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Calling Michael Moore fat is really just a cheap potshot. I mean, it's like saying Rush Limbaugh's points of view are incorrect because he's fat:

It's not really a good business strategy. Everybody in that theatre was laughing their arses off at that guy. Sure, Aussie McD's may have thought it was a good strategy to put an ad for their business ahead of a film that condemns that business, but in reality it makes them look like fools.

I mean, he says "Yes, we agree that overeating is bad." Number one: Saying such a thing could decrease sales for those that overeat (Good for the people; bad for business). Number two: It's pandering to crowd who have gone to see a movie with a pre-existing idea that McDonalds is shitty food (and how could you not) -- It's not like they're suddenly going to go, "Hey, he agrees with the film, so maybe we should trust this guy!"

Imagine if George Bush put a similar ad before Farenheit 9/11. Imagine Bush saying: "This movie shows that a president who goes on holiday for a large percent of the time is prone to let terrosit attacks happen on the homeland, which will in turn sparks a major war against a country that had nothing to do with the initial terrorist attacks. And all because of one man's incompetency. Well, I agree!"

And not only that, I'm not going to give a McDs CEO some brownie points just because he has a good business strategy. The day he wins my trust will be when he makes a healthy and digestible burger (Note: mutant pigs will fly while scientists uncover Jimmy Hoffa's body on that same day!)

I have a large mole on my back just below my neck. It doesn't hurt and has hair growing out of it, which means it's not in any immediate dager. However, the spot is a potential nightmare because the area is exposed to the sun. And Queensland being so bloody warm and sunny makes it difficult. Naturally, I'm shitscared about any lumps on my back.

A month or two ago, I found a huge lump on my back. You've never seen a man run for the doctors office so quickly. Luckily, it was nothing major: just an infected cyst.

However, it reminds me of when I was in my last year of high school (1998). I found a lump the size of an M&M on my willy and was so freaked by it. There I was, peak of my teenage sexual prime, and I had a lump on my dick! I gave it a small squeeze and the thing popped like a zit. An hour late, I went to see the school's doctor ASAP. Sure enough, it was nothing; just a cyst or a boil.

I tell you, when tradgey strikes and it turns out to be nothing, you thank fuck that you're alive. It's like that line from Fight Club: "His breakfast will taste better than any meal you or I have ever had." And that's how I felt: happy to be alive.

And I saw Super Size Me today. Great film. I like the way it startts off funny, then becomes scary after a certain point.

And as a side note, McDonalds put on an ad before the film where the CEO of McD's Australia said that (and I'm adlibing) "the following film shows a man who overeats and says it's not good for people. We couldn't agree more." At that point, the whole audience laughed and I thought one person shouted out "You dipshit!" Meanwhile, I booed the ad. You can really tell when a company is scared of something like "Super Size Me". They start going into serious damage control.

Also, there's a good article onSomethingAwful today (Sunday, June 27) about Super Size Me. Go read it now!

IMO, the best product to back-up DVDs is a program called DVD Shrink.

http://www.dvdshrink.org/

It's handy to get this program because most DVDs use a dual layer disc. DVD Shrink automatically converts the dual layer format into a size compatible with a single layer disc, which are most commonly used for burning. As far as I can tell, there's no loss of quality.

Not only that, DVD Shrink overcomes the encryption and coverts the copy into a multi-region disc.

Best of all, it's free and easy to use.

All you do is decrypt the DVD to your harddisk, then copy it to a blank DVD with whatever software you use (Nero, etc).

Note: DG doesn't support DVD copying ( *nudge* *nudge* )

I found this quote from another forum:

A fuckhead co-worker of mine asked me who was destroying the republican party. I answered 'themselves'.



Also, the reviews for F911 are in. 84% from Rottentomatoes.com (77% from the cream of the crop):
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Fahrenheit911-1133649/

And a 67% on metacritic:
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/fahrenheit911/

Why the difference? RT gets scores from more sources, but metacritic gets scores mainly from the major publications.


Also, from what I can tell, the film is more toned-down than BFC. I like this comment from Stephen Whitty:

"When Moore is willing to forget his personal animosity for a moment, his film regains its amazing power."


And this from Ebert:

"If the film is not quite as electrifying as Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," that may be because Moore has toned down his usual exuberance and was sobered by attacks on the factual accuracy of elements of "Columbine"; playing with larger stakes, he is more cautious here, and we get an op-ed piece, not a stand-up routine. But he remains one of the most valuable figures on the political landscape, a populist rabble-rouser, humorous and effective; the outrage and incredulity in his film are an exhilarating response to Bush's determined repetition of the same stubborn sound bites."


But Fred Topel gives a negative review, as this comment shows:

"Moore has resorted to showing us stuff that The Daily Show covers all the time. Did you really need this film to tell you that war is bad?"


And this negative comment from Glen Lovell:

"A film so sloppy, illogical and formulaic that it begs the questions: Can a hatchet job actually elicit sympathy for its sitting-duck target?"

It was George Lucas' first studio film. It was based on a short film of his that won a student prize, and Warner Brothers financed the feature length version. It was also the first film produced by American Zoetrope, which was a production company created by Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.

Here's the IMDB link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066434/

As for director's cuts, some I likes and some I don't likes. For example, I like the director's cut of Blade Runner, but the director's cut of Cinema Paradiso is way too long.

There's also an option in AGS's setup to run the game in 320x200. I think this converts hi-res graphics to los-res, so there's no point in nitpicking.

Speaking of gryoscope-controlled scooters...



I DID IT AGAIN!! WOO!! IN YOUR FACE, SPACE COYOTE!!

It's funny you mention religion cause George W Bush is a huge Christian. Speaking of GWB, did you know that F911 is about the man himself?

(YES! Still got the moves!)

In many ways, Butcher is a God.

*sigh* It's from a game. If you have problems with it, write to the creator.

A segue is a transition from one conversation to another. It's actually more of a musical term, but it's also applied to conversation.

I'm warning you all! If this conversation turns to religion, I'm going to do another segue!

FEEL THE WRATH OF THE SEGUE!

Any surprises there? Commitees are useless.

Like I said, it was just a segue (and a brilliant one too)!

I think the trick to holding interest it to push your own boundries and knowledge with AGS -- to keep experiementing, which is pretty much what Mostly said.

One of the things that kept me interested with Stickmen was the multi-character command. Maybe you should pick a certain unique feature (or features) of AGS and model a game around it (or them).

You make games because you feel the need to make something creative. If you question if it's worth it, then you've got to ask yourself why you want to make a game in the first place.

As for the AGS Awards, they're open to anyone who makes a game. However, don't let that be your prime motivation for making a game.

Don't worry, I won't kill you. In fact, I'm going to use my magic powers to steer this conversation back on track.

Ahem...

Isn't it interesting how time has passed, especially from the Warren Commission's report on JFK (which answered nothing really), to the current 9/11 investigation. I remember co-chair Lee Hamilton say he didn't want the 9/11 investigation to end up like Warren Commission investigation. So, what does everyone think of the 9/11 investigation so far?

Wow! Brilliant fucking segue, even if I do say so myself!

- We wear clothes.

Speak for yourself! 

Off-topic, yes. But here are a few hints: Oscar... 1996... Best Actor...

I think you can connect the dots from that.

Meanwhile, back at the Moore ranch...

I'd be pleased to read a quick resume of the Australian history, I just know it was a continent prison for Brits, that the original people there were the aborigens.

And that's just the beginning... However, my point is this: I'm sure if you look further into Australian history, you'll understand the inner struggles we've had to face.

I also know that Aussies' mothers like to mix milk with Foster's, while daddy is hunting crocs, or killing a Koala or a Kangaroo.Ã, 

Plus, we're all insane and play the piano really well. Most of us are also drag queens who ride around the desert in buses. That's how we get to our cricket and rugby games.