Ridicule on Slashdot.

I've heard Ballard lament on the state of the Titanic after tours put useless plaques down on the wheelhouse, etc. Surprised to see a lack of anyone asking how (or if) he is doing anything to help preserve the site, or if anything can be done. How does one archive and exploit a shipwreck by photographing/exploring a tragic scene, yet chastise others for bringing artifacts to the surface to protect them, and display them to a public that's curious because of the very exploration and photography that you instigated?

They'll do things just as half-heartedly as before, only with a shiny new name. I'm not shocked Sony ditched SOE, I'm shocked it took them this long. The joke is on Columbus Nova, and Sony's laughing pretty hard right now.

No, no - this is SOE. All versions are buggy...and bugs aren't fixed...they're working as intended, until they mysteriously get resolved. Then they reappear in later fix packs.

I don't think blacksmithing is as widespread of a trade as it used to be, pretty slim chance of hammer and anvil false readings being problematic.

When someone is paroled, they've served their sentence for whatever it is that they did. They shouldn't then be shackled to some bracelet that persistently assumes they are guilty until proven innocent. The police will get tired of checking in on parolees who were rear-ended while sitting at a stoplight, because their snoopy bracelet tried to broadcast that they used a gun.

Thanks, thought the exact same thing...

It's full of stars.

I could probably get help a lot faster via text than a phonecall, in theory. But I have a feeling that auto-correct would fail me at the most inopportune moment. I type "Help! I cut my arm and I'm bleeding bad - nobody is home with me!" iPhone sends: "Help! I catamaran and I'm Breaking Bad - nobody Ishmael with me!"

I see what you're getting getting at, there.

I didn't need to hook up any special equipment or have anyone install anything on my TV. The diaries showed up in an envelope with $40 cash (two $20 bills) and I was requested to start writing my viewing habits on a certain date, then return the diaries when the week was up. It accounted for DVR watching, you just listed what channel you had DVR'd, the show's name, and when it was originally broadcast. You also noted if anyone watched it with you (there were lines for each member of the household, as well as spaces for guests). It was all very low-tech, but I found the process interesting to document what I actually watched on TV for a week or so. It pretty much 100% relied on someone's honesty to fill it out properly and accurately. I was actually really surprised to see how often I had the TV on, but I wasn't watching it (was playing World of Warcraft a lot with the TV on, but not paying attention it). I did the TV diary thing two years in a row, and it was really easy. If you're ever called about it, I recommend going for it - it wasn't hard at all. And it's an easy $40 cash.

I play WoW a lot because I think it's fun, and it's an amazing entertainment deal at $16 per month, for all of the hours I spend at it. I have friends who live nearby, and we hang out in person, and we also hang out in the game doing stuff together. What is the essence of designing a game that is addiction-based? Replay value and a desire in the player to be an achiever. With a subscription-based game, you have to keep people playing and wanting to play, to keep their account active. You also need to provide ample opportunities for someone to achieve something, and then keep further achievements available to them to accomplish. My friend who has 2 kids didn't have the time to level from 70 to 80, so he stopped playing WoW because the rewards and achievements weren't catered well enough to make him feel rewarded for his time. World of Warcraft literally inserted an Achievement system in the game - for example, if you complete a dungeon, you get an achievement stating that you completed it. When this system was released, although there were no specific awards for some achievements, a LOT of players just started accomplishing these achievements because it was just "something to do." People like to feel like they accomplished something, and this achievement system gave them that chance. Expansive content, the ability to set new goals at any time and accomplish them, sliding reward systems that are consistently extended to make you want to seek them out (but tantalizingly close enough to actually achieve them without too much frustration), these just a couple of things that will keep a subscription going and make a game addicting.

If I orbiting in space, and had a free day, I wouldn't want to stare at a laptop screen to watch a movie - I'd spend hours staring at the Earth, because I could!

Yeah, you're right. Oh well. Sorry Mr. Kodak and Ms. Polaroid, or something.

This digital stuff is just not the same as physically possessing something that only you have access to. There are no permissions to set on an album, no internet required, and it's easily hid in a shoebox far from parents prying eyes when you, for example, take a goofy picture of your friend pretending to drink one of his Dad's beers with a cigarette in his hand.