Roderick

I always like to think that people actually wear those goggles in real life. They're pretty spectacular. And fun pic!

Good job, Twig! And that seems like a romantic day, Kroms! On another note, last night dreamed that I had a flaming argument with Chris here on the forums. Yeah.

That recruitment vid is ace.

I just remembered another ending that I thought was really good and subtle, that of The Ides of March (one of my favorite movies of 2011 in general).

Best thing that worked for me was tagging along with a colleague after work. Social pressure, and paying through the nose for a fitness subscription did the rest.

Well, you know how we Dutchmen are such godless heathens, so that should be no surprise. A very nice poem! Though when I think of Jerusalem, I think of a desert shithole filled with loonies who want to kill each other. That whole olympic statement of intent makes it all the more creepy, when you know the SWAT zeppelins are looming to crack down on some poor sucker with a pub to protect the commercial rights of MacDonalds.

'The idea of Jerusalem?'

This is the fundamental flaw at the heart of this universe: now that the Joker has been introduced, it's impossible not to use him and get away with it. There's some plot contrivance to explain why he wasn't released along with all the other inmates in Blackgate (apparently Joker is the sole inhabitant of Arkham Asylum now), but it's bullshit. The whole thing about the Joker was that you can't capture him, you can't hold him, he will find a way to escape, because he's not a man but a force of nature. Going 'oops, he's in jail now' doesn't cut it in the slightest. Not that I'm saying a second movie with Joker would've been better or even a good idea (it might, it might not). It's just that you've taken this world to the next level and resetting it with another orderly League of Shadows villain with a straight-to-DVD world destruction scheme won't do. Upping the ante; everything else is boring.

Lupus. I'm not being helpful, but I have no insights.

http://www.wired.com...etacean-rights/ This article on Wired (through The Mary Sue) speaks of a process underway to obtain legal rights for dolphins and whales (in the US) as the world's first 'non-human persons'. Other animal species up for debate are, obviously, chimpansees and other races of monkey/ape. I think this is terrific if it could come true. It's long been an established scientific fact that these animals in particular (and many other animals in general) have complex inner feelings, a good or great degree of self-consciousness and are capable of communication and developing relationships. The question posed here is how do we classify a person? Is it purely a matter of chromosomes, or are intangible notions such as the above list the important thing? It reminds me of the debate that used to exist centuries ago about the 'soul' and whether (black) slaves had one, and therefore should be treated as people. The notion then seemed just as absurd to most as acknowledging dolphins and whales as 'people' now, but the difference is much smaller than you'd think. When it comes down to it, it's all elitist, speciesist snobbery. (Concurrently and as an aside; these thoughts were what made me gave up on eating meat a year ago: I refuse to eat creatures capable of higher thought and the ability to form complicated relationships, which includes mammals and birds. I still eat fish, and if I had a taste for them would eat insects and worms, since I consider those, perhaps slightly capriciously but with some science behind it, as a lower form of existence. I'm not claiming to be morally completely pure here, but there is a method to the madness.)

Psychonauts. I have always considered that to be such an amazing ending, perfect for the tone of the story, really revving you up and at once bringing closure to the plot and opening up new possibilities for the characters' future. But apart from that, almost nothing comes to mind of a really singularly amazing ending. Return of the Jedi ends on a fun vibe, I always thought.

Yes, I totally agree, though I'm maybe slightly warming up to the movie, in the sense that I'm thinking "well, it was bad, but maybe next time it won't make me physically nauseous." That's improvement!

Some days, brevity just isn't an option.

FluxW, you're enthusiasm is great, but I think you're barking up the wrong community. I doubt any of us are in a stage in our life where we have the time or willingness to spend incredible effort on a project that is not personal or an initiative that sprung up right here among ourselves. I'd much rather see you mingle here like everyone else does, instead of trying to sell projects of varying dubiousness.

Marek, where are the goddamn video games man?

They are getting more nonsensical every time

I like it, that's a happy car.

Oh man, that was not the image I had in my head.

Jack Black was a hobo in the 1920s?! Or is it a fictionalised autobiography?

A few years ago I had a very small panic attack, completely out of the blue while I was relaxing on a sofa. It included my tongue and arms 'tingling' and a very small loss of speech (scary as all fuck). The point being that panic attacks can really, really come out of the blue, even if you don't feel stressed at all, or weren't hyperventilating when it happened. It hasn't happened to me ever since, but every person is different. This may not be helpful, but I hope you figure it out.

Interested in that one!

Good luck! Once you get to publishing the game you'll need to avoid licensing conflicts. I suggest you call it "Explodeydude" from here on out.

I have no board game paraphernalia at hand, but it seems like a fun idea. With Bomberman, the thing that ultimately gets you in a pinch is that you make a wrong move under time pressure. Is that aspect incorporated, or is it a purely strategic thing now?

Oh yes, it's pretty jesty and proddingly provocative. I certainly don't consider not getting kids something to brag about, or feel superior to other people about. I try not to be smug about anything, really. Just tapping into the conversation. It is a fact though that in the long run, a child puts way more strain on the ecology than the sum of all the organic eggs you buy and carton you recycle. It's not entirely on-topic, but overpopulation is a very real problem that will create an immense, unforeseen amount of suffering in the world within our lifetime. Me (most likely) not getting children is ironically of the least influence, because where I live there is enough ecological support and room. But I weep for Africa, which will in the coming decades be devastated by a doubling of population. But I do realize that speaking of limiting getting children is an incredibly sensitive, taboo topic that gets people riled up like nothing else.