December 09 Random Chat

[thingirl]

Christmas is in 24-26 days, depending on how you count. Anyway, new month, new chat. To start it off, does anyone else have their tree up yet, and is it real or fake? Mine's fake 'cuz mom can't handle the smell and cleaning up.

[Doolipalally]

We had a real tree just once, and I vowed never again. It's too early for me to think about trees yet anyway. I prefer leaving it till the week of Christmas.

Of course, here in Russia, Christmas is on January 7th.

[scout1idf]

Trees not up yet..

We had a "live" tree once when I was a kid. After Christmas we planted it. Not an easy thing in NW Ohio with the frozen ground.

That tree is now close to 40 feet tall and about 25 feet at the base.

It was worth the effort of planting it.......:)

[wetheril]

We're going to set up the tree sometime this week, and definitely not a real tree. A real tree would be nice, but a fake tree can be stored away to be used next year.

[Young Ned]

We have a small apartment, so we have a fake tree that's about two feet high. It's still out from last Christmas -- I never got around to putting it away. I fail at life, but I win at getting my tree up early... ;)

[texlaw1992]

No tree, but I need to get the menorah out of storage.

[Zen And Tonic]

I like the smell of a real tree. Fills up the room. But for now, the fake tree is fine. maybe when we move next year?

[Oldschool]

I like the smell of a real tree. Fills up the room. But for now, the fake tree is fine. maybe when we move next year?

Lol..... I just had an image of a fake tree decorated with those pine tree looking and smelling air fresheners that hang from a car mirror.

I can remember going out in the woods with dad and inevitably the best looking "tree" would be "in" the top of a rather large tree. A few of 'em looked like and were referred to as "Charlie Brown Christmas tress". Fond memories though.

I had a buddy who also went into the woods and got a tree once. It was a little too big (high) for the house. He had used a hatchet (not an axe) for the felling of it. He didn't want to try to lop off the bottom foot or so with a hatchet. The only saw he had was a hacksaw so he cut the top foot or so off which made it too thick to mount any kind of top - lol.

[Young Ned]

When I was a kid we used to drive up to the Christmas tree farms in Petaluma every year, tramp around in the mud looking at trees, cut down one we liked, and bring it home on top of the car. The farms charged about a dollar per foot of tree, so even with the cost of gasoline for the drive (about an hour each way?) it was cheaper than buying one from a lot in San Francisco.

Of course, this was the late '60s and early '70s, so gas was a LOT cheaper than... as were Christmas trees. The tree farms still exist, AFAIK, but I'm sure they charge a lot more per foot nowadays!

[Badstench]

Best christmas tree I ever had was a fake one.

It wasn't so much the fact that it was fake, but the idea it imparted to my room-mates.

This was many years ago, but it's a good story.

*************

I shared the costs of rent in a flat... in America, you would call it a condominium. My "flatmates" were two girls, Nikki and Tash (Natasha).

Both of the girls were going home for Christamas, so no-one bothered to put a tree in the flat. But I had to work that christmas, so I decided to put some festive adornings in our abode.

Our shared living area wasn't big enough to accommodate a real tree, so I went to a store that sold giftware and decorations, and I bought a fake tree.

Not just a fake tree, but a tree that was so obviously fake that it was one sided and hung on the wall.

Now, I'm a bloke, and the thought of decorating that tree had me breaking out in cold sweats. Sure, I could throw baubles and candy canes and lights at it, but I wanted that fake tree to look as good as its fakeness could be. My expertise at tree decorating isn't great.

This is where my puupy dog eyes and rueful grin came into play, because I said to the salesgirl who sold me the tree, "It looks so good in the shop. I can't hope to duplicate that at home. Can you recommend a decorator?"

Said she, "I can do that for you".

Now... I'm aware this sounds a bit fantastical, but it's what happened. I bought decorations to her recommendation, she finished her shift, we loaded everything into my car, and she came to my house and decorated the tree.

It was more than I could have hoped for, and when my flatmates arrived home, they were gobsmacked!

Here's the kicker. The girl who gave up her time to decorate the tree did so because it was the sort of thing she loved doing. She asked no payment, and I made no demands.

I drove her home afterward, presented her with a bottle of wine as thanks, and then drove home.

