Cool_Freaker

On the few forums I've been on which are not totally graphics related, (i.e. have a GFX subforum where sigs are etc) the SotW tends to start with a lot of initial interest, but as it wears on gradually slows down and has difficulty attracting sufficient numbers of participants. For a site which is not frequented by the largest number of signature designers, I think the fact that it has lasted so long is a feat in itself, and that scaling it back to something like signature of the month would not be all that detrimental.I have to agree with Albus in saying any sort of incentive for entry would help incite some sort of interest, especially if it were to be a permanent thing (with perhaps larger prizes for tournaments or several wins in a row). To be honest, while Xisto doesn't have the best designers, most of the people who do post their work have truly put effort into their designs; it has not been a matter of creating a sig to simply gain credits. I think you have to give some of the forum members some credit (no pun intended).Anyway, I have to apoligize for being so inactive also as one of the older, I believe original, members of the GFX team. I certainly would encourage a revival of sorts of the section, though.

As has been said before, with a good teacher, History is great. I enjoyed my history lessons a lot - and admittedly one of my teachers did a lot of repeating. If it is presented in a different way, I fail to see the issue? I know it helped me to grasp the important facts easily as well as having well rounded knowledge of the important events. If anything, it allowed me to easily forgo too much reading (or studying even, hehe) at home. I would believe if something is repeated a lot it's very important in relation to the assessment, anyway.In my view, it's much better than the antithesis of repetitive lectures - that is bareboned rushed lectures where the complete information is not given and topic areas are covered very quickly (which seems to be the case with my subjects now). It requires a lot more reading at home, and you don't have that same emphasis on the important facts, so you could spend a lot of time trying to learn something irrelevant to your assessment.As for asking you questions half the time - the fact that you can easily answer them correctly is fine, is it not? With good class participation (whether it be forced or not), he's surely to be just a little more lenient on your end.

I played the GBA versions a few times on display units in the shop. It was definitely very fast paced and fun from what I saw. Each of the minigames was varied and different, whilst some of the games are just outright hilarious. In the end, though, I didn't feel the novelty of it would last all that long, nor was such a novelty worth the cost of a full priced game. Cannot deny just how funny it is for the first few minutes though.

Have you guys seen the iSuppli Corporation pricing of the PS3? It's located at https://technology.ihs.com/ - basically they break down the individual components of the Playstation 3, on a cost per component basis. Essentially, they're making huge losses, especially on the cheaper "Core/20gb" version. Even the Xbox 360 doesn't compare to the value of the hardware to selling price. I've always been a bit skeptical of the huge pricetag on the PS3, but I guess it is justified, considering it is a "Supercomputer". In the end it boils down to the Console vs PC thing again, where the PC has the versatility while the Console has the specialization to play games better with cheaper hardware costs.

The fact of the matter is his dad is in ANOTHER school - hence any power he may derive from that is practically non-existant. Do what you must, but when he's an attention seeking brat, simply ignoring them will do. When forming groups, why let him get all the good people? If he really is as annoying as you say, what makes you think your smarter classmates would always want to group with him? Logic says if you provide them with a better alternative they would surely select that.Really, the best revenge is to outplay him at his own game.

Honestly, I haven't found SMG's at long range to be effective at all. The Mac 10 is exceptionally bad no matter how good you aim - really I think you have to use the speed and lack-of-recoil to your advantage, that is, rush up to the enemy using cover. When that's not possible whip out your pistol - generally in long range they're better (especially the USP and Deagle). The TMP is better because of the silencer, so as long as you have a good spot, you have a chance of unloading a lot of bullets, which, with some luck will deal decent damage with some accuracy - as you may be able to crouch some of the time.The MP5 can be used somewhat long range. As the recoil is so low with it, I found it's a matter of spamming at the head and hoping for a few lucky hits. You can keep running with it also - generally with SMG's staying still is bad.

They're not being idiots, rather they're staging their own protests against the people who bought several PS3's only to make a profit online. By bidding extremely high results, they're preventing people from making a profit as quickly/easily, as the seller has to remove the dummy bids (meanwhile those who are making legit ones, cannot). Considering the number of consoles that were bought for the sole purpose of reselling for a profit, I can understand why real gamers are angry when they stood in line only to be denied a console.

