Right, and that's entirely irrelevant to my point. It's akin saying that *right now* I can buy various illegal drugs so it wouldn't be a big deal if the US government made them legal. While the ability to purchase such things is factually accurate, it has very little bearing on the importance of a large and powerful body making an about face on a major policy and even going so far as to facilitate the activity that policy forbade.

My point is that whether you agree or disagree with Blizzard's decision, the decision itself is extremely important.

I doesn't matter that this sort of thing was going on underground before, or that Blizzard isn't doing the selling themselves. Their policy has now shifted from "only cosmetic items may be sold" to "all items may be sold, whether they be cosmetic or have actual gameplay value". The fact that this is official is extremely significant.

This has nothing to do with whether this change is good or bad, but everything to do with it being an important break from Blizzard's previous philosophy/policy.

It's not a trivial change. Previously you could only buy purely cosmetic benefits for Blizzard games (unless you were involved in seedy craiglist-style transactions). The shift in policy from only allowing the sale of cosmetic effects to allowing the sale of actual in-game benefits is significant, even if Blizzard isn't going to be doing the selling. Whether you think it's wonderful or terrible, it's a notable change in game dynamics.

Except it's not clear why you can't have the best of both worlds. Being perpetually connected and being able to download games with just a CD-Key are not mutually dependent.

This is hilariously old school. A lot of very common surnames have origins in occupations (SEE: Smith).

If you specifically mean propaganda created by people in high places, then you're probably correct. However, don't underestimate the power of an echo chamber. A sufficient number of ignorant individuals can create and propagate absolute insanity to millions at a rate which makes the greatest advertising executives and spinsters envious.

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Ban incoming in 3... 2... 1...

Keep in mind as well that the situational awareness and correct reactions required to survive or really accomplish anything on a PvP realm are valuable skills to bring into a PvE context. They alone don't make a good raider, but they are the hardest skills to teach.

At the same time, not all PvE realm players are there because they don't have the mentality to deal with challenges. Some people simply don't enjoy having their play schedule impeded or interrupted at random by other players.

You insensitive clod!

http://idle.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/07/06/169222

I'll have you know I suffered intense emotional distress when I saw the mention of broccoli.

Unless xkcd is being edited into "In Popular Culture" wikipedia sections where it doesn't belong, I see no reason why I shouldn't ridicule someone for getting their pants in a twist over it.

I don't have any problems with people disliking stuff. It's when they draw attention to it like they're the center of the universe and no one else is allowed to enjoy life that I take issue. If it isn't directly or indirectly causing harm, forcing your umbridge on other people is by my reckoning a greater issue than the original "offense".

I think my analogy of someone else eating broccoli/discussing how they like broccoli fits better. You're not being forced to digest xkcd simply because someone suggests you might like it.

Now if people are constantly forwarding comics to you/hotlinking comic in forums you read, that's more analogous to broccoli showing up in your food (which, incidentally, has recently happened to me) and worthy of ire.

I hate broccoli. You know what I do when someone who loves broccoli starts fawning over some dish they recently ate which had broccoli in it? Nothing really, I just enjoy the conversation and talk about something I like in response. I don't even have to mention I don't like broccoli.

It's not like you need to burst a vein every time you see XKCD mentioned somewhere. If you do you can't really call it dislike anymore.

Although maybe I'm doing it wrong. The next time I'm in a restaurant and I see someone at another table with broccoli, I'm going to turn beat red and throw a hissy fit about how horrible broccoli is and how terrible it is that I have to see the stuff in public because of those damned broccoli lovers who think it's some miracle cancer curing vegetable or something. Yeah, that "Don't sweat the small stuff" crap won't be for me anymore. I'm going to make a big deal out of absolutely nothing.

Starting with your comment. How am I doing?

That's kind of like saying you can paint the Mona Lisa by just dabbing the right colors on the canvas. If you want to make something good and avoid making potentially damaging mistakes there's an awful lot of work involved.

Another important point is that the knowledge for changing oil or fixing a pipe doesn't change unless you buy a new car or completely overhaul your plumbing. Every time you build a new computer you have to get up to speed on all the latest developments, find reviews for many individual components, check system comparisons, monitor prices etc. Unless you habitually track all of that in your spare time or plan to just throw a bunch of parts together and hope it makes sense, it's a fairly long and involved process.

Consider Sony's simultaneous lawsuits against Lik-Sang over their PSP sales. Sony didn't sue them everywhere because their lawyers were bored, but because it was economically impossible for Lik-Sang to respond to that. Consider how many human trafficking rings begin with poor families in foreign countries being leveraged against economically, forcing them to send their daughters to "work". You're utterly naive if you think economics can't be used to apply force to a person, institution, or system.

Hell, it was practically the plot of Batman Begins.