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 )

Arguably fitting; seeing as "Tower defense" began as a Starcraft mod.

Some would say "Rampart" (1990) started the thing; with it's two phases and turret placement; but i think that the game mechanics differ; primarily through required turret control and the wall segments system (though may TD's also require you to construt walls, to funnel enemies now).

Oh - and Gemcraft seems awesome.. I'm an utter newb. at it :D

I've always felt I've had a inferior sense of direction; bordering on complete absence.

I find that since childhood, my mind has mostly occupied by other things when Im travelling with people. I'll be fully focused on the conversational topic, or speculations of my own. I'll pay no attention to the surroundings; unless i make a concious decision to make a note of things that I may need to recognize and place spacially later; and even then; I may be unsure if I'm forced to retrace my steps.

When I was drafted, the army handed me a radio and a map and placed me next to the truck driver; i thought "Oh - boy..". Luckily we never really had to take the lead; and my task involved copying routes on giant maps; and reporting back when we passed specific milestones.

I sometimes wonder whether having moved so much during my childhood made me care less interested in learning all the ins & outs of the local area (I had lived in 4 different countries at the age of 16).

Visual-spatial intelligence on Wiki has this to say:

This area has to do with vision and spatial judgment. People with strong visual-spatial intelligence are typically very good at visualizing and mentally manipulating objects. Those with strong spatial intelligence are often proficient at solving puzzles. They have a strong visual memory and are often artistically inclined. Those with visual-spatial intelligence also generally have a very good sense of direction and may also have very good hand-eye coordination, although this is normally seen as a characteristic of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. ( hmmm.. )

I've been drawing since i could hold a pencil. I work as a graphics designer. I love to vizualize or model stuff (I blaim an early love for Legos ;). Those synapses seem to do just fine when attempting to "shape" space on paper or on the computer - but ask them to find their way; that's a whole different story. *sigh*

Now I'm just waiting for the GPS based hud. Let me go anywhere and worry about where to go, rather than how to get there.

The guvenat0r has the answer:

http://twitvid.io/abv1

Favourite part: "This is so wrong it has to be right."

Original - or did he cite someone?

Yes - he created "Jobs". 4 of them to be specific. *nods* I suppose you could say that it's a lot, in some parts of the States. What does this have to do with the fundamental aspects of economy?
;)
(or would that be Jobs'?)

Towards the end of basic training, we were approaching a big field exercise. Our captain decided to put us to the test by subjecting us to a trying exercise.

I remember getting less than 12 hours of sleep in for a duration of 4.5 days. A couple of times, we'd set up camp - dig fox holes - prepare for rest, only to be awoken by a suggested-impending attack. Long marches, exercises and sleep deprivation put a fairly big strain on people.

I remember being unable to keep myself awake, unless I was doing something - and observed sergents falling asleep mid-sentence while instructing us recruits.

One lieutenant was caught sleep-walking out on a field.

We'd also start seeing things out of the corners of our eyes.

Sure; exams, gaming gone awry, jetlag, work and partying leads to 48h+ sleep deprivation from time to time - but the stress of military exercise mixed with sleep deprivation was an entirely different experience. Tolerance was at an all time low - and empathy for whining was virtually non-existing. You found yourself hating those that slowed progress, as you felt that they were extending the pain.

On a side note: While not exactly healthy - going into town to party, while sleep-deprived can yield some interesting results: I find myself less reserved, and more concerned with the immediate: There's less reflection - and more impulsive behavior.