Totallyrandom

Hey,

I've been trying to get the microphone of my headset (Philips SHG7980) to work for the last couple of days, but it simply doesn't seem to catch my speech. When I go to the ''recording devices''-section in the audio settings, the bar next to the device only reacts when I touch the microphone. Speaking or snapping fingers has no effect. I tried recording some of my speech, but there was only silence. I've Googled the issue and despite trying the stuff I found, I'm completely stumped. Any idea how to fix this?

My OS is Windows 7, btw. And the sound on the headset works perfectly, the microphone is the only problem.

I recently bought a gaming headset designed for the PC, and it's amazing... the thing is, it would be nice to be able to connect them to my phone when I daydream with some music on. But since it's an USB headset, there's no direct way to do so. Are there any adapters for this purpose, and if so, would they work? I did a quick search and it seemed like the other way around, at the very least, is possible, so I suppose it would be logical to assume the opposite should work, too. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Ok, I'm not trying to provoke anyone or anything, but I can't be the only one who feels threatened by the US of A? With all their needless warmongering and global policing, the whole NSA thing, which I heard also includes European phone calls and such (not sure how valid this info is, however, so not putting much emphasis on it)... Why doesn't anyone intervene? Surely some other countries could team up and tell the US to back the **** off? I'm seriously scared for our world if that kind of authorities are allowed to rule unchallenged and do whatever they will even outside their own borders =/

Recently I started researching different non-theistic beliefs, hoping to find one I might be comfortable adopting. Thus far I have labeled myself an atheist, but unfortunately to some people it's the same as saying ''oh, I worship every evil entity ever conceived by sacrificing babies and puppies to the fire''. I'm not saying that's the majority, but I regularly interact with religious people and quite a few go crazy when they find out about my lack of faith. I'm not comfortable lying about my beliefs, I have nothing to hide or to be ashamed of, but negative connotations in the name are starting to get annoying.

So are there any alternative names for atheism, or some similar schools of thought that won't bring people's defences up just by bringing up the name? I'm guessing Satanism or Luciferianism probably aren't prime choices.

Alright, so first off, I'm NOT asking because I am lazy or not willing to work for the results. I don't weight 400 pounds, either, I'm not even overweight. I just thought it wouldn't hurt to slim down a bit and maybe even gain some muscle here and there in the progress.

This would not be a problem, except for one little thing: I'm afraid of going out of breath. I don't just find it unpleasant, I am seriously freaked out by it. I don't know why, maybe I'm just too fond of breathing normally. Anytime I do something physically demanding and start to go out of breath, I just kind of panic. I think it might be related to claustrophobia somehow. Anyway, it makes exercising or doing sports a very awful experience for me... pretty much unbearable.

Is there a way around this? Preferably something that shows results in a reasonable time... Don't get me wrong, I don't expect an overnight miracle. As long as I can see progress I don't care if it takes ages, as long as I know I'm achieving something. I would prefer something you can do at home or at a gym, I'm not a huge fan of groups...but have to stay healthy, I'm open to most anything.

Thanks in advance!

Okay, so I was wondering: let's say you hold a dinner party, or invite even one family over, and they're vegetarians/vegans. Generally speaking, it's expected that you offer them something meat-free. However, it occurred to me that since you go out of your way to prepare a meal just for them, probably with little to no experience in vegan food and potentially expensive ingredients... Has a vegan or a vegetarian ever offered you something with meat instead of a veggie dinner? I know quite a few people who don't eat meat, but I am not friends with any of them and have never visited (frankly, don't even know where any of them live.)

Anyway, I was just wondering... has anyone met people like that? Or are you one? I'm curious.

Okay, so... The computer in question is relatively old (I think I got it around '06), but I had it upgraded with a new graphics card and a power source (not sure if that's the word). It worked fine for the winter, but then it started shutting down after an hour or two of anything graphically demanding, let's say a relatively new game. I identified the problem as graphics card overheating, as the card got quite warm and the problem was fixed when I opened my balcony door. However, now it's too hot outside, so that won't help anymore.

Anyway, surprisingly it has worked for the past few days without problems, even with something a little more demanding. However, today, after 3-4 hours, it shut down again, only now it won't start. I went to see a movie and when I came back it still didn't start. I don't think it actually has ever overheated, I'm pretty sure it's just the computer shutting itself down trying to avoid overheating. Isn't that what most modern computers do? So I don't understand what's wrong now. It has done exactly the same thing in the past, and it's nothing some cooling down wouldn't fix, but now it just doesn't work. Does anybody have any idea what's the problem?

I've heard a lot of good things about the Witcher games, and even played the first one for a few hours, but I'm more compelled towards the books. Has anyone read them? Would you recommend them? What did you think about the author's writing style, the atmosphere, the characters... Anything you can think of, I'd be happy to hear. Without spoilers, of course :)

So a day or two ago I heard of the new Xbox One. I suppose I'm a bit slow but frankly, I'm more of a PC gamer anyway, and most certainly PS/Nintendo when it comes to consoles. Anyway, I heard that the console will require online verification of games, and this means that if it has already been installed by somebody elsewhere, ever, you have to pay the full price again. Is this system going to be used in the PS4? I never got PS3, so I was thinking about finally upgrading my consoles, but if this will be the case and I have no choice but to pay 50+ euros for a single game...no way. Even though I could pay, I have no intention of supporting highway robbery.

