AThousandLies

It's interesting to think how 15 or so years ago, a lot of people might have said the opposite - that they would have trouble living without a TV, but without a computer they'd still get along just fine.

The Black Crusade that we got over here was a damn good show, although Machine Head's setlist was a little short - I don't think it was even an hour long. Ah well, still killer.

Old consoles, not old games. This thread takes into account (and seems to mostly involve) old computer games, rather than console ones. I like to really complete a game in its campaign mode. It gives that real sense of satisfaction. I want to play Age of Mythology all the way through again - I ended up doing the last level with cheats. I tried to play it through last year but my computer died and I lost the save game. I want to do the same thing with Warcraft II and Starcraft at some stage as well.

Probably Canada and back to France.

Television's getting worse and worse, though it'd be hard not to watch Simpsons every day. Computer, on the other hand - no way. Most of my friends live some distance away, 30 minutes at least, and I don't get to see them a great deal often. It's vital for communication. It's also where I keep a lot of things - my music, composed stuff, writings, etc. Plus the whole source of information/discussion/everything. I'm a slave to it.

Just played three maps of Quake Wars in a row - absolutely destroyed it. I got 6 awards, 5 and 7 in the first, second and third respectively; top experience, most kills, best aggressor, most damage three times in a row; also got best battlesense, best light weapons and something else once. Score!

Big Day Out (mainly there for RATM, and Amen if they come): February 3 Iron Maiden: February 4 I've had a killer concert year this year - previously it was like one or two a year. In 2007 though I've seen Tool, Muse, Deftones, Suicidal Tendencies, Slayer, Mastodon, Black Sabbath, Down, The Cure, Marilyn Manson, Arch Enemy, Trivium and Machine Head. Woo.

Statstics released by the ABS yesterday revealed unemployment rose in the month of October to 4.3%. Not sure about the NAIRU; apart from the target set between 5 and 6%, does anyone have current stats on it? Yeah, but note that that raise is using the seasonally adjusted figures. According to the non-seasonal trend, unemployment has remained at 4.3% between September and October. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/6202.0 Well, a poor TOT is a CAD-related problem, no? Anyway, it's a constraint on economic growth potential. Well, bringing business into this, it affects Australia's credit ratings; decrease in foreign investors' confidence. Downgrading will make future borrowings more costly. Though I suppose the valuation effect as a result of the AUD's appreciation will counter-act that. Maybe. Also: forces government to implement contractionary eco policy. MP tightened 6 times, while FP continues to be loosened, hmm... Conflict here? A poor TOT is a CAD-related problem, but given that our TOT is so strong at present (120+ or something?) I don't think it's a major issue at the moment. It does decrease foreign investor's confidence, but to be honest, we don't need to increase our investment at this point in time - that would just further fuel expenditure (given multiplier effect) and would probably increase inflation, which wouldn't be too good. You bring up a good point that I failed to recognise about the government's current policy, with the conflicting policies. Fiscal policy less effective when not part of an overall policy plan, and the tax cuts they've been applying have gone against those economic objectives, and perhaps even prompted the need for MP to be raised once again. Silly government. It does limit effectiveness. I can't be bothered with the essay explanation - done enough of that. Unemployment? Hmm, ok. How about a wage-price inflationary spiral? Eep. Yeah, that's another potential problem we face, but even if the ALP does mismanage things, I think either government has the capacity to avoid a bad wage-price spiral like we've had before (when wages were adjusted in line with the CPI). Just finished doing TEE Economics here in W.A.. It feels strange to actually be able to apply knowledge learnt in highschool to an actual conversation!

I can't believe they're letting Fergie open for them on their Australian tour. :wall:

I go back to GTA3 and Vice City every now and again. I tried playing Road Rash a few months ago, but I just couldn't get back into it. I'd like to try Blood again though - I was always terrified of that game.

I enjoy doing it the old way sometimes - getting the pizza dough, tomatoes, chees and toppings; churning the milk; sheering the sheep; making molten glass. It's gratifying sometimes.

Wonderful - here comes the accusations of games and music being responsible. Heh read his manifesto He has died from his injuries now anyway. I know he has tried to explain it, but what must have been going through this kid's mind to go that far? I don't understand it. Even with his manifesto (and I'm glad he accepted responsibility), it's still going to add more fuel to the fire for the anti-game/anti-music/anti-anything lobbyists. Evidently he had a great deal of misanthropy - much stronger than any I've encountered, held or heard of myself.

