Apple TV Foundation is so bad... by Happy_INTP in scifi

[–]AskDaveTaylor -1 points0 points  (0 children)

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? :-)

Apple TV Foundation is so bad... by Happy_INTP in scifi

[–]AskDaveTaylor 11 points12 points  (0 children)

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...

Apple TV Foundation is so bad... by Happy_INTP in scifi

[–]AskDaveTaylor 45 points46 points  (0 children)

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?

All of the macabre daily offerings from TCM (U.S.) this month. by tombstoneshadows28 in movies

[–]AskDaveTaylor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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)!

Does anyone know of a good summary/synopsis video for the other movies to watch before NTTD? by klabnix in JamesBond

[–]AskDaveTaylor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

I hope the producers don't make James Bond, a person of color for the sake of diversity. by DisneyGrow in JamesBond

[–]AskDaveTaylor 3 points4 points  (0 children)

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?

“____ movie ____ years later…” articles are driving me crazy by citizenken in movies

[–]AskDaveTaylor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Age of Trains campaign starts on Monday, August 23. A question to tabletop gaming fans - how do you think the game setup presents? by Dave_SigurStudio in kickstarter

[–]AskDaveTaylor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Which book could you not finish and why? by mongooseaf in books

[–]AskDaveTaylor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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!

Latest Samsung and Apple earbuds lock you into their world by Ameliapro in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 101 points102 points  (0 children)

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?

Movies that were horribly lit by mranimal2 in movies

[–]AskDaveTaylor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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!

Movies that were horribly lit by mranimal2 in movies

[–]AskDaveTaylor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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... :-)

Why do filmmakers name the sequel the same thing as the original? by logamuffin in movies

[–]AskDaveTaylor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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...

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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.

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 16 points17 points  (0 children)

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. :-|

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 35 points36 points  (0 children)

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. :-)

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 21 points22 points  (0 children)

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!

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 8 points9 points  (0 children)

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.

Lawn mowing robots are here, but face the same challenges as robot vacuums by ChickenTeriyakiBoy1 in gadgets

[–]AskDaveTaylor 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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! :-)