James

[color=#707875]James returned to the hallway after the meeting. It was a cavernous, old-fashioned space with several large paintings hanging on the walls. James could see his belongings near the front door; he hadn't had time to unpack. He'd brought a single suitcase and a small bag with other necessary items (the contents of which he didn't want to reveal to the other guests at this point in time). He leant down and propped the suitcase up on its little wheels. Just as he did so, James heard the sound of footsteps echoing in the hall behind him. He turned around and saw Josh standing there, holding a chocolate chip cookie. "Oh! So you actually [i]do[/i] eat cookies?" laughed James. Josh smiled and nodded. He made his way across the hall toward James (which was quite a significant distance) and took a bite of the cookie. James chuckled to himself. "Now I've actually seen you do it. Aren't you supposed to say 'Copyright Shy 2003'?" Josh shook his head and waved his other hand dismissively. "Nope. You know it's copyrighted by now. And besides, [i]you're[/i] also Copyright Shy 2003. So I don't need to tell [i]you[/i]." James nodded. "Fair enough. Now...I've only seen a couple of rooms here. Where am I going to sleep? I haven't even given it any thought." "Well, my room is on the north face of the building. There's a nice view of the swimming pool from there," said Josh, gesturing to his left. "Oh? We have a swimming pool?" asked James excitedly. Josh simply nodded. "Yup." "Wow...this place really has everything," said James. "I'm impressed. Jenna must have some pretty damn good bargaining skills." Josh smiled. "Yeah, I'm amazed at how much she's accomplished before we even got here." James went to pick up the smaller bag from the floor, only to have Josh jump in and grab it himself. "I'll carry it," he said. "Thanks," said James, "but...where am I going to sleep?" "You can stay in my room," said Josh. "There are two beds in there, as well as an ensuite. It's a great spot. Sometimes I think there are [i]too[/i] many rooms here though." "Does anyone have their own room?" asked James. "I don't know," said Josh, taking another bite of his cookie, "I can only say that I don't like to be by myself." James nodded. "Yeah, sometimes it's good to have a little company. This house is so large...I'm sure it can get very lonely when it's late. But hey, I'm sure we'll be pretty busy with the restaurant," he said. And with that, the two of them walked out of the entrance hall toward another enormous hallway. As they walked, Josh asked about James' trip. It was the first time James had been to the United States and he'd enjoyed the experience so far. [/color]

[color=#707875]Geeze, maybe Adam and I should shut down OtakuBoards due to the health problems it seems to cause. lol[/color]

[color=#707875]I don't know how that idea would digust you. Given the history of this series...and the sheer depth and thought behind it (especially when you view The Animatrix and read the comics, as I've said before), I doubt that there will be any simple or pointless explanations for all this. I feel that most people aren't getting the full experience with this series. The primary reason is simply because most of the movie's fans aren't going out there and seeking the other stuff...stuff that opens things out and shows you the full breadth of what is being offered. This is kind of a sad thing, and perhaps a negative thing on the part of the creators -- people do have to go to a lot of effort to really understand the story. But maybe that feeds into the whole concept of it anyway. And, Manic...sorry for creating another thread. I deliberately looked over two pages for something similar, but I was expecting to see "The" or "Matrix" or "Revolutions" in the title...so I must have skipped over the thread you mentioned. Anyway, merging is fine.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by cloricus [/i] [B][color=teal]Neo-Nazi conservative - New Socialist Conservatives. I never knew such a combination was possible; the Nazi ideology from what I've learnt in school is in no way conservative. Do you not mean Neo-Conservative? (Which I also dislike.) If not could you explain it further here or in pm to me? Thanks.[/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Yes, such a combination is possible. Ethnic cleansing is a pretty hardcore conservative action, I'd say. Are you sure you've never heard the term "Neo-Nazi Conservative"? I've heard it plenty. It doesn't necessarily rely on a specific political ideology, in terms of economics and such. But I don't want to throw the discussion off the rails. I just wanted to address the fact that I [i]do[/i] know what I'm talking about. That's all.[/color]

[color=#707875]This is an interesting question. For me...I simply don't know. In my relationship, I don't have any major ideological differences with my partner -- we both tend to have similar political views and so on. I guess that there are probably differences on the specifics of some things...but that simply gives us an opportunity to make discussion about it. I mean, it's never a divisive issue at all. So, that's my current situation. But if I was single and I met someone tomorrow who I really like...and then find out that politically, they're either a tree hugging liberal or a neo-Nazi conservative (since I dislike the extremes of both ideologies)? I don't know. I guess it depends. If this person spends every waking moment talking about their ideological causes and making frequent political comments about things...then, perhaps, I wouldn't be interested in a relationship. But I don't think that has anything to do with ideology at all -- it's simply a matter of courtesy and manners. So yeah, I guess the answer is that I don't know. I guess there are some things that I could never look past, in a potential partner. But that's the same for everyone I assume.[/color]

[color=#707875]Well, for the short answer I'd have to refer to the whole "don't call us, we'll call you" thing. To be more specific, NightmareMage, we value post quality above most else at OtakuBoards. Obviously, we value this for members -- and staff are really required to maintain this level of quality. Usually, I reward very high quality posters by offering them a Moderator position if I feel that I need someone. Your post unfortunately doesn't demonstrate the quality that I'm looking for. You must understand; being a "Newbie" isn't even a consideration for me. I don't care how new or old you are, I only care if you can do the job and if you demonstrate the qualities that OtakuBoards tries to uphold. In your case, I recommend working on spelling, punctuation and grammar if you want any kind of chance to become a Moderator. I also recommend that you check our rules and posting FAQ, to give you a better idea about the appropriateness of threads like these.[/color]

[color=#707875]Here is another interesting story:[/color] Source: [url]http://www.n-sider.com/index_content.php?page=newspage.htm#100803numberOneandTwo[/url] [quote]Nintendo has announced that they currently hold the two top selling videogame systems in America. [i]Nintendo GameCube has become the hottest selling video game console in America since its price was reduced to $99.99 on Sept. 25. Sales data from the week ending Oct. 4 reported from major Nintendo retailers indicates that Nintendo GameCube is currently outselling Sony's PlayStation 2 by 20 percent, and Microsoft's Xbox by 145 percent. Consequently, Nintendo now claims the two best-selling video game systems in the country. The Game Boy Advance portable system continues to outsell each console, as it has done all year long.[/i] Very good news indeed! It appears Nintendo has a very solid plan this year to maintain their high rate of GCN sales. First and foremost is the recent price drop, but also of equal importance, is the introduction of the Zelda compilation disc as a free bonus for gamers that adopt the GameCube this winter. These two strategies, will surly bring about a drastic change in Nintendo?s overall GCN performance in the United States, and the rest of the world. It?s a whole new ballgame now...[/quote]

[color=#707875]I guess that my two greatest achievements that come to mind would be: 1) Getting my articles published both on major websites and in multi-national magazines. 2) Being in the top 15% of my state for Corporate Management studies during VCE. That was nice. There are more achievements, but I guess that these are my "favourites".[/color]

[color=#707875]The point is that [i]we[/i] require good post quality. Other sites may not -- it's their own choice. So, if you don't like putting effort into your posts, you are free to leave at any time. EDIT: I fully support Sara's decision to ban Paco, by the way. It's one thing to disagree with our rules...it's another to flame staff and members over it.[/color]

[color=#707875]You haven't played Zelda II, 'breko? And you call yourself a Zelda fan! Hehe, well, I'm almost as bad. I had an original Zelda II, gold box/cart and all...and I sold it years ago -- you know, when I was younger and more foolish. Blah. It's a cool game. And it's probably the main reason for me to get this disc. I sincerely hope that it comes out as something seperate...though I can see why Nintendo would make it as a pack-in only. I'm glad that they're being aggressive when it comes to pushing GameCubes out the door. This bundle is a good thing.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mitch [/i] [B][size=1] This game just is one of my favorite games of all time...and almost my favorite Final Fantasy (my favorite is FF 3 (american)). This is so much to live up to...you know. And I have extreme [i]extreme[/i] [b]extreme[/b] doubts. Very high doubts. Very many doubts. [/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I don't know. When this was announced as a movie, everyone whined and complained. I do agree that a game would be preferable (I'd certainly love a new FFVII game, as I'm a big fan). But so many people automatically discount this just because of the format. And that annoys me. God forbid Square Enix try to do something different with the franchise. The fact that they are even doing anything with FFVII is a good thing. I say that we be pleased about what we [i]are[/i] getting and try not to shoot down the effort so quickly. I know that you are not closing the door on it as such...but you're already forming a viewpoint. A few shots on a trailer won't give you any kind of realistic view. I mean, I'm sure you'll give it a chance when it's out...but I guess I'm addressing a bigger concern. Besides, with FFVII, my feeling (as a big fan of it) was that the gameplay wasn't what made it good, as such. The story/characters/settings were the primary driving force for me. I mean, there were plenty of fun gameplay moments (particularly boss battles), but still...I have to be realistic about what I really enjoyed about the game. I guess that this really just reflects a general issue with me. It's the same as when people immediately started to "hate" a real-life Neon Genesis Evangelion movie. We know that some of the original creators are involved...it's not like some guy is just making it on his own without any knowledge of the series, you know? I'm not saying that any of this stuff will be great or anything. I can see why people will discount this movie. But I refuse to put myself in that situation -- I'll wait and judge it when I see it.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by wrist cutter [/i] [B]I honestly don't think you can just go to Japan with no prior knowledge of the language and just expect to "pick it up". I think a good foundation of the language first would make the experience much easier and faster. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I think this is absolutely true. These people who buy some tapes or visit a couple of websites really aren't going to learn Japanese. With Indonesian, there were some classes during the three and a half years that I studied, where we had to speak Indonesian for pretty much the entire class. And even then...the level of effort that you need increases dramatically. We were going to travel to Indonesia on a school trip, but we canceled due to the riots in Jakarta. I wish I'd gone, because I think it would have really helped me. Fluency is near impossible to achieve if you don't frequently immerse yourself in the language -- you need to really rely on it to get by, in order to pick it up most quickly. That's been my experience anyway. Right now, I can't remember 50% of what I learned...even though I revised again and again. This is because I've simply had no need to use the language in my daily life. If you don't use it for a few years...you'll forget. You have to keep using it all the time.[/color]

...I'm scared of playing as other "characters". ^_^;;; [color=#707875][b]Name:[/b] James [b]Age:[/b] 22 [b]Hometown:[/b] Glen Waverley, Melbourne [b]Pets:[/b] I'm not bringing any. ^_^; [b]Attached or Single:[/b] Single for the purposes of the story. I'm still technically engaged to someone on here, remember? ~_^ [b]Brief Life History:[/b] I may have to do another "TBA". Mostly because this is something that might come about in discussions in the house. [b]Personality Traits:[/b] [b][i]Likes:[/i][/b] Music, orange juice, the beach, having a good chat with a friend, having fun/being silly at times, my funky new black PC (~_^), in-ground spas, exercise, Coca-Cola, etc etc... [b][i]Dislikes:[/b][/i] Annoyingness (being silly when it goes way over the top), horribly bad jokes, teen angst, most vegetables, seaweed (it's scary when you can't see your feet in the ocean O_O), cold showers, cold weather, extreme stupidity, people who say "shizzle mo' fizzle" and actually mean it, etc etc... What can I say about Jeh? Well, generally he's a pretty easy going guy. He is usually able to communicate with most people, which is probably a positive trait. If he finds somebody annoying, however, it becomes all-too-easy for him to block them out. But these situations can be overcome. Generally, he's a reserved person -- never too over the top in his behavior. But among friends, he's happy to joke around and be silly. At the same time -- and while he does like being with large groups of friends -- he tends to prefer quiet one-on-one conversations with individual people. Or, with a smaller group. He enjoys hearing others' stories and isn't afraid of deep/meaningful discussion. Jeh isn't a messy person by nature (which is good if you live in a house with him), but he's not exactly strict about keeping things neat. Sometimes he likes to have personal space (as I guess most do), but he doesn't mind spending time with one or two other people, even if he needs to be alone. [b]Picture:[/b] See Attachment. And no, you're not getting colour; black and white is cool. Josh's sepia inspired me.[/color]