Fair point, but Howard did have a decent amount of experience as Treasurer - it seems as though he was adequately prepared in his first term. The resources boom isn't the only thing that's aided us - Microeconomic Reform has been quite beneficial in increasing Australia's efficiency. Our output per worker (and another figure which escapes me) was higher than the OECD average between 1990 and 1999, and higher than that of the US, UK, Germany and France. Hidden unemployment will always exist, but the government does appear to have done well in lowering the unemployment rate according to the ABS. While the size of the CAD is large and can have negative impacts, it doesn't appear to have affected us a great deal. A lot of that is from the Balance on Goods & Services, and that's partly due to our high propensity to import. External viability is a goal that needs to be managed, but I don't think it's a huge problem to us at this present point in time. I admit that the scare campaigns on either side piss me off, and in particular the ones done by the Howard government, which I see far more often, but the unionists and former unionists in the ALP could mean increased union control, and higher unemployment as a result of them demanding above-equilibrium wages. Personally, the interest rate rise was necessary. Ok, yes, it proved the RBA operates independently from the government, which is good. It's operating as it should be. But it was necessary because inflation was getting out of hand. Sure, CPI Inflation is at 1.9%, which is well between the RBA's inflationary target of 2-3%. However, it's a false indicator. Underlying core inflation was well above that figure, nearing the borderline of 3% as a result of some one-off health care changes, I think? Oh, I wasn't saying that the interest rate rise was a bad thing. I think it was necessary, and it's good to see that the RBA is doing their job independant from the government. I was just saying that I think that's more or less the nail in the coffin for Howard, and you can bet your bottom dollar Rudd's going to use that to his advantage. He must be ecstatic.

Yeah, but implying that it has something to do with you and your research on these things is pretty silly. Anyway, this is really unfortunate, and the first time I've heard of this happening in Europe, though it's still a rarity there compared to America. I really hope Jack Thompson doesn't try pull his [cabbage] on this one. EDIT: Just read the "Hate & Love" document. Wonderful - here comes the accusations of games and music being responsible.

You could try going as Margaret Thatcher ... ?

You could just take your phone off the hook.

Hey man, don't forget Wish. "Gotta listen to your big time hard line bad luck fistf*ck" But yeah, this is just ridiculous. No affection? Doesn't that mean a teacher is disallowed from what, patting a student on the back for doing well? That's just silly. Reminds me of some article in the paper about ridiculous old British laws that are still officially on the books. Apparently it's illegal to die in parliament. Be warned!

The left side? Typical . . . I don't get it when I go exploring or anything. Sometimes when I decide to be all spur-of-the-moment and not worry about bugs I feel great, all adrenaline-y, rather than this apprehensive feeling mentioned here. I generally only get that when I feel threatened, which is a lot, given I'm a scrawny girly man.

I get that strange feeling whenever I go on some sort of outing, but that's probably because I'm a paranoid social recluse. It's more of an adrenaline/butterflies in the stomach sort of thing. I went to Europe about a year ago and tried to get into that sort of feeling, but I couldn't do it.

I know I'm not the only Aussie here, nor the only person who's interested in politics. What are everyone's thoughts on the outcome of this election? Given that I'm not of voting age I obviously don't have much of a say, nor have I invested a great deal of time in deciding whether to support Rudd or Howard. I initially thought given the polls Rudd was a shoe-in, but the same thing has happened before with Beazley and Mark [bleep]alot -- err, sorry, Latham. The same deal happened with the Worm (which I am so sick of hearing about by now). But now that there's this interest rate rise, which is apparently the first to ever happen during an election campaign ... that could very well seal the deal. Thoughts? Who do you think you'll vote for?

omg thats racist

Isn't tea the decadent drink of the bourgeoise!?!? I have tea about four times a day - Lipton or Bushells - with milk and one sugar.

No free flowing of ideas, no cultural diffusion.. -.- Soviet Russia, much? Note that i said illegal immigration. Illegal. Get a Visa, Greencard, what have you, and go ahead, come on in. Jump my fence, gtfo. Not trying to turn this thread into an illegal immigration dicussion/flamefest, but illegals are...illegal! Letting them come in is like letting serial killers do their dirty work uninhibited. Laws are laws, and should not be bent like that. That's an unfair comparison, and I'm sure you recognise that. The impact of an illegal immigrant is far less damaging than that of a serial killer. Just because they're both against the law, doesn't mean they're both just as bad.

Er, don't you mean "if you don't play an instrument please don't comment"? I play electric and bass guitar. My equipment's nothing special (I need a better amp) but I'm able to play the bass on Love You to Death by Type O Negative, Hysteria by Muse, and on guitar, the solo from Ruiner by Nine Inch Nails, Killing in the Name Of (but who can't play that?), and Cosmonaut by At the Drive-In.

I don't think there is such thing as "true love". But I'm just a bitter cynic.