Re: Random randomness
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2024 12:06 pm
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons bring us some web forums whereupon we can gather
http://octopusoverlords.com/forum/
Leafblower, drunk neighbor
Woodchipper, weed whacker
Bass boomer, subwoofer
Dodge Charger, no muffler
Cat fighter, dog barker
Chainsaw running
Motherfucker
Bad neighbor, Bad neighbor
Good thing I don't have a gun.
Why is this a thing?Dodge Charger, no muffler
I had an engineer who worked for me years ago. He had a bad neighbor with attack dogs who chased his two little girls at times till they were terrified to go outdoors. He talked to the neighbor to no avail, ditto the police.
I thought about it and it was a terrifying prospect. Not that they ever got out, but they could have if they decided being territorial at the fence wasn't enough, as he wasn't exactly securing the yard to prevent stuff inside from getting out vs keeping others from getting at all the junk there (piled on the fences the the dogs could leap up if they were determined enough to do so).jztemple2 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 12:59 pmI had an engineer who worked for me years ago. He had a bad neighbor with attack dogs who chased his two little girls at times till they were terrified to go outdoors. He talked to the neighbor to no avail, ditto the police.
One day the dogs were running in his yard. He came outside with his gun and shot both dogs, then called the police. They interviewed him but no charges filed.
I’ve been watching old series like Lost and Heroes with my kids recently, and it’s so different going back to 25 episode seasons. I miss how shows used to be something that everyone kept up with and talked about for a whole year rather than 8-10 episode events that last just a month or two.Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 12:56 pm Streaming annoys me with their season releases. I love having a new season to watch all together but 8 or 10 eps? Then a year or even 2 years until more? No thats awful. You cant enjoy a show like that. Give me 10 eps a season but give me 2 or 3 seasons a year then broken up by a few months in between. That way I get the same amount as I did as a kid per year but not all at once so I cant run through all 30 of them at once.
I miss how they had room to play with the characters and the setting, to really set the stage and world build. Now they have to make a beeline sprint straight down the middle. I don't know that I want to go back to 24+ episode seasons, but 6-8 episode seasons aren't my preference, either. I'd like to see a central 'sweet spot' at around 16-18. A little more focused without having to throw in bottle episodes or clip shows to fill out the count, but not so focused that they can't have an episode here and there that focuses on exploring/explaining the world and characters without the stakes always being high.wonderpug wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 3:14 pmI’ve been watching old series like Lost and Heroes with my kids recently, and it’s so different going back to 25 episode seasons. I miss how shows used to be something that everyone kept up with and talked about for a whole year rather than 8-10 episode events that last just a month or two.Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 12:56 pm Streaming annoys me with their season releases. I love having a new season to watch all together but 8 or 10 eps? Then a year or even 2 years until more? No thats awful. You cant enjoy a show like that. Give me 10 eps a season but give me 2 or 3 seasons a year then broken up by a few months in between. That way I get the same amount as I did as a kid per year but not all at once so I cant run through all 30 of them at once.
Humidity? I go from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car, driving to the air conditioned store. No one goes outside unless they want to get sweaty.hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 10:29 pm Number one is the humidity. My god. I don’t know how you folks can handle it. I’d be soaking in a portable kiddie pool everywhere I go. Board meeting at work? Where’s hepcat? Pan down to show him wearing a tie and a pair of swim trunks while lying in a Flintstones kiddie pool. At the movies? Same deal, but no tie.
Which I specifically mentioned and addressed. We've had this argument before. Nobody is wishing for more clip shows. There are alternatives that live somewhere between 8 episodes (too few) and 26 (too many.) 10% of the episodes being filler weakens the story by making it tedious. But every episode having to focus 100% on the story also weakens the story by skipping out on much of the character development and world building that they used to have the freedom for. They only resorted to bottle/clip shows when they had lined out the main story, had lined out the now-gone supporting episodes, and were still short (or if they wanted a big finale and wanted to save budget.)hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 10:03 pm I miss the numerous episodes that went nowhere and did nothing so they could pad out their episode count to make that magical syndication number for the big bucks. Man, without flashback episodes, it all just seems too focused and well written. That’s not how I remember TV!
….there’s a reason that the majority of the best shows made in the last 20 years or so are only 8 to 12 episodes long.
Not the ones who follow science news. Once the influx of people excited about Florida's current politics slows down, I have a feeling that Florida is going to start seeing their numbers drop. And not just because portions will have been washed out to sea.
