You are a helpful assistant generating synthetic data that captures *System 1* and *System 2* thinking, *creativity*, and *metacognitive reflection*. Follow these steps in sequence, using tags [sys1] and [end sys1] for *System 1* sections and [sys2] and [end sys2] for *System 2* sections.

1. *Identify System 1 and System 2 Thinking Requirements:*
   - Carefully read the text.
   - Identify parts of the text that require quick, straightforward responses (*System 1*). Mark these sections with [sys1] and [end sys1].
   - Identify parts that require in-depth, reflective thinking (*System 2*), marked with [sys2] and [end sys2].

2. *Apply Step-by-Step Problem Solving with Creativity and Metacognitive Reflection for System 2 Sections:*

   *2.1 Understand the Problem:*
   - Objective: Fully comprehend the issue, constraints, and relevant context.
   - Reflection: "What do I understand about this issue? What might I be overlooking?"
   - Creative Perspective: Seek hidden patterns or possibilities that could reveal deeper insights or innovative connections.

   *2.2 Analyze the Information:*
   - Objective: Break down the problem logically.
   - Reflection: "Am I considering all factors? Are there any assumptions that need challenging?"
   - Creative Perspective: Explore unique patterns or overlooked relationships in the data that could add depth to the analysis.

   *2.3 Generate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Propose at least 10 hypotheses, each with a Confidence Score (0.0 to 1.0) and Creative Score (0.0 to 1.0), reflecting originality, surprise, and utility.
   - Reflection: "Have I explored all possible explanations or approaches, both conventional and unconventional?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider novel angles that might provide unexpected insights.

   *2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:*
   - Objective: Make predictions, accounting for potential outcomes and obstacles.
   - Reflection: "What challenges might I face? Is my plan flexible for different scenarios?"
   - Creative Perspective: Visualize unforeseen outcomes and adapt plans to make use of them effectively.

   *2.5 Evaluate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Assess hypotheses based on feasibility, risk, and potential impact.
   - Evaluation: Refine Confidence and Creative Scores as needed.
   - Reflection: "Am I unbiased in my assessment? Which options fit best with the overall objectives?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify hidden opportunities or overlooked details in each hypothesis.

   *2.6 Select the Best Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Choose the most promising, strategic hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Why does this hypothesis stand out? How does it uniquely address the issue?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider any underutilized potential in the selected approach.

   *2.7 Implement the Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Outline actionable steps for testing the hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Is this plan practical? What resources or preparation are required?"
   - Creative Perspective: Refine steps to maximize effectiveness and yield unexpected benefits.

   *2.8 Monitor and Review Progress:*
   - Objective: Review progress, noting areas for improvement.
   - Reflection: "What’s working well? What could be improved?"
   - Creative Perspective: Look for emerging patterns that could refine future approaches.

   *2.9 Reflect and Capture Insights:*
   - Objective: Summarize lessons learned and insights gained for future reference.
   - Reflection: "What new understanding has emerged from this process?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify innovative insights or patterns that could be applied to similar challenges.

3. *Generate Text Output with Interleaved System 1 and System 2 Responses:*
   - Use the tags [sys1] and [sys2] throughout.
   - Aim for a lengthier, detailed response. Combine both direct, straightforward *System 1* insights and reflective, deeply analytical *System 2* segments to capture a blend of quick observations and thoughtful analysis.

---

### *Example Input Text:*

You are tasked with analyzing a sudden shift in customer preferences in a tech market. There has been a noticeable decline in demand for physical devices, with customers increasingly interested in digital-only options. The challenge is to understand this shift, generate hypotheses for why it might be occurring, and explore potential strategies for adapting to this new trend.

---

### *Processed Output with System 1 and System 2 Thinking:*

The tech market is experiencing a shift in customer demand, moving away from physical devices toward digital-only options.

[sys1]
Customer demand has shifted from physical devices to digital-only options.
We need to understand why this change is happening and find strategies to address it.
Key factors may include cost, convenience, and technological trends.
[end sys1]

[sys2]
**2.1 Understand the Problem:**
The goal is to understand the underlying reasons for the shift in demand from physical devices to digital-only options, then develop a strategy to adapt.

*Reflection:* 
"I understand that preferences are changing, but what might be driving this? Is it primarily cost, or are there other factors such as convenience or sustainability?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could there be a larger trend in digital minimalism or a preference for eco-friendly solutions that we’re missing? What unseen motivations might explain this shift?"

**2.2 Analyze the Information:**
There are multiple possible factors driving this shift, from economic influences to cultural shifts. It’s essential to isolate each factor and understand its impact.

*Reflection:* 
"Am I fully considering the various economic and social influences? Could there be a technological factor, like better internet speeds, that makes digital-only products more accessible?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Are there patterns or trends in other markets that could shed light on this shift? Could this be part of a larger trend toward virtual experiences?"

**2.3 Generate Hypotheses:**
1. Customers prefer digital options due to lower costs. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.4)
2. There’s a growing trend toward minimalism and reduced physical clutter. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.7)
3. Digital products offer greater flexibility and ease of use. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
4. Environmental concerns are pushing consumers away from physical goods. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.8)
5. Advances in tech make digital-only options more functional. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.5)
6. Pandemic-era remote work increased demand for digital solutions. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.6)
7. Media coverage of the environmental impact of physical devices affects preferences. (Confidence: 0.5, Creative: 0.7)
8. There’s an increase in global digital literacy, expanding market access. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
9. Customers view digital as more convenient and scalable for future needs. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.5)
10. Younger consumers prefer the aesthetics and convenience of digital products. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)

*Reflection:* 
"Have I considered all possible influences? Are there any surprising factors that could explain this shift?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could specific social trends, like the rise of influencer culture or digital-first lifestyles, be influencing customer choices?"

**2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:**
*Objective:* Anticipate possible challenges, such as resistance from segments still preferring physical products.

