Recently Ranted

Go for it guys.
Lets see what you can come up with.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Uh oh, You're just asking for it now; lmao.

I never understood what makes people less idealistic after they're 25 or 30?

The stereotype is the idealistic young adult (usually between 18-25), who thinks they have the world solved, or as the rest of the stereotype goes: Thinks they know everything. I absolutely hate this stereotype, and I only take it for what it's worth. It's just a stereotype, but people's attitudes are very much real to it.

If you're this age, it doesn't matter how sincere you are, or genuine about what you believe or are passionate about, people are very quick to disregard a lot of what you say simply because you're young and are just quick to latch on to new ideas as they believe. Nowadays, I always apply a disclaimer before I speak to an elder over 30 usually when I'm about to talk about something I don't think they know anything about, because I suspect their attitude may very well be to just disregard what I have to say.

It puts a real halt on the flow of knowledge. And I wouldn't be bothered with it, if I hadn't encountered it so often.

/getting off chest

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

I used to see it that way Riven (if I understand the point you're trying to make) I can assure you of two very important things...

1) You will be old someday (I very much hope) and the cycle will repeat. Its unavoidable, you will do it too! You may deny it (we all do) but you will.
2) The reverse is very much true. I get talked down to now that I am as old as I am just because I am old. Now mind, depending on the subject matter I admit kids today know much about some topics. But it seems like they assume I know nothing about today's world because of my age alone.

Anyway, its not so much a pet peeve of mine now but it was for a long time. All I do now is smile and know that their turn will come. It makes me so happy knowing that now. Even if I am not there to witness it, I know.

As you may suspect, my rants are mostly gonna revolve around driving so I will wait a bit to see how this thread pans out before I cut loose.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Thanks for the reply, I figured it would be worth an effort on my part to just say something, and guessing it fit within the theme of this thread; I'm glad to know it does. I honestly look forward to more people's rants.

I suppose a rant usually has a negative connotation, but in my experience, rants are a great way to learn something by both parties. A rant usually has the benefit of the listeners to the ranter, because the person ranting I would suspect, has dealt with the topic enough to the point they feel they need to challenge it with a rant, so this gives the listeners a chance to hear an insight from someone who has dealt with this given topic ap'propriable.

A second perspective of both parties learning something would be from the ranter's perspective, as they have dealt with the issue so much, that a new pair of ears might get something they've overlooked out of it and throw it back at them to munch on. I think rants can teach very well!

Imagine dialogue in a game or movie, and when you hear that character's rant on a particular subject, it's usually out of experience. I mean the history of the character in that fiction is meant to supply a thicker history by allowing that character to rant about the theme or topic. A player or audience learns a lot about a story listening to rants.

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

If I look at myself and compare it to me 5 years ago I think it's easy to see why this sort of 'bureaucratic' view exists towards young people. People mature and gain experience and this leads to better decision making, it's 100% normal, happens to humans and animals in nature. Young people sort of need to work up the ranks, and if older people want to be assholes to younger people about it, shit happens I guess.

Sort of running along the same lines but maybe changing the topic, but I cannot stand the utter ignorance, stupidity and pointlessness of anti-homosexual views. I think it demonstrates a lack of intelligence on mainly the morals/ethics the anti-homosexual person has adopted/grew-up-in but also to the person for "failing to see the light" to put it metaphorically.

To sort of illustrate that point, you can look at pro-slavery views and reflect on what you think about that (assuming nobody here is pro-slavery...). The situation is the same for anti-homosexual views too, homosexual people do not deserve the discrimination against them that some people dish out and that is that. In addition, there is no danger of the human race becoming extinct because everyone becomes gay and all the other reasons for anti-homosexual behavior are ridiculous.

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Aaron's Stuff

Westboro is coming to to san jose soon to protest a play that has a homosexual in it. I thought about lobbing a molotov into their crowd, but someone pointed out to me is that Westboro people are real-life incarnations of forum trolls. They thrive on people hating them to get their message out. Im sure if people stopped caring about how outrageous their message is they would stop because they wouldn't be getting any media coverage. For that matter they would dissolve because they couldn't sue anyone (how they get most of their money) for infringing on their freedom of speech rights.

You know what, Westboro church and other related extremely conservative religious groups are basically the equivalent of Muslim extremist groups in the western world imo. Doing outrages things in the name of religion. That irony is so frustrating.

