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Messages - baberg

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26
General Chat / Pi
« on: March 25, 2003, 04:51:42 AM »
GoldShadow, you've actually made quite a leap from your geometrical analysis to one of limits, which usually isn't covered until early Calculus.

You found the formula for the circumference of a shape with an arbitrary number of sides, which is pure geometry.  But think about what happens as you get more and more sides to a shape - think of a square, then a pentagon, then a dodecagon (10 sided).  As you add more sides you get more and more circular in appearance.  It would then stand to reason that, with an infinite number of sides, you would have a circle (well, very very close to one).  And what's the perimeter/circumference of a circle with radius 1?  2Pi.  

For more information, look here

Let this be a lesson to you all - Math is beautiful.  And for those of you who have watched Pi, how about the Golden Spiral?  Man, that's something to mess with your head.  For anybody else who's interested, do a google search for "Golden Ratio" or "Golden Spiral".  I'd link to some, but most of them have waaaay too much math for most people to take.

Another lesson to learn is that I'm a geek and don't have Zelda yet, so I have time to talk about math

27
General Chat / Pi
« on: March 24, 2003, 07:40:54 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by: enigma487
i so don't want to get into this on a Nintendo based forum.  i already feel like an uber-geek around here.  but this:

Quote::
Now, for some math, starting with a mathematical proof:

1 - As x -> infinity, x*sin(180/x) = Pi (hypothesis)
2 - As z -> 0, sin(z) = z. (theorem)
3 - sin(180/x) = 180/x (from 2)
4 - x*(180/x) = Pi (rewrite of 1)
5 - 180 = Pi (rewrite of 4)
5 - 180 degrees = Pi radians (fact)
6 - x*sin(180/x) = Pi (conclusion)
QED.
::End Quote

is a pretty piss poor attempt at a mathematical proof.  first off all, lines 2 and 3 are absolutely useless.  just pulling that out of no where.  yes, 5 is a rewrite of 4, but no friggin way is 4 a re-write of 1.  and you jump from a fact in 5 (your second 5!) to some conclusion with absolutely not justification of where it came from.  But i see you used the magical QED which most know as the infamous proof by illeligibility.


Have you ever read a mathematical proof?  That's the format that's used.  Each line explicitly states where it comes from, how it's used, and is numbered.  Sorry that I screwed up my numbering, but get a grip!  And QED stands for "Quad Erat Demonstratum", which roughly translates to "...as I was trying to prove" and is also the standard format used in a mathematical proof.  

Please try to keep conversation civilized.  There's no need to resort to insults or threats (both of which you have used in this thread) which only serve to distract from your messages.

28
Nintendo Gaming / EB Games makes today the most disapointing day of my life.
« on: March 24, 2003, 02:57:52 PM »
You must be young.  There are plenty of disappointing days ahead of you, my son.  Have patience, and you will be disappointed by women/men, politicians, bosses, co-workers, auto repairmen, computer manufacturers, fast food employees, and that guy down the street who shovels your driveway.

29
General Chat / Pi
« on: March 24, 2003, 10:40:12 AM »
First, the movie - it's great.  Saw it about 4 years ago in college, and watched it 5 times before I had to return it to the video store.  

Now, for some math, starting with a mathematical proof:

1 - As x -> infinity, x*sin(180/x) = Pi  (hypothesis)
2 - As z -> 0, sin(z) = z.  (theorem)
3 - sin(180/x) = 180/x  (from 2)
4 - x*(180/x) = Pi  (rewrite of 1)
5 - 180 = Pi  (rewrite of 4)
5 - 180 degrees = Pi radians  (fact)
6 - x*sin(180/x) = Pi  (conclusion)
QED.

Not much to it, when you break it down, but it hinges on the knowledge that as z->0, sin(z) = z.

For something to really get your noodle going, try this formula:

e^(i*Pi) = 1

where i = sqrt(-1).

30
NWR Feedback / Happy 4th Birthday Planet GameCube!
« on: March 07, 2003, 06:30:06 PM »
First off, congratulations PGC.  Your standards of quality and repeated professional performance are why I keep coming back here.  Coincidentally, it's also why I continue to buy Nintendo consoles and games.  Keep up the good work, and expect more money from me this year for another E3 DVD - last one was fantastic.

