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TheFirstMonk

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Posts posted by TheFirstMonk

  1. Cool stuff.

     

    The cinematic implies that the girl is formerly a Little Sister, due to the small figurine of the Big Daddy she holds and her adolescent figure. It looks to be more of a sequel than a prequel (I heard suggestions a while back that BioShock 2 could be a prequel set in Rapture, where you are a protagonist caught up in the downfall of the city prior to the arrival of the protagonist in the original BioShock. That may be unlikely if we take the cinematic literally.), but it could just be a teaser that goes for a feeling rather than revealing any information about the sequel.

     

    If it does take place after the first BioShock, I wonder where the story would take place? :unsure: Sea of Dreams sounds intriguing though.

  2. My previous post still stands in regard to the association between Obama and Ayers. The fact that Ayers is unrepentant is an issue that should be brought up with him (Ayers) personally if one wishes to confront him about that; the unease and/ or dislike that individuals may have for Ayers are legitimate in their right to feel that way, but those feelings should not be unreasonably projected onto Obama for the reasons I posted earlier.

     

    Zero's post on ACORN is much more unsettling to me. I stated before that Obama's associations should not be primary factors in judging him unless they hindered law and policy making or were detrimental to the country. Voter fraud is an obvious violation of the law and puts a vise on the voice of the people. If ACORN's actions affect what happens in November, and if it is proven without a doubt there was a deliberate attempt by the Obama campaign to exploit the circumstances, then there is cause for alarm. Diebold voting machines and the Florida situation in the 2000 election come to mind as examples that have preceded this election.

     

    On a side note, I am not "blind to my political ideology and/ or candidate." I have concerns about Obama as much as any intelligent person would. The fact that I defended him does not make me a zealot for the Democratic party. It is not for his benefit that I asserted that we cannot judge him solely by his associations without any evidence of discord in his allegiance to the well-being of this country; it is for our own.

     

    We can only be certain of the validity of our beliefs and our actions by adherence to the principles that we stand for. We cannot be absolutely sure of how a person like Ayers will affect an Obama presidency, if at all, without substantial proof. We relinquish our ability to judge clearly if we make an assumption based on speculation (or worse, fear) about Obama's character without surveying his actions thus far.

  3. It's not a bad joke in terms of its approach. Execution is somewhat muddled.

     

    1. If you change the "terrorist" to "generic hoodlum," the Democrat response would make more sense. The "poor and oppressed" line would be funnier since it is a question generally applied to our own criminal problem rather than foreign terrorists. All the other parts of the response would also be just as humorous.

     

    Another reason to change "terrorist," as fx and AllKiller has pointed out, is for a greater accessibility of feelings by the reader. Self preservation is not limited to certain political parties. Because the joke paints the adversary (the terrorist) to such extremes (screaming obscenities, charging, etc.), it is unlikely that anyone would hesitate to shoot.

     

    2. If you keep the terrorist in the joke, then you would have to change the Democrat response to something more relevant. For example:

     

    "The Democrat shoots the terrorist and wounds him. The terrorist gets sent to Guantanamo Bay, where the Democrat makes sure he keeps his civil rights intact...etc. etc."

     

    That's just one example; the joke is then more relevant to the concerns that Democrats (typically) have that are primarily about terrorism. (Of course, I'm generalizing. It is quite possible that there are Democrats that don't prioritize civil rights of suspected terrorists and Republicans that do, and vice versa.)

     

    I'm not attempting to criticize Laz's post for political reasons. I think with slight modifications it could be a really funny joke. :biglaugha:

  4. There's alot more information at the Diablo 3 website now. They posted a new character class, screenshots, etc. Thoughts on the new stuff they revealed?

  5. I have long since abandoned "guilt by association" assumptions. It is normal that we take note of a person's peers; society generally judges a person based on several facets, of which this is one. But it is only one.

