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Wealth. in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 21:39 Profile Homepage #139
Greed is good, but it needs to be controlled by the government so that is forced into channels that are productive for both the individual and the society. The easiest path without external restriction enriches the former at the expense of the latter. Again, that's one of the things we have a government for. And it still falls under the heading of protection.

—Alorael, who will now become a flip-flopper and say that a great deal of progress depends on applied ideas and technology and that applications most often come from people and companies trying to get ahead, make a profit, and so on. That's greed and getting rid of it causes stagnation. Extremes end badly.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
My first celebration topic... in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 21:29 Profile Homepage #5
Congrats! I'd offer you some gems, but I think you're pretty good there already.

—Alorael, who also couldn't find any images of SubTerra gems without other pieces of SubTerra. Replication is the cheater's way to reach 1000.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Click here for Scorpius' corn-dog in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 19:53 Profile Homepage #10
I am also a 48% half-eaten corndog.

—Alorael, who went and figured. His figures do not add up.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Wealth. in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 19:51 Profile Homepage #135
quote:
Originally written by Emperor Tullegolar:

quote:
Originally written by The High King's Logomach:

What, exactly, makes economic gain the most important goal for all government?
Are you talking to me? I made it very clear that the economy is not a concern for the government at all. Protection is. I also think your forgetting that this is an economic discussion, not one on how to live a happy life. As for the word 'strength,' I don't use that word, I use the word strong. I use it so that I don't have to keep defining someone who has what it takes to be successful in every single one of my posts.
You make it clear that the government's business is to stay out of the way of people making money. I think it's more important for the government to protect people's rights to make some money even if they're not rolling in it.

You can use "strong" but you're still required to define it over and over because it's not a recognized term. Again, why not just use "economically successful" to define someone who's economically successful? It's unambiguous and connotation-free. You think the world should belong to those who achieve fiscal success. We don't.

—Alorael, whose argument against trickle-down economics is that it gives exactly what it says: a trickle. As Alec says, helping the rich to help the poor indirectly seems backwards. Why not help the poor to give them more purchasing power so the companies who sell products indirectly benefit? What's wrong with trickle-up?
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
No tag backs! in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 19:44 Profile Homepage #26
I do bike quite frequently, actually. There are no sidewalks most of the places I bike, but where there are I use them. Pedestrians are few and far between, and the sidewalks tend to be more even and less likely to kill me than the road. The law requires bikers to behave like motorists in many ways, but I'd rather break the law than get killed by the drivers who try to pass on my left when I am trying to make a left turn.

No, I'm not a pedestrian! Never!

I believe that as a biker I am entitled to run red lights at minor intersections and use the pedestrian walk lights as well as green lights to go. Yes, I am an aggressive bike driver. The only person I have ever run over, however, is myself. (I was trying to bike while carrying two large boxes. It was an unfortunate idea and I fell off in the middle of a busy street. Fortunately I was the only person who ran over me.)

—Alorael, who has limited playground memories. Most of his formative years of playing outside were actually spent in woods building very short log forts, stealing half-rotten boards and bits of carpet, and shouting. Shouting was very important. Nowadays that would probably be considered a terrible risk of infection or injury, but it sure was a lot of fun. He hasn't been back to that little strip of woods in years, but from the amount of construction that had begun in the area he's sure it's long gone.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Does War Blessing Stack? in Avernum 4
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 19:35 Profile Homepage #1
Multiple copies of the same buff don't stack in effect and I don't think they stack in duration.

—Alorael, who is less sure about the latter than the former. Gone are the days Exile when three or four blessings could turn a wimp into a wonder.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The Abominable Halloween PhotoThread in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 19:32 Profile Homepage #18
I went as a ninja. I was so stealthy that nobody saw me!

