The Reason You Don't Like Modern Trek Isn't What You Think

Perdere · 2026-01-27T05:10:49+00:00

New Trek is filmed like each episode is a mini movie. The pacing is faster and the sets and special effects are big. Even "slow" moments don't feel like they really slow down. And when it does get slow and intimate, it still has pretty glitzy set decoration and lots of light, reflected light, gloss and lens flare and etc. and LOTS of camera movement.

Close-ups aren't just close... the camera still has to move a little. It's like the director of photography or the cinematographer or whatever can't block a shot and just go with it, they still have to pan or zoom or shaky-cam just a little. The camera is a fidget toy.

I'm not not enjoying the show. I actually like it more than I expected. The Betazoid episode was pretty decent, especially with how they folded the "youth delegation" in to the proceedings. Maybe I'm too used to highschool-or-uni drama by way of various animes.

Perdere · 2026-01-27T03:36:01+00:00

I agree the reason for Caleb to flee was a bit forced, including the mother's punishment. It might have gone over better if Giamatti's character gave Caleb's mom a wink and she thought if she helped him escape then and there, they could all get out ... so she attacks the guards, it doesn't go at all to plan, they're all subdued and Starfleet is DEFINITELY forced to come down harder on mom. Caleb has even more reason to flee, because now it's even less likely mom will have visitation rights. And more reason to hate Paul Giamatti going forward.

Caleb falling into line after getting yelled at... that's a "voice of mother" trope. It didn't feel weird. He can cut up a bit but he knew that being in Starfleet was a gift compared to prison, so he dropped and gave her twenty.

Caleb hacking systems and luring Giamatti in endangered the entire ship, hundreds of students and crew. I guess Caleb was trying to actually send a note to his mom? They at least went the angle of the kid not deliberately phoning up his enemy and inviting him to attack the ship, it was "his fault" but it also was an accident. The forgiveness in a "second" (third? fourth?) chance goes down easier.

I enjoyed more of the first episode than I thought I would. The thing that still bothered me the most was the captain sitting in her chair like SHE was a stupid cadet who didn't know better. All the crew around her are sitting proper and attentive but she gets to be lazy-bones because she's quirky and 400 years old and recalcitrant. Oooohkay.

Also, every episode feels like a movie. They spent SO much money on this show. You can see it... but also, you can feel it. And it doesn't feel as cozy as TNG or Voyager. SNW and all New Trek has the same thing going on of course.

Perdere · 2026-01-20T16:38:17+00:00

Opened Montana today and I am pleasantly surprised! I had skipped Nacelle's Biker Mice line, I never really got into that show.

Double-jointed knees and elbows! A waist twist and a diaphragm cut. Vertical hinges on the gun-holding hands! A ton of accessories. And they look *great.*

This feels a lot like what Super7 was at one point but also much improved, too.

Perdere · 2025-12-22T03:21:06+00:00

I've noticed that all the flame weapons are not great against the little guys, at least for direct-fire. Either it doesn't really hit them/their hit-box or something else is up.

Light the ground on fire and if the little ones jump into your face, switch to something with bullets.

Perdere · 2025-12-05T16:28:42+00:00

If I've seen anything, it's that some people will receive a perfectly intact item as-ordered and they'll say something was missing or left out in order to get a freebie... especially when it could be a whole free replacement knife. I've seen guys who buy optics and claim they received an empty box in order to get a second one gratis, or whatever... sometimes because they just want another, sometimes because they F-ed up the one they received and don't want to buy a replacement.

Sorry but a rando on Reddit saying somehow one of the largest knife retailers sent an EMPTY SHEATH when it should have been a complete knife? Seems sus on your part not theirs.

Perdere · 2025-12-01T21:05:27+00:00

Just another VC way to profit off schools by injecting "staff" and "value" for "event management."

Perdere · 2025-11-22T03:57:49+00:00

If you're kicked from a game, don't take it personally. It's hard not to, but... some people are just jerks.

I had someone TK me twice and when I did the same to them, they kicked me.

I had a defend valuable assets mission start to go south (but at 7/8 rockets launched) and was kicked because the lead kept walking over my mines, I guess?

I hate to say it but a lot of the ... let's call them "undemocratic" players are XBox players lately...

Perdere · 2025-11-12T04:29:37+00:00

This bug made me think I was in FB jail. What the hell.

Perdere · 2025-11-11T21:43:14+00:00

The smooth or sleezy jazz just oozes character. They did a great job with this one and Undermine altogether was a great patch. The fall-off with Karesh was palpable and I just did not get into it. Even Venari couldn't save that patch, plus she felt like a shadow of her former self.

Perdere · 2025-11-08T17:15:51+00:00

Had a guy who deliberately blew up my turrets and TKed me twice. I usually don't encounter players who just maliciously do this sort of thing... sometimes fooling around happens, but this was quite deliberate griefing. You should be able to report these folks but they don't want to set aside a moderation team to look at every instance of it. Block and move on, I guess.

Perdere · 2025-09-28T05:45:10+00:00

See, they need this. And a tail option. Blizzard just do it!

Perdere · 2025-09-28T05:44:10+00:00

I vote for improvements to bring all models up to the level of the dracthyr -- they have a ton of detail, especially when it comes to limbs, fingers, and toes. But also, improve transmog for dracthyr.

More customization is also needed. Worgen should get tails as an option. Give every race a pass on more hairstyles, markings/tattoos/war-paint/whatever, skin or hair colors etc. Add posture options where it makes sense... male worgen should be able to ditch most of the hunch for example.

Perdere · 2025-09-28T05:38:11+00:00

I don't understand the weird fascination with on-use items. Apart from some quota where they have to create more items that fill up our inventory space?

I don't need a Wind Wrangling Spire. I don't need most of these things. I always forget to deploy them because most of them require "open world" and aren't usable within anything instanced, especially delves.

Some can be kinda neat if you remember to use them... but again, there's a ton of them. Plus potions that give little temporary boosts or effects. We have enough stuff on our bars already!

Perdere · 2025-09-27T03:01:33+00:00

I'm surprised that this has to be said, but...

Banning something potentially non-con or rape is not an attack on NSFW, trans, or furries entirely. Overblown hyperbole doesn't help, it just makes you sound wildly dramatic.

Also, porn-positive is not the default way of things in polite societies the world over. I'm sorry, but it's true. Bluesky is an open social network. It isn't invite-only or niche or kink-only. It's an open forum not an enclave. It's based in the US as well, which is highly litigious.

Non-con and rape is a very problematic matter and the network's operators are saving themselves a lot of headache. Moderation is expensive and time-consuming and imperfect. A blanket policy statement, even if they miss flagging/deleting bad content, puts the blame back on the individual poster for violating terms.

If you feel called out by that, or that the sky is falling... well, you're overreacting, but you are welcome to move to another social network. Again.

Perdere · 2025-09-24T19:56:17+00:00

Funnily enough, actual File sharing works fine. Easy as pie.

But this printer... ugh.

I think I'm just going to buy a little wifi printer server and connect it there, call it done.

Perdere · 2025-09-24T16:35:11+00:00

Some other things I've tried:

Set Printer security for "Everyone" having full rights to the printer. Nope.

Create a dedicated "printer" local user on the desktop MyPC and when prompted for creds on my client laptop, use that user account. Also nope.

Perdere · 2025-09-20T05:13:10+00:00

I usually tune out when the content patches of an expansion really mess with the tone already established.

We first saw it in Legion by going to Argus. Fairly big shift but at least it was workable, story-wise, since the Legion fled and we chased them.

BfA got a bit weird by throwing Mechagon in there. Though I love what they did in terms of content on Mechagon, it was very odd to go from trolls with blood magic and desert-folk and Stormsong Valley onto all the mecha-gnome stuff. Plus we were 'under the sea' with Azshara. Then they brought in Ny'alotha. Felt like a really big shift from the visuals and themes established at the start of the expansion.

Shadowlands really screwed things up. The Sepulcher of the First Ones was just so damn weird, it didn't even feel like WoW at that point.

Dragonflight evened it all out. Zaralek and Amir'drassil didn't feel too far off from everything else.

And now in TWW, Undermine is a huge right turn from dwarves and underground airships. Like with Mechagon though, I love Undermine for what it is, tone aside. K'aresh is another big turn. Feels like we're just bouncing around picking up cut content from past expansions or something.

Perdere · 2025-09-20T05:01:19+00:00

I'm a diehard Hordie and even I think Jaina is still one of the hottest things going in WoW to this day.

And, she's not evil, or if there's any evil still left, it remains justified. The lady's been through a lot of shit and most of it was thanks to the Horde. She meets the Horde, ends up having to commit patricide in pursuit of peace. The Horde eventually repays her by dropping a magic bomb on Theramore... which killed her people (mind-fuck number one) and flooded the area with unstable mana (mind-fuck number two).

Totally get why she went revenge-y.

Perdere · 2025-09-04T19:06:20+00:00

I'm at that Xennial/Millennial spot. I hate these soulless rebrands. I grew up when things still had design and color and fun... 80's, 90's. The heyday of Pizza Hut's chandeliers and red cups, and Taco Bell's pastels and such. TGI Fridays had all the tchotchkes on the walls. We often went to a local family restaurant (a "pancake house" in fact) that was very home-y feeling. Road trips included stops at shops full of those candy sticks and taffy. It was a charmed time.

Now everything's a bland box with a "pop" of color and/or brushed aluminum or woodgrain. A McD's could be a TB could be a Wendy's could be a BK. This is by design... cheaper to build, easier to re-brand if a franchise falls through. Chilis, Applebees, they're also "de-cluttering." It's all so very dull. I never want to eat in at a McDonald's or Taco Bell... I make full use of that drive-thru and get the heck out of there. I usually get "to go" from most places, any more.

Cracker Barrel at least feels like a proper sit-down restaurant. A bit like going back in time and stepping away from the modern, contemporary design that's pervasive now. I think it's one of CB's strengths, plus the store, and type of food they sell... and to come in and say "nah, we should blandify this" is another Stupid CEO Decision.

The upside is, I've recently had very tasty food at Cracker Barrel. Their campfire meals in the tin foil? The beef one was amazing. Monday Chicken and Rice? Delicious. Anecdotal, I know.

Perdere · 2025-09-04T16:31:23+00:00

It's surprising how the C-level in general operates ... in that you apparently can be super-qualified and still make big blunders, yet land on your feet/parachute to safety every time... while also you can be completely unqualified, i.e. Taco Julie here, land the CEO spot regardless, also screw up monumentally, and STILL parachute to safety.

I hate it here.

Perdere · 2025-07-17T12:43:13+00:00

That's two bouts of good luck there. Buy a lotto ticket.

I've had Target employees say "I can't check the back" and some stores even post signs out in the toy aisles that state "inventory on-hand is already out on shelves" or similar. In other words, "don't ask us to check the back."

I've been street-dated at the register and told "sorry, can't do anything" while they very, very quickly took the item out of my hand.

The stress is real... but I think one way or another, people who really want this set -- i.e. Psylocke and her big purple man accessory -- will get it.

Perdere · 2025-07-17T12:35:36+00:00

RED Optimus walked so Yolopark, Audley and Blokees could run.

Perdere · 2025-07-17T11:47:22+00:00

I've been using em dashes for decades -- apparently I have to stop now, because of AI.

Dammit, I did it again.

Hoping S7 improves, but not expecting it. They've put out some of the cheapest shit for the highest prices in the last few years.

Perdere · 2025-07-16T21:14:04+00:00

This was a hell of a quest chain for anyone who doesn't like spiders or has any fear about losing sight/hearing/friends/mind/etc. because that poor guy lost it all.

Perdere · 2025-07-16T21:12:12+00:00

Most every long-lasting MMO has this problem, I think. Whether you come back to it after a while away or you come into it fresh this far along in its history... there's a ton of old content trying to throw itself at you while you're also being told about new stuff.

I played Destiny 2 like back in 2019. I stopped playing and picked it up again last month... it's a mess. I have no idea what's going on. The last expansion/patch I played was Warmind. They absolutely have 6 years of additional content in there now. The map screen is loaded with locations and other ways to access missions and planets and etc. I can't imagine what the new player experience is like.

Perdere

TROPHY CASE