Posterchild

Yaaar matey, it be a fine game so far... I liked winnin' a hundred thousand bucks in me first game of chance!

I went to sunday school when I was a kid, I learned all about creationism, but the people who taught that never once said it anything about proof, testability or evidence. I went to school and learned all about evolution, the different periods of history, the types of life found on Earth throughout the many millions of years.. I was taught about famous scientists, about the scientific method, proof and evidence. I went on to study biology at university, and now I wonder about space and the prospect of life starting out there and merely seeding life here..Creationism, from my experience of it, is not aimed at teaching kids to think, to explore or to question, it is about acceptance, unquestioning faith and dogma.. for that reason, I do not think it is the best thing to teach in schools, it has a place in church and the people who fellowship in the churchs have the right to teach their kids what they like. But when it comes to the open, public schools, and a teaching method for all children, regardless of the parents religious views, then science is the way to go, and with science, comes evolution.Hey, if the Church of England has seen fit to publicly apologize to Darwin, I think its time to accept that evolution is the accepted believe of the majority of people across the broadest section of the global community, and that religion is not something with a great track record for uniting diverse peoples, whereas science is something that does it quite well.If a person with strong religious views objects so strongly to evolutionary teachings, then they are better raising and educating their kids at home.

Well, there is the new 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, plus the Wildcards setting is on sale for the Mutants and Masterminds game... Role Playing Games are a genre that began as pen and paper, but now includes some excellent PC and Console games. Just a question though... how are the Final Fantasy games RPGs? They seem quite linear to me, not many choices at all compared with something like Fable or the Star Wars titles (and why do I always end up being a dark side guy?).

Yes I think it will draw in more people as well. The regular playing group I am a part of has a good mix of different player stereotypes.. we have our good natured rules lawyers, or combat junkies, our real role players and our lurker types.. of them all, our combat junkie (with a bit of munchkin) was the least enthusiastic about the new edition and was not interested in playing.. until he tried it, and about fifteen minutes into character creation, he was exclaiming the new 4th ed mantra "Oh they finally fixed it!"... followed almost inevitably by "You can move and charge now? Oh yeah baby!"... I think he was sold on that point alone.I converted my existing campaign to 4th ed as soon as I got the books (and if your local store is not stocking them yet, remember, there is always Amazon), but had not had a chance to participate as a player until last week, and I must say, I am enjoying it a lot.Talking of borrowing elements from online multiplayers to build the new D&D, it is fun to play up on this while we sit around the table.. because we all play MMORPGs and enjoy them, so it doesn't bother us that D&D is following design themes and play mechanics that are proven and effective, tested out by millions of World of Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft players... lets face it, Wizards of the Coast has some big creative firepower in it's arsenal. Sure, they are a profit generating machine and there is going to be a near endless stream of source books being churned out.. but I'm a mid thirties male with a steady paycheck and no mouths to feed.. buying hobby stuff is what I do.. I look at my library of 3.5 books and only shrug wistfully.. I know I am only going to be referencing them for 4th edition inspiration from now on... I better buy another book shelf.

Lets scare Chad Show this one to your g/f Freeflashclocks, I can assure you that at 1.20, she will jump out of her skin. How to describe this vid? Its like that show with the guys who pull stupid pranks, with a bit of Blair witch and X files thrown in, just to make it memorable.

Much like the Blue-ray/HD-DVD war, I think I will just sit back, grab the popcorn, wait and see.Never underestimate the greedy resourcefulness of Microsoft.. they smell profits and are armed for bear.

