Cutter wrote on Nov 23, 2020, 17:46:
Tell the people losing everything facing down homelessness and hunger they aren't necessary. And not necessary for you doesn't mean unnecessary for others. I believe in the protocols but I also believe people should have the right to choose if they want to risk going for a drink or dinner or what have you.

Necessary during a pandemic, not necessary in general. And if government forces you to shut down then government needs to be there to support you. If you believe in the protocols then you believe in health authorities recommending to limit indoor dining, gyms and other non-essential activities when healthcare withstanding thresholds have been exceeded. Again there are things we do as individuals and there are things we do as a society. Navigating a pandemic is a societal effort, it is nothing something overcome with "personal responsibility" alone and it's going to be majorly inconvenient to many people, some more than others. There was a time in my life where my job was non-essential during an economic depression and I rode it like everyone else. Pandemics are tough, get a helmet.

ColoradoHoudini wrote on Nov 23, 2020, 16:22:
3 weeks to flatten the curve - about that... Those of us in the 99.97% should be able to go about our lives as normal. High risk, stay home. "akkchually, you could infect an at-risk person". So I lack the ability to apply personal responsibility? If I didnt lose my guns in a boating accident over the Colorado Ocean, I'd say that I am responsible enough to own those? Or that I own a lawnmower and yet I dont run over children and puppies. I have a ball peen hammer and dont bop people with it? Why does my personal responsibility end at this china flu control grab? How's that mortality rate? Individual cases being counted for every positive test they take.. that's not nefarious. Whatever...stay home, shut down small businesses, put people out of work, and keep the politicians who made these decisions well-paid. Oh good, Wal Mart is open, thank goodness the little guy will survive.

BTW- the traffic line at the In and Out here in Colorado Springs was ridiculous. Also, we have Smashburger, which has a better burger and their garlic rosemary fries are amazing.

You could really use to stop listening to op-eds and start informing yourself about the deadly pathogen floating around. First of all there is no predicting how it will affect you. Perfectly healthy people have died from it and we still don't know the long term ramifications of contracting it, we're rapidly discovering it can have lingering cardio-vascular effects in addition to its known impact on our respiratory systems. You seem particularly concerned with the mortality rate but contracting the virus is not just about life or death. Everyone is "at risk", everyone. Some are at more risk than others but the virus doesn't care, it wants to infect all of us. Everyone "lacks personal responsibility" when it comes to knowing if they are spreading a pathogen or not. Wearing a mask, social distancing and avoiding unnecessary travel are just things we do to help each other to control the spread of the virus. It's being a good neighbour and caring about yourself and others. Shutting down unnecessary parts of economy to stave off the spread is part and parcel of how humans deal with pandemics. They are literally propagating based on our social and economic interactions so we have to do our best to limit them where we can. Ironically this has been shown to have less of an impact on the economy than just letting the virus run wild which is what you seem to be advocating for.

There are things we do as individuals and things we do as a society. When it comes to dealing with pandemics, we deal with that as a society. Being a part of society means not always liking every decision we make but being mature enough to understand that some things are necessary to protect everyone as a whole. You are inconvenienced for awhile and too bad, so is everyone else. We care about the human cost which has already been significant and continues to grow. The economy is secondary and again, we know that NOT dealing with a pandemic costs vastly more than trying to control it. Historically we deal with these things every 25-35 years and ones of this magnitude every 50 to 100, we've had a lot of practice. So yes sorry you lose a little bit of personal control over your life while we attempt to keep our healthcare system functional and limit the spread of this deadly pathogen. You are not special, we are all affected. No one likes it and everyone wants life back to normal. That comes with a vaccination in about a year give or take. Until then suck it up, start reading and stop watching media op-eds. This is not a rights issue no matter how much you want it to be - its a health crisis that had a beginning and will have an end.

Prez wrote on Nov 21, 2020, 08:13:
Well I'm glad you guys liked it. I really am. I didn't because I wanted a story about how the two main characters grew. Instead I got a goofy coincidence, a completely out-of-character decision, an unceremonious bludgeoning by a character I didn't know and didn't like, and an inexplicable decision to leave her alive for absolutely no good reason. All so Elle could spend the whole game killing her way to get to her so she could do nothing. Twice. To say I was disappointed is a massive understatement. It's not that I had a predetermined manner in which the story should go, because I didn't. But the characters have to behave at least in a remotely realistic way. I can buy a lot - these are just videogames after all - but in this game I can't even begin to list how many ridiculous plot contrivances there are. For me it was just way too many.

