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Favourite educational computer games in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, June 29 2007 22:18 Profile #14
Not really a game, but we spent a lot of time in the old computer lab (we're talking Apple IIe's here) futzing around with LogoWriter.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
cussing in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, June 29 2007 10:10 Profile #24
quote:
Originally written by Dintiradan:

Somebody give me an expletive that isn't a degrading sexual reference, an inappropriate use of a religious term, or a reference to an unseemly bodily function, and I'll use it.

Great Caesar's Ghost, perhaps?

--------------------
"Profanity is the feeble attempt of a weak mind to express itself forcibly."
"**** the draft."
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Video Game Addiction in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, June 29 2007 10:05 Profile #36
Back in the day, it was all about Number Munchers and The Oregon Trail. Go MECC - w00t!

IMAGE(http://www.craphound.com/images/diedofdysentery.jpg)
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Video Game Addiction in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, June 29 2007 04:46 Profile #33
quote:
Originally written by Nick Ringer:

I argue that video games themselves have no debilitating effect on one's life. They are entertainment. For some disaster to happen, like that kid jumping out of a building or those high school massacres, someone has existing psychological problems.
Harmful effects aren't just school shootings or suicides. I watched a lot of people at my undergrad school game themselves to failing grades and expulsion from school. Sure, you can say that it's their choice, but gambling is the same way, and it's recognized as an addiction.

EDIT: Also, if you were binge drinking at 16, you should be grateful to those police. Try searching the internet for articles on what alcohol can do to the developing adolescent mind, if you want a scare.

[ Friday, June 29, 2007 04:48: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
General Forum Prune. in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 26 2007 11:06 Profile #21
My understanding was that, since images are delivered via links and not uploaded to Spiderweb's server, they don't take up any memory at all, or a very minimal amount.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
General Forum Prune. in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 26 2007 09:14 Profile #16
Are you suggesting that general forum posters aren't actual customers?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Video Game Addiction in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 26 2007 05:27 Profile #8
The thing is that with most RPGs, it's impossible to make meaningful progress without devoting at least a few hours at a time to playing, so we're made to look like addicts by default! :(

That said, I have been known to go on binges when my wife is out of town, where I'll spend 10+ hours straight playing games (again, almost always RPGs). But I also hang out with friends and am training for another marathon, so it's all about balance. Besides, binge gaming and binge drinking: which is really worse? And yet the APA doesn't seem to be going out of its way to address high school and university binge drinkers.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Vacations/trips in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, June 25 2007 04:12 Profile #15
I went to Disney World for the first time ever at the end of May, and will likely take a roadtrip up through New England in August.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Here we are, once again. in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, June 22 2007 08:53 Profile #13
quote:
Originally written by A Muffin running around Colorado:

First of all it is red, and second of all it is orange.
fyt
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
It Is Done in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, June 22 2007 08:48 Profile #2
Mine are still malfunctioning perfectly.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Insanity in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, June 22 2007 08:47 Profile #22
Hmm. It seems a little too tame to warrant the title "Insanity." How about "Candor"?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Recommend a Spiderweb game for a Newbie?? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, June 21 2007 10:09 Profile #15
I started with Blades of Avernum, and I think it isn't a bad way to go. The scenario "Valley of the Dying Things" is a decent beginners' scenario that you can play all the way through on the demo, get a taste for Jeff's general role-playing system, and then decide whether you want to take on some of the longer games. All are pretty fun though - you really can't go wrong! :)
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Hw old are you? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, June 21 2007 10:05 Profile #61
As the definition denotes, "popular" does have a positive connotation which cannot apply to Iffy. "Infamous" also seems too good. How about "plague-like"?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Hw old are you? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, June 21 2007 05:02 Profile #50
Popular: regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public.

As in: "Iffy is not popular; rather, he is annoying enough to warrant considerable approbation."
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
How long will this forum survive?? in Richard White Games
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Thursday, June 21 2007 04:39 Profile #12
I'll do it.

IMAGE(http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j142/Amarana_Bloodfang/Funny%20Images/Fun_Cat_Caturday1.jpg)
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
What have you been reading lately? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 19 2007 13:09 Profile #443
Kel - I'm not doing justice to the book - Warren explains it much better than I have (it's also worth the read). It's basically what SoT said. In the book, the author notes that over the last 30 years or so, while discretionary spending (clothes, food, vacations, tvs, things like that) has remained relatively static when controlled for inflation, there have been significant increases in the cost of housing, healthcare and education. Of course at first when families started sending both parents to work, those families enjoyed a marked increase in income. But then the "keeping up with the Joneses" factor kicks in, and the status quo now is for families to have two income earners; if you're a single income family, statistically you're at a significant disadvantage. Housing costs are way up because families all of the sudden had more to bid with while supply remains relatively static. Cost of education isn't quite as elastic, but it has nevertheless responded to similar forces, because supply remains relatively static, while demand has increased.

A large amount of the ick of all this has been contributed by the deregulation of the financial industry too, through their extension of bad loans to people who wouldn't used to qualify for them, which (probably for ill) increases the number of bidders.

EDIT: Maybe we should move this discussion to a new thread...

EDIT 2: Also, I've been reading "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman, which is pretty fun so far, though I still prefer China Mieville.

EDIT 3:

quote:
Originally written by Zeviz:

(I agree that an average public high school is worse than an average private school, but it would still take less money to move into district of best public high school in the area than to send your children to a private school.)
Not if admission to the best public high school is dictated by district. There's a pretty strong correlation between housing prices in an area and the quality of the public school. And at the other end of the spectrum, many private schools provide scholarships these days, and because admission to them is not dictated by location, you could live in any hole and still have your children accepted to them.

[ Tuesday, June 19, 2007 13:17: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
What have you been reading lately? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 19 2007 10:26 Profile #435
It does, because increased demand has driven up the price of a university education, especially when a lack of spaces at more affordable state institutions forces denied applicants to attend much more expensive private institutions. I'm not saying that it is the case for all parents (many are d-bags and don't assist their children with college education, even though the FAFSA and most colleges require that their incomes be included in need-based aid determinations), but most parents want to help their children be able to afford college, and increasingly it is the case that both parents need an income to fulfill this desire as well as attempt to maintain some sort of decent standard of living. Also, consider what comes before this - the test prep classes, owning a home in a good, safe school district so they can get good grades and have a good college application, etc.

You are very bright, and so you were able to get into an affordable UC school. But what about all the other slow kiddies whose parents want them to attend college, because it's the only way to get ahead, but couldn't get into one of the good UC schools and so have to attend, say, one of the Pomonas? How about the rest of us who don't live in California? It's crazy expensive, and parents are expected to shoulder a large part of the burden. That's why my wife and I are going to be starting our children's college funds after I hammer off the law debt, even though we won't start having them until probably three or four years after. :(

[ Tuesday, June 19, 2007 10:29: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Kumquat in Richard White Games
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 19 2007 09:37 Profile #6
Mine was actually a persimmon.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
What have you been reading lately? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 19 2007 04:48 Profile #431
quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Uh, certain resources won't increase, sure, but won't the important resources increase when twice as many people are working? I mean, your examples of education sort of work, but you don't — or at least you're not supposed to — pay for a spot in a prestigious institution, anyway; that's not a resource that's related to money. But technological stuff will actually increase if twice as many people are working (doing research, etc.).
What has happened is that as demand for university spaces has increased, universities have found it much easier to raise tuition without worry. A college education today costs proportionately a heck of a lot more than it did in my parents' day; heck, my law school tuition just increased by a little more than $1800 for the coming year alone (to the hefty sum of $38,000), and I promise you, I'm not seeing any proportional increase in the quality of the education I'm receiving or facilities I'm using.

Further, there are other costs associated with getting children into these better institutions to begin with, like a good preschool program (which is generally not provided or subsidized by the state, and does not come cheap), a house in a good school district, tutoring, and those excellent test prep courses you offer, for example. :) Sure, it can't all be attributed to providing higher education for one's children, but apparently, it's a big factor.

The trouble is that it has become the norm for families to maintain two incomes; as such, a one-income family is at a disadvantage when shopping for desirable housing, and that isn't acceptable to many families, who want good schools and safe neighborhoods for their children. So they take on a larger mortgage, and expose themselves to greater risk, i.e., play Russian roulette, as SoT said.

There are several solutions that were proferred, which may work to greater or lesser extents. The big one is that the lending industry needs to be reregulated to control predatory lending. This will prevent people from taking on more than they could chew, which would decrease competition for housing (and therefore, price inflation) as well as the number of foreclosures.

Anyway, I'm just poorly aping what the book has to say; if you're interested, by all means give it a shot - it's a pretty quick read.

[ Tuesday, June 19, 2007 05:01: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Kumquat in Richard White Games
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, June 19 2007 04:38 Profile #2
IMAGE(http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/produce/images/persimmon.jpg)
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Love Life Poll in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, June 18 2007 09:44 Profile #49
quote:
Originally written by Fractal:

The lies about Mormons here are HIGHLY offensive to me.
They seem to be observations to me. How are Alec's observations wrong?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
The Last Post in Richard White Games
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, June 18 2007 08:18 Profile #2
quote:
Originally written by Student of Trinity:

Why didn't we think of this until now?
Thinking was never our strong suit.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Love Life Poll in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, June 18 2007 06:50 Profile #41
quote:
Originally written by Ceylon:

quote:
After considering the above information, I conclude that the Spiderweb community generally isn't very well off with the opposite sex.
That's why we have the Geneforge.
Well, that isn't creepy. :rolleyes:
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
sqrt 900 in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, June 18 2007 05:54 Profile #19
So because the title incorporates mathematics, the thread gets a pass? Gee whiz! Do I have to get The Aeneid out again to restore order?

[ Monday, June 18, 2007 06:03: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Deleting Non-Spiderweb Games Forums in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, June 18 2007 05:51 Profile #45
So... it's still here. Did Jeff have a change of heart? Did the Ghosts of Richard White Past, Present, and Future visit him in the wee hours of the night, and change his erring ways?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00

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