Wired Article: Will Wright (Spore/SimCity) discusses the affects of computer games on kids. MUST READ!!!

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A lot of what this article says contradicts what others say about bad effects of computer games:

Dream Machines

Now an entire generation has grown up with a different set of games than any before it - and it plays these games in different ways. Just watch a kid with a new videogame. The last thing they do is read the manual. Instead, they pick up the controller and start mashing buttons to see what happens. This isn’t a random process; it’s the essence of the scientific method. Through trial and error, players build a model of the underlying game based on empirical evidence collected through play. As the players refine this model, they begin to master the game world. It’s a rapid cycle of hypothesis, experiment, and analysis. And it’s a fundamentally different take on problem-solving than the linear, read-the-manual-first approach of their parents.

In an era of structured education and standardized testing, this generational difference might not yet be evident. But the gamers’ mindset - the fact that they are learning in a totally new way - means they’ll treat the world as a place for creation, not consumption. This is the true impact videogames will have on our culture.

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Games cultivate - and exploit - possibility space better than any other medium. In linear storytelling, we can only imagine the possibility space that surrounds the narrative: What if Luke had joined the Dark Side? What if Neo isn’t the One? In interactive media, we can explore it.

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It turns out that we don’t use computers to enhance our math skills - we use them to expand our people skills.


Read the article in its entirety here.

Suck on that Jack Thompson.

History Lesson of the Day: Origins of “Pinko Commie” Phrase

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The word 'pinko' first became popular during the Cold War to designate those who supported the Soviet Union. The word was predominantly used in the United States, where opposition to Communism grew strong among the population, especially during the era of the McCarthy hearings. One of the most famous uses of the word is a quote attributed to Richard Nixon, talking in 1950 about Helen Gahagan Douglas: "She's pink down to her underwear!", referring to the fact that at the time, pink was the main color of women's undergarments.

The word 'pinko' likely has its origins in the relations between the colors pink and red. Since pink is a lighter shade of red, the color most associated with communism, pink could be thought of as a "lighter form of communism" practiced by mere supporters of Marxism or socialism as opposed to card-carrying communists.

Thank Wikipedia.

Monopoly Spoof: The Patriot Act game

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The board game that brings the thrill of trampling the Constitution right into your home... newly updated for 2006 to include NSA wiretaps and renewal of provisions!

PATRIOT ACT: The Home Version, is a game inspired by the historic abuse of governmental powers of the same name. Many of the hypothetical situations in the game are based on real-life events. Either as a game to be played or as a statement to be read, Patriot Act: The Home Version educates the user to the current erosion of our civil rights by the government while claiming to be protecting our freedoms. John Ashcroft may no longer be Attorney General, but his legacy lives on in the anti-freedom legislation that this game is a tribute to.

Click here to find out how to play.

JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank

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This is for sale on Amazon:








Price: $19,999.95

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 months
Available from NAO Design



Features:

  • Carries cargo or a crew of up to five internally or on the roof.

  • Piloted from within the armored shell or from an exposed standing position through the hatch.

  • 6hp Tecumseh gasoline engine, top speed 40 mph.

  • Includes head/tail and turn signal lights, trim and underbody lighting.

  • 400 watt premium sound with PA system, plush interior, and external camera.


Click here to see the product page.

Be sure to read the product customer reviews. They're hilarious.

Yarrrr! U.S. Navy Ships Return Fire on Suspected Pirates

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From U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs ABOARD USS CAPE ST. GEORGE, At sea (NNS) -- USS Cape St. George (CG 71) and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) returned fire on a group of suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean, killing one and wounding five, approximately 25 nautical miles off the central eastern coast of Somalia in international waters at 5:40 a.m. local time, March 18.

Cape St. George, a guided-missile cruiser, and Gonzalez, a guided-missile destroyer, were conducting maritime security operations in the area as part of Combined Task Force 150, a maritime coalition task force currently led by Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Hank Ort, when they spotted a suspect vessel towing two smaller skiffs heading west toward the coast. As Gonzalez’s boarding teams prepared to conduct a routine boarding of the suspect vessel, the two Norfolk, Va.-based Navy ships noticed the group of suspected pirates were brandishing what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers.