Dantius

Originally Posted By: Enraged Slith OMG, I like, so, like, LOVE TWILIGHT!1!@!@!!. I vote that all the engineers on the board divide into "Team Edison" and "Team Tesla", because that would be awesome. I'll start by declaring my unswerving allegiance to Tesla. EDIT: Actually, come to think of it, I may be the only engineer on the boards. Plenty of scientists, though. I guess they can vote, too.

Originally Posted By: Wingnut wat does it do? You can give it to Barzhal for a thousand coins, IIRC.

Originally Posted By: Dreaming Under Elderberries Good strategy, Dantius. But be a little more blatant and annoying with your whining; that's what got me into Episode 3. Subtlety is my middle name. And my first and last, too, in case you didn't get the point.

Originally Posted By: Randomizer Isn't it about time for a new episode? *hint, hint* Preferably an updated one that doesn't star/prominently feature users that are no longer around or were banned.

Originally Posted By: Master1 Yes. I was joking. I am aware of the atmospheric effects of volcanic eruptions. EDIT: I now realize that the true solution to climate change is a gigantic umbrella to protect us from any extra sunlight! It's been proposed, and it's actually not as crazy as it sounds. Basically you spew volcanic gases into the air and they block sunlight from entering, and if you calculate it correctly, then the blocking out of the sunlight should perfectly balance the greenhouse effect. There's a section covering it in much deeper (and more accurate) detail in Superfreakonomics (Which I recommend everybody read, along with Freakonomics, too!)

The ash cloud. Oh dear.

Originally Posted By: The Mystic Kind of difficult, as last I heard TM is still banned. He has posts as of March 4, 2010.

Originally Posted By: The Mystic Originally Posted By: Dikiyoba Spiritwashing Dikiyoba is terribly confused by this product. Sounds like one of a series of products commonly referred to as "snake oil." Or some kind of mineral water blessed at the local church-of-the-month-club. Honestly, that looks less like snake oil than like normal soap. If you take out all the adjectives, you get water, ash, some minerals, a foaming agent/scent, and some chemical gibberish that he's probably just using to mean "sodium hydroxide" AKA lye. By mixing lye with ash with water, you get a very primitive soap. If you dissolve that in hydrogenated fats, you get a bar of soap. He's probably just diluted it enough that he gets liquid soap. It's not so much classified as "snake oil", which would be what you would get if you tried to market water or olive oil as soap (it's been done), but it falls more under "snake oil salesmanship"- he's selling you a primitive form of soap as a miracle clenser. While he's clearly not being entirely honest(electrically engineered water? Ha!), he's not lying either, and thus, the product is still kosher.

I will miss Dikiyoba. S/he (Shir?) was a good mod. I nominate TM to fill the vacant spot.

If I had to pick one, it would probably be 1984 by George Orwell. A warning, it's not light reading. It is a book that you read, and then sit and think about for a long while, and then read again, and then sit down and think about again for a long time. And then everything you ever hear about on the news ever will make you think of 1984. It's probably been the single most influential book i have ever read, and is easily my nomination for best book of the twentieth century since the themes laid out in it are literally the entire driving engine of the past 100 years of history until 1991. If I had to recommend two books that were not quite so heavy, it would be The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein, which is like depleted uranium compared to 1984's osmium, and Foundation by Isaac Asimov, which is an masterful integration of both intensely personal narratives while simultaneously incorporating grand, sweeping themes and characters reminiscent of the Galactic Empire he created. The book is also extremely light, short, enjoyable, and readable. I'd recommend it if you just want a bit of a fun read- it's not hard at all. ... On a completely different note, I've found that Wagner is the perfect companion soundtrack to any of these three books. The rampart nationalism, racism, and Pan-Germanic overtones of the music(plus the fact that he was, like, Hitler's FAVORITE PERSON EVER) make it perfect for setting the dark tone of 1984(Siegfried's Funeral March and The Immolation Scene from Gotterdammerung in particular). The right-wing individualism emphasized by the importance placed on the heroic actions of individual characters set the tone for the libertarian background present in TMIAHM (pretty much any aria ever would work here, in particular I'm thinking of Lohengrin, but I guess you could use Die Walkure). And finally, the sweeping scale of his works and music fit perfectly for the sweeping scale of Asimov's Foundation series(here you'd go with the Pilgrim's Chorus adn the finale from Tannhauser, or perhaps the overture from Der Fliegendeholländer, which is like the best song ever). So now you know.

Originally Posted By: Nioca I want to vote, but I have a question: What exactly is the definition of Wraith as an undead creature? Think ringwraith: A living human transformed into a non-corporeal creature with no vital signs or indications of life, without having actually have died at any point.

Originally Posted By: Dikiyoba In the beginning of the third book, he drains the life force out of several living things to replenish his magic so he can heal his companions and face the upcoming battle at full strength despite the fact that the importance of all life gets hammered to death in the second novel. HE SAYS HE'S SORRY SO IT'S ALL GOOD!!!!!

Ah, forgot one more thing. All those essays are other people's take on Card. If you want a really good picture of what the man is like, read his article here. Basically he blasts intellectuals, the left, the news media, the First Amendment, free speech, and Islam. Especially Islam. Card seems to think that the vast majority of the Muslim world are some sort of subhumans. He's not a nice person, at all.

Originally Posted By: cfgauss Eh? It's been a while since I've read it but I'm pretty sure it's a bit of a stretch to say that this book is any worse than most other sci-fi in terms of that kinda stuff. Some of his later books in the series are crazy, though, but not Ender's Game. Three essays you should probably read: A nice, well orderd, logical, critique of Ender's game A not so nice shredding of Orson Scott Card Ender Wiggin is Hitler incarnate

Originally Posted By: esseay Dang it!! Start over! I don't use cheats, except the showmeall and an rare healmenow. My computer has restarted suddenly several times during the game. Could it be a hardware issue? Oh well, start over it is. Thanks! Ive had this problem before, namely when I switch zones. The trick is to wait for about 10 second after the world map comes up, and then click the travel button. Also, you might want to use a dustbuster can to clean out your computer's fan (this may seem irrelevant, but that was the source of the problem for me.)

Originally Posted By: Cthulhu I figure our benevolent overlord would be the prime candidate for supplying said novel. I would guess that Jeff has neither the time nor inclination nor financial incentive to write us a book, much less one that based on a game universe he has already done to death.

Originally Posted By: Cthulhu Ender's game for Science Fiction and its sequels, which deal more heavily on philosophical topics Oh god no. You've GOT to be kidding me. When I want my neofacist fundamentalist jingoistic xenophobic propaganda, I'll go read Mein Kampf, thank you very much. I have no idea why Ender's anything is even still in the scifi canon, much less as popular as it inexplicably is. Don't read it. Ever.

Good sci-fi books, you say? Okay! 1. Foundation series by Isaac Asimov 2. Dune by Frank Herbert 3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein 4. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein 5. Robot series by Isaac Asimov 6. Contact by Carl Sagan 7. Sprawl trilogy by William Gibson 8. 1984 by George Orwell 9. Brave New World by William Gibson 10. Hyperion by Dan Simmons I'm sure that Arthur Clarke wrote something too, but don't quote me on that.

Originally Posted By: cfgauss This isn't about getting mad and punching holes in a wall (which is already stupid) it's about not acting like an adult and taking responsibility for stupidly punching holes in the wall. Quote: Anyway I've punched couple of holes in the wall few years back and just covered it up with posters and now that my lease is up for renew, there is a chance my landlord might find out about it. And then asks if he should tell the manager? I'm sorry, but that's just stupid, childish, and selfish. Looks like somebody's on their high horse...

Originally Posted By: JSMany I wouldn't mind seeing a new reality tv show called Queer Eye for the Undead Guy where they spiffy up the ugly liches and show pale vampires how to use spray on tan lotions. Guido vampires?

Originally Posted By: JSMany Doesn't matter how much bling you can cover you face with if you can't use it to impress girls. Besides I doubt lichs can even get laid since their danglies must have rotted off centuries ago. Again I feel the need to link to OOTS.

Originally Posted By: Student of Trinity You could spiff up your ugly skull with bling. Alternatly, you could simply wear a badass crown:

Originally Posted By: CRISIS on INFINITE SLARTIES This is the first game where stats have gone above 30, so it wasn't an issue before. Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't you increase stats beyond 30 in BoA? I seem to recall my slith pole warrior having a base pole weapons of like 34 after completing Exodus.

Originally Posted By: waterplant And never rent Dantius an apartment. Not necessary, I own a house- I can wreck it however I please.

Fix it up with plaster, and the put the posters back, or even better move furniture in from of it(the heavier, the better). I highly doubt you landlord will know, and if for whatever reason they begin moving your furniture and tearing down your posters, claim that the damage was there before you arrived, and come up with a plausible story why. If you do a good enough job covering it up, they shouldn't even know.