If that is referring to the Kerr singularity and the wormhole concept attached to it, that was largely debunked by Penrose in the nineteen sixties.. but the lure of the quick fix solution keeps the dream alive I guess. The basic idea is that all stars rotate, so a collapsed star will still be rotating, and observations have confirmed this.. however, and quoting wikipedia "A rotating black hole can produce large amounts of energy at the expense of its rotational energy. In that case a rotating black hole gradually reduces to a Schwarzschild black hole, the minimum configuration from which no further energy can be extracted.". So even if the singularity was spinning fast enough to create a ring, it would not last for a great deal of time. Second problem, and a major one, is that any matter passing through the event horizon and getting anywhere near the singularity is going to get severely messed up by tidal forces.. in astrophysics, they call this "spaghettification" (thanks to Stephen Hawking)... no object in the universe is strong enough to withstand this, it is just going to get destroyed, really, really badly. The idea of passing a living human through a wormhole... honestly, thats like throwing a frog in a blender and expecting it to come out in France, in 1783, perched on top of a hot air balloon... its just not going to happen. How to travel back in time? What is time? If time is expressed as the change of states, then we could stop time by stopping all energy interactions in the universe.. if absolutely nothing changes, then what sense does time make? A photon doesn't experience time, because it doesn't change.. from the perspective of a photon, traveling from a distant star, it is created, then suddenly it is hitting your retina and interacting with an atom in your eye.. for it, there was no distance or time involved, it simply didn't experience any change at all... thats why, when you look up at the stars at night, you are looking back in time, to how they were when the light hitting your eye was first created. So particles traveling at light speed do not experience time.. well, what if we could somehow detect or calculate, with absolute accuracy, where every particle in the universe was, at any time in the past, and had a machine so incredibly powerful, that it could move every particle in the universe, back to where they were at any time in the past. A machine with enough energy to tear the universe apart and put it back together again, in a precise fashion... Yeah I don't think that would be a very good idea.

Interesting that on the RPG board on the forum, the majority of posts are about computer games. Thats all good, the computer market is where its at these days, but believe it or not, the games that the computer RPGs are based on are still alive and well.Dungeons and Dragons recently entered a new era with the release of the Fourth Edition of the game. The reworked and revamped core rules sets, comprising the Dungeon Master's guide, Players Handbook and Monster Manual are now complimented by online resources which Wizards of the Coast are still developing as I write this. DnD Insider is the online resource that currently boasts two free access digital magazines (Dungeon magazine features more adventure based articles, while Dragon magazine is broader in scope, introducing beta versions of new game content, such as new character options, world elements, races and creatures), as well as a game Compendium, which allows anyone to search for specific powers, abilities and other data found in any of the core books. The Insider will soon release an online Character Visualizer, as well as an online Gaming Table, complete with map, miniatures, and dice, which will allow people to play the traditional game online, just as they would play it on the tabletop at home.As for the redesigned rules and themes of the new edition, I can say from my experience that the changes are great. I've been playing in and running games since the eighties, and the game as it is today is just as good as when I first started. The advantage of a tabletop RPG over an online multiplayer/computer game is that you are largely without restrictions in a tabletop game. Even the most free form online game is limited in what you can do or where you can go, the best example of this is interaction with other characters in the game that are not run by other people (Non Player Characters, or NPCs), the computer games can only be programmed to respond in a set way, and you just can't have an unlimited interaction with computer generated or programmed NPCs... in a tabletop RPG, the Dungeon Master is playing the role of all NPCs, so anything can happen.Another important aspect of Tabletop games is that you are actually interacting with real people, in a real environment.. it's hard to flame a guy who is sitting across the table from you, armed with dice.It is a social activity, first and foremost.No matter what sort of voice chat you have, an online MMORPG is less socially interactive than a traditional RPG.But this is not a criticism, it is just a comparison.4th Edition features more dynamic play, less oriented around acquiring magical items, more focused on cinematic and fantastical play. Characters can now adventure up to 30th level, they are armed with different powers which they can use a set amount of times per day or per encounter, as well as 'at will' powers that they can use all the time. The roles within the character adventuring group are more defined, so you can play a cleric or warlord (both leader roles), a fighter or palladin (defenders), warlocks, rogues or rangers (strikers) and the wizard (controller).. races are the Human, Halfling, Elf, Eladrin, Tiefling Dwarf, Half Elf and Dragonborn.Every class is equiped with special abilities, powers and class specific feat options.. you don't have to worry about lists of spells any more, or memorize the entire combat system just to be a fighter.. game play is smoother, faster, and more intuitive.If you used to play Dungeons and Dragons, I suggest you check out the Wizards of the Coast web site and take a look at the new game system.Meanwhile, for those of you who do play, what do you think of the new game?

One thing that points to it not being possible is the fact that it is not in existence.. there are no time machines or time travelers, nor is there any indication that anyone can tell what went on in the past with any absolute certainty.One problem with time travel technology is the old paradox problem.. given that as soon as you make a working time machine capable of going back to a time before it was invented, you have the chance of someone, somewhere in the future, deciding to go back and stop the time machine ever being made.. and there is a lot of future ahead of us, a lot of chances for that to happen. Statistically, given the amount of time involved, it is almost certainly going to happen.One could say that the fact there are time machines is proof that this has already happened.So maybe it is possible to make one after all... we will never know for sure.What a pity, that the very process of building a time machine, also assures that it never will be built at all.lol

Thats very philosophical of you A200.I have seen (as I'm sure many of you have) the statistical thought experiment which postulates on the probable number of developed species we might find in our galaxy.. space is very big, after all, and there are a lot of stars in our galaxy (which is fairly large, as galaxies go).The fact that we have yet to find any hard evidence that they are out there should never be used as an excuse to say 'there is nothing out there'.. it is probably just a matter of us not knowing what to look for.One smart guy thought that the best thing to look for would be infrared emissions, as any energy use by a technological culture would produce waste heat, and a sufficiently advanced species might have something like a Dyson sphere (an entire star enclosed in a shell which collects the star's energy for the use of that species).. this would show up as a dark star that emits infrared only.. but if we did find evidence of that kind of species, they would be largely beyond our ability to comprehend.. truly alien.If I could project a little.. lets say that our species was that advanced. We would be very, very weird from the perspective of one of us from our time (primitive hicks that we are).Imagine a world where humans are data, our bodies are constructs and we can operate multiple bodies at any time.. where our minds can operate at different rates of time, processing days in minutes, absorbing multiple experiences that took place at the same time, from multiple different perspectives, a lifetime would be a vastly different concept to a human who was free of the constraints of physical death, who had bodies constructed/grown for them, who existed beyond physical senses and the restraints of the body's ability to experience time and space.A culture of immortals, who can ghost themselves into remote constructs and purpose bred biological bodies, who could ignore the problems posed by the vast amount of distance that needs to be traveled between the stars, because they exist in an artificial data reality during transit, where subjective time is under their complete control.A species who regarded life as a biological entity on a planet's surface as a 'fun experience for a while', but who were more comfortable existing in a vast, complex digital reality.Would we even know how to deal with something like that?And thats only a few thousand years ahead of us... what would a species be like that has several million years on us?

This topic raises related issues.. I refer to the Herald article where the national security army guy points a finger at the media and lumps them together with international spies and terrorist groups in regards to threatening national security.Generally speaking, the media is not accountable for its actions.. and by accountable, I mean they can get away with a lot.On thing they may be able to pull off is silencing the voice of the internet.. the bloggers, the message boards, the alternative media.. if the media companies band together and really make a concerted effort, could they do something like that Information Card idea? Could we all have to register our personal details and submit to activity monitoring, just to access the internet at all?That, I think I find more disturbing than a global religious war.

So what is your story?Lets can the hyperbole and talk about the reality of earning money online.. how have you made this a reality? What did you do to start off and how have you built on those first steps? What is your actual income now and what can people realistically expect to achieve?How much time, how much of a return.. is it ever worth more than just working a regular job?

Sounds like they got hit by some sort of root eating fungus.. can't think of anything else that would destroy them so rapidly other than insects or animals.. As for my herb garden.. well technically it is my partner's herb garden, as she decides what goes into it.. I just keep those choices alive and well. This year we have the thriving Rosemary, the ever spreading Mint (which now seems to want to get mowed, as it is sprouting runners across the lawn), some Chives, a healthy, transplanted Parsley, some Oregano which survived through the winter by sleeping on our kitchen window sill and eating dead bugs (a spider made a home there and did a good job keeping the house flies under control.. hey its better than fly spray), some struggling Tarragon, yet another patch of Sage (I really need to find more recipes that use lots of sage), a Mizuma (not quite a herb, but its in there because we love Japanese cuisine) and two great big Silverbeet (because they provide nice shade and the spiders LOVE them.. and having happy spiders above ground is as vital as having happy worms below ground)... though she has insisted that the Silverbeet get harvested, we love adding leaves to our meals and the damn things are so productive, we can't really just rip them out.. it would be rude (and a waste). My secret for success is good drainage, and a lot of sheep manure.. the soil they are in is composed of about 90 percent sheep manure, sitting on a rocky bed with weed mat over that, then a bit of dirt and a lot of sheep manure. The property we are on has had, in it's past, some avid rock collecting people.. because I am always fishing rocks out of the soil, and there are some awesome rocks here! Day before yesterday, a big hunk of river rounded obsidian, which is now sitting on the fireplace mantel.. pretty pretty shiny shiny.. It can be a right pain when you try to dig up a new section when every spade strike hits a rock, however.

Do I believe that our future lies in space?Absolutely.. for one simple reason, if we stay here and do not venture into space, we are going to become extinct, and that is a certainty.There are billions of years of life left for this world, our star is relatively young, life on our world is robust and pervasive, and one of the most successful kinds of organism, the Dinosaur, lived for many hundreds of millions of years.But it they had a major problem, as do we.. one rock out of space and we are just as dead as they all are.I often hear people say that our end is the natural way of things, life moves on and the planet renews itself.Let me just rebut that with the argument that we are the only true intelligent life forms, that we know of, that have ever lived, or that are alive anywhere in the universe (that we know of).. sure, Dolphins are pretty smart, so are Chimps.. but only Humans have walked on another world, only we are capable of taking ourselves and by extension, the rest of the life forms that we depend on to survive, to another world.Think not just about our own kind, think about what we can do for all life? It is possible for a sufficiently disastrous cosmic event to wipe out all life on Earth.. no second chances, no reset button.. end of the story of life as we know it.I am not nihilistic enough to view that as anything but the worst kind of tragedy, and I have trouble understanding an opposing view to that sentiment, although I am sure there are a few who would say "We have no choice".I think survival is not only central to ourselves, it is our place in the scheme of things.. we are here to live, to be a part of life and to understand life, and more than that, we are here to protect and nurture life.I mean look at us.. we are a relatively fresh species on the planet, and yet we are unlocking the very building blocks of matter, the source code of life itself and we are very close to unlocking methods of producing clean, renewable energy sources on a wide scale. We can communicate with each other planet wide, we can live in nearly every environment thrown at us, we take active steps to preserve and protect other organisms, even those which are our predators (such as Tigers).. we have the means to take life and transport it through space, deposit it on another world, and nurture it to grow, adapt and start an entirely new ecological system.That automatically doubles our chances of long term survival as a species, and the same goes for all the other species which depend on us for survival.Without Humans, where would the cats and dogs be now? What about cattle and wheat? Vegetables and fruits?The plants and animals we depend on, also depend on us.. we are the best thing to ever happen to the cat, thats for sure.What problems do we face?Many, its true, but that will not stop us.We are driven by the need for resources, foremost, the economics is not the limiting factor, it is the driving factor.Our thirst for rare metals and fresh water, for new territory and for the strategic advantages of space will drive private industry and the new industrial giants to press out into space. Innovation thrives on conflict, and the struggle for resources is something we can all feel... every time we fill our gas tanks or buy those bottles of water.Who would have believed, one hundred years ago, that we would be buying bottled water?We have theories on increasing the speeds we can reach in space.. I think the best I have seen so far estimates a maximum of 70 percent of light speed, using a hydrogen ram jet system, collecting hydrogen from space with a magnetic scoop.. but lets not forget that we could propel craft around our own Solar system, just using the energy of the Earth and the Sun.. imagine pushing a space vessel using a laser?We can build systems to grow food and recycle water, but we need to iron out the kinks and get serious about it.. we need to fully utilize genetic engineering to unlock the power of living technology.. it is not impossible to imagine a living space vessel, at best, or at least a contained ecosystem of highly refined, engineered species, tailored to all of our needs.This requires a lot of water, and water is one of the best insulators against impacts from micro meteorites and the hard radiation of space... a handy coincidence.What a pretty sight it evokes.. a massive vessel, coated in bright, shining ice, with a green heart of verdant forests and productive, courageous people, traveling the vast voids of space.I want Humanity to survive, and one day, to be so far spread and independent, that no cosmic disaster can ever kill us all off in one horrible moment.Call me an optimist, but I think it will happen.

Hi people, I have a domestic garden in my back yard here in the north island of New Zealand, we are just getting into spring and I have planted cucumber, courgette, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, leeks, spring onions and chives, sage, rosemary, climbing beans, mint, pine nut, bay, oregano, tarragon, rhubarb, beetroot, lettuce and parsnip. I use weed mat to control both weed growth and the amount of water the plants get, plus it helps keep the slugs and snails down to a minimum as I infrequently sprinkle pellets to kill them off. I don't use any insecticides other than the snail pellets, but picking bugs off the plants is not hard work and can be quite interesting, so its not a big deal. I have a compost bin and it cuts our household rubbish down quite a bit, but for the most part, I use sheep manure to give the soil a boost every now and then.. it doesn't need anything else as the plants all seem to grow very well (why mess with a good thing?).Last year I had this thing for growing heaps of different tomato varieties.. this year my flatmates have said that tomatoes are fine.. just not a bucket full of them every week!Hey at least I know which ones are best suited for this location now.Anyway, nice to see a gardening section on these forums, its quite an addictive hobby eh?