I am also aware that some think that Sony should split itself up into two separate companies because of that.

Five, at very least.

And 75 percent of newbies were some second or third worlder

So, it's those people with no money in the Third World that are the threat to Sony. How big do you really believe the threat of Playstation piracy could be? Haven't we been over the actual statistics about piracy in the entertainment industry to be able to drop this notion that piracy is some "existential threat" to the industry? Sony makes a device. A different Sony makes a game. So who really is Sony's customer? The person who buys a Playstation or one of their "strategic partners"?

All you're doing is making my case for Sony being a company that is hostile to the people who buy their products. And their corporate structure and philosophy is what makes them evil. Anyone who does not buy the Sony nameplate is well rid of them. A company that deserved a lot of respect in the 60s, 70s and 80s has now lost all claim on respectability.

Free 2 Play is pretty terrifying.

Aren't you glad that you play games that require connection to Playstation Network?

You know this never happened when people were playing Starcraft on dedicated servers. When you let one company be the nexus for your ability to use an expensive piece of equipment like a Playstation, you have to expect that some days you just won't be able to play the games that you bought.

It's very irresponsible for you to ascribe such a reprehensible and homophobic sentiment to the CIO of Sony.

That comment was clearly made by the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Shawn Layden.

In Minnesota, there is plenty of time to get to the basement if there is a tornado warning, and 6 months notice of oncoming -20F temperatures

I'll take my chances with the tsunamis.

I've been to Minnesota.

Maybe, but it came about because Nintendo learned from Atari how not controlling the platform led to the short-lived death of the games industry.

It led to the death of one platform, not the entire industry.

"Valerie Barr, chair of ACM's Council on Women in Computing (ACM-W), believes the retreat [of women from CS programs] was caused partly by the growth of personal computers."

So, it sounds like women don't go into computer science because they don't like computers.

Alright, that makes sense. I don't like pig shit so I didn't become a hog farmer.

I moved to Minnesota so I wouldn't have to worry about earthquakes, or tsunamis

Yeah, but now you're in Minnesota.

Buzzer (in case you are trapped

What kind of buzzer? It's part of the crank radio? I can't read Japanese so can't tell.

With over 70% of Americans opposed to any new foreign military action, the war machine has to do something to gin up the next glorious Middle East AIPAC adventure. Defense spending doesn't grow on trees, you know. Well, it does, but sometimes you have to spread a little fertilizer to make those trees grow.

Programmatic connoisseurs.

I'm with you, brother. And if my wife doesn't like me spending my Sunday afternoon with a controller in my hands then she can just...Oops, here she comes...gotta go.

Do you really want to call anyone who plays Candy Crush on their smartphone a "gamer"?

I mean, if so, then OK. But then you're going to have to find another name for those of us who do speed-runs through Metal Gear Solid whilst blasting death metal and swigging energy drinks.

I mean, besides, "unemployable jackoffs".

Skálmöld

Thank you for turning me on to my new favorite band in all the world.

I don't usually listen to metal, but I do when I'm playing video games. But then, it's essential. How can you go wrong with a band that refers to itself as "Viking Folk-Metal"?

but that volcano is extinct

Sure, that's what they all say. Like a guy telling a girl he's met, "I've had a vasectomy".

They believed that had no choice other than do what they did

Oh, BS. Sony had lots of other choices. They've had choices every step of the way in their miserable history of hostility toward customers.

Do you need me to recount some of their...um...exploits?

So if you hacked your xbox, you could play pirated games, but never online.

As tiny as the effect of piracy is on games, it's shocking how badly the games industry has reacted.

But I guess it's the same thing with movies and TV and music. The industry has over-reacted to the detriment of their paying customers.