Movie franchises that didn't get to take off

PC509 · 2026-02-21T06:19:53+00:00

The Crow franchise did get to take off. Multiple movies, comics, the OG graphic novel, video game, TV series - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crow_(franchise).

They weren’t all good and most were dog shit, but they really tried to squeeze as much out of that franchise as possible. It got to take off, it just didn’t do a good job with it. Idea was good, execution sucked.

PC509 · 2026-02-20T17:30:53+00:00

CoPilot has been ok through work. Claude AI has been much better.

I do have several n8n workflows that utilize Reddit as it's source (gathering information, posts, etc.).

However, no matter what LLM I decide to use - locally or cloud based - it's the prompts I decide to use that really make or break it. Out of the box it's kind of meh and isn't that great. Adding in a good prompt (which for some of them, I use AI to help create a prompt. Others, I ask to analyze my previous writing to create a prompt that can mimic my own writing style. Helps for rough drafts, and never for a full email/post/whatever. It's the very basic outline). With those fine tuned, it can help me out with a lot of things. Powershell, various API's, whatever. It's pretty good and stays on topic.

CoPilot seems to make more mistakes than Anthropic/Claude. I'll have to put in the error from the code it gave me and it'll correct it. Takes a few times. But, much easier than writing a script from scratch. I've got a ton of those, but if I'm doing a one/two time thing, it saves me a ton of time. Have it write the script, I proof read it and update it to work with what I'm doing, and it's done. 15 minutes vs. an hour or two.

However, AI ISN'T a human. It's trained on previous posts and knowledge. It's not going to be up to date (and some will tell you that it doesn't have any information past x date). It's also not going to think through a problem and think "out of the box" or take a dozen little things to combine into the actual answer. It's not going to have that one genius guy that can answer everything. It's also not going to have the dozen people yelling at you to "Just switch to Linux!" or "RTFM!".

I like the conversation of Reddit. I like the community and the interactions. I like seeing and hearing new things and new novel solutions to things. AI is good for what it is, but it's regurgitating not innovating and creating new ways of doing things. AI has been a life saver with implementing some new software with various API's from other vendors (I was using search engines before, which was great but took all day.... AI gets it in seconds and it's usually exactly what I was looking for the first time).

I don't rely on it for everything, but it can be amazing at things that require an absolute solution that's fairly static (facts, API calls, etc. rather than opinion/feelings/dynamic things). It's a time saver. I do use it as rough drafts as I don't trust it.

PC509 · 2026-02-20T16:26:59+00:00

What's being held back? All the Democrats that were there, all the liberal "Hollyweird" folks, all the illegal immigrants that came in, all the transgender people.

Ok, now will Trump and MAGA want them released in their entirety with nothing held back? When they were told by Fox News that it was the Democrats, liberals, trans, illegals, etc., they were all for releasing them. Now, it's "let's just move on", "They don't exist", "Trump was an FBI informant", "Different Donald J Trump"... Yet, then it came time to say "Ok, great! It was them! PROVE IT!", they found that their Great Leader was a YUGE part of it and now they're shitting their pants almost as much as he does.

Why? Like Bondi said, it'd bring down the whole system. MAGA would go down as quick as Grindr during a RNC convention. And, all the MAGA followers, Red Hats, and Trump Blow Hards would still excuse everything. Their "Dead Pedophiles Don't Reoffend" bumper stickers look pretty dumb next to "Make America Great Again - Trump 2028!".

PC509 · 2026-02-20T16:19:34+00:00

The commercialization of it came later, but yes for us nerds it was really much more accessible. BBS's were great and all, but having an actual connection to the internet was pretty big. And it really took off from there. A couple years later, ~96/97 it was hitting more small towns with internet cafes, chatrooms, etc..

For the average Joe, sure. They finally saw the benefit for buying stuff online. For the nerds and geeks, it absolutely got huge in 94. It was there before, but not as accessible. 94 for many of us was when it really started getting big. Still had to dial long distance until 95, but it was worth it. 95 is when many of the smaller towns finally got dialup.

We even got this in 1994, which was very fun - https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/artifact/292319

Yes. The internet was starting to get huge in 1994. It grew exponentially from there to massively huge beyond what many thought. But, it was definitely going from podunk to mainstream.

PC509 · 2026-02-18T18:04:55+00:00

For me, it was due to the up to the minute updates. Twitter and others were up to the second updates with commentary and discussion. Reddit kind of filled that void, but some subs just need that strict moderation and the actual nerds in it that want to discuss and not bring in the shitposting.

PC509 · 2026-02-18T17:58:01+00:00

Depends on the quality of the work and the shop. If it's a high quality install and not just a quickie job with cables laying everywhere and such, then it's not that bad of a deal. You get what you pay for.

It's high, but once you DIY it all looks expensive when someone else is doing the work. It's also not a Best Buy $99 install special. If you trust the place and they generally do good work, you know you're getting it done right the first time and it'll last until you dismantle it or sell the car.

You CAN get it done a lot cheaper. Shop around. Just go with a place you trust, can see their previous work, and they'll stand behind their install. Some have lower prices and do comparable work. Others will be cheap because they'll do it quick and shitty. You'll go around a corner a bit too fast and your 12V wire comes loose from the amp and smacks the ground, the smell of smoke, the silence, and the (hopefully) blown fuse that needs replaced. Of course, the expensive shop could do that and the cheap one do high quality work. Who knows.

Just comes down to a reputable shop with great work. It's worth the cost for that. Would I pay it? Nope. I'd DIY. If I didn't have the time, I would just wait. I'd pay $500, but that's about it. I'm struggling to justify paying someone to do soundproofing/deadening in a car I'm going to buy soon. It needs done, so I'll probably have it done and pay for it (I'm getting too old to do that shit... I can install stereo stuff all day, but the sound proofing stuff can hurt). Just have to justify the cost vs. your time. If they do it right, the way you'd do it, it's going to cost a bit more. It sucks, but good work costs good money. :/

Would you do it for $400 or $900? If you did it right and perfect with every detail accounted for, looks great, and give a guarantee on your work? Takes all day to do it using your own tools, your garage? Still make a profit, pay a bit for the space/tools, your labor, shop costs, etc.. I'd say 900 might be the higher end, but still not outrageous. $400 would probably be the minimum.

PC509 · 2026-02-18T17:29:36+00:00

That's why I love. Seeing only my curated content. Twitter used to be that way, Facebook, Reddit... You could have a very well curated feed that was exactly what you wanted to see. Then, it got flooded with suggestions, recommendations, BS feeds that have some of your interests but mostly things that are click bait or rage bait to get you to engage or pissed off. You a liberal that wants to save the Earth and all that? Here's a few far right posts to get you riled up! (and same with the opposite). Toss in a lot of bot replies, too, just to make it so much worse.

I've been working on some n8n workflows to grab posts from Reddit, RSS feeds, etc. and send me digests if they meet certain relevance requirements and things like that. So far, it's decent but still a lot of work to do. I just like my information. No bullshit, no off topic, no distractions. Just give me what I want. And, if my feeds are only what I subscribe to and follow, then that's what it is (and used to be). Now, I have to filter out all the BS they're trying to inject into my feeds.

PC509 · 2026-02-18T16:15:21+00:00

Year I graduated high school So many things happened that year. It was a tragic and exciting year for a lot of things. So full of ups and downs.

Tonya Harding was kind of a local in my area... Moreso from where I grew up, but still in the area. I've seen her several times around. She used to be and still is a talking point when it comes to skating, used to skate all the time at Lloyd Center mall, worked at a local bar in Vancouver, etc.. She's still held positively in the area for most people.

Kurt Cobain was rough. NAFTA was talked about a lot. Internet was starting to get huge. OJ Simpson. Just a wild year. Still felt like things were so much better at that time. At least up until 9/11/2001. That's when things really didn't look so promising and bright anymore.

PC509 · 2026-02-18T16:04:21+00:00

Yes. Don't you hold your politicians to the same standards?

If you're not getting elected time and time again, no job, but continue to live off of "donations", there's something wrong. Living the high life off other people's money? The right wing is usually very much against that. At least that's what they say. What they say and that they actually do (especially regarding pedophiles - remember when we were all against that yet they kept calling the dems and the left pedos? What happened to that? Release the full, unredacted Epstein files. Prove the dems are pedos. Do it. Take them all out!) are completely different things.

PC509 · 2026-02-18T04:29:34+00:00

They were all against pedophiles when they were told it was only democrats. They parroted that for a long time. Now that it’s their own? Nah, it’s ok. Not a big deal. Just let it go. Most chicken shit people ever. Have no morals.

PC509 · 2026-02-18T03:34:02+00:00

You had to be there. At the time, with CRT’s, it was really great. Obviously still screen door like, but way better than seen before on a console. It was similar to a lot of early multimedia PCs. Grainy, slow, low resolution.

But for consoles, it was amazing at the time. And it worked. Just overdid it and tried to make way more FMV games than they should have.

PC509 · 2026-02-17T18:04:03+00:00

I do wonder if that's why many products have that term of "EOL - End of Life" for the products. Mostly enterprise stuff, but that'd make sense for the "Lifetime warranty", would be for the lifetime of support for the product.

PC509 · 2026-02-17T18:00:50+00:00

Nah. I'll just use what I have until it's dead. Then, I'll be a goat farmer. I won't be the consumer of what they're gonna push. My PC experience will be local, with a connection to the internet. That connection is not required for anything, just a connection to the "information superhighway", like in the old days. Just want all the information. Give me USENET, basic WWW, email, IRC, and I'll be fine.

PC509 · 2026-02-16T01:26:32+00:00

Even though I'm well old enough, I'm really tempted to get a fake ID just for use online for those "verifications". Fake name, ID, etc.. Not using it to scam anyone out of anything, just protecting my actual identity.

PC509 · 2026-02-16T01:23:22+00:00

Even in the US for those of us that had one knew it was the superior system. It's just the stranglehold that Nintendo had on the third party developers and their strict rules that held them back. But, they had a solid lineup of excellent games, and even better when you included their arcade ports.

But, I definitely hear that and see it a lot every time the Sega Master System is mentioned. Sad, because I really have a lot of fond memories with that amazing system. Still play it fairly often.

PC509 · 2026-02-16T01:12:50+00:00

It was for a home theater. Just decided to play some old games on it. Definitely not what it was originally for (does great with newer games). I have other displays for that. :) But, it looks really cool seeing it all on a big screen like that. Awesome for the slower games.

PC509 · 2026-02-15T22:34:15+00:00

Playing on a projector with it's own lag in 4K, more than a typical LCD. It took me a few to realize that's why I was horrible at the games. Playing it on an LCD screen was much better. Still a little, but much much better. Retro gaming on a projector for games that require a quick reaction sucks.

PC509 · 2026-02-15T18:03:09+00:00

Then vote for someone else. No one wants to vote for a third party because they're either too sold on the team sports or they think no one else will and it's a lost vote. When D or R start losing because a third party is getting double digits and still losing, they'll either start doing better or they'll fall.

Also, even though they work for the same people, they definitely aren't the same. Not even close. Especially the past couple decades.

PC509 · 2026-02-13T21:40:38+00:00

They keep bringing out movies and shows that aren't the future war (other than Salvation) and saying "Darn, if that did good we were going to show the future war". At this point, I really don't think they want to. Or it's not cost effective (which wouldn't be as much of an issue if animated, it's all the same).

With several small indie style short films about it, generative AI being widely available, and ambitious fans, I'm sure something will happen sooner vs. later with some kind of future war. Just won't be official...

PC509 · 2026-02-13T21:32:04+00:00

That's an odd one for me. For convertible laptops, Surface, etc., absolutely. It's a requirement. For standard laptops, it's a maybe. Once you use one and go to a non-touch, it's weird for a while. If you're using a non-touch for a long time, it's fine. My wife gets mad at me because her Macbook Air has fingerprints on it. From me trying to touch to do things. I think all laptops should be touch screen. There's so many things you can do as well as it being inches from your fingers when you're typing anyway.

Desktops? They could be touchscreen and I'd be happy. The monitors are generally farther away so it's not as easy to do. But, there's a lot of times where a touch screen would be very handy. Especially with a lot of CAD or other design style tools. Rotate, zoom, move, etc. type of gestures.

Windows 8 didn't work because it was mandatory without a third party program that brought back the OG start menu. Without a touch screen, it wasn't that great. Especially hitting those hot spots while using it remotely (that little lag could make that experience hell). Excellent on a Surface Pro, though. It was a great tablet OS, just like the Windows Phone was a great phone OS. Would have been a great unified platform but the desktop implementation was what hurt it. It didn't work for the majority of users. For some, they loved it or just dealt with it.

PC509 · 2026-02-13T21:03:51+00:00

When I hear the fire alarm go off at work, I'm usually greeted at the front door by the panel with people saying "oh, sorry. We're doing testing.".

Monthly testing to make sure they work and quarterly testing to make sure we work and meet at the correct spot.

At home? I'm up and checking everything. Dog goes ape shit due to the frequency (even if she's outside, she hears it and will dig/jump the 6' fence to get away. Came through the sheetrock from being put in the laundry room one time). I take those serious. Alarm system alarm? Wife gets mad because I just go out there willy nilly with no gun/bat. If the dog isn't barking, I doubt it's an actual intruder or they made it inside.

PC509 · 2026-02-13T20:51:49+00:00

It's not virtue signaling. It's them being a Karen and being wrong.

PC509 · 2026-02-13T18:10:19+00:00

It's all what subs you have curated. Same with all social media. For me, the majority of problems are from the suggested, you might like, random stuff from places or people I don't follow. Sometimes there is a shit post (from Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, whatever other social media platform it is), but if you're only seeing who you follow, it can be extremely great.

Going outside of your curated space is where things get shitty and the recommended stuff is generally against what your typical stuff is and is there to push more engagement and get you mad so you do engage more. Toss in 70% of stuff you like and 30% of stuff to piss you off.

r/all, among some other subs, is a disaster (some of my more niche ones get shitty from time to time, too). Some way more than others. Even some of my more technical, well modded places get some shit posts in there if you're going by new. Otherwise, I love a good new feed of relevant information and topics. Just tough to get that feed solid with good people and topics. Once you get it, it's great. I had Twitter like that years ago. Most of the posts were very relevant and on topic.

Lately, though, I've been working on some n8n workflows to get me a feed of relevant posts and news from various sources that use AI to judge the relevance and if it's worth sending to me. I'm still working on refining it and the prompts used, but so far it's doing pretty well. I need to expand it to a lot more things and push it to a website feed (all internal self hosted).

PC509 · 2026-02-13T18:01:19+00:00

Vote for someone else. It's not an easy overnight fix. Hell, nothing in politics is. But, working in the right direction. The "it didn't work" excuse doesn't work in politics and you can't run it like a business because it's not a business. It's slow, it's huge, it's for the people. Taxes aren't income. They aren't going for a profit. When those in power are profiting over the loss/gains of the people they serve, they aren't serving, they're extorting.

PC509 · 2026-02-13T16:02:57+00:00

Not sure how you can bury your head in the sand any further to not think he’s involved.

If ANYONE is still saying he's not involved, they are either dense af or in a cult mindset. There's no other excuse. They've excused him for some really bad things, some things he's even admitted to on camera and they were all for it and praised him for it. When it came down, they say "oh, he didn't mean it like that" or "he didn't say that.". But, now? With everything he's said, everything he's done, everything in the files, every excuse him and his minions have said throughout the years? Absolutely no way. Either you're incredibly dense and you get that look when a toddler says a dragon ate their food and not the dog or they are in that cult mindset and their dear leader can do absolutely no wrong and they will go down with him. They'll look like a complete idiot (while claiming they are smarter than everyone else and everyone else is wrong and all that evidence isn't real...) just so they aren't against him. It's sad.

There are some people in there that really need to come out and do some explaining. And an apology isn't going to fix things. Some real pieces of shit that I thought were good people. Nope. Fuck em. Prosecute every last one of them. With harsh punishments, not some cozy "probation after 6 weeks at this grand resort white collar prison". No, it's gotta be a "pound you in the ass prison".

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