Nolgroth

CinemaSins is like TV Tropes. I really dislike deconstructionism when it comes to my entertainment. It really robs the enjoyment out of the product. So I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. In fact, I would extend that "less" to "no."

CinemaSins is like TV Tropes. I really dislike deconstructionism when it comes to my entertainment. It really robs the enjoyment out of the product. So I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. In fact, I would extend that "less" to "no."

...Watch less CInemaSins, everyone.

I must be a 20-something girl too, then. (Which would come as quite a surprise to me, my wife, and many others....)
 
Because I liked it. It wasn't what I expected, I admit. It looks very CW-ish (if that's a word), but still--Supergirl. She flies. She's bulletproof. She can stop a speeding semi  without budging. And I really like the "learning to be a superhero" aspect to this. Yes, you have Phenomenal Cosmic Power , but you have to learn how to use it. And when to use it.
 
I'll be watching it.

And yet truck nuts are okay?

The scene with the guy in the trunk was borderline hilarious
 
"I'm trying to have a talk with my daughter. Do you mind?"
CES

This is much more creepy to anyone following The Walking Dead--and while it's based on something that happened last season, the "cookie speech" from the most recent episode (3-8) makes it that much more creepy--
 
 
 

That look can only mean one thing; relationship drama. Since that is a CW (well network TV) staple, I am guessing that jealousy and evilness will arise from those few words from Barry and the subsequent look from Iris this past episode. Isn't the cop dude eventually supposed to become one of Flash's enemies anyway? I'm not at all familiar with the comics but I remember seeing that mentioned up thread. Seems like the loss of a girl to the Flash/Barry might well be the motivation for a villain turn.
 
As far as Barry and Caitlin goes, Barry would be an absolute idiot to settle for being Rebound Guy. He already has a secret id. Even awkward Barry knows that Caitlin is going to need time to heal from her other experiences (and judging from the next week blurb, that might get complicated).
 
And as an aside, having zero knowledge of the Flash comics, I have no vested interest in how certain characters are "supposed" to turn out. I am finding it quite entertaining just watching things unfold on screen. Arrow was the same way for me. I knew nothing about the comics so Arrow is the reality I know. I don't know who this ATOM guy is, but we get to see yet another DC character establishing a foothold with the CW drama hour. I can only hope that, if it spins off into its own series, ATOM is as fun as Arrow or Flash.

TV cameras have no business in being at a police raid! This whole "reality" show bullshit has to go since it has nothing to do with getting the public involved or controlling the conduct of law-enforcement officers but everything with ratings and vouyerism and officers who are openly or matter-of-factly encouraged to "show" the audience how tough the job is and how they show the criminals the power of the law.
 
In each instance good law-enforcement goes out of the window! Disgusting! And an invasion of the privacy of citizens who are at least to be given the doubt if they are perps or not before their faces are on every screen in the nation.

Demons - Imagine Dragons
 
Just discovered this song today. It hits a nerve.

Demons - Imagine Dragons
 
Just discovered this song today. It hits a nerve.

Demons - Imagine Dragons
 
Just discovered this song today. It hits a nerve.

No no no no NO!
 
There is only one version of Paint it Black
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6d8eKvegLI

The Rose is probably going to post 30 more of these in the next week.  I would advice that the best thing (the best interest for you and him) you can do is just ignore the links for the time being. 

Small world. Alpha 795 was where I spent my OSUT.

Like McClellan, where I had the good fortune of going to MP school. Lucky me!

The single biggest problem I have with Ms. (?) Sarkeesian is that she is a man-hater. She spits vitriol and propaganda at every turn to espouse her militantly sexist views. I've watched some of her videos and the worst part is, she has some very valid points. She just paints them in such a way as I should feel shame for being a man and for embracing my masculinity. Well I don't feel that shame. If Ms. Sarkeesian could back down on the rhetoric, she would probably find a more receptive audience.
 
And then there are the idiots that respond to her. I don't consider them men or masculine. They are spoiled, little boys with little thought to the consequences of their actions. Threatening to harm somebody (and I have seen many comments referring to rape, assault, and even murder) is not a sign of maturity. Especially in light of perceived internet anonymity, I can only categorize those attacks as cowardly. In fact, that sort of thing reminds me very strongly of the bullies I used to fight in school. I don't much care for bullies, even if I can identify with their "cause."  That they are only adding fuel to Ms. Sarkeesian's fire is only that much worse. They are practically making her case for her. And in that way, I think that Ms. Sarkeesian is a very clever person. She posts a comment specifically designed to incite a certain reaction from these wannabe men and sits back while the threats come rolling in. Then she and her network (and she definitely has a network of sympathetic media and blogosphere personas) point out how she is the victim of these hateful "men," thereby securing the sympathy judgment from anybody who might know little about the subject matter. Those threats, by the way, I consider criminal behavior.
 
It doesn't take a college grad to see the pattern. When the cacophony dies down and Ms. Sarkeesian faces the true, dual threats of obscurity and irrelevance, out pops another comment followed by the sad, but inevitable, reaction. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
 
The whole affair makes me a little ill.

The whole point about hate movements is about being part of a hate movement. They're not trying to accomplish anything: the hating *is* the point. The whole deal is about being encouraged by the rest of the pack to be hateful to someone. 
 
After all, what does a bully achieve when he beats up a kid much smaller than himself and forces him to eat dirt? The same thing: the thrill of abuse sanctioned by his pack.
 
cheers, Mark

The single biggest problem I have with Ms. (?) Sarkeesian is that she is a man-hater. She spits vitriol and propaganda at every turn to espouse her militantly sexist views. I've watched some of her videos and the worst part is, she has some very valid points. She just paints them in such a way as I should feel shame for being a man and for embracing my masculinity. Well I don't feel that shame. If Ms. Sarkeesian could back down on the rhetoric, she would probably find a more receptive audience.
 
And then there are the idiots that respond to her. I don't consider them men or masculine. They are spoiled, little boys with little thought to the consequences of their actions. Threatening to harm somebody (and I have seen many comments referring to rape, assault, and even murder) is not a sign of maturity. Especially in light of perceived internet anonymity, I can only categorize those attacks as cowardly. In fact, that sort of thing reminds me very strongly of the bullies I used to fight in school. I don't much care for bullies, even if I can identify with their "cause."  That they are only adding fuel to Ms. Sarkeesian's fire is only that much worse. They are practically making her case for her. And in that way, I think that Ms. Sarkeesian is a very clever person. She posts a comment specifically designed to incite a certain reaction from these wannabe men and sits back while the threats come rolling in. Then she and her network (and she definitely has a network of sympathetic media and blogosphere personas) point out how she is the victim of these hateful "men," thereby securing the sympathy judgment from anybody who might know little about the subject matter. Those threats, by the way, I consider criminal behavior.
 
It doesn't take a college grad to see the pattern. When the cacophony dies down and Ms. Sarkeesian faces the true, dual threats of obscurity and irrelevance, out pops another comment followed by the sad, but inevitable, reaction. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
 
The whole affair makes me a little ill.

The single biggest problem I have with Ms. (?) Sarkeesian is that she is a man-hater. She spits vitriol and propaganda at every turn to espouse her militantly sexist views. I've watched some of her videos and the worst part is, she has some very valid points. She just paints them in such a way as I should feel shame for being a man and for embracing my masculinity. Well I don't feel that shame. If Ms. Sarkeesian could back down on the rhetoric, she would probably find a more receptive audience.
 
And then there are the idiots that respond to her. I don't consider them men or masculine. They are spoiled, little boys with little thought to the consequences of their actions. Threatening to harm somebody (and I have seen many comments referring to rape, assault, and even murder) is not a sign of maturity. Especially in light of perceived internet anonymity, I can only categorize those attacks as cowardly. In fact, that sort of thing reminds me very strongly of the bullies I used to fight in school. I don't much care for bullies, even if I can identify with their "cause."  That they are only adding fuel to Ms. Sarkeesian's fire is only that much worse. They are practically making her case for her. And in that way, I think that Ms. Sarkeesian is a very clever person. She posts a comment specifically designed to incite a certain reaction from these wannabe men and sits back while the threats come rolling in. Then she and her network (and she definitely has a network of sympathetic media and blogosphere personas) point out how she is the victim of these hateful "men," thereby securing the sympathy judgment from anybody who might know little about the subject matter. Those threats, by the way, I consider criminal behavior.
 