     

    This post is not meant to downplay the Obama/ Ayers connection; it is certain that he knows him to some degree, however intimate is for you to decide. A different question must be asked though, in order to figure out whether such a connection is detrimental to the country. Playaa has pointed out his concerns, and ZeroDamage has decided already that it [the connection] is a negative aspect of Obama's campaign.

     

    Has Obama done or said anything that would hint at a radical viewpoint? There seems to be this fear that he has adopted Ayers' beliefs. While this may be valid as a theory, suspicion alone cannot be grounds for confirmation.

     

    As an example, we can reference the 1950s, the age of McCarthyism. Milo Radulovich was a member of the Air Force who was discharged. For what? His father and sister were suspected to be communist sympathizers. Radulovich was deemed a security risk because of his familial ties, yet no evidence was provided that his actions during his time in the Air Force could prove any disloyalty. Edward R. Murrow, the journalist who ran Radulovich's story and challenged McCarthy himself on air, said this:

     

    "We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends on evidence and due process of law."

     

    While the Obama/ Ayers' connection is not an accusation, the inference that Obama is somehow malignantly aligned with Ayers in terms of his beliefs simply because he knows him is an accusation, albeit implicit. I have yet to see or hear anything in Obama's speeches, policies, etc. that would promote anything that Ayers has done in the past; the same could be said of Obama's ties to Rev. Wright as well.

     

    The only way I see his associations as being necessary for the public to know is if they somehow affected law and policymaking under an Obama presidency. Perhaps there is a fear among some Americans that Obama may side with Hamas instead of Israel because of Ayers, or that a law or policy will be made that discriminates against a specific race or creed because of Wright. At this time, such speculation is illegitimate.

     

    "Ah," someone may say, "but what if these things do happen when Obama is president? What if he really is a terrorist sympathizer and a racist?" Then we will respond as Americans do, as Obama expects us to do: in full force. But we must remember that a man on trial cannnot- should not- be convicted if there is reasonable doubt, and at this point in time, I have a reasonable doubt based on the current evidence.

     

    I myself am somewhat associated with Ayers. In college, I took a documentary class; one of the documentaries we watched, funnily enough, was the one ZeroDamage posted. Afterwards, we discussed the movie, and my professor said that he had talked with Ayers at UIC and found him to be "fascinating." That's it. He just said he was fascinating.

     

    You may say that my connection to Ayers is flimsy at best, by 1 or 2 degrees of separation; you would be right. If someone wanted to accuse me of being connected to Ayers, however, they could make the case if they really wanted to. If I said that I respected my documentary professor, does that then mean I respect Ayers? Or that I condone the actions he took? Or that I share his beliefs? I'm sure I could be accused for that.

     

    Guilt by association.

  6. And LoL at Preacher's post. :biglaugha:

     

    The only part I could understand about your post is the part where you claim that Obama was hinting that he would be a better candidate than McCain. I've heard him use the phrase, "McCain doesn't get it," or something to that effect several times. McCain has done that as well; I heard him say in the first presidential debate that "Obama doesn't understand...etc. etc." several times. I wouldn't take it too personally from either candidate; they're both trying to show contrasts between their policies, so I don't believe Obama is trying to say, "You morons can't possibly think that this old guy is better than me." :smiling2:

     

    By "little people," I think you mean the average American? I don't know if that's what you meant, but I'd consider myself an average American. Listening to his speeches, I don't get that tone of arrogance that you're hearing; I'm sure other gc members might agree with you though. Personally, I feel that he is better than me, whether or not he means to communicate it. :biglaugha: He went to a better college than me and helped out in his community more than I ever did. My ego is cool with that though. :wiggle2:

  7. I subscribe to Consumer Reports, a magazine published by "an independent consumer-product-testing organization." Their November 2008 issue has an article about the presidential candidates' healthcare plans. The article lists several demographics and which ones would benefit most from the plans. For example, it describes a real person or persons and their age group and financial situation and which plan they would be covered the best under.

     

    Since Shazz brought up the example of the single mom who can't afford health care, I thought I'd copy a part of the article that has a similar example, albeit not exactly the same situation. I'm not doing this to disprove anything Shazz has said or to convince him or anyone else otherwise; I thought it might be meaningful to the discussion though. Again, I'm not taking sides here...

     

    "Two prescriptions for America's ills." p.18-22

     

    Cindy and Russell Shawcross

     

    Ages:37 and 41

    Income: $25,000 (plus $370 a week in unemployment benefits)

    Insurance:a COBRA plan from a former employer that they plan to drop

    Annual Premium: $6,816

     

    "Even when Cindy worked full-time at a job with insurance, medical costs made a shambles of the family finances. There was the $2,500 bill from Russell's 2-hour emergency room visit for an attack of diverticulitis, which is one reason the hospital now deducts $70 per month from their bank account. There was Cindy's thyroid cancer, and steep ongoing bills for thyroid hormone and inhalers for her severe asthma.

     

    Four years ago, their medical bills helped force them into bankruptcy. But now they're falling behind again. Cindy lost her full-time paralegal job early this year but continued coverage for herself and daughters Sara and Elizabeth by paying the full premium under COBRA. Russell's new job on the night staff of a homeless shelter doesn't include health benefits. As this issue went to press, Cindy had just qualified for unemployment insurance but, with rent and car payments due, didn't think the family could afford to keep up their health insurance payments and planned to drop the COBRA coverage."

     

    "Under Obama's plan: Although Obama has not specified income levels for subsidies, campaign health adviser David Cutler says the plan probably would help people like the Shawcrosses since it would boost aid to those at the low end of the income bracket. It's less generous than McCain's for those at the high end. In Massachusetts, the only state with an Obama-style plan, the Shawcross daughters would be eligible for SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Programs) and the parents could buy subsidized comprehensive coverage, with small copays and deductibles, for $39 a month apiece."

     

    "Bottom line: The Shawcrosses would probably do better under Obama, even if his plan costs more than the Massachusetts example. Obama would expand SCHIP eligibility. And he'd require parents to insure their children, though it's not clear how that rule would be enforced."

     

    I highlighted that last part since it seems at the time of publication, Obama had not revealed his method of enforcement, which he did in this past presidential debate apparently with the comment on fines as Shazz pointed out. I don't know if that fact would have affected Consumer Reports' analysis, but it's possible. The magazine does point out that both plans "lack key details," so you can believe the merits of the article with as much or as little faith as you wish.

     

    There's a section where a well-insured couple with a son is described; that sounds more like Shazz's demographic. I could print that one too if it would help. There's also sections for over 60, young and uninsured, ill and uninsured. I could also copy the part of the Shawcrosses that describes their situation under McCain's plan; I skipped that part though since no one has taken issue with McCain on health care in this post, and the "bottom line" basically told us which plan would potentially be better.

  8. These kinds of polls are hard to do. Usually, you would go with random polls to avoid biases; web polls can be biased since people choose themselves to participate rather than the poll taker choosing someone.

     

    I can understand why you chose to do a web poll though since it would be very difficult to track down gamers in a limited time frame, and then from that pool randomly pick people based on some non biased system. The real positive part is that you tried to get people from different parts of the country since most of us live in different areas (at least that's what the map generally shows on HLStats). I hope you get an A, but the teacher may call you out on some of these issues. Good luck though.

     

    EDIT: I deleted the part about double blind. I think that only applies in experiments.

  9. Judging from this post, it looks like all kinds of banks are getting sloppy and/or greedy. My Chase credit card recently screwed me over. Claimed I was late on a payment (I didn't believe I was, but I had no evidence to prove it), although I think it's more likely they cashed my check late. Proceeded to increase my Effective APR from 0.00% to 121.82% and added a finance charge of $1.00. I've had this card for more than 5 years, always paid on time, and never had a problem until now.

     

    Bogus. :bang:

  10. Judging by the trailer, Snyder seems to be able to replicate many of the scenes from the graphic novel (not surprising considering his attention to visual detail). Other than that, it is difficult to tell whether or not he will adhere to the ideology of Alan Moore.