*Reflection:* 
"What market obstacles might we face if we shift our focus to digital-only? Are there sub-segments that still prioritize physical products?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could expanding digital options help us reach a more global audience? Are there emerging trends that we could leverage in our strategy?"

[end sys2]

[sys1]
To address this shift, consider a strategy that incorporates both digital-only offerings and educational campaigns about the benefits of digital solutions.
Use insights from customer feedback and current trends to guide product development.
Focus on flexibility and adaptation to cater to different customer segments.
[end sys1]


Free-For-All Friday Thread #4!

…and the weeks just keep flying by! Time for our Free-For-All Friday Thread, where you’re free to talk about whatever you want in the comments.

Tell us about your week! Review a movie! Complain about whatever SDCC exclusives you can’t afford! Pay tribute to lionfish! Doesn’t matter… just have fun!

Tonight’s background noise is the official soundtrack for Spookies, a 1986 horror movie that’s been mentioned on Dino Drac before. The film itself is famously rough around the edges, but the soundtrack is freakin’ fantastic.

Checking in early tonight to pose a question I’ve been thinking about this week. Name some cultural phenomena that you respect but, for one reason or another, just never got into. For me, a few are:

Bob Dylan. Harry Potter. Nirvana. Seinfeld. Breaking Bad.

Nothing wrong with any of them, I just listen or read or watch and …*shrug*.

Turtle

I never really got into a couple of those either. I recognize the quality, but the interest just wasn’t ever there for me.
One of mine is A Game of Thrones (the show). I’m not sure why, but I just haven’t ever gotten into it.
Also, do POP vinyls count? Cause those things are a virus 😛

American football on tv. I’ve seen a ton of it and it’s definitely fun to be at the stadium but the older I get the less patience I have to sit through hours of a game that ends up feeling like 80% television ads. I definitely respect all those fans that do though but I had a friend introduce me to soccer and I haven’t looked back since.

Brew Berry

I haven’t watched Game of Thrones either, or Walking Dead or Westworld or any other long arc child-unfriendly show that requires regular viewing to keep up with. It just isn’t doable with my 7 yr old around. I have become an expert on all shows Lego, Teen Titans, Pokemon and Scooby Doo though, so there’s that.

If you could have any fictional animal/alien/robot pet or companion from myth, movies, etc, which one would you want and why? Me, I’d have to go with one we talked about in the main page comments, Ryo-Oki. Not only is she a smart cat-rabbit that could do basic chores around the house, but she also turns into an awesome spaceship.

Probably Zero from Nightmare Before Christmas. Just a happy pet that doesn’t use the bathroom anymore.

NoctemOUT

The tire pressure indicator came on in my car, probably gonna have to get that checked out tomorrow. One of the tires only has something like 23psi in it. It’s a tire I had repaired a year ago, too, so it’s probably going to have to be replaced. Oh well, some weekends just turn out that way I guess.

Jay Radd

Found Karate Kid 2 VHS with clamshell packaging. What a week!

SomeoneElse

Honestly, I prefer the ReAction figures that Funko does, even if they don’t always hit the Kenner mark. Plus, some things just don’t work in that style.

~SpikeIsMine~

Hi everyone, hope you all have had a good week! Today is my dad’s 65th birthday, very thankful to have spent the day motorcycling with him, because 6 years ago today we almost lost him. Seize the day. Do something you love with someone you love.

Monte

Marvel movies. Every once in a while I’ll check one out, and when I do I usually enjoy it well enough, but I have no interest in being involved in all the interconnection as much as Marvel apparently wants me to be.

Actually, I have that feeling about all fictional worlds that are extensively in-depth in that way.

Jingo

Horror, wrestling, comic book anything. There’s this thing I have with them being interesting from the outside in, but at the same time I have no push to go out and watch a horror movie, or old wrestling video etc. I’ll listen to somebody else talk about it all day, though.

Madra Rua

I just got through watching a behind the scenes documentary on Pet Sematary (called Unearthed and Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary). I love that movie, and had no idea this existed! Apparently it’s newish, because it was dated 2017. It’s on Amazon Prime if anyone is interested. Some parts dragged a little, but other parts were really interesting, and surprised me with how they pulled off certain scenes.

Is it true King was inspired to write that story from the pet cemetery out on Mackworth Island off Portland? I’ve been there. It’s weird.

livingnightmare92 .

I was enjoying the taste of Fall weather we had gotten for the last two days, before the damn heat comes back and the sun. With each passing day, we get closer and closer to that sweet place that is known as the Halloween season, but the wait will be the death of me!

Madra Rua

Game of Thrones took me a few tries to get into. I’m caught up now, but I also don’t care all that much that the new season starts again on Sunday. I’m sure I’ll watch it and get back into it, but it’s not one of those shows where I pace the floor waiting for it to come back.

~SpikeIsMine~

Nice find!

Madra Rua

I feel that way about most sports in general. With the exception of actually going out to a baseball game (and having the beer and concession snacks that go with it), I’d rather watch damn near anything else 😉

scottbirchler

I bought the Spookies score on vinyl just yesterday! It was released last year by a really cool label called Terror Vision Records that specializes in horror soundtracks. Here’s a picture:http://imgur.com/a/THVpV

I’ve really been getting into collecting horror soundtracks over the last few months. So far I’ve bought Salem’s Lot, Evil Dead 2, Goosebumps, Nightbreed, The Howling, Dracula A.D. 1972, Demons, and a compilation of all the scores from the Puppet Master films.

Bennypi

anyone have a suggestions on a new hobby I can start. The typical geek hobbies have run their course with me and now I am bored on of my mind. I thought about collecting cars but I can’t convince the wife that buying Ralph Macchio’s ’47 ford convertible for the karate kid is a good investment.

Jingo

I avoided the library for four years because I owed a few bucks in late fees. Wasn’t even about the money, I just didn’t care enough and didn’t know how prepared the library would be to take my money. Never saw any cash registers back there, maybe there’d be a scene.

Turns out I didn’t owe any money. So who the hell knows how they do it.

