It's called conviction. If I come to believe in something of my own accord, and the belief characterizes me as part of a certain group, then more often than not, the actions and attitudes of the loudest of that group will stereotype me. It's obvious that you have little experience with Christians other than the Bible-thumping, bad-suit wearing hypocrites you often see on tv, otherwise you'd know that there are a great many people that hold to Christian beliefs that also have a great disdain for the organized Church. The very fact that there are so many denominations and sects basically shows that you can't just give a blanket statement that applies to all Christians. I haven't been in a church in over two years, due to bad experiences with the types of people that frankly make the entire thing extremely hard to swallow, and frankly, the idea of ever stepping into another one scares me. That being said, my beliefs are my own, and I'll hold to them. This was the point Luther tried to make years ago, as he read the Bible and found that the church he had devoted his life to held to beliefs that ran contrary to Scripture, while ignoring passages that were inconvenient to them. Ultimately, the enemy is hypocrisy, a condition all too readily observable in humanity, whether it be government, churches, so-called "Christian" games such as this, or Slashdot...
Maybe it's because the best and brightest *WANT* to work at Google for a variety of reasons? If you have the best people, challenge them and compensate them accordingly, then you're going to be the best in whatever business you endeavor into.
This was basically the dealbreaker for me as well. When I fired it up, something just didn't look right. Hmmm, no images. Then I saw the "Powered by Windows Live" and I instantly just felt sick. Why mess with perfection. Oh yeah, that's right, money. Hmmm... Ultimately, this will cost them more than they thought to gain... My a9 toolbars will be uninstalled soon enough.
For all intents and purposes, the PSP should have killed the DS from a technical viewpoint. Fortunately, ingenuity in the gaming industry can still make up for somewhat lesser tech. Nintendo has rules the handheld market since 1989, and I don't really see that changing anytime soon. Besides, Microsoft, at best, will come up with a Windows-running, $400 handheld with a 3-hour battery lift. I'll pass.
You know, I like not having to shave every day. I like not having to keep my hair tapered, off the collar. I like not having to wear a tie. I like wearing jeans. I like being comfortable. I like not having to be a slave to corporate status like some other departments. I'm a geek. I'm a man. I eat meat, and I like it. Is it just me, or does this basically say that those in IT are in fact, normal? Hmmm...
Idiiotic...
If Wal-Mart is really committed to being the low-price leader they claim to be, maybe it would be wise to use Google as a tool to make sure they remain just that, instead of seeing it as a threat that could cost them business.
Knowledge is power, and apparently Wal-Mart fears that. Does anyone want to support that? I'll gladly pay a few bucks more elsewhere.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't I get a big fat bill every month for paying my broadband bill? Since I pay it, I'm going to use it for whatever the heck I want. I don't see you going after the MMORPG developers because they choose to use their bandwidth that way. I don't see you going after Microsoft because XBOX Live can use those same pipes. I sure as heck don't see you going after the online porn industry because of all the people choosing to use their bandwidth in that manner. What I do with what I pay for is my own business, and if I go and pay for Vonage, I'm going to use it.
You're already making a pretty penny from me, but apparently that's not good enough. Now you're going after the providers of the other services that I pay for, because I choose to use them over your "pipes."
There are a whole lot of industries that need a swift kick in the pants from the consumers that keep them profitable...
To be on topic, I'm glad to see this. SciFi in its most basic environment has been sufferring of late, and it's good to see someone doing something that's a bit more traditional in its concept. It almost hearkens back to the old scifi pulps of old. I just wish I could print it out myself on low-grade paper;)
One thing I do find troubling is how the very mention of OSC seems to have the same effect on those that loathe him as a bull seeing red. They shout cries of bigot and hypocrite, when I see nothing about his character that would reveal him as such. Fault him for holding to his beliefs if you must, but the very fact that he holds to them discounts claims of hypocrisy.
Being labelled as a bigot these days seems to be more of a badge of honor than it should be. It's how the masses apparently refer to you when you hold to something unpopular. If that is the new definition of a bigot, a great many of us qualify, myself included.
So, if I buy a CD and can't rip the music to my computer due to the industry copy protection, is it then legal for me to download that same music using a P2P device? If I'm truly buying access to those songs (regardless of the medium of delivery), do I then have the rights to those song regardless of the means I am then forced to procure it in the medium I then want? Why wouldn't I be?
I wonder how many of the Sony bashers here have paid-for Sony products lying all over their abode? Just thinking out loud.
Before this becomes a "Switchfoot sold-out" bashing thread, some of us might want to consider that we've done the same thing.