Somewhere within that story is the thought of a missed opportunity... but whose opportunity? Hers or mine?

It was a good tree.

So guess what I did?

[texlaw1992]

That must have been before you became Badstench, or perhaps she was upwind the whole time (lol).

[Young Ned]

I shared the costs of rent in a flat... in America, you would call it a condominium.

We have flats here, too. A condominium is just an apartment that you're buying (via monthly mortgage payments) instead of renting (via monthly rent payments). In other words, an expensive apartment. :p But you can make alterations without upsetting the owner, since you ARE the owner...

So guess what I did?

<straight_line>What did you do, Badstench?</straight_line>

[Elrond]

I just checked in to see what was new in the forum. I noticed 1 member (moi) and 26 guests logged). That was strange as it is the first time I see so many guests on the forum. And it seems that today holds the record for most users logged on too. Hopefully, that translates into 20+ new AG memberships to the game!

What's Going On?
Currently Active Users: 27 (1 members and 26 guests)
Most users ever online was 46, Today at 12:24 PM.

EDIT: the current active users a minute after posting became 28 (1 member and 27 guests).

[wetheril]

I just checked in to see what was new in the forum. I noticed 1 member (moi) and 26 guests logged). That was strange as it is the first time I see so many guests on the forum. And it seems that today holds the record for most users logged on too. Hopefully, that translates into 20+ new AG memberships to the game!

What's Going On?
Currently Active Users: 27 (1 members and 26 guests)
Most users ever online was 46, Today at 12:24 PM.

EDIT: the current active users a minute after posting became 28 (1 member and 27 guests).

Actually, I saw a bigger number about 20 minutes earlier earlier.

Currently Active Users: 36 (1 members and 35 guests)

I wonder where all the new guests are coming from?

[Elrond]

Actually, I saw a bigger number about 20 minutes earlier earlier.

I wonder where all the new guests are coming from?

Most of them are in "Roleplay!" So it seems that one or more of our writers has/have a fan club!

[wetheril]

Most of them are in "Roleplay!" So it seems that one or more of our writers has/have a fan club!

You might have a point there!

[Elrond]

You might have a point there!

Strange! They're all gone from "Roleplay" and the forum as a whole. So, they're in for the reading! Looks like a classroom in a computer lab logging on to the forum all at once. Maybe the writer is a teacher or a fellow student .... I'm gonna let my imagination run on this one :p

[zmflavius]

Strange! They're all gone from "Roleplay" and the forum as a whole. So, they're in for the reading! Looks like a classroom in a computer lab logging on to the forum all at once. Maybe the writer is a teacher or a fellow student .... I'm gonna let my imagination run on this one :p

Well if we're going there...

Maybe they're aliens planning a takeover of Earth :rolleyes:

[Lightwielder]

Maybe they're aliens planning a takeover of Earth

And...they're analyzing human history, intelligence, and ability through...Roleplay. That reminds me of that episode of Star Trek: Voyager, where the alien accidentally taps into the Doctor's daydreams, to determine Voyager's weaponry and command structure, so they can plan an invasion.

(Loved that episode, by the way.)

[thingirl]

I loath aliens :D.

[texlaw1992]

(Lol). Hey, unless you've met an extraterrestrial, how do you know you won't like them?

[thingirl]

How do I know I haven't? One of my (former) Sunday school teachers is pretty out there...

[texlaw1992]

I met Leonard Nimoy (Spock) years ago at a Star Trek convention - my closest contact with extraterrestrials, unless you count the various "Doctor Who" actors I met at conventions during college.

[thingirl]

Live long and prosper, Texlaw.

[Oldschool]

I was thinking nanu nanu or shazbot - lol. ;)

[texlaw1992]

Actually, the Vulcan "live long and prosper" sign actually originates from Kabbalistic Judaism, from which Leonard Nimoy (who is Jewish, along with William Shatner (Kirk) and Walter Koenig (Chekov)) borrowed liberally to create the Vulcan mythos. Nice to know that in the future, Judaism lives even on Vulcan (lol).