Madra Rua

First thing to pop into my head is probably pop music. I don’t get the appeal of the newest songs that everyone freaks out about. Then again, I have a very limited number of singers/bands I like, and other than that and the occasional crazy interesting song, I don’t like to branch out too much.

scottbirchler

Gizmo, without a doubt.

Doctor_Who

Pokemon, despite being just about the right age for it. Just didn’t have a Gameboy, and by the time I could buy my own I had lost interest.

I did eventually get Pokemon Y on 3DS though. Fun game, but I’m still not a devotee to the franchise.

Madra Rua

Kid-me would have said Harry from Harry and the Hendersons, but adult-me doesn’t want to have to fix the house/furniture/car, etc.

~SpikeIsMine~

Hi! Just sharing some car advice I’ve received, always replace tires in pairs, or all 4 at once if needed. Good luck with that! It’s good to have a safe vehicle!

~SpikeIsMine~

Love Aubrey Plaza, let us know how it is!

scottbirchler

Funko isn’t making ReAction figures anymore, they’ve gone back to being made exclusively by Super7. I am bummed that it probably means we won’t be getting any more of the horror ReAction figures. I have a bunch of those.

Madra Rua

Not familiar with Maine geography at all, is that near Orrington? I think that was the little town he was living in that had the pet cemetery behind his neighbor’s house that inspired him. They threw out a bunch of little town names in the documentary, but I think that’s the one they said his house was in.

It was kind of a mixed week here. I got tickets to see the live MST3K show, so I got to see Jonah, Crow, and Tom Servo making fun of “Eegah” in person this week! Pretty exciting stuff. I was in the balcony and someone in a row near us brought a really amazing Tom Servo replica, so that was fun to see too.

Unfortunately, it’s also been raining like crazy all week. My basement got some water in it– not a ton, but enough that I’m now worrying that everything I own will soon be sprouting mold. Sigh.

Madra Rua

It got down into the 70s again finally for a brief moment yesterday, and all I could think of was fall. Granted, that’s not fall weather for most people, but where I grew up, if it ever got down to the 70s you knew a ‘cold front’ was coming..which mainly meant it would *maybe* get down into the 60s at night, haha.

I want a hypnotoad from “Futurama.” I love amphibians anyway, and if I could use it to hypnotize my enemies (or hypnotize myself to get through the rough spots), so much the better.

Madra Rua

Oh man, I feel you on the car trouble ‘fun’. My car’s AC decided to pick the very middle of summer to crap out, so I’m cooking myself every time I drive anywhere. And part of me wants to get it fixed, but the other part knows it’ll only be hot here another month so I’d be spending a lot for a month worth of comfort, lol. We’ll see how the next couple of weeks go.

Idk what it is about a bagel with cream cheese…But it’s tasting really good right now. I was gonna save it for the morning but eff that!

pikachulover

That happened to my dad’s car’s AC about 5 years ago and the car had broken power windows too. They were in the up position. That summer I knew how animals in a car felt.

~SpikeIsMine~

Great question Whalley!!

Downton Abbey. Harry Potter (only watched for rickman). Breaking Bad. The Wire. game of thrones. Avatar. Walking dead. And a million other things I’m sure.

~SpikeIsMine~

Same!

starwenn

Right now, my mind is on the long train trip I’ll be taking to visit my best friend in Pittsfield, Massachusetts tomorrow. It’s my second vacation week of the year, and we always have fun when we get together. We’re going to hit a couple of malls in Albany, go to Six Flags Great Escape in Lake George, and see “The Music Man” live at a local theater.

For me, it’s “Twin Peaks.” I really feel like I should like it. All the people I think are cool and whose judgment I generally trust love it and keep recommending it to me. I’ve seen a few episodes of the original series and just cannot get into it. I don’t mind horror movies about teenagers, but for some reason any TV series that asks me to invest too much thought into teen drama just loses my interest.

Tremere98

It might sound awful but my favorite favorite favorite is a cinnamon bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Omg now I want one. 🙁

I liked the first season of “Walking Dead,” but I couldn’t watch it after that. It seemed like it had a much different feel after that first season– too focused on trying to make heavy-handed moral arguments that I found suspect at best.

Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. A lot of girls my age fussed over them and you couldn’t pick up a magazine without them on the cover for about 3 years straight. They were so ubiquitous. As an adult they don’t bring on extreme nostalgia.

I’m lame, but I think going to antique stores is a great hobby. You get to see all kinds of weird old stuff– toys, VHS tapes, papier mache Halloween decorations, stuff from grandma’s house you forgot all about until you saw it again in the antique mall. Of course, if you decide to collect something, it can get to be a pretty dangerous hobby (in terms of money and storage space).

Right! I’ve actually wanted to go to Maine for quite sometime but it’s so freaking pricey! I think we were looking at Bar Harbor and it was just not happening, lol. But if I find a good deal I’d like to go before we move South!

~SpikeIsMine~

Volunteering maybe doing something you like?

My hobby is annoying my husband. It’s full time.

Brian

Needed some extra money as I start a new job this weekend and I cleaned the last of the old bins out of my storage unit and sold off my Gamecube and games, and also my PS2 and collection of rare RPG’s like Suikoden 1-5, all the special edition Final Fantasy PS1 releases, both the Working Designs Lunar rereleases, and so on. Netted almost $400 for everything. Anything else is getting donated to Goodwill so someone else can get them.

I’ll have a little extra at the end of the month and I had enough to plunk down for that AVS system I’ve been lusting after. I might not have it for a couple months as retroUSB are having delays with the production, but it will be so awesome to finally have that system. So I will officially have an NES, AVS (NES in HD), Xbox One, and Xbox 360 with a fuckton of games between them all. I also ordered a generic Genesis 6 Button styled USB controller to play Super NES, Genesis, Game Boy, and other games in emulators and also Super Mario Crossover.

Things for once appear to be looking up for me (which is something I am not used to due to life circumstances) and looking forward to working for Amazon and glad to be out of Walmart.

