Draginol

Reply to Halo Isn't Angelic, Just Fun. in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

Sure. It's not a bad game. But DOOM is a fun game too, even today. The problem with Halo is that it's been eclipsed by game mechanics by other games. The ONLY thing special about Halo is that is has vehcicles. And even there, Battlefield 1942 has those and does them better. I can't think of a single aspect of Halo that isn't done better in other games. Its graphics aren't great. It's performance is terrible given its simplistic visuals. Its weapons are awful (you have to go

Reply to How much do you rely on your electricity? in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

I stand corrected. But Yellowstone is, as a whole, showing a slight bulging that has begun in recent years. It may not be "overdue" but it could go up any time.

How much do you rely on your electricity? in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

The other day I was talking about just how precarious life on this planet is. Modern human civilization is a tremendous logistical achievement. The amount of uninterrupted energy and food production to sustain it is enormous. Even the slightest interruption can cause the deaths of thousands if not millions. This past summer, the American north east experienced a 24 hour black out. I don't know how many people died (if any) but it caused a massive economic hit. Imagin

Reply to Tucker vs. Al Franken in Politics JoeUser Forums

Anthony K: I hate to be the one to break this to you but life is a series of generalizations. There is no ideal liberal or conservative. But that doesn't change the fact that each has principles. The problem is that the American liberal ideology has fallen into being against things rather than being in favor of something. It doesn't seem to have any champions these days. Abe: Like I said, Franken is the one that argued that Bush is a radical right winger. The onus is on him

Reply to Tucker vs. Al Franken in Politics JoeUser Forums

Abe: If Al Franken wants to describe Bush as a "radical right winger" the onus is on him to back that statement up. In my view, Bush being in favor of providing more government services is one example of how he is not a "radical right winger". Does Franken define liberals? Well, if not he, then who would the left like to have as their champion? It is increasingly difficult to find a decent left. Tucker, while not perfect, does a decent job at being an avatar for the right. Bu

Reply to The Economics of Skin Sites in OS Customization JoeUser Forums

sog: I think you are getting GIGAbytes and TERRAbytes mixed up. 6 Terrabytes requires over 20 megabits of continuous bandwidth. There are no ISPs on the net that will provide you that kind of bandwidth for a few hundred dollars. The cheapest ISP out there is Cogent which is substantially higher and their prices are going up too. Shadow Lord: lol. I take it you don't read much if you expect a "balanced" view in everything you write. This is an editorial. I have an opinion that I am expre

Freedom is as freedom does in Misc JoeUser Forums

Meanwhile over at http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/03/1003/101303.html , Lileks has a great fisking of the FBI whistle blower who exceeded her grasp by writing a fairly incoherent article trying to argue that we are losing our freedoms. Before you take a position on whether we are indeed losing our freedoms, check out Lileks's response in his blog (it's down a few paragraphs). His response is compe

Reply to Don't count on human civilization lasting in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

I tend to be less generous than anthropoligists in what I call city based civilization. I'm aware of ancient mesopotania, egyptian civilization, etc. But they had very little in terms of specialization. They were, literally, not much more than collective farming centers. Though maybe 4,000 years ago would be more reasonable. But 9,000 years ago (7000BC) would be too generous in my view.

Reply to Tucker vs. Al Franken in Politics JoeUser Forums

Brab: You continue to amaze me with your lack of understanding of what I write. I do not feel that either Bush or Clinton "lied" about either. I think that at most, they were mistaken. Mistakes are not the same as lies. *I* thought there was a ton of WMD over there in Iraq and thought that before Bush became President. Franken's blind hatred of the right showed to me that the left's positions aren't based on any sort of bedrock principles but out of anger and loathing of their

Tucker vs. Al Franken in Politics JoeUser Forums

Last night on Tim Russert (CNBC) Tucker Carlson and Al Franken battled it out. If you get a chance, look for it as they repeat the show regularly. It really highlights the difference between American conservatives and liberals. I would argue most people on the left would certainly have no problem having Franken be one of their champions. He's quite intelligent, witty, full of "facts", and at least on paper, makes seemingly compelling arguments. I would even go

