Ded

A picture of me taken tonight! Recentish hair cut, eww, lol.

Student Ghetto? Try North Dunedin, Dunedin, NZ...

To the guy who beat down SSX... I for one thought it was really fun! lol... As for EA - They're not in that corner where they make games for a niche market. There are plenty of developers out there. They're a gaming machine - and they sell products. Most of the time, casual gamers find them really fun. If you want something to fill a niche market, then buy from one of those developers. The only reason they ever acquired Maxis was because of The Sims, really. That game appealed to thier marketing. Sim City is one of those games with a naturally small market - its understandable that they'd wish to try and expand that market in some manner.

The city is looking really nice. Good job.

Er, thats a bit of a kick in the pants, really...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Exceptionally_Simple_Theory_of_Everything <--- A "more simple" summary of the article in question.

Yeah the Kaituna is fun to raft; me and my mum and a mate did it a few years back. I think i have some photos floating around.

I wouldn't use the word racism. I'd say perhaps prosecutors are more tough on african-americans because they're over-represented in the crime statistics. "Both property crime and violent crime in the U.S. are concentrated in poor, urban areas. And because African-Americans are disproportionately poor and heavily concentrated in the nation's inner cities, black communities have a notably higher crime rate than that of other communities. Poverty, alienation and despair in the black lower class have led to the rise of a number of professional street gangs and criminal networks. Although the incidence of violent crime is dropping among blacks, more than one million African American men are currently in jail or prison. Homicide remains the leading cause of death among black men between the ages of 15 and 34." - African American contemporary issues @ Wikipedia. I believe it'd be foolish to suggest this guy wasn't recieving this charge because he is african-american, but I also believe that they didn't charge him with this with any racist intent. At any rate, I think the punishment sort of fits the crime, though perhaps the homeowner should also be prosecuted - maybe a manslaughter charge or something.

Originally posted by: aking88 Ded: I understand where you are coming from, but at the same time we are no more than humans ourselves, i dont think that people want to cause harm. Its just that the alternatives are not developed enough. I believe we humans need to be balanced when it comes to living with whats around us, we need to take personal responsibilities so as to minimize the harm in the us of nature, and also take actions to leave notable part of the nature free, such as setting up private unfragmented wildlifesanctuaries which can be financed by people who care about the issues and eco-tourism. Furthermore i think genetical manipulation of farmed animals is sickening and i think it should be outlawed, if not by national governments then by informed municipalities and its citizens. But as i say, i think it needs to truly be private efforts by people in a free society to be lasting and true. Availability of information on the issue is important for that as well as open dialogue. I do not think that most of humans would be able or willing to go vegetarian. And that is not beocuse they are lesser people but becouse of how they view the world and their place in it etc.quote> My apologies for the double post, but i felt a reply was necessary. Our perceptions of the World are maliable. That is, they can be freely changed as we grow and develop. To make the choice not to eat meat means that you've percieved an issue and that you've chosen to become informed and do what you believe is best. It fascinates me so much, how people are shocked at the unsustainable nature of farming animals for consumption. Economically, by eating fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season, you can save hundreds of dollars every year - yet people aren't informed. Though to be fair, they have themselves to blame for choosing not to be informed, as much as people with corporate responsibility are to blame for choosing not to inform them. As for the genetic modification issue - If we apply that rule to fruits and vegetables - we can develop frost and draught resistant foods, which allow more to be fed, and are relatively cost-effective to grow and produce. We have so many tools at our disposal, yet we don't use them. There's some food for thought...

To the people comparing hunting whales to killing cows - I ask you to think about why people aren't hunting Pandas in China, Kiwi in New Zealand, or California Condor's in the United States of America. Then talk to me about the comparison of something rare, beautiful, and intelligent like a whale, and a common, domesticated animal such as a cow or sheep. There is no comparison.

Personally i feel to farm any animal for ones own food isn't morally correct. If we had to hunt to survive then we would hunt. Rather we can cultivate our food, which makes us largely unique among species. Also unique to us, is the ability to protect animals. Hence - I'm a vegetarian and animal rights activist. Issues like these are about making the right choice to benefit the human species as a whole - if we all choose to protest the slaughter of innocent animals, and look at alternative options - we can change issues like this for good. As for the whaling, it disgusts me that these people are culling the whales when they're endangered. We have no true knowledge of the number of whales left in this world, as they're so elusive. To further destroy them and invade thier habitat - Its not on.

Its very pretty. Good Job.

pretty. = )

I think it takes many years of abuse, disillusionment, hurt/pain, and general irreverence to get to the point where a person would like to see whether its "fun" to take another's life. That's merely speculative on my behalf, though.

Video Games don't kill people. People kill people. Quit playing the blame game when the fact is, these kids are responsible for thier own actions - not anyone else.

Beautiful.

Definitely a realistic flood. Useful as a terraforming tool, as well.

It looks nice.

Ugh. I do wish JK had kept that on the Downlow. This just gives people another reason to find villainy in a good book series.

I just saw the website, the blog about the landscapes is just awe-inspiring. As is, for now, it is stunning.

I guess the only problem with having the TV masts in the lake is that if they need work carried out, it'd be highly unpractical. I like the planning though.

Hahaha, sounds like my life story. Only these days I like to keep the passion on the "Down-low" - so to speak. I get enough "passion" studying fulltime to last me for forever, haha. But anyway, once again, just thanks. I can't wait for the website, and I don't think i mentioned how nice the latest screen-shots look - the globe AND aspen both look very picturesque, while the urban buildings definitely look spectacular - the shops on the bottom of the skyscraper are extremely suggestive, though i'm assuming that that tall building is of the residential persuasion - if so, perhaps some mixed use buildings are on the cards? I know you can't tell just yet, but i look forward to the day that you can

Cripes... That was quick. It wasn't so much a question, more a point to ponder for everyone else. Part of the intrigue of this game so far lies in the fact that we know so little - certainly a city with a feel remotely like that of 'Aspen' is MUCH more then anything we've ever experienced in city sims thus far, but, that brings new questions. Does the aspen themeset (for lack of a better description) have its own unique transport system (for instance you'd find cable cars/charlifts etcetera in alpine areas far more then other areas), or is it part of the game as a whole and it suits the alpine theme. Or maybe it isn't even a transport option, but more of a wider recreation pack - that sorta thing. I guess, people often take pictures at face value, i was merely inidicating that it might not necessarily be what it appears to be. And thanks for the speedy reply, I have no doubt that y'all are doing your best to answer our questions, and work on this game, and get the site up and running. So far, you seem to be doing a great job, and i think most people definitely appreciate the effort you're putting in. And you should really pop into chat sometime - even if you aren't going to discuss the game (no doubt it'd pop up), you'd be amazed at how a bunch of quirky gamers can have some fascinating discussions.

How functional are the chairlifts, i wonder? I.e Do they serve a transportational purpose, or are they there to decorate the landscape?

At a recent pirate themed party... For the record... The facial hair is now gone!