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Author's Note: Just something I slapped together just now based on a thought I had this morning when I should really be writing something else. :P Actually turned out to be a bit more serious than I anticipated when I realized that I really was onto something here, so that's actually a good thing. :)
"Y'know, I suppose I should ask you the obvious question, at least while I've got the chance."
Chell glanced up at the little, robotic, personality sphere as it rolled along it's rail, turned backwards so its blue eye faced her, the most likely only surviving human in the whole Aperture Science facility (or what was left of it), running along below him. She thought inwardly to herself if this was really a good time for any questions at all. True, Wheatly typically meant well, and was the only sentient device here that she had encountered that did. And, he was friendly, and good company. And he was supposedly trying to help her, but as they both knew very well already, his help had already gotten them in bigger trouble, and either way, Chell wasn't sure she could trust the little sphere that fully just yet. She was only following him now because there was little else she could do, and Wheatly clearly knew his way around these ruins better than she did.
Keeping that all in mind, she guessed Wheatly was entitled to asking a question or two of her. But not now. The time for that definitely wasn't now. Right now was the time to run. Fast. And try to quickly find a way out of here.
Because GLaDOS was still alive.
And they could both agree that was very bad.
"I was just thinking about earlier," Wheatly continued, his little spherical body moving in sync with his talking. He may be a robot that was nothing more than a single sphere with one robotic eye but despite not having much means of expressing emotion with all of that, he managed it quite well, "Y'know, when I…accidently…woke up you-know-who? Terribly sorry about that, too. Really, I am. Not at all what I had planned."
Chell knew he was sorry. He had so repeatedly again and again when their attempted escape went south with GLaDOS's reactivation and landed Chell back in an eerily familiar mess she had hoped she had already escaped.
"I was just thinking about what she said to you, and it's left me kind of lost. I'm…not kept in the loop very well about what happens in this place sometimes. Which, given circumstances, might be a good thing. But you two clearly have met before."
Chell slowed to a stop and looked intently up at Wheatly on his rail. She guessed his question before he even said it.
"So my question is, how do you two know each other? There's clearly a story."
Of all the questions he could've asked, it had to be this one. A question about an incident that she'd rather forget.
Now wasn't the time for this.
Wheatly wasn't going to let the subject drop, however. "She said it's been a 'long time' since she had seen you. Just how long? Surely not as long as I think it is, because if it's as long as I think it is, then I think that would put you at a time and place in this laboratory's history I don't think I like thinking about you being at…I don't think. Which leads me to my next point. This talk of you murdering her. Is that…I dunno…metaphorical? Or…did you really kill her? Or, at least try to? And when was that? Because, again, if it's the time I think it is…ugh, that would not be good."
Chell, as she frequently did, had little to say about the matter. What was there that she could say? Wheatly had already just about guessed the truth. It was remarkable that he hadn't done it before now. He clearly didn't like the sound of the truth, but it was the truth nonetheless.
"Are we possibly referring to some murdering incident that occurred before I came along?" Wheatly continued, obviously hoping the truth actually wasn't truth, "Because now that I think about it, there's only one murdering incident that I know of that took place against her, and that's…not a high point in history, not for the likes of me," he looked at her for a long moment with his one electric blue eye, that one eye again managing to convey more emotion than it probably should, "Please tell me it's not the event I'm thinking of."
Chell only hung her head, unable to deny what she knew to be true.
Wheatly's one eye widened. "It is the time I'm thinking of, isn't it?" he asked, "But then…that would make you responsible for…all of this."
The personality sphere looked around at their immediate surroundings, and Chell saw that if he had arms, Wheatly would be using them to motion at their tattered, aging, and ruined surroundings. Again, she couldn't make eye contact with the little robot.
"Well, that's just great. You do realize what you've done, right? I mean, sure, she probably had it coming to her, whatever it was that you did to her. But didn't you stop to think about the consequences that might have had on the rest of us that were stuck fending for ourselves?"
Wheatly's tone was rising. It was clear that he wasn't exactly thrilled to hear this. It only made feel Chell more guilty about it, which also made her feel stupidly guilty about hurting the feelings of a robot.
"Why is it I'm always the last to know about these things?" Wheatly ranted on, now wandering back and forth on his rail, talking aloud more to himself than Chell, "Why is that? Does the universe simply not like me? Heck, I was the last to know she bit it when it all began! Sure, I thought 'good riddance' like we all did at the time, as she certainly didn't seem to be doing us any favors back then, but that was before we knew this would come of it!" again, he made the armless gesture at his surrounding with that one eye of his as a replacement, then sighed, "You know, I didn't think much of it when I found you where I did, all locked up and in stasis, but now I think I'm starting to see why. To keep you from messing things up more. Probably somebody's idea of punishment for what you did to her, and to us goodly robots that never did anything wrong to you humans."
Chell looked around that her decaying surroundings, and agreed with that sentiment. She barely remembered events after she had supposedly 'murdered' GLaDOS, but she knew it was no accident she had ended up back inside Aperture Science and in stasis for who knew how long just to be woken back up and find that she was quite likely no better off than she was the first time, if not altogether worse. This probably was meant to be punishment for her potentially reckless but seemingly fitting and oddly satisfying actions from before.
"Probably some kind of punishment for me too, and I didn't even do anything! But that's how it always works! Never had any kind of respect in this place. So they stick me with the fate of being the one stuck with guiding the very human who messed up all of our lives!"
Wheatly fell silent for a moment, not at all looking happy, then suddenly rounded on Chell, glaring at her.
"Y'know, I don't have to put up with this. Not at all! In fact, I haven't been stuck with this for one bit! I can quit at anytime and just go back to my stupid, boring, life running around and around and around on this stupid rail! Maybe I can't escape this mad joint and the whole crazy lot of you, but it seems I was better off that way! So goodbye, you smelly human! You do what you want, but I will have no part of it!"
And with that, Wheatly spun around on his rail and sped off on down it, heading away from Chell. Chell started a half-hearted attempt to follow, but Wheatly went faster than she could run, and was rapidly out of sight, and gone, leaving her alone. Silence quickly fell in the ruins of the facility, which sent a chill down Chell's spine as she realized just how very vulnerable she felt standing around like this on her own. She didn't have any idea where to go from here, not without Wheatly. This was a part of Aperture Science she had never been in before, outside the accursed Enrichment Center, and was suddenly much more complicated than she remembered it being anyway. And to top it off, the broken feelings of a robot stung her much more than she thought it would.
For a long while she just stood there, feeling lost.
But then she decided it wasn't like she was beaten yet. She had been in a situation like this before and managed actually rather admirably, and survived. So if she had done it once, what was really stopping her from doing it again? Sure, maybe she did have two AIs mad at her now, but she really only needed to worry about the one, and avoid the other, which would be easy as he seemed to be avoiding her now. And maybe she was to blame for getting them all in this situation of here and now, but if she could do it over, even if she did know what she knew now, she'd do it all over again with few qualms, simply because she knew it was the right thing to do. Regardless of what happened, and how it was done, GLaDOS had to be stopped, and right now, she was the only one willing to do it.
Heartened by these thoughts, she was just about to venture off in the most practical direction when Wheatly came rolling back to her at top speed.
"I'm sorry!" he declared as he approached, sounding back to his relatively optimistic self, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of that! I'm just…y'know…bitter for being left alone in a crumbing facility with no one to talk to but a bunch of demented robots for the past several hundred years, half of which are no longer working right! I just wanted to blame my troubles on…something and then lash out at it! I mean, can you blame me? It's a miracle I haven't gone mad in this accursed place myself!" he slowed to a stop to hang above Chell's head like he had never left, "And then I thought to myself, why am I chewing you out? You couldn't have known what would've happened when you did what you did! What you did was perfectly logical given the circumstances. And you're just as much a victim in all of this as I am! You're not to blame, not at all, and I'm sorry I even stopped to think that. 'Cause we both know who's really to blame for all of this."
Chell nodded. GLaDOS was to blame for all of this.
"And to heck with this whole joint, anyway! Like I really care what happens to it, and all in it. Hardly anything left to care about. Nobody that matters, at least. Just me, you, and Miss Back-from-the-dead-who-I-hope-had-stayed-dead-and-will-hopefully-soon-be-dead-again. Hasn't brought me any good staying here anyway, not at all, so I figure, the sooner we get out of here, the better! And if we have to fight to do it, then so be it! I'm willing to die trying, how about you?"
He looked at Chell with his expressive single eye again, and looked for all the world to be smiling, despite not having a mouth. So Chell returned the grin.
And then, it was back to business.
"So, where were we?" Wheatly asked, looking around quickly to get his bearing before starting off again, Chell following, "Ah yes, escaping. This way should do it, then, I think. I remember this corridor, too. Funny story to go with it, too, from about a century back when those blasted turrets tried to organize themselves and failed terribly. Good times, I tell you, good times…"
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https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6300924/1/Who-To-Blame
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[
"GLaDOS"
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Comments Threshold
What a load of crap
By tim851 on 2/17/2009 9:52:48 AM , Rating: 5
Sure, that's why all these Linux distros have gone C3PO on us...
RE: What a load of crap
By Rugar on 2/17/2009 10:05:21 AM , Rating: 2
Heh... I wish I could +1 you for the C3PO. Clearly this is about to happen because Cyberdyne found technology from the future and incorporated it into our new killer robots.
RE: What a load of crap
By quiksilvr on 2/17/2009 10:20:39 AM , Rating: 2
Oh for God's sake. A.I. CANNOT MAKE THEIR OWN ALGORITHMS WITHOUT US EITHER PUTTING IT THERE OR TELLING IT TO MAKE ONE THEMSELVES. How can an A.I. that was originally designed to receive orders, shoot and move magically gets insane processing power from the air and decides: "I'm gonna doughnut across the desert!" and just randomly writes its own line of code saying so? It doesn't make any goddamn sense! If it does end up doing a doughnut across the desert, 99.9999999% of the time, it's just buggy and the programmer screwed up somewhere.
RE: What a load of crap
By Rugar on 2/17/2009 10:35:22 AM , Rating: 2
Wow... That so totally had to do with my comment.
And by the way, it's because of the reverse engineered chips!
RE: What a load of crap
By callmeroy on 2/17/2009 11:33:40 AM , Rating: 5
First...enough already with the dramatised replies to such articles.
My hunch, albeit just a hunch...tells me the team researching this and writing this kind of code are a notch above the average run of the mill programmer who just got their degree from. Now I don't know anyone personally on these forums - so perhaps some of you are akin to a programming God , maybe you have multiple PhD's, perhaps you already have the foundations down for designing a time machine, curing cancer and solving the problem with world hunger.....BUT I think you also might just be overly down playing the skills of these folks and their knowledge just a tad.
I'm sure there's more to it that what we've already discussed here...
RE: What a load of crap
By Rugar on 2/17/09, Rating: -1
RE: What a load of crap
By arazok on 2/17/2009 2:53:01 PM , Rating: 5
Do you seriously think that I am actually suggesting that there is a company named Cyberdyne which reverse engineered a chip taken from the arm of a destroyed T-800 sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor?
That’s what I thought. You have no idea how relieved I am to know you weren’t serious.
RE: What a load of crap
By Seemonkeyscanfly on 2/17/2009 5:23:03 PM , Rating: 2
Yea, I was worried about that too. In real life the company is call Cybertech Autonomics LLC. They had to change the name in the movie. The movie did not want to pay for the royalty rates to use the real name of the company. :)
RE: What a load of crap
By bigboxes on 2/17/2009 3:39:25 PM , Rating: 5
Are you serious about being serious about this dude being serious? You can't be serious. Seriously.
RE: What a load of crap
I think you missed a great dude opertunity....
RE: What a load of crap
RE: What a load of crap
Dude. . .
RE: What a load of crap
By bohhad on 2/19/2009 2:10:47 PM , Rating: 2
RE: What a load of crap
By MamiyaOtaru on 2/22/2009 5:56:28 PM , Rating: 2
RE: What a load of crap
By gamerk2 on 2/17/2009 11:53:31 AM , Rating: 5
Actaully, some advanced programming languages allow for the code itself to be replaced automatically at run-time depending on certain variables, so its quite possible for code to be "written" without any human involvement.
RE: What a load of crap
By quiksilvr on 2/17/09, Rating: -1
RE: What a load of crap
By TSS on 2/17/2009 1:37:30 PM , Rating: 3
the problem isn't in telling the bots what to do. it's telling them what to do, having a malfunction, and them not stopping.
where already telling them to kill other humans, although to us those humans are "the enemy".
this discussion is about giving robots ethics, in other words, allowing them to seperate friend from foe themselves.
which, in my oppinion, is the first step to the terminator universe. hell we try to teach a robot ethics then a human orders him to go kill another human, but not *those* humans.
where in the process does the bot learn right from wrong? and what would the bot percieve as wrong? would a bot operating for nazi germany, percieve it ethically wrong to kill jews and rise up against their masters (which would be a terminator situation).
this debate is far more philosophical then just debating wether the code is *capable* of doing it.
any player of world of warcraft will tell you that eventually, code will start to get a mind of his own. i swear that game just wants me dead at times (out of the blue for no reason pulling an entire FIELD of npc's).
RE: What a load of crap
By rudolphna on 2/17/2009 2:12:45 PM , Rating: 1
Great post, exactly my thoughts. Oh, and on the WoW thing I know exactly what you speak of. Sometimes I think there is a blizz employee sitting at a screen screwing around and doing it on purpose, lol.
RE: What a load of crap
By rykerabel on 2/17/2009 3:02:11 PM , Rating: 2
RE: What a load of crap
By GaryJohnson on 2/17/2009 2:15:24 PM , Rating: 2
You had me up until "world of warcraft".
RE: What a load of crap
RE: What a load of crap
RE: What a load of crap
By SleepyGreg on 2/17/2009 2:56:08 PM , Rating: 2
I think the concern is that the AI is going to have a learning ability (necessary to overcome new experiences out in the field) This ability to learn and write its own code based on experience coupled with millions of lines of existing human code and its inevitable bugs gives a potential for unpredictable outcomes. I'd say it's a very real threat. We're not just talking about a hardwired machine here, it's a dynamic evolving system with millions of permutations. And there will be "surprises"
RE: What a load of crap
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RE: What a load of crap
By WayneG on 2/17/2009 1:05:00 PM , Rating: 2
So who made it in the first place?!? :O
RE: What a load of crap
RE: What a load of crap
RE: What a load of crap
Robot virus FTW!
RE: What a load of crap
Have you seen how we behave?;)
RE: What a load of crap
You will see the Real trojan Horses...
RE: What a load of crap
RE: What a load of crap
By Rodney McNaggerton on 2/17/2009 2:26:12 PM , Rating: 2
The idea isn't a load of crap, this article is.
RE: What a load of crap
By Gul Westfale on 2/17/2009 10:24:39 PM , Rating: 1
so a robot going "terminator"...
navybot: lower your gun and surrender!
enemy soldier: NO (starts shooting)
enemy soldier: why so serious?
RE: What a load of crap
By Azsen on 2/18/2009 3:30:35 PM , Rating: 2
Ahahahaha gold!
Dunno why they're rating you down.
RE: What a load of crap
By sweetsauce on 2/23/2009 2:09:20 PM , Rating: 2
you forgot
enemy soldier: you mad bro?
RE: What a load of crap
By Gideon on 2/18/2009 2:41:53 AM , Rating: 2
100% agree, that's why I think the article heading is terribly misguided (good for clicks though :D). No-one is actually talking about these robots creating a Strong AI out of the blue, rather about screwing up and causing friendly fire or doing something else unexpected causing human life loss.
With semi-autonomous robots actually pulling the trigger the risk of something like that happening is considerably higher than with previous complex military systems.
RE: What a load of crap
By MrPoletski on 2/18/2009 8:40:43 AM , Rating: 2
well at least we know that if we ever lose any of these robots..
that they'll be back...
RE: What a load of crap
By TheOneStorm on 2/19/2009 11:53:31 AM , Rating: 2
I'd fear ethical laws programming more than AI. The storyline depicted in "i, Robot" is in relation to ethical law programming moreso than robots turning against their humanoid creators in reference to the Terminator series.
In "i, Robot" the ethical programming of the machines became the point that humans themselves, living, is an endangerment of their own life. That robots must control our lives for our own sake because humans are susceptible to free will and have the possibility of doing wrong. Inevitably, hindering war and other human-on-human violence. How could ethical programming, in the sense of obtaining morality in forms of AI (which is what they're trying to accomplish), ever logically process the good in HELPING us in war, than backing away from war and defending itself?
I'm all for AI, and I could care less about these claims. I just thought I'd chime in because this is one of the first times I've heard of any military leadership mention "ethical programming" before.
I think MS has probably helped instill this fear of too many people working on a large codebase that could never be bug-free.
<joke>In my not-so-humble opinion, as long as MS isn't the creator of the AI "operating system", we should be fine.</joke> :)
RE: What a load of crap
By SiliconAddict on 2/20/2009 12:28:25 AM , Rating: 2
Hmmm and just because we have had decades of falures to create a real honest to God AI means that it will never happen? Look at computing power. Its come a hell of a lot closer in the past 10 years to the capability of the human brain then in the past 20. Look at our ability to program. How the hell do we know where the tipping point is between a program designed be intelligent in a narrow confine and one that has the ability to program itself. Something that starts doing thing could easily be seen as simply a programming error on the part of a human and overlooked. This is where the "code is getting to big" comes into play.
There is a certain amount of arrogance based on past failures in your statement that is exactly why an article like this should be "considered" No I'm not talking OMG! RUN FOR THE HILLS! THE ROBOTS ARE GONNA GET US! DESTROY ALL TECH NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!!!111oneoneone
But start taking this seriously as we move forward.
RE: What a load of crap
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http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=14298&commentid=408523&threshhold=1&red=2753
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2002 video game)
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars
North American PS2 cover art
North American PS2 cover art
Developer(s) Pandemic Studios
Publisher(s) LucasArts
Engine Zero
Platform(s) GameCube
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Action
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts. Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released for the Nintendo GameCube on October 28, 2002, the PlayStation 2 on December 10, 2002, and the Xbox on April 22, 2003.
This game mostly consists of vehicular combat, although there are a few times on certain missions where the player controls Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu. The main vehicles in this game (in order of most used to least used) are the IFT-X, the Republic Gunship, and the AT-XT (aka Republic Walker). The player plays as the Grand Army of the Republic throughout the game. Though, in the various multiplayer modes offered in the game, players may select vehicles from both the Republic Army and the Confederacy of Independent Systems Army.