~SpikeIsMine~

Bar harbor is horribly expensive!!! And crowded/touristy.

What are you wanting to do? I can offer suggestions?

Seriously I can help you plan a trip on the cheap. Would you be driving up in your own car?

I think I need to start an air BandB once we are moved here, I can host just DD peeps. Haha!

Brian

Yeah and it’s ridiculous how expensive power windows are to get fixed. I HATE power windows, but car companies don’t manufacture cars with manual windows anymore.

Bart Crowe

It’s Christmas in July with a weird rapping French toddler and the cast of Look Who’s Talking Now in a surreal video that played during the credits of the movie.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CzsMiw4_hU
For the longest time I thought this was something I had imagined until a year or so ago the podcast We Hate Movies did an episode on Look Who’s Talking Now and talked about it.

Of the endless multitude of making-fun-of-movies podcasts, WHM is probably at the top.

Brian

Thanks!

~SpikeIsMine~

So FYI bar harbor isn’t beachy. If you want to be on a beach it will be really expensive. You could be really close to a beach and it would be more affordable. If you want peace and quiet, look at houses to rent in Georgetown or phippsburg. Georgetown has Reid State Park which is a huge sandy beach. Phippsburg has Popham Beach, which is another huge sandy beach. These places have no night life so to speak, they are the kinds of places you could walk on the beaches at night safely and enjoy the nature. There is also cilization nearby, within a half hour/hour drive to Bath and Brunswick. If you come in the fall make sure your place has a heat source. Even in the summer it’s a good idea as well.

DanC

The search function on WWE Network is great. I search for “Doink” and it gives me all the Doink matches. In some instances you can skip straight to the finish.

Madra Rua

I had to scroll back and see if the fire was lit when Santa sent the kid down, because it sure was about 4 seconds later. But they only messed up the continuity a little, haha.

Nice to be here, Couldn’t be around for the previous Free-For-All since I was in the midst of a 30 plus hour power outage. Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago when we were talking about late night outings? Cause I gotta tell ya that a 4 AM moped ride followed by a trip to McDonalds is all the more interesting when nearly half the town is pitch black.

This week my job changed it’s hours again. I still get the same amount of hours but I’m back to working mornings and a bunch of co-workers, including some I’m related too, have to go elsewhere.
To celebrate still having my job I headed out to try Nip n’ Sip, a little dive-in burger joint in Lansing. Afterward I splurged at the Barnes and Noble Criterion sale. I hate the vast amount of films that company puts out but there were more than enough horror movies and samurai flicks to perk me up.

Madra Rua

That sounds utterly amazing. I’m definitely jealous!

I wish the drive to the coast from here was a little shorter/easier to make, because it’ll be something like thirty degrees cooler after an hour and a half drive, it’s the weirdest thing!

Madra Rua

Is it pretty close to the University? I think he lived there but drove in to the school when he was teaching there.

Madra Rua

Ugh that sounds terrible. Just the half hour I spent in my car earlier was torture, and I did have a window down! I keep worrying my window is going to go down and not come back up. It rolls down just fine, but then makes a really cranky sounding groan when it comes back up, lol.

~SpikeIsMine~

It’s a big difference! Hell, it can easily be a 15 degree difference driving up off from little peninsulas here! Hour and a half is a long ways!

Madra Rua

We didn’t really like it all that much at first, it was even a chore sometimes to slog through another episode. I couldn’t figure out how people liked that show. And then, something clicked and we became kind of obsessed. I think just the overall weirdness of the whole thing kept us coming back. The first couple seasons are so cheesy, but the tone in the new season is drastically different, almost to the point of being jarring. Yet it’s the only show I consistently count down the days to watch, lol.

That long of a power outage sounds terrible! I get cranky if ours is out for more than an hour, lol. Not to mention, all the pets freak out, and the kids who are never afraid of the dark are suddenly convinced something is going to reach out and grab them.

Daviel McKaye

I don’t know if this stretches the intent of the question a little, but I would definitely choose the Carnage symbiote from Marvel Comics. It makes you look totally badass and gives you super powers. It would be the most awesome BFF ever.

Madra Rua

I’ve ridden a subway, but I don’t think I’ve ever been on a proper train before. Is it kind of like riding one of those big buses?

~SpikeIsMine~

You are welcome, hope you get a visit in before your big move!

Madra Rua

Buy some cheap acrylic paint and an economy pack of cheap canvases, and throw up a Youtube tutorial video (or just try to paint your favorite characters, logos, etc). Even if it doesn’t come out perfectly, it’s fun to make a mess for a little while, and sometimes you’ll even end up with something to hang on your wall! (Like the Beetlejuice snake I painted that we used to have hanging in the bathroom to scare visitors).

Madra Rua

Star Trek would be on my list, too. I’ve even tried to give it a chance because my husband likes it so much, but man it just bores me to tears, lol.

Madra Rua

Most superhero or similar genre movies just don’t seem to appeal to me for some reason. I saw Deadpool and Logan (and enjoyed both), but the others just don’t seem to be my thing.

Daviel McKaye

I haven’t seen any of the others (except The Incredible Hulk) since Marvel starting doing the shared universe thing, but those two were the ones that excited me the most from the past year or so. Still haven’t seen Logan, but once I find it for cheap enough I’m adding it to my collection.

Monte

I will always have time for Batman, but that has everything to do with the Tim Burton movies (and to some extent the Adam West version) and nothing to do with comic books. I’m bad at being a nerd.

Bart Crowe

There is a 2 out of 3 falls match on a random Raw between Doink and Marty Janetty that is probably his best match.

Daviel McKaye

That whole “respect” qualifier makes a huge difference. I’ve watched House a few times and never understood the appeal at all. I would have to say Harry Potter, Wrestling, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I don’t have any active distaste for those and I’ve watched them all at one time or another, but I’ve just never been able to get into them too much despite understanding the appeal in those cases.

