I never wanted to buy any xbox avatar items before. Always seemed a little too close to playing dress-up. But I suddenly feel like I should buy one of these! Is that weird? I wonder if sales will go up this week. And if they do, will MS unban the virtual guns or possibly come up with new tricks to create scarcity.

The other day I decided to send a note to my senator urging him not to pass SOPA.

Here's the response I got. It made me sad.
Dear Joshua,

Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 968, the Protect IP Act.

Intellectual property industries employ more than 19 million people, making it an integral part of our economy. Rogue websites dedicated to the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods and pirated content are a direct threat to these jobs and to entrepreneurs growing and building legitimate businesses online.

Businesses have lost $135 billion in revenue annually as a result of these rogue sites. Customers have also been harmed by these sites; for example, online pharmacies that don't adhere to U.S. regulations have been reported to cause a rapid increase in prescription drug abuse.

I am a cosponsor of the Protect IP Act which would cut off foreign websites dedicated to counterfeiting and piracy that steal American jobs, hurt the economy, and harm customers. It would allow the Justice Department to file a civil action against those who have registered or own a domain name linked to an infringing website. The bill does not allow the Justice Department to target domain names registered by a U.S. entity.

Innovation is a cornerstone of our nation's economic growth. Proper intellectual property protections and incentives ensure that inventors develop products that benefit consumers. Without such incentives for innovators, we risk falling behind places like China and India.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I look forward to continuing our conversation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SenatorBlunt) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/RoyBlunt) about the important issues facing Missouri and the country. I also encourage you to visit my website (blunt.senate.gov) to learn more about where I stand on the issues and sign-up for my e-newsletter.

Sincere regards,
Roy Blunt United States Senator

Not going to weigh in on the matter of college loans*, but I feel like I should point out that high school is our public education system. If Ron Paul were calling for an end to public schools, your post would be a lot more on point. Also, people are already voting for whatever candidate looks best on TV. I don't think we'd have nearly as much petty mudslinging if it didn't work. This isn't really on topic either, but I wish there was something that would make our political system based less on gut feelings and more on actual analysis. For example, almost everyone on this board has already formed an opinion on whether they agree with Ron Paul on this topic or not, but how many have actually taken the time to actually figure out based on history, statistics, or simulation? My guess is not very many. The majority probably saw the words "Ron Paul" and immediately said to yourself "I love that guy" or "that moron" before you got to the actual point. *Not weighing in because I haven't done any sort of research that I wish more people would do.

But...but...schools NEED a Dean of Campus, a Dean of Students, a Dean of Faculty, a Dean of Character, a Dean of Lawn Mowing, and a Dean of Deaning!

Not a bad start, though no doubt either he or someone else will end up taking it a step further. I'm guessing nobody will use the 3D with just javascript, but sound shouldn't be THAT hard...

This isn't a bad start, discovering how to utilize the d-pad and the A button. Every project has to start somewhere right? If he had mapped every button would it have made a difference? What about when he discovers sound?

Maybe this guy won't figure those things out, but the article will inspire someone else to get interested and figure the rest out.

Denny Crane at your service!

For some reason, I just KNEW you were going to say Facebook...

Actually, the game's accurate enough that if you pay very close attention, he's just BARELY dodging those things. Within pixels.

I didn't know "Tycho Brahe" was a real person who is not Jerry Holkins.

I hate DRM as much as the next slashdotter, but I actually know a real case that supports why they do this stuff.

I have a friend who pirated Street Fighter 4 (yep, a Capcom game), loved it, and never bought it. He waited a long time for a pirated version of Super Street Fighter 4 to appear. When it didn't happen, he went ahead and bought it.

He is the reason Capcom and these other companies use DRM.

I'd be interested to know how many people out there are like him as opposed to how many are in the boycott crowd, but it'd be pretty tricky to determine that.

I'm not gonna lie. Watching my friend in front of me play RPGs on his laptop was the only thing keeping me awake some days...

You're making never leaving the house sound wayyy too scientific!

In case you're wondering the discrepancy, its NIV vs KJB

Here are the links if someone cares:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+6%3A9-10&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%206:9-10&version=KJV

Go right ahead! You'll be a hero.

Unfortunately, to do a decent job at what you're saying would take several days of effort. Heck, even to make wallpaper sized image would take hours.

I think someone smarter than me might have an easier time hacking the site and finding access to the raw images than to do what you're suggesting.