Secondly, that's a metric crapload of stuff you're giving away.  Seriously.  When I saw the first place prize, I thought you guys were kidding.  Most of it's probably donated, but still - $1500 in prizes to give away?  You guys really go all out, and I appreciate it.

Lastly, at the bottom of the contest post...  I glanced, saw some legalese, and thought, "Man, they really have their act together, putting this whole thing together and making it legit."  Then I saw section 9 and laughed my farking tail off.  Kudos again for keeping things upbeat and humorous.

Keep it up - you guys are the best.

31
General Gaming / System Failures?
« on: March 04, 2003, 02:42:20 PM »
Man...  Talk about feeling my age...

Vectrex
Atari 5200/5800/7200
Countless 2600 clones
TurboGrafix 16
3DO
TurboGrafix handheld (can't remember the name)

If you're including expansions...
Genesis 32X
Sega CD
Sega Saturn

I highly recommend you young whipper-snappers read "The Ultimate History of Video Games" by Steven L. Kent.  It follows the progress of games from pre-Pong up to the launch of the current generation of systems.  Very informative, and I was able to read it all in about a week over Christmas.

32
General Chat / Miyamoto secretly a cult leader?!
« on: March 03, 2003, 09:27:52 AM »
*sigh*

To prove my point, here's Shiggy and another famous figure.

In summary, it's a FARKING PICTURE.  Learn to laugh once in a while, it's good for you.

33
General Chat / Miyamoto secretly a cult leader?!
« on: March 02, 2003, 07:59:13 PM »
Man, I spend a half hour searching on Google's Image Search for an image of the phrase "Dressing like Hitler in school isn't cool" from South Park, and the closest I could come is the picture of Cartman on this page.

For those of you who don't watch it, Cartman dressed up like Hitler for Halloween, and the principal showed him a video that ended with a Smokey the Bear character saying "Remember kids, dressing like Hitler in school isn't cool."  Of course, Cartman didn't get the message, but his principal then tried to cover up the Hitler costume with "a nice scary ghost costume", which ended up looking like a KKK member.  Chef's reaction was priceless.

I think it's pretty funny.

34
TalkBack / Start your March off fresh, play an old favorite!
« on: March 02, 2003, 07:40:31 PM »
One word to describe Eternal Darkness: masterful.  It's one of the few games in recent memory that my desire to finish it increased as I played through it.  And even once is not enough.  I may take you up on that offer, Rick, and do a quick run-through tomorrow, just as I've played through Link to the Past countless times.  And this game sticks with you...

I can still hear, in my mind, the half-whispered chanting of runes: Tier, Pargon, Antorbo, Cha'turgah, Xel'toth.  Or the sound made while teleporting.  Or any of a dozen voices saying "This... isn't... HAPPENING!"  The feeling of dread walking through the mansion the first time.  The satisfaction of watching the endings.  And the insanity effects.  Oh, God, the insanity effects.  Not the blatant ones, mind you, but the more subtle insanity effects that make you afraid to get up from the couch at bedtime, that haunt your dreams, and make you see things out of the corner of your eye.

35
General Chat / Penny Arcade
« on: February 28, 2003, 07:39:58 PM »
This is the second time they've made a joke about the lack of games on the Gamecube.  The first was around November, I think (their site is not up now so I can't link) but it went something like this:

Tycho: Is your Gamecube broken?
Gabe: No, it works just fine.
Tycho: I thought maybe the lid was broken, because you've had Super Smash Brothers: Melee in there for the past 3 months.
Gabe: I'm going to kill you now (he does)

I laughed at that comic, and I laughed at the one today.  Because honestly, if it weren't for Skies of Arcadia, my Gamecube would be collecting dust too.  

And remember - we tease those we love.

36
NWR Feedback / Games Business 101: A Counter-Editorial.
« on: February 28, 2003, 07:19:44 AM »
Patch, since your profile says you're in Australia, I'd like to ask you a question about localization:

How quickly are PS2/Xbox games localized for PAL releases?  Are they released quickly after their NTSC counterparts, or do they also take a long time in coming?  How does the timing compare between consoles?

