This whole kerfuffle is so pointless. Big budgets games are mostly bought by males so developers target them to males. Somer are androgynous (e.g. Bioware), some bland, alpha male and a-feminine (Call of Duty) and a few arguably stereotypically caricaturing of women (GTA).

If you publish a strong opinion on the internet and it garners attention, you will attract trolls. Surprise! The internet is full of assholes and bigots of all kinds not just mysoginists.

As far as casual or mobiles games, women already outnumber men. As games become culturally accepted entertainment for women, mobile games gravitate to bigger screens with faster chips, a more significant market for big budget games targeted at women will develop. There, end of story.

"The lions ran off afraid"???

At best the lions casually sauntered off, maybe afraid they'd break a nail.

All of their reactions pretty much mimic my own. I am by no means any kind of professional graphic artist but when Photoshop 3.0 killed the right click copy-pasta for selections, they killed it for the majority of casual users. Now you have to use the edit menu. "shakes fist!"

And I really liked Imagestyer 1.0

And the right are blind to it.

Therefore disconnect yourself from the struggle between the labels left or right and take this external position with me, where we try and weigh out what the best option might be for everyone, given all of the arguments. What a wonderful world it could be!

To you, politics is fighting enemies. To me, politics is helping friends. Perhaps the problem with the world is that there's too many people like you. Takes a whole bunch of understanding between different opinions in order to make a world where people with a billion different perspectives can all get along.

When you're done squibbling about labels, there's work to be done. Some people are casually racist, and some people are not. What rules can we set so that we restrict the effects of racism without restricting fairness? I also don't like some of the ways it's been implemented, perhaps we can find a way that works together?!

Or we can throw labels back and forth for a while. I have a bet on about what your answer will be.. disappoint me.

As someone who is ashamed to say that is the high school i graduated from last year, as well as participated in sports i can tell you two things for certain.

The chant Hanson mentions is extremely common place (It was never one we lead them in but wasn't uncommon for the fans to chant). And Flower Mound i suspect is one of the most white-washed communities you could find anywhere. This sort of casual and very cowardly racism , sadly i can't even say surprises me.

These are the same losers who would absolutely wet themselves if they were confronted by a person of color.

Just to reply to this one statement, he only starts out as a raving father and only turned into a violent asshole when the asshole with the camera was dismissive, arrogant, and flippant, taunting him into responding with more than words.

I think it's obvious the father probably had a valid reason to be upset with the camera guy. It's just too big a leap to think a guy would go that berserk over casual bad driving, and camera guy's attitude proves he was probably getting a kick out of causing road rage but was too pussy to back up his cowardly bullshit any more than it took him to barely roll down the window.

How indeed.

Draghi's ECB has just made a move and I don't understand why. Come Feb 11th, they will no longer accept Greek bonds as collateral, effectively cutting off one of Greece's last two sources of credit. What remains is the Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) provided to the Greek Central Bank, through which the entire banking system must now get most of its credit.

Why did they do it? Why now? I don't think it has something to do with the Advocate Generals opinion piece the other day, declaring the ECB's membership in the troika to be a conflict of interest and that fiscal policy is not to be used as a tool to influence poltical decision-making.

Could it be pure idiocy like the time they pulled to plug on Cyprus only to backpeddle shortly after? Or might they be trying to force a move on part of Germany and Greece? "Stop messing around and get your ducks in a row NOW." -- that sorta thing? Is it mere posturing of sorts, a shot across the bow of Greece?

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Edit #1

I really don't like this. It looks like disaster, smells like disaster and tastes like disaster. And it's entirely too close for comfort. Are they truly going to turn Greece into a failed-state over principle? The way they casually discuss the lives of nearly 11 million people, and the future of the European Union as well, is bone-chilling.
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In the meantime, Schäuble's meeting with Varoufakis went just as expected, reports indicate. Schäuble won't budge a bit. Negotiations with the troika are mandatory, and fiscal waterboarding must be resumed at once. There will be no compromise, not with him in charge. He'll push Greece off the cliff without blinking even once. Convictions worthy of a Templar, that one. Worth remembering that he admitted taking 100k in bribes from an arms dealer in '94 and still managed to become Minister of Finance. A living legend, just not the kind I'd prefer.

