Video Games

Alex Tabarrok at Marginal Revolution didn’t realize that video games are as big as they are. My uncle, who was one of the lead programmers on the last couple revisions of the PC version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf, tells me that more money gets spent on video games that on movies. According to the NY Times article Tabarrok links to, the computer industry earned $28 billion in 2002.

One reason that video games are growing in popularity is that, unlike movies, video games aren’t passive entertainment and playing the most of the popular games is a social experience. Games such as Counter-Strike (the most popular game played over the Internet) requires communication and coordination between the team members to win each round. Video games also give people new ways to compete against eachother and do it in ways not possible in real life. While good movies make us forget about the world for a couple hours, video games put us in another world, and they let us interact with it.

XM Radio is the Greatest

Each time I take a long drive I become a bigger fan of XM Radio. One of the best things about XM is that is has something for everyone. I don’t like the 80′s channel, but my friend Wendy, listened to it for hours when we drove to Kentucky a couple weeks ago. When I was driving back to Virginia through the snowy mountain passes of Kentucky and West Virginia, I listed to Comedy USA for some levity.

When I was in Utah over the Christmas break I went to Salt Lake a few times and to Idaho. I wished I had some books to tape to listen to, but my Dad has XM in his car and I discovered that my favorite radio talk show host Phil Hendrie is on Buzz XM. Also, the Discover Channel kept me entertained for hours.

My only complaint with XM is that their rock channels aren’t very good. None of the stations are as good as Radio Paradise. the problem I have with XM’s rock choices is that they amuse that you like everything in a particular genre, or sub-genre. As a result, they play good songs, along with weaker songs. I’m a fan of new music, but its a bummer when I don’t consistently hear good rock songs. As a result, I find myself changing the station to CNN en espanol to brush up on my Spanish instead of listening to rock.

XM may cost $10 a month, but it’s worth it.

The Truth Underlying Tom Clancy Novels

I wonder how many of Tom Clancy

Kicking the Shit Out of Someone Isn’t Offense, but Being Asked to Love Someone Is Offensive?

I’m a bit concerned about the lack of critical thinking in the world, especially when it comes to what offends people. Public discourse is becoming coarser and yet, something as benign as a CD mentioning Jesus is supposed to offend people.

As examples of the coarsening of public discourse, two of the Democratic candidates for President have used foul language during their campaigns. Wesley Clark said that he would “kick the shit” out of people that question his commitment to the military and John Kerry said that Bush would “f*** up” Iraq’s reconstruction. I guess a new strategy for the Dem candidates is to appear tough by using foul language. I guess they think that foul language would energize Democrats to vote. Whatever.

But I do are about the next news story. The Scotsman.com reports:

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh yesterday confirmed it has banned the distribution of a charity Christmas CD because it mentions the baby Jesus.
…
“We could not just hand out the CD,” a hospital spokeswoman said. “If it went to every child it could cause offence to those who are not Christian.”

What is offensive about Jesus? Is it the part where he asks people to forgive and love one another? Is it the part where he says to turn the other cheek? Is it the part where he says to help the poor? What’s so offensive about Jesus?

For lack of evidence to the contrary, it appears to me that people aren’t offended by Jesus, but rather, they are scared of religion. How else do you explain why kicking the shit out of someone isn’t offensive, but loving them is?

Why Global Warming Might Not Be A Bad Thing

UK cold snap kills 2,500 in a week

Why Return of the King is Amazing

The Mad Hibernian writes on Baseball Crank:

When it was all over, I just thought back on when I first heard that some no-name director was going ahead with plans to make

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Nader Looks to Another White House Bid in 2004

According to Reuters:

Ralph Nader, accused by some Democrats of helping elect President Bush by seeking the presidency as a Green Party candidate three years ago, said on Thursday he wants to make another White House bid in 2004 and will announce a decision next month.

The veteran consumer advocate said Democrats have not put up enough of a fight against Bush, but he was still weighing whether he had the financial and volunteer support to make another third-party or independent bid.

“I would like to run,” said Nader, who gained nearly 2.9 million votes for president in 2000. “Substantively there is a strong argument for running. Now it’s a question of resources — just getting on the ballot is a major endeavor.”

If Nader wants to guarantee that W is President for 4 more years, then he definitely should run.

The A-Rod Deal is Dead

The A-Rod deal is dead for the time being. Here’s part of Thomas Boswell’s take on the situation:

The union had to be able to say, with a straight face, that the contract had been "restructured," not "reduced." After all, the A-Rod deal set the standard for the whole industry and, to an extent, impacted every other players' salary, especially in arbitration cases. On the other hand, Orza, a close friend of Rodriguez, freely acknowledged that the union, as long as it wasn't stabbing its members in the back, owed it to an individual player such as Rodriguez to let him pursue his bliss as well as a buck.

Orza claims he explained all this to Lucchino and stressed, "Just do not abuse the principle" of restructuring vs. reducing. The union is touchy these days because player salaries are trending down this winter, not up.

Here’s my two cents–A-Rod, if you wanted to play for a winner, you should have signed with one. You should have realized that your 1/4 Billion (yes, that’s Billion with a B) dollar contract has just ended your chances of playing for a team that has a great shot at playing in the World Series. If you really wanted to play for a winner, you would turn against the player’s union. Since you didn’t, tough beans. I hope the money is satisfaction enough to conform you in September when the Yankees and the Red Sox are battling in the playoff you sit at home.

After $14.6 Billion, the Big Dig is Done

$14.6 billion later, Boston’s Big Dig wraps up.

Saddam Hussein

According to ABC News:

Agents for deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein have penetrated the U.S. command in Iraq, ABCNEWS has learned. As a result, they have the potential to undermine U.S. authority.

Among the documents found in Saddam’s briefcase when he was captured last weekend was a list of names of Iraqis who have been working with the United States

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