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I do not have a Wii U, just played a friend’s back in the States. As for downloading games, this guy bought a North American Wii U on Taobao and can download games no problem. You might be able to get more info on that on the r/China or r/WiiU subreddits.
Just saw this on gochengdoo, PS4 with games for 3000: http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/classifieds/item/38985/ps4
I don’t think it’s too whacky! I think what Chengdu has on offer in terms of musical experiences is great (live music at hemp house and ja bar, great DJs at .tag and hwg, so many other things i don’t know about), and although I’m suggesting a get-together to listen to Panda Bear, I’m not trying to do something so high-falutin. Just, ya know, different. My idea is that it’d be specifically for appreciating music that you wouldn’t find in the places I mentioned above, and not as background noise to inebriation or chasing tail, you know? Not sure if there’s already a precedent for that here, but anyways, just testing the waters 😀
(and to Panda Bear fans out there: there are some surprising tracks on this album. Vocals are good as ever, beats are broader, songs are catchier than Tomboy. It’ll be cool to hear it on good speakers.)
So PS4 is not backwards compatible with PS1/2/3 discs. They are releasing older consoles’ games on the PS4 online store, but that limits your choices. PS3 would be a better choice if you’re looking for a console that’s capable of playing older game discs as well as DVDs and such. (edit: Charlie got in before me and he knows more about this topic)
As for the WiiU, my experience with it has been very positive. A couple of REALLY fun games (new mario kart is amazing, new smash is fun multi and single player game), the gamepad is a unique piece of hardware that hasn’t been fully explored yet, and the online offerings are growing. I heard Bayonetta 2 was an incredibly fun game.
That said, the Nintendo DS (handheld) is also a viable option, if you’re considering handhelds as well. The game catalog is MUCH bigger and more well-regarded than the WiiU’s and everyone I know who has one takes it with them everywhere. Perhaps we could get a DS-owner in the conversation.
Sorry, Russell Brand is not a reliable source for anything. His message is “love everyone and don’t trust the media”. He should stick to verbose, sex-injected comedy, because his politics are simplistic and confused at best. He’s like a college student who’s just taken his first civics class, eager to share all his knowledge and understanding of the world with his friends.
Well, likewise, seems like you didn’t get my post. The article you pointed me towards does well to describe my feelings on what is important in the aftermath of such events. We undoubtedly engage in hagiography even for people we would consider despicable were they not victims of a heinous act (particularly when the perpetrators fit the profile of people we already perceive as enemies). One could say we’re not very good at simultaneously expressing grief and objectively/fairly assessing one’s life. We allow tragedies like this to confirm our biases, simplify our thinking, and mindlessly promote broad ideals while ignoring nuance. It’s an unthoughtful, knee-jerk reaction that perpetuates a cycle of xenophobia, distrust, and us vs. them mentality. And frankly, that’s the aim of terrorists: not only to strike fear in the hearts of those that would produce similar content, but to maintain an atmosphere of deep distrust. Nothing is as good at recruiting new terrorists as expanding the backlash against Muslims at large.
I think you posted that article to say that, though wrongfully killed, Charlie Hebdo’s writers and cartoonists are not beyond reproach. I wouldn’t disagree with you there. My point is this: post-tragedy conversation is massively important and powerful, and it’s actually at its worst when it promotes action based on high emotion. And, regardless of your point, the original comic you posted just doesn’t add anything interesting, smart, or constructive to that post-tragedy conversation, which is why I personally don’t like it. Cheers!
I’m not sure what kind of comparison you’re trying to draw between a Michael Brown comic and one depicting Muhammad (or whatever the one that sparked this incident contained). I do understand that you’re saying there is no half-supporting free-speech, but people can fully support free speech and express their displeasure at the mocking of a potentially innocent victim of overuse of police force. And assuming that displeasure would come in the form of
massively rage-fuelled violence, firings, media oppression and shaming, etc.
is, I think, way off the mark. I’m sure there would be some shaming, but so what? Every group has their sensitivities. Frankly, I think the comic you posted takes advantage of tragic situation to grieve about a peripheral, comparably less important issue.
Honestly, I think the most important thing at this point is not to confirm freedom of speech’s unimpeachable importance regarding all speech about all groups, but to protect people from the inevitable racist/religious backlash, cuz if I learned anything about growing up in 9/11 era US, if you’re brown and an Islamic-affiliated group commits an act of terror in your town/city/country/continent, you’re gonna have a bad time. And I think it’s doubly, if not triply, important to focus on highlighting the fact that brown or Muslim ≠ terrorist because of the racial/religious makeup and history of France. I think the conversation is less skewed than it was in 2001, and that’s great, but redirecting the conversation with the sorts of grievances expressed in this comic is not the most constructive dialogue to have, at least not in the waking hours of such an event.
Oh I didn’t notice the “other” category since it’s pointing to Heilongjiang. Sorta confused graphic in general, emphasizing coastal occupancy and including Yunnan, and mentioning tier-1 cities in the blurb but highlighting provinces in the graphic. I’m sorry for wasting anyone’s time with this.
Gotta take into account that so many drivers are first or second generation drivers. I think you could say some of the bad habits that are endemic to Chinese drivers could be chalked up to cultural factors (entitlement, as Charlie mentioned above, as an example), but there’s no doubt that this is a newly minted car-owning/driving country. But that obviously begs the question, does a country with a longer history of driving necessarily drive more conscientiously…?
Also, with such a diverse assemblage of motor vehicles populating the roads, are more freeform styles of driving (i.e. what we would call “bad” driving) to be expected?
On the subject of conscientiousness, I wonder what the rate of Chinese dudes going down on their girlfriends is…