It doesn't take a college grad to see the pattern. When the cacophony dies down and Ms. Sarkeesian faces the true, dual threats of obscurity and irrelevance, out pops another comment followed by the sad, but inevitable, reaction. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
 
The whole affair makes me a little ill.

I worked up this little sheet to help people just starting to play.  Its based on a Savage Worlds sheet someone did and I got handed when I learned that system and it was useful.  Just a quick reference for some options in combat and combat maneuvers.  I tried to strip it down to the simplest language, leaving details to the GM to handle.
Hero Combat Sheet.pdf

Pro Wrestling's Greatest Angle Was Convincing Us It Doesn't Matter
 

I think the piss-poor Jedi storyline was very typical of the way Bioware approached Jedi. I've played through the tutorial for every single class.
 
Republic
Trooper: On the Republic side, I consider this the best of the stories. There is no stretch to understand that a trooper follows orders and this particular trooper happens to be good enough to be assigned to an elite squad. Story is oh so predictable though. Jedi Knight: Bad for all the reasons Pattern Ghost mentioned. Combined with the sense that this is not the Jedi Knight you were looking to play, my least favorite story and start and character. The story does improve after the tutorial. Jedi Consular: Bad for similar reasons to the Jedi Knight. At least the Consular has some fun gameplay that isn't crippled. Again, the story starts to improve once you get out of the tutorial. Smuggler: Good. No major issues with the story. The character, as a class, is a bit bland for me. That doesn't make the story any less good though.  
Sith
Bounty Hunter: Okay. I wanted to like it and I do like the Bounty Hunter on the whole. The story is pretty typical underhanded underworld stuff, but solid enough that it shines in comparison to either Jedi. Sith Warrior: The mirror to the Jedi Knight in every way. Good story, motivations that make sense, and though the mechanics are similar, they seem to fit the character type better. Sith Inquisitor: My favorite start on the Sith side and my favorite character in the game. I played a female and that British accent kicking back some very sarcastic comments was absolutely worth it. Imperial Agent: To be honest, I don't think I got very far before I dumped the character. I can't seem to recall anything about it. I suppose that says all it needs to.  
The game was just too restrictive. Space combat was not fun. After the last patch I was around for, even the garden variety baddies got too tough. That disconnected me from the story of playing a jedi and put me into the position of playing a frustrating MMO. Like all MMOs, the missions are usually Go Here, Fight This, Activate That, Repeat Until Brain Dead, Collect Reward. he worst is when you go to point B, do whatever it is you do, return to point A only to find point C was right next to B. 
 
And that is the last I am going to say about Star Wars the Old Republic.

Compared to Champions Online or Star Trek Online, I would agree with the stingy observation. I have only played one other MMO (Neverwinter Beta) and did not get far enough to make an informed observation. With SW:TOR, I dropped a few bucks on it (extra movement stuff and additional crew (gathering/crafting) skills and went to preferred status. The two biggest advantages are the ability to e-mail objects (not credits - sub only) to other players and the ability to trade between players. Having six character slots is nice also. The one thing I really like about SW:TOR is the storylines. They are voice-acted pretty well and engaging enough that I can look past the MMO aspects of the game. As I progress further into the game, the story aspect gets weaker though and the MMO grinding gets stronger. I may not actually finish the game if the trend does not stabilize into a happy medium soon.
 
One of my biggest complaints about the game is that Jedi are among the weakest of characters. The Trooper/Bounty Hunter are both more sturdy and able to deal more damage out to larger groups of enemies. That's a design thing though. I have not had many problems actually surviving but I often think "my Commando (Trooper prestige class) could have done this easier/with less damage taken." While I don't want or even think it appropriate to have Jedi monstrously more powerful than anybody else, they should not be flimsy either. The same cannot be said of the Sith side of the house. My Sith Warrior (the Sith mirror to the Jedi Knight) seems to be just as powerful as my Bounty Hunter (Sith mirror to Trooper). I did note that some people on the SW:TOR forums mentioned that the Jedi Knight does not come into their own until the mid 30s level range. I'll have to see about that.

Olympus Has Fallen.
 
Die Hard in the White House.  I did learn a few things from the movie.
 
One, White House glass doors are bulletproof, but windows are wall are not.
 
Two, The Secret Service searches visitors for guns, but not knives.
 
Three, The Secret Service will allow foreign nationals to go unwatched in the Presidential Bunker even during an attack.