Lame name, but I'm glad it's coming out so soon.

From IGN:

Quote:January 09, 2004 - The Xbox often gets left out when it comes to high-profile third-party games, though Konami has graced us with not only a Metal Gear game, but also a Silent Hill one. Unfortunately, we did miss out on the excellent Silent Hill 3. But things aren't as bad as they seem - we're officially getting Silent Hill 4.

This time around, the lead is male; Henry Townshend, to be more specific. He trapped inside his apartment that's been cursed by a deep, dark evil. To uncover the truth about cursed, Henry will have to travel through portals that lead him to alternate universes. Sounds cool - and scary.
From the screenshots, we can tell a couple of things. One, the game looks just as good if not better than Silent Hill 3. If you're one of the brave who played the last game, you'll know that is one of the most graphically-impressive games on any platform. The other thing we can tell is that the game's imagery will redefine what we gamers expect to see in a survival horror game. Other than that, we don't know much.

We'll have more on Silent Hill 4: The Room as Konami's Gamer Day 2004 commences. Don't forget to check the disturbing screenshots in the media page linked below.

Well, boy howdy y'all, looks like I'm right!
Bolded some parts for your viewing pleasure, rather, I would, but the whole thing would end up bolded. Great article.

http://truthnews.com/world/2002080105.htm

Quote: School Choice Ruling Sends Struggling Black Kids To The Head Of The Class

Mary Katherine Ascik, August 2002

Black Americans won a significant victory when the Supreme Court recently ruled that a Cleveland school vouchers program created to help children escape from substandard schools was constitutional.

The Ohio state legislature established the Ohio Pilot Scholarship Program in 1995 as a direct response to the failure of the Cleveland public school system. According to USA Today, public schools in Cleveland "fell short on every state standard for minimum acceptable performance in the mid-1990s." Students in the program receive scholarships to attend participating local private or suburban public schools. Parents can, alternatively, keep their children in local public schools but receive a grant for tutoring.

Cleveland's voucher program gives priority to students from low-income families who have no other choice than public schools. Sixty percent of current scholarship recipients are African-American.

Parent see school vouchers as a welcome alternative. Cleveland parent Joyce Thompson, whose daughter receives vouchers, explains: "I went to Cleveland public schools. My mom had no choice... My baby sister went to [private school]... Then she went to college. Now she's a school teacher. I want that kind of future for my own daughter."

Ms. Thompson is not alone in her support. A poll commissioned by the Cincinnati Enquirer found that 77 percent of African-Americans in Ohio support the Cleveland voucher program. Nationwide, a 1999 poll conducted by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found 60 percent of blacks support school vouchers, up from 48 percent in 1998.

It's not hard to discover why vouchers are so popular. Black students are being left behind by our public educational system. According to statistics on black achievement from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 62 percent of black fourth graders, 68 percent of black eighth graders and 70 percent of black twelfth graders in public schools performed below a "basic" level in math in 2000. Just five percent of black fourth and eighth graders and two percent of black twelfth graders in public schools performed at or above a "proficient" level in math, and no black students performed at an "advanced" level.

Similarly, black public school students in the fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades have average national scores in math, science and U.S. history scores that are below the "basic" level for each grade. Seventy percent of black twelfth graders perform below a "basic" level in mathematics; 79 percent perform below a "basic" level in science and 81 percent perform below a "basic" level in U.S. history. These statistics are disgraceful, and they show that our society is failing black children.

Vouchers are providing children with a way out of failing public schools by giving parents the opportunity to send their kids to private schools where student achievement is higher. Private school students consistently outscore their public school counterparts in reading, writing, mathematics, science, U.S. history, geography and civics.

Providing black children who are trapped in substandard inner-city public schools with an alternative is having a profound impact. Cato Institute Director of Education and Child Policy Darcy Olsen notes: "If black students across the nation had the same scores as black students in private schools, the national black/white achievement gap would shrink from 33 points to 13 points." Her claim is backed up by results. Black students enrolled in a New York City voucher program for at least a year had average test scores 7.6 percentile points higher than counterparts who had never attended private school. Children in Milwaukee's voucher program, in which 62.4 percent of scholarship recipients are African-American, gained "11 normal curve equivalent (NCE) points in math and six NCE points in reading over a four year period," according to Manhattan Institute senior fellow Jay P. Greene.

Our children have been left behind by failing public schools for long enough. The Supreme Court's decision removes the blockade that members of the powerful public education establishment have erected, and gives parents the opportunity to give their children the quality education they ought to be receiving.

Quote: From the Commanding Officer at MWSS-171 to his Marines.