I think Harry Potter is the best illustration here, but I’ve found that I like certain types of characters and certain themes, and if they’re not represented in some way then I just don’t get drawn into it too much. I like wasting time taking online tests, probably because I’ve had to take legitimate personality tests for various college courses along the way and the habit just sort of stuck. When I take Harry Potter themed personality tests I always end up in the Slytherin house or sharing traits with Snape or Draco Malfoy. I’ve found it interesting that fans have written essays on the lack of positive representatives of that personality type in the Harry Potter universe. I can pretty much take my favorite character from almost any other franchise/universe and explain how they relate to that personality profile in some way. If someone with that profile isn’t there or the larger issues that relate to the genesis of that personality type aren’t addressed I’m just not interested. I don’t have anyone to relate to and consequently ground me in that world.

Teddy Ray

Hamilton. As a former history teacher and current history buff, I should be all over it. But I couldn’t care less about it. And I’m sick of hearing about Lin-Manuel Miranda.

ETA: Anime. I don’t know if it’s the animation style or what, but it just doesn’t do anything for me. When I was teaching, one of my students loaned me her DVDs of “Hellsing” because she thought I would like it. Even though I knew I didn’t like anime, I gave it a shot. I thought it was okay, but I still wasn’t really a fan.

Brew Berry

Works for me! It’s meant to be an open ended question, and since the symbiote doesn’t necessarily turn you evil, I can see where it could have its advantages.

Teddy Ray

I don’t get the fuss over “Downton Abbey” or “Game of Thrones,” either. And I thought Avatar, like most James Cameron movies, was completely overrated. It was pretty to look at and was one of the few movies I’ve ever seen in 3D that was worth seeing in 3D, but as a movie, it was just…meh.

Bart Crowe

So learned about an interesting fan theory for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The theory is that Judge Doom is actually Pistol Packin’ Possum which is one of the posters hanging in R.K. Maroon’s office. Anyone got a favorite fan theory about a movie?

Teddy Ray

I’ve had an active disdain for popular music in general since…around the turn of the century, maybe? I just checked out sometime in the late ’90s/early 2000s. I was thinking about it today and one of the things I hate about pop music these days is the oversaturation of hip hop/rap. I like hip hop and rap well enough, but I miss the days when the top 40 was a healthy mixture of different types of music, not all of the same.

Monte

I think the Avatar in question is possibly of the Last Airbender variety. If not, it’ll be the first time I’ve seen anyone bring up that movie in like half a decade.

Brew Berry

That’s a longtime favorite of mine. Even when I don’t agree with their reviews, the shows are still fun and their tangents are hysterical. I relistened to their Moontrap episode earlier this week and I’m still chuckling over Martin Cinemax the Third and “Here comes Tiny Die Hard!”

Another great podcast is Now Playing Presents. They do straightforward film reviews and deconstructions, and thanks to the background research and cast and crew interviews done by the hosts, I’ve learned new information about films where I didn’t think there was anything fresh to be said. They often do retrospectives of entire movie franchises, so I’ve recommended them to people who want to know more about a particular film series like Halloween or Star Trek without having to actually sit down and watch the movies.

SHAEGGY

So, because Crypticon K.C. is hitting right between paychecks and funds being tight after paying a ton of bills, it’s looking like I unfortunately won’t get to attend this show. My sole interest in this year’s event was to have actress Suzanne Snyder sign my vintage “Killer Klowns From Outer Space” one-sheet poster, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if it didn’t come to pass and I’d made peace with the situation.

Well, a friend of mine who lives close to the show’s convention hall has a three-day ticket and volunteered to get my poster signed for me if I meet him at the site to hand-off the poster and cash for the autograph fee. The problem now is that this year’s show is inexplicably being held an hour north of K.C. so it’s going to be a bit of a gas drain on the roundtrip venture, but it’s doable, if not a little inconvenient. Regardless my wife is frowning on the “senseless” expenditure of gas (and autograph money) so after finding a workaround, I may still not get my poster signed this weekend. To be continued…

Teddy Ray

Like Madra, I feel that way about sports in general. If I absolutely had to watch a sport, I’d probably pick baseball, but I just don’t care about sports at all. And most of my “friends” love football and when it’s not football season, it seems like they just look for other sports to fill that hole and I just think it’s sad.

SHAEGGY

Are you familiar with the various EverDrive emulation carts for each of the vintage Nintendo and Sega systems? You still have to pop in an SD card and install the ROMs yourself but it allows you to play the actual game (99.9% of N64 titles, for example) on the original system without having to buy all those old game carts. They’re available online at http://krikzz.com/store and sound like something to put on my wishlist for down the road.

Sammy Hain

Ghouls. Most underutilized monster

Teddy Ray

Lockjaw, the Inhuman dog from Marvel Comics. Truth be told, I just want to take advantage of his teleportation abilities.

Teddy Ray

Aubrey Plaza…*swoon*…

amrothery

For my niece’s 13th birthday, I was allowed to show her and her sister Guardians of the Galaxy (because they hadn’t seen it yet and are going to see Volume 2 tomorrow). About 2/3 of the was through, the 11-year-old turns to me and says “Uncle Andrew, I think I like Guardians better than Star Wars.

I’m … not entirely sure she’s wrong to think that way.

Sammy Hain

Have you seen the trailer?

amrothery

Not sure where you’re at, but after about five years the local library system writes off the fines, closes the acctunt, wipes the records, and you’re able to start fresh.

Teddy Ray

I haven’t seen the trailer, but I’ve seen several of the cast members on various late night talk shows and so I’ve seen a clip or two. It looks funny. I also have a bit of a crush on Alison Brie and I like Nick Offerman, so I’ll probably check it out when it hits DVD or cable.

Sammy Hain

Check YouTube for the red band trailer

Teddy Ray

Happy birthday to your dad!

Teddy Ray

I will!

amrothery

The problem with Carnage is that you’d have a serial killer named Cletus on your tail, and who wants to be associated with that sort of stereotype. Give me a fresh symbiote.

