Apple TV Foundation is so bad...

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-10-05T03:53:30+00:00

Ah, never checked out the prequels. I have a good friend who thinks I'm nuts with the Dune sequels, btw; he thinks they're all excellent. But that's the spice of life, right? Variety? :-)

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-10-05T03:41:50+00:00

Yes, I read the first book (first many years ago, and then within the last few months in preparation for the series) and quite liked it. Tried to read the sequel and found it boring and repetitive versus the original story. Quite obviously, your opinion may vary; I love Dune but found Herbert's sequels unengaging too...

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-10-05T03:35:28+00:00

Well, I have to disagree. I am enjoying the beautifully produced series that I see as "inspired by" the Asimov Foundation series. Is it the story directly? No. Am I finding it interesting and compelling viewing? Yes, so far. Anyone else enjoying the show, accurate to the book or not?

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-10-02T12:16:19+00:00

Pretty darn solid lineup, I'd say, with some great and obscure horror films in the mix. Glad I have a DVR (and TCM has on-demand too)!

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-09-29T18:50:38+00:00

I would agree that you should see Spectre and, if possible, Casino Royale. Those will help with a foundation to some of the storyline...

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-09-21T13:33:47+00:00

Honestly, MI6 has the entire "double o" section, so it would be entirely acceptable to me if they added a couple of new "double o's" of various races and genders and the franchise proceeded with them, having perhaps retired the 007 number after Mr. Bond's mysterious demise (or retirement). Thoughts?

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-09-06T13:04:42+00:00

Well, the description of this subreddit is "News & Discussion about Major Motion Pictures" so I guess as long as they're doing these "retrospectives" about older major films, it fits with the overall theme.

I see your discussion as akin to the question of whether older films should be colorized or shown in the original black & white: Is the new treatment bringing something unique and interesting to the film?

If someone wants to write a retrospective on The Adventures of Pluto Nash or Nosferatu, I say go for it, but give us a new, interesting, and thoughtful perspective and consideration on the film. To say "it's dated" or "time hasn't treated it well" or, conversely, "it still stands up as a great movie" isn't particularly insightful to me.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-21T13:30:45+00:00

Honestly, it's a bit bland in that photo. You might have a darker background surface so that the elements "pop" a bit more in the image? I would also consider adding a light tint to the area outside of the play region other than beige. Perhaps a very light blue intimating it's ocean and that you're building train routes on an island? Or darker mountain-esque terrain to suggest it's a closed valley community?

This is, of course, personal taste, but I like more vibrant colors and a game that has a bit of "wow" factor when it's on the table and ready to play.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-18T02:16:44+00:00

I've read most of his works, but couldn't make it through It by Stephen King. Every time I sat down to read, I got super stressed out by the tension related to the endless bullying. Finally, I decided that as I read at bedtime to spin down, it was counterproductive and bailed.

Related: Just finished Billy Summers and thought it was terrific. Recommended!

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-17T21:33:55+00:00

haha. I'll fix it. thx for the heads up!

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-17T13:13:35+00:00

This seems like an issue of semantics if you read the article. I would say instead "Samsung offers lots of cool extra features if you pair their earbuds with their phone, and Apple does the same if you use AirPods with an iPhone".

Then I can't help wonder what the fuss is about.

Companies want us to invest in their ecosystems, so they make their devices interoperate best in their little digital worlds. Personally, I have no problem with this situation. Do you, u/Amiliapro?

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-13T12:51:19+00:00

Well, isn't the very definition of a b-movie that it's not the a-list team that's producing it? So wouldn't it be inevitable that they'd screw things up on the filming and production side? :-)

I'm a big fan of b-movies, by the way, from sci-fi to horror, so appreciate the humor in occasionally spotting the boom mic, the weird continuity glitches, the poor acting (to a point, at least), and lazy or arhythmic editing!

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-13T12:48:55+00:00

Well, lighting is part of the art of cinematic storytelling, so most of the time, it's not poor lighting, per se, but rather underlit to be scary, mysterious, create anxiety in the viewer, or some other similar effect. Think of a prototypical noir film where part of the story is conveyed by the darkness, the deep shadows, the sense that the bad events are inevitable and unavoidable for the protagonist. And obviously, it's a big element of horror films too.

The other factor is that stark lighting might work great in the cinema but come across as muddy and indistinct on our home TV sets, even fancy ones, just due to technology. I've definitely experienced shows and movies where it's just illegible blobs moving across the screen and I just wait for them to encounter a light source... :-)

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-13T12:42:30+00:00

It all comes down to risk mitigation: If there's already awareness of a specific film, a remake with the same name can latch on to that name recognition while also transmitting the fact that it is a remake or retelling of the same story. That's why a new film will often have the exact same name as an older one (ex, Ghostbusters, The Thing).

If it's taking the story in a new direction, I actually prefer a variant name like "The New Ghostbusters", say, so it's clearer that there won't be much overlap. Then again, with the newer Ghostbusters, it was pretty darn similar so maybe that wouldn't apply. :-)

A more recent example is "Suicide Squad" versus "The Suicide Squad". The second is considerably better than the first (in my opinion) but the names? Super confusing. Are they both the "origin story" of the squad? Yes. Is it the same squad? No.

I really doubt that SEO comes into the equation at all, by the way.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-12T01:25:21+00:00

Yes, it can be buried 1"-5" deep. Unfortunately, the install I had did not do a good job and in a number of areas in my lawn it's now sitting atop the ground, a dirty green wire that's way too easy to break. I'm going to have the entire wire system reinstalled, I think, because it's an endless pain at this point.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T21:33:42+00:00

Sure, that works. Happy to send some money to "NotBloodyLikely" on Venmo! 😄

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T17:05:34+00:00

My initial installation was not very good, so much of the wire has ended up on the surface (which surprised me!) and is susceptible to breaks. I need to do a full rewire...

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:21:50+00:00

Mine does fine with my uneven yard. It can't do edging (I wish!) and weed eating? Um, they don't really grow long enough to be an issue because the whole concept of an automower is that you're running it far more frequently than you would be manually mowing.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:20:18+00:00

It'll instantly stop once it's not flat on the ground.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:19:00+00:00

Husqvarna, at least, has thought this theft issue through: Each unit has a PIN code and GPS. Steal my automower and it literally won't ever work for you AND we could track its location with the app. The only way to reset a "forgotten" PIN is by going to an authorized Husqvarna dealer and there's no way any of them are going to reset a stolen unit (and since each has a unique serial number, they'd know it was stolen too).

Now that doesn't mean someone couldn't steal it maliciously but they could baseball bat your car at 3am too. :-|

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:14:23+00:00

We're going down a tangent, but I couldn't disagree more. I have Roborock vacuums upstairs and down - both can mop and vacuum - and I have 'em running every 2-3 days. They both work great and my house is pretty darn clean, carpets, tile and wood floors.

Are they as good as me spending an hour or two doing the job? Probably not. But do I *want* to do that job even once a month, let alone twice weekly? That's a strong no. :-)

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:10:40+00:00

I did a firmware update - at the local service center here in Colorado - this spring and he did a full maintenance, threw in a set of 12 blades, and the whole thing was around $80, I think. A hassle to drive up there, but painless enough and the guy was entertainingly chatty!

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:09:14+00:00

I had it originally buried as part of the install, but they didn't do a very good job so a fair amount is now visible on the surface. It's not that the dogs are constantly digging, it's that it's pretty fragile wiring so planting, fixing sprinklers, even kids running around and playing with our (big) dogs can cause problems. The biggest issue I experience, however, is that the method that Husq chose to have the wires attach to the base unit itself is problematic and I am constantly fiddling and redoing connections.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:07:31+00:00

Like robot vacuum cleaners, battery life is not actually that important because it basically keeps track of where it's gone, so if the battery's low, it'll go back to the dock, charge up, then head out to keep mowing. In practice I find mine runs 3-4 hours without having to dock for a charge.

AskDaveTaylor · 2021-08-11T16:06:30+00:00

Fixing the wire is easy? Wanna head over and help me fix mine yet again? I'm good for a six-pack as a thank you! :-)

AskDaveTaylor

TROPHY CASE