JoeTrumpet

Checked out Fallout, but I think I want a not-so-grim title for the holidays, so KotOR it is. Thanks a ton, guys!

Hey everyone, I'm currently stuck alone due to a delayed flight till evening of Dec. 23rd and have 3 days to kill. I'm in the mood for an RPG, especially since I'm using a laptop with no mouse, and it needs to be downloadable and preferably cheap, so I'm leaning toward Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic. Open to suggestions, though. Knights of the Old Republic is half the price of Mass Effect, but I've never watched Star Wars, and so was wondering everyone's suggestion given this fact. Dragon Age is tempting, but really expensive at 2.5 times ME's price. Thanks!

Oh, YouTube comments are the worst. I'll check it out right now. ... My favorite: "Just another ignorant American."

I heard he was banned from participating in any World Taekwondo Federation competitions and that even his coach was too. Poor coach (unless he did something too; didn't notice if he did). "The World Taekwondo Federation said after the match that Matos, along with his coach, Leodis González, would be banned from all its future sanctioned events and his records at the Beijing Games would be erased. " (From New York Times.) As a Cuban-American I have to say that was pretty lame. Not going to help people view Cuba in a better light.

Reading about the UK university system's way of handling finances makes me appreciate the US system even more... Not to rub it in or anything : peace:

Great post, Fierce_Link. In response to those who say those who are dumber are often happier, I've always heard that the closer you are to mean intelligence (IQ ~85-115), the happier you usually are. Too much variance in either direction may alienate you from people, though it's by no means a rule. As for me, I would choose intelligence over looks. I may only be saying this because I've never actually experienced the feeling of truly being ugly, but I have experienced intelligence (to whatever extent) and I know it's something I don't want to leave behind

Thanks for the good read. I'd like to see where the scholars take this next.

Very interesting to see the differences. I have to say, I did very much enjoy knowing the admissions decision by April (if I'd been waitlisted it would've been pretty much early on in May, but a waitlist is usually a "don't count on it: get used to the idea of going somewhere else"). Scotland as Charlie presented it sounds like a nicer version of that system. Waiting till mid-August? How nerve-wrecking. When do universities typically start? Hopefully at least a few weeks after that. I'm also curious about how financing your education works over there. Is there a large discrepancy between government and private schools in both quality and cost? Private schools have a considerably higher sticker price over here, but they tend to offer substantial scholarships to ensure only a fraction of the student body pays full price. There's not much of a difference between the two here either, at least in terms of employment prospects or graduate school admissions. Class sizes tend to be larger in public schools, though. Thanks for answering my questions I have an unreasonably high level of interest in education.

Wait, so in the UK you don't even know yet if you will be able to go to your university? Someone mentioned something about results coming in August. When do you find out and when do you have to decide where you're going? Or is there some sort of hierarchy you've already chosen for universities? In the US the latest schools notify students of their acceptances (accepted, waitlisted, or denied) online on around April 1st (application deadline at the end of December) and the national deadline to decide is May 1st, so I'm interested in how different this system seems.

I'm deciding between two universities right now, and it's a little tough for me to choose. I know what I'm leaning toward, but my second choice nags the heck out of me in the back of my mind. Everyone that has been very involved in the whole college process says, at least about schools here in the US, that you should do everything you can to visit all the schools. You're going to be living at this place for a few years, and sometimes just visiting the schools for a day can immediately change the first-choice of prospective students that were 99% sure. I've yet to visit my schools, though I'm seeing my as-of-now second choice this Thursday-Saturday and my first choice next Thursday and Friday. It's a very personal choice, and even hours and hours of talking to other current and prospective students and viewing the forums (guilty) can't let you know as much about the school as visiting.

Because I am picky, I must point out that it's actually Disney World in Florida. Disneyland is in California. Disney World is better than Disneyland, too Other than the theme parks of Orlando (and there are a LOT), Florida is pretty much Miami for the culture and beaches, St. Augustine for some history, the Keys for some more water, and the Everglades if you like swamps. It's nice. Going by canoe through the mangroves and walking through the natural parks are a couple natural activities I've enjoyed here. Not sure if it'd be my first pick in the US, but my family's never had the money or time to leave the state since they came from Cuba, so I can't suggest anything else. A cliche vacation spot for American families is the Grand Canyon. Looks pretty in photos, if you like natural beauty.