     

    As excited as I am about a Watchmen movie, I am also skeptical. Film adaptations of Moore's works has so far been relatively unsuccessful in terms of staying true to his material; they either suffer from faulty characterizations (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Constantine (2005)) or contrived plots (V for Vendetta). The "problem" with Moore's stories is that they are so epic and ambitious that a lesser filmmaker/ screenwriter is not able to grasp its full worth.

     

    Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed parts of Constantine and V for Vendetta, but I also acknowledged the fact that certain things were not fully explored or were cripplingly "dumbed down" for a general, mass audience. Understandably, parts of Watchmen's story will be cut to fit a running time of (most likely) 2-3 hours, but I am only concerned with whether or not the social/ political critique will be retained. I find Watchmen to be the most critical of society after V for Vendetta, which was depressingly effective in describing fascistic governments.

     

    Terry Gilliam was once tapped to direct Watchmen, but later he reneged, citing the fact that it would be more realistic to make a television series. Moore himself did not think a film adaptation was plausible and has cut his ties to Hollywood after being accused of plagiarism by a writer(s) [i.e. complete jackhole/ biggest idiot in the universe] who was adapting League of Extraordinary Gentlemen for the screen.

     

    Hopefully, Snyder, who has gained Hollywood's trust so far with the financial success of 300, will take the time to explore the character stories behind the major players in Watchmen. The trailer is a bit misleading (unintentionally) in that it seems that the Watchmen is an action film, which it is not in terms of the graphic novel. There are very few action scenes in the book.

     

    On a final note, I will say this: if Rorschach is not as sadistic as he is in the comic book, I will not watch the film. :luxhello:

  11. Yeah, I tried clicking the edit button last night, but for some reason it asked me for full or quick edit. I chose quick, made the changes and somehow got stuck. It won't post because I'm doing something wrong. I'll try it later on another post maybe. :shrug03:

  12. Thanks for posting this. I used to play this game alot as a teenager (because I sucked at StarCraft), and I think it's one of the first games that got me hooked on PC gaming. I remember when Diablo 2 and LoD were finished, people were already speculating on Diablo 3, but they were mostly rumors; eventually, I stopped paying attention. It's cool to find stuff like this though.

     

    *POSSIBLE SPOILERS (FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED DIABLO 2)*

    Judging from the cinematic and gameplay trailer, I can see that they're setting the storyline quite a few years after the last game since Deckard Cain has a huge beard; they showed part of the cinematic from the end of Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction with Tyrael and the Worldstone; and the Barbarian (a class created in Diablo 2) is also quite old and seems to recognize Cain in that short cutscene in the gameplay trailer.

    *END SPOILERS*

     

    I don't know how I feel about some of the aspects of the game just yet. Having no potions looks like it'll make the game possibly harder. The Witch Doctor class seems a little less fantasy and more like it's based of off superstition and stereotypes. Maybe the backstory will be good, so I dunno. :unsure:

     

    I do like that they made some mechanics of the game seem easier (like the skill bar) and the interactive environments and customization of characters (so far, we know they can make male and female versions of a class; hopefully, we'll be able to change other stuff too) could be a really cool addition (if only aesthetically).

     

    Things that really got my attention and/ or made me laugh:

     

    When the huge boss at the end of the gameplay trailer picks up the male Barbarian and chews it in half. (How do you resurrect from that. Lol.)

    Seeing the Barbarian do the Leap move it did in Diablo 2. (Even though I never played the Barbarian, it was nice to see something familiar)

    The Barbarian knocking down a wall to crush a bunch of zombies. Nice.

     

    And as a closing note, I hope they bring back some of the old classes, like the Paladin and the Druid. I guess I'll be scavenging the web now for more info on this game. :biglaugha:

  13. I was a Cinema Studies minor in college, so some of these films may definitely seem obscure or just really old. I tried to pick the ones that piqued my emotions in some way. Sorry if I post movies that have already been mentioned in this forum. I also wrote some notes at the end of each film in case GC has standards for the films they watch too. ;)

    Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957)

    A war film with an interesting twist on the genre. Minimal blood, black and white film.