—Alorael, who actually dressed up as a friend of his due to a long and complicated story. He was let down by the friend, who dressed up as Steve Jobs instead, but it was all made worthwhile by the number of times he was addressed by people actually expecting someone else. It was even funnier because of the shared first name.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Wealth. in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 12:31 Profile Homepage #127
Why do you need a term like "strength" to cover economic success when we've already got the perfectly good term "economic success" for that very purpose?

Without delving too deeply into psychology or philosophy, I think there aren't many who would dispute that Einstein had one of the greatest minds of the past few centuries and he was no slouch with his charisma. Compared to that, his compensation was ludicrously low.

—Alorael, who is now uncomfortable with the fact that you can happily predicate an entire political and economic policy on a single aspect of life that you candidly admit is not tied to social or scientific progress or even happiness. What, exactly, makes economic gain the most important goal for all government?
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Key items in Exile 2 in The Exile Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 12:24 Profile Homepage #1
I don't remember if anyone says anything about it, but you find Thralni's Orb in Fort Kothtar. Getting Demonslayer requires talking to King Micah, Patrick, and possibly Rone in an order that I no longer recall.

—Alorael, who now realizes that it's about time to play A2 again.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
That Literary Dog... in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 09:22 Profile Homepage #15
I don't remember where I've heard of Wishbone, but I have. I can't vote, though, because I have no opinion. I never made a choice not to watch the show, but I didn't (and still don't) watch television in general.

—Alorael, who supposes that his decision will have to depend on how much the show butchered great literature and how much it presented it faithfully but in a way that could appeal to a younger audience. Judging by Wikipedia, it at least stayed away from the former.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Ghandi? You must be joking! in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 09:16 Profile Homepage #3
I've taken this so many times that I can't get meaningful results anymore. I'm around -8/-6.

—Alorael, who can't remember who that makes him except some godless socialist.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
I'm starting Avernum 2 soon, and I could use some party creation tips in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 09:15 Profile Homepage #2
I like playing with a pair of fighters and a pair of casters, and I think that's the most common decision with four member parties. Beyond that you've got some fun making decisions.

Archery is helpful but not very helpful. It's nice to be able to use both swords and spears. Actually, flexibility is good in general. My starting party is thus a guy with a sword, a guy with a spear, and two characters who are mages and priests. (That last decision seems to be mostly mine, but I've gotten good results with it.)

Eventually you may want to add some archery skill or some priest skill to your fighters and maybe give your casters a little bit more than pure magic like, say, some Intelligence. You can figure that out as you go along.

—Alorael, who cannot overstate how nice it is to be able to heal twice or more in a round while later having the opportunity to launch two Fireblasts. Mage-priests are lovely.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Wealth. in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 09:10 Profile Homepage #123
I, at least, don't think that wealth correlates with quality of life. My objection is to Egol's decision to rank everyone's worthiness by their ability to earn. Earning power isn't happiness or "strength," and for that matter "strength" isn't happiness either.

—Alorael, who is sure that science has great perks. Since scientists are largely required to be smart enough to do something else, there has to be a reason they want to go into science and stay there. Perks and job satisfaction are big draws.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum 1: The Hardest Part *spoilers* in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 09:05 Profile Homepage #15
I already killed the Xsanity, alas.

—Alorael, who thinks Mind Crystals are one of the better additions to A1. They're foreshadowing and they're neat treasure.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
G4 Preview in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 09:04 Profile Homepage #17
You don't need much background to play. Having only played demos and only GF1's demo extensively, I can still follow the plot without trouble. I'm missing a few references and returning characters, of course, but it all works.

—Alorael, who thinks Geneforge's chapter system is more like the beginning few chapters of Nethergate than like E/A2. You can go anywhere you've been, for the most part, and you can explore a fair amount where you are. Getting to the next area means advancing the plot.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Some Games Have Too Many Sequels in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Wednesday, November 1 2006 09:01 Profile Homepage #43
Console emulation works quite well. Google Zsnes or Snes9x. It's borderline legal, so I don't think it should be discussed further here, but PMs can answer what Google can't.

