Exibit A: The latest elections in Canada wiped out years of Liberal dominance after scandal and corruption was brought to light. The Conservative government now in place has improved it's standing in the polls since taking office, indicating an electorate happy with the change.
Ooooooo.... Slippery Slope Arguement! Having the ability to monitor communication does not, implicitly or explicitly, imply that the Government will, much less that the Government would then proceed to censorship.
Also, you are forgetting that Canada has a representative, parliamentary system which they have used quite recently to change a government that proved unsatisfactory. The fact that this legislation was first proposed by the former Liberal government and is now being considered by the current Conservative government indicates that the Canadian people may actually be supportive of such legislation, or at least they are not against it.
These are the same types of people who work in high-rise office complexes, or large banking facilities, or other seemingly prime potential targets. Average people who want to live life without having to worry about some nut, foreign or domestic, harming them or their loved ones. Most people who use the Internet are on to read email, surf the web, chat with friends, maybe pay their bills. They're thinking, "So what if the Government knows I paid my water bill, if it means that they can catch the fake 'charities' that are funding terrorists." In the big scheme of things, the average person doesn't care because, to be perfectly honest, it's hard to argue that a vague notion of "privacy" is more important then staying alive and safe. Besides that, the people who live in large representatively-governed nations tend to feel safe in their system, believing that if something goes wrong with this batch of leaders they can vote the bums out next time. And for the most part they are right.
Just chalk the delay up to some goverment bureaucracy. The order probably got "sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters," before finally getting put into practice.
Where might I find the information indicating that it was due to the "Bush Administration", as opposed to life-long government workers that keep their jobs even when the President swaps out? If the directive came from a Bush-insider, or at least a Bush appointee, then your insinuation has some theoretical founding. If, however, the lack of strong punishment was directed by a long-term bureaucrat, or a Clinton appointee, then I suggest that criticism should be placed on those actually responsible.
I don't mind a good critique, it's unfounded accusations I can't stand.
Actually, it's a typical newspaper method of trying to pack the headline with as much information as possible. Most folks who read the WSJ may not know who Jakob Nielsen is, but they can understand the concept of a Web-Design Expert. The second half of the title refers to the content of the interview, with the main point highlighted. So, to summarize, this newspaper headline could be translated as "Web-design expert Jakob Nielsen believes that ease of use and clarity are essential for firms," thus satisfying proper English usage requirements at the cost of valuable newspaper space. Ironically, an English major would have had a good chance of recognizing this as a newspaper headline instead of an attempt at a properly constructed sentence. Please do not misunderstand; I merely am pointing out a situational irony, not condemning anyone's intellectual prowess.
Just out of curiousity, what would an X-Ray do to digital camera? Seems like it might be destructive, but I'm not sufficiently learned in the area to know for certain.
The easy way to win this competition, at least among the audiophiles that care, is to avoid DRM in all its manifestations for the new service. Not that it's likely, given that it's a MS service, but I speculate that doing so would gain an instant market share.
The part about guarding your heart, because what you put in is inevitably what will come out. I once heard it described thus:
First the unthinkable is given thought
then the thought is given word
then the word is put in action.
Of course, this applies to the other end of the spectrum as well. Focusing on what is positive and good improves the way one lives just as focusing on negative things negativly effects that life.
I've had similar experience growing up. The only way I got Unreal Tournament and Swat 3 was by assuring my folks that you could tone down the gibbing and the adult taunts. Not only have I not killed anyone, but my paintball game has really improved!
This isn't about God hating violent video games. As a Christian, I don't like to see violent/questionable games sold. But that's not something that you get a law written for. It's the parents who should be following the rating suggestions to avoid games that aren't appropriate for their kids. Different parents will have different standards, so a state-wide (or worse, federal) law doesn't fix the real problem. As other's have stated, enforce the rules we have, and let the parents do the parenting.
Who gives a [care]? Those are the same people who didn't think women and minorities belonged in their workplace in the first place.