With regards to hyperinflation, most folks over here seem to have forgotten, or maybe they never learned, that Chancellor Brüning's austerity regime led to deflation in 1930-32, pushing unemployment to 23%. What followed was a massive influx in membership and infuence for parties at both ends of the political spectrum, similar to Greece. Except in our case, it wasn't the left (KPD) who won the elections in '32...

@GaussZ

I've not been to Brick Lane but there are similar areas in Chicago. Chinatown has endless Chinese restaurants on the south side. Devon Avenue on the north has curry place after curry place.

These exist for a few reasons.

First, immigrants often naturally group together in certain areas of a city. This is very true of Chicago if you study the demographic profiles. It is not surprising that people want to open a business in the community they live in and eat food they are familiar with.

Second, these streets become destinations in and of themselves. "Let's go get some curry up on Devon Ave (Chicago) or Brick Lane (London)." You may not even have a particular restaurant in mind - you just go there and see what you find.

I would guess that those restaurants are able to survive because they exist in a community where there is high demand for their goods.

Those businesses are competing with each other but there is enough demand for their product in one area that they can all stay open.

Going back to the beach analogy it is like everyone on the beach wanting a LOT of ice cream AND people travelling to the beach because it is known for its great ice cream (presumably they know how to make the best ice cream, curry etc).

Back to my earlier comment, restaurants do like being next to one another and they would prefer if the product is different. Why?

Imagine there are two retail spaces available in a town that has no restaurants. You want to open a curry restaurant in one of the spaces and sign a lease with the landlord to do so. Ideally you are the ONLY restaurant in town. If people want to eat out they have to come to you. Now the landlord wants to lease out the other space - what would you like to see there most? Another Curry Restaurant, a pizza place, or an ice cream shop?

I can tell you for a fact that fast casual restaurants in the USA love being next to a Starbucks because people got to Starbucks everyday. That means if you sell sandwiches people know exactly where you are. They see you everyday and you are right next door to one of their favorite establishments etc.

@entr0py

The premise is not off at all. Starbucks simply skipped all the moving around steps and located in the "middle of the beach" where the existing coffee shop already was, because (it is likely) that is the best spot in the market.

Starbucks, or any business, does not open to "drive them out of business" they open a store to sell their goods and make a profit.

As someone who has worked with several retailers in very aggressive market sectors (pizza, fast casual, etc) I can tell you that the two vital components to any successful retailer/restaurant are 1) Good location 2) Good Operations. A good location means your customer will see you and get to you. Good operations means once they are there they will be served well.

More often then not when we start working with a new client we look at their competition not because we want to "drive them out of business", but because they have already looked at and evaluated the market. We then evaluate their locations and see if that is still the correct location or not. Markets shift for a variety of reasons - housing growth, retail expansion, major retailers relocating, etc.

"It's easier to steal someone else's customer base than try to create your own." Really? I find this to be the silliest argument. There is a limited amount of money people are going to spend on a product. Lets say a town will spend $1000 a day on coffee. If you open another coffee shop they are not going to spend an additional thousand. The $1000 is just going to be divided up. Maybe there is a slight increase because of access, but by and large people are only going to spend so much. Furthermore, people are creatures of habit. They are actually more likely to continue to go where they have been going unless you offer something better. That better might be a combination of easier access, faster service, a nicer interior, cheaper prices, or better product.

In the city I work in there are several grocery chains expanding and opening new stores. Does that mean people are spending more on groceries? No. What has happened is the grocer with the weakest operations closed. Those locations (over 30) have since been taken over by a variety of both national chains and local independent grocers (all who have better operations). This competition has meant better prices and service for customers.

I buy my coffee a block from my house (and I usually just buy the beans they roast on site) from a local shop. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that other people choose to go to the Starbucks up the street. The coffee I buy is better and I pay a premium for it.

Edit: One last thought - Among the many competitive advantages corporate users have is that they can operate at a loss or lower profit than many "local" stores. That being said the same is not quite as true from franchisee business owners (who have different advantages, hopefully).