37
NWR Feedback / No Posting Contests = Better Posts
« on: February 14, 2003, 10:01:37 AM »
postCount++;


38
TalkBack / Zelda Pre-Orders Look Strong
« on: February 13, 2003, 12:40:11 PM »
I found a single link that says GTA:Vice City gets 4 million in North America, but have been unable to back that up with more sources.  Take this with a grain of salt.  But even taken as a percentage, assuming 50 million PS2s, that's a little under 10% of North American PS2 owners preordering GTA:VC.  250,000 Zeldas preordered, with around 6 million Gamecubes in North America, yields under 5% of the Gamecube owners.

I'm not saying that I'm unexcited about Zelda.  I've had mine preordered for a month, and I picked up my bonus disk yesterday.  It's just not coming close to any kind of "record" that I could find online.

39
TalkBack / Zelda Pre-Orders Look Strong
« on: February 13, 2003, 07:49:26 AM »
Ocarina set the pre-order record with about 500,000, right?

Maybe in the console world, but in the PC world Warcraft III topped 4.5 million pre-orders worldwide.

40
General Gaming / Fable discussion. Best RPG of all time or biggest flop of all time?
« on: February 12, 2003, 03:12:20 PM »
*peers into Magic 8-Ball*

Reply hazy, try again later.  Like after the game is released and people have played it.

Man, I didn't think this Magic 8-Ball was that good...

And for those who listen to hype, I present to you: Diakatana.  

ph33r.

41
TalkBack / Zelda Date Break?
« on: February 12, 2003, 12:31:52 PM »
EB at the Dulles Town Center mall in Sterling, VA will break the street date if you can show them you don't work for Gamestop

42
TalkBack / Pokemon Pre-Sale Begins This Week
« on: February 11, 2003, 08:47:30 AM »
I'm a bit disappointed... I would have surely thought that you would have said "BONUS GET!" as an homage to Super Mario Sunshine.  For shame...

43
NWR Feedback / How is the new server holding up?
« on: February 06, 2003, 08:55:23 PM »
Well, it fell off the front page of Slashdot (a while ago) and seems like the new server handled the load admirably.  I've been thinking, though, do you know how your traffic compares to other similar sites, like Gamespot or PlanetNintendo, or even IGN/IGN Cube?  I'm specifically remembering the Nintendo.com survey asking where we receive news, and PGC was the only Nintendo-specific site listed.

If you don't want to say, that's fine.  And I would assume you don't know the stats for those other sites I mentioned.  I'm just curious as to how popular PGC has become, and how much of a recognized news agency it is.  

44
Nintendo Gaming / I sent a letter to nintendo europe...
« on: February 05, 2003, 12:03:56 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by: Kai
Quote
Originally posted by: baberg
A few questions and comments:

- Nintendo doesn't control the price of games, retailers do.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/27848.html

"Nintendo and several of its distributors have been hit by the European Commission for total fines of €167.8 million for "colluding to prevent trade in low-priced products."
Now that's a horse of a different color.  In that case, Nintendo was severely limiting the amount of games provided to retailers, and threatening to cut their supply off completely if they complained about it.  There, Nintendo was controlling the retailers with threats and, while it's poor business practice and illegal, the retailers were bullied into charging more than necessary.  The retailers still had control over the price, but nobody exercised that control.  Again, it's a different situation

So yes, Nintendo was/is controlling the price, but it's being done indirectly.  Directly, retailers still sell for whatever price they choose; a primary example is Best Buy in the US selling Beach Spikers for $9.99, while other locations still sell for $49.99.    
Quote
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/29186.html

"Nintendo has been widely criticised for its failure to bring key titles to Europe until months after their release in the USA, and much of the dismal performance of the GameCube over Christmas in Europe was attributed to the lack of hit titles such as Metroid Prime and Resident Evil Zero, which drove sales of the console in the USA. The ability to easily import such titles may hurt retail sales of GameCube software in the UK even further. "
This reads more like an editorial than a news story.  The Freeloader ships to the UK, and the author (a website no less) begins speaking of the horrible selection of Gamecube games.  Show me a story with numbers supporting this position, and I'll change my mind.  Statistics on the number of games imported to Europe from other regions would be nice.  
Quote
We have made it clear that we would be happy to play the US version [of Animal Crossing], with no further changes made, and no e-reader support. Yet Nintendo decide on the basis of US sales not to release it in places where, fwiw, I think it would do very well.
Not to be condescending, but how have you "made it clear"?  Have you written letters to Nintendo of Europe declaring your interest in it?  Have you signed petitions (not online ones) stating your support for the title?  Have you called and spoken to Nintendo representatives about your interest in the title?  

