James

[QUOTE=Gavin][SIZE=1]One thing I find slightly amusing is the number of Australians who are coming out and telling of their sadness, six months ago in Australia and Tasmania, people couldn't tell me the depths of their dislike for him, to quote James for his caricature of Australians to the world.[/SIZE] [/QUOTE] [font=arial]It wasn't that Australians actually [i]disliked[/i] him, it's just that we all found him somewhat annoying in terms of his behavior and the fact that he kind of became America's image of what Australians are (when, in fact, we are quite different in general). However, I don't think there was anyone here (and probably hardly anyone around the world) who didn't have a deep respect for the way he dedicated his life to wildlife conservation. So there's a bit of a difference there. It's funny you listed Australia [i]and[/i] Tasmania...there are a few here who probably regard Tasmania as a different country, haha.[/font]

[font=arial]I saw Steve Irwin in the flesh on Sunday (I was at Australia Zoo). It's so odd to think nothing of it and then find out that he's dead only a day later... I was never much a huge fan of Steve Irwin - I think he was definitely a total charicature of Australians...but when you visit Australia Zoo, it all hits you. I mean, he absolutely flogged himself and worked himself so hard in order to save and protect wildlife - particularly endangered species. Australia Zoo is a really awesome experience and considering pretty much all of his money goes into the Zoo (rather than personal profit), you can only admire the man for his unrivalled dedication.[/font]

[font=arial]You didn't "Robin Hood" anyone. You stole a phone because you saw it and wanted to keep it...and you later manufactured the whole "I'm the [i]good guy[/i] here!" concept. You don't need to do that. All you have to do is dump the phone in the lost and found and be done with it - that's a whole lot more noble than keeping it because the real owner is someone you don't like. [/font]

[font=arial]I'm just glad that nobody in this thread encouraged him when it came to unlocking the phone (well, almost nobody). I don't really know what else to say about this, except that obviously stealing a phone isn't justified - even if you don't like the person who lost it in the first place.[/font]

[font=arial]The point about Hiroshima and Nagasaki seems more than a little off - which is ironic, because the poster is talking about the ignorance of a group of self-professed "asian experts". She herself is claiming to have some sort of insight, but she kind of loses authority with that statement. I mean, it doesn't exactly demonstrate a deeper understanding of history or the politicial issues at the time of the event. Anyway, I think her overall point is somewhat true - I definitely see a lot of anime fans and self-proclaimed Japanophiles who, apart from having some knowledge of anime, have no real knowlege of Japan itself, other than some vague stereotypes centered around popular culture. But I think it's that way with everything; almost any subject you can imagine. I think the ironic thing is that Jenn herself comes across as being oddly obsessed in her own way...perhaps moreso than many of the people she is complaining about. Funnily enough I would pretty much put her squarely in the "obsessive asiaphile" group that she's referring to.[/font]

[font=arial]First of all, I'm sorry that I haven't been around enough lately - I've taken a new role at work, which is simply not leaving me any time to catch my breath lately. Unfortunately I've kind of been dropped in the deep end there. Regarding the posts...I was waiting for people to edit them, but at the moment I am not too worried - if necessary, I will even remove portions that are unnecessary when the thread continues. I do intend to continue the thread but it's getting harder to know when I'll be able to. Once again, I apologize to everyone involved for being so non-responsive. So at the moment I'd just ask you to watch this space. When things get going again I will understand if some people no longer want to participate, but I'm happy to continue with those who are still in the mood for the thread to continue.[/font]

[font=arial]Regarding sparring...I think it should be pointed out that sparring hasn't been removed from OB. It's now done in Adventure Arena. The only difference between old and new spars is that new spars require a sign-up thread. If you actually remember the old sparring forum as vividly as I do...well, the less said about it the better. As for word-game threads, I'm not sure if they really need a seperate forum - it depends on the volume of threads. Don't forget that Otaku Lounge is essentially our miscellaneous discussion forum, so a lot of things that don't have specific forums go in there anyway. But if Desbreko decides that there's a consistently large volume of word-game threads, I'm happy to consider making a new forum for them. I tend to be careful about that though, because I think there are a lot of things that could probably use their own forums...but I don't want OtakuBoards to become spread too thin.[/font]

[font=arial]Nintendo never participates at TGS. I suspect this is because they invest most of their show budget on E3 each year - they only see a point in one "major" show a year, I think. This news about E3 is obviously recent, so I doubt Nintendo would have time to prepare a TGS showing even if they wanted to. But next year, anything can happen. I think with Nintendo you're more likely to get keynotes at major shows and then they will hold their own demonstrations when they feel the time is right (whether that be at E3 Media Festival or a Nintendo-only convention of some kind).[/font]

[font=arial]I'm very different now to what I was a year ago. For one thing, I've moved more in the last seven months than at any other time in my life pretty much. And for another, I'm living two whole states away (where I'd barely been out of my own state before). I'm also now working in a [i]completely[/i] different industry to what I was back then (from publishing to healthcare, a totally big leap!) So the circumstances are different, things are different with my family (two family members died within the last year, as well). Life has gone in a completely different course than I thought it would. On balance, it's been very positive though. I wouldn't have it any other way.[/font]

[font=arial]Just curious though; if I only download say 30% or whatever...will that have an effect? I left my laptop on all night and it did about that much over dial-up. Whether or not it starts the download again, will that 30% actually make a difference or do I have to do 100% for it to work? In any case I'm enjoying the game and the loading really isn't too bad, even over dial-up. It's been quite managable so far. I've got a Ritualist/Necromancer and I'm enjoying the mixture thusfar. I'm still at the very beginning, but I'm progressing well. [/font]

[font=arial]It's not that we won't do anything about it...it's just that we all have to step back a bit and take a clear look at things. No matter how high-quality OB becomes, you're always going to have members who aren't quite as capable as others when it comes to amazing posts. And you're always going to have different tastes in thread style. I don't like game threads at all, but I know there are people who do...so why rule it out? One-line posts are fine, as long as they add something and aren't [i]entirely[/i] pointless. If we became [i]too[/i] focused on how many words are in a post or the post subjects, we'd end up with a very sterile and uninteresting site. I'd really hate for OB to completely lose its sense of fun and humor. ^_^[/font]

[font=arial]I think others have covered it relatively well, I'll just say one thing. I am sick and tired of the whole "look at how much worse off we are now than we used to be" sentiment. I do not think it is an objective viewpoint. We've had game threads before, we've had times where they've been closed...and they reappear. It's a natural ebb and flow. Some game threads are worth keeping, some aren't. It's about the Moderator's own judgement. In many ways, we are even tighter on quality now than we were before. Just use the thread search function and you'll see. Basically, while I want to focus on quality...I'm not going to starve OtakuBoards of [i]fun[/i]. And fun means different things to different people, regardless of whether or not they post with good English and obey the rules. I am sure I run the risk of being misinterpreted, so let me reiterate that I [i]do[/i] believe in quality. But let's keep a healthy perspective - we can maintain a variety of threads and [i]still[/i] be a fundamentally high-quality site. We just have to lighten up a little. :catgirl: [/font]

[QUOTE=Papa Smurf]Right click on your GW shortcut, then go to Properties. Find the file path name and add -image like so: "C:/Program Files/Guild Wars/gw.exe" -image Leave the quotes in there, and make sure there's a space between the path name/quotation mark and -image. If this works correctly, you should be able to download everything when you doubleclick GW. I just tried it and I've got 20k files left. Those have got to be areas I haven't accessed yet, because I've gotten all of the major downloads over the past few days. Hopefully this will help you on the long run, James. I hear it's much easier on dial-up users this way, because they can get everything in one go, rather than spending 15 minutes loading each map that has new data.[/QUOTE] [font=arial]Wow, I didn't even know that was possible. That will make a massive, massive difference...I might do it tonight and let my laptop download overnight or something. As I mentioned, the game actually runs reasonably well over dial-up...it's just those big downloads that kill me.[/font]

