Octopus Overlords

dbt1949 wrote: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:43 pm Everybody knows that Samuel L. Jackson and Lawrence Fishburne are the same person.

There was a time, many years ago, when I would have been hard put to tell you which was which. Happily, I have overcome that hurdle.

Ariana Grande and Sofia Vergara are back on the market.

dbt1949 wrote: Mon Jul 17, 2023 7:43 pm Everybody knows that Samuel L. Jackson and Lawrence Fishburne are the same person.

Jumanji 3: Samuel L Jackson playing the Karen Gillan character.

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Jul 17, 2023 8:22 pm Ariana Grande and Sofia Vergara are back on the market.

Spoiler:

Wow Im surprised at the Sofia and Joe news. I thought they were locked in stone. She was his dream girl. Maybe he was too much of a geek for her with his DnD games.

hitbyambulance wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:53 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:12 pm I've actually got a couple of old android phones around the house that now serve only as media devices. I keep them on the guest network so that I don't have to worry about older versions of Android, keep them plugged in, and have them hooked to the speakers. They're surprisingly versatile. The one in my room serves for music when I want it, podcasts when I'm painting, and as a customizable white noise machine at night, and given that I'm using free apps for it all, it costs me zero (well, maybe two or three bucks a year from being plugged in.)

be sure to monitor them for swelling Li-Ion batteries...

So the mention of monitoring the battery sent me to amazon to buy a cheap white noise device, and I'm enjoying the sound of a gentle thunderstorm every night since. If I was in a really cold location I'd probably be listening to the crackling fire instead.

em2nought wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:27 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:53 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:12 pm I've actually got a couple of old android phones around the house that now serve only as media devices. I keep them on the guest network so that I don't have to worry about older versions of Android, keep them plugged in, and have them hooked to the speakers. They're surprisingly versatile. The one in my room serves for music when I want it, podcasts when I'm painting, and as a customizable white noise machine at night, and given that I'm using free apps for it all, it costs me zero (well, maybe two or three bucks a year from being plugged in.)

be sure to monitor them for swelling Li-Ion batteries...

So the mention of monitoring the battery sent me to amazon to buy a cheap white noise device, and I'm enjoying the sound of a gentle thunderstorm every night since. If I was in a really cold location I'd probably be listening to the crackling fire instead.

i'm a LectroFan fan

https://www.soundofsleep.com/lectrofan/

hitbyambulance wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:32 pm

em2nought wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:27 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:53 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:12 pm I've actually got a couple of old android phones around the house that now serve only as media devices. I keep them on the guest network so that I don't have to worry about older versions of Android, keep them plugged in, and have them hooked to the speakers. They're surprisingly versatile. The one in my room serves for music when I want it, podcasts when I'm painting, and as a customizable white noise machine at night, and given that I'm using free apps for it all, it costs me zero (well, maybe two or three bucks a year from being plugged in.)

be sure to monitor them for swelling Li-Ion batteries...

So the mention of monitoring the battery sent me to amazon to buy a cheap white noise device, and I'm enjoying the sound of a gentle thunderstorm every night since. If I was in a really cold location I'd probably be listening to the crackling fire instead.

i'm a LectroFan fan

https://www.soundofsleep.com/lectrofan/

+1...well, +2 as we have two. Take them with us wherever we go.

I got Wife one of these and she loves it. There’s a reason it’s been on the market since 1962.

She had been using her air conditioner to provide white noise, which annoyed the hell out of me. Now she only uses it for cooling.

Anymore I can't sleep without steady noise.

Kraken wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 6:55 pm I got Wife one of these and she loves it. There’s a reason it’s been on the market since 1962.

Which explains why the motor looks exactly the same as the motor in a bathroom ceiling vent fan. I just replaced the motor in my bathroom vent fan from the '80s with a brand new motor which was exactly the same as the old motor.

stessier wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:46 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:32 pm

em2nought wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:27 pm

hitbyambulance wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:53 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:12 pm I've actually got a couple of old android phones around the house that now serve only as media devices. I keep them on the guest network so that I don't have to worry about older versions of Android, keep them plugged in, and have them hooked to the speakers. They're surprisingly versatile. The one in my room serves for music when I want it, podcasts when I'm painting, and as a customizable white noise machine at night, and given that I'm using free apps for it all, it costs me zero (well, maybe two or three bucks a year from being plugged in.)

be sure to monitor them for swelling Li-Ion batteries...

So the mention of monitoring the battery sent me to amazon to buy a cheap white noise device, and I'm enjoying the sound of a gentle thunderstorm every night since. If I was in a really cold location I'd probably be listening to the crackling fire instead.

i'm a LectroFan fan

https://www.soundofsleep.com/lectrofan/

+1...well, +2 as we have two. Take them with us wherever we go.

