Are you asking for suggestions on specific games, or suggestions on how to go about acquiring them electronically?
If it's the latter, then consider going with Steam as a digital delivery system. Most of the games it hosts probably aren't up the alley of either you or your grandkids (assuming they're not yet adolescents), but I believe they have a good selection of indie games and family-friendly games, like the kind you seem to be talking about. I can't guarantee they'll have what you're looking for; but if they do, then they're the service to go with. They have a solid reputation among gamers, and their service is about as non-invasive as it can get.
I help that was of some hope to you. :)
They're invoking Orwell because of coffee chains? That's really a bit much, isn't it? Monoculture is always a bad thing, but I really have yet to see the small, local chains or cafes being put out of business in droves by the larger franchises. I don't think we have a monoculture yet when it comes to coffee, and the biggest evidence for this is that the quality has not yet suffered.
Go buy a Microsoft or McDonald's product, and you'll notice the fruits of a near-monopoly. Maybe I'm completely off-base, but I still enjoy the coffee at Starbucks as much as any local cafe.
And from a personal, rather cruel, viewpoint, I enjoy winding up the jesus freaks.
Fair enough - I just think you're denying yourself a whole other world of pleasure by limiting yourself to ridiculing only one camp of rabid zealots. :)
Hank Mabuse: Indeed, why did he need to use a flood? This is the kind of question it makes more sense to ask, instead of trying to analyze-to-death every nit-picked detail.
I mean, doesn't it read like the same self-serving tedium that you'd find on AnswersInGenesis, or any other pro-Fundy website? It's not written to actually try and convince anyone any differently, because you aren't dealing with the issues the un-believers really have problems with. It's just written to reassure people who already believe exactly the same thing that they're in the right. Whether it's pro-Fundy or pro-Skeptic, it still basically amounts to a huge group reach-around.
I mean, okay, the Bible (among other things) seems to posit the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent being. Now assume this existence - does it make sense that the world was flooded? Does it make sense that all the animals fit on the ark? Does it make sense that Noah was able to construct the boat with limited experience? To start hacking away at these logical difficulties seems to miss the point - that you've already made such a leap in assuming the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent being, that most everything else becomes trivial by comparison.
I don't mean to turn this into a debate about religion (too late?), but rather about online soapboxing. I find equally distasteful those websites which are dedicated to being uppity and snarky about their obvious superiority over The Other Side, whether they be written by Fundies, Skeptics, or anyone in between.
I also don't mean to bash your link - the linking was lovely, very nicely executed, wonderful type-setting, good choice of link colours. It was just the content on the other end I took issue with! :D
Oh gosh, hey, I clearly didn't read far enough because he makes my point for me later on:
"..we must disregard all that I have written above. It is a load of crap; useless rhetoric and hyperbole, every word."
:)
Typical, snark-filled, uber-skeptic drivel.
"Hibernation... is triggered by length of daylight as well as decreasing temperatures... in the... Ark, it would not happen."
Ah yes - God is capable of completely flooding the world with gargantuan amounts of water, is capable of giving complicated instructions to a man to build a monstrous boat, is capable of guiding a bird to and from Noah's boat after the storm to reassure him that land was nearby... but there's no way he could have broken the immutable Law of Hibernation, and made a few beasties fall asleep for a couple of weeks.
Looking at these things with a skeptical eye is fine, so long as you keep in mind that the basic premise is itself such a leap of faith that there's no point making this big fuss about little niggling details. "The Bible says pi is really 3, so therefore it's false!" Yeah. 'Cause a rounding error was the biggest shock to my world-view that I found in the Bible.
Hank Mabuse: If you're serious, and if you're willing to pay for S&H it's a possibility, but I cannot guarantee anything. They're kind of luddites, so mailing their old stuff to someone from the intarweb might not float. This could also be a long-term thing, since they've agreed to not junk them at least until we come back to visit for Christmas, when we can have a look-see.
BlueHorse: "Otherwise delight" would be accurate. I concocted the name about a decade ago, based purely on a computer game. Since then however life has imitated art, and I've grown to love the creatures. The name also seems to attract both Peruvian nationals and llama-llovers, so I've since made contact with some real llama farmers (llama lladies they were, in fact) who seem to be really cool people. Ultimate life goal: to own a llama farm.
As for the rest, some of these are really well-thought-out answers. I'll pass them all along to the in-laws, along with any others that appear, and see what the verdict is.
"I can't believe you shot me, Fanny!"
And did you hear the one about the hungry Panda with a gun? Every day, he just walks into the same restaurant, then eats shoots and leaves.
