I don't really have much opinion on the cause of the towers collapsing, especially after reading nearly everything in this thread. Imho there are compelling thoeries both for and against the official explanation that jet fuel fire triggered the collapse of WTC 1 & 2.
What sets alarm bells ringing is what happened after the attacks.
Dubya sat in a Florida primary school for nearly quarter of an hour after being told that the US was under attack. He's the president of the United States. Why wasn't he bundled into his armoured limo and whisked off to a command & control centre? The authorities couldn't account for many, many aircraft for a good while after the first impact, which led to the grounding of every flight in the US. So who knew that the Florida airspace was safe, and that Dubya was safe to sit there? there was absolutely no panic or urgency to get him out of that room and onto Air Force 1 and into safety.
Then there's the issue of the Air National Guard. Put simply, what the hell was happening? Andrews Air Force base is only ten miles from the Pentagon, and not a single jet scrambled. IIRC, the two (2!) aircraft responsible for covering the entire eastern seaboard were off playing wargames elsewhere with no weapons attached, and in the end the fighters circling New York had travelled from the southern states or the Midwest (this is only based on my memory, so please correct me if I'm wrong on this). But isn't it a bit odd that not one plane could be scrambled from Andrews throughout the events of 11/9?
There's so many other questions. Why, when every aircraft in the US was grounded, were the Bin Ladens allowed to fly out of the country in secrecy?
Why was the debris trucked away from "ground zero" and never examined or anyone allowed near it?
Why did Dubya refuse to testify in front of the investigative commission, and only answered selected questions when sat alongside Cheney? What was there to hide? Why was the govt unco-operative and unwilling in many aspects of the 11/9 investigation?
And most of all, is it really a coincidence that the two wars that followed, directly benefitted in a fairly huge way the corporations that members of Dubya's govt were previously involved in?
What sets alarm bells ringing is what happened after the attacks.
Dubya sat in a Florida primary school for nearly quarter of an hour after being told that the US was under attack. He's the president of the United States. Why wasn't he bundled into his armoured limo and whisked off to a command & control centre? The authorities couldn't account for many, many aircraft for a good while after the first impact, which led to the grounding of every flight in the US. So who knew that the Florida airspace was safe, and that Dubya was safe to sit there? there was absolutely no panic or urgency to get him out of that room and onto Air Force 1 and into safety.
Then there's the issue of the Air National Guard. Put simply, what the hell was happening? Andrews Air Force base is only ten miles from the Pentagon, and not a single jet scrambled. IIRC, the two (2!) aircraft responsible for covering the entire eastern seaboard were off playing wargames elsewhere with no weapons attached, and in the end the fighters circling New York had travelled from the southern states or the Midwest (this is only based on my memory, so please correct me if I'm wrong on this). But isn't it a bit odd that not one plane could be scrambled from Andrews throughout the events of 11/9?
There's so many other questions. Why, when every aircraft in the US was grounded, were the Bin Ladens allowed to fly out of the country in secrecy?
Why was the debris trucked away from "ground zero" and never examined or anyone allowed near it?
Why did Dubya refuse to testify in front of the investigative commission, and only answered selected questions when sat alongside Cheney? What was there to hide? Why was the govt unco-operative and unwilling in many aspects of the 11/9 investigation?
And most of all, is it really a coincidence that the two wars that followed, directly benefitted in a fairly huge way the corporations that members of Dubya's govt were previously involved in?
Unless you have a second VM box, you'll always be stuck watching the channel being shown in the living room.
Just to play devil's advocate, here is what a controlled demolition of a tower looks like.
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/f ... rk-tower-implosion-p1.php
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/f ... rk-tower-implosion-p1.php
That would be a Boeing 767-200, which has a maximum take-off weight of just 143 metric tons? (And in pratice is always less, unless the aircraft is operating to the very limits of it's range).
Just try superglue on the keyboard. It'll have the desired result.
First I've heard of that. Linkage?
Erm, no, they wouldn't. What the sweet f*ck are you on about? Since when did telecoms have anything to do with airlines?
