OT: I Remember When

[Atrocities]

I remember when my computers high speed connection was just that, high speed. When I would click on a download and download it at 200k +, now I am lucky to get 40k. Thanks AT&T.

I remember when I could drive on the streets of my city at night and not see another car, now its like driving at night has become the hobby of billions, and they all drive on my streets.

I remmber when I knew that what I did at work mattered, and that working was important. Now, I don't work, and everything I thought was important at work wasn't.

I remember when I had money, now I don't. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

The one thing that really bugs me is what big business has done and how those in our government have screwed us all over.

The rich pay fewer taxes than a coctail waitress while I was paying 27%. Heres a guy like Bill Gates who mades on average (Reportedly) of about $600,000 + bonuses a year, and only paid 9% in taxes while I made $40,000 and paid 27%. (He should also have had to pay 27%!) The rich get richer while the poor get poorer.

I remember when Insureance companies only raised your rates after you caused an accident. Now they use everything from your credit rating to how many cups of coffee you drink in a day.

I think that it should be made illegal to use a persons credit rating to determine their insurance as one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. And to try and make us think they do is utter and complete bull ****. Its simply fruad. A way for big insurance companies to steal money from us. Its theft by fruad. They lie to use, and we accept it and pay the money. I wonder how much all of the ex-Enron employees auto and home insurance is going to increase now that they are out of work.

What I would love to see is the heads of every Insurance company's CEO, P, and VP on a pole out side the local Federal building with a sign dangling from their lifies bodies stating they were lieing, cheating, thevies with no morals or values. Wait, I forget these very things that we all find repugnate are a'ok in the world of big business and politics.

In the end, I only want to remember when it was all right to be kind, fair, helpful, courticies, and civil to one another.

To hell with big business, insurance companies, banks, and those who drop the ball in our government.

Oh ya, if your paying intrest on it, ITS NOT AN ASSET!

[ September 22, 2002, 09:34: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Grandpa Kim]

I remember when business men actually cared about the quality of their product. Now nothing matters but the bottom line. If you are a quality worker, a "professional", someone who gives a **** about his workmanship, use caution when asking for a raise. All they want is the job done on time. They'll be quite happy to hire someone from cash corner to slop together whatever you've been doing so well.

Yeah, buddy, I hear ya', I hear ya...

Kim

Addendum:

I remember when the product inside was more important than the shiny package.

I remember when salesmen would tell the truth, not just whatever it takes to make the sale.

[ September 22, 2002, 13:32: Message edited by: Grandpa Kim ]

[Gryphin]

I remember when I made mufins on location at a Mr. Donut and they were like the ones my mother made.

I remember when I was top computer salesman for a small mom and pop store, (12 years ago) and admired by all of my customers because I would sell what they needed, not what they could afford. I can remmeber getting repeat business and refferals. Then my boss found out I was telling the truth and "Down Selling" my customers.

I can remember when "Until Death do Us Part" meant something. If you had a problem you stood together to work it out.

I remember when there were only a few STDs and Penicillen would clean them up, (though you never forgot you had it)

I remember when a Gentlman would stand up to shake hands. It was a deliberate insult not to.

I remember when "Utilize" had a different meaning than "Use". People started to employ "Utilize" because it was more "sophisticated".

[geoschmo]

I remember when we didn't connect at 40k because the modems only ran at 14.4, and the old timers complained about connecting at 2400.

[tesco samoa]

Gandalph 300

[Arkcon]

I remember when I said "Please" "Sorry" "How are you today", and "I'm fine" only when I meant them.

Now I mumble them out robotically to all I meet.

A few tortured souls will actually call me on that.

Do they really want me to tell them, to paraphrase Douglas Addams, "Zark Off"?

Thank you for this vent space Atrocities.

Take care.

And I mean that.

I just don't have any practical advice or real solutions is all.

[ September 22, 2002, 19:02: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[DavidG]

I remember when web pages were well designed and did not try to cram a thousand pieces of information and a few dozen adds all onto one page

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by DavidG:
I remember when web pages were well designed and did not try to cram a thousand pieces of information and a few dozen adds all onto one page<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I remember when web pages were text, with a few graphic icons. There was a small amount of pages with a few nekkid pictures, but mostly you could find free information on a usefull topic a person at some university or govt site felt like posting.

Now any google search gives you 10 pages of p0rn, 10 pages of advertisments, 10 homepages of commercial sites with links that don't work, and a search for a scientific topic gives you a title and how much you can pay for an article reprint.

Someone should mod the internet into SE4. A culture reaches a certain tech level in computer science and production and research grind to a halt

[ September 22, 2002, 21:41: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[capnq]

I remember when the "high speed" setting on my modem was 1200 baud (normal speed was 300).

My first computer programming class (senior year of high school, '76-'77) used acoustic couplers to connect a teletype to the mainframe. We used punched paper tape for local storage. We also had a programmable calculator bigger than an electric typewriter which was programmed using punched cards (which had to be punched by hand).

I remember seeing _Star Wars_ in a first-run theater, before it was called Episode IV.

[tbontob]

I remember in 1981 when printers were well in excess of $1,000.00.

What I did was modify a IBM Selectric II correctable typewriter into a printer. It was a lot of fun working with all those solinoids etc.

Worked very well. And the printout was very professional.

[Gandalph]

Originally posted by tesco samoa:
Gandalph 300<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">HUH???

[Lupusman]

You never gonna be able to fix those things. It's human nature to be corrupt. Gotta complain to the big man upstairs.

[Gandalph]

I remember paying $2700 for my first 8086 computer, opting for dual floppies and 1 meg of memory(hard drives were non-existant).

I remember tweaking my first 14.4k modem to achieve 10k throughput speeds.

I remember bulletin Boards, because web pages were almost non-existent.

I remember when you didn't have to contribute to the insurance scam.

I remember when a verbal agreement was binding.

[tbontob]

In 1981, when I bought my first personal computer, floppies had not been invented for it yet.

We had to save our programs on a tape recorder.

[Gandalph]

I remember working on systems that used punch cards for memory and storage.

[minipol]

i remember my first computer for which i paid loads of money: an amstrad schneider CPC 6128 (http://www.zock.com/8-Bit/D_CPC6128.HTML) (8 bits system !)
yesterday, while surfing around, i saw a page somewhere where people are still toying with this os.

i remember the days that traffic wasn't as lethal as it is now to people and the environment.

[ September 23, 2002, 00:47: Message edited by: minipol ]

[Taz-in-Space]

My first computer? An Apple II with 48K of memory... 8 whole colors... Basic in ROM... Yep, it was STATE OF THE ART http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Edit: My first computer that I owned. First computer I worked with... A PDP-11.

[ September 23, 2002, 01:22: Message edited by: Taz-in-Space ]

[Stone Mill]

Atrocities,

I remember when I was out of work for a brief time. I enjoyed the (brief) leisure but jumped right back in. Now, sometimes I reflect on the percentage of time I spend in my life working for some huge corporation vs. the laughable time I have off... 2 weeks (ack!) I guess the only time you get to reap the rewards of your hard work is when you move to Florida and wheel around with the geriatrics. To me, that is a crime. I wonder how many of those geriatrics actually don't wish that they took a little more time for themselves, friends, and family.

And it's a joke now because companies don't take care of you any more. There used to be an expectation that you got on board with a good company and they would take care of you after many years of service. Now, that's a pipe dream. You will be downsized without a second thought or flat out screwed like employees of Enron who lost their entire pensions due to corruption.

Last but not least, there is no penalty for gross mismanagement, either corporate or public administration. The US has a crappy stance and track record for dealing with white collar crime. At best, these idiots get fired, but there is no help for all the people who are irrepairably financially damaged, such as shareholders or taxpayers. I agree with you Atrocoties, there should be heads on stakes for this.

[tbontob]

Originally posted by Taz-in-Space:
My first computer? An Apple II with 48K of memory... 8 whole colors... Basic in ROM... Yep, it was STATE OF THE ART http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Edit: My first computer that I owned. First computer I worked with... A PDP-11.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hey, Taz, I too had an Apple, only it was the Apple II+. It too came with 48K, but I immediately upgraded it by a whopping 16K to 64K. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ September 23, 2002, 03:27: Message edited by: tbontob ]

[tbontob]

Hey Taz...Do you remember the Apple magazine called "NIBBLE"?

I wonder how many people know what "nibble" is?

Stumped my MBA prof with that one!

[ZeroAdunn]

Nibble was the shi....

Anyways, I loved all that stuff back in the day... I didn't think many people remembered that.

Ahhh, how I remember delving into my fist programming project ever, battleship, with help from nibble. Of course I had to change it so you couldn't win.... It was only fair...

