The Big Ol' Debating Thread

Aceedwin · May 24, 2009 2:24 PM

Now and then, a few humans have a severe disagreement. For millenia, this was solved in a traditional manner, such as hitting the other person repeatedly. But recently, an exciting new method of making people see things your way has been developed.

Cue the art of arguing!
In this thread, you can come to thrown in your two cents and completely ignore (or, if you're a nice person, listen to) the arguments of others!

However, that isn't a reason to reject every rule in the forum. You can't just spam here, and no petty insults either. I have absolutely no respect for the person who, after getting their butt kicked in an argument, resorts to "your mum" jokes. Also, I know that that sort of thing tends to turn people against you.

The off-topic things, sexuality, politics and religion are out, of course. So yeah, have some fun, disrespect some people and look all intelligent. Who knows, if it goes well, I might start making proper debates, with winners and stuff.

bmah · May 24, 2009 6:06 PM

The taboo topics remove a huge chunk of debatable things to talk about (stupid IMO). Topics like "what's your favorite xxx" are not debate topics either because they're unfalsifiable claims with no way of proving/disproving them. And many other topics such as birth control and abortion are indirectly related to politics, religion and such. Even with global warming, someone would ought to mention Al Gore and then that's already a violation. Good luck finding a "clean" debate.

That being said, umm......
ok

Assuming humans will advance their technology enough so that space will become a viable area for resources and land, what do you think is the best way to divide up and claim property?

P.S. Debate topics should have ZERO flaming. You don't debate to feel good about yourself and not listen to others; that's not a debate. In which case you may want to redefine some things in your post Aceedwin.

Aceedwin · May 24, 2009 6:13 PM

Yeah, it's gonna be tricky, but there are plenty of decent debates out there. I have a big book with 100 things we could discuss.

In fact, from that book, I remember a thought experiment a bit like that. Basically, settlers, all with different skills, are sent to a new planet, and are not told what will be needed to be done on the space station where they are going. They have to split up the resources prior to arrival and discovery of their jobs.

It's basically about fairness. One person says that all should have equal shares, while another says that their reward should be relative to their jobs. Idlers get little, serious workers end up loaded.

My personal thoughts are for the reward scheme. In the same way, I don't believe in sport, people should be given handicaps. And I stubbornly reject any begging from my brother to "go easy" on him. A contest shouldn't be left to chance unless that is it's primary ideal, like in card games. Sporting contests should be like scientific experiments. As few uncontrolled variables as possible.

T3h0v4llu · May 24, 2009 7:34 PM

Okay okay! I think that Xbox360 beats PS3. What do YOU think?

SpiritofCynder · May 25, 2009 2:27 AM

I would have to respectfully disagree. One thing that many people do not know is that both systems basically have a modified PPC CPU, both running at the same core speeds, so no one system is faster than the other, although Sony's Cell Processor has 8 processing cores, and Microsoft which contains 3.

Graphics wise, resolutions can be displayed up to 1080p as with the 360, however if your picky about video processing, Sony's "RSX" @550MHz is only 50MHz faster than Microsoft's 500MHz Modified ATI GPU.

Also with the disc formats, about a year back then Blu-Ray and HD-DVD were in the format war, Sony knew that they were taking a HUGE risk by integrating a blu ray player in their PS3, whereas Microsoft were offering an addon HD DVD player, which honestly was a good move, by Microsoft in case that format failed (which it did), so I gotta give em that. But also having media on blu ray disc can and will eventually replace all DVD and CD, saving shelf space, 50GB max for Blu Ray I do believe.

Also another feature I like on the PS3, you have the option of installing a "third party" operating system, like linux. No mods neccesary.

~cornys~ · May 25, 2009 5:16 AM

bmah wrote:

The taboo topics remove a huge chunk of debatable things to talk about (stupid IMO). Topics like "what's your favorite xxx" are not debate topics either because they're unfalsifiable claims with no way of proving/disproving them. And many other topics such as birth control and abortion are indirectly related to politics, religion and such. Even with global warming, someone would ought to mention Al Gore and then that's already a violation. Good luck finding a "clean" debate.
That being said, umm......
ok
Assuming humans will advance their technology enough so that space will become a viable area for resources and land, what do you think is the best way to divide up and claim property?

P.S. Debate topics should have ZERO flaming. You don't debate to feel good about yourself and not listen to others; that's not a debate. In which case you may want to redefine some things in your post Aceedwin.

lol.. sorry to tell you but that is actually a slightly political subject if you think about it.... lol

Erza · May 25, 2009 6:56 AM

corn owns peas. why? because theres not many yellow vegetables.

bmah · May 25, 2009 7:26 AM

~cornys~ wrote:

bmah wrote:
The taboo topics remove a huge chunk of debatable things to talk about (stupid IMO). Topics like "what's your favorite xxx" are not debate topics either because they're unfalsifiable claims with no way of proving/disproving them. And many other topics such as birth control and abortion are indirectly related to politics, religion and such. Even with global warming, someone would ought to mention Al Gore and then that's already a violation. Good luck finding a "clean" debate.
That being said, umm......
ok
Assuming humans will advance their technology enough so that space will become a viable area for resources and land, what do you think is the best way to divide up and claim property?

P.S. Debate topics should have ZERO flaming. You don't debate to feel good about yourself and not listen to others; that's not a debate. In which case you may want to redefine some things in your post Aceedwin.
lol.. sorry to tell you but that is actually a slightly political subject if you think about it.... lol

Now you see how the restrictions leave little room for debatable topics. Most good debate topics are eaten away by the restrictions. If such restrictions were imposed to reduce argument, well that's counterintuitive in making a good debate. I'm no mod, but I think the way to handle the roughness of topics such as politics is to enforce a zero-tolerance flaming rule rather than ban the topics altogether. That would not compromise our ability to discuss such topics IMO.
It's a little pet peeve I have, but I honestly think this reasoning is more logical. (You can probably tell I'm requesting a review or revision of the imposed topic bans, but I honestly don't think such flexibility will be provided sadly.)

Also, the X-box topic is not a debatable one, as the subject is unfalsifiable and purely a matter of preferences rather than debatable facts.

ontels · May 25, 2009 6:49 PM

I actually generally think the PS3 as a console beats the Xbox 360. The PS3 has better graphics,is much more reliable,quieter and plays more media than the Xbox 360. The reason people buy Xbox 360's is for two reasons:

1.Microsoft when out and bought the exclusive rights for almost all the good game series. (imagine if Sony owned Halo instead of Microsoft)

2.As a result of the Xbox 360 having all these games more people buy it and come apart of the online community.

If the PS3 had come out before the Xbox 360 I also think it would have done allot more better.

LordCrump10 · May 25, 2009 8:51 PM

bmah wrote:

~cornys~ wrote:
bmah wrote:
The taboo topics remove a huge chunk of debatable things to talk about (stupid IMO). Topics like "what's your favorite xxx" are not debate topics either because they're unfalsifiable claims with no way of proving/disproving them. And many other topics such as birth control and abortion are indirectly related to politics, religion and such. Even with global warming, someone would ought to mention Al Gore and then that's already a violation. Good luck finding a "clean" debate.
That being said, umm......
ok
Assuming humans will advance their technology enough so that space will become a viable area for resources and land, what do you think is the best way to divide up and claim property?

P.S. Debate topics should have ZERO flaming. You don't debate to feel good about yourself and not listen to others; that's not a debate. In which case you may want to redefine some things in your post Aceedwin.
lol.. sorry to tell you but that is actually a slightly political subject if you think about it.... lol
Now you see how the restrictions leave little room for debatable topics. Most good debate topics are eaten away by the restrictions. If such restrictions were imposed to reduce argument, well that's counterintuitive in making a good debate. I'm no mod, but I think the way to handle the roughness of topics such as politics is to enforce a zero-tolerance flaming rule rather than ban the topics altogether. That would not compromise our ability to discuss such topics IMO.
It's a little pet peeve I have, but I honestly think this reasoning is more logical. (You can probably tell I'm requesting a review or revision of the imposed topic bans, but I honestly don't think such flexibility will be provided sadly.)
Also, the X-box topic is not a debatable one, as the subject is unfalsifiable and purely a matter of preferences rather than debatable facts.

Politics and internet forums are generally NEVER a good combination. Heck, I've seen some pretty silly political debates turn very ugly back in high school. Conservative family friends of mine have also been a little uneasy since the '08 election.

Zero tolerance flaming rules are another story. The last thing you need is a topic to become so tightly monitored that you've pretty much lost freedom of speech because anything you say hurts some other member in some way/shape/form. If flaming is coming to fruition in a debate topic, it's best to warn/suspend the individual member before he/she can get out of hand.

Perhaps it would be useful to invent a widget on forums that can ban members from specific topics? I know it sounds like a stupid idea; but I can't tell you how many times I've seen members go from the most well liked on the forum, to a hated, in-danger-of-becoming IP banned flamer all over one stupid little topic.

I DO know forums with a membership status that restricts members to a "reader-only" status. It's pretty much like a guest in that they can't post replies or make new topics. That could be another way to deal with out of hand debate topics. <.<;

cynderfan · May 26, 2009 6:19 AM

PS3 pwns Xbox360.

The Zelda games are terrible and pity any who enjoy.

WHY DID THEY SPOIL THE NAME OF OUR HONOURABLE WOLVES!!!!
OkAmI sTeAlErS!

Erza · May 26, 2009 8:45 AM

i didnt mind zelda: twilight princess.

Aceedwin · May 26, 2009 8:52 AM

PS3 is the better console, I'm sure of that, and if sony can get the ball rolling, it will be a great sucess. Halo has, unfortunately, gone to the Xbox, but at the same time, we have littlebigplanet!

It kinda fits in with what I class each console as, in consideration to what people like them.

Nintendo = Party goers.
Playstation = Casual gamers.
Xbox = Hardcore gamers.

Xbox can't have littlebigplanet, simply because it's too serious and hardcore, whilst Nintendo fans are less likely to create a level over a week. That's where the playstation fan comes in. Whilst it seems that all three are in the same market, they all control different branches of consumers.

ontels · May 26, 2009 8:59 AM

cynderfan wrote:

PS3 pwns Xbox360.
The Zelda games are terrible and pity any who enjoy.
WHY DID THEY SPOIL THE NAME OF OUR HONOURABLE WOLVES!!!!
OkAmI sTeAlErS!

You do realise that Zelda came out WAY before Okami right?

And The legend of Zelda:Orcarina of time is known as ONE of the best games ever?

Aceedwin · May 26, 2009 9:00 AM

Does Xbox have final fantasy?

ontels · May 26, 2009 9:19 AM

Yes Final fantasy 11 was eventually released for the 360 and Final fantasy 13 will be realesed for it aswell.

midget_roxx · May 26, 2009 11:23 AM

Aceedwin wrote:

PS3 is the better console, I'm sure of that, and if sony can get the ball rolling, it will be a great sucess. Halo has, unfortunately, gone to the Xbox, but at the same time, we have littlebigplanet!
It kinda fits in with what I class each console as, in consideration to what people like them.
Nintendo = Party goers.
Playstation = Casual gamers.
Xbox = Hardcore gamers.
Xbox can't have littlebigplanet, simply because it's too serious and hardcore, whilst Nintendo fans are less likely to create a level over a week. That's where the playstation fan comes in. Whilst it seems that all three are in the same market, they all control different branches of consumers.

Lol your "theory" on what type of console people have determines what they're like has a huge flaw ... what if they have 2 of one console wink

RedDragonX · May 26, 2009 11:36 AM

The Playstation 3 is a cood consol but it suffers from a very poor internet compatibility system that Xbox doesn't, the pricing of it is through the roof, and their is a very low range of games that have been made for it and those cost enough money in themselves.

Right now the sales for the normal PS2 are kicking PS3's butt, and unless the company makes some drastic changes to the price range things are only going to get worse. I'm still glad I have one though.

midget_roxx · May 26, 2009 11:43 AM

Um do you mean as in monthly sales or overall sales????

RedDragonX · May 26, 2009 11:47 AM

I mean both. I read an article two days ago that the PS2 is now beating PS3 in monthly sales and I def know that they own it at overall as well, mainly because nobody has $400 that they are willing to go out and spend.

The PS2 is only $119 and has a huge range of games. I would certainly pick it with no hesitation during these economic times.

ontels · May 27, 2009 9:49 AM

RedDragonX wrote:

The Playstation 3 is a cood consol but it suffers from a very poor internet compatibility system that Xbox doesn't

Yes but remember that the PS3 is 100% free when it comes to going online. The Xbox 360 however has a monthly fee and that can stack up.

RedDragonX · May 27, 2009 2:02 PM

Yeah but as a human being it's not hard to commit yourself to paying a little monthly fee. That and this still isn't helping PS3 at all because players are forsaking it for the Xbox360 despite the free online experience, mainly because of all the "loops" you have to jump through.

LordCrump10 · May 28, 2009 1:02 AM

The thing about the PS3 is that the good games are just THAT good, and unlike the Wii it actually has third party titles (gasp!) And its repertoire is a bit more diverse than the GlitchBox 360's... whose repertoire consists of...

60% First-Person Shooters
38% Crappy sports titles like Madden
2% Other

RedDragonX · May 28, 2009 1:03 AM

Hence why I bought one and I enjoy it. I don't care about the online play and such but the games are awesome quality on it...and I get the BlueRay...

ontels · May 28, 2009 9:27 AM

I may have misunderstood but did you say the Wii dosent have third-party titles, Lordcrump 10?

#1 May 24, 2009 2:24 PM

The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#2 May 24, 2009 6:06 PM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#3 May 24, 2009 6:13 PM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#4 May 24, 2009 7:34 PM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#5 May 25, 2009 2:27 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#6 May 25, 2009 5:16 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#7 May 25, 2009 6:56 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#8 May 25, 2009 7:26 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#9 May 25, 2009 6:49 PM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#10 May 25, 2009 8:51 PM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#11 May 26, 2009 6:19 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#12 May 26, 2009 8:45 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#13 May 26, 2009 8:52 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#14 May 26, 2009 8:59 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#15 May 26, 2009 9:00 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#16 May 26, 2009 9:19 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#17 May 26, 2009 11:23 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#18 May 26, 2009 11:36 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#19 May 26, 2009 11:43 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#20 May 26, 2009 11:47 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#21 May 27, 2009 9:49 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#22 May 27, 2009 2:02 PM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#23 May 28, 2009 1:02 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#24 May 28, 2009 1:03 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

#25 May 28, 2009 9:27 AM

Re: The Big Ol' Debating Thread

Board footer