If it comes to this, and if games become entirely digital, doesn't it lead to game companies selling the produce directly, setting any price they like, without the need to ever even consider putting anything on sale? I know a lot of people who could never afford to pay such prices... I sure hope they won't get any higher than this. Some years back it was entirely possible to get a brand new game for 30€, which seems reasonable to me. What has caused the rise in the prices, any idea? And am I the only one worried by this?

Okay, so recently one of my friends called me a casual gamer, and the way he said it made it sound like an insult. I don't remember the details, but he was explaining how he loves to play games on their most challenging difficulty setting right from the beginning. I said that I prefer to play for the story, or the gameplay experience, and don't want too much challenge. As a result, he said I'm casual, and apparently that makes him feel superior to me.

It started bothering me, so I looked it up online... and the Wikipedia definition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamer) just doesn't sound like me. I went through a couple of other sites and they all had more or less similar definitions. So are the definitions misleading, or is there another category I might fit in?

As background information: I prefer games with a good story, although gameplay and graphics are still important. If a game has fun enough gameplay the story might not be that important. I don't like realistic games, so all of my games are either fantasy or sci-fi, mainly RPG's. I don't usually like shooters, unless it's sci-fi (Mass Effect, Halo) or a sniper game (Sniper Elite). I occasionally play strategy games, but I prefer to be in control of the character directly, and not in the point-and-click style. I don't play online, simply because MMORPG's are either P2P, grindfest or bad graphics and community. And other online games are basically shooters. Even if there's a sci-fi one it's too fast-paced for me, I have slow reflexes. My more recent favourites include Skyrim, Mass Effect series, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dragon Age: Origins, Crysis 2, Assassin's Creed series and Civilization 5.

So, can you guys help clear this for me? And as a sidenote, do hardcore gamers like my friend usually act like complete assholes towards other gamers? Why?

Hey guys,

I've never really been into the ''shoot other players as fast as possible'' thing... Neither have I liked many FPS games in general, although there are exceptions like Crysis and Farcry 2. The problem with games like Team Fortress 2, CoD and BF is that they're WAY too fast-paced to my liking, and the fact that there are not that many tactical elements in them. Now, this is exactly what I found great about FC2 and Crysis: you could approach a situation in many different ways and use the environment to your advantage and so on.

However, I'd love to play online, but I don't think either of the games has much of a community anymore. So the question is, are there any more games like these two? I'm mainly looking for a multiplayer-only game because I'm tired of single-players...although a single-player game with an active multiplayer community is fine for me too. And really, I'd prefer a game where a team actually has to plan their approach and slowly move in instead of rushing in shooting everything in sight. Any suggestions?

Okay, so I've been hearing a lot of great stuff about the series. I am not a huge fan of Japanese/Korean/other Asian influenced games, since I dislike anime graphics outside anime. However, I might make an exception here, if a series can produce dozens of popular games it can't be bad. Although there also lies the problem: do the games have connected stories? I don't think I could play through 14 or so games if they belong to the same storyline, it would just be too much. So the question is, are there multiple smaller storylines, one big storyline or is each game separate from the previous one? Is it necessary to play all of them to understand the world?

Okay, so I was reading the Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (an excellent novel, well worth reading!) and I was quite inspired by the description of life in the streets of Tarbean... Without spoiling too much, the main character has to do anything he can to survive out there, from stealing and picking locks to cutting purses. So it got me thinking, are there any games where you have to live with little resources and do whatever you can to survive? I'm not talking about Fallout or anything like that, nor do I mean GTA, that's just shooting everything that moves. What I mean is that you don't have many weapons, if any at all, so a direct confrontation is not an option. I mean something where you have to keep yourself fed and warm and find a place to sleep in and so on... I hope you catch my drift?

That being said, I highly doubt there is a game like this, but if there is, let me know. But what do you think, would this be a good idea for a game? I think it would be excellent for a multiplayer with a persistent world, where you could either go solo or in small gangs, or form a bigger organisation, which could then all fall to pieces and split to smaller groups if some members didn't like the way things were.

I personally think this would be a very good idea, although it shouldn't be too violent: if a group of dozens went on a killing spree, it would be unrealistic for the guard to make them their number one priority, soon leading to their elimination. I think it should be limited to beatings and maybe the occasional assassination or cold-blooded murder.

Gang wars could be something else entirely, but the gameplay should have some element that discouraged frequent direct confrontations, since this would cause the guards to investigate. What do you think?

Now, first things first, I DO NOT mean survival horror games or anything like that. By survival I do not mean that you have to battle through waves of enemies. I'm looking for a game where you have to collect ingredients, make food and tools and stuff, fight off the occasional hostile (NOT a massive horde!) etc. You know what I mean? Think Robinson Crusoe. Almost any setting will be fine, sci-fi, fantasy, post-apocalyptic...As long as it's not horror or just wading through hordes of enemies, it should be fine.

And btw... No, the Sims does not qualify as what I'm looking for. I know there's some smartass out there just waiting to suggest that :)