Marines and Sailors,

As we approach the end of the year I think it is important
to share a few thoughts about what you've accomplished directly,
in some cases, and indirectly in many others. I am speaking about
what the Bush Administration and each of you has contributed by wearing
the uniform, because the fact that you wear the uniform contributes
100% to the capability of the nation to send a few onto the field to
execute national policy. As you read about these achievements you are
a part of I would call your attention to two things:

1. This is good news that hasn't been fit to print or report on TV.

2. It is much easier to point out the errors a man makes when he makes
the tough decisions, rarely is the positive as aggressively pursued.

Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1...

....... the first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on
active duty.

....... over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.

....... nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.

....... the Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.

....... on Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts-exceeding
the prewar average.

....... all 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are
open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.

....... by October 1, Coalition forces had rehabed over 1,500 schools - 500
more than scheduled.

....... teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.

....... all 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.

....... doctors salaries are at least eight times what they were under
Saddam.

....... pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700
tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.

....... the Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccinations to
Iraq's children.

....... a Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of Iraq's
27,000 kilometers of weed-choked canals which now irrigate tens of thousands
of
farms. This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and
women.

....... we have restored over three-quarters of prewar telephone services
and over two-thirds of the potable water production.

....... there are 4,900 full-service telephone connections. We expect 50,000
by year-end.

....... the wheels of commerce are turning. From bicycles to satellite
dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities
and towns.

....... 95 percent of all prewar bank customers have service and first-time
customers are opening accounts daily.

....... Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.

....... the central bank is fully independent.

....... Iraq has one of the worlds most growth-oriented investment and
banking laws.

....... Iraq has a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.

....... satellite TV dishes are legal.

....... foreign journalists aren't on 10-day visas paying mandatory and
extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for "minders" and other
government spies.

....... there is no Ministry of Information.

....... there are more than 170 newspapers.

....... you can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.

....... foreign journalists (and everyone else) are free to come and go.

....... a nation that had not one single element - legislative, judicial or
executive - of a representative government, now does.

....... in Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils.
Baghdad's first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when
the city council elected its new chairman.

....... today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and
professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.

....... 25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in
Iraq's history, run the day-to-day business of government.

....... the Iraqi government regularly participates in international events.

Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen
international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the
Arab League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference
Summit.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening
over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world.

....... Shia religious festivals that were all but banned, aren't.

....... for the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites
celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.

....... the Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects,
large and small, as part of a strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq.

....... Uday and Queasy are dead - and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to
the zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force
cooperation, torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games, or murdering
critics.

....... children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree
with the government.

....... political opponents aren't imprisoned, tortured, executed, maimed,
or are forced to watch their families die for disagreeing with Saddam.

....... millions of long suffering Iraqis no longer live in perpetual terror.

....... Saudis will hold municipal elections.

....... Qatar is reforming education to give more choices to parents.

....... Jordan is accelerating market economic reforms.

....... the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time to an Iranian
-- a Muslim woman who speaks out with courage for human rights, for
democracy
and for peace.

....... Saddam is gone.

....... Iraq is free.

....... President Bush has not faltered or failed.

....... Yet, little or none of this information has been published by the
Press corps that prides itself on bringing you all the news that's
important.

Iraq under US lead control has come further in six months than Germany
did in seven years or Japan did in nine years following WWII. Military
deaths from fanatic Nazi's, and Japanese numbered in the thousands and
continued for over three years after WWII victory was declared.

It took the US over four months to clear away the twin tower debris, let
alone attempt to build something else in its place.

Now, take into account that Congress fought President Bush on every
aspect of his handling of this country's war and the post-war
reconstruction;
and that they continue to claim on a daily basis on national TV that this
conflict has been a failure.

Taking everything into consideration, even the unfortunate loss of our
brothers and sisters in this conflict, do you think anyone else in the world
could have accomplished as much as the United States and the Bush
administration in so short a period of time?

These are things worth writing about. Get the word out. Write to someone
you think may be able to influence our Congress or the press to tell the
story.

Above all, be proud that you are a part of this historical precedent.

God Bless you all and God Bless America.

From the Commanding Officer at MWSS-171 to his Marines.

It's a debate that ABF, DJ, and I are running through. DJ doesn't understand why people like one team and hate others. ABF and myself say that it relates to pride in your regional team, but DJ says that you shouldn't feel pride in the team because you are not physically part of the team. DJ states that you should applaud good plays and boo bad plays no matter the team.

I though it might be more interesting to have the debate here instead on MSN. Much easier that way.

Extremely funny stuff.

I'm new here. Please be nice to me since I'm a newbie. Bye for now.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=st...bush_space

A step in the right direction , Well Bush did somthing good this time.

The idea of a Lunar base like off austin powers is kind of funny, It would actually be a better enviroment then the space station due to low gravity. I hope they revisit the armstrong shin dig and give those old rusty lunar scooters a try (if they still work).

also why not form a north american space agency ! The U.S would have canadian financial bonus and technology, We gave that big arm on the space shuttle and a few astronauts.

