riddler

I'm convinced it is a definition problem, but more about movies and books. I see films as a visual/sound/dialogue medium, with some room for philosophy. Sci-Fi, in particular, uses strong visualization and sound, while limiting ideology to just a few concepts. I see books as a dialogue/philosophy medium with some room for visualization (but not sound) - in Sci-Fi books, you can make loads of philosophy, and no one complains. I think the Russian directors spend too much time trying to put books onto filmstock, which results in tedium and impotency in their productions. Well, that, and the lack of money - maybe James Cameron needs to throw a few million at one of these guys just to see what they can do with a real budget. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy foreign films immensely. I just don't get non-Western Sci-Fi. But this movie sold 4.3 million tickets in Russia, so it must make sense to them. I hope I'm not disappointed tomorrow with TOO much visualization Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Just spent three hours watching "Stalker", most of which was three bald guys moving cautiously through natural and urban settings, arguing about who should go first. There was quite a bit of pontificating about the nature of mankind, and the motivations for our deepest desires. Outside of one cheap parlor trick at the end, there were no special effects, no one got hurt, no gooey aliens, some vague religious references, and a lot of unnecessary slow-motion pans and zooms. It reminded me of Solaris, with it's 10-minute driving-on-the-highway scenes, lots of people talking, and the entire budget blown on one cheesy effect. Why is this stuff considered good Sci-Fi? I'm sure the books were great, but these films are like three hours of foreplay and no happy ending. Deeply unsatisfying. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

It took a while, but I finally found the video about "white men with guns". She did not say that only white men with guns were there, as I believe your statement implied. She was making a point that the president is black, and there are white men with guns. Your point would be much stronger if there were no white men with guns there, but there obviously were. Was it racist? I don't think so, anymore than you do - just some people that wanted to show support for the 2nd amendment. The reporter was obviously trying to fuel emotion in a story that wasn't really a story. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Not true: poor tests = bad data. One always throws out bad data, even if it is slightly corrupt. If the premise of the test is false, you throw out the test. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Anyone else notice in that movie that the underwater scenes are sped up? I guess they did that to save time. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Not according to Admiral Mullen, who said just last week there is "absolutely no provision or discussion" of putting any U.S. troops in Pakistan. There is support personnel there, which was at the request of the Pakistani government, to train their own troops. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Don't understand your answer - Pakistan hasn't exactly authorized the use of armed drones over their airspace either. So does the US think that sending flying missile platforms is less of an invasion of Pakistan than sending footsoldiers in? I don't believe the US commanders are such cowards. I think they feel that it's the safest methodology for our troops - a lot fewer soldiers will be killed if they aren't actually in the country. I also think the US commanders don't give a hoot about the innocent people that are killed in Pakistan. You may or may not get the person or people that you want to kill. But you are nearly always going to kill other people that were never targets. The "collateral damage" mentality is going to breed more terrorism. If someone killed my children I would stop at nothing to do the same to them. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

At first, I thought you were trying to put emotions onto actions that you were not part of. Then I realized that it's sex we're talking about, so yeah, it probably was enthusiastic. At least during the act. I wonder if they at least felt a little guilty afterwards. And then I wonder if feeling guilty contributes to the behavior. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Because the GOP strongly objected to a 2% increase in government Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Fair statement I know a few rent-a-cops like this, as well - one was rejected by several law enforcement agencies. Troubling that he routinely carried more weapons than the average police officers I know. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Sorry, I respectfully disagree. Part of my job is to look carefully at images, and I don't think they are the same photo at all. In fact, to clarify, I took your "full" image, and I cropped it, with the approximate dimensions and position of the supposed cropped image, focusing on the clip, stock, and handguard of the weapon. They are different images. I attached them for reference. It's possible they are of the same man, with the same main weapon, but there are some different artifacts in the image, which means it also may be a different man. I'm not going to say either is true, but there is doubt both ways. There is no doubt in my mind they are different images. Edit to add the final image. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

While I am a proponent of responsible gun ownership (no, I don't own one), I have to say that a lot of people that I know that own guns seem to talk a lot about being a hero, apprehending criminals, saving their friends/family, policing the streets, etc, etc. I'm not saying you're saying that, only that the mentality does disturb me. I've heard of very few instances where people out on the street are cornered (I am excluding shop owners), and they can't get away, rather than draw a gun. It seems that wielding and/or using a gun might be a good very last resort if you can't run away, call the police in time, hide, or one of other many countless options. I think there are other times when the option is good (home defense, etc). Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I think he kinda already did that, himself - prostitution, tax evasion, subverting the Italian courts, profiteering with his own business, monopolizing the media, cronyism, links to the Mafia, corruption; The guy has a rap sheet longer than some Roman Emperors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Berlusconi#Controversies Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

That way, if she comes out with something that is extraordinarily expensive, you can run away with her credit cards. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I have yet to see data from a reliable source that disproves global warming. Can you present that here? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

In the 1800s, a woman might drop a hanky, hoping the man would pick it up. In the 2000s, a woman might leave condoms in her purse, then excuse herself Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I don't get it - are you saying that the two pictures are the same? I don't think they are ... Or are you saying these are two different pictures, but not everyone carrying a gun was white. I don't think she said that. Or are you saying that someone is a cow? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I remember something like that - something about eunichs, right? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I thought you might be talking about them now having legal male prostitutes: http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=4997&MediaType=1&Category=26 Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Taboo? It's gross in there - half-eaten cough drops, long spindly hair from hairbrushes, lipstick that melted to the bottom. Maybe even a mini-bob - I ain't touching that! Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

This is an interesting point. In my eyes, all the science supports global warming as fact, and even most of the politicians support global warming as fact. So where are the deniers getting their information? From conspiracy theorists? From oil companies? With politicians and scientists behind this measure, who is trying to subvert it? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

He probably deserved it? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Another way to say it might be that some atheists actually take time to research matters, rather than just taking other peoples' word for it. I wonder how many Christians have actually read the Bible all the way through? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I heard this was part of Jeb Corliss' plan to land a wingsuit. Well, it's worth a try, anyway. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

OK, next time Remster comes to town, this is where we're meeting Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD