/off-topic & longish

I'm not trying to belittle you or anything, so please don't misinterpret the things I'm about to talk about. Regarding your supernatural experiences (which to be perfectly honest IF they do exist, and that is a big if) there are a few problems with them or rather that type of "belief". If it really did happen to you, then it wouldn't be very hard to see why you would believe in religion or be spiritual in a very strong sense of the word (though it depends I suppose on just what you experienced, or what "they" experience).

But, if your faith can be helped along by these type of events, then it would be the type of thing that science should be exploring. I know people will clearly state that you just "can't catch these events", but to be honest, if your body is able to see, hear, smell, or sense it...any number of scientific tests could as well. But, the problem is: when do they happen, how do they happen (by what mechanism, i.e. sound, smell, sight, etc...), and to whom will it occur (and even where will it occur might be a justified question too).

Eventually this should become something, even if on the "fringe" of science or rational belief, should become a real talking point...recognized by all. Simply because, eventually scientists must experience them too, or those with no faith or belief at all...

But, this is why I ask what kind of "event" did you experience?

I suffer from Narcolepsy. With this, I suffer nightly from huge attacks (around 3-15) sleep paralysis events. These events come in ALL sorts of flavors, and since it is from Narcolepsy it doesn't necessarily have to happen at night--like ghosts, or alien abductions (I mean, is it not a good question to wonder why these things almost always happen at night--oh, and the animals don't seem to be involved too much in this stuff for some reason as well). I also (and this is the real winner right here) suffer from, more or less, permanent bouts of hypnagogic hallucinations (typically they happen just as you are about to fall asleep or as you are waking up--with me, they can occur as soon as I'm getting tired). I also have severe Sleep Apnea, just to make all of this more "grandiose"...

Sleep Paralysis is something that was reported constantly even in the Middle Ages; a great painting named "The Nightmare" depicts someone that is actually going through one of these events. This is the actual foundation for succubi, demons, and even angels that visit people in their sleep--these people will feel unbelievable things, things you simply do NOT feel in normal day life...thus many believe a supernatural event has just occurred. The first one I had was when I was just waking up, for some reason I was petrified, couldn't move (and barely breath). Then I looked around my room. It was early morning so I could see in my room, in the corner of my room sat a dark humanoid "solid" shadow. From it emanated a feeling of pure, utter evil (which is were you get a supernatural feeling to this; because for one you do not see "humanoid shadows", nor is it possible to "feel" evil). Eventually I snapped myself out of it and later woke up. It left a stark impression upon me. Later my mind figured out somehow that if I relaxed in these moments, it ended immediately--meaning that I started o become somewhat lucid during the majority of these. I remember my friends and family always saying I was weird or that I scared them sometimes, because I would sleep with my eyes opened--well, this is part of that problem (like I said, I could see my room...everything seemed for the most part, real; it's like being awake and partially asleep--in a dream--at the same time).

Onto my real problem: Hypnagogic Hallucinations. I have no doubt whatsoever that EVERYONE that believes or rather has experienced ghosts/haunting(s), alien abductions, angels, demons, people yelling outside, dogs barking, your phone ringing when it hasn't, and "you name it, because EVERYTHING can happen in this category"... I suffer from this so much that the things I experience now are just a joke to me. Things grabbing me, my body changing shape (and YES you do "feel" the change), all manner of sounds (which is the most annoying; sometimes it sounds like someone has called my name...so I have to go check, it's very frustrating). Then combine this WITH a Sleep Paralysis event (and trust me, it does happen, but it it rare), you get an epic "light show".

So, this is why I asked you what type of supernatural event did you experience. Because, you may want to remember (this is JUST some things Narcolepsy can cause; other medical issues, medications, etc... can cause the same issues if not worse, more pronounced in certain ways and even causing certain changes in behavior, sensations, and feelings) that just with Narcolepsy I run into these issues--sleeping disorders are possibly responsible for a LARGE assortment of the "supernatural" issues you see out there. Then add in the countless number of other things that also affect our bodies and it isn't far fetched to soon realize that you just may have to hold onto what science has proven--only--or you may get lost.

I cannot say that this is you. I will not either. I don't pretend to know your experiences. But, I can share mine... The first Sleep Paralysis and or Hypnagogic Hallucination (as I have been able to move in a few Sleep Paralysis events...but very rarely; if I can though I move slowly) event I had, believe it or not, was when I was around 8 or 9. I imagined that I woke up in the night, turned and looked under my bed (it was a sleepover, so I was on the floor that night) and I saw a pair of red glowing lights, shaped vaguely like eyes looking at me. I kept looking at it, trying to figure out what it was, but very quickly it "blinked" and I knew it was alive. I was scared enough that I simply turned my back from it and tried to go back to sleep. The fact that I simply just turned my back to it and went back to sleep...is proof that it simply wasn't even real.

Had that BEEN real, I would've jumped up, flipped the light on; told everyone in the room and gotten my parents in the next room... But, it felt extremely real. Even to this day, the only thing that makes me realize it was fake was HOW I handled the situation...that is it. In fact that is usually the best way to tell reality apart from a dream (or hallucinations caused by enhanced REM cycles--REM cycles that start even while you are awake). You simply do not act like yourself in a dream, period.

I'll agree with you otherwise. I was definitely smothered by religion and it "stunted" me. It didn't cause me to hate it as much as many might think, but I became extremely wary of anything to do with it.

So apparently if you are an FPS that looks like it was made by Pixar then you're a TF2 clone.

I mean, the similarities are obvious. They both have guns, they both have (mostly) humanoid characters, there appears to be a control point...and, my god, was that a healing beam!?!?! "One of the characters even turns into a turrent" - Hey now, the heavy is certainly slow and fat but he's not _completely_ immobile.

I spotted something else. That Tracer girl is TOTALLY using Weaver's Time lapse. That's another shameless copypaste from another game that Valve created from a mod made by somebody else. What next, Portals? Silent crowbar wielding protagonists? Waiting almost a decade for the next installment of a hotly anticipated IP?...hold on, I think Blizzard invented that with Starcraft and Diablo. nvm.

Honestly, it's been over 7 years. I played TF2, I loved TF2. When somebody tells me "Hey, Blizzard are shoveling all their money and expertise into creating a new game based on that other game you loved" my reaction isn't "HOW DARE THEY INTRUDE UPON GABEN'S HOLY GROUND!". I am looking forward to playing Overwatch and continuing an age old tradition of whining about how Bliz can't balance games.

Actually, you might not understand what the "Uncanny Valley" hypothesis is. It's not simply CG/Humanoid Traits that are not quite realistic. What you're possibly interpreting as "Uncanny Valley" is that the visuals are attempting to appear realistic, but not fooling anyone. There are some elements of the Uncanny Valley here, but possibly not what you were thinking of or what the original poster meant by how it "looks".
The difference between what the Uncanny Valley and this video is that the characters are not meant to be mimicking realism. There are many, many traits here that are cues to an intentionally stylized art direction. The anatomy of the characters is exaggerated, both in the facial forms and body structure. The lighting and materials are certainly drawing from real-world principles, but is far off the mark if you're attempting to portray photo-realistic CG. These are intentional choices by the artists and art directors. It would be a mistake to look at this for how it "fails" to convince you it's real, because it's not meant to.
Where it does enter the Uncanny Valley is in the animation. The immediate loss of inertia displayed by the beheaded horse at the beginning. The animation after the witch jumps onto the horse (is that supposed to be Merigold? They give her less character every time), are physically inaccurate. The best way to describe the Uncanny Valley is to look at things from 20 years hence. In that time, people who may play this game would look at the lighting and rendering as simply early CG, whereas anyone paying attention to the animation, particularly the layman, would see it as "just wrong" because it violates what we subconsciously understand about how the universe works.

Disclaimer: I'm an artist and animator with a lot of experience, and it's not my intention to be offensive, and it's not my intention to say it's not my intention to be offensive while still knowingly being offensive, so I hope that my comment makes a difference.

kittys' got a humanoid friend for life...

I'll try again at a point-by-point answer for yas but geez man, you seem thicker than most.

I CHOSE to pester your banning-manner repeatedly because you were cold-hearted and in-general, the matter-of-fact un-welcomingly rude person to potentials who obviously either had some language-barriers some of them, while others simply did not read the long-winded faq-sheet buried in that un-intutive portion of the site map (notwithstanding, MOST of the fuckers you ban are spamtacular and obviously not giving a damn an anyhow....GOOD JOB. ATTA-BOY. Clean the place up, not slighting you for that aspect of your fun here).

Your didactic reasoning supports your hollow assumptions (if such feeble tripe could be called that) and here in these latest and repeated insults and accusations concerning myself all we see are petulant forays into your own limitations in the realm of deductive reasoning at best, or 180 degrees off-kilter at their crudest and worst. MEANING, your assumptions of my legal status and sexual proclivities in particular, as you struggle at what seems justification for your delusional rants. You're basically unilaterally seeking to defame my personal integrity and character because you feel bad about me having poked you so much about yer ban-user fun here.m Real simple. Not too much thinking required, and you are over-thinking to stroke your own, knight-in-rusty-sheriff's-badge honor, plain and fucking simple.

I tried the last comment to show you your misinterpretation of meaning by using the definition of 'haitus', the same which has no fixedm limitation other than that of the will of the vacationer. Read a fucking dictionary maybe, with a view to meaning rather than the view of how it suits your own confabulation?

I didn't say did I, that I was taking anything but a hiatus, which could be long or short....and if you know me at all you know I won't stand for insolent crackers who in my absence, with a personal hard-on to burn me and shit all over my work and time logged here on this site, one of which I have been on since near it's inception, ya thick lump?. Did you think I'd let the place pull a kronospissant on me again? From the likes of who?! You may want to get a fucking clue.

You need some some growin'-up there fatwa (look it up) if ya think my skin ain't thicker than yer skull.

You take shit to pedantically literal to be hanging your shit in my store and expecting me to take you anything more than a seriously misanthropic humanoid.

Tired of being polite with you chicco, yer obviously in need of some quality human interaction and maybe some therapy to deal with the Aspberger's, unless yer dysfunction be something simpler to counterman. I am unqualified to determine such as, "I Am Not A Mental Health Professional."

Ain't 'private' anymore either, your shit screams abuse of the site, for all to see.

Looks like Earth but I cant see the humanoid close enough to tell if they have a Dasi-Skleetus

*videogames

Very nicely done.

The Japanese intro:

The year is 2013...
Suddenly, from the depths of the Pacific, unknown lifeforms known as <KAI-JU> appear and attack major cities.
In order to stop their attacks, Earth's greatest minds come together...
and the giant humanoid weapons known as <Jaeger> are born.
Now the final battle for humanity's future has begun.

well, that's one theory. The oldest humanoid form has been found on the african continent, but that nug of evidence is inconclusive.

he forgot SPAWN!

What makes this noteworthy isn't that he's "a terrorist"; he's no more a terrorist and no less an antihero than The Punisher or early Batman (who was fond of shooting people or dropping them to their deaths); it's that he's portrayed as the monster in the dark.

We know (modern) Batman's background and his motivations and we know that, even though he portrays himself as a monster, he's a virtuous person who is just using fear as a weapon for justice.

The flying man is a featureless, super-powered humanoid who appears out of the shadows and kills people. He terrifies us as much as he terrifies the criminals he hunts because we know exactly as much about him as they do. He's a monster to all of us, at least right up until the end when we see him spare the life of a criminal who is also the father of a young boy. That's the seed of doubt being planted.

@00Scud00: Spot on observation and finding the right words, thank you! These were not scary zombie masses, these were particles in a CGI fluid simulation. Way too smooth for humanoid bodies to move and behave. Too slick, too efficient. Too clean. Come on. Clean zombies?

>> ^xxovercastxx:

Why is a heartbeat so important? Deer have heartbeats and yet, every fall, the forests are filled with armed Republicans.
Since we clearly only care about killing humans, if a line is to be drawn in the sand, then I say it needs to be on the basis of the development of a definitively human quality in the fetus.
I must have missed your comment earlier and wanted to reply, but the latest three replies in that thread were already mine, and the last one is, to me, the most important, so I figured I'd reply here.



I put the heartbeat comment in parentheses because it wasn't the point in itself, but illustrative of how quickly the fetus develops. After seeing my own developing children on an ultrasound, I can understand the reasoning behind the "mandatory pre-operative ultrasound" legislation a few states have instituted. I was very surprised by how quickly things go from "dark blob" to "vaguely humanoid" to "little person" and I suspect a non-trivial proportion of people seeking abortion may be as uninformed about it as I was. I was not at all expecting to hear their heartbeats when we did, which is why the heartbeat illustration carries weight with me.

I think your "line in the sand" is a perfectly rational approach. I disagree personally, but I can appreciate that you're taking a reasoned approach and I would be willing to accept it as a basis for legislation on the matter.
It gets problematic when we attempt to define "a definitively human quality". On one extreme, a human fetus is and will be a human fetus. On the other extreme, even newborns only look human, and exhibit few, if any, behaviors that distinguish them from primates. (Primate rights, or animal rights in general being another hot potato, tying in to the "only care about killing humans" sentiment.)

What, to you, would constitute a "definitively human quality"? Limbs? Beginning of neural development?
(This directly ties into what I think is that "most important question", so if you'd like to reply in the original thread, that's great.)

>> ^Quboid:

It seemed odd to me that in Mass Effect, all these alien species can speak in a way we understand, look humanoid, stand bipedal, breath what humans breath and even mate ... and now I find out that it's much, much worse.


It is entirely believable to me that for a species to be capable of developing the technology needed for space travel they would have passed through an evolutionary stage not too dissimilar to what we are now. Our bipedalism, binocular vision, social-animal, child-rearing nature all contributed a lot to bringing us to where we are now.

Octopi, dolphins, and birds can all be pretty damn smart--but there's a lot standing in their way of ever building a rocket, even if they were every bit as smart as us.

Maybe if they all collaborated...

It seemed odd to me that in Mass Effect, all these alien species can speak in a way we understand, look humanoid, stand bipedal, breath what humans breath and even mate ... and now I find out that it's much, much worse.

>> ^Payback:
There's plenty of non-humanoid creatures in Star Trek. The Old Series right up to Quantum Leap Enterprise. It's human nature to care more about those with human features rather than ones that look like crystal spiders (Tholians) or a rock-eating quiche (Horta).IDK, I have a hard time caring about a poor excuse for an alien race that could be called the Wierdnosians or Protudingeyebrowsians. There are probably natives in south american jungles that look more alien than that. It's a budget issue I guess, it's ok.

With today's fancy and cheap CGI and motion capture stuff, I expect any new Star trek series to have more aliens that look like quiche. The yum-yums!

>> ^renatojj:

I never understood how they could get away with adding some tiny prosthetic make-up = new alien race that is conveniently humanoid and speaks english


There's plenty of non-humanoid creatures in Star Trek. The Old Series right up to Quantum Leap Enterprise. It's human nature to care more about those with human features rather than ones that look like crystal spiders (Tholians) or a rock-eating quiche (Horta).

Language is explained by the Universal Translator. Almost no-one is speaking English, it's just all intantly translated by their comm badges.