Dofus - When it comes to talking about Flash games, how can you go past it?

It's pretty much a given that Christmas is over commercialised these days. The Christmas stuff is out many months before hand, and slowly works its way into shops until come a month or so before and bang ~ Christmas department arrives. I have to agree with Mich; once one holiday is over, the next one starts essentially, with stores stocking up and promoting well before hand. Easter Eggs start appearing in January/February. It's crazy. (Does anyone actually buy that far ahead? Especially as prices are inflated)...

Yeah, I was disappointed too. Basically he just smashed it up and everyone stood and watched - it really does feel like a waste when the crowd doesn't even make a sound. The whole entertainment isn't to see brand new electronics go to waste, but to see fans going spastic over someone doing that... perhaps in the middle of the line would have been better It's a shame the PS3 didn't even get bits going flying. It's such a tank it's amazing. Suppose it's safe to drop it a few times

Fantastic ideas there, some of which I have used. Will be sure to keep some food on hand from now on. Anyway, Jasper, I found I procrastinate more in College than in High School, as it's even more relaxed with no attendance taken, and generally the education is a lot less personal. Your lecturers don't know you, and you hand your assignments in a box or slot, so it's much easier to hand in something you may not be personally satisfied with (as you just print it off and chuck it in the slot). I find thinking too much about the future when you're studying is a bad thing. It becomes like "oh why bother now, it's just going to get worse" or "agh still have so long to go". I'm not sure if it's because I am a pessimist, but keeping it simple works much better. I've slacked off lately, but last year I used to checklist off what I'd need to do. Crossing things off a list is very satisfying, especially when you set yourself rewards for completing tasks. Once you get into something it's a lot easier to continue - I find the main problem is actually getting beyond opening the book. And about your reading issues; you may want to see an Optometrist? Perhaps glasses may make it more "comfortable" for you to read. Fluroescent lights are also said to be the worst for reading, try a regular lightbulb when you read at night. I have also heard of this condition which affects a large proportion of the population, where people need a slight coloured tint in their glasses to read properly. Apparantly it's genetical in origin, and results in the person looking at a page and seeing something weird (examples are words spinning or zooming in and out, or seeing the patterns of white between words). Perhaps its worth a try to check that out too - I've forgotten the name of the condition, but I'm sure it's Googleable enough.

Heard nothing but good things about Final Fantasy XII - apparantly it has lived up to all expectation, and is well deserving of all the hype surrounding it. I'm guessing with the faster battle system its a bit closer to FFX-2's gambit system rather than the standard ATB we're all used to in the PSX Final Fantasies?IGN's review raves on about the richness of the storyline. I really can't wait to see what it's about. Any further insight into the levelling up system SM?

The article in the Chronicle kinda highlights the purpose of Wikipedia - for general information, but not for in depth research. I've used Wikipedia in assignment, but never sourced it, rather just get an overview of the topic I'm working on and then look it up in other materials. (Which amounts to verification etc).Citizendium looks interesting, but because of the more stringent measures may find it hard to be as up to date or as vast as the Wiki...

http://play-free-online-games.com/games/games_all.html has a nice list of what you can find for free online games. Among those, the best have probably been mentioned already - Silkroad, Maplestory, FlyFF, KAL-Online... you could always try something like Conquer Online, or Anarchy Online (which I've heard some good things about). Apparantly Knight Online isn't bad either. The thing is with most of the free 3D MMORPGs is that they require payment for more features, or for the full area of the game (ie free accounts may be limited to a small area). EDIT: NOTE TO DAG: I already posted that link a lng time ago >.>