Well, no problems here whatsoever (touch wood) - but a colleague who lives less than a couple of miles away from me (and is presumably connected to the same UBR) has had all sorts of connection problems lately. Maybe I'm just lucky too, as my services are pretty much rock solid.
I thought they'd dropped the premium rate broadband support. I got an email about it and read it on digitalspy a fair while ago. You can call them free again (on 150 I think from a VM phone).
Have to agree with you there. No connection problems but their email servers appear to keep falling over or suffering delays every other week. I still use my VM mail, but only 'cause it's just for personal, social mail - nothing business related.
The Indian call centres are a ****ing joke, pardon my French. It's all very much down to the individual though as sometimes I've been put through to India and got excellent service from someone that was literate and obviously able to understand what I was talking about, other times I've been almost barked at by a women with a high pitched, very strong Indian accent. I think there's a knack to phoning at the tight time so that you get put through to Liverpool instead. Which, let's face it, is definitely the lesser of two evils.
Yes, you used to be able to dial the general enquiries (free) number, and they'd transfer you. I read that they'd stopped that though, and they told you to redial the premium rate number. Doesn't matter now though, as it's free again.
C'mon Sam, you work with the Interwebs, you know you're paying for a contended service. Want your own line with a 1:1 contention ratio? It'll cost you. The service is unlimited in terms of the fact that they don't stop you when you exceed the stated amount, they just slow you down. I can understand them doing it, and support it - stupid leechers that expect to run their connection flat out 24/7 can piss off - but as you say the STM kicks in rediculously early for the 20meg connection. I'm on 4meg and it's not so bad - with torrents I have to be trying really hard to get STM to kick in (although it's easily done with newsgroups). But although the 20meg customers have five times my speed, they don't get five times my peak-time full-speed download allowance.
I thought they'd dropped the premium rate broadband support. I got an email about it and read it on digitalspy a fair while ago. You can call them free again (on 150 I think from a VM phone).
Have to agree with you there. No connection problems but their email servers appear to keep falling over or suffering delays every other week. I still use my VM mail, but only 'cause it's just for personal, social mail - nothing business related.
The Indian call centres are a ****ing joke, pardon my French. It's all very much down to the individual though as sometimes I've been put through to India and got excellent service from someone that was literate and obviously able to understand what I was talking about, other times I've been almost barked at by a women with a high pitched, very strong Indian accent. I think there's a knack to phoning at the tight time so that you get put through to Liverpool instead. Which, let's face it, is definitely the lesser of two evils.
Yes, you used to be able to dial the general enquiries (free) number, and they'd transfer you. I read that they'd stopped that though, and they told you to redial the premium rate number. Doesn't matter now though, as it's free again.
C'mon Sam, you work with the Interwebs, you know you're paying for a contended service. Want your own line with a 1:1 contention ratio? It'll cost you.
The service is unlimited in terms of the fact that they don't stop you when you exceed the stated amount, they just slow you down. I can understand them doing it, and support it - stupid leechers that expect to run their connection flat out 24/7 can piss off - but as you say the STM kicks in rediculously early for the 20meg connection. I'm on 4meg and it's not so bad - with torrents I have to be trying really hard to get STM to kick in (although it's easily done with newsgroups). But although the 20meg customers have five times my speed, they don't get five times my peak-time full-speed download allowance.No kids myself but last time my lovely two year old nephew was round at mine, I sat him on my knee and let him steer a variety of cars around the autocross car park while I did the pedals and gears. He managed to pick it up too, by the end of it he seemed to figure out to turn the wheel in the direction he wanted to go. 
flymike, where do you pull this shit from? And why do you have a chip on your shoulder the size of Persia?
For starters, the Archbishop of Canterbury does not speak on behalf of the government, let alone the entire friggin' UK. The current Archbishop is renowned for being a complete left-wing bearded loony. This is the twat that recently suggested that Sharia law be applicable for Muslims in the UK. He's so off the mark of the "general opinion" in the streets and pubs of Britain that he's taken much flak even from his religious peers over his comments.
