Recent content by gh0ti

I don't understand why this keeps cropping up. The BFG is one of Roald Dahl's bestselling books. It's in virtually every top 10 list I can find (with a quick google search) and frequently breaks into the top 3. I've never heard of it being considered one of his less successful books before today.

Ugh. I'm tired of this dev now. He works for a living? Clearly, he has no understanding of the professional world of game development. What he's doing isn't a job, it's a hobby that he clearly wants to be a get-rich-quick scheme. Making a livelihood out of stuff like this requires more than...

I remember reading a book called 'Why the West rules - For Now', where the author dredges up a quote along the lines of "a major war is impossible due to the interconnectedness of global trade and infrastructure etc." He appears to be using this to reinforce the view that WW3 is impossible...

Depression is a kind of persistent hopelessness. It's closely tied in with despair and anxiety. It's the feeling that something is broken inside you, or going to break at some point, and that the fallout from that is more than you can take as a person. It's the belief that nothing can make it...

Films don't die any more. They just get rebooted.

Eh, what? Legally in the UK, we have 13 weeks off for school holidays. They're pretty regularly spaced throughout the year - why can't you see her during this time? You're not supposed to take holiday during term-time, that's why it's called term-time. Basically, the two week thing you're...

Whoa, there! Nintendo fanboys are the most vociferous out there, bar none, in my experience. As for Half-Life, when it first came out, I was a little taken aback by the reception. I think at the time I was too young to appreciate the virtues of a shooter that was genuinely story-driven, used...

Not much of a connoiseur, but do enjoy some of the more expensive commercial single-malts, such as Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich. Once upon a time, I enjoyed Bowmore, but it's a bit potent for me these days. Also partial to a drop of Jameson's when the mood takes me. Johnnie Walker is the...

Must have bought Half-Life several times. And Half-Life 2, though that would be as part of a bundle. Bought both KOTOR games twice, because backwards compatibility on the Xbox is so poor. Farcry twice as I lost my first copy. And all of the Doom and Quake games to take advantage of...

Was going to add being a teacher as both the best and worst job I've ever had.

I feel for you. While unemployed I had some real problems getting to sleep at night and it caused all kinds of problems emotionally - anxiety attacks, warped thoughts etc. The only thing that (more or less) fully solved it for me was getting back to work and being so mentally exhausted at...

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. The amount of times I got accused of cheating in that game was ridiculous. Could win games single-handed, which is a fair bit harder to do than in your average multiplayer FPS. Shame that it died and Quake Wars completely missed the point.

I think Frank Herbert said in Dune that power is the ability to destroy something. But I like Varys's definition better. Power is the ability to convince other people that you hold power. Knowledge, money, social status, strength. all of these can contribute to maintaining that illusion...

If you think the standard of history education was previously better, then I feel your education failed you.

Pfft. I've been here eighteen months longer than you, Calibanbutcher and just hit three hundred posts. You sir, are a lurking amateur. And during that time, I have indeed read the same threads, arguments and witty pop-culture references many, many times. And yet, I still keep coming back...