*walks down the hall, cheerily whistling a tune*
*pokes head into a room through an open doorway*
Imagine the possiblities, bernockle. Soon, you could have your very own internally-produced supply of owl semen!
*backs away very slowly, quietly closing the door behind him*
The NYTimes article was a great/fascinating/disturbing read, but even in the Times I still managed to find two obvious typos. Where's the dang wiki "Edit" button when you need it?
Ditto mostly what rocket88 said near the top of the thread. Why is it funny and chic when Jack McFarland makes derogatory remarks about Grace's disgusting lady-bits, but it's homophobic and unacceptable when it's an over-the-top straight stereotype making remarks about gay-ness? Aren't they both essentially parodies of extreme points of view, wherein we can see the grain of truth but recognize the larger joke?
On another note:
"4. Violent attacks. Totally, mindfuckingly unacceptable."
I don't follow. Unacceptable because of the violence portrayed? Or because it implies that the Traditional Masculine Stereotype (TM) is associated with physicality/violence/strength/pain/etc.? Or something else entirely?
Thanks for the links, BlueHorse and fish tick! I watched Mary Poppins so often as a child, that (I'm told) I started speaking with a bit of a British accent. Confused the neighbours, so the story goes, who started asking if I was adopted. But I had no idea the um-diddle-diddle-diddle folk were in anything other than fansical garb.
I also had this thing where I would randomly run around the house and yell "Posts, everyone!", at which point my parents were expected to stop what they were doing to brace themselves and grab hold of any unsecured items nearby. Very patient folk, those parents...
Pilotless airplane! Pilotless airplane! Pilotless airplane! Drone drone drone!
It has a sort of mesmerizing rhythm. I smell a techno remix opportunity.
The article mentions that "[h]e was handling his detention badly".
As a friend of mine pointed out, this should be nominated as the understatement of the year.
Are you asking for suggestions on specific games, or suggestions on how to go about acquiring them electronically? If it's the latter, then consider going with Steam as a digital delivery system. Most of the games it hosts probably aren't up the alley of either you or your grandkids (assuming they're not yet adolescents), but I believe they have a good selection of indie games and family-friendly games, like the kind you seem to be talking about. I can't guarantee they'll have what you're looking for; but if they do, then they're the service to go with. They have a solid reputation among gamers, and their service is about as non-invasive as it can get. I help that was of some hope to you. :)
posted by peruvianllama 15 years ago
In "JM's World War One Sketchbook"
'Art th'urt, ole mon? Go in you blinkin turnip! Good find Hank.
posted by peruvianllama 16 years ago
In "Classic cafes - "
They're invoking Orwell because of coffee chains? That's really a bit much, isn't it? Monoculture is always a bad thing, but I really have yet to see the small, local chains or cafes being put out of business in droves by the larger franchises. I don't think we have a monoculture yet when it comes to coffee, and the biggest evidence for this is that the quality has not yet suffered. Go buy a Microsoft or McDonald's product, and you'll notice the fruits of a near-monopoly. Maybe I'm completely off-base, but I still enjoy the coffee at Starbucks as much as any local cafe.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Fundamentalists Hate Noah's Ark"
And from a personal, rather cruel, viewpoint, I enjoy winding up the jesus freaks. Fair enough - I just think you're denying yourself a whole other world of pleasure by limiting yourself to ridiculing only one camp of rabid zealots. :)
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
Hank Mabuse: Indeed, why did he need to use a flood? This is the kind of question it makes more sense to ask, instead of trying to analyze-to-death every nit-picked detail. I mean, doesn't it read like the same self-serving tedium that you'd find on AnswersInGenesis, or any other pro-Fundy website? It's not written to actually try and convince anyone any differently, because you aren't dealing with the issues the un-believers really have problems with. It's just written to reassure people who already believe exactly the same thing that they're in the right. Whether it's pro-Fundy or pro-Skeptic, it still basically amounts to a huge group reach-around. I mean, okay, the Bible (among other things) seems to posit the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent being. Now assume this existence - does it make sense that the world was flooded? Does it make sense that all the animals fit on the ark? Does it make sense that Noah was able to construct the boat with limited experience? To start hacking away at these logical difficulties seems to miss the point - that you've already made such a leap in assuming the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent being, that most everything else becomes trivial by comparison. I don't mean to turn this into a debate about religion (too late?), but rather about online soapboxing. I find equally distasteful those websites which are dedicated to being uppity and snarky about their obvious superiority over The Other Side, whether they be written by Fundies, Skeptics, or anyone in between. I also don't mean to bash your link - the linking was lovely, very nicely executed, wonderful type-setting, good choice of link colours. It was just the content on the other end I took issue with! :D
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
Oh gosh, hey, I clearly didn't read far enough because he makes my point for me later on: "..we must disregard all that I have written above. It is a load of crap; useless rhetoric and hyperbole, every word." :)
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
Typical, snark-filled, uber-skeptic drivel. "Hibernation... is triggered by length of daylight as well as decreasing temperatures... in the... Ark, it would not happen." Ah yes - God is capable of completely flooding the world with gargantuan amounts of water, is capable of giving complicated instructions to a man to build a monstrous boat, is capable of guiding a bird to and from Noah's boat after the storm to reassure him that land was nearby... but there's no way he could have broken the immutable Law of Hibernation, and made a few beasties fall asleep for a couple of weeks. Looking at these things with a skeptical eye is fine, so long as you keep in mind that the basic premise is itself such a leap of faith that there's no point making this big fuss about little niggling details. "The Bible says pi is really 3, so therefore it's false!" Yeah. 'Cause a rounding error was the biggest shock to my world-view that I found in the Bible.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Curious George: What to do with really old magazines?"
