Have at it. And if you need a topic: how the hell did nobody in the 80s pick up on the fact that Tom Cruise had way better chemistry with Val Kilmer than Kelly McGillis in Top Gun? I mean, it’s not like it was subtle…
Yes, Silver Star Harmony is the PSP remake. I’ve heard it’s very good, but I haven’t played it myself.
Guest
Schala
12 years ago
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is the remake on PSP?
Guest
Doug S.
12 years ago
Systems that Lunar 1 has appeared on: Sega CD (Original, US release by Working Designs) Sega Saturn (Remake #1, Japan Only) Sony Playstation (Same as Sega Saturn remake, titled “Lunar Silver Star Story Complete”, US release by Working Designs) Game Boy Advance (Remake #2, titled “Lunar Legend”, US release by Ubisoft, not as good as the others) Sony Playstation Portable (Remake #3, very similar to PS1 version, US release by Xseed Games, has downloadable and retail versions) The remakes are far from a straight port; the Saturn/PS1/PSP version made significant changes to the plot, mostly for the better. Lunar 2… Read more »
Lunar is on PS1? I thought it was Sega CD and later Sega Saturn, and lately PlayStation Network ports.
Yes I think there were two PS1 releases of Lunar called Silver Star Story and Eternal Blue.
Lunar is on PS1? I thought it was Sega CD and later Sega Saturn, and lately PlayStation Network ports.
Guest
Doug S.
12 years ago
Schala: The Lunar series is missing from your list of PS1 games. Fix that. 😉
Guest
Meerschaum (Keith)
12 years ago
I’m slap-happy and sleep-deprived enough right now to not identify as male or female.
I think I’m email. Or a power chord. Some days, I’d just rather not identify as human.
Sorry, it’s been a long day at work folks.
What – wait – time for more gin and pickle-juice. With olives and comment threads for all.
Jay Generally – dumb main characters give lazy authors a way to deliver exposition. They need someone to explain something to them all the time. Or maybe comic book artists are just mad they couldn’t get research grants so they mock scientists.
I know it’s quite a few comments back now, but @monkey: being picky is absolutely essential for dating. The pickier you are, the more the other person knows that you’re truly interested in them specifically, not just in anybody who’s available.
This is one of these standard shy-guy traps. I should put together a list.
“I’ve seen where a ‘fanboy’ avatar shows up to annoy the hell out of everyone. That’s great producers; you’re willing to poke fun at yourself/your fans. I hope all the little nerdlits watching your show have a firm grasp of irony and satire.
Yeah, why are nerds so likely to be into sadomasochism?”
@Jay Generally yeah I really wish these people would realise there’s a thin line you cross where good natured ribbing turns into just out and out (self) hatred.
Uncalledfor, I need to get in touch with to ask you a favor.
Guest
Schala
12 years ago
At some point Raj parodies Penny by saying that “If I was female, I could have everyone pay me meals and stuff”, and Penny lampshades it by saying that she has no cash but people will pay for her anyways.
I do find the notion that “everyone should lust after Penny, and if they don’t, something is seriously wrong with them (ie Sheldon)” very annoying. It’s almost as if Raj, Howard and Leonard only are attracted to Penny because that’s how mainstream society is.
I’ve never really encountered anything that was for nerds that didn’t also hate nerds at the same time. Single stories, episodes, games- sure, I’ve seen examples of unmitigated pro-nerdness. But a whole genre or even subgenre? Nothing really comes to mind. Take comics; they have a very strong streak of anti-intellectualism. Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman,Green Lantern, Flash et al – they’re all rather offhandedly mentioned to be brilliant, and they tend to have jobs that try to straddle the line between ‘working man and thinking man’ (e.g., reporter, test pilot, forensic scientist, venture capitalist), and I used the gendered term man… Read more »
Guest
AB
12 years ago
@tovyasagain: I expect what they were going for with their comment on Big Bang Theory wasn’t “These girls aren’t hot”, it was that they’re typically not presented as “these girls are attracted to nerds”, it’s usually a “these girls are attracted to these nerds despite the fact they’re nerds” – essentially, it’s usually a “these girls haven’t realized this guy is such a nerd yet!” kind of dichotomy. Well, the post I answered was about the appearance of the female characters, not which of them were attracted to the male nerds. I also think it’s too much to ask for… Read more »
Yeah, gotta love how “the most powerful country in the world” puts so much emphasis on intelligence that it’s actually a drawback to show it outside professional contexts. That anti-intellectualism runs so rampant that we’re supposed to take Penny’s side and consider Leonard “lucky to be getting any” even though he could realistically attract a lot of nerd-liking people (as opposed to people who like him *despite* being a nerd). Nerd-liking is presented as something only the province of unconventionally attractive girls and women. Probably some subtext about only those women possibly finding those men attractive, or alternatively, that those… Read more »
Guest
Vejuz
12 years ago
I’m actually pretty surprised to see praise for the BBT here. That show is a carefully calculated character assassination of anyone, male or female, who dares to be intelligent and learned in a country (USA) in which thoughtlessness and ignorance is prized so highly.
