Well there is a shock... a maker of a good game griping about the platform that made him millions. To me this makes as much sense as griping about being electrocuted because you beat your chest and stick forks in electrical sockets. If he has such a major issue with PC platforms, why don't he take his millions and make his own - Put your money where your mouth is!
Its like this - I have an old (2002 Dell Dimension 8200) PC and have no issue with what is out there for games... in fact it is a game of catch up for me. I think that people like this bum need to realize that not every gamer can feasibly afford the next level of technology. So why not stop whining about the problems with technology and why not do something about it... oh yeah, it is being done already... BY THE GAMERS THEMSELVES.
I agree, this book has been long overdue. I have always believed that the studies that have "linked" violent media and violent actions have been faulty at best and fraudulent at worst. If there was any link, wouldn't violence OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES be elevated too? Seriously, some of the stuff that the "Freedom of Speech" United States has for violent media is MEGA TAME compared to things outside our borders.
For example, I know that nudity and graphic violence exists in Japanese television... Yet remember the debacle that occurred after Janet Jackson's "Wardrobe Malfunction" in the Super Bowl? (To be fair, I know some Slashdotters don't watch sports and I was playing an MMO at the time while the show was happening. Thank [Fill in your deity here or leave blank if you are an atheist] I missed it because I would have plucked my eyes out!) Or remember the "Britney Spears Kissing Madonna" incident and all the hellfire that came with it? (And can anybody remember the total FORGETTING that Madonna kissed CHRISTINA AGULARA TOO?!) I know that these examples deal primarily with sex and over dramatization of the pop culture and such, but the United States culture tends to want take a hypocritical "Moral High Ground" about what is on TV, Music, and Games. This (in a sentence) means that it's ok to show graphic violence on media... as long as there is no sex. Meanwhile in other countries, seeing a boob or somebody get decapitated is no big deal and no public outcry ever comes out of it.
I guess it is because mostly these people that have made a career out of these "studies" want to use violent media and such as a scapegoat to the problems of our society or to explain the unexplainable. Take for example that Virgina Tech Shooting. Almost immediately, there were some (*cough* Jack Thompson *cough* "Dr." Phil *cough*) people that began to blame violent media... However, after a REAL investigation and interviews were done, it was discovered that:
1) The shooter was shithouse-rat insane. Probably more insane than everybody's favorite nutter Jack Thompson.
2) Series of attempts to take preventative actions were either not taken or only suggested to be taken voluntary BY THE SHOOTER. Now seriously, that is almost like asking a criminal to just get in his car & drive himself to prison and walk in after being found guilty of a crime.
3) After numerous interviews by the staff and people close to the shooter, it was discovered HE DID NOT PLAY VIDEO GAMES. Now it was discovered he very seldom played Sonic the Hedgehog. However the shooter didn't run around with a saw blade on his back and spin around in a circle to kill people, did he?
Now the people that were the first to scream that violent media got some much needed egg (read = shit) on their face and showed clearly that violent media had no connection to the tragedy that unfolded. Granted Cho did watch some movies made in Korea that were violent, but the fact of the matter was none of them were any simulation or even close to what transpired that sad day. The point here is that when it comes to violent media, it usually is first to be called for blame when some nut bag goes crazy. Nevermind the fact the nutter isn't playing with a full deck of cards and only watched Barney the Dinosaur... the real truth will come out later after something totally irrelevant is blamed.
The point here I am trying to make is that violent media really has no solid link between it and real life violence. These studies were just an attempt to make some shaky connection between the two. Its about time that these get debunked and maybe shed some light on how using scapegoats solve nothing.
Nah, I'll just wait for NASA to send some oil drillers that they took a week to train to save us all... Better yet, let me just bury my head in the ground - that'd be more realistic!
Re:It is all about the platform.
on
Is AMD Dead Yet?
·
· Score: 1
I hope so because I am planning on building a PC from the ground up and I want an AMD Phenom inside. I want one mostly because of the fact the price of the Phenom is much lower than the quad core Intel chips. From what I have seen, but not with any form of accurate scientific measure, the Phenoms are a bit faster. That is not to say Intel is bad, but considering I want a fast PC for not a lot of greenbacks, I hope that AMD stays in the race.
So lets get this strait - Yahoo either A) Sells its soul to Beelzebubba Gates and becomes the shining jewel of the Micro$oft Corp. Collective or B) Tells Micro$oft where to stick it and ITS OWN INVESTORS sue them. I guess this is proof you are damned if you do and damned if you don't...
Today, children receive next to no education in the field of astronomy. Were they to have a proper understanding of what lies beyond Pluto, they'd probably grow up to realize how silly it is to believe that there is only one planet like Earth.
Considering that there is more money dumped into the athletic arena in schools or bible thumpers believing the Earth is 5,000 years old, I wouldn't be surprised at all if children today even know that there are other planets besides Earth.
