All Posts by SioBabble

Resource hoarding via player structures was not a great problem in SWG, because resource spawns were not fixed; every week to two weeks the resource spawns would change and that rich vein of dolovite iron would go away, and you'd have to survey to find a new spawn to exploit if you were looking for something specific.

Fixed harvester farms were seen before the NGE changed the rules on who could operate a harvester; but they were such that you were required to change what you were harvesting based on what the spawns were beneath your harvesters.  One week I'd be mining some bad crystaline gemstone because it was the most dense resource in the area, the next week I'd be on top of some decent cortosis ore, the week after that some radioactive would spawn.

Death...by snu snu!

Originally posted by GrandAm

Originally posted by EbenEmael

There is a painting ingame that is a Twi'lek vampire.

 

Maybe during this event they could also pull the John Williams' music and intead just continuosly loop "Monster Mash."

Yeeesssshhh!!!  Way to kill the SW IP.

Darth Vader..."Fire, baaad".....Palpatine...."I am a Frah ken steen"

Palpatine..."If your blue and you don't know where to go to, why don't you go where fasion sits" /tap /tap

Darth Vader..."PUTTING ON THE RITZZZZ"....

Yeeesssshhhhh!!!

Please do not give these asshats any more ideas to further desecrate the IP.

Their slavish copying of WoW, their utter unoriginality in doing so, just makes my heart sick.

You know, they used to have lore appropriate holidays that ENHANCED the experience.  Life Day, Empire Day.   Now they think they need to mimic everything WoW does without any regard to what they're doing to their own IP.

Originally posted by Dracus

Originally posted by sniperg

America sure has became a strange place. From the land of the free it seems it has reverted to "each man for himself".

..

I can't see why US is so afraind of socialism and also I can't understand why they are so proud of capitalism.

Its not thinking of being anarchists, but rather to have the Federal Government kept to a certain amount of power.  Having a weak central government risks anarchy, but a strong central government could risk oppression.  So some kind of in between is the goal.

We value individual freedom.  Some people prefer to sacrifice their freedom if it means to having a better economic or secured life, while others would prefer to keep those freedoms, even if it means to have a not so good economic or secured life.

One imporatant reason the Federal Government has grown over the past century is that corporations need a counterbalance.

Think about this carefully...who has the most impact on your daily life:  your boss, or the government?

The essence of US governance is checks and balances.  The issue is who is going to serve as a check and balance to corporations that merge and move more toward oligopoly and monopoly over time?

The bigness is a function of an expanding population.  More people means more complexity.  The challenge is to find a balance between the freedom of individuals (and groups of individuals) that have a tendency to come into conflict.  Government is how we resolve those conflicts.  One man's property rights can directly damage the property rights of others.  This isn't necessarily a zero sum game, you know.

Originally posted by Dracus

Or shutting down businesses as what happened to Cessna (aircraft company) in the 80's due to the possible liability lawsuits.

Lawsuits have their purpose, but should be limited.
As Ninnjette pointed out, the problem can be easily resolved without going to court.

Most lawsuits are companies suing companies over business disputes.

McDonald's in the infamous coffee case had plenty of chances to settle that, but they arrogantly refused.

Originally posted by Dracus

Another example of our legal system:

Anyone can Sue Anybody for Anything.

It's preferable to people gunning down others in the streets over anything, don't you think?

Originally posted by Airspell

  It is obvious what's going on here. They are obviously charging him 4x as much for the air time cause he is a black man,

While I doubt Obama is personally being targeted for a soaking, the fact is that political ads are charged the highest rates that TV stations and cable companies can get away with.

It's one of the reasons fund raising for campaigns is so important, because so much of that money goes into buying TV time.  It puts McCain at a serious disadvantage, because his grassroots fundraising is so pathetic compared to Obama's.  Couple this with the GOP getting the blame in full on the economy, and it's no wonder he's lagging and fading right now.

Obama is going to be running a half hour ad close to election day on most of the major networks.  MLB moved back the start time of a WS game to facilitate that half hour ad.

