TwinIon

Saw this last night and it is everything it says on the tin. It's a cheeky, funny, meta, action packed romp. It knows its cues and nails them. The comedy hits, the romantic chemistry is excellent, the stunts are impressive. It never transcends its genre, but it's a very enjoyable celebration of stunts and movie making in a highly entertaining package. Overall just a fun time in the theater.

They also get a couple good jabs in at the Academy for not awarding stunt guys, which I appreciated.

Bit of a necro bump, but this thing is back in the news:

FTC fines Razer for every cent made selling bogus “N95 grade” RGB masks

ARSTECHNICA.COM

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“Deceptive advertising and misinformation posed a risk to public health."

"The proposed settlement against Razer includes a $100,000 civil penalty, plus $1,071,254.33, which the FTC said is equal to the amount of revenue Razer made from the Zephyr"

So they knew that it wasn't providing N95 grade protection, but continued to sell the thing. What a bunch of morons.

Also, how in the world did they sell 10,000 of these things?

On 5/1/2024 at 10:25 AM, Nokra said:

My hope is that these 500 people will be quickly snapped up by other companies working in the charger space. What a shitbag move by Musk. 

I'd love to see anyone with ambition in the space to just hire the whole team. So many big companies are entering this space that could absorb them. Mercedes, Electrify America (VW), Rivian, GM, and basically every other automaker are doing something. I was just listening to a podcast with the head of Merc and they said Merc was getting into building out a "critical mass" of chargers in the US and they were going to hand that project to their "customer experiences" team that mostly does things like sell insurance. Hiring a whole group that already knows everything sure seems like a way to supercharge that project.

Something that I discounted at first, but came to resent later in my playthrough was how limiting the landing tile is in Starfield. If you could fly your ship (or drive a vehicle) around a seamless planet in Starfield like you can in NMS, all the sudden I think the largely barren nature of planets would be far easier to deal with. I spent quite a while wandering around planets, looking for the right sites to build bases. Usually it was just trying to find the right combination of resources that would all be available in the same spot, but even doing that was a real pain. It involved landing in different tiles, scanning everything by hand, being unable to find both rare resources near each other, going back to orbit, and trying again. Being able to fly around planets and survey from the air or in a vehicle would have been a god-send.

I also think it would have made generated quests and locations far more interesting, plausible, and fun. The first "undiscovered" temple I found had a random outpost within line of sight. One of the first random missions I took up sent me across the entire barren map and back, which took ages. Even with all the limitations of what we were given, having a seamless planet would dramatically change the nature of the game.

Of course, having that continuous planet would only further amplify one of the games' other major failures.

13 hours ago, JPDunks4 said:

Biggest issue with Starfield was the Proc Gen was some of the worst I've ever seen.  If you are going to rely on proc gen for a game creating thousands of planets, you have really got to flesh out your systems to be as robust and unique as possible.

 

The fact they reused the same exact structure layouts, with the same exact enemy placements, item placements, ect was just beyond inexcusable.  I remember finding a magazine in one of the POIs on a random planet.  And every time I found that same structure on any planet, that magazine was in the same spot in each and every one of them.  Surrounded by the same stim paks on the same dead body in the same shower ect ect.

 

Going into Starfield, and seeing what an indie studio like Hello Games did with No Mans Sky, i really expected Bethesda's proc gen in Starfield to be next level, and make really interesting and believable worlds.   But after visiting a dozen or so, you see the same like half a dozen fauna designs.  Creatures can sometimes be wild looking, but the vast majority were all similar.  I also noticed immediately after I landed on any remote planet, within seconds I'd see another random ship landing just a little ways off from where I landed.

 

I really think if they did a better job with those systems, the game would have worked a lot more in capturing the fun of exploration.

Of the complaints listed in this thread, this is the one that hits home the most to me. I think condensing Starfield into one or two planets would be a terrible idea unless they fixed the procedural generation first, because then you're trapped on one boring planet instead of having any sense that you're actually in space. If you've got better generated content, you may as well have more planets.

While I think the flora and fauna generation in NMS is great, I would personally put that pretty far down the list of importance. The "stuff to do" generator is the real key here. Encountering the same structures and scenarios over and over again spread across solar systems is disheartening. Traveling light years only to find the same dead guy in front of the same magazine is boring, and never should have made it into the final game.

Building a giant sandbox is great as long as it's fun to play in, and Starfield just didn't put enough toys in that sandbox.

I recall Ferrari being a hard sell for Newey because he didn't speak Italian or want to move to Italy. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up signing with them, but in some kind of senior advisor role. Something where he doesn't need to move or even work every day, but where he can provide big picture guidance on how to evolve their car. Whatever the case, it's a blow to Red Bull for sure.

