I agree with the above suggestions, and would like to add the following to the list...
Bubblegum Crisis - This is the series that really got me into anime. What's not to like about a series featuring cool technology, babes in battlesuits, and bad-ass villains. Though it looks a bit dated now (it was produced in the early '80's), it still ranks as a classic. There is an updated series that is partially out on video which is also worth seeing, but I think the original is still a bit better. Original released by Animeigo; not sure who is releasing the new series.
Oh! My Goddess - If Bubblegum Crisis got me into anime, Oh! My Goddess got me hooked. Cute and funny story about a boy and the three Norse goddesses who live with him. Belldandy is my favorite character of any series anywhere. Released by Animeigo.
The Vision of Escaflowne - I thought Evangeleon kicked serious ass, but I have always preferred Escaflowne, as it's got the frighteningly deep story I like without the air of depression that courses through Eva. Escaflowne is a fantasy story set on a planet near earth, but invisible from Earth, where among other things, dragons are real, rocks float, and other than a couple of races, technology is still middle-ages at best. The art is beautiful, although the character design is a bit, well, odd. Give this one a shot! It is available from Anime Village.
Slayers - Lighthearted fantasy/D&D spoof. Lina Inverse is a "saucy, flat-chested, but highly skillful sourceress" out to rob from the criminals and give to herself. Oh, and save the world from eternal darkness along the way. Released by Software Sculptors.
Sabre Marionette J - I'm not sure if this has been released over here yet. Story about a human colony on another planet where there are no women (all reproduction is through cloning). The only females are "marionettes" (androids), which are used as servants, etc. Marionettes don't have emotions. Well, most of them don't...
Tenchi Muyo! - A long series, but worth it. Aliens, extremely powerful enemies, and ancient royal family converge on some poor guy named Tenchi. A fun series, but with a definite serious side. The movie, Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love is outstanding; you don't have to have seen the series first to enjoy the movie, but it couldn't hurt. Released by Pioneer Entertainment (yes, the stereo people).
Absolutely! Used to be on USA Network years ago (early-mid 80's). Billy and his partner (a girl, don't remember her name) traveled through time in a giant alarm clock (their ship!). The only bit I remember with any certainty was when they Billy introduced soccer to the king of England. Great stuff!
In my case, it's easy to tell telemarketers from everyone else - if they mangle my last name, they don't know me, and therefore shouldn't be calling (Pfingstler - nothing like a good German name to ruin a telemarketer's day!).
They also show up as "Unknown" on caller id, so if I see that I generally don't answer it and let it go to voice mail. I once actually had a telemarketer leave me a message and asked me to call them back! I almost fell on the floor when I heard that one!
Speaking of R rated cartoons, anyone other than me watch Inhumanoids? I only vaguely remember it, but I seem to remember it was pretty graphic for a "kids" show. It was on about 1986 (for only half a season, I think).
On another note, did they have "parents groups" when we were kids (20 or so years ago), or are those recent inventions? I just don't remember hearing about "parents groups" complaining about stuff when I was a kid; now you can't turn around without falling over one. No wonder most kids shows suck these days; the producers have to dumb down anything that might remotely result in a lawsuit. It's amazing how the complainers never bother to notice that there must not be a direct link between TV violence and real violence, since if that were true Japan would be a smoldering hole in the ground by now. Dragonball Z alone would have taken out three major cities!:)
Sorry, just had to rant for a second. I now return you to your regularly scheduled hot grits, trolls, and flames.
Like the Banana Junior in the old Bloom Country strip? (IIRC, it was genius scientist/hacker/kid Oliver Wendell Jones' self-portable computer, a Mac with legs).
Ars Technica did a comparison recently between the Athlon and the G4. It talks about the structure of the processors, and in particular how the G4 can achieve performance equivalent to faster (in MHz) Pentium-class chips.
I worked at CompUSA in Pittsburgh as a Mac salesman one summer when I was in college. Even then, trying to explain how a 25 MHz 68040 was really faster than a 40 MHz 68030 was a tough point to get across (same goes for a 60 MHz Pentium and a 66 MHz 486). The best way to describe it is probably this: all MHz are not created equal. That is, the clock speed merely measures the number of processor cycles per second. It says nothing about what the processor does with them. To really compare two different processors, you have to run some kind of a benchmark on them (that is, do the same operation on both and see who is faster). I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it is entirely possible that a 500 MHz G4 is twice as fast as a 800 MHz Athlon. It all depends on how efficient the processor is in its execution.
As to the Macs rather small market share, there are other factors involved. The presence of PC clone makers forced all PC vendors to lower the prices on their PCs; PC hardware tended to be much cheaper than equivalent Mac hardware. On the flip side, the Mac was much easier to use: true plug-and-play (which Windows still doesn't quite do right), a graphical interface that was designed from the ground up to be that way, etc. If you wanted true ease of use and low maintenance, went Apple's theory, you could have it, but you had to pay; as there were no other Mac vendors, you were a slave to whatever hardware Apple felt like making, at the price Apple felt like selling it for.
Needless to say, most people took the checp PC route, rather than the expensive Mac route. Those that took the Mac route, however, generally became die-hard loyalists, not unlike the Linux zealots we have all seen post here (I am a Linux user too, so don't flame me about being a Linux hater). Mac users are very enthusiastic about their platform of choice, sometimes to a fault. They sometimes forget that there is a fine line between advocacy and harassment.
Just a few thoughts on why the Mac (and the Mac community) is the way it is. And, of course, why the G4 really is that good!:)
Unfortunately, COBOL is too anal about separators, etc to allow obfuscation. We'll just have to settle for the First Annual COBOL Spaghetti (Code) Dinner!
It seems that the federal/state/local governments have conveniently forgotten one very important thing:
It's not their money! It's our money!
