James

[color=#707875]I'm using a relatively slow school computer right now...and my home connection is only narrowband. Yet I've had no slowdown issues here. So I really can't answer your question. Perhaps Adam or Justin could comment on this issue.[/color]

[color=#707875]I don't think I've come anywhere close to my full potential. For me, I know that I can write a report and get an A+ without effort. But if they ask me to make a 3D model...then I'm in trouble. lol In any case, I think that the only way I can achieve my full potential is to be doing something that I am passionate about. For example, I think I'm more likely to produce better work if I'm doing something for myself as opposed to doing something for a client. If I'm doing something for a client, I'm working to [i]their[/i] standard and desire. I don't enjoy that. In that way, on a creative level, I can be very selfish. I enjoy fulfilling my own project briefs far more than those of other people -- even if they are giving me a cool project. I guess that's also because I like to have ownership over what I produce. I don't want to make something and then forget about it and "hand it over", as it were. Of course, there are always exceptions (like if I'm doing something for a friend), but for the rest of the planet...no. lol So *shrug*, I guess that under those circumstances, I can't really achieve my full capability. And also, I think that I change and evolve over time. My methods, my aesthetic tastes...everything about me changes to some degree. It's a constant learning process. I might reach my full potential now right this minute -- but in five years, I might look back and say "Wow, what I'm doing now is so superior to that old junk!" In that sense, I may never reach my full capability. I think that the only time I'll really know where I hit my peak is when I'm 90 years old or something. lol You know...when I'm too old to do anything creative/mentally stimulating anymore. Then I can look back and point out where my highest points were. [/color]

OOC: Sorry for my recent absence, guys. I've been very sick all week and haven't been able to keep up. At the end of the weekend, I'll post a big new post which should lead us to the next major aspect of the story. So, watch out for it. I hope you will all like it. If you want to continue posting (remember, your characters still have a night of "free time" before leaving for Sygnosis X HQ), feel free to do so.

[color=#707875]No need to apologize, MillieFan. I just want to point out that even though we may disagree on this point, I don't want that to discourage you from voicing any concerns in the future. Even if I disagree or don't see a problem, I still encourage people to be honest about their view of the site.[/color]

[color=#707875]I gave Charles permission to use this avatar. He was concerned enough to come and ask me if he could use it in the first place. I don't see a problem with it. It doesn't really break any specific rule, especially when you consider that there are people using banners/avatars that could probably be considered more offensive depending on your stance. I mean, if someone shows a city being bombed with a nuclear weapon in their avatar, am I to remove it because it's too violent? I think that it's inevitable that we're going to have things that we dislike/disagree with amongst each other. Some RPGs are more "adult" than they used to be, for example. I'm sorry if that is offensive to anybody...but we have to walk a fine line. I do want to restrict the most obviously vulgar stuff, but by the same token, I don't want to be insanely tight about stuff like that. [/color]

[color=#707875]There's no reason why new members can't say hello within the course of their posts. We had a Newbie Lounge a while ago and it was incredibly spammy. If you read our rules and Posting FAQ, you can see that we encourage high quality posting at OtakuBoards. We feel that members will make themselves known by the standard of their posts, rather than by some kind of introduction thread.[/color]

[color=#707875]I remember you. But you have few posts...so you haven't posted enough to make a strong impression on the community. I think that's to be expected. Given more time, people will come to know you.[/color]

[color=#707875]If you want to keep up on the latest happenings, I recommend going through the Announcements at the top of any forum. In regard to the chat...theOtaku.com has dropped our chat service. There is now an "unofficial" chat system. We do not own it or endorse it.[/color]

[color=#707875]We prefer it if new members simply introduce themselves within their posts. No need for an Introduction thread.[/color]

[color=#707875]Thanks for your suggestion. Basically, we did used to have a Cowboy Bebop forum. I created it to see if it'd be popular. Despite the demand, it didn't gain any kind of noteable popularity. If you'd like to discuss Cowboy Bebop, I recommend using Anime Lounge. Anime Lounge allows you to discuss any anime that we don't have a specific forum for.[/color]

[color=#707875]...Alright. I will leave it open for the time being. But if it becomes spammy, another Moderator can close it.[/color]

[color=#707875]We've only [i]just[/i] had this thread. It even had the same name, pretty much. [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Charlie Levoy [/i] [B]Who said that they would find giant missiles and big bombs when they went to Iraqi? Last I knew nobody did. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]I was exaggerating to make a point. lol What I meant is that people were expecting the coalition to find physical weaponry. However, most of those said weapons were already destroyed/dismantled prior to the war. It's rumored that those weapons left behind where smuggled out of the country, but who knows. The thing is, the weapons are a symptom. They are not a cause. We know, based on documents uncovered during the raids, that Saddam Hussein planned to destroy a [i]certain amount[/i] of weapons (as few as possible), to satisfy the weapons inspectors. When the inspectors then give Iraq the all clear, it simply uses its existing programs to develop new weaponry to replace what was destroyed. So unless you want endless weapons inspections (which would be highly impractical), you have little other choice but to remove Saddam Hussein from power. That is, unless you [i]want[/i] a murderous tyrant with a cache of biological, chemical and potentially nuclear weapons. [/color]

[color=#707875]Let me remind you that the former Iraqi Information Minister recently revealed that Iraq was smuggling banned weapon parts into the country for the two years leading up to the war. This whole thing about "where are the weapons?" annoys me. It's ignorant. Nobody said we'd just find some giant missile in the desert with nuclear bits inside it. lol [/color]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Harry [/i] [B]That's true, but when it's coupled with people that are easily willing to believe them then it gets out of hand. Christianity has it's share of fanatics, but most people shrug them off as lunatics (ex: Jerry Fallwell). But with Islam, it has it's share of fanatics, bt people actually believe in them. I'm not saying it can only happen to Islam. [/B][/QUOTE] [color=#707875]Well, there are a few issues there. Firstly, you might be surprised at just how many people see someone like Jerry Fallwell as a friendly, reasonable guy. ~_^ But moreover, there are different perspectives involved. It's possible that more people support Osama because there's a lack of education in some Middle Eastern countries. It's also possible that some of these countries have themselves seen significant oppression from foreign powers. And that might shape their views. I'm not saying it's necessarily justified...but at the same time, it's important not to single out Islam as being a religion that is automatically prone to corruption.[/color]

[color=#707875]Harry, [i]any[/i] religion is easily bastardized. I could sit here and reel off 100 examples of Christianity delivering more pain than promise. I could do the same for virtually any religion. It's not a question of the religion itself being easy or not easy to twist. It's more a question of a handful of nutty/extremist people who use religion as a justification.[/color]

[color=#707875]With most of these games, I think it's probably a little of both. I think that GTA III onwards has been overrated, primarily by gamers themselves. If you look at the sales figures...well, there are plenty of games that should be selling that high, if quality alone sold games. But that doesn't mean that these two games are actually bad games. I think they're quite good...they're just not [i]amazing[/i]. At least, not as amazing as their sales would suggest.[/color]

[color=#707875]I'll tell you why the terrorists (specifically Middle Eastern terrorists) hate the United States. 1) Gulf War I. Even though the United States did a good thing by protecting Kuwait, people like Osama bin Laden hated the fact that the United States used Saudi Arabia (a holy land) as a staging ground. It was this event that primarily turned bin Laden's interest to the United States. And it was during Gulf War I that Al Qaeda began to attempt to attack US forces in the region. 2) Israel & Palestine. I would say that this isn't a primary concern for Al Qaeda in and of itself, however, America's support for Israel is something that Al Qaeda feeds upon. I think that most objective people can see that both Israel and Palestine are causing problems (Palestineans with the use of terrorism and, until recently, a complete rejection of Israel's right to exist; and Israel's frequent delivery of utter misery on the Palestinean people). I think that the US should be more even-handed in this situation...but that's unlikely at this point I think. I would say that those two reasons are the primary ones. Of course, there are multiple shades of grey to all of this. None of these things are any justification for September 11. But, I'm simply answering your question in as simple a way as possible. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]I think it depends how you classify underage drinking. What I mean is...there are some people under 18 (in the case of Australia) who drink at parties or social functions and who can have a couple of drinks and then stop. In other words, they don't make a total moron out of themselves. In terms of myself, I was drinking alcohol at about 16. But I only ever drank at parties or something like that. And moreover, I never got drunk. I've never been drunk at all, for that matter. There are a few reasons for that. Firstly, I remember being at a party in high school where one guy got so drunk, that he passed out...and kept vomiting on himself while in a complete coma on the grass. He was basically unconscious and someone had to keep cleaning him up and everything...it was really disgusting and horrible. It was sickening. And secondly, I have a very high tolerance for alcohol. I don't know why, but I never get hangovers either. So in that sense, I've never had a "problem" with alcohol. Having said all of the above, the main reason that it was okay in my case (or so I believe) is that I had self control and discipline. I understood what my limits were, I never allowed myself to be pressured and I always took a responsible attitude. Aside from that, alcohol has never really seemed very attractive to me. I've never had any desire to binge drink or whatever. I just don't see the point. To me, an alcoholic drink is no different to any other drink. lol But yeah, it really depends on the circumstances. This was my experience as a teenager, but I'm sure everyone is different. Kids who either have a low tolerance...or who are irresponsible, shouldn't be drinking. Obviously it can be extremely hurtful to your body, your mind and your entire life. The problem is that so many kids who can't control themselves end up drinking. When you do nothing but sit alone in your room, drinking alochol, you know you have a serious willpower problem. And at that point, it becomes very worrying.[/color]

[color=#707875]I think that Super Mario Sunshine was underrated, if anything. If you play Super Mario 64 for ten minutes and then switch on SMS afterwards...you'll definitely see a very smoothe and logical evolution. Of course, a lot of Nintendo fans were expecting a reinvention of the wheel, which obviously didn't happen. And there's a sense that Miyamoto was not entirely satisfied with the game. Still, it's a good first effort from Mr. Koizumi. As for SSBM...I don't know how this can be considered a "fighter". I agree with Tony on that point. The game is clearly a party game. But it definitely has layers of depth that can be explored. I'm personally not a huge fan of SSBM, but I don't really think it was overrated by the media or by gamers in general. What else. Well, I think that Final Fantasy as a franchise is overrated. Big surprise there. lol I should qualify that by saying that I think it's very overrated on OtakuBoards. I'm amazed that some people can adore a game like Kingdom Hearts, but hate games like Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine. Yeah, I know they're different games. But Super Mario Sunshine in particular is the absolute epitome of play control -- I can't think of any game that handles more smoothly. Handling's not the only important thing...but anyway. lol The only other really overrated game that I can think of would have to be Grand Theft Auto. Particularly GTAIII/VC. I own both games and I do enjoy them. I tended to prefer GTAIII moreso than Vice City...but they're both essentially the same. And therein lies the problem. Vice City is really GTAIII with a few extras. It feels more like an expansion pack. Of course, that's an exaggeration. It [i]is[/i] a seperate game. And it has a lot of differences. But when playing it...it's still like deja vu. You're playing GTAIII in a new skin. Yes, the freedom is great...and the vehicle physics are pretty good. And yeah, there are plenty of new things to try out (mostly related to new vehicles though). But fundamentally, the missions are still pretty similar to the previous game. I'm unwilling to really fault the developer, because they only took a short time to make Vice City...and they did a great job in the time they had. [i]However[/i], some people act like GTAIII/VC are the most innovative games to ever be released. [/color]

[color=#707875]I think that as you go from the age of about 12 to 18, your mind changes a lot. During those years, your opinions change...your maturity changes...etc etc... Someone said that intelligence and knowledge doesn't equal maturity. I'd have to agree. I know that on these very boards, I've had debates with people who I consider to be quite [i]intelligent[/i], but not [i]mature[/i]. In terms of how you define maturity...I guess everyone has a slightly different viewpoint. I think that a large part of maturity is the ability to respond do things around you in a reasonable way...and to essentially deal with things as an adult. Even that is a very vague description, but without specific examples, I'm not sure how to describe it. I mean, for instance. If someone gets banned from OB tomorrow and they decide to begin spamming the place up the next day -- is that mature? No. But what if they decide to simply join another board that is more suited to their taste. That would be a lot more mature. When people are banned, they sometimes ask me or someone else why they were banned (if they aren't aware already). And in those cases, you get a clearly defined view of how mature a person is. Some people will tell me, regardless of the reason, that their banning was "ridiculous" and that I'm an idiot...or that one of the other staff is an idiot. Obviously that's not very mature. But some people ask...I tell them, and they say "Okay, thanks. I just wanted to know." That's obviously a more mature attitude. These are the people who [i]remember[/i] that when they register here, they're automatically saying "Yes, I agree to your terms and conditions". They're not interested in getting to a lengthy, circular argument with me about the whole thing. I see that as a sign of maturity. And generally, I think that maturity also comes with age and experience. I'm more inclined to say "experience" though, because I've definitely met immature adults before. lol What Jenna said about that is very true, I think. I wasn't in the same situation as her, but I did grow up as one of four children. And being the oldest (and with a father who was always working), I was often playing a fatherly role to them. I've changed diapers, given baths, fed messy babies and who knows what else...and I was doing that even at a young age. So already, I feel like I've had my own children and cared for them for years. lol Maybe that experience makes me take on a fatherly attitude with other people too...I don't know. Either way, it's interesting how your experiences in life shape who you are to a certain degree.[/color]