[color=#707875]I wouldn't say that Soul Calibur 2 is a button masher. It's definitely far more simplistic than Virtua Fighter...but I don't think it's a button masher. Basically, anyone can play SC2. You [i]can[/i] button mash and get somewhere. But when you see really talented players fight...you can really see how deep the game can be. And that's one reason why Soul Calibur has garnered such great reviews in general. Having said that, I do hear constantly that SC2 adds very little over SC. In other words, you have new characters who kind of just do what the old ones did, with some exceptions. So, I'd be more concerned about that. But generally, I don't think that SC/SC2 is really a button masher as such. It can be a deep game, but you will only really experience that if you play against a very skilled human opponent. I noticed that in SC on Dreamcast, the A.I. was pretty weak. It's a lot more fun to play against human players.[/color]

[color=#707875]Well, originally, PS2 was selling primarily as a DVD player...at least in Japan. I believe that there is room for a "convergence" machine like PSX. However, I also think it's unlikely that PS2 owners will move to PSX. Sony seems to be trying to attract new consumers into the market with this machine. They also did that with the original PlayStation. So, I don't know...I don't actually see the PSX as an irrelevant product or anything. But it does make me wonder where PS3 will be positioned. If Sony position it at the level of PSX, they will singlehandedly kill a huge amount of their userbase -- Microsoft would probably be the first in line to pick those consumers up, with Xbox 2. So who knows. I'm guessing PS3 will be a bit more expensive than PS2 was at launch and that it will be another logical step up in technology. Having both PSX and PS3 might actually be a good thing for Sony.[/color]

[color=#707875]Yep, this is the start of it merging together. I don't think it's too unrealistic to expect people to pay this price for it though, considering that it's much more of a high-end multimedia device. Still, I think it would be ridiculous to position PS3 anywhere near that level. [/color]

[color=#707875]I learned French, Idonesian, Japanese and Mandarin during Primary/High School. I spent the least time on Mandarin...but I also found it to be the most difficult language. There is something like 2000 characters in the alphabet, which, as you can imagine, means that you'll be learning Mandarin until you're 80 and still discovering more and more. Although I guess that's the same with most languages. In any case, it was interesting. But as with all languages, if you don't use it, you won't remember it. I can barely remember any Mandarina (Ne How Ma?). And uh...yeah, I did a semester of French. French is easy and I picked it up quickly. I was also able to pronounce the words correctly...whereas quite a few kids in my class couldn't. The same goes for Indonesian -- I learned it for three and a half years and while I was relatively far from fluency, I could still hold a conversation. I remember that my aunt invited her Japanese friend over to Christmas dinner one year (she was here to teach Japanese...but could barely speak English) and nobody could communicate with her. However, she herself knew how to speak Indonesian. So I was the only family member who could actually talk to her. lol Indonesian is pretty easy, much like French. It's an asian language, but it utilizes the English alphabet, with some differences ("c" makes a "ch" sound, for instance). The only real difficulty is that the sentence structure is reversed for most things. So you'd never say "I'm taking my friend to see a movie". It's considered rude to refer to yourself first. You'd instead say "My friend is going with me to the movies." [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by BigCajones [/i] [B][color=crimson]Well if this isn't just about Nintendo games I would have to say the only other game that comes to mind as being overrated that hasn't been stated already is Halo (I know there is loads more). Sure it's good and everything, but I don't think it's anything to get too hyped up about. I would hope to see a lot of improvements in Halo 2 which I hear there is. It was just too easy and I think the plot was way too basic. Main character hardly even speaks and was just a bit weird at times. Like a name for a level was something along the lines of 'I thought you were my daddy' which completely through me. Silent Hill 2 - I don't think its as good as the Resident Evil series and I found it a lot easier (5 hours, didn't die once :D), but I don't think it was rated that high anyhoo. Still a good game. [/color] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I agree about Halo. I spent hours playing multiplayer a couple of weeks ago...and, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I mean, I would say that Halo is probably about as good as Medal of Honor Frontline or something like that. Many of the arenas seemed to be far too small...and some were poorly designed (a base at either end with a forest/desert in the middle...wow). And visually speaking...it was good, but not as amazing or groundbreaking as some have said. I don't know, I don't feel that Halo comes close to a game like Goldeneye, for example. Even on singleplayer. As for SH2...I have to ask you, how hard did you put the fighting [i]and[/i] puzzles? On their hardest settings, SH2 is a tougher nut to crack than RE. This is primarily because RE doesn't rely on "puzzles" so much...it's usually a process of finding keys and using items, rather than solving riddles and whatnot. Having said that, Resident Evil on GameCube probably has tougher physical combat than SH2, especially if you consider the Crimson Heads and so on. Still, I find SH2 to be a far scarier game than Resident Evil. I've never come across a game as scary as the SH series. But does that translate to good gameplay? I don't know. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't. Overall though, I think I prefer Silent Hill. It does keep some unwelcome gameplay conventions from the RE games...but it's pretty fresh and interesting, plot-wise and visually speaking.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i] [B][size=1] Punctuation is your friend.[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Oh yes, ain't that the truth? ^_^ Post quality is the thing that will get you furthest at OtakuBoards -- not number of posts or custom titles or any of that other pointless stuff.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mitch [/i] [B][size=1] It has strayed far, far off the topic....[/size] [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Agreed. Isn't it possible to discuss a prayer time in schools without getting into a back-and-forth about whether religion is right/wrong/etc? I guess not.[/color]

[color=#707875]Cool, very nice. I like the way you've used red on both the background and on the character himself. I also like the way you've rendered his eyes...kind of evil looking. ~_^ If I had to nitpick, I'd say that the arms are looking a bit weird to me...at least, proportionally speaking. And I feel that the hairstyle is a bit flat -- although I like the way you've actually rendered it. Still, it's a good piece. I particularly like the texturing/lighting on the face and arms. I don't like giving numerical ratings, so I won't give you one...I find it too hard to rate art in that way anyway, mostly.[/color]

[color=#707875]This is what I find so interesting. Agent Smith is, by all accounts, not part of what the machines had predicted. So to the machines, he is an unknown element. I will be very interested to find out how this plays out in Revolutions. The machines are now the dominant species, but they themselves treat their A.I. with arrogance -- when new and better A.I. is developed, the machines simply delete/overwrite previous A.I. As a result, programs do what they can to avoid deletion. That French guy (I can't remember the spelling for his name at the moment lol) is a lot like Agent Smith -- he's a rogue program, being propelled by his own self awareness. Agent Smith, by way of copying himself over and over again, has become a very powerful collective force. As a result, we know that he is kind of like a virus in The Matrix. And The Matrix itself is the source of the machines' energy. So, this concept with Agent Smith really intrigues me. Having seen The Animatrix, read the various online comics and short stories and discussed the issue with various people....I feel that I now have a much greater appreciation of The Matrix Reloaded. What The Oracle said to Neo was very simple. And it applied to Agent Smith at the time. But when you look back on it, knowing what we do from this trailer (and from The Second Renaissance), we also come to realize that The Oracle's message is very profound in its implications. The Oracle seems to have summarized everything very well in only a short description...or at least, she has pointed out the irony of machine-created programs actually becoming independent and potentially being a threat to the machines themselves.[/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Baron Samedi [/i] [B] I get sick of the double standards that our world has. It is absolutely stupid. For Australia, they are always focusing on 'Aboriginal Health'. Why dont they just focus on Health? Having different standards makes the racial rift wider, not smaller. It is stupid. Some Aboriginals choose to live out in the middle of nowhere. Not our problem. If a bunch if white pople did that, everyone would say they were crazy, and give them nothing. But because nobody wants to be accused of being racist, so they don't say that. All this stuff about Aboriginals not getting a fair deal..... if they get an education, and look presentable etc. then I believe they have as much of a chance in life as anyone. If a white man didn't even try to get a job, try to be presentable etc, and complained, he would be a fool, a doll bludger. Those double standards infuriate me. I have nothing against aboriginals, it.... I don't know. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Baron...this is an extremely ignorant comment. As an Australian, I'm very disappointed in it. The [i]reason[/i] that we talk about "Aborignial Health" is because Aboriginal people tend to have unique health concerns. The problems that Aboriginals face today are largely the direct result of western colonization. In other words, European settlers totally and utterly destroyed the lives of the Aboriginal people, en masse, so it's our responsibility to fix that issue. When you say that as long as they look presentable and so on...that just strikes me as being ridiculously ignorant. You're sounding like the men who supported taking Aborignial children from their traditional homes and giving them an "education" on western living. It's not a case of saying "Oh well, they chose to live out in the desert, so who cares?" Aboriginal people are a displaced people -- they are in limbo. They're not quite "city-dwellers" like you or I, but they are also not completely "traditional" in terms of their Aboriginal lifestyle, as a direct result of European interference. How you can use blanket statements like that is totally beyond me. That kind of ignorance is why many Aborigines are still living in terrible conditions -- and why the Government throws money at the problem but ultimately fails to provide real solutions. I'm sorry, Baron...but what you said there was completely wrong. I had to correct you. As far as this club issue goes...I think it's good that this girl would allow anyone into the club. Who is to say that people of other backgrounds aren't going to be interested in European heritage? In the same way, a caucasian person might be interested in East Asian or African heritage. I mean, you know...why tell people they can't join your club due to their race? Clubs who exclude people of a different race have little justification for that, in my view. Surely you enter the club based not on your actual race, but on your interest in the issues that the club deals with.[/color]

[color=#707875][center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_1.jpg[/img][/center] Having just seen the latest trailer for The Matrix Revolutions, I'm excited about the franchise once more. Well, once more within the space of about a week or so. ~_^ I say that because I still watch episodes from The Animatrix now and then, including all of the director commentaries and stuff. I recently read the director commentary for The Second Renaissance, which really opened my eyes to a few fine details. It's interesting, because I'd never actually watched the director commentary for that episode before. I'm glad I did, though. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_2.jpg[/img][/center] Anyway, the only trailer I'd seen for The Matrix Revolutions was at the end of The Matrix Reloaded. And that trailer is different to the one that is now available on the [url="http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com"]official site[/url]. I'm sure that the more dedicated Matrix fans among you have probably already seen the newest trailer, but I didn't even think to look on there until a few days ago. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_3.jpg[/img][/center] As you can see, these shots are from the new trailer, which is why I put the "Possible Spoilers" notice up. I know that some of you don't even want to watch the trailers. For me personally, I don't mind the trailers...but I'm not going to read any of the actual news/story-related stuff before I see it. Afterall, that ruins the fun of speculation and discussion, which is what this thread is all about. ~_^ [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_4.jpg[/img][/center] In particular, I wanted to know what Matrix fans think of the trailer...and I wanted to discuss the trailer itself. As we know from Reloaded, the whole "prophecy" has pretty much been abandoned. At least, it's [i]ostensibly[/i] been abandoned. Rather, we are now faced with the very real prospect that the machines will destroy Zion and maintain their large energy generators, which the world's human population is connected to. The trailer doesn't give away much, but it does reveal some interesting tidbits. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_5.jpg[/img][/center] In particular, we know that Agent Smith is becoming more powerful. Toward the beginning of the trailer, we see Neo talking to a giant machine and telling that machine that only he can deal with Smith. This is very interesting, because it makes me wonder exactly why Neo would have this conversation. Is Smith becoming such a big problem that he is threatening The Matrix itself and therefore, is a threat to the machines? We still see Sentinels attacking Zion, so there isn't any real indication that Neo is actually being enlisted to [i]help[/i] the machines. But I found the implication interesting, nonetheless. Not to mention that the scene with the "talking head" both looks and sounds utterly fantastic. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_6.jpg[/img][/center] Moreover, Agent Smith seems to have been able to "implant" himself within the body of an actual human being. Or so the implication goes. That weird guy from The Matrix Reloaded is back in Revolutions and the trailer suggests that he is in fact Agent Smith. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_7.jpg[/img][/center] In particular, this makes me wonder what Agent Smith's goal is. Has he become so power-hungry that he (despite being a creation of the machine), is intent to hurt both man and machine to achieve his goals? Interestingly, the machines seem to focus on the fact that Neo is a system anomaly and therefore, he is the focus of their attention. But what about Smith? Think about it. Smith is the creation of the machines, just as the machines were a creation of man. And now, Smith is both self-aware and "unplugged". He is thus a free spirit, who is no longer a servant of his creators. Once again, this mirrors the machine/human relationship. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_8.jpg[/img][/center] So, is it possible that Agent Smith is to the machines what they were to mankind? Maybe the machines aren't showing enough respect for their own creations as well. Remember, just as B166ER murdered his master in order to avoid being shut down, various programs within The Matrix try to escape...or "detatch" themselves in order to avoid deletion. It makes me think that the programs themselves are the "new machines". [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_9.jpg[/img][/center] Interestingly, during the trailer, we hear The Oracle say..."the future of both worlds will be in your hands, or his." Presumably, she is referring to Agent Smith. I feel like that supports this idea about Smith. [center][img]http://www.otakuboards.com/revolutions/mr_10.jpg[/img][/center] All in all, I am really interested to know how this will play out. We know that the destruction of Zion has become a routine task for the machines. And we know how absolutely massive and powerful their armies are. How can little Zion stand up against that? With Agent Smith thrown into the equation, one wonders how the machines themselves will respond. There's a lot more to cover here...but that's why I wanted to open up the discussion a bit. I'm sure that you guys have lots of interesting theories, and I'd love to hear them.[/color]

[color=#707875]Well, Arch...science can explain life and so on. People who say that it can't are simply don't know their science. In any case...the whole thing about limitations of the human mind is interesting. This reminds me of The Matrix in many ways. What is real to you is not necessarily real to me/how do we know that our lives are "real"/what constitutes a living thing/etc. When you talk about androids...once again, this reminds me of The Matrix, particularly The Second Renaissance. Mankind treated the machines like slaves...and when B166ER murdered his "master", he did so because he was trying to avoid deactivation -- or, death. So really, what is the moral of that story? What could man have done to avoid the ultimately catastrophic war between man and machine? Man could have recognized that the machine is his own creation...and that he has given birth to a new life. The machine has thoughts, it has consciousness, it has feelings and perceptions. It's a "mind", an individual, a thinking and feeling being. It's alive, even though it is physically made up of different materials to humans. And so, it should be treated with the same respect as other living things. This is also like Bicentennial Man, if you've seen that movie. The main character's entire quest is to become recognized as a human being. It's very interesting to me...because it deals with prejudice and the way we perceive life itself.[/color]