Hank Mabuse: If you're serious, and if you're willing to pay for S&H it's a possibility, but I cannot guarantee anything. They're kind of luddites, so mailing their old stuff to someone from the intarweb might not float. This could also be a long-term thing, since they've agreed to not junk them at least until we come back to visit for Christmas, when we can have a look-see.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
BlueHorse: "Otherwise delight" would be accurate. I concocted the name about a decade ago, based purely on a computer game. Since then however life has imitated art, and I've grown to love the creatures. The name also seems to attract both Peruvian nationals and llama-llovers, so I've since made contact with some real llama farmers (llama lladies they were, in fact) who seem to be really cool people. Ultimate life goal: to own a llama farm. As for the rest, some of these are really well-thought-out answers. I'll pass them all along to the in-laws, along with any others that appear, and see what the verdict is.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "wikirage: "
Now I've looked, and I was wrong! No cheese! This must be some kind of mistake...
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
I haven't even looked at the link yet, but I can almost guarantee you cheese will be on there somewhere...
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Nothing could put this guy off his stroke."
"I can't believe you shot me, Fanny!" And did you hear the one about the hungry Panda with a gun? Every day, he just walks into the same restaurant, then eats shoots and leaves.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera."
*walks down the hall, cheerily whistling a tune* *pokes head into a room through an open doorway* Imagine the possiblities, bernockle. Soon, you could have your very own internally-produced supply of owl semen! *backs away very slowly, quietly closing the door behind him*
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Death by lethal injection"
The NYTimes article was a great/fascinating/disturbing read, but even in the Times I still managed to find two obvious typos. Where's the dang wiki "Edit" button when you need it?
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Cows with guns!"
Old. Very old. But, it cannot be denied: timeless. I clicked, I admit it.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Snickers' Super Homophobia"
Ditto mostly what rocket88 said near the top of the thread. Why is it funny and chic when Jack McFarland makes derogatory remarks about Grace's disgusting lady-bits, but it's homophobic and unacceptable when it's an over-the-top straight stereotype making remarks about gay-ness? Aren't they both essentially parodies of extreme points of view, wherein we can see the grain of truth but recognize the larger joke? On another note: "4. Violent attacks. Totally, mindfuckingly unacceptable." I don't follow. Unacceptable because of the violence portrayed? Or because it implies that the Traditional Masculine Stereotype (TM) is associated with physicality/violence/strength/pain/etc.? Or something else entirely?
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In ""
Thanks for the links, BlueHorse and fish tick! I watched Mary Poppins so often as a child, that (I'm told) I started speaking with a bit of a British accent. Confused the neighbours, so the story goes, who started asking if I was adopted. But I had no idea the um-diddle-diddle-diddle folk were in anything other than fansical garb. I also had this thing where I would randomly run around the house and yell "Posts, everyone!", at which point my parents were expected to stop what they were doing to brace themselves and grab hold of any unsecured items nearby. Very patient folk, those parents...
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In ""Your comments may be recorded for quality assurance"
Pilotless airplane! Pilotless airplane! Pilotless airplane! Drone drone drone! It has a sort of mesmerizing rhythm. I smell a techno remix opportunity.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Prisoner confesses to cannibalism"
The article mentions that "[h]e was handling his detention badly". As a friend of mine pointed out, this should be nominated as the understatement of the year.
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
In "Verizon CSRs confused by math(s)"
And yet, despite all the coverage, the price is still being quoted in cents...
posted by peruvianllama 17 years ago
(limited to the most recent 20 comments)