Nintendo is going nuts! From Spong:

Quote:Nintendo might well appear to be going mad, especially if you’ve been following the news of late. On the back of the Donkey Konga drum and Iwata’s assertions that a new ‘thing’ is in development that somehow sits in the void between hardware and software comes this: an explanation of exactly how to refer to the Game Boy Advance.

Read and enjoy.

Game Boy® Trademark Initiative, January 6, 2004

Did you know that there are ways to actually misuse a Game Boy? We just did it in the last sentence. Our famous Game Boy® trademark is sometimes misused. When a trademark is repeatedly misused it risks becoming a generic word that does not indicate the source or quality of the product.

You are probably one of more than 160 million people who love their Game Boy video game systems. But no matter how you use it (Gameboy, GameBoy, game boy, gameboy), real portable fun is actually spelled:

Game Boy® system
Game Boy® Advance hardware
Game Boy® Advance SP hardware

(Game Boy® can be used as an adjective to modify many generic nouns like system, video game system, hardware, game, software, accessory and so on.)

Now for some plural fun:

When there's more than one Game Boy®, Game Boy® Advance or Game Boy® Advance SP system, trademarks should never be used in plural format.

Here are some examples.

Incorrect usage:
Game Boys
Game Boy Advance SPs

Correct usage:
Game Boy systems
Game Boy Advance SP hardware

Of course, our trademark Game Boy® should never be used to refer to a non-Nintendo video game system. Our competitors have to earn their own reputations. Please don't give them a free ride on ours.



So there you have it. You never need to misrepresent any Gameboy Advances ever again.

Like the BG&E one.

How odd.

From Apex, makers of cheap DVD players.

http://www.gamespot.com/all/news/news_6086185.html

Quote:Spot On: The ApeXtreme PC Game Console


Apex, Via, and Digital Interactive Systems' new device promises to bring a console's simplicity to PC games. The question is: Can it?

PC gamers pride themselves on their technical prowess. But every once in a while, when grappling with uncooperative drivers or inexplicable crashes, some may catch themselves giving their PS2 or Xbox an envious glance. Then there's the console jockeys--a proud, callous-thumbed bunch to be sure, but not above a bit of jealousy when it comes to their PC cousins' massive and varied game library.



Anyone who could translate a console's ease-of-use to PC games might make a fortune. Now, it looks like someone may have done just that. Tomorrow at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, DVD manufacturer Apex, chipmaker VIA, and software company Digital Interactive Systems will unveil the ApeXtreme Personal Game Console, a device that can play CDs, DVDs. MP3s and PC games.

Nominated for this year's CES Innovation Award, the ApeXtreme feels like a scaled-back version of the Sony PSX, minus the personal video recording. The system will run at 1.4GHz and use a variety of VIA hardware, including the CN400 processor, the DirectX 9.0c-compatible S3 DeltaChrome graphics chipset, and a Vinyl Audio Dolby 5.1 sound card. It will feature a standard 40GB hard drive, six USB ports, Ethernet, and 56.6kps modem. The console will also support a variety of media inputs and formats, including DVI, SPDIF, RCA, S-video, and HDTV-compatible component video. It will also support DVD+/-R/RW and progressive scan DVD playback.

However, what is unique about the ApeXtreme is its purported ability to let users play PC games like they were console titles. Over an embedded version of Windows XP, the machine will run Digital Interactive Systems' DISCover "Drop and Play" engine, a software system that will allow gamers to slip in a PC game and play it almost immediately. More importantly, the DISCover makers' claim their engine will automatically install patches and "major mods" for the 2,000 games that the ApeXtreme is pre-programmed to recognize. "It will happen automatically, similar to TiVo or Replay TV," said Digital Interactive Systems vice president of operations Loren Kaiser in an interview with GameSpot. "We're trying to take some of the pains out of playing PC games." (For more on the DISCover engine, read GameSpot's interview with Kaiser.)

Although the ApeXtreme won't support any non-game or media programs, its functionality--combined with its $399 price point ($299 for a lower-end model)--sound almost too good to be true. Indeed, many analysts are waiting to see if the console can deliver on its large promises. "Considering the difficulties that are often associated with PC gaming, I'm a bit skeptical that it is as easy to use as it is being described," IDC game analyst Schelley Olhava told GameSpot. Then there's the question of whether PC gamers would even want to move into the living room. "We've found that the console gamer is not the same as the PC gamer," said Olhava. "The behavioral patterns of how you play a PC game versus a console game are quite striking."

However, Olhava admits the appeal of the ApeXtreme is undeniable--if it works. “[It] may find an audience among PC gamers looking for a unique and new type of game experience," she said. "Historically serious gamers have shown a willingness to try new technologies, and if happy with the experience, [they] will gladly spread the word among the mainstream gamer audience." Soon, gamers can find out for themselves--the first ApeXtremes are scheduled to hit stores at the end of March.

