Everyone who has a favorite adventure game is sure to point out that theirs isn't mentioned (for me, it was: Full Throttle (barely mentioned), Dreamfall, and more recently, Machinarium).

However, overall, this is simply a superb article. It touches on all the bases, is exceptionally well written, and really makes me yearn to play a new adventure game (come on Ragnar... you know you want to work on that sequel....)

I hope that anyone who has (or has ever had) even the most flighting interest in adventure games reads this article.

This is a common misconception which the likes of Vegas and Atlantic City would love everyone to continue to believe. There are no jurisdictions in the United States in which card counting (without the use of any devices) is illegal. Additionally, a casino has no right to take back any winnings which were legally obtained. In Nevada, casinos *are* permitted to deny you entrance or ask you to leave if they suspect you may be a card counter. AFAIK, they are also free to share ban lists with other casinos as they see fit. In New Jersey, casinos are not even allowed to go this far. Players may not be denied entrance simply because they are too skilled (see Uston v. Resorts International Hotel, Inc.).

this is getting off-topic, but to respond to the comment on Top Gear being publicly funded: that doesn't necessarily mean that Clarkson, Hammond, and May cannot be bought / bribed. Though if anyone confirmed that one of them accepted a bribe, it would probably be the end of the show.

I disagree with the assumption that it's "just as easy". In some languages, it's definitely easier to write bad code. PHP is such an example. C/C++ is another one. In PHP it comes with the retardedness of the language. In C/C++ it comes with the freedom.

A good example for a language that has certain things in place to prevent bad coding, is Haskell. Type problems in running code are (except for the external input reader) simply impossible.

Yes, but if Brown uses a free email system, it's their fault, not Google's.

And, pray tell, how is /buying/ this device having it provided for them.

They aren't asking others to provide it for them, they aren't asking that the government assign one for every child. The device is simply available to all who want to purchase it. Much like a computer at at a computer store, or food at a grocery store.

I generally know what I want or can read the back of the package

I want service people who know more about the products than what's printed on the back...

Nothing technical. Just the kinds of thinks you'd know if ever having used it, briefly.

How do YOU shop for portable CD players? Battery life varies by more than an order of magnitude, and quickly overshadows the sale price of the unit. And manufactures don't dare list it on the back of the package.

If you say you check online, I'll have to ask why you go into the store after that, rather than also checking prices online, and buying from a cheaper supplier.

Ye, Well personally I don't like the game for its pure reddiculous-ness (if thats even a word). Im talking about the sort of boys who get excited over, well, things that age of boys get excited about. Like general destruction, etc,,, Now whether it actually just fuels them at that age or actually has any long term psychological effects is open for interpretation (i personally feel the former), its certainly far worse than kids playing with proper teamwork in CSS, TF2, etc,,,

I agree. After all, polygraph tests aren't admissible, either.

Woz still gets a paycheck from Apple you know...

The four highest selling lots were:

• Lot 978, $144,000 DR. MCCOY'S SPACE SUIT FROM "THE THOLIAN WEB"
• Lot 1000, $284,800 ENTERPRISE-A MODEL AND POWER SUPPLY (ST: The Motion Picture)
• Lot 983, $307,200 KLINGON BIRD-OF-PREY (ST3: The Search for Spock)
• Lot 712, $576,000 STARSHIP ENTERPRISE-D ("Encounter at Farpoint", ST: Generations)

And the total purse for all 1000 lots comes to: $7,107,040!