But you're right, paying attention/taking them seriously just fuels it.

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Aaron's Stuff

Well, that and it's not like homosexuality is more popular now than in other times in history. It was considered quite noble in Alexander times, since you would give up lineage.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Aaron, you do know where gay topics always lead, right? I'm not stopping you but you should be wary at least.

Anywho's some of my rants..

[*]Why do the court systems always grant custody to the mothers? I am still dealing with nine kinds of hell to see my oldest grandson because of the mom's bullshit.
[*]What's up with these new cell phone laws? They are trying to tell us that there is a specific age for doing something unsafe, safely.
[*]If someone doesn't get a handle on this no turn signal craze I'm gonna start running cars off the roads.
[*]I'm also about tired of people blaming me cause I won't allow them onto the interstate. Didn't anyone ever teach them "Yield to right of way"?

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The best things in life, aren't things.

It's interesting you should say that about custody, I just started reading up on 'men's rights' yesterday. Interesting subject that I have no refined opinions on yet.

In terms of cell phones... that's the way it's always worked. In Ontario once you have a full license and you're 25 you can have alcohol in your system when you drive. It seems rather arbitrary...

EDIT: On that note, where's the logic behind trusting someone with a 2 ton high-speed death machine years before you trust them with alcohol?

I tried to word it so it wouldn't point toward young people but to the absurdity that you can do an unsafe action, safely.

Having the young drive is a different rant IMO.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Boy, this thread may be heading into a fairly dangerous area soon.

We've all agreed that no matter what is said in this thread we'll still act like rational human beings and not fall into argument right?

Meaning that their is a difference between a 'discussion' and an 'argument'.

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Now remember kids. Asking questions is a good way to get censored by the government.

Discussion and argument can be the same thing. It frustrates me that people can't have a good argument anymore. Someone inevitably will become personally offended. Arguments are good and healthy and only dangerous to people who are afraid of having beliefs questioned.

That being said, since this is the rant thread: there can be no discussion with people who still don't understand there/their/they're.

resists urge to mention El Paso

This thread is open for any rant you have just as long as you don't deliberately single out someone by name.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

French Toast said:
Discussion and argument can be the same thing. It frustrates me that people can't have a good argument anymore. Someone inevitably will become personally offended. Arguments are good and healthy and only dangerous to people who are afraid of having beliefs questioned.

I seem to have muddled up my meaning again. I wanted to try to make the distinction between an 'argument' in the sense of aggressive/negative verbal 'attacks' and a 'discussion' being polite (although not lacking force) comments back and forth. I observed that some of the previous comments in this thread may have been interpreted as (in the previously stated meaning) an argument and wanted to as lightly as possible nudge things back to a (again following the definition I have stated) discussion.

Condus Mundus said:
Meaning that their is a difference between a 'discussion' and an 'argument'.

Perhaps I should've said:

Condus Mundus said:
That is, if you see my distinction between a 'discussion' and an 'argument'.

French Toast said:
That being said, since this is the rant thread: there can be no discussion with people who still don't understand there/their/they're.

I really hope this is not your default reaction to a minor spelling mistake. English happens to be the second hardest language to learn in the world and that particular mistake is made thousands of times a day on the internet alone. I apologize if I have offended you with my human tendency towards error and I will try not to make mistakes like that in the future.

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Now remember kids. Asking questions is a good way to get censored by the government.

Except for Adam, few people on the net give a rats ass about typo's. As long as the meaning is more/less conveyed I don't think its such a major snafu really.

and..

Arguments can be heated or not but they don't have to lead to bad places. With few exceptions most people can discuss pretty well.

Attacking someone is a completely different animal. I don't think any of us would group arguing with attacking since attacking has no positive ending where heated discussions can lead almost anyplace between positive and negative.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

When lanes are merging in heavy traffic and you make space for one guy to merge into your lane, but then the next guy behind him jams his car right in front of you instead of waiting for his turn/

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http://maze5.net

That brings up an interesting point.. The only thing worse than people not using turn signals are the one that think that using them gives them license to do anything behind the wheel. Its gotten so bad in some states where people cut one another off that they have replace the tail gate law for a more appropriate one of being in someones stopping zone.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Although this is a fictional scenario it is based on real world events.

I was watching Law and Order and the show was about a young couple who starved their newborn child to death.

The rant I have is: In a court room you are theoretically supposed to find 12 unbiased jurors. In this case, the opposition insisted in showing the autopsy photos to the jury before selection in order to prove bias and disqualify them. (she was trying to get the case thrown out due to not being able to find 12 unbiased people)
Now, if you show the photos to a million, or a billion people they ALL are gonna see a starved infant. How the hell are you supposed to remain unbiased subjected to that sort of visual results? Especially knowing in advance that the parents were the ones whom made the child look that way?

Before you ask, it was my opinion that the jury was not really there to find guilt or innocence but their job was to assign duration in jail time. I base this on the end result which was the jury was not used and the judge herself determined the time. The guilt was more/less a forgone conclusion. However, I feel that the jury would have given the parents FAR more time than the judge did so the result was the same by showing the photos.. Which came real close to having the case thrown out.

Anywho, I was ranting at the TV over such crap because I can envision such things occuring. Especially since I had to endure a custody battle between my son and his ex and know how hinky courts and lawyers are.

I'd really like to see this thread continue. Can't you guys come up with anything to rant about?

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The best things in life, aren't things.

If anyones been following the PS3 Hacker Hotz case (just for reference to catch up). Well rumor has it hes fled to Africa (NOT a good idea for his case). Im not saying that Hotz shouldn't be getting persecuted, im just sickened by the lengths sony is going to to punish him, they are alienating their fan base.

There was a similar case with people jail breaking iPhones. Apple was trying to sue people who violated their licence. The court rulled in favor of jail breakers. It came to simple fact: It's your product, you get to do what you want with it (jail break, or keep it the way it was).

Whats my rant: Sony sticking its nose in people's lives over what they do with their PS3s. Its our product, we paid for an over-priced console, we should get to choose what we do with it.

I dunno if I am reading it right but it seems to be like they are bitching about him modifying his own equipment? Is that correct?

Isn't that akin to ford complaining because I put a chevy motor in their car? (which I have done before)
Or
The movie industry complaining because I use my own equipment to back up my own movies.

Perhaps I am reading it wrong and there is no comparison..

However, this craze about people infinitely copy righting shit has got to end. Next thing you know, someone is going to sue a bomb maker for using vehicular diesel fuel in their bombs citing copy right infringements.

Once an item, ANY ITEM is purchased, the previous owners/developers lose their claims. PERIOD!

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The best things in life, aren't things.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Culture_(book)

The greatest book on the subject.

French Toast said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Culture_(book)

The greatest book on the subject.

I hate to say this but that article is crap. The link to piracy doesn't even lead to a software definition of the term but to a high seas version.

Anywho's even taking into account that anything that can be digitized has an infinite copy right period is ridiculous.

If you continue the theory that anything you create from scratch, meaning no prior versions exist, then parents have rights over their off spring until the day they die. Before you scoff, it reads EXACTLY the same way to me. You may have a different viewpoint but that's the way I read the copy right laws.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I think the case is that Apple and Sony want their respective platforms to be as closed as possible and they fear that hacking can lead to piracy and other things which will result in them losing money.

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Aaron's Stuff

Dood lemme explain something so you'll know why I never side with them on things like this.

Before I started driving, I was always somewhere in middle management. I hated it, that's why I drive now. They are complete unrealistic assholes whom always make someone else responsible for their own short comings.

Be that as it may, this is my example so you will understand.

Each fiscal year we used to have a meeting at the beginning of that year to forecast our profits. OK, lets hypothetically use a 1 million dollar number to make it simple. You can use anything larger or smaller if you like but for simplicity lets say a 1 million dollar sum is what we should make.

At the end of the year, AFTER all the debts are paid we only cleared 750 thousand in profit. Now mind, this is clear money. Instead of being happy, they complain endlessly that they LOST 250 thousand. Well first off it was a proposed POSSIBLE 1 million. There was no guarantee. Secondly its 750 thousand free and clear money.

Now think a moment. What do you think would happen if WE applied those thinking ways to our lives? Should I complain to my boss that I should have made 50 thousand but didn't? I had a meeting with my wife and we should have made that much. Should we go to wal-mart and tell them that they should have helped me achieve that 50 grand because their prices cost me some of it? How about the gas companies, or anything else that made it so I couldn't achieve my 50 grand?

