Whitemithrandir

More strategically varied than Homeworld. Cap ships are less dominating. You can't mass anything and expect to win. Frigs without 'vette support get eaten alive by bombers, 'vettes without fighter support get dominated by frigs, supercaps without frigs get shot up by enemy frigs, etc. Also, the maps are much smaller than Homeworld maps, and resources get drained very quickly. This makes carriers much more important as mobile resource-escort bases. Resource ops are easier to defend than in Homeworld, since the resource drops (with the aid of static turrets sprinkled about them) can fend off most small bomber sorties and even ion frig jumps. Less strike craft management is needed, but more cap ship management is neccessary, compared to Homeworld. Tactics based on special weapons (grav well, cloak gen) tend to have a greater impact in battle than Homeworld (they're also much more expensive). Whereas in the original Homeworld you can essentially counter anything the enemy can throw at you by massing frigs/supercaps (assuming you outnumber the enemy), you can't in Homeworld 2. Scout, counter with the right units/strats, or lose.

Read these if you're really bored: ------------------------------------------------- http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books (The rest of the series suck) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books -------------------------------------------------------- Avoid like the black plague from hell: -------------------------------------------------------- http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books -------------------------- They're all mediocre at best, some are utterly unreadable. Read only if you're really really really bored or marooned on an island with nothing but star wars books. P.S.: Thrawn trilogy sucked.

Cut the drama guys. You can still talk about the game... ...Just at different place.

Team america.

Pane? Like window pane? I don't see why using chinese characters is inappropriate. The words are used correctly (unlike on some t-shirts).

Yes, as I have said. Pure comp sci won't make good living. Go for a minor.

For Computer Sci.? Don't really need a masters. Check the job market. If market is bad, Consider going graduate. Otherwise, no need.

Paintball is still fun. It plays just like counterstrike; Without the aimbots.

NWN MOVIE? What the hell are you smoking? Share it with me, please. To make a movie You first must have a fair plot. NWN does not.

Engineer/student. At Uni. of Michigan Having lots of fun.

Ps: T sigil Tattooed on my left shoulder One of my favorites.

Damn aliens are snooping around because they don't have a green card.

uh... Engineers?

Go the path of Engineering, young padawan. Pure sciences are pointless.

It's that time of the year again, all you aspiring young engineers or creative folks with a knack for imagination! 3M has announced the premier topic for their upcoming engineering competition for university engineering students. I just got the chubby manila envelope full of goodies from them today, and the topic looks to be nice and juicy, something I'm sure people would have a lot of fun with, so I thought I'd share it with y'all, and see what kind of creative ideas this forum can come up with! No engineering degree needed - creativity is where it's at for this one! The problem: In the immediate future, as tensions between nations escalate, the world fears the worst of possibilities: nuclear holocaust, and it might occur as soon as two years! So it's up to you, the head of a major corporation with moderate amounts of resources at your disposal, to design a completely isolated capsule capable of keeping four people alive in relative comfort for the duration of their natural lifetime. Assume hostile environment with radiation. The solution: You decide! It's completely up to you! Solution entries must require <blah blah blah>. Here, I'll summarize it for ya: Location: Where's the shelter going to be located? Above ground? Underground? Space? Bulk Material: What makes up the walls? Titanium? Concrete? Plastic? Ceramic? Power Source: Where is the electricity going to come from? Nuclear reactor? Fossil fuel generator? Natural source like wind or a waterfall? Maybe solar winds? Sustenance: What are the people going to eat? Small vegetable garden? Stockpile of canned food? Waste disposal: Where's the waste going to go? Ejected outside? Vacuumed? Recycled? Kept in a storage chamber somewhere? Preparations for Exodus: Years (or generations) down the road, you might wish to leave your shelter. Should you keep a radio in case someone is alive out there? A geiger counter? A periscope? A system of cameras? Minor luxuries: Will you include a nintendo system? A TV with Gilligan's Island re-runs on tape? Perhaps a lava lamp or a chess set? The solutions will be judged based on: Will it survive the initial impact of warheads? Are the inhabitants going to be in relative comfort? Is there enough room to manuever? Is the quality of sustenance enough to sustain a healthy life? Is it feasible based on current technology and a time span of two years? ____________________________________________ There ya go! You can post your own ideas about this fallout-esque engineering problem or just ignore it as spam! Up to you!

Althernai pretty much covered it, so I'll just throw you this awesome java applet that might help you understand better: http://physics.syr.edu/courses/modules/LIG...winParadox.html It's an applet given to me by a friend of mine at the Syracuse university.