More like "The RIAA must be paraded around in ridiculous outfits and be mocked and ridiculed in public. They must then be flogged and be doused with lemon juice. Finally they will be thrown from the tallest roof into a pit of starving wolverines."
I have read that book and it is one of literatures finest books. However, what I am trying to get at with my comment is that why would aliens want to contact us when:
1) We are always fighting and killing ourselves.
2) We have yet to go to another planet... Our moon does not count.
3) Our history is laden with violence and atrocities against each other.
4) It has taken us over a million years or so to get to this point in technology.
5) The biggest tech spurt has happened in the last 100 years... Think of where we could have been if we were not always busy killing each other?
So yes, I don't think any sane or rational alien civilization would want to come near us with a 10 light-year cattle prod. Those alien worlds that love to conquer probably look at us and say "Why bother? They'll wipe themselves out in time."
I would die laughing if we got the message back "We are sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please check your number and try again."
I don't think that aliens want to contact us. If they are as advanced as we are or more advanced, they see we are violent, unorganzied, and down right the getto of the cosmos. Like Grissom said on CSI "If there is life watching us from afar, they would be wise enough to stay away."
Great, now the anti-violence posse have some ammo in their fight to "protect the children" (read: Destroy the First Amendment) I guess our days of Halo 3 and Tabula Rasa are over now because brain scans prove something... Never mind the fact that 2+2 still doesn't equal 12!
Ok it is like this - Just because something happens in the brain when it is exposed to violent media DOES NOT MEAN that violent tendencies will be acted out. If this were the case, then everybody that exposed to violent media would be going bonkers. Yet I, and the rest of the world for that matter, have yet to see this happen. Why is that?
One simple word - MORALITY
A normal individual is taught at birth that certain actions are acceptable and others are not. A common lesson is that we are not to harm others. Look all over the world - it is usually taught to people. Granted some are taught to harm non-believers of their chosen faith, BUT they are taught not to harm those of THEIR faith. Problems begin when an irrational mind begins to believe the only way to solve issues or make a point is to harm another individual. This too is validated by various studies and examples.
Take a person who abuses his/her significant other. The abuser for some reason is unable to control their violent impulse because of factors such as psychological (past abuse to the abuser) or physiological (an underlying brain disorder). The same is true for those who do violent acts such as the Columbine HS Shooting (Harris had signs of being psychopathic, Klebold had depression) or this recent shooting at the Omaha Mall. While it cannot be said truthfully that violent media had direct/indirect involvement, we CAN say that these events were caused by people that had diminished mental cohesion because of an underlying problem.
The whole point is that violence in media does not cause underlying problems. If we look at history and all the statistics, we can see that these atrocities are the exceptions not the rule. Even if we rid the world of violent media, we would still have the problems. We would just have one less scapegoat to blame our woes on.
Here is the problem with the music industry to think about:
1) Most of the music made today sucks massive donkey balls. I say "most" not "all". I know people have a variety of tastes, but honestly - has there been any major hits and songs you MUST have?
2) In today's age, I don't have to buy a CD to get a song I love. I can just by the song and that is that. I don't have to buy a CD full of other songs that either suck or I have no interest in. THAT is why CD sales and the industry is dying. Nobody is buying a CD full of crap just to get a song that is half ass decent.
3) The RIAA has pretty much done a fine ass job of shooting itself in the foot. Guess by showing the world that music is about MONEY and not EXPRESSION has painted a pretty picture about all artists, huh?
LOL Oh dear sweet monkey lord Jesus.... What new kinds of BS will they think of next?
It is like this - there is NO evidence whatsoever that violent media is equal to violent people. Take for example the Virginia Tech Shooting - that kid was psychotic and deranged. Despite the borderline stupidity the community took to the repeated warnings that this kid would snap, immediately after the shooting the drums of "Violent Media" began drumming....
That is until they discovered he had NO violent media made in the United States!!! How quickly they changed their tunes!
I strongly believe that human beings are a walking, talking mathematical variable. What we perceive as "normal" to people with such mental problems could be perceived as "abnormal". In other words, there really is no way to tell what sets people like the Virginia Tech shooter off. What needs to be done is stop looking for a scapegoat and start addressing the actual problem. That problem being mental illness.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh wow.. I have 4 cats.. 4 cats = 4 Quad Stackers! I am heading to Burger King now!!!
Well there is a shock... a maker of a good game griping about the platform that made him millions. To me this makes as much sense as griping about being electrocuted because you beat your chest and stick forks in electrical sockets. If he has such a major issue with PC platforms, why don't he take his millions and make his own - Put your money where your mouth is!
Its like this - I have an old (2002 Dell Dimension 8200) PC and have no issue with what is out there for games... in fact it is a game of catch up for me. I think that people like this bum need to realize that not every gamer can feasibly afford the next level of technology. So why not stop whining about the problems with technology and why not do something about it... oh yeah, it is being done already... BY THE GAMERS THEMSELVES.
I agree, this book has been long overdue. I have always believed that the studies that have "linked" violent media and violent actions have been faulty at best and fraudulent at worst. If there was any link, wouldn't violence OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES be elevated too? Seriously, some of the stuff that the "Freedom of Speech" United States has for violent media is MEGA TAME compared to things outside our borders.
For example, I know that nudity and graphic violence exists in Japanese television... Yet remember the debacle that occurred after Janet Jackson's "Wardrobe Malfunction" in the Super Bowl? (To be fair, I know some Slashdotters don't watch sports and I was playing an MMO at the time while the show was happening. Thank [Fill in your deity here or leave blank if you are an atheist] I missed it because I would have plucked my eyes out!) Or remember the "Britney Spears Kissing Madonna" incident and all the hellfire that came with it? (And can anybody remember the total FORGETTING that Madonna kissed CHRISTINA AGULARA TOO?!) I know that these examples deal primarily with sex and over dramatization of the pop culture and such, but the United States culture tends to want take a hypocritical "Moral High Ground" about what is on TV, Music, and Games. This (in a sentence) means that it's ok to show graphic violence on media... as long as there is no sex. Meanwhile in other countries, seeing a boob or somebody get decapitated is no big deal and no public outcry ever comes out of it.
I guess it is because mostly these people that have made a career out of these "studies" want to use violent media and such as a scapegoat to the problems of our society or to explain the unexplainable. Take for example that Virgina Tech Shooting. Almost immediately, there were some (*cough* Jack Thompson *cough* "Dr." Phil *cough*) people that began to blame violent media... However, after a REAL investigation and interviews were done, it was discovered that:
1) The shooter was shithouse-rat insane. Probably more insane than everybody's favorite nutter Jack Thompson.
2) Series of attempts to take preventative actions were either not taken or only suggested to be taken voluntary BY THE SHOOTER. Now seriously, that is almost like asking a criminal to just get in his car & drive himself to prison and walk in after being found guilty of a crime.
3) After numerous interviews by the staff and people close to the shooter, it was discovered HE DID NOT PLAY VIDEO GAMES. Now it was discovered he very seldom played Sonic the Hedgehog. However the shooter didn't run around with a saw blade on his back and spin around in a circle to kill people, did he?
Now the people that were the first to scream that violent media got some much needed egg (read = shit) on their face and showed clearly that violent media had no connection to the tragedy that unfolded. Granted Cho did watch some movies made in Korea that were violent, but the fact of the matter was none of them were any simulation or even close to what transpired that sad day. The point here is that when it comes to violent media, it usually is first to be called for blame when some nut bag goes crazy. Nevermind the fact the nutter isn't playing with a full deck of cards and only watched Barney the Dinosaur... the real truth will come out later after something totally irrelevant is blamed.
The point here I am trying to make is that violent media really has no solid link between it and real life violence. These studies were just an attempt to make some shaky connection between the two. Its about time that these get debunked and maybe shed some light on how using scapegoats solve nothing.
I agree fully. Hollywood does not live in the same dimension of reality as the rest of the world.
Would have helped if I said "A time machine using a microwave, a toothpick, and duct tape"...
Easy... they asked MacGuyver to build one with a microwave, a toothpick, and duct tape.
The one I am driving with the rest of the world on board.
Nah, I'll just wait for NASA to send some oil drillers that they took a week to train to save us all... Better yet, let me just bury my head in the ground - that'd be more realistic!
I hope so because I am planning on building a PC from the ground up and I want an AMD Phenom inside. I want one mostly because of the fact the price of the Phenom is much lower than the quad core Intel chips. From what I have seen, but not with any form of accurate scientific measure, the Phenoms are a bit faster. That is not to say Intel is bad, but considering I want a fast PC for not a lot of greenbacks, I hope that AMD stays in the race.
The next step is to look back and wonder what the f*** you were thinking... Oh wait, that is what I would do...
So lets get this strait - Yahoo either A) Sells its soul to Beelzebubba Gates and becomes the shining jewel of the Micro$oft Corp. Collective or B) Tells Micro$oft where to stick it and ITS OWN INVESTORS sue them. I guess this is proof you are damned if you do and damned if you don't...
In what universe? This one? OH NOOOOOO.... Get me out of this one please!
Today, children receive next to no education in the field of astronomy. Were they to have a proper understanding of what lies beyond Pluto, they'd probably grow up to realize how silly it is to believe that there is only one planet like Earth.
Considering that there is more money dumped into the athletic arena in schools or bible thumpers believing the Earth is 5,000 years old, I wouldn't be surprised at all if children today even know that there are other planets besides Earth.