[Young Ned]

Actually, the Vulcan "live long and prosper" sign actually originates from Kabbalistic Judaism, from which Leonard Nimoy (who is Jewish, along with William Shatner (Kirk) and Walter Koenig (Chekov)) borrowed liberally to create the Vulcan mythos. Nice to know that in the future, Judaism lives even on Vulcan (lol).

I couldn't remember in which book I'd seen Nimoy's explanation of that gesture's origin, but Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute) came through again:

In his autobiography I Am Not Spock, Nimoy wrote that he based it on the Priestly Blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same position, representing the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin here stands for Shaddai, meaning "Almighty (God)". Nimoy wrote that when he was a child, his grandfather took him to an Orthodox synagogue. There he saw the blessing performed and was very impressed by it.

So that doesn't sound Kabbalistic to me, if it's something you would see at an Orthodox synagogue.

[texlaw1992]

Using the "live long and prosper" or "shin" sign is a rare event even in Orthodox synagogues these days, although it was more common when Nimoy was young. I used "Kabbalistic" in the sense that the sign originates in Jewish mysticism, which it does. Most modern orthodox synagogues do not use mysticism during services - I doubt you'd see it anywhere in Texas Orthodox synagogues, although it's probably still in use in other places like NYC.

[Young Ned]

Ah, I see. I hadn't expected that orthodox synagogues would use anything that originated in Jewish mysticism/Kabbalah. Interesting, thanks! :cool:

[wetheril]

Speaking of UFOs...

A strange spiral light (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fgn7-AoQtI) was seen by hundreds of people in Norway just this morning.

You can do a search on google for the latest about this strange sighting.

[thingirl]

Welcome back. Now we can all get back to the smells and the furious judges that are you. ;)

[Elrond]

Welcome back. Now we can all get back to the smells and the furious judges that are you. ;)

Did Badstench post before the above post then delete?

[wetheril]

Did Badstench post before the above post then delete?

Yes he did. I'm not sure why he deleted his post...

[Lightwielder]

Maybe he disappeared, like his reporter.

[scout1idf]

Maybe he disappeared, like his reporter.

Seeing your post about BS made me think about Barn 42 "disappearing" from the forum so I sent him an E-Mail telling him that he's missed.

Hopefully he'll try the forum again even though he didn't like the new one......

[zmflavius]

Speaking of UFOs...

A strange spiral light (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fgn7-AoQtI) was seen by hundreds of people in Norway just this morning.

You can do a search on google for the latest about this strange sighting.

It appears to have been a russian rocket launch.

[Badstench]

hmm... the case of the disappearing post:

Yep, I deleted it. I must have been tired when I typed it, because it droned on about Raroronga... and came across a bit negatively, which hadn't been my intention.

The alternative version of the disappearing post goes along the lines that talking about your holiday is like showing people photos of your holiday... they pretend to look interested, but don't give a hootenanny really.

So in the interest of not sounding like a drone, thanks for the "welcome back", thingirl

[thingirl]

St. Jude's children's research hospital made a Christmas video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifLacY9pkRU). It's really cute. And it will probably pull the usual Youtube annoyingness the first time you watch it, but it should play fine if you watch it again on the same computer. Enjoy.

[Badstench]

Recently, I had my 45th birthday.

I went back to my home town after 20 years and visted my old high school.

I also visted friends from days gone by and people who made an impact on my life; they were still there... Neil owned a mortgage and a young family, David had his own small business, Tracy was married to a supermarket manager and had three kids, Julie was just hanging out.

We exchanged small talk, reminisced about the good-ole-days.

Neil used to be my best friend... we hugged. Dave shook my hand and looked over my shoulder. Tracy smiled, then made an excuse to leave.

And Julie wished me well. As she waked away, I thought to call after her, but I didn't.

I went back to my apartment in the city with the people I know... the models and the actors and the wannabe socialites, and I thought... such is life.

The reason I tell you this is... I had always thought I would go home one day... buy a house, settle down, that sort of stuff.

I've been a long time from then. The years change people. I've decided not to go back there.

[texlaw1992]

It's rarely ever the same. There's only one person from my old high school class with whom I stay in touch, and that only infrequently. I have gone to my 10th and 20th high school reunions (come to think of it, 25 is next year). I have enjoyed them because, being class valedictorian at the time (out of 636 students - sorry TG, class of one does not count, lol), I'm the one person everyone feels they "knew" even if we didn't really interact back in high school. In short, I get to be a celebrity for a few hours (lol).