[tbontob]

Originally posted by ZeroAdunn:
Nibble was the shi....

Anyways, I loved all that stuff back in the day... I didn't think many people remembered that.

Ahhh, how I remember delving into my fist programming project ever, battleship, with help from nibble. Of course I had to change it so you couldn't win.... It was only fair...<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeh, those were the days when we did our own programming. Not like today, where almost everything comes canned & off the shelf. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Mylon]

Originally posted by Stone Mill:
Atrocities,

I remember when I was out of work for a brief time. I enjoyed the (brief) leisure but jumped right back in. Now, sometimes I reflect on the percentage of time I spend in my life working for some huge corporation vs. the laughable time I have off... 2 weeks (ack!) I guess the only time you get to reap the rewards of your hard work is when you move to Florida and wheel around with the geriatrics. To me, that is a crime. I wonder how many of those geriatrics actually don't wish that they took a little more time for themselves, friends, and family.

And it's a joke now because companies don't take care of you any more. There used to be an expectation that you got on board with a good company and they would take care of you after many years of service. Now, that's a pipe dream. You will be downsized without a second thought or flat out screwed like employees of Enron who lost their entire pensions due to corruption.

Last but not least, there is no penalty for gross mismanagement, either corporate or public administration. The US has a crappy stance and track record for dealing with white collar crime. At best, these idiots get fired, but there is no help for all the people who are irrepairably financially damaged, such as shareholders or taxpayers. I agree with you Atrocoties, there should be heads on stakes for this.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Companies think about the bottom line. They can pay Mr. Middle Aged Experienced $40,000 to do his job because he's been here for 10 year, or they can "cycle" him out and hire Joe Schmoe for only $30,000. Keeping old employees means less money for the CEO, of course.

[Atrocities]

Companies think about the bottom line. They can pay Mr. Middle Aged Experienced $40,000 to do his job because he's been here for 10 year, or they can "cycle" him out and hire Joe Schmoe for only $30,000. Keeping old employees means less money for the CEO, of course. <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">
The company I used to work for called it "scaling" and disposed of most of the senior employees through false terminations, forced retirements, and down right ****ty tactics to make them loose hope and just quit.

Then they were replaced by fresh out of school teenage blond girls who giggled more than they talked, and were very happy to be doing highly dangerous work for minimum wage.

I remember when you could get a large Pizza with everything for $12.99.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
[QUOTE]I remember when you could get a large Pizza with everything for $12.99.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Heh you still can, but you have to buy 2 and get the second one for half off or some other crappy marketing ploy. Of course you end up throwing the second one away. If you wanted two pizzas you would have bought two to begin with for crying out loud. And you have to ignore the fact that neither pizza is as good as the single 12.99 pizza you used to buy. Part of the price of living in a disposable soceity I guess.

Geoschmo

[tbontob]

All part of the come-on gimmicks. We encourage it with our dollars, otherwise they wouldn't do it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[tesco samoa]

Happy to let you know that in Ontario you can still get 1 pizza for that price... But everything would be about 30 toppings

I like the 6.99 walk in special... 3 topings large pizza and away we go...

Gandaph 300 was a modem...

Rack mounted modem LOL Used to use them with the pdp-1....

[rdouglass]

I remeber when cars used to have 400 ci engines, get about 6 miles to the gallon, and you could still smell 'em the next day....

I remeber when people and companies used to dump raw sewage and chemicals into streams and rivers....

I remember when AT&T used to control ALL the telecom services.

See, IMO not everything is for the worse. And yes, I'm one of the relative old timers here too. My first computer experience was not even on a monitor - everything was a printout on a ROLL of paper - not even perfs...

Some things ARE better.....

[ZeroAdunn]

Nobody ever said things were all for the worse. The problem is that for everything that improves, something goes wrong... It is a trade off.

Actually, for the longest time I was able to order 4 medium pizzas for 15 dollars. Good pizzas too... but then they took our coupon away http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[DavidG]

Originally posted by Atrocities:

I remember when you could get a large Pizza with everything for $12.99.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I remember when you would buy a small or medium pizza because it was all you were going to eat at it was actaully cheaper. Now I try and I get the old "well sir with our special a large is cheaper"

[DavidG]

Originally posted by rdouglass:
I remeber when people and companies used to dump raw sewage and chemicals into streams and rivers....
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wow you remember what happened today!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

[capnq]

A nibble = 4 bits = half a byte.

