Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Sat Jun 03, 2023 10:08 am**

dbt1949 wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 10:59 pm Just had the biggest damned Brown Recluse jump on me and run across my chest I've ever seen. Thankfully he seemed to be in a hurry.

You're not worried about what it was afraid of?

Posted: **Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:05 am**

There was a sale on roaches in the kitchen.
Actually I would pay him.

Posted: **Sat Jun 03, 2023 9:35 pm**

How do you know you're a zombie?

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 1:21 pm**

My little buddy Rocket got into the kitchen trash last night. Why did I not see that coming?
Goes to show how stupid you can get with olde age.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 1:58 pm**

After 46 years it finally dawned on me.....in Star Wars during the trench run Han shows up and shoots Darth off target. How does it do that all alone in the cockpit? I mean before you always see him yelling "Man the guns!" and they have to have people shoot them. Is Chewy back there on a gun and if not how does he do it?

Could it be that small drop down turret we see him use in the hanger in escaping from Hoth In Empire?

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:30 pm**

Daehawk wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 1:58 pm After 46 years it finally dawned on me.....in Star Wars during the trench run Han shows up and shoots Darth off target. How does it do that all alone in the cockpit? I mean before you always see him yelling "Man the guns!" and they have to have people shoot them. Is Chewy back there on a gun and if not how does he do it?

Could it be that small drop down turret we see him use in the hanger in escaping from Hoth In Empire?

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 3:58 pm**

I thought the Falcon also had fixed forward-facing guns?

They'd be useless in a free-wheeling dogfight against more nimble TIE fighters, but Vader is traveling is a straight line with no room to maneuver (and even then Han only wings him).

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:26 pm**

If you're single how do you know when to take out the trash?

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:29 pm**

"Take out"? Huh?

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:58 pm**

Daehawk wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 1:58 pm After 46 years it finally dawned on me.....in Star Wars during the trench run Han shows up and shoots Darth off target. How does it do that all alone in the cockpit? I mean before you always see him yelling "Man the guns!" and they have to have people shoot them. Is Chewy back there on a gun and if not how does he do it?

Could it be that small drop down turret we see him use in the hanger in escaping from Hoth In Empire?

Good point, but it's vague. From Wookiepedia:

The weaponry of the Millennium Falcon was normally suited for a much larger warship.[1] It included two CEC AG-2G quad laser cannons (one ventral and one dorsal) with enhanced laser actuators and gas feeds, which gave them maximum range and damage. Between the forward mandibles, there were two Arakyd ST2 concussion missile tubes, each of which carried a four-missile magazine.[12] Additionally, a BlasTech Ax-108 "Ground Buzzer" blaster cannon mounted near the ventral boarding ramp allowed its crew to defend the ship while on the ground.[1] Duralloy plates salvaged from an Imperial cruiser afforded the Falcon capital ship-class hull armor.[12]

Going back and looking at footage of all of them firing, plus the trench run... I'm going to say that it was the automated belly-gun. The reasoning: the manned turrets were quad cannons that fired blasts in pairs (two beams at once.) The shot that hit the TIE fighter was a single beam, like the belly-gun. Also, the belly-gun could be fired by computer. It's also possible that the two beams were just lined up so that they looked like one (after all, Han's wearing a coms headset, which he normally only wears when talking within the ship (IE - if Chewie was on the guns.) It's even more possible that they weren't paying that level of attention to the continuity and just made it a 'red laser.'

In any case, nobody shot Vader. Han/Chewie/the computer shot Wingman 1, after which Wingman 2 panicked and rammed Vader. Which is funny, as it's actually the thing that makes most sense continuity-wise from the perspective of the future films (a shot aimed at Vader likely would have triggered his Force senses.)

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:59 pm**

dbt1949 wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:26 pm If you're single how do you know when to take out the trash?

Because I try to throw something away and it doesn't fit.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:05 pm**

Sudy wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:29 pm "Take out"? Huh?

