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Harry Potter in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Wednesday, July 13 2005 04:26 Profile #138
Magic isn't real.

Edited for the sake of correctness.

[ Wednesday, July 13, 2005 04:58: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Family Guy!!!! in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 16:44 Profile #37
Stug, you aren't suggesting an adult Animal Planet show of your own, are you?

The air is definitely getting a little thick in here.

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 16:46: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
If You Had A Billion Dollars... in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 16:42 Profile #13
I would pay off my debts and my family's debts, make certain that my family was comfortably well off, invest $10 million of it such that I can live off the interest and never pay taxes again (there is a way), use the remainder to establish a foundation for disadvantaged children to get tutoring in elementary, middle, and high school, and then I would spend the rest of my life alternating between travel and educating myself at the best universities I could get into. I think I would start with math, and work from there.

Oh, and just for laughs, I would donate a brand new Vespoli Millennium eight (a crew boat) to my uni's crew team, on the condition that it be named the Caucanbaltz. :)

Really though, I would probably only need $100 million for this, maybe even $10 million, if I was savvy.

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 16:43: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Family Guy!!!! in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 11:31 Profile #33
Kind of like reading Playboy for the articles. :P

EDIT: No sports for you, Alo?

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 11:33: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Just say no in Richard White Games
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 10:36 Profile #34
Really, what I think the games needed to succeed was more cowbell.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
"Blades of Geneforge" in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 10:10 Profile #1
No. I don't think that the premise and style of the game would translate well into a build-your-own-scenario framework.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Family Guy!!!! in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 10:07 Profile #31
Not having cable has cut back a lot of my tv viewing, and for the most part, that's fine with me. Of the stations I do get reasonable reception for (the HDTV antenna, though I don't have an HDTV, helps loads), I probably spend the most part watching Fox shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy. I've also been known to tune into the occasional NASCAR race, though now that coverage has passed back to NBC, which is inferior to Fox's, I don't catch them as frequently. Go Dale Jarrett #88 UPS Ford!
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Election Primary Results/Vote Reassignment in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 09:31 Profile #93
quote:
Originally written by Stugri-La:

quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Racist.
White Supremacist. :eek:
Um, caste-ist.

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 09:32: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Forum Statistics in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 06:50 Profile #22
Alo still has "Your Postliness" in the (few) forums where he isn't a mod, though. I think Aran may be mistaken...

EDIT: 900 - w00t! I got my "new" computer swapped out for one that works, so the posting shall continue unabated. Word is bond.

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 06:51: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
under seleucia in Blades of Avernum
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 06:17 Profile #5
Haste is very important for that scenario, as well as repel spirit. If you have a mage, it may be worthwhile to build up a few levels of priest so that the mage can cast repel spirit.

EDIT: Also, if you're in the sewers, if you see bodies lying around, enter combat mode before approaching them. This will allow you to attack them before they can attack you.

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 06:19: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
RPGs in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 06:05 Profile #14
The gameboy Lufia wasn't so hot - all of the dungeons were randomized, so there weren't any specific puzzles or character to them, which I thought was pretty lame. In addition, the PC controlled nine characters (three of whom could fight at a time) with almost no personality, which I think lent the game all the pains of micromanagement without any of the payoff.

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 06:53: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Harry Potter in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 05:19 Profile #133
quote:
Originally written by Overwhelming:

""The ordinary person is typified as being bad because they have no (magic) powers, and heroes are the people who are using the occult. Good finds itself in the occult, which is an inversion of morality for many Christian people" Even many non-Christian parents have been concerned due to the greatly heightened fear that their younger children have after reading Potter's books."
Just to answer this direct quote from the article, who believes that the occult is real? I don't think it has anything to do with being a Christian or an atheist. Also, kids are smart, and by and large understand the difference between reality and the Land of Make Believe.

quote:
Of course, I'm talking in a Christian moral point of view. An atheíst wouldn't think that above is wrong, for example. But then again, what moral does he have? Only his own moral. At least christian claim their moral is from God, a perfect and just being, that can be the standard for moral. An atheíst is only a falible human being.
The Christian moral is just as relative. Else, why would there be a need for so many different sects? Why isn't there just one church, which is Right?

quote:
Books, movies, games, and television all involve the imagination, and the specific fantasy directs the child's imagination. In other words, the imaginary scenes and images in books and movies are not neutral. As with guided imagery, the child's feelings and responses are manipulated by the author's view and values. For example, the stories and books children read in the classroom are usually selected or approved by each state because their message teaches the new global values, and because they provide useful discussion topics for the manipulative consensus process. Good stories capture the heart, mind, and imagination and are an important way to transmit values.

Books such as the Harry Potters series fit, because they reinforce the global and occult perspective...[ending with an OT quote]
You're essentially saying that your faith/religion is afraid of or threatened by something that's not real. No kidding that books influence people - some would argue that one of the biggest culprits of this is the Bible. You choose to believe in it, but on what basis? The established traditions of man. Also, you can't denegrate the state, the "fallible" institutional basis (for the sake of this discussion) for the atheist's morality on the one hand, and then rely on its "sound" judgment in approving educational literature for children on the other. Which is it going to be?

quote:
You see, I can show a gun to a child, I won't deny its existence. But I wouldn't never do something like: «hey, it's a nice gun. It's fun! This is how you load it, and this is the trigger. Try it!». The least someone could do is to warn the child how harmful a gun can be. But you don't have that warning in Harry Potter, about witchcraft. Also, whichcraft, for those that believe in the Bible, is something evil in nature, there's no "good"/"white" witchcraft.
It's like poison. No one would give a pill saying: swallow this. Probably it would be disguized in a drink or nice looking meal. Just like wichcrafting in Harry Potter books.
Hmm. I think what you're failing to realize is that witchcraft isn't real. Kids play cops and robbers with imaginary guns all the time, knowing full well what real guns do, yet understanding that it's pretend, and that they aren't actually trying to kill one another. Likewise, magic isn't real. Kids know that spells don't exist, and although they chase one another around waving wands, they know nothing in reality will come of it.

There's as much proof for witchcraft's acts of the occult as miracles in your own religious tradition. The difference is that your religion, however real, won wide approval among man's institutions in the 2nd century and continues to make politically savvy moves in order to remain relevant and legitimate, whereas witchcraft became (as a result of political competition with your faith) and is now widely regarded as a bunch of hooey, however fun, fantastic, and imaginative.

quote:
Which would make everything aceptable, as no one has a "better" moral than other.
No. The social contract makes what is illegal unacceptable. While laws do change, by and large points relating to personal safety and property remain constant. The difference between man's law and Christian moral law is that man's law is actually enforced in this life.

If you are so concerned about the effects of Harry Potter on your and others' immortal souls, then you have no business playing RPGs - I can't see how you can legitimately distinguish the two. That your faith in Christianity even allows for the existence of magic outside of that of the Lord confuses me.

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 05:28: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
RPGs in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Tuesday, July 12 2005 04:28 Profile #10
I really enjoyed the Icewind Dale series of Infinity Engine games. Though it had its bugs, I thought the engine was the best out there for implementing D&D rules, and I liked building my own party better than BG's pre-made NPCs.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Harry Potter in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, July 11 2005 10:49 Profile #95
Although that article goes out of its way to describe characteristics of witchcraft (as well as fail to distinguish it from fantasy), it largely fails to do what it intends: explain why any of these things are negative influences on readers. The reference to four murders? Big deal - it's not as if murder is a topic absent from pretty much every other genre of literature ever, especially in the fantasy that you love. Note that your own website incorporates stylized images of skulls, and features content like information on Kel's Lord Putidus scenario, which is hardly Christian in nature. How do you reconcile that imagery and content with your beliefs?

Harry Potter is no more malicious than any other children's literature - I refer you to the topic on fairy tales as a starting point. If you're going to try and protect people from any ideas other than wholesome Christian ones, I know of some good land in Montana where you can found your Bible madrassa.

quote:
Originally written by Overwhelming:

Of course, no one has to buy the Harry Potter books, but surely most fans and collectors will pay that outreagous price for the book...
The price isn't outrageous to them (or to me), though. It's all relative.

I love how "moral relativism" has become a dirty word, synonymous with "wishy-washy." Nothing could be further from the truth. Moral relativists merely recognize that there is no assertive superhuman source of authority in the world other than those which humans themselves construct. As such, morality is dependent on the social contract, an institution far older than human conception/perception of any god(s), and one composed of cummulative human experiences in what works as a society and what doesn't. Tradition and the law. Boil down all cultures, and there are some pretty universal tenets: an aversion to killing, stealing, cheating, etc. Nothing relative there.

[ Monday, July 11, 2005 10:52: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Favorite Beatles Songs in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, July 11 2005 08:49 Profile #2
And I Love Her
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Were we prepared? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, July 11 2005 06:03 Profile #68
quote:
Originally written by Formerly I:

On the former topic: Poor English people... Well, it's your own fault for raping countries of their resources and installing puppet dictators. (Then again, it's not like we in the US didn't do it either).
Well, it was their fault for not putting up a good fight to begin with. To the victor, the spoils. You could also just as easily say it was their fault for not finishing the job, so to speak, but then where would that leave us?

[ Monday, July 11, 2005 06:04: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Were we prepared? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, July 11 2005 05:58 Profile #67
quote:
Originally written by Mister Maoben:

That said, any religion not following the teachings of the Bible...
I thought they were the teachings of Jesus. Are we getting a little idolatrous here, Ben?

Anyone of any faith can make the same claims about Christianity. Militant Jews, for example, could loudly assert that Jesus was a false messiah, and that there's no proof he rose again. Where does that put you?

The Bible has also proven to be an incredibly mutable document over the years, and many, many people had a hand in it. When its most recent incarnation was being debated (by men), there was a lot of controversy as to whether the letters of Paul (which are now pretty widely thought not to have all been written by the same person) should even be included. Likewise, the Coptic Gospel of Thomas was in and out, in and out, until finally it was decided (again, by men) not to be included. Did you know about this? Or are you afraid to pull back the layers of the onion too far? If it's the truth, it can't hurt you, right?

---

In simple terms, all three faiths worship the same god, because all three faiths recognize their god as the God of Abraham. That there are so many divisions and sects in each faith just goes to show how imperfect all of them are.

To anyone who believes that his particular version is absolute, and all the rest of us are on a path to hell: how convenient that the absolute truth was right next door to you growing up!
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Harry Potter in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Monday, July 11 2005 05:29 Profile #89
quote:
Originally written by Overwhelming:

...it's morals and virtues are very twisted. But it's all disguized in a nice fairy tale.
I don't think they are. The books seem to foster the values of diversity, open-mindedness, loyalty, friendship, and the value of life. How can you object to those values?

quote:
About its price... 30$?? That's exploitation. But people will pay for it anyway. I once paid 25? for an historical fiction book, but it was worth it. The quality and historical accuracy made it worth it. Now, a fantasy book...
I don't mind to pay well for a good book (someone was talking about textbooks... I've paid 150$ for my anatomy&physiology book, and 100-120$ for some others. But I understand the prices: you can't compare scientific books, which require research, accuracy, years to make, etc with fantasy books: a writer sits at his desk and uses his imagination to make a story. It's a lot more expensive to make a scientific textbook than a fantasy fiction book.)
No one's being exploited - the book isn't food, water, or shelter, so strictly speaking, the book isn't vital to living, and lack of the book isn't even remotely detrimental to life. Frankly, I'd be amazed if you can't find the book at a steep discount at this point - I believe I'll be paying $16 or so for it at B&N.

Also, most science and mathematics text books are based on other text books; the authors aren't reinventing the wheel every time. Check out what edition each of your texts is on - new editions of topics that don't change frequently are a cinch to update. If there's any publishing industry that exploits people, in fact, it's the textbook industry - students are required to purchase those $100 to $150 texts in order to be able to pass classes!

Why don't you just say what you're actually thinking and cut the rest of the bull? "I object to Harry Potter because I think it's bad, based on the sense of morality I get directly from my Catholic faith."
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Election Primary Results/Vote Reassignment in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Sunday, July 10 2005 05:16 Profile #34
quote:
Originally written by Archmage Alex:

I'm just happy some one voted for me. :)
Me too. :)
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Election Primary Results/Vote Reassignment in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Saturday, July 9 2005 15:23 Profile #18
My six votes to Thuryl, please.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Just say no in Richard White Games
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, July 8 2005 11:50 Profile #21
quote:
—Alorael, who is positive that no drugs are powerful enough to create GC. That is a purely natural work.
The probability of GC occurring in nature, IMO, is pretty slim. I would however put the probability of a roomful of monkeys banging away on a wordprocessor randomly and managing to come up with GC much higher than the same roomful of monkeys coming up with Hamlet. Heck, I'm pretty sure GC would've come up within the first few weeks of the Hamlet project anyway. :)

[ Friday, July 08, 2005 11:51: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Were we prepared? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, July 8 2005 10:00 Profile #24
Almost none are Indonesian. Note that, although somewhat troubled and corrupt, Indonesia continues on an impressive economic expansion, creating jobs and helping to raise standards of living for its people. When people have hope, when they have viable alternatives, they stay away from extremes, no matter what faith they're a part of.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
What games have YOU registered? in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, July 8 2005 06:35 Profile #20
quote:
Originally written by spy.there:

even more? I couldn't remember your absence in the last months, Andrew :P
And be careful with PC games. They'll drain your time by their sheer numerical superiority.
Well, in theory, I shouldn't be posting at all while at work. Once I'm a full-time student with only myself to answer to with regard to study time, however... :P

I go through fazes on computer games. It's likely I'll hit KOTOR2 pretty hard. The biggest danger, though, is likely to be WoW.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Pick my birthday activity! in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, July 8 2005 06:32 Profile #9
You could also purchase a cigar or cigarettes.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
London Bombings in General
Drew
By Committee
Member # 4233
 written Friday, July 8 2005 04:20 Profile #49
quote:
Originally written by ef:

quote:
We went out into the world looking for some asses to kick in retalliation.
Thereby destroying an ancient culture and recruiting a whole new generation of muslim jihadists. Congratulations.
ef, the Taliban was doing a pretty good job of destroying ancient culture in Afghanistan on its own. Also, are you so keen to defend their rights to subjugate women to such an extent?

In fact, I would posit that we haven't destroyed any ancient culture. I don't know where you're getting this.

[ Friday, July 08, 2005 04:24: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00

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