I still don't believe that Max is anywhere near leaving Red Bull. It's too juicy an idea for it to go without speculation, but I don't feel like I've seen anything even remotely trustworthy. Then again, I didn't expect Hamilton to go to Ferrari, and this silly season is making up for the lack of movement last year, so who knows.

26 minutes ago, chakoo said:

God musk is a fucking idiot. How long until other EV makers announce they are reversing using Tesla chargers as the NA standard after this? I know they said recently they're still moving forward, but I'm sure they will start to change course once the breadth of the impact is known.

I doubt that automakers will reverse this decision even if Tesla doesn't build a single new supercharger station. By now it may already be too late to change it back for the upcoming model year, but even if it's not being able to access existing superchargers is still a massive boon.

It does seem like the worst possible time to do this though. Supercharger exclusivity or no, superchargers are a big business for Tesla. Musk loves to talk about Telsa as more than a car company, and the superchargers are arguably the best evidence that all that talk might be true. It's already a multi-billion dollar business, and they not only have a head start in installs, but a huge lead in product. Their chargers are simply the best. This is the time to capitalize on that lead. In a near future where EVs make up the majority of cars sold, being the biggest name in charging must be worth a fortune. Hard to say off the cuff how that business compares to the business of selling cars, but it's certainly nothing to scoff at.

It's honestly hard to believe it's taken this long. This as seemed like an obvious move for so long. 

I didn't realize that this alone will help with tax issues for marijuana companies in legal states. That's definitely a good thing.

1 hour ago, Paperclyp said:

He doesn't know what he'd do, nor how he would actually do it. 

While I agree with you here, one thing the article makes clear is that Trump has now been the head of the GOP for long enough to have found people who are die hard supporters that could actually make things happen. He'll also have the complete backing of GOP members of congress. Trump himself might not be all there, but I think there's reason to believe that a second Trump term would be more effective than his first.

Not the most efficient introduction at nearly 20 minutes long, but Han Landa's introduction remains one of my favorite in film.

Also a big fan of how Peter Venkman is introduced in Ghostbusters:

Going into this movie without any expectation that it is a decisive political statement turned out to be pretty helpful. The only real political stance the film takes is that fascism is bad and that perhaps resistance to fascism should overcome our other political differences. Honestly, I think that's probably enough. 

As purely a setting for the small stories that Garland is telling here, it works. The tension is visceral. Jesse Plemons completely steals his scene (as usual), and is a real highlight. Kirsten Dunst basically only had one expression on her face the entire film, but it worked for me. There are some real tragic stories of conflict photographers who have witnessed terrible things to get iconic shots and I thought Dunst channeled that well.

I also appreciated how high of a regard Garland has for press in general and photographers specifically. Even as everyone has become a photographer, I think there's still room for images to shape and change the world. I also think there's something tragic about these characters and how they're risking their lives to tell stories, but we never get any sense of how those stories are being received.

I do have one tiny issue that has zero bearing on the quality of the film:

Had to delay my viewing on account of illness, but finally made it into the theater this weekend. I thought it was decent. A good enough showing for a first time director, but there is some shabbiness in the script and the directing that prevent it from being a home run. There are some flashes of excellence, especially towards the end. Certainly worth a stream when it's available.

I really enjoyed season 2. My second favorite show of the year behind Shogun. I feel like the show really came into it's own this season. The first was pretty good, but a bit slow to get going. With characters firmly established, this one was able to move much faster and amp up the stakes.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg is reporting that the new iPads may introduce the M4 chip with a new AI neural engine in an attempt to position the iPad as Apples' first AI powered device.

I bought the M1 iPad Pro and I've always felt like the OS is holding that thing back. Putting in a fancy new AI chip is fine (especially for the price), but I hope they find some use for all that horsepower that isn't just running some local chatbot.

I'm glad that Meta continues to put money into hardware. I like VR and fully admit that I bought into the hype during the early Oculus days. VR was progressing so quickly and it seemed like if it just followed a smartphone like curve it would be amazing in a very short time. Then smartphone screens plateaued and it turned out that VR has a bunch of unique challenges and hardware requirements that were not nearly as easy to solve as people hoped, plus it just wasn't making that much money. There seemed to be only two real ways for VR hardware to evolve: either repeat the 90s by killing it off and waiting for better tech to come along, or find someone willing to burn money on custom hardware.

So I'm glad that they're continuing to finance this stuff. Hopefully Apple's efforts with the Vision will push Meta to be better and eventually we can get some really superb VR hardware one of these days.

