James

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]Uh, guys...let's not turn this into a thread about the American election this year. Please note, Boba, that much of your evidence there doesn't tell the whole story. You can say that Kerry "voted against a bipartisan plan to balance the budget", but you also have to tell us what the specifics of that plan were -- Kerry may simply have voted against it because he didn't feel that it [i]would [/i]balance the budget, not because he didn't [i]want [/i]to balance the budget itself.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#696969]I'm not saying that these things are right or wrong necessarily, but they don't tell the whole story. [/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#696969]In any case, let's keep this thread on topic please.[/color][/size][/font] [quote name='shinji][b][size=1][color=#708090']A: Can a Monarchy Truly be Democratic?[/quote][/color][/size][/b] [size=2][color=dimgray]Yes. You live in New Zealand and I live in Australia -- our two nations share one major similarity; they are both members of The Commonwealth of Nations.[/color] [size=2][color=dimgray]As you may or may not know, Australia has been internally debating the idea of the Monarchy for years now. In 1998, a Constitutional Convention was held in the Houses of Parliament, where the whole Monarchy versus Republic situation was discussed and debated.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]In the end, a referendum was held, to ask the citizens what system they wanted to use.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]Most people voted to keep the Monarchy.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]But you have to look at little deeper than that. [i]Why [/i]was the Monarchy kept? Because the Republic model on offer wasn't what people wanted -- nobody wanted to have a President elected by two thirds of Parliament. They instead wanted a President who would be directly elected, should Australia become a Republic.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]There are a few points for me to make about this though.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]Firstly, the Queen (and her local representative, the Governor General), has very little power in this country. The same is true in New Zealand. For the most part, the Queen/Governor General play a symoblic and ceremonial role. These two entities play absolutely no role in determining Government policy, or deciding which legislation is put to the Parliament.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]So that's the first point.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]The second point is that, in Australia's case, the Republican proposals on offer are designed to simply replace the Governor General (or the Queen) with a President, who would be an Australian. So, therefore, our system of Government would not really change a whole lot -- the President would still largely be a ceremonial figure, whilst the Prime Minister would be the leader of the Government.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]So of course, a lot of people have debated whether this change is worthwhile or not, if it's not fundamentally changing anything.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]In my personal view...I think that we can become a Republic without immediately killing off all of our historical links to Britain. Replacing the Queen with a President is not necessarily saying that we hate the Monarchy or that we disregard the Queen's role in our national history. We are simply saying that we want to move beyond that system and "grow up". I don't think we'd even have to remove the Union Jack from our flag necesarily (although I would be in favor of replacing the Union Jack with the Aboriginal Flag).[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]In the case of Britain, Australia and New Zealand...although all three countries have differences in terms of the political process, one can still say that they are "democracies", or that they are at least "democratic republics". All three nations have regular elections, all three nations have freedom of speech and all three nations have a pluralist system, with a balance of power between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of Government.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]Australia's political system is inherited from the British Westminster system, but it also has elements of the American system mixed in. Perhaps this is the benefit of being such a young country -- we were able to pick and choose, to come up with what we might view as the "best" system at the time.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]So, that means that we don't have a "House of Lords" like Britain. Our Houses of Parliament include both a House of Representatives, and a Senate, like the US system.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]If you want to compare Australia to the United States, I'd say that we are just as "democratic", if not more so. Bear in mind that our election system is superior, in the sense that it's more representative and well-balanced (ie: no Electoral College and compulsory voting). But still, in the end, the overall similarity is still there.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=slategray][quote=shinji][b][size=1]B: Does Democracy work anyway?[/size][/color][/b][/size][/size] [size=2][font=Verdana][size=1][color=slategray]It seems to me to be a very volatile form of Government, One that assumes that half the people are right most of the time[/quote][/color][/size][/font][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]Democracy does work, but it doesn't work perfectly. Of course, it depends what you mean by "work". It works, in the sense that the people are able to participate and they are able to remove ineffective Governments. But beyond that, it becomes very subjective.[/color] [size=2][color=dimgray]Your second comment is from Cloricus's signature, I believe. But the commont itself is something I take issue with, for one major reason.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]Democracy does [i]not [/i]assume that 50% of people are either right or wrong. That completely misses the point. Democracy simply gives people an opportunity to participate in political discourse and to have an affect on the outcome of political decision making.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]More importantly still, democracy isn't always as simple as there being a particular percentage who vote for something.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]In Australia, we use a "preferential voting system". So, you don't simply vote for one candidate -- instead, you vote for several, in order of your own preference. In this way, our system hopes to more accurately capture the views of the public, in terms of voting. It seems to be a more effective system (and it eliminates the need for any outside body to come in and analyze voting patterns and so on).[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]So, yes, I think democracy and pluralism do work (note that these two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, even though this is probably the case, historically speaking). The question is [i]how well [/i]they work and whether or not these systems can be improved.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]And just a note on the soveriegnty issue that you guys brought up...both Australia and New Zealand are soveriegn nations. There should be no illusion that we are somehow parts of the British Empire, because this is not the case.[/color][/size] [size=2][color=dimgray]Australia became a soveriegn nation in 1901, when the various colonies (now States and Territories) signed a treaty with Britain. So, we have essentially been a sovereign nation since that time. I say "essentially", because we [i]do [/i]still have the Queen as our defacto head of state. But again, this is now little more than a ceremonial position. And I do feel that it should be changed -- but I'm under no illusion that this change would greatly affect Australia's political system or sovereign status.[/color][/size][/size]

[QUOTE=Shinji][color=#707875] [font=Verdana][size=1][color=slategray]Well, look what happened with 2001, Arguably one of the best sci fi flicks in hsitory, yet the fans at the time passed it over, It wasn't until the college students started looking into it's meaning that the movie was truly appreciated for what it was.[/color][/size][/font] [/color][/QUOTE] [color=dimgray]Yes, absolutely. I hope that the same thing will happen with the Matrix movies, once people have had time to get over the hype and go back and analyze them. If that somehow doesn't happen...then I don't think I could imagine a bigger injustice or unfairness, in terms of a piece of artwork not getting its due credit.[/color] [color=#696969]In any case, we know that a lot of great movies and movie creators have been passed over by the Academy. This fact alone pretty much invalidates the Academy in my eyes.[/color]

[QUOTE=maladjusted] [color=firebrick]I don't think most of the winners for 'Best Actress' are really good actors. Yes, they are good to be in movies that they are in, but they don't have anything special or amazing that will knock people off their feet. It's usually the pivotal and very different or unusual characters they play that will make them win. I mean, Halle Berry winning Best Actress? She didn't give anything special in [b]Monster's Ball[/b]. [not including it was the most boring movie I ever saw.] Charlize was not so great that she stood up far from the crowd, it was mainly just her character.[/quote][/color] [color=#b22222][color=#707875][color=#707875]Yep, this is the thing...it's a formula. A tired one.[/color] [/color][color=dimgray]As they say, wear a fake nose (or other fake facial part), play a drunk, or wear no makeup, and you're almost assured of winning "Best Actress". There seems to be very little appreciation for true artistic merit or acting skill. But I know I'm really preaching to the choir there, because most of this stuff has been known for years.[/color][quote=maladjusted][/color] [color=firebrick]They probably didn't nominate them for anything because they were such a huge dissapointment to a lot of fans. Stupid, but hey, that's mainstream media for you.[/color][/QUOTE] [color=#707875] [color=#707875]Well, if you think about it...look at a movie like Kangaroo Jack. Wasn't that number one in America for a while, despite being the most stupid movie ever made? This just shows you how smart the "fans" are. The Matrix movies were generally going over people's heads...and while the fans may not have recognized them as being works of great intelligence and artistry, I think it's kind of disappointing that the Academy didn't "rise above" the fray, so to speak. Oh well. I didn't expect anything, both because of the political nature of the awards...and also because a lot of highly talented people have never won (Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock being two prominent examples).[/color][/color]

[quote name='lava lamp']I'm sure with your extensive experience in the field you'd be the only one to tell me. >:3[/quote] [color=#707875]Watch it, lava lamp. This thread brought you pretty close to a ban. I advise you to be careful about both your language, and your comments to staff. Also, Flashcube, this thread [i]is [/i]for your opinion. But we want to see some level of detail in posts. It's important to create posts that contribute positively to the discussion. In any case, I'm going to close this thread. It's pretty much at 50% spam right now and it's been open long enough for people to comment if they felt so compelled.[/color]

