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Comment Re:Gotta be there (Score 1) 81

What Dyinobal said: the server cluster employs time dilation to cope with the load of many characters present in one system or constellation (one level up from systems in the three-tier location system) - the greater the load, the greater the slowdown (which, by the way, is only indicated to players by a small dial on the screen, not an actual slowdown). In extreme cases, such as the 1000+-ship Battle of Asakai, the system or constellation may be moved to a separate server node to avoid crashing the entire cluster the game runs on.

Comment Gotta be there (Score 5, Interesting) 81

For most of the content in EVE, you simply need to be there, on site, to experience it to its fullest.
Sure, you can watch a live stream of the Battle of Asakai, where enough ships were present to instate a time dilation factor of 90%, and force the movement of the system to its separate physical node, but it doesn't capture the pure awe at the number and size of ships, the cacophony of fleet chatter, and such.
You can read a comic about how a young, intrepid explorer (yours truly, in fact...) went through a decaying wormhole to explore the hostile system on the other side, forgetting about the 1-hour timer, then found that the wormhole vanished, forcing him to take the "clone express" home, but it doesn't capture the terror upon finding no trace of your exit, and the realization that you're alone in a hostile system, with no chance of rescue, and any moment, hostiles may come hunting for your little frigate.
You can read about how an organized wormhole raid got stuck inside when their salvaging Noctis went through the low-mass wormhole first (instead of yours truly's scanner ship, which could have found the new exit), followed by some combat ships before the wormhole vanished, stranding the rest of the fleet outside, but it doesn't really do justice to the uproarious laughter of the fleet, then the creeping dread that the enemy knows we've arrived and are actively hunting us, and we don't know where to run, nor the relief when our commanding officer begins negotiations for the location of the new exit, and we return to known space 10 million credits poorer, but with our ships intact.

Most content in EVE is like real life - you gotta be there to fully appreciate the joke/story.

Comment Re:-Conflicted (Score 1) 167

Actually, it isn't. I explained before, according to Michael v First Chicago Corp. Illinois, 1985, "A finder of property acquires no rights in mislaid property, is entitled to possession of lost property against everyone except the true owner, and is entitled to keep abandoned property.". Therefore, unless the true owner comes to claim it from you after having tracked you down, and you refuse to return the wallet, it becomes theft. If you return it, or the owner doesn't turn up, it's nothing, since you're entitled to possession of the lost wallet against everyone but the original owner.

Comment Re:-Conflicted (Score 1) 167

At the end of the day, you have to answer to the person in the mirror, andlike and respect that person.

That's ... actually a rather nice way of summing up just what makes most people law-abiding, apart from the threat of punishment.
As for faith in mankind? Personally, I've lost that a long time ago, so it wouldn't be any surprise to me if I returned such a wallet and were turned away with barely a thanks. All the more reason for me to keep it, even if I'm enforcing the stereotype. My needs and interests come first for me, after all. And I assume the same for every rational person.

As far as I know, however, no rules state that you must try to locate the original owners. Given that my knowledge of US law is not exactly in-depth, I may stand corrected, though...

Comment Re:-Conflicted (Score 1) 167

Let me start from the end of your comment, your example. Frankly, aside from her family and friends, nobody cares if you don't help her. Oh sure, people say you're an asshole, and you should help her, take her to the hospital, etc. But tell them to do it themselves, and they make up an excuse and hurry on: Bystander Effect. On the other hand, raping her is a crime unto itself, punishable by law. That's where your analogy goes astray, in that you attempt to substitute a clearly illegal act for a legal, if unethical one.

Which leads me on to the first part of your comment. Given that the wallet was lost, it left possession of its owner. According to Michael v First Chicago Corp. Illinois, 1985, "A finder of property acquires no rights in mislaid property, is entitled to possession of lost property against everyone except the true owner, and is entitled to keep abandoned property.". Meaning unless the original owner tracks you down (which, let's face it, is quite unlikely in any moderately sized city, let alone a metropolis) and reclaims his wallet, it is, indeed, yours to keep. Whether it was ethical to keep or not.
The fact that there was contact information inside is quite irrelevant, given that the true owner has to claim the wallet from you to enforce his possession, in which case you must yield it. Sure, people might think even less of you for not even attempting to return it, but that doesn't make it any less legal.

Comment Re:-Conflicted (Score 2) 167

One is a crime, the other is a legitimate, if unethical action. If there's money to be made, ethics may take a backseat.

To put it into a better context for you, it's like finding a lost wallet on the ground: you should turn it in to the police, but frankly, aside from the owner, who cares if you don't? You won't get punished for taking it, but you might not get rewarded for returning it, whereas if you take it, the reward is guaranteed. After all, "Finders keepers, losers weepers!".

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