     

    Sword of Doom (English Title) (Okamoto Kihachi, 1966)

    Samurai film with a morally questionable main character. Bloody, black and white film.

     

    The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940)

    Charlie Chaplin film with sound. A comic take on a country resembling Nazi Germany. No blood, black and white film.

     

    Ghost Dog, Way of the Samurai (Jim Jarmusch, 1999)

    Film about a modern day assassin who follows the samurai code. Short and few action sequences, but a good film nonetheless. Bloody, has harsh language, color film.

     

    These are just a couple off the top of my head. I'll post some more when I remember good ones.

  14. I've watched Seasons 1 and 2 and a little bit of Season 3 and 4. I think by now most people understand (and are slightly frustrated by) the pattern that Lost follows; raise a lot of questions, answer a couple. I find some of it aggravating, but I've also gotten used to expecting it.

     

    By the way, I think the dialog in Season 4 needs to be trimmed. Too many sentences are wasted, and some even degrade the emotional impact of some scenes. Just a thought.

  15. Watched the movie 2 weeks ago, but I haven't had time to post. ;)

     

    I thought the movie overall was good. I was initially suspicious of Robert Downey Jr. from the trailers I saw. It looked like he was playing the same sarcastic character from "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang," but he did pretty well in the scenes that required real emotion; I was pleasantly surprised. I did not like Gwyneth Palrow's performance though (even though I think she's a very capable actress in general). She seemed lost in some scenes, especially the balcony scene with Tony Stark at a party; maybe it was due to Favreau's Robert Altman-esque approach (Altman was known to have actors improvise scenes). I actually thought Leslie Bibb did better in her supporting role as the reporter who shows up sporadically in the movie.

     

    I can't really comment on the movie's faithfulness to the comic book since the origin story was retooled to accommodate modern times ( I suppose Iron Man fighting a green guy who gets his powers from the rings on his fingers and calls himself "The Mandarin" would be a bit strange :D ), but I liked that they kept certain stereotypes to a minimum.

     

    Don't know if I would call it the best comic book movie some people have on this thread, but I like the direction it's headed towards for the sequel(s).

  16. Hi. Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I needed some advice on the same subject.

     

    I've been thinking about backing up the stuff on my desktop's hard drive, but I don't know what kind of backup external HD to get. I've looked up brands like Western Digital, but I keep reading negative reviews that say the external HDs like MyBook die after warranty (1 year). I'm leaning toward Seagate FreeAgent Pro, but they seem to have the same problem with drives that don't work, although their 5-year warranty at least guarantees a replacement. I've looked at other brands like LaCie and Apricorn, but those do not seem to have as many reviews for me to look at, so I don't know how reliable they are.

     

    I don't really need a huge HD like a 750GB-1TB since my HD is only 250GB, and not even all of that is being used. I'll probably concentrate on moving important text files and maybe some pictures and movies; not all of it is terribly important, but I'd prefer not to lose my stuff if I can help it. I'd prefer not to spend over $300.

     

    Some people suggested in another thread to buy another internal HD instead, but I'm not really tech savvy, so I don't know how much "safer" it would be to get one and install it instead of using an external one.

     

    Anyone got any other ideas? :huh: Thanks for any help.

  17. I've heard from other people that I've played with that have had an Antec PS literally spark and die in their computers.

     

    http://www.pjrc.com/about/rambling/antec.html

     

    I didn't read through the whole article (it's a bit old, too) on this page, but I've read other ones. They seem to all say the same thing. You can Google something like "Antec + power supply failure" and a number of links can possibly tell you what the problem may be. A lot of focus seems to be on the capacitors, but I don't know for your particular situation. Hopefully, you can find a solution and play soon.

  18. How do you insert images? It looks like you don't upload them here, but you use free image hosting on another site and link it?

     

    Cool screenshots though, Allanon.

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