James

[font=palatino linotype]What I find interesting is that Fox News talks about their conservative slant as being about "evening up" what they perceive as a left-wing bias in the American news media. It's interesting in part because their apparent solution to "left-wing bias" is right-wing bias! How about countering perceived bias with [i]non-biased[/i] news reporting? Fox News in particular irks me because it claims so regularly to be "fair and balanced" when, in fact, it's kind of an obvious circus. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure that the news media is generally trying to manipulate the American people. The American people bear some responsibility for maintaining healthy incredulity and assessing everything that they view on TV and read in print. Perhaps there's a lack of education about how to think critically (Gallup suggests almost 50% of Americans believe in creationism - this alone bears out the idea that education is a big factor in mass credulity). But admittedly I'm moving away from the point. My point is that it's not so much about being manipulative - it's about commercial competition and entertainment. Fox News, as my example, is not a news channel. It's an entertainment/variety channel. It is dominated by so-called "magazine" shows, which themselves are [i]not[/i] news programs. I'm not sure what will change the trend...well, other than the public starting to turn away from these types of programs. But I can't imagine that changing anytime soon. All I can say is that when you do read something that is actually thoughtful and not sensational (I quite like Slate, for instance), it feels like a breath of fresh air. It's almost like you're escaping from something very restrictive.[/font]

[quote name='chibi-master' date='30 August 2010 - 05:46 PM' timestamp='1283150777' post='700005'] QUARP! Okay, so I've noticed something lately, and so has my family (which they have pointed out to me many times). I seem to be a lot angrier than usual. I don't even know why or how I became so bitter, but for some reason I'm just filled with an intense hatred for something that I can't identify. I'm snapping a lot more than I should, I'm raising my voice through the roof, and basically jumping head-first into my UltraBitch Mode. I don't want to be in my UltraBitch Mode. It's UltraBitchy. QUARP! [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]I'm not sure how old you are, but your symptoms sound very teenage angst to me. In other words, perhaps your experience is pretty normal and will likely pass in a relatively short period of time. And Cat, good on you for being committed to school. Did you just start college? I always get a bit confused because the American tertiary system is different than ours.[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I'm definitely guilty of having looked at horoscopes before, even though I know that they are absolute rubbish. I think the tendency to look at horoscopes is a bit like that natural tendency where you miss the bus or the train and say "Why me?", even though, of course, train and bus schedules aren't designed around your personal comings and goings. It's just human nature to some degree - we relate everything to ourselves, whether or not there is any relationship at all.[/font]

[quote name='The Tentacle' date='30 August 2010 - 04:31 AM' timestamp='1283103074' post='699988'] And I just tossed down somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 for the complete set of graphic novels. Â Somehow I feel more complete now that they've been added to my collection. [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]I wouldn't mind looking at the comics. Do they sell the entire set in hardcover form, like they do with Watchmen? I'd prefer that to buying individual issues if it were possible. I'm assuming the comics are better than the movie and since I liked the movie, I'd be pretty keen to check out the comics as well. I did the same thing with Watchmen - actually, I bought the hardcover set before I saw the film and it pretty much resurrected the interest in comics that I'd lost years ago. I'm hoping Pilgrim will do the same![/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I just saw this tonight, finally. It was pretty good, although the last quarter started to bore me a little bit. It wasn't an enormously long movie or anything, but it started to feel a bit long in the tooth by the end. Still, I'd say most of the movie was absolutely fantastic. Michael Cera was himself, as usual, but it seems to me that he [i]is[/i] Scott Pilgrim. All of the other actors were brilliant, including Scott's band members and the exes themselves. I also loved that the opening scene of the film, where the camera pans down over Scott's house and we hear part of the music from the opening title sequence of A Link to the Past. [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I don't think I can add much to this, except to say that it's very handy to use the same username on theO as on OB - especially if you're a chat visitor. Unfortunately we still can't have unified accounts across all of our sites, which does make things rather difficult at times.[/font]

[quote name='chibi-master' date='27 August 2010 - 03:15 PM' timestamp='1282882522' post='699911'] QUARP! I tried, and I got a message telling me I'd filled my quotia of positive votes for today. Which is odd, because I have never attempted to "like" a post before. QUARP! [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]Aha! I was a bit worried about that. It happens to me too, but I thought this was because we'd set it so that staff [i]can't[/i] vote posts up or down. I'll look into it. [/font]

[quote name='Tahkyn D. Zhen' date='18 August 2010 - 09:42 AM' timestamp='1282084920' post='699555'] Do you have any plans to release Nimble Strong on any other platforms, you know, for guys like myself who either a) can't afford, or b) think the iPhone is overrated and will not get one? Looks like a game I'd enjoy playing, but I doubt I'll ever be an iPhone user, not in the short term at least. [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]Adam did an interview with Anime Pulse and, from memory, he did mention this. Apparently he would like to port to Android, but my understanding is that this can only happen if Nimble Strong does well enough on iPhone/iPod touch. Beyond that, I think Adam himself would need to give you more details. [/font]