—Alorael, who thinks that the the benefits of very different characters don't come without a cost. Many games seem to end up with a few overpowered characters, some mediocre ones, and plenty of worthless baggage.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Xeon, The Beginning in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 21:07 Profile Homepage #33
I still don't know what you're talking about.

—Alorael, who really doesn't understand what's so difficult here.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum 1: The Hardest Part *spoilers* in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 20:55 Profile Homepage #11
Xian Skull, anyone?

—Alorael, who is guilty of shamelessly fabricating parts of A1. The only vahnatai you really meet is the shade in the crypt with the huge magic barrier, and it's not even a very interesting shade.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
G4 Preview in Geneforge 4: Rebellion
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 20:54 Profile Homepage #9
I think I'm not giving anything away if I mention that you get to use the Geneforge in the middle of the tutorial. No, it's not your GF1 Shaper's Geneforge.

—Alorael, who decided, with very little knowledge of Geneforges or how they work, that the one in the beginning is both plausible and appropriately handled. Then he tried to flip out and kill everyone with superior magical power, but at level 1 it's hard to do that even with enhanced genes.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The SpiderWebWorld in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 18:23 Profile Homepage #23
Tyranicus is Kinakuta. His civilized veneer hides an interior of savage wilderness, and he's the closest thing we have to a data haven.

Okay, it's not really better than Hoboken, but at least it's a country. Almost.

—Alorael, who sees DV as the Vatican. Small and not terribly imposing except for his many, many followers. Links between Catholicism and tentacles are purely in the mind of the reader.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Avernum 1: The Hardest Part *spoilers* in The Avernum Trilogy
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 18:19 Profile Homepage #9
Talk to X after you've gotten permission from Boutell to use his anvil and read the book hidden in the Final Gauntlet.

—Alorael, who remembers it being somewhere through the eastern wall. You'll need the Phoenix Egg to get there, though.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
November Posting Stats Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Poll in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 13:53 Profile Homepage #102
quote:
Originally written by Zeviz:

(One of the "nice" features of UBB is that admins can see your password. In fact, you should assume that admins of any message board can see your password.)
The number of distinct passwords I can remember is a limiting factor in the number of forums I visit.

—Alorael, who means that in a mostly hypothetical sense, because he could always just not log out and he has no real desire to join more forums.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Xeon, The Beginning in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 13:52 Profile Homepage #28
I want to know which characters from Averum or Genefoge were stolen. Alternately, I'd love to know how many Y's as vowels, strange dipthongs, and unnecessary and unpronounceable strings of consonants will go into the wholly original names.

—Alorael, whose name includes an ash and would have a thorn instead of the first L if the internet were more permitting. Pronunciation should always be flexible.

[ Tuesday, October 31, 2006 21:09: Message edited by: --Squad ]
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
The SpiderWebWorld in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 13:44 Profile Homepage #7
I'd prefer to think of myself as Canada. Large, kind of nice, and not really terribly significant. Sorry, Canadians! TM can be Russia for his socioeconomic predilections and ego size. Besides, my post count is rising. Russia is shrinking.

I guess I can see Alec as Venezuela, but I don't know if it would have been my first thought.

Archmage Alex would make an excellent France for his cultured contributions to the arts.

*i is the cabal that really controls all governments.

Thuryl is England. Really.

Tully might be better described as historical Poland: woefully backwards and the world's victim of choice for the moment.

—Alorael, who humbly suggests that many newbies (you know who they are, although they don't) are the banana republics of the moment. They're notably unstable and apparently often toppled by internal forces.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Some Games Have Too Many Sequels in General
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Tuesday, October 31 2006 13:33 Profile Homepage #30
There's nominally a minuet in the game, too. It's not much of a minuet, actually, but it's there.

—Alorael, who considers the junctioning system in FFVIII enough of an impediment to enjoyment by itself. It is especially loathsome to compulsive optimizers. His choices were to spend hours drawing or to stop playing. Guess which one he chose?
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00

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