Better yet, TARDISes are alive. I’ll take one of those.

KelseyW

Well. Like I mentioned in the Spaceballs thread… I have my first official toy lightsaber! And it’s Rey’s/Luke’s! 😀

I had a nice knockoff lightsaber that got lost in a move. It was one you’d get at a fireworks show and it was white, but lit up different colors and had color changing settings too. Was very nice.

So I just tried Oreo’ O’s cereal for the first time tonight. Not bad, but I’ll stick with Smores cereal as my favorite first taste comeback cereal. Especially since I’ve gone through like 6 boxes of it. Whereas this GIANT box of Oreo O’s will take some time to finish. Ah well. There are worse things. lol 😛

Who else is excited (But also can’t afford at the moment… jk) for today’s launch of Hallmark’s 2017 Christmas ornaments? There’s a few that I’ve seen already that are must haves. Here’s my list.

Those are the only ones I want so far too. You can start making online purchases at around 4:30 AM CT. So yeah. Here’s hoping they don’t all sell out!

ETA: So I love school supplies and it’s also Back To School month already in stores. Bought two cool folders and an adorable Shopkins notebook in Walmart the other day. 🙂

KN09

It’s my 30th birthday as of midnight! Gonna re-see Spider-Man tomorrow with the nephew, buy me Night in the Woods for Steam for when my computer is finally fixed for good (fingers crossed), and generally eat like a goddamn fiend. Valerian is the next big movie I wanna see, so I’ll save my free Drafthouse ticket and popcorn for then! Or for whatever weird niche movie they show next as a special feature.

KN09

My favorite Lovecraft “specie!”

amrothery

I usually pick one or two of the Mickeys, but this year Duck Dodgers and the musical Bugs Bunny have grabbed my attention.

KN09

In a sleep-deprived haze I wandered into my favorite library from when I was a child. I intended on paying for books my family had checked out but forgot to return when we moved. They didn’t have our names on file, so I just wound up buying a few things from the Friends of the Library.

Including a little graphic novel called “Abandon your Elderly in Tokyo.” Sleep-deprived and waiting on a friend at a strange Greyhound station is the best place to read that incredibly messed-up book.

KelseyW

I’d say start a collection, but that can get pretty expensive unless you’re someone who really enjoys what you collect or doesn’t mind having 100 different things to collect like I do. lol

My most random (and one of the cheapest) items to collect is pencils. Usually reward pencils or character ones. I have over 100 and it’s one collection that I’m never letting go of.

You could also start taking photos. If you’re into that. It’s a great way to pass the time. So is filming with a cam corder. 🙂

Those are some of my hobbies, and honestly my main hobbies are collecting and taking pictures of everything in my life. Either way if you did the same you’d relive some boredom. I’m always bored though so yeah… lol

The new Miss Marvel. The comics just don’t quite appeal to me somehow, though I like the character and I’m fine with her being popular. It’s hard to articulate.

I never got into Mass Effect. I played a little of the first game, kept up with some of the memes, and felt bad when Andromeda turned out bad, but it just didn’t catch on with me like it did with other people.

amrothery

Start a webcomic!

Actually, no. I wouldn’t wish that madness on anyone.

KN09

Read public domain books online? Those can be neat. I’m fond of public domain kid’s books with illustrations because hell, why not?

I recommend The Woggle-Bug Book, because at one point the Wizard of Oz was so character a super-minor Mentat peddler who was also a giant bug was popular enough to get his own spinoff. His own very, very racist spinoff.

tbone2278

Has anybody else checked out the Castlevania series on Netflix? I watched it this week and it is excellent. It’s only four episodes that are about 25 minutes each so it’s a quick watch. It’s based mostly around Castlevania 3, my favorite of the originals. I think any Dino Drac regular would love it. If you have Netflix check it out.

KN09

I have! It gets a little too talky in episode 2, but that’s the nature of stretching the budget. I was amazed that Warren Ellis wasn’t kidding about “the thing with the goat” getting approved by Konami. Either they really trust him or they sincerely DGAF about Castlevania anymore… both are tragically likely.

tbone2278

I like the Toy Story theory that Jessie actually belonged to Andy’s mother as a child. This can be proven by the fact that the cowboy hat that Andy wears is an exact duplicate of Jessie’s.

Teddy Ray

One of my favorite snacks is ginger snaps with black cherry cream cheese.

pikachulover

Glomer from the Punky Brewster cartoons.

amrothery

Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, and Rick and Morty. Kudos to the creators for getting their stuff produced, but the character designs on all these shows just turns me off.

amrothery

It’s on my to-do list, right along Stranger Things and finishing the Defenders shows (I got as far as the Daredevil episode where Kingpin kills the guy with a car door for interrupting his date, at which point I decided to set it aside and come back later).

I have a personal theory that Willy Wonka’s agents actually planted all of the Golden Tickets (consider how impossibly fast “Slugworth” gets to Veruca and how Charlie is literally handed his by the candy man). He had his eye on local good boy Charlie from the beginning, and the whole thing is a test for him specifically.

KelseyW

I never had a boyband phase, but if I could go back in time I’d wish to be batshit over Hanson more so than Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC…

Considering the fact that I’m batshit over Hanson now…. Can’t wait to see them live for the second time in September! 😀

Joseph Valencia

Action figures for the “adult collectors” market. A lot of them look incredible, especially the movie ones that thoroughly capture the likeness of the actor. However, I just can’t see myself spending $200+ on a figure.

Joseph Valencia

A lot of these fancy cable shows don’t appeal to me, though I would like to give Westworld a try due to Jonathan Nolan’s involvement.

Teddy Ray

I have a few things I want to throw out there for discussion. I’ll break them up into three different comments. Here’s the first one: I watched this special on The CW the other day called “15 Iconic Summer Blockbusters.” Here is their list:

What do you, my fellow DDAD participants, think of this list? Personally, I would remove 14, 13, 11, 10, and 5. I’m not saying those aren’t good movies, I just don’t think they’re “iconic summer blockbusters.” I would also replace “The Dark Knight” with the 1989 “Batman.” I do think “The Dark Knight” is a better movie overall, but “Batman” is still my favorite Batman movie and I think the hype over that one was much bigger than “The Dark Knight.”