That said, I do agree about his comments about empire building in Iraq. If you still believe Dubya's lies about [s]WMD[/s] [s]terrorism[/s] spreading freedom then I can only laugh at your blinkered nationalism, but I digress as that is a topic for another, err, topic.
Secondly, I thought this thread was about the European Constitution, not (yet another) rant about how everyone owes America so much for their existence and help and aid, yada yada yada. Well, I think many people in the world would prefer it if the US just kept itself to itself for a bit. Iraqis, mainly.
I don't actually disagree with many of the principles you subscribe to, but your angst and perceived injustices over the US' role in the world surfaces it's head again and again, ad nauseum.
That said, I don't agree with Kev either. There's a very good reason for having separate nationalities with different borders. I don't subscribe to the theory of opening my house up to unknown, uninvited visitors for them to benefit. Why should I? It's mine. I worked for it. I feel no guilt in protecting my own living standards, and that also extends to a national level. Speaking of the UK, many people want to come here to benefit from our institutions (freedom, health care, the usual "perks" of living in a Western democracy). But the UK wasn't always this well off. We used to be in poverty and toiling in the fields just to survive, with barbaric kings and rulers running amok. But we didn't all just run off to the other side of the fence for the greener grass. The UK got built as we know it today, but wouldn't have if we'd all just travelled elsewhere and expected someone else to provide it all for us. Which is effectively what economic migrants are doing today in all parts of the world. Maybe if they stayed put and worked on improving their own country/area/town/village, they wouldn't have to drag down the wealth/living standards of others.
Oh, and my vote on a Euro constitution would also be an emphatic NO. We have quite enough crooks, scum, and leechers (technically known as "MP"s) damaging Britain as it is. We don't need any more, and definitely need a lot less.
For starters, the Archbishop of Canterbury does not speak on behalf of the government, let alone the entire friggin' UK. The current Archbishop is renowned for being a complete left-wing bearded loony. This is the twat that recently suggested that Sharia law be applicable for Muslims in the UK. He's so off the mark of the "general opinion" in the streets and pubs of Britain that he's taken much flak even from his religious peers over his comments.
That said, I do agree about his comments about empire building in Iraq. If you still believe Dubya's lies about [s]WMD[/s] [s]terrorism[/s] spreading freedom then I can only laugh at your blinkered nationalism, but I digress as that is a topic for another, err, topic.
Secondly, I thought this thread was about the European Constitution, not (yet another) rant about how everyone owes America so much for their existence and help and aid, yada yada yada. Well, I think many people in the world would prefer it if the US just kept itself to itself for a bit. Iraqis, mainly.
I don't actually disagree with many of the principles you subscribe to, but your angst and perceived injustices over the US' role in the world surfaces it's head again and again, ad nauseum.
That said, I don't agree with Kev either. There's a very good reason for having separate nationalities with different borders. I don't subscribe to the theory of opening my house up to unknown, uninvited visitors for them to benefit. Why should I? It's mine. I worked for it. I feel no guilt in protecting my own living standards, and that also extends to a national level. Speaking of the UK, many people want to come here to benefit from our institutions (freedom, health care, the usual "perks" of living in a Western democracy). But the UK wasn't always this well off. We used to be in poverty and toiling in the fields just to survive, with barbaric kings and rulers running amok. But we didn't all just run off to the other side of the fence for the greener grass. The UK got built as we know it today, but wouldn't have if we'd all just travelled elsewhere and expected someone else to provide it all for us. Which is effectively what economic migrants are doing today in all parts of the world. Maybe if they stayed put and worked on improving their own country/area/town/village, they wouldn't have to drag down the wealth/living standards of others.
Oh, and my vote on a Euro constitution would also be an emphatic NO. We have quite enough crooks, scum, and leechers (technically known as "MP"s) damaging Britain as it is. We don't need any more, and definitely need a lot less.
Yes - you want to mod the game. But you can't I'm afraid, as Quicksilver said.
I'd also bet good hard-earned money that most people, devs included, know when to take a post with a hefty dose of salt and with one's tongue planted firmly in one's cheek. Smileys or no smileys.
Well, you get on with killing Scots carrying a bow and arrow then.
But why are all bombers minging? It's just a Vulcan. It's not as if the Enola Gay was taking to the skies again.
I'm not an aircraft nerd. But I thought it looked beautiful, and it's part of our history.
Although Scawen's account has logged some miles, I would imagine that, as God of the LFS universe, if Scawen wants to play online he will simply create himself a new S2 username. Or maybe he already has several.
After all, you don't think he'd actually get a race in if Scawen actually appeared on a busy public server, do you? Nobody would dare risk getting close to him in case they wipe out Our Creator.
Mind you, with a newborn and a little boy, I doubt he has time to play LFS right now.
After all, you don't think he'd actually get a race in if Scawen actually appeared on a busy public server, do you? Nobody would dare risk getting close to him in case they wipe out Our Creator.
Mind you, with a newborn and a little boy, I doubt he has time to play LFS right now.
Renders don't have to be private for the owner to not expect them to be copied without permission and used on a website that carries ads. Nobody is being "cruel" because it's a Bulgarian site, it's because it's full of content and source code that apparently he has no permission to use.
Oh my, that's brilliant. I've got the sound turned off on my work computer but your sardonic text overlays had me chuckling and chortling all the way through. God that guy's review is appalling. And yes it never occurred to me that he might be using a crack since he talked about Fern Bay but never went online...
which, if true, means he's not only wrong, and can't drive, but also a thief.
Last edited by STROBE, .
Reason : Emphasis added for the benefit of the internationally respected and renowned reviewer and racing driver, Shamrock.
I'd absolutely love something like this. I'm lost without the HUD at the moment, but would like to switch it off if things like lap number, times, gap ahead and gap behind etc, could be contained on an lcd display in the car - and then I'd not have any overlay on the screen except when I use F9-F12.
The road cars could have a simple one that just tracks your lap number, lap time, gap ahead and gap behind. Visually, it could be designed to look like a portable unit attached to the dash of a car, like a small TomTom or other satnav.
The racing cars (single seater and GTR) could of course have something more detailed, and bespoke to each car. Full timing analysis, telemetry (would also reduce reliance on F9-F12), race ordering, race timing, etc. Would add greatly to the immersion by having controllable/customisable dashboard displays and read-outs.
Only concern is the visibility - on small monitors you may struggle to read it. So maybe adjustable font size would be needed too. A bit like the LCD display on my digital SLR has two modes - "simple" and "everything". "Simple" mode displays almost as much as "everything", but with bigger text and symbols, and combining some icons/readouts. Whereas "everything" uses smaller text and symbols, but has a separate one for each option.
The road cars could have a simple one that just tracks your lap number, lap time, gap ahead and gap behind. Visually, it could be designed to look like a portable unit attached to the dash of a car, like a small TomTom or other satnav.
The racing cars (single seater and GTR) could of course have something more detailed, and bespoke to each car. Full timing analysis, telemetry (would also reduce reliance on F9-F12), race ordering, race timing, etc. Would add greatly to the immersion by having controllable/customisable dashboard displays and read-outs.
Only concern is the visibility - on small monitors you may struggle to read it. So maybe adjustable font size would be needed too. A bit like the LCD display on my digital SLR has two modes - "simple" and "everything". "Simple" mode displays almost as much as "everything", but with bigger text and symbols, and combining some icons/readouts. Whereas "everything" uses smaller text and symbols, but has a separate one for each option.
Last time I checked, this has nothing to do with the colour of anyone's skin, but merely their voluntary (ab)use of what is actually a racing simulator. The fact that the physics are realistic enough for alternative uses to be popular is testament to LFS, but that doesn't detract from what it's primary purpose is, and what we should (in theory) be here for.
I suspect that the idea for separating cruisers and drifters from the rest of us isn't the sheer volume of them, just that one cruiser asking for "police chases plz" or a dorifto driver saying "more lock on XRT, plz" causes approximately 8× more annoyance than a racer with a perhaps inappropriate but well-intended improvement suggestion.
