Walsingham

Is this attributed to instinct rather than rational thought, or to genetical similarity instead? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I would have thought it would have to be rational. Or do I mean usually rational? People typically only move to different social structures when they are educated about them, or move into an existing one. It is rare in my experience that a person 'invents' a new system. EDIT: on reflection I'm not at all sure about this.

Nice post... just one thing you need to clarify for me though ... surely if we *must* act in such a way to avoid the extinction, this in turn takes away our free will, don't we get to choose whether we want to propagate or not? DL <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good point. I guess I'd counter by saying that your very question implies that free will is something worth pursuing. If the species dies out, then the general exercise of free will is abruptly terminated. Whereas the longer we continue the greater potential there is for the exercise of free will. Meta: WTF? Are you saying I have to contend with zombie crabs now? Risk seeking behaviour can be a good thing. Cause sometimes the risks pay off. I don't fully understand the biochemistry that underlies it. Something to do with mono-amine oxidase. If anyone knows about this, I'd love to know more. EDIT: Meta it is possible that the fish have evolved to permit the infection by the bacteria because it makes them risk-takers. We do, after all, generally accept mind alteration, and particularly alcohol for its beneficial loosening of inhibitions. Sometimes the propagation of the species needs a helping beer goggle. Perhaps that's how the fish work?

Here's a 'smoothie' for you. take a pot of double cream, some ice, kalhua coffee liquer, scotch, a ****tail shaker. Combine all except nutmeg to taste in shaker. Shake until mixture is smooth, and well chilled. Strain into martini glasses. Dust with fresh nutmeg, good cocoa, or cinnamon to taste. A variant on a brandy Alexander. EDIT: I can't say roostertail?

Apologies for muddying the pristine waters of bull that comprise WOT. Speaking of which I can't abide swimming in pools. Rivers and oceans may contain dead bodies, but I'd rather that than paddling about in a mass bath... And don't get me started on the urine! Fair enough, rowing seems to build people up, but I don't fancy being reduced to a simple boat donkey. Running and cycling you get to explore. Football and rugby you get to meet people, and do a bit of thinking. I can't imagine anything more tedious than hoofing up at 5 a.m. every morning to move a plank of wood up and down the same stretch of river. I'd rather go back to working an assembly line! At least they paid me for doing it. *ducks justified throwing of rowing paraphernalia*

Having gone for both endurance and for mass, I can say that endurance traioning is far more fun. It also has the more useful side-effects in terms of making you feel healthier. Speaking purely from personal experience. I have to add that in my experience of soldier-elites, like the paras (and others) they train for endurance. Not to get all confused in the thread, but this is a human factor that could come more into fighting games. I mean fair play you can swing a six foot sword one handed, but can you carry it four hundred miles to teh Forbidden temple, and how long can you swing it before you get tired, and the filthy greenskins swarm you? this could add a serious strategic element to even simple fighting games.

Have to be: warhammer 40k Chaos Gate. - I just can't kill enough traitors. (similar interface to X-Com, if anyone is interested) Panzer General: The first one is best. But has to be run on a dedicated win95 machine. I don't consider it a hardship to reserve one. ~~ Has anyone here played Fallout Tactics? i was wondering whether I should get it.

I know what you mean, and ordinarily I would use bombers. But I was deeply suspicious of the possibility that if I let him carry on he would randomly start getting nukes, where he really shouldn't have had the manpower to build them so quickly. Nukes were quick, and posed an added cleanup problem for his recovery. I was suspicious from the start about the AI cheating, but assumed I was just being a wuss. I have to say that I consider it my biggest bugbear in ANY game. That by upping the difficulty I just face a stupidly rich opponent rather than a smarter one. Thsi generally means I simply ahve to do the same things as on the lower levels but with an ever decreasing margin of error. Not owning a 'swiss worker' moddy I find this just bloody irritating. I like a challenge, but having beaten such an opponent you simply feel you have achieved some sort of super-accountancy qualification. I demand smarter AIs!

Society: I'm in agreement with Hobbes on the social contract. We resign some of our freedoms and tendency to act for our individual interests in the understanding that living in a well regulated society will result in a better payoff, by the end of the day. Certainly my experience is that people are generally pro-social or anti-social depending on their life experience with groups and with authority. particualrly their experiences by about age fourteen. They tend to attach to whatever level of society they believe is most 'trustworthy' or likely to reward their loyalty and obedience. Nature/Nuture: I have read a good deal of work that suggests that the vast majority of humans, of all races, are so genetically similar that nurture must account for the remaining variation. I am not entriely convinced. Things like appetite, metabolism, stress-handling and risk-seeking appear convincingly nature based, and it is not hard to see how they might influence behaviour. However, I think the notion of 'free will', that is the ability to reason a response from abstract propositions or second hand information is good. There is ample evidence from research on stress and emotion that while they affect behaviour they are also capable of being managed and controlled by the conscious mind. Quite simply, you may inherit the tendency to alcoholism, you can be given booze from an early age, but you may recognise the horrible consequences of drinking, and go teetotal or even just be a kind-hearted drunk. I know both. Individuality: We exist as the flame on a matchhead. We illuminate, we change the world. but when the match burns out, we expire. So it was that Chesterton wrote: Know you what you shall lose this night, what rich uncounted loans? What heavy gold of tales untold you bury with my bones? My loves in deep dim meadows, my ships that rode at ease; Ruffling the purple plumage of strange and secret seas To see this fair earth as it stands, to me alone was given The blow that breaks my brow tonight shall break the dome of heaven The skies I saw, the trees I saw, after, no eye shall see Tonight I die the death of God - the stars shall die with me! One sound shall sunder all the spears, and break the trumpet's breath - You never laughed in all your life, as I shall laugh in death! Humanity: Yet at the same time, there are other matches being lit all the time. Thus so long as humans exist the universe as you know it is maintained, albeit not precisely unchanged. Your ideas may be passsed on. The advances of understanding we have made survive. This understanding and sophisticated thought is important, for the greater the weight of such understanding the greater the capacity for us to exercise free will over our nature and our nurture, through our own minds, and the assistance of science. Thus it seems to me self-evident that we must, irrespective of race or creed act in every way to avoid the extinction of the species.

I feel ashamed now about being so glib. Yes, it is more complex than just eating a lot, and I'd agree with what everyone has been saying. I also understand that ye might want to bulk out. However, the root of your problem is that you feel bad about how you look, and I'd suggest you come to terms with your metabolism at the same time as you do what you can to alter it. It sounds to me as if you're unlikely to effect a huge change, and there's no sense in being unhappy about what you can't 'fix'. As an aside from the weight issue, you could consider meditation as an aid to being more calm. I'm not one of those people who say it changes your life, but it's a handy life-skill, like being able to recite poetry or play the piano. Or kill people with post-it notes.

Well, as soon as my spies reported they had nukes, and wee building the space program that was it. they had been spying on me, and there was no way i was going to let them waltz off with a victory. Every city on the continent was instructed to produce nukes, and a frenzy of radiation later he had been properly nobbled. He got one nuke back, but the indentured labour of many campaigns cleared that up in no time. Incidentally, am I imagining things again, or does the AI get to 'cheat' in production and spying. I've never EVER managed to steal tech by spying, even including the huge costs of doing so against a rich opponent. Also, I've noiced that no matter how weedy a target city is, or how cut off from supply it is able to produce a fixed number of defenders for each turn, almost irrespective. Furthermore, when the zulus started producing their spaceship they were using tech that I knew for a fact they did not have, like superconductors. If this is the case then i find it extremely galling. What is the point in trying to be clever at all, if the AI can do this sort of rubbish?

I don't about fondest. The one that sticks with me would be playing Cyberpunk. Leaving aside the many comedic properties of invisible monofilament mesh. 1) Pursuing a rogue AI in a briefcase that had been stolen by Tuvalan mercs and suspected hidden inside a subterranean high security corp residence. Our midget techie genius was selected to go on recon. A surprised referee was informed we wanted to shop for some oshbegosh (2020) apparel, and a stuffed crocodile. The techie was dressed accordingly, and the crocodile (an actual real stuffed croc not a toy thanks to unclear instructions) was further enhanced with a broad spectrum of detection equipment and a stun gas grenade up its butt. The techie, who looked like a particularly angry and diseased child dragging an incredibly heavy stuffed crocodile, strolled past the cameras on the door, hotwired the mechanism and went inside, traipsing about talking to his 'toy' (really the rest of the team back in the van) and showing 'Mr Nibbles' various things like blocked off areas. Eventually, some of the mercs took exception to this malodorous runt staring at them, and dragged him into a lift to eject him from the premises. Standing there, crammed into the lift there is a Pink Panther moment as a hissing sound begins. first one merc then the other stare at each other. Then they stare down at the midget, and the midget stares at his crocodile who has clouds of yellow gas wafting from its butt. the mercs do a comedy double take, fail their poison checks, and slump to the floor.

