Lurker > wpot

HornedLion posted...

Yes, 85 is the goal.

That should do it. :)

^ But McD's old chicken selects were better than either. I miss those.

Anyways, it sounds like I live somewhere near you - same state anyways. I'll stop by in a bit. :)

It does look good.

My main gripe is that I adjust to how cool it looks in a week or so and the net effect isn't so much that I have continual excitement about it, it's that my other TVs start to feel cruddy. Given that it doesn't look SO good that it changes how I experience movies the cost for adding it (and then replacing my other TVs) just isn't worth it for me.

But to each their own.

I just upgraded to this for size purposes (had a 55" before) and am happy with my decision: it looks good to me.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-75-class-tu690t-series-led-4k-uhd-smart-tizen-tv/6514052.p?skuId=6514052

NOW I can read that damn Divine Force font... :)

The main thing is to get one that's big enough: you don't want to regret that later.

Unless you're a videophile who knows the differences (sounds like you aren't) I wouldn't worry (or certainly pay) a lot for the rest of it, though.

Sahuagin posted...

antimatter? countermatter?

Fair, but "clockwise" implies a spinning motion and I think "counter" fits there nicely given the implication of action/motion/force. Contraclockwise might be better than either, but that's not a choice.

To that end, no, 'counter' wouldn't work for matter...and antimatter is so clearly the exact opposite of matter that something that implies opposition or even dislike (given that they blow up when they meet) works better. I can live with that one, in part because I can't think of anything better.

There are some British terms I like, but anticlockwise isn't one of them.

The problem with "anti" is that it doesn't imply "opposite": it just sounds as if you don't like clockwise for some unknowable reason. "Counter" is much more elegant methinks. Score a rare point for American English.

That ^.

You haven't been eating fugu, have you?

LinkPizza posted...

How is it?

It's...OK. You can tell they tried hard to make a modern version of Star Ocean 2, which is more or less what they should be trying to do. It feels a like more like Star Ocean than Integrity and Faithlessness did, so they got the tone largely right. There's a lot of old-school RPG questing and battle is pretty good, really. One of the main characters (Ray) might be the best protagonist in the series, even though he looks like Frankenstein. That's all good.

But the enemies are mostly too easy, and crafting is an unexplained RNG nightmare, and their main sidequest (Es'owa boardgame) is too easy, and there's no real storyline until halfway through the game. Once it gets it going the story is basically a decent Star Trek movie. Oh, and it has those A-level graphics (as in not AAA) that make me wonder why they didn't save the cost, make it cartoonish, and funnel the savings into playtesting.

Long story short I think it had pretty good potential, but they just didn't have the budget/time to polish it up to something I would call memorable. It would be a fine game to pick up after some price drops if you like PS2 era RPGs, though.

Star Ocean divine force, in part because I wanted to do my small part to support the struggling developer and keep the series going.

Happiness is more of a short-term thing than a long-term thing. People who win the lottery (a huge happiness event) are happy for a couple of years, but they revert to their baseline after a bit. Likewise, people can live quite happy lives living without many of the things we in the West view as necessities so long as their situation is improving in the moment. Point being: choices you made a long time ago are unlikely to be having a large effect upon how you feel now. (Especially if there are no lingering active issues like drug use/homelessness/etc)

In the short term happiness can decline if you're failing at goals, if you have no goals, if you have a mental illness, etc. I have no way to know if you have a mental illness, of course, but if you do you are very unlikely to 'get over it' on your own without help. My wife has anxiety and my father-in-law had outright schizophrenia. Both were skeptical and/or scared of treatment, but both felt far better after getting it (and they both said they felt 'more like themselves' after treatment, which was a fear of theirs going in).

If, as I gather from the discussion, you are resisting a mental health check-up perhaps ask yourself: what do you have to lose by checking in? At this point in western society there isn't much of a stigma against people with mental illnesses. There is, in fact, probably more of a 'stigma' against people who refuse to take care of themselves...FYI.

Take care of yourself!

grimhilde00 posted...

also they have a sauna. I like saunas.

I bought an exercise bike and a couple of weights, so I'm mostly OK, but I would really like a sauna.

