Where do games go wrong? Comments by Tom Bramwell

Bionutz, gamma-radiation comes from outher space, gets deflected by our atmosphere, but at the hights commercial airplanes fly, this radiation is stronger then here on earth.
It doesn't take 40 inch titanium plating to protect against that radiation, just look at the ISS or the space shuttle.
Even better, look at satellites.
Never seen the gold foil around certain parts?
Guess what it's for ...

Ooo, my field.

True, but astronauts (and indeed satellites of all kinds) receive an expected dose (higher for satellites, as they tend not to whinge when they come out in a rash). I'd say the gold foil was more intended to keep out UV etc.

If anyone is bored I'll dig out the facts and figures.

there is no way normally to be shielded from gamma-radiation... which is anyway almost harmless. Just as a reminder, gamma-radiation is normal foton radiation but with very high energy compared to normal light.

LMAO

Sorry, only just read that. Gamma radition is high energy (read very high) energy photons or electromagnetic waves of a particular wavelength/frequency (depending on if you're old skool or are into this quantum malarky).

I can assure you, it is not mostly harmless. Here it is in big pictures: Ever been X-rayed? You'll notice that the operator always stands behind a huge lead shield. You may have also noticed that you're only allowed to have a certain number of X-rays in a year (and from personal experience I noted that the X-ray operator was unwillingly to unecessarily X-ray my groin area after a car crash as I was feeling no pain there). The reason? X-rays cause cancer (as the discoverer of Xrays found to his cost).

Now then, here's the clever bit.. gamma rays have even more energy and are more destructive (albeit due to its small wavelength its possible a good chunk of it will pass straight through you).

Summary - hit by a car or hit by a healthy dose of gamma rays: I'll take the car.

sheeesh, i only asked if i could get away with a plane's reading light to play my GBA and now we're onto gamma rays, cancer and getting hit by a car.

i wish i never asked ;)

That's nothing.

The Matrox thread turned into Tits and Turds.

...and more worryingly it's still on topic!

(as the discoverer of Xrays found to his cost).

er, "her cost" surely?

Also, you forgot to mention what gamma rays did to Dr Bruce Banner.

http://www.iao.com/howthing/xrayshtm.htm

X-rays were discovered by a bloke. Are you thinking of Marie Currie? She and her husband built on the results by the German scientist Wilhelm Rontgen who discovered Xrays. She was acredited with discovering radiation (the ionising form, I gather) from Polonium and Radium.

I don't recall that any of these people turned into Hulk-like creatures :)

I don't recall that any of these people turned into Hulk-like creatures :)

It was probably hushed up by the government. :-)

Well, they turned her surname into a unit of measurement. I think they should have done the same for Dr Banner.

I had 5 hulks of beer for breakfast!

I don't recall that any of these people turned into Hulk-like creatures :)

Now, call me sensible here, but if you kept turning into the hulk, wouldn't you AT LEAST wear something with a bit of give in it. Must cost that man a fortune in shirts/trousers and shoes. Then again, if everything grows right, then The Hulk is basically wearing Banners boxers and that explains why he's always screaming.

Are you thinking of Marie Currie?

I was. Sorry. My bad. Note to self: never argue x-rays with an astrophysicist.

Mind you, judging by look of some of the physics students at uni with me, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Dr Banner's results. :)

Oh scum, just shut up for fuck's sake. Nobody cares.

About tha gamma-rays, that's exactly why airplanes are shielded against them, imagine pilots spending 6h a day at high altitude, wouldn't be healthy now would it ?

LOL, I never knew Europeans were a race

I couldn't think of the word. "Xenophobic comments", is what I meant to say.

The rest of what you say is bollocks, as per usual. You'll note I never criticise Americans, beyond the odd dig which I might target at anything else as well (ie, the PS2 looks like a 2001 Monolith etc). You, on the other hand, criticise at will.

Poor show.

FeZZ.. I don't think they specifically are sheilded against gamma rays (beyond their basic thick metal framework). The atmosphere absorbs a large portion of the EM spectrum anyway, but I'll check to see the state of play with gamma rays.

European scum you should really listen during you "Economics for idiots" course. Come on scrap the bullshit - you must surely still be at college to be as naive as your posts?

