Quote by Woobies

Did you know that after the allies liberated the concentration camps, many of those who wore the pink triangle were imprisoned for another 15 to 20 years because homosexuality was against the law in Germany-even though the law that perpetuated their imprisonment was a Nazi law? There were no laws outlawing homosexuality in Germany prior to the Nazis and there was actually a very thriving and healthy gay community in Germany until the Nazis came to power.

Yes, some were still in prison until the late 60's.

Did you know that after the allies liberated the concentration camps, many of those who wore the pink triangle were imprisoned for another 15 to 20 years because homosexuality was against the law in Germany-even though the law that perpetuated their imprisonment was a Nazi law? There were no laws outlawing homosexuality in Germany prior to the Nazis and there was actually a very thriving and healthy gay community in Germany until the Nazis came to power.

Grats JJ on your new role in the guild!!

Lookin' forward to playing with you again soon

Episode 519 - Voyager - "Unity" - 02/12/1997

http://www.allstepisodes.com/megvid.php?n=4317

Chakotay answers a call for help on a planet and finds himself in the middle of a shoot-out between two groups of people while the Voyager crew discover an abandoned Borg ship.

Enjoy!

So how do there laptops rate, been drooling over one for months

I agree the case is pretty nifty - but I very much doubt that even if you upgraded that system to the maximum options that it would stay cool. The space inside that thing is TINY, so even if you did upgrade the gfx card (which would have to be a small size I assume) or processor in a couple of years - would the case keep it cool enough?

Secondly the price is insane. I built my machine last year, the case is AWESOME (though it is a full tower) and the specs still thrash the pants of the top range X51, and it cost me in the region of £600. (not including screen and peripherals etc.) That's still £350 less than the X51, AND is more powerful.

I'd never done anything like it before, but I did my research, got a book and got building. After that I built Ali Mac his as well, and we're both very happy with 'em. Don't be pulled in by the case, after all it's not the case you're using it's what's inside it. look into building your own, it may not have one big warranty but so far I've had zero problems and it's almost a year old (and therefore out of warranty) anyway!

I build a system last christmas, which isnt too far off what they are offering now for around £300, around $475. But if something went wrong, I know I could deal with it and replace what went wrong. Although, I am looking at a nice alienware case on ebay :P hahahahah *has evil thoughs for his next system*

I've looked into building a computer myself before and it never really seemed worthwhile to me. First and foremost, I'd have to figure out which pieces were the best bang for my buck, figure out how to get it all to connect and then actually put it all together. If I screw up or break something, I'm out the dough. Or if something breaks later on, I have to figure out which part caused the problem and try to get the company to fix or replace it, if they will at all.

By buying directly from a manufacturer, I have a guaranteed warranty and only one person to redeem it from. I don't have to worry about accidentally breaking something and having to replace it myself. The limited options they're offering with the X51 probably means they're trying to mass produce it on such as scale that it'd be hard to build it myself cheaper.

And like Sparky said, the case would just not be as nice.

I like Alienware! But I can't justify paying the seriously over inflated price for them when I can build just as good a machine, with obviously not as nice a tower case for a fraction of the cost.

When I first read about this, I considered it and to be honest I'm still considering it. Like you, I've always wanted an Alienware and I love the idea that it'll just sit on my desk like a console.

While researching I did get thrown off the idea by a discussion on Overclockers which showed how you can built a better machine cheaper and it'd be easier to upgrade in the future.

But with Alienware's 2 year finance deals and the fact that this machine will easy last 2 years, I may yet be tempted myself. I think it's powerful enough to handle anything we would throw at it over the next 2 years but people smarter than me in that thread seem to think otherwise.

I just read about the launch event of the Alienware X51 and I'm pretty impressed with it. It looks like the PC response to next gen consoles. I've always wanted an Alienware PC, but they're always a bit pricey for me, but this is much more reasonably priced.

What do you guys think of it?

The hardware choices are very limited, you pretty much get what you're getting with little customization. With small form factor PCs, I always worry about the ability to expand it later, but they say that shouldn't be a problem. I've replaced many parts on my current computer to get it to last as long as it has.

Episode 518 - Voyager - "Blood Fever" - 02/05/1997

http://www.allstepisodes.com/megvid.php?n=4316

Vorik passes on the Pon farr to B'Elanna.

Enjoy!

I like the idea too and will love to participate when I get my character to the right level :)

So as most know from the state of the guild for February I am the new Membership Officer. My role is to keep track of every character in the game and make sure that the records on the forums all match. That every member has the permissions that they should. With us having over 500 members as I type this out it is a daunting task.

Here are some things that you can do to make this easier.

-Step One-
Register on the site! If you are reading this you've completed step 1 heh.

-Step Two-
Post an introduction post on the site(here) so that we can get you to the member level in the website. It doesn't have to be an essay just a quick blurb on you or why you play the game.

-Step Three-
Add your characters that are in game to our website here. Although I don't mind if the characters are not added I have to do it for every person in the game so any bit I don't helps.
Please note: Has issues in IE you need to start typing and it will autocomplete. I have also found hitting submit twice makes it go through without getting "stuck" submitting.

-Step Four-
Add your forum name to your member note to all of your characters. (Right click your name in guild window or your portrait. Select Guild, then select Member note.) Although it makes sense to say "Alt of" it makes me have to search through and find your characters to eventually track your forum name. So clearly stating your forum name on each toon helps me to take less time to get things situated.


I appreciate in advance the effort to assist and also would ask that people mention this post to their friends if they notice they have no member note in game. In the future as Guild banks and other features release you will need to be verified with the information in order to obtain access and I am trying to make this future transition as smooth as possible.

Quote by Varel

I completely agree Kidd, I hope I didn't come across like I was being all "omg futility" with it. I just wanted to inject that little bit of reality back into the moment. This isn't the end of the fight yet!

Oh no, we need a reality check from time to time. :)

Quote by Varel

On a side note, I think we need more movement taking on the IRS's tax codes especially with DOMA because right now Kor and I are trying to file our taxes for the first time as a married couple (thank you NY) and it's a whole heap of confusion about how exactly we should file.

I do not evnvy you at all trying to figure out the tax codes. I usually do the taxes for 4 to 5 people every year.

Quote by kiddkasper

While it's true that any Supreme Court decision won't create law instantly around the nation allowing for SSM, their decisions tend to have very significant impact on law making. Also, if a ban, even one voted on by the majority of a state's population is considered unconstitutional, bans entacted by legislatures will be futile.

The other thing to be hopeful about is the past decisions of the current court that uphold individual freedoms and privacy. No, it won't be the ultimate victory we seek on this. But, every little victory we can get helps us get that much closer to the goal.

I completely agree Kidd, I hope I didn't come across like I was being all "omg futility" with it. I just wanted to inject that little bit of reality back into the moment. This isn't the end of the fight yet!

On a side note, I think we need more movement taking on the IRS's tax codes especially with DOMA because right now Kor and I are trying to file our taxes for the first time as a married couple (thank you NY) and it's a whole heap of confusion about how exactly we should file.

Quote by Varel

While I'm encouraged by the 9th District Court's ruling there is one thing to keep in mind should the Supreme Court of the United States take on this case.

Assuming the court takes up the case which we will have to wait and see, Depending on how whatever decision is written; whether allowing the ban to stand or striking it down as unconstitutional, The writing of the decision will have national effects.

If the court tackles just the issue of this Prop 8 case, they will only rule on the constitutionality of VOTER approved bans. Those would be bans like Prop 8 that are in place because the majority of the voters in that state approved it. If this is the path that the Supreme Court would take that would have no bearing on Legislative bans that are passed by the legislature of the state without voter approval.

If the court chooses to take on the topic of whether ANY ban against Same Sex Marriage is constitutional that ruling would have a further reaching effect applying to all states that currently have banned Same Sex Marriage.

That's the tricky thing about the Supreme Court, Just because they rule on a case it doesn't always have the implications that many people think it will have. It all comes down to how their decision is written. For all we know they may decide that Legistative bans against SSM are unconstitutional, but those approved by the majority of voters are. We just need to wait and see how this plays out.

I do hope for the best though.

While it's true that any Supreme Court decision won't create law instantly around the nation allowing for SSM, their decisions tend to have very significant impact on law making. Also, if a ban, even one voted on by the majority of a state's population is considered unconstitutional, bans entacted by legislatures will be futile.

The other thing to be hopeful about is the past decisions of the current court that uphold individual freedoms and privacy. No, it won't be the ultimate victory we seek on this. But, every little victory we can get helps us get that much closer to the goal.

While I'm encouraged by the 9th District Court's ruling there is one thing to keep in mind should the Supreme Court of the United States take on this case.

Assuming the court takes up the case which we will have to wait and see, Depending on how whatever decision is written; whether allowing the ban to stand or striking it down as unconstitutional, The writing of the decision will have national effects.

If the court tackles just the issue of this Prop 8 case, they will only rule on the constitutionality of VOTER approved bans. Those would be bans like Prop 8 that are in place because the majority of the voters in that state approved it. If this is the path that the Supreme Court would take that would have no bearing on Legislative bans that are passed by the legislature of the state without voter approval.

If the court chooses to take on the topic of whether ANY ban against Same Sex Marriage is constitutional that ruling would have a further reaching effect applying to all states that currently have banned Same Sex Marriage.

That's the tricky thing about the Supreme Court, Just because they rule on a case it doesn't always have the implications that many people think it will have. It all comes down to how their decision is written. For all we know they may decide that Legistative bans against SSM are unconstitutional, but those approved by the majority of voters are. We just need to wait and see how this plays out.

I do hope for the best though.

If the Supreme Court refuses to take Perry v. Brown, I'm going to be majorly pissed at them. It's a sad cop-out by them to avoid making a decision on an issue that has national implications. Sure, California gays would be allowed to get married, but the rest of us still have to live under unconstitutional bans because the Robert's court doesn't want to make a controversial decision.

Now the experts are saying that the Supreme court will probably not take the case which will let the ruling stand. That would be both a good thing and a bad thing.