taks

with very few exceptions, sequels typically underperform the original. this goes for movies, too. bioware is in a unique position in that they have the clout to develop their own IP now (or at least branch off with IP that has never been developed for crpgs). this allows them to avoid sequelitis (which causes pigeonholing) and always release fresh ideas. at least, fresh in the sense that their ideas aren't necessarily a follow-on to something previous. for bioware, this is good as they don't have to be judged against previous releases. BG2 was compared to BG1, for better or worse. Kotor 2 was compared to Kotor 1. NWN 2 will be compared to NWN 1. Oblivion will be compared to Morrowind... see the trend? sometimes it works (Morrowind compared to Daggerfall is a good example) but not always (Fallout 2 is usually compared less than favorably to Fallout 1). taks

yah, i knew that. hehe, knew that, too, but haven't read it in years. nope, eulogy is about christ. "you claim you would die for me, why then are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy" taks

kinda like saying "is moveon.org for real" silly comments guys... taks

bill hicks' comment about record albums is the beginning of a track on the eulogy album by tool. one of the last tracks on the CD, can't recall which exactly. taks

where? who are you referring to? taks

oh, btw, on topic, there's a big deal about this going on in aspen right now. apparently the area has decided that it is already rich and snooty enough. at $650/night in a comfort inn near the base of ajax in the off season, you'd think they'd be worried about other things than some rich folks and their big houses. taks

it's about $120/sq. ft. out here in colorado springs... with the average somewhere in the $250k range for a 2000 sq. ft. home with an unfinished basement. that includes land and all your hook-up fees (which are expensive). finishing the basement is about the best deal because it only costs $25/sq. ft. and actually returns better than 1:1 if you do it when you build. denver, however, is ridiculous. the same $250k house up there (say, in littleton) is probably $350k and it gets worse in some neighborhoods (cherry creek area). taks

i should have said "these aren't fair statements" as they imply a lack of precision which is not necessarily true... polls fall apart when there is an underlying bias that is unknown to the poll taker. this could be a result of when the poll is taken or even a result of the questions themselves, which are often written to force certain types of answers (good poll takers go out of their way to create unbiased questions, though they still creep in). taks

that wasn't my point, eldar. the part that i was getting at is that "they only use a tiny slice" as stated by you was meant to imply increased uncertainty. this is not necessarily true, and not a statement of fact. taks

statistically speaking, it only takes a few dozen people to get a decent representation of very large populations. certainly, however, the larger the sample size, the easier it will be to make various claims. also, the confidence interval can become increasingly smaller with larger sample sizes, but larger sizes do not necessarily guarantee better results. however, saying "500 is a good number" or "polls only survey a tiny slice" really aren't valid statements. first of all, randomness is key in any poll. second, removal of bias, which is pretty complicated and sometimes a subjective art. the sample set is often biased for a variety of reasons, and knowing how to remove that bias is key to valid numbers. in the end, as noted, the numbers from polls are only as good as those conducting the polls and analyzing the results. polling organizations that post their exact methodology typically will be providing better conclusions than those that don't, IMO. taks

oh, as for worst sounding languages... dunno. i'd have to think about it. slavic languages, though similar in sound to harsh germanics, seem awkward at times... hard to say if it is a "bad" sound, however. taks

rumor has it that english is one of the hardest languages to learn. the grammar rules have too many exceptions, which fails logic.... whether or not that correlates to sounding nice or not is beyond me given that it is my native language. i personally dig germanic languages and, at one point, could read and write german rather well (spoke it so-so). nothing hotter than some chick with a thick german accent and tight bu... er, never mind. my son is learning spanish, which should be good for living in colorado. taks

and surrender. taks

if i'm not mistaken, this has been debated in the past... taks

it's just soooo easy to pick on him... taks

uh, hate to tell you but that was originally granted by carter in 1980, 9 years before tianamen. a measure that was also extended by clinton two years later and was supported by democrats even at the time... do you really have any idea the nonsense you spout? taks

you're allowed to make one recording of anything (there's an act, cannot remember the name, passed years ago for this very purpose). however, you are not legally allowed to distribute the file(s). taks

unless you live in a big city. also, when i was in vancouver, BC last year it seemed like they had a really good bus system going on. a bit unsightly due to all the cables stretched across the streets, but definitely functional and effective. taks

can't do that here. at least, not very well. denver maybe, and they have light rail going in, too, which should increase the options. i'm going back and forth to school twice a week, too, which makes public transportation all but impossible. taks

vipers are surprisingly affordable, too... well, they end up around $85k after the guzzler tax and markup, but still not bad considering comparable performance from any other company will set you back in the 100s... taks

yah, i realized you said 180%, not 100% after i posted... ugly indeed. i'm liking the GT-R, but there's no way i'll ever own one. owning a child precludes any more "non-functional" toys until... hmmmm. 18 years old i suppose. oh well, the child is worth it. tak

ok, here's the linky to the Infiniti GT-R... it is, as i mentioned earlier, a hyped up G35 based on nissan's skyline race car... taks

sammael, i'm a countach fan myself... of course, some of the new ferraris are pretty hard to beat. at $250k average, however, i need to really work on that lottery retirement if i ever want to own one! taks

ah, gotcha. wasn't sure about that last bit. so a $50k car, for example, has a $50k registration fee? sheesh... that's a bit steep. and then the registration fee is taxed, too? uh, double taxation? i hope your mass transit system works well... how does anybody own even cheapie cars? taks

the idea that aid only entrenches corrupt regimes is slowly gaining ground in political discussions that i've been reading. unfortunately, what are the options when milliions are starving and dying? granted, everyone in here knows full well that i rarely, if ever, support welfare of any kind. however, i do have my exceptions and i don't necessarily call aid to someone that is dying and unable to work welfare (but that's another discussion). now we just need some rational ideas on how we can keep the aid getting to the people without lining the pockets of the criminal elements (often their elected leaders) and at the same time, encouraging these people to start producing for themselves (uh, the solution is obviously much more complex than "encoragement"). of course, i always liked sam kinnison's idea: give 'em luggage. tell 'em to move. taks