If the US is doing so well, explain the governments intervention in the airlines, steel, amtrak, etc?

"Europe is taking great strides towards stability at the cost of personal freedoms." says the idiot from the US where the percentage of the people in prision has more than doubled since 1985.


"also why I can't think of a single thing Europe can do better than Japan or U.S" - produce people with a bit of intelligence? And aircraft flight control systems, the majority off HUDs in US aircraft.

Otto

never argue x-rays with an astrophysicist.

is that the same as:

- Never start a land war in China

and

- Never get involved with a Scicilian when death is on the line?

Inconceivable. Do you always start conversations this way?

lads - toidi eht erongi tsuj - fer cryin out loud

Nem:

Clearly I cannot answer you because I might demonstrate that I have no grasp of the subject at hand. But clearly I cannot not answer you as it might appear as though I am incapable of answering.

He was talking to someone else though wasn't he?

"'Tis better to remain silent and have everyone think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

"It's also why I can't think of a single thing Europe can do better than Japan or U.S., except maybe igniting world wars and killing millions during mass genocides. You guys have got that down pat, don't you?"

Oh, I don't know, the US and Japan seem to have done quite well at that kind of thing in the past as well. :) Casting the first stone and all that.

So as usual, ES you ignore the replies and come out with a new rant.

"Fly me to the Moon and let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars"

La La La

I feel a bit better this morning!

i Broke my own rule and read that one.

Scum. ur almost becoming amusing ;) I especially liked this bit >>>

As a general rule, everybody knows everything about the United States, but the United States doesn't know anything about anybody else

I think u'll find thats ignorace as it goes. not even particularly with the people, but from countries teaching body.

I have friends in america so im not at all racist towards the country, but its definately the ignorance that makes me smile.

*coughs*

Which doesn't really tell us anything except that OXM must've picked up some ex-IGN staff with their strange fascination with toilets. :)

[Swordsman] - I have had no problems with OFP at all. Not a single bug, crash, etc.

Super Stu - nice post. Now watch while ES either ignores it or comes out with another mostly unrelated rant.

Also ES why do you insist that nintendo will drop out of the console market? They make enough money from GBA, Pokemon, etc and the GC is outselling the XBox.

/me gets out his wand of zappage +10

Can't we all just get along? There's no room for personal abuse and name-calling on these forums. That counts for all of you.

Hmm

ES: I hope our little chat, for as long as it was permitted to go on for, wasn't a complete waste.

Gestalt

Can't we all just get along? There's no room for personal abuse and name-calling on these forums. That counts for all of you

And there was me spending 15mins or so of my time yesterday evening making sure I was being particularly polite about it all ;) Alright, perhaps these forums aren't the best place of 3000 word replies, but I think the message got across. It's a bit unfortunate that I didn't see the remainder of the replies. And you didn't even have to impose a AUP or ban an IP :)

/me gets out his wand of zappage +10

Can't we all just get along? There's no room for personal abuse and name-calling on these forums. That counts for all of you.

You seem to have missed a couple further up.

This would fit better in a thread about on-line gaming but I think it's an interesting view on the future of gaming and Microsoft's strategy.

Do Microsoft really own a 22% stake in BT??? That explains a lot. Boy am I glad I'm on Ntl! (erm, well, actually...)

Anyway, all that kind of assumes consumers are interested in on-line gaming. The article suggests 50 million consumers would sign up for it - I think that figure is a bit OTT. Microsoft can't even persuade 10% of that number to buy an XBox, let alone sign up for XBox Live.

lol - I sincerely doubt it. A huge chunk like that would have been more publically known. Indeed, MS' foray into telecoms has been a bit mute of late, what with them selling their stake in Telewest etc.

MS did a deal with NTL as well and I think that there were some NTL shares involved (5%?).

The article suggests 50 million consumers would sign up for it

That figure is for quite a few years from now. In a couple of years time, the guy who wrotes the article considers that 1 million subscribers would be a success for MS.

I'm not really interested in on-line gaming but the point the article rises is: should the effort be made now, even losing tons of cash, just to be better positioned later on? Microsoft seems to think so, Sony seems to hesitate.