[quote name='Stephanie' date='27 August 2010 - 02:56 PM' timestamp='1282881366' post='699908'] If this was Facebook, I would like this post. ;D [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]You can "like" the post. Just vote it up with the green plus icon on the bottom right corner. [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]We may have had a topic like this before - and I know we often post YouTube videos in this forum - but I thought it'd be a good idea to actually create a topic where we can talk specifically about music videos. I don't watch music channels nearly as much as I used to, but I'm still a lover of good music videos. They are getting increasingly sophisticated and many are becoming a lot like mini-movies, even containing narratives that stretch across multiple videos (Lady GaGa being one recent example of this). One of the great things about music videos, for me, is that I don't even have to like the song. Sure, it helps, but sometimes I can really love a video without actually digging the track itself. And sometimes the video actually helps me to like a track more. Go figure! I also find that once I watch a music video - especially if it's memorable in some way - I will [i]always[/i] imagine it when hearing the song on the radio. I thought it'd be fun to post our favourite music videos here, or even to post videos that you want to discuss. I'll start and I'll put together a little suggested format for us to use, too. Before we start though, my main suggestion is wherever possible to use the HD version of the video. It just looks nicer and hopefully most people will be okay to load it. If you can't find an HD version, don't worry. Also, as evidenced by the very first video I'm about to post, I understand that [i]many[/i] music videos are not strictly PG-13. I have no problem with that, as long as you bear two things in mind: [list] [*]If you think the video is mature in nature, please flag it like I have done below, and; [*]The video may not be pornographic. I'm sure many artists will have videos that contain some skin or whatever, but let's try not to let it become X-rated, okay? [/list] I will monitor this as we go and so can the staff. If something is really objectionable, it'll be removed - but I think for the most part we should be fine. [center][size=3][b]TRACK TITLE:[/B] ALL THE LOVERS | [b]ARTIST: [/b]KYLIE MINOGUE | [b]MATURE: [/b]YES | [b]COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:[/b] AUSTRALIA[/size] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW1W_9IqskY[/media] [/center] [b][i]Unfortunately embedding is disabled for all the versions of this video. Please feel free to watch it on YouTube. [/b][/i] So, Americans here may know a little of Kylie Minogue. I think she did relatively well in the U.S. for a very brief time. However, she has been quite a major pop star in Australia and Europe for more than twenty years now. As far as pop music goes, I tend to think that Kylie's stuff is generally pretty insipid. It began to really border on light dance around a decade ago and now it's moved further into that general realm. I like maybe two or three of Kylie Minogue's tracks, although never for her voice, which seems to require substantial editing in order to actually sound reasonable (and even then, the end result is questionable). I am giving this preamble because, while I think Kylie tends to stray on the safe side by default (her voice), she is also constantly in the business of re-inventing her image and general themes. All the Lovers is one of her newest singles, possibly on her very last album (although I think that's doubtful). The video itself is actually pretty cliche, but it's well-made and builds into a pretty interesting concept towards the end. It's feel-good, but not in an overly patronizing way. And, yes, there's lots of skin here - although as far as I know, absolutely no nudity. So take that as you will. Speaking of Kylie Minogue, it is also true to say that my favourite songs from her library are ones that never really became particularly successful and most constituted some kind of collaboration. See next video... [center][size=3][b]TRACK TITLE:[/b] GBI (GERMAN, BOLD, ITALIC) | [b]ARTIST: [/b]KYLIE MINOGUE | [b]MATURE: [/b]YES | [b]COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:[/b] AUSTRALIA/JAPAN[/size] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbcTp6hvhsU[/media] [/center] As mentioned above, this is one of Kylie Minogue's collaborations. She worked with Japanese DJ, Towa Tei (who does some okay stuff if you're into relatively minimal electronica). I mostly just like the video. The track is okay, but it gets old very quickly, even for me, as a fan of electronic music. I personally think that Towa Tei brings a kind of officious straight-jacket quality to electronic music. In other words, it's not just minimal - it's almost anal. You can [i]hear[/i] that it's Japanese. I think that sometimes prevents Towa Tei's own tracks becoming as big as his mixes, especially outside Japan. In any case, I like the video because I think it's actually one of the few examples of Kylie Minogue's apparent acting ability. Er, well, if you can call it "acting". [center][size=3][b]TRACK TITLE:[/b] WALKING ON A DREAM | [b]ARTIST: [/b]EMPIRE OF THE SUN | [b]MATURE: [/b]NO | [b]COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:[/b] AUSTRALIA[/size] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc6vvFmhZco&feature=fvst[/media] [/center] [b][i]Unfortunately embedding is disabled for all the versions of this video. Please feel free to watch it on YouTube. [/b][/i] Empire of the Sun emerged just last year, representing a union between Sydney's Nick Littlemore ([b]Pnau[/b]) and Perth's Luke Steele ([b]The Sleepy Jackson[/b]). Again, if you are outside Australia, you may not yet be familiar with this group. You [i]may[/i] have heard of Pnau...or at least heard some of their music. I'll be sure to share it with you at some stage, anyway. Again, enjoying electronic music of some kind is really a must to like these guys. But if you do, you're in for a treat. They certainly aren't high-budget at all, but I appreciate that from the very beginning, Empire of the Sun placed a great emphasis on costume and theater in their music. If you see them live, this becomes very apparent. Also, their more recent music videos show evidence of an ever-increasing budget (with ever-increasingly outlanding wardrobes and sets). I would say, with some confidence, that Empire of the Sun are one of the very few "concept" groups within their genre in the world. If you like this track, I'd definitely suggest checking out the entire album (which is also called [b]Empire of the Sun[/b]). So there you go, the ball is rolling! I'd love to see a great video catalogue here. Maybe I will put together a proper contents section at the top with anchors so that I can link to each video from the beginning. Have fun and enjoy yourselves! [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]Here you go. I hope these suit what you're looking for. [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]The more information is released about this game, the less it seems like a regular Metal Gear Solid. I did read an article recently which basically said that this game is being aimed at a much wider audience - including people who aren't informed about MGS's convoluted story and complex gameplay. I don't see this as a bad thing, although no doubt some enthusiasts will consider this to be a dumbing down of the franchise. My feeling is that, so far, it's a breath of fresh air. Konami also confirmed that there will be less cut scenes in MGS: Rising! Thank god for that. I'm already more interested, on that basis alone. [/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I just bought this yesterday and I've played a bit of it (literally only about fifteen minutes or so, though). So far, so good. I only have a couple of gripes at this point. One is that the collision detection can occasionally be a bit funny. You need to be exactly level with an enemy (vertically level, that is) in order to hit them. This can be so sensitive that sometimes you'll virtually be standing in front of someone and you'll both be punching/kicking but not hitting each other. It can be a little frustrating at times. And secondly, the walk/run mechanic is kind of annoying. It's not a huge deal, but basically to "run", you need to flick the stick twice quickly in the direction you want to run. That sounds fine in principle, until you realise that the walking speed generally feels too slow. I found it necessary to run quite a lot, but because of the double-tap mechanic, it's easy to break in and out of a run without trying. I found that most frustrating of all. Having said that, the visuals are awesome, the actual fighting mechanics are (so far) pretty good and there has been a little bit of variety due to the subspace stages. It's still very very early of course, but I'm hoping that the game will open out a whole lot more as time goes on.[/font]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]I think I'm going to bow out of this one, Shy. I don't really have the time or interest that I thought I'd have - I'm not sure if you still want to use my ghost, but feel free to if you like. It seems like the numbers are pretty solid now though, so it probably isn't necessary. Have fun, guys. [/font]

[quote name='Ravenstorture' date='09 August 2010 - 08:09 PM' timestamp='1281344961' post='699136'] I got in to med school, I got in to med school... tra la la... [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]Congratulations! That's very awesome. What area do you want to specialise in? [/font]

[quote name='Heaven's Cloud' date='09 August 2010 - 05:12 AM' timestamp='1281291121' post='699095'] [color=indigo] The good news for the gay community is that it seems pretty doubtful that the Supreme Court will actually hear a case regarding gay marriage. I think it is a very unpopular topic amongst the judges right now because, while many don't support it politically, none of them wants history to remember them as the Justices that are later remembered for approving laws that may be perceived as violations of Americans' civil liberties.[/color] [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]Maybe I'm only parroting commentary that I've heard, but I had thought that the Supreme Court has always refused to hear cases based on the definition of marriage. The only action I can think of from the federal level in recent years was the attempt by the Bush Administration to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriage (I wonder how [i]that[/i] will be viewed in in several years time). My understanding is that now the Obama Administration has basically taken a hands-off approach, saying that gay marriage should be an issue for the states. For me personally...I do think there's a reason why it isn't a good idea for voters to make decisions about rights issues. I mean, we elect representatives with the idea that they will vote on issues within the relevant congress/parliament. I don't see that everything needs to be a direct referendum. The great thing about the constitution is that it protects minorities from "mob rule". This is also true to some extent for legislative bodies. And this is the very reason why some are suspicious of such bodies and why others (like me) believe that they should be left to do their work.[/font]

[quote name='eleanor' date='02 August 2010 - 06:15 PM' timestamp='1280733319' post='698536'] Yes, of course race and religion are two different things. But when they happen to be highly correlative, people tend to lump the two together and it creates prejudice towards the race. It's not very rational or true, but it's how groups of people operate. The problem is that racism is the obvious results of such things such as classism or phobia of certain religions, cultures etc. etc. And in the end, that racism is still racism. It may be born from some other prejudice or phobia but the end result is the same. There is small window of opportunity for people who are becoming prejudiced to act according to the knowledge that religion/etc. =/= race, and most people miss it. And even if they do acknowledge it, it's hard for them to act according to it. It becomes easier for them to tie everything to race. Bad? Wrong? Stupid? Unrational? Yes, but I'm not going to believe it's not true. [/quote] [font=palatino linotype]I think your first point is right, but only in some circumstances. An example of this would be anti-Jewish prejudice, where this can be based on either religion or ethnicity. Although I think this is probably the only case in the world where ethnicity and religion can be described by the same word. It is, of course, entirely reasonable to criticise the Jewish religion - but it is an entirely different matter to be critical of somebody's ethnicity. I agree that racism can be tied to other forms of "isms", but all too often racism is incorrectly identified. This not only has the effect of stifling legitimate criticisms (i.e. of religion or of a particular nation), but it also has the unfortunate side-effect of sometimes allowing us to ignore legitimate cases of racism. I'm sure there are many people out there who [i]do[/i] confuse criticism of religion with criticism of ethnicity. In fact, I'm certain of it. We see many examples. [i]However[/i], it is important for people like you and me - people who understand the difference - to ensure that we don't cross wires when it is unwarranted to do so. For the record, I don't think you've done that at all here. My comments are mostly general thoughts that were brought up when I read your thoughts on Arizona's laws. Rather than actually directing my comments at you, I guess I'm just making a statement about where some of these sentiments can lead. [/font] [quote name='eleanor' date='02 August 2010 - 06:15 PM' timestamp='1280733319' post='698536'] I feel like everyone in this thread thinks I'm against this law because I think it's blatantly racist. I don't think that. I'm mainly saying that will exacerbate racial problems, and so I think the federal government should step in and do something about the immigration process as a whole. (And do I think a fair share of the law's supporters are racist? yes. But that has nothing to do with the literature of the law itself.) [/quote] [font="Palatino Linotype"]I definitely don't think that. I can see what you're saying - the law itself may not be [i]intentionally[/i] racist, but some people who are racist may latch onto it as a vehicle for furthering their views. That makes a lot of sense and I'm sure there's definitely truth to it. I guess my only comment there is that we should make sure that the fringe element doesn't distract us from the actual practical purpose of dealing with illegal immigration. It is unfortunate that extremists tend to hijack debates - but sometimes we allow them to do so, as well.[/font]

[indent][font=palatino linotype][b]GHOST'S NAME[/b][hr]20[/hr] The Librarian [b]MANIFESTATION[/b][hr]30[/hr] Having only ever been sighted in [i]The Great Library of Rosengard[/i], The Librarian has not been encountered often. Various sightings over several years portray The Librarian somewhat differently; while it is certain that she is female, one witness may describe her as being young and beautiful, while another will describe her as being of very advanced age. Other than gender, there are several prominent features of The Librarian that [i]are[/i] consistently mentioned. Arguably the most prominent is that, when spotted, she is reading a heavy book entitled [i]Knights of the Old Globe[/i]. At one moment she is sobbing quietly, at another moment she is laughing hysterically and - when at her most dangerous - she is crying out in anger, tearing pages from the book and searing them with fire. Very few who have encountered The Librarian have survived to speak of it; those who did survive either passed away shortly afterwards or went mad. As a result, the description above is about all anybody knows of her. Even her garments are said to change with each unique encounter. [b]PERSONAL DESCRIPTION[/b][hr]40[/hr] As per the description of The Librarian's many manifestations, it is true to say that very little is known about her history. Over the years, many different people have joined the staff to run [i]The Great Library of Rosengard[/i]. What is known is that on the night of the murders, there were no less than three librarians working in Rosengard. Usually, the librarians would have been sent home hours prior - but for some reason, three of the staff were still present late at night. The reason for this is not clear, although some historians suggest that the family's matriarch was desperately trying to sell Rosengard to a secret buyer. The rumor goes that, in preparation for this, she ordered her librarians to find a particular book and remove it from the library before the sale was confirmed. Perhaps that book was [i]Knights of the Old Globe[/i]? Nobody knows for sure. Of the three librarians on duty that night, one was a middle-aged woman named Helena Lockmere. Most rumors suggest that Helena Lockmere is, in fact, The Librarian, however there is almost no evidence to support this claim, except for actual witness reports (which themselves vary so greatly). [b]POWER CARD[/b][hr]50[/hr] [b]EMPATHY:[/b] Allows one character to look and sound identical to another character for a limited time (i.e. shape shifting). [/font][/indent]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]Good to see you return, Sandy. [/font]