metadigital

Nope. Unless the laptop was stolen, then he has willingly given his private information to the buyer.

You should be more worried about bees. (They kill 40 times more people every year!) I heard about some old fish ... they don't have an official expirey date or maximum size: they just keep growing (metabolism slows down incredibly, though). There are local legends about fish that live in lakes and aren't seen for years at a time, then something rouses them (hunger?) and they eat a swan or something (whole) then go back to sleep in the mud for another year or so. I was trying to find the Sharks' world record for eating the most amount of people, but I gave up. I think it was the one in 1914 that Jaws was loosely based on ... though that could have been multiple sharks, rather than just one rogue.

I heard about some critical chemical reaction in the atmosphere that keeps the basic, fundamental chemistry of life working (can't remember details now: it was in New Scientist about ten years ago) that breaks down at an (unknown) higher temperature ... something about convection and ions and gases or somesuch. Colron, I have a (very intelligent) friend who is adamant that global Warming is a myth: he has recetly bought me The Skeptical Environmentalist and State of Fear to read (yes, I pointed out that the latter book is fiction: it was the source of much merriment on my part. ) I'll let you know what I think when I've read it; my understanding (which I would say with as little hubris as possible is far superior to his) is that there is a consensus that the Earth is warming, and that human activity has some impact on it: the magnitude of the impact (and the underlying warming trend, which may or may not be completely natural and many measures of magnitude larger than the human contribution) are yet to be determined. He still argues that theworld is not warmer than it was, which I dispute. No-one can say for certain what has caused any warming, with any certainty, yet.

There is some evidence to support the conjecture that (the arbitrary distinction between the two species of) human and chimpanzees interbred for a period of time, before they eventually "diversified" completely ...

There was a Xmen 1.5 (which I bought as a double with 2), which includes all the deleted and extra scenes from both films (IIRC) ... even rated M (instead of PG, like the film) because there is an extra-revealing shot with Mystique walking away from the low-mounted camera ... So I guess there will be a 3.5. And a 4. I just hope they don't decide to go cheap and cheerful and make it like Police Academy. There's good mileage to be had out of the franchise, but it behooves the producers to invest significantly to reap the benefits. Which is not always a foregone conclusion, unfortately ...

You're definition. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am not! (That might even be a compliment; but, still, an undeserved one.) ... ... Waits for the penny to drop ...

Yeah, that's my (hopefully correct!) recollection, too. The competing producers put out a film that would steal the others' thunder (using a big name on the marquee), with a quick and dirty immitation of their more considered work. Business is war. If you win the business, then winners can behave as magnanimously (or otherwise) as they want; the trick is to win, first. Basically I think Kaftan needs a paradigm shift: perhaps being (or pretending to be) the person who funds a game might give some perpective on their wants, needs, biases, fears and goals. As I said earlier, I have no problem with middle-men; typically that is what capitalism is all about. Normally, however, the middlemen must contribute some value in proportion to their return ... with game publishers (except for special cases) the publishers take the cake and leave just enough crumbs to prevent the developers from expiring. They take the initial sum they loaned, the interest, the expenses they incurred to loan, publish and produce the game, any incidental expenses towards that, AND the IP and all future rights to the IP. That's not fair. I don't need someone to loan me money to buy a watch, whilst they wear my watch, AND charge me to tell the time. usury Just like to point out I called it. Why must I enjoy things that fail? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Schadenfreude

Mr Hunter, you might want to take a breath so that your ranting becomes less comical. Here's how it works: Person decides to make a mod of a game. Mod is distributed free. If people like the mod, then they contribute to the modder in some way (gasp! cash) After a certain critical point, the modder is able to charge for the (current or future) mod, like an expansion pack. If this all sounds familiar that's because the methodology has been used before: it is the basic underpinning of shareware, and was the marketing vector for the original Doom. Now, you are guilty of many logical fallacies in your argument, but one of the major ones is POST HOC, ERGO PROPTER HOC (after this, therefore because of this): meaning that just because (in this instance, Gary) can charge for the mod, therfore DD is eeeeeevil because it caused him to charge for the mod. Secondly, as has been pointed out numerous times, Gary was not going to extend his mod past version 9.04. Which is still available for free. If you want to support him and his efforts, then you can do so VOLUNTARILY by purchasing his official, later version. (That's called a free market.) I don't know why you have decided that your warped interpretation of the marketplace is the only version permissible. Perhaps if you were a modder, you might have a different attitude.

Saw X3. Everyone is right.

From memory, you don't want your HD temp to raise above 55ish ... at 60

Actually, it's the fans that make a console a success No matter how good the system is, and no matter how good the games are.... it'll fail if no one buys it <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I don't get the Ninty fan-base support ... especially with their overt manoeuvres to alienate their existing customers in the headlong rush for new gamers, from the population of those who have never gamed before (as opposed to the customers of other consoles).

Ah! I almost read that and spoiled the game! Make sure to give us a report ..!

With rideable horsies?

Just don't buy a steel case. 15kg > you.

*looks up Maunder minimum. Thanks! Also things like Krakatoa had an impact ...

*chuckles* teenage angst ...

Walk the Line. Joaquin Phoenix was brilliant. Reece Witherspoon was better. The fact that they both sang and were very close to the legendary voices of Johnny and June. Highly recommended.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race

I agree with that; less can often be more: it was suspiciously like the body count was added to make up for the lack of cohesion in the plot. That's not a fault: an ethical dilemma does not have a "right" and "wrong" answer. You don't recall the comment (by Callisto) about the magification of mutation? (It was a major theme, what with Jean Grey being the only "category five", and Magneto and Pyro being the only ones in the church that were "category three" or above.) It makes sense in a bell curve distribution that most of the population are only moderately affected. Wow, you really have a lot to learn about relationships! (You should have restrained yourself from that last comment.) You do realise that more than one person can love another AT THE SAME TIME, right? And it is possible to love more than one person at the same time, right? (E.g. it is possible to love both a mother AND a father at the same time.) Hint: the intertron is your friend.

I couldn't agree more. I thought was going to save the day; then again it is perfectly clear that the was only . Cue for the sequels. Which one was , btw? Ahhhh ... memories ... don't forget: Space Ghost and the Herculoids! :cool:

Indeedy. I'm sure there are dozens more, too.

Gary might even be inspired to new heights of creativity, with his new-found Return-On-his-Investment helping to keep him fed. Because communism works and mods should be for free. "

e.g. Volcano Dante's Peak As soon as one publisher finds out enough details about another's project, then they will do anything to sabotage it, even up to creating their own version (if they can rush it out before the other one, and take their first weeks' sales).

Wow, I just read a lot bona fide sig quotes!

It's a great RPG ... IN SPACE!