On the other hand, my brother stays in regular contact with nearly all his high school friends and they visit each other frequently. I've always suspected it was because my brother never really wanted to leave school in the first place (he's a law professor now, never spent more than a year outside of academia).

It's not far away (30 miles or so), but I doubt I'd move back.

[scout1idf]

To all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...

[Badstench]

Texlaw asked...

The son of one of my wife's friends was over today helping her with holiday lights she wanted to put up. He told me he was looking forward to getting the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) Trilogy on DVD for Christmas. I asked him so, do you know where they were filmed? He said Australia. I said no, New Zealand.

He gave me a blank look and said, what's New Zealand? I told him it was another island nation in the same part of the world as Australia. So he said, well, what's the difference between New Zealand and Australia?

Besides the obvious things that come to mind (one did not start as a penal colony, different indigenous peoples, no kangaroos in NZ, etc), I didn't really have a good answer (I know Australians use a "rhymey slang," but I don't know if New Zealanders do). I'm also sure that a New Zealander would take offense if someone referred to them as an "Aussie."

So, Badstench, what would you say are the main differences between Australians and New Zealanders? There's a 20-year-old eagerly awaiting the answers.

[Badstench]

In answer to Texlaw...

Truthfully, their aren't many differences... probably less than any that exist between peoples from United States and Canada:

Both countries were colonized from England, so we are English-speaking and members of the British Commonwealth.

As people, we are remarkably similar in attitude and lifestyle.

In effect, the difference between an Australian and New Zealander is hardly noticeable to people from elsewhere (though we can see obvious differences). Even our accents sound similar, except to us.

Aussies view New Zealand as the annoying little brother, while Kiwi's think of Australia as the arrogant big brother. As such, we bicker and squabble, tease and slang-off at each other continuously. However, like brothers, we've also got each others backs; if anyone else wants to pick a fight with one of us, they better calculate on two turning up for the fray!

Politically, we are two nations with separate identities, laws, governmental systems, currencies, etc.

Geographically, we have a place on the globe that lies in a shared "neighborhood", but terrain, flora and fauna-wise, we couldn't be more different.

When your 20yr old watches the movie, the topography he will see is typically New Zealand... nowhere in Australia can the same views be seen.

This is not me blowing the trumpet of New Zealand; Australia has a magnificent beauty of its own, a primitive grandeur of ancient geologies and timeless vistas. It is known as a desert continent for good reason.

[Lightwielder]

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[texlaw1992]

I'll print your reply and give it to him when he comes over later today. I hadn't heard the expression "Kiwis" before to describe New Zealanders, but I'll remember it.

[Badstench]

Don't confuse "Kiwi", as I expressed it, with the fruit. The Kiwi is also a bird, our national symbol... kinda like your Bald Eagle... only the Kiwi is flightless.

we joke that a Kiwi eats, roots and leaves.

[wetheril]

It's that time of the year where gift-giving is the spirit. What sort of gifts did you guys and gals get or give your friends and family?

I'm incredibly amused by some of the presents my potential inlaws gave each other. The most interesting of these gifts was a Miniature Basketball Drinking Game (http://www.marketvisit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=39&products_id=92)! :D The recipient of that gift hasn't seen it yet, but I'm really curious to find out how she will react when she gets back.

[Badstench]

I got an MP3 player... this little stick thing that can hold up to 2000 songs, apparently.

To explain my consternation, I'm of an age where, 25 years ago, I owned a huge LP (record) collection and cassette tapes were the norm. I remember when boffins were touting the digital age, and telling us that music would, one day, be formatted in ways that would see us own things that were considered science fiction.

If somebody had told me then that I could have all my music on an object no bigger than my thumb, I would have called him a nob! I was amazed when CD's arrived on the scene, but CD's weren't very far removed from records... they were both discs, so it wasn't inconceivable to think that technology could compress the size of a record to a CD. And the sound quality would be better!

But i couldn't imagine the same volume of music being stored on a "stick".

I didn't know how it worked, so I didn't believe it.

