i want to point out that i used to be a christian (indoctrinated while growing up) and a richard dawkins debate on youtube got me interested enough to read one of his books. after that i was no longer a christian.

with something as unprovable as god, i think that few people are going to be outright convinced by a debate, but it may open some minds to new possibilities and questioning why they believe what they do, prompting them to research further and come to their own conclusion.

further, when one debator presents a wide range of facts and evidence based on centuries of study, revision, and growing understanding -and the other debator simply presents a two thousand year old book, rhetoric, and subjective personal "proof", im willing to bet more on-the-fencers would find the science guy's argument more compelling than the god guy's.

so, youre saying that games shouldnt evolve?
i still love the 8/16bit stuff more than any other games, but thats not to say that new games do not have anything to offer. stuff like DDR wouldnt be as interesting on an NES (to the masses at least, i think it would be badass to play DDR w/chiptune). the Wii did a lot of unique things, 3d platformers offer a different experience than 2d platformers, games that rely on atmosphere are able to be more emersive due to more powerful hardware, etc...

and i think your argument is also out of place in this conversation, ubisoft is stating that they dont have enough power to improve the AI and that theyve throttled the graphics as a result. theyre trying to improve the underlying game, which would be odd for someone to complain about

i work for the military as a civilian in a IT-centric organization. for every 20 "IT Specialists" there is ONE that can do their job well and grow in it with proper nurture. the rest are monkeys that do not appear to have the capability to think critically and are in IT roles either because they wanted to be ("that looks cool" is sufficient) or scored highly on their ASVAB. they do the job they were trained to do and thats about it (even those SATCOM people).

consider that humanity doesnt know much about the workings of the universe. today's flying through space might be as silly a solution as in the 1600s traversing the atlantic submerged. there may very well be a "boat" solution to space that makes it far more hospitable to human travel.
if humanity is around long enough, future generations may laugh at our primitive space escapades that somehow managed to miss the simple solution(s) for so long.

this is the second time apple has been involved in a celebrity sex photo/video leak.

in 2008 Edison Chen (popular Hong Kong actor/singer) took his idevice to an apple store for service, his dozens of videos and photos of sex with a dozen famous HK starlets were on the internet, slowly leaked like these appear to be.

there was huge backlash, he ended up "retiring" from acting, but has since returned.

thats the logical solution, but people tend to be illogical when it comes to things like religion and sports as someone above already remarked.
at least i've only got the one monkey on my back

i stopped reading ESPN during off-seasons. the only thing they have to report is "XXXX was banned for X games for XXXX reason". the reason typically being DUI, drugs, shooting people, beating women -general dumbass illegal stuff. maybe the NFL should be year-round, practice and playing seems to be the only thing that keeps players busy enough to stay out of jail.

the business aspect makes sense, theyre obviously doing what brings in the most cash. no argument there. my point is that other US professional sports manage to treat their fans much better. probably because theyre afraid of actually losing fans (revenue) if they get too stupid. most companies have to balance their product, consumer happiness, and price. the NFL clearly understands that their fans are masochists who only care about the product and not the price or their own happiness. the NFL has none of the fear most regular businesses have (one of the benefits of having a monopoly -fortunately no one *needs* to see NFL games)

i consider it punishment as numerous very popular services they *could* provide dont exist:
-a competitor to the ever-stale Madden games
-streaming games online
-a way to watch all games (not only the ones you happen to get on tv in your area) without needing a ~$200 satellite subscription

these give consumers more choice and flexibility and are things that fans *really want* and will be happy to pay for. maybe "punishment" is the wrong word, "abuse" or "mistreatment" may fit better

people watch streams? but thats impossible! according to the leagues, if the option to watch from home existed then the stadiums would be empty!

pro football is like smoking crack, only harder to kick.

the NFL hates its fans with a *passion*, as evident by their business practices, and they punish us every way they can find (new terrible red zone ads, EA madden exclusivity, directv/verizon exclusivity, ~$90 preseason game ticket prices, $200 streaming games only outside the USA [NHL is $50, MLB similar -both available in the USA], etc).

if anyone (myself included) *could* quit enjoying seeing their team play, we would have already, and the NFL knows. the NFL is a shit organization, but we the fans have made it clear that we will put up with whatever bullshit they throw at us.

anyway, i dont think its unreasonable to want to be able to watch a game on tv. watching at home and attending a game are entirely different things. no one says 'lets not go to the game, it's on tv".
its very telling that the NFL needs a *law* to force people to go to games and pay their exhorbitant ticket costs.

military starved for funds? i work for the military and there is as much waste at the end of this fiscal year as there was for any other. if they dont waste it, they dont get as much to waste next year. the military "budget cuts" are bullshit, theyre still receiving far more than they know what to do with

and in many countries you do not need to remove your shoes. shit, sometimes when i fly in the US i dont have to remove my shoes, it always comes as a welcome surprise. wonder why planes arent falling out of the sky in areas without these restrictions...

yes, as so many of these batteries have been modified to be weapons with such disasterous effect on board planes, this is now a necessary measure.

furthermore:
*enough training can endow passengers with martial arts skills that can be used to deadly effect, passengers must be tied down
*laptops and other heavy objects can be used to bludgeon, no carry-ons allowed
*the in-flight meal plastic eating utensils can be deadly when applied correctly, eat with your hands
*a wild passenger could open the emergency door in-flight with disasterous effect, it should be locked
*a blanket and bottle of water can be used to waterboard other passengers in the privy, no more toilets, beverages, or articles made of cloth
*psychology may be applied to coerce a flight attendant into unknowingly aiding a terrorist plot, flight attendants must also hold a degree in psychology OR allow no one on board with an IQ over 50 OR gag all passengers

there are *so many* ways to fuck things up, the only way for TSA to secure flying is to expand the no-fly list to include absolutely everyone

working 40 is not the "bare minimum", it's what most people are hired for -usually in a contract.
doing good work during business hours and sacrificing time from your real life have nothing to do with each other in most cases