Daeval

Save some money so you can feed your Kelet. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Haha oh yeah that too! I got another one. Let me switch Avatars. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Jesus H. Christ on a stick that's fugly. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What in the hell is that ugly thing anyway? As for the million bucks... I'd probably buy a new car, because my poor 13 year old car is slowly dying. Maybe an RX8 or one of those convertible-looking smart cars. Something relatively practical, but nice, and just a little bit sporty (my miata has spoiled me with its handling). Maybe a few small luxuries here and there - some ram, a ps2 game or five. Maybe build that portable pc (based on ITX) I've been thinking about for around $400-500. Something nice for the girl, of course. After that, I'd probably invest the rest like everybody else said. There's definately something appealing about making the money last longer than it should.

Nice review! I expected this to be simple and kind of boring, but it sounds like it has some depth. I'll have to give it a try.

gahahahaha, that's freakin' beautiful! I'm sure it's not true, because the judge in the first case would have seen this right away as insurance fraud, but it's hilarious nonetheless.

Alright, I'll throw in one more... Well.. See, you've just described why this issue isn't about ss and ice cream. You could say exactly the same thing about ANY TWO ENTITIES and have the exact same amount of validity. IE, "Unless the kids who signed up for the baseball team KNEW SPECIFICALLY that it would mean getting on the magazine company's advertising list, then the magazine company behaved EXTREMELY unethically." It's the same thing, but people aren't politically charged about magazine advertisements, so it wouldn't have been a big deal. Furthermore, companies do this exact same thing ALL THE TIME, but you never hear anything about it beyond the occasional anti-junk-mail movement. In this case, it is actually the Information Broker who stepped out of line by selling the list to the army without the ice cream shop's permission. It is coincidental to the argument because the list could have been from ANYTHING, as explained above. The government could have gotten the list from a sporting goods shop, or a fast food restauraunt, or a gun shop, and the issue would have been exactly the same, except that there wouldn't be nearly as much emotional sentiment for them to spin on. I see what you're getting at, but I don't think it's correct, and here's why. Let's break it down to this line: The problem with this is that these tactics weren't really secret. All they did was buy a publicly traded list to send out reminder notices. Doing something like bugging your phone is a blatant violation of privacy rights, whereas a publicly traded list is, under our current system, fair game. Nobody knew they were doing it, but it's no more a deceptive violation of privacy than when the advertising companies do it every day. Being able to buy a legally traded list certainly would not excuse anyone from illegal wiretapping or similar privacy violations in a court of law. Now, I do agree that it's unethical, but not because it was the government or selective services doing it. I think publicly traded advertising lists like that are a massive violation of privacy rights all on their own. Exactly. I like you, you think about stuff.

No, the ice-cream list is very much NOT immaterial. Nor is it an emotional device to get people angry - not the way it was presented in that site anyway. In case you don't know, that is a site dedicated to proving or disproving urban legends, and every detail on that site is treated in an objective way. The FACT that the army used a free ice-cream list to get them to sign up for the SS is therefore presented and shown to be 100% true. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1) Yes the site attempts to approve or disprove urban legends, but 2) No, this particular urban legend is NOT presented in an objective way and 3) Since when is an internet site a valid authority on this kind of thing? However, 4) None of that really matters because true or not, the ice cream list is, as I have stated earlier, NOT THE REAL ISSUE HERE. For the last time, the ice cream list had absolutely no bearing whatsoever on anyone being required to register for selective service. Registering is expected as a legal requirement of ALL male resident citizens in the United States. These people were sent reminders to register not because they signed up for ice cream, but because they were nearing the age at which they must legally register. The issue is one of privacy violation - which is what the legal situation in this story was about - NOT ice cream or selective services. It could have been ANYTHING that the people had signed up for, and ANY letter they recieved, and the case should have proceeded EXACTLY the same. However, since people (rightfully) don't like selective services, and since this case, by coincidence only, has the childhood image of an ice cream parlor attached to it, it is used by people to attack the Selective Services by emphasizing a coincidental connection, while de-emphasizing the nature and reality of the situation, which appeals to the emotion of the reader in order to make it seem like selective services was somehow victimizing kids through an ice cream parlor. That is why and how it is a spun story, and why and how the ice cream is an immaterial emotional device in this case. It's an effective one, and this kind of trap is one that people frequently fall in to, but if one thinks critically about it, rather than letting their (justified) hatred think first, it becomes clear. It's a basic logic 101 kind of fallacy that is unfortunately used all the time to invoke or capitalize on a mob-mentality. You can see my previous posts or do some searches on the web to find answers on this. It is not a forgone conclusion that they are doing a draft soon. For one, the DMV thing is unlikely to have an effect on a near-future draft because the youngest group, which would be the ones who had most recently gone in for thier licenses, are the LAST people to be called on in the case of a draft. Selective Services would have to go through everyone between 20 and 27(is it 27?) before they could even start pulling names from the youngest group. In addition, such a system is far from an extensive new effort - in fact, it's probably a lot easier on the country's resources (and therefore the taxpayers) than searching through mailing lists and sending out millions of reminder notices. People going through the DMV for their licenses are really close to the age when they'd have to register anyway, and just about every kid around that age goes through the DMV. In addition, no one has to worry about anyone calling favoritism for or against people of a certain background, because everyone goes through the DMV. From an operational standpoint, it only makes sense to combine the two processes. If you set aside the blinding anger for a second, it's obvious - the government wastes a lot less effort on the system, and 18 year olds no longer have to go out of their way either. It's a streamlining of the system. That's not the end of it, but that's where I'll stop. Basically, people need to stop to think once in a while and quit the knee-jerking. Something as old and bureaucraticly rooted as Selective Services isn't going to go away in response to some brash emotional reaction - if that was the way to do it, it would have ended with Vietnam. It's also not going to spring to life on a whim - it's tied to too much to do that either. It needs to be looked at with an intellectual eye, disected, and destroyed with the voice of reason. Pending your final response, our argument ends here, because I've made my point several times. I realize it's futile because people like to let their emotions rule them, but the importance of critical thinking has to be emphasized once in a while.

Wow.. actually.. if this project entropia thing stays around and is popular, he might make some mad bank on his investment. It's like a new form of gambling. Instead of buying property in real life, you can buy it online, and other suckers will pay you to use it, in REAL cash.

It's sounds like you're not clear on something. When you sign up for Selective Service, as ALL american men, rich or poor do, you are NOT SENT TO WAR. Your name goes into a pool of people, which includes EVERY male 18 to whatever the limit is (27-ish?), even the sons of congressmen. This is the pool that the government draws from IF it issues a draft. Even the kids of congressmen are FORCED TO SIGN UP for selective service. In fact, I'm sure if one of them wasn't, it would be used against them in one of this country's ridiculous political mud-slinging contests. Where the rich MIGHT be able to get out of their obligation is in the case of an actual draft, where people are actually called on to serve. In that case, the rich or powerful might be able to pull some strings to ensure that their kid stays home (faking a medical condition, etc). However, we have no idea if this would work in this day and age because no one has been forced to serve as a result of registering for selective service since the 70's. Again, you apparently aren't clear on how the system works. Registering for selective service is not the same as registering for military duty. Our army has been entirely a volunteer force for over 20 years, and registering for SS has been a legal requirement of every male citizen for that entire time. Furthermore, it is not meant to target just the poor. They do not dismiss people of ANY class from registering, and the system does not pull from a particular class of people first. To say that they are targetting the poor is a baseless argument, as everyone goes to the DMV for their license. To say that there is a bias towards the rich is a baseless argument, becuase everyone gets equal treatment in having to register. To say that they are "selectively" choosing people to sign up is a baseless argument, as no one has been "selected" for anything in over 20 years. Furthermore, what the hell does any of this have to do with an ice cream list? Do you think that only poor kids want free ice cream or something? The dad whose kid made the "fake kid" up for free ice cream was a freaking lawyer. It's been a while since I've seen an impoverished person with enough money to visit Farrels with any frequency, as it's rather pricey for an ice cream shop, let alone enough money to get them through law school. And rich or poor, the kid would have been legally obligated to submit his name anyway. The ice-cream is completely immaterial in all this, and is just an emotional device to get people angry at the "eeeviiill" government, when their time would be better spent arguing reasonably against an obsolete government service that absorbs tons of tax money for absolutely no return. How can any man or group expect their opinions to be taken seriously when they can't see the real issues past a bowl of ice cream?

Yeah, it's a gaming board, and so theoretically should only cover gaming, but we've become something of a bigger community now. Maybe someone should make a sister site for movies/anime/whatever and we could share a board or something... Just a random idea

Self-righteous whatever, it's a matter of common courtesy. No one stands up for that these days. I agree with the cellphone policy thing though.

Gahahha, I love it. Saved.

Yeah, the McFarlane toys tend to be nice to look at, but usually only hold one position well and fall apart easily (at least the older ones did). I'd say keep it sealed, or just open it to use as a statue somewhere. And yeah, the MAXX ruled. I have the old MTV series in avi format somewhere.