[color=#707875]In terms of online, I don't know how I'd "rate" myself. For the most part, I notice the complaints and the negatives far more than the positives -- so that probably gives me a view that I constantly have to do something better to make everyone happy. At the same time, I do occasionally have to step away from that and realize that there's only so much one person can do. lol There are a few people online who know me to an extent and I guess that I'm liked among those people. But I don't know what I'd say about the popularity in terms of my position on the site -- anyone in this position probably has an element of popularity attached to them. I don't think it really matters what kind of person I am, it's just something that comes with the territory by default. So in that sense, I don't take a lot of notice of it -- though I do know that people are genuinely appreciative of the work that I do, so that's a nice thing to know. In real life...it's really weird. I know that at school, there are usually "groups" of people and you can often tell who fits in where. I was always a person who was popular with everyone, in the sense that I could really walk into any group and mix in. I could sit there and talk to a bunch of people who would be considered incredibly nerdy...and then I could go and sit with the "popular" people and blend in fine. So, I don't know what that means. In real life, I'm relatively quiet...but I'm also a really approachable person with a dark sense of humor. So I think that probably just puts people at ease with me. On the one hand I definitely have a lot of nerdy interests (ie: games, certain Matrix-related movies and stuff like that), but I guess I don't [i]look [/i]like a nerd or something. I don't know. Sometimes people seem surprised when they hear that I have an interest in politics, and I think to myself "Why? Do they think I'm only interested in swimsuit calendars and fast cars, or what?" So I can't explain the way people perceive me really; I can only guess. And I don't know how accurate those guesses are. I'm probably the worst judge of myself anyway, so I have no idea how people view me. I can only say that I've never really had any problems in school with other people (although other kids used to pick on me for being short, in primary school). But that was never a huge issue I guess. And most of those kids ended up becoming my friends as we got older. So, eh. Generally I just don't think about it at all. I don't walk into a situation and think "how do I look?" or "how will they react to me?" I'm mostly confident that it doesn't matter anyway. So, that's a pretty disjointed post. But it probably reflects the fact that I have no idea at all how I'd classify myself. I'm just ...me, whatever that is. :-P[/color]

[quote name='Harry']Regardless, it's time for some to grow up and be more mature about these things. It's just words.[/quote] [color=#707875]It's just a discussion. Nobody's going to go out there and beat up someone for using the wrong English (we hope lol). So, chill. Drink a glass of water; you'll feel better. Anyway, I agree with wrist cutter's last comment in particular. The whole "Me and Jake went to the park" thing. It's probably one of (if not THE) most common misuse of English. I'm probably guilty of talking like that on occasion, though if I ever do, I tend to mentally scold myself for it. lol It's just such a basic mistake...so it's definitely something I'm aware of. Even though it's not an "overused word" as such, it's also probably an overused error in English. This reminds me of two things that annoy me, the first being the misuse of "your" and "you're". Gah. And the second thing would be the misuse of "there", "their" and "they're". [b]Your[/b] shoe is untied. [b]You're[/b] acting like a fool. My house is over [b]there[/b]. I guess [b]they're [/b]pretty busy at the moment. Red, please go and give those people back [b]their [/b]clothes. Yeah. There you have it. ~_^[/color]

[color=#707875]I watched some of it, but it was definitely pretty dull. There weren't many surprises. I would have really liked to see Naomi Watts win in her category, because I think she's really demonstrating herself to be an incredible actress. I'm definitely enjoying watching her career to see how it develops. But still, it was all relatively predictable. Lord of the Rings was honored and rightly so. My own disappointments? Well, I think it's basically a total joke that Kill Bill: Volume 1, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were not nominated for anything (at least, as far as I know). That's pretty much a slap in the face to these movies, although it isn't entirely unexpected. This year's Academy Awards only served to make me even less interested in the whole affair (if that is even possible). A lot of good movies miss out and some actors win awards simply because they're willing to put in some fake teeth or a fake nose. lol It just seems to be subjective to the extreme, in some situations, even if the apparently obvious leader in the category isn't actually the one who wins the award. Oh well. People have complained about great films and actors missing out before. It happened before and it'll happen again. Every year I get less and less excited about award ceremonies like this.[/color]

[quote name='Solo Tremaine][color=#503f86']Like when people say 'like', like, every other, like, word? I have the urge to shoot people who do that too much.[/color][/quote] [color=#707875]Oh [i]yes! [/i] There is nothing worse than a person who constantly says "like" in their speech. People even do it online too. It's one of the most frustrating aspects of communication in society today. :lecture: [/color]

[color=#707875]I'm pretty much the same everywhere, I guess. I mean, I tend to be more open and crazy at home, rather than with friends. With friends I'm the same, but sometimes I'm a bit more reserved. Generally, I'm a pretty quiet person. It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's just that I often don't see the need to say anything at all. Of course, that entirely depends on who I'm around at the time. With friends, I'll usually have something to talk about. Online...well, I think everyone would probably be surprised at how I am offline compared to online. It's not that I'm [i]different[/i], it's just that people build up an expectation about someone when they are only used to seeing them on chat/in forums. I definitely sound a lot more casual when I talk, compared to when I type. It's not because I'm saying different words though...it's just because speech is so different to text. So even then, the environment that you're in changes how you're perceived by others. [/color]

[color=#707875]Guys, enough. These OOC-only posts are complete spam. Either include an OOC at the [i]start [/i]of an actual RP post, or keep these conversations to PM.[/color]

[color=#707875]I agree with you, pretty much. Sometimes it's easy to get into the cycle of using the same words often, too. Close-minded is definitely a term that gets used a lot. I don't think that being close-minded relates to what people believe in general though. Instead, I liken the term as relating to one of two things (either accepting change, or being willing to [i]discuss [/i]change). Even if you disagree with certain issues, you can still be willing to entertain the other side's thoughts. People who aggressively attack others in a debate are probably more close-minded, because they aren't even accepting that there are other viewpoints out there. Whether or not these specific viewpoints are close-minded or not really depends on the subject I think. Mature is definitely a word that people use wrongly much of the time. It's funny to see younger kids behaving like prophets or teachers, when they themselves still have a lot of growing up to do. Being unclear about your own experience and knowledge is probably a sign of immaturity as well...but who knows. I agree that we generally act our age, but everyone's different I guess. Insecurity...I don't know. It depends how this word is used. In terms of a bully...I think it's probably often true that bullies are insecure. But of course, it's still a sweeping statement. People throw these things around without trying to really analyze what they mean. I think another overused word is probably "otaku", even though Adam and I are probably guilty of perpetuating the use of that word to some extent. But still, it's amazing how people can get into these enormous debates about how "hardcore" they are in terms of being an anime fan. Who cares? I've never understood the whole "I'm nerdier than you" competition. Other than that, nothing else really comes to mind at the moment. But I'm pretty sure that I've noticed this type of thing now and then, especially in people's signatures and such.[/color]

[color=#707875]I think it's probably a good idea to point out that many of these games have different approaches for a reason. A game like Neverwinter Nights is obviously different to a game like Final Fantasy, for a variety of reasons. In the same way, I wouldn't even begin to compare Final Fantasy to Zelda. Whether you appreciate the turn-based system, or the real-time system, it must be acknowledged that both have their individual strengths. Final Fantasy's system allows for a level of depth and tactical ability that just isn't involved in Zelda. You're spending more time worrying about statistics and strategy, than the physical action of moving your character around and swinging a sword. Whereas obviously, Zelda aims to be the more intuitive game (and the game that puts you more directly into the action), by virtue of the way the player interacts with the character. So both games are very different in all sorts of ways. Which one is better will mostly come down to personal taste, because I'd be inclined to suggest that both games are actually in different genres. I wouldn't classify Zelda as an RPG, even though it has RPG elements.[/color]

[color=#707875]Charles is correct. Just as TN should attempt to be a little more civilized with his responses, I also expect others not to assume that they can get away with baiting and name calling. In terms of the topic, I thought I'd talk about government censorship in general, since Australia has a similar organization to the FCC (actually, we have a few bodies that perform similar functions). We do have various guidelines in terms of what type of programs can be shown at certain times on television here. As far as I know, an MA15+ rated movie can't be shown before 9:30pm for example. By and large, I support these policies. On the one hand, I do feel that parents whine [i]far [/i]too much about content on television -- if you are the parent, you are the person who has control over what your children watch. I don't accept this idea that TV is invading our living rooms without our permission. On the other hand, a lot of this relates to expectation. If you are watching a PG13 TV show, and you end up seeing content that belongs on an R rated show (an extreme case, but just an example), you are obviously going to have cause for concern. So I would say that it has to do with ratings and whether or not the content creators are sticking to those ratings appropriately. In terms of the whole "decency" thing...I'm not sure how I feel. Decency is obviously quite subjective. And so, I think that it shouldn't be a question of "enforcing decency", but instead, it should be a question of ensuring that broadcasting guidelines (vis-a-vis program ratings) are held to by broadcasters and content developers. Honestly, I don't have a problem with someone saying "You showed nudity on what was supposed to be a PG-13 program, so we are going to sue you". That's obviously reasonable. I do have a problem with someone saying "this movie is going to be banned because it's too violent -- even for an R rating". I have a big problem with that. So as long as the ratings systems exist...I don't really see the problem. People who breach their industry's code of conduct are obviously going to have to pay some sort of price.[/color]

[quote name='wrist cutter']I'm sure other countries are always highlighting their losses.[/quote] [color=#707875]That's an important point. Patriotism certainly isn't exclusive to the United States, even though the US is often seen as being more "flag-waving" than others. It's really a human thing. You rarely see people talking about how poorly they did...people always have a desire to talk about their successes. So it happens on a national level too.[/color]

[color=#707875]I think that America is probably famous for being very insular. Part of it is cultural and part of it is a result of circumstance. I've said it before, but...when you are the richest nation on Earth, people tend to come to you, rather than you going to them. So there isn't a [i]need [/i]for America to know much about the rest of the world (although that has changed out of necessity, due to terrorism). I would say that if you are an American living in America...you cannot possibly understand what it's like to live in another country, where your own country isn't a superpower. It really does have an affect on every aspect of people's lives, from culture to politics. I wouldn't say that it's a bad thing though. Yes, there are negatives. With the signing of a document, a US President can instantly kill off hundreds of industries worldwide, simply by changing US trade legislation. Of course, this doesn't happen very often because there's a counter balance there, as the United States relies heavily on exports. But that's kind of getting off the point. In terms of education specifically, I know that this is one area where America falls behind many other countries. Part of it might be related to bias, I don't know. I'm sure that it's a combination of factors, including bias and culture. When you are living in a country with less overall power, it obviously pays for you to be educated on the rest of the globe. From a practical standpoint, it makes sense. The smaller you are, the harder you have to fight, in order to keep your head above water on the international scene (in terms of economy and so on). People won't come to you, you have to go to them. So I would say that much of it simply relates to the circumstances of the time. If the United States were suddenly much poorer, or much smaller in general, this would obviously fundamentally change the way kids are educated and the every day focus of business and public policy. One thing I like about Australia is that this country has the highest per capita living standards on the planet. But at the same time, we're not so large that we become completely insular and disinsterested in the goings on of the world. Because of our relative size, we experience both ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, Australia is the 14th richest nation in the world (despite having a population of only 20 million). So per capita, we're obviously a very rich country. And on a regional level, Australia is a superpower without question. We have more money than any country in the pacific rim and we have more money and miilitary power than many pacific rim and even north asian countries. So, regionally, we tend to "get our way", so to speak. But when you start talking about the EU and the US, Australia is a lot smaller in relative terms. Because of that, the whole landscape changes for us. So of course, all of this affects education and the economy. Of course, I don't think that the status quo is necessarily healthy...regardless how powerful the United States is, it's obviously beneficial for American kids to learn about the rich and beautiful world that they live in. From what I [i]do [/i]know about American education, very little is really touched on in this regard. And that's a shame, because it's like going through life wearing blinkers. So specific to education, there is definitely an imbalance there. But the difference between myself and others from my country (you know who you are), is that I don't use any of this stuff to attack America. There's no point, really. I don't have some kind of ego to stroke and I am not under any illusion that one nation is "better" than another. It just doesn't work like that. There has to be a historical perspective, to understand why things are as they are and how they developed that way. And generally, I have a positive view of the world. Americans are no different to Australians or anyone else, in terms of their goals and aspirations and desires. We're all human beings, afterall. And that's what counts.[/color]

