Lu 

It's actually in my non-mouse arm, the one that operates shift, ctrl and the letters A, Z and Q. Ah. Ah. Aaaah.

And then bills you for every track automatically.

I think I can answer this and I'm sure we've all heard this one before: Games are different from other media, because they're interactive. You're not watching violence, you're the one doing violence. I've heard this argument from friends and family as well, but when asked what they base it on? Because it's logical! Who needs proof when it feels like it's the truth?

Alright so, I'm pretty sure I've been nurturing RSI. I woke up tonight and my arm from pinky to elbow just had this whining annoying... Presence? I wouldn't call it pain, but it felt like my arm was tired and no matter what position I moved it in, I couldn't get it to feel not strained. While working, it's been coming on faster and faster so I figure I gotta do something about that before I damage something permanently. Steps I've undertaken so far are to change my desk layout, which already feels way more relaxed than before. Gonna buy an ergonomic keyboard today as well, which'll hopefully help as well. Plus, I should really start exercising again. I was thinking of going to the nearby swimming pool, get a morning pass so I can do some lane swimming. And I suppose I should take PC breaks more often. SIGH. I'm blaming my new desk. Never had issues before. Any advice would be helpful.

So there's this thing called the B612 Foundation and what they're doing is really cool. Their mission statement is to find and track asteroids that will hit earth with enough time to plan deflections of said asteroids. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KAlF4xxRTwI Here is their website.

Seriously, who comes up with stupid ideas like this and do they realize how monumentally stupid they are? Aggravating nonsense that is a waste of time and money. Apply hand directly to self-face.

First time a game told me to press "L3" I must've examined my controller for like 15 minutes before I decided to google what the hell L3 was supposed to be. I have to admit I kind of like them for things like sprinting and instant-actions like the knife in Call of Duty, but I'm sure there is a better solutions... Someone think of it! The gamecube shoulder buttons were a good mention. They were some of the most comfortable shoulder buttons in existence too.

That was my thought as well. Although, if his/her privacy and right to choose is remain untarnished, maybe. (Realizing I'm speaking from a place of privilege here) But the simple fact that he/she would differ quite a bit might make the former impossible. Another problem I had: Since when does cranial size have anything to do with intelligence? I mean, he did say "could ", but it still rubbed me the wrong way. Or did I not pay attention and cranial size is related to intelligence. What if the bite of a Neanderthal turns humans into zombies? What then, huh? Where will we be then!? Meanwhile, 30 years into the future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1i0fQWDSU4 PS. bring on the chicken raptors.

Ok, yea, cool. So when are we bringing back the dinosaurs?!

Combing jam is one of my favourite pastimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rraR3g3Zds&feature=youtu.be YUUUUP! Probably get more out of that one if you watch show.

I finished reading that article that Youmeyou linked to (that was some damn dense vocabulary) and it made me go back and watch a few of the scenes it talked about. It provides two readings of the movie "I will first read the film as a progressive representation of the cyborg that challenges dominant culture in order to demonstrate how it creates the illusion that the dominant is really being challenged. I will then re-consider this reading by re-examining the film in order to show how its subversive potential has been, in effect, de-fanged and redirected to serve more conservative interests." and while I didn't find myself agreeing with all his points in the 2nd reading, I do think some of them have merit. Like Youmeyou said; it kind of undermines its own point, in effect. To adress the opening scene directly; it's a toughie for me. It makes sense in the context of the narrative. but then, yea, she is the only one with the skin-fitting thermoptic camouflage. I'm divided on it. I think I gotta rewatch the movie in its entirety and let it all mull around a bit more. Very much this. Definitely worth a watch, but as has been established, not without its flaws.

Although I'm not familiar with the Kalevala, that was pretty fantastic.

Yes. I am ready. Give me... NEXT-GEN. I'm also glad, because now that I've gotten used to the 360 pad I bought for my PC recently, I don't see myself ever using my Dualshocks again. Except, you know, for my PS3. While incredibly curious and excited about the prospects of new systems, I wonder if I'll actually end up getting one. I got everything hooked up to each other in my home now, which has kind of made all my consoles obsolete. I guess it all hinges on the exclusives and whether or not the systems can do something my PC cannot.

Yea, all of the above. Usually huge inequalities as well (see mega-corporations). I think transhumanism is also more often than not an aspect of the genre. And I'm sure you could do a comedy in a cyberpunk world. That would actually be really interesting.

To lift a line from the Wikipedia article, I think "high tech and low life" in a dystopian future is a pretty spot on and concise description of Cyberpunk.

I think that's more scifi-fantasy, though there's definitely an influence there. And besides the turn-based combat, I don't really think it has anything in common with a JRPG. Not enough bullshitting about strength, the strength of friendship and the power of cooperation. Although I suppose you are saving the entire universe?

My point was that I don't think the nudity in the movie comes across as sexualized. I do not feel the same way about the TV series and the manga (the latter of which contains scenes that are pretty much softcore porn).

I think a lot of assumptions are being made about what jeremywc meant with that. So allow me to add one of my own! I thought he meant that it's a complicated issue with more sides to it than "ban guns, fix problems". I don't think that that genie is going back into the bottle; gun ownership is essentially a part of american culture (accurate?) so the complications would have to do with regulations and enforcing those regulations. If even half of that earlier linked Daily Show segment is accurate, you could probably lower the gun violence a lot simply by patching that stupid nonsense up. At least, that's another assumption one could make, right? When people started making violent games an issue again, I felt so exhausted. Not this shit again. But when Obama announced that research fund I was glad. Research the shit out of it, because I think all of us here are reasonably sure that violent games do not cause violent behaviour. Then they've spent 10 million dollars on what we already know and the NRA can shut the fuck up. Creepy out of touch dickheads. But hey, Jeremywc, what did you mean by that?

And it is still CD Projekt RED after all. The Witcher 1 and 2 didn't really prove they could handle sexual themes with maturity. Better than a lot of others, but still pandering to males. That aside, I am quite curious what this will end up being though. Especially curious about the world, because RED builds some sweet worlds! Thanks for that link by the way. I will give it a read soon. Yea, excellent point.

It's my future view from my space apartment space balcony in space. I died of asphyxiation shortly after.

Granted, it's been years and years since I've played it, but all this talk about how difficult it is and the weapon degradation and the respawns; I remember none of that ever being an issue. Well, I remember the respawns, but not in a bad light at all. Color me perplexed! I should replay it sometime and find out.

Are we talking about the movie here? Because I always thought there was a point to the nudity in that film. Being that Kusanagi is a full-body cyborg who is unsure that she's even human anymore. How do I word this... A symptom of her existential crisis? Like how in one scene, Batou covers her up, but that seems more for his sense of decency rather than hers. Or I am rationalizing too much.

Ninja Gaiden Black! I think I played through that whole game like 4 times. God of War always felt like the anti-Ninja Gaiden to me; loose and, what's the word... delayed? I don't know. At some point I stopped playing God of War and I don't remember why. I played only a little of DMC3, but I gotta say that that new one piqued my curiosity. And hey, it's on PC too! Ok, so a totally different style, but definitely one of my favourites combat systems: The Batman: Arkham games. So many things that game does in its game design that is just so... Modern!