Hurlshort

Given that it isn't in closed beta yet (internal testing only, from what I heard), I'd call bull.

Yosemite is pretty much as majestic as it gets.

The Nile? What about man-made places like Machu Pichu and the Great Pyramids?

I find it hard to imagine any president not going into Afghanistan. There was a very pressing need for a response to 9/11, and the Taliban made it very clear that they were not going to work with the US on going after Al Queda.

Start with 5. They are both fantastic, but you might as well go with the latest and greatest. I know some folks nitpick the differences, but you will never notice them and Civ5 is simply an excellent game.

Apparently they make online browser games that look a bit like those popular Facebook games like Farmville and Mafia. Seems like he might have a bit of a reason to be biased here. I do see the subscription model changing in the near future, but I think it will always be a part of most AAA MMO's. For example, LotRO still has a very good amount of monthly subscribers, despite implementing a free to play and micro-transaction model.

Actually I'm not sure if Al Gore would have gone to Iraq. Afghanistan, for sure, but it is hard to say if another administration would have gone to Iraq. I'm not saying it is completely unlikely, but I can see more time being take before the commitment. Bush had a fairly aggressive foreign policy that I know Gore would not have had. John Kerry ran for president in 2004, so I don't know what he would have done, but the war was already in progress.

I have no idea what a tab is, so I guess not I'm really a total noob, I don't know how to read music, I don't know any of the terminology. Thankfully we have the internet and basically a wealth of stuff I can learn from. I think my tuner is a piece of junk. My droid phone seems to work better at picking up the sound, so I'm using an app, and a website that plays the sound to help me do it by ear. Also, GuitarSolo for the Droid is fantastic, it shows me how to do all the chords, so when I'm watching a video and I miss something, I just check it on my phone.

Don't worry. The first few chords are gonna be a little difficult but then it gets easier. Then harder again. Then easier. Then harder. Remember, fret each note with the tips of your fingers (not with the pads, or you'll accidentally mute other strings by touching them). Also, speed IS important. Don't feel like you've "mastered" a chord until you can transition to it without pause in between. Best way to practice this is to take your hand off the guitar, then fret the chord, take your hand off the guitar, fret the chord, repeat! Good luck! So far my biggest issue is buzzing when I fret a chord. So I need to work on my finger placement a bit. I wish there was more time in the day, I'm getting about an hour of practice and I'd like more.

ME2's inventory was excellent, a huge step away from the tedious inventory systems of the past. Although I get why packrats will be peeved.

What previews? All we've seen are people talking about demos at overcrowded conventions. That is hardly a good indicator for a game, particularly an RPG.

Cooking is also not something you need to be exact with (unlike baking). Just experiment with different seasonings and stuff. Lately I've really been enjoying cooking different cuts of meat. I got this set of awesome marinade sauce, and it is really good.

Flashback was awesome, I remember how cutting edge it was at the time.

Why haven't you bought the game yet, Slowtrain? GET IT NOW! Seriously though, it is fantastic.

Slowtrain is Crashgirl, by the way.

Cool stuff Hurlshot. Just remember, your fingers are going to hurt a lot. That's not a sign you should stop playing though, the more you abuse them the tougher they'll get and then you'll find they suddenly no longer hurt. That's what I've heard, although I heard electrical is not as hard on the fingers as acoustic. I also heard classical guitars (because of nylon strings or something?) are easier too, but my goal is electric so I figure no need to start on something different. Ideally, it's probably best to start on an acoustic because generally speaking they're harder to learn on, making the transition to electric seem pretty easy, but there's nothing wrong with starting on an electric. The best advice I can give you, as simple as it sounds, is not to give up. Every now and then (it happens more often when you're just starting out) you'll come across something that just seems impossible. For myself, I had a hard time learning barre chords. You'll find yourself saying "my fingers just won't move fast enough" or something along those lines, but the trick is to do everything very slowly, and very accurately. Anyone can build up enough dexterity to play the guitar, it may just take some longer than others. I found a nice deal for an electric with amp, strap, case, stand, and cord for $200, plus it came with four group lessons I can take in December. It's a Squier Strat, which I guess is the discount brand for Fender. So far I've been watching the DVD and trying to learn the first two chords. The hardest part has been tuning it, I got an auto tuner with the package but it seems to not work very well. I'm using youtube video to help as well. I'm pretty excited, but also overwhelmed by all the stuff I need to learn.

it just looks really bad... not what you expect from games in 2010. the animation is weird. not sure if that's a spoiler, but you can ride a horse and it's the worst horse animation I've seen in years. Uh, I disagree completely. It is fantastic looking and the animations were solid. Leaps and bounds above the original. It looks fairly similar to Risen, which I thought was a great looking game, with a few good improvements.

Looks good. Is the US release date still totally unknown?

If your biggest complaint about the game is people haven't picked up enough trash, you should try the most recent version of Waste Management Simulator. Just watch the Recycling exploit, you get way too much money from it.

Cool stuff Hurlshot. Just remember, your fingers are going to hurt a lot. That's not a sign you should stop playing though, the more you abuse them the tougher they'll get and then you'll find they suddenly no longer hurt. That's what I've heard, although I heard electrical is not as hard on the fingers as acoustic. I also heard classical guitars (because of nylon strings or something?) are easier too, but my goal is electric so I figure no need to start on something different.

This may sound really weird, but I'd put the Dragon Age universe in my top twenty list, but the game itself probably doesn't crack the top 50 for me. The reason is I really enjoyed the lore of the game and even read the two books. The second was a bit weak, but the first was really enjoyable. The big issue I have with DA:O is the Wardens. I don't really dig that entire aspect of the DA universe, and unfortunately it is the focal point of the first game. I'm excited about DA2 because I think it will be better simply because the Wardens aren't a focal point.

I have decided to learn how to play the guitar. I am trying to find a nice deal on a consignment electric guitar and an amp, nothing too fancy, there are a lot of ones out there for about $100. Then I'm going to take a group class in a couple weeks. I'm pretty excited about it.

I would say it is less a Republican movement and more of an anti-incumbent movement. I can see a lot of seats changing again in the next election if the country doesn't dramatically improve. It'd be nice to see politicians start working together regardless of political affiliation as well. Things are very vitriolic in DC right now, and I don't see how the government can achieve anything without good will and compromise.

She blames the teachers for the problems in education, and thinks merit pay and charter schools are the answer. Merit pay doesn't improve student performance. It is a stupid idea that people who don't really understand what goes on in a classroom come up with. Charter schools only work in a limited capacity. They are successful because the kids that get in to charter schools have parents who want them to be there. When you get a bunch of kids in a school with parents who don't care, you get a bad school, charter or no, merit pay or no, good teacher or bad.

Why? Because if it is implemented today it will put a bunch of small businesses out of work. We run a small trucking company in our family, and in order to bring our fleet of 4 trucks into line with the regulations, it would cost about $100,000. Given that we are already barely treading water in the slowed economy, we would have to close up shop immediately. The prop suspends it until the unemployment rate drops to 5.5%. Seems like a smart call to hold off on anything that will cause more jobs to be lost at this point.