scHEEEISs!

Translation: "-Our- business cannot handle -your- business without "special treatment"" ;)

Protectionism. Lets see how that works out for you in the long run.

Computer says 'No'.

Insightful. I wish I could mod you up.

I'll just quote you instead:
'In the religious approach, belief beyond evidence is seen as a virtue, and doubt is a failing.'

Agreed.

"We don't need a fucking Nanny State. ObamaCare was not marketed as a first step, it was marketed as the "fix it all solution". As a first step(towards what??) , it would never have passed. If you want Universal Care, move to France or wherever, you are free to leave. I don't want it here, I've seen what it really means and it is just as ugly(possibly worse), but with a bit a "feel goodism" added in."

Personally I tire of hearing the "nanny state" rhetoric and the oh-so-democratic 'my-way-or-the-high-way' rant. I doubt neither an ultra-libertarian or a completely centralized system will lead society anywhere you'd like to live - but when the outset is overly polarized, you can only ever see the extremes. Balance people.

One EA employee to another: "Our refund approach is win-win. We come out as good guys AND a considerable amount of consumers will pick an older titel; say [rehash]2012 or better yet [rehash]2010.

You and I both know the server support scope for those titles. Get 'em hooked on additional product series with expiring server support; and they'll have invest, to keep playing.

Money in the bank, my friend.. money - in - the - bank."

Good points. Why the hell is this deemed flamebait?

Has civil-arms-race-Inc-parading-as-a-civil-right gotten to slashdot as well? For shame.

Before you label me "socialist-gun-angsty-hippie" (or whatever scape-goat term you like to fling around, dancing to Civil-arms-race rhetorical tune): Yes. I've used a firearm. It's designed to kill. That's what I was trained to do. I was a soldier. These things don't belong at home - and statistics show you're not safer for owning one. If you're scared into thinking that; i feel sorry for you and the people around you - it only makes the firearm even more dangerous.

Good point.

This. Despite being a "weapons system geek" (mostly ww2 though) and former conscript/draftee (being trained with a related assault rifle. Diemarco C7), I sure as hell wouldn't want the kind of liberal gun laws you have in the US. But lobbying and culture make this a political taboo.

In doubt? Decipher this: "de-de-de-de do-do-do-do de-de-de-de- de-de-de-de"(loop)

I have great respect for Ron Gilbert, but you've got a valid point.
As a hobby developer, i'd like a phone i can develop content for, so I'm certainly leaning towards Android. Apple's getting too close to '1984' for my liking. On a side note: for once, it looks like m$ is doing something aesthetically right. Win 7 mobile doesn't _look_ halfbad.

I'm a bit of a war.tech.geek. My favourite subjectmatter is ww2 weapons; and so I get a thrill out of detailed games that portray such creations. I love to see and interact with a detailed pletora of weapons that i recognize. I do, however, get more picky when the weapon systems get "up close and personal". When the game portrays the notion that you control an existing weapon directly, I do expect some of it's characteristics to be reflected in the game.

Immersion & "draft damage": Having been a conscript for 8 months, I've had my perception of small arms altered. I know now that regular infantry man usually engages the enemy with single fire, and that the precision and stopping power afforded by a modern assault rifle is something thats too often is only portrayed by sniper rifles in games. I tire of the inability to take proper aim, and alter the firing mode in many games. Crouching and going prone is also something that's often being shunned by the industry.

We're are, as the article puts it, often left with a hollywood version of weapons. I'm not suggesting that each virtual m16 should come with a virtual cleaning kit, but I would like to see more "portrayed" realism in the handling: that the (deadly) tool can be operated with some of the freedom and functionality that it provides in real life. I realize that this approach is not for all types of games.

I realize that games are abstractions and aspects of realism can be costly and complex to implement in carefully balanced game mechanics; especially if they're intended to provide a competitive space for players.

For gun nuts: I was trained with a Diemaco C7 with an elcan optical sight

P.s: We we're missing a proper ww2 tank movie :/. Most ww2 hollywood tank portrayals pre-"saving private ryan" are horrendous.

I found this blog post very insightful: (Why Steve Jobs will never put adobe flash on iPhone OS devices) http://franciscokattan.com/2010/03/07/why-steve-jobs-will-never-put-adobe-flash-on-iphone-os-devices/

Let's get a similar legislation in the EU

( .. and this is coming from a guy that works with advertising )