Kudos to Switchfoot, Tim Foreman in particular. I'm sure they're aware that this will bring the Sony hounds on top of them, and they did it anyway. Oh, and if it's that easy to bypass the, ahem, "copy protection," Sony should get back to the corporate drawing board...
As a long-time fan of Switchfoot (when they were a 3-piece band and doing some rather creative, but still cheesy videos for the Christian music scene), I'm fairly sure he did. The Foremans (Tim and his brother Jon) are a few cuts above the average rockers out there, and a bit deeper as well. They're also one of those bands who will stick around a venue for a while afterwards getting to know their fans, and to this point, have yet to let stardom cloud their eyes about what's really important, the fans. They'll stick by their guns on this one.
And yet another useful, cheap, user-friendly technology is ripped away by a corporate Godzilla. eBay is as bad as they come when it comes to your rights and convenience (they jump through hoops to avoid any responsibility and liability), and are among the more notorious spammers out there. Can unsolicited cold calling via Skype be far behind?
Still waiting for Google's PayPal alternative...
I remember those days, and I'm not looking forward to reliving them.
What I find interesting is that I'm hearing this generally out of the console gaming crowd, not for the PC. Sounds to me like they're just hyping this up to maximize their profits. If SquareSoft could release their later Final Fantasy games at $49, games which spanned over several discs and are among the more expensive games developed thanks to the huge development staffs and times, yet still apparently turn a healthy profit, I don't see anything to validate these claims.
Another observation is that Microsoft will be charging the old $49 price point on their first-party games. Now, they're the ones who have to recoup costs from selling the hardware at a loss, and apparently they can sell at the old price point. Anyone see anything wrong with that picture?
This is merely a case of we'll charge whatever we can. If we see $59+ games and $399+ consoles, you can expect to see smaller sales numbers. More people will simply make the choice I have...wait for the price drop. Besides, I have a long list of current gen games I have yet to get to, the prices of which are dropping all the time. Yes, I'm a CAG...
Frankly, I'd expect better web-design from such pioneers... "WE ARE #1." Right...
Here's my favorite bit of BS:
DECODER/TRANSCEIVER is mounted on the motherboard of the computer (or other electronic devices) and is electrically hooked up to the processor. The following devices are located in the decoder/transceiver: laser beam splitter, spatial light modulator, optoelectronic word mirror with transform lens, matrix converter of the optical display in electrical signals and other circuits for the interface.
And the components themselves...hmmm. Some look straight out of some middle schooler's summer science project (though I don't mean to insult some of those). 256MB cache? LOL...this is great.
After working in the IT field for a few years now, starting at the helpdesk level (after teaching for two years; I still serve as a consultant for the school), the one thing that's always surprised me is the utter STUPIDITY of a great many people. Taping the password doesn't surprise me (I've seen it only too often) though taping the ADMINISTRATOR'S PASSWORD certainly does.
It's fairly obvious that the students here are quite a bit more knowledgeable than those in charge, and that's definitely part of the issue. Mark my words, the school and its district will come to regret this decision, because, as I see it, the responsibility lies squarely on them. Remember when educators used to have the best interest of their students in mind? Now they're slapping them with felony charges...ugh.
I guess this puts me at the top of the suspect list when it comes to questionable behaviour. Not only do I not use IE, but I'm on the Mac more often than not (thankfully).
You would think the "experts" would be a bit more, hmmm, competent. I'm in the wrong business apparently...
Too, I'd like to remind you that Windows Vista is only in Beta 1. Lots of things are going to change, and many, many features will be added by Beta 2 and beyond. This stands in sharp contrast to Apple's approach with Tiger. If you go back and look at the WWDC 2004 keynote video, you'll see Steve Jobs demo virtually every single major new feature in Tiger. A year later, when the product actually shipped, little had changed and nothing major was added. This isn't how Microsoft works. Beta 1 is a minor subset of the overall functionality we're going to see in the final Windows Vista product.
That would seem to go inline with Microsoft's philosophy to date: Let's cram every last useless thing we have, do no real testing for stability and testing, and we can just fix it later with a patch. Yeah, I can see how that's better than actually showing the consumer what they're going to get, then making those features as stable as you possibly can in your operating system environment.
As it's been said, time and time again, Microsoft has basically conditioned consumers, including those in the IT field, to expect the worst from their machines. These incremental improvements appease those wanting a bit more, but do little to warrant the hype being spewed about by the easily-satisfied among us.
