Random randomness

[Daehawk]

I've been retaining a lot of water lately, like 3-5 gallons. I'm beginning to look like a jellyfish.

Heart? thyroid? pituitary?

[dbt1949]

Who knows? I sent an IM to my doctor but I won't hear from him until Monday.
On weird side my dad died of congestive heart failure.

[LordMortis]

My rotten neighbor is gone and everyone seems to be coming out to talk the junkers, as if to quietly celebrate and confirm that his departure is real. With so many checking in, I wonder if someone(s) had bravery against retaliation that I couldn't muster and lodged enough complaints to the local government to shutter his "home business." Now I can work on cleaning all the cigarette butts out of my lawn and wash off all the oil spill from the concrete out front and work on the stuff on the fence line that has been neglected for over two years and...

Oh, and it's been three weeks of no smells, only "normal" loud noises (we're becoming an increasingly motorcycle and muscly Dodges with reduced mufflers area where obtrusive motor noise is a sign of vitality, I guess), no kids in my yard screaming outside my windows, and no pack of attack dogs going nuts when I step outside. It's been heaven. Heaven, I tells ya. I'd have spent all week outside working if it weren't for me being so stupid that I overworked myself on Monday, messing up my already messed up arm.

Here is to hoping the next neighbor won't be any worse, because sadly, I know it's possible. As bad as that guy was, at least he wasn't openly criminal and a vandal for kicks, like the first tenant of the house.

For now, I'm loving what I have and am hopeful.

[TheMix]

For now, I'm loving what I have and am hopeful.

[Fardaza]

Yay!

[Kraken]

Good thing you don't have a gun

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.

[LordMortis]

Dodge Charger, no muffler

Why is this a thing?

[hepcat]

I've been retaining a lot of water lately, like 3-5 gallons. I'm beginning to look like a jellyfish.

If you sting someone, I will not pee on them. No matter how much they plead.

[Isgrimnur]

Why give it away for free?

[Daehawk]

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.

[jztemple2]

Good thing you don't have a gun

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.

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.

[LordMortis]

Good thing you don't have a gun

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.

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 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).

[wonderpug]

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’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.

[LordMortis]

I like it both ways. For some things I like to catch things episodically. For serials that tend to run an arc over season, I like to wait for the arc to finish and then watch over the course of evening or three. My old age memory and attention aren't good enough to space out an on going story for a half an hour a week over the course of three months. And then heaven forbid I have call back to the 12 episodes from last year to understand what is happening now.

[Blackhawk]

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’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.

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.

[hepcat]

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.

[jztemple2]

[hepcat]

Of the many reasons for which I have no desire to live in Florida, that you have dinosaurs is in the top 10.

[jztemple2]

Of the many reasons for which I have no desire to live in Florida...

Everybody says that, then they end up moving here

I'm guessing that in Chicago the dangerous creatures are of the two legged variety

[hepcat]

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.

[jztemple2]

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.

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.

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?

[Blackhawk]

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.

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.)

Get rid of the filler episodes, but bring back the supporting episodes.

And the reason the majority of the best shows made in the last 20 years or so had short seasons is because the majority of the shows made in the last 20 years were short season shows (the trend started in 2007 with the last writers' strike), and because they were made in an era that encouraged experimentation.

[Blackhawk]

Of the many reasons for which I have no desire to live in Florida...

Everybody says that, then they end up moving here

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.

[Kraken]

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’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.

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.

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]

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’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.

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.

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.

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]

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’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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[LordMortis]

The other factor is self-contained vs. open seasons.

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.

[hepcat]

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.

We've had this argument before.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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]

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 us

While I live on the east coast of Florida, I am very familiar with St Pete as several of my wife's relatives live there and we go over occasionally. The west coast of Florida from St Pete on south is more muggy than where we are, as we more often get the sea breezes in the hot months. Also, the towering thunderheads build up in the summer along the center axis of the peninsula and drift east, giving us days with cloud cover and afternoon rain showers.

[hepcat]

Thank goodness. You're one of my preferred PC game gurus and I'd hate to have you start posting misinformation on games in the PC Games section of OO to spite me!

[jztemple2]

Thank goodness. You're one of my preferred PC game gurus and I'd hate to have you start posting misinformation on games in the PC Games section of OO to spite me!

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.

[hepcat]

Get better soon!

[Isgrimnur]

Good luck!

[Holman]

[Blackhawk]

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.

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.

[stessier]

Trying to make a general rule is bound to fail. It is too show specific. Sex Education on Netflix is fantastic at 4 seasons and only 8 episodes per season.

[jztemple2]

Trying to make a general rule is bound to fail. It is too show specific. Sex Education on Netflix is fantastic at 4 seasons and only 8 episodes per season.

After all, 24 worked out great with 24 episodes

[stessier]

Trying to make a general rule is bound to fail. It is too show specific. Sex Education on Netflix is fantastic at 4 seasons and only 8 episodes per season.

After all, 24 worked out great with 24 episodes

[hepcat]

I just remember the aforementioned Lost and Heroes turning into slogs because they were trying to pad so much of the season. Now that I think of it, it's the very, very rare show that didn't feel like they just threw in crap to make the desired quantity of episode numbers at some point.

The 20 or more episodes thing is just too much unless you have a stellar writing team that has a real vision for where to go and how to get there.

So yeah, the shows that could take advantage of that many episodes in a season is the exception in my eyes.

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.

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.

But I will say 8 is fine.

[Blackhawk]

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.

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.

Now I'm confused, given that you quoted me and responded directly to my quoted text.