You made me look - and now I'm tempted. I like my solution (mostly because it's free and gives me access to thousands of sounds), but there's something to be said for simplicity - and this would definitely simplify my painting desk.

Has there ever been an actor whose real name sounds more like a character in an action movie than Ethan Hawke?

Max Peck wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:19 am Has there ever been an actor whose real name sounds more like a character in an action movie than Ethan Hawke?

Rip Torn

Audie Murphy - He qualifies on all counts.

Holman wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:27 am

Max Peck wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:19 am Has there ever been an actor whose real name sounds more like a character in an action movie than Ethan Hawke?

Rip Torn

That's the trick. A lot of actors change their names to sound cooler. Just ask Max Power.

Or Elmore Torn, Jr. there.

Max Peck wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:19 am Has there ever been an actor whose real name sounds more like a character in an action movie than Ethan Hawke?

It's hard to come up with them, as there is too much word association in play. I mean, you say, "Stalone" and immediately think action movie - but that's backwards. The name doesn't have that feel on its own, even though it seems like it should. At the same time, some performers with action movie names don't seem like they do because the name is so recognizable and associated with something else.

Moving those with changed names under the line. Cheaters! (Not that I blame them - I had a laughing fit when I discovered that the biggest badass of them all - the Kurgan - was really named 'Clancy.')

Thurl Ravenscroft
Powers Boothe
Vanessa Redgrave
River Phoenix
-------------------------------------
Vin Diesel (Mark Sinclair)
Tom Cruise (Thomas Mapother)
Van Damme (Jean-Claude Van Varenberg)
Lee Van Cleef (Clarence Van Cleef)

Holman wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:27 am

Max Peck wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:19 am Has there ever been an actor whose real name sounds more like a character in an action movie than Ethan Hawke?

Rip Torn

Real name: Elmore Torn

After an hour and a half, does that count as a double-bam?

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 1:13 pm After an hour and a half, does that count as a double-bam?

Absolutely. I scrolled too fast and didn't notice that you had already replied with his real name.

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jul 18, 2023 10:56 pm
You made me look - and now I'm tempted. I like my solution (mostly because it's free and gives me access to thousands of sounds), but there's something to be said for simplicity - and this would definitely simplify my painting desk.

it can get pretty loud if you want it to be, but i think the device's strength is that it's actually 'full' sounding, and fills a space audibly well, performing an admirable job of outside sound blocking.

Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will "likely lead to long-term shortages" of medicine

The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website.

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:00 pm Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will "likely lead to long-term shortages" of medicine

The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website.

It's Pfizer. They'll bounce back.

(By raising prices on everything else to pay for the repairs, and then forgetting to lower them again afterwards.)

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 4:42 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:00 pm Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will "likely lead to long-term shortages" of medicine

The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website.

It's Pfizer. They'll bounce back.

(By raising prices on everything else to pay for the repairs, and then forgetting to lower them again afterwards.)

If anyone can rise to the occasion, it's Pfizer.

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 6:02 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 4:42 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:00 pm Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will "likely lead to long-term shortages" of medicine

The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website.

It's Pfizer. They'll bounce back.

(By raising prices on everything else to pay for the repairs, and then forgetting to lower them again afterwards.)

If anyone can rise to the occasion, it's Pfizer.

I get it, but it may have been a little flaccid for some of this crowd.

And if I may stretch my new Brit muscles here a little:

You yanks really need to work on your erections if a storm like this can just take them out so easily.

Unagi wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 6:14 pm

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 6:02 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 4:42 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:00 pm Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will "likely lead to long-term shortages" of medicine

The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website.

It's Pfizer. They'll bounce back.

(By raising prices on everything else to pay for the repairs, and then forgetting to lower them again afterwards.)

If anyone can rise to the occasion, it's Pfizer.

I get it, but it may have been a little flaccid for some of this crowd.

Michelle's uncle was a muckity-muck in security at the plant where they invented Viagra. The in-house working name was "the Pfizer Riser."

Max Peck wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 1:06 pm

Holman wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:27 am

Max Peck wrote: Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:19 am Has there ever been an actor whose real name sounds more like a character in an action movie than Ethan Hawke?

Rip Torn

Real name: Elmore Torn

According to Wikipedia, it's Elmore Rual Torn, plus...

The nickname "Rip" is a family tradition among men in the Torn family, having been used by his father, uncle, and a cousin.

It's possible that this was a myth concocted by an agent, of course.

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 6:24 pm

Unagi wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 6:14 pm

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 6:02 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 4:42 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 12:00 pm Tornado damages Pfizer plant in North Carolina, will "likely lead to long-term shortages" of medicine

The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly 25% of all sterile injectable medications used in U.S. hospitals, Pfizer said on its website.

It's Pfizer. They'll bounce back.

(By raising prices on everything else to pay for the repairs, and then forgetting to lower them again afterwards.)

If anyone can rise to the occasion, it's Pfizer.

I get it, but it may have been a little flaccid for some of this crowd.

Michelle's uncle was a muckity-muck in security at the plant where they invented Viagra. The in-house working name was "the Pfizer Riser."

Ha!

I had once heard that it was secretly called: Mycoxafloppin

Theres stiff competition out there now days. It will be hard to make a come back,

This stuff is good.

Daehawk wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 1:23 pm https://variety.com/2023/film/news/amc- ... 235514262/

AMC Theatres to Change Movie Ticket Prices Based on Seat Location
...
I then me and my wife ALWAYS sat left of center about 3 - 4 rows up. Glad I hate out AMC theater and love our UEC

AMC Theatres Drops Variable Pricing Plan That Charged More for Better Seats

The company said Thursday that it will end the pilot program in the coming weeks and replace it with a new program that aims to upgrade the seats at the front of each auditorium (an area considered to be the worst viewing experience).
...
Pricing was not announced for the new seats, though the company noted that in the Sightline pilot program, most consumers were willing to pay more for the premium seats, while it saw little to no change in the front-row seats, even with their lower price.

Makes no sense. They seem to be stabbing in the dark to ways to shave more money from customers. Just charge a price and let people sit where they want.Its worked for nearly 100 years.

They should put some thought into improving the experience rather than trying to gouge the few customers they still have. Make people want to see a movie in the theater.

Movie theaters were packed in the era when people had 20-something inch TVs. They started to decline in the early 2000s when people had 30-something inch TVs. Now people have TVs that are as large (in terms of field of view) as movie theaters, surround sound systems (even I have 5.1), more comfortable couches, and you can get soft drinks and popcorn for four for six bucks. Theaters have taken the approach that the music industry tried to take back when streaming was brand new - digging in their heels and trying to force the old business model on people who are no longer interested. They try to make up for the loss of customers by charging more and more. Even though the ticket prices haven't really changed that much when adjusted for inflation, the concessions have increased ~300%-400% since 1980 (also adjusted for inflation.)

If they'd halve the prices of movies and snacks, I'd see three times as many movies. If they'd get rid of the 6" wide seats with shared arm rests designed to jam 200 people into a theater that never has more than 30 in it, I'd see four times as many movies. A movie in the theater does look a little better, and sound a little better (except at our local theater), but it's not better enough to justify the cost, except once or twice a year when something special comes out. Short of that, as long as they're overly loud, sticky-floored, poorly cooled, popcorn-priced-like-steak experiences that give me an inferior experience to what's in my living room, I'll stay home.

AMC theatres are almost 100% full recliner seats (with very few exceptions - I think I remember 1 time in the last 6 years that we were in a theater with regular seats, it was a large IMAX screen). Most of them (again, other than Dolby/IMAX/Prime) are under 50 seats. We saw Mission: Impossible today in a theater with about 30 seats total.

I really, really don't need to buy popcorn, drinks and other junk to enjoy a movie.

We certainly wouldn't be going to the movies so much if not for AMC A-List, though, which is arguably one of the best value subscriptions out of all the movie chains. So for us, it's worth it.

gilraen wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 10:43 pm AMC theatres are almost 100% full recliner seats (with very few exceptions - I think I remember 1 time in the last 6 years that we were in a theater with regular seats, it was a large IMAX screen). Most of them (again, other than Dolby/IMAX/Prime) are under 50 seats. We saw Mission: Impossible today in a theater with about 30 seats total.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it probably depends on where you live. We have only AMC theaters around here, and while I have visited several of them, I have never even seen a recliner seat.

All of our local theaters have huge recliners. Staying awake for two hours in a comfy chair in a dark room can be challenging if the movie is Meh.

We might see one movie a year, and overpaying for a ridiculous amount of popcorn and grumbling about it is part of the experience. I know theaters keep very little of the gate, so food and drink are their major profit centers. I do smuggle in my own can of seltzer, though.

Captive markets. When I lived In Lubbock, Cinemark moved in and it was awesome. As soon as they ran everyone else out of town, they pulled the good sound systems out for other markets. No point wasting an SDDS install on a town you own.

I haven't been to a movie show this century.

On this date 100 years ago my grandmother was getting ready to turn 22.

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 11:38 pm Captive markets. When I lived In Lubbock, Cinemark moved in and it was awesome. As soon as they ran everyone else out of town, they pulled the good sound systems out for other markets. No point wasting an SDDS install on a town you own.

And no point in removing the tiny seats.