the white drew carey

True, but you're missing another point. MP3 piracy is exactly what's supposed to happen in capitalism. As far as I'm concerned, when the RIAA makes competitive MP3 services available, then d/l-ing illegally is morally wrong. Ummm... I don't remember anything I ever learned in school stating that stealing a product is a normal part of capitalism. The RIAA doesn't feel they have to make a competitive MP3 service, they're already selling CD's, and that is the competetion. Beside that point, there are already several pay services online. THAT is direct competition. But people still fileswap because THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. I think it's funny that so many people are using so many excuses to jusitify their actions when the real reason they fiileswap is because it's free. In summation- People can argue the point with me all they want. And I do agree that this whole situation is a big fiasco and the RIAA is just a self-preserving beast. But the simple fact is that I am pointing out what the law currently dictates in this situation: Owning an MP3 of a copyrighted album or song without also owning a legitimate production copy of that album or song is illegal. Making available, for free, over the internet that same song/album is illegal. I mean, you do realise that this is the same issue on whether or not it's OK to bootleg Macross productions that are legally available here in the U.S. (such as the TV series, MacII, Mac+ and, to some odd extent, DYRL)? PS- Many people are mentioning the big labels and the bands that only put out one good song per album as a major point in their argument. Seriously, do yourselves a favor and go to a local concert. ANY CONCERT. Go to a local music store and ask where their label sampler section is. You can get a CD of about 25-30 songs showcasing all the bands on a certain small label (or in some cases, several labels) for the about $3-$4, literally the production cost of the CD. The moment you realise there's a whole world of bands out there who aren't played on the radio or aren't on a major label and are actually self-promoting and being reasonably successful at it, you'll immediately feel better. You'll start respecting these bands who put (gasp) 10-12 good songs on a 10-12 song album. You'll want to buy their CD (usually straight from one of the band-members at the merch table) for $10 because you know most, if not all, of the money is going to the band.

You ain't just whistlin' dixie!!! I want to be a Wanzer when I grow up. I hope this game is released over here. My wife is in grad-school now so I need something to occupy my time when I'm not working!!!

What for all that is good and holy are you talking about? Like, lineart blanks, or what?

What's even better is a lot of bands on indie labels will sell CDs on tour for a lot less, because many indie labels will give them a box and just make them pay for manufacturing, so the band reels in all of the profit.

Well, that's part of the question. Are the tracks you have legally recorded from a live concert? Technically, you can't record live music unless the band/label/venue/promoter says you can. Otherwise, those are bootlegs as well. But will they go after you? No. Because they're assuming you bought the legit albums when they were released. Look at the Grateful Dead. The bootleg tapes you could find of that band outnumbers their actual releases about 1000 to 1!!! But the fanbase, for the most part, would still buy the studio albums when they were released. But still, the music industry is really just pointing out the law. Music is copyrighted and, by buying the album, your just buying the privilege to listen to the music that they own. This goes beyond what the record industry says and is based in U.S. Law and concurrent laws in other countries. Does the record industry need a wakeup call to their arcane business practices? Yes. Is the RIAA taking the completely wrong route with it's current course of action? Yes. Is downloading music that is not officially available on the web illegal? Yes. Have I ever downloaded music? Yes Was it officially available by the band or their label? All of it. Does any of this effect me? Not really. For the most part, I listen to bands on smaller "indie" labels that treat one of their bands with more respect than a Large Multi-Corporate Label treats their whole catalog.

That's the pricing that most indie labels have. But then again, the artists on indie labels get A LOT more out of their album sales. One wrong part of your equation is the Import pricing. The pricing on imports shoudl acurately reflect the cost of getting it into YOUR market from somewhere else. One of my favorite bands, The Wedding Present, had imports in the late-eighties that ran $25-$30 a CD, because only one copy would make it over at a time. Once they became semi-popular (but before their CDs started being released domestically) the price of the imports dropped down to about $15-$18 in an Indie record shop. Simply put, though, downloading music is illegal unless it is gotten through a legitmate service or by the artist/label themselves. People just like to use the "Sticking it to the man/RIAA!" excuse to justify thievery.

Sorry, I'm not trying to misconstrue, I don't really understand what it is you're trying to say, especially here. That's because I'm long-winded. It takes me ten minutes to say "Yes."

Very good, skill-wise. I'd have to say I like the YF-19 better because I think the whole Matrix thing is so incredibly over-done. This is just my way of doing things, but whenever I do a wallpaper I intentionally leave dead space on the sides and bottom for people to put their folder and application icons. But that's just me.

Here's part of the problem- Viewing cosplay is different for everyone. Some people just want to see hot chicks in little outfits. Others want to see what hard work and perseverence turn out as in an incredibly detailed and intricate costume. Whereas a LOT of people just want to see how foolish a lot of coplayers look when their costume just doesn't work out. By the way, I think the Man-Faye was 1) Obviously a joke, and 2) One of the most hilarious things I've ever seen. With the "pro-active" roll that all serious MWers have taken lately, policing a cosplay thread in order to deter trouble makers is as easy as clicking the REPORT THIS POST button.

"Anything bigger than a handful and you're risking a sprained wrist." -Gary (played by Anthony Michael Hall) in "Weird Science".

It'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Although I'd never read, played, or even heard of these games, someone I was talking to knew of them extensively and said the trailer for Underworld even demonstrates the outright thievery.

You misconstrue what I'm saying. My point is that HG didn't ignore Macross because they didn't have any rights to it. Their sudden "ownership" was simply an attempt to dissuade competition. Just as their "C&D letters" to the e-tailers was an attempt to clear the market for their upcoming MPC toy. Mind you, an attempt which failed due to HG's refusal to back up their claims with anything resembling tangible proof. j_wong00- Excellent example. I used to do pharmacy purchasing for the University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics and we kept a keen eye on lawsuits such as that in hopes that the generics would win, so we could save money.

Well, not entirelly true... If you're talking about something Macross, especially from the TV series, it'd be best to name drop Robotech in order to get readers hooked. But that's about all. There's no reason afterwards to keep calling it Robotech when it clearly is not Robotech.

Hey....i didn't know that was yours! I saw it in newtype's fan art section a few months back. Yeppers, that was me.

p.s.- I meant to add: And lock up any others. One thread is good enough.

Face it: Some people do enjoy cosplay, for whatever given reason. Face it: Some people don't, for obvious reasons. But the fact remains that cosplay is a big part of Anime and Manga fandom, and it's be a shame not to let a thread about it exist here at MW. But then again, the threads seem to be multiplying. Maybe the nice Mods could start up a Anime and Manga Cosplay thread in the OTHER ANIME AND SCI FI forum and then let that run it's course. Either through fan pictures, members own costumes, or that hot gal dressed as that one Cobra girl from G.I. Joe. Just an idea. What do YOU think?

Not being a dog in heat, but where is your cosplay and Minmay up? I haven't seen it.

And here's the Infamous "Even Tan", network TV version, of course. send me a PM if you want a copy of the unedited version.

Here's one.

IMHO I think Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner's involvement WITH the production process totally hindered The Next Generation movies. In the TNG television series it was ALL the crew. By the time TNG's movies rolled around it turned into the freaking Picard and Data show. Leaving the table scraps for Riker, Worf, and Troi. While Crusher and LaForge gets nothing but bones..... It was Patrick Stewart's (he was credited with Associate Producer status) involvement with Insurrection that made it go soooooooooo wrong (which was one of the main reasons for the failure of Nemesis). It was Brent Spiner's involvment with Nemesis that made it go sooooooooo wrong. Hence we have the horrid B4/duplicate android storyline. It was indeed a nod to The Wrath of Khan, the movie was full of the heart but something went wrong. If Data dies then you shouldn't have a clone replacing him at the end of the movie. You say Po-tay-toe, I say Po-tah-toe. I seem to be of the opposite opinion, but hey... I still love ya, man. I think you're candy-coating it a bit, though. Berman was still executive producer for both of those movies. That means he's top-dog and first go-to for complaints. The screenwriters were just trying to give what they thought the people wanted most. I'm curious how Stewart's role as Exec. Producer made the movie sooooo bad? It's just such a broad statement with no specifics. Also, since no one has been credited solely with the B-4 storyline, you can't simply blame Spiner, since the movie was actually written by Logan, Spiner and Berman (who, I think, was uncredited. but they mentioned it in nearly every interview at the time). In the end, though, I can live with or without it. I like Star Trek, and wouldn't mind if it keeps going. But I'm not going to cry if it goes away.

#1 and 7 are basically the same, just one is on Earth and one is in space. #4 shows a great animation of the transformation from fighter to gerwalk to battroid Roy Focker shows up at the tail end of #5. I'm pretty sure (and hoping) that the bad quality is due to the video and not the actual game footage. Looks dandy to me, either way.

Look no further, my man!!!

I felt the biggest shame was when Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner made a concerted move to grab control of the franchise from Berman and Bragga, but failed. I'm curious to see what two incredibly smart and talented actors could've done for Star Trek. Don't get me wrong, I've liked ST in every incarnation it's been in (including Enterprise). But I've always felt that ST is a character-driven show and is only as good as the actors who interpret the sometimes lazy and bad writing.

The site won't load the images. All I get are those damned X's...

Holla!!! Front Mission 1 & 3 were kickass. I didn't like the side-scroller one (was that #2?).