taks

well, not really. it is really not much different than when they go back to the merc store in NWN1. the difference is that you don't have to strike up a conversation to bring them back along. they are still sort of "part of the group" w.r.t. story and all that, but only when you're back at the inn. taks

fortunately, a good supply is probably only $100 or so online, and if you get a big one, you can use it for years. taks

yeah, which translates to somewhere in the 300 W range realistically. hope that solves your issue. it was for this particular reason that i went to the tru-power supplies from antec. at least i knew what i _really_ had pumping juice to my system. taks

LOL! taks

i don't agree with that. there are story reasons to do so. even in movies you see many situations of the sort "joeschmoe adventurama is going with you as a guide. you'll have to learn to like him for the trip." as long as you have an option to boot said NPC after his "role" is completed, i don't mind it. taks

if it is in the quickcast menu (hit "f"), you can cast it. multiple copies of the same spell show a little number in the corner of the icon. in your spellbook (hit "b"), however, you are correct, it is impossible to tell from what i gather. i don't know how this works with sorcerors, though i would expect all of your spells are shown, with the same number in each. taks

you don't have to keep him long. in fact, there is only one part that you _really_ need bishop, at the end of ember where you meet marcus. there is a specific reason for this. once you leave ember, go back to the sunken flagon and dump the ass if you wish. i did. i'm gonna keep bishop next run, btw. he's killer with a bow. taks

not much of a difference other than pay. the TAs typically are on some sort of "fellowship" which means free classes and not much money. i have no interest in such a fellowship as i am a working engineer. this class, should i choose to accept it (MI), will be a time killer. comm 1 is taught after both circuits classes, and an intro to signals and systems, so natural selection has already taken its toll on the students. compulsory classes are probably more of a pain. taks

yes and no. since electrical engineering is such a diverse field, with probably a dozen valid "sub-fields," you often get kids taking the class as a requirement, even though they don't intend to follow up with the class as a career choice. that said, this class is an elective, so you're correct that i'll have students that want to be there. i'm not sure UCCS has fraternities. it is more of a commuter school (though 8000 students or so). all the trust-fund fratbags (we refer to them as fraternities, btw. ) are up at CU-Boulder (same school system). taks

well, OK. that would mean 1 in 10 folks in the US are evangelicals. given that i live in an _extremely_ religious community (more on that below), and i know none, i find their number to be a bit of an exaggeration. of course, i'm an engineer and my social life revolves around a pool-hall, neither of which are magnets for evangelicals. colorado springs is where teddy "i only got a back rub from him and i didn't snort the meth" haggard resides. in fact, his building, the New Life Church, is NEXT DOOR TO ME. yup, i'm probably 500 yards from their building... the lot immediately next to us is the "New Life Expansion Property." boy those folks are busy. they do a lot of praying. you should see the huge temporary "tent" they put up in the parking lot. apparently the massive building they reside in is not enough. granted, these are good people and the do a lot for the community, but whoa... taks

the unfortunate consequence of running for office is that the politician must adhere to the party platform rather consistently on major issues (major as seen by the party) in order to get funded. it's a catch-22 of sorts. most republicans really don't care about embryonic stem cell research and abortion, and certainly don't agree with intelligent design (most that i know on the latter, believe in evolution but god is still hanging around, i.e. god may have kicked it all off, but it was evolution that got us where we are). as a result, the only candidates you see are polarized by the far-right "official" platform of the party as a whole. taks

my sentiments exactly. well, "socially liberal" as well as "economically liberal." oddly, "liberal" as it applies to economics means capitalist. we yanks have perverted their meanings... taks

this is the same as saying that everyone should vote party line. if a voter truly thinks for himself, he'll vote based on who he thinks is the best candidate for the job overall, regardless of a few stray ideals. taks

i don't think any generalization really holds true. certainly there are more republicans that are against these things than democrats, but the rule does not hold for everyone. based on country voting records, more than just party liines are voting against gay marriage. many churches openly allow gays as pastors/preachers, etc., and i'm willing to be more than a few of those people are republican. as for pre-marital/non-marital sex... heck, not many at all care about that anymore. abortion isn't necessarily restricted to GOP opposition, either. taks

actually, i think it was more of a joke to highlight the point about high-level loot lying around for anyone to take. nope, it sure didn't in HotU. but that was epic level anyway so there were no worries about good gear. dang them bandits had some kewl stuff. taks

where'd you get the 30 million figure from? taks

i'm 38. taks

i'm not sure if congrats are really in order, but thanks. the school needs lecturers for lower level classes and i'm a phd student that's finished with classes and a) i've taken nearly every comm/signal processing class available and b) i've been doing comm/signal processing professionally for 11 years. no-brainer i suppose. i've heard teaching forces you to pick up on all the minutae that you normally don't use. you have to be able to answer all the seemingly innocuous questions and put them in terms a noob understands. it'll be a lot of work, but i think it will help in the long run. the book i'll probably be using was written by my current advisor along with my MS co-advisor (not my decision, but i'd pick it anyway). as a result, i'm very familiar with the material and probable course outline. taks

yes. fear my results. of course, these are all 20/21 year-old "kids," so it's not like i'm shaping their conscience or anything. taks

well, i got 7500 gold or so out of the chest in aldonon's manse. in general, however, you're right. there's not really much to loot in that respect. of course, the flip side was gold in every barrel, on every shelf, lying on the ground in NWN1/BG (yet there were beggars...???). i recall someone finding what amounted to an artifact level treasure in a barrel once, too. hehe... taks

this is why i'm a libertarian. if the democratic party would ever drop the nanny gov't attitude, and learn economics, i'd be all over it. of course, you're doing the same thing you accuse the conservatives of... pushing your "modern society" agenda/morals on them. just because YOU think that's the best way, does not make it so for everyone. oh, and thinking that the US could ever become a theocracy is the worst slippery slope ever. taks

hehe, my advisor just asked me to teach Communications Theory I next semester. as if the world wasn't strange enough already. the first comm class is probably junior level (i think that's when i took it) though it is an elective here (it was required where i got my undergrad). that's good because i'll only have kids that are willing to take the class... hopefully. taks

oh, sort of the "whack, drink, whack, drink" endless loop, eh? bummer. taks

yeah, he just got kidnapped. i saved the day but missed him (yeah, i know, he was already gone, simply roleplaying). then i proceeded to loot his house. ay caramba! i liked the risk in BG games better as you could not just willy-nilly steal from anyone without encountering a guard or four on occasion. hence why i am not too happy being the do-gooder that i have become. taks

thirsty damn NPCs, aren't they? i'm betting they get hit for 2 HP and down a cure critical to heal it. taks