In Americanese, it means to take the trash outside. After it’s outside, it’s an American tradition to then trigger what’s known as a “Trash Alarm” to alert everyone that you’ve brought the trash outside for everyone to see. Once everyone has observed your trash, and commented on its quality, we take it back inside where it is formed into what we call a “Trash Man”. This being made of pure garbage is accepted into the family unit and provides domestic help.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:08 pm**

If he behaves himself, we even make him a Trash Truck to drive around in.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 9:56 pm**

Wont someone think of the pandas?

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 10:04 pm**

Or of the Burger Kings.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 10:28 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:58 pm automated belly-gun

The Ground Buzzer wasn't revealed until Empire.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 10:34 pm**

And Wingman 1 was targeted by 2 lasers that come in on different angles.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 10:36 pm**

Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:59 pm
dbt1949 wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:26 pm If you're single how do you know when to take out the trash?
Because I try to throw something away and it doesn't fit.

When it's spilled, it's filled.

Posted: **Sun Jun 04, 2023 11:12 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 10:28 pm
Blackhawk wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:58 pm automated belly-gun
The Ground Buzzer wasn't revealed until Empire.

True.

But then again, I really don't think they thought too much about continuity and consistency when the first film was made. Lucas has let that slip over the years - half of the stuff they finally showed in Empire and Jedi (including the nature of the relationships within the Skywalker clan) wasn't even conceived of when they made the first film. There's the 'with what we know now' answer (which I poked around at above), and then there's the real answer, which is that they just threw things at the wall without paying attention to the little details (like how the shot was actually fired) the way they did later on.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:44 am**

Theres only a single good thing about the touched up trilogy...that they added a DONK! sound to the storm trooper hitting his head in the first movie. All the rest of the crap and cgi they shoulda left out. Im lucky to own the originals untouched on VHS.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 9:34 am**

Daehawk wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:44 am Theres only a single good thing about the touched up trilogy...that they added a DONK! sound to the storm trooper hitting his head in the first movie. All the rest of the crap and cgi they shoulda left out. Im lucky to own the originals untouched on VHS.

Realistically, when was the last time you actually tried to play back your untouched VHS originals? Because unless you kept them stored in optimal, climate-controlled conditions and did not subject them to heavy usage in a VCR for repeated playback, by now they're likely significantly degraded, if not downright unwatchable:

capture.com wrote:How Long Do VHS Tapes Last?
The life expectancy of VHS tapes can vary greatly from one VHS cassette to another. In general, VHS tapes will start to degrade in as little as 10 years as the magnetic tape reels begin to experience signal loss.

On average, your priceless VHS tapes will degrade 10 to 20% over 10 to 25 years, which means your VHS tapes from the 1990s and early 2000s are highly susceptible to data loss, discoloration, fading, and other issues.

However, this is only an average and an estimate. The true lifespan of your video tapes is impacted by many different factors. Heat, humidity, and sunlight can all speed up deterioration. This is especially true if the conditions cause mold and mildew. Unfortunately, lots of people store their video cassettes in humid environments like basements.

The quality of the tape is also a concern. While reliable companies like Sony use high-quality Mylar phthalate-laden polyethylene, lesser-known brands may not produce durable old video tapes. Either way, heavy use in a VCR for repeated playback, fast-forwarding, or rewinding can wear out the tape path.

Even storage near a magnetic source can weaken the iron oxide magnetic particles and impact the VHS tape’s ability to hold information. Finally, recording over original memories or content can also reduce the expected lifespan because the magnetic particles will have to record new information.

So nowadays, you're probably better off downloading and watching the much higher quality Harmy's Despecialized Editions of the original trilogy rather than clinging to a fantasy of rewatching knackered and decrepit old VHS tapes.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:13 am**

Actually Ive never played them. Kept them pristine as I could.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:42 am**

Daehawk wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 10:13 am Actually Ive never played them. Kept them pristine as I could.