And the “Oh Those Nerds All Have Mental Diseases” trope has become a berserk button for me.
I dislike BBT for the same reason I don’t watch any of the other Chuck Lorre comedies – I hate the whole studio audience, joke laugh joke laugh catchphrase APPLAUSE/LAUGH formula.
And I guess I resent the idea that smarts only = science. Why not an English major?
Guest
The_L
12 years ago
@Schala: I’m an action/adventure/platforming fan, which means that all the best games are on different consoles (right now, the Wii and PS3–I haven’t seen any games I like on Xbox lately except the Fable games and Child of Eden). I’ve tried the Uncharted and LBP series, and if I could afford a PS3, I’d probably go for it. In the meantime, Mario, Sonic, and Zelda are still my friends. I also enjoy group games, but I rarely have another player around. Nintendo’s WFC isn’t too shabby, although it occasionally lags a bit (but hey, free online gaming–you get what you… Read more »
Guest
linda
12 years ago
Big Bang Theory has so many issues but it makes me laugh so much, and I would also do unspeakable things to Sheldon if he didn’t hate physical contact so much. OK, maybe I’d just sing Soft Kitty to him, then? There seems to be a curious trend which I have notices in several American sitcoms, but most explicitly in BBT and Friends, that intellectual success is not counted as valid masculine success. For example, Ross in Friends is successful in his work and relatively affluent, but is ridiculed as boring and un-masculine by his friends. BBT does the same… Read more »
Regarding the Big Bang Theory, they’ve added two every-episode characters who are women nerd/scientist types: Bernadette, who is presented within the show as being attractive, and Amy, who is presented as an unattractive (i.e., they dress her in glasses and frumpy clothes) horny nerd who hasn’t ever had romantic luck. In the early seasons, they regularly had Sara Gilbert playing an attractive scientist, and they’ve had a lot of one-off female scientist or nerd characters played by TV-pretty actresses. There is some smart/ugly stupid/pretty cliches in the mix, but it is a mix, not a consistent theme. Not that I’d… Read more »
@BlackHumor, 1) This is a study from the 60s, so of course they’re not going to use modern measures of personality. And consequently the measures of personality are flawed. Just because personality/behavioral traits A, B, C don’t predict attraction, while looks do, it doesn’t mean that attraction is only related to looks, and not personality. It could be related to traits D, E, F that you didn’t measure. This isn’t a hypothetical: candidates for D, E, and F have been discovered. Plenty of studies (some of which I’ve cited before here) have found a role for personality and behavior in… Read more »
Guest
Schala
12 years ago
Until I can get tested by a professional: My rdos dot net score is 136/200 on the aspie measure.
Yes, Silver Star Harmony is the PSP remake. I’ve heard it’s very good, but I haven’t played it myself.
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is the remake on PSP?
Systems that Lunar 1 has appeared on: Sega CD (Original, US release by Working Designs) Sega Saturn (Remake #1, Japan Only) Sony Playstation (Same as Sega Saturn remake, titled “Lunar Silver Star Story Complete”, US release by Working Designs) Game Boy Advance (Remake #2, titled “Lunar Legend”, US release by Ubisoft, not as good as the others) Sony Playstation Portable (Remake #3, very similar to PS1 version, US release by Xseed Games, has downloadable and retail versions) The remakes are far from a straight port; the Saturn/PS1/PSP version made significant changes to the plot, mostly for the better. Lunar 2… Read more »
Lunar is on PS1? I thought it was Sega CD and later Sega Saturn, and lately PlayStation Network ports.
Yes I think there were two PS1 releases of Lunar called Silver Star Story and Eternal Blue.
*le sigh*
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/389929_317723208257139_205344452828349_1209324_543944989_n.jpg
… from George Takai. Well there we go… “it’s ok to be in cliques as long as you’re in the RIGHT clique.”
I just saw this, and it made me happy: http://blog.scientificsonline.com/2011/11/girlsboys-novelty-kits/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=girlsboys-novelty-kits
Lunar is on PS1? I thought it was Sega CD and later Sega Saturn, and lately PlayStation Network ports.
Schala: The Lunar series is missing from your list of PS1 games. Fix that. 😉
I’m slap-happy and sleep-deprived enough right now to not identify as male or female.
I think I’m email. Or a power chord. Some days, I’d just rather not identify as human.
Sorry, it’s been a long day at work folks.
What – wait – time for more gin and pickle-juice. With olives and comment threads for all.
Jay Generally – dumb main characters give lazy authors a way to deliver exposition. They need someone to explain something to them all the time. Or maybe comic book artists are just mad they couldn’t get research grants so they mock scientists.
Clearly, you haven’t been reading the fanfics.
I know it’s quite a few comments back now, but @monkey: being picky is absolutely essential for dating. The pickier you are, the more the other person knows that you’re truly interested in them specifically, not just in anybody who’s available.
This is one of these standard shy-guy traps. I should put together a list.
“I’ve seen where a ‘fanboy’ avatar shows up to annoy the hell out of everyone. That’s great producers; you’re willing to poke fun at yourself/your fans. I hope all the little nerdlits watching your show have a firm grasp of irony and satire.