As has been mentioned before, a lot of the problem stems from the way our lifestyle has changed in terms of the foods we eat and the way we live. Essentially, with all the agricultural advances, we can afford to eat more, but not put in the physical exercise required to actually attain that food. The fact that extremely unhealthy choices are available doesn't help either. (I read a book that claimed the biggest mistake in human history was agriculture).The problem these days is starting from childhood, with children being fed unhealthy food, or demanding unhealthy food through some media gimmick. Many parents like the convenience of fast food, and often give in to their child's whims. Once these children become adults (and don't do anything about their weight), it's probably too late, as they've grown up used to eating these foods. It would take a very motivated, determined person to break out of this, which, of course, some people have.Another aspect to consider is those that simply cannot stop themselves from eating - I would consider this to be a mental disease, though this is usually a very extreme circumstance. By that, I mean those people who are bed-bound due to weight. These people, most definitely, have a disability. People that can still move around somewhat, (and hence still do something about their weight) really shouldn't be considered disabled, in my books.

Yeah, that too, people keep reading what's on the presentation without elaborating.

Begin half-rantAfter viewing several presentations trying to teach a point, there are some things that must be said to improve the quality of presentations.1. Do not put clipart on every slide. A few pictures here and there that help explain a point are good, but when every slide has at least one picture on it, one begins to wonder how some pictures even relate to what is discussed in the slide.2. Do not use slide transitions. If you do, do not set it on random or have an obnoxious transition. Really, no one cares about how the slides change, we are more interested in content. In fact, if the slide takes too long to change, or too flashy, it is highly annoying.3. Do not use random fonts. Fancy font types are not impressive. They just make things hard to read. Are you trying to show off a subject or your font? Ariel, Courier, Times New Roman, all fine fonts. But as soon as the font changes to Copperplate or any calligraphic font, you will irk at least one of your audience.That is all I can think of off the top of my head. Seriously people, fix up presentations so your audience will be more attentive. Wow them with content not style.End half-rantOh yeah, I have no idea where to put this topic, a lot of the forums comes close, but none dead on.That's right! No annoying sound effects either!

That's so true. They seem to be promoting how Big Brother is simply a depiction of how society acts - and that people enjoy watching this behaviour, so to speak. However, there seems to be a very high degree, of, say, sexual interaction between housemates which in itself is not an accurate depcition of the real world. I guess you could say this is due to the housemates themselves, which are essentially from a singular demographic. People who have proper jobs probably can't just go and take a month off to participate on a television show? (Unless your boss is just that damn nice.) Reality Television is cheap and annoying enough as it is, but Big Brother is just the epitome of bad television. A complete and utter waste of time, in my opinion.

I say yes - though conditionally, as Kubi and TF have said, with some proven activityNSL participants tend to have a fairly good standards these days.

I vote yes. Some nice effects and text choice/placement in there. Your consistent lack of borders irks me though - I'd advise you to fix that promptly

Oh wow, someone actually read that huge thing. I'm one of those people who read the first few lines and get bored and wander to a different topic.