They are all operating under the assumption that they have a right to some percentage of our money that we supposedly would have spent at a local retailer had we not bought online. I often will look for something online, and if I do not find a good price or if it is not available then I won't buy it at all. These guys will jump at any chance to get their hands in our wallets.
True, there may be easier/better ways to go about giving your iMac a bigger monitor, but let's face it - half the fun of this is the coolness factor involved. The point is not just to give an iMac a bigger monitor, but to try to merge an iMac with a 21" monitor just to see if it can be done.
Slashdot Mirror
Bubblegum Crisis - This is the series that really got me into anime. What's not to like about a series featuring cool technology, babes in battlesuits, and bad-ass villains. Though it looks a bit dated now (it was produced in the early '80's), it still ranks as a classic. There is an updated series that is partially out on video which is also worth seeing, but I think the original is still a bit better. Original released by Animeigo; not sure who is releasing the new series.
Oh! My Goddess - If Bubblegum Crisis got me into anime, Oh! My Goddess got me hooked. Cute and funny story about a boy and the three Norse goddesses who live with him. Belldandy is my favorite character of any series anywhere. Released by Animeigo.
The Vision of Escaflowne - I thought Evangeleon kicked serious ass, but I have always preferred Escaflowne, as it's got the frighteningly deep story I like without the air of depression that courses through Eva. Escaflowne is a fantasy story set on a planet near earth, but invisible from Earth, where among other things, dragons are real, rocks float, and other than a couple of races, technology is still middle-ages at best. The art is beautiful, although the character design is a bit, well, odd. Give this one a shot! It is available from Anime Village.
Slayers - Lighthearted fantasy/D&D spoof. Lina Inverse is a "saucy, flat-chested, but highly skillful sourceress" out to rob from the criminals and give to herself. Oh, and save the world from eternal darkness along the way. Released by Software Sculptors.
Sabre Marionette J - I'm not sure if this has been released over here yet. Story about a human colony on another planet where there are no women (all reproduction is through cloning). The only females are "marionettes" (androids), which are used as servants, etc. Marionettes don't have emotions. Well, most of them don't...
Tenchi Muyo! - A long series, but worth it. Aliens, extremely powerful enemies, and ancient royal family converge on some poor guy named Tenchi. A fun series, but with a definite serious side. The movie, Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love is outstanding; you don't have to have seen the series first to enjoy the movie, but it couldn't hurt. Released by Pioneer Entertainment (yes, the stereo people).
Hope this (somehow) helps.
Mark
Boy, some people sure are defensive around here.
Mark
Mark
They also show up as "Unknown" on caller id, so if I see that I generally don't answer it and let it go to voice mail. I once actually had a telemarketer leave me a message and asked me to call them back! I almost fell on the floor when I heard that one!
Mark
On another note, did they have "parents groups" when we were kids (20 or so years ago), or are those recent inventions? I just don't remember hearing about "parents groups" complaining about stuff when I was a kid; now you can't turn around without falling over one. No wonder most kids shows suck these days; the producers have to dumb down anything that might remotely result in a lawsuit. It's amazing how the complainers never bother to notice that there must not be a direct link between TV violence and real violence, since if that were true Japan would be a smoldering hole in the ground by now. Dragonball Z alone would have taken out three major cities! :)
Sorry, just had to rant for a second. I now return you to your regularly scheduled hot grits, trolls, and flames.
Mark
Like the Banana Junior in the old Bloom Country strip? (IIRC, it was genius scientist/hacker/kid Oliver Wendell Jones' self-portable computer, a Mac with legs).
I worked at CompUSA in Pittsburgh as a Mac salesman one summer when I was in college. Even then, trying to explain how a 25 MHz 68040 was really faster than a 40 MHz 68030 was a tough point to get across (same goes for a 60 MHz Pentium and a 66 MHz 486). The best way to describe it is probably this: all MHz are not created equal. That is, the clock speed merely measures the number of processor cycles per second. It says nothing about what the processor does with them. To really compare two different processors, you have to run some kind of a benchmark on them (that is, do the same operation on both and see who is faster). I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it is entirely possible that a 500 MHz G4 is twice as fast as a 800 MHz Athlon. It all depends on how efficient the processor is in its execution.
As to the Macs rather small market share, there are other factors involved. The presence of PC clone makers forced all PC vendors to lower the prices on their PCs; PC hardware tended to be much cheaper than equivalent Mac hardware. On the flip side, the Mac was much easier to use: true plug-and-play (which Windows still doesn't quite do right), a graphical interface that was designed from the ground up to be that way, etc. If you wanted true ease of use and low maintenance, went Apple's theory, you could have it, but you had to pay; as there were no other Mac vendors, you were a slave to whatever hardware Apple felt like making, at the price Apple felt like selling it for.
Needless to say, most people took the checp PC route, rather than the expensive Mac route. Those that took the Mac route, however, generally became die-hard loyalists, not unlike the Linux zealots we have all seen post here (I am a Linux user too, so don't flame me about being a Linux hater). Mac users are very enthusiastic about their platform of choice, sometimes to a fault. They sometimes forget that there is a fine line between advocacy and harassment.
Just a few thoughts on why the Mac (and the Mac community) is the way it is. And, of course, why the G4 really is that good! :)
Mark Pfingstler
Unfortunately, COBOL is too anal about separators, etc to allow obfuscation. We'll just have to settle for the First Annual COBOL Spaghetti (Code) Dinner!
Trolls are fine as long as they're at least enjoyable reading.
It's not their money! It's our money!
They are all operating under the assumption that they have a right to some percentage of our money that we supposedly would have spent at a local retailer had we not bought online. I often will look for something online, and if I do not find a good price or if it is not available then I won't buy it at all. These guys will jump at any chance to get their hands in our wallets.
Mark