I'm guessing this happened before Flash Gordon's time. Who knew that 40's pulp sci-fi was based on facts?

I have to disagree with you. Free-To-Play is the ultimate DRM. Your game only exists as long as that game cloud is running. As soon as it becomes unprofitable, they'll pull the plug in a heartbeat. Just like that, your game is gone.

From the publisher's point of view, this is the best possible solution. Turn everything into MMORPG, MMORTS, or MMOFPS and start raking in the dough. As soon as v2 comes out, pull the plug on v1. Or better yet, make expansion1 that makes those playing the vanilla version lose every time. I can see more powerful guns in FPS-type games (like the Double-Barrel shotgun in Doom2), more powerful units in RTS games (like Krogoth in Total Annihilation:Core Contingency), and Monty-Haul Loot Drops (TM) in MMORPGs (like Dust of Disappearance in Curse of the Azure Bonds - that stuff rocked!)

Point is - I can still play Curse of the Azure Bonds more than 20 years after it was made. Yes, I still have a floppy drive in my computer, and an emulator is required. The Free-To-Plays will probably last 5, perhaps 15 if they are a runaway success. Future generations may not have access to them. Now where did that Adventurer's Journal run off to, I need to read Entry 37.

Don't forget Nesticle_Love's fast running, arcade stomping big brother, Callus_Love. He loved those Capcom games, back in the day. We should also have some consideration for Callus' cousin, Retrocade_Love. She was easy on the eyes - too bad she stopped running when Windows became an eXPerience instead of a year. She's really let herself go.

Ah - a copy of Lost, I take it. I hope your ending was better than the writer's.

Actually, I think Unreal Tournament (UT99) had an online ranking system (based on a DB) somewhere in the 2000s. Any UT players out there that can confirm this? It was called something like ngWorldStats, but my memory could be wrong.

Not for $250,000, no. Might be worth a Netflix stream, though.

The day I need my phone number in a phone book to look is the day I hang it up.

As for the CC/waitress example - the law (and the CC industry) takes a dim view of waitresses that charge themselves a little something extra with your card.

Here, now. They actually intended those drives to be used in desktop computers. As such, they used a bearing oil that would degrade if it was used longer than 8 hrs a day, likely as a cost saving measure. That was their defense, at least. Shortly after that, they sold their drive division to Hitatchi.

Well, at least when you sued, they weren't trying to chop you up with a big Golden Axe.

So, you get close to the gun turret and you hear this: "Please leave the DMZ. You have 20 seconds to comply." You begin leaving the DMZ, but 15 seconds later the is still chasing you. "You have 5 seconds to comply. Four... three... two... one... I am now authorized to use physical force!" So, these are named ED-209, right? Wonder what happens to wildlife? How about kids? If the thing is programmed to avoid kids, does that mean little people get a free pass, too?

When did the Godfather get involved in politics?

I've been to a church in this area that doesn't even let the laity handle the collection plates. They are affixed with long poles that the ushers keep a tight grip on. A church that doesn't touch it's congregation? Odd.

I've installed a 16G Compact Flash drive into a Powerbook G3 Bronze Keyboard (Pismo) with a CF to IDE adapter. Works great, and I did it for $30 a year ago. I'm sure they make CF to SATA bridges by now.

Great! Where can I get my BigFoot (5.25 form factor, 1/3 height) SSD for 1/2 to 1/3 of the regular SSD cost?