If you have, then I apologize again for my condescending attitude, but it's been my experience that the most anybody (including myself) will do when they want a game is talk online about it.

45
Nintendo Gaming / I sent a letter to nintendo europe...
« on: February 05, 2003, 09:28:36 AM »
A few questions and comments:

- Did you send this by e-mail or by snail mail?
- 4 months for translation time is not unreasonable - Zelda: Wind Waker is taking that long from Japan to the US, and there is no NTSC/PAL conversion necessary.
- Nintendo doesn't control the price of games, retailers do.
- Do you think Nintendo cares if you buy an import GC or if you buy one from the UK?  They receive money either way.
- How much time does it take games on other consoles to localize for Europe?
- How big a market is Europe, as in, how many consoles are sold per month?  I'm honestly asking, I don't know any figures.

46
NWR Feedback / How is the new server holding up?
« on: February 04, 2003, 09:52:31 PM »
Not only do you have the new forums with just over 300 users to contend with, you also have a Slashdotting to deal with!

So how is the new server handling the load?  I haven't noticed any slowdown, but then again it's 3:00 AM on the East Coast - not many Slashdotters right now...

47
General Chat / The Ultimate Good Games List!
« on: February 04, 2003, 03:48:13 PM »
First, a shout-out to the posts above me.  Three terrific games.

Game: Final Fantasy 6 (Final Fantasy 3 in the US)
System: SNES
Release: 1994

An epic role playing game by the masters at Squaresoft, FF6 didn't make too many innovations.  Real-time battles were already implemented in Final Fantasy 4 (released in the US as Final Fantasy 2).  Perhaps the use of Mode-7 graphics for pseudo-3D flight was innovative.  But FF6 doesn't need innovation.  It has a solid storyline, rememberable characters, villans that you grow to hate, and difficult boss battles.  Plus, cutscenes were sparce and fit in with the plot (a common criticism of later Final Fantasies is that it's a movie, not a game).  Though FF7 for the Playstation may be the most remembered, FF6 is all that and more.  It's extremely rare, though, so good luck finding a copy to play through.  But it's worth it for the RPG enthusiast.

48
TalkBack / Game Boy Player available ONLY in Black
« on: February 04, 2003, 07:55:31 AM »
My.  God.  

Why?  That's all I want to know.

I can only hope this is a pre-order only situation.  I don't want to import the player, because all the menu options would still be in Japanese.  

Truly baffling.

49
TalkBack / BREAKING: Space Shuttle Columbia Destroyed
« on: February 03, 2003, 07:32:25 PM »
As a physicist at heart, I have a standard response whenever somebody states that scientific research is not producing any practical applications:

When Sir Isaac Newton was working with hand-polished lenses studying optics, do you think he had planned for his discoveries to be used in the Hubble space telescope?  Or to make the laser in your CD player?

So when you say "Name one thing that we as human beings have benefitted from with the space program", I say "Name one person from Newton's time who benefited from his optics discoveries."  300 years from now (Newton died in the early 1700s), if there have been no practical applications of the research done in space, then I'll concede that humanity has not benefited from the space program.

Until then, the closing lines of High Flight by John Gillespie Magee, Jr:

And while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of Space
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God

50
Nintendo Gaming / Skies of Arcadia - best GC RPG
« on: February 02, 2003, 03:04:52 PM »
As those above me have said, Skies is nothing like Zelda.  Zelda focuses on action, Skies focuses on stats and strategies.  In Zelda you have to maneuver your character to attack, in Skies you just tell the character to attack.  Both of them have their place, but there's not much crossover.

The comparison to Final Fantasy is right on, but not to Final Fantasy X.  FFX is much more linear than Skies.  Skies goes back to the mantra "You can go anywhere, but you don't want to go to this island because you'll get killed by the monsters."

Plus, it's very entertaining to watch - the battles have good movement and action, and the story is great.

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