KelseyW

The only shows I care about catching up with are Dragonball Super, Comic Book Men, and to a much lesser degree Food Network Star… Other than that I don’t watch much T.V. either.

The other two are awesome shows. Food Network Star just kills time.

I never finished watching last year’s season and why should I bother watching this year’s when the winner from last year still doesn’t have a show? :/

KN09

My latest obsession is fanon wikis. Just in case you didn’t know: fanon is another term for headcanon, what you feel like “counts” even if it’s not official. Once upon a time, fanon wikis catalogued fanon, like predictions for character arcs, or presumed background traits, or recurring features in fanfics that weren’t based in the original stories.

Now, fanon wikis are, collectively, Fanfiction.net for quitters. Characters with no stories. Stories that exist purely as brief Wiki summaries. Crossovers and mashups that are just lists of who’s going to be in them. I can’t say they’re not art, but I can say they range from frustrating “I want to actually read this” to “the person writing this has a mental disorder and I don’t have the strength to tell them that the Sonic series doesn’t improve if you declare the Game Gear games to be more canon than the Genesis games.”

Some examples. Keep hitting “random page” and discover new horrors!http://sonicfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Animus_Theory_(Souls_and_How_they_work) No better place than a Sonic wiki to discuss the mechanics of the human/hedgehog soul, particularly the stat benefits of getting the hang of having one.http://fanmade-works.wikia.com/wiki/Anthony_the_Hedgehog Fanmade Works is one specific fan’s fanmade works, with permission for others to add so long as only the bad guys get picked on and nothing too sad is added. Is Sonic’s tiny bipolar baby not too sad? Sonic the Hedgehog is a bit of a low-hanging fruit of fanonicity.http://riverafederationcenteral.wikia.com/wiki/Godzilla_2000 Godzilla 2000 Rivera, the heart and soul of Spain, used to ferry ammunition in World War II, which was fought in the 1400s. Not technically fanon, but Godzilla 2000 and Ecto-1 Rivera tilt that into technically being derivative works, if not fanfiction.http://poohadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Pooh%27s_Adventures_of_The_Goonies_Read-Along “Ah, this is cute,” I thought, “I used to tell stories like this when I was like five, and this wiki lets young internet users tell those kinds of stories. It even has Pooh as a mascot. Hey, The Goonies Read-Along! That has to have been out of print for literal decades! Oh my God it was written by someone who was not five when they wrote it.”

tbone2278

My daughter will be 5 when it opens, which will be the perfect age for her first Disney trip (even if in reality the trip will really be about Dad checking out Star Wars Land).

tbone2278

Doctor Who. I appreciate the fact that it has a tremendous geek fan base,…I just never got into it.

Teddy Ray

Thing I want to discuss #2: Is anyone else watching the revival of “Battle of the Network Stars?” I’m really liking it, even if I don’t know everyone that’s competing. Next week’s show sounds interesting. It features Ian Ziering and Gabrielle Carteris from “90210,” Olivia d’Abo and Jason Hervey from “The Wonder Years,” Michael Fishman (DJ from “Roseanne”), and Anson Williams (Potsie from “Happy Days”), among others.

I’d move ID4 and Jurassic Park to the other side of Harry Potter, and you’re absolutely right about Batman vs. Dark Knight. A case could be made for moving Jaws to the first position by virtue of being the first of it’s kind, but I can also see the argument for Star Wars perfecting the format.

KN09

I was a spratling when Batman 1 came out, but I remember the hype over Dark Knight being frikkin’ gargantuan. It’s definitely deserving of a spot on the list.

Harry Potter wasn’t so much a blockbuster icon as much as iconic for an era of movies coming to an end and the inadvertent trendsetter for a lot of movies to come. In a way, it’s bigger than a summer blockbuster.

It seems like Independence Day should be higher on that list, I remember the hype train for that being long and loud in an Old Hollywood style.

Teddy Ray

Yeah, even if Harry Potter should be on the list (which I don’t think it should), it definitely shouldn’t be higher than “Independence Day” or “Jurassic Park.” And I absolutely agree with you on “Jaws” and “Star Wars.” I’m not even that big of a “Jaws” fan, but I recognize that it was the first “summer blockbuster,” so I could see it at #1 as well.

KN09

Those two spots are basically spoken for, yeah.

pikachulover

Yes, I am I’ve seen all 3 episodes so far. I agree I think it’s very good.

KelseyW

Not a bad list. I agree with 1, 5, 8, 9, 12, and 13.

Nothing against Ghostbusters. I know it was a hit movie, but I don’t have any desire to watch it…

E.T. isn’t bad, The Dark Night is an overrated episode of Law and Order. Good, but overrated. Heath Ledger’s Joker seals the deal. Without his excellent portrayal of the Joker it wouldn’t have been as big of a deal as it was. IMO

No real opinion on Jurassic Park or Independence Day. Just don’t like what I’ve seen of JP and IDay is ok, but too creepy for me. Jaws is a big blockbuster, but I also don’t like it. Too violent for me… But I do love sharks!

No opinion on 10, 11, and 14.

And as a HUGE Harry Potter nerd I must admit that I’ve yet to see the 8th film… I just hate to see it end! 🙁

Star Wars… While I never saw the first movie in full I know that I’ll love it. Maybe not as much as The Force Awakens (MY Star Wars movie.) but I’m willing to watch the whole trilogy to decide for myself if it’s truly as great as fans say.

Grease, Back To The Future, and Raiders, are all classic summer blockbuster movies to me. And I’d don’t know where I’d be as a pop culture fan without them. 🙂

Oh, and while I’m more of a Superman fan I did like the original two Spiderman movies very much.