Slashdot Mirror
It's called conviction. If I come to believe in something of my own accord, and the belief characterizes me as part of a certain group, then more often than not, the actions and attitudes of the loudest of that group will stereotype me. It's obvious that you have little experience with Christians other than the Bible-thumping, bad-suit wearing hypocrites you often see on tv, otherwise you'd know that there are a great many people that hold to Christian beliefs that also have a great disdain for the organized Church. The very fact that there are so many denominations and sects basically shows that you can't just give a blanket statement that applies to all Christians. I haven't been in a church in over two years, due to bad experiences with the types of people that frankly make the entire thing extremely hard to swallow, and frankly, the idea of ever stepping into another one scares me. That being said, my beliefs are my own, and I'll hold to them. This was the point Luther tried to make years ago, as he read the Bible and found that the church he had devoted his life to held to beliefs that ran contrary to Scripture, while ignoring passages that were inconvenient to them. Ultimately, the enemy is hypocrisy, a condition all too readily observable in humanity, whether it be government, churches, so-called "Christian" games such as this, or Slashdot...
Maybe it's because the best and brightest *WANT* to work at Google for a variety of reasons? If you have the best people, challenge them and compensate them accordingly, then you're going to be the best in whatever business you endeavor into.
This was basically the dealbreaker for me as well. When I fired it up, something just didn't look right. Hmmm, no images. Then I saw the "Powered by Windows Live" and I instantly just felt sick. Why mess with perfection. Oh yeah, that's right, money. Hmmm... Ultimately, this will cost them more than they thought to gain... My a9 toolbars will be uninstalled soon enough.
You know what's sad? This movie would probably twice as entertaining if they had cast Dennis Rodman as Zack. That isn't saying much though...
For all intents and purposes, the PSP should have killed the DS from a technical viewpoint. Fortunately, ingenuity in the gaming industry can still make up for somewhat lesser tech. Nintendo has rules the handheld market since 1989, and I don't really see that changing anytime soon. Besides, Microsoft, at best, will come up with a Windows-running, $400 handheld with a 3-hour battery lift. I'll pass.
You know, I like not having to shave every day. I like not having to keep my hair tapered, off the collar. I like not having to wear a tie. I like wearing jeans. I like being comfortable. I like not having to be a slave to corporate status like some other departments. I'm a geek. I'm a man. I eat meat, and I like it. Is it just me, or does this basically say that those in IT are in fact, normal? Hmmm...
Idiiotic... If Wal-Mart is really committed to being the low-price leader they claim to be, maybe it would be wise to use Google as a tool to make sure they remain just that, instead of seeing it as a threat that could cost them business. Knowledge is power, and apparently Wal-Mart fears that. Does anyone want to support that? I'll gladly pay a few bucks more elsewhere.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't I get a big fat bill every month for paying my broadband bill? Since I pay it, I'm going to use it for whatever the heck I want. I don't see you going after the MMORPG developers because they choose to use their bandwidth that way. I don't see you going after Microsoft because XBOX Live can use those same pipes. I sure as heck don't see you going after the online porn industry because of all the people choosing to use their bandwidth in that manner. What I do with what I pay for is my own business, and if I go and pay for Vonage, I'm going to use it.
You're already making a pretty penny from me, but apparently that's not good enough. Now you're going after the providers of the other services that I pay for, because I choose to use them over your "pipes."
There are a whole lot of industries that need a swift kick in the pants from the consumers that keep them profitable...
To be on topic, I'm glad to see this. SciFi in its most basic environment has been sufferring of late, and it's good to see someone doing something that's a bit more traditional in its concept. It almost hearkens back to the old scifi pulps of old. I just wish I could print it out myself on low-grade paper ;)
One thing I do find troubling is how the very mention of OSC seems to have the same effect on those that loathe him as a bull seeing red. They shout cries of bigot and hypocrite, when I see nothing about his character that would reveal him as such. Fault him for holding to his beliefs if you must, but the very fact that he holds to them discounts claims of hypocrisy.
Being labelled as a bigot these days seems to be more of a badge of honor than it should be. It's how the masses apparently refer to you when you hold to something unpopular. If that is the new definition of a bigot, a great many of us qualify, myself included.
So, if I buy a CD and can't rip the music to my computer due to the industry copy protection, is it then legal for me to download that same music using a P2P device? If I'm truly buying access to those songs (regardless of the medium of delivery), do I then have the rights to those song regardless of the means I am then forced to procure it in the medium I then want? Why wouldn't I be?
Time to dust off my C64 and relive the glory days of home computing!
Why? Because they can. Is another reason really needed for enthusiasts of anything?
