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The golden rule of arts and sciences

Jan 23 2012

SOPA isn’t dead. Far from it.

The people behind that bill and a host of other bills over the years are able to bring that bill, or its equivalent, back as many times as they please, until they have a legislature and president willing to pass it and sign it.

SOPA primarily is supported by money, but it is primarily only opposed by speech.

Money buys votes, essentially. It buys the votes of the legislature, because money buys your vote.

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A landmark ruling 37 comment(s)
Second Life’s greatest strengths are also its greatest weaknesses 16 comment(s)
Stuck trying to log into Second Life? You’re not alone 20 comment(s)
2ndMe Launches Final Version and Offers Free SL Export 1 comment(s)
The llGiveInventory throttles 6 comment(s)
How to: Get and install the Mektek Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries release, and get it to actually work 15 comment(s)
Project Skylight, the Web-based viewer for Second Life now on the Web 27 comment(s)
Another alt-detector on the Second Life Marketplace 23 comment(s)
Fangs or GTFO 17 comment(s)
The golden rule of arts and sciences 22 comment(s)

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The end of the world (as we know it)

Jan 11 2012

I’m an end-of-the-world survivor. Through my life, there have been dozens of dates set for doomsday. Magic comets, mysterious asteroids, the second coming, planetary alignments, the rapture, you name it. People keep picking dates and years that the world will end – so many that I don’t think I’ve lived through a single year when there has not been at least one prediction that the world would end that year.

Stubbornly, the world has refused to end, much to the embarrassment and chagrin of many doomsday prophets.

Welcome to 2012.

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The greatest danger to our teenagers

Dec 12 2011

The piece that I’m about to reproduce here first appeared in The Age newspaper, on 9 May, 1956. In it, a fiendish danger to society and our youth is laid bare. I’ve left the original article emphasis in place.

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Ubisoft is right, but for the wrong reasons

Nov 27 2011

Citing 95% PC piracy rates, Ubisoft seems to be quitting the PC games market. The problem with games piracy statistics are manifold: Nobody actually knows what the piracy rates really are (though they seem to be likely to be on a par with console piracy rates – probably – since there’s certainly no shortage of console games piracy), and there are other factors involved like release-timing, product quality and pricing that all play their part.

Ubisoft’s PC versions of their games have become increasingly so slapdash and cack-handed that it isn’t really surprising that PC gamers simply don’t want to buy them. I don’t have to tell you that this does not make for a good business model for the PC games market, but someone should probably tell Ubisoft.

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