Err yeah but the 8800 is not even a mid range card let alone a budget one. It was high end when it came out, (and with a cost to match), and is still pretty high end in terms of actual performance even compared with the latest cards, (the 9xxx and 2xx etc haven't moved the game on all that far from the 88xx series cards).
Actually Dead Space looks like a cartoon. Where that Crysis screen shot is (almost) photo realistic. So I'm not quite sure what you consider to be "high quality" graphics.
But for me it needs to look like real life, as in just like a photo would. None of the screen shots in the thread you link to look even slightly photo realistic. Another plus point for consoles and that is the ease of availability of games. If I had an XBox, Wii or PS3 I could go down to my local high street and pick up a game, (from all sorts of places, even Woolworths !), with a good chance of finding one that I actually wanted. If I want a PC game, I pretty much have to order it on line or find a major HMV etc retail outlet.
So if you're the kind of person that isn't too worried about best price but just want your game today, consoles have a far better chance of being able to deliver that than the PC.
Despite all that, I'm not interested enough in games to go out and buy a dedicated games console so I'll be sticking with the PC.
Duh ... of course !!
Yes : http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/N ... -GT3-2008-first-pictures/
Personally I think the huge spoiler at the back completely ruin the lines of the car. But I guess it's a neccessary evil in racing, though personally I hate spoilers on tin tops (with rare exceptions) they just scream boy racer Saxo driver to me, even on million pound super cars.
Take the spoiler off it though and I think it's a very nice looking car. Though for the real road I much prefer the production version, (in my dreams of course
), where the 4WD would make it much quicker point-to-point on diesel slicked UK roads.Which of course you'll rush right out and put a deposit down on right??
Why hope for a manufacturer to bring out a car that you can't and will never be able to afford? (unless you're extremely lucky in life).
But that isn't the definition of smoothness. Smoothness is to do with the lines you take, (particularly entry in to corners and linking corner combinations), and the aggression of braking/throttle and steering (when entering the corner). All the above video shows is that Schumacher is closer to the limit of traction and is continually correcting for small slides, which Herbert would be doing too if he was as anywhere near the limit as Schumacher is. It's the difference in throttle in this particular comparision that is the difference between smooth and agressive. Note Herberts comment about Senna being very "jabby" on the throttle compared to Schumacher.
Essentially smoothness is defined by more progressive control inputs and more gradual turn in to corners as opposed to an aggressive style which uses more dramatic/larger control inputs and later turn in to corners.
Ah yes I agree, being of an engineering/science background myself. But art has the ability to stimulate the imagination and without imagination even engineers would be reduced to just copying existing designs. There would be no progress. As for the functionality. Well it's not functional, Today. Who knows about tomorrow with science and materials technology advancing all the time something very similar may become possible. People were complaining about it's lack of suspension in the comments in the link. Well who's to say the materials used don't have the right properties to allow the front wheel to turn and the wheels to move up and down. That's what I mean when I say peoples thinking is too rigid, too limited to the now.
Which is why I don't object to it. As you say, it's not even that futuristic. But you have to admit it does have very clean lines and is the ulitmate expression of where (sports) bikes have been going in the last 5 years no?
I'm sure that's true but it's a well understood psychological human trait to dislike those things you struggle with.
I find the Irony of that statement just as amusing, or should I be getting out my F1 scrap book to get your autograph?
I'm not trying to suggest that Hamilton isn't a supremely talented driver just find his choices of sections illuminating that's all.
Ones that require you to alter your throttle to avoid loosing grip or sharp turns of direction such as a chicane or where the car goes light over the brow of a hill or where braking is anything but slam on the brakes.
Read through the article linked and you'll see that most of his favourite sections have one thing in common. Pedal flat to the floor, high G Force corners that so long as you take the right line in pretty much require, (relatively), no seat of the pants feel or skill in keeping the car balanced on the limit or any quick direction changes etc. Not much there to upset the car or require any actions of the driver to keep it set.
I think his choice of sections is very informative to his attitude to what makes a "great" driver, (the immaturity of youth maybe? only speed and physical prowess count??), and also probably indicative of his own perception of himself and his own weaknesses.
Yup. Complete lack of any technical sections too.
Reminded me of Akira, though it looks nothing like it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gen/40687210/
I like it. I can't get over how adverse to modern design a lot of you people are
. I'm the old fuddy duddy here, it should be me complaining about modern stuff not all you kids 
Could probably throw in Lehman Brothers too
Problem with PC's is their generic hardware/software environment and requirement to have mid-to-high end graphics cards to run any relatively new game, ending up with needing a lot more money just to play new(ish) games.
Also apart from the obvious, (eg LFS etc), there are advantages to the consoles input devices in some games. For example in God of War II you need to spin or turn things sometimes to solve puzzles or defeat your foe, the thumb joystick is perfect for this as it requires at least a little bit of skill to use one to do the task rather than just holding down a button to turn something the right way. Just adds a slightly different element to the actual way you interact with the game.
