New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | July 12, 2005

A domestic sleeper, a high tech peeper, and making video games deeper—all in the new Reason Express.

Comments

|7.12.05 @ 8:44AM|#

the possibility that the next terror attack on American soil will come at the hands of radicalized American citizens

Will we still have to invade a rogue state in that case? I know Jennifer's been itching to lay the smack down on CA, and now that I'm no longer there I guess that wouldn't be so bad. Better not invade a red state, though: The insurgency would be well-armed.

|7.12.05 @ 9:29AM|#

I wouldn't want to actually invade California out of simple fairness, Thoreau. You know how they say "fight fire with fire?" Well, in the case of California it would be "fight Age of Aquarius hippie bullshit with Age of Aquarius hippie bullshit," and our military's in bad enough shape nowadays without the soldiers under orders to run around screaming "The moon is in the seventh house! Surrender to your inner child!"

Ugh.

|7.12.05 @ 10:24AM|#

If the Black Israelites in Times Square tire of waiting for Elijah to come in the starship, we'd better watch out.

|7.12.05 @ 10:24AM|#

"The sexually graphic mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, either created by a Dutch gamer or merely unlocked by him, is the clearest example yet of the blurry line between content creators and users in the digital world."

I dunno bout that. The content was a leftover scrap that they neglected to remove from the retail discs. It is wholly unaccessible without buying the PC game; looking for, downloading and installing the user-created scn unlocker mod; then playing the game in a deliberate manner in order unlock that specific screen. The line is pretty clear in this case.

The interesting part about this case is not that the end-user modders fucked with a game's retail-version code, but that a jerkass beaurocrat is screaming about "10- or 15-year old kids replicating the scenes", while wholly ignoring the fact that the game is rated MA, not for those under the age of 17. At the same time, can any reasonable person make the argument that it's easier for a 17-year-old to:

1) buy the game,

2) search for, download, and install the mod

3) go find a girlfriend and take her on enough dates to get her to invite you inside

4) witness a grainy, pixellated, fully-clothed simulated sex scene

...than it is for that same 17-year old to hop on the internet and download actual pornographic photos and videos? Please. If your pre-17-year-old kid is playing this game in the first place, then, well, that's your own problem.

The most amazing part about this is all the media publicity the story is getting. And every time, it's "your kids' video game has sex in it!" If your "kid" is playing an MA-rated game in which you can get up on the roof and, from 300 yards, zoom in and explode some poor innocent sap's head with a high-powered sniper rifle without provocation, then, well, a simulated booty call is the least of their problems.

|7.12.05 @ 10:36AM|#

Jennifer-

Not to mention that an insurgency led by Arnold Schwarzennaeger (spelling?) would be pretty bad-ass!

Regarding Britain and electronic surveillance: If I were a bad guy I'd constantly send my henchmen various emails, text messages, and other electronic communiques. I'd discuss all sorts of nefarious plans and schedules for said plans.

And in our face-to-face meetings I'd tell my henchmen to ignore those communiques and only follow the orders that I give them in person.

|7.12.05 @ 10:46AM|#

And in our face-to-face meetings I'd tell my henchmen to ignore those communiques and only follow the orders that I give them in person.

Thoreau,

Not only could you do that, but you could send the authorities on wild goose chases while you execute your plan. Didn't the people ever read ,i>The Godfather or Wiseguy? Neither Vito Corleone nor Paulie Vario ever spoke over the telephone.

|7.12.05 @ 1:43PM|#

Thoreau-
I don't know how I would feel about seeing Schwarzengger dragged out of a spider hole by some soldiers and an interpreter speaking Ausrtian-German.

Is it cognitive (or religious) dissonace if al-Qaeda and friends started communicating via sex-mods for GTA?

|7.12.05 @ 2:22PM|#

Not to mention that an insurgency led by Arnold Schwarzennaeger (spelling?) would be pretty bad-ass!

Dot vould be fahn-TAS-tic!

|7.13.05 @ 12:16AM|#

Will we still have to invade a rogue state in that case?

As logical as our response to terrorists has been, I say we should invade and occupy the last known Wendy's that the terrorists had lunch in. I volunteer to take command of the occupied territory.