We are almost at 2010, and my age had me looking at my Christmas present with trepidation. I mean, it's a little thing that clips on to your lapel, or your collar, or your ear if you're so inclined.

I shrugged and opened the instruction booklet. Instruction booklets for technology already prevalent is written in an assumed manner; it assumes we are conversant with ipods and cell phones and digital technology, not to mention computers and stuff.

But I consider myself fairly intelligent, and exercised my grey matter to the degree that I finally got the little stick thing to work.

Now, my next ambition is to figure out the dishwasher!

[wetheril]

Congratulations on your new mp3 player! :) When I first had the financial means to get myself an iPod, I graduated from a CD player and bought one along with the computer I have.

Now, my next ambition is to figure out the dishwasher!

I think you have to be kidding, right? ;) Actually, it is a little sad how dependent I am on a dishwasher, but it sure beats washing your dishes by hand.

[Badstench]

Erm... (bows head is embarrassment)... I've never operated a dishwasher.

In the distant past, dishwashers were a new invention that cost a fortune for a young family to indulge in.

When I split from my partner, I lived on my own. I got into the habit of hand-washing and drying the dishes after each use, mainly because I didn't have many dishes and needed them the next time I made a meal.

More time passed and dishwashers became more sophisticated, but I didn't. By the time I could afford a dishwasher, I could also afford a house-cleaner, and one of her duties was to wash the dishes!

I've never had to use one, so I look at them now with the same look you might have if someone asks you to operate the particle accelerator with the hope of creating a form of fusion energy, thereby saving mankind from its own excesses with the use of fossil fuels.

Suffice it to say, I don't even understand the combustiopn engine, so how the heck am I going to understand my dishwasher?

[wetheril]

I didn't mean to make you feel inadequate--I was only kidding around. ;)

I suppose if you've never used it before, it might be intimidating--but it's a lot easier than rocket science. I've found the most efficient way to use a dishwasher is if you treat it as a big rinsing machine. I usually clean off all the solid material, and leave the soaping and rinsing to the dishwasher.

When I was growing up, as the eldest daughter of three, dishwashing was one of my responsibilities, and I had to wash them by hand because my parents thought that machine dishwashers wasted a lot of water. After moving to college, where dishwashers are regularly included in apartment housing around campus, it's actually been easier to wait until you have a lot of dishes and then have the machine rinse all of them out at once. It probably also conserves more water compared to rinsing a large batch of dishes by hand.

I think that once you get into using dishwashers, it's going to be really hard to go back to hand-washing, unless you really have to.

[Badstench]

In riposte to Wetheril, who said:
I didn't mean to make you feel inadequate--I was only kidding around.
That goes both ways. My dry sense of humour is positively desert-like sometimes. No offense was taken... but I do admit, I will not operate the dishwasher if I can avoid it, which I've done to great success till now.

[scout1idf]

I just got my first MP3 player. I haven't tried to figure it out yet though.

My brother got me "Star Wars Empire at War" gold pack that I'll be installing soon. I have a feeling that it's one of those games that having youthful reflexes and complete control over the keyboard and mouse will be needed to play.

To bad I have none of those requirements.

[texlaw1992]

I mentioned this story somewhere, but do not fill up the soap container on the dishwasher when you use it the first time - just put a dab. My friend Alex filled it up and flooded his whole kitchen.

I had figured Kiwi referred to the bird and not the fruit - just hadn't heard the term before applied to New Zealanders (I must admit, "Kiwi" is easier than "New Zealander").

I usually don't buy presents this time of year except for kids (adults don't usually exchange Channukah gifts). I made an exception this year as the wife repreatedly complained she hated xbox and wanted a PS3 (I only got the 360 in 2007 for the special Grand Theft Auto episodes). So, I bought the PS3 and Need for Speed Shift and hid them, and it's tough to hide things from her. I left Need for Speed Shift on the table today and said hey, I got the game you wanted for 360. She said you know I hate 360, and besides this game is for PS3. I said ok, then I guess you'll need this too. She was thrilled, but now my gift hiding place has been discovered. Still, it was worth it.

[wetheril]

Just curious--what does she hate about the 360? My fiance and I don't have a 360, but we do have a PS3. He had considered getting a 360, since a lot of the games he wanted to play were on the 360, but due to the reportedly high hardware failure rates of 360's, he decided against getting one.

[demojan777]

Merry Christmas (well, it's 12:08 AM on the 26th so Happy Late Christmas)!

It's been a long nice happy day for me. I'm not necessarily disappointed (far from it) about this year's seasonal encounter, but last year's actually made me so emotional and even teary-eyed that I wrote the GM a glowing heartfelt feedback and thanked him for such a wonderful and heart-warming tale. This year, if I wouldn't have looked through the forum for answers it would have taken me forever to find what I was looking for!

That vacant bar in Kolnia never even entered my thoughts in the least. I went into every cave, or hole-type of thing, I could find before I came to the forums to search for the answer. I had recently let the carver-cave troll in Fogbough go (Rundum rarely slays those who surrender, but if he sees them again and they are not using their gift of life he has given them in a proper manor then they are quickly reduced to ectoplasm), so I at first thought he had betrayed me, never thought to go to a place where nothing hardly ever happens. Major kudos to whoever figured that one out!

As far as r/l goes, it's been a lean Christmas, but I was able to get gifts that mattered for the few people I could afford gifts for and, besides some much-needed warm clothes, I received a WoW time card (which my guild is happy about, I hadn't been playing much and they missed me), a B&N gift card which I plan on using tomorrow, and cash (which was lucky because I had spent all my money on presents for others and didn't know what I was going to do until next payday).

I had decided to get myself a Christmas present a couple days ago while shopping at Walmart and finally bought one of the lower-priced computer games that actually works on my "lagtop" (5-year-old laptop), Fate: The Traitor Soul. When I went to check it out the girl asked "Do you want do buy a 1-year plan for this?" I gave her a blank look; as far as I knew stores didn't offer "plans" or even refunds for computer software, only hardware, so I asked what it was and she told me, "If anything happens within a year you can bring it back and get a refund or replacement." That clinched the decision to A: buy the game because I wasn't really sure if I would like it and B: buy the "1-year plan" because it was only $3 and if I didn't like the game I could get my much-needed $20 back.

I brought the game home, installed it, and I was not overwhelmed. It's basically Diablo II with better, more childish, graphics and less character customization. I already have Diablo II (love the exp-pack, play it when I get tired of online games), and so I tried running the game without the disk; game works perfectly disk or not! Well, I felt bad so I uninstalled it anyway and then the next day after work went to Walmart to get my $20 back.

The girl lied! All the 1-year plan did was extend whatever limited warranty was on the game (basically if it was faulty you could get another copy of the same exact game). I wasn't too mad because they refunded the $3, and now I have a game that, while nothing to write home about, I can play if I get bored one day.

Just thought I would share that little story.

Now I'm going to go figure out what to do with my new Adventure Tokens! Yay GM!

Happy Holidays and love and light to you all and your families!!

~e

[texlaw1992]

She says she can't read the onscreen graphics on the 360 and does not like the controller setup. My original xbox 360 got the red rings of death twice and Microsoft replaced it after the second return (the new one has worked fine thus far). I was a PS2 user for a long time, but I've gotten used to the 360 now.

Both machnes have their merits, but if it wasn't for the special Grand Theft Auto episodes, I would have bought a PS3 when it first came out. It can double as a blu-ray player (I got her the 250 GB harddrive - she'll never be able to download enough stuff to fill it up).

Now there are only two older PS3 games that I'd like to play which never came out for the 360. Say, there's a PS3 in the house now, hmm ...

[Lightwielder]

We got Left 4 Dead 2 for Christmas. AWESOME GAME! I cannot really explain how epic this game is.

[wetheril]

She says she can't read the onscreen graphics on the 360 and does not like the controller setup. My original xbox 360 got the red rings of death twice and Microsoft replaced it after the second return (the new one has worked fine thus far). I was a PS2 user for a long time, but I've gotten used to the 360 now.

If she's having trouble seeing the graphics, that might be a game-specific issue rather than a console issue. Are you guys playing on a High Definition TV with an HDMI cable? I found that I couldn't read the text on the Sacred 2 unless we used the HDTV with the HDMI, and apparently, I'm not the only one as I've seen a lot of compliants about the text (this also on the PS3, but I'm sure people across consoles have the same issue).