I'm not sure what some people expected when they bought the Wii. I remember the GameCube days quite well, and I don't know how anyone that lived through that thinks the Wii is in any sort of bad shape. I was going to quit gaming after the last generation (PS2, Xbox, and GameCube were all disappointing to me), but the Wii rejuvenated my interest in gaming. I know what I expect when I buy a Nintendo console: extraordinary games by my favorite developer. Do I care about anything else? Not really: I've experienced enough gaming at this point that the typical 360 and PS3 material can't grab my interest, but Nintendo still does it. I wouldn't trade Super Mario Galaxy for all the "top tier" games on any other console. I suppose few share my point of view, but I can't help but think that is what Nintendo's consoles have delivered before and I wouldn't have expected anything different.

Sounds like a rather streamlined process. What's part of the application? Over here applications range from extracurriculars and community service, grades, scores, and a short writing sample to ec+community, grades, scores, three letters of recommendation, and three writing samples (ranging from 300 minimum to 500 minimum words)--the latter would be my first choice school's application. More selective schools offer interviews, but none that I've seen require it.

It's fun reading about the UK system of applying to college. I don't really understand most of what you guys are talking about . So, all of these schools have requirements for admission? Does anyone that meets the requirements get admitted? And when do the schools tell you whether you are admitted? It seems like many have already notified you. Do they base the decision depending on your major? Are you bound to the major you select on your application? I'm just really curious about how it works over there. Over here, I applied to the University of Chicago, among others, and I won't hear back from any of my top tier choices until early April, and then I must make a decision before May 1st. Most schools ask my top 3 intended majors, but I am not at all bound to them. I could change my major until the end of my second year at the school. No schools have any requirements, and it's not at all uncommon to see people with worse test scores and exam grades receive admission over someone with perfect scores and grades. I can't wait to go.

People seem to do that a lot. You can complain about the man telling the jokes, or you can complain about the thousands of people that rally him on. I'd say it's more the fault of the people that support it fiscally than the comedian. Though the comedian tells the jokes, the hundreds of thousands of viewers support it whole-heartedly. Not that it really bothers me: plenty of comedians don't resort to that, so I never need to come across it. Anyway, more on topic, I am not a racist in the least. I acknowledge, quite bluntly in most cases, the differences between cultures, but I regard none as less than my own (I am a Cuban of Spanish and Greek descent). I have, however, experienced it: in an apartment complex we once lived in full of older white residents, the residents would complain about us being too loud and other nonsense. I had my bike stolen from a bike rack filled with other bikes (though I suppose this might not have been racism), and someone vandalized the bulletin board with "Viva Fidel!" and blamed us for it. Obviously, my parents wouldn't support Castro since they left that country, but people were happy to blame us. Even so, I'm very happy with the progress of society. As the older generation is replaced with the younger progressives, these old prejudices are quickly dying out, and I look forward to the day when racism is virtually a nonfactor. Pointing to American politics, Barack Obama's victory in South Carolina, a historically less progressive state than some others, received 50% of white voters under 30. That's fantastic. Sure, he received only 16% of votes from people 60+, but the youth is where the future is. The world has made great strides, and I see it all getting better.

I'm an Aries, but the description simply doesn't fit. My most notable feature should be my love of adventure, but anyone who knows me would describe me as infatuated with plainness. I dress in the exact same clothing everyday, I eat almost the exact same food everyday, I do the exact same thing everyday, and I have done all this for years and wouldn't have it any other way. I should prefer a career of thrill, but I want to be a professor; I should prefer spicy food, but mild sauce I can't even stand; I should enjoy horror films, but they give me nightmares. I suppose some aspects fit me, as I can be quite passionate. Leadership? When I am very into something, yes, but if I feel someone is more qualified, I am quite fine not being the leader. Some aspects work, but on the whole, I don't think people would expect me to be an Aries unless they heard me talking about something I'm passionate about. But astrology is still fun to read every once in awhile

Wow. I didn't realize how complete the Subspace Emissary seemed. Playing that on co-op will bring me back to the wonderful era of 2D gaming. That video plus the comments from Famitsu have made this game far more appealing. I wasn't too excited about another Smash Bros game (though I would buy it regardless of the 1P mode), but suddenly those who believe it will outscore Super Mario Galaxy seem less crazy (but still, nonetheless, crazy).