Cosmos: wrong zhi. The zhi you're using is first tone and means to know. 知 as used in "知道" which means to know. The noun form, zhi hui, uses a different zhi and a different hui: This one: 智慧, which is a noun most aptly meaning "wisdom". "知惠" does not exist, and writing it will probably get you kicked out of most chinese kindergartens on the account you're a stupid foreign captalist pig writing in a mockery of the native language. - your chinese lesson of the day, courtesy of Mithie.

Haha. Not surprised. Lucas lost his touch long ago. Now he just plain sucks.

EVERYTHING aside, Mr. Cosmos (rest assured, I'll get to your bulky posts in due time, but I've got a conference in 20 minutes) selective breeding is *NOT* natural. You think two animals of different species ENJOY having forced sex? No. Usually, selective breeding involves serums to sedate the animal, or since after 1920, with a syringe and artificial insemination. (That's for animals). As for plants, selective breeding usually ends up with failures. In fact, only one in somewhere around 100 products actually survive. So no, selective breeding isnt' natural... at all...

Do you now. Actually, all released GM products have met with FDA approval and I'm sure they know a lot more about the technology than you or I do. Name one claim that has substantiated when clearly it violates scientific principles. There are a number of such "theories" and "prophecies" throughout history. Nostrodamus, Anticithus, Red Star, etc, etc. Name one of these theorests that has come to any amount of fruition. Google turns up nothing. What are you talking about? His hand "radiates" energy huh. Pray tell, what exactly does this energy *do*? Or for that matter, who can see it or detect it? What sort of energy is it? I can claim my pinky radiates energy too, but that would be a lie. Really. That's very strange. It wouldn't be anything like http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/001283.html would it? OMG ARE YOU TEH SEKRAT GOVERNMENT AGENT MAN? No, it's true that Bush is asking 2.5 million people to pray for his win... I fail to see how this substantiates prayer as a substitute for medicine. Until recently, the Chinese government outlawed open march protests. Gee, I guess picket protesting is a mystic power too. No. Ghost dances is a social activity among native americans. The government feared a congregation of so many Indians would lead to rebellion. Hence the ban. Read history sometime, will ya? Hey, gee, if 5 drug addicts surrounded my home taking their clothes off and shouting stuff I'd call the cops too. Look, it's the PENTAGON building, a core governmental institute of the US. WTF do you expect the government to do? Clap? Nevermind the hippies could be carrying bombs inside their tie dye shirts. In any other country, if some guys started doing weird stuff around a central government institute, they'd BE SHOT. What? I don't consider telepathy to be a neccessary pseudoscience, as I've stated MANY TIMES in your other threads. Once again, there are differences between hoaxes and actual research. Mrs. Cleo is clearly a hoax. Sub-neural Tunneling Theory is not. It's sketchy, yes, but it's founded on solid physics. I fail to understand your example. Mind reading isn't considered telepathy by modern science, by the way. Modern theories on telepathy focuses on pre-recognition. Mind-reading without aid has long been deemed an impossibility since we think in analog. "infant stages"? Buddy, the NAZI's had paranormal divisions. Hell, screw the NAZI's, there were serious paranormal research groups dating back to GALILEO'S time (against church doctrine of course). The Lynx society (of which Galileo was a part of) released manuscripts on parascience. Hey, guess what? 5 centuries later, NOTHING. Nuh uh, not a damn thing. Hey, I've had personal experiences too. Nearly everyone's had paranormal experiences in their lives. The difference between you and I is, whereas you go looking for fanciful explainations which fit almost *too* well to your experiences but without the neccessary buttress of reason behind it to create an entire "science" out of nothing, while I persue a life of reason rooted in 5000 years of human knowledge and observations to further the future. You're taking the easy, but sadly incorrect, way out. That's a quote from John Palmer, right? It defintely sounds like him. Yeah, he spoke here for our solar car foundation, as he has a friend on the team (nephew, I think?) who's a good friend of mine. I acutally had dinner in the same ballroom as him when I went to duke university for a seminar. We shared a few words, and he called me a "nice kid" which I remember getting somewhat irate about. He's a good professor, or so I hear from his students, and certainly a talented researcher. Do you happen to know him? See, this is the point. Dr. Palmer never mentioned prana ANYWHERE in any of his lectures or seminars, or even a sort of intangible energy. He's a scientist who uses the scientific method in an obscure field. Prana would be the PERFECT explaination for most of his theories and publications and would be his strongest support, but he doesn't even mention it. This is because he knows the difference between philosophy and science, and HE WON'T TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT! Instead, his publications are filled with concrete examples and data, that although don't support his theories very well, still presents interesting new views to the community. I suggest you read his latest book about psychological algorithms in solitaire. Congratulations on your religion. Tell dalai lama I said Hi. I agree. Dogs aren't as intelligent as we are and certainly won't know the truth if you yell it in its ear. It'll just bark and waggle its tail happily waiting for you to throw the stick. So how does this pertain to me? Acutally, if you want to take the quote less literally, the "dog" would probably mean you: someone who believes in everything he hears just because it happens to explain something that occured without looking for evidences of concrete truth. The ignorant one here is you. Please do. I'm here all day. Got any more quotes you'd like me to rip apart?

There are trade sanctions/restrictions on GM food but not because it's been proven to be unsafe in consumption. Firstly, it's still a new field, having only a little over 9 years to work out the kinks, and I mean really, who knows if there'll be long term malignant effects in consuming this stuff? So the geneticists are being very careful, and releasing only the strains that they're 100% sure to be safe to the public market. Secondly, GM'ed crops aren't perfect; for every gene changed, there are those effects you want, then there are certain side effects that you don't want. For example, bananas are, well, largely a good source of potassium. However, a certain GM'ed strain of bananas, though able to grow in less tropical regions of the world, has a significantly lowered concentration of potassium (as well as some other nutrients) offset by a higher amount of fiber, an unfortunate side effect of GM'ing. So these bananas tend to not only taste terrible, but don't really offer a very good source of vitamins and minerals. So they're being used as supplement for horse feed. It goes two ways, of course. There are strains of genetically modified hay that taste like sugar cane and is being used as a substitute sugar in medicine for diabetic patients. So the GM strains are being catagorized by their use; Some have lots of vitamins and minerals and is good for you, while others are high on fiber and good for horses. Thirdly, GM'ed crops, like every innovation, faces economic barriers. Certain strains of GM'ed crops are nearly impossible to create, costing millions of dollars for just one acre of product. Others are ridiculously cheap to create, costing as little as a penny per pound. With these ridiculously large price ranges, sanctions and restrictions have to be placed on their trade to 1. Balancing agricultural economy; we don't want America to get wheat cheap while Singapore has to pay an arm and a leg for the same wheat. 2. Humanitarian aid; we don't want a large nation like America to buy up all the GM'ed wheat leaving Ethiopia, who REALLY needs it, to continue starving because they can't outbid a large nation like the US. 3. Stop monopolizing corporations; GM techonology is a world effort, and it should stay as such. Putting sanctions on the trade would limit the amount of corporate involvement and keep the distribution fair while still controlled. In fact, GM'ed crop trading is on the top of the UN's ECOSOC agenda. The regulations are changed and revised every year.

Dakky: GM crops by definition is genetically altering the crop by manipulating the genetic makeup of the crops by adding and deleting certain genes. For example: in Ethiopia, there's a harsh strain of weed which competes with wheat crops for nutrients, releasing a toxin into the soil making the wheat crops wither and die. However, corn crops are immune to this toxin. Unfortunately, Ethiopia's weather doesn't allow corn to grow. So we identify the genetic trait in corn that resists the toxin, extract this portion of the gene, graft it to the DNA chain of some harmless virus carrier, and infect the wheat crops with the carrier virus. The virus attacks the wheat cells, and injects the grafted DNA into the wheat DNA. One generation later, the wheat becomes immune to the toxin and productivity rises. Farmers used to accomplish pretty much the same thing prior to 1994 via crossbreeding. But crossbreeding takes time; four or five generations at least is needed to get a desired trait to exhibit itself (nearly impossible if the trait was rare and recessive). For every day the crops don't grow, people die of starvation. GM food accomplishes the same thing in a single generation. So far, there's been no issues with GM'ed food being consumed.

A draft is good fun! Sail along the seven seas... Get shot in the head...

Dear, once again you're taking criticism as animosity, but let's not dwell. It's strange how my education supplies fuel for your theories, because so far, the only fuel your theories run on is hot air. Most theories at least contains a shred or two of evidence or support. Yours contain none, hence the accusation of "pseudoscience". Yes, everything is possible, but some are vastly *improbable*. Show me how some of your theories can exist and I'll concede. Here, let me illustrate to you the concepts of possibility and improbability: Humans evolving into higher organisms is possible, because looking at fossil records dating back to the cro magnons and the australopithecus africanus', we can see how the process could be forwarded because there's a *precedence*, there is *support*. Humans evolving into beings containing some sort of mysterious *energy* is highly improbable, because not only is there no precedence of such an evolution, it's wholly contradicting with the current theories and past laws where biology is concerned. Secondly, this theory is so magnificently vague. Energy? What do you mean energy? I'm a charismatic speaker. When I walk to speak in front of an audience, I feel *energetic*. Is that the energy you're talking about? When I down a Bally Protein Shake, ATP production gets fueled and goes nuts, popping energy throughout my body. Is that the energy you're talking about? The latter is pseudoscience because it comes from nowhere, and it'll go nowhere. Here's a tome of wisdom, I'd suggest reading it. Either that or repeat 3rd grade reading comprehension class. And just so Phosphor doesn't close this thread for flaming, I'll include a to give you the slightest hint that the above statement could be a joke. No. I think reality is perfectly exciting. It's so exciting, in fact, that I don't need to generate supernatual theories to prove myself to be the unique vessel to some ancient plume of energy. Yes, I've keenly kept track of all your threads because your theories always turn out so ridiculous. Am I stalking you? Probably. It's a message board, I've been here a while, if some of my posts happen to be directed at you... get used to it. So.... they're improbable? I'm glad we agree. No, I'm... annoyed because when faced with supernatural theories and proven science, you choose the former while shunning the latter. AH... HA!!! Great, perfect. My favorite topic: Eastern Philosophy. In fact, I minored in Eastern Studies. (Electrical Engineering and Eastern Studies Mith? Ha! That's an odd combination!) Open a topic about it and I'll gladly discuss it with you; just don't mix philosophy with science. Very poetic. Excellent rhetoric. Chief Seattle was perhaps the greatest native american orator along with Tenskawatawa and Running Bull. Wanna discuss philosophy and poetry? Sure! Just don't put it in the same breath as science *or* reality. Science fiction is more often than not grounded on hard principles. This is why Star Wars isn't science fiction. Let's take a look, Mr. Cosmos, at one of the more famous science fiction novel(ettes) of our time: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. In this novel, he speak of a race of people, the Pequinos. One of their life cycles involves being a tree, becoming part of a forest, part of nature. This is not dissimilar to your theory of a universal horde of spirits between humans and trees and animals... However, Orson Scott Card puts out a hypothesis deeply rooted in genetics and creates a world such that Pequinos life cycle fits in it perfectly. In fact, their life cycle would be the logical evolution concerning their environment. Your theory, Mr. Cosmos, is rooted on nothing but imagination. Scientific evolution doesn't move in leaps and strides, Mr. Cosmos. Breakthroughs do occur, but they are always deeply rooted in previous laws and theories. How can you say in the future a science developed on such laws and theories which *your* theories blatantly contradict can evolve to support them? Haha, good jokes. I don't think you're a loon; I think you're a misguided person who has trouble separating philosophy and reality. Yeah, okay. GM (Genetically Modified) crops are clearly labled, and has been proven many times to be safe for consumption. I personally prefer the taste of naturally grown food, mostly because a couple of years ago I tried cooking a GM chicken and turned out horrible. Hint people, don't try to follow a recipe from Martha Stewart when it calls for a normal chicken while you, being the smartass, used a GM chicken. I think GM crops is a neccessary step forward for the planet, when population is increasing at a rapid rate while arable land remains stagnant. I think GM crops is the clearest route to make most of the arable land we have to support the growing people. In fact, the UN depends on GM crops in their humanitarian missions in many parts of eastern Africa and the middle east, because GM crops are perhaps the only way to get the starving population to grow and sustain their own food. I'm (mostly) ambivalent on the issue of animal experimentation. In fact, in MOST of the cases (media propaganda aside), animals are not harmed at all during experiments. In certain biology fields (high school biology classes for one) there's a rule saying all animals must be disposed of in a clean and humane manner after use. But those are minorities. GIVES itself to the predator? I dunno about you, but back in China, when I had to kill a chicken or turtle so dinner could be served, the thing usually fought like hell. I still have a scar on my left wrist from where a turtle bit me. Yay. _________________ The Mith-Cosmos FAQ: Q: Mith, why do you waste your time replying to my posts in such a spectacular fashion? A: Because if I have something to say, I feel it's better to say it to its fullest extent. Q: Mith, are you stalking me? A: No. Q: Mith, why don't you get a life instead of trying to piss me off with your stubborness? A: I'm at the library. My professor's going to lunch for the next three hours. I've got a few simulations running on Matlab that probably won't be done in a couple of hours, and there are no females in the Engineering school. Q: Mith, That's a pretty long post. How long did it take you? A: 10 minutes. Q: Mith, are you the Anti-christ? A: Probably. But then, maybe not.