Nightblade

Burn what? Please explain. Me stupid Norwegian.

Even if it's the male's job to do this, what happens when one always fails in his attempts to court the lady of his dreams? Then you lower the standards and hit on the not-so-beautiful woman instead. I used to complain that women never made a move on me, until my friend's little sister told me: "I want you". She embraced me, and I stood there, like a petrified golem. I've never been so shocked in my life. Now I can't complain about women never taking initiativ anymore. *ack* Excuses are like a$$holes, everybody's got one.

Man, that's deep. I'd better watch out for needles. lol

'A lie' is a bit simple. From what I understand, we're all a result of hundreds of years of cultivation and breeding, trained in different ways, to see society and our own place in society in a special context. All our 'significant others' tell us who we are, teachers, parents and people with authority. All this did something to our minds, and led us to a point where we are trained to perceive the world in a certain way. According to the teacher I like to listen to, this is not the natural way. It's something artificial. The purpose of the Buddhist practice, is as I see it, to dissolve this artificiality in behaviour and perception. The end-result is a clear mind, where you see everything without distortion. I wouldn't say that any of this is a 'lie'. It has lead to the idea of an 'I', which is a very real mental-concept for most people. But according to those who no longer cling to the idea of an 'I', it's a concept you can do without, as it leads to nothing but trouble and suffering. Some call this 'concept' an 'illusion', a 'lie' etc. As for my take on it. I read and put together ideas from different traditions, and then create my own world-view. Then I discard it the next week, when I read something else. I've been going on like this for the last decade. It's fun to be an amateur-philosopher, but it's not very good zen-practice. Clinging to any mental-concept is a 'no-no' for those who wants to see their own true nature directly, at least when you practice. One places ones 'I' in this world-view that one develops, which makes the concept of 'I' even more complicated and complex. The best practice is just to be completely quiet, and pay attention to the breath, and your surroundings..

Do you brush your teeth because you desire white beautiful teeth? Most people do it because it's a necessity. After you've practiced zazen for a few years, you do it without much desire. You do your daily mental "cleaning" because it helps you maintain a certain clarity. When zen becomes a daily practice, and you see how hard it is to change, the desire for bliss or enlightenment slowy diappears, and you're left with a stable and down-to-earth everyday activity. People who desire bliss or enlightenment misunderstand. What they really desire is an end to their problems and mental blocks, which can lead to greater openess and a more fulfilling life. What really drives a zen-buddhist is great doubt and great determination. These qualities aren't born from desire, they're a curse that you're either born with, or develop during life. If you're into zen b/c you desire change/bliss/enlightenment, you'd better change your routines instead. Zazen isn't going to make you happier. Actually it's mostly the other way around. You become more depressed when you start seeing how wrong you were, and how miserable your really are.

All I want to hear is that it was all a big joke, and that they're really making BG3. YAY! Oh well.. I guess I'll have to play KOTOR 1 now.. Gonna be SW threads here for a year. If you can't beat them, join them.

They're going to work on this to February 2005? I guess we won't be seeing any good sword&sorcery crpgs in a while then. <_<

Seems to me that Zapatero now gives AQ exactly the reaction they were hoping for. He withdraws from Iraq, and starts to criticize the US. He shouldn't have done that imho. I believe it'll only encourage AQ to continue their crusade in other countries.

$3000+ ? They'd better throw in one mean mother LCD monitor as well then.

Well I'm not going to see it because I'm a Jeebus freak, but I want to see what has upset prominent jewish leaders so much. Have to see what all the fuzz is about, being a student of Comparative Religion and all..

This is a must-see movie. I only hope it will have subtitles, as I don't speak arameic. Gibson has actually considered showing it WITHOUT subt. Nuts.

22? Not bad. Big boy then. Make a wish. (Better be BG3, or else .. )

I already emphasized several times that I don't dload stuff to punish developers. What's there to laugh at? An uptight little boy called Volourn accusing me of being immoral, b/c I test games before I buy them,.. now that's worth a chuckle.

Sweet

The story about the 47 ronin is for romantics. Go see Seppuku instead.

I've seen quite a few screeners and DVD copies bought in south-east Asia, and 90% of it couldn't compete with an original copy. I think most people, locals and tourists, would purchase an original disc, instead of a piracy version, if prices weren't so high. Both movies and games. Personally I don't own any piracy products.

Tell it to the thousands of kids playing Grand Theft Auto.

People don't complete games if they decide it's not worth their time. At least I don't.

True. I wouldn't have had to borrow ToEE from a friend to check it out. I could have dloaded the demo to see that I didn't like it. So I agree with you there, when there is a fairly large demo, there is no excuse for copying/dloading it.

We're not talking about piracy. At least, I'm not. (Of course, maybe you weren't replying to my post, in which case, please excuse the quote). Dloading a game and testing it, or borrowing it from a friend, maybe copying the CD's, testing it to see if you like it, is as I see it, a necessity. How would you feel if you bought ToEE for 70 US dollars, just to find out you think it stinks after half-an hour. Piracy is big distribution, copying games to sell them cheaper than your local distributor. That's a no-no.