Going to spoiler some of my response below for those that haven't played, major spoilers below.

I agree that the story had some weak points but overall the theme was that violence begets violence. You seem to have issue with Abby and fair enough, she's the weakest link in the story in my opinion. But she is ultimately understandable, raised in a para-military group whose father was killed while trying to save humanity. My issue with Abby and her father was Naughty Dog forgetting that they never gave Ellie a choice and were going to essentially kill her while she slept to attempt a cure. Abby gleefully embracing violence at various points in the story also makes it harder to accept her POV segments and empathize with her. But as I said earlier, with the whole context of her story and situation I do feel shes a relatable character and her arc is the most complete. When she decides to leave revenge behind and help others around her she breaks the cycle and that's why she is spared.

When Ellie seeks revenge for Joel's death, she's starting a cycle of violence and the only reward is more destruction of her friends and family. She breaks the cycle and has a chance to live with Dina in peace. She chooses revenge again and is maimed in her final encounter with Abby. She spares Abby in the end and now has a chance to start living again but not without wounds, physical and mental. Ellie's journey feels the most unfair because she is the one who never asked for this - right from the first game she is a pawn of those around her and has no agency in her decisions. When she acts as Joel did, she also loses everything as he did. Only when she learns to forgive can she seek healing and take control of her life, rather than being caught in the cycle of violence.

I find larger fault with story telling decisions made with the secondary characters. Jesse is one-note and a glorified plot device. Dina never gets any real depth other than being a foil to Ellie. Tommy behaves out of established character at various points. And for sure there are some coincidences/contrivances but those I can sort of handwave away as videogame stuff. To me the second game's story is fine but make the game overstay its welcome and I felt Abby's POV segments go on way too long.

Anyways curious for your thoughts sometimes Prez, hope you're doing OK bud.

If anyone can do a Bond game justice these days, its IO.

Had a great time with Ghost of Tsushima, wild ride and with the new update its performs really well on the PS5.

The Last of Us II was solid and some good performances redeemed an otherwise average story. It was also way too long, I think I clocked like 28 hours in it. Definitely overstayed its welcome. But man that ending, well done Naughty Dog.

Could an election actually be rigged like this?

No, not really. It's been studied repeatedly in the past and voter fraud is statistically insignificant in North America, even for a close election like this. Not to mention there's no real evidence of this happening in significant numbers, its just one candidate refusing to do the classy thing and give a concession speech. Believe it or not there is no requirement for a loser to concede, its purely an honorary thing without any constitutional basis. You would think it would be required at some point in the process to insure a peaceful transition of power but no and we all know Trump has no interest in a transition of power at all.

Realistically we'll know by the weekend or Monday at the latest (the Georgia recount will be unnecessary if Biden takes PA which he will) but of course it will require immense pressure from the Republican Party to get him to concede. Right now only a handful are being brave enough to speak out but I hope that builds because otherwise I could never bring myself to vote for them again. Trump is a national disgrace and they should be running as fast as they can in the other direction because he's going down for something in the future. I'm shocked no one has started throwing around the word treason yet because I don't know how else to interpret this disgusting betrayal of our democracy, what he's doing is appalling.

Disappointed there is no save state function like the Xbox but other than that it sounds like a fantastic upgrade over the PS4. Can't wait to play some Demons Souls Remastered toot toot!

Benchmarks look really good, they are finally beating Intel in many games but man that pricing. I guess it's their turn for some juicy profits to boost that R&D budget. Zero reason for me to upgrade the 3900x thankfully, be a long time most likely.

Mr. Tact wrote on Nov 4, 2020, 11:52:
I was going to say, "I don't think they are all deplorable." Then I looked up the definition which was in part:

1. causing or being a subject for grief or regret; lamentable:
2. causing or being a subject for censure, reproach, or disapproval;

I think that fits anyone willing to vote for Trump after what he has said and done over the last 3.8 years. I understand why people voted for him in 2016. And if you weren't interested and/or paying attention thinking he was the better choice was a possible decision. But now? You have to be willfully blind to not see him for what he is. Do I think half the country are "bad people" (whatever that might mean)? Of course not. But they for various reasons are allowing themselves to be blinded to the truth of the situation.

Unfortunately there is so much disinformation on the internet these days you have to actively hunt for the truth, especially if you're ensconced in that world. You really have to seek it out in a way that most people don't have time for. The sort of disinformation you used to only see wielded by state agencies engaged in social disruption is now everyday shit you see on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and even so called "legit" news sources. Trump himself plays this game masterfully, taught by Bannon. Shovel shit everywhere and eventually everything stinks. Most people can't see the truth and that drives them to their bias. He's completely eroded faith in journalism and science for many people.

Anyways I don't know how to repair all of this damage. I know that anger, judgment and accusations aren't going to help though. Honestly what our country needs a truth and reconciliation commission followed by more serious regulation of social media and another pass on election regulation. Only if Biden can eke out a win which is still very much in question.

And this is helped by having a candidate further to the left how exactly?

I agree with you, going further to the left would've been a big mistake this time. I think Sanders would've been a more interesting opponent for Trump in 2016 but he definitely did not fit the bill now for many reasons.

Mr. Tact wrote on Nov 4, 2020, 10:03:
If you can provide me with a practical plan on how to prevent half the population from living in their own alternate reality I'd love to hear it.

I feel like Sam Harris said it best in his latest epiphany about Trump. He's spent years railing against Trump and struggling to understand why people support him even when its clearly not in their best interest. Recently he said something like the below (which I am probably mangling, listen to his podcast for the actual text):

Trump is a channeling of every negative aspect of Americans. He's greedy, narcissistic, amoral, ignorant, dishonest and lacks any shred of empathy. He's all of the worst America has to offer, wrapped up in a single person. But people feel oddly comfortable with that because he enables their negativity and offers no judgment, everything is OK by him. The left offers an alternative in absolutism with too much judgment. People feel threatened by the left because they're told everything they've done is wrong, their ancestors were wrong, everything is a dire crisis and its their fault for not immediately fixing it.

After listening to Sam talk about this I immediately knew there was some truth to it because that's how I felt in 2016. "Vote for Clinton or you're awful" was the prevailing message, she even called his supporters deplorables. But to act like all of his followers are deplorables is part of the problem. No doubt many are but half of the country is not, I just refuse to believe that. Maybe they harbor one or two of Trump's negative aspects but the problem is that he gives them cover and the alternative only offers judgment. People know they can get caught up in his absurd cult of personality and that he won't judge them, that they will never be as bad as he is. In a perverted way you can almost see from that perspective how there is some comfort in that.

I have no idea how you recapture these voters. I know I previously disliked Trump but thought he was harmless until I saw the past four years unfold, that's what changed my mind. Unfortunately he follows Bannon's playbook of "spread garbage everywhere" to prevent the media from exposing how truly awful he is. He distorts everything, its literally an ongoing disinformation campaign. So people have to seek out alternative sources of news and there needs to be some sort of bridge for them to the left. Something that isn't just absolutism and judgment.

THAT'S IT! I'm voting for Gabe Newell instead. Newell/Freeman 2020!

Personal attacks of any nature are zero tolerance on here now. Attack the idea, not the poster.

opie wrote on Oct 31, 2020, 13:55:
Cannot wait to see what Trump does without the need to be re-elected. But, he has a need to be loved too much to do much too crazy.

It's a shame that that is your takeaway from what I said but oh well. You can rest assured that Donald Trump is a narcissist who cares nothing about what you or I think so there is no limit on his "crazy". I don't know how anyone can rationally look at the last four years and say there ever was for that matter.

opie wrote on Oct 31, 2020, 00:51:
Waiting for a second (or third) debate is important information. Watching 1 candidate call "lids" at 9:30 am every morning for a month leading up to an election is important information. If this guy cannot face stressors till noon, how will he run a country for 4-8 years? Or a sudden crisis? Watching how the media acts leading up till an election is important information. no one is allowed to ask questions of Biden (of which there are many just on policy alone), and no one even questions that. I know nothing about him beyond his webpage (since he has flipped or flopped on everything he has ever done)... and all that tells me is that my taxes are going up, he wants a check from me for $6400 sometime soon, and gas will be $4 again. no thanks. All this is IF he lives or isn't 25th amendmented in the first few weeks. President Harris... oh god no.

All the dems had to do was field 1 competent candidate. They failed. At least with trump my 401K will do well and maybe a war will end.
The democratic party has an internal reckoning coming. It will not be good.

Most folks on this board know I lean to the right. Just so you know where I'm coming from when I say the below.