Personally I'm sick of all the cruising and drifting aspects of LFS. I don't want to read about it, I don't want it taking up screen space that I have to look at or scroll past. And yes, I called it dorifto. Is that disrespecting them? Probably. Do I care? Not in the slightest.
Cruising servers I've used occasionally, albeit only when I'm too drunk to race without being a liability (and yet even with a bottle of wine inside me, I have better car control than pretty much everyone I meet on a cruise server). But the twelve year olds bossing people around like everyone else is ten years old gets tiring. Maybe they do it because that's how old they actually are.
So yes, I can see exactly why it's been suggested segregating the doriftos and cruisers, and I agree with it. It's not "disrespecting" them because of their preference (is it coz i iz black? [/AliG]) , it's just they don't have anything to do with the primary function of LFS.
Even better, give them their own, separate improvements suggestion forum, where all their silly requests can go, and the two forums can peacefully exist in a happy equilibrium of mediocrity and pointlessness.
:munching_
So is there anything on the site that's actually his?
So is there anything on the site that's actually his?
Hopefully not. If you're banned from a reputable, popular server, it's probably for good reason.
If you're banned from another server because some idiots vote banned you, or the admin is immature or rash, then you're probably better off without it.
Well of course. We all would. But we can't have that, and at the current rate of development, won't be having that for a long, long time. So this is an alternative for those that want to see what LFS looks like with currently "fashionable" lighting effects. The biggest drawback I can see to this addon is that it blooms everything that's white, whereas of course if LFS was calculating it, LFS would know that only the scene outside the car could be subject to bloom. And not your driving gloves.
Personally I think this hack might be ok if turned down to it's most subtle levels, to the point where it's not actively making things bloom, but does reduce the dynamic range of the image. When you look at LFS at the moment, it's a bit like an HDR photograph. Everything is optimally exposed. You can see detail in the dark parts of the dashboard whilst also seeing detail in the bright sky. The human eye isn't like that - we squint when entering bright light until our iris reacts, we can't make anything out on the dashboard when driving into a strong, low sun, etc etc. In that sense, the modern "bloom" effects, when actually used in a subtle & restrained manner, are more realistic than the perfect crystal clear view we have now.
It's getting a bit tiring when the same people keep harping on about bloom and other currently fashionable lighting effects being unrealistic. Yes, we know, thank you. It's because they're usually overdone, or purposely used to enhance an effect. Yes, effects used in Bioshock make it look great and add to it, but they'd detract from LFS (although some of the plasmids would be quite amusing in LFS). At the end of the day this is about an optional, third party modification to LFS that will produce effects that many people want to see, so posting to say "it sucks, that looks nothing like what my eyes see" is totally irrelevant.
Because after all, LFS' current views bear little reflection on how the human eye works either.
Really? Source? Best news in F1 for a long time - sooo much reliance on aero these days that no wonder they can't follow each other closely. Less pointy aero bits festooned everywhere + proper slicks = much, much better racing.
Nobody in this topic so far is 'having a go' at you, they're tryng to get you to see that you can't just jump in and expect close racing if you yourself are struggling to do a lap staying roughly on the racing line. Most "serious" race servers that you're asking for probably won't tolerate that, and you'd be racing on your own at the back. Choose a beginner server, and gradually feel your way around and pick up some speed. Spectate and ride with other cars to watch their braking and lines. Don't jump in the XRR or any GTR, they're too grippy and powerful. Use the XFG/XRG until you can race in the mid-field on CTRA1 or any "beginner" server that doesn't expect more experience or speed.
But the reason CTRA2 is better is because everyone you're racing against has gone through the learning curve of slower cars on a busy, hectic server - and therefore you can trust them more and have closer racing with fewer accidents. if people were allowed on Race2 that hadn't shown any competence on Race1, then it wouldn't be fun or good. As Sam said, your CTRA stats speak for themselves. I think you're just making excuses now.
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG