Plano Skywalker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrUCr2bKlAw...evolution%20of%

another thing I like about the 360 is that they apparently have what amounts to "debit cards". in other words, if you wanted to download premium content for an Xbox game or play a subscription-based game like Phantasy Star Online, you had to provide a credit card number. for the 360, you can front load credit into you account with what amounts to a debit card (that you buy at GameStop, etc)...good stuff.

well, yes, but I don't think the Wii is a device that can be truely called "next-gen". it is the most conventional of all the new systems.

eh, except that it has already been established that the vendor-provided dev tools/environment for the 360 are second to none.

right, development for the PS3 is also a wildcard....unless Sony has provided some really kick*** dev tools, we are talking about programmers coding for 8 processors instead of 1. do the math....unless Sony has provided some really good dev tools, development for this less conventional architecture is going to get real old, real quick.

I will probably get a Wii first as I need to catch up with JRPGs (though I prefer Occidental RPGs). however, as far as the 360 goes, it all depends on the titles. if the Mass Effect trilogy turns out good along with the Mistwalker games....and, if Obsidian releases an RPG on 360, then I will most likely get a 360 at some point. the real wild card is the titles for the 360 and whether MS will have enough exclusives for that platform. >>>>>>>>>and if MS really wants to break into the Japanese market, I wonder if they will come out with dating sims and board games, which, along with RPGs, are very popular in Japan....FPSs are not that popular in Japan.

Lawl. Eh, wait a second. The MPAA propaganda campaign is working! OH NOES!!1 <{POST_SNAPBACK}> yeah, I know, it is still quite possible, Limewire being one of them. And they generally don't arrest downloaders, only those who expose files. and, of course, there will always be invitation-only FTP sites and clubs. still, I remember when you could do a simple web search for *.mp3 and find much of what you wanted. it IS less accessible now and it is probably best for music....if the artists cannot make money, the quality of the music will go down....it is that simple.

saw the Da Vinci Code today and liked it a lot. while I don't agree with the "true facts" presented, I also realise that this is a work of fiction, loosely based on some scholarly research while also relying on pop fiction and legend. anyway, very entertaining and the acting was outstanding.

true, that. but if the property holders wanted to decrease the amount of times that physical instance gets passed around, then they could do something to make the "out of the box experience" unique. for instance, if I knew that any cd I bought at Planet Music (whether Metallica, Miles Davis, etc) had either a serialized T-shirt or coffee mug offer (for free plus shipping), I might think twice before I bought the cd second-hand.

I think it boils down to "what, exactly, are you buying?" when you buy digitized intellectual property. you are buying the "right to use" the product, not the product itself. but that is not really in dispute. the question is whether the "right to use" is legally transferrable. and, I think it is, the same way a used book store is operating inside the law. the bottom line is that the owners of the intellectual property need to be proactive (in a way that involves no thought from the 16 year old owner) if they want to do something about the second hand market. wasn't it Disney that developed a DVD that chemically breaks down after a set amount of time? anyway, something like that would be the way to go (not that I am hoping for it).

well, I have recently had occasion to think about such things as I have been acquiring a lot of music from used cd shops (somewhat related to the topic at hand). if I buy a Metallica cd, for instance, at Planet Music, the band gets paid, the record label gets paid and, retailer gets paid....Corporate USA gets paid in at least 3 different forms with such a purchase. however, if I buy that cd from Joe Schmoe's used cd place, Corporate USA does not make 1 cent off of the transaction and, by extension, the band receives no direct benefit. it would seem that, as peer-to-peer piracy is harder to do nowadays (which is good), used cd shops are the next big thing. question is, how can they crack down on such shops? apparently, such shops are, currently, operating within the confines of existing law.

AC/DC -- Back in Black (album)

Meshuggah -- Catch 33 (album)

whatever, dude. I, personally, think the 19th centure view of 3 major races is good, though not chic nowadays. one stab in the dark is as good as any other.

race is an amorphous concept and, yet, not entirely without merit. race is more than differences in appearance. I do, however, think that, ultimately, all humanity is of the same "race". ethnicity, of course, is the sense of belonging or "peoplehood" which includes racial, religious, tribal/clannish and such connotations.

the new BG is really good....it has enough sci-fi for geeks and enough soap opera for everyone else (but not too much). the Season 1 DVD is available as is Season 2.0. Season 2.5 has not yet been released (last time I checked) but should be released soon. I may even upgrade my cable so I can watch the new ones as they come out in the fall. I also picked up the boxed set of the old series....WOW, that brought back memories.

Fantomas -- Suspended Animation (album)

Fates Warning -- Parallels (album) now this is some good prog metal/rock....sounds alot like Queensryche.

Fates Warning -- Awaken The Guardian (album)

no offense taken....I do like progressive metal. it is one thing when a rock song shifts between slow/fast, electric/acoustic. but it has such a different effect when done with metal. anyway, thanks for the tip on those bands. (and "bigger" is not always "better").

if you are referring to "Demons and Wizards", I agree, it is a hokey name in this day and age...would have been fine in 1970 but not now. it is, however, some of the best progressive power metal out there as it is a "super band" with 2 of biggest guns in the business.

Led Zepplin? Anyway, Demons and Wizards has a really good cover of it on "Touched by the Crimson King".

Shadows Fall -- Of One Blood (album) not too bad...kind of a progressive melodic death metal.

right, and, hopefully, this will lead to more "premium content" in future games as only a legit copy can download the content.

SHORT TERM (probably attainable): to move from IT support to the ranks of programmers (web-based programming). LONG TERM (more of a pipe dream): indeed, to write some fiction. I can see myself writing "historical fiction" a la Ellis Peters.