Cantousent

Yes, I am a guy. Yes, I would love to teach 19-21 year old Swedish girls how to speak... well anything. I'd make it up if it came to that. I don't know that my wife would let me take the job. lol

Zeus. He has perfect Metis. Really, he swallowed her whole while she was in the form of a fly. Anyhow, Zeus cannot let his guard down, even if he should desire. Athena has the key to where Zeus' thunderbolts are kept. Poiseidon's trident is made out of the same material as the thunderbolts. The Aesir couldn't even defeat the Vanir, so how could the Norse gods beat anyone else? Anyhow, virtually everyone in the Norse pantheon is headed for a fiery death. Indra is a great figure. Good breeding. Stout shoulders. He can really bend a bow. Hey, what about Vishnu? Kali's just your run of the mill nut job. Still, she's too fickle. I don't think she'll make it through. Chronos is a crafty old feller, but I just don't see how he's going to make it back up again and, if he did, Zeus would still smite him with lightning bolts. The giants had their chance and blew it. My favorite? Athena. She inherits the farm after her metis proves too much even for Zeus. Then, ever virgin, she does away with all the male gods and makes it look like an accident. Then, she starts unleashing thunderbolts in a drunken rage thereby destroying the world. ...Everyone except for a young human couple who go on to be the parents of the new human race.

A land with a rich cultural herritage, a vast history, and plenty of good Russian people? Why would I not like Russian? There are different eras, different rulers, and different people, but I like Russia quite well. I'm not hot on communism or socialism, but that wasn't the question.

whatever it is you do to wish someone luck, do it now. I've just thrown my hat into the ring for an adjunct faculty position at California Baptist University. If I get it, it's a way to earn money while I continue school. It's close to UCR. The course material I'll teach compliments the course material I currently have under study. It would be great. On the down side, the position is for teaching survey courses to a bunch of obnoxious students, mostly freshmen. It's an adjunct position which means the faculty will consider me one step above dirt. ...And I'm sure I'll have to share an office with at least two other people who may or may not bathe regularly. Still, wish me luck!

The last thread to bite the dust got it because the topic had become lost in some sort of weird, hate-mongering, homo-erotic flamefest. Furthermore, I'm the rat who ratted it out. ...But never say I gave it to anyone in the back. The moderators around here are some of the most hands off moderators I've seen anywhere. So, it's not like they come crashing down on every little offense. Still, this is a message board for a video game company. I'm sure they have to be at least somewhat careful about what folks post on the fora. We've got our share of crazies, but the rabid hate-mongering among members probably doesn't help the company sell games. Anyhow, it's not like we can't discuss the issues without going mad. So don't be so quick to blame the mods.

HAHAHA. Product, it's the first conspiracy theory you DIDN'T like. B)

I haven't been to the been in a long, long time. I mean, to go to the beach and go swimming? It's probably been at least ten years. I have a friend who lives in Malibu pretty close to the beach. She says it's a great beach but she doesn't like to go to the beach. Maybe I can get a bunch of classics folks to go out there someday to learn first hand. I'd like to get a chance to visit the ocean again. Now, I lived on Guam for three years, so I've seen my share of beaches.

I'm partial to Laguna beach.

Yeah, ol' timer, check out the Finnish military thread and all of its meanderings.

If this article were written by Joe Nobody, would you have posted it here? How about the thousands upon thousands of similar articles written over the past four years? What about the thousands upon thousands of similar articles written in the four years preceding Bush's presidency? This article has received press because of the author. That's not an attack on Ron Reagan. He has every right to express his opinion. He does so forcefully and sometimes eloquently. Still, he is just another example of someone whose voice is derived entirely by circumstances. One thing I will say, Ron Reagan has a good understanding of policy. Agree or disagree, he makes an argument based on the situation at hand. Like most folks who follow policy, he has strong convictions. ...just like George Bush. ...just like John Kerry. I think much of the article is valid. I think much of it is personal bias. It is clear that some of it argues against itself. Still, I don't begrudge the former president's son the opportunity to express his convictions. All too often, folks don't take that opportunity. We could have an entirely new thread about actors and their particular brand of advocacy.

Don't get me wrong, I still think you're a misguided conspiracy theorist... and a doofus... but do you have a link to any of your artwork? B)

I have to see Boondock Saints again. It was both funny and sad. What a great film.

