Idiot of the Day

[DjinnAndTonic]

*has MF6 flashbacks*

Mountain dew... the horror, the horror!

[metroid composite]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/16/alcohol.caffeine.drinks/index.html?hpt=T2

"Let these rulings serve as a warning to anyone who tried to peddle dangerous and toxic brews to our children. Do it and we will shut you down," Schumer, D-New York, said in the statement.

Political grandstanding at it's finest. Also, if you want to do something toxic brews, ban motherfucking mountain dew instead.

To be fair, a few people had Four Loco around the office (I have some heavy drinkers for coworkers) and it was chaos, much moreso than regular alcohol.

Although honestly, I'm less worried about what people do to themselves, and more worried about what they can do to others.  Most people know "don't drink Four Loco; it will **** you up".  Everclear worries me more, as it's used in common date rape concoctions that are hard to detect by taste.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

I'm in favor of banning it because whenever my brother drinks it he turns in to a massive jackass who I can't stand.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Man, if we could ban things on that criteria, then there would be a ban on the entire First-Person Shooter genre of games by now.

[Lady Door]

Man, if we could ban things on that criteria, then there would be a ban on the entire First-Person Shooter genre of games by now.

[metroid composite]

Man, if we could ban things on that criteria, then there would be a ban on the entire First-Person Shooter genre of games by now.

Portal doesn't make people act like Jackasses, it makes people sing about cake!

(And for a more typical shooter...TF2 people are pretty positive too).



Really, generalizing an entire genre like that is like claiming that everyone acts like jerks as soon as they're on internet forums.  It's not 100% true >_>

[NotMiki]

Portal doesn't make people act like Jackasses, it makes people sing about cake!

As anyone who has ever had the dubious pleasure of being around my family for a rendition of Happy Birthday can attest:  Not.  Mutually.  Exclusive.

[superaielman]

Man, if we could ban things on that criteria, then there would be a ban on the entire First-Person Shooter genre of games by now.

Portal doesn't make people act like Jackasses, it makes people sing about cake!

(And for a more typical shooter...TF2 people are pretty positive too).



Really, generalizing an entire genre like that is like claiming that everyone acts like jerks as soon as they're on internet forums.  It's not 100% true >_>

TF2 can piss people off quite well enough.

[DjinnAndTonic]

I'm in favor of banning it because whenever my brother drinks it he turns in to a massive jackass who I can't stand.

Man, if we could ban things on that criteria, then there would be a ban on the entire First-Person Shooter genre of games by now.

Really, generalizing an entire genre like that is like claiming that everyone acts like jerks as soon as they're on internet forums.  It's not 100% true >_>

But I wasn't generalizing at all... The criteria was specifying a person, which is about as non-generalized as you can get... >.>;;

[Captain K.]

Really, generalizing an entire genre like that is like claiming that everyone acts like jerks as soon as they're on internet forums.  It's not 100% true >_>

Fuck you!  That's just your OPINION!

[Grefter]

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/803673-Wotlk-a-Lotr-Ripoff

Thanks Internet, go fuck yourself as well.

[metroid composite]

Thanks Internet, go fuck yourself as well.

Wow, I'm WTFing at the people saying every fantasy setting steals heavily from LotR because LotR did everything.  Looking at Harry Potter or Song of Fire and Ice or His Dark Materials...I don't see much that feels lifted.

Warcraft, on the other hand...oh look, orcs and humans at war, and human height elves with magic.  Of course it borrows from LotR.

[Dark Holy Elf]

A Song of Ice and Fire a made-up world of roughly medieval technology who are fighting a centuries-long war against a non-human evil. It definitely focusses on certain things not in LotR past that, but at its base, its genre hook is clearly one paved by LotR. The slew of "fantasy = made-up medieval civilisation fighting evil" book series all are at least somewhat inspired by LotR. (ASoIaF also has some direct allusions to LotR, just in case you doubt that Martin is paying the books at least a little homage.) Whether or not you like LotR (and there's plenty to dislike) they're certainly pretty much responsible for the epic fantasy genre. It's to the point where Martin would probably have not wanted to set ASoIaF in a world with, say, 19th century technology just because fantasy fans would be less hooked in by it - they expect something a little more like Tolkien.

Harry Potter is not that style of epic fantasy, and it's not what is being talked about when people make comments like that. (And I'm not familiar with the third.)

[Magic Fanatic]

Of what Metroid Composite is talking about in terms of His Dark Materials, I believes he means the titles of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.  They are very good books.

[Shale]

That's debatable.

[Dark Holy Elf]

To be clear, I have heard of His Dark Materials, but haven't read them and know nothing about their setting.

[Sierra]

It's to the point where Martin would probably have not wanted to set ASoIaF in a world with, say, 19th century technology just because fantasy fans would be less hooked in by it - they expect something a little more like Tolkien.

It's more like Martin's just obsessed with the middle ages. (If you doubt this, witness his collection of toy knights! http://www.georgerrmartin.com/knights/index.html). He's also written science fiction, horror, superhero stories, TV shows, and other random stuff (including a book about vampires on a 19th century steamship). Sooo, doubting this was a marketing decision, just him being inspired by the same sources as a lot of other fantasy (including Tolkein, obviously. Once he wrote a book about a psychedelic rock band. They were called The Nazgul).

[Grefter]

A Song of Ice and Fire a made-up world of roughly medieval technology who are fighting a centuries-long war against a non-human evil. It definitely focusses on certain things not in LotR past that, but at its base, its genre hook is clearly one paved by LotR. The slew of "fantasy = made-up medieval civilisation fighting evil" book series all are at least somewhat inspired by LotR.

If by that you mean Norse myth is totally rocking then, yeah, pretty much.  If you are going to do the reach back and pin all the origins to LotR for modern fantasy (instead of say pointing out the actual direct influences which for Warcraft is Warhammer, the original game was originally built to be an actual Warhammer game, but they didn't end up getting the license and thus a bastard legacy was born) LotR is incredibly important of course in almost all cases for at least popularising it, but is far from the source material for a great deal of fantasy.   See Wheel of Time soooooooo very much which reaches back far more directly to the Norse references than indirectly reaching back to LotR. 

Spot on about ASoIaF though, it is very very much Martin's love letter to Tolkein at some points.  Right down to the politicing and back stabbing amongst the human who should really be focussing on the inevitable end of the world.

But none of that is why the links is particularly stupid.  There is so much obsession over the LotR movies that it is frustrating beyond belief and so many people at making a big deal over simple homage that it is enough to want to reach through the internet and end someone.

[Anthony Edward Stark]

Thanks Internet, go fuck yourself as well.

Wow, I'm WTFing at the people saying every fantasy setting steals heavily from LotR because LotR did everything.  Looking at Harry Potter or Song of Fire and Ice or His Dark Materials...I don't see much that feels lifted.

Warcraft, on the other hand...oh look, orcs and humans at war, and human height elves with magic.  Of course it borrows from LotR.

The mind-bending stupid comes in when they start talking about art design and how that's ripped off from LotR. It's usually said by people who have only seen the movies, and the catch there is that I'm fairly sure WC3 came out either before or around the same time as the first film anyway.

[NotMiki]

Saying the LotR movies OR Warcraft had original art is...true, but only if you get very.  specific.

Frankly, I don't see what the big deal about derivative work is in the first place.  If it's really similar to something else but it's GOOD, it's good.  If it's nominally similar but bad enough (and well known enough) to reflect poorly on the original, then we have a problem.

What I'd love to know is how many 'derivative' designs for different works were actually done by the same dude.  Like, did Blizzard hire a bunch of Warhammer 20k veterans to come up with concepts for Warcraft III?  Wouldn't surprise me one bit if they did.

[metroid composite]

Harry Potter is not that style of epic fantasy, and it's not what is being talked about when people make comments like that. (And I'm not familiar with the third.)

Harry Potter is...more in the model of the Chronicles of Narnia--which is to say, kids in a modern setting...travel to a secret medieval-like world with a centuries-long conflict between good and evil; usually with some non-human race that does not get along well with humans.  Not exactly the same genre, no, but certainly a genre that could easily steal from LotR as there are a lot of thematic similarities.

[Grefter]

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/605818-nba-jam/57251839/634831731

Edit - Lets quote it for posterity.

Regarding the buzzer beater, remember that it's a video game and everything can be calculated with math. The game probably calculates the effects of the rim physics so to the game's physics engine some shots are easily telegraphed so it can tell when it's going in or not.

[Kilgamayan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/highschool/news/story?id=5922843&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgxjZIN2PAE

[hinode]

Saving for posterity the craziest post I have ever seen on a gamefaqs SRW board (and that's saying a lot):

[Shale]

I don't know what Fencedude did to bring that on, but it might be his proudest moment as a troll. I think he actually caused a psychotic break.