CIS vehicles include the Hailfire droid, GAT, and the Armoured Assault Tank (AAT).
The game is split up into two segments, vehicles and 3rd person Jedi fighting. The vehicle segments involve most vehicles from the Star Wars universe: STAPs, tanks, AATs, AT-XTs and clone gunships. The controls used involve primary and secondary fire, acceleration and a special ability that changes from vehicle to vehicle. The Jedi segments use basic lightsaber slashing and two force powers, which rely on a force power bar, lightsaber throw and force push.
The game begins with the Battle of Geonosis, and takes the player through the evacuation of Rhen Var, with the player leading the escape only minutes before the Separatist Army captures the planet.
The battle of Raxus Prime
One month after the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic detects unusual activity on Raxus Prime, and sends a strike force led by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to investigate the activity.
On arrival, they find Separatist forces at an excavation site. They send for reinforcements to take the planet. The Republic captures Raxus Prime, but during the battle, Anakin is captured by Count Dooku.
Anakin Skywalker is sent to Alaris Prime, the Kashyyyk moon, to be executed. Skywalker and the other prisoners are doomed to be killed by the Force Harvester, an ancient Sith weapon that drains the Force from all living things within its range. Anakin is able to escape his cell and call for help. The Republic arrives, rescues Anakin, and destroys the Separatist presence on Alaris Prime.
When Anakin returns to the Jedi Temple, Yoda and Mace Windu tell him and Obi-Wan of the Dark Reaper, an ancient Sith weapon built during the Great Sith War that was so powerful that none could withstand it. It required large amounts of energy to work, which the Force Harvester could provide. Windu then mentions that the Reaper was destroyed by a fallen Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma, and the remains of the Sith weapon were scattered by the Jedi across the galaxy. To learn more about the Dark Reaper, Anakin and Obi-Wan lead Republic forces to Rhen Var to retake the planet from the Separtists. In an ancient tomb, Anakin meets the spirit of Ulic Qel-Droma, who teaches Anakin how to defeat the Dark Reaper and reveals the location of the Sith Weapon. With the Dark Reaper located on Thule, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Windu lead Republic forces to Thule to prevent the Sith Weapon from being built.
When they reach Thule, a massive battle ensues. While the other Jedi and Republic forces battle the Separatist forces outside the Sith Temple in Theed, Anakin enters the temple and destroys the Dark Reaper. As Republic forces are leaving Thule after the battle, Windu claims that the battle has turned the tide of the war, but Yoda reminds him the war is far from over.
The game achieved mixed to positive reviews on online gaming website reviews. IGN gave the game 7.6/10, noting, "The action is intense, the control is fluid and tight, and the gameplay is diverse and well balanced," but also noting, "If only some of the more technical flaws and lack of polish had been smoothed out before the game shipped." GameSpot's score for the game was 7.5/10, commenting, "Despite some strategic elements, it really is a pure action game at heart, filled with plenty of targets to shoot at, plenty of power-ups to collect, and a good variety of tough missions to accomplish. " The game has a Metacritic score of 73 out of 100 for the Gamecube[1] and 72 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2.[2]
External links[edit]
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Clone_Wars_(2002_video_game)
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dclm-gs1-043490000
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"T-X"
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| 0.991417
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A note from the author: See, I was on this forum thread about whether there were any good Twilight crossovers, and I was like, "Someone should write a Twilight/Portal crossover where GLaDOS kills Bella and makes Edward eat cake." And then someone was like, "DO IT." And then I was like, "Ok." So I did it. Then I posted it on here. Anyway, I hope it gives you some lulz.
Another note: You have NO FRIKKING IDEA how happy all the favs/comments this story has gotten have made me. I mean, considering the crap I usually write, making something that this many people like feels AMAZING. However, I don't think I'll writ a sequel piece. Honestly, I don't think I could pull off something like this a second time, and I kind of want to keep this piece, I don't know, pure.
Disclaimer: Thank Dead God (cookies if you get that reference) I don't own Twilight. I would never claim to own something so horrible. As for Portal, I'm rather dismayed that I have no rights to it. But I do finally own a plushie Companion Cube.[/off topic] Now, on with the fic!
Consciousness came slowly to Bella. The first thing she was aware of was how warm she was-that was wrong. Where was her velvet-voiced marble statue? Shouldn't he be by her side at all times? She searched the space around her by touch. He wasn't there! Where, oh where could he be? She began to panic-she couldn't function without her true love! Oh, the chagrin! Her eyes snapped open. "Edward!" she screamed, noting his absence from her immediate line of sight. Where was he? Bella was beginning to hyperventilate when she heard another voice-not the velvety, low tones she so longed to hear, but a different voice-female, with a sound of being pre-recorded.
"Oh, I see you've woken up," the voice said.
"Where's Edward?" Bella yelled at it.
"You mean the pale boy who was with you? Don't worry. He's… safe," came the voice.
Bella whimpered. Something had taken Edward away from her! What could she do now? How would she survive with nobody to watch her every move?
As if it had read her mind, the voice said, "He's right up here with me. We'll both be observing as you undergo the following… tests. Afterwards, you will be escorted to the reception area, where there will be cake. Your friend will wait there for you."
Bella relaxed a bit. Edward would be there just as soon as she could pass the tests. Well, that would be easy! She was, of course, getting straight A's in all subjects and had finished the entire reading list in fourth grade.
"Please step into the elevator."
Bella turned, curious. What elevator?
The voice seemed exasperated when it said, "Please step into the elevator behind you. Then testing can begin."
Bella turned. Oh, that elevator! In her panic, she hadn't taken in her surroundings, other than to note Edward's absence. She tried to walk to the elevator, but tripped over a dust bunny on the way there. She was so clumsy! Oh, what a flaw! Oh, well. She was only human, after all. Being flawless would be unrealistic!
After tripping six more times, Bella finally dragged herself into the elevator. She stood up as the door closed, but almost fell over again as it rocketed upwards.
As she was lifted, she thought with chagrin about Edward. Where was he now? Could he see her? Was he worried about her? She began to fantasize about seeing him again. He would look up and smile his beautiful crooked smile that other people thought made him look constipated. She would grin and blush. They would run into each other's arms and begin kissing passionately. "We'll never be apart again," he'd whisper in his velvety voice, as she sniffed his hair. He'd kiss her neck, causing her to moan with pleasure. "Take me, Edward!" she'd scream, and he would tentatively remove her shirt-
"Are you going to leave the elevator or not?" the voice asked.
Bella looked up. The elevator had stopped moving, and the doors had opened. Another door with the words "Aperture Science" stood a few feet in front of her. She took a few tentative steps forward, then screamed and almost fell over as something dropped in front of her.
"This is your portal gun," explained the robotic voice so unlike the velvet one she longed to hear. "You will use it to complete the tests. Try not to shoot yourself with it."
Bella cautiously picked up the gun, wishing Edward were with her. She then proceeded through the doors.
After three chambers, GLaDOS was getting pretty fed up with the new test subject. Not that time mattered very much to the computer, but it had been twelve days. Most subject only took about twelve minutes! This outlier was going to throw off her averages, then her results wouldn't be as accurate! How annoying!
"You know," she said over the intercom, "You could try being a bit faster. I understand that your weight may be slowing you down, but we wouldn't want you to age too much during testing. Your seemingly ageless companion probably wouldn't enjoy your company as much if you were eighty years old." She made a note of the comment in her internal log book-everything she said to the test subject had to be carefully recorded, as well as their reaction.
The girl's eyes widened. GLaDOS hoped she was realizing that she needed to speed up. Then she did the exact opposite of what the computer had been hoping for. She put down the portal gun, flopped on the ground, and began to bawl.
"IT'S TRUE!" she yelled. "I'm a horribly ugly, fat girl! Oh, why do I have to have such fine pale skin? Why am I cursed with chocolate-brown eyes and slim ankles? And I weigh 110 pounds! I'm fat and ugly and Edward could never love me!"
As GLaDOS displayed a facepalming GIF, the pale boy acted up again.
"Bella!" he shouted. "I love you, Bella! Bella!" GLaDOS sighed and recorded their reactions.
"I'm sorry," she said over the intercom. "I didn't mean that. But your companion would like to say something to you." This was a desperate move-she usually tried to make the subject feel completely alone except for herself, but she had to get the girl moving. She turned to the boy and quickly instructed him in what to say.
"Bella," he said into the intercom mic she lowered to him, "You need to get out of here, Love. I can guide you through the levels if she'll let me-" He looked at GLaDOS, who displayed a nodding GIF. "She will. You've got to get up, Love."
"EDWARD!" screamed the girl at a pitch so high GLaDOS was surprised humans could hear it. As she made a note of it, the pale boy continued.
"Bella, dear, get up please." She instantly did as he said. GLaDOS took down a note, somewhat confused. Were all humans so willing to obey other humans? Concluding that she'd have to have a wider base of test humans for further research on the subject, she allowed the test to continue.
The levels were much faster with the pale boy directing the was especially surprised at the end of the Companion Cube level. She'd expected the girl to take much longer to incinerate it-judging by how she acted with the boy, she became attached very easily. However, she had dumped the cube into the disposal pit without a moment's hesitation. It was confusing, and once again, GLaDOS concluded that she'd need to experiment more with another human outside the test chambers.
"This is the last test," came the voice. "I am obligated to remind you that when you are finished, you will be baked, and then there will be cake." Bella considered this for a moment, then decided to ignore it. She'd be with Edward soon, anyway. She couldn't wait to see his beauty again. She imagined what he would look like to look at him after what seemed like ages. The first thing she'd notice would be his beautiful, ice-cold skin. Then she'd be able to see his liquid-amber eyes, like molten gold. She'd run at him, kiss him. She'd smell his luscious scent ag-
"Well? Are you going to leave the elevator? You can't pass the level unless you do so, you know."
GLaDOS had considered carefully for the past few weeks, during the earlier test chambers. She'd taken into account her observations-particularly of the boy's changes in eye color, and how the darker they got, the more frenzied he became. She took a covert scan of his biochemistry and noticed that as time passed and his eyes grew darker, his blood levels decreased. Further scans showed he was not actually human but a similar species that, for no logical reason GLaDOS could come up with, sparkled in the sunlight, did not age or die naturally, and did not eat like most humans but needed to drink blood to maintain proper levels. She wondered if the fact that they were different species had something to do with his control over the girl, but that could not be tested now. Having taken all of this into account, she'd devised the perfect way to end the testing.
Finally, finally, Bella completed the final test. She was moved on a platform into a reception area. She was looking around for Edward when the robotic voice came again.
"Congratulations on finishing your testing. Your companion will show up in twenty seconds."
The seconds seemed like hours to Bella, who couldn't wait to see her Adonis again. At long last, the doors at the other end of the reception opened.
Edward was even more beautiful than she'd remembered. His skin, pale as marble, was nearly glowing-though not sparkling, because no sunlight penetrated the windowless building. She rushed at him, unable to be away from him a moment longer.
"Bella! No-!"
And then she was in his arms.
And then she saw that something was amiss.
His eyes, which she'd been fantasizing about since the tests began, were not the golden honey color she was used to.
They were black.
"Bella, I-"
But, unable to restrain himself any longer, he tore into the flesh of her neck.
GLaDOS watched as the pale boy drank the girl's blood and dropped her, dead, on the floor. This was what she'd been hoping for-the boy's reaction to killing his obsession would be most interesting. His eyes, she noted, were no longer yellow-brown or black, but a deep red.
"Why?" he yelled. "Why did you make me do this!" He knelt by the girl's body. He was not crying, but he seemed to be trying. It was possible that he was unable to.
"I wanted to see what you would do," she said simply, recording his reaction in her internal log. "But the fun part is only beginning. I said there would be cake, after all. And since you and I have all eternity together…"
A robotic arm holding a slice of cake popped out from the wall of the "reception area" and advanced slowly towards the boy's mouth.
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How Mac OS X, 10 Today, Changed Apple's World 342
Posted by timothy
from the x-is-ten-but-x10-is-older dept.
CWmike writes "Ten years ago today, Apple's first full public version of Mac OS X went on sale worldwide to a gleeful reception as thousands of Mac users attended special events at their local computer shops all across the planet. What we didn't know then was that Apple was preparing to open up its own chain of retail outlets, nor had we heard Steve Jobs use the phrase, 'iPod.' Windows was still a competitor, and Google was still a search engine. These were halcyon days, when being a Mac user meant belonging to the second team, writes Jonny Evans. We're looking at the eighth significant OS X release in the next few months, Lion, which should offer some elements of unification between the iOS and OS X. There's still some bugs to iron out though, particularly the problem with ACL's (Access Control Lists) inside the Finder. Hopefully departing ex-NeXT Mac OS chief, Bertrand Serlet, will be able to fix this before he leaves."
Comment: HOW MUCH, IF ANY? (Score 1) 183
by rdmiller3 (#33388836) Attached to: Follow Up On Solar Neutrinos and Radioactive Decay
I can't find anything which says how much variation they claim to have seen. Usually when the word "significant" is missing, it means that the variation can't be reliably distinguished from measurement error.
I don't give a rip what they think might be causing variation in decay rates. Not yet.
I want to see some verification that decay rates actually vary at all, first. Last I heard, they don't
Comment: Limiting access of (specificially) photographers (Score 2, Insightful) 435
by rdmiller3 (#32812858) Attached to: Ban On Photographing Near Gulf Oil Booms
65 feet is only a couple of boat-lengths. That's pretty close. If I was working those booms, I'd be worried about any boat that close running over or afoul of the boom.
So photographers are limited to 65ft. How close can other people get? Is that still 300ft? My guess is that reporters are belly-aching because they can't get close enough to dip a gloved hand into the oil and show it to the camera.
Cheap Incubator Backpack Could Reduce Infant Deaths 76
Posted by timothy
from the also-would-be-fun-to-carry-babies-around dept.
Boy Wunda writes "In just one six-month period in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2006, 96 newborn babies who were in need of medical care died before they could get help. In many developing nations, these deaths could be prevented simply by providing better ways for medical responders to transport infants properly over rough terrain and keep them alive until they can reach hospitals and clinics. Now, a group of Colorado State University seniors has designed and filed a patent for a medically equipped incubator backpack unit that they believe can reduce baby deaths in medical emergencies both in the United States and in newly industrialized nations."
When you go out to buy, don't show your silver.
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A Gas Chamber would be any room or facility where the victim will suffocate to death or be asphyxiated. An actual equivalent to the Gas Chamber might be used, a room where [[DeadlyGas noxious or poisonous gas]] is being fed through the ventilation system. Or, it could be a room with a vacuum sucking all the air out, or people could just be [[AlmostOutOfOxygen left in a sealed room]] to eventually choke on their own carbon dioxide.
Serious NightmareFuel, with the extra horror of being TruthInTelevision for several million people during [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo The Holocaust.]] A villain contemplating using one has usually crossed the MoralEventHorizon of villainy.
[[folder: Anime ]]
* ''Anime/SaberRiderAndTheStarSheriffs'' had an episode in which Sabre Rider went to the Outworld and confronted the main baddie, who proceeded to suck the oxygen out of the room, as he himself didn't need it.
* This is what happens to [[spoiler: Hinamizawa's population under the "Disaster of Hinamizawa" natural disaster coverup]] in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry''.
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'', [[TheLancer Duo]] and [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Wufei]] are trapped in a little cell along with [[MadScientist Professor G]]. The amount of air is limited (they are in space, after all), and Professor G says something along the lines of "If anyone wants to die, they should do so, and save some oxygen for the rest of us!"
* In an early chapter of the Manga/LupinIII manga, a guard said Lupin would be heading to the GasChamber. [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Inspector Zenigata]] knows that the method of execution at this particular joint is the electric chair and any guard would've known that. He has just enough time to figure out the guard is actually Lupin in disguise before Lupin [[XanatosBackfire uses this knowledge against him]] and he sets off to rescue the guard Lupin sent to be electrocuted in his place. This story was adapted into the Anime/LupinIIIGreenJacket episode [[Recap/LupinIIIS1E4 "One Chance to Breakout"]].
[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* ''{{Tintin}} in America'' had bandits drop Tintin into one through a TrapDoor, before dropping his corpse in the Michigan. In the comic, they [[DeusExMachina unintentionally used the wrong gas]] (a soporific) instead; in the animated version, there is no mention made of the soporific being a mistake ([[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident a drowning looks more "accidental"]]), and Tintin is rescued from the Lake by Snowy instead.
* In ''Comicbook/ThePunisherCircleOfBlood'', Punisher is dropped through a TrapDoor into Trust's brainwashing chamber, and sedative gas is there to greet him. However, he easily escapes since he was dropped in with his gear, and the room was built with defenseless targets for "reidentification therapy" in mind.
[[folder:Fan Fic]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9565191/1/An-Old-Foe-Returns An Old Foe Returns]]'', Mastermind attempts to test his formula that would diminish humanity's mental capacities on Kim and Ron through this manner. It's only through quick thinking and creativity that they escape.
[[folder: Film ]]
* ''Film/SawII'' had a gas '''house'''.
* ''Franchise/StarWars Episode I: Film/ThePhantomMenace'' features at the beginning the Nemoidan Trade Federation trying to gas the ambassador Jedi (or heavily-armed religious fanatics, depending on your perspective).
* ''Film/IWantToLive!'' [[spoiler: Barbara is executed inside a gas chamber.]]
* The unseen BigBad of ''[[Franchise/PoliceAcademy Police Academy 6]]'' pulls this on Lassard when he reaches the meeting room, and Lassard is a little surprised he'd use such an old one:
-->'''Lassard:''' Oh, ''come on''! Poison gas??
-->'''Villain:''' Yes, melodramatic I know, but effective.
[[folder: Literature ]]
* The original ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' short stories:
** The "Devil's Foot" had a character place the title root--an obscure poison from Africa--into an oil lamp. The lamp was then lit, releasing the poison into the air and causing death and brain damage to the killer's victims. [[spoiler:The murderer is later killed in the same way himself.]] This one nearly killed Holmes and Watson when Holmes (in a rare moment of holding the IdiotBall) experimented with the root to see if it's the culprit.
** In "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter", the baddies attempt to kill their victim with charcoal gas.
* Another murderer used the poisoned candle M.O. in Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''The Imp of the Perverse''.
* The poisoned candle trick shows up again in the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/FeetOfClay''.
* ''[[Literature/DreamPark The Barsoom Project]]'' has a sealed room with a window air conditioner which runs backwards to suck the air out.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", a glass wall falls down in a room, and the dust of the gray lotus is used, which drives them murderously insane.
* The vacuum version is used in ''Literature/InHeroYearsImDead'' involving a memorabilia room that the heroes are trapped in.
* The Creator/RaymondChandler short story "Nevada Gas" uses the well-sealed backseat of a limousine.
[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* ''Series/ThePrisoner'' episode "The Girl Who Was Death" had a room filled with poison-releasing candles that would explode if extinguished. [[spoiler:The Prisoner escaped - this trap, at least - by placing all of the candles against the outer door and blowing them out with bellows.]]
* A ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'' mystery ("The Case of the Exhumed Client", with Ronald Howard as Holmes; one of the many mysteries specially created for one of the many TV series) involved a person who died from a candle he didn't know was poisoned. [[spoiler:Holmes flushed out the murderer by closing everyone in a small room and lighting the candle. The murderer, preferring a blown cover to death, broke the window.]]
* One of the urban legends busted by Series/{{Mythbusters}} involves a man who, after a particularly starchy dinner, falls asleep in a small unventilated room and asphyxiates on his own flatulence.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Angel}}'', an angry client tries to kill Gwen and Angel with a modified elevator and poison gas. Luckily, vampires don't need to breathe.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had Angel rescuing Giles, Willow and Buffy from the high school basement, where they were locked in with the gas turned on by an angry invisible girl.
* In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode "Dominion," Daniel gets caught in a room that is accidentally being flooded with toxic gas. Despite trying to breathe through his clothing, he inhales the gas for several minutes before the leak is shut off, but he seems to suffer no side effects whatsoever.
* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' the Scarrans use a chamber flooding with paralytic gas. On learning he's trapped in one John yells, "Staleek, this is very unoriginal!"
* One stunt on ''FearFactor'' involved enduring a sealed chamber that filled with CS gas longer than anyone else.
* ''{{CSI NY}}'' -the taxicab killer turned his cab into a mobile one of these.
* One episode of ''Series/MidnightCaller'' had Jack Killian interviewing a condemned man before his execution via gas chamber.
* An episode of ''Series/ThePretender'' had Jarod as a prison guard, trying to clear a man before he can be executed via gas chamber. He gets the real killer to talk by locking him in the gas chamber during a practice run, then releasing gas (it wasn't really poisonous, but the baddie didn't know that) until the guy confessed.
* ''Series/{{Batman}}'' had a cliffhanger were Batman and Robin were tied up in a room while the Penguin's mooks sucked all the air out using a "Giant Reversing Bellows".
[[folder: Roleplay]]
* In ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG'', the entire XERRD Fortress became a facility-wide version of this trope once the DeadlyGas defense system was activated.
[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* In the 1E [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons AD&D]] module ''The Hidden Shrine of Tamoanchan'', the entire ''dungeon'' is this trope, at least until the [=PCs=] manage to open up some blocked ventilation passages.
[[folder: Video Game ]]
* The videogame adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheThing'' has a scene where the protagonist is lured into a room quickly being filled with poison gas. The message left on a computer screen in the room is a nice touch:
-->Breathe deep, Blake. Breathe deep and die.
* ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' had such a room: you had to [[BlockPuzzle push blocks around]] while a special meter started emptying. This troper has never seen whether an empty meter means your life gauge starts emptying, or whether you got a failure cutscene, or whether you lost a life, but when you succeeded, the door would open, letting good air in[[spoiler:, and also dropping the bars holding the Queen [=CloudRunner=] captive]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' ends with [[spoiler:[=GLaDOS=] attempting to flood the final battle area with a deadly neurotoxin after Chell destroys her [[RestrainingBolt morality core]]. She's quite nasty about it too, taunting Chell about her impending death from the deadly neurotoxin (along with jabs of a more personal nature.)]]
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Onimusha}} Onimusha 3]]'' had a gas chamber trap where you had to unlock the door by completing a "simon says" minigame before you succumb to the fumes.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II'' features the Jekk'Jekk Tarr, a bar for aliens on Nar Shaddaa where the atmosphere is toxic to humans. It also had the HK-50 unit turn the entire dormitory section of the Peragus mining facility into one of these by sabotage. Both games let ''you'' use computer terminals to release poison gas on enemies as opposed to fighting them directly.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' does this for a few spots if you get caught and one room where it will happen as a part of a storyline. In each case, gas fills the room and you quickly lose oxygen, but having an O2 mask equipped will slow it down. In two of these cases, there is no way to escape, and in the first, you don't even have the O2 mask. There is one room where gas is already there and you're forced to go through. Said area also has electrified floors, just in case, apparently.
* The original ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' also had gas-filled rooms that you had to traverse.
* Tifa of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' gets tossed into a gas chamber for a public execution midway through the game, and has to pick up the conveniently dropped key to her shackles with her feet to escape. Unlike other segments in the game, there is no time limit on this sequence - no matter how long you struggle, Tifa cannot be killed.
* MetalWolfChaos turns the entire city of Chicago into one big GasChamber for our hero. He needs to destroy the antitoxin canisters and seal the generators before the toxin level reaches lethal levels.
* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3'': An entire level is made into one of these, and you have to find the ventilation switch.
--> '''[[spoiler:Dr. Betruger]]''': There's nothing left for you but a slow death as your lungs fill with toxic gases.
* In the original ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'', you must flee a room flooded with nerve gas during your escape from {{Area 51}}.
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', several [[RuinsForRuinsSake Ayleid ruins]] contain an interesting variation on this: step into an empty portion of a large room, and walls will slam down, temporarily trapping you while the room is pumped with gas. There are also rooms that simply have vents that always emit toxic gas.
* The original ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' had a couple of poison gas {{death trap}}s that activated if you did a puzzle wrong. In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'', a gas leak [[BrokenBridge blocks your progress]], and you have to find a way to activate the ventilation system to clear it.
* In ''VideoGame/TheJourneymanProject'', the NORAD VI installation is flooded with sleeping gas, requiring you to obtain an oxygen mask before you go there.
* There are three rooms in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' that end up getting filled with Smilex, forcing Batman to find a way to activate the ventilation system to purge the gas.
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/BarkleyShutUpAndJamGaiden'', where at one point your party is trapped inside a cabin which is slowly filled with sugar substance[[note]]Sugar is treated as deadly in this game. The fact that diabetes is a status effect speaks for itself.[[/note]]. [[spoiler:The trap fails.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' has it in the form of Bloodtox, a gas harmless to anyone not infected by the virus. Alex, a man made up entirely of infected material, discovered this fact when it was announced to a room full of soldiers he had infiltrated, that they had been exposed to the gas for the last ten minutes. His disguise didn't last long.
* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'' invokes this with an entire arena, requiring you to beat all the enemies before Ratchet succumbs. It's just sleeping gas, but it works by [[FridgeHorror depleting your health bar.]]
* There's a whole level dedicated to this in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace''. Standing too close to one of the Wheezers for too long will cause Isaac to die. Also, Isaac sometimes has to go out into the vacuum of space.
* In ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' there is a scientist trapped in a room filled with gas. You need to resolve a puzzle to neutralize the gas and open the door. If you're successful, the dying scientist gives you a key you need to advance. After that, if you search at his corpse, you find an extra key that you can use to get some goods. You can kill the scientist by accident, or [[VideogameCrueltyPotential on purpose]], flooding the room with letal gas, but doing that, you only get the first key. After getting the key, you get ambushed by a velociraptor. You must survive a [[PressXToNotDie button-mashing event]] to escape from the room, leaving the dinosaur trapped. After that, you can kill the raptor using the computer to fill the room again with gas, poisoning him.
* ''TheSuffering'' takes place in a haunted Maryland prison. One of the characters is the former executioner, Hermes T. Haight. Hermes enjoyed his work, and his favorite method of execution was the gas chamber. He altered the gas to retain it's color and odor, so that he could watch the prisoner's reactions as the chamber was flooded. Eventually, he became so obsessed with the gas, that he decided he needed to experience for himself. In the game, Hermes returns as a gaseous ghost who's always breathing in his own fumes. Late in the game he becomes a boss who tries to kill you with his gas, and you need to find ways to block the sources of it before taking care of him.
* At one point in ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'', Andrew Ryan kills [[spoiler:Julie Langford]] by sealing the door to [[spoiler:her]] lab and flooding the room with poison.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} V'', the first-half of stage 6 has lots of this. You may shoot the DeadlyGas produced by them, before you getting into them and getting destroyed.
* One sidequest in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'''s ''Point Lookout'' {{expansion pack}} leads you into a radioactive gas trap.
* ''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTriad'' has a few levels with touchplates which when triggered flood the area with poisonous green gas. Hope you either found a gas mask before you triggered it, or at least manage to find one before all your health is gone.
** One of the quit messages reads "Press Y to release the cyanide gas." and is accompanied by an appropriate sound effect.
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas: Dead Money'' takes place in a ghost town covered in a toxic red gas cloud. On both normal and Hardcore modes, there are concentrated clouds that drain health rapidly, while on Hardcore, you slowly lose health throughout the general outdoor area.
* In ''VideoGame/KZManager'' [[VillainProtagonist you]] must send there your [[POWCamp inmates]] so thet the "lesser races" be [[FinalSolution exterminated]].
[[folder: Web Original ]]
* In ''LookToTheWest'', gas chambers called "phlogisticateurs" are employed by the alternate French Revolutionaries to execute the more prominent enemies of the Republic, including King Louis himself. They are invented due to the work of Antoine Lavoisier, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone who takes his own life]] upon realising this. They use carbon dioxide and are not very efficient, only being used for particularly cinematic cases - most of the time the Revolutionaries use the Chirugeon, the in-timeline name for our guillotine. In a twist, the phlogisticateur technology later becomes used to create test greenhouses that allow the widespread cultivation of cinchona trees, meaning a ready supply of quinine to combat malaria in Africa. This is intended to be a similar case to the fact that in our own history, chemotherapy drugs came about as a result of research into poison gas in UsefulNotes/WW1.
* An improvised version is done in the WebAnimation/{{Mastermind}} series. The Mastermind locks his minions in the same room as him and [[{{Fartillery}} orders a burrito]].
[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' had villain Clock King trap Batman inside a bank vault with a vacuum pump that was rapidly sucking in the available air. (Clock King is GenreSavvy enough to point out that he knows Batman [[CrazyPrepared would carry a gas mask with him]], so he's opted to just remove ''everything''). It's also [[TimeBomb wired to blow]] if it's picked up to try and prevent Bats from fiddling with it.
* In ''SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', the episode "The Late Mr. Kent" reveals that Metropolis uses this in administering the death sentence. As a result, [[RuleOfDrama after the killswitch is thrown, Superman still has a few seconds to swoop in and save a falsely-accused man.]]
* ''CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': Though the DrowningPit and SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere also made an appearance or two, the most popular DeathTrap hands down for the Planeteers was a room slowly filling up with poisonous vapors. Makes sense from the villains' point of view, since the protagonists' rings stop working if the area is heavily contaminated with environmental pollutants. Otherwise, they could just call the [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation blue man in his underpants]] to get them out...
[[folder: Real Life ]]
* In the United States, this was once a common method for executions, mostly in the West. It has since fallen out of favor, and is currently allowed as an alternate method of execution in only six states. The last person to be executed by asphyxiation was German national Walter [=LeGrand=] in Arizona in 1999. The federal courts declared this method as unconstitutional "cruel and unusual punishment", unless chosen specifically by the inmate. Today, the executions are made with lethal injection. (In 2014, when prisons were faced with a shortage of sodium thiopental due to the EU export ban, several states attempted to revive the gas chamber. As of this writing, they've not succeeded.)
* UsefulNotes/NaziGermany used two main types of this.
** There were the well known death camp "showers" where people were sent into fake bathhouses and gassed to death. In some places, such as Auschwitz, they used Zyklon B gas, a cyanide-based pesticide. At Treblinka, where the Jews of Warsaw and other parts of Poland were annihilated, they used carbon monoxide. Less well known and not used much were trucks where the people were loaded into the back, airtight doors shut and the truck exhaust pumped in. These were not economically practical and were discontinued.
** [[Literature/GotzAndMeyer The latter]] as well as the former have shown up in fiction.
* Schrodinger's Cat is a thought experiment in quantum physics, that imagines a cat is locked in a box with a flask of poison gas, and a radiation-detector that will break the flask if a radioactive atom emits a particle.
* Finnish Army uses gas chambers to train the recruits to use gas masks. The recruits are taken to a sealed airtight building, the sergeant sets off a tear gas charge, and the recruits are to put on their gas masks. Nobody is allowed to enter out until the gas has dissipated.
* Similar training had been performed in Eastern Bloc armies throughout the UsefulNotes/ColdWar: a large field tent had been used for the chamber, the recruits inside were to put on their masks at the instructor's signal and at the same time the instructor would set off the tear gas charge. Things would go nasty if the filters on some masks had been previously damaged, which often happened. That's why a tent was used, to roll up the fabric sides and release quickly those unfortunate recruits to open air.
* At [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks US military basic training]] recruits must go through the "Confidence Chamber", where the recruit's division goes into a room, the instructor sets off a tear gas capsule and the recruit must take off their mask and recite whatever the instructor tells them too. [[SarcasmMode Oh joy]].
* The US Air Force and US Army do this same thing as part of NBC training. They will only let you out of the chamber if you [[TheStoic manage not to panic.]] The idea, of course, is to show you that A) Your chemical warfare gear ''will'' protect you if you are wearing it, and B) Show you why you want to make sure you wear it when needed.
* There is also the need to be sure [[FridgeBrilliance a future sailor or airman confronted with a messy, smoky and incendiary malfunction of the ship or plane]] will stay calm and proceed to do the needed repairs instead of panicking.
* Mandatory prep for a trip on NASA's Vomit Comet, the KC-135 weightlessness simulator, involves being put in a room that the oxygen is lowered in, then being required to remove your oxygen mask and answer math questions to see how your brain holds up. It's to help prepare people for what could happen if the thing loses pressure at 30k feet. It was even required for the cast of the movie ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}'' before their trips.
* Herman Mudgett, better known as H. H. Holmes, had one of these built into his hotel in Chicago in the 1890s. Numerous people ended up killed in there, as Holmes became perhaps the first SerialKiller on American soil.
* Sadly, too many of these are still used in animal shelters, though it's hoped new laws will stop the practice.
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CGI vs. Practical – The Argument That Actually Doesn’t Exist.
Let’s start off with the match lighting the fire:
Got it? CGI sucks and movies suck and Hollywood sucks and everything sucks. Young millennials, come at me bro!!!
But….listen for a damn second while you try to find the caps lock button and take a sip of your sugar laced, whipped cream topped caramel-chocolate-pumpkin spiced-soy milk laden iced beverage that just-so-happens to have a cinch of coffee in it. Let’s actually get to the root of this non-argument argument. The truth is that this whole CGI vs. Practical Effects internet fight is a misstatement of the problem that older millennials and older generations have with today’s blockbusters. Using the ‘CGI’ excuse to downgrade today’s blockbusters (and yesterday’s Prequels – I can’t dismiss them from this because…well….Star Wars) is too easy for older fans and cinefiles to throw out there. But its a misstatement of the real critiques of sub-par films.
This whole ‘Pro-CGI’ and ‘Anti-CGI’ rift has been on my mind because I’m a Star Wars addict and young millennials are up in arms about Disney-Lucasfilm advertising their use of practical creature effects (because they’re so evil and terrible and hurt their feelings so much). To the Pro-CGI internet warriors the Anti-CGI crowd is old and nostalgic in its love for so-called ‘practical’ effects that they can’t appreciate that CGI is actually better and all that jazz. To Anti-CGI internet warriors, the Pro-CGI youngsters are lame and grew up watching too many cartoons instead of outside dodging cars and playing wiffle ball (which is probably true either way).
But both sides completely misunderstand their own argument, which is mostly to blame on lazy cinefile internet blogging and click-bait. CGI is the low hanging fruit of criticism. Its easy to say that a 50 ft. dragon or a green muscled giant or an entire battalion of chrome robots ‘looks’ fake. Of course it does. And its easy to contrast an army of Ultron bots to a singular T-800 crushing a human skull in one of the greatest opening shots ever.
So freaking cool! And it scared the crap out of my 7 year old self.
Yes, yes, I KNOW there was CGI compositing in that shot. Chill out and drink your almond milk latte that is probably responsible for half of California being lit on fire right now. But the Anti-CGI crowd isn’t upset about that amount of ‘CGI’, so set your strawman on fire and let it burn.
What many Anti-CGI internet warriors are really saying, and they say it stupidly, that CGI makes filmmakers lazy – it allows them to use CGI as a crutch and show no restraint in editing an action sequence or going to the lengths of ensuring an interesting and clean angle or long shot. Anti-CGI cinefiles are praising Mad Max:Fury Road for its use of real cars, explosions, fire, and crazy stunts as an example of incredible filmmaking that invalidates the requirement for heavy CGI use. But, as the following video explains, there is plenty of CGI used in Mad Max. Its used to composite together the large number of vehicles and to enhance what’s on film.
Now, I’m not saying that the Anti-CGI curmudgeons don’t have a point. There is a lot of…hmm…..miscalcuation…with a lot of films on what makes CGI effective and when its too much. There likely is a lack of restraint from some filmmakers when editing an action sequence and taking up running time that could be better spent developing a character or exploring an underlying story theme. For a prime example, you probably can’t convince me that the availability of the shiny new CGI tools that George Lucas enjoyed during the Star Wars Prequels run didn’t distract him from focusing on dialogue, acting, camera work, editing, and all the other arts and sciences that go into the creation of the emotional connection that great films make with their audiences. You can’t claim that a roughly 25 minute fight between our two (really, one) protagonists in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was completely effective. Even staunch prequel defenders should admit that the Obi-Wan Kenobi – Anakin Skywalker battle in Revenge of the Sith, was overdone and ‘video gamey’. In fact, there’s a point where I feel the characters had to remind us why they’re fighting because it got so lengthy and drawn out and solidly uninteresting. Obi-Wan and Anakin have to summarize the entire plot in this short exchange:
And this is edited between a Yoda-Palpatine fight that is ultimately completely INCONSEQUENTIAL. Nothing is solved or decided by the Yoda-Palpatine showdown other than they’re both cool and powerful and Yoda and the Jedi are done for in the time being – which was already previously decided.
Although, to give George Lucas an easy out here, the dialogue and acting was so uninteresting in the rest of the film, that it really may have done worse than an overly long fight. Not an excuse, but unfortunately it may have been a choice between bad dialogue and an overly long fight scene. He might have made the right Murphy’s Choice.
You’re so convincing………….ugh dfjaskl;fjdslaj;d
Ok, enough nostalgia. Bringing it back to the present two subjects of this non-debate debate: Jurassic World and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Anti-CGI crowd is split on the Avengers installments – which I’m sure young fans get angry about: “How can you dismiss the first Avengers and criticize Age of Ultron??” Completely valid point. And it’s definitely discussed in the CGI-defending video above. The editing of Age of Ultron is a mess. There’s too much teasing of future films, a sin that Jurassic World also suffers immensely from, and not enough development of Ultron’s character. Now, the CGI is not a major problem in Ultron although it is cited in many reviews as overly used. The editing of the film leaves little time to explore the villain’s character, which is a HUGE problem in any film, hero genre or not. The use of the anti-CGI argument in critques of Ultron is incorrect unless the argument is that ‘time used in the climactic bot-battle should have been dedicated to more explanation of Ultron’s character and character flaws’. That is a better argument – but its mostly an editing problem.
You might also say that lack of restraint caused by the availability of CGI resulted in even less time for the movie to explore the Ultron character. That isn’t a terrible argument and it reflects older Star Wars fans souring on George Lucas’ prequel trilogy. The gist of that argument is that: “The filmmaker is too busy playing with his newly available toys and not thinking whether he should use those toys.” And that reminds me of something………
Boom. Ian Malcolm to the rescue!! This is essentially the problem Anti-CGI curmudgeons have. Just because you have the ability to do something, doesn’t make that the use of it beneficial or even good. Their ‘argument’ is that CGI adds nothing to a bad story. CGI artists will get credit within the industry for good CGI work in a bad movie just like a good actor in a bad movie does. But the movie still sucks.
For posterity’s sake, I would say the Anti-CGI argument is likely 100% overstated in regards to Jurassic World. Jurassic World is a monster movie that falls short on editing – again, teasing sequels rather than developing characters in the current feature. Perhaps some of the cool aspects of the Indominous Rex are ‘created’ by the lack of restraint, but its still the extraneous need to tease sequels that obstructs an otherwise simple monster flick.
So the frustration of the Anti-CGI crowd is frustration with the overuse of a tool in the filmmakers toolbox, but not the mere use of it, or even use of a lot of it. Rather, its the lack of restrain of the filmmakers themselves, as well as the difficulties of actors acting opposite cardboard cut-outs and limitations of camerawork within a CGI-heavy fight scene (See: constant sudden close up shots of Count Dooku, Yoda and Palpatine in multiple lightsaber fights).
It would be nice if the Anti-CGI crowd actually articulated that argument correctly and not spout off anti-CGI rhetoric – its lazy.
But for the Pro-CGI crowd, CGI doesn’t necessarily add quality to a movie – it enables a filmmaker to do things (Heath Ledger Joker voice), but that doesn’t necessarily mean great CGI – like in some of the Transformers series of films – mean that a film should be appreciated more or less because of the quality of CGI. Battle sequences in Braveheart are just as meaningful and amazing as a CGI composite of Wookies, droids, Clonetroopers, Ultron bots or Gungans (ugh). Peter Jackson succeeded in using huge CGI armies in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and completely failed in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies even though those films are nearly a decade apart and many of the combatants – elves, humans and orcs – are the same. Legolas’s antics in The Lord of the Rings – jumping around an oliphant, grabbing ahold of a horse in full gallop – are similar to the ones in The Hobbit – using falling stones as platforms – but we love LOTR’s Legolas and the Legolas in The Hobbit was….just there, an elf of action in an action movie involving a lot of elves – his CGI antics were rendered beautifully by the graphic artists, but rendered useless by his character’s placement and use in the feature.
And it is also not true that practical effects don’t hold up. Take one look at the filmography of Guillermo del Toro and you’ll find not just Pacific Rim, but my personal del Toro favorite – Pan’s Labyrinth, a film that uses mostly practical creature effects to a haunting and emotionally stirring impact. That movie is incredible, along with del Toro’s Hellboy, which won the Oscar for costumes. If a main character can be as effective as Ron Pearlman’s Hellboy, then in no way should prequel defenders bitch about a bunch of practical creature effects being used on background characters. A practical ‘Dexter Jettster’ would have served just as well if not better than the CGI one in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. And you can’t complain about nostalgia-based marketing of a upcoming Star Wars film that many older fans are skeptical of because of the prequels – no matter what those reasons were.
You really need to see this film, simply incredible.
In conclusion, this debate is pointless and its a misunderstanding. Its laziness on the cynical cinefile blogger that doesn’t want to get into the specifics on why well-done CGI didn’t add any enjoyment to a poorly edited film. And its also a useless internet fight over one aspect of filmmaking that is groundbreaking but still only a means to an end. Just because you give Jackson Pollack a brand new paintbrush made of the finest genetically enhanced camel hair, doesn’t mean it will make his particular art better. Citizen Kane, Casablanca, A Miracle on 34th Street, were all masterpieces, milestones, and classics before they were colorized. Let’s keep these things in mind before we react to a lazy argument. We internet cinefiles will all be better for it.
Oh, and the original Star Wars Trilogy was a masterpiece before Lucas decided to put this ugly thing in it:
#HanShotFirst #HanShotOnly
Puerto Rico is supporting the US…not the other way around
Black Sheep Yoda:
“The island is a captive market of the US…the fourth largest market in the world for US products. 85 percent of everything purchased and consumed in Puerto Rico, comes from the US. “
War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony
There is a great misconception about who is supporting whom in the Caribbean.
Wall Street says that Puerto Rico “owes” $73 billion.
The US government says they “give” Puerto Ricans $4.6 billion per year.
But there is something suspicious about all this “owing” and “giving.” If the US is so generous, then why is everyone broke? Why is the per capita income of Puerto Ricans only $16,400…far less than any state in the union?
Consider the Slave
By way of context, consider a slave.
A slave does not pay taxes.
A slave does not suffer from unemployment.
A slave receives free food, housing, clothing and health care.
Described in this manner, a slave should pay his master, for the privilege of being a slave!]
Slaves who owe a public debt to their master
As ridiculous as this may sound, it is precisely the argument that many Southern slave…
View original 554 more words
The Deep Secret, of the Puerto Rican Day Parade
Black Sheep Yoda:
Que bonita bandera…..que bonita bandera…..que bonita bandera es la bandera Puertorriquena
War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony
In the 1950s, Puerto Ricans often found themselves unwelcome in New York City (and elsewhere in the US) as they tried to carve out a place for themselves and their families. Sometimes beaten by their neighbors, or by the police, they were given the lowest-paying jobs and the worst housing in the city.
And so, in 1958, Puerto Rican leaders decided to hold a modest parade where they could march arm in arm with pride through the heart of Manhattan.
Fathers taught their children…by pointing to floats dedicated to Puerto Rican towns known for sugarcane, coffee, tobacco, plantains and pineapples.
Mothers tapped their feet…to the bombas, plenas and aguinaldos that evoked memories of their island childhood.
By 1966, the parade was already a “must do” event for national celebrities and politicians.
Today, the parade is a star-studded TV spectacle with 90,000 marchers, 2 million spectators and a horde of corporate sponsors. Marc Anthony, J.Lo, Ricky Martin, Victor Cruz, and Mayor…
View original 525 more words
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https://threebnyc.wordpress.com/
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| 0.9513
|
Brugeranmeldelser: Hovedsagelig positive (164 anmeldelser)
Udgivelsesdato: 14. feb 2014
Populære brugerdefinerede tags for dette produkt:
Køb LocoCycle
JULEUDSALG! Tilbuddet slutter 2. januar
Official Xbox Magazine
“I was easily sucked into its silliness.”
Game Informer
“I loved seeing LocoCycle through to its zany finale.”
Big Picture!
Om dette spil
• OS: Windows XP SP2 32-bit
• Processor: Dual Core
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: DirectX10 GPU w/256megs VRAM
• DirectX: Version 9.0c
• Hard Drive: 15 GB available space
• Sound Card: Windows HD Audio
• Additional Notes: DirectX9 GPU not supported
• OS: Windows 7 64-bit
• Processor: Quad Core
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: DirectX11 GPU w/1gb VRAM
• DirectX: Version 11
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Hard Drive: 15 GB available space
• Sound Card: Windows HD Audio
Helpful customer reviews
37 af 72 brugere (51%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
7.3 timer bogført
Indsendt: 6. juli
OoooOOOoo, this game so much more awesome than one can imagine. An arcadey motorcycle racing game, nothing to impossible or mind numbing, just good ol fun with an awesome story to wrap this present and for the bow is voiceacting from Robert Patrick (The T2 Cop guy). An epic story of legendary proportions await all those who step forth to take on the daring gauntlet through the levels of Lococyle. Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Movies Owner makes Toxic Avenger) teams up with many others including a bear local favorite Tom Savini (Holds a black belt in awesome) to make one of the best gaming experiences in a short game thats about 4-5 hours in length. Tons of bonus features that bigger games should have from behind the scenes footage, to cast photos and concept art. The music is BOSS level, done by the Prague Orchestra, this game doesnt mess around, everything is HARDCORE! Lococyle is in the heart, its in the heart.
Rating: 10/10 Value: $14.99
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1 af 2 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
5.3 timer bogført
Indsendt: 29. august
LocoCycle was an Xbox one game that eventually found its way to PC but will you want to play it ? In LocoCycle you play as Iris. Iris is a motorbike/War Machine. One day when a lighting strikes Iris becomes self conscious. A mechanic named Pablo tries to fix her up. While fixing her Iris sees a commercial for the freedom rally which takes place Scottsburg Indiana so she decides to take Pablo with her and go to the freedom rally while the creators of Iris try to stop her with another bike named Spike. So how is LocoCycle ? Its actually quite fun and simple to play. The game is played like a car driving beat em up, You go down a high way and theres enemies trying to stop you. The game does switch with boss fights which are fun to play through. Now the game does have a difficulty spike and it really shows. So now through the pros and cons. The game is incredibly funny. The conversations between Pablo and Iris are hilarious but there is a big problem. Pablo only speaks Spanish and you have to read the subtitles to understand what hes saying which is quite hard when racing through the highway in high speed. The game has great and smooth gameplay and its fun to beat up people as a bike. The game also has a few problems. Some minor bugs and its quite short too. And if you are going to play this game Whatever you do play with a controller because a keyboard is a death sentence. Overall LocoCycle is a great game and i suggest you check it out. I give LocoCycle a 7/10
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1 af 2 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
4.0 timer bogført
Indsendt: 28. august
That was a whole lotta fun. Simple, but not too simple of gameplay that varies enough, but controls well that is full of good humor. Great pick up.
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1 af 2 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
0.4 timer bogført
Indsendt: 1. juli
Feel free to disregard this review, I think I played this for all of 20 minutes, but let me tell you - that was enough.
I don't care how much Tom Savini and Lloyd Kauffman you wave in people's faces, a bad game is a bad game. The humour feels utterly forced and the "wackiness" and "zaniness" is just too much to bear.
The game itself looks and sounds pretty nice I suppose, but the "gameplay" as far as I got was press A, then X a bunch of times, then A if something flashes! Oh, you can hold down B for little while now. If you like. No. No, I don't like. Add in that you trail along a character who only speaks Spanish, so you have to read the subtitles while trying to play. Flip this game. Flip it right up its gaping bottom.
You may say that it's my fault for not playing on - you'd be right, but consider that anyone designing a game should make someone want to keep playing. This made me want to gnaw my own wrists.
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1 af 2 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
5.0 timer bogført
Indsendt: 3. juli
All signs pointed to this being unenjoyable for me, but hell it was cheap, and as we know Valve have complete dominion over our finances during the Steam summer sale.
Anyway, I played half an hour and was put off by the cringeworthy videos and surprisingly poor graphics (there are some good character models but the general scenery is reminsicent of a PS2-era title). I pushed on though and I'm glad I did! For some inexplicable reason, despite the fact that I dislike on the rails games, quicktime events, cringey comedy, button mashing... I found this really, really fun to play.
The ridiculous combos, though very easy to pull off, are a lot of fun and it's satisfying, in a 'channel your inner 8 year old' kind of way. Seeing a motorcycle leap off the group and kick the crap out of enemies in a pseudo-Transformers fashion never gets old. The gameplay is pretty varied in general and though Twisted Pixel walk the line of overusing mechanics, they don't quite cross it.
IRIS is a good character with entertaining dialogue, though Pablo wears thin quite quickly, unlike his trousers. Some of the acting is atrocious in the video sequences and the jokes within them will miss more than they hit, but clearly Twisted Pixel were going for a campy, 90s-apeing style of comedy, so I can't be too harsh.
The game is smooth to play, with a clean interface and hardly any bugs. I once managed to turn Iris 180 degress after hitting a wall but it quickly sorted itself out, and bar one game crash, that's really it in terms of the technical side.
+ Fun in a pure, childish way
+ Skill trees add a sense of improvement and choice, and encourage you to keep playing
+ IRIS is no GLaDOS but still has some funny and generally enjoyable dialogue
+ Good campaign length -- the game doesn't outstay its welcome
- Reading Pablo's subtitles whilst driving -- poor game design!
- Limited replayability
- Sometimes a little too easy and simplistic
- Weak graphics, in spite of huge file size (no doubt due to the live action videos, which do look nice and crisp)
All in all, I can't even rate it out of 10. This isn't a game that can be summed up in a concise, empirical manner; some people would find it to be a 2 or 3, others a 7, 8 or even 9. It is a weird game, and in many ways a poor one, but if you can grab it in a sale, and you've got the HDD space, then give it a spin. Or a cycle, even.
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3 af 6 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
6.4 timer bogført
Indsendt: 13. september
Take classic Outrun, make it almost casual button mashing game and pour absurdist humor all over it, including full motion video between chapters. You'll get satisfying fun short non-stop action casual game. It's worth its $2 I bought it for.
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1 af 2 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
1.4 timer bogført
Indsendt: 27. september
It's great fun. I can definitely give it that. You're a talking motorcycle, and you have machine guns, wheel-to-hand/door/flying-bloke combat training, and that's not to mention that you're also insane and completely unable to understand the Spanish mechanic being dragged along behind you. Quite often, this leads to some brilliant exchanges between the bike, named I.R.I.S, and her 'friend', Pablo. I.R.I.S will often speak using references and quotes with completely no idea what she's referencing, meaning that at one moment you'll be listening to Pablo begging for his life and telling her (in Spanish) that she's insane and should stop so he can free himself, then the next, I.R.I.S is ranting about 'Scottsburg, Indiana' and insisting that she has the need for speed.
Major exposition is done via live action cutscenes, which genuinely surprised me, however the acting isn't...the best. It's a bit like most attractive actors: Looks great, sometimes can be surprising in its context, but then when it gets down to the actual acting...well.
Let's just say it isn't the latest Quentin Tarantino flick.
Ahhhh, what else is there...?
Oh yeah, the fighting.
Most combat revolves around bike-to-car combat, involving machine guns, melee combat (if you can get near enough), and if the situation calls for it, a 'counter': Pressing a button at the right time to perform a rather smooth animation of I.R.I.S bashing her opponent in the face, or Pablo performing something he more than likely saw in a movie. There's other enemies apart from sedans and jeeps, including jeeps that throw molotov cocktails, trucks that can only be defeated by countering their missiles repeatedly, motorcyclists, and your male counterpart, S.P.I.K.E.
Now, the first thing you'll notice about the shiny spiky chopper is just how sinister he actually looks. Almost a bit over-the-top, to be honest. As far as story goes, I.R.I.S and S.P.I.K.E were being shown off to world leaders so that they could buy them and use them for military purposes. However, looking at their styling, you would almost think that some scientist somewhere was designing I.R.I.S so that she would go rogue, even going so far as to paint the female motorcycle purple so she looked more feminine. He also must have had a sick mind, because he also made her quite curvy.
Basically, Motorcycle Scarlet Johannesen.
Anyway, the encounters with S.P.I.K.E are fairly infrequent, almost boss fights in a way, and all of his lines are voiced by the other fictional killing cyborg, the T-1000 (Otherwise called Robert Patrick). A wise choice, to be honest, since who else would be a more befitting voice for a hunter-killer AI than the original hunter-killer AI? The interactions between I.R.I.S and S.P.I.K.E show the actual differences in tone; I.R.I.S requests he doesn't 'trip out', and he threatens to send her straight to the junkyard. Fairly moody, to be honest.
So, besides the good, there's always the bad.
As mentioned before, the live-action cutscenes aren't exactly the greatest, so we know about that.
Sometimes, the camera can decide that you want to look over there and not where you actually want to look (Also, the camera can't really be moved. Like, at all.)
Most major setpieces are, unfortunately, quick time events.
And most unfortunately, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT a full PC port. You will actually have to have a wired controller for this, and all attempts to play the game using a keyboard are made more difficult via the use of 'Press A' or 'Move the analog stick this way' prompts that the game likes throwing at you. If you don't have one, but still want to complete the game, you're out of luck: Pablo's repair mini-game requires the use of the Right Trigger, and do you see a trigger on your keyboard?
Thought as much.
So, while I really, REALLY reccomend this to anybody with a wired Xbox 360 controller, I'm just not able to say it's the greatest port of all time.
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9 af 18 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
0.6 timer bogført
Indsendt: 4. juli
Bad Game. Gameplay is boring, graphics are ugly and frame rate is ♥♥♥♥, repetive (just mash b and press a to jump to a different enemy). Humour is lame.
This would be have been reasonably well received on ps1, got poor to moderate reviews on ps2. And as an Xbox One 'exclusive' this is embarrasing.
Lastly, I run most games at 1080p, some at 1440p including high end shooters. This game engine is so poorly optimised it won't run at 1080p with a solid frame rate, yet looks about the same as ps2 era games.
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2 af 4 brugere (50%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
1.4 timer bogført
Indsendt: 13. august
Only worth it if you're going to play with a controller. I was having a pretty good time and then for no really good reason they decided to stick a set of timed minigames into the middle of a level, the third of which seemed impossible to do without a controller. I decided to humor it, but then the game wouldn't immediately recognize my controller when I turned it on, and when I restarted it it put me back about 20 minutes worth of gameplay, which was when I decided I was done with the game.
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6:32PM Update =
Just. WOW!
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4.0 timer bogført
Indsendt: 7. maj
I've witnessed a motorcycle:
-Piledrive another motorcycle
-Shoot down multiple battleships
-Shoryuken a helicopter
-Pull off midair martial arts
-Traverse warheads a la Just Cause 2
-Battle in the style of Street Fighter
-Ride above water
-Combat mechs
-Eat ice cream
-Imbue the elements into its wheels
-Throw cars
-Use an innocent man as a sawblade
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16 af 27 brugere (59%) fandt denne anmeldelse brugbar
5.9 timer bogført
Indsendt: 19. februar
[Rating: 62/100]
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Dissecting Japanese Imperialism in Anime
After the first two episodes of this season's Muv-Luv Alternate: Full Eclispe, it was hard to avoid noticing the similar thematic elements it had going with the classic Gunbuster. There is the idyllic school setting prelude to a blood bath of a war, the masses of faceless space monstrosities, and the rather hilarious acronym names given to them. Most importantly though, there is the abundant usage of of Imperial Japanese imagery and verbiage in both shows. That last bit reminded me of the following.
This is a series of essays written about a year ago dissecting Gunbuster and viewing it through a Japanese Imperialism lens. Knowledge of Gunbuster is not a prerequisite to understanding the content of the essays, but previous viewings of it as well as historical knowledge of Japan during the World War II period will help. (Note: I did not write any of these, nor contributed to any of them.)
Episode 1
Episode 2 (NSFW)
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
If you enjoy this form of analysis of any form of media, not just anime, the above pieces are definitely worth your time.
Not Game Related: Music as Narrative
I had a wall of text written speaking to my reactions to this Kids on the Slope, but in hindsight, it really was just an excuse to get people to watch and listen to the following. So I'll save that for a later time and keep this brief. Kids on the Slope sets up musical pieces as important points in its story: music that symbolizes the wishes and motivations of the characters. In this scene, we see Kaoru and Sentaro, two friends and musical partners, coming back together to reclaim both their personal connections as well as musical connections they had lost. Moving through My Favorite Things, Some Day My Prince Will Come, and Moanin', all pieces that set up major points in the story told so far, they remind each other as well as the viewers of just what they are reclaiming.
More, than anything else though, it just sounds so good. So listen, and smile.
Gundam 00 The Movie: A Wakening My Fanboy Rage
This post might be better titled "How Cross Textual Knowledge Bites me In The Fucking Ass"
I finally decided in a bout of grad school workload caused insomnia and depression to jump the shark and watch this movie. I always knew it was bad, but man. Mannnnnnnnn. The story and character portrayals are bullshit. Building the ultimate Gundam for the ultimate Innovator so it can go fly off and take a psychic history lesson about some pieces of living liquid metal? Seriously? I don't need to go into that. But what makes me angrier is all the ways it so clumsily tries to ape the better moments of superior shows and present loose ends of actual merit and discard them completely.
Descartes Shaman, one of the first innovators to appear after Setsuna, proved to be a xenophobic racist, calling non-innovators the inferior species. One would think when a wave of innovation(TM) is spreading across the human population, the movie would do well to touch further upon this racial tension right? Nope. Lets just kill him off. Further, lets completely abandon any notion of that sentiment and by the end of the movie, let a population with 40% innovators live in complete peace and harmony because apparently he was the only racist in the history of the species except for all the innovades that came before him.
And then there are the referential moments. Andrei Smirnov and four of his GNX buddies using transam to push a giant ELS capitol ship as it falls on earth, and exploding just as they succeed. Well doesn't that sound familiar? The movie was literally shoving a shitty tasting poopsicle in the shape of Char's Counterattack into my mouth and I was literally giving my computer screen the finger. You're going to replace Amuro with Andrei? Seriously? You couldn't at least do it was a character that was memorable in anyway and give Graham the heroic death he so dearly deserved despite his antics as Mister Mushido (His first Name Is Mister)? (For the record, SolBraves is a pretty awesome name for a MS team.)
And then of course there is the whole Jupiter Express of enemies. The fact that something in here reminds me of the glorious Diebuster is an absolute affront to the latter. But it doesn't take a seasoned film critic to know that this show can ONLY end with humans and aliens finding peace. So what better way to present an alien enemy than ones completely devoid of any character at all. In shows such Diebuster or Gunbuster where the mass of characterless aliens are titled the Space Terrible Monster Crowd, that is excusable. In fact, that is what you should be doing. In a show where our man protagonist is suppose to be having a dialogue with them at the climax of the movie, this does not effing work god damnit. The fact that it made all combat between the armada of GaGa Squadrion in GN Lance costumes and the Feddies a snore fest is not lost on me either.
Though for the sake of being fair and balanced, I will say one thing. At least the Zabanya was entertaining to watch. Lockon actually used its bits (fins, funnels, fangs, DRAGOONs, WHATEVER) dare I say, intelligently. Rifle bits are fucking RIFLES and shoot from far away. They don't go charging into melee range. Shield bits are shields and they not only defend the MS itself, but also the rifle bits from incoming shots, prolonging its combat capability. Totally nominating the Zabanya for Saimecha 2013 because it made me enjoy this movie for just a few moments, and that is a fucking momentous achievement.
It's Robot Voting Time
The nomination phase for the second annual Sai Mecha has started once again. This is a time for bloody battle, vitriol filled hate, and the drinking of the tears of anyone who thinks Shin Getter Robo has a chance of being nominated. Head over to the the main site for all the information on how the brackets will break down, but I'll leave the rules for submissions here.
1. Choose up to 10 mecha, and email them to executiveotaku@gmail.com. One entry per person. Please put the series the mecha is from after each.
2. The 32 mecha with the most nominations will be put into a randomized bracket and split into the Earth Side and Colonies Side.
3. The following 4 mecha cannot be nominated as they are the final four of the previous year and are already seeded: Zaku II, Eva Unit 01, VF-1 Valkyrie, YF-19 Excalibur
For all of you guys going "Fuck you and your animu robots. I'd rather nominate something out of Mechwarrior", go watch Flag, and then nominate the HAVWC. That's about as real world practical but remain sci-fi fancy as you can get.
Here are my own submissions in no particular order. The VF-1 is my first love and YF-19 my true love, so it's a good thing I don't need wax emotionally about those two and have two more slots in my list. I have a general lean towards reals over supers, so anyone wondering why Gurren Lagann is not on there, there you go. (Also I'm trying to have as few renomination as possible and Gurren Lagann made the list last year.)
1. YF-29 Durandal (Wings of Goodbye). It's the latest variable fighter entry in the Macross franchise and oh god what a beauty this thing is. While the VF-25's Tornado pack might let it roll like no tomorrow, the Durandal has a slimmer, far snazzier frame while still inheriting the VF-25's ridiculously good looking battleroid mode.
2. GP-03 Dendrobium Orchis (Stardust Memories). Probably my favorite design out of the Gundam franchise, it is a giant mobile armor weapons platform carried on the back of a Gundam. It fits its flower derived name as it is one giant flower of death for entire fleets with its array of beam rifles, bazookas, chain mines, and cluster missile packs. All this firepower takes up space, and it's nice to see one of the few mecha designs in general that does not streamline it all into the frame, and instead gives it a proper amount of bulk. Also a fantastic enough of a design that Marvel Comics ripped it off wholesale.
3. Genesic GaoGaiGar (GaoGaiGar Final). It is a robot that runs on courage. If you dislike it, you are a horrible person who does not deserve to see the light of day. Unless that light is caused by GaoGaiGar swinging down the full might of the planet sized Goldion Crusher.
4. Big O (The Big O). When the class of your super robot is called a Megadeus, you envision something that exudes gigantic strength. Something that is thick, lumbering, seemingly indestructible. That sums up the design philosophy behind the Big O. When it punches with its arms, you can feel the raw power behind those strikes. It also helps that it is piloted by the mother fucking batman as well as a far more awesome Robin, and serviced by an Alfred that knows how to use grenade launchers.
5. Knight of Gold (Five Star Stories). While the lead Mortar Head of Five Star Stores, it is not my favorite design in that universe. (That vote goes to either the AUGE or the Blazing Empress). However, it is the only one that was animated and is still one hell of a sight to behold. It tugs at my heart strings for mecha of a very regal design along with a beautiful golden color scheme, just as the name suggests.
6. Escaflowne (Vision of Escaflowne). Speaking of mecha with regal ass designs, you really can't go wrong with this one. The show (much like FFS) has it's armored beings serve not just as usual pieces of military hardware. They are the swords and steeds of knights, and look and act as such. As a sword, Escaflowne is clad in white armor. It needs no fancy schmancy weapon platform system, satisfied with the sword in its hand that allows for duels. As a steed, it turns into a mother fucking dragon.
7. VF-25F Messiah (Macross Frontier). Another variable fighter coming out of Macross Frontier, the Messiah is probably the first one of its kind with a battleroid mode that I'd consider pretty. Also that pitch. That yaw. That mother fucking roll. (Can anyone tell that I'm a giant fan of Kawamori's designs yet?)
8. Delphine (Broken Blade). The trope of putting an inexperienced pilot in a relatively overpowered suite is not a new one. But the way Rygart's fights with the Delphine plays out most definitely is not the norm. Swords, kunais, nunchucks, spiked bulldozers with a sword in it, and a giant ninja star yoyo of death. It's final fight was one of my favorite moments of last year, and I still stand by that.
9. Mazinger Z (Shin Mazinger Z). The original Mazinger series was way beyond my time, so I am quite happy with the ability to watch it yet again. I've always liked the design of the Black Castle of Steel: simple with a great color scheme. It's modernized version still boasts many of its iconic moves including the rocket punch and breast fire. But it also has a few more tricks up it's sleeves. Such as turning into a giant rocket punch, or summoning a legion of rocket punches that turn into one giant rocket punch. For the super robot that originated that attack, it definitely makes the most of the incredible legacy.
10. Hyaku Shikki (Z Gundam). Here are the reasons: 1. It is piloted by the most awesome version of Char (the one that wins because he's a good guy for once lol). 2. It looks pretty as all hell. 3. It's designed by Kawamori. I really wish Gundam Unicorn's Delta Plus kept that gold paint job. I'd nominate that instead if it did due to its transformation that looks better than almost every other new variable mobile suit Z Gundam vomited out on a per episode basis.
Calling for all ME3 articles
It's probably with some depressing irony and self-hatred that the situation surrounding this game has turned into a rather fitting topic for a paper in one of my communications courses. I won't bore anyone with the preliminary outlines of the paper. What I'm asking for is links to any articles or reviews published in reaction to either the game itself or the community reactions towards the game.
Yes, I realize I'm asking you guys to help do some of the research leg work for me. But taking advantage of the sprawling network here is probably going to be a lot more effective than trawling on Lexus Nexus. Feel free to either leave the link in the comment section, or sent to me as an PM. Thanks all for your help.
Noboru Ishiguro Passes Away
I'm personally not familiar with many of his works where he served as director. Shows like Lupin III, Astro Boy and Space Battleship Yamato were too far before my time. But there are two that served as the most formative experiences I've had with the anime medium. Super Dimension Fortress Macross drew me in and never let me go when I watched a syndicated version of it in China in 1990, 8 years after its initial release. After all, what 4 year old boy could say no to F-14 Tomcats that turned into robots fighting aliens in space? And about 19 years after that initial experience, long after many, me included, thought Cowboy Bebop may have been the apex of the medium, I stumbled upon Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and realized the anime that would ruin all other anime for me through sheer brilliance was created back in 1988.
So here's a cheer to the man that that directed two of the most marvelous animated experiences of my life.
Persona 4 Episode 4: Three's a Trend, And Our Heroes are Helpless
When I started my attempts at internet blogging about two years ago, one of my first entries was on Persona 3. What drew me to that game was the nature of the enemy, and the futility of the conflict. The ultimate evil in that game was Nyx. It was a being of death manifested by and attracted to the negativity of mankind. It knew no malice and did not seak power. It was instead manipulated by mankind's unconcious negativity. Our heroes fought against it, and even with the "Power of the Universe", the strength to perform miracles, all the main character could do was use his own life force to create a seal, blocking Nyx off from man kind's thoughts.
The conflict was against a being of man's own creation and unconscious manipulation, and fighting against it directly was futile, as refuting the will of all mankind with just your own was futile. Far outside the JRPG norm, this is what made Persona 3's story appeal to me. When Persona 4 came around, I loved it, and yet couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment because of how the balance of power played out in the conflict. The heroes fought against the monsters, and each time came out victorious. Personal acceptance of one's demons became less life threatening as the ability to fully subdue them over and over was always there.
And then came along the Persona 4 anime. Within the last 3 episodes, we have seen three boss fights and none of them gave us an Investigation Team victorious on their powers. Narukami fought Shadow Yosuke to a standstill at best. Shadow Chie had Jiraiyah and Yosuke tied up with her bondage hair. Shadow Yukiko's flames were more than even Pyro Jack's absorb flame affinity could handle. Once is a fluke, but three is a trend. The conflict puts emphasis on the futility of combating psychological beasts with brute strength. Every time, it took a change in mind set on the part of the host to give our heroes a fighting chance.
While the criticisms of melodramatic nature of the self-acceptance is understandable, in this sense, it also makes sense. One cannot win through fighting, and hold the shadow back is already a near impossible task. The priority is acceptance, one that the heroes need to work towards through emotional appeals more than anything else. The change in this emphasis is also backed up by an expansion on the back story and motivations of the characters that I have praised in previous writings. The true source of Chie and Yukiko's friendship, the set in stone routine of Yukiko's life at the inn, what people really think about Yosuke behind his back, these moments help gives depth to this new priority.
Persona 3 showed the supreme power of the subconscious. It is good to see the Persona 4 Animation following in those foot steps.
Persona 4 Episode 3: The Rights and Wrongs of Social Links
Social Links are the non-linear story threads of the game. It allows for the player to delve and discover the depths of the many side characters the game throws at you. They are not required for progression, and yet are essential for fully experiencing the game. However, they are again, non-linear. Persona 4's attempt at translating this into the linear anime format leads to success and failure, both conveniently placed in the same episode.
Episode 3 begins with what is probably my favorite scene so far. As you develop the Chie social link, one of the later levels has Chie telling you about how her and Yukiko met, little lost puppies and all. It helps further develop their friendship. The show takes perfect advantage of this, placing it within the same episode as Chie's confrontation with her shadow.
Her hidden motivation for being friends with Yukiko, the enjoyment of being Yukiko's master, the latter whom cannot do anything without her, is meant to be her true face. The game responds to this not with grim acceptance at her own perverse motivation, but with a "the ends justifies the means" kind of attitude, that as long as she and Yukiko are friends, nothing else matters. This has never sat all that well with me. It wasn't a true acceptance of self, but pretending its alright because of what it results in.
However, by adding the social link scene so early on as the show has done, it brings a new level of legitimacy to this line of thinking. Chie and Yukiko befriended each other long before this perverse relationship between them came into being. They became friends as children, innocent of all the faults that currently tarnish them as teens. Their relationship had a pure beginning, and that's what counts in the end.
On the other side of this magnificent scene however we have the symptoms of over indulgence in references rearing its head. A proper reference gives much to those that catch it, but does not take away from those that do not. And the following moments fail this rule.
There was no reason for the Kou Ichijo scene, and its presence felt very much like a "hey, remember this guy" moment. The sports team social link however is not the only one at fault. It merely is the least subtle. In the second episode, the auditorium announcement is preceded by a quick pan of the teachers standing on stage. And of course, one was a gym teacher, one was wearing a pharaoh head dress, and one had his right up holding a sock puppet. Not as heavy handed as the Ichijo moment, but any viewer unfamiliar with the game would probably look at the characters, and be dismayed by the ridiculousness.
In other less analytical news, Narukami's cheating ways continue. Two more rank ups in stats and pyro jack all before Yukiko's castle is even finished? How dirty are you going to play.
Persona 4 Episode 1: Success and Failure in Familiarity
Adaptations are tricky things to get right. Cross-medium adaptations are even more difficult. Like others before it, Persona 4 wades its way through trying to capitalize on the source. And like others before it, the results are mixed, though I'd say it succeeds more than it fails thus far.
Both in visual and audio, the episode strives for familiarity. Tracks from Persona 4's OST are inserted properly through out the episode with the OP theme being the opening track for the game in full. Visually, things like the above calender and the persona summoning eye catch are seen, certain to bring much delight to fans of the game. The usage of the status growth screen as the episode eye-catch is particularly interesting. One can only speculate, but perhaps they will let it develop just as it did in game, hinting at possible S.link based plot points in up coming episodes as it reaches the proper number of courage points to down the curry.
Max Knowledge First
As I said previously though, its attempt at familiarity is both success and failure, and I don't just mean how the MC's name is not "Charlie Tunoku". Certain scenes simply do not translate from game to anime all too well, the most obvious being the initial entry into the television world. The televised version simply felt rushed and Yosuke's urine antics leading to the falling into the TV, instead of delivering a good laugh as it did in game, had me raising an eye brow at in annoyance at how absurd and poor that scene felt.
The MC's silent protagonist retreatment also bears mentioning. One can count the lines of dialogue he has in the episode on your fingers and toes. While that is not bad unto itself, his incredibly reserved, shy, and passive personality is simply not the type of character he presented himself as in game, regardless of player decisions. Things do get a bit more lively and heated during the combat scene (and I don't just mean when he starts stripping) as he utters a few emotion filled lines, and one can only hope his personality does not remain so blank.
Delicious Jacket Unbuttoning
Familiarity is a double edged sword, and perhaps Persona 4 will wield it well. The first episode was far more good than bad despite my criticisms, and one can only hope it keeps going that way.
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iRobot Rebuilds Its Scooba Robot Mop With 3x the Power
LAS VEGAS -- iRobot’s line of robotic home cleaning assistants continues to grow, and the latest addition is an update to its Scooba Floor Mop called the Scooba 450. This new intelligent mop is slightly heavier and larger than its previous incarnation, the Scooba 390. According to iRobot, it's also three times more effective at clearing dirty floors than the last model; Scooba's internal components, including the motors, brushes and fans, have all been replaced.
Why iRobot's CEO Welcomes Our New Google Robot Overlords
Roomba 880 Has More Sucking Power, Trouble With Obstacles
The Roomba, the automated robot vacuum, is more than just a great idea -- it's an inevitable one. As technology progresses, it just makes too much sense to relegate simple, menial tasks to automatons. I have no doubt that one day, most homes will have robot cleaners of various shapes and sizes performing all the thankless tasks that go hand-in-hand with maintaining a home.
Military Robots Will Patrol World Cup
Even non-soccer fans know how hooliganism can quickly turn a harmless match into a veritable war zone, full of riots, stabbings, even death. To help keep the peace at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, FIFA has decided to go high-tech by enlisting military robots for security.
iRobot Mirra Tackles Pool Muck
Unless you're a five-year-old kid, there's nothing fun about dirt. It builds up everywhere and nobody really wants to clean it up. iRobot knows this. That's why it keeps spitting out fresh new robots to do all the dirt-ridden jobs we struggle to avoid. The Massachusetts-based company started with robot vacuums for our dirty floors and moved onto robotic mops and even a tiny Scooba that will roll behind the toilet so you don't have to.
Robot Hand Picks Up Nyan Cat, What Else is Possible?
Humans take their hands for granted. We’re just as quick to make an obscene gesture with them as we are to paint the next Mona Lisa. For those building robots, however, dexterous hands are a never--ending conundrum. Building them is tough and expensive. Roomba manufacturer iRobot is working on innovating its way around at least a few of these major obstacles to build effective, affordable, and maybe even intuitive digits.
This Is How a Throwable Robot Sees My Office
iRobot Gobbles up Evolution Robotics for $74M
Guess what Roomba got for its 10th birthday? A nice, shiny new company to play with. iRobot, the company that makes the Roomba robotic vacuum will acquire competitor Evolution Robotics for $74 million in cash, according to a joint announcement. Though iRobot went public in 2005 and Evolution Robotics remains a privately-held company, the two companies have otherwise followed a somewhat similar trajectory for the last decade.
Roomba Celebrates 10 Years of Cleaning Up After You
Roomba, the world’s first multi-million unit-selling home-helper robot, turns 10 today. iRobot has cooked up a self-congratulatory infographic filled with a collection of interesting and, occasionally bizarre facts to mark the occasion. A decade ago, I tested and wrote about the first Roomba robotic home vacuum. Back then, I described it as looking like “an oversized CD-player” (remember those?).
This iRobot Has its Mind in the Gutter
Best known for its Roomba vacuum cleaner robot, iRobot has reportedly sold 8 million consumer robots over the last 10 years, but not all of them are Roombas. Along with the vacuum cleaners, garage clearing Dirt Dogs and intelligent floor mops is the gutter-cleaning Looj. If that sounds like a joke, it’s not. Sure gutter cleaners get no respect, but this robot is about to get a major upgrade with the Looj 330.
iRobot Releases Smartest Roomba Yet
iRobot announced on Tuesday the latest vacuum cleaning robot in its Roomba lineup, boasting a wireless command center that schedules cleanings and allows users to control the device from anywhere in the house. The new Roomba 790 -- available now for $699.99 -- gives users more flexibility in cleaning. By using the Wireless Command Center remote control, it's possible to steer the Roomba to any spot in the house and schedule it to routinely clean during certain hours, even when no one is home.
YouTube Sensation Does the Robot in $10 Million Roomba Campaign [VIDEO]
Dubstep master and YouTube sensation Marquese Scott is back with another jaw-dropping routine. His 2011 YouTube dance video gained more than 43 million views. This time, he is promoting the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. iRobot Corporation -- behind the Roomba and Scooba automated cleaners -- is making moves with a robust $10 million ad campaign, appealing to fans on T.V. and online. Scott appears in the T.V.
Who is ultimately responsible for the behavior of autonomous robots? That's the central question that a new conference on robots aims to tackle. Why ask the question? Well, imagine that today's robot vacuums and floor washers (like the recently upgraded Scooba) eventually spawn cousins who mow lawns and trim hedges. Now imagine that robot hedge trimmer chopping off your neighbor's arm.
Scooba Robot Floor Scrubber Gets an Upgrade, Still Not Quite Skynet
The Roomba robot vacuum is world-famous, but it's cousin, the Scooba floor washer, not as much. Will the new Scooba 390 change that? iRobot, the company behind both, hopes so. If you found the old Scooba difficult to use, iRobot says the 390 has been upgraded for better performance and 30% longer battery life over its predecessor, the 380.
iRobot's Roomba Revenge Attacks Virtual Dust Bunnies
Ever since iRobot launched Roomba, the disc-shaped robotic floor vacuum, it's been hard to ignore the sometimes comic possibilities. SNL once famously parodied the product, which has sold millions of units since 2002, in a memorable fake commercial for the "Woomba" feminine hygiene robot. iRobot, laughed quietly in the background, but was never really in on any of the jokes. Until now.
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Let's Make Robots!
Raspberry Py
The Social drink Machine
Ro-Bot-X's picture
Well, the Romanians at Robofun have built a drink mixing robot. It's not looking like the famous Bar2D2, it's looking more like a 2 axis CNC machine, but it has it's share of coolness. To order a drink, you scan the bar code with your smart phone, get to the site and choose a drink. Then wait for a bar code to be displayed on your phone, place a glass in the machine and show the bar code to the machine's webcam.
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Comic Vine News
Comic Vine Battle of the Week RESULTS: Guardians of the Galaxy vs. X-Force
What happens when these two teams fight? Come see who won and why!
Brian Michael Bendis' Guardians of the Galaxy or Christopher Yost's X-Force? The community had all week to think about this brawl and now only one side is left standing. One team kept a moderate lead the entire time, but the poll did fluctuate to some degree and there was never too large of a gap between the two sides. Well, after five days of discussion and voting, the winner is clear: the Comic Vine community sides with the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The combination of skill, firepower and powers gave the Guardians of the Galaxy a decent lead over Wolverine's team. The group of aliens earned 54% and X-Force took 40% of the votes. 6% believe this one is too close to call.
The Viner arguments and Corey 'Undeadpool' Schroeder's post are crazy long this week, but they're also extremely entertaining. The first post is incredibly confident the Guardians will dominate the battle and the other two explain how they think the fight would play out in out in a very, very fun way. So, let's just go right ahead and jump into these detailed posts.
Viner Argument of the Week for the Guardians of the Galaxy is by Oy_the_Billy_Bumbler
"Here's why The Guardians absolutely destroy X-Force. This is a no contest in my honest opinion. Several of the Guardians could solo all of X-Force without even breaking a sweat.
X-Force is full of a bunch of Street Level characters to just above Street Level. Sure, they pack a little extra in healing factors and probability manipulation. They can stomp most of Earth based street level teams with ease. They aren't taking on Earth based heroes in this though. The Guardians are characters that were busy saving the universe every day while the Earth based heroes were in the middle of a "Civil War" over a law that was, in the grand scheme of things, very insignificant.
Take Tony Stark for example. Tony Stark joined the Guardians, because he wanted to see what more was out there. Tony Stark has arguably the best tech on Earth. Tony Stark has admitted that he is at least a generation behind what the rest of the universe has to offer in tech. The Guardians have some of the best tech in their weaponry, which puts them even further ahead of even the Iron Man Armors. Rocket Raccoon repeatedly embarrassed Tony and made fun of how primitive the Iron Man armor was in comparison to even the simplest of what Rocket could do with his weaponry, which brings me to Rocket Raccoon.
Rocket Raccoon could blow the entire team away with one shot. There is no debating that. Going back to DnA's great run that established the Guardians, they spent a lot of time trying to keep the Cancerverse from overtaking the 616 universe. In one such occasion, they were battling the Universal Church of Truth. The UCT was trying to bring the Cancerverse into the universe to help resurrect their savior (Thanos). Anyways, they brought a massive Cancerverse creature through the portal. Adam Warlock and Phyla-Vel tried to push the creature back through the portal. Their combined powers were too weak to perform the task. That's why the Guardians have a genius strategist/weapons specialist in Rocket Raccoon. Rocket's grenade packed enough punch to hurt the creature and push it back through the portal. His grenade packed more punch then the combined power of Adam Warlock and Phyla-Vel, who are high tier cosmic level beings.
Staying on Rocket, he is also a master strategist. He was engineered on halfworld to have a genius intelligence for strategy and tactics by the humans who left him to protect the loonies. He also trained to become the sole protector of the loonies on halfworld, which is why he is so dangerous today. Starlord has traveled the entire universe. He has encountered people like Captain America, Tony Stark, Reed Richards, and even Thanos. Starlord has claimed that Rocket Raccoon has the best tactical mind out of everyone he has ever met in the entire universe.
Rocket was the brains behind dropping the babel spire when Ultron and the Phalanx conquered Hala, the homeworld of the Kree. Rocket came up with a plan to have Groot and Mantis take out all of the forces within the babel spire. This is a good time to talk about how easily Groot could destroy X-Force with ease by explaining his powers.
To topple the Babel spire, Groot rooted himself in the structure of the tower. Groot grew so he was as large as the Babel Spire. That's how big he can get when he wants too. That's the Empire State Building size, if not bigger. Groot also gained the ability from Mantis through her pyrokinesis to let Groot manipulate his sap at a molecular level so he can become flammable at will. In case you didn't know, Groot is fireproof, which is one of the first powers he demonstrated way back when he was a villain and has demonstrated recently in his mini-series with Rocket Raccoon. Anyways, Groot burnt down the entire babel spire, and regrew himself from a sprig. This was the decisive move that toppled Ultron.
Groot's size manipulation through growth give him an excellent healing factor. I would argue it is much faster then both Wolverine and X-23's. It is getting better by the day too. If you have been a long time Guardians fan like myself, then you would know that Groot used to be able to talk normally. Now he is only able to say, "I am Groot!". That's not because of him being dumb like most people think. It's because his species wood grows more and more durable as they age. Groot is actually a genius at Reed Richard levels. Maximus explained this to the Guardians, and this was later proven when Rocket traveled to Planet X. Anyways, Groot has become so durable that he has tanked shots from Thanos on two separate occasions and has been left without any damage. Even if Groot is damaged, he can instantly regrow his damaged limbs.
Groot's age has also given him immense strength. I would put his strength quite a bit above a base line savage Hulk. There is plenty of proof to back this up too. Groot has hit Thanos with enough force to make his body fold in half from pain. Groot, more recently was the member picked between both the Avengers and Guardians to put the beat down on Thanos. This roster included the Hulk. Groot puts a pretty impressive beating on the Mad Titan that Hulk has never been able to do to the same effect. Another of Groot's strength feats is killing the Monster of Badoon. The Monster of Badoon has fought the Thing, and beat Grimm in their fight. Groot, however not only beats the Monster of Badoon, he hits him so hard it knocks his head clean off. The Thing is well above a 100 tonner, and Groot hit with strength much higher then the Thing ever could.
Groot could also use his Dendrokinesis for a very easy win. Groot has the power to absorb, and control anything made of wood. He has the power to build a net of trees that is strong enough to carry a village through space, without killing the people in the village from the effects of space, and all the way to his home planet on Planet X. Groot can turn any piece of wood on the battlefield into a living weapon. Groot can also drop sheds of himself, that are basically small dupes of himself. He can create an army of mini-Groots to fight for him. This is one of the reasons why Groot is arguably immortal also. In Groot's current age, he has the power to instantly change his size at will. He can grow from a sprig, to a ten story giant in the matter of seconds. If Groot is destroyed, one of his sheds can grow and get back in the fight.
Another member of the Guardians with a healing factor that is even better then Wolverine and X-23's when combined with her natural durability is Gamora. Gamora has survived the burning of the sun and healed from it. She has intentionally submerged herself in burning lava and acid so she could kill her opponent by dragging him with her. She came out of the lava and acid with absolutely zero damage to her body.
Gamora is more then just a healer though. She was trained by Thanos to master more martial arts styles then even Batman. Batman may have mastered every fighting style on Earth, but he is limited to Earth based fighting styles (unless I'm mistaken and Batman knows some Alien styles too). Gamora has earned her title as the deadliest women in the galaxy. She has fought Ronan the Accuser to a stalemate. Ronan the Accuser has stopped characters as strong as Black Bolt in his tracks and has absorbed Black Bolts power with no damage, but he still had trouble with Gamora. Gamora could easily destroy all of X-factor on her own with her enhanced physicals, healing factor, and far superior skills (sorry Wolverine).
The other mean and green member of the Guardians is Drax. While he is not quite what he used to be as a cosmic level threat, he still is more then enough to dominate X-Force level characters. Drax is easily a 50 tonner, and is said to have a healing factor. To be honest, I don't know if he has a healing factor, because he has never taken any damage. Drax has gone up against an entire army of Annihilus forces when he was abandoned on a planet overrun with the opposing army. Drax was able to fight his way through an entire horde of the Annihilation Wave before making his way to Annihilus ship, where he kills Thanos.
Last but not least on the Guardians is Starlord. Starlord, while not without his own share of impressive feats, is not always the one dealing the huge blows like the rest of his team can. Starlord instead uses his expert leadership to put his team in the right place to win. Included in Starlord's victories by leadership and/or strategy include, the Annihilation Wave, the Phalanx Conquest, and Thanos outwitted on three separate occasions. Starlord always looks like he is flying by the seat of his pants, but he excels at this. He also always has a hidden agenda unknown to anyone but himself. He keeps himself three steps ahead of even the genius that is Thanos at all times. He's proven this time and time again. Batman better watch out, because Starlord is moving in on the title of Prep-Master. If three wins over Thanos because of prep doesn't earn him that title, it definitely puts him as a pretty close contender.
So one of the best leaders in the universe is taking a squad of characters that tackle cosmic level Universe ending threats on a monthly basis to take on a team of Earth based characters that are just above street level at best? Ya, I'll take the Guardians in a 10/10 no contest win here."
Viner Argument of the Week for X-Force is by AustinCY
"Two of my all-time favourite Marvel teams. This is honestly the closest battle I can possibly imagine. Having read Yost's & Remender's X-Force and both Abnett's & Bendis' Guardians of the Galaxy, I'm going to break down what each character contributes to this all out battle:
X-Force: Wolverine is the charismatic and experienced leader who has led many X-Men teams and knows how to fully utilize his team mate's strengths. The X-Force is comprised of cold-hearted killers who are maneuverable and stealthy, which gives them an advantage in this given scenario. Note that, since Wolverine and X-23 having healing factors, they will last longer throughout the battle, in addition to Warpath being extremely resistant to injury. Domino is a wild card because of her probability manipulation which will be troublesome for her to die. Archangel has his metallic feathers that are laced with poisonous chemicals that will paralyze his opponents. Wolverine & X-23 are exceptional hand-to-hand combatants, especially with their adamantium. Warpath is a powerhouse tank that relies on his brute strength and speed. Domino is the clever marksman that will try to pick off the enemies. Archangel will be used to isolate one of Guardians via flight & grab, and will fight one on one somewhere else (as shown in the Dark X-Men series against Bullseye).
Guardians of the Galaxy: Star-Lord is a knowledgeable and crafty leader who is the most familiar with his team mates and what they are capable of doing. However, his leadership skills are not demonstrated as skillfully compared to Wolverine. The Guardians are best shown when fighting individually as opposed to as a team. This will be their greatest downfall. Gamora is the deadliest woman in the universe equipped with a healing factor. Drax the Destroyer is also a powerhouse tank who relies on his brute strength and speed. Both Gamora and Drax are superb killing machines. Rocket Raccoon is the most resourceful with his array of weaponry, explosives and jet pack. Groot is a mighty creature capable of regenerating and expanding his size. The Guardians of the Galaxy are mainly used to fighting lots of alien armies and solving catastrophic galactic problems. Battling the X-Force will offer them a unique challenge.
The Battle:
The fight would begin with the X-Force splitting off into the darkness in which Wolverine has assigned which of his team members would battle who based on the Guardians appearances, weaponry, size, and his limited knowledge on the Guardians. Star-Lord will start making quirky remarks on how mutants are usually friendly and then Rocket Raccoon would join in the chattering. Joking aside, his leadership will not be taken seriously from Drax and Gamora, and would therefore split off from the team to hunt the X-Force down by themselves. Both are very proud warriors who are confident in their fighting skills. Groot follows orders tentatively and stays with Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon. However, out of nowhere, Archangel shoots his metallic feathers towards the three, forcing them to separate in which Archangel would swiftly swoop and take Rocket Raccoon out of the battle. Star-Lord would try to use his element gun to stop Archangel but it is shot out of his hand by Domino and luckily shatters into pieces due to a weakpoint in the gun. Meanwhile, Warpath would challenge Drax and test each other's might. Both wielding knives in each hand. However, Warpath's knives are bowie knives that are composed of Vibranium which gives him the advantage in this dual. Spectacular battle of knives and muscle but Warpath would end up besting Drax through multiple stabbings. X-23 would sneak attack Gamora from within the shadows but Gamora would deflect that attack. Both combatants are extremely and heavily trained fighters both with a healing factor. Bloodiest dual ever. In the end, Gamora will claim victory and stays true to being the deadliest woman in the galaxy. Wolverine will naturally test Star-Lord's wits and engage in battle but Groot would unexpectedly swipe his woody arm against Wolverine's small stature and send him flying, hitting a nearby building. Without the element gun, Star-Lord is vulnerable and takes cover so that he can think of a strategy to get his team out of this situation. Domino is assigned to taking out Star-Lord and exits the building in which she was sniping from.
