geez. Gold farmers don't have to skew the economy. all they have to do is sell to vendors. selling to vendors NEVER changes the price. So, you get some dodo to fish all day (which never depletes the oceans) then cook the fish, then sell the fish. free gold. Sure, it takes forever, but it works. and it doesn't effect the environment (by taking monsters away from regular players who want to kill them) or the economy (except by putting more gold in the game artificially)
wow, now I feel much better having been called stupid on slashdot. w00t!
But, at the same time, that might be a very good reason to keep MMORPG's off of consoles. Games are short lived. consoles aren't. the reason that MMORPG's have been able to maintain their life cycles is continual improvements through patches which have required better and better hardware each time. meaning that not only will low end video on PC's pass the 360, but so will WOW requirements. so, in 2 years, you wouldn't be able to play WOW on the 360 anyway (since you can't upgrade the graphics on a 360). it will require an XBOX 720 (or whatever its called).
there's only one reason to play wow on a 360 instead of a PC. graphics. if you have a computer that doesn't have a newer (say, less than 1 year old) graphics card then you are just as likely to play it on a 360 than not play WOW on your computer (which in many cases WON'T play WOW)
Of course, with EQ2 having even more of a graphics requirement they should probably move to the 360 first.
I'll bet there's some evil geniuses who are hiring. If not, hmmm.. maybe its time for me to abandon my hum-drum software development career and go into the facinating world of world domination.
Conquer^H^H^H^H^H^H^HTravel to new and interesting country! Meet new subjects^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hpeople! Topple the global economy!
according to TFA, though the purpose of the tax credit was to spur the creation of alternative fuels, its actually being used to profit companies who mine existing coal. (and then spray it with other stuff which usually makes it burn dirtier).
thousands of years ago, the great pyramids were built. And guess what, there were foreman who directed the project, (though at the time they were called "taskmasters" or "slave-drivers") There were architects who designed it, there were mining supervisors to tell the workers where to get the rocks, and there was a guy who financed the whole thing (he was usually called "King")
Not much of that has changed. workers aren't slaves anymore and have lots more rights, but they still need to be told what to do.
Also, having had a house built recently (about 8 years ago) I was certainly glad that there was a boss I could deal with to make sure it got built the way I like it, because the workers certainly kept screwing things up on their own.
One of the funniest things about this is that Blackberry's are very popular in the intelligence industry and defense industry for government employees. The reason for this is that most contractors are prohibited from bringing a camera on-site. Since a Blackberry acts as a cellphone and pda and has some nice other features but DOESN'T have a camera, its much more popular than the TREO (which is my phone of choice).
I can see Blackberry service being turned off and thousands of defense contractors calling their buddies in congress to do something about it.
Our family has 5 WoW accounts in the house, plus my brother-n-law and his wife each have accounts, and another son outside the house has an account. We created a family guild and often are online at the same time. its been kind of an addiction but at least its one where we're all together.
Sometimes its weird like going to your teenage kid and saying, "Yo, get your butt onto WoW so your Pally can tank for us in Scarlet Monastary." "But dad, I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone......" "C'mon, hurry up, your mom and I are waiting for you in Trisfal Glades"
actually, you do see movies rated X because of violence. Its just extemely rare. "Faces of death" was one such movie, and if I remember right there have been others. But the difference is that Pornography is something people WANT to buy, and watching people tortured isn't (except in the context of pornography).
therefore, the issue of "X" rated movies (or "NC-17") and "A/O" rated video games vs "R" Rated movies and "M" rated video games is the club that the censors have been weilding all along in different forms.
Either you are making pornography and trying for an "immoral" branding, or you aren't. What I'd like to see is for some Censor to slap a "R" rating on some Porn and see how well it sells.:)
If you aren't making porn (either movie or game) then you have to toe the line of the censors, which is stupid. What they need to do is take Porn out of the equation, and give it its own rating system (G for graphic, PG for Partially Graphic, R for Realistic, and NC-17 for No clue why 17 year olds couldn't watch this) along with some other deliminator to show that its Porn (like a big "PORN" stamp on the front.)
then if a movie or game goes over the line which is not porn, you can label it "X" rated (or "NC-17") without it being confused with porn.
