Hurlshort

My wife is no gamer, but I managed to get her into WoW. It's such an easy game to learn on. She doesn't play more than a couple times a month, but it's fun to have it in common. Of course, I pay for the account Relationships require personal space and an understanding of each other's different hobbies. My wife has always supported me in my gaming and hockey, and I've always supported her in dancing and I let her watch bad TV shows. It's very healthy, we don't need to be side by side just because we are at home together. We function as individuals and as a couple. But I get the MMO addiction thing. The main concept to keep in mind is that it's the journey, not the end result, that really matters in an MMO. Don't let anyone tell you different. Reaching the highest level is a short term joy, and if it's all you focus on, you will feel burned out at the end. However, exploring new areas and completing difficult encounters are memories that tend to stick with me much longer. There is also the social aspect. Much like these boards, there are people I play MMO's with that I consider friends, even if I've never met them personally.

You'd be surprised how many 'bad teachers' I've run across. But it's not just a matter of how good or bad the teacher - no matter what their answer, it's likely to sound like "It just does" to me. My brain is very visual and I just can't visualize abstract formulas & explanations. It takes an exceptional teacher to make me do that. Most don't have the time, even if they have the know-how. Luckily, higher math isn't a requirement for social survival. I wouldn't be surprised. Teachers are, more often than not, incompetent. What annoys me is the amount of people that blame mathematics for the teacher's failings. Thanks Pid, I got all warm and fuzzy over that. Teacher are, more often than not, facing some pretty stiff obstacles when trying to educate the youth. The fact is, the resources are available for LadyCrimson to go out and find why that equation exists. Go to the library, open up a book, and educate yourself. Or did a teacher never show you how to do that? I'm not harping on LadyCrimson for not doing so, in fact I admire her honesty about the way she learns and that she has taken some of it on herself. It's a decision she made. Personally I know I'm a mess with math. I can figure stuff out, but I don't have the know-how to teach it. I have 180 students come through my class every day. I'm supposed to teach them about 1200 years of history all over the globe. It's not easy. Time is a serious impediment, and if a student doesn't pursue extra help, it's unlikely they will get it. Blaming the teacher is a total cop out. People don't fail in life because they have lousy teachers, they fail in life because they aren't taking responsibility for their own education. It's hard to admit this as a teacher, but we are really just tools in the development of a persons life. We are only as effective as the student's who use us. Sure, I can push the beautiful cycle that is human history, but I know the majority of my students will only remember about 3% of what I taught them in 5 years. Anyways, I'm getting off track. It's the end of the year, and I'm tired and cranky.

I happened to be in Saudi Arabia in 1991 while in the military. One of the Saudi air traffic controllers (British educated as it happens) once told me that if a Sunni and Shi'a were to meet on a road and Allah told each that the other was the last of his kind, they would fight to the death. How does one begin to make peace between them? I'm pretty sure you could have told that same story a few hundred years ago with a protestant and a catholic. The first step is identifying with the problem and realizing that Christianity is really not all that different. If we look back at the past, we might be able to find some keys to unlocking a more peaceful future.

isn't that the draw to WoW too? Yep, and I enjoyed WoW for a long time. LotR Online is the first game that's really on the same level in terms of ease for casual gaming, playability, and graphics. But I'm sure someone will come around and tell me how wrong my opinion is and that all MMO's suck. I've also stopped taking people seriously who trash WoW, and yet they have played the game up to level 60. Why did ou put in hundreds of hours if you hate the game? But I digress

Bigotry would be saying you want Ottawa to win because you hate the US (or California, or LA in Kelverin's case.) Will is demonstrating nationalism. Why are you a loyal NYR fan? How is it different to be a fan of Canadien teams?

Hmm, maybe if everyone worked towards a peaceful resolution of the Sunni/Shi'ite schism, we might see some progress. The US needs to create an image as a nation willing to help Islam grow and be stable, rather than that of interfering Christians. But hey, that's just my two cents on the whole war thing.

I reached level 23 in LotR Online. It's a pretty fast levelling curve. I've barely noticed my xp bar on the way up, and quests give quite a bit of experience. I like the fact I can play for 30 minutes and finish a couple quests.

I'm rooting for Ottawa as well. It's cool that we'll have a Stanley Cup winner that has never won before. I'd root for Anaheim if I thought that would improve hockey in California, but I don't think they have the fan base in SoCal to really make an impact.

I once had a Fallout Vibe. The doctor gave me a cream to spread on it, and it went away in a few days. Now I just avoid NMA, and I haven't had another breakout since.

You really think it's a hack and slash? I think I only killed about 50 things in the entire game. I really thought it was combat light compared to most games.

I played Deus Ex, beat it, and enjoyed the multiple endings. I have no desire to play it again. I've never beaten Morrowind, but I've started new games a dozen times. I think Crashgirl is pointing out the difference between quality and playability.

I enjoyed Fable, and I agree the parody of a Heroes quest was good. It was reminiscent of Quest for Glory in that aspect, although it definitely fell short in other areas. Still, it was a brief but fun adventure with some interesting attempts at a unique gameplay. I'll pick up the sequel. I'm not quite sure why people hated it so much. Was it because of too high expectations? Or was it because it was too easy and too short? Neither really kept me from enjoying the game.

Well, it's a best PC games list, so I'm guessing nada on a PS2 exclusive game listing.

Just to catch you up, Volourn says r00fles in order to win arguments, Hades has 17 different accounts but the personality is always the same, and there are a few folks who hate MMO's and will state as such in EVERY SINGLE MMO THREAD. It's one big happy family

The funny thing is, the guy who played Scarecrow in Batman Begins has a way wicked smile, and he would have fit the Joker perfectly.

.... I've never heard of that game. Not surprising tho, I tend to ignore all games based on film industry hits. Or you might not know it because it's about 15 years old. It was a brilliant adventure game though, I'd put it on an even footing with Monkey Island. I still remember sneaking out my office window to avoid college students. There also isn't a Fate of Atlantis movie.

I hate Selanne.

I watched "Grandma's Boy" a few months ago. It was about a professional video game tester. It was silly and not realitic in most parts, but I was surprised how many things it got right about the gaming industry, at least from what I've heard.

I picked up the original Jagged Alliance on a lark. Best decision ever.

That's usually only fun for people who are good at it. For schmoes like me, it's embarrassing.

I say Dharma is reorganized and coming to reclaim the Island. And Naomi is one of them. I'm pretty sure the blonde in the Looking Glass will turn out to be Ben's childhood girlfriend. Why else would they give her a close up?

I know two things: I will love the cut scenes. I will hate the gameplay. But then again, I'm just not a fan of RTS's.

Yeah, I enjoyed the movies and was always a bit surprised by all the trash talk concerning Chronicles. I can see why the mainstream media didn't dig the whole necro theme, but I was surprised how the geek community seemed to reject it. It was kinda Warhammer 40K-esque. I never played Butcher's Bay, so I just might pick this up.

Lloyd Alexander just passed away. He was an incredibly influential writer for me as a child, and I was pretty sad to hear the news. Still, it sounds like he lived a pretty fruitful life well into his 80's. Anyone else read his books? The Black Cauldron was also one of my first real experiences with computer games. I remember just being blown away by it. It seems like we've lost a few really good authors lately. I had a news link, but something happened to the last topic I tried to create.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070518/ap_on_.../obit_alexander This was pretty sad, as he was easily the most influential author during my childhood. It seems like we've lost a lot of great authors recently.