Both machnes have their merits, but if it wasn't for the special Grand Theft Auto episodes, I would have bought a PS3 when it first came out. It can double as a blu-ray player (I got her the 250 GB harddrive - she'll never be able to download enough stuff to fill it up).

Now there are only two older PS3 games that I'd like to play which never came out for the 360. Say, there's a PS3 in the house now, hmm ...

Since you have a PS3, you might want to check out Uncharted 2 if you haven't already. We're planning on getting that game eventually.

[texlaw1992]

Currently I'm using a regular TV, but a friend is selling a 50" HDTV to us for $200.00. We'll hook up the PS3 to that TV.

I saw a commercial for Uncharted 2 - it did look interesting. I'll need to start taking a look at PS3 games when I'm next at Gamestop.

I tried the demo of the original Left for Dead - it was fun, but I prefer one-character games.

[Badstench]

The Xbox 360 in my house departed when my son went to live with his mother. I had been watching him play Fallout 3, and was keen to give it a go, but when the machine departed, so did my opportunity.

I've been looking at prices of the consoles (post Christmas sales) and tinkering with the thought to go buy one. In NZ dollars, I can pick up a machine for about $400... but that's a hell of an expensive way to satisfy my want to play one game!

So I haven't bought it!

[smv1973]

The Xbox 360 in my house departed when my son went to live with his mother. I had been watching him play Fallout 3, and was keen to give it a go, but when the machine departed, so did my opportunity.

I've been looking at prices of the consoles (post Christmas sales) and tinkering with the thought to go buy one. In NZ dollars, I can pick up a machine for about $400... but that's a hell of an expensive way to satisfy my want to play one game!

So I haven't bought it!

All the extras that you get from Xbox live make it well worth it. I have an Xbox 360 and almost never play games on it. I use it more to watch movies or TV shows. The Xbox live (in the US) has two sources, Zune and Netflix. Both use streaming so you can watch the movie or show right away, and with Zune there is the choice to download the movie or show. I am not sure if the service outside the US is the same or not.

[Young Ned]

Because great minds think alike? ;)

Exactly. :D

...though the reverse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrAhqdviKBY) might also be true...

Haha, good one! However, I think we're safe from that case. My logic was:
Wetheril and I think alike.
Great minds think alike.
I have a great mind.
Therefore, so does Wetheril! :cool:

[texlaw1992]

Your logic fails:

1. You have a great mind (A).

2. Great minds think alike (A -> C).

3. Wetheril and you think alike (B -> C)

4. Therefore you and Weatheril have great minds (A -> B)

Same logical falacy made by many - example:

1. God is love (A -> B)

2. Love is blind (B -> C)

(Correct analogy - A -> C - God is blind)

3. Ray Charles is blind (B -> C)

4. Therefore Ray Charles is God (A -> B)

[Zen And Tonic]

The Xbox 360 in my house departed when my son went to live with his mother. I had been watching him play Fallout 3, and was keen to give it a go, but when the machine departed, so did my opportunity.

I've been looking at prices of the consoles (post Christmas sales) and tinkering with the thought to go buy one. In NZ dollars, I can pick up a machine for about $400... but that's a hell of an expensive way to satisfy my want to play one game!

So I haven't bought it!

Fallout 3 is a fantastic game, one of the best I've ever played.

However, I'd suggest you play the PC version if your machine is up to it, simply because you can download mods for it.

Also, the PS3 version, which I played, is filled with game-crashing and game-freezing bugs. Not sure about the 360 version, but avoid the PS3 one like the plague.

[texlaw1992]

Since I do think Ned and Wetheril have great minds, let's rework the logic a little bit. Two basic logic rules:

1. If A implies B and B implies C, then A implies C.

2. If A implies C and B implies C, A does not imply B.

So, reworking the logic accordingly:

1. Ned and Weatheril think alike (A -> B)

2. People who think alike have great minds (B -> C)

3. Therefore Ned and Wetheril have great minds (A -> C)

It all depends on where you start.

