The great secret of today's video games that has been lost in the moral panic over "Grand Theft Auto" is how difficult the games have become. That difficulty is not merely a question of hand-eye coordination; most of today's games force kids to learn complex rule systems, master challenging new interfaces, follow dozens of shifting variables in real time and prioritize between multiple objectives.

 

Consider this one fascinating trend among teenagers: They're spending less time watching professional sports and more time simulating those sports on Xbox or PlayStation. Now, which activity challenges the mind more — sitting around rooting for the Packers, or managing an entire football franchise through a season of "Madden 2005": calling plays, setting lineups, trading players and negotiating contracts? Which challenges the mind more — zoning out to the lives of fictional characters on a televised soap opera, or actively managing the lives of dozens of virtual characters in a game such as "The Sims"?

 

On to the issue of aggression, and what causes it in kids, especially teenage boys. Congress should be interested in the facts: The last 10 years have seen the release of many popular violent games, including "Quake" and "Grand Theft Auto"; that period has also seen the most dramatic drop in violent crime in recent memory. According to Duke University's Child Well-Being Index, today's kids are less violent than kids have been at any time since the study began in 1975. Perhaps, Sen. Clinton, your investigation should explore the theory that violent games function as a safety valve, letting children explore their natural aggression without acting it out in the real world.

 

Of course, I admit that there's one charge against video games that is a slam dunk. Kids don't get physical exercise when they play a video game, and indeed the rise in obesity among younger people is a serious issue. But, of course, you don't get exercise from doing homework either.

No Need to Click Here - I'm just claiming my feed at Feedster feedster:fb088f9358ecd820128202d9c8ac0646

~tod

Tip #1 What’s in a name? Search Results, that’s what.

Tip #2 Read a bunch of blogs before you start.

Tip #3 Keep it Simple. Keep it focused.

Tip #4 Demonstrate passsion.
Tip #5 Show your authority.

Tip #6 Add Comments.

Tip #7 Be accessible.

Tip #8 Tell A Story.

Tip #9 Link often.

Tip #10 Get Out into the Real World.

Tip #11 Use your referrer log.

Now we've released a new Windows Mobile Powertoy called Microsoft Global Contact Access.  With Microsoft Global Contact Access, you can use Pocket Outlook on your Windows Mobile-based Smartphone or Pocket PC Phone Edition to look up contacts in the Global Address List (GAL) on your corporate Exchange server.

You can also check your co-workers' schedules to see if they're free or busy, and add multiple recipients to a meeting request.

Even if you're away from your office you'll have all the information you need to connect with any co-worker in your organization, and send them e-mail or request a meeting.

The mother of all adventures, the Mongol Rally is an 8000 mile dash across ¼ of the earth's surface in cars that most people consider underpowered for doing the shopping. We have no entourage of support vehicles, there is no carefully marked course, there are no professional drivers, fast cars, or even good cars. It's just you, your shite-mobile and thousands of miles of adventure. Not only do we provide the world's most extreme car challenge, you get to save the world at the same time. The Mongol rally is a charity event that raises money for an awesome charity with a slightly ridiculous name 'Send a Cow'.

Here's my buddy's site: Team Roshambo.  Jump on over and check it out...looks pretty good for a hack dev.   Donate some extra funds if you like...or not.

England
France
Germany
Czech Republic
Slovak Republic
Hungary
Yugoslavia
Bulgaria
Turkey
Georgia
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan (twice)
Russia (twice)
Mongolia
China