dazzerfong

@ Ginny: From a British point of view we find Obama totally baffling as a (supposed) ally, determined to visit the sins of the fathers on the broadly supportive Brits whilst sucking up to the French who have a very bad case of Europhilia and USAphobia. What do you mean? Visit the sins of the fathers?

To be fair, what is the truth? The media (and just about everyone else) only focuses on the theories which are (currently) beyond ridiculous. I don't think it's fair to just dismiss everyone because you believe one thing, and they believe another. However, if they coerce you into thinking one way, that's another story. No-one's coercing anyone right now: it's all just speculation. I have my own theories on the Assange case. I also have enough logic to determine some possible outcomes should he actually be extradited (Ilich comes in mind, but that's a far example). On the other hand, I also know the potential 'problems' he could cause by not being extradited. So in the end, who wins? The majority? Or what you say? Same thing goes for the Diana case. Would we ever know? Probably not. Do we actually want the truth? Not really, because if (and IF) there is another truth behind it, it's probably going to be ugly. Problem is that we're not actually participating in such events. Why judge when you weren't there? Because you possess superior intellect? Because you are cynical? Because you are trustworthy? No. I believe everything has some truth to it: how we develop these facts is another story. By the way, I don't see how Ecuador's human rights (or lack of) record has anything to do with here.

Here in Australia, our high school system (assuming we're not talking about IB) is a bit different. We choose a minimum of 10 units of subjects, with most subjects, including art, to be counted as 2 units. Higher-end maths and English can go up to 4 units each. I, myself, chose Music as one of my electives, and there went 2 units.....

@ naomis8329: To be honest, if I had that schedule, I would hate it. There's simply too much, to begin with, and what you're doing is making people conform to your standards, unless you mean it's the option list, in which case we already have that over here.

The 'hopping' should only occur in the first and last minute, when you're ready to export everything to whatever game you're modding for. You wouldn't be wanting to edit the texture in Blender: try a dedicated graphics manipulator like GIMP of Photoshop.

Well, I'm pretty sure the influence of teachers and parents, not to mention society, is greater than video games. Don't you agree?

To be honest, ending one's life is a bit easier than becoming a scientist, if you have the will. :) But I agree: back to topic. I don't think I could add any more to the topic, really. We've discussed conformism, then the expected attitudes among students: what more is there, really?

I don't suppose you know what a reprimand is, if you're saying it like that..... Most people I know play GTA for the sake of killing civilians, cops, soldiers, etc. They are entertained at the thought of bloodless slaughter. In CoD, you get a 'Friendly fire would not be tolerated!' (or if you play as the Russian, 'You are a traitor to the Motherland!') if you kill more than one teammate in quick succession. I think that eliminates the point of casual slaughter......

@ Ghogiel: Killing indiscriminately in the CoD series gets you reprimanded: you can't progress through the game.

@ Ghogiel: At least one does not randomly kill people without serious repercussions, as you do in GTA. @ lv000: Well, all the definitions of mature are correct: it's just important to specify which one you're referring to.

@ lv000: Well, it's not egotistical to see yourself as mature: I, for one, hate the propect of being seen as mature. Why be so mature when committing vice is so much more fun! :) Anyway, back to what you're trying to say, I'm not particularly supportive of the movement, but nor do I condone random acts of violence. It's the same as people arguing: I could care less if you argue, until you throw fists. Then it becomes everyone's problem. If you're asking, 'why all the hate?' Simple: upbringing. When everyone around you was like that when you grew up, you have a natural tendency to stay that way. If what you're describing is true, I think you're in the complete wrong place for you. There has to be someone who knows how to draw the line..........But there's one thing. Not smoking is not an indication of maturity. Nor is having meaningful conversations. Maturity, in its simplest sense, is essentially understanding. It's not what you do that makes you mature, it's what you think. I've seen some very logical and intelligent people have arguments over the most pathetic of matters: does that make them mature? Not really. Of course, so far, you're coming across as mature, as is everyone here. Of course, we don't know what you do away from the keyboard. :) (jks) @ naomis8329: That theory of 'tabula rasa' is still debatable, because it involves humans. And humans, for one, are completely unique in all aspects. Some people can handle 'mature' education better than others: it's just how you're born. Of course, external factors should be considered, but ultimately, it's the way you're born. It's funny: back in my pre-teens, my father allowed me to play Call of Duty, but not GTA or anything related to it. Why? Whereas one was a valuable history lesson (in my opinion: I can't believe how much I've actually learnt from CoD), the other one is an exploitation of society.

Well, thing is, if people ask me if I support the gay rights movement, I say no. Like some instant reaction, they think I'm a horrible person in that I'm against the gay rights movement. But then again, I say no, I'm not against the gay rights movement. I myself am not gay, so I don't deem myself worthy, or empathetic enough, to swing either way. However, if you try to coerce me in one way, I'll provide counter-points to remain neutral. To be fair, your professor is (most likely) exaggerating. It's a bit strange, and not at all professional, but unless he's dead serious about his cause, it's just the little bit of sin everyone indulges in a while, but no-one actually admits to. You can't, however, just say that you're more mature than everyone around you (unless you're obviously surrounded by idiots). You just have empathy because of your current state, and thus could sympathise better. They are ignorant, but not hateful.

No, I was just using that as an example, I'm not trying to lead the conversation that way. Sorry if you interpreted it that way.

@ lv000: That's the point, it's confusing. It's not so much sarcasm as the emphasis on humility, but to foreigners, it seems a bit strange. Hence why we don't do it around people who might take it the wrong way. @ naomis8329: Good point: at most, I could use history to avoid screwing up in similar scenarios. However, my prejudices (more like my indifference) at political stances, like my opinion on same-sex relationships (I couldn't care less if you're a homosexual, but please don't badger me about your fight) often incurs strange looks at me. To me, that's the mark of a strong (but not necessarily good) education: one that sticks to you.

@ naomis8329: Well, it's often important to remember that it's people that we deem 'different' that change the world the most, and often for the best. Newton was deemed a failure in the subject of Grammar. Einstein failed in Maths (this is still debatable). @ Keanumoreira: Unfortunately, I don't have much experience interacting with people with disorders (if you can really call it that). I do, however, know of an autistic person back in high school: in the beginning, he couldn't really talk with people, and whenever anyone did the thing I just mentioned with him, he would often respond in physical violence (of course, we stopped after we realized what was going on). In just 6 years, he could interact with anyone he wanted without them ever knowing he was an autistic (he managed to read a French newspaper without problems after learning French for just half a year). I do know that it's possible to recover, not always, but entirely possible.

@ lv000: I know we're going completely off-topic (but not in a bad way), I'll just try and explain what it means, and if someone wants to return to the topic, I'll happily revert back to the topic. For example, you put on a performance. Say that the performance was good. Afterwards, you go up to him, and say that it was a horrible show, but finish with something like, 'good job,' to symbolise your intent.

For me, the TESVAL worked for me brilliantly. The HiAlgoBoost also works, but it also reduces your resolution at times, something which I don't really like.

@ Beriallord: To be fair, what democratic government actually works? @ Topic: Well, it could hide foreign influence behind a veil of 'fundraisers,' but if both sides are doing it, well, there's nothing much you could do.

It's not so much that it's poorly coded in that the game's 6 years old. Old games do not anticipate new technology.

In Australia, we have a funny way of humour: it's best summed in the phrase 'taking the piss,' which means taking insults, but actually meaning the opposite. It's a bit daunting with people with anxiety, thus I'm afraid that I might accidentally insult you because you took it, well, not the Aussie way.

@ lv000: Well, that's unfortunate, I suppose that it's hard for me to empathise. If, potentially, I come across as a bit scathing, please note that I'm not doing to harm you, or anybody. Though, back in the (high school) days, whenever a teacher complains at someone's handwriting, we just laugh at him, only for some of us to get chastised by the teacher for the same thing. Irony, don't you love it? I don't have much experience interacting with people with ADD, but as far as I know, isn't it just attention deficiency, as you can't pay attention? I never knew it was related to anxiety...... @ naomis8329: Yes, of course. Though, in my high school's case, they have everything down to how good I'm doing in a particular subject, and actually talk with you to up to 2 hours (if he/she's free) to gauge you. I suppose that I'm lucky. Unfortunately for me, I don't have a particular 'dream' job. Perhaps one that involves modding, but I never looked upon it as a job. Kudos to your daughter for this: I know plenty of people who spend over 10 years in universities trying to pursue a degree in medicine. Whether it's for the best or not is up to them, but I don't like sitting in a classroom: I like experiencing the sheer disgust of the world. You're very much like my father, and in the good way. :)

It does support it, just not directly. If it's armour, don't ever export to OBJ: it'll ruin the weights. Instead, follow tutorial: don't worry about the fact that it's not in English, just watch it.

@ lv000: Interesting. Since I went to an 'academic selective' school, if you get bad grades, you get chastised with your talk with the principal, but nothing beyond that. By the way, which country do you live in? Your anecdotes contrast very sharply with mine: not saying that you're lying, but to me, it could be a different interpretation of events. Maybe you view punishment differently to me? I've grown up to accept them. @ mizdarby: That's strange: I've met people back in high school who wanted to be professors in universities, and the school careers advisors encouraged them to do that, even though they can't do public speaking for jack! But regarding the 'drone'-like lifestyle: well, you do live in a democracy (I think), and democracy doesn't really work without conformity. Imagine over a thousand heavily contrasting political views, all with an equal amount of supporters: we'll need a thousand parties to cover the all!

I don't know how they operate in your country, but in my opinion, it's not fair to accuse the teachers of not caring. They are trained in one thing, in one circumstance, in one scenario. Over in Australia, we have special schools to accommodate people with disorders: I know plenty of ADD-afflicted people who were transferred to such schools, and from how I saw them since, they turned out much better. Repressing creativity, and actually eliminating creativity, is different. School represses it, but it doesn't kill it. It's like killing an aspect of your personality: it's incredibly hard to. Thus, again, in my opinion, that a lot of people who crave for creativity, believing it to be a solution to their problems, but don't have creativity are blaming the education system for their inherent lack of creativity. @ lv000: On the contrary, actually: people with alternative outlooks to life often succeed in art in that they have a uniqueness in them that transcends ordinary people. Thrive on it, let it fuel you, and whenever others criticise you, remember that it's art. There's no such thing as bad art. Everyone starts out bad, but after I reflect my 2 years of experience, I often laugh at my first work. EDIT: Just realized the thread was dead for 2 weeks. Apologies in advance if someone cleans this thread up.

@ dogtown1: You mean there's nobody stupid enough to hit London at the time where there are more security per square meter than shops?