Do you see how fucking retarded that is? But I can assure you that big companies do it every fucking year. They cry incessantly about money lost. You simply cannot lose something you never possessed. Its a freaking impossibility.

Now... Anyone who unrealistically thinks that they can dictate for ever after how their products are used is equally retarded. Its bought. End of story.

The copy right laws originally were intended to protect people from stealing and profiting from the ideas they invented. It keeps people from recreating the light bulb and saying its theirs. It doesn't say that said light bulbs cannot be used as bombs. It doesn't say that a light bulb cannot be used to bake cookies in an oven. It doesn't say that we cannot turn one one forever till it burns out from neglect.

Anywho's, this is why I will never side with the people whom claim they lost something that they never had.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

This will likely be the only time you ever hear me say this ... but I agree with you Orpheus.

It's a business mentality that I don't understand, it's not even about profit it's about maximum profit at all costs and if you didn't meet your projected 2000% profit increase you've somehow ... lost money? (No you didn't!!!!)

It pisses me off even more when it affects every day life ... which it, now, is. It's in healthcare, fuel, food, even video games. (No, Microsoft, Linux users are not the same as pirates and neither are really "lost sales")

They're such unrealistic goals, that it's no wonder business topple using it as a prime directive.

It's absolutely ridiculous and it's absolutely irresponsible how many people treat this kind of logic like gospel.

In terms of Sony and their hissyfit over modification of the PS3 ... while you do own the physical hardware ... you actually don't own the software. You have a license to it, legally speaking. Which is all fine and good when the owner of the software doesn't abuse that distinction. A distinction created to protect developers, not empower their iron fist.

Lots of companies have always thrown fits over people modifying or bypassing aspects of their closed hardware systems. While, I usually tell people who complain about the platforms not allowing more stuff on them to STFU, since they're buying into a closed platform, I also don't think it's OK how they continually go after people who do cool stuff with them.

It'd be one thing to just block out what the guy did, it's another to try to attack him publicly and legally.

To be honest, it doesn't make sense from a business decision either. What WOULD make sense is sending the guy a check for finding the exploit and then patching it up. Companies are stupid ... and it leads back to this profit entitlement mentality.

Almost all modern business is based on the idea that you deserve more than anyone else ever and you should take it all any way you can.

The thing that makes the least sense, though ... is that doesn't even lead to maximum profits!

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

I am moving this here, because it simply does NOT belong in the WIP thread... AND IT IS A RANT THAT NEEDS ADDRESSED!

Muhnay said:
Riven is the Site Owner.

Yes, Riven is the current owner. The problem is he hasn't done anything wrong. If you attempt to force him to take sides in a conflict, then you will be forcing him to do something wrong and that simply is not fair. I don't care what ANYONE says. It's not fair.. PERIOD! Asking him to make a decision as to whether you leave or not.. That's NOT his concern. Honor your request? Jeeze..

I haven't done anything worth siding with, and you haven't done quite enough wrong to warrant it either.

Simply put, the whole ordeal is not a problem for anyone but you and you are trying to force people to take sides.

Its been quiet of late. I will not totally attribute that fact to your inactivity. Things have been really slow. On the other hand, your first day posting again and you are hell bent to start something once again. AGAIN, its not fair of you to do this.

I asked. I asked nicely that you not post PNG files. They are un-necessarily large and you can get a much better picture in a JPG.

In the end though, post what you want. I don't care anymore. At least I don't care what YOU post. Hell nobody even noticed you had deleted your own files.

Anywho's. I am going BACK to ignoring you again. It's worked out great so far.

/rant

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I'd like to point out something I found out pretty recently. Photoshop's compression algorithm for web-PNG 24 results in a smaller file size than the algorithm they use for JPG compression and with better quality than similar levels.

It is NOT inherit to the formats! I just want that to be understood.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Crono said:
It is NOT inherit to the formats! I just want that to be understood.

I don't see the relevance. If any format is NOT to blame then it falls back upon the person posting the image.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

No. It's the algorithm the software they're using uses. Just because something is in the proper format (pattern) doesn't mean it's been built the same way (algorithm)

All a file format is, is a rubric (rules) for how a collection of data is stored. I know everyone wants to get all 21st century about who has better "technology", but it's important to remember that not all algorithms for the same file format result in the same final-image-file.

In other words: Since it's more up to the technique, rather than the storage pattern, there's nothing inherit about the format that will make it bigger than other formats, generally speaking.

It has nothing to do with the user, the user is not cognizant of the compression algorithms being used by their image-programs.

All they can do, which is still asking a bit too much, maybe, is compare final file sizes with visual quality. That's not very specific, though, and it leads to massive trial and error with several image-programs on the part of the user.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

ORPH, one more time... get it in that thick skull of yours. I DO NOT LIKE YOU.. don't address me, don't pick on people here, don't pick on the Snark Pit and I wont have anything to say to you. Continue to be your self though and were gonna bump heads all the time.

I asked him(RIVEN) to remove me, had nothing to do with you at that point, but when he asked... I told him its because the PIT is no longer about mapping, its about politics and who has the bigger E-PEEN, and who thinks they can belittle people who are trying to contribute maps to a mapping community, and the fact he(RIVEN) fails to monitor and admin the site.

Every day you post, you have something negative to say, you pick on people, you don't contribute other than to force your tired opinion on everyone on how the pit is failing and sucks and all that nonsense.. hell its even in the post above. The only real reason your here now is to cause strife and hell on the PIT, its not to contribute or help build on what the PIT can be now.. no you want the old PIT where assholes like you got together and brandished your smugness and superiority complex onto others. The PIT no longer needs that kinda thing... and if that is what RIVEN wants then Please as I asked you in private REMOVE ME, all of me from this site. I no longer want anything to do with it... but if you REALLY want my help to rebuild this community, then show it. Its not about sides, its about mold growing in the walls that needs removal before it eats everything in site and the walls come crashing down.

I am not asking him to make me leave, but rather to delete all of anything I have ever added to this site. I can leave with out his actions, but I do want to be removed from the site entirely.. I don't want future generations to know I was part of this site if it is gonna continue down this path with you.

Orph do you ever look at what you post, you always contribute "the strife" to others starting it, when in fact most things are in reaction to what you post.. I am just dumb enough to fall into your bullshit and try to smear whats on me back on you.. when the others here seem to have an ability to just ignore you. I have asked RIVEN to remove you because your truly not helping the site, your not contributing anything to the site, your unhappy here, you express as much all the time, you complain and bitch about how bad the site is every chance you get, you start fights with anyone you can... your mold. You need to be removed. Note that I don't fight with anyone other than you.

So you can keep pushing it all off on others, and never take responsibility of your actions... If you continue to be part of this site then I want nothing to do with it.. you have a bad influence on me and bring the worst of me out to the forefront.

It is not about sides, it is about what is best for this SITE.

As far as your last line goes.. So.

Crono said:
All they can do, which is still asking a bit too much, maybe, is compare final file sizes with visual quality. That's not very specific, though, and it leads to massive trial and error with several image-programs on the part of the user.

I know what you are saying and up to a point I agree. However it is my opinion that it is MUCH better to post a screen of say 800x600 or 1024x768 of a high quality and about 150k, than it is to post a monster screen of a proportion no one can even see without scroll bars and 500k.

Either way, the discussion is rather moot if the parties involved cannot even take the time to ask themselves "What can I do to make this picture stunning and visible all at the same time?"

It has been proven here a 100 times or more that screen quality and file sizes are NOT the same thing. Personally, I'd rather post 10 screens at 100k than one screen of a meg. Its the about the same size but you can cover a shitload more information and viewpoints.

Also, in the end if someone isn't even trying to post pics that are optimized, damned few will even bother with them since they feel they aren't even being respectful enough to try.

Bottomline, if anyone wants to post pics they will. They have only themselves to blame if nobody comments on them.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Thank you for the SIGNATURE, perfect example of what I was saying about you.

RIVEN - please delete my account and all post and material I have put forth to this site. Or live up to your request you made to me, and allow me to help you make the site better. Do you really think allow this sorta behavior from ORPH is building a better Snark PIT?

RIVEN, You made a request of me, live up to that request or please remove me and everything I have contributed to this site, since I can not do that myself... I have removed most of what I can already the last bit is up to you.

People have been putting strange, funny or crazy quotes into their signature since day 1.

This one is hilarious and I will keep it thank you very much.

As for your absurd claim to something here at snarkpit, you know most of us do NOT believe in copy right infringement. Even if you had a true claim on a website contribution.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Orph, you don't like muhnay, and he doesn't like you, but that signature is petty and immature. Whats the point, just to gloat in his face?

And muhnay, If you want to leave, then thats fine, but I don't agree with deleting all your posts. Once you have posted to a public site, your comments are part of a bigger conversation and IMO no longer belong to you. Instead they are part of the community discussion.

If you posted a good comment, then deleting it will hurt the quality of the thread for anyone searching in the future. If you posted a neutral comment, then it's going to confuse people reading the thread when the topic of conversation jumps seemingly randomly. If you posted a bad comment, well then sucks to be you, you should have thought about that before you posted it in the first place. In any case it's not a good thing.

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http://maze5.net

sighs
dangit Nick, do you have to ruin everything.

Alright, but he deserved it.

I really really liked it too.

Done, but I'm keeping the last part.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I don't think you were quite understanding what I was saying

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Crono said:
I don't think you were quite understanding what I was saying

I'm pretty sure I do but this is a gaming forum, not a photographers convention. Making rocket science out of posting in game screenshots isn't really necessary.

Yes, even I can understand that you need the best of the best to take digital photo's and put them on photo paper, but we are talking about every day Joes playing video games and posting this and that here.

But as I said its all moot if no one wants to be bothered. Even if you personally took the time to create some sort of step by step procedure of EACH program out there for images, no one would bother reading them.

I would be willing to bet money that if it were suddenly made a rule internet wide that you had to optimize images before posting or not be allowed, people would just not post. They are that thick. Plain and simple. They are simply that thick.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Not sure if this counts as a rant, but I figure i'll place it here.

Saturday night I was driving home over an infamous road here, highway 17 (haha like in HL2), and I was in the fast lane going 65 (posted speed limit), I approach a vehicle in front of me going 55, so I ride behind him for about 2 miles or so waiting for him to pull over and let me pass. He doesn't, so I do an power move and pass him on the right (I don't do it often), I pass him, but the guy in front of him (who was the one really going slow) speeds up so I can't pass him on the right. Okay so I get behind him and travel along. Now this guy is acting like a moron, "racing" me by speeding up and slowing down, not letting me pass, etc.

I maintain a decent speed of 60 (55 now being the speed limit), and the jerk off speeds away at 70 or so. We make the turn around a blind corner to see a highway patrol (police for the highways for those who don't live in the states), and as we pass him I see the highway patrol car pull out behind us. The jerk off sees this and slows to a crawl of 45 with me behind them (as if going slow now will make up for the speeding hes done). The patrol office pulls up next to me. I don't know if he looked in my direction because I was watching the road, but the officer puts on his signal to get in the lane in front of me (between me and the speeder), he does and the speeder makes a lane change to the fast lane, and the officer tails him (we all know where this is going). The officer puts on his lights and the jerk off slows to a 35 crawl in a 55 zone (once again as if hes trying to make up for his speeding). They pull over at the next turn out and I laugh and wave to the jerk as I pass him.

My rant: F-ing stupid drivers like him that bring my insurance rates up because they're too dumb to share the road and recklessly drive like morons, BUT justice was served when that jerk off got pulled over.

I can't stand people who don't let cars in front of them. I can understand not wanting like 8 cars merging in front of you (and I get pretty pissed off when people merge into my braking room one after the other. What? Just because I'm not closer than 2 car links there's enough room for you to move your ass in? Dicks.)

It causes a lot of wrecks and doesn't save anybody any time.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Someday when you guys are finally old enough you need to ride with me a week or two and see it from 10 feet off the ground. Its gotten to where I have a 6th sense for knowing who's gonna do what/where. Sadly its not 100% of the time so I cannot rely on it as a stop gap for never having an accident. However I can do it most times. My wife rides with me sometimes and I'll be giving here a blow by blow of things about to happen and sure enough it often does. She tells me I have been driving to long when I can do that. Its creepy.

This is how I view it. If I am in a lane DOING the speed limit and I can safely move over, I will. If however someone flashes their lights at me and TELLS me to move.. I have enough fuel most times to go 800-1,000 or more miles. You wanna be rude, you can just stay behind me. The way I see it is, if you think it SUX to behind a truck doing 65 mph, you should be behind the WHEEL of a truck doing 65 mph.