PC games Rogue, Moria, Omega, Angband and now TOME.
"Modern" games PC: Toontown Mechwarrior 4
Console games: FF 1 FF VII Coolboarders 2001 Halo (very little of this though)
Current game: Wow
I think whats amazing is that no matter how far we've come graphics-wise from AppleTrek up to WOW, the main facet for me has always been, "How much fun is this game to play? Am I doing the same thing over and over, or is there some variety involved?" Graphics are nice, and you always want to see them and be wowed by them, but if the game is repetitive and stupid, I ain't playing. Kinda like why I never really played Halo very much. Mechwarrior 4 I really have only played in multiplayer mode with the kids and then with co-workers. Story mode sucks.
WOW has done an excellent job of attempting to add content on the fly to help people continue to enjoy the game. But I can see how hard it is to be a Blizzard (I am a programmer by trade) because gamers are SO demanding, not just of content (story) but of glitz. And you can never please everyone. Anyay, above is my list.
PS. Level 39 Warrior (Hungerstrike) needs gold for mount. donations always welcome.
Realistically, 1 is closer to the truth. having built a new computer lately, I know that I spent several hundred dollars more to build my computer than I would have if I had purchased one pre-built with windows on it. so the answer is that I have to pay for the privledge of NOT buying windows. In other words, I'm paying Microsoft to not use their software. (of course, I'm not paying microsoft, I'm paying the store who in turn is paying the distributer who's paying the manufacturer (like dell) who is paying microsoft for the oem license)
If Microsoft offered to sell YOU something that they had no right to profit from selling (i.e., The Brooklyn Bridge -- it's not their property, and they have no legal right to sell it, or profit from the sale of it), and you paid for it, then you would have a case against them, and could probably take them to court.
You mean, like an operating system for my computer?
I suspect that the politicians would not be pursuing these laws unless their constituents were supporting them. Further, the politicians themselves are often parents. What's causing this is a combination of the media, the few parents who are or were directly affected by some violent videogame or another (or felt they were), the various groups that support those parents, and the politicians who like to be seen doing something about a highly publicized issue. They are putting forth ideas that the public finds current and may bolster their reputation at the next vote.
constituents or campaign supporters? Note that more politicians vote where the money is, than vote their concience
As far as this particular attempt, they are not equating violent games with pornography, though the two share many striking similarities. What they are saying is:
We want to restrict violent game access to a portion of the population. There exists a law for this which defines penalties for a different crime. Let's define this as a crime with the same penalties. This is an efficient use of the law - rather than having a dozen laws, one covering each restriction, they'll define a few laws and put each item under an appropiate penalty.
No, what they are saying is, "every time we've tried to put through a decent censorship law, they've always been shot down as unpopular and unconstitutional, but since no one is for pornography (except those weirdos who make it and the ACLU) we can just attach this as a rider on the pornography bill and it will go through". Its called legislation by deception.
As far as the actual law is concerned, I'm a parent of four boys all under the age of ten. My wife and I are one of the small percentage of families who are able and choose to have one of us stay home and care for the children full time. Yet we can't limit access to things we don't want our children to partake in 24/7. I know many familes which see their kids for perhaps a few hours a day.
ok, you can't monitor what your kids do 24/7. of course, 8-10 hours of that time they are asleep, another 3 hours or so eating, and most of the rest of the time they are either in school or in the house learning. So what you are really saying is those 2-3 hours that they are over at friends houses, you can't monitor their behavior. well, there's one solution. Make your kids monitor their own behavior during that time. see below:
I do not want my children watching pornography. I don't want them playing violent games. You can have an opinion on whether a 5 year old is ready for girl-on-girl action all you want, or whether you think they should be playing resident evil. I don't care what you believe. However, if my child is in your home with your child I expect you to respect my choices and not share material with my child that I do not wish them to have.
Absolutely. and I feel the same way. I don't want my kids watching porn (at least the ones under 16) and there are games I don't want them playing (like resident evil and doom 3). So I tell them that they aren't allowed to do these things. then I tell their friends that my kids aren't allowed to do these things. then, I call my friends parents and tell them that my kids aren't allowed to do these things. then, I ask my kids when they come home from their friends house if they've done any of these things, and if they say they have, then I tell them they are grounded and aren't going back. Then I call my friends parents and tell them that my kids can no longer come over because they have been watching things or playing games I find inappropriate over at their house.
Unfortunately in the world we live in if there's no established law then I have little to no recourse to actions against my child of this nature. I may not have the money to initiate a suit against you, and law enforcement can't enforce a law that doesn't exist.
In my house we have 5 wow accounts. 2 for parents, 3 for kids (we have more kids than that but we all have to share.) Just last night I gave my level 20 Warlock to my son to play since he's higher level than all of his characters (and he's 19!) (plus, he was my alt.)
sure. in fact, I'd wait forever for Windows Vista. well, in that I'm never going to buy it no matter what. if I never use another XP machine I won't cry at all. My home systems are all Windows 2000 and OSX (I have a linux box, but don't use it). Microsoft acts like people are eagarly awaiting the next release of their new operating system when in reality, MOST PEOPLE COULD CARE LESS! In fact, many people I know refuse to upgrade to newer operating systems because the one they have works just fine. (of course, I'm that way tooo)
unfortunately, every Chinese citizen knows where Tienanmen Square is, even if they've never heard of a protest occuring there. Tienanmen square is where the Government of China resides. Its analogous to the White House lawn in the United States or Parliament Square in London. Tienanmen Square is across the street from the Forbidden City, where the Emperors lived. I didn't know this until I had a business trip to China and toured Tienanmen square and the Forbidden City.
This wasn't a little protest, this was the US army driving tanks over people during the million man march, live on CNN.
Tell that to Goodyear, Fuji Film, Met Life, and the vast number of other companies that operate them. And don't forget to mention it to ESPN, ABC Sports, Fox Sports, and all the other networks who use them for their sports coverage.
As to WWII, the blimp was used very successfully. To quote: "The United States was the only power to use airships during World War II, and the airships played a small but important role. The Navy used them for minesweeping, search and rescue, photographic reconnaissance, scouting, escorting convoys, and antisubmarine patrols. Airships accompanied many oceangoing ships, both military and civilian. Of the 89,000 ships escorted by airships during the war, not one was lost to enemy action.
I think the true meaning to the phrase "Blimps have failed." is that blimps have been replaced by airplanes and helicopters for the things which they were originally designed for. First, I don't see a blimp truly replacing a cargo 747 due to the fact that you can't run a blimp at 600 MPH. Even with engines all over it, they are talking about replacing trucking and not aviation, so they cannot mean moving faster than say 150 MPH.
The reason a blimp can't replace a helicopter is that blimps are much more susceptable to high winds. Any time the winds are too high, the Goodyear blimp stays home, and a helicopter takes its place. The reason for this is simple. wind resistence of a very large sack of bouyant gas is much much larger than a rotating turbine. Now, on clear days with little wind, a blimp would be much much more economical to operate than an airplane or a helicopter.
I think that the concept for "cowboys in space" stems from the fact that colonization of a planet cannot be accomplished with robots and AI and tons and tons of machines plopped down on a planet and instantly bringing that planet to the 25th century. Some (most) planetary colonizations are going to look alot like late 19th century western america. In fact, history shows that this is somewhat true. Early 20th century colonization of Australia, Africa, and even South america (Argentina) involved people who would not look out of place in Montana in 1885.
It is a bit of a stretch to say that people would talk with a texas accent 500 years from now, and in most cases they don't. Alot of chinese is used, and that's a cool thing. For the most part, the Japanese (to give an example) are absolute cowboy-a-holics.
but I digress. Personally, I really kinda like the Cowboy-in-space theme. Animals are easy to ship (if sent by embryos) self-sustaining (manure makes great fertilizer for hay, and provide transportation, clothing, and two levels of the nutritional pyramid.
But one Firefly didn't have nearly enough of were sheep and goats....
Ira
Re:The real 90s versus outdated 00s software
on
Java Is So 90s
·
· Score: 1
First, it deserves credit as the first of the truly wonderful cross-platform, virtual machine driven JIT compilation using languages.
You're forgetting UCSD P-System in general, and UCSD Pascal in particular. Many languages compiled to byte-code, that ran in VMs on the most popular platforms of the day. Of course, the day was 1979...
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Hey, I wrote an interrupt driven piece of software on UCSD P-System back in 1985, and it was about as non-cross-platform as you can get.
Slashdot Mirror
patch 1.10 for WOW is supposed to have some neat epics for level 60 non-raiders. they're also adding some eye-candy in weather effects.
:( )
And of course, everyone is waiting for burning crusade (delayed again.
Ira
geez. Gold farmers don't have to skew the economy. all they have to do is sell to vendors. selling to vendors NEVER changes the price. So, you get some dodo to fish all day (which never depletes the oceans) then cook the fish, then sell the fish. free gold. Sure, it takes forever, but it works. and it doesn't effect the environment (by taking monsters away from regular players who want to kill them) or the economy (except by putting more gold in the game artificially)
Ira
Yes.
so?
wow, now I feel much better having been called stupid on slashdot. w00t!
But, at the same time, that might be a very good reason to keep MMORPG's off of consoles. Games are short lived. consoles aren't. the reason that MMORPG's have been able to maintain their life cycles is continual improvements through patches which have required better and better hardware each time. meaning that not only will low end video on PC's pass the 360, but so will WOW requirements. so, in 2 years, you wouldn't be able to play WOW on the 360 anyway (since you can't upgrade the graphics on a 360). it will require an XBOX 720 (or whatever its called).
Ira
there's only one reason to play wow on a 360 instead of a PC. graphics. if you have a computer that doesn't have a newer (say, less than 1 year old) graphics card then you are just as likely to play it on a 360 than not play WOW on your computer (which in many cases WON'T play WOW)
Of course, with EQ2 having even more of a graphics requirement they should probably move to the 360 first.
I'll bet there's some evil geniuses who are hiring. If not, hmmm.. maybe its time for me to abandon my hum-drum software development career and go into the facinating world of world domination.
Conquer^H^H^H^H^H^H^HTravel to new and interesting country! Meet new subjects^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hpeople! Topple the global economy!
Be an EVIL GENIUS!!!
Ira
according to TFA, though the purpose of the tax credit was to spur the creation of alternative fuels, its actually being used to profit companies who mine existing coal. (and then spray it with other stuff which usually makes it burn dirtier).
Ira
Yep, me and the boys are going to pull out the electric guitars and start jamming to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I can see it.
Ira
thousands of years ago, the great pyramids were built. And guess what, there were foreman who directed the project, (though at the time they were called "taskmasters" or "slave-drivers") There were architects who designed it, there were mining supervisors to tell the workers where to get the rocks, and there was a guy who financed the whole thing (he was usually called "King")
Not much of that has changed. workers aren't slaves anymore and have lots more rights, but they still need to be told what to do.
Also, having had a house built recently (about 8 years ago) I was certainly glad that there was a boss I could deal with to make sure it got built the way I like it, because the workers certainly kept screwing things up on their own.
Ira
Dark Iron is a newer server and its only a Medium pop server. check out http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/realmstatus/ to see the condition of your server
You are lucky. My server runs 400 people on weekdays and >700 on Friday Nights and Weekends.
You start the queue and go do something else for an hour or so.