It depends, I think, on how big a story you want to tell. Six or 8 episodes really amount to an overlong movie and that's fine for a clear storyline that's not stuffed with characters or drawn out over space and time. OTOH, if you have an ensemble cast in a sprawling setting, 16 episodes give the writers room to stretch, to flesh out their characters and world with side quests. Epics benefit from taking more time. I think there's room for both styles, but the pendulum has swung too far in favor of short and sweet.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 9:55 pmI miss how they had room to play with the characters and the setting, to really set the stage and world build. Now they have to make a beeline sprint straight down the middle. I don't know that I want to go back to 24+ episode seasons, but 6-8 episode seasons aren't my preference, either. I'd like to see a central 'sweet spot' at around 16-18. A little more focused without having to throw in bottle episodes or clip shows to fill out the count, but not so focused that they can't have an episode here and there that focuses on exploring/explaining the world and characters without the stakes always being high.wonderpug wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 3:14 pmI’ve been watching old series like Lost and Heroes with my kids recently, and it’s so different going back to 25 episode seasons. I miss how shows used to be something that everyone kept up with and talked about for a whole year rather than 8-10 episode events that last just a month or two.Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 12:56 pm Streaming annoys me with their season releases. I love having a new season to watch all together but 8 or 10 eps? Then a year or even 2 years until more? No thats awful. You cant enjoy a show like that. Give me 10 eps a season but give me 2 or 3 seasons a year then broken up by a few months in between. That way I get the same amount as I did as a kid per year but not all at once so I cant run through all 30 of them at once.
That's reasonable. I'd also say that genre shows need a little more room for the world building. Not everyone knows Hyboria, Gotham City, or Arrakis, or 17th century England. You need time to communicate those worlds. You need less time to communicate Minneapolis in 2024.Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 12:01 amIt depends, I think, on how big a story you want to tell. Six or 8 episodes really amount to an overlong movie and that's fine for a clear storyline that's not stuffed with characters or drawn out over space and time. OTOH, if you have an ensemble cast in a sprawling setting, 16 episodes give the writers room to stretch, to flesh out their characters and world with side quests. Epics benefit from taking more time. I think there's room for both styles, but the pendulum has swung too far in favor of short and sweet.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 9:55 pmI miss how they had room to play with the characters and the setting, to really set the stage and world build. Now they have to make a beeline sprint straight down the middle. I don't know that I want to go back to 24+ episode seasons, but 6-8 episode seasons aren't my preference, either. I'd like to see a central 'sweet spot' at around 16-18. A little more focused without having to throw in bottle episodes or clip shows to fill out the count, but not so focused that they can't have an episode here and there that focuses on exploring/explaining the world and characters without the stakes always being high.wonderpug wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 3:14 pmI’ve been watching old series like Lost and Heroes with my kids recently, and it’s so different going back to 25 episode seasons. I miss how shows used to be something that everyone kept up with and talked about for a whole year rather than 8-10 episode events that last just a month or two.Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 12:56 pm Streaming annoys me with their season releases. I love having a new season to watch all together but 8 or 10 eps? Then a year or even 2 years until more? No thats awful. You cant enjoy a show like that. Give me 10 eps a season but give me 2 or 3 seasons a year then broken up by a few months in between. That way I get the same amount as I did as a kid per year but not all at once so I cant run through all 30 of them at once.
The other factor is self-contained vs. open seasons. There's no longer a presumption of renewal. The long rambling seasons of yore were designed to go on potentially forever. Now I think creators start with the opposite assumption -- this might be all we get, so let's wrap up neatly. If they get another season, they open a new storyline.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 12:14 amThat's reasonable. I'd also say that genre shows need a little more room for the world building. Not everyone knows Hyboria, Gotham City, or Arrakis, or 17th century England. You need time to communicate those worlds. You need less time to communicate Minneapolis in 2024.Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 12:01 amIt depends, I think, on how big a story you want to tell. Six or 8 episodes really amount to an overlong movie and that's fine for a clear storyline that's not stuffed with characters or drawn out over space and time. OTOH, if you have an ensemble cast in a sprawling setting, 16 episodes give the writers room to stretch, to flesh out their characters and world with side quests. Epics benefit from taking more time. I think there's room for both styles, but the pendulum has swung too far in favor of short and sweet.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 9:55 pmI miss how they had room to play with the characters and the setting, to really set the stage and world build. Now they have to make a beeline sprint straight down the middle. I don't know that I want to go back to 24+ episode seasons, but 6-8 episode seasons aren't my preference, either. I'd like to see a central 'sweet spot' at around 16-18. A little more focused without having to throw in bottle episodes or clip shows to fill out the count, but not so focused that they can't have an episode here and there that focuses on exploring/explaining the world and characters without the stakes always being high.wonderpug wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 3:14 pmI’ve been watching old series like Lost and Heroes with my kids recently, and it’s so different going back to 25 episode seasons. I miss how shows used to be something that everyone kept up with and talked about for a whole year rather than 8-10 episode events that last just a month or two.Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 12:56 pm Streaming annoys me with their season releases. I love having a new season to watch all together but 8 or 10 eps? Then a year or even 2 years until more? No thats awful. You cant enjoy a show like that. Give me 10 eps a season but give me 2 or 3 seasons a year then broken up by a few months in between. That way I get the same amount as I did as a kid per year but not all at once so I cant run through all 30 of them at once.
This plus epsiodic vs serialized in nature determine my preferred method of viewing. Monster of the week is fine for one at a time as is a story that just wanders without asking me to remember too much of what happened six episodes ago. But a narrative that plays out like a novel over 6 or 8 or 10 or 12 episodes? Let me watch it over 1 to 3 nights like I used to read a book in the evening before bed.
And now, as before, I think you're confusing the (rare) exception for the rule when it comes to the quality of shows running 24 or more episodes a season.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 11:19 pmWe've had this argument before.hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 10:03 pm I miss the numerous episodes that went nowhere and did nothing so they could pad out their episode count to make that magical syndication number for the big bucks. Man, without flashback episodes, it all just seems too focused and well written. That’s not how I remember TV!
….there’s a reason that the majority of the best shows made in the last 20 years or so are only 8 to 12 episodes long.
Well, I certainly meant no offense. Sorry if any was taken. I was more or less joking...although I do have less than fond memories of a client site in St. Petersburg that coincided with the most humid months of the year in that area, and the subsequent attempts to remain dry on the way to and from their site.jztemple2 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 10:51 pmHumidity? I go from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car, driving to the air conditioned store. No one goes outside unless they want to get sweaty.hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 10:29 pm Number one is the humidity. My god. I don’t know how you folks can handle it. I’d be soaking in a portable kiddie pool everywhere I go. Board meeting at work? Where’s hepcat? Pan down to show him wearing a tie and a pair of swim trunks while lying in a Flintstones kiddie pool. At the movies? Same deal, but no tie.
And to be fair the humidity is only bad about six months of the year, when we stay in the a/c. November to April it is pretty nice. How is November to April where you are?
I didn't take it as offensive, I also was joking around . Floridians love to make jokes about the weather, since it so often makes jokes out of ushepcat wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 9:33 amWell, I certainly meant no offense. Sorry if any was taken. I was more or less joking...although I do have less than fond memories of a client site in St. Petersburg that coincided with the most humid months of the year in that area, and the subsequent attempts to remain dry on the way to and from their site.jztemple2 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 10:51 pmHumidity? I go from my air conditioned house to my air conditioned car, driving to the air conditioned store. No one goes outside unless they want to get sweaty.hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Apr 14, 2024 10:29 pm Number one is the humidity. My god. I don’t know how you folks can handle it. I’d be soaking in a portable kiddie pool everywhere I go. Board meeting at work? Where’s hepcat? Pan down to show him wearing a tie and a pair of swim trunks while lying in a Flintstones kiddie pool. At the movies? Same deal, but no tie.
And to be fair the humidity is only bad about six months of the year, when we stay in the a/c. November to April it is pretty nice. How is November to April where you are?
I appreciate the compliment! Sadly I'm rather off gaming for another two and a half weeks while I'm wearing my cast on my mouse hand. I've switched to using the mouse with my left hand, but it isn't as adept as the right, plus it makes WASD awkward and I can't use my Xbox controller or the wheel. Still, I've been putting in some time on older games just for practice. And I'm now up to speed with touch typing in spite of the cast.
Who's arguing in favor of 24+ episode seasons? I am, very specifically, saying that 24 is too many, 8 is too few, and that there is a 'sweet spot' somewhere in the middle they should be striving for - I believe I argued in favor of 16 episode seasons, enough to give the writers some freedom to play with the characters and setting, but not so many as to require padding.
I have no idea who you're arguing with. I wasn't directly responding to you in my initial post.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:49 pmWho's arguing in favor of 24+ episode seasons? I am, very specifically, saying that 24 is too many, 8 is too few, and that there is a 'sweet spot' somewhere in the middle they should be striving for - I believe I argued in favor of 16 episode seasons, enough to give the writers some freedom to play with the characters and setting, but not so many as to require padding.
Now I'm confused, given that you quoted me and responded directly to my quoted text.hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 4:39 pmI have no idea who you're arguing with. I wasn't directly responding to you in my initial post.Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 3:49 pmWho's arguing in favor of 24+ episode seasons? I am, very specifically, saying that 24 is too many, 8 is too few, and that there is a 'sweet spot' somewhere in the middle they should be striving for - I believe I argued in favor of 16 episode seasons, enough to give the writers some freedom to play with the characters and setting, but not so many as to require padding.