[color=#707875]"That's up to you, dear," said Orima quietly, as she poured a cup of tea and pushed it across the coffee table, toward Luyii. Luyii brought the cup to her mouth and drank slowly. The tea tasted good. It was warm and sweet; the machines apparently knew how to cultivate tea, as well as making versatran engines. Madam Orima looked up from her tea and smiled. She sat further back in her chair and eyed Luyii up and down. "The future is definitely uncertain," she said, finally. Luyii smiled awkwardly and popped the clasps on her briefcase. She reached inside and produced several papers, which she sat on the table. "This is all I have," said Luyii slowly, "it's the most I can offer you." B7104ZA reached between them and promptly took the papers. He glanced over the pages and then looked at Orima, who was calmly sipping her tea. "These papers relate to nuclear weapons stockpiles," he said. Orima simply nodded and smiled at Luyii. Luyii didn't understand Madam Orima's apparent ease with the situation. "Excuse me," she said softly, "but you don't seem very worried about the prospect of a nuclear war." Orima cocked her head slightly and carefully placed her half-empty cup of tea on the table in front of her. "It is not a nuclear attack that concerns me, dear." Orima stood and gestured toward the kitchen. "Do you like cookies?" Luyii followed Orima into the neatly-appointed kitchen. It was a small room, filled with various odds and ends. The counters were a distasteful orange color and the wall above the counter was lined with decorative spoons. "Please, have a seat," said Orima, as she struggled with a tray full of fresh cookies. Luyii sat down at the little table in the center of the room and breathed in the sweet scent of chocolate, as the cookies were placed on the counter to cool. Luyii leaned forward on her chair. "Please, Madam, don't you think tha--" "Don't they smell wonderful?" said Orima, as she set a bowl of cookies down on the table. Luyii smiled awkwardly and nodded. Being the diplomat she was, she knew not to refuse food. So, she took a cookie and ate it slowly. Orima sat opposite and removed her oven mitts, placing them on the counter next to her, one on top of the other. Again, she smiled. But her smile was empty; it was there for the sake of being pleasant, rather than being genuine. "The weapons that your papers refer to do not worry me, Luyii," she said softly. "These Generals are still under the impression that they are fighting a traditional war. They think that nuclear warheads are the answer to their problem." Luyii finished off her cookie. "What are you saying?" Orima looked at B7104ZA, who was standing near the table. "Smith, turn on the hot plate over there, dear." B7104ZA did as he was told. The plate went from a cool, charcoal grey, to a searing red. "Now, rest your hand on it," said Orima. Again, B7104ZA did as he was told. Luyii bit her lip nervously. She didn't hear a sound, nor did she see a reaction on B7104ZA's face. "Nuclear warheads generate a blast, yes," said B7104ZA, "but they also generate great heat. Only those at the very center of the blast will be affected by the shockwave. The humans are relying on the fact that the heat will kill all machines in the nation. But it won't, as you can see." B7104ZA raised his hand, facing the palm toward Luyii. It showed no signs of damage. Orima smiled. "Of course, nuclear bombs produce more heat than my little hotplates, but you can see my point I'm sure." "Will the machines retaliate? And what about you, Madam? Won't the bombs kill you?" Orima's smile disappeared. "Retaliation...is a very human idea. The machines will not retaliate for revenge. But they will eliminate the threat posed to them. As for me...I will not survive the nuclear attack. Well, my body won't." "Your body won't? What do you mean?" "You have to understand, Luyii, that the machine citizens are more than their bodies. The mind is what's important. The same goes for humans too. The society here is more than the sum of its parts," said Orima. Luyii looked out the window for a moment, trying to contemplate what was being said. But it was no good. "I don't understand," she said, finally. Orima nodded. "That's okay, dear. I did not expect that you would...the future is a tricky business, especially when so much is unknown. But please, have another cookie. After that, B7104ZA will take you to your room, where you can rest for the night."[/color]