Ira
One of the funniest things about this is that Blackberry's are very popular in the intelligence industry and defense industry for government employees. The reason for this is that most contractors are prohibited from bringing a camera on-site. Since a Blackberry acts as a cellphone and pda and has some nice other features but DOESN'T have a camera, its much more popular than the TREO (which is my phone of choice).
I can see Blackberry service being turned off and thousands of defense contractors calling their buddies in congress to do something about it.
Ira
Our family has 5 WoW accounts in the house, plus my brother-n-law and his wife each have accounts, and another son outside the house has an account. We created a family guild and often are online at the same time. its been kind of an addiction but at least its one where we're all together.
Sometimes its weird like going to your teenage kid and saying, "Yo, get your butt onto WoW so your Pally can tank for us in Scarlet Monastary." "But dad, I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone......" "C'mon, hurry up, your mom and I are waiting for you in Trisfal Glades"
Ira
actually, you do see movies rated X because of violence. Its just extemely rare. "Faces of death" was one such movie, and if I remember right there have been others. But the difference is that Pornography is something people WANT to buy, and watching people tortured isn't (except in the context of pornography).
:)
therefore, the issue of "X" rated movies (or "NC-17") and "A/O" rated video games vs "R" Rated movies and "M" rated video games is the club that the censors have been weilding all along in different forms.
Either you are making pornography and trying for an "immoral" branding, or you aren't. What I'd like to see is for some Censor to slap a "R" rating on some Porn and see how well it sells.
If you aren't making porn (either movie or game) then you have to toe the line of the censors, which is stupid. What they need to do is take Porn out of the equation, and give it its own rating system (G for graphic, PG for Partially Graphic, R for Realistic, and NC-17 for No clue why 17 year olds couldn't watch this) along with some other deliminator to show that its Porn (like a big "PORN" stamp on the front.)
then if a movie or game goes over the line which is not porn, you can label it "X" rated (or "NC-17") without it being confused with porn.
Ira
First game:
apple Trek
other Apple games:
Lode runner
Mac games:
Tetris
Sim City
Rogue
PC games
Rogue, Moria, Omega, Angband
and now TOME.
"Modern" games PC:
Toontown
Mechwarrior 4
Console games:
FF 1
FF VII
Coolboarders 2001
Halo (very little of this though)
Current game:
Wow
I think whats amazing is that no matter how far we've come graphics-wise from AppleTrek up to WOW, the main facet for me has always been, "How much fun is this game to play? Am I doing the same thing over and over, or is there some variety involved?" Graphics are nice, and you always want to see them and be wowed by them, but if the game is repetitive and stupid, I ain't playing. Kinda like why I never really played Halo very much. Mechwarrior 4 I really have only played in multiplayer mode with the kids and then with co-workers. Story mode sucks.
WOW has done an excellent job of attempting to add content on the fly to help people continue to enjoy the game. But I can see how hard it is to be a Blizzard (I am a programmer by trade) because gamers are SO demanding, not just of content (story) but of glitz. And you can never please everyone. Anyay, above is my list.
PS. Level 39 Warrior (Hungerstrike) needs gold for mount. donations always welcome.
Ira
I remember the close ups of the Moon from the Google Moon probe. don't yall?
or 3. I was making a bad joke.
Realistically, 1 is closer to the truth. having built a new computer lately, I know that I spent several hundred dollars more to build my computer than I would have if I had purchased one pre-built with windows on it. so the answer is that I have to pay for the privledge of NOT buying windows. In other words, I'm paying Microsoft to not use their software. (of course, I'm not paying microsoft, I'm paying the store who in turn is paying the distributer who's paying the manufacturer (like dell) who is paying microsoft for the oem license)
Ira
Ira
constituents or campaign supporters? Note that more politicians vote where the money is, than vote their concience
No, what they are saying is, "every time we've tried to put through a decent censorship law, they've always been shot down as unpopular and unconstitutional, but since no one is for pornography (except those weirdos who make it and the ACLU) we can just attach this as a rider on the pornography bill and it will go through". Its called legislation by deception.
ok, you can't monitor what your kids do 24/7. of course, 8-10 hours of that time they are asleep, another 3 hours or so eating, and most of the rest of the time they are either in school or in the house learning. So what you are really saying is those 2-3 hours that they are over at friends houses, you can't monitor their behavior. well, there's one solution. Make your kids monitor their own behavior during that time. see below:
Absolutely. and I feel the same way. I don't want my kids watching porn (at least the ones under 16) and there are games I don't want them playing (like resident evil and doom 3). So I tell them that they aren't allowed to do these things. then I tell their friends that my kids aren't allowed to do these things. then, I call my friends parents and tell them that my kids aren't allowed to do these things. then, I ask my kids when they come home from their friends house if they've done any of these things, and if they say they have, then I tell them they are grounded and aren't going back. Then I call my friends parents and tell them that my kids can no longer come over because they have been watching things or playing games I find inappropriate over at their house.
In my house we have 5 wow accounts. 2 for parents, 3 for kids (we have more kids than that but we all have to share.) Just last night I gave my level 20 Warlock to my son to play since he's higher level than all of his characters (and he's 19!) (plus, he was my alt.)
sure. in fact, I'd wait forever for Windows Vista. well, in that I'm never going to buy it no matter what. if I never use another XP machine I won't cry at all. My home systems are all Windows 2000 and OSX (I have a linux box, but don't use it). Microsoft acts like people are eagarly awaiting the next release of their new operating system when in reality, MOST PEOPLE COULD CARE LESS! In fact, many people I know refuse to upgrade to newer operating systems because the one they have works just fine. (of course, I'm that way tooo)
Ira
unfortunately, every Chinese citizen knows where Tienanmen Square is, even if they've never heard of a protest occuring there. Tienanmen square is where the Government of China resides. Its analogous to the White House lawn in the United States or Parliament Square in London. Tienanmen Square is across the street from the Forbidden City, where the Emperors lived. I didn't know this until I had a business trip to China and toured Tienanmen square and the Forbidden City.
This wasn't a little protest, this was the US army driving tanks over people during the million man march, live on CNN.
I think the true meaning to the phrase "Blimps have failed." is that blimps have been replaced by airplanes and helicopters for the things which they were originally designed for. First, I don't see a blimp truly replacing a cargo 747 due to the fact that you can't run a blimp at 600 MPH. Even with engines all over it, they are talking about replacing trucking and not aviation, so they cannot mean moving faster than say 150 MPH.
The reason a blimp can't replace a helicopter is that blimps are much more susceptable to high winds. Any time the winds are too high, the Goodyear blimp stays home, and a helicopter takes its place. The reason for this is simple. wind resistence of a very large sack of bouyant gas is much much larger than a rotating turbine. Now, on clear days with little wind, a blimp would be much much more economical to operate than an airplane or a helicopter.
Ira
I think that the concept for "cowboys in space" stems from the fact that colonization of a planet cannot be accomplished with robots and AI and tons and tons of machines plopped down on a planet and instantly bringing that planet to the 25th century. Some (most) planetary colonizations are going to look alot like late 19th century western america. In fact, history shows that this is somewhat true. Early 20th century colonization of Australia, Africa, and even South america (Argentina) involved people who would not look out of place in Montana in 1885.
It is a bit of a stretch to say that people would talk with a texas accent 500 years from now, and in most cases they don't. Alot of chinese is used, and that's a cool thing. For the most part, the Japanese (to give an example) are absolute cowboy-a-holics.
but I digress. Personally, I really kinda like the Cowboy-in-space theme. Animals are easy to ship (if sent by embryos) self-sustaining (manure makes great fertilizer for hay, and provide transportation, clothing, and two levels of the nutritional pyramid.
But one Firefly didn't have nearly enough of were sheep and goats....
Ira
Hey, I wrote an interrupt driven piece of software on UCSD P-System back in 1985, and it was about as non-cross-platform as you can get.
Ira