This article has you spinning with it, and missing the point. They aren't using the ice cream to get anyone to do anything. The ice cream has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether or not they will eventually sign up for ss. The spin on the story is that there is some connection between wanting free ice cream and getting sent to war, when the fact of the matter is that there is not. If they are 17 turning 18 and male, THEY WILL SIGN UP, ice cream be damned. That's why it doesn't matter where they got the list. In fact, it doesn't even matter if the government ever sent them a letter. THEY WILL SIGN UP for ss either way. Should we not focus on THAT, the one true aspect of horror in this story? Ok, in that case you're right. As it stands under our current legal situation, it is mandatory and necessary for you, as a citizen, to sign up for selective service when you turn 18. If you fail to do so, you may be fined ridiculous amounts of money or imprisoned for several years when you, for example, try to renew your drivers license or apply for college. However, you keep implying that this is my opinion. This is not my opinion, this is fact. I don't like it either, but this is the law in my country. Again, see the first paragraph in this post. How is it immoral? The government, with its ice cream list, did not do a single thing to change the fate of these kids IN ANY WAY. The government did not use the list to track down draft-dodgers, and it didn't start picking the ice-cream kids first for a draft. You're still missing the point here. The "letter" does not matter. When you turn 18 as a United States citizen, if you have a censor, you have a legal obligation to register for selective service. Now, unless you mean that maybe they could have avioded registering if the government hadn't used the ice cream list.... My response to that is twofold... First, no way. There are plenty of other ways to get names, the government doesn't stop with ice cream lists, and as soon as you get a drivers license or legal ID, the government knows you exist. Furthermore, you could never apply to college, and quite possibly you couldn't go to High School either. The only reason the fake kid would have avoided ss is because HE DIDN'T EXIST outside the ice-cream shop. Second, if all the neighborhood kids have to sign up for this wretched fact of life in our country, your kid has to sign up too, or get the hell out of the country. You don't like that? Then flocking change it! But don't hide from it and claim to have any valid say in the matter, they might throw you in jail. First, how DO they get their lists? Second, I would hope my country wouldn't waste even MORE money on the archaic selective service ritual, which would be required to get an official system in place for names. As it is, they're starting to use an official source that's already in place - the DMV. Is that what you were hoping for?

Cute pun.. First of all, I never said it was necessary for our government or our country in any way. As I said in my previous post, we'd probably be better off as a nation WITHOUT the selective service system. However, as things currently stand, registering for selective service is a necessity for YOU AS A CITIZEN. Whether you like it or not, it's not something anyone needs to claim. It's a law. If you do not do it, you may legally be thrown in jail. And think about your "official channels" comment for a minute... What official channel would you suggest they use? Should they just have birth certificates submitted when a child is born? Should they gather their information from their grade schools? Would that be any less offensive? The census bureau can't do it because 1) they don't have everybody's specific information and 2) they aren't legally allowed to give out personal information, even to government branches. And you nailed it right on the head... Right here: That's just it. Nobody's tricking anybody here. Well, except for the Information Broker. If the government had secretly hired ice cream shops to take the names of kids and then turned around and given the kids something they weren't expecting... THAT would be tricking them. As it is, the kids didn't get anything they shouldn't have been expecting, and the government didn't pull any strings to get the list of names. The Ice Cream shop was tricked by the Information Broker, because they thought they were going to have a say in who gets their list and they didn't. The government was ALSO tricked by the information broker, in that the government thought they were getting a legal list, and the Information Broker didn't bother telling them it wasn't legal. The kids may also have been tricked, by the Ice Cream shop, who didn't bother telling the kids that their names and addresses would be on a list that was available for sale. The government, however, didn't pull any tricks whatsoever. Again, this is the power of emotion as an argument in action. There is no Cause-Effect relationship between wanting free ice-cream and being forced to go to war. It sounds powerful because you think "ooh, cute innocent kids go to get ice cream and get told they have to go kill people" but the truth of the matter is that it's 17 year olds, who should already know what they need to do, getting simple reminders that they need to submit their name and address. Whether or not they ever desired ice cream before in their entire life, the outcome is exactly the same. All I'm saying is, as a country, let's make our argument with the plentiful facts and reason, and not with spin-doctored stories like this one.

I saw clips of the game at e3, looked kinda interesting. I don't suppose it's available for legal DL now that it's on AS?

I've taken a few Japanese courses in my day, and this article seems pretty much dead on. So many anime freaks.. By the end of the class, when all the "deers in headlights" have dropped out, and it's just you and the know-it-alls and the anime freaks... oh god, that's the worst. The writing I liked though. That is, if they would pick hiragana or katakana and stick with it! The consonant-vowel combinations make a hell of a lot more sense than English, plus it sounds cool. And Sturm, it's official, you learned a weird romanization! Tyotto?! Heheh.. it's probably just newer than the stuff I was learning, but that character has always been "Cho." What was the name of the book you were using?

