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Reiki
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 9:48 am
Urgrace, I have a piece of petrified wood, a piece of pirated coral from Guam, and a piece of the coliseum of Rome. I would just put the rock from Hawaii right up there next to them. The wood was given to me by an elderly gentleman I knew in Arizona whose family once owned a property in the "forest". The other two my mother brought back as souveniers. Rock collecting runs in my family. She also brought home water from the Trevi fountain. It's on the shelf next to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I did correct teachers/professors. I hated when they gave out misinformation and felt it was my duty to the other students to let them know the real facts.
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Costacat
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 10:20 am
Ha! See I knew I wasn't a geek!!!! No matter what anyone at work says, I don't do ANYTHING that would even remotely be considered "geek-ish". And, after reading all the posts in this thread, I am so NOT a geek!!! Just cause I program javascript and can read VB and C++ code and I'm a help author and blahblahblah does NOT a geek make! Thanks guys!!! I now have proof!!! Hee hee hee... And nope, I've never been a gamer for the very reason that I'm on a 'puter all day long at work and oh please I do need a break from my keyboard! I'm way to extroverted, too! <wink>
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Eliz87
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 11:20 am
All right...I do love trivia games and I snort when I laugh most of the time.
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Crossfire
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 1:19 pm
This is scary. While reading Jed's post, I had to check a few times to see who wrote it just to make sure I'm not a 'missing time' victim writing things I have no knowledge of. I think I have it all. Electronics and chemistry sets as a child, electronics in college, computers (and online) since the early 80's. Video games(specializing in FPS, RTS, RPG), art(air brush), computer programming...even assembly language on a 6502 microprocessor in the 80's and 7809 later in college. Comic books (Richie Rich(don't laugh) and Mad mostly) I spent at least half my childhood in serious major crap with my parents for taking everything apart to learn how it works...right up to the television. Man were they ever ticked off about that. Hehehe. I don't have fools gold, but I do have a boulder of what can only be called 'fools silver' that I keep near the door. Anyone ever breaks in, I plan to clock them with it. I don't have the swords, but I do have a history of martial arts. Lets see, highschool theater...Effects, Sound and lights. Let me tell you, that is a secret cool position that beat the pants off anything the jocks had. We practically had a private clubhouse full of cool gadgets and theater babes. College DJ...my days were monty python days. I don't have superman undies, but my best friend has the superman symbol tattooed on his arse. That has to count for something. And never revealed before...a wizard on my own. I am a man of a million hobbies, 35 going on 12. Amazing. PS, don't let any of N&V crowd in on this, I have a reputation to uphold. Hehehe.
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Yankee_In_Ca
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 1:40 pm
[Everyone except Jed, please skip over this message !! ] Jed -- LOTR: Return of the King is very good, though I initially found movement w/a keyboard/mouse a little difficult to get used to. I have played it also on Playstation and I think it's easier with the game controller. Not sure if you're using a gamepad for your PC, but the keyboard/mouse thing is my only negative comment on the game. It's fun. LOVING Deus Ex 2, especially now that the newest patches have addressed some of the bugs (like weird crashes, etc.). Now that I'm back from traveling, I hope to get more into it. I anticipate some late nights with this one. Call of Duty is GREAT. I highly recommend it. Lots going on, lots of attention to detail. Incredible AI. Get it. Play it. I think you'll like it. Also waiting for Half Life 2... Wonder if the April date will be pushed back or not...?
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Crossfire
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 1:56 pm
Yankee...I just have to chime in. Deus Ex was in my top 10 favorite of all time video games. Then when Deus Ex 2 came out, I was stunned by how much they ruined it xboxifying it. And pre patch, it was nearly unplayable. Turns out that once you get into it, it's just like the first one, the patch fixes the horrible performance problems. It is much, much shorter than the first game which while I loved it, thought it was maybe just a little bit too long. I've whizzed though the game a few times now to experience the various endings. I am glad to say it is worthy of the Deus Ex name. The halflife2 delay was a very large bummer. For historical purposes and just to satisfy the geek in me, I got myself a copy of the source code. It's all part of gaming history now. So I treat it like an artifact, kind of like having a first print rare copy of a book or something. One could say I collect game boxes. My prize item is my giant promotional quake 2 box that I was able to talk a local store out of. Next game up will be knights of the old republic.
There's about 150 boxes in that pile, I had to break them down to save space. 
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Urgrace
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 2:01 pm
There was a professor of mine in college who took a point off my paper for misspelling. I asked her to look up the word. She would not and would not change my grade from A to A+, but she asked permission to keep a copy of my report. Three years in a row I organized the city beauty pageant, from the paperwork, direction, lighting, sound and every other aspect including the deposit of the monies made from ticket sales. Does anyone have a pudding rock to hold their door open? Or a Petosky stone made into jewelry? (yes, I do)
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Jed245
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 4:10 pm
Thanks Yankee, I have dues ex2 for xbox and am picking it up for pc later this month. I usually play my action games on xbox because of the controler and internet interface is pretty nice too. Nothing running in the background. :o) I think I'll pick up call of duty today or maybe in the morning? :o) Awww Crossfire, how could ya say that man? :o( I play most of my games on xbox now, but, I have a big history of pc games and still play them on pc. I usually own the pc and xbox copy of games when I really like them. Dues EX2 on xbox is great... I don't see how anyone could say it was ruined by being taken to the xbox? (to those of you that don't know pc vs console gamming is the stuff geek debates are made of) Well gamming geek anyway. :o) Jed. :o)
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Tishala
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 4:14 pm
I'm telling on Crossfire!
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Crossfire
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 4:33 pm
EDIT: Please be aware that their is a potential minor Deus Ex 2 spoiler within depending on how picky you are about it. Hehehe, sorry man. I didn't mean to tread onto that battle ground but it is hard to avoid, especially with a game like Deus Ex. In the case of Deus Ex 2, I got over it, and came to love the game (post patch). I think both console and PC should be able to have to good run at it. Looking back at my words, I see I did not clarify properly at all. The ruined bit was only my initial impression which I was able to shake once I got the patch and sat down determined to have a good time. That is a step someone who never played the first one will be able to skip. Let me state clearly for the record, that the game is NOT ruined. My initial comments had to do with the change in interface and controls, the simplified ammo system, and the changes (deletions) in the RPG elements, they were clearly simplified a bit to make the crossover to the console. But having said that, the changes made are probably good in the long term as they make the game more accessible to the casual player, and with Deus Ex, its more about the story, and the multiple paths that make the game. If I may be permitted one complaint though, the levels are too cut up for my liking. On the first one for example, Liberty Island was one giant seamless level, in this one it is all chopped up and there is a lengthy loading sequence everytime you turn around. Other than that though...great game. The first one was a much better title than the sales figures reflected, but it kind of got off to a rough start. It did not help at all coming out of Ion Storm of Romero and Daikatana fame at the time, and on some graphics cards it looked really bad. It is my hope that the game gets the accolades it is entitled to in this second go if not for the sake of the developers, then for the sake of us getting a third one to mess with. PS for an FPS, I am at a loss how you can put the xbox controller up against a mouse/keyboard combo. 
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Crossfire
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 4:35 pm
Ahhh, Tishala....no, I'll do anything. 
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Yankee_In_Ca
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 4:43 pm
I agree with Crossfire -- mouse/keyboard is the way to go! (Except for a few games, like LOTR: ROTK, which I noted above, and Black & White comes to mind, too). I play my "serious" games on the PC only, though we do have a Playstation and I will play once in a while arcade-ish games like SSX, etc. I played ROTK on the Playstation b/c I was playing co-op with a 10-year-old!!! (So, Jed, my comments above were about the PC versions of Call of Duty and Deus Ex.) But it's just my preference. I don't have any of the PC/console fight in me -- nor PC/Mac either, though my partner sure does!!! Hey, we're a geek couple! Maybe we should start a PC/Console Games thread in the Games area...?
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Jed245
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 4:49 pm
Nicely stated crossfire, I wasn't gonna do battle though heh. I do agree that the consoles suffer a bit from length. I think they do that to target younger gamers? Also there was a problem with consoles and hd space, which, the xbox has addressed a little. :o) Now as for a fps controler vs mouse/keyboard... Well the xbox controler has two analog sticks one for movement the other for look around. So your keyboard is the left stick and the mouse is the right. The difference in wrist comfort alone is worthwhile. :o) Even the best laser eye mouse or trackball will eventually skip, jump, or stick at times. The controller doesn't suffer from that at all. And there is never an issue of room for mousing. :o) Mostly that arguement is made for me. My work requires alot of repetitive wrist movement. So the xbox controller is just better for me. :o) Jed. :o)
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Rosie
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 6:19 pm
Just dropped by to see what was going on in here and I have to tell ya that since I am a "poser", I have no clue what any of you are talking about. Just saying.................
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Ruiner
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 7:05 pm
I'll chime in here... I definately prefer pc over console. We have a playstation, the model prior to playstation 2. I was considering buying a playstation 2 for the bf for xmas but opted instead for a computerized telescope. He absolutely loves his new telescope!! I'm surprised no one has mentioned Neverwinter Nights. I have yet to complete it since I 1) some how I got stuck on stupid with 2 different characters at the end and 2) took a detour into fps...I've been considering installing on my gaming laptop to see how it plays. Currently being played with the guys - 900 Foot Alien, our clan - is BF1942 and on occasion ut2k3. Granted I'm no where as good as the guys but I generally have a great time whether on line or at LAN parties. Looking forward to ut2k4 - considering Halo 2. Since LOTR has gotten good reviews above I'll have to look into those. Matter of fact, gotta run cause the guys need cannon fodder...LOL!
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Juju2bigdog
| Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 10:32 pm
You are probably a geek if you are reading here. You are a major geek if you are thinking of posting here. You are, well, errrrrrrr, Jed, if you are following the discussions of Yankee, Crossfire, and Jed. You really ARE Jed if you are laughing at the last sentence. We geeks know who the others are by instinct. I have been fond of Jed ever since he first geeked onto this board. Now, you realize it is MUCH harder for us old folks to be geeks, like me and the MUCH YOUNGER Urgrace, because not only did we not have the opportunity to program calculators during math class (they didn't even have electric adding machines last time I was in math class), but we would have been kicked out for cheating if we had brought our abacuses to class. Let's see, what geeky things have I done? Okay, here is an early one. In high school everybody took French, but I was already invested in Spanish, so I and four other kids took Spanish. But, since the the entire rest of my classmates were all playing at talking to French with each other in the hallways, I learned French from listening to them. Nobody knew I wasn't taking French. They all just thought I was in the "other" French class.
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Jed245
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 4:10 am
Juju knowing what an abacuse is gets ya the same geeky points as programming the calculator. :o) And learning to speak two languages (one without attending a class) is worthy of the accolades that only the top notch geeks deserve. :o) Juju has always been cool and kept me outta trouble in chat when I used to come in on a spoiler night. uh... more then once actually. :o) Well ummm... back to the gamming debate. :o) Ahh ruiner your comparing outdated consoles to new pc games. Xbox and ps2 are much better then the earlier generations of gamming consoles. (As far as neverwinter nights... all the baulders gate series is fun. I got really close to the end of the game and my pc kinda crashed so I moved on.) But seeing as how ya mentioned that series of games. Pc has more sheer number as far as games go. Take halo for example. I have both pc and xbox versions of the game. The xbox version is much better with detail. Jed :o)
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Strawberry
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 6:34 am
Atari rocks!
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Hermione69
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 9:13 am
Oh, I remember that Asteroid game from Atari!! And the old Space Invaders! I used to write notes in middle school and decorate them with Pac Man drawings! Am I the only Gamecuber? I love Nintendo games. I think Super Mario World is one of the best games of all time! Other geeky things I do-- I collect the Harry Potter Lego sets! I have all the sets released during the first movie. Then I ran out of money and space, but will get them all one day!!
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Crossfire
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 10:04 am
Oh Man! Space Invaders almost destroyed me in school. Way way back, when it was a going concern, I entered, and won an Asteroids competition. My prizes were a one year supply of Coke (they were the sponsor of the contest), and a bunch of other doo dads. One of the doo-dads, was a box of Atari themed t-shirts. Including many doubles. I personally was quite proud of my achievement, and wore the shirts quite often, and unfortunately, because many of them looked the same, I earned a reputation for not changing my clothes. And let me tell you, kids are not nice people once they find a target. And even worse, one of the shirts had on it as a design a game of space invaders in progress with the words "I scored with space invaders." written on it. Well....lets just say it took a very, very long time to live that one down. Having won the shirts and the free pop, I felt entitled to such a message, the other kids of course decided I was some kind of a freak! Fortunately I hit puberty before most of them did, and after a summer of growing up, I beat the hell out of a lot of them. Oh well...the travails of being a geek. I can't complain though, my parents ended up opening up an Atari store and I ended up with free access to everything I could ever imagine. Was a founding member of the Toronto Atari Programmers Society, and later as a spin off from the store, we had a side line that did quite well for a few years with a little operation called Video Van which during the early days of VHS and BETA we offered a rental service that did deliveries. That was pretty neat at the time.
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Hermione69
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 10:26 am
Oh, Crossfire, ROFLMAO! "I scored with space invaders" I can't stop laughing... I'm glad you got revenge, though, by hitting puberty earlier! Is there any adult geek who didn't go through a time when they were teased mercilessly?? When I was a preadolescent, I was chubby, had these thick glasses, and was just terribly uncool all the way around. I underwent one of those miraculous ugly duckling/swan metamorphoses in my last year of middle school, and I started high school looking like a completely different person. Of the people who used to make fun of me, the girls were jealous and the boys were awed. Suddenly finding myself cool and quite popular, I was reluctant to embrace my inner nerdiness and often played the dumb blonde when I was really anything but. Boy, I'm glad I got over that! Do you still have any of those old Atari t-shirts? Did you at least keep the space invaders one? You should wear it to a TVCH outing!
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Jan
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 10:31 am
OK Which one of you "geeks" (  )can answer this little quiz first?(the answers really surprised me when I read them last night) Who "invented" the world wide web? When? what organization did he work for? where is it located? Did you know it or have to google it?
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Crossfire
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 10:41 am
Tim Berners Lee...Some particle accellerator in Europe..CERN or something. Dang, I know the generalities, just not the specifics. No google. ETA: Not sure when. I'll leave that for someone else. I could guess a decade, but that is hardly being specific.
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Crossfire
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 10:43 am
Hermi: I think I do in fact still have one. I am certain it would no longer fit, but if I can get to it without making too much of a mess, I'll post a photo of my torture implement.
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Hermione69
| Monday, January 12, 2004 - 10:48 am
I think Crossfire should win an award for even knowing that much! And I DID google it and it was 1994 so he even guessed the time frame accurately!!! I bow before him!
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