We're in the midst of a major crisis without competent leadership so I feel like it would be an uphill battle for Biden to do worse in this regard. He's well advised and will manage an actual cabinet instead of a circus. I am confident that Biden will lead the country and care about its citizens. Trump has completely eroded any faith in his abilities. He's utterly decimated the CDC, attempted to do so with the FBI and installed yes-men at every opportunity. He's dog whistled violent groups and undermined faith in our institutions - journalism, science and even our democratic process itself. It is hard to even put into words the damage he has caused to our country. Hundreds of thousands of people will die as a result of his mismanagement and the economy (the real economy, not just the stock market) is going to suffer for much longer than it had to.

I find it hard to care about how my 401k is doing when we're in the midst of a literal pandemic with utterly incompetent leadership but I guess that's just me. People forget this is a deadly pathogen and that we're going to go through another year or two of this. That's without going into the social change its going to cause or all of the economic upheaval. We're looking at a back to normal of 2023 or 2024. Do you seriously believe that Trump is the one to guide us through this, after all of the evidence to the contrary? I have more faith in Biden's corpse propped up like Weekend at Bernie's. Incidentally I have the privilege of dual citizenship so I see how another nearby "high tax" country operates and my taxes there come with a lot of amenities. And I don't think gas is going to be $4 any time soon.

Like many, I did not like Hillary Clinton for various reasons. Her husband is a sociopath and lies nearly as often as Trump. She had an absurd "heir apparent" aspect and was a lifetime flunkie of neo-liberal causes. And like many I was a bit hopeful when Trump was first elected that perhaps the media had been wrong and that he would grow into the job. He would shed his thin skinned, bullying persona and his self obsession. But alas that has not happened. Instead we've seen the frightening emergence of a near dictator who I believe is dangerous to the health and well being of our country and its citizens. He lies with nearly every waking breath and can barely put together a coherent thought and you're worried about Biden? We need to vote him out, even if that means my 401k suffers for a few years. I highly suggest you rethink your position and take this more seriously - voting for Trump is playing with real fire this time.

This comment was edited on Oct 31, 2020, 13:21.

Oh, damn I thought it was just a AMD processor, but sounds like it has to be the exact serial number.

No you're right, its just an AMD processor required to tie it to your account. I was saying that they collect a bunch of info though like the serial # so that they can track redemptions. Unfortunately there was a lot of fraud going on with the programs so that's why they're doing it this way now. It just sucks for end users like you and I.

Acleacius wrote on Oct 30, 2020, 12:25:
I still have a Ass Creed Valhalla free game at Newegg, from my AMD Ryzen purchase. It only has about 8 days left before it expires.
There's no way I'm using it, with fuking denuvo on it (don't get me started on that ubi launcher ) and not to mention still think I've got NVIDIA Monster Hunter: World.
I'm not even sure I can trade or give away the Ass Creed, because AMD are being dicks.
They make you log in to make sure your machine really has a AMD processor before they will give you the code, afaik.
It's some real bullshit I've never heard of before. Why would they feel the need to prevent players from trading games.

There was a lot of code resale going on and a number of irate card owners who were denied because someone else redeemed theirs (fraud). Eventually retailers got fed up with this and now the codes are all managed by AMD/Nvidia who validate the hardware to help keep track of it, they pull serial numbers when you redeem.

I think it really sucks because often times its a game I already own and I can't even do anything with it.

Papa Murphy's Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza looks like something that could be growing in a sewer, just disgusting.

Also I'm going to leave the obligatory Jon Stewart bit about deep dish pizza here.

VaranDragon wrote on Oct 30, 2020, 03:36:
Oh give it a rest Cutter. Seriously, you've been a gamer how long? Were you born yesterday?

Did you read what Adam said though? It was a pretty shitty move, especially considering the yoyo crunch he's instituted on his employees.

Cutter wrote on Oct 29, 2020, 17:52:
FB, et al. having been doing nearly enough. Those corps rake in money hand over fist. They can, and should, be hiring tens of thousands of moderators. Working closely with law enforcement to report and identify criminal activity, etc. They've had an entirely free ride so far and that needs to end. Ending 230 is a good, and necessary, thing.

You can't moderate the sheer amount of new content added each day with humans. But I agree they need to be made liable for content posted so that they come up with better technical solutions. Right now its literally more profitable to allow this sort of content or half ass combating it. Enragement drives engagement and all that. By attaching financial liability to the issue, there is a profit incentive (and thus a shareholder directive!) for them go after it.

Jivaro wrote on Oct 29, 2020, 12:32:
lol..they just want to be able to play it like everyone else.....

I can't blame them, I'm taking that whole week off