James

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yep, the skin work is far from complete. But at least for now you guys can focus on getting used to the way things work and we can iron out the remaining issues before we move on. We'll try to end up with a good mixture of skins so that everyone has something they feel comfortable with.[/font]

[quote name='SunfallE' date='01 June 2010 - 09:22 PM' timestamp='1275387736' post='694086'] [color="#4169E1"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I'll save the bug issues for later. Just one suggestion for you all. The new name "Soapbox" for this section of the boards... Please to keep. kthxbai[/font][/color] [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Haha, will do. We tried that place name thing for a while, but on a shiny new site it seemed kind of bland. I figured a couple of tiny changes were in order. I was going to do some other name changes, but my OtakuBot stopped spitting them out. I need to get it fixed. Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention in the announcement...everyone may find that they have a ton of "unread" messages in their Messenger. This is because some older back-and-forth PMs have been converted into "Conversations" under the new system. To fix this, I recommend just marking everything as read - that way you'll clear out your notifications and you should be good to go.[/font]

[quote name='Japan_86' date='01 June 2010 - 09:05 PM' timestamp='1275386718' post='694081'] OTAKUBOARDS IS BACK UP YAY I'M SO HAPPY. Thanks for your hard work, guys!! [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]It's our pleasure! I just hope you guys like what we've done. There's definitely more to come, as well. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium][size=2]I thought it'd be a good idea to create this topic so that anyone who encounters a bug on the site can report it centrally here. We are already aware of a few display issues and things that need to be fixed (some old BB Code stuff will display weirdly until it's manually edited, for example). But please feel free to report your bug here, just so we can ensure we catch everything. It's also possible that people will report things that aren't actually bugs, but are simply user error due to the fact that we're now using a new software. Even if this is the case, we welcome the reports, because it will help us to add to our [b]help[/b] page. Thanks for your patience everyone![/font][/size]

[font=garamond]I've had Red Dead Redemption for the last week or so and I'm really loving it - and that's coming from someone who isn't really a fan of westerns at all. It's very true to call this "GTA in the wild west", because that's precisely what it is. The entire structure of the game is vastly the same as GTA, with similar mission progression, maps and side quests. Actually, side quests aren't quite the same - in GTA you'd generally have to either to a specific side quest (like vigilante) or you'd have to go and talk to a marker on your map to activate one. While that's still true in RDR, you'll also find that as you simply ride around on your horse, you will come across situations that just pop up manually. It could be a woman who was driving a wagon and was stopped by bandits, or it could be a lone farmer whose horse is freaking out because it's surrounded by coyotes. You can get involved, of course...or you can keep riding. You won't be penalized if you keep riding, but sometimes the rewards for helping are very worthwhile. These kinds of seamless incidents really balance out the otherwise sparse nature of RDR's environment, which is obviously not nearly as busy or varied as the city in GTA IV. I almost thought the lack of variety in the scenery would bother me a lot, but really it didn't, simply because there's so much to do. Somehow the little side quests and mini-games feel more natural in RDR, if only because RDR tends to give you more choices about how to approach a situation. You'll often find that the very person you're trying to save will die quite easily (and this may or may not have an effect on what you're doing at the time). You can also kill enemies and bounties or return them to the authorities alive - the latter is certainly more fun and challenging. Interestingly, I actually think RDR offers a great potential model for future Zelda games. The horseback riding is fantastic and there were times where I could imagine this engine being used to great effect in Zelda, although that obviously can't happen. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more to say as I keep playing. So far though, so good. This is every bit as good as GTA IV and, depending on your perspective, it could be a whole lot better (which is a pretty big feat!)[/font]

[quote name='Korey'] I even watched a show that claimed to be "TV's most provocative newscast." After watching it, I just found the host to be unreasonably biased and unethical. [/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]A show claiming to be "TV's most provocative newscast" is, almost by definition, [i]not[/i] going to be the most objective and reasonable source of news. What I find interesting is that there's apparently a competition out there to [i]be[/i] the most provocative - as if that somehow matters more than getting to the truth. As to whether or not a piece is strictly news or editorial...well, that definitely matters, in the sense that misinterpreting editorial to be news or vice versa can make a big difference in what we understand of any given event. Perhaps the problem isn't just "provocative" news outlets, but also the public's general lack of media awareness/education.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]eleanor, you do pick up on one point there that I find very frustrating at times. I sometimes encounter people who enter a debate and, when their argument is countered, they say "Oh, you got that from the [i]news media[/i]?" As if to say "Oh you poor fool, you [i]actually[/i] believe those capitalist puppetmasters? How sad!" The reason this bothers me is because it is intellectually lazy to just dismiss all mainstream news media as being biased to the point of pandering. There are definitely plenty of media outlets guilty of this, but certainly not all of them. I remember when I was doing a media studies class in University and the tutor asked the entire group to mention one issue in the media that they had been following recently. I'd say that of about 30 students, maybe 10 to 15 could actually remember something - most admitted to not watching the news on TV or reading newspapers/magazines or media web sites. And yet, these very students were by far the most vocal in my school when it came to the Iraq war. They claimed to have some sort of superior insight on one hand, but lacked any real knowledge of current events or history on the other. I often suspected that their casual dismissal of the news media as a whole had nothing to do with real principles or analysis of journalism and far more to do with sheer laziness.[/font]