Took them long enough. This seems like such an easy and obvious thing to do, but it took until last september to even get Biden's commissioner approved, and then it took them this long to decide that maybe the FCC shouldn't be in charge of ISP pricing? (but they could be if they wanted to...)

Newey leaving would sure be a blow to Red Bull 2026. Usually if BBC is reporting on it, it's pretty solid.

So who wins the bidding war between papa Stroll, Toto, Bahrain, and Ferrari?

I use a 48" CX as a monitor and I love it. Pretty sure I paid over $1K. I have zero need for any new screens otherwise I'd be very interested in this.

Easy win for the Biden admin.

Just now, SuperSpreader said:

That was the whole premise though wasn't it? Affordable electric vehicles for all. Now you can buy a Bolt for 26,000 so... I think the war is over. Tesla lost. 

• Bolt - 26,000
• Bolt EUV - 28,000
• Equinox - 44,000
• Inoiq - 37,000
• Leaf, 28,000
• MINI - 30,000
• Mach-E - 40,000
• EV6 - 42,000
• EV9 - 54,000
• Ariya, 39,000
• bZRx - 43,000
• id.4 - 40,000

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/electric-cars

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/electric-suvs

 

I'm not sure what the point of a list of cars that are nearly all out priced by the current $30k Model 3 is. The only exceptions are the Leaf and Bolt, neither of which are customers favorites. If a Model 2 could be made meaningfully cheaper than a Model 3 and be similarly outfitted, it would be competing with bestselling mainstays like the Accord, Civic, Corolla, and Camry. That's a lot of market potential.

For all Tesla's troubles, the 3/Y still outsell all other EVs combined. I don't think it's crazy to think that a cheaper Model 2 could be extremely successful.

I do think it's crazy to take Elon at his word that he could be shipping them this year (!?!) when we haven't seen any indication of the project and when Elon is asking shareholders for $56B while Telsa's profits nose-dive.

An excellent ending to a most excellent series. Shogun easily takes it's place among my favorite TV. Really a spectacular show.

50 minutes ago, ort said:

I know the end result of this will be TikTok just selling to another company and nothing really changes (right away) but this is such an own goal for Biden.

 

Does he think signing a bill banning the most popular social media app with young people is going to win him any good will?

 

I can't imagine a person who wasn't going to vote for Biden choosing to vote for him because of this... but I sure as shit can imagine a shit ton of people who may have voted for him choosing not to because of this.

 

My TikTok feed is full of people freaking out about this. It's just gonna get worse.

I guess we'll see for sure, but I'm dubious on the effect this will actually have.

Assuming Bytedance loses their lawsuit and for whatever reason they refuse to divest, that wouldn't even happen before the election. So no one's TikTok will go away before they actually vote.

I suppose if TikTok is actually any good at influencing voters, that capability could be put to the test in the following months.

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On a conference call with analysts, CEO Elon Musk said he expects production to start in the second half of next year “if not late this year.”

How can anyone seriously accept this kind of statement with any kind of confidence? The Cybertruck was years delayed. The Roadster is still MIA. They haven't even shown a willingness or capability to significantly overhaul any of the vehicles they've launched beyond ripping out the only functional interior they had ever designed.

While I do think Tesla has squandered much of their lead, I don't think they're doomed. A successful Model 2 could be a big deal, but how can anyone read Elon saying "end of next year, or maybe end of this year!" and think that is an honest assessment of the project's status?

The House and the Senate have now passed the bill, leaving only Biden's signature (which he pledged to give).

Obviously ByteDance will sue, but my guess is that this time they lose. After which they'll probably just need to sell.

This interview in the NYT is short and well worth a read. I hadn’t realized that the quote at the beginning of the first film was spoken by a Sardaukar priest.

Quote

But you also deeply love the book. So when you make these bold changes, do you feel like asking Frank Herbert for forgiveness?

Yes. There’s so many darlings that you kill. An adaptation is an act of violence.

 

Some of my buddies got really into this and recommended it, but I find myself bouncing off it pretty hard. I’m generally an easy sell for animation, especially adult animation, musicals, and high concept shows of all kinds, but something about this one just isn’t working for me. I even grew up in the church, so I’m a sucker for biblical references (like you find in Good Omens) but from what I’ve seen this doesn’t do anything fun with that material.The design work I find inconsistent and off putting, and I really can’t get into the songs. The animation is pretty poor, reminding me more of old flash animations more than anything. I’m having a hard time figuring it out exactly, but something about this show makes me feel like I’m just a bit older than the target audience. 

It certainly seems that this show has found a following, but I will not count myself among them.

How about you all? Are you enjoying this more than I am?