It's like that old joke - "What happened when the Easter Bunny played Duke Nukem Forever? Answer - Nothing because neither exist!"
Proof that once again the RIAA and the MPAA are their own worst enemy... By the way, great song Smitty One Each!
I am already stocking my shelter. Going to be ready for the big bang that comes after the release of the game.
More like "The RIAA must be paraded around in ridiculous outfits and be mocked and ridiculed in public. They must then be flogged and be doused with lemon juice. Finally they will be thrown from the tallest roof into a pit of starving wolverines."
I have read that book and it is one of literatures finest books. However, what I am trying to get at with my comment is that why would aliens want to contact us when:
.
1) We are always fighting and killing ourselves
2) We have yet to go to another planet... Our moon does not count.
3) Our history is laden with violence and atrocities against each other.
4) It has taken us over a million years or so to get to this point in technology.
5) The biggest tech spurt has happened in the last 100 years... Think of where we could have been if we were not always busy killing each other?
So yes, I don't think any sane or rational alien civilization would want to come near us with a 10 light-year cattle prod. Those alien worlds that love to conquer probably look at us and say "Why bother? They'll wipe themselves out in time."
I would die laughing if we got the message back "We are sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please check your number and try again."
I don't think that aliens want to contact us. If they are as advanced as we are or more advanced, they see we are violent, unorganzied, and down right the getto of the cosmos. Like Grissom said on CSI "If there is life watching us from afar, they would be wise enough to stay away."
Or how about:
1) "Mostly Harmless"
2) "So Long And Thanks For All The Fish"
3) "Arthur Dent"
Great, now the anti-violence posse have some ammo in their fight to "protect the children" (read: Destroy the First Amendment) I guess our days of Halo 3 and Tabula Rasa are over now because brain scans prove something... Never mind the fact that 2+2 still doesn't equal 12!
Ok it is like this - Just because something happens in the brain when it is exposed to violent media DOES NOT MEAN that violent tendencies will be acted out. If this were the case, then everybody that exposed to violent media would be going bonkers. Yet I, and the rest of the world for that matter, have yet to see this happen. Why is that?
One simple word - MORALITY
A normal individual is taught at birth that certain actions are acceptable and others are not. A common lesson is that we are not to harm others. Look all over the world - it is usually taught to people. Granted some are taught to harm non-believers of their chosen faith, BUT they are taught not to harm those of THEIR faith. Problems begin when an irrational mind begins to believe the only way to solve issues or make a point is to harm another individual. This too is validated by various studies and examples.
Take a person who abuses his/her significant other. The abuser for some reason is unable to control their violent impulse because of factors such as psychological (past abuse to the abuser) or physiological (an underlying brain disorder). The same is true for those who do violent acts such as the Columbine HS Shooting (Harris had signs of being psychopathic, Klebold had depression) or this recent shooting at the Omaha Mall. While it cannot be said truthfully that violent media had direct/indirect involvement, we CAN say that these events were caused by people that had diminished mental cohesion because of an underlying problem.
The whole point is that violence in media does not cause underlying problems. If we look at history and all the statistics, we can see that these atrocities are the exceptions not the rule. Even if we rid the world of violent media, we would still have the problems. We would just have one less scapegoat to blame our woes on.
I thought imitation was the best form of flattery? Guess not when it comes to two things no sane mind really wants...
Here is the problem with the music industry to think about:
1) Most of the music made today sucks massive donkey balls. I say "most" not "all". I know people have a variety of tastes, but honestly - has there been any major hits and songs you MUST have?
2) In today's age, I don't have to buy a CD to get a song I love. I can just by the song and that is that. I don't have to buy a CD full of other songs that either suck or I have no interest in. THAT is why CD sales and the industry is dying. Nobody is buying a CD full of crap just to get a song that is half ass decent.
3) The RIAA has pretty much done a fine ass job of shooting itself in the foot. Guess by showing the world that music is about MONEY and not EXPRESSION has painted a pretty picture about all artists, huh?
LOL Oh dear sweet monkey lord Jesus.... What new kinds of BS will they think of next?
It is like this - there is NO evidence whatsoever that violent media is equal to violent people. Take for example the Virginia Tech Shooting - that kid was psychotic and deranged. Despite the borderline stupidity the community took to the repeated warnings that this kid would snap, immediately after the shooting the drums of "Violent Media" began drumming....
That is until they discovered he had NO violent media made in the United States!!! How quickly they changed their tunes!
I strongly believe that human beings are a walking, talking mathematical variable. What we perceive as "normal" to people with such mental problems could be perceived as "abnormal". In other words, there really is no way to tell what sets people like the Virginia Tech shooter off. What needs to be done is stop looking for a scapegoat and start addressing the actual problem. That problem being mental illness.
I stand by 42 and will always stand by 42.
_____
"If it were that easy, then why the hell didn't you think of it earlier?!"