[quote name='Justin']The news media is awful, point blank. When I establish the People's Feudal Democratic Imperial Republic of Jahangirestan, tentatively to be located in what SHOULD be modern South Azerbijan-- however is NOT-- being a ****** news organization will be punishable by stoning. As will manufacturing or distributing sodas other than RC, NOT being a smoker, owning a pair of flip-flops, and wearing petroleum as cologne. Long live the PFDIRJ! (to be pronounced 'piff-dirge') -Justin[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I hope the immigration standards aren't too strict - I want to move there. :\[/font]

[quote name='Korey']S [FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="Navy"]Cool, but how's about we let people be critical of articles instead of dissecting said crticisms? We're all equals here, and everyone's opinion is valuable. But let's not get in a huff over a criticism of an editorial piece. I'm sure Al doesn't wish any sort of malice upon this writer, and the guy is still getting paid to put his opinion on paper. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I was reading through all the posts in this thread and when I came across your comments, Korey, I was reflecting on what everyone had said so far. I agree that we're all equals and everyone's opinion is valid - but I don't think that means people shouldn't be accountable for what they say. If the original proposition is something like "Here's my analysis of an article, don't you all agree?" then that obviously implies no room for disagreement. But what if people actually either a) agree with the article and its propositions or b) disagree with the interpretation of the article in the opening post? If we all agree, we'd end up with a very boring series of discussions. Although I don't want to see anybody getting into personal attacks, I also would hate for us to become so sterile and politically correct as to outright avoid debate. But to move back to the topic at hand, I do want to just introduce one quick point. In talking about the media and its reporting style, what I find is that very few media outlets today even make the pre-tense of objectivity (especially in some countries). What really bothers me, though, is when a news outlet frequently trumpets its objectivity but regularly (and obviously) slants its reporting - I'm looking at you, Fox News. It worries me a little that people are do disillusioned with the news media in general that they apparently get their news from the likes of John Stewart. Not that his show isn't great, but it's not a news broadcast.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Funny you mention Rudyard Kipling; I only just finished reading The Jungle Book. At the moment I'm reading a few classics. I'm about halfway through 20,000 Leagues and I've just started Flatland (I have a terrible habit of keeping a couple of books going at the same time). I still haven't picked up The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (after having read about half by the time I got to America - um, about six months ago). I should probably finish it, just because I hate leaving books unfinished.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Hi Lady Aura, welcome back to OB. :catgirl: And welcome to all the other new members who have joined recently! If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to send me a PM any time. Either that or you can check out the Info Kiosk or the FAQ (two very good sources for tips and help).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]No worries, I've just moved the thread here for you. You can also search the Information Kiosk forum for any other topics that you might have questions about...[i]and[/i] on the nav menu to your left, there's a FAQ which has quite a few tips about how to use different OB functions. If you still have a question though, feel free to post another thread here. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]This is really horrific - oil spills can be so devastating. Only a few weeks ago a Chinese oil tanker actually got stuck on a bed of coral in the Great Barrier Reef. What's worse, the hull had cracked and there was a huge risk of a major disaster. Luckily repair crews from Queensland got there quickly enough to prevent damage. However, the actual hull of the ship severely damaged a lot of the coral in the area. I think the shipping company was heavily fined because according to Australian law, commercial tankers must bypass the Great Barrier Reef - trying to cut through the area was illegal. If we'd had an oil spill there, it would have been terrible, being that the area is so environmentally sensitive and rare. It just highlights the dangers involved with collecting and shipping oil. Obviously safety standards need to be constantly reviewed. I've seen a lot of news on TV about this particular oil disaster in the Gulf and I really hope it doesn't get much worse. There's a lot of very sensitive areas around the Gulf - it will certainly be very very difficult to clean up.[/font]

[quote name='Boo']It's officially been runner up for ugliest town of the Netherlands some years back. I don't know why I'm here.[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]What's the name of the town? Now I actually want to look it up and see how gross it really is. :sweat:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]It's a shame music on YouTube is such horrible quality. Anyway, I've been getting into Deadmau5 quite a bit more lately. Here's one of my favourite Deadmau5 tracks. I miss him last time he played in Melbourne - hopefully he'll be coming back sometime this year! [youtube]bTwGElgiCoo[/youtube][/font] [quote]If you like dubstep, scour the internet for a guy named Joker. I believe there's a torrent of his music floating around the pirate bay. He made his Canadian debut right here in Vancouver a few months ago, and it was a great set.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]That Joker track wasn't bad. But I'm more a fan of stuff like this: [youtube]_3PAaTeRxYk[/youtube] As one of the commenters said, it sounds like something that would be on Megatron's playlist. Haha I'm not usually a fan of something that minimal, but for me it's what makes dubstep different to other stuff I might listen to.[/font]

[quote name='Boo']I like walking, but I live in an ugly poopsack so I tend not to wander around here too much. When on vacation in some city I walk non-stop though, destinations being whatever I happen to cross next, while trying to avoid major roads mostly. Stockholm is downright perfect for the above. James should go to Stockholm to wander. Cycling works there too.[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Ugly poopsack? Ouch. I wonder if that will feature on their tourism flyers. o_O; Anyway, yeah, I think some cities are very conducive to walking and some aren't. It probably depends. For instance, I love walking in Melbourne because it's so full of large parks, it's very clean and the atmosphere is fantastic - it's a really fun place to be. I felt the same in New York too. But I'm sure if I lived in a poopsack I wouldn't feel like wandering around. :animedepr[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yep. Not to mention the fact that most teenagers (and probably many people in general) often do things without having a particular goal in mind. An example I'm thinking of is that I have a good friend who I go out with in the city quite a bit. He likes walking in the city - but only if we have a particular destination in mind. Whereas I like to just wander and see where I'll end up. I may have a vague idea of what I want to do, but basically I just love walking around my city - purely for the enjoyment of the experience and without having some specific overarching goal in mind. This frustrates my friend because he sees aimless wandering around as "pointless". That's fair enough - to each his own - but it certainly doesn't negate my enjoyment of wandering! Speaking of which, I should take this opportunity to force a ham handed segue into a frivolous topic, in keeping with the rest of the thread: does anyone else here feel the same in terms of wandering? I mean, going for a walk - especially in a city - and simply enjoying the sights and sounds, without necessarily having something specific to do? I guess it's a bit like window-shopping. Some people love it and some people really don't see any value in looking at shops if you don't intend to buy something there and then. I'm a bit iffy about window-shopping, but I really love spending time in the city here. I'm lucky that it's such a beautiful city, too - I'm sure that plays a big role. [/font] :catgirl:

[quote]The former is possibly the most contradictory statement I've ever seen. The latter is possibly the most useless.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Wow, okay. I'm not sure why the former is contradictory, nor why the latter is useless. Care to explain your rebuke? I'm not being facetious when I say that there are many things in life that are apparently without "meaning" (that term itself being quite subjective) but that are still highly enjoyable and enriching. If chibi wants to date with no intention of it being a serious relationship, then that certainly doesn't make the venture pointless by default.[/font] [quote]We'd better both be right. The human side of it is the sociological side of it.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Well, not really; your comment draws a parallel between teen dating and Pretend House. But that is clearly not the same as Sara's point. The teenagers involved would simply be looking for the very things that Sara describes, without giving a conscious thought to the sociological reasoning behind it.[/font]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]If it means nothing then what's the point? As in, if it means nothing then it's just for fun, in which case it's only a glorified version of Pretend House we used to play as four year olds. And given the amount of social drama it inevitably spawns, I'm fairly certain it's not just for fun. [/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]I don't think it necessarily has to "mean" something to be worthwhile. There are plenty of things in life you could describe that way, after all. In terms of dating, I think both you and Sara are right. Sara's describing the human side of it and you're almost describing the sociological side of it - dating probably [i]is[/i] a form of Pretend House (for teenagers at least). The social drama and the emotional rollercoaster come with the territory and they, too, are all part of growing up - at any rate, they're very much a big part of being a teenager. [/font]

[quote name='Cruizr'][SIZE="1"][FONT="Verdana"]I happen to still have HBomb and kuja on my AIM..! :o *prods*[/FONT][/SIZE][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Does HBomb ever come on AIM? He disappeared years ago. And while I'm on the subject, does anyone know what happened to Frank? It's such a huge mystery that it actually has had some of us worried for years.[/font]

[quote name='SunfallE'][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]We finally make it to May and what does it do? Snow. ._.[/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Wow, it's funny you say that...because it's only just turning into winter here and it already feels like it's been winter for months! I'm not a huge fan of winter in Melbourne, mostly because it's just sort of uncommitted. We have really freezing almost-horizontal winds and a bit of drizzly rain, but that's usually it - no massive storms and the only snow is up in the mountains, usually. So it's kind of depressing. I'd much prefer spring/summer. :\[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]o_O I actually wish I'd scrolled down and looked at the picture sooner. For a moment I was really worried.[/font]

[quote name='chibi-master'] I'm sure there are people that can drink with caution and control, but I haven't seen very many. I have a deep respect for those who can, though. Another reason I would never drink though is because I am well aware of the alcohol abuse that runs in my family. It may skip a generation, but I'm not willing to take that chance.[/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]The second paragraph makes a lot of sense - I definitely understand your choice in this regard. In terms of your first point though, it's just a shame that you apparently haven't been around many responsible adults. It's very true that your experience with this type of thing can really have an impact on your future choices. :catgirl:[/font]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri] This is like saying you'll never get married because you have seen so many marriages end in divorce.[/FONT][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Agreed. :catgirl: I respect people's choice to drink or not to drink (in fact, I really don't care what other people do as a general rule), but I do think it's important not to immediately link alcohol with alcoholics. There are many adults in the world who can enjoy alcohol with some degree of restraint and sophistication. This is why I say that alcohol is like anything else out there - it can be potentially harmful if abused. The key, of course, is to enjoy it in a reasonable way without abusing it. I'm sure the vast majority of people who drink fall into this category.[/font]