Messages

I had some bad 'rhoids.

You work out the rest.

None in Quebec?

woah, even viruses have taste.

Although plenty of AGSers have done military time, including during conflict, I can only think of one who's seen active combat.

Timosity-Just on RTA stuff. The infringement processing place moved to Maitland a year or so ago under Carrs decentralistation schemes, but over 12 months on they still haven't got anything organised.

So and fines, particularily speed camera fines have a good chance of dissapearing if you ask them to challenge you in court.

Since they a) have to do it within 6 months, and they have much more than that stacked up
b) if they get to court within that time, they have to prove that the camera at that time was in perfect working order, and that there were no mitigating circumstances. Theoretically possible, but very difficult, especially with the disorganisation noted above.

My Dad's seen 3-4 camera fines dissapear in the past 6 months.

'course, I found it simpler to stay below the damn limit.

I would have expected an outbreak in Vancouver...

Ls (permits) 16
P's at 17 (having done 50 leaner hours and teh test)
2 years later, another test, then second ps
another 2 years and a full licence. Only then can you [legally] have your full rights as a driver.

Can anyone beat NSW for stringent laws? Hell, the road toll justifies them, but if the police checked licences I might consider driving legally.

The Australia of back then was a very different place.

Bigoted and racist more than most of Europe, siccophantic to the empire, disgustingly homophobic to the restriction of male emotion.


The thing I like most in multiculturalism was actively combatted. If that had continued, we wouldn't have people like you Sasha, and that would be unfortunate, just like if we hadn't recieved the rest of the non-anglo immigration.

But you're not nationalist.

Australian National Identity is a very seperate thing to Australian society.

A Nation isn't the same thing as a country.

in defence of the story, you're a detective, not a constable.

I was used immensley.

It had nothing to do with the truth, as far as the truth is a valid concept, but no nation is ever built on truth.

The legend, whether true or not was used to a huge extent by those with a purpose in Australian nationalism.

[I had to study this in Historiography]

DG- That was the first one I got, even before you spoke of it.
But there's a similar sense of loss when you don't chase her, even though you win.

But what absolutely fascinates me about adventures is the fact that most of the divergent storylines are far from what you'd call profound literature. But there's no denying that they have an emotional impact that I haven't found in most genres.
Interactivity increases the impact so much I've been writing thousands of words trying to get an adequet impression of that in my major work for 4 unit english.

Similarily, many of the endings in Bladerunner had a far greater impact on methan the film, even though the film was infinitely better written, and the themes were explored much more skillfully.

Fucking hell, melodrama can rip your heart out in an Adventure.

--edit--
Even when there's no choice I should add. Even if it's the only way to continue the game, you doing it (as such) increases the impact.

I assume Canadians understand that the Aliens know where to find the prime specimens.

exactly

But I got to use Biblical terminology.

I think I might add that New Zealand has a very similair day...

But it's true that it has some unique properties. It's simultaneously militaristic and fiercely pacifist. Which is strange.
And that no other country [except possibly NZ] has fought in so many wars for which there was no conceivable gain except siccophancy.

---edit---

And they're showing that ANZAC day McDonalds ad. I can't think of another corporation so utterly and completely morally bankrupt that it would exploit ANZAC day in advertising.


---edit 2---

For the benefit of those not aquainted...

In 1915 with stalemate on the Western front, Germany decided to go East, and the allies thought about exploiting the immense, but dreadfully ill equiped Russian army. Arms could not be shifted through the baltic because of U-boats, so it was decided to pop in through the back door via the Black Sea. The entrance to the black sea is the Dardanelles straights, which were controlled Turkey, allied to the Central Powers.
It was thus undertaken to invade the Gallipoli penninsular with a force of of British, French [we always forget them] and Imperial troops from Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC). The latter two had already invaded German territory in New Guinea and the pacific.

Command was given to one of the British commanders typical for the period who'd got his job because of his family. He had previously deployed troops against the menace of the Suffragettes and later proposed to use poison gas in subduing the Mesopotamian tribes (now the Iraqis).
So it's strange why they kept giving Winston S. Churchill jobs.

But back on track, a more important element was a reporter called C. W Bean. Over  a decade before Australian journalists had attempted to use the Boer war as a nation building exercise (even though it was another display of siccophancy towards the empire). Bean saw the Gallipoli campaign as another such example.
His account of the character of the ANZAC forces became the basis for the Anzac legend which was used by Nationalists in our country. It thus shares the nationalistic illusions of the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 in Britain, the war of independence in America and the French revolution. All nations use fairly distorted histories in their nation basis. Part and parcle of nationalism I guess.
Although the day is used to commemorate other conflicts, (including the Kokoda Track which had a far more important bearing on our history) it is the view of this original invasion which the day commemorates that has bearing on it's importance. [Vietnam got left out for decades because the power brokers both in the government distanced themselves. The people who had sent them to die and gloried in that wished to wash their hands]

The best part of that episode (at the risk of degenerating the thread into a quotefest) was the following exchange

Other town kids: "I cast a spell on you wizard"
Kyle" "What are you playing?"
OTK: "Harry Potter"
Cartman: "huh, Fags!"

I think that's just they're calves.

They're being trendy in a 2 years ago kind of way with 3/4 length pants.

South Park had to evolve as well.

However, whilst a show like the Simpsons had to turn to Absurdist humour when desperate, South Park started off absurdist and that wore out by the third series.

And I though the show was dead then.

But credit to Parker and Stone that they abandoned the absurdist core for a satirical element (with absurdity on the side) and managed to continue it.

I think that one big difference is that DG loves humaity in general, despite it's flaws.


But something that comes through strongly in Sakura is the capacity for loss. Apart from the uber protagonistical feeling of "I did that" that you get in any game [except Syberia unfortunately] (My favourite example is how hard it is to leave the swamplin in Simon1, despite the ludicrous context), this is reinforced by the multiple plot lines. Now you know there is an alternate action to the one that you've done, and if you lose the girl, you know it's because of something you [thats YOU you] did, even if it was as simple as failing to think about them at the right time.

and now I've wandered off it to the area of this article I've been struggling with. I'm tempted to include Sakura and other titles and write the artivle oley on how interactivity makes the profane sublime.

Because in all honesty, even the best games rarely have titles that rise above pulp or comic books (not to denegrate those two mediums ).

---edit---
I could be argued that Sakura is just a graphical "choose you own adventure". I can avoid that, or just talk about True Love.

Lucas Film made MI
begat Lucas Arts Entertainment Company
begat Lucas Arts, a Lucas Film ltd company.


Same company, cosmetic changes to names.

I'm not sure why it was brought up.

I agree I have changed, since I laugh at things in the old episodes that I didn't get when I was 10.

But you can't do that with 2 dimensional new episodes, unless you count gratuitous or obscure pop culture references.

And self referencing is most evident in a decadent series.

I still watch the new episodes and hope that it'll be funny. I go in each week with a open mind. It's improved marginally sometimes, but the objectivity I attempt to give it still leads me to a conclusion.

And jeez, there's no smae in it. It had happen after 8 seasons what most have after 2. But no matter how bountiful you mango tree is, there comes a day when the fruit stop coming as sweet.