Yeah, why are nerds so likely to be into sadomasochism?”
@Jay Generally yeah I really wish these people would realise there’s a thin line you cross where good natured ribbing turns into just out and out (self) hatred.
Uncalledfor, I need to get in touch with to ask you a favor.
At some point Raj parodies Penny by saying that “If I was female, I could have everyone pay me meals and stuff”, and Penny lampshades it by saying that she has no cash but people will pay for her anyways.
I do find the notion that “everyone should lust after Penny, and if they don’t, something is seriously wrong with them (ie Sheldon)” very annoying. It’s almost as if Raj, Howard and Leonard only are attracted to Penny because that’s how mainstream society is.
I’ve never really encountered anything that was for nerds that didn’t also hate nerds at the same time. Single stories, episodes, games- sure, I’ve seen examples of unmitigated pro-nerdness. But a whole genre or even subgenre? Nothing really comes to mind. Take comics; they have a very strong streak of anti-intellectualism. Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman,Green Lantern, Flash et al – they’re all rather offhandedly mentioned to be brilliant, and they tend to have jobs that try to straddle the line between ‘working man and thinking man’ (e.g., reporter, test pilot, forensic scientist, venture capitalist), and I used the gendered term man… Read more »
@tovyasagain: I expect what they were going for with their comment on Big Bang Theory wasn’t “These girls aren’t hot”, it was that they’re typically not presented as “these girls are attracted to nerds”, it’s usually a “these girls are attracted to these nerds despite the fact they’re nerds” – essentially, it’s usually a “these girls haven’t realized this guy is such a nerd yet!” kind of dichotomy. Well, the post I answered was about the appearance of the female characters, not which of them were attracted to the male nerds. I also think it’s too much to ask for… Read more »
Have you all seen this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15876968 ?
Yeah, gotta love how “the most powerful country in the world” puts so much emphasis on intelligence that it’s actually a drawback to show it outside professional contexts. That anti-intellectualism runs so rampant that we’re supposed to take Penny’s side and consider Leonard “lucky to be getting any” even though he could realistically attract a lot of nerd-liking people (as opposed to people who like him *despite* being a nerd). Nerd-liking is presented as something only the province of unconventionally attractive girls and women. Probably some subtext about only those women possibly finding those men attractive, or alternatively, that those… Read more »
I’m actually pretty surprised to see praise for the BBT here. That show is a carefully calculated character assassination of anyone, male or female, who dares to be intelligent and learned in a country (USA) in which thoughtlessness and ignorance is prized so highly.
And the “Oh Those Nerds All Have Mental Diseases” trope has become a berserk button for me.
I dislike BBT for the same reason I don’t watch any of the other Chuck Lorre comedies – I hate the whole studio audience, joke laugh joke laugh catchphrase APPLAUSE/LAUGH formula.
And I guess I resent the idea that smarts only = science. Why not an English major?
@Schala: I’m an action/adventure/platforming fan, which means that all the best games are on different consoles (right now, the Wii and PS3–I haven’t seen any games I like on Xbox lately except the Fable games and Child of Eden). I’ve tried the Uncharted and LBP series, and if I could afford a PS3, I’d probably go for it. In the meantime, Mario, Sonic, and Zelda are still my friends. I also enjoy group games, but I rarely have another player around. Nintendo’s WFC isn’t too shabby, although it occasionally lags a bit (but hey, free online gaming–you get what you… Read more »
Big Bang Theory has so many issues but it makes me laugh so much, and I would also do unspeakable things to Sheldon if he didn’t hate physical contact so much. OK, maybe I’d just sing Soft Kitty to him, then? There seems to be a curious trend which I have notices in several American sitcoms, but most explicitly in BBT and Friends, that intellectual success is not counted as valid masculine success. For example, Ross in Friends is successful in his work and relatively affluent, but is ridiculed as boring and un-masculine by his friends. BBT does the same… Read more »
Regarding the Big Bang Theory, they’ve added two every-episode characters who are women nerd/scientist types: Bernadette, who is presented within the show as being attractive, and Amy, who is presented as an unattractive (i.e., they dress her in glasses and frumpy clothes) horny nerd who hasn’t ever had romantic luck. In the early seasons, they regularly had Sara Gilbert playing an attractive scientist, and they’ve had a lot of one-off female scientist or nerd characters played by TV-pretty actresses. There is some smart/ugly stupid/pretty cliches in the mix, but it is a mix, not a consistent theme. Not that I’d… Read more »
@BlackHumor, 1) This is a study from the 60s, so of course they’re not going to use modern measures of personality. And consequently the measures of personality are flawed. Just because personality/behavioral traits A, B, C don’t predict attraction, while looks do, it doesn’t mean that attraction is only related to looks, and not personality. It could be related to traits D, E, F that you didn’t measure. This isn’t a hypothetical: candidates for D, E, and F have been discovered. Plenty of studies (some of which I’ve cited before here) have found a role for personality and behavior in… Read more »
Until I can get tested by a professional: My rdos dot net score is 136/200 on the aspie measure.