I can very easily rip my media, and then use a digital copy while storing the physical copy somewhere secure. Oh, they don't allow that.

Ultimately, there are two parts to this:
The right to make backups, resell, lend, etc.
The responsibility to make backups, not lose discs, not destroy discs, etc.
Whoever has the one, has the other. Simple and easy. If you have the responsibility to protect the media, than you have the implicit right to take such steps as you see fit to protect it.

See: http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1894 for a more detailed treatment of this topic.

If you can make a media format that is "sufficiently" robust, here meaning immune to all possible loss, theft, and destruction (including as a result of the heat-death of the universe), than I would be prepared to accept that durability. Otherwise, I will decided for myself how important the content is to me, and take what steps I feel appropriate to back it up. I will certainly not cede that right to an organization which makes more money if my media wear out and need to be replaced.

You're absolutely right.

Many people seem to be approaching this from an adversarial standpoint, which strikes me as nonsensical. If you start with the idea that you and the company are opposed, and you're goal is to get the job by hook or by crook, you're pursuing the kind of attitude that will make the job you take less pleasant. Your goal is to determine that the job is something you will be content doing, in an environment you'll be happy in, and for pay/benefits that are worth it to you. The interviewer's goal is to make sure that you'll be able to do the job well, work well with other team members as needed, and generally be worth more to the company than the pay/benefits that they would pay you. The only place where your interests really contrast with theirs is in determining the size of your compensation..

Actually, "How do you deal with unreasonable customers" is a question I've asked everyone I've ever interviewed. From a business perspective, hiring and training someone who isn't willing or able to deal with the bad days means hiring and training someone who will then leave/be asked to leave, and putting back where we started only later and poorer.

Better graphics also enable other things that don't seem as intuitive though. The NPCs in Half-Life 2 are much more convincing and have more realistic features and expressions, so it's easier to tell one from another and they become unique. Because they're more unique and human, we care about them more and so you can create a story with more interesting characters.

It's not that the graphics being better make the game better, but that better graphics allow the developer to portray things in a more detailed way which increases the options for variety.

I use a third party app called winsplitrevolution to make the giant (30", 2560x1600) display work properly. It works out very well, about as much multi-tasking productivity as two 1600x1200 monitors side by side, but less vertical scrolling, and for smaller stuff (file managers, for example), I go to 1280x720 2 pane windows, which means looking at 8 directories at once.

You're point about TVs is well taken, but remember that most TVs simply aren't in the same size category as monitors, so there isn't much panel sharing going on.

Finally, single rate DVI maxes at WUXGA (1920x1200), but dual like cables aren't that expensive, and it isn't all that hard on a video board, $20 should cover it if you aren't a gamer. (If you are a gamer, you probably know the price/framerate/pixels sweetspot you like best).

As a result of which he is more or less completely responsible for the recent popularity (in America) of micro-brews and distinctive beers. Before that, it had been Clydesdale piss for some time.

Where I live, I have 5mbit. At several of my friends houses, 256k is the fastest upload available for less than $100/month. If there were some competition in the market, that might change. At my family's cabin (which has hosted a few very nice lan parties) anything over 128k upstream has 4 digit monthly pricetag or uses a satellite dish, with the associated 4 digit ping times.

Can you provide a citation? That would quell the performance concern, though it wouldn't address the more basic concerns. (I have enjoyed several LAN parties at locations remote enough that there was no broadband, and no cell coverage, I also default to pirating games that assume I default to pirating, and default to purchasing games that assume I default to purchasing.)

FYI, the number is now over 22 Thousand.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?LANSC2

With maybe 256k of upload...

Please define *most* of us. I still only play a few games online, most of my multiplayer gaming is done between two and twenty people in the same room. Voice chat helps, but it still doesn't feel like a social experience, which is the *point* of multiplayer.

Also, since people mention the "everyone has to own the game" thing a fair bit, WTF is with that anyway? If I want to play SCII at a LAN with some friends once every two months, why does *everyone* have to own the game? When we were playing Super Smash Brothers, we only needed *one* copy of the game. Price difference? About $50 for four people versus $50/person for four people, or $150 extra. Blizzards game isn't that much better.

Not everyone has a high speed connection now either. Also, last time I used Battle.net, the process for hosting a private game was annoying and cumbersome.

Also, since most "broadband" connections are only fast on download, and Battle.net will require all game data to be uploaded once for every person playing at a LAN party, ADSL is likely to be too slow for more than two or three players.

Wouldn't bother me if I played multi-player RTS games in any environment *other* than LAN, but every time I've tried, latency, bandwidth, and crappy lobby systems have leeched all the fun out of it.

Depends on whether they're war veterans, as war veterans (especially those with PTSD and similar) are more often neglected and find themselves less capable of handling jobs, etc. (All IIRC, citations needed).

Axe? What, you don't have any more gas? Get the chainsaw!