$9 billion...would be enough to cover a year's worth of federal taxes for 20 million Americans who make less than $20,000
Actually, the whole statement is a mess. $9 billion divided by 20 million people is $450 per person - or, 2.25% of a $20,000 annual income. Last I checked, federal taxes were a lot more than 2.25%. 20%-25% would be a more realistic figure. I think they meant to say 2 million Americans - of course, that wouldn't have made as big an impact.
They should have said: $9 billion could have paid for 1 year's worth of therapy for 1.7 million Americans who now need weekly psychiatric visits to deal with the crushing depression this type of crap creates.
I also bought my first DVD player in roughly 1998, and only rarely have I paid more than $19.99 for a DVD. In fact, early on, I recall a hyper-vigilance amongst my friends and myself with regards to DVD prices; we went crazy looking for good deals. I think I've probably paid an average of $11 to $12 per DVD in my collection (of roughly 300). To say that "every DVD on the market cost upwards of $30" when DVD was first introduced is a severe bit of misinformation - truthfully, most of us payed an average of about $14.99, whether they were purchased at full price at Fry's, or on the cheap via the internet.
Alternatively: Anything you can do, you're probably only doing because you think you're God, and you hate us, and you're trying to annihilate our culture...with your crappy American technology, that we can do better.
I wonder if Microsoft is anticipating a larger Apple market share with the introduction of Intel Macs, and are positioning themselves for a dual-boot status?
DVD dead? I guess that means CDs are so far gone they're just a figment of my imagination. Anyway, I was under the impression that both blu-ray and hd-dvd players would support their older counterparts. VHS may be in its death throes, I sure as hell can't slip a video cassette into my DVD player, but as long as newer optical drives read older media I think it's safe to say that DVDs/CDs definitely have some life left in them.
I smell a new marketing ploy in our television future: emotional extortion. yank the good shows just as they get a following, then force the fans to vocalize their love or never see a new episode again...
I would guess that they will seriously be looking at those large billboards as well.
And suddenly, defacing a website will seem so very passé. Teenaged hackers the world over will set their sights on billboards...Haxor speak will be forever after burned into the retnas passing motorists everywhere.
Especially since the 47% of the people who voted for Kerry voted for a candidate who would have sent us into Iraq if he was president in 2001, and would have kept us there if he was elected in 2004
Wait. What?!? in 2004 we were already in Iraq. And I sure don't recall Kerry being on the 2000 Dem ticket. Yes, Kerry planned to keep us in Iraq had he been elected, as leaving would have left the Iraqis in a far worse condition than prior to Bush's war - he made this clear on many occassions. But to say that he would have taken us to war had one not already existed is an outright, iniquitous, lie.
Bush is a bastard, and there is no way, whatsoever, to justify his election without admitting you wanted more of the same (i.e. his prior 4 years in office). If you voted for Bush, you voted for war and for US ideological isolation from the rest of the world, period. If you believe in war, fine, just don't try and tell me going into Iraq was justified or inevitable - and moreover, don't drag me into your warmongering. As an American, I am still deeply ashamed that so many of us could have voted so callously.
If I sound like a troll, I apologize, I truly believe Bush is the Devil, and find it hard to believe that a "patrician" Kerry could possibly have been any worse.
You seem to be forgetting that Ford also owns: Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Jaguar, and Aston Martin (and possibly a few others, Mazda maybe(?)). Despite the fact that US car companies seem to have dropped the ball so spectacularly when cheaper, better Japanese competition came along, I doubt we'll see the Ford brand disappear any time in the near future. Of the major US auto makers, Ford is probably the one most closely aligned with the needs of its customers - minus the glut of SUV's they've foisted upon us.
And while Boeing have been a bunch of 'tards recently (with their bogus marketing practices), I still think their new business model is gonna fly (so to speak); smaller, cheaper, more fuel efficient airplanes that fly to a wider range of destinations. Airbus is betting on the jumbo-jet, Boeing not so much.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, the whole statement is a mess. $9 billion divided by 20 million people is $450 per person - or, 2.25% of a $20,000 annual income. Last I checked, federal taxes were a lot more than 2.25%. 20%-25% would be a more realistic figure. I think they meant to say 2 million Americans - of course, that wouldn't have made as big an impact.
They should have said: $9 billion could have paid for 1 year's worth of therapy for 1.7 million Americans who now need weekly psychiatric visits to deal with the crushing depression this type of crap creates.
Mayan deforestation: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Maya/
Easter Island deforestation: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImage s/images.php3?img_id=16861
I also bought my first DVD player in roughly 1998, and only rarely have I paid more than $19.99 for a DVD. In fact, early on, I recall a hyper-vigilance amongst my friends and myself with regards to DVD prices; we went crazy looking for good deals. I think I've probably paid an average of $11 to $12 per DVD in my collection (of roughly 300). To say that "every DVD on the market cost upwards of $30" when DVD was first introduced is a severe bit of misinformation - truthfully, most of us payed an average of about $14.99, whether they were purchased at full price at Fry's, or on the cheap via the internet.
So...you're either an 11 year old with the intelligence of a 35 year old, or you're British. :)
Alternatively: Anything you can do, you're probably only doing because you think you're God, and you hate us, and you're trying to annihilate our culture...with your crappy American technology, that we can do better.
I wonder if Microsoft is anticipating a larger Apple market share with the introduction of Intel Macs, and are positioning themselves for a dual-boot status?
DVD dead? I guess that means CDs are so far gone they're just a figment of my imagination. Anyway, I was under the impression that both blu-ray and hd-dvd players would support their older counterparts. VHS may be in its death throes, I sure as hell can't slip a video cassette into my DVD player, but as long as newer optical drives read older media I think it's safe to say that DVDs/CDs definitely have some life left in them.
I smell a new marketing ploy in our television future: emotional extortion. yank the good shows just as they get a following, then force the fans to vocalize their love or never see a new episode again...
...or it's time to take a dump. either way, it's a far cry from non-threatening and sparkly clean sounding itunes.
Catholic Justice System
Should read: Protestant Justice System (if anything)...
I would guess that they will seriously be looking at those large billboards as well.
And suddenly, defacing a website will seem so very passé. Teenaged hackers the world over will set their sights on billboards...Haxor speak will be forever after burned into the retnas passing motorists everywhere.
I wholeheartedly agree. What's with the line in the sand?
One doesn't preclude the other, and I'd hope that when the time comes, we'll have as many photo-realistic games as we do stylish games...
In the meantime, why not pour some effort into developing more creative ways of interfacing with game worlds than with just guns and vehicles.
Especially since the 47% of the people who voted for Kerry voted for a candidate who would have sent us into Iraq if he was president in 2001, and would have kept us there if he was elected in 2004
Wait. What?!? in 2004 we were already in Iraq. And I sure don't recall Kerry being on the 2000 Dem ticket. Yes, Kerry planned to keep us in Iraq had he been elected, as leaving would have left the Iraqis in a far worse condition than prior to Bush's war - he made this clear on many occassions. But to say that he would have taken us to war had one not already existed is an outright, iniquitous, lie.
Bush is a bastard, and there is no way, whatsoever, to justify his election without admitting you wanted more of the same (i.e. his prior 4 years in office). If you voted for Bush, you voted for war and for US ideological isolation from the rest of the world, period. If you believe in war, fine, just don't try and tell me going into Iraq was justified or inevitable - and moreover, don't drag me into your warmongering. As an American, I am still deeply ashamed that so many of us could have voted so callously.
If I sound like a troll, I apologize, I truly believe Bush is the Devil, and find it hard to believe that a "patrician" Kerry could possibly have been any worse.
The needle is the test!
You seem to be forgetting that Ford also owns: Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Jaguar, and Aston Martin (and possibly a few others, Mazda maybe(?)). Despite the fact that US car companies seem to have dropped the ball so spectacularly when cheaper, better Japanese competition came along, I doubt we'll see the Ford brand disappear any time in the near future. Of the major US auto makers, Ford is probably the one most closely aligned with the needs of its customers - minus the glut of SUV's they've foisted upon us. And while Boeing have been a bunch of 'tards recently (with their bogus marketing practices), I still think their new business model is gonna fly (so to speak); smaller, cheaper, more fuel efficient airplanes that fly to a wider range of destinations. Airbus is betting on the jumbo-jet, Boeing not so much.