[Puke]

i remember reading menus from right to left, instead of left to right.

i remember being optomistic about.. anything.

[Makinus]

I remember when my new top of the line 286 with a CGA (4 colors) monitor arrived!

I remeber when i bought a superfast 2400 bps modem!

I remember when a rich friend bought directly from the US a new and revolutionary 1x CD-ROM!

[TerranC]

I remember the TURBO button.

it's TURBO.

[ September 25, 2002, 01:56: Message edited by: TerranC ]

[Gryphin]

I remember not being able to explaine what the Turbo button did, (and I still don't).

Edit:
and along with that both a reset and on off buttons I could hit with my knee.

[ September 25, 2002, 02:02: Message edited by: Gryphin ]

[CNCRaymond]

I remember when TRS-80 (Trash 80's) were the stand by which all other PC manufactures measured quality.

(Oh its been a while so if I make mistakes, forgive me.)

10 CLS
20 PRINT "Hello"
30 PRINT "Enter PW"
40 INPUT = A
50 IF A = "Password" Then 60 ELSE 55
55 PRINT "Wrong Dumb ***"
56 GOTO 30
60 PRINT "Wussup"
65 END

[DavidG]

I remember when the Turbo button actually did something and all the computers that came latter were they left button on cause you just got to have TURBO!!!

[ September 25, 2002, 02:49: Message edited by: DavidG ]

[Baron Grazic]

I remember when living in the Country meant that it took you 10 minutes on your Motor Bike to pop by your friend who lived next door and you saw wild life every time you looked out the window.

Now days, when you look out your window all you see are Bulldozers making roads for more houses and the only wild-life you see is lying on the side of the road.

[Atrocities]

I remember the slower pace of life. When being a kid was to be free to do all kinds of cool things.

In the Last 15 years the area I live in has expanded to cover every free square inch of land that is availible. I mean every tree has been cut down, and all open fields are now commercial or residential buildings.

Jobs, well they are non-exsistant here, yet people keep moving in. Almost a million in the Last 3 years now. And to think, 15 years ago we didn't even have sidewalks.

[mac5732]

I remember when during Xmas Season people were friendly, everyone would say Merry Xmas to you even if they were strangers and all the stores were beautifully decorated for the season and greed was not as prevalant with retailers.

I remember when Xmas season and Xmas decorations wouldn't be put up until the day after thanksgiving, and everyone looked foreward to it.

I remember 5 cent root beers in large mugs at served at the local drug store fountain.

I remember a gallon of gas for 18 cents

I remember ciggeretts for 19 cents a pack

I remember comic books for a nickle

I remember baseball card packs for a nickle and you could actually chew the gum

I remember our families first blk and white Zenith TV...

I remember when a new ford mustang was only $950 and $1050 for a convertible

I remember music that you could understand and where the words made sense and not based around drugs and sex

I remember walking 5 miles to school in the snow http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

sigh........ the good old days

reminicing Mac

[Gandalph]

I remember going to the corner store with a nickel and coming home with a large candy bar and 3 pieces of bubble gum.

[tbontob]

Originally posted by mac5732:

I remember walking 5 miles to school in the snow http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

sigh........ the good old days

reminicing Mac<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, and it was so cold, that our words froze in the air and didn't thaw out till spring... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[tbontob]

Originally posted by CNCRaymond:
I remember when TRS-80 (Trash 80's) were the stand by which all other PC manufactures measured quality.

(Oh its been a while so if I make mistakes, forgive me.)

10 CLS
20 PRINT "Hello"
30 PRINT "Enter PW"
40 INPUT = A
50 IF A = "Password" Then 60 ELSE 55
55 PRINT "Wrong Dumb ***"
56 GOTO 30
60 PRINT "Wussup"
65 END<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sorry CNC, have to disagree with you. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif They were not called the "Trash-80's without reason. The Apples were the standard...

And the TRS-80 and the IBM computers followed in their footsteps.

[Stone Mill]

I remember when I first realized I was getting old...

But after reading Mac's and Gandalph's Posts, I feel like a spring chicken again! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[tesco samoa]

I remember when a apple was something to enjoy as a nice tasty snack.

[tbontob]

Stone Mill says:

I remember when I first realized I was getting old...

But after reading Mac's and Gandalph's Posts, I feel like a spring chicken again! <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Eh? What's that you said?

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[ September 25, 2002, 20:47: Message edited by: tbontob ]

[mottlee]

Originally posted by Gandalph:
I remember going to the corner store with a nickel and coming home with a large candy bar and 3 pieces of bubble gum.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I can rember going to th movies with $.25 to get in ang another for pop and pop corn! and I'm not REALLY that old http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

[sachmo]

I remeber twisting a knob on the tv to change the channel.

I remember my dads Betamax.

I remember Pong.

I remember playing Atari Pacman for 12 hours once.

I remember dancing to the theme of "CHiPs". In my underwear.

I remember buying the first Choose Your Own Adventure books. My favorite was either the Race Forever or Space Patrol.

[geoschmo]

I remember our first TV with a remote control. It was literaly a "Clicker". It had a mettallic thing in it when you pressed a button that made a noise, similer to the "crickets" the allied troops used during the D-Day invasion to keep from shooting each other in the dark. When ever the TV heard the click it would change the channel up by one. You couldn't change the volume, or turn the tv on or off IIRC, just change the channel up by one. Was pretty cool at the time though. What was really funny was our dog had these big metal dog tags and when he'd scratch the jingling was close to the sound the remote made and the TV would start flipping channels. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[mottlee]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
I remember our first TV with a remote control. It was literaly a "Clicker". It had a mettallic thing in it when you pressed a button that made a noise, similer to the "crickets" the allied troops used during the D-Day invasion to keep from shooting each other in the dark. When ever the TV heard the click it would change the channel up by one. You couldn't change the volume, or turn the tv on or off IIRC, just change the channel up by one. Was pretty cool at the time though. What was really funny was our dog had these big metal dog tags and when he'd scratch the jingling was close to the sound the remote made and the TV would start flipping channels. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I remeber those too! LOL on your dog http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif penny candy was like 5 for it .10 for Snickers bar (bigger too) Ahhh those were the days http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Mark the Merciful]

No offence, but...

Surely I can't be the only person here who having read four pages of this stuff, is starting to feel a little sick?

<sound of Mark legging it as fast as possible>

[TerranC]

Sick as in sick at people reminicing about the old days and what seems to be saying screw the future:

Or

Sick as in look at what our world has turned into in short little 100 years?

*sigh* Nobody even knows the answer anymore.

[Pax]

Originally posted by capnq:
I remember seeing _Star Wars_ in a first-run theater, before it was called Episode IV.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was only 5 or 6 at the time, and *I* remember doing that, too! About a week after Openign Day for the film; I barely remember much formt eh first viewing, just leaving the theater with a clear picture of Darth Vader's helmet in my wee mind, and an impression of "that was the most awesomest coolest bestest movie in the world!".

I saw it with my father, my FIRST-ever trip to the theater (my mother was peeved she didn't get included, but I didn't know about that angle for another 5 years or so, heh).

[Puke]

Originally posted by TerranC:
Sick as in sick at people reminicing about the old days and what seems to be saying screw the future:

Or

Sick as in look at what our world has turned into in short little 100 years?

*sigh* Nobody even knows the answer anymore.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">oh, how modern of you. i lament the old days when wars were fought on horseback, and you killed people by hacking their limbs off. i wish we still fought each other to determine who's god was stronger, rather than for economic might. the world sure was fun back when communications were only as fast as a ship could sail, and before the FDA regulated 'meat' processing plants.
people were SO much more altruistic back then, when the world was green and our hearts were free.

this is a great thread, people here are excercising optimism about the past. you can either look at it as cynicism for the future, or you can take a lesson in identifying what is good in life.

or maybe im just playing the devil's advocate, since the thread got me down.

[Thermodyne]

Damn, I remember when there were no PC’s. I remember taking physics with a slide rule. I remember watches without batteries. I remember 38 cent gas and cars with some guts under the hood. Four dollars a case for beer, good beer, not rotgut. Casual sex without the threat of an incurable STD. But I also remember men dropping dead in their 40’s from heart attacks. And I remember antiwar rallies and race riots. I remember a shanty town on the mall. And I remember a very hot-cold war. I remember gas lines and stations with no gas. I remember a melt down at Three Mile Island. I remember burnt out aircraft carriers returning from the South China Sea. I think we are better off today and that the good old days weren’t all that good

[dogscoff]

and cars with some guts under the hood.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ewww... What, did you hit a deer?

[ September 30, 2002, 09:00: Message edited by: dogscoff ]

[Puke]

Originally posted by Gryphin:
Puke,
Reguarding this thread getting you down:
My interpretation is that most of the wars including the Crusades were for economic power. Even the American Revolution was motivated by the merchant class who stood the most to gain from it."<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

indeed, most religions were invented for social or economic gain. of course that is the motivating factor for any military conflict you could name.

On a positive note:
As for regulating meat: Did you ever read Sinclare Lewis's description of the meat packing industry in the US? I have forgotton the name of it.

Positive note:
Comunications as fast as a ship:
Remember how many people died at the Battle of New Orleans 3 days after a peace treaty was signed. <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

what the heck is positive about that? that was some gruesome business (in both your examples)! or did you mean that we are better off now than we were before? All of my previous comments were designed to give the impression that modern society is leagues ahead of where we were 'before,' and all of the leave-it-to-beaver glorification of recent history should be taken with a grain of salt.


It is my Optimistic Cynical positon to quote,
"Times Change, People Don't"
I do feel the quality of life improves. The people who talk on cell phones in a restaurant, well, I don't know about them.
I feel people still take as much leasure time as they would have 200 years ago. Work a holics existed back then as they do now.
In short: The pase of life has not increased. Our capacity to fill it has.
Disclamer: I could be way off base here. I just choose to belive all of the above os true.
Life Gets Better.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">it sounds like were talking the same language, here.

[Gryphin]

Puke,
Yes, I meant that with near instant comunications we can avoid events like The battle of New Orleans.
And I miss understood your intent. I do feel the qualty of life has gotton better despite some of the negative things.
So, yes we do seem to agree

[geoschmo]

Well, I am glad you two got that settled. Now why don't you guys hug and get out of here so the rest of us can get back to complaining. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Puke]

well then, now that thats all square:

I remember when you could get a bag of chips (or other salty snacks) and it would actually contain the product as advertised. These days, you pay a large sum of money for fancy packaging and pLastic canisters that are concave in the middle (so they hold less), are filled 60% with air, and the remaining 40% contains either air-puffed snacks or ones that are circular or otherwise hollow in the center so that they fill a spacious volume with a small ammount of 'edible' material.

the same applies to those bic pen-erasers with the hole down the center of them.

[ October 01, 2002, 00:12: Message edited by: Puke ]

[Puke]

hows this:

i remember when i read the first review of SEIV, and when i first installed the demo. When that crummy envelope first arived in the mail, with that flimsy paper CD holder. The first stellar construction, the first game i finished, the first game i played Online. The first PBW game.

i remember the summer i spent playing CIV-1, maybe two years after its release. I remember my only multiplayer game of SMAC. (it was fun!)

i remember when playing games Online meant playing your daily turn, and waiting for everyone else in the game to dial in to the BBS and play their turn. As in TradeWars 2002, Operation Overkill, and other greats.

i remember when playing multiplayer games meant sitting next to a friend infront of an Atari 400 (upgraded to 8K RAM) and trying to time your button clicks to grab land faster than the guy next to you (M.U.L.E.). Or when it meant hotseat text-based games on an IBM-XT, or hotseat Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in its first incarnation. I remember that it was easiest to play Escape from Castle Wolfenstein with two players, because it took one to move and another to aim / do actions.

Now mulitplayer games mean glassing the planet of someone you have never met, or silly click-fest / frag-fests that have more to do with how much money you have spent on your computer and internet connection that how good you are at the game.

[Mark the Merciful]

Originally posted by Puke:
well then, now that thats all square:

I remember when you could get a bag of chips (or other salty snacks) and it would actually contain the product as advertised. These days, you pay a large sum of money for fancy packaging and pLastic canisters that are concave in the middle (so they hold less), are filled 60% with air, and the remaining 50% contains either air-puffed snacks or ones that are circular or otherwise hollow in the center so that they fill a spacious volume with a small ammount of 'edible' material.

the same applies to those bic pen-erasers with the hole down the center of them.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I remember the days when things could only add up to 100%. Of course even then, nobody liked a smartarse...

[mottlee]

How's this! Gas......$0.23 Per Gal!

How 'Bout it anyone else? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Puke]

Originally posted by Mark the Merciful:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Puke:
[qb]I remember the days when things could only add up to 100%. Of course even then, nobody liked a smartarse...<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">what? whats that over there? LOOK, A COW!

hey, i think you need to check the validity of that quote, i think you doctored my statement.

[Gryphin]

Puke,
Reguarding this thread getting you down:
My interpretation is that most of the wars including the Crusades were for economic power. Even the American Revolution was motivated by the merchant class who stood the most to gain from it.
On a positive note:
As for regulating meat: Did you ever read Sinclare Lewis's description of the meat packing industry in the US? I have forgotton the name of it.
Positive note:
Comunications as fast as a ship:
Remember how many people died at the Battle of New Orleans 3 days after a peace treaty was signed.

It is my Optimistic Cynical positon to quote,
"Times Change, People Don't"
I do feel the quality of life improves. The people who talk on cell phones in a restaurant, well, I don't know about them.
I feel people still take as much leasure time as they would have 200 years ago. Work a holics existed back then as they do now.
In short: The pase of life has not increased. Our capacity to fill it has.
Disclamer: I could be way off base here. I just choose to belive all of the above os true.
Life Gets Better.

[Atrocities]

You could go to school and kick some kids arse and not have to go to therapy afterwards to discuss your pent up rage at your mother for not giving you a bottle when you were two or something.

When you could say what you wanted to say and not fear getting sued for not being politically correct.

When the term "Politically correct" just ment your political party won the election.

[ October 01, 2002, 00:56: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Baron Grazic]

How's this! Gas......$0.23 Per Gal!

How 'Bout it anyone else? [Big Grin] <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">What do you mean? I bought Gas for my car on Saturday for "39 cents"

Mind you I meant LPG Gas and not Petrol and it was by the litre. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Skulky]

btw sinclairs novel was (and acutally still is) called The Jungle.

I'm only 17 so i don't ahve the greatest persepctive on life, however i will add my 2c in like 2 days when i finish writing 20 million different essays because next week is homecoming week and since we arn't supposed to have homework then they just double it the week before. Good logic ehhh?

not that you guys care much for high school life.

[Ruatha]

I remember when the Turbo button unpressed disabled the Cache and made the computer go slower.

I remember learning that there goes two nibbles on one byte, but altough I programmed alot of assembler I never had any use of that knowledge.

I remember my second computer , the Amstrad CPC-464 (Aka Schneider) and it had colours.

I remember playing Civ-1 a month ago becourse it still beats civ-3.

I remember being an unsecure teenager, never sure of anything.

I remember that things was worse before and now they are great.

I remember that some time ago I hadn't heard of SE4.

I remember when companies didn't have any enviromental ethics, now they atleast say they have.

I remember when equality between sexes and feminism was something extreme, now it's political correct.

I remember that it sucks when the reserve parachute doesnt work, and when it finally opens and you land you realize you packed it wrong yourself.

I remember staying up at nights becourse the kids wouldn't sleep, I remember things are much better nowadays http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ November 06, 2002, 08:20: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

[tesco samoa]

I remember when AT was here all the time!

Were did ya go AT.

Come back Please.

[Kamog]

I remember when fighting video games were 2-D and there were only 3 possible moves: a button to jump, a button to kick, and a button to punch. (Remember Kung-Fu Master?) It took 30 seconds to learn how to play.
The games today are so complicated! Each character that you can play has 50 different special moves that require a long sequence of direction/button combinations that you need to memorize, and it takes a month to learn.

[Suicide Junkie]

Kamog: Try "Way of the Stick", as seen in my sig.

[ November 06, 2002, 17:48: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

[Will]

Your score was 1695.
For you the wise man says
Your kungfu is strong. Master Bruce move over, you is the
high kicking sheznit
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Taera]

How is that, a six paged topic i have never seen?
Somebody enlighten me what is this about, and what is your kungfu?

[Kamog]

SJ: Thanks, that's a fun game! I'll need to practice. The first game I only got 24. A bunch of 3 or 4 guys keep swarming me and then I'm toast. I'll have to try to keep my distance.

[Suicide Junkie]

24? You must have got only a single drop-kick in then.

Try using the throw button when you're surrounded.
You'll grab one guy, flip him over your shoulder, and then kick him towards the guys on the other side of you, bowling them all over http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
Plus, you get 49 points for the throw.

Also, there is a health potion past the first wall.

[Kamog]

Thanks, I tried that. Now I got 316! Throwing the guys works great. I still haven't reached the wall though...

[Kamog]

New high score: 2143! This game is addictive! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I'm doing OK as long as I stay on the original side of the wall. I go to the other side and the guys there are tough...