I wonder how many of the Sony bashers here have paid-for Sony products lying all over their abode? Just thinking out loud. Before this becomes a "Switchfoot sold-out" bashing thread, some of us might want to consider that we've done the same thing. Kudos to Switchfoot, Tim Foreman in particular. I'm sure they're aware that this will bring the Sony hounds on top of them, and they did it anyway. Oh, and if it's that easy to bypass the, ahem, "copy protection," Sony should get back to the corporate drawing board...
As a long-time fan of Switchfoot (when they were a 3-piece band and doing some rather creative, but still cheesy videos for the Christian music scene), I'm fairly sure he did. The Foremans (Tim and his brother Jon) are a few cuts above the average rockers out there, and a bit deeper as well. They're also one of those bands who will stick around a venue for a while afterwards getting to know their fans, and to this point, have yet to let stardom cloud their eyes about what's really important, the fans. They'll stick by their guns on this one.
And yet another useful, cheap, user-friendly technology is ripped away by a corporate Godzilla. eBay is as bad as they come when it comes to your rights and convenience (they jump through hoops to avoid any responsibility and liability), and are among the more notorious spammers out there. Can unsolicited cold calling via Skype be far behind? Still waiting for Google's PayPal alternative...
I remember those days, and I'm not looking forward to reliving them.
What I find interesting is that I'm hearing this generally out of the console gaming crowd, not for the PC. Sounds to me like they're just hyping this up to maximize their profits. If SquareSoft could release their later Final Fantasy games at $49, games which spanned over several discs and are among the more expensive games developed thanks to the huge development staffs and times, yet still apparently turn a healthy profit, I don't see anything to validate these claims.
Another observation is that Microsoft will be charging the old $49 price point on their first-party games. Now, they're the ones who have to recoup costs from selling the hardware at a loss, and apparently they can sell at the old price point. Anyone see anything wrong with that picture?
This is merely a case of we'll charge whatever we can. If we see $59+ games and $399+ consoles, you can expect to see smaller sales numbers. More people will simply make the choice I have...wait for the price drop. Besides, I have a long list of current gen games I have yet to get to, the prices of which are dropping all the time. Yes, I'm a CAG...
Frankly, I'd expect better web-design from such pioneers... "WE ARE #1." Right...
Here's my favorite bit of BS:
DECODER/TRANSCEIVER is mounted on the motherboard of the computer (or other electronic devices) and is electrically hooked up to the processor. The following devices are located in the decoder/transceiver: laser beam splitter, spatial light modulator, optoelectronic word mirror with transform lens, matrix converter of the optical display in electrical signals and other circuits for the interface.
And the components themselves...hmmm. Some look straight out of some middle schooler's summer science project (though I don't mean to insult some of those). 256MB cache? LOL...this is great.
After working in the IT field for a few years now, starting at the helpdesk level (after teaching for two years; I still serve as a consultant for the school), the one thing that's always surprised me is the utter STUPIDITY of a great many people. Taping the password doesn't surprise me (I've seen it only too often) though taping the ADMINISTRATOR'S PASSWORD certainly does.
It's fairly obvious that the students here are quite a bit more knowledgeable than those in charge, and that's definitely part of the issue. Mark my words, the school and its district will come to regret this decision, because, as I see it, the responsibility lies squarely on them. Remember when educators used to have the best interest of their students in mind? Now they're slapping them with felony charges...ugh.
I guess this puts me at the top of the suspect list when it comes to questionable behaviour. Not only do I not use IE, but I'm on the Mac more often than not (thankfully). You would think the "experts" would be a bit more, hmmm, competent. I'm in the wrong business apparently...
Too, I'd like to remind you that Windows Vista is only in Beta 1. Lots of things are going to change, and many, many features will be added by Beta 2 and beyond. This stands in sharp contrast to Apple's approach with Tiger. If you go back and look at the WWDC 2004 keynote video, you'll see Steve Jobs demo virtually every single major new feature in Tiger. A year later, when the product actually shipped, little had changed and nothing major was added. This isn't how Microsoft works. Beta 1 is a minor subset of the overall functionality we're going to see in the final Windows Vista product. That would seem to go inline with Microsoft's philosophy to date: Let's cram every last useless thing we have, do no real testing for stability and testing, and we can just fix it later with a patch. Yeah, I can see how that's better than actually showing the consumer what they're going to get, then making those features as stable as you possibly can in your operating system environment. As it's been said, time and time again, Microsoft has basically conditioned consumers, including those in the IT field, to expect the worst from their machines. These incremental improvements appease those wanting a bit more, but do little to warrant the hype being spewed about by the easily-satisfied among us.