So the way I see it is, if you're a serious gamer and are prepared to spend a lot of money to get the absolute best graphics and performance in modern games, (and have to have every latest title as soon as it comes out), then a dedicated gaming PC is the way to go. If on the other hand you're just a part time gamer that uses games as a bit of fun and relaxation, (meaning you're not buying every latest title when it's released), then I think consoles are by far the best value for money.
Also apart from the obvious, (eg LFS etc), there are advantages to the consoles input devices in some games. For example in God of War II you need to spin or turn things sometimes to solve puzzles or defeat your foe, the thumb joystick is perfect for this as it requires at least a little bit of skill to use one to do the task rather than just holding down a button to turn something the right way. Just adds a slightly different element to the actual way you interact with the game.
So the way I see it is, if you're a serious gamer and are prepared to spend a lot of money to get the absolute best graphics and performance in modern games, (and have to have every latest title as soon as it comes out), then a dedicated gaming PC is the way to go. If on the other hand you're just a part time gamer that uses games as a bit of fun and relaxation, (meaning you're not buying every latest title when it's released), then I think consoles are by far the best value for money.
The problem with that of course is that, (unlike fingerprints even), DNA is transferable. In fact it is entirely this property of DNA that allows it to be used as evidence in the first place, but it is also exactly the property of DNA as evidence that makes it so fallable as evidence. There are a lot more innocent methods of transfering DNA on to an object than there are non innocent ones. To my mind DNA should only form part of the physical evidence against a person, to use it as the only form of physical evidence is entirely unjust IMO.
This is where DNA evidence has fallen down in the past, (and probably will continue in the future too), so much so that a couple of relatively high profile cases that were reversed on appeal were supposed to lead to a review of all other cases where DNA alone had been used to convict someone. As far as I am aware this hasn't happened. A situation that can't be tollerated IMO.
http://www.housemag.co.uk/inde ... %5D=92&type=editorial
Good point, I have to admit I hadn't looked at it in terms of proportionality just absolute points.
Maybe then 1st place should score 30. That would be the same advantage to winning as the pre 2003 F1 points system, but actually put some motivation in to making up places lower down the order.
It's because he's used to thinking in terms of the current car products available, where generally speaking top speed comes as a by product of acceleration and vice versa, (of course there are exceptions such as the Elise et al). The buying public have been brainwashed in to aspiring towards products with needlessly high top speeds and by the available products where to have "fast" mid-range acceleration you need a car with a high top speed. This behaviour is to a large extent a product of how combustion engines develop power. An Electric motor however works in a competely different way it has maximum torque from zero revs so esentially the mid range acceleration becomes entirely about gearing not about what revs your doing in combination with gears. In this respect the Tesla has midrange acceleration only very powerful petrol engined cars can dream of:
"Our top-gear acceleration measured 2.3 seconds for the 30-to-50- and 50-to-70-mph intervals. The Tesla’s 4.6-second total for the two tests bests that of a Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series, which was our 2007 champion in this measure of instant responsiveness."
http://www.caranddriver.com/re ... _tesla_roadster_road_test
I can't be bothered to go out and take a picture, especially as it's pitch black out there. But I drive one of these, (only in dark blue):
Leon Cupra 1.8 20V Turbo
It's not stupidly fast , (0-60 in 7.5), but most people don't expect it's pace, (especially 3 Series BMW drivers), because it looks so ordinary.
Leon Cupra 1.8 20V Turbo
It's not stupidly fast , (0-60 in 7.5), but most people don't expect it's pace, (especially 3 Series BMW drivers), because it looks so ordinary.
Well this will be the real test of that. Best way to look at it is this:
Try and keep it going and just accept that if it doesn't work out then it wasn't to be, but if it does then that's a good sign for the future.
Yup I've been there, done that. Moved 200 miles away from home to go to uni.
You're going to be fine. For a start there will be the people in your classes that you can potentially make friends with. Quite a few of them are likely to be in a similar situation as you, so they'll be looking to meet friends too.
As far as supporting yourself is concerned. Do you have an income from somewhere? your parents going to help out? or some kind of grant/loan from somewhere? If not then I suppose you'll have to try and find a job. But the college/school should be able to point you in the right direction for that in terms of where to look at least. Either way the thing you'll need to learn is to budget your money, it's really not that hard it just means working out what you need to spend on food/transport/books etc and only spending what's left over on having fun.
Nothing wrong with being a learner, everyone had to be once.
Just as long as you don't start modding your restricted moped/125 to get that extra 3 mph out of it.
One of the funniest things I ever read in a motorcycle magazine was the editors response to some poor 17 old learner who had written in asking if it was true that swapping the cogs on the gearbox of his 125zyz thingy from one with x teeth to one with y teeth could make it do 80mph, because his mates had said it would.
well the Editor was getting cheesed off by the endless letters asking similar questions about restricted 12hp 125s & 50cc mopeds so he wrote back saying (paraphrased).
"actually the 125xyz is good for 124mph... if you push it off the edge of a cliff. Stop wasting your time and money and spend it on passing your test and getting a real motorcycle!"
Personally I prefer a bit of mud....(but then that's the drummer in me).
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=og3qsy4pCaw&fmt=18
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG