blue

How does the respawning compare to that seen in System Shock 2? (And how could you not be bothered by SS2's respawn rate? It was a game-breaker for me. An infinite crew on an isolated ship? What better way to destroy the illusion and have me laughing more than afraid!) Also, how would you compare Stalker to Deus Ex? I've very little experience w/FPS, but DEx was a fine game--the best I've ever played for under a buck. (Oh, and hi CG!)

I love that game so much. But, I never picked up the expansion. What game is that?

OED concurs, as does The Sailor's Word-Book (1867): "The seam which margins the water-ways was called the "devil," why only caulkers can tell, who perhaps found it sometimes difficult for their tools" Pass it along.

I'd like to change my vote. Btw Lyric, I found your new home page: http://www.myspace.com/sebastianblog

All-Time Favorites At This Precise Moment In Time: Recording Artist: John Lee Hooker Film: Midnight Cowboy, Ran & Chinatown TV Series: Firefly Cartoon: South Park Fiction: One Hundred Years of Solitude (Marquez) Nonfiction: The Labyrinth of Solitude (Paz) Textbook: Survival (Dept of the Army Field Manual) Theater: Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Comic Book: Watchmen PC Video Game: Grim Fandango Console Video Game: what's a "console" ?? Food: red licorice Beverage: Gainey Syrah 2002 Ltd Selection Memory: my dog Toilet Paper: Charmin Ultra Mega Roll Pencil Lead: The Number 2 Invention: Breathe Right Nasal Strips Destination: http://tinyurl.com/349lzd Erogenous Zone: the back of her neck Question: "What have I got in my pocket?" Riddle: "How is a raven like a writing desk?" Pirates or Ninjas: pirates Punctuation Mark: ! Geological Age: Permian Natural Disaster: a comet striking the earth Biblical Plague: swarm of locusts Animal: the tadpole Color: Blue. No, yel---

Romney's simply preaching to the base. He'll moderate his comments if nominated. Nixon's adage is GOP gospel, and it worked for GW Bush: sprint to the right to win the nomination and then run like hell back to the center. This shouldn't comfort you; god knows what Romney would do if elected. Romney's articulate and a good campaigner. His issue reversals might be a problem, and I suspect there are unexamined skeletons in his closet. Not as many as are in Obama's though.

Money, endorsements, scandals and whim decide elections. In that respect we're still in the 19th century.

That's no longer true. African American support for Obama is trending higher and has surpassed Clinton in at least one recent poll: On the GOP side, keep an eye on Romney. He's quietly amassing party endorsements, an impressive war chest and the favor of Coulter conservatives who'll largely decide the nomination. He's convinced many that his issue reversals on abortion and gay rights are genuine. McCain & Giuliani, otoh, are not well liked by the FreeRepublic crowd. Rudy and John won't do well in the make-or-break South Carolina primary. If I had to bet with your money: Romney v. Obama.

No mention of Mellencamp. Keep crossing your fingers, padawan .. maybe he'll show up.

Because change requires effort and will. There's safety in inertia. Efficiency comes at a cost: to lifestyles, wealth and bureaucracies. Even small behavioral shifts often bring inconvenience without immediate, substantive rewards. Fundamental policy changes pose greater risks, and strategies may prove harmful or unnecessary. It's cheaper to win at games of political hot air. Excellent post, Sawyer.

Nobody knows. Microsoft hasn't said much, and now they're hedging the timetable. (See Marketwatch excerpt below.) Early news reports described Vienna as Microsoft's "next client operating system," but the product might turn out to be little more than an expansion pack. It's all speculation at this point. Some hypotheses are more interesting than others. ArsTechnica, for example, suggests that Vienna might be significant technology, enabling full OS virtualization and "providing a common hardware base to all operating environments running atop that virtualized hardware." According to the article, this is a huge improvement over sandbox environments found in Parallels for OS X and other products that rely on OS-virtualization. Whether this happens in a service pack or a full OS redesign -- or if it happens at all -- remains to be seen.