The only advantage I have on the road is I can see over almost every vehicle so I can pretty much plan things a bit more in advance. The sad thing is, even cars with no one in front of them cannot see much past their grill, cause they've never really been trained to drive. I'd give anything if they would make everyone take the training I did to learn how to drive properly. Alas, I don't see it ever happening. People are just to convinced they know what they are doing behind the wheel. In reality its never their SKILL that determines the outcome but pure luck. Their luck just hasn't run out yet. I often think about wrecks and wonder if the diver was thinking just how good they were right before they lost control.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I think most people don't like being around large trucks because it tosses debris and damages their vehicles.

My old car got a cracked windshield from some truck tossing gravel.

The biggest issue here, that I've noticed, with truckers is a) their hauls are not always secured properly and b) they don't pay attention to what's around them. For some reason they just ... turn the signal on and then go, fuck you if you're in the way.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Its hard to tell but try to notice if they are local. 9 times out of 10 its a local driver tossing debris. As for the signal and coming over, When you drive you are supposed to wait till its safe to move over.. In a perfect world that would work. Sadly if anyone notices your intention is to do that they will break their neck to fill the gap so you cannot move over. With most of us, we give an obligatory 3 blinks and we move. Its up to the cars to move out of the way. Sad as that sounds. When you are blocked umpteen dozens of times every day you start to not worry over much who's there. By law we have to use signals. If you do, you will invariable be blocked. Its a no win scenario.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

They get over just fine, but they don't wait at all. They just turn it on and go. and it's like, fuck. They also like passing vehicles even when it's not necessary (i.e. they're speeding) and it always causes problems. Like, hey, thanks, I totally wanted to have a higher volume of water on my windshield than what my wipers can handle. That's fantastic!

I never see trucks having problems merging, People usually change lanes when they see they want to merge over, allowing them through. But they almost never check their blind spots.

Almost all drivers here piss me off. They're just dicks.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Here's a very sad fact. It no longer matters how many tires are on the ground. Stupid people are driving all kinds of things. Once upon a time the majority were in cars and trucks. Now, you cannot tell. I see just as many truckers doing stupid things (TV, LAPTOPS, CELLPHONES, READING) as anyone. There was a time when a trucker was literally the safest drivers out there. Now... I get yelled at on the cb every day to mind my own business because I got onto some trucker doing something unsafe.
sighs
If people really knew what was happening behind the wheel, they'd truly freak out.

I suppose its possible but I seriously doubt anyone can think of something I have not seen someone doing behind the wheel.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

How about, the driver committing suicide while reading War and Peace?

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Dunno if he died. Dunno book title.
I was traveling through Pennsylvania a couple months ago. I was in a construction area and looked over and noticed a driver reading one of those new text pad things.
First off, its a construction zone so he should have been even MORE aware, second.. READING??

Anyway, I tooted my horn at him and went on. A couple minutes later I am looking in my mirrors and notice that he didn't bare left with the new traffic pattern. I got on my cb and said Hey dood, just as he drove headlong into the end of a retainer wall.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Whoa people flash their lights at trucks and tell them to move? That's so rude. I've never seen anything like that here and I've been stuck behind a slow vehicle many times before.

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Aaron's Stuff

Le Chief said:
Whoa people flash their lights at trucks and tell them to move? That's so rude. I've never seen anything like that here and I've been stuck behind a slow vehicle many times before.

At least here in america it means please pull over, I wan't to pass you for one of two reasons:
1) Im a jerk and I need to get somewhere slightly faster (not when I do it)
2) Your going 10 miles under the speed limit, please pull over so I may pass and go the speed limit (I do this only in situations where they're going a lot slower than the speed limit).

Flashing lights is considered a lot more polite than whaling on your horn to the person in front of you (i've seen this many times).

I guess is an American thing to do: Be a jerk. Orph toots his horn to make people wake the fuck up. Personally I think that there should be stricter punishments if you get caught doing something stupid.

Here is one for you orph-
On Interstate 5 going north, I look to the car to the left of me, the driver doesn't have his hands on the wheel, he has his knees up (in a backward relaxed position) directing the steering wheel. He had his car on cruse control. Maybe thats the problem, take away cruse control and people will stop doing stupid shit.

Don't take away cruise control!
Jesus, have you ever had to drive even 50 miles while not allowing your leg to relax?

Taking away cruise control wouldn't even solve the problem.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.