Walsingham

That's n interesting point. There's a much more defined barrier to MMO take-up, because of the time factor. Or to give an example, I can buy a shooter or flight sim every week if I want to, complete it and move on. But the MMOs keep ticking, and clog bandwidth for newer MMOs trying to break through.

Sure you'd hate it if you got bad feedback, but there's a world of difference between being late on a first payment as you get set up and being a constant complainer always trying to weasel compensation. This smacks of some buffel-headed sales/PR drone staring limpidly into space and murmuring "People fighting, like, makes the site tense and upsets smoothness. And stuff." Far better to have transparency in my book.

Quick one: I love it when Sand gets all butch, talking about "killing them all". Sando, there are literally millions of Al Qaeda sympathisers out there. If you want to send us chaps out to kill them we'd be grateful if you could find some method of correctly distinguising between them and patriots/poor people. And find us a really big hole. Which brings me to: I wonder how much of each candidate's policy is purely down to distinguishing themselves from the other candidiates? Assuming GD's observations on Obama's foreign policy represent statements he's made (and it would be rude to do otherwise) they seem extraordinary. Viz: "1) Pull out of Iraq now no matter the consequences. That will of course leaves another war to fight 10 years later just like the gulf war did. 2) Negotiate with Iran and Al Qaeda (as if that were possible). 3) "Take our allies to task" were his exact words. He has even mentioned attacking Pakistan." 1. Who the hell is advising this guy? I don't know any professional sources (and I exclude terminally lazy op ed journalists from this) who believe a precipitate pullout would provoke anything other than a maelstrom of killing, and a festering failed state. Some even believe it would lead to an expanded Iran, leading to a showdown between Iran and Saudi, which would necessitate an immediate RETURN to the Gulf for the USA. 2. Negotiation with elements of Al Qaeda and the Taliban is sensible. But the degree to which it is sensible is already being done. Believing you can negotiate with a group which has as its purpose a worlwide religious dictatorship as its end goal, and the erasure of the last seven hundred years as its end goal is fairyland. 3. We obviously have to apply pressure to allies who do stuff we don't like. But there are times to do so and times not to do so. And: While I hate to say it, with so much riding on foreign policy toward old skool countries with no feminism, is having a female President just going to egg the resentment pudding?* *Resentment pudding is like distressed pudding, but with more laxatives and thalidomide.

Al Qaeda now recruiting child soldiers. Not the de rigeur 15 year olds of Africa, but 11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7231829.stm Echoes the sentiment: http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=48888 That they are getting increasingly desperate. The news in general is full of stories of locals being sick and tired of jifascists running around slaughtering anyone they suspect of impurity and whatnot.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7228460.stm Ebay plans to abolish the right of sellers to leave negative comments about buyers. This strikes me as nonsense. The fact is that the world contains a percentage of unreiable eedjits and fraudsters. Of these many will make their way onto ebay. Sellers should have the right to respond.

As a matter of fact is isn't, any more than writing clear English is a prerequisite of being a member. Your statement "After ToEE I am wary of any game that has Tim Caine's handiwork in it." I took to imply that after you witnessed ToEE his games were suspect in your eyes. Rather than his game making ability suddenly went kablooie after writing ToEE.

I've held off tracking the elections up until this morning, since I had better things to do. But my lung infection has got worse and I'm loafing about wheezing. My considered opinion is that if I were voting I'd pick McCain from the Republican camp. He has his head on square about Iraq, and is considered to be maverick and not socially conservative enough by the party's far right. The former is important because I feel Iraq is a hugely important historical crossroads. The latter is important because I find social conservatives as welcome as a prophylactic full of fire ants. My ill considered opinion of the democrats, which is still out, is that I think Clinton has got potential to win, but the last thing America needs is a repeat of the dilatory Clinton years. Nor do they need her to go Rambo as the first female president (like Thatcher) and rush about putting smackdowns on everything just to prove she can play with the boys. Obama strikes me as the best social and economic voice, with the major flaw that he doesn't seem to have a policy on Iraq besides "leg it". I've only been reading for the last couple of hours, so please do correct me if I 'm wrong.

You mean, like Fallout?

Quick! Someone fetch a large map, and some pins.

I had already grasped the importance of not looking too snazzy. But thank you for pressing the point in case I hadn't. It is important. However the whole point is that with IR, tremblers, mics and motion sensors you don't really show much of a profile. Unless the burglars have IR themselves, in which case I say points for effort.

how could it not be Boo?

We've had some snow here in the UK. I keep being in teh wrong part of the country when it is though. Worse luck. I love snow.

The Sandbox?

Or knows several techies, and has access to fresh doughnuts and real ale.

Great thoughts, hgentlemen. I particularly like leaving a bobytrapped eldster in the front parlour, but sadly have no grandparents left besides my gradfather and since he already fought for six years for his country I think it would be churlish to make any further demands on his time. I agree that strong doors are a high priority. I'm going to also go with new tough double-glazing on the windows. Active IR 7-12nm external, tinkle sensors on the windows, motion sensors and microphones internally feeding to a bayesian alarm controller, triggering an audible alarm and remote dialling of preset numbers. And a pig on a piece of string. Boobytrapping stuff sounds quite interesting, although it would have to be plausibly deniable. I'm pretty sure a UK court would award damages to the thief!

What you call a crush I call fanatical devotion to the totalitarian schemes of The Master. Potato/pohtahto.

Wait, is me being bigoted more ironic than you not getting my irony? I was going for the double irony, Walsh. Me being "bigoted" against Christianity and everything. Besides, if I thought you were being serious I would have PMed Fio over that remark. Nonsense, you'd have baked me a cake. Or so I shall fondly imagine.

Eh?

Hmmm. I think we should give more thought to this. After all if we can find a way to hack a paper ballot we'll have set back the already frail cause of democracy by years!

Wait, is me being bigoted more ironic than you not getting my irony?

I hate you. I wish I had a work shop so I could create all sorts of sweet stuff like couches and chairs and giant wooden animals. :'( I totally agree. That's one reason why I'm really pleased about my new place. I have a big garage to put a workshop in.

Wouldn't the pc term for "gypsies" be the Roma/Romani? Similarly for "Indians" addressing them by their "nation", e.g Cherokee, Oglala etc. Apologies if I got any of them wrong. Not really my specialty. A better point in many ways. What _is_ a Native American, after all? My understanding is pretty limited but still good enough to know the tribes were very very different.

Security lights would be highly antisocial, given it's a terraced street. I'd wake up the neighbours all the time. I'm thinking active IR cameras, and a motion triggered warning of some kind. Handguns are out, Sando. There's nothing in my house I'd shoot anyone over. Between the cleaning bills, and the court case it just wouldn't be economical.

Lest I appear completely one-sided: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7225613.stm Looks like Coalition forces hit a building in error, killing regular people not terrorists. 20 dead. Of course this doesn't change my 'side'. It's a ghastly eror and if there's any way to prevent it happening again it's got to be done. But at least the Coalition can say it is indeed an error when they kill civilians rather than it being the whole point of coalition operations. This, in teh view of the jurist Abou Khaled Al-Fadl is a distinction embraced within the Quran and in its analyses: "The classical jurists, nearly without exception, argued that those who attack by stealth, while targeting noncombatants in order to terrorize the resident and wayfarer, are corrupters of the earth. "Resident and wayfarer" was a legal expression that meant that whether the attackers terrorize people in their urban centers or terrorize travelers, the result was the same: all such attacks constitute a corruption of the earth. The legal term given to people who act this way was muharibun (those who wage war against society), and the crime is called the crime of hiraba (waging war against society). The crime of hiraba was so serious and repugnant that, according to Islamic law, those guilty of this crime were considered enemies of humankind and were not to be given quarter or sanctuary anywhere. ... Those who are familiar with the classical tradition will find the parallels between what were described as crimes of hiraba and what is often called terrorism today nothing short of remarkable. The classical jurists considered crimes such as assassinations, setting fires, or poisoning water wells - that could indiscriminately kill the innocent - as offenses of hiraba. Furthermore, hijacking methods of transportation or crucifying people in order to spread fear and terror are also crimes of hiraba. Importantly, Islamic law strictly prohibited the taking of hostages, the mutilation of corpses, and torture."

Never mind Mad Max, have you seen Sydney?