[wetheril]

LOL! I wasn't expecting this to become a serious logic discussion. On the topic of logic: I was going to add earlier that it all depends on whether you consider "Great minds think alike" to be a biconditional statement. Because P->Q could be "If two people have great minds, then they think alike", but as a biconditional or a "definition" statement (P<->Q), "If two people think alike, then they have great minds" would also be true.

Now, this forum needs a joke about a UC Berkeley graduate, a UC Davis graduate, and a Texas Lawyer.

[Lightwielder]

1. Ned and Weatheril think alike (A -> B)

2. People who think alike have great minds (B -> C)

3. Therefore Ned and Wetheril have great minds (A -> C)

It all depends on where you start.

The mistake you made is that the saying says "Great minds think alike," not "People who think alike have great minds."

Ned and Wetheril(A) (=) think alike(B) (A = B)

Great minds(C) (=) think alike(B)

Time to throw in another equation... What if stupid minds(D) also(=) think alike?(B)

That would mean that great minds(B) = stupid minds(D), which is not the case.

B = C
D = C
B (does not) = D

Which means that the great minds of Ned and Wetheril cannot be proven by this equation of the fact that they think alike.

(Darn you, Wetheril. I was about to say the same thing, but I had internet trouble right as I was about to post, so you got there first.)

[Oldschool]

A implies C minus B over C doflachy A hiccatmajickity B.......

Alright folks this is starting to sound a lot like Algebra and over my head so I'll just go with my already foregone conclusion which seems to be the consensus..... :)

.....I do think Ned and Wetheril have great minds.......

[scout1idf]

Ok, you asked for it......

......Now, this forum needs a joke about a UC Berkeley graduate, a UC Davis graduate, and a Texas Lawyer.

Two college grads walk into a bar and meet a lawyer.........


*********************************************

Anyone care to add to this??????

[Young Ned]

...And one says "Wait, you're a demon and a lawyer? Insert joke here!"

Sorry, that's my favorite line from the Charmed series -- one of the characters, Cole, was indeed a demon and a lawyer (an assistant DA, in fact). :D

(And no, I am not implying that Texlaw is a demon. :rolleyes:)

[texlaw1992]

As I pointed out, logic often depends on where you start. I rewrote the phrase "great minds think alike" as my starting point, thus coming to the resulting logical conclusion.

Let's see now - a UC Berkley grad, a UC Davis grad, and a Texas lawyer are in a bar ...

The UC Berkley grad says man, I'd never be a lawyer - heck, I'm not ever getting a job. Fight the system man, fight the power!

The UC Davis grad says I'd like to go to law school, but it took me 10 years to graduate with a 2.0 in general studies and I can't find a job, so I'm not sure I could get into law school.

The Texas lawyer says, what the heck am I doing here?

[Young Ned]

By the way, did you know I went to Berkeley and Wetheril went to Davis? :)

[texlaw1992]

I was sure Wetheril's post referred to the two of you, and you struck me more as the Berkley type (lol).

Actually I like UC - Berkley, although I have not visited there since 1996 (I had some depositions of expert witnesses who worked there). That was the week Berkley announced that ebonics was going to be treated as a foreign language (although I think they dropped it eventually).

I had a friend at Rice who did graduate work at Berkley. She met the "naked guy" and he actually put on a sweater while she was there because he felt cold.

I really don't know anything about UC - Davis, but the average college graduate these days now takes 5-6 years rather than the usual 4. I used to joke about a 20-year college plan - one 3-hour course each semester for 20 years. Maybe it's not as far-fetched as I once thought.

[smv1973]

I was sure Wetheril's post referred to the two of you, and you struck me more as the Berkley type (lol).

Actually I like UC - Berkley, although I have not visited there since 1996 (I had some depositions of expert witnesses who worked there). That was the week Berkley announced that ebonics was going to be treated as a foreign language (although I think they dropped it eventually).

I had a friend at Rice who did graduate work at Berkley. She met the "naked guy" and he actually put on a sweater while she was there because he felt cold.

I really don't know anything about UC - Davis, but the average college graduate these days now takes 5-6 years rather than the usual 4. I used to joke about a 20-year college plan - one 3-hour course each semester for 20 years. Maybe it's not as far-fetched as I once thought.

Also the cost for that one 3 hour course have gone up quite a bit over the past 10-15 years.