Spacetraveler

This is a astronomically short sighted, stupid, brand damaging , brain dead move demonstrating a complete ignorance of interoperability history... or specifically what the MIDI protocol / interface did for the music instrument industry. I guess they deluded themselves into thinking they're really in the hardware business, rather than content business. The significance of the guitar artifact is the least compelling design idea in interactive music genre...but a McLunan would say 'complete rearwindow' and for that effecive marketing enticement. I've been a guitar player for for almost 30 years, and this lack of vision in this nacent genre is typical old media.

The jackels would be a tough and fun fist fight. I can hear their skull cracking under my wrath.

master chief

the brutes

Point three is the thing about "abstracted simulations" quoting the term from Clark Aldrich. Obvious 'Utility' or 'commerce' doesn't necessarily benefit culture. Relatedly, a recent recent Business Week report exposed a lack of valid methods and techniques from the accounting industry, (Greenspan concurred) to even quantify R&D value in industry. Communication, discovery, research, experimentation ... are all there for the curious.
Pt. 4 ...well 'merchandise is not culture'-J. Chirac.

New non combat space flight sims that are MMOG capable, were we actually have some learning objectives supported by cognitive scaffolding while earning Linden dollars (substitue any net currancy) would be a welcome addition to the learning curve.

Regarding the business model wasteland of simulations and 'maximizing profit' ...maybe its best left to the business school simulations? But you gotta admit Pimpwar.com did ingnite the imagination leading to Grand Theft. Hey people like to be the Tycoon of their Pimp My Ride Fantasy, even if in Roller Coster Tycoon, you earn money by drowning the vistors, which is not exactly what Disney had in mind I've read? Similarly, in Second Life and There.com, granted which aren't games, so many are ready to adopt the same reality constructs (cloths/hair) and social morays (gestures) to this medium , which as McLunan said 'is rear view mirror'. Like Jack Chiraq said "Culture is not merchandise". Love the quote, but not the man.