unclevlad

Much of the video deletion episode sounds like it belongs over in Dumb Criminal Stories.

Also remember that the draft was quite firmly in place back then, and many would've been drafted for WW I and WW II.  

Almost EVERYTHING in WW II went along with a pro-military, anti-Nazi...heck, you can't call it a slant.  It was a fundamental element.  I don't recall nearly as much about how the war in the Pacific was covered...but hey, after Pearl Harbor, it's largely a foregone conclusion.

So, yes, trying to ascribe too much significance to the military connections is a bridge too far.

I would generally say:  for much of their history, comics reflect the culture they're in.    

It may help, if the prospects are any good.

Which is why I think the Angels are going to be fallen angels.  I don't think just making the playoffs will be enough, and I don't trust them to have the back-end pitching to win 2 rounds in the playoffs even if they make it.  Can they get some back-end pitching?  Is there *anything* left to trade?  I kinda doubt it.  So I think they're gonna lose Ohtani and be right back at square -10 in terms of actually developing a sustainable franchise.

2 hours ago, Starlord said:

Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali

We have met the enemy, and he is us.............

Well, Angels have bet the house on re-signing Ohtani now.  Get Giolito but ship their #2 and 3 prospects...in a farm system that's consistently poorly rated.  Now 2 hitters from the Rockies.  Sorry, Mr. P, you've still got a AAAA franchise.

Mets and Cards have decided to reset, altho with the Mets, I can see trading Scherzer and Verlander both.  They can't be considered long-term assets.

I don't think 16 teams is manageable.  There's only so many game slots.  12, 14, and 16 all split into 2 divisions for college, where you can't run a complex playoff schedule.  

6 teams per division...play everyone in your division, play half the other division.  8 conference games.  This has been pretty common, as it lets schools have rivalry games (USC-ND for example) and snack on plenty of cupcakes.  Basketball, 16 game schedule simply;  could even go to 18, where #1 and #2 in division A, play home and home versus #1 and #2 in division B, etc.

7 teams per...somewhat awkward.  If you want a full divisional round robin, that's 6, leaving 2 or 3 slots interdivision.  That means it could be 3 years between matchups, and thus probably 5 years between specific interdivision trips.  Basketball, it's a 19 game schedule.  Tight but doable.

8 teams per...the SEC issue.  Scheduling is a pretty big mess in football and basketball.  

Plus, obviously, with 16 teams, revenue sharing gets somewhat diluted.  There's also the potential for more games no one will want to watch, which won't make media partners happy.  That plays into giving out revenue shares to schools not increasing the value of the deals in the first place.

Hm.  Speculation:  PART of the problem the Pac 12 is having, getting a media deal, is...there's only so many Saturday slots.  Sure, it's a lot;  what, 3-4 on CBS nets, maybe 6 on Fox nets, maybe 8 on ESPN?  With the massive priorities given to relevant conferences.  The Pac 12 did a lot better last season, but overall...they haven't been consistently relevant for quite some time.  One can argue that, other than Clemson, neither has the ACC, but they're in a better time zone for broadcast purposes.  The expansion, particularly of the SEC and Big 10, gobbles up more of those slots, meaning there isn't *that* much pressure on the media companies to add Pac 12 games.  At least on Saturday.  But...let's face it...playing on Thursday or Friday night is nice PR...but it's for conferences that can't play in the big leagues.

Ummmm....

When proper, trained medical attention can be on-scene within moments, I don't believe heart attack survival is anywhere NEAR as bad as 1 in 10...and why add "during a practice at USC"?  In fact, a very similar incident happened last summer...at USC...and the kid came through.  Yeah, I can see the 1 in 10 survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but a LOT of that relates to response time issues.  

And LeBron has 4 rings.  

I have yet to hear what they think may have triggered this.  That's important to determine his limits moving forward.  Did find this:
https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/ncaa-basketball/news/bronny-james-cardiac-arrest-explained-heart-doctor-lebron-son-next-steps-recovery/cesjqahuhz5k5mujyws7mq3a

My point is, do they need to call out specific Earth versions?  There's fairly well known characters like Miles Morales and some of the alt-Thors...does one call out the specific characters, or the worlds?  The focus seems to be on the print version;  space is expensive now.  What's the best way to use it, when dealing with other worlds?  

A supplement might make sense.  Give some guidelines for designing your own alt-Earth, and show maybe both a reasonably well known one...then lay out a sample not linked to anything per se.  That might be a reasonable approach.

It hasn't even been released just yet.  The actual rulebook drops in a couple days, but right now it's the playtest rules only.

I'd be mildly tempted to check this out, but they're only doing hardcover and Kindle...and the Kindle price is only $4 less...and still $50.  

Is there some reason to think they've actually using specific Marvel Earths, other than probably 616?  

That is a brilliant assignment.  It's SO easy to just fall into the acceptance trap.

2 hours ago, Ternaugh said:

I'm in the bottom of the Vegas Valley, which means that our temperatures are usually a couple of degrees higher than the city of Las Vegas. Right now, it's 112°F in my ZIP code, 110°F in downtown Las Vegas, and 105°F in the Summerlin area (where I work). Summerlin's about 1500 feet higher up than me*, and it will sometimes get snow in the winter.

 

Yeah, one thing that often goes unnoticed is how local topography can influence things.  Here, the Rio Grande River valley is to the west, rising to the east to the east mesa area, maybe 100-200 feet higher, and proceeding towards the Organ Mountains.  Those aren't all that tall...the main pass for us, San Augustin Pass, is only about 5700 feet...but very narrow.  (There's a section called the Needles.)  Used to ride from the east side, down into the valley...and REALLY noticed it on winter mornings.  Wasn't that much of a drop, but the temp dropped a good 5-7 degrees.  And now I'm out on the east mesa;  it's a little higher, generally breezier (nothing like near San Augustin Pass, where the sharp mountains wreak havoc with air currents), maybe a few degrees cooler in summer...and a couple degrees warmer in winter.  Not a lot.

Even more...I believe the official weather station for Las Cruces is out at the airport.  It's 20 miles to the west...WELL out of the valley.  There's a significant uphill stretch;  you gain several hundred feet, I think, as you head out onto the west mesa country.  (Driving east, the view as you start down this climb is spectacular.)  It's QUITE different from anything any local would call "Las Cruces."  We're not talking radically different...most of the time...but it isn't the most representative location. 

It's also not needed that badly.

The Option line is fully editable so you can do it yourself.  Most of the drop-down lists are combo boxes...therefore, editable.  IPE...list the senses.  Penalty skill levels...from what?  (5E version has a separate drop-down, 6E doesn't.)

If you change the option...like, to easy or hard skill roll...you'll wipe out the edit.  Ok, then edit the Display string.  Make it, say, RAR (Acrobatics).

19 minutes ago, Hermit said:

They come in Pints?

Are you calling Ternaugh pint sized?

1 hour ago, Ternaugh said:

 

For me, the glass is half-full of emptiness.

Still better than half-full of bitterness.

Unless you're English, of course, in which case the only thing better than half full of bitter is full of bitter.....

I didn't think it would be zero, but yeah...no rights deal, what's the conference value?  

The person coming out of this in the worst shape is the clown holding down the position of Pac 12 commissioner.  Commit to an asylum for hiring him.  NON commit, as in unable to score a media deal.  The guy has 3 years left on his current deal.  Were I him, I'd take whatever halfway reasonable buyout I might get.  There's *no chance* in my mind he'll stay in the position...heavily influenced by the fact that the conference is so unlikely to be in existence in a year.  (Or in existence as a shell only, as other teams have to wait to switch to other conferences.)  

To be sure:  the big issue with getting a media deal is...who wants a noSoCal Pac 10?  What would they be willing to pay?  Could be very much like the Ohtani situation...the price to match Ohtani's *singular* value is simply more than almost every team would be willing to pay.  (The Dodgers were mentioned as someone who possibly could...but yeah...Ohtani to the Dodgers would have Moreno dolls being burned in effigy.)  Media rights are becoming a HARDER sell.  No East Coast/Midwest attraction to a West Coast night game.  That damages marketability to both national networks and streamers.  Pac 12 Network packages?  So, so, SO far behind the curve...I believe they only started offering HD on basketball games *last season*.  Come on, once you get used to HD, sports in TV standard def are all but unwatchable.

Woody's closing point...Colorado's #13.  No one wants 13 teams.  Ergo, VERY safe bet the Big X will get 1 more.  Woody says Arizona's likely and there've been comments that make that believable.  OTOH, *perhaps* it'll be even bigger.  Would Washington and Oregon, one or both, ALSO follow?  Possibly with some teams leaving, like Rutgers?

This isn't a game of musical chairs any more, it's a dance-til-you-drop dance marathon...with 15 minute breaks built in.

1 minute ago, Lord Liaden said:

Unless you're Kryptonian, that's bound to happen to everyone at some point.

Oh yeah.  If you cook?  You will, at times, cut yourself or burn yourself.  It's simply gonna happen.

My only point was how EASY it can happen, and we don't have to be talking serious heat.  Heck, 150-160 degree water...  From CPSC PDF:

 

Quote

Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150 degree water for two seconds. Burns will also occur with a six-second exposure to 140 degree water or with a thirty second exposure to 130 degree water. Even if the temperature is 120 degrees, a five minute exposure could result in third-degree burns. 

It was really, really STUPID and careless but...

I was cooking something on the stove, I don't recall what it was.  I almost never cook above medium heat, it's plenty hot enough.  OTOH, I use steel or cast iron.

So there I was...and leaned over, preparing to turn or maybe pull whatever it was.  Bare gut made firm contact with the tip of the handle...furthest away from the heat, right?  OWWWW!!! No, it didn't last more than a second.

2nd degree burn.

And vociferous expletives.

Heck, if you cook much at all?  I don't even wanna count the number of times I've totally brain farted and started to grab a handle I BLOODY WELL KNOW!!! is hot.  USUALLY my hand's halfway coming off as it touches, as my lizard brain kicks in...but anywhere the fingers just BRUSH?  Minor burns.  But still painful.  

15 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

I was reading a comment warning about going out on hot pavement wearing flip-flops or similar flimsy rubber or plastic footwear. It will melt and stick to the pavement.

Beau noted that asphalt in 120 degree heat might hit 200.

I'd think this might melt a LOT of rubber or similar soles.  That is freaking HOT.  

Several of the big pet lovers have warned about walking dogs in the heat we have, as it can readily burn pads.

Story from CNN a few days ago:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/24/health/arizona-heat-burns-er/index.html

I got a small burn from my seat belt latch once, myself, and several times, the steering wheel was too hot to grip.  And hopefully a story that doesn't need repeating...sealing your pet...or worse, your KID...in a car, in the sun, even for only a few minutes...IS NOT SAFE.  The temps will rise FAST!!!! 

The extreme heat maps I saw showed much of central Texas about as bad as Phoenix, and much of the Souteast was about as bad as we are, here in southern New Mexico.  

4 minutes ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

The lesson here is: don't recycle. 

That wasn't the issue, or the message.  

The core issue is what happens when adjacent jurisdictions have radically different rules?  It's not like it's new;  dry counties adjacent to wet counties, a smart liquor store owner will try to locate on a corridor road near the border with the dry county.  California has a deposit on cans and bottles;  Arizona doesn't.  The notion of fraud is that the state received funds to redistribute IF you recycle...but those funds are connected to paying those deposits in the first place.

The situation is analogous to Powerball and Mega Millions tickets.  They're trackable;  it's in the QR code on the ticket, I assume.  (They have to be because the store that sold a big ticket, is entitled to a cut.)  The rules state:  a ticket can only be redeemed in the state of issuance.  Obviously, marking empty beverage containers is less than practical.  

A lot of it is, as CRT noted, critical reception.  I'm not as adamant on things like the cost of reshoot, but...if Black Widow cost $200M to produce, then it likely basically broke even.  You have to take out the theaters' cut and the promo costs.

Mmm...Mitch McConnell froze up and had to be helped off the stage while delivering remarks Wednesday.  This comes after, apparently, multiple falls.

I'm hearing mini-strokes, and if there are several in a relatively short period, that is Not Good.

While I'm no fan...his departure opens up the potential for a mess in the Senate much like the House...especially if the Republicans retake the Senate.  

And a broken clock is right twice a day.

I'll grant that the MCU is...let us say, underwhelming right now, tho.  I take the low road here, tho...and blame Disney interference.

19 minutes ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

I really hope that despite the uncompelling trailer, Blue Beetle really knocks it out of the park and is amazing fun. I'm not confident, but I really want it to happen so that DC can have a chance of getting their legs under them and show Marvel how its done.

DC knocking one out of the park would show Marvel how it's done...like a broken clock shows the right time.

So active disinformation campaigns aren't just a US-only problem.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-66314338

Related:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66272154

There's one weather site I like to use...because it has real-time rain rates and accumulations, and quite a few nice summaries (like month by month total precip.)  The site also gives NOAA-style daily summaries.  From June 21st to July 22nd, the high was never below 99.5...round up, 100, in other words.  Some other sites report it was 100+ for the entire period;  the location of one's reporting station can account for that easily.  It was only 96 on the 23rd, breaking the streak...but 101, 103, 106, 106, and 105 forecast for today.  105+ is very unusual down here;  we're not as bad as Phoenix.  That said...we've been 105+ 14 different days so far, between June 26th and yesterday, and today's expected to be #15.  The particular reporting station they use has only been in place since 2007, so not that long...but this year saw a new record high.  In that period, tho...2020 had the most number of days with highs over 100, at 37.  We're at 33.  Forecast highs are close to 100 next week;  some days may go over, if expected cloud cover doesn't materialize, or materializes later than expected.  But that's 33 and we haven't touched August yet.

The other aspect...in 2020, those 37 days of 100+ came between June 4th and August 29th...87 ordinal days.  This year it's happened in less than 40.  That's sustained, INTENSE heat for this area.

Far as I'm concerned, people making the baseless assertions that everyone's lying about the severity of the heat are committing a crime against humanity.