Yeah. Sorry. Meta and I were just joshing, chief. Very good for morale. I know he's no racist. Nor am I (I hope). I had a choice of voortrekkers or Michael Caine. And the former won, since I figured few of you would have seen the film 'Zulu'. Ironically, the strategies I have been using in Civ are pretty much what Shaka himself would have done. At least according to the history books. Anyway, thanks for the advice, gents. Not sure about the nukes, though. remember that my main aim is to launch a crippling blow that will set back his production and research. So I was intending to use two conventional task forces of around ten inf. ten arty, eight tanks, and two cav. each. land them near a good target and just waste its errain and buildings. Throw in the nukes, and I'd expect to take his four main cities. Hold him at arms length for ten turns or so till he gets tired, then go back to peace. He won't catch up before the end of the game. I expect I shall have a bash anyway. Got to learn how to tackle late era opponents some time. May as well be now.

True Neutral: Mate, if I was like that I'd just carry right on with the beer and eating pies. And I would laugh a lot. Enjoy it. EDIT: I'm not like that, and am a chunky s.o.b., but eat pies, drink beer and laugh a lot anyway.

I know thatthe US military use a lot of modelling and simulations in all aspects, from weapons to training. Surely they must have some school programs running? Not sure how that would fit into game design. Possibly an after-Army beer and hawaiian shirts diploma would help? Note that game design doesn't always work out, and that way you'd have an alternative career path... Just a thought. Best of luck to all, regardless.

I know this sounds daft, but you've nothing to lose by just asking them for a copy. How much is a phonecall?

God help me. Why do I laugh?! :D

I think most of us have been lucky at some time or another. The simple fact we are here at all is testament to that. But extra luck is when you find a fifity pound note in the street, or have a papaer to write on a country and find yourself sharing a train carriage with a delegation from their leading university. Both of which are things that have happened to me. I've been kicked in the pants a few times, and maybe I'll get cancer or worse some day. But yeah, so far not too bad. The big question is, can you 'jinx' yourself?

Ender has a point, which I didn't mention. I pushed myself way to hard eventually, and injured my joints quite badly. I am still undergoing physio for it. However, keep your objectives gradual and give yourself time to adjust. Any progress is worthwhile. Also, if I was you I'd forget the objective of losing weight per se. So long as you are physically fit, and never get tired in daily life I'd say that was a good objective.

I have to chip in and say well done. People who have always been fit don't realise how hard it is to make the break into a completely different pattern and lose weight/get fitter. I made the jump from never having done any exercise to running and so on at 18. I have to admit that I cheated slightly by getting drunk then running around. It's probably a dumb idea, but it worked for me. I eventually graduated to running without the influence, and never looked back. Note: for some reason I still run around when I get really drunk. This is again pretty stupid. But it does save on cab fair.

Quick, deprive him of his award!

I personally opt for ditching the children from the equation. Children either confuse me, or bore me. On the few occasions they have been interesting they generally quickly move on to vomiting on me (this actually happens), or stabbing me in the legs (which doesn't actually happen, but I'm sure they'd like to, if I wasn't too wily for them). As the man Bill Hicks once said 'You're not a human being until you're in my phone book'.

I do think that the name the 'Ubiqtorate' has a nice ring to it.

Silence, you crazy voortrekker nutcase. Or I'll put the fething leeches on you, understand?

I'm with Deraldin and Alanschu. Close Combat III, the Russian Front for me. Or Dark Reign. dark reign had really superb combined forces possibilities. That is, you could try to do a given job with just one kind of unit, like tank rush. But a combined force, with good scouts and arty support could do it for a fraction of the 'price'. Throw in infantry in apcs, and snipers, and you have ...one hell of a hard game to control. But it was still very good.

Please tell me that isn't a real title. Actually, tell me it is! Always trust your imagination. It's usually much better than some fevered sweaty programmer can come up.