Meanwhile, Archangel drops Rocket Raccoon, only to notice that the clever creature strapped his jetpack to Archangel before getting dropped. The jetpack is then detonated as the furry raccoon drops midair. The explosion badly damages Archangel as he spirals to the ground, forcing him to take cover while shooting his feathers. Similarly, Rocket Raccoon will be taking cover, shooting, and talking smack about how he was chosen to get isolated from the team. In the end, Rocket Raccoon will outsmart the Apocalypse Horseman strategically through means of various blasts of weaponry accurately aimed where Archangel cannot protect himself. However, Rocket Raccoon would have to return back to the battle without any transportation. Wolverine fights Groot head-on and manages to take apart Groot piece by piece. Wolverine is a swift samurai who can outspeed Groot's predictable attacks. In the end, all there would be left of Groot would be a splinter of wood. Domino would eventually hunt down Star-Lord but to her surprise, Star-Lord manages to catch her off guard and disarms her weapon. Star-Lord would begin to flirt his way out and mention that his element gun was his favourite weapon. Although Domino would be flattered, she would agree to fight him hand-to-hand combat seeing that she destroyed his element gun and wouldn't mind to fight fairly. A very interesting fight would occur. In the end, Wolverine would show up and slash Star-Lord from behind, terribly wounding him from continuing to fight. Wolverine would say something about how he lacks the respect from his team and the leadership to execute the battle. Star-Lord would smile and say something about how he was wrong about mutants being friendly. To make things short, Wolverine, Warpath and Domino would take on Gamora. X-23 would unexpectedly attack her and Gamora would be defeated by all four. Afterwards, they would hunt down the lone Rocket Raccoon. He will use up all of his ammunition and explosives to defend himself to the best of his ability, but his weapons would eventually deplete and would be taken out by the X-Force.
Ultimately, X-Force would win under Wolverine's cunning strategic leadership, stealth, and bloodthirsty mentality."
Corey 'Undeadpool' Schroeder, Comic Vine Writer
"I still don't see how it's any of our business what a bunch of earthbound mutants get into..." Gamora scoffed, circling at the back of the group, her rifle raised, but contempt obvious in her voice.
" extraterrestrial parasite infects some of the deadliest mutants on the planet...and heroic ones, no less...we get involved." Quill muttered, his eyes darting back and forth, his breaths coming in quick, measured moments.
"The tree and the rodent being here ain't helping our incognito status, evacuation or not..." Drax pointed out, emerging from one of the many desolated structures.
"What'd you call me?! WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Rocket broke formation and strode up to the man three times his height, lowering the massive launcher on his shoulder.
"I AM GROOT!" intoned the massive wood man.
"That's right! And...wait, what?" Rocket spun from Drax, looking up, "Oh damnation!" he readied his weapon and fired at the shape. The rocket exploded nearby, sending him crashing to the ground next to Groot. He righted himself, his metallic wings firing bladed feathers in a cloud, embedding themselves in the tree's hide. He underestimated how fast the not-ent would be, though, finding his neck clutched in unyielding hands that squeezed with incredible force.
"Eyes open! They're likely to-" Gamorra was cut off by a the sound of glass breaking, followed by a strange smell and finally small figure leaping from a rooftop and tumbling through a doorway with her just as it began to rain. The strange thing was, the bottle hadn't come from outside her group... Drax readied himself as, predictably, another shape leapt from the shadows on him, massive knives clashing against his own as he rolled back, righting himself and readying as an animalistic shape leapt on Raccoon, but the smaller Guardian evaded him, leaving an unexpected gift stuck to his back in the form of a silver disk.
"What?!" the disc exploded, driving thousands of needles downward, sending Wolverine to one knee, twitching and growling.
"It's called a nanoplague! Picked it up a galaxy and a half away. Should override your healing factor AND kill whatever's got your brain in such a tiz-" Raccoon had either underestimated Wolverine's healing factor or the plague was a little too slow-acting as Wolverine rose up and stabbed him through the stomach, "Oh, you little upstart..." he coughed and slumped forward just as Logan lost consciousness.
While this was happening, Gamora and X-23 had separated in the sewer, both circling one another. "Listen, little wolf, you might be the deadliest woman on this planet, but I'm the deadliest woman in the gal-" Laura screamed and leapt forward, popping her four hand claws and slashing Gamora across the stomach and arm. Her armor prevented the wound from going too deep, but she shoved X off, snarling herself and taking quick stock of her situation. When Laura pounced again, she found both her arms paralyzed as Gamora struck her vital nerve clusters. "Enough! Enough of this! Is anything of you still left?!" she needn't have asked as she saw the red, vacant look behind Laura's eyes and she lunged, both of her arms useless. Gamora expected a kick, but not the blades that extended, embedding themselves in her side and neck. They stuck in her skeleton, however, and X-23 had no idea of Gamora's healing factor as she grabbed the smaller fighter, forcing her head into a recently formed puddled, choking off her breath as she inhaled a breath of water and lost consciousness, Gamora staggering back, pulling her from the water before slumping over.
Drax and Warpath fought without verve nor finesse. Two warriors merely fighting in its purest form, knives sinking into flesh, fists striking bone, knees and boots cracking against bodies and voices growling in determination. A mutual headbutt ensured neither would be getting up for an our nor seeing straight for a week. Back where it all started, Archangel's wings sliced Groot's arm off, but the tree man was unfazed, grabbing the flier's ankle and slamming him into the ground. He turned, sending another flurry of metallic feathers.
"Enough! Enough of THIS!" still another flurry reduced Groot to kindling, but Archangel sensed there was still life in the fragments. Before he could formulate a solution for the problem, Quill had already fired several rounds of his rifle into the back of the dark angel's head. He began to adjust the gun to properly kill him when he heard a noise behind him. Four had been dealt with, but wasn't there a fifth? He turned in time for a vicious roundhouse to the side of his head, knocking him off balance and sending him staggering back. He fired wildly, but the shot went wide and Domino advanced nonchalantly, punching him in the stomach. He chuckled, pulling a pistol from his waist and firing. Domino fell to one knee, gritting her teeth and trying to right herself on numbed legs. The gun had been set to incapacitate, so he made a slight adjustment to ensure a kill and grinned down at his target. His grin reversed when he pulled the trigger and the gun exploded in his hand, sending him staggering back, clutching the burnt limb. He fell to his knees in confusion as Domino shook her head, holding a strange device to his head. "Now THAT'S unlucky...for you, I mean." She pulled the trigger and an ear-shattering noise filled Quill's head as he collapsed, a strange, silver worm crawling out of his ear.
Domino sighed and tsked loudly before training her weapon on the slithering being and bombarding it with sonic waves until it burst, "Next time, Quill," she said as he passed out, "skip the detour to Seti-Alpha 6."
Here's a teaser for next week's battle. Is that Squirrel Girl vs. Stilt-Man? Or could it be Armless Tiger Man vs. Condiment King? Have fun guessing below and check the homepage on Monday to see who the combatants are!
Previous 'Comic Vine Battle of the Week' results
Want to suggest a Battle of the Week? Feel free to comment below or send it to Gregg via Twitter. Keep in mind, it doesn't have to be Marvel or DC only, but it must be comic related!
Edited by The Stegman
WOW I applaud ALL viner of the week arguments. Very detailed and well spoken.
Posted by patrat18
Too long.
Posted by 2cool4fun
Next one seems like it has green lantern.
Posted by dondave
The teaser on the right is Colossus
Edited by Oy_the_Billy_Bumbler
Wow, I'm surprised I got a pick for a comment after reading the other two by @austincy and Corey. That was like reading the script for the next story arc. Nice job. Great write up by @k4tzm4n as always too.
Posted by frozenedge
That was amazing though I was rooting for X-Force to win. Next battle looks like it'll be featuring Colossus
Posted by BritishMonkey
Can't I vote DnA's Guardians of the Galaxy instead of Bendis'?
Posted by Deranged Midget
Dayum, now those are some commendable arguments for both sides! Well done duders!
Edited by arw1985
I didn't know too much about the GOTG, so I bowed out of this one. I'm a little shocked at the results. It's good to know that "The awesomeness of Wolverine!!!" didn't help X-Force win this one.
Posted by kidman560
@deranged_midget: oh man if DM is complimenting than they really did do a good job...
Edited by Oy_the_Billy_Bumbler
@dondave: You could tell that from his shoulder. lol. That's impressive!
Who do you think the other side is? It almost looks like it could be Radioactive Man.
Posted by Deranged Midget
Lol dude, I'm not above anyone else. Just a regular guys who appreciates wicked debates and from what I've read, these guys definitely know what they're talking about! :)
Posted by kidman560
@deranged_midget: lol I know but you happen to be very good at debating and compliments from you carry some weight because of your reputation (I was being serious with a bit of joking in there man. I meant this but I thought my first comment was funnier)
Posted by Deranged Midget
Ha, well I really appreciate the kind words dude regardless of whether I agree with them or not.
I still you a debate one of these days though, just have to find time ;)
Posted by CheeseSticks
It's Colossus vs someone i'm sure i saw that picture but i can't remember.
Edited by Jonny_Anonymous
Edited by Oy_the_Billy_Bumbler
Posted by kid Apollo
hmmm i disagree. but oh well, thems the brakes
Posted by kidman560
Edited by GraniteSoldier
I must say I'm with the majority on this one, I think the Guardians should edge the victory. The ease of which I'm not sure, but I think they'd pull the win overall.
Posted by OreoAssassin
@k4tzm4n: Awesome Battle! (Forgot to say that last week)
Edited by Jonny_Anonymous
Reallllllllllllllllllllllly looking forward to DnA returning to the Guardians of the Galaxy for the anniversary issue
Posted by Fallschirmjager
@dondave: Teaser on the Left is X-O Manowar
Posted by k4tzm4n
@fallschirmjager: @dondave: Oh man, that would be a pretty cool match-up, wouldn't it? It's just too bad those images look nothing like the teaser, amirite?
Posted by Fallschirmjager
@k4tzm4n: I claim temporary bout of insanity for ever thinking it.
Posted by k4tzm4n
Posted by laflux
@dondave said:
The teaser on the right is Colossus
Seriously man, how are you so good at these things.......
Posted by Ostyo
Can't beat the universe's best team.
Edited by redhoodx
X-O Manowar VS Cable
Posted by _Genesis_
Sweet X-O Manowar vs Colossus
Posted by dagmar_merrill
@k4tzm4n said:
Posted by Life_Without_Progress
Posted by k4tzm4n
Edited by JasonHamilton
x-force get the nod to me but it would be a great battle indeed
Posted by DEGRAAF
can someone post the link to voting for this match up. I dont remember if i voted or not and would like to find out
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http://www.comicvine.com/articles/comic-vine-battle-of-the-week-results-guardians-of/1100-147924/?comment_sort=m.dateCreated&comment_direction=ASC
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dclm-gs1-076530001
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[
"Ultron"
] |
0.039106
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<urn:uuid:0dfa35fb-b338-45bb-81e0-a6acd6567dbc>
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en
| 0.933396
|
"T3" reduced to a computer game?
Hold onto your joysticks game fans, "The Terminator" is coming to all major console gaming platforms. Atari announced today the development of a videogame based on "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines", which will be a first-person action game enabling the player to be the character played by big Arnie. This marks the first time Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice and likeness has ever appeared in a home videogame.
"The Terminator series is one of the most popular movie franchises in existence today and its latest incarnation, ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,’ is one of the most highly anticipated movie releases of 2003," said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and head of Infogrames, Inc.’s Los Angeles studio. "’Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,’ the videogame, will capitalize on every aspect of the feature film’s popularity from a mind-bending plot that closely follows the movie’s script to the first ever appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s likeness and voice in a videogame. Gamers and Terminator fans alike are literally going to be blown away when we give them an opportunity to become one of the most advanced fighting machines ever created."
"Videogames have become an entertainment medium as big as the movies they are based on," said C-2 producers Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar. "Now the Terminator has found the most exciting and authentic expression as a videogame of what made these movies a hit in theaters around the world and we are proud to be partnered with Atari in bringing ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ into homes everywhere."
The "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" videogame storyline will weave in and out of the movie script as players face enemies from the present in which the War of the Machines looms on the horizon, to the apocalyptic future where the War itself is waged on all fronts. While following the feature film’s plot closely, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" will go one step further by providing fans of the Terminator series with a deeper look into the movie’s universe and the role of the Terminator, a futuristic fighting machine reprogrammed to save humanity from the SkyNet holocaust.
Much like the feature film, when Terminators clash in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" all hell is sure to break loose. Terminators are designed to utilize the most readily and efficient means available to eliminate any particular foe — when that enemy is a Terminator this leads to absolutely brutal hand-to-hand combat. "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" will allow players to engage in true movie-like Terminator combat as they repeatedly face the ultimate killing machine, the T-X, throughout the single-player game. Smashing opponents into walls, massive two-handed chops and crushing kicks are just a few of the dozens of moves in the Terminator’s arsenal.
Developed by Black Ops Entertainment, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" will make its debut on all major console gaming systems in Fall 2003.
|
http://moviehole.net/20032023t3-reduced-to-a-computer-game
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dclm-gs1-093710001
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[
"Skynet",
"T-X"
] |
0.085748
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<urn:uuid:a4604479-9de8-4708-a53b-9c8883a44671>
|
en
| 0.816592
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a 5MB xml file
I'm using the following code to get all nodeValue
$dom = new DomDocument('1.0', 'UTF-8');
$games = $dom->getElementsByTagName("game");
foreach($games as $game)
This takes 76 seconds and there are around 2000 games tag. Is there any optimization or other solution to get the data?
share|improve this question
I can't imagine optimizing a loop without knowing what the loop does. – Herbert Sep 4 '11 at 15:15
look this link [enter link description here][1] [1]: stackoverflow.com/questions/188414/best-xml-parser-for-php – steve Sep 4 '11 at 15:15
@steve: maybe you can elaborate and put that in the form of an answer. How can SimpleXML speed up the loop to get at the data? – Herbert Sep 4 '11 at 15:18
You can find some useful suggestion in this [link][1] [1]: stackoverflow.com/questions/188414/best-xml-parser-for-php – monish Sep 4 '11 at 15:19
The loop is empty... – run Sep 4 '11 at 15:19
show 1 more comment
2 Answers
up vote 0 down vote accepted
You shouldn't use the Document Object Model on large XML files, it is intended for human readable documents, not big datasets!
If you want fast access you should use XMLReader or SimpleXML.
XMLReader is ideal for parsing whole documents, and SimpleXML has a nice XPath function for retreiving data quickly.
For XMLReader you can use the following code:
// Parsing a large document with XMLReader with Expand - DOM/DOMXpath
$reader = new XMLReader();
while ($reader->read()) {
switch ($reader->nodeType) {
case (XMLREADER::ELEMENT):
if ($reader->localName == "game") {
$node = $reader->expand();
$dom = new DomDocument();
$n = $dom->importNode($node,true);
$xp = new DomXpath($dom);
$res = $xp->query("/game/title"); // this is an example
echo $res->item(0)->nodeValue;
The above will output all game titles (assuming you have /game/title XML structure).
For SimpleXML you can use:
$xml = file_get_contents($url);
$sxml = new SimpleXML($xml);
$games = $sxml->xpath('/game'); // returns an array of SXML nodes
foreach ($games as $game)
print $game->nodeValue;
share|improve this answer
Thanks for your help. I have two questions what is the slash before the games. and How can I get the string in this element: object(SimpleXMLElement)[8991] string 'Handball' (length=8), I want the handball – run Sep 4 '11 at 17:30
No probs... The slash in /game shows the root of the document. This is how XPath works (Google XPath for more info). In order to answer your second question I would need to see an example of the XML you are using. If you edit your question and paste it in, I can see it. – AlexW Sep 4 '11 at 21:16
SimpleXML also loads the whole file, which brings absolutely no speed improvements. DOM itself has XPath support, too. – cweiske Sep 5 '11 at 9:15
@cweiske - Did you not notice I suggested XMLReader first? This is faster. To OP: Please read through these pages for everything you need to know about PHP and XML ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-xmlphp1/index.html – AlexW Sep 5 '11 at 13:22
add comment
I once wrote a blog article about loading huge XML files with XMLReader - you probably can use some of it.
Using DOM or SimpleXML is no option, since both load the whole document into memory.
share|improve this answer
SimpleXml is quite good, I tested on an xml file, the DOM took around 30sec and the SimpleXML took 1sec:) – run Sep 5 '11 at 11:01
SimpleXML has proved perfectly useful for OP and DOM is too slow - exactly as I suggested. XMLReader is the fastest along with SAX. – AlexW Sep 5 '11 at 13:23
add comment
Your Answer
|
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7299957/xml-domdocument-optimization
|
dclm-gs1-104060001
|
[
"T-X"
] |
0.754919
|
<urn:uuid:2cf2529a-7f74-4878-8908-18cf8e1d76c1>
|
en
| 0.861228
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Wat happens if two applications try to listen to the same port?
share|improve this question
add comment
2 Answers
up vote 2 down vote accepted
The second one that binds to the port will get an error saying something else is already listening on the port.
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Does the program check for itself if some other program is listening to the port? – Wintermute Mar 3 '11 at 20:33
The operating system does the check. – carson Mar 3 '11 at 20:41
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Unless they are spawned via tcpmux, the first application binds to the port and listens for connections to it, while the second one cannot bind and cannot listen.
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What is it that prevents the application from binding to the port? – Wintermute Mar 3 '11 at 20:36
When your application makes the relevant system call to "grab" the port, the operating system will "inform" it (via a relevant error code) that it is already taken. – adamo Mar 3 '11 at 21:17
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Your Answer
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http://serverfault.com/questions/242912/two-applications-listening-on-the-same-port?answertab=votes
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Submitted by shodan74 355d ago | opinion piece
In light of the disappointing sales performance of both Resident Evil 6 and Dead Space 3, survival-horror enthusiast Mark Butler argues that publishers are making a grave error by trying to attract Call of Duty fans. (Call of Duty, Capcom, Culture, Dead Space 3, EA, PC, PS3, Resident Evil 6, Xbox 360)
NYC_Gamer + 355d ago
This is what happens when publishers listen to focus groups instead of gamers
#1 (Edited 355d ago ) | Agree(32) | Disagree(1) | Report | Reply
GamerElite + 355d ago
Damn right
rezzah + 355d ago
Follow the devs who don't follow CoD. Even those who are forced to do so may not allow it to stain their main ideas.
The effect of CoD if mostly MP, this is good news for me because SP won't be heavily effected (if at all).
3-4-5 + 354d ago
Focus group made up of non gamers.
They are chasing the " this it hot now " audience and soon enough COD type games won't be "cool".
Why even try to make a watered down version of a game that nobody wants ?
Bimkoblerutso + 355d ago
Don't know how many times developers have to see their games ran into the ground before they realize this. CODheads don't want to play COD-inspired games....they want to play COD. They want to play it so bad that it can essentially be released dozens of times with minor changes, but if it has COD in the title, that is all that is required.
Summons75 + 355d ago
couldn't agree more, you'll get so much more money giving gamers and fans what they want, need, and making things unique and interesting.d
DaReapa + 355d ago
Very nice piece. Sadly, the stove is never too hot for publishers. And as a result, they won't quit this practice until the next iteration of a "COD crowd" is forged from the masses by means of another game.
HarryMasonHerpderp + 355d ago
This article is spot on.
The thing is most COD players are interested in COD and COD alone, they don't care about Dead Space or Resident Evil because they don't need to.
They are perfectly happy playing the same franchise every year.
Making you're survival horror series more action orientated is not attracting anyone and only results in losing you're core fanbase.
#5 (Edited 355d ago ) | Agree(13) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
Dms2012 + 355d ago
They need to learn that in trying to appeal to everyone, you end up with a mediocre game. Its like when you mix every color on your pallet, you end up with brown.
JCENAdaBest + 355d ago
I'm glad Dead Space 3 and RE 5/6 sucked... These publishers needed to learn the hard way. As if RE4 and DS 1/2 didn't make enough money!! They still had to make their games shitter to get more money - hard lesson but hopefully they will learn and come back with the game we all want.
josephayal + 355d ago
Nothing can beat COD
rezzah + 355d ago
From a business point of view, Maybe nothing (for now?)
From a passion point of view, many games have accomplished this. Look to the games that are unique and try to be innovative with new sequels or series.
Sticking to the same formula until it runs dry is fear of losing profit, not passion.
Edited for missing word.
#8.1 (Edited 355d ago ) | Agree(2) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
USMC_POLICE + 355d ago
Look at socom Sony's best online title with countless fans. They made socom 4 like cod and we all hated it. Now zipper is closed and so com is gone. Its quite sad
DEATHxTHExKIDx + 355d ago
they need to stop trying to be something there not.
HonestDragon + 355d ago
It's like I always say: There's an audience for everything...unfortunately. In the case of publishers trying to turn their games into these COD inspired action fests, I totally agree.
Completely true. I just played Dead Space 3 and I couldn't be even more disappointed. The first two were great, but this installment just sucked out everything that made Dead Space a great horror game. No revenue system, two weapon limit, lack of suits, universal ammunition, and practically no genuine horror.
Resident Evil 6 is the same thing. The whole sequence where Chris and his team are in that city fighting BOWs with firearms practically felt like Gears of War 3. The narrative of Resident Evil 6 was pretty much lackluster and haphazard. It's so tacked on that it really had no business to exist other than to milk the series one more time.
Mainly because they are too busy rage-quiting or stroking their egos to their "skills" in any and all COD games. Plus, nothing can replace COD in their eyes. Everything else is imperfect to them.
Unfortunate, but true. Anyone remember the good ol' days when Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, and Spyro the Dragon were heralded as some of the best games around? Yeah, those were good days indeed.
"But the starker reality is that CoD’s impressive following is driven primarily by a huge level of interest from individuals who, frankly, couldn’t give a sh*t about other games."
Again, unfortunate, but true. This is especially considering that quite a number of said individuals are kids that look exactly like the one they have pictured there. Kids are always looking into what's popular and want to be cool, so they practically bribe or annoy their parents into buying them COD. Then parents complain of how violent it is and the media gets wind of it and starts the vicious cycle all over again. Argh! *tears hair out*
Then you have those adults who play nothing but first person shooters (primarily COD, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, and Halo). While Halo isn't a modern military shooter (and I much rather play that), the other games I listed are just first person military shooters. They really have nothing going for them in the long run other than intense action, chest pounding, juggernaut stamping realism.
And that's the problem. This sort of thing just caters to the uneducated masses of gamers that like the least common denominator of entertainment and don't delve into other prospects merely because it doesn't have guns and explosions. Same could be said of sports gamers who would much rather play football on television rather than with an actual football with real friends and family, but I digress.
This is one of the unfortunate realities of this generation and one that I hope becomes a thing of fiction in the next. I would very much like to see developers let their creativity grow and publishers have the courage to support that so innovation may thrive. Hopefully that will be the case.
#11 (Edited 355d ago ) | Agree(5) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
Magnus + 355d ago
Publishers and creators should be not turning a great solid franchise into something they are not. If you want a game that appeals to the COD fans create a new franchise. Changing an existing franchise into something its not hurts the fans of the franchise and it also ruins the franchise to the point where people won't buy it. Only franchises I can think of with EA that would come close to COD is Battfield and Medal of Honor. As far as I know Capcom has nothing they should rebuild Dead Space and Resident Evil from the ground up and support those fans first.
#12 (Edited 355d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
Hudahudahuda + 355d ago
Yet they refuse to copy one of the things they do right, 60 FPS
ShaunCameron + 355d ago
Call Of Duty is right now what Super Mario Bros. was in the 1980's and 90's, and Grand Theft Auto in the 2000's. A cultural force to be reckoned with. Not much new under the sun.
And I do agree with the article. The reality is there are lot of people that only care about whatever's popular and little else and are content with it.
IWentBrokeForGaming + 355d ago
Publishers need to FORCE the COD audience into accepting other/better/diverse playing expierences than just FPS...
I feel a Developers games only are as good as the Original Vision expressed in the product. If they design to what their vision of the product is and not the vision of whats "popular" to others... I feel they produce BETTER games in those instances!
Don't EVER sacrifice vision/quality to strive for a rediculous milestone!
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http://n4g.com/news/1216130/publishers-are-chasing-the-call-of-duty-audience-and-its-a-big-mistake
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Announcing VclFiddle for Varnish Cache
As part of my new job with Squixa I have been working with Varnish Cache everyday. Varnish, together with its very capable Varnish Configuration Language (VCL), is a great piece of software for getting the best experience for websites that weren’t necessarily built with cache-ability or high-volume traffic in mind.
At the same time though, getting the VCL just right to achieve the desired caching outcome for particular resources can be an exercise in reliably reproducing the expected requests and careful analysis of the varnish logs. It isn’t always possible to find an environment where this can be done with minimal distraction and impact on others.
At a company retreat in October my colleagues and I were discussing this scenario and one of us pointed out how JSFiddle provides a great experience for dealing with similar concerns albeit in the space of client-side JavaScript. I subsequently came to the conclusion that it should be possible build a similar tool for Varnish, so I did and you can use it now at and it is open-sourced on GitHub too.
VclFiddle enables you to specify a set of Varnish Configuration Language statements (including defining the backend origin server), and a set of HTTP requests and have them executed in a new, isolated Varnish Cache instance. In return you get the raw varnishlog output (including tracing) and all the response headers for each request, including a quick summary of which requests resulted in a cache hit or miss.
Each time a Fiddle is executed, a new Fiddle-specific URL is produced and displayed in the browser address bar and this URL can then be shared with anyone. So, much like JSFiddle, you can use VclFiddle to reproduce a difficult problem you might be having with Varnish and then post the Fiddle URL to your colleagues, or to Twitter, or to an online forum to seek assistance. Or you could share a Fiddle URL to demonstrate some cool behaviour you’ve achieved with Varnish.
VclFiddle is built with Sails.js (a Node.js MVC framework) and Docker. It is the power of Docker that makes it fast for the tool to spawn as many instances and versions of Varnish as needed for each Fiddle to execute and easy for people to add support for different Varnish versions. For example, it takes an average of 709 milliseconds to execute a Fiddle and it took my colleague Glenn less than an hour to add a new Docker image to provide Varnish 2.1 support.
The README in the VclFiddle repository has much more detail on how it works and how to use it. There is also a video demo, and a few example walk-throughs on the left-hand pane of the VclFiddle site. I hope that, if you’re a Varnish user you’ll find VclFiddle useful and it will become a regular tool in your belt. If you’re not familiar with Varnish Cache, perhaps VclFiddle will provide a good introduction to its capabilities so you can adopt it to optimize your web application. In any case, your feedback is welcome by contacting me, the @vclfiddle Twitter account, or via GitHub issues.
Command line parsing in Windows and Linux
I have been working almost completely on the Linux platform for the last six months as part of my new job. While so much is new and different from the Windows view of the world, there is also a significant amount that is the same, not surprisingly given the hardware underneath is common to both.
Just recently, while working on a new open source project, I discovered a particular nuance in a behavioural difference at the core of the two platforms. This difference is in how a new process is started.
When one process wants to launch another process, no matter which language you’re developing with, ultimately this task is performed by an operating system API. On Windows it is CreateProcess in kernel32.dll and on Linux it is execve (and friends), typically combined with fork.
The Windows API call expects a single string parameter containing all the command-line arguments to pass to the new process, however the Linux API call expects a parameter with an array of strings containing one command-line argument in each element. The key difference here is in where the responsibility lies for tokenising a string of arguments into the array ultimately consumed in the new process’ entry point, commonly the “argv” array in the “main” function found in some form in almost every language.
On Windows it is the new process, or callee, that needs to tokenise the arguments but the standard C library will normally handle that, and for other scenarios the OS provides CommandLineToArgvW in shell32.dll to do the same thing.
On Linux though it is the original process, or caller, that needs to tokenise the arguments first. Often in Linux it is the interactive shell (eg bash, ksh, zsh) that has its own semantics for handling quoting of arguments, variable expansion, and other features when tokenising a command-line into individual arguments. However, at least from my research, if you are developing a program on Linux which accepts a command-line from some user input, or is parsing an audit log, there is no OS function to help with tokenisation – you need to write it yourself.
Obviously, the Linux model allows greater choice in the kinds of advanced command-line interpretation features a shell can offer whereas Windows provides a fixed but consistent model to rely upon. This trade-off embodies the fundamental mindset differences between the two platforms, at least that is how it seems from my relatively limited experience.
PowerShell starts to blur the lines somewhat on the Windows platform as it has its own parsing semantics yet again but this applies mostly to calling Cmdlets which have a very different contract from the single entry point of processes. PowerShell also provides a Parser API for use in your own code.
New Job, New Platform
Queue a Team Build from another and pass parameters
Effectively comparing Team Build Process Templates
Using the script is as simple as:
.\Remove-IgnoreableXaml.ps1 -Path YourBuildTemplate.xaml
.\Remove-IgnoreableXaml.ps1 -Path YourBuildTemplate.xaml -Destination YourCleanBuildTemplate.xaml
PowerShell Select-Xml versus Get-Content
Override the TFS Team Build OutDir property in TFS 2013
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A system (lets stick with Kara-te) is usually defined by certain key aspects. Some of which are:
1) The required Kata and the method to execute the kata
2) Specific 2 man drill sets
3) Knowledge of the system's Dojo Kun and/or guiding principles
4) Sparring (point, continuous, semi to full contact
5) Positioning of blocks/kicks/stances
Now once an individual starts his/her own dojo after achieving a certain rank in that designated system they instruct how they feel is the best way to distribute their knowledge. Some of their training methods may be unorthodox. But they remain with the CORE basics of the curriculum. Therefore everyone who sees them can understand that they teach.... Uechi Ryu, Shotokan, Shorin Ryu, Shito Ryu, Goju Ryu, etc. And if anyone from that same system moves and finds another instructor who teaches what they have previously studied they can basically pick up where they left off based on the STANDARDIZED CORE CURRICULUM.
That being said.. RYUKYU KEMPO was devised by Seiyu Oyata and this was the orgininal name prior to being changed to RYU-TE.
The main CORE aspects of this type of kara-te are:
1) The kata taught in a specific sequence and positioning:
Naihanchi Shodan
Naihanchi Nidan
Naihanchi Sandan
Tomari Seisan
Pinan Shodan
Pinan Nidan
Pinan Sandan
Pinan Yondan
Pinan Godan
Naihanchi Shodan (Timing done for Shodan level) - Unique to Ryukyu Kempo from my understanding.
2) Tuite/Kyusho/Atemi Jitsu - Although inherent in all systems of combat it seems Ryukyu Kempo was one of the first (not the first) to revitalize this aspect of training.
3) Bogu Kumite - A hard system of full contact sparring devised by Shigeru Nakamura of Okinawa Kenpo (Oyata's primary instructor and where the 12 empty handed kata come from).
The question that now comes to mind is this.... Does DKI teach this core curriculum. And if not... how can you say that you truely are teaching/learning Ryukyu Kempo?
Kind regards,
"I'm gonna come at you like a spider monkey"
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Second Skynet satellite to launch tonight
Pay-as-you-go satcomms for the UK forces
Evaluating the cost of a DDoS attack
The second Skynet 5 UK military communications satellite is to launch today at 2204 GMT from Kourou in French Guiana, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. It will share the ride with a Brazilian telecomms bird.
With Skynet 5B online, joining the Skynet 5A sat already in space, the Skynet 5 system will be fully operational; however an on-orbit spare, Skynet 5C, will be launched in 2008. The system will offer satellite bandwidth to the British forces anywhere from the eastern US to eastern China.
Skynet 5 is unusual among UK military equipment in that it has been provided under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The £3.6bn satellites and supporting infrastructure are owned by Paradigm Communications, which bought them using City money.
"Other European militaries and procurement agencies have been sceptical that we could put this satcom network and services together," said Paradigm MD Malcolm Peto, talking to the Beeb.
A Paradigm executive explained the company's business model to the Reg earlier this year.
He said that the MoD wanted its own satellites, but had no money to pay for them to be built, nor any cash to run them. (The MoD equipment budget in recent years has been under a lot of pressure, for various reasons.)
However, Paradigm's management and investors noted that extra Treasury funds were available for "conflict resolution" - that is for fighting wars, as distinct from the normal defence budget. The biz community were reasonably confident that conflict-resolution money would continue to be part of Treasury plans for long enough to recoup even a hefty initial investment. They were also confident that the British forces would need satellite bandwidth in order to operate, and thus that they would spend money on it.
With the UK in Afghanistan for the long haul, and probably with a rump presence in Iraq for some time, that seems like a sensible assessment. Not to mention the likelihood of other "conflict resolutions" being required in future. Paradigm should indeed be able to offer a sound return to its investors, especially as the sat-bandwidth-hogging Predator-B/Reaper drone comes into UK service. That won't be the only thing needing to squirt a lot of data back and forth, either; and often enough for the military, satellite is the only option.
A different PFI is planned to provide refuelling tanker aircraft, another thing the UK forces often need critically but have failed to find money for. The negotiations on that one are proving tricky. Tanker planes are more likely to run combat risks than satellites are, the demand is unpredictable, and nobody except the military does air-to-air refuelling; whereas satcomms can be sold to other customers.
Paradigm feel confident.
"With one satellite already in orbit, people are starting to take notice," said Peto.
"With two in orbit we will have nothing left to prove." ®
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Do you understand the existence of extraterrestrials ?
Do you know the existence of extraterrestrials ?
Tags: aliens, extraterrestrials, people, star
Views: 5716
Replies are closed for this discussion.
Replies to This Discussion
Thanks quite amusing. Which brings the question what if one of the space visitors parks off to experience life on this planet in an avatar body (like the movie avatar) so that they pass as earth human, for their own research in the study life and culture to document a scientific journal or perhaps write book at the end of their time spending life, to see weather or not open contact would work out well or be a disaster, and if they were serious and open to the reason of living on this planet if any of the planet's inhabitants asked, it would be a fact that no one ever know that they were here, and would dismiss the visitor to be looney ?
Just curious, Danielle, do you actually think an avatar body is possible? or shape shifing?
Yes it is, if one can clone another human being, with an advanced enough computer, they would be able to transfer the consciousness from one original body to the clone. In the case of an avatar, one could access the body remotely. To be honest , this technology has been experimented by the military in top secret projects. Shape shifting is something that's more impossible, and I dont buy into the rubbish and disinformation of extraterrestrials where some conspiracy theorists believe shape shifting reptilians are running this planet. To accomplish shape shifting one would have to re-arrange their molecules and DNA. An illusion of shape shifting is more possible, that is creating a holographic cloak over the existing body which is crude and a poor and primitive disguise.
Sorry, but in line with my commitment to challenging outlandish claims, I would like to know your evidence for the claim that 'the military' is transferring consciousness and/or remotely accessing the consciousness of a cloned individual.
Also - how is it that you feel justified calling the reptilian conspiracy claims rubbish while simultaneously feeling it unjustified for others to call your rubbish 'rubbish'.
When you have done research and found things, including throwing in what you experienced , and see the sources of information you find, taking note that if some people are selling it or sharing it, often people who sell things for money do it for sensationalism, and make a lot of things up rather than documenting events. People who dont outsource the information often get confuse, and dismiss everything entirely and put off topic by the lunacy, dismissing the minority of genuine facts altogether. Then bringing the government into it again, they as well are selective with media and politically aprove and disprove to be in aid of a motive for the industrial military complex. for example religion and theism is one of oldest motives in manipulating people
I disagree. We already have species on this planet that shapeshifts, maybe not like Shang Tsung, but impressively enough to have you realize that this could definitely be a possibility for an extraterrestrial if you extrapolate what the cuddle fish can do.
Kings of Camouflage
Putting on a color show or assuming camouflage is hardly shape-shifting. Changing from a human into a wolf...THAT is shape-shifting.
Even in the movie Mimic, the creatures couldn't withstand close scrutiny.
It's not just a colour show, not only can they change the pigment of their skin, but they can also alter the texture of their skin dramatically, even make protrusions that extend far outward from their body to take on the appearance of coral. Now, if you extrapolate this ability to something honed by an extraterrestrial, you can only begin to imagine the possibilities. Lycanthropy would be child's play.
Yeah, well, imagination far outstrips the actual biological possibilities. Changing the texture of the skin is a far cry from changing skeletal structure.
And to be indistinguishable in all regards in social interactions? That's way beyond far-fetched.
Well, ultimately, I think these things will become congruent, the imagination and the biological possibilities, that is. The cuttlefish doesn't have a skeleton, by the way. There's the T-1000 in Terminator 2 that was an interesting concept of shapeshifting, but the way I'd imagine it working organically is that these contortions on the skin would condense enough to allow structural support in lieu of having some kind of morphing skeleton, and so you wouldn't necessarily need a skeleton.
After watching the cuttlefish and octopus videos a few years ago via NOVA, I found it very interesting to consider the existence of a parallel biosphere of creatures with highly advanced camoflage.
YES! I have seen those cuttlefish videos, and they're incredible!
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