And on that point you are quite incorrect. I lived in California until I was in 5th grade, went to a mid-size private Christian school. My best friends at at the time were both black, and it was never an issue between us. Then I moved to the midwest and went to a public school got a bit of an eye-opening. I met an entire group of people who expected me to disrespect them, therefor they disrespected me. Here I am, coming from an egalitarian mindset, and I'm automatically labeled racist, because I happen to be white. In reality, I'm in agreement with the BOFH on affirmative action "opportunities". To paraphrase, I've got an Unequal Opportunity Policy, which means if you can do the job you're hired, no matter what race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, hair color, eye color, or preferrence of football team.
If this idea of MMO versions of other Blizzard titles is attempted, I think there will be a bunch of WoW players who will want to play but not want to double their subscription budget. Blizzard might be able to do a combo deal, allowing users to get 2 for the price of 1 (or at least 2 at a special rate) on their monthly fees. Blizzard would still charge the usual $50 for the game at the store, which hopefully would cover much of the initial investment.
I know from a personal standpoint, WoW is too expensive for my taste, but an opportunity to play 2 games for about the same price per month is inticing. Just a thought.
Hmm, I must be residing in an alternate universe. I notice all kinds of debate going on about US policy. Debate about whether to remove an anti-human dictator and he's genocidal, rape-prone sons. Debate about whether it was right to help 25+ million into the free, representative world. Debate about whether we should kill people who are in a coma for too long. As a matter of fact I get in these types of debates all the time, and there are a bunch of politicians who debate it for a living. I'm afraid that I find your contention about a lack of debate incorrect. There is plenty of debate, it's just that one side keeps winning (as shown by the election results) whilst the other side continues to annoy people with their lack of intellectual (and moral) honesty.
So, it's now firmly established that Windows can run on Apple hardware. Are anyone else's feet cold, or is that just me?
I'm actually thinking that having a Mac might be okay, especially if I can convince the Wife that we'll be getting so much more. Hmm, what was that? Oh you'll have to excuse me. I think I hear Half-Life 2 calling.
I can see it now.....
Friend: So how did you meet?
Guy: We were in this party in WOW. It was love at first healing wave! She completes my barabarian so well with shaman side. I was totally under her spell.
Girl: He was tall, dark, and handsome... and he could plow through those night-elves like no one else!
Friend: So where was the wedding?
Guy: Oh, we invited several hundred of our closest friends to the Druid village.
Girl: We wanted an all-inclusive wedding, so everyone could attend.
I'm trying not to think about the honeymoon........
I'm just recently 21, and I can tell you that yes, the exposure I had in public high school has negatively effected me. Making kids (especially those who know what is right) behave responsibly isn't discrimination. It's funny how much negative attention you can avoid by simply not doing the things that attract the oversight of the administration. The principles/administrators/police liason officers had no idea who I was because I did what was asked and followed the rules. If kids (including myself) want to be treated like the sophisticated and responsible grown-ups that we like to think of ourselves as, then we need to act like it.
It seems to me that the group of parents that would want this service is the same group that doesn't want their kids to have cellphones. If that's the case, this service will either, a) flop because of a lack of demand, or b) increase cell phone plan subscriptions because the parents feel better about letting Junior have a phone.
For starters, I never owned a console system until the now-deader-then-a-doorknob Dreamcast, and my enjoyment of RPG games didn't start until many years later.
That being said, I think it's a poor comparison to take a game from (almost) 2 console generations ago and compare it to a recent PC release. Almost everthing is different: controller vs keyboard/mouse, linear story vs non-linear, gameplay style, and timeframe. Using an old game vs a new one only allows the older players to make an informed comparison. Everyone else (especially including myself), gets left out, so to speak.
I can think of a couple of games that actually improved the experience of playing because they did this sort of advertising so well. The best one was Need for Speed Underground. Everywhere you look, there's billboards, signs, etc... for various stores. But they were in the right places (like downtown, not in the posh upscale neighborhood). It made the game feel more realistic, like "Wow, I know all those stores. I must be really driving at breakneck speeds!" subliminal messages were playing in your head. Like Raven said, it has to fit in.
Slashdot Mirror
welcome our new European and Asian supercomputer overlords.
Exibit A: The latest elections in Canada wiped out years of Liberal dominance after scandal and corruption was brought to light. The Conservative government now in place has improved it's standing in the polls since taking office, indicating an electorate happy with the change.