Okay, I'll bite, what's gffgfg mean?

Comedy. Thanks for the link to the mysterious Morte. I, on the other hand, really liked Morte's voice over in PS:T.

^^^ That's one of the reasons Return to Castle Wolfenstein was such a great game for me. I don't like the mindless monotony of free for all deathmatch, but playing multiplayer in RtCW has all the elements of a cooperative game with friends combined with the satisfaction (and sometimes brutal beatings) of playing against fellow human beings.

Okay, here's the question. It's a simple sort of multiple choice question. A> Should I get a 3.2Ghz with a better motherboard but a Radeon 9600 or B> A 3.0Ghz/motherboard with a Radeon 9800 pro or C> The system as I described it. I guess some of the posts have made me rethink and just ask for general advice.

Yeah, I always buy my software. If it's on my machine I have registered versions of it. In the minute I was born, I was the sucker.

Oh, I see. The motherboard is only $136. That's probably why I was confused. The processor is only $238. The video card isn't all that great, but the video card and processor cost less together than the other video card.

The problem with the waiting game is that over time, you can almost always make the same predictions. What's $500 now is simply more than I'm willing to pay. Will it be less in the future? Sure. Whatever is hot then will be less a few months down the line also. I'm not playing the whole waiting game. I've had this computer for over 3 years now. It's starting to show it's age and so I'm going to build another system. Even if I went with the x800, the whole system would only cost $1200 and I'm willing to pay for that. I'm not willing to pay $1500 and I'd rather keep it under $1000. ...And 512MB of video memory will still carry a hefty chunk even a few months down the road. It's that simple. Still, I think I will stick with the 600. My current card, a geforce 3, still handles the games I play. Sure, not as well as my wife's radeon 9800xt, but well enough that I'm reasonably sure, with the responses I've seen, I won't need to ditch it in 3 months because the games I like to play are unplayable on my system. If I need to replace my video card in a couple of years, about the point when the performance issue will become noticable, that's fine. To be honest, I was swayed more by ILs argument to get a better PCIX card. I respect your view. Nevertheless, I still believe PCIX is a reasonable investment and, frankly, it fits with the processor and motherboard configuration better also. Another question: can I use an AGP card in a PCIX slot? I didn't think so, but I've been reading some confusing stuff of late. I mean, the slots look different for one thing.

Very very wrong... in that case you might be unable to upgrade it next time... I disagree, buying a high-end pci16 graphics card today is a waste of money. You'll just end up smacking yourself in the head in a year and a half when the $400 card costs $150. As long as you don't mind every graphic setting not being maxed out in your games, buy a mid-ranged card. This is exactly what I was wondering. I think I'm pretty much set. I really appreciate everyone chiming in to give me advice. It's good to hear the arguments around on this one. ...Well, the arguments that aren't coming from the voices in my head. It looks like PCIX is a reasonable investment, but not necessarily the high end PCIX cards. Thanks again, all.

Very very wrong... in that case you might be unable to upgrade it next time... What do you mean? If it's all going to PCIx in the future, then that's the sort of thing for which I will spend the extra cash. ...But I'm not sure if that's what you were saying. I guess, to be a little clearer, I won't spend an extra $400 on something I don't need just to brag about it. I will, however, spend an extra $400 if I think it will extend the life of my system by a considerable time.

