Ternaugh

There were limited edition releases on DVD which contained the original versions of Star Wars, Empire, and RotJ on a bonus disc--in the worst possible way. It was taken from the Laserdisc source, which was originally widescreen letterboxed to fit analog 4:3 TVs. The DVD is encoded as anamorphic widescreen, but the image wasn't converted from the 4:3 source. Instead, pillar boxing is added to show the original LD image in a window box format. George's final "gift" was to include the original analog stereo sound from the LD source encoded in AC3, but also with no cleanup. It's officially the only time that the original Star Wars without the "Episode IV" label in the opening was released on a digital format. I have those three DVDs, a slipcased set of the Special Edition movies on DVD, and "The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray (with Episodes 1 through 6, as it predates the "final" trilogy). I haven't had a desire to upgrade any of those to 4K, though I've bought 7, 8, and 9 in that format. The 4K versions they have on Disney+ are fine, even if Greedo now shouts "Maclunkey!" when Han shoots him. A few years back, I decided that I'd never really rewatch the VHS copies I had, so those were donated to a thrift store in the neighborhood (the "one last time" original trilogy edition, and the Special Edition, and a Collector's edition of Episode 1 with a frame from the movie*). *Showing Jar-Jar, of course. More salt for the wounds.

I'm surprised that Mr Slant hasn't hit them with a lawsuit yet.

"Where's your name badge?" "It's ok, I have it memorized." (From my retail days)

I wouldn't suggest watching Rings of Power , then.

That make poutine look heart-healthy.

That is me, taken a day or so ago. It's essentially a Verdi beard, shorter on the sides with about 4 inches under the chin, and the handlebar, which is about 8 inches from side to side if pulled straight. My beard doesn't grow that fast, especially the sides. I used to shave about every two or three days when I was younger, it only started filling in around the time AARP started to try recruiting me. Duke Bushido called me out about growing a real beard in a YouTube video a while back, and I didn't want to disappoint him again. 😉

Me: I'm thinking about going to Spirit Halloween and asking them if they have fake mustaches. Co-worker: That will confuse them.

Back in the mid-nineties, I was working in a deep discount bookstore, and I brought home the first three Shannara books. My wife and our housemate performed an intervention and removed the books from my hands, refusing to let me read them. The housemate said, "They aren't very good and they will just make you angry."

I saw a "Vote No on Question 3" message flash on one of the electronic billboards on my way home, so I decided to look it up on the NV Secretary of State website: This is the second time that it's on the ballot, it won 53% to 47% in 2022. If it wins this time, it becomes a part of our state constitution. I will be voting for it again. Question 6 is to place abortion as an individual right into the Nevada constitution, if it passes this time, it will be on the ballot again in 2026. We already have state laws that protect the right to abortion, but this would make it tougher to circumvent that. I'll be voting yes. Question 7 is to amend the constitution to require ID to vote, if it passes, it will be on the ballot again in 2026. Given that most citizens get automatically registered to vote at the DMV unless they opt-out, this is basically for those who want to play games with excluding folks from voting. That's a very strong NO for me. Early voting starts on the 19th here, and everyone gets a mail ballot unless they opt out. I usually fill mine out at home, and then bring it to the drop box at one of the early voting locations. I'm signed up for ballot tracking, so I'll get an email confirmation when it's recorded as received, and when it's accepted (which is usually the same email).

What about Uranus?

It took me being a passenger on a road trip to clear the first 50 pages of Eye of the World,* but I enjoyed it enough to buy the next few novels. Somewhere around the 5th or 6th book, it became obvious that the book ended because the publisher wanted to split it there to get two books, and not because it was done with that part of the story. I decided to wait until the series was complete before reading it in its entirety. But then he announced he was ill, and then he was working on prequels instead of finishing it. Then he passed away, and the series had to be finished by another author. I never felt the urge strongly enough to return to it. The Amazon series certainly hasn't pointed me back to the books, either. * I'd started the book probably a dozen times, only to put it down and go on to something else.** ** Like the Discworld novels, which I've read and re-read numerous times.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Sequel to the 1988 movie, a recent family tragedy brings them back to Winter River, where Lydia needs to deal with "the ghost with the most" and save her daughter from a supernatural fate. It's a lot of fun, and a worthy successor to the first movie. (In theaters)

Intrastate long distance is still a thing for some landlines using traditional carriers. As for the massive increase in phone area codes, Nevada has gone from one to three (702 created in 1947, 775 in 1998, and 725 in 2014). While population growth is a factor, cell phone adoption and IoT devices needing a connection to "phone home" are bigger drivers now.

I still have my DIVX lapel pin. In the middle of that debacle, there was an off-brand DVD player that was being sold at Circuit City for about half what a name brand player would cost. It was in high demand because of the price, and also because it was easy to get into maintenance mode and change it to support discs from all regions.

Just had a door to door canvasser for the Republican candidate for Senate, Sam Brown. He ticks all of the boxes: MAGA, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-abortion, and appears to be partially bankrolled by some of the backers of Project 2025. He's also been branded as a "carpetbagger from Texas" for moving to Nevada specifically to run against Rosen, who was seen as an easy target. According to recent polling, Rosen is showing anywhere from +2 to +13 over Brown.