OOC: Arika...I don't think anyone can answer that. It's not simply a case of waltzing in, dispatching a few Drones and saying "Hey guys, how's it going?" Everyone is split up into individuals or seperate groups, the entire area is bathed in darkness and almost-psychotic, highly-powerful Drones aren't wasting any time in spilling Reploid blood. C'mon now...you've got to watch my posts carefully and take note of the situation. ~_^ And thanks to Baron for taking note of what Chaos said. That kind of commitment to the RPG is really awesome. Oh and, before I start my post... [quote][i]Originally posted by Dragon Warrior:[/i][b] "Oh YES! BOOYAH! WOO! I AM THE MAN! HELL YEAH!" He jumped around, dancing across the room and taking big leaps over the drones' remains. "Who's your daddy? I'm your daddy! Bam! You're gone! You cannot stop this! Booyah!" Suddenly, a blast hit the wall next to his head and he flinched at the sight of it. "Oh crap!" He made a run out of the room as more drones poured in. [/b][/quote] I just want to point out that these Reploids are trying out for an [b]elite military organization[/b]. They aren't supposed to be silly teenagers who are doing this for fun on a weekend. It's really important for me to point that out. There's room for comedy here and there, yes...but let's keep things in context. These Reploids are/were in the middle of a very serious and dangerous battlefield. [center]| | | |[/center] [color=#707875]Cyan walked along the central street calmly. It was littered with synthetic bodies. Some had been attacked so brutally, that they were unrecognizable and impossible to identify on a visual basis alone. Broken glass, large pieces of concrete, torn pieces of steel and aluminum...it was all there. The arena had looked relatively clean only minutes earlier. Now it was truly a wasteland. The sounds of rapid machine gun fire had slowed, but not stopped. To his right and left, Cyan could still hear sporadic bursts of heavy fire and the cold, metallic grating of sizeable treads as Drones trundled their way through gutted buildings. Within minutes, Cyan noticed two Reploids running toward him from the nearest building. The one running slightly ahead was looking a little flustered. His long, dark purple hair was swirling behind his head as he ran, while his thick black boots dug into the almost sand-like powdered-concrete with each step. Behind him, Cyan saw a female Reploid. She was looking far more calm and measured than the male -- her shoulder-length black hair still sat relatively neatly and she didn't seem to be putting as much effort into the sprint as her comrade. When the male Reploid reached Cyan, he stopped and stared, with a look of wonderment on his face. "Cyan...sir...why are you just standing here?" he gasped. Cyan smiled. "Don't worry," he said calmly. The male Reploid drew his Beam Sabre once more and held it up high. He stood with his back to Cyan, as though protecting him from oncoming Drones. The female Reploid, however, merely stood nearby. She was obviously alert (as her eyes carefully surveyed the surrounding landscape), but did not show any obvious tension or fear. [center]| | | |[/center] Three Drones approached their position. They moved somewhat carefully this time, while simultaneously arming their weapons. Cyan looked to his right and saw another two Reploids dodging between dishevelled concrete supports. They looked as though they were preparing to attack at least one of the approaching Drones. The nearest Drone reared up higher on its piston-supported torso. The top of its body contained what looked like a head, which now swiftly folded backwards into the outer casing. In its place emerged a thin barrel, with several explosive rounds wound around its rear housing. The barrel rose higher and took aim at the three Reploids in the center of the street. "There!" cried the nearest male Reploid. He stood in front of Cyan and held his Beam Sabre high once again. Cyan, meanwhile, seemed disinterested in the Drones. Rather, he was focusing his attention on the surrounding Reploids. The ones that he could detect nearby were either making their way closer, in an attempt to ambush the Drones (whose attention was clearly focused on the three Reploids in the middle of the street), or they were holding their positions, in case the Drones were acting as decoys. Cyan reached into his pocket and pulled out a very small remote control. It was as thin as a credit card and contained a small microplasma monitor. The monitor displayed the positions of all Drones and Reploids in the area. And it contained a very simple microplasma keypad. Cyan raised his thumb and then pressed it down on a button near the bottom of the card, which had a red "X" hovering over it. As soon as he did this, the Drones stopped in their tracks. Their torsos lowered slightly at the same time, and the persistent whirring of their internal power chambers ceased. They had been disengaged. At almost the same time, the entire arena lit up brightly. As the Reploids looked upwards, they saw a very pristine white ceiling where there was once only a dark sky. The ceiling was glowing gently, casting a soft natural light over the area. The male Reploid in front of Cyan slowly lowered his Beam Sabre. He turned and looked at Cyan, with an expression of disbelief. Cyan smiled once more. "What is your name?" he asked. The male Reploid paused briefly..."My name is Ryan," he spluttered. "Well, Ryan, I appreciate your courage," said Cyan. "You have demonstrated a very important trait here today." Cyan turned from Ryan and looked out across the arena. This time, as he spoke, his voice was automatically projected around the arena. "All Reploids, please emerge from your positions and meet with me on the center street," he said. Several Reploids emerged. They approached the three Reploids on the road. Cyan looked at his data card once more. No more signs of life in the arena. Only a handful of Reploids had survived. Cyan sighed. It was never easy. "I'm going to call out the names of those who survived the test. Each one of you, please raise your hand when I call your name," he said as he turned his attention to the group. "I will address you by callsign at this point," he began, "Pyret...Quietus...Excalibur...Arano...Archer...Loki...Themos...Shadow...Deep...Angelus...and that's it." Cyan paused as though in deep thought. And finally, he raised his head to face the group once more. "Ten Reploids. Ten out of twenty six..." One Reploid stepped forward. It was Arano; his black hair and black tattoos were not easy to miss. He spoke with what seemed like a slightly deep, somewhat gutteral voice. "Nice Drones you sent after us," he said, almost sarcastically. Cyan smiled. But it was only half a smile. He never liked losing Reploids in his care, especially when they had been unprepared for the test. But this was how it had to be. "Yeah," Cyan nodded, "they were pretty tough for old models." Cyan turned his attention to the entire group. "Be that as it may, what you will face as members of Sygnosis X will ultimately be far more challenging. I can't emphasize that enough. Today, you were given no real warning about what you were facing. Even the warnings we [i]did[/i] give you were the bare essentials -- sometimes you won't even get that in the field." It was at this point that everyone in the group seemed to feel the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. The daunting tasks ahead were now being felt, though they were not yet visible. "I just hope that you are all truly serious about this," said Cyan. The Reploids merely nodded in unison. They had been through so much on that day; Cyan didn't expect anyone to want to engage in discussion. Cyan walked through the group and approached the exit doors. "Tonight is the last night before we fly out to Sygnosis X HQ tomorrow. I recommend that you enjoy tonight and get to know each other a little more. You'll find a military bar near here...or you can travel into the city. Make sure you're packed and ready to go by morning." And with that, Cyan left the room. The Reploids stood in the arena and none uttered a word for several minutes. They merely stood and looked at the lifeless Drones surrounding them.[/color]

[color=#707875]Wow, Chris became a famous skater and Charles and myself got stuck with a message board. ~_^ Hehe, kidding. Nice story. ^_^ I've never had one written about me before...well, I probably have, but it probably wasn't very nice. ^_^;; Thanks for posting it. ^_^[/color]

[color=#707875]Drix, I only need to refer you to Semjaza's post at this point. He is absolutely 100% correct on the ownership issue. If I purchase a CD single, I own that copy. But I don't own the rights to the song. I don't have the right to freely distribute my copy to thousands of other people. I would get into more detail on this point, but once again, I can only point to what Semjaza has said. People who talk about ownership like this really don't understand the copyright issue. And it's a very important point. The only thing I will add here is a comparison of MP3s to ROMs (ie: emulated video games). I think there are some similarities between the two. Whenever you go to an emulation site, you see a kind of warning that says something like "You must delete this ROM after 24-hours", or "You must own the original cartridge to download this ROM". Both of these claims are bogus. As soon as you download the ROM, you are stealing. And even if you own the original game cartridge, it is technically illegal for you to download a ROM. This isn't just a question of what you own on your person (ie: what you physically hold in your hand); there's a much broader question of copyright and intellectual property. Obviously, there are some differences between MP3 and ROM. But I think that there are also some similarities. People continually try to make excuses as to why downloading MP3s is "right" or "acceptable". But at the end of the day, it isn't legal. And it does nothing but hurt the artist. That is the basic, raw fact about it. You can go into semantics and start splitting hairs or whatever...but that is nothing but an excuse. [/color] [quote][i]Originally posted by Transtic Nerve:[/i][b] ANd if CDs sales are down 30%, but the actual nmber of CD being manufactured is down 35%, doesn't that means sales are up 5%?[/b][/quote] [color=#707875]Not necessarily. Manufacturing might be down because sales were down initially. I don't know the full story, nor do I have any figures that tell me [i]when[/i] either of these specific events came into being. So I could be wrong. But generally speaking, it's not a simple add-and-subtract thing. Lower manufacturing is probably a result of declining sales -- there aren't many other explanations. Record companies wouldn't lower product output if sales were up by 5%.[/color]

[color=#707875]I definitely don't pick people who try to teach others the rules. I choose people based entirely on their behavior around the boards. If you follow the rules and participate actively around the boards, your chances of being offered a Moderator position are higher. That's about all I can say. There are really no specific behaviors that will "get you the job". It mostly comes down to people who I notice around the place, who seem to be responsible.[/color]