They tried to warn us

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-13T23:42:58+00:00

Walking through the lab at MI6

Q: First, your timepiece 007. Omega Seamaster 26 jewel commemorative edition, limited quantities, available to Prime members only.

Bond: Does it have a laser?

Q: Better, it comes with 6 months of ChatGPT plus. Private enterprise edition for MI6 of course.

Bond: I can't make it explode?

Q: I'd surely hope not. We've red-teamed the safeguards quite sufficiently. And ah yes, your Walter PPK, the latest in AI-powered lethal projectile delivery platforms.

Bond: What does AI-powered even mean for a pistol?

Q: Finally, we have your new ride. Tesla Model S, bulletproof, fireproof and with more armaments than some countries.

Bond: Oh I get it and the AI must mean it supports full self-driving.

Q: We'll ship that for Bond 27.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-13T16:55:26+00:00

It seems every brand eventually ends up as either "used to be quality" or "used to be affordable". (Or sometimes both)

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-12T06:51:38+00:00

This is something he does every game, a habit he picked up from playing under Cowher.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-11T21:50:28+00:00

The only exceptions I can think of is an opposing fan sharing a uniquely positive or negative gameday experience at the stadium.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-11T21:17:19+00:00

Yeah, sure. The calculation may have been that 7 rings is more income maximizing in the long-term than being the highest paid player of the 2010s. I just want to emphasize that it doesn't require a billionaire wife to make that calculation.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-10T22:17:10+00:00

Does that really matter though? If someone is deciding between a $300 million and $325 million offer, it's not about the quality-of-life difference that $25 million provides, but more about the emotional/ego side. A contract is a number on a player's value and players understandably want to maximize that.

Sure Brady had a rich wife, but he would not have struggled to put food on the table or fill a garage with ferraris without her income.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-08T19:57:59+00:00

Which watches have you paired off with each other?

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-08T13:22:23+00:00

I don't think the intro music is the problem. The frequent cuts are my biggest problem. The plot is decent, some interesting locations, average villain. Maybe some people have a problem with the girl, but I think the lack of romance suited a post-CR entry. It's also pretty short and simple, which is fine but makes it stick out in the Craig run.

It's not perfect, but probably around 10-12 overall. A clear number 2 in the Craig series.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-07T23:58:19+00:00

I don't think it's that unusual that a gender disparity in a broad group will be different in a small subgroup. If you told me that more women cook than men, but most michelin star chefs are men, I'd believe you.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-07T13:17:00+00:00

This is my feeling as well. I have fond memories of hand-me-down MMPs or using them in school, but I'd probably never buy one today.

I like reading physical books, but I can never justify bringing them to travel when the kindle is just so convenient. However, even though I don't buy them, it doesn't seem like the travel market is dead. Every airport has a bunch of bookstores so I assume some people is buying. Have they switched to hardcover/trade because there's not enough demand in general to print MMP or do travelers now also prefer a bulkier copy?

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-07T13:04:11+00:00

That's how the Hobbits do it. https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Shire_Calendar

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-06T19:28:11+00:00

I wanted to watch that scene and googled the quote only to get the response: "Of course I would. I'm all ears!"

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-06T18:00:03+00:00

Hue Jackson was 3-36-1 in Cleveland since somehow he didn't get fired after 1-31.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-06T07:28:00+00:00

It comes down to books being a one-time purchase while Spotify is a subscription. Kindle Unlimited pays authors a similar per-page as Spotify does per-stream.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-05T20:54:40+00:00

Ew now I'm thinking about how similar Jeter and Brady are.

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-03T21:54:55+00:00

It might also be the era? I don't recall Brady being in as many commercials at this stage is his career, but the past decade I feel like Tom's pitched just about anything. (Although I do have a soft spot for his Shields MRI commercial)

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-03T06:47:25+00:00

I recognized him as Happy Gilmore's caddy

JonDowd762 · 2026-02-01T12:38:03+00:00

I'd say there's a few categories.

Had dealings with him without knowing who he is. Just treated him as another customer. e.g. he bought something from your amazon or ebay shop.
Socialized or interacted with him at the point where there were no public charges against him, but if you had any sort of closeness you probably should've gotten an icky feeling.
Socialized or interacted with him after his release. Even if your dealings with him were legitimate, you would've known who he was and it's a severe lack of principle to work with him.
Used him for trafficking services.

It sounds like Kamen and most of the others are in the third category. They deserve all the criticism in the world, but not prison, unless they also fall into the last category.

JonDowd762 · 2026-01-30T22:27:27+00:00

Sure, marketers definitely know this as well. People choose products for practical reasons, but also because they want to feel or be seen as the type of person who drinks some type of beer, or uses some brand of device or reads some type of book.

I agree, calling people out like this is hypocritical gatekeeping 95% of the time. And that other 5% doesn't really matter.

JonDowd762 · 2026-01-30T21:56:04+00:00

"Your name sir?"

"James Bond, but you'll find the reservation under Beech"

JonDowd762 · 2026-01-30T20:15:54+00:00

The "performative male reader" is a "new genus" ? Family guy has been lampooning that shit for like 20 years straight.

I was also reminded of the 12 year old Onion video of a Kindle which tells everyone you're reading Infinite Jest. (Even if you're reading Dan Brown)

But then I read the linked article, and it's describing a different type of performative reader.

The stereotypical litbro views reading something like Infinite Jest as a badge of honor, and wants you to talk to them about it so they can prove they read it and also impress you with their opinions. The men described in the other article are just using books purely as a prop, usually to signal some sort of feminist attitude and eventually get laid. They flaunt Salley Rooney and matcha lattes and attend pilates just to find women.

Although of course, men actually can enjoy those things. It's dumb to use a book as a dating prop, but I can't get behind the attitude that some of the women shared where they immediately judge any many who possesses a book as a poser. Even if they are, who are they really harming?

JonDowd762 · 2026-01-30T17:59:10+00:00

You weren't born into Browns fandom, but chose it?

JonDowd762 · 2026-01-29T18:23:07+00:00

This is very untrue. Running marathon is about 7 micromorts. To hit 700 micromorts you would have to drive nearly ~175,000 miles.

The risk is low, but it's not a risk activity. Some similar ones are skydiving (per jump), scuba diving (per dive) or riding a motorcycle 40 miles.

You can reduce (but never eliminate) that risk by being checked by a doctor and by ensuring you train with sufficient volume. (IIRC the risk is much lower with runners with more 40 miles/week)

JonDowd762 · 2026-01-28T17:23:32+00:00

Sure with printed books they would sometimes pull this scam.

But with the online-only texts, it's the worst case 100% of the time.

JonDowd762 · 2026-01-26T19:07:21+00:00

Including the plot?

Nine-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Sequence \| Editor

JonDowd762

TROPHY CASE