I'm all for the old man here. I don't think he should have grabbed the phone, but it's awesome that he did anything at all. People have a tendency to give the people on the other side of their cellphones more respect that the people who are sitting on the other side of the proverbial bench. And ok, free speech and all, but when I go out for a cup of coffee or something, I really don't feel like hearing someone cuss their head off all day. You can handle your petty domestic disputes in private.

More paranoia. Granted, the paranoia was a little more warranted, since the last draft was much more recent in 1984. Like it or not, registering for selective service is required by law when you're 18. If your parents are citizens, they probably knew this when you were born. They sealed your fate. If there is a publicly traded list available, such as the one for rent through that information broker, I see no problem whatsoever with the government using that information. If "charlie's chewing gum" could pay the fee and get the ice cream shop's list and start sending you ads, why the hell shouldn't the government be able to pay the fee and send you reminders of your legal obligation to register? There's no big brother crap going on here, the government paid the same fee to get the same thing anyone else could have gotten. The crime here is with the information broker. First of all, its very existance is a crime to anyone who's ever gotten junkmail. Second of all, they were the ones that gave Farrel's list to the gov. without Farrel's permission in the first place. They are the ones who acted out of line. Who cares where a 17 year old's selective service reminder came from? So what if it was an ice cream list? It's not like they were posting propoganda in the ice cream shop. They weren't sending drill seargents door to door to teach kids how to shoot an M16. They weren't pulling grade schoolers out of class to go to boot camp. They were sending teenagers a reminder to fulfill their legal obligation, just as everybody has to. Frankly, I'd rather get the reminder before hand than jail time should I forget. Let's put it this way.. Do I agree with the selective service system? No, I think it's useless and archaic. Our professional volunteer army is MUCH more effective than the cannon fodder we would get out of any draft these days, and it's a waste of time, money, and morale. Do I think spreading fear and paranoia is the right way to handle it? Not only no, but hell no. As far as I'm concerned, people with that attitude can just get the hell out of the country, and Michael Moore can captain the ship. Complacency is an evil, but sowing seeds of fear is just as poisonious. This country desperately needs positive, reasonable, courageous, altruistic and forward-thinking leaders, not an army of paranoid, clueless rebels.

Counter-Strike: Source And I must say, it's more fun than the original (at least, after playing the original for like 80 years or however long it's been). The weapons feel more balanced so there's more variety than aks vs. colts.

Eh, you said it yourself about Halo 2, games need a little complexity or they get boring. It's finding the right combination of simplicity and options that's the key to a game's popularity + longevity formula. If it were something as simple as "perfecting the twitch shooter formula" then Quake 3: Arena would have been the end-all of FPS games. Thank god it wasn't. You need a little something extra in there to keep things interesting for more than 15 minutes. Otherwise, you're right back to "chore."

I don't think any of the "flash linkers" like that one can be used to extract? Can they?

Don't get me wrong, the game is a lot of fun. It's not some revolutionary thing like all the reviews are saying, but it's probably the best FPS this year. And, as has always been the case with Half Life, the story is kinda weak overall, but the storytelling is pretty cool while you're playing through it. They managed to tell a story at least as intricate as any other FPS, but didn't rely on cutscenes for any but the very begiinning and end of it. That's something to be commended. It's just the ending that's lame.

Somebody shoulda put SPOILER!!!! or something in the subject.. Even though there weren't really any.. but this might be, so.. ***SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!***************** The ending was OK from a storytelling point of view, but not great. A great ending would have wrapped SOMETHING up, but still left the cliffhanger. This was just a deus ex machina of the worst kind. By the end of the game, you didn't know a single thing more than you did half an hour into the game. That is, unless it wasn't obvious that you'd be defeating the oppressive regime in some sense. You don't ever really find out how succesful you were. For an 18 hour story, that's not storytelling to brag about. I get a kick out of the g-man thing, but at this rate, we'd need as many games as there were episodes in the x-files tv series to learn a damn thing about him/you. As it is, he's basically a cheap, but kind of cool, excuse to put you in whatever situation valve comes up with.

A lots of people want that. I just fear that a new one would suck balls. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We'd be lucky if we could see anything.

It's that some states are requiring you to register when you're younger, IE, when you get your drivers liscence. Some people are taking this to mean they're going to start drafting, and that this somehow means they're going to start taking younger people. I point this out because I got bitched out for not noticing it earlier. And nevermind that the youngest (18-19) group gets drafted last under our system...

The girls on top always have to be the smallest. They should put the fatty up there and not catch her when they drop her. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You're so sweet, Gryph.