Out of shape at Western Michigan University in Blogging JoeUser Forums

Just got back from visiting Western Michigan University. Next Spring will be the 10th year since I graduated. And here is one thing I learned from a day of walking campus: I AM WAY OUT OF SHAPE. I used to walk all over campus, every day, all day. No problem. My wife and I (we met there), were in bad shape after 2 hours. Just tired and achy. Ironically, next Sunday we're playing paint ball with friends (both my wife and I). That's for 4 hours. If walking at

Reply to Limbaugh addiction in Current Events JoeUser Forums

When?

Limbaugh addiction in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Before anyone starts tearing a new hole into Right Wing talk show host, Rush Limbaugh for his addiction to pain killers, remember one thing: Entertainers on the left who go into rehab for illegal drugs like Cocaine, Crack, Heroine, etc. are so common they rarely get reported. But because it's Limbaugh, expect to see a lot of coverage. Update: Yep, it's the top story on CNN right now. Sheesh.

Don't count on human civilization lasting in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

Most people don't really give how precarious human civilization really is. That's mainly because they have better things to do than to worry about that kind of thing. I, on the other hand, don't really have anything better to do sometimes than to think and read about this kind of thing. :) For example, while many people know that an asteroid nailed the earth 65 million years ago, wiping out the dinosaurs along with most other large animals in the ocean and on land, most peop

The Weekend has arrived in Blogging JoeUser Forums

This weekend my wife and I are going to WMU which is where we graduated from. It's always fun to check out the campus and see what's changed over the years.

Only you can see this? in OS Customization JoeUser Forums

Only Adam can see this...right?

Reply to It's alive in Home & Family JoeUser Forums

Hey congratulations!

Reply to What motivates bloggers? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

That's where the point system comes in. When you see something you like, you can give it a "interesting" or "insightful" rating and that boosts its score. By doing that, it will get more prominence.

Reply to The Economics of Skin Sites in OS Customization JoeUser Forums

One other thing: I never write non-biased articles. If someone doesn't like my articles, they should get off their ass and write their own. Create a blog here and write your own articles and give your side of the argument.

Reply to The Economics of Skin Sites in OS Customization JoeUser Forums

Shadow lord: Yea, no kidding that's kind of the point: I am biased. Duh. What a shock that is. And you're right - it takes money to run a business. But guess what, where do you think that money comes from? Go ahead, guess? It seems to me it's not companies or its lackeys (like me) that are whining, it's always the free beer people who whine. Incidentaly, how does this article "promote" Stardock? It's a Econ 101 about what's involved in running a skin site. Ever day we

Reply to A Pacificist Germany in History JoeUser Forums

The Mongols exterminated a far greater percentage of the earth's population than Hitler or Stalin.

What motivates bloggers? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

What motivates bloggers? I can't speak for all but for me, I look at blogging as indie editorials. As such, I like being able to express my view on something or provide information to the public that traditionally only full time journalists were able to do. I suspect millions of other bloggers are of the same mind. It's a form of self-expression. If I had cats, I wouldn't talk about what Mittens did today. Rather, I like giving my two cents on pretty much everything.

The Thursday Blahs in Blogging JoeUser Forums

It never fails. In between Summer and Fall I just get that inter-seasonal case of the blahs. I'm feeling tired, a little under the weather and down in the dumps. No particular reason, happens every year. I know that because, like the statistics geek I am, I've graphed it over the years and noticed that when the weather starts to change from warm summers to cool Fall that I just lose all sense of motivation. I don't write for the reasons many people do. I don't consider

Go west young man! in Misc JoeUser Forums

As I type this, JoeUser is on an epic journey across the United States. From Georgia to California. As a result, there will be, for the next 3 or 4 days, some weirdness and articles missing and such. They'll be back asap.

Reply to Why the left hates Bush in Politics JoeUser Forums

It should be noted that liberals tried to paint Reagan as an idiot. But anyone who's read Reagan's private writings and letters can easily see that the man was extremely well read and very intelligent.