
A genius, that Bush is.
Are you kidding? Packaging is advertising. Every single product in the store is a little advertisement for itself, right down to the last bag of beef jerkey. Mmm. Beef Jerkey.
If the problem is that studends are just copying whatever it is she's saying, how will switching to paper fix that? It sounds like the real problem she has is that students are merely taking down data, rather than actually thinking about what she's saying. Forcing students to switch to paper would probably just aggrevate matters.
If people are getting by the class just copying what she says, maybe the problem is as much in her lecture style as the student's notetaking technique.
I remember getting bullied back in middle school. It had nothing to do with my being weak, in fact, quite the contrary. I had a reupation for being one of the more physically intimidating people on campus. I was bullied precisely because I was the kind of person who didn't fight back. It looks damned impressive when a kid can taunt someone bigger than they are with impunity. I suspect that, had I ever stood up for myself, chances are I wouldn't have dealt with nearly the amount of crap I did. I honestly regret never punching the kid in the face. Escalation? Bruises heal, and once someone learns you're not easily trifled with they'll lay off.
It reminds me of something Kevin Mitnick said about his time in prison, during an interview on the ill-fated show "The Broken". When another prisoner wanted his shoes, he fought for them even knowing he was going to lose. The point wasn't to get his shoes back, so much as to make it known that anyone trying to take advantage of him would have to pay a price to do it.
I believe that this escalation you're concerned about is more a result of not fighting back than anything else.
He also cites Half Life 2 as a good example of a game with a plot. If I recall, the plot of Half Life 2 was kind of flat as well. You're a guy who kicks ass, on a mission to take down an evil dictator and his alien chums. In a twist from the original Duke Nukem, you are a doctor. What made Half Life 2 more immersive than your average shooter wasn't the plot, so much as the characters. Especially with the care and patience Valve took to get the expressions just right on everyone's faces, the people you encountered in Half Life 2 ended up having much more personality than your average video game characters. That was one of the things that really impressed me about the game - all to often artists end up making everyone in the game look either constipated or slightly stoned.
I thought most boards on the net already log your IP address. Your IP address can be traced back to your ISP, and your ISP can usually provide your info in such a case where it's actually appropriate to disclose it. I don't see why enacting a law for this is even necessary.
I honestly disagree with this asessment of how gold farmers affect the in-game economy. From what I have seen of the in-game economy for WoW, you basically have four uses for gold.
* Getting your epic mount
* Repairing your equipment and purchasing reagents after battle
* Purchasing various rewards for battling other factions
* Purchasing items from other players at the auction house
Of these things, only one is actually subject to any kind of inflation. If anything, as gold gets added to the economy things like epic mounts (whose purchase price is extremely high) become more easily accessable. The first three all have fixed prices which do not change regardless of how much gold is present in the game's economy. Now, let's look at how gold farmers affect the economy. Typically, gold farmers will generate three things.
* Gold, sold off for real money through the internet
* Equipment and Recipes which are are sold to other players for gold
* Raw materials such as ore, which are sold to other players for gold
The poster above me claims that all the extra items the farmers place on the auction house drives prices down, thus making the market significantly less appealing for sellers. However, this also makes the market much easier on buyers - particularly where more common items are concerned. This applies primarily to raw materials and common equipment drops. Also, take into account that the players who buy gold typically *aren't* generating either items to place on the auction house or gold themselves. They are dead weight, as far as the economy is concerned. I also think it's important to note that the farmers add a large amount of items to the economy that would not have been there otherwise - mainly 'rare' drops. These drops are extremely hard to get, and the fact that there is a body of players constantly generating them and putting them on the auction house means that there are more to go around for the players who use them. Some of these items end up having absurd prices, but many are made significantly more affordable. I, for one, would be curious if blizzard has modified drop rates to account for the items being generated by farmers.
All told, I think your assessment is rather narrow-sighted, and doesn't take into account how the big picture ends up working out. I still think gold-buying is kind of cheap, though.
I was under the impression that the original Playstation 2 took a while to come out as well, and did just fine on release despite the dreamcast being available long before it (and, in some ways, being a superior piece of hardware). I look at all the hype that's being slung around, and I wonder why people obsess so much about the systems themselves. Ultimately it's going to come down to a matter of games - it doesn't matter what your system is capable of if no one developes for it. The Dreamcast should be proof positive of that.
Release titles are what will matter - how many people would have picked up an xbox had it not been for Halo?
A slew of three-letter acronyms come to mind on the subject of new names for the NSA's little project. I, for one, am voting for "TMI".
I see how it is... I guess I'll just have to recruit on slashdot now.
Join my guild! Guild application for Guildzorz, the hottest all-lesbian guild on WoW!
See answer key on below!
Question 1: Are you really a dude (y/n)?
Correct answer: N
Question 2: Do you mind that I'm a dude? (y/n)?
Correct answer: N
Question 3: Do you like cyber? (y/n)
Correct answer: Y
Question 4: Your race: (1. Night Elf, 2. Human, 3. Gnome, 4. Dwarf)
Correct answer: 1
"Hello, Doctor."
"Hello, this is our cancer sniffing hound, Woofy."
"... why is he humping my leg?"
"Well, sir, I'm afraid you have prostate cancer."
Haven't PETA members been responsible for firebombing facilities that did animal testing in the past? Seems like the government would have good reason to have them under a close eye.
Sure, become a cog in the very system you despise. Then you won't even have to leave home to make these sort of complaints about the world you live in! "Hey, I'm an asshole! Wow!" The next obvious step is to file suit against yourself for slander! Wow! This kind of life can be yours, if only you chose to be the lowest common denominator!
The only thing I'm afraid of is what will happen with all the old controllers if this technology catches on. It'll mean having to learn to play games all over again. Imagine playing an old-school game in an arcade, only to have some nearby child scoff.
"You play that with both hands? That's for babies!"
[/perfunctory Back to the Future reference]
Take a look at the picture of the controller. It's nice and symmetrical. This means a user relying on their left hand will have a controller that is exactly the same for them as one build for right-handed folk. The only other system I can recall that did something like this was the Lynx (bless it's bulky silicone heart), which allowed you to flip the device over to provide ambidexterous control. I really like this idea, but only time will tell if Nintendo is able to make it work.