So I was philosophizing just now, and yes, one does do something random like this from time to time. After reading a passage from The Count of Monte Cristo, I thought about it and decided that happiness, though which existence can be seen, cannot however, be obtained. Sorry if this sounds too much like an essay, but I like to type things like this in essay form in case I ever decide to publish it. Meh, might as well stick in citation before I forget. And one last thing before I start, DO NOT STEAL THIS ORIGINAL WORK. One thing I hate is posting an essay somewhere, then newspapers or journals refuse to publish it because someone already did somewhere else >.> Happiness, in all its glory and splendor, cannot be obtained. Andrea Calvacanti, a poor orphan in the book, The Count of Monte Cristo, had a troubled childhood, and spent much of his time in jail. By a fortunate happenstance, Andrea was lifted from poverty and thrust into the upper echelon of Parisian society, with a large income and impeccable reputation. Though one would think that this Andrea would be happy at this point, he is not, and rather exclaims, ?Alas, alas, one cannot be completely happy in this world.? (Dumas) Now this is an interesting point. One might argue of being content, and having achieved ones goals, is happiness. However, human nature does not allow us happiness to be so simple. Once goals are completed, new goals are set and therefore one cannot truly accomplish all that they set out to do. Greed is agreed upon by many as a downfall of human society, and happens to also be the bane of happiness. When succeeding in life, through wealth or power, the human animal will not be satisfied by what they have achieved, but rather wish for more. A successful CEO of a large company finally achieved his dream of creating a working company. His next task is not to retire and spend the rest of his days in comfort, but rather invest his retirement funds to increase their capital. The CEO may even not retire, but spend the rest of their days working, making their company even greater. This is partially based on the human fear of being penniless after having wealth. The opposite extrema can be seen in the form of asceticism. Ascetics renounce all material possessions in hopes of obtaining enlightenment. However, the ascetic will always wish to give up more. They believe that they are not doing all in their power to achieve happiness, and therefore even by renouncing the worldly goods, they are not happy. What then you ask, of the person who wishes not for enlightenment or material wealth? Many wish for intangible objects, such as beauty, power, or knowledge. Bertrand Russell was one to wonder this. However, even when one?s focus is self-improvement, there is always room for improvement, as schoolteachers are often heard saying. The person seeking beauty will become saddened as trends go in and out. The megalomaniac will stress over others prying into his life to take his power, and the scholar will be disappointed with the realization of there existing knowledge that cannot be obtained. No matter how far these people strive for their goals, insecurities will follow them and happiness is not of them. Going back to the case of Andrea, after obtaining his rank and great wealth, he is bogged down by former acquaintances from his days in prison. In the story, Caderousse, a former inmate, finds that Andrea now has a great deal of money, and hence asks Andrea for a portion of his income. While seemingly friends, the tie of friendship does not exist between them. Halfway through this exchange, Andrea reaches back to grab the handle of a pistol, while Caderousse reaches for his knife. However, with time, Andrea gives in to the pleas, and Caderousse receives 200 Francs a month. It is then that Andrea says his previously stated thoughts. One can have two views on what Andrea meant by this. Andrea, having a stroke of luck, finally seems to obtain happiness. However, despite this, other people force him to relinquish this happiness to help others. Andrea then is dejected that he will not be happy after all. The second viewpoint is that Andrea feels sorry for Caderousse. Though surviving, greed takes over Caderousse and inclines him to beg for money. As the reader would know later, Caderousse is not satisfied with this stipend, and will later go on to commit theft and murder for more money. Happiness cannot be reached despite all efforts towards it. After obtaining it, the standard of happiness increases and once more grows beyond ones reach. Therefore should one give up their search for happiness? No, this cannot be said. Though happiness is out of reach, one can hope for the second-best, in this case, contentedness. Happiness and contentedness, though similar, are not congruent. Contentedness is that feeling of success and not as fleeting as that of happiness. One can be content while striving for the achievement of their goals. Works Cited: Dumas, Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo England:Penguin, 2003. Russell, Bertrand. The Conquest of Happiness. New York: Liveright, 1958 Postscript: 750 word essay in 30 minutes? Not bad.

Wow, finally got my hands on a copy, and would have to disagree with you there. Tanks rock, undoubtably, but the infantry in this game as just so versatile I believe it's much more balanced in that respect as compared to, say, Command and Conquer Generals.Tanks usually need some sort of infantry support, otherwise they tend to get wasted on their own. Flanking (Yey!) is a possibility, and yep - tanks die faster when hit from behind.Honestly, it's great fun to play, well worth a try, at least of the demo, in my opinion. Graphics are great, in my opinion, it adds to the gameplay, rather than hinderance.

On the topic of dreams, I have to say, that Freud is full of confirmation biases. Everytime a person tells of a dream, Freud willalways diagnose it as the same thing! If it is not as he predicted, he will say that he is still right, and the uh, don't know if it is appropriate on the boards, but the object in question simply manifested itself in another similar object. See, now that didn't make much sense.

Had a dream last night. I was riding on a train, then stopped and met this red guy on at the station. Me and my three friends got off, and the red man turned into a Octopus! He looked like Kraken from FFI was it? Anyway, after casting reflect on ourselves and attacking, we managed to reflect a napalm from Chrono Trigger and won the fight. Unfortunately, an imp appeared from Secret of Mana, and kidnapped Nina! (From Breath of Fire) But we still own the fight and I got my reward, a new keyblade, and we went to search for Nina.These dreams ever come to you guys?