DoNotRemoveBeforeFlight

How is it Europe when the jeep's a left-hand dri- oh. EU allows such vehicles.

If you can't donate, don't feel bad. Words of encouragement and support can go a long way, too. Even better, tell people about it! ...I forgot how much I have spent and donated to indies I support... *looks at passbook* Oh... that's a lot. But damn I feel proud. Edit: There are certain 'indies' that could be more well off or not as good as you think. Some can be obvious to spot. YouTube personalities are an example NOT to "donate" your money to. They've got sponsors. Then, there are indie games which are half-baked and lack any love in it, giving Steam Early Access a bad reputation when there are hidden gems among the goo. However, it's up to you to decide if something's a legit and worthy cause to advocate. I like playing on standalone flash player as well, gives me more freedom. Speaking of paywall, I've never quite understood why some people managed to get sucked into it when there are plenty of alternatives out there in the market. On trains and buses, I've seen plenty of commuters playing Farmville, Candy Crush etc. (even Candy Crush has a paywall...) and would nonchalantly tap on the 'Buy/Purchase' button. In the future, I might just research on that!

China & HK differ because of different economic conditions and characteristics. HK is already at its capacity unless it's able to expand its service sector and tourism. But China offers cheap labor, land, and a huge domestic market. The Chinese economy is expanding fast because of the multiplier effect. Example: http://geographyfieldwork.com/multiplier.gif If HK is done expanding the service sector in 2025 (a big if), we should see it climbing again. You can't grow an economy overnight. This should be helpful in addressing the protest: http://time.com/3471366/hong-kong-umbrella-revolution-occupy-central-democracy-explainer-6-questions/ "Well-educated" is over-generalized. I bet the protestors are after short-term gain rather than their long-term "future". Stability is also essential for the economy, too. Check out the losses during the protest.

Yep. Here's my (over-simplified) analysis of ThePest179's data: I'm sure you know why the proportion of HK's GDP in mainland PRC is falling, as we see in the chart. China is growing faster! It has been undergoing an industrial revolution, thus overtaking Japan as 2nd largest economy. And the chart above did not specify if it's nominal or adjusted for inflation. Plus, HK is a mature economy. High economic growth is unlikely. PRC's growth outpaces HK, thus the chart. Again, the chart is the proportion of HK's GDP as part of the entire China. You are right about unemployment. But I can safely say that the fault's on both parties. Government: Too much emphasis on tertiary education - leads to surplus of degree holders for white collar jobs. Youths: Same expectations. The result is shortages in job sectors that many refuse to work in. Construction, sanitary, or even service and retail. Google "Structural Unemployment". Macau's a no-brainer. Over there, it's a different culture. I know it sounds funny, but I've been there and it feels like almost a totally different world from HK. HK government is trying to change for the better anyway. http://www.chinadailyasia.com/business/2014-02/14/content_15118302.html

Right. HK's economy decline (it there's one) is often short term. That's not a valid point and is never in the spotlight in the protest. Corruption is in part with the legislators. Triads still exist, and it's no surprise there a few legislators may have connections with them. But fighting corruption in HK is a double-edged sword. On one side you are doing justice, but on the other side, some people will cry out that the government is being too hard (and un-democratic, following Beijing's order etc.). I've been there many times, I've mentors there, and I've used HK in my case studies. There is no way to satisfy these kind of people. That's the HK political culture.