[font=arial]E3 was always filling up with people who weren't really supposed to be there. Unfortunately that made the show more cumbersome than it needed to be. The E3 Media Festival will still be good, but it won't be the biggest gaming show in the world now - perhaps Tokyo Game Show will take that title from here on. I just hope that this encourages Nintendo to go back to doing Space World (or at least participating in TGS). Certainly, the big companies aren't going to steer away from events like that completely - instead, most will probably just hold their own exclusive media events.[/font]

[font=arial]By the way, if I suddenly stop talking on Guild Wars it's because I'm loading a new area, haha. I'm not sure if the game actually alerts you to that or says I'm away or what.[/font]

[font=arial]Just to let you know, I now have Factions. I'm on dial-up, so I have absolutely no idea how I'll fare - gameplay should be okay, but loading new areas will be a pain. I'll see how I go, though.[/font]

[font=arial]I think people all too often have the feeling that long posts as a requirement in The Arena. That just isn't the case - there's no rule stating it, anyway. It's about quality and not quantity, although I know that this concept does not always come across. Since it came up in the discussion I think I should make one point: the posts in Kill Adam were all quite long, but this was never something I insisted upon. In fact, as the RPG creator, I never at all had requirements about length. In Volume 2 some of the sign-ups were so extraordinarily long that I honestly didn't want to spend hours reading through them - it shouldn't be a chore, it should be entertaining. So, I think people felt pressure to write long posts perhaps...but that feeling is very misplaced. If there was any pressure, it was pressure to produce something of good quality and something that represented characters accurately...this could easily have been achieved with shorter posts. At the end of the day, people chose to write longer posts. That wasn't a requirement. Would there have been a difference if we'd limited the amount of words that people could use? Perhaps. I don't know. If anything I think people would have felt restricted...but I'm sure it does depend on the type of RPG. So, while I wouldn't support this as any kind of official rule...I think it would be fine to experiment with in individual RPGs. At the very least, it can be tried and you can see how it goes. I'm all for experimentation and I'm more than happy for people to try this type of thing. You never know, it may very well have the desired effect.[/font]

[QUOTE=nezzyjean] SO, if i were to put up pictures of myself dressed like a slut and overexaggerate my age on the internet and put up buddy icons all over my page suggesting sexual innuendos, i'll never get picked up by a child molestor, will I? [/QUOTE] [font=arial]In a lot of these cases - whether I've seen them on television or read about them in a newspaper - the situation is often the opposite. Quite often predators will try to make friends with the child and more often than not, that child isn't acting in a "suggestive" way. Moreover, I think child predators by definition are less likely to go after someone who is overexaggerating their age - in those cases, you're probably talking about people who simply think someone is 18 when they really aren't. So in many cases I think children don't have to actually go out there and do anything specific to encounter something like this. It comes down to bad luck more than anything. That's why I feel that if children use the 'net, their parents need to set some very clear boundaries about what information they can and can't give out...and in some cases, perhaps software like Net Nanny or whatever might be suitable. I know those things can be too restrictive, but I'm sure parents care more about their kids' safety than their privacy when it comes to stuff like that.[/font]

[font=arial]I'm 23, but I'm frequently told that I look several years younger. I still get asked for ID on occasion! I don't mind it though, because I am hoping I'll also look younger when I'm in my 30s and 40s, which wouldn't be a bad thing at all. I'd hate to be 30 and look like a 40 year old. :catgirl: In terms of personality, I can be more mature and professional than people my age (and significantly older), but I think I'm basically young at heart. I have a pretty lighthearted view of most things and I try to keep an interest in things that make me feel young...whether that's something simple like a video game, or playing games with my nephew or something. I would never want to think that I'm too old to make a fool of myself. ~_^[/font]