Originally posted by usefullidiot

I think we all realize the truth and its time we admit it. George Lucas has fallen to the darkside and is now fully under the control of his sith master Steven Spielberg.

I just finished The Force Unleashed and I finaly had to admit it to myself.

Lets look at the facts

1. Star Wars Christmas special

2. The Ewok cartoon

3. Gredo shooting first

4. All of the “remasters”

5. Ep 1

6. Ep 2

7. Ep 3

8. The first incarnation of SWG

9. The CU

10. The NGE

11. Indana Jones 4

12. The Force Unleashed

Fallen to the darkside he has.
 

It's hard to pick the worst, but I have to give Greedo shooting first the nod over the NGE.

A crowd of 100,000 people came out to see Obama today in St. Louis.

Missouri, a "red" state!

McCain has pulled out of Michigan, has cut back in Pennsylvania.  He's trying to hold in on Virginia and North Carolina.

Originally posted by Zindaihas

Originally posted by grunty

Validity to what? A generic label?  Who cares?

 

Don't take it negatively, it wasn't meant to be that way.  From my perspective, it refers mainly to his personal appearance.  He always dresses fashionably and is well groomed.  He's perhaps the first Senator who looks like a model.

"It is better to look good, than to feel good!"

Originally posted by Faxxer

We shall see.  Wishing some things do not make them so.

Yeah yeah yeah.

Reality has a liberal bias.

He's done.

{ Mod Edit }

Originally posted by Faxxer

I was recently told a quote that just made my day...

"The man with experience is never at the mercy of the man with an argument."

Siobabble, your argument just doesn't hold water.

you cannot get to say that anyone's success is AUTOMATICALLY because it was due to someone else's misfortune.  One thing capitalism does is CREATE wealth.  Socialism doesn't.  So just stop trying to make a case of class envy cause it really stinks.

Slythe, you're going to have to do better than that.  His point was dead on and rather than compete in the arena of ideas you try now to discredit his word.  Classic liberal deflection.

 

 

Who said that anyone's success is AUTOMATICALLY because it was due to someone else's misfortune?  My point was that success MUST be examined in greater detail than was being proposed.

The argument being advanced was success is unassailable without regard to how it was achieved.  That the argument being advanced could just as easily be a justification for not touching the "success" of Hell's Angels in meth distribution.

{ Mod Edit }

The XBox is sold on the HP laserjet printer model: hardware is cheap, but the cartridges are where the money is at.

It's why Sony wanted to get out of being just the provider of hardware (stereos, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers) but also into providing the content business (Columbia Pictures, recording lables, SOE).

Originally posted by Muirin

Originally posted by tvalentine

oil is at 70$ a barrel now, 50% down from july. Atleast one thing came from the crash.

 

Ya its droping becuase more and more people will be unable to pay for gas and many other services.

 

 

The reason the stock market is droping is becuase more and more government control.  People are trying to hide their money before a poltician trys to spread it around.

Um, no.

It's volatile because investors are uncertain of the future.  The markets want stability.  Chickens are coming home to roost due to a lack of government regulation over the last 8 years.  Investment banks have overextended themselves with wraithlike "securities" that have far less value than they did for the last credit swap out.

This is very much a matter of confidence.  Too many are on the losing side of a con game has been in progress for the last eight years.  Eventually people figure out they're being taken for a ride, and act accordingly.

Capitalism is constantly in need of being protected from itself.  The market is the best way to distribute goods and services, but only if it's not allowed to destroy itself due to its own tendencies.

And another thing...

KOTOR 2 had a pretty deep and thoughtful take on the Force, which was ruined by the bugginess and obvious discontinuities created by having to retract its scope.  Entire planets went poof when they cut back, and it created large gaps in the plot that lead to player frustration as you work your way though the storyline.

The entire subplot of how your choices altered the alignment of your companions was great, along with the detailed crafting system that KOTOR 1 only scratched the surface.  It made the game very replayable,  Then there was the entire "turn your companions in to Jedi" minigame that was a let down because in the end all that work means nothing, as you're in the solo mode for everything that transpires on Malachor V.  In part due to the way the game had to be rushed out the door to give LA's marketdroids warm and fuzzies.

I blame LA because money is all they love.

They don't give a shit about gaming, or their customers.

They view their customers as chickens to be plucked.

These idiots would eat the goose that lays golden eggs.

Originally posted by Gorair

ive chosen nothing except to be succesful  i work long hoursd , went ot school , lost my 1st wife getting to where i am , got to go to school on a GI bill after being wounded twice , i judge noone , you are the one saying the ONLY way to be successful is be a criminal not me.  you called me criminal because i want you to take responsibility for your actions and future , im sorry i asked you to have self confidence and some self esteem.

Im wondering what part of my life was criminal , according to you ,deciding i wanted more than the govt could offer me as a hand out was my only offence and as punishment i shoudl support you for making that choice.

I will gladly suport those who cant , i refuse to suport those who wont.  If you try and fail , then you get help , ill help , so next time you wont fail , or maybe the time after that. I refuse to say sit on your ass ill pay your bills.

 

 

 

You don't seem to understand that your general theory doesn't discriminate between honest gain and dishonest gain.  It just says that "success" no matter how it's obtained is sacrosanct.  Pablo Escobar's billions are the same as your fortune.  Despite how that fortune came into his hands.

Futhermore, you're not recognizing that your success isn't entirely your own.  The GI Bill didn't just spring into existence out of nothingness, you know.  You've got a lot of invisible infrastructure supporting your success that must be maintained and paid for.  That's what taxes are all about.  The more success you achieve, the more you're indebted to the system that supports that success.  That's why progressive taxation works...your income is a good metric for determining how much you're making use of the infrastructure that is held in common, and thus your fair share for maintaining it.

You need not worry...even very high taxes will leave a lot left over for you to indulge in your materialism.  So you can only afford a new car every other year?  You're still living the good life.

I'd also submit that if you're going to maintain honest faith with your philosophy, you'd be in favor of the abolition of any inheritance, so that all may benefit from their own work ethic as opposed to living off the efforts of others.

Originally posted by Gorair

yes because everyone who is successful and able to take care of tehmself is a bad guy and only was able to accomplish it by stepping on others.

I guess the difference is I did it , i moved up and ahead of where i was, I will continue to do so , the choice i give to others is join me or not , but its your choice not mine. no one else will ever get you here , no govt can buy your way into it.

So who is the bad guy when everyone is "equal" and there is no longer a "rich class" to blame? im sure since you wont take resonsibilty now you wont then.

i guess the people here at on my side dont count because we are all "robber barons"  and its all our fault you arent one of us. So therfore we MUST invalidate our life's work because you already chose to with yours.

 

So, we ignore the criminality that may or may not have something to do with one's "accomplishments"?

You've chosen a morally bankrupt method of determining status.  Pure materialism, no matter how it's obtained.  Bling, bling, bling.

How empty.  How pathetic.

Originally posted by Gorair

Originally posted by SioBabble

Originally posted by Fishermage

The best way to understand fascism is that it is a FORM of socialism, where the means of production are CONTROLLED rather than OWNED by the state. Every government regulation of business is fascism -- every government OWNERSHIP is pure socialism.

All other features common to fascism are incidental, rather than definitive.

 

The form of government itself has a great bearing as to how you live under a socialist economic system.

For example, Sweden is politically a democracy and its economy has a lot of socialist concepts at work.  That seems to work pretty well.  When the workers actually own the means of production in a real sense.  This is quite different from the Soviet command economy system, where what you have is state capitalism.  The workers actually own nothing in any meaningful sense.

Germany in the 30's had a totalitarian form of government in which the means of production was for the most part not owned by the government itself, but was pretty much controlled by the government through the government's position in the market as a primary consumer of the product of labor.  We see this in the military-industrial complex of the United States.

The Nazis as a primary policy goal sought to reign in and control the labor movement to the benefit of the corporations.  Their own name was a marketing slogan, not a reflection of any actual ideological affinity to the workers.

Mussolini himself thought that fascism was more appropriately called corporatism,  It's the bigness of any organization where the rot starts to set in...where maintaining the status quo and the position of those at the top is more important than anything else, even if long term it leads to collapse of the entire structure.

That's what we've got in this country...a corrupt corporate overclass that will do anything, say anything to sustain their position.  McCain is the representative of that group, fighting against any change, even one that will be in their own long term self interest.

 

here's the deal actually they ( meaning me really ) want to protect what they did , their accomplishments, their efforts , their sacrifices , which i guess are meaningless to you because why? i guess not willing to be the one to make those sacrifices , work that extra bit , suffer until it works out is something you wont be bothered with , noo just had me a check and leave me alone , pay my dr bills , and get off me.

news for you ,this "class" doesnt need to DO anything to protect themselves , they can already , they just move away from things that are unpleasant , the "poor" cant do this, they are stuck holding the bag when everyone else who can leaves.

WHY invest time , effort , money , risk their future for nothing ? whats in it for them? I mean you cant be bothered to even TRY so why should they.

because "its the right thing to do"?

really?

is it? , then why isnt the right thing to do to pull yourself up to their level? it happens everyday , or will for another 2.5 months. 

I really wish someone would explain to me how this will create jobs in the US . Just one person.

"We will spend more" is the #1 answer .. yeah spending more to companies who are not based in the US doesnt help anything at all , and making it MORE expensive to do business here will draw companies back how?  right now its 60% cheaper to run ALOT of my buisiness outside the US , but i bring the money back here , when that stops who gets taxed to replace that ? wont be me , i can easlity "adjust" my income to sit under 250k a year. park the rest outside the US.  ( tho honestly it was only over that once in last 4 years)

I dont see any incentive to grow here in the US for the next 4-8 years( no matter who wins) , and if im thinking this to protect a million dollar a year  business , i wonder what the big guys are thinking. And which country is going to drop their rates Nov 3rd as an incentive when we go shopping.

But lets say i do stay here , you really think im  not going to pass on those new taxes , fees, fines to my customers ? who in turn is going to pass it on to theirs, who eventually  passes it on and when it reaches main street who is going to pay for it? You are.

Like i said earlier , we dont need protection , we can always pass it along OR we can go somewhere where it isnt as difficult. Look to the market rght now , there is no confidence in the economy , no one beleives it can recover unless the govt does it all, the govt has NEVER shown a profit , has NEVER been able to use funds efficiently , but almost EVERY business has that was successful. Who do you think  you should pay attention to ? The companies looking to leave or the govt thats going to take their place AFTER doing everything in their power to drive them off. ( at the request of the people no less ...)

Companies are saying to you , we dont think this is going to work and saying it by taking their ball and going home.  Home being anywhere outside the US. ( im not talking about the ones who profited off stupidity , im talking about the ones who did the right things , just better , or smarter because for every 1 corrupt business you hear about there are 100 that are perfectly fine and doing it right)

The world economy will recover because we will take our money to them , giving them cash reserves i guess you "have nots because we want a handout" can contuinue to borrow from im sure.

Want a better life , go to school , be better than the other guy , its hard and you will fail alot before it works but it does have its rewards for those willing to be more. Want a check every month ? then dont do a thing and continue to blame everyone else who went out and tried.

And that will sum up an entire generation, this generation, a generation of prostitues and pimps, selling their own children's ability to ever be anything better than themselves for a insurance check.

OK, there's a lot of superfluous nonsense in here that I won't bother to address point by point, becasue your line of logic can be distilled down to this:  Pablo Escobar defending HIS life's work...without any regard to the means used to build it.

Totally detached from any sense of morality or reason.  It's rather primitive, in fact.

Americans are supposed to be better than this.  The founders certainly were.

This is why The Godfather is so epic.   it recasts a bunch of thugs as Captains of Industry.  "Michael, we're bigger than US Steel".  "Michael, Senators don't order people killed!" "Now who's being naive, Kay?"

During every election some geneologist type traces the ancestry of the candidates somehow, through long convoluted means, back to the British Royal Family somewhere.  The relationship may be on the wrong side of the blanket, but they'll do it anyway.

The fact of the matter is that all of us are descendants of long lines of survivors, because we're here!