True. We should be careful about using one outrageous incident to tar an entire industry. I'm not convinced, however, that legal penalties will stick even if they're pursued. We'll see. Also, by way of background, it might be worth noting that L.A.'s skid row has been a dumping ground for decades -- just as similar urban gutters have become homeless transit hubs in Chicago, Tijuana and other North American cities. This problem is not new. The Hollywood Presbyterian case is simply the latest and most high profile example of a practice that has drawn increasing attention. Allegations against this specific hospital have been made for years -- as they have against Kaiser Permanente, King/Drew Medical Center and L.A. Metropolitan Medical Center. In the past decade, there have been dozens of published accounts of outside police agencies dumping criminals and homeless people on downtown's skid row. It's not institutional policy, but there has been little to discourage the practice. There has existed no public oversight because it's a problem most people either ignore or don't see. When an addict, criminal or schizophrenic is abandoned at night against his will, who is he to complain? To most of America they're anonymous -- just one more piece of trash in a world-class cesspool of filth, crime & disease. If nothing else these stories shine a klieg light on a darker problem -- not simply that of homeless dumping -- but the colossal urban failure affectionately known as skid row.

In case you missed Diamond's previous link (as did I), here's more on Vienna: Microsoft: Vista follow-up likely in 2009 Microsoft To Launch 'Vienna' In 2009

In other words, GLAAD should automatically agree with you. Or they should shut up. Hypocrisy's a drag. Lighten up.

Generally, I agree that can happen, and maybe in this case that

Btw, you're right; some laughed. A few prominent gay groups even suggested that GLAAD was over-reacting. (I tend to agree. There are bigger battles worth fighting.) Others felt different, so they expressed their concerns. There's no uniform reaction or agenda in the gay community.

Companies ignore complaints and boycotts all the time. Sometimes they reverse course. It

Mildly. I'm not gay, so I don't feel ridiculed. However, I'm surrounded by gay friends & relatives, and I realize some people have reactions more complex than mine -- which, as I said, is a coupling of detached amusement and very slight annoyance. So for them I take mild offense. I'm protective to a fault. I recognize that the ad is a simplistic entertainment, and at worst it perpetuates stereotypes and hatreds. I don't see that anything good comes from it. On the other hand, I'd never demand censorship. But you really don't care, do you. You only asked because you were trying to score debate points. Fine. Here, as a reward you can have a bite of my Snicker's. True. Just witness the righteous indignation that spawned this thread.

I've read those books. I also know what it means to blow something out of proportion. To compare this incident to the works of Orwell or Bradbury is a fine example of that. Personally, I'm not deeply offended by the ad. In some ways I'm amused -- by the Freudian undertones (love that coprophilic metaphor) and the desperation of the over-the-top imagery. I also chuckle at the stupidity of Snickers ad execs who couldn't see this coming. Mostly, though, I'm entertained by the hair-pulling reactionaries who whine about GLAAD's right to self-serious objections and Snicker's voluntary withdrawal of the ad. (Geez, people. Lighten up.) I also understand where GLAAD is coming from, and I don't begrudge anyone's right to publicly debate corporate policy. Nor do I begrudge a company that willingly changed course. That's how capitalism works.

The company exercised free will. The ad-run is done with no one substantively hurt by the loss. You saw the ad. How is your life poorer now that it's gone? Btw, this sentiment is just dumb: It's easy to tell someone to lighten up when you've no emotional investment. Real-life experiences sometimes change things, and attitudes mature. In other words, the debate becomes more complicated when it touches holy ground. Where's yours? Jesus? Libertarian ideals? Child rape? Or how about animal cruelty? Neglect is a hilarious topic, don't you agree, Guard Dog?

Ah. Folks feel offended and wish organizations would redress the injustice of humorlessness. I suggest you object loudly enough so they'll do the politically correct thing. Because this is no laughing matter.

Wouldn't work. Most folks don't pay attention.

It's a binational problem. Historically, the U.S. & Mexico have had open-border policies regarding hazardous waste. In recent years, regulatory actions by both governments have helped reduce some pollution levels but enforcement is spotty and significant problems remain. U.S. companies operating in Mexico dump toxins into river systems that pollute U.S. ecosystems and raw Mexican sewage contaminates California neighborhoods & beaches. Meanwhile, migrant workers in California's Imperial Valley breathe pesticides and those same agricultural operations affect air and water quality in Mexicali. Landfills and scrap tire piles dot both sides of the border, providing breeding grounds for disease while leeching contaminants into groundwater. Pollution doesn't respect political boundaries.

If by

Even T2:3d is more original & exciting than T3. I kid not. It's 12 minutes of terminator cheese in your face. Btw, T4 is on track for a 2008 release. Arnie might get a cameo. The end times are near.