Who let the torch passed fall in the tall grass?
Fire alarm wire’s disarmed, what do you call that?
Call it predictable political cliche
So when the movie ends, the revolution’s dead. Replay
the sequence of events that led to these deep divisions;
I’ve realized that all the wrong people are in prison.
The children wanna know if I believe in the Reptilians!
I tell em ‘I don’t know’ but on the TV I see lizards.
When action was in fashion you were such an easy mimic!
Bumpersticker quote lifting, crib note statistics,
Grasp for the straw man, born again cynics
Fair-weather firebrand; spark my suspicion.
We knew you were the type to take the fight like a gimmick,
and rock the t-shirt when your sweat wasn’t in it.
The clock is still ticking for the victim of the future,
You’re waiting til’ they look like you to ever choose but–
Chorus:
Which Side Are You On?
Which Side Are You On?
(Damn)
Which Side Are You On?
(Ask the Industry.)
Which Side Are You On?
(Ask an Emcee.)
Verse 2:
Who wrote the greatest lines of our generation,
but couldn’t get from under their own small-minded hate trip?
The same rappers say they’re trooping the frontlines,
and casually use the word ‘Faggot’ as a punchline.
That’s not a man, that’s not a tough guy.
That is a sucker and a fraud to the culture!
Hip Hop is folk music grown from the struggle and
half these fools could put the mic down and run as a Republican.
Fuck ‘em then; they learn from their own wrong.
Homophobes don’t go to my shows, we too strong!
And if you’re in the front row, harassing girls during a song
I will reach and ask you exactly–
Chorus:
Which Side Are You On?
Which Side Are You On?
Verse 3:
I’m on the side of poor people getting organized;
I’m on the side of Choice where it is in short supply;
I’m on the side of those the system doesn’t authorize;
L-G-B-T We are on the side of Pride,
Justice and Equality;
Egypt to Wisconsin when they march against the Policy;
If you bringing down a King I’m on your side probably.
Kids’ll give me shit for this it really doesn’t bother me.
They were not around when we were wrestling with poverty.
So I follow none and ask no-one to follow me
Use your own mind, use your heart and your anger
Check yourself because Apathy is a cancer
And let your action be the answer.
Chorus
Which Side Are You On?
(Ask your government)
Which Side Are You On?
(Ask your media)
Which Side Are You On?
(Ask yourself)
Which Side Are You On?
Sample:
Don’t scab for the bosses,
Don’t listen to their lies.
Us poor folks haven’t got a chance
Unless we organize.

WTF!! They could be drowning, yet that guy just casually checks his iphone.
We're doomed i tell ya, DOOOOMED.

I'm sure he'll be all right should he ever read my casual observations.

I will yield the point that the internet ruins jokes for comedians.
Someone records a live performance, puts it online, everyone online hears the joke, then that joke is already 'old' in any subsequent live performance (even if that venue has never experienced that joke first hand).

No one can be expected to have a 100% new act every time they perform. In all fairness, my second critical point in my OP (heard the joke too many times) was not necessary.

-scheherazade

20 years ago was the tail end of the shareware boom, which is a different approach to "freemium". In that model, developers created a great game (Wolfenstein, Doom, Duke Nukem, Jazz Jackrabbit, Quake, OMF 2097, etc) and gave you a sizable, fully playable chunk of it for free as promotion.

The difference is, back then there was not much attention paid to "casual gaming". Games were designed to be fun and challenging. Times have changed and now games are designed to be easy and addictive instead.

Today's freemium model is more like video poker. It's not much fun but you keep putting money in because of the potential for an easy reward. That's the mechanic that keeps gambling addicts going back to the casinos and it's also the business model that makes "casual gaming" so profitable without having to make good games.

YES! If you are only looking for casual sex, they have websites for that.

I wouldn't say that they're "off limits", but I really don't think that going out with someone based purely on their looks is a good way to have a relationship.

Even if you're incredibly polite, you're still basically saying "I know nothing about you other than that you're aesthetically pleasing to me and as a result I would like to have a (probably sexual) relationship with you".

Call me crazy, but if I'm going to have a relationship with someone, I like to know a little about them first... more than just "she looks pretty".

OTOH, if you meet someone in say, a bookshop, and they're reading an author you like, or you're at a conference and having an interesting discussion, I don't think it's harassment to say "hey, we have similar interests. would you be interested in going out some time?". Just understand that she is not a "bitch" if she turns you down.

And again, if you're only interested in casual sex, that's cool too as long as it goes both ways, but maybe don't approach random strangers on the street on the off chance they're interested.