[color=#707875]The only thing that this suggestion really achieves is the creation of an additional step. So, rather than clicking once, you'd have to click twice, to get where you are going. Moreover, we've got all that space on the left. So, if we don't use it, it kind of becomes pointless. Although we've decorated the navbar with artwork, it's not actually there for decoration or aesthetic appeal; it's there for functionality. Also, the navigation menu is context-sensitive. That is, the items on the menu change depending on where you are located on OtakuBoards. If you visit your User Profile, you'll find a greater array of profile-specific options appear on the navbar. So really, this suggestion is only doing what we have now...except it adds another step. Part of the reason that we put the items on the menu as text links (rather than using hovering menus, as vB default uses), is because we wanted to make the process quicker and easier for everyone. I would also suggest that the system we have in place probably has the lowest chance of malfunctioning or presenting problems for people on different types of systems.[/color]

[font=Verdana][size=1][color=black]Ahh, Boba! Good to see you back in the RPG. ~_^[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]Now I just need to encourage Sara to post in here and then I will be at peace with the world.[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=1]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#696969]Water cascaded down the windows again, as the Versatran-stretch snaked between the city's buildings. Luyii hadn't spoken for a long time. [color=#707875]Although, her eyes were no longer red and welling with tears. This was a good sign, according to B7104ZA.[/color][/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]Luyii was transfixed on what lay beyond the window beside her. It was almost like a blurry kaleidoscope; a prism through which Luyii could see another world. Although it [i]was [/i]another world, it was also increasingly apparent that 01 wasn't too different to Luyii's home: commuters made their way to and from work, factories pumped out all kinds of products, civilian aircraft dotted the skies and above all else, none of this seemed a threat to Luyii. These machines, despite their differences with humans, were still largely pursuing the same goals as her own society. Well, almost. 01 wasn't building nuclear weapons, that Luyii was aware of. [/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"Where is The Infrastructure?" asked Luyii, as she turned her attention to B7104ZA. She still had no sense of diplomacy in this place, but she felt it was forgiveable.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"The more appropriate question might be '[i]who[/i] is The Infrastructure'?", said B7104ZA.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]Luyii nodded vigorously. "Yes...but how do you choose individuals to represent the people here?"[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]B7104ZA smiled artificially. "Representatives aren't chosen, as such," he said, "they are manufactured. Representatives are made to a specific blueprint. They are unique machines, each with their own purpose. Some are experts on natural erosion, some are experts on manufacturing and others are experts on diplomacy."[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"I see," said Luyii. [i]Of course. How logical.[/i][/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"We will not be visiting The Grid, however," said B7104ZA in a very matter-of-fact tone. "Instead, I will take you to the person who is most likely to help you understand."[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]Luyii raised an eyebrow instinctively. "Oh?"[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"We are now on our way to see Madam Orima. She is a member of The Infrastructure. She's a very wise individual and she has been key to our foreign relations for several years now."[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"A she?" asked Luyii, surprised.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"Yes," said B7104ZA. "Madam Orima is a human, like yourself. She courageously supported machine rights during the great march on Washington D.C. She has, without doubt, been invaluable to us."[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]Luyii smiled. Perhaps this trip wouldn't be so difficult afterall. Meeting a human being, who truly understood the machines, would definitely help her own understanding.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]As Luyii contemplated the questions that she wanted to ask of Orima, the Versatran-stretch gently drifted away from the freeway's surface. It rose up alongside the enormous towers until eventually, it was hovering well above the city. Luyii's eyes were again drawn to the window, where she noticed no more water droplets. The weather had calmed and the sun had crept over the clouds. The sky was a deep pink and 01 sprawled out below her, in every direction. [/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=#707875]"We will arrive shortly," said a static voice, which seemed to be surrounding Luyii. It was the Versatran's auto-pilot speaking.[/color][/size][/font]