The biggest advice, from one noob to another, is make sure the motherboard, processor, and memory are all compatible with one another. I've never made the mistake of buying an incompatible motherboard and processor, but I know folks who have. Also, I tend to go for something respectable, far better than what I have, without going all out. One thing I've done in the past is get something for a bit less with a timeline mapped out for components I'll be upgrading in the future. For instance, I didn't have time to build my current system. I was in the middle of exams and such, so I just bought it from Gateway. When I bought it, I knew the video card wasn't the best, so I planned on a schedule of replacing the video card the next year. It cost a tad more money overall, but it cost about $100 less at the time. I planned on expanding the memory within the next two years. Once again, that didn't save me money overall, but it spread out the timeline for the expense. Also, I got to choose the memory manufacturer. The difference in price was hefty at the time of purchase but minimal when I replaced those parts. My rule of thumb is, I want my computer to handle the games I like to play at the time. I don't want to spend an extra $400+ on components just to claim bleeding edge technology. The plan is any system I buy or build has to last at least 3 years before I'm forced into something newer. That might entail a small outlay for ugrades, but it won't entail purchases over $200 during that time. That's the whole dilemma with the video card. I don't want to pay for a video card that I have to replace soon. In fact, I'm planning on the opposite for this system than the past. I'd rather have something that will last for over two years before I'm forced to replace it and I'm willing to pay more for it at this time. Damn, I forgot to put the case in the initial specs. I'm getting a Raidmax case with a 420W power supply. In fact, I'd probably just upgrade what I have now except for Gateway's pathetic power supply. The case doesn't have enough fans and the power is just plain weak. I have folks tell me that I don't need a power supply over 400W, but I just have to laugh and remember when I had someone tell me, "what use would you have for 64kb of system memory?" Or, "Why would you need a pentium processor? Just get a good 486 and it'll last for a long time." "I have a 300 baud modem and it works just fine!" Scavenge stuff from your old computer that works just fine. I've got a 7,200rpm 80gig hard-drive that has never even been half full. I don't see a need to buy a new one now and, when I do, I'll probably buy a 10,000 rpm seagate or some such. So, make sure everything will work together. Scavenge. Plan ahead. Be sure it will handle everything you need it to do.

Ah, thanks, chemchok. So this card will be repectable but won't break the bank. I might consider paying more for the X800, but I was unsure if that would be entirely necessary. To be honest, I'm using a Geforce 3 right now. It's showing it's age, but I haven't really had any problems. Some of the games I play require me to turn down settings. So, I don't need bleeding edge, but I don't want to end up replacing the card within the year, either. Doom 3 is a must buy for me. What card, out of curiosity, will handle that particular title? I wouldn't mind spending a bit extra, but I'm not much keen on spending $400 on the video card (almost twice as much as the processor, btw) unless there's a really compelling reason.

Yes, I have to ask the computer wonks among us a question about video cards. I'm building myself a system right now. Newegg is the way I'm going to go. Not only are their prices competetive, but their shipping is faster than hell, so I'll probably disregard comments about where I purchase. I'm not a complete novice. This is the fifth system I'll have put together. I'm going to put all of the system specs down right now just in case it bears on the video card. Nevertheless, I'll probably ignore comments about Intel sucking or getting AMD just because I know what I'm getting from Intel and I don't care about saving $15-30 on a processor. If I know something works well, I'm sticking with it unless the price differential is substantial. I'd like to come in under $1000 on this system, and the only real question is the video card. Okay, here's the system so far: Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail GIGABYTE "GA-8I915P Duo-A" 915P Chipset Motherboard for Intel LGA775 CPU -RETAIL Geil Dual Channel 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail Microsoft Optical Wheel Mouse Version 1.1a PS/2 /USB -OEM Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a - OEM I'm keeping my old hard drive (7200rpm 80gigs), my old dvd write/rewrite, old dvd, old speakers, old monitor (I know, it's only a 19inch, but I can't fit anything larger on my desk and I'm not getting another desk), and the onboard sound will suffice for me. Here's the deal, though, the motherboard supports PCIX16. For that Reason, I decided to go with: MSI ATI RADEON X600 XT Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, PCI Express, Model "RX600XT-TD128" -RETAIL There are a few things that strike me: 1. It doesn't draw from the power supply. I'd figure that it would require it's own power plug. 2. It's only $190 and I thought these things (at least according to another thread in this forum) are supposed to be $400 and higher. 3. The motherboard only has a PCIx16 for video. So, would I be stuck buying this or something like it? If I decided to go AGP, what will that mean for upgrades in the future? You know, I'm not really a computer wonk. I'm just a yutz who likes being able to play some games, do some work, and read email on his computer. What am I to think about this video situation?

I watch two shows on television: Your World with Neil Cavuto Special Report with Brit Hume Otherwise, TV sucks. I prefer MSN for headline news online. I will occassionally read the BBC news or bite the bullet and go to MSNBC. I don't think much of CNN and, at any rate, if you watch Fox news and read the BBC news, you're pretty much getting the right and left perspectives. TV in general sucks and I'd much rather play computer games with my free time. I was over at my parents' recently doing some work for them around the house and I was appalled at how much TV they watch. It's just nuts. Of course, my dad is 77, so it's not like he can get around like he did in the past. I wonder what excuse we can make for the young folks watching TV all day.