For what purpose? I mean, why concern yourself with hanging onto such obsolete clutter and keeping old VHS tapes "as pristine as you could," if you've never even bothered to play them or enjoy watching them? Seems like a recipe for pointless hoarding.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:13 am**

I agree.
In what way are you ‘lucky to have them’ , if you refuse to enjoy them.

I mean, they could be blank video tapes for all you know.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:14 am**

Why do people keep anything they never use?
I suspect it's so they can sell them someday at a major profit or maybe they just like to have it.
I have a major gun collection.What's the purpose?

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:27 am**

I got them to collect initially. But it wasn't long after that..like a couple years ...that Lucas 'touched up' the original trilogy to bs levels and I knew I not only had a collectors item for myself but one I might one day sell for a good profit. May do that someday soon. Having untouched original movies is quite a boon Id imagine to some.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:47 am**

Daehawk wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:27 am I got them to collect initially. But it wasn't long after that..like a couple years ...that Lucas 'touched up' the original trilogy to bs levels and I knew I not only had a collectors item for myself but one I might one day sell for a good profit. May do that someday soon. Having untouched original movies is quite a boon Id imagine to some.

Perhaps, if your idea of a "a good profit" is $9.00 on Ebay? As Unagi aptly observes, they could be tapes of white noise or blank for all you know, so you'd best get to testing and selling them before they degrade away to nothingness, otherwise you're just pointlessly hoarding worthless junk.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:50 am**

Above and beyond all that, if you're living without water (or a washing machine), complaining about your mortgage while holding on to tapes that *might* have value and you have no intention of watching...figure things out here.

I know you've been selling stuff and dealing with crazy people, but keep at it - no need to hold on to things for some magical future payoff when you can literally use the money right now.

It's not easy - believe me, I know. Had to deal with too much stuff while moving back in 2019, and I still have too much stuff.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:51 am**

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:47 am Perhaps, if your idea of a "quite a boon" is $9.00 on Ebay?

Well, there is someone asking $15 too.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:58 am**

All of which is why I bought a video-to-USB attachment about five years ago, which passes RCA jacks (red/white/yellow) to USB. I dug my VHS out of the back of the closet, hooked it up to my PC, and copies all of the few remaining videotapes I owned over (almost all were old home movies.)

The VHS then went bye-bye.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:04 pm**

Well guess theres no money in that.

Posted: **Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:25 pm**

Daehawk wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:04 pm Well guess theres no money in that.

So you'd might as well watch 'em or copy 'em. Or feel that since you own them, you might be justified in acquiring digital copies by other means.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2023 11:53 am**

My MILs birthday today. She'd have been 105. She also lost one of her brothers on this day.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2023 1:06 pm**

I used to feel my MIL lived too damn long. But Ive mellowed since she passed and can feel ok with her and her shit towards me.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:24 pm**

I keep a small pile of individually wrapped cleaning wipes at my desk to clean off laptops, phones, monitors, etc before deploying them to clients.

I needed to clean off a Cisco desk phone and grabbed a wipe off my desk and ripped it open....it was a packet of crushed red peppers from the pizza I had last week.

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:29 pm**

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:39 pm**

dbt1949 wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 11:53 am My MILs birthday today. She'd have been 105. She also lost one of her brothers on this day.

Coincidence, or was the brother at D-Day?

Posted: **Tue Jun 06, 2023 6:27 pm**

D-Day. He was a pilot I believe.

Posted: **Sat Jun 10, 2023 12:10 am**

Am I alone in my hatred for the spork? The almighty spork?

Its useless.The tines of the fork part are too short to actually work as a fork and spear anything and when you try using it as a spoon to dollop up liquids the fork parts are in the way and prevent you from doing so.

Useless. Hate'm

Posted: **Sat Jun 10, 2023 12:13 am**

Daehawk wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 12:10 am Am I alone in my hatred for the spork? The almighty spork?

Its useless.The tines of the fork part are too short to actually work as a fork and spear anything and when you try using it as a spoon to dollop up liquids the fork parts are in the way and prevent you from doing so.

Useless. Hate'm

Octopus Overlords

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