[QUOTE=lava lamp]Edited. I'm afraid being a moderator and holding a position where you have to be unbiased I expected you not to judge me on something so shallow. I was not intending on flaming anyone, hence the fact I used the general term. I also went the distance of noting that maladjusted's post was evidence that they belonged in such a group, and not that they as a person were such. Whatever, though. [/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Well, aside from the whole Japan versus South Korea debate (which became pretty silly on both sides), Drix isn't judging you by any shallow standard. He's simply asking you to supply evidence to support your figures/comments. That's all. And that's not really too much to ask, especially if we're trying to get down to the nitty gritty facts about cell phone useage in both countries. I think it's fine to debate such a point, but let's approach that debate in a mature way.[/color]

[QUOTE=cloricus]It doesn't matter if they say it's theirs or not; it is being used without the authors express permission which is plagiarism (and possibly copyright infringement). So if you allow one type why complain about a slightly different one? [/QUOTE][color=#707875]I have a feeling that anime creators won't be lining up to sue kids who are using their art for fan art. It's the same reason why Nintendo doesn't sue people for sharing screenshots without permission. There isn't any breach of copyright. In any case, we're not ignoring anything. All cases of plagiarism will be dealt with in due course. It's just that, obviously, we already have a [i]lot [/i]of work on our hands all the time. So it can occasionally take time to address every single issue.[/color]

[color=#707875]Absolutely, this is a significant problem. We are now in a situation where we have to idenitfy people who aren't doing their own work, but who are going to increasingly great lengths to increase their own ratings. Some people are even trying to register multiple accounts, [i]just [/i]to vote for their own stuff multiple times. It's really unfortunate...but it's the reality when you have a community of this size.[/color]

[color=#707875]It depends what we're talking about here. If we're talking about someone using official art and modifying it, that's a different story. But if we're talking about someone taking your own personal art and plagiarising it...that's obviously a serious issue. I recommend emailing Adam (though he'll probably see your message here). We always do our best to ensure that people are keeping above board on the art site.[/color]

[color=#707875]Don't worry, I won't do you the honor of beating you with my Admin-Stick. Actually, I think this kind of topic is a good idea. I know that I don't [i]really [/i]like to play online with random people. I prefer to play with people I know. Although, right now I'm only playing C&C Generals Zero Hour online. So if there are any players interested in that...send a PM my way. This may actually be a good opportunity to develop a discussion about online gaming for consoles as well. Specifically, what games people play online via their consoles (Xbox Live, PS2 online or GCN online).[/color]

[font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]The mobile phone revolution in Japan is really interesting. Japan has had third generation networks running for a long time now...since around 1997, I think.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]I can't speak for the US, but I know that Australia has the highest per-capita mobile phone useage in the world. Like Japan, Australia is a very technology-hungry society. It's almost part of the culture here to have the latest TV set, or the most advanced audio device.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]The key difference is that our networks and services are much further behind Japan. We've had 3G networks and services operating in Australia for the last year or so now (so we've had things like mobile Internet, video calls, video messages, etc etc).[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]The problem is that right now, the network coverage still isn't great. And the cost is pretty high. So although 3G is starting to take off here...it's not taking off like it would, if the networks were completely in place. Once the price comes down though, you'll see an explosion here, as a result of the obsession with mobile devices in Australia.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]From my point of view...I'm not a huge mobile phone fan. I don't even have one myself, though I am planning to buy one in a couple of weeks. But that's only for emergencies. I don't really plan to start giving my number out to everyone or anything like that.[/color][/size][/font] [font=Verdana][size=2][color=dimgray]Part of the reason that I go [i]out [/i]is to do just that -- I don't really want to be contacted by people when I'm away from home. A mobile phone conflicts with that. I find 3G phones more attractive for their extra functions, but I doubt I'll own one for a while yet.[/color][/size][/font]

[color=#707875]Tony's right; various old threads were moved and removed over the development cycle for V7. In any case, I wouldn't worry about "re-earning" these posts. What you need to earn is [b]quality[/b] content, rather than quantity of posts. Post counts are no longer displayed on posts and they have very little bearing (virtually no bearing at all) on your user status. Posts only determine when you become a Member, from being a New Member. There's nothing more to be gained beyond that. This is why we've given members a second title, to modify as they see fit. The idea is to take the focus away from post count and focus on post quality instead. So I wouldn't worry about any lost posts; [i]most[/i] members (including myself and other staff) lost some number of posts as a result of this upgrade process.[/color]