Ooooooo.... Slippery Slope Arguement! Having the ability to monitor communication does not, implicitly or explicitly, imply that the Government will, much less that the Government would then proceed to censorship.
Also, you are forgetting that Canada has a representative, parliamentary system which they have used quite recently to change a government that proved unsatisfactory. The fact that this legislation was first proposed by the former Liberal government and is now being considered by the current Conservative government indicates that the Canadian people may actually be supportive of such legislation, or at least they are not against it.
These are the same types of people who work in high-rise office complexes, or large banking facilities, or other seemingly prime potential targets. Average people who want to live life without having to worry about some nut, foreign or domestic, harming them or their loved ones. Most people who use the Internet are on to read email, surf the web, chat with friends, maybe pay their bills. They're thinking, "So what if the Government knows I paid my water bill, if it means that they can catch the fake 'charities' that are funding terrorists." In the big scheme of things, the average person doesn't care because, to be perfectly honest, it's hard to argue that a vague notion of "privacy" is more important then staying alive and safe. Besides that, the people who live in large representatively-governed nations tend to feel safe in their system, believing that if something goes wrong with this batch of leaders they can vote the bums out next time. And for the most part they are right.
Did anyone check to make sure that Mother Nature didn't get a patent on all that IP? I mean, imagine the damages that such a suit might incur.
OTOH, one might say that God already granted the rights to use His work, so there could be a bit of a legal battle about who owns what...
Just chalk the delay up to some goverment bureaucracy. The order probably got "sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters," before finally getting put into practice.
Where might I find the information indicating that it was due to the "Bush Administration", as opposed to life-long government workers that keep their jobs even when the President swaps out? If the directive came from a Bush-insider, or at least a Bush appointee, then your insinuation has some theoretical founding. If, however, the lack of strong punishment was directed by a long-term bureaucrat, or a Clinton appointee, then I suggest that criticism should be placed on those actually responsible.
I don't mind a good critique, it's unfounded accusations I can't stand.
They also have a seperate desktop app, so you don't have to use Firefox. You can find more info on their website. http://www.abbeyphone.com/
Actually, it's a typical newspaper method of trying to pack the headline with as much information as possible. Most folks who read the WSJ may not know who Jakob Nielsen is, but they can understand the concept of a Web-Design Expert. The second half of the title refers to the content of the interview, with the main point highlighted. So, to summarize, this newspaper headline could be translated as "Web-design expert Jakob Nielsen believes that ease of use and clarity are essential for firms," thus satisfying proper English usage requirements at the cost of valuable newspaper space. Ironically, an English major would have had a good chance of recognizing this as a newspaper headline instead of an attempt at a properly constructed sentence. Please do not misunderstand; I merely am pointing out a situational irony, not condemning anyone's intellectual prowess.
Just out of curiousity, what would an X-Ray do to digital camera? Seems like it might be destructive, but I'm not sufficiently learned in the area to know for certain.
The easy way to win this competition, at least among the audiophiles that care, is to avoid DRM in all its manifestations for the new service. Not that it's likely, given that it's a MS service, but I speculate that doing so would gain an instant market share.
The part about guarding your heart, because what you put in is inevitably what will come out. I once heard it described thus:
First the unthinkable is given thought
then the thought is given word
then the word is put in action.
Of course, this applies to the other end of the spectrum as well. Focusing on what is positive and good improves the way one lives just as focusing on negative things negativly effects that life.
I've had similar experience growing up. The only way I got Unreal Tournament and Swat 3 was by assuring my folks that you could tone down the gibbing and the adult taunts. Not only have I not killed anyone, but my paintball game has really improved!
This isn't about God hating violent video games. As a Christian, I don't like to see violent/questionable games sold. But that's not something that you get a law written for. It's the parents who should be following the rating suggestions to avoid games that aren't appropriate for their kids. Different parents will have different standards, so a state-wide (or worse, federal) law doesn't fix the real problem. As other's have stated, enforce the rules we have, and let the parents do the parenting.
Who gives a [care]? Those are the same people who didn't think women and minorities belonged in their workplace in the first place.
And on that point you are quite incorrect. I lived in California until I was in 5th grade, went to a mid-size private Christian school. My best friends at at the time were both black, and it was never an issue between us. Then I moved to the midwest and went to a public school got a bit of an eye-opening. I met an entire group of people who expected me to disrespect them, therefor they disrespected me. Here I am, coming from an egalitarian mindset, and I'm automatically labeled racist, because I happen to be white. In reality, I'm in agreement with the BOFH on affirmative action "opportunities". To paraphrase, I've got an Unequal Opportunity Policy, which means if you can do the job you're hired, no matter what race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, hair color, eye color, or preferrence of football team.
The fact that the command "man woman" still doesn't work. How long till we get good a good man page, doggonit?
If this idea of MMO versions of other Blizzard titles is attempted, I think there will be a bunch of WoW players who will want to play but not want to double their subscription budget. Blizzard might be able to do a combo deal, allowing users to get 2 for the price of 1 (or at least 2 at a special rate) on their monthly fees. Blizzard would still charge the usual $50 for the game at the store, which hopefully would cover much of the initial investment.
I know from a personal standpoint, WoW is too expensive for my taste, but an opportunity to play 2 games for about the same price per month is inticing. Just a thought.
Hmm, I must be residing in an alternate universe. I notice all kinds of debate going on about US policy. Debate about whether to remove an anti-human dictator and he's genocidal, rape-prone sons. Debate about whether it was right to help 25+ million into the free, representative world. Debate about whether we should kill people who are in a coma for too long. As a matter of fact I get in these types of debates all the time, and there are a bunch of politicians who debate it for a living. I'm afraid that I find your contention about a lack of debate incorrect. There is plenty of debate, it's just that one side keeps winning (as shown by the election results) whilst the other side continues to annoy people with their lack of intellectual (and moral) honesty.
Birthday Trip to the planetarium...
Who wants to open the pinata?
So, it's now firmly established that Windows can run on Apple hardware. Are anyone else's feet cold, or is that just me?
I'm actually thinking that having a Mac might be okay, especially if I can convince the Wife that we'll be getting so much more. Hmm, what was that? Oh you'll have to excuse me. I think I hear Half-Life 2 calling.
I can see it now..... Friend: So how did you meet? Guy: We were in this party in WOW. It was love at first healing wave! She completes my barabarian so well with shaman side. I was totally under her spell. Girl: He was tall, dark, and handsome... and he could plow through those night-elves like no one else! Friend: So where was the wedding? Guy: Oh, we invited several hundred of our closest friends to the Druid village. Girl: We wanted an all-inclusive wedding, so everyone could attend. I'm trying not to think about the honeymoon........
I'm just recently 21, and I can tell you that yes, the exposure I had in public high school has negatively effected me. Making kids (especially those who know what is right) behave responsibly isn't discrimination. It's funny how much negative attention you can avoid by simply not doing the things that attract the oversight of the administration. The principles/administrators/police liason officers had no idea who I was because I did what was asked and followed the rules. If kids (including myself) want to be treated like the sophisticated and responsible grown-ups that we like to think of ourselves as, then we need to act like it.
It seems to me that the group of parents that would want this service is the same group that doesn't want their kids to have cellphones. If that's the case, this service will either, a) flop because of a lack of demand, or b) increase cell phone plan subscriptions because the parents feel better about letting Junior have a phone.
For starters, I never owned a console system until the now-deader-then-a-doorknob Dreamcast, and my enjoyment of RPG games didn't start until many years later. That being said, I think it's a poor comparison to take a game from (almost) 2 console generations ago and compare it to a recent PC release. Almost everthing is different: controller vs keyboard/mouse, linear story vs non-linear, gameplay style, and timeframe. Using an old game vs a new one only allows the older players to make an informed comparison. Everyone else (especially including myself), gets left out, so to speak.
I can think of a couple of games that actually improved the experience of playing because they did this sort of advertising so well. The best one was Need for Speed Underground. Everywhere you look, there's billboards, signs, etc... for various stores. But they were in the right places (like downtown, not in the posh upscale neighborhood). It made the game feel more realistic, like "Wow, I know all those stores. I must be really driving at breakneck speeds!" subliminal messages were playing in your head. Like Raven said, it has to fit in.