Citation needed. The HSI is holding damn well after 2008, even with speculations. Claims of a rigged election is expected from such a political climate. Look at Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan... The protests claim to be for "Universal Suffrage" (hell if I know what they're talking about), bla bla bla. Mass media love to show what those people are "fighting" for, but rarely (or none) cover how businesses are affected. Rents are expensive, I tell ya. Police brutality against unarmed civilians? Then what are you going to have them do instead? Nicely walk up to them and ask them to return home in a sweet manner? Dude, the police warned them. Crowd control by smoke is inevitable, but at least it doesn't break your bones. Worse, this is civil disobedience (obviously illegal), and they would challenge the police. Yet, when angry citizens walk up to tell the protestors off (for disruption of business, life etc), guess what? The protestors want the police to pull them away (generalization here). Arresting the protestors is legal, and again, they'd been warned. Totally not political. Having observed Hong Kong for more than a decade, for the protests to reach this level is unreasonable and childish. Heck, academics everywhere agree that HK has so much freedom that the protestors claim not to have. Pick up a random HK newspaper and you can tell there's plenty of freedom of press & speech. Even better, rallies can be held on streets (except this case) any day (subject to permit and designated area of course) "The future of HK" I understand this legitimate concern, but Beijing like how HK is run right now, they do not want to make it worse. You can think HK as a testing ground for Chinese democracy and capitalism. No damn way Tiananmen Incident is going to repeat there. Life in HK today is much better without the Brits, even better without anarchy or selfish (and fake!) politicians. The trouble is, HK politics is too free. I don't understand how some rouge legislators got into office. They disrupt speeches and meetings, threw trash around like kids. One of them is leading the charge in this protest. HK protests leave as fast as they come. HKers will eventually move on as they lose the will. Edit: Don't forget that bringing down the government has huge consequences. Keep in mind that emergency services don't run by themselves, neither do utilities. Personally, I'd prefer stability over liberty. What the hell are social contracts for then? To comment on politics is no easy matter. The above is the simplest one I can give, a condensed summary of my opinions. Sit back, ponder over the questions, read more, check out the history, profiles of the players etc. Shit's a lot more complicated than you think. Mass media is sensationalist.

Instead of Program Files (x86), on a Mac it should be: /Users/(Your User Name)/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/sourcemods Well, time for me to reinstall HL2...

Damn it. I feel really bad now. Pardon me, I've been rushing through the episode as far as to not watch the credits and actively think about the lines. Thanks for the subtitles, by the way. Clears up a lot of things now.

Is that a hint? That better be one. *Speculations!*

I've just read about Uplink. Well, unless Ross is playing the '06 extended remake. But still, he has to somehow get back to the labs.

Gordon managed to waltz through the portals while high. A true scientist on drugs! Some viewers identified the episode to be on HL:Uplink. Ross, is this true? EDIT: Oops, I didn't see kingkolton9 spoiler tag. And stupid me didn't watch the credits in full. The FOV sure seems different. I'm not sure if it was intended or not, but the sat dish wasn't exactly pointed at USNRC...

Here's a quickie: Besides all those news about the civil war in Iraq that is going on right now, I came across this tweet supposedly by a member/supporter of ISIS. I am proud to be running a Tor relay, but not for this! Quite a few countries are concerned about their own citizens flying over to Iraq to "fight the jihad". It's not surprising that remnants of Al-Qaeda and its subsidiaries in many countries far away from Middle East exist till today. That's one heck of a skewed Islamism. This also reminded me of those random door-to-door preaches you might encounter. (cue “Excuse Me Sir, Do You Have a Moment to Talk About Jesus Christ?” meme) Very intrusive, and brainwashed. By the way, a similar case... anyone who trolled the Scientology centers a few years back probably know how far such people can go. Anyway, thanks to assholes who abuse tools meant for good (as always), more governments and ISPs are scrutinizing Tor. I'm not sure how one determines the risks they would be taking when running Tor with the best intentions in mind, but what happens if innocent relays are unknowingly and involuntarily helping evil like terrorism?

I don't remember finding any corporation in my country that has ties with the media to intentionally cover things up, but I guess we're seeing much of this in the States. Can anyone shed some light on how the banks and the big names are being reported by the mainstream media? I only knew of the scandals from the internet and documentaries. Sprinkle some Monsanto for flavor. Damn, only fines and no jail. And more deregulation! Yay.

I can't help but notice the CGI cinematic of Tyrian, Strife, and (incoming game request!) Shattered Steel bear a striking graphics similarity. Were they made using the same software or happen to be outsourced to the same company?

They are not the only ones you know. This breed of humans is everywhere.