ZangsBeard posted...

I live in Minnesota. We had a Halloween Blizzard one year

That was the last year I trick or treated: '91. My buddy was a ghost (full snowsuit/etc underneath a sheet) and I was a zombie (full snowsuit with couple ripped clothes on top).

We got 2-3 feet, depending where you lived. We don't usually get that much, though: if feels like we top out around a foot for our biggest annual snowfall event theseadays. What's most annoying is when we get 4" of snow (enough to have to shovel) every other day for two weeks. That gets old.

I too hate the misuse of apostrophes.

I live in MN. Having seasons is fun: it keeps things interesting. And snow looks nice when it falls. And skiing/snowmobiling are fun. I don't mind winter up through February.

But rush hour in snow is terrible (not that I do that anymore). And there's really nothing good about that month+ in spring when the snow is sloppily melting but nothing's growing.

Solid movies: 5 > 4 > 3 > 6
OK for nostalgia, but not great: 1 > 7 > 2
What IS this?: 8 & 9

Rogue One is somewhere between Solid and OK. Solid action flick, a bit of nostalgia, but it didn't truly capture my imagination the same as the originals.

Shananagainz posted...

What are your experiences with college? Did you find work in the field you went for?

In short, it worked for me. I got scholarships and later worked as a research assistant so the cost wasn't prohibitive and, while I had to stick around to get my Master's, I ultimately got the job I most wanted. 20ish years later it's still a good fit.

In my case I knew I'd never have the drive/fire to come back to it so I had to finish while I was there. More power to you!

That said it was a pure transaction between the college and I. I never sensed they cared greatly about their students (donors and prestige over student services) and I therefore have no lingering warm fuzzies for them or their sports teams despite all of the mail they send me asking for donations.

ZangsBeard posted...

The Union. And my state took a confederate battle flag from Virginia and kept it. And have refused to give it back ever since.

Virginia: can we have our flag back yet?

Minnesota: No. it ours now.

Damn straight. If you want to break up the country specifically because you want to expand slavery and make us go down there to stop you we're taking and keeping your flag.

Hollow Knight is worth a look. Kind of odd aesthetic, but it's a fun updated Metroidvania sort of game.

Hard_Light posted...

the investigation started before he even announced he would run for presidency the first time

Did it really? If so, shame on NY for taking - what - eight years to do anything.

BlackScythe0 posted...

He became president and then immediately began operating a criminal administration. He was always going to fall under higher scrutiny for how illegally he and the people he surrounded himself with openly operated with the eye of the entire world focused upon them.

Yes, that's more or less what I was trying to say. I just didn't like the thought that the investigation itself had a "strategy" looking towards future elections/etc. Democrats certainly had/have hopes coming out of it but I don't believe the legal process investigating Trump is as corrupt as he is.

Dmess85 posted...

I think the strategy is to bar him from holding political office.

So how directly politically motivated do I/we think it is/was? Would this investigation have occurred if Trump were never President? I'd love to see the guy go down in flames, but I have to assume that the increased attention triggered the investigation to a degree (Trump will always go the unethical route if possible/profitable, but other companies do this same crap without prosecution).

Point being: was there a 'strategy' to the investigation? I don't think so other than to understand how far the rot went given clearly unethical actions from the Trumpster elsewhere. The investigation had very little chance of ever directly barring him from office.

Nichtcrawler-X posted...

Once something exists, it can be experienced separate from the original creator(s).

And one is free to have separate opinions on those.

Yes, although the situation is rife for potential hypocracy.

I believe they very much tried to go back to their roots: Divine Force feels like it badly wants to be a modernized SO2. They just didnt have the budget to do it all that well.

And I should say I personally liked MP death once adapting to it.

I like that it tried to play like a PS2 era JRPG. But, yeah, it needed more time in the oven. It was an "almost but not quite" game for me in many ways.

Lokarin posted...

PLUS the lost taxes, right?

...padme: plus the lost taxes, right?

Oh yes, plus the taxes. Crushing blow.

It would be fascinating to do a psychological study of people who still work directly for him seeing how almost everyone he touches either:
1) Doesn't succeed or
2) Becomes his fall guy for something i.e. the organization guy or
3) Leaves early enough to simply get insulted
...is that not abundantly clear by now? Is the draw of potential wealth/power THAT enticing?? (Yes, I know the answer to that question, but still...)

ParanoidObsessive posted...

For me and pretty much everyone else I know, 40 was when we all just sort of hit a wall and all the aches and pains and falling apart started.

Yeah, it's the big number for a reason. In your 30s you notice a couple imperfections, but that's typically all they are. In the 40s stuff just stops healing the same way. That ache in your shoulder after simply throwing the ball for your dog? It might stay there for six months and it's enough to go to the doc for. Whatever that is definitely would have healed itself before.

As for drunk vs tipsy, I think that's more of a 'getting enough experience to know what's actually fun thing' vs an age thing. The age part of it is that it gets harder to find the right amount to drink for a pleasant tipsy: the amount of space between 'feeling nothing' and 'falling asleep/feeling sick' gets smaller.

They will pay the $1.6 million fine.

I was wondering how my dog would do against a pack of coyotes just last night: there was a pack howling like crazy nearby last night for the first time I can remember in 10 years living here.

I don't think I want to find out.

It depends what kind of pet owner you are. If you do a bunch of preventative maintenance checkups/etc you're going to spend a ton of money and might need it. If you just feed them and take care of issues as they arise it's not going to be cost efficient. I trend towards the latter.

It seems that it actually existed, given that there was a search warrant. Given the lack of any action afterwards and the lack of any specifics from the trumpster computer guy who claimed it was questionable and embarrassing here's guessing it had traces of porn (who cares) and maybe some contacts with foreign individuals he didn't really understand (and thus couldn't do anything more than say it 'looked bad').

I wouldn't be shocked if Hunter Biden did some low level name peddling (i.e. accepting positions on boards he didn't really deserve, maybe even in Ukraine) but I don't get the sense there was much more to it than that.

Oh well done.

*Slow clap*

Well, it basically comes down to this:
Muscles posted...

I would consider myself an existentialist so whatever purpose you give it.

You can fill it with a religion or philosophy, or an obsessive hobby, or social interactions, or nothing, etc. As a person who has difficulty finding an interesting 'adventure to choose' myself that's not a very satisfying answer and I go through stretches where the pointlessness weighs heavily (i.e. much of the past year), but if you find ways to try/experience different things/people you should - at least at times - find things that interest you. I'm terrible at that, frankly, and sometimes new things don't move the needle at all (or make things worse) but it's still better than a pointless status quo.

Spiritually, if you're agnostic (like I probably am) then that comes with the belief that there could be a God or Purpose out there and we just don't know. The only way to react to that so far as I know is to act in a manner that feels good and correct, with the logic that any greater God/Purpose would have created us with the capability to know when we are acting in the manner that they want us to. Again, not very satisfying, but something...maybe...?

So there you go: the meaning of life. You can thank me later. :)

faramir77 posted...

Is this seriously what I need to put up with by being in my 30s?

Yes, unfortunately. It just gets worse: less buzz, more hangover.

Cruddy_horse posted...

I think most people who claim to be "center" are like that though, they're just afraid to fully back political opinions and want to come off as thoughtful and intelligent.

It's easy to think in emotional/absolute terms and live on the poles. It's lonely and sad to live in the middle and try to figure out how to make a functioning society given the realities of the world...but it's also reality. We appreciate (some) of the energy from the poles, though.

grimhilde00 posted...

sounds like you'd get along with Qatar and the world cup. they don't like shows of LGBT support and "politics" either.

You can live in a world of absolutes if that makes you happy.

Sometimes yes sometimes no. If I go back and play a variety of NES titles about 90% of them are truly terrible. A few of the classics (Punch Out, Dragon Warrior 4, SMB3, etc) still hold up and interest my kids, but the jank of the era was bad elsewhere.

Many games also seem like the mother of all cliches to modern eyes, which of course they are. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 4, and Dragon Quest 3 all come to mind: they can't have as big of an impact anymore.

The playstation and later eras generally hold up pretty well for anyone who doesn't require modern-looking graphics. People going back to the PS-PS2 can generally recognize the era had a good emphasis on storylines and gameplay (as opposed to blowing budgets on graphics).

The main thing was they had an elaborate LGBT rainbow display on the field and a little ceremony recognizing it that led into the national anthem (awkwardly: big cheers for the ceremony and tepid national anthem)...and no, it wasn't just a quasi-corporate 'LGBT Day' like you might see at other events. I remember there being a smaller display related to a different (liberal-slanted) cause that was in the news at halftime, but I don't recall which issue it was now (maybe immigration?). Together it was enough to make it clear that they were looking to have a fan base joined by more than the sport: it was clearly more than the (cynical) brief flag waving you get at other US sports.

I am center left so I was fine with the messaging (and it's of course it's too bad that LGBT is a polarizing 'issue' in the first place) but I'm not sure I wanted more politics (even those I agree with) in my life.

Revelation34 posted...

Of course we do.

We have our own issues and I'm not saying we're better, but the dislike between some fan bases goes deeper than anything I can think of in the US due to the political links/identities/etc. Their hooliganism takes a different character.

grimhilde00 posted...

that fan tribes can be linked to politics too

I think I said it earlier in this topic, but the one professional soccer game I attended in the US recently felt like a liberal political rally to the extent I couldn't imagine anyone conservative attending. It didn't bother me personally, but I can't think of any other US sporting event where I ever would have seen that. It seemed they were trying to make a English-style deeper fan connection.

Muscles posted...

it's just watered down hockey

My father loves hockey and it kills him every time I describe it as faster/higher-impact soccer, but that's basically what it is.

A rising tide should float all boats, so any strike that appears justified (i.e. most of them) should be supported.

At the same time the government should absolutely step in to keep the country functioning, hopefully by using some leverage to get the railroads to be reasonable.

That said, as a government employee who needs to work with railroads regularly, I can vouch that they believe that their land grants and critical function allow them to do whatever the heck they want and 'reasonable' isn't in their vocabulary. Here's guessing the railroads say something to the effect of "You need our workers? You can certainly pay them for us if you'd like" ...and get yet another sweetheart deal from the government in the process.

The US doesn't have sporting brawls or hooliganism in the same way. We think of Philly as having rough fans, but they're really just a bit more obnoxious than usual.

I have always connected the two topics in my mind. I assume that people get enjoyment our of watching European 'football' because they are connected to a fan base that has a strong self-identify. The identify is strong enough to fight for in extreme cases. So: these fans first and foremost like belonging to their team's 'tribe', even though the tribe only exists to root for one side of a sport that is otherwise rather boring. Just my theory.

Owzer from FF6.

Monopoman posted...

Well if they distance too much and try to really oppose him he might run as an independent candidate. This could backfire and hurt their chances heavily to win with whoever they nominate as the Republican candidate in 2024.

...sure, which is why they won't distance themselves too much. It's basically the same as how Trump toys around with white nationalists: denouncing them lamely at times and having dinner with them at others. If you have no set morals or values you can try to have it both ways.

^ Unless youre offsides, which is case on about a third of goals so they get waived off.

I understand the rules and tactics and its still pretty boring. Fun to play; not fun to watch. So far as I can tell its enjoyable for people to be a part of an intense fan basenot necessarily to watch the game.

Reading your mind, eavesdropping on your internet usesomething like that.

Thats pretty much it. The first one was ok at the time, but that type of movie has been way surpassed. The recent one was fun, though: they did much better than I expected.

I say it's a good excuse to never buy new clothes. One less expense.

BigOlePappy posted...

But that's what Trump said he was doing. Was he lying?

Yes

I don't remember: probably sometime in college.

Just showed it to my son this year, though: he was 12. T2 isn't bad for most ages. The original has a sex scene and is generally a bit rougher.

Nope, traditional all the way, every time. The only quasi-weird things we do are scrapple for breakfast and a cranberry-marshmallow fruit "salad".

I guess that means I can't vote in the poll. :)

He had some interesting ones, yeah. Finding stuff like that was a reason it was also a fun game to replay: the characters had nicely different styles.