December 11, 2003

• I don't understand what these people want Maxis to do. How is it the responsibility of Maxis to follow up on real world allegations brought up in game? They provide a service, much like ICQ... This whole thing reminds me of the whole Deus Ex kiddie porn business. A search for indignation...
• This is the most insane, disturbing thing I have ever encountered online. And yes, that includes goatse. WTF!!!!??????
• I don't know about you, but I really love all of these online social experiments. (I love observing them, not necessarily participating.) I read a really long article about the organized shakedowns going on at Sims Online and it was fascinating (this isn't it, but it's similar). As a warning to anyone who ever wants to start an online community: it will eventually gain awareness and grow beyond your intentions (see: this article about Friendster). Sims Online has taken that to a entirely new level. I second the creep factor, Nickdanger.
• At the mall last weekend I noticed quite a few Sims games and expansion packs on the shelves. Having seen a few commercials on TV, I wondered what the heck it was all about, and actually considered buying one as a Christmas gift. After reading the links - um, no. MonkeyFilter is about all the online danger I can handle. Will Mickey misspell a word in her comment? Or accidentally double-post the FPP? Who will be the next Monkey to yell asshat? Stay tuned for more exciting adventures at MonkeyFilter!
• The offline Sims is fun, and horribly addictive. All the appeal of a doll house, ant farm and junior-high-esque social experimentation rolled into one. I haven't played *any* massively multiplayer online games, and every time I think it might be kind of cool to try one I read something like the above. shudder Hey, has anymonkey yelled asshat yet?
• I admit I'm an offline Sims addict, although I haven't played it in a couple of months. I can't imagine investing actual money into these online versions, especially when the results are this scary.
• Do a search for asshat, you'll find something I bet.
• I've got a friend who is a MMORPG addict and it is bizarre. The Star Wars one is his current addiction, and it is all-consuming. I have tried playing these games, but find all the wandering about searching for things to do insanely boring. The thing I don't get about my addict friend is that he now just writes scripts for his characters to follow and then leaves the computer running while he does something else. Its like power-leveling without even bothering to play.
• I played Sims once for eight straight hours and then never played it again. I think I got burned out by having to tell people to go pee all the time.
• I think I got burned out by having to tell people to go pee all the time. Oh, that's my favorite part! Hey Kimberly! Go pee!
• Whew! Finally! Geez! I was dyin' over here.
• ASSHAT!!!
• Kimberly, Thanks for the Friendster article link. Amusing (not so much because the Tricksters are clever or amusing, but because the founder of Friendster is so incredibly drab that he makes the Tricksters' juvenile antics look funny). My favorite bit was the end of the article: "Oh, I get it. Your friends are all smartass types," he says in exasperation. He types a message to my shark-faced friend. "Hi Kerry," he writes. "Your profile looks interesting. Too bad you have such a silly picture."
• Yeah, bugread, I know what you mean about the friendster dude. I don't know why he has gotta be such a narc! The thing is that the best use I have found for friendster is getting back in touch with old friends rather than making new ones. but it is fun to befriend Futurama's Bender or whomever along the way. Also, it makes your searchable friends pool much much larger, thereby making it easier to track down friends.
• Poor Abrams, he obviously had a tough childhood as resident Serious Kid.
• This Sims stuff is fascinating. I wish I could watch. I imagine that'll be the next step
• I never got into The Sims and I cancelled my Evercrack subscription after about two weeks. Well, back to the Vice City.
• Beat up a cop for me, d-man.
• There's a Russian word which doesn't translate very well. It means it doesn't matter, but culturally it's meant to imply that even if it did matter nothing can be done. Nichevo. The mobsters, and the cyber prostitution are nichevo. They are inherently human, and any online community that has enough users will have something similiar spring up. We most likely won't, as there is no reward, no gain for posting if you have nothing to say.
• ...there is no reward, no gain for posting if you have nothing to say. *looks around, pretends to be very busy*
• ...there is no reward, no gain for posting if you have nothing to say. Oh man! I feel empty now.
• ...there is no reward, no gain for posting if you have nothing to say. Not even a pony?
• Looks like I'm going to have to change my entire world view now. Damn. Thanks a lot Pez.
• I live to serve...Oh god, it's a cookbook!
• I get that, Pez, only because I'm a rabid Buffy-fan.
• It's a Buffy thing? It's a short story I read called "To Serve Man". Little alien piggies come and give us peace and longevity. They have a little book with the same title as the story, and eventually the main character catches on to the double meaning. Also, the Simpsons episode.
• I've never read the story, but in the first ep of the last season, when Dawn goes back to Sunnydale High, Buffy's last words as she drops her at school are "To Serve Man is a cookbook!"
• Is there something from Narnia about that? What is the title of the giants' cookbook in The Silver Chair? (I don't have it here with me)
• I just checked and there's no obvious title. Jill reads the open book which goes from instructions for cooking mallard to some for cooking man, and then marshwiggle. (Yes, I own the Chronicles of Narnia. Shh.)
• (There is nothing to shhh about owning the Chronicles of Narnia, it is a point of pride.)
• I am a proud owner of the Chronicles of Narnia myself, and recently gave a copy to my friend for her 31st birthday.
• My hat has a cow on it.
• Hmm, so I know who's going to be seeing the Chronicles open this weekend...
• I too own the chrons, love 'em. I feel a GREAT sense of trepidation re the movies (I will go see this one sometime soonish) altho I am psyched that Tilda Swindon will play Jadis