[font=arial]I personally like #4 the most, primarly because I think it has a good light and dark balance compared to the other two. The colouring here almost looks like the original colouring...it seems more natural. #5 is good, but a little more aggressive. Might possibly be too dark on CRT monitors (depending on the look you are going for). And I guess I like #6 as much as I like #4...it only really comes down to colouring preferences I suppose. The only issue I really have is that the "D" in all of these images is quite pixelated. Perhaps applying anti-aliasing, or some kind of slightly softer edge, might be a good solution there.[/font]

[QUOTE=Ryo the Tactician][SIZE=1] Hopefully no innocent newbie would give out enough personal information on OB for someone to pinpoint them, like on myspace. However, people really should watch out and really not give any personal info out on the 'net in general. Then there's online relationships and the like, but that's a whole new can of worms. [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [font=arial]I think that's a key point. If children are using the Internet, it is really up to their parents to arm them with the appropriate information - in the same way that parents would tell their kids not to talk to strangers, or not to wander off by themselves in public. Parents are the ones who need to define those boundaries - I do not think that web sites themselves need to be responsible for that (although obviously web sites should still apply by applicable laws). As has been said, I think we provide a reasonable level of security here without interfering with discussion. However, at the end of the day, this is a discussion site and people make choices about who to communicate with (especially when it comes to PM). So no matter where you go, it's always going to be [i]possible[/i] for something inappropriate to happen.[/font]

[font=arial]I like the first one the best, mostly because I think it is the most vibrant. I'm not sure what the point of the urban theme is, so I can't really comment on that aspect, except to say that I think it works best in the first image because it's more abstract - in the latter images, you've got frames with imagery that doesn't seem to be particularly related to the subject matter. However, in the second image, the third frame does look really good; I think the clouds behind the logo give a fresh and airy look (almost in contrast to the urban visuals on the first two panels). The third image seems to be going for a RGB type of colour scheme, but there's something wrong with the saturation and lighting there...it gives the image a kind of unfinished neon look. The second image is a bit more understated, which somehow seems more appropriate (I think it fits your visual style a lot more, since you generally seem to emphasize typography and minimalist elements).[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]What do I want right now? Hm. I really want to go back to Sydney. I love it there. I was down there last weekend, but I only spent one night in the city which was a shame. The Central Coast just doesn't have the same charm or attraction for me...blah. In any case, that's what I want right now. I'm in the mood to try out that Lenin bar. I'm going to have to don my fluffy hat to go there, though. Are there any Sydneysiders on OB who have been there, by the way? It's a very cool looking spot in Circular Quay. I think a bar immediately becomes cool when it has a giant glowing hammer and sickle on the ceiling. O_O[/font]

[font=arial]The song that is prettiest to me is probably Canon in D Major by Pachelbel. Without fail, that piece usually brings tears to my eyes...it's just an incredibly beautiful piece of music. Although it tends to be used at weddings, I've often thought that I'd like it to be played at my funeral. It's my favourite classical piece (although I have a few other favourites too). I've never heard it performed live, but one day I'd really love to hear it performed at the Opera House or something. That would be one of my big wishes in life, I think.[/font]

[font=arial]I've experienced this plenty of times, mostly here on OtakuBoards. Generally whenever I've had these comments it's been about a new version or something - I know a few people really [i]hated[/i] the current V7 layout when it was introduced. I remember a few people saying stuff like "What have you done to OB? I'm never coming back!" You can imagine, if that was taken personally it could be quite hurtful - some members just had absolutely no tact and were incredibly blunt and nasty about their disapproval. But I realized - long before V7 came about - that no matter what I do, I cannot please everyone. All I can really do is try to please myself and the majority of other people. As long as most people are happy with what's being done, I can consider it successful. So I think many of us experience this type of criticism. Unfortunately people who are rude like that probably aren't going to change...all you can do is use it as fuel to improve your work. And of course, you have to take it in context too. Constructive criticism is good, but the blunt "that sucks" type of stuff usually comes from people who are only trying to be annoying anyway. It's usually best to just ignore that type of stuff.[/font]