Quote:Q&A: Loren Kaiser on the DISCover engine


Digital Interactive Systems' vice president explains how the ApeXtreme PC game console's auto-updating, "Drop and Play" software works.

When it is unveiled tomorrow at CES, the ApeXtreme PC game console will have Apex's name on its case. It will be powered by Via hardware inside that case. But what will set it apart is the DISCover "Drop and Play" engine.



Designed by Digital Interactive Systems, the DISCover engine is a software system that aims to let users play PC titles on televisions as though they were console games. According to Loren Kaiser, Digital Interactive Systems' vice president of operations, the engine will also automatically update and install all patches and some mods for the 2,000 PC games which it is programmed to recognize out of the box.

How will it do it? Kaiser took some time out of his schedule to explain to GameSpot how the DISCover engine works and what machines will feature it in the future.

GameSpot: When are the first DISCover-based consoles going to hit stores?

Loren Kaiser: The end of Q1 2004. We're going to launch at CES with the ApexExtreme, which has been chosen as a finalist for the CES Innovation Award. DISCover itself is not making any consoles. DISCover's business model is to help electronics manufacturers tap into the gaming industry. Using our technology they will be able to tap into a library of thousands of existing PC games using the DISCover standard. It's kind of similar to the Dolby or DVD standard. How it works is the games are scripted and the scripts are loaded onto the machine. We're going to script 2,000 games at launch.

GS: Can anyone license the technology?

LK: Not anyone, just select partners. We don't like to use the term "licensing" because we provide a BIOS chip that contains portions of the software. They're also getting our database of scripts, and several programs that work together that we call the DISCover engine. It's really more of a partnership. We don't just hand them a little gold CD. We also script all the games and optimize them to their system.

GS: Is anyone else besides Apex adopting the DISCover engine?

LK: Alienware is going to launch with a media center that incorporates DISCover. The media center will let you do PVR functions and TiVo-type things, like Microsoft's media center--movies, music. Now when you incorporate this, you just drop in the games and they'll play. … They're [also] evaluating a $995 console with a P4 and a gig of RAM. There's going to be some shocks out of the Alienware one--you should see what they're designing.

GS: I was reading on your Web site that the DISCover engine will auto-update and install all the past and new patches for every game played on the console. How will it do that?

LK: OK, what's a game you like to play?

GS: Battlefield 1942.

LK: When you put in the CD, the first thing our engine does is it recognizes the game. We kind of go in front of auto-play, the lower-level calls to the Microsoft kernels. We're going to recognize the disc and determine whether it's a game or a music CD or a DVD. Once we determine it's a game, then we determine what the game is with our a fingerprinting system. Once we determine that it's Battlefield 1942, we're going to look into your system to see if it is installed or not. If it is installed, it's going to come right up and start the game. Now all that happens instantly--you put in Battlefield, the game starts right up. That's what a true console does, a PlayStation 2 or an Xbox.

GS: And if it's not installed?

LK: If it recognizes it's not installed, [the engine] goes into our automatic script to install the game. It knows your system, because we script each machine, so you're not doing anything. For Battlefield, since it's a 2-disc game, the tray will automatically pop open and you'll put in a second disc, and it will continue installing. From that point on, the game's installed and you just put the play disc in and the game starts.

GS: Yeah, but there's been dozens of patches for that game, not to mention all the mods…

LK: We'll handle the patches. As far as the mods, we'll just work with the mods that hit critical mass, the major ones.

GS: How will the DISCover engine know when there's a new patch to upload?

LK: We're working hand-in-hand with GameSpy. They'll be handling the patches with us. We're working with them to build a special DISCover arcade into our system. It will happen automatically, similar to TiVo or Replay TV. Every night at 1am, assuming the system is idle, it will dial in to our servers. When it dials in at night, it's going to get scripts for all the new games we've input into our server. It works the same way with patches. It will recognize that you have Battlefield 1942 on your system and, since the user is not given a choice, it will just patch it for you. We're trying to take some of the pains out of playing PC games.

GS: Will you be able to use a keyboard?

LK: You'll be able to use a keyboard, we're just not going to support productivity software. It's still a computer, if you don't have the DISCover engine going. But in the Apex one it's embedded, you can't even get into any aspects of Windows--all you can do is insert media.

GS: What other functionality will it have?

LK: You can drop in DVDs, music, MP3s. It's an all around media player with games.

GS: So it's fair to say the goal of the DISCover-enabled consoles is to bring console ease-of-use to PC games.

LK: We don't really see it purely as competing with consoles. We're saying there's a lot of great games on the PC, and most people are stuck playing them in their offices or side bedrooms. We're bringing those games into the living room.