Jammy's completely right. What console does have a fantastic first year? And who cares if there are a ton of mediocre titles? As mentioned earlier, it's inevitable that the most popular and cheapest to develop for console will have the most quick cash-in titles. I'd rather focus on the quality and diversity of what's out there: Super Mario Galaxy couldn't be traded for anything on either PS3 or 360, Metroid Prime is a great first-person adventure, Godfather proved the Wii could pull off adventure games, and all the other games every one else mentioned are enjoyable in their own light. The 360 titles, in my opinion, aren't anything more special than the good Wii games: they all represent the same gritty FPS subgenre, and are more attractive for a boost of masculinity than for quality gaming. They're good games and all, but hardly anything noteworthy has evolved past Perfect Dark on the N64, and I'd put them more on par with Godfather or Trauma Center: good, but nothing spectular (and at least the Wii has diversity). I must be the minority, but I feel one amazing game like Mario Galaxy easily overshadows a horde of good rehashes of gritty FPS.

I guess I'm in the minority being only a Wii owner. 360 and PS3 games don't really interest me, so I doubt if I'll ever get either of those. I began losing interest in modern games last generation, and Nintendo breathing new life into gaming with the Wii and DS is all that's keeping me from becoming a pure retro gamer.

Grey and gray are both fine. Also, nice post. My parents have refused to ever try any video games, yet the Wii has opened gaming up to them -- even if only limited to Wii Sports and fishing in Zelda

I lend things out pretty often, and usually don't have a problem. I typically don't even remember who I lend things to, but I eventually get them back anyway. However, once, probably 8 years ago, I lent my friend an N64 game. When I asked for it back, he told me he sold it. He sold my game for his own profit. He reimbursed me a fabulous $10, but I doubt that's all he got for a practically brand new $60 game back then.

It's interesting, I had a similar phase. When I found myself more into jazz, I discovered the alternative acts of hip-hop. I agree it's a very over-criticized genre, as many people don't realize the alternative acts bear little resemblance to the mainstream acts. An interesting group for me to listen to was The Last Poets, a late 60s, early 70s street-poetry-over-background-rhythms group considered one of the earliest influences to hip-hop, very politically charged. Apparently they're still in existence, though I've never heard anything later than the 1970 album. It's nice to hear the roots. As for blues, I really don't have any experience with it, now that I think about it. I think I'll check out some of the artists you mentioned.

TP was a great game. The main problem for me is that the towns just weren't very interesting. I liked Kakariko from OoT and LttP, Clock Town and the ranch from Majora's Mask, but TP didn't have anything like that. It just seemed very empty. Zelda just seemed almost forced into the story as well, while the story as a whole dwindled as the game progressed. Basically, as a Zelda game, the dungeons were great, but it's what's between the dungeons that could've been improved. Still an amazing game, though, and I dedicated my life to it for six days when I got it till I beat it. Definitely beats Wind Waker.

What? What is this? Someone who practically recommended the same jazz I would've recommended? This is such a rare thing to find, to see these albums named off by someone that's not me. :heart: It's so nice to find another fan of jazz, especially someone who's willing to explore Mingus and Coleman. Black Saint and the Sinner Lady has to be one of my favorite albums of all time, though I know for some people it's a little bit too much Mingus to handle as their first album, so I generally let people hear Mingus Ah Um first. Out of curiosity, have you heard the band Orange Then Blue? It was a lesser known jazz band from Boston led by George Schuller in the early 90s, which I consider the a great extension of Mingus's style: creative and progressive big band. I recommend the album "While You Were Out" if you're interested. It's a bit of Mingus + some worldly influences, so if you want to hear a song that's Indian jazz, check this out.