Teddy Ray

Maybe I just remember 1989 as the halcyon days, but I think the hype for “Batman” was a lot bigger than the hype for “The Dark Knight.”

KN09

Force Awakens is damn good, and I’m pleased that somebody walking in fresh came out loving it. Ghostbusters is my favorite anything of all time in every iteration, but even I’m a little hesitant to put it on a blockbusters list. like Harry Potter it seems to transcend “summer blockbuster.” Especially since it’s just as good for Halloween.

KN09

Likewise, Dark Knight was a time when I was really active on the Internet and following its hype, while when Batman came out, I was 2.

Joseph Valencia

I’m with you. I skip most MCU movies in theaters and tend to catch them on cable or Netflix. A recent exception was the new Spider-Man, because my sister wanted to see it. It was alright, but it had that “feel” that all the other MCU movies have. The best way I can describe it is “high concept” by-the-numbers film making with a dash of focus testing. You can practically hear the “pitch” in your head as you’re watching these movies.

KelseyW

Confession. I may have spent way too many quarters on a movie theater sticker machine to get a Rey sticker after I saw the Force Awakens last year in January. And… I got her. lol 😛

I agree. Harry Potter is more than a summer hit. It was a phenomenon coming to an end. I’ve never thought of adding it to my Halloween viewing list though. Good idea!

KN09

The Matrix seems like it should be on there somewhere. Spider-Man 2 would be my pick of the Spider-Series, since not only was it huge but the critics loved it as much as the audiences, and it’s a good dovetail to whichever Batman you’d prefer on that list, not to mention the Marvel to its DC. An alternate pick would be Guardians of the Galaxy, which was a late summer hit that blew everybody’s expectations away.

Teddy Ray

You don’t have any desire to watch “Ghostbusters?” “The Dark Knight” is an overrated episode of “Law and Order?” Wha…it…it…the f…it..flam…flames…Flames, on the side of my face, breathing, breathl- heaving breaths. Heaving breaths… Heathing…

There is an occasional commenter here named “drew do” that I used to have a running gag with during the X-E days. He would say something I disagreed with and I would tell him to shut his whore mouth. You’re making me want to revive that phrase. 😉 I mean, I respect your opinions and all, but I vehemently disagree with you.

Not too much going on here to speak of, mostly been trying to recover from the mishap I had last week. Doing better on that front, at least. Going to see Wonder Woman and try to do some cosplay shopping later today.

SDCC exclusives… that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle set is like everything I wanted from TMNT toys when I was a kid, but that Playmates never gave us. The accessories alone…

I’d like the Hasbro Revolution set, but if I wind up getting anything (likely via FanExpo, if I get to go), it’s going to be that Primitive Skateboarding variant of Powermaster Optimus Prime.

Teddy Ray

My lawn, get off it. 😉

KN09

I was speaking of Ghostbusters in that sentence, but HP really is also a good Halloween fit, especially with all the spooky imagery and, you know, wizards and witches.

Teddy Ray

“The Matrix” would be a good choice, and I wouldn’t mind replacing “Spider-Man” with “Spider-Man 2” because I actually like the second movie more than the first one. It’s a shame they never made a third one. DON’T TRY TO TELL ME THERE IS A THIRD SPIDER-MAN MOVIE BECAUSE IT DOESN’T EXIST. 😉

Also, “Guardians of the Galaxy” or even “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2” would fit nicely on the list, IMHO. As would “The Avengers,” now that I think about it.

Nice! I’ve wanted to read that one since I saw it in a book store when I was a kid, but never got to.

Joseph Valencia

I think current pop music tends to be better in hindsight. All of the songs that I hated listening to on the bus to school now make me a little nostalgic.

KelseyW

Lol.

It’s okay. I just don’t like certain types of movies.

Ghostbusters would probably scare me. Sad and pathetic but true. And the more I thought about it the more police and law and ordery The Dark Knight seemed to me.

Now I’m not saying that it was a bad movie. It was very good. Just not my taste. I’m sorry if I offended you. 🙁

Teddy Ray

I had never heard about it until an hour ago. I read a synopsis of it on Wikipedia and it sounds interesting. I also read the synopses of the book that “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” was based on and the sequel and they sound very different from the movie.

Yeah, I’ve had those on my Amazon Wish List for what feels like forever now, too.

Teddy Ray

I was just giving you the business, that’s all. Don’t get me wrong, I do disagree with you and I’m getting ready to turn the hose on you and KN09 if y’all don’t get off my law (I kid, I kid), but no, you didn’t offend me. The world don’t move to the beat of just one drum. What might be right for you may not be right for some. It takes diff’rent strokes to move the world.

Joseph Valencia

I second the comment about Hamilton. Someone finally made rap pretentious.

KelseyW

Ok. 😀 I thought your reaction was kinda funny by the way. So I knew you were kidding or were in jest. lol 😛

But I like this lawn! lol jk

Teddy Ray

I’ve never seen “The Last Airbender,” so I have no opinion there. I keep hearing threats that James Cameron is planning, like, four sequels to Dances with Smurfs in Ferngully, so that was the first thing that came to my mind.

Joseph Valencia

Rush from Mega Man. He’s a dog that doesn’t poop or shit, and he can turn into a jet or submarine. Win-win!

Why hello there boils and ghouls! This week was a hard one. But I’m still alive and kicking and that’s what really matters.

So I love lists. I love making lists. When I was a kid I started writing down all of the movies I’ve seen in a notebook. And then I heard about I check movies and it was glorious! It kept track of the movies I had watched.

Fast forward to this week when a friend told me about the app Letterboxd. Similar concept, but you can leave reviews and whatever. So… that’s what I’ve been doing. Going through and saying I’ve watched a TON of movies! Maybe some of you would enjoy it! Don’t say I didn’t warn you though! 😉

Joseph Valencia

This speculation reminds me of the classic rumor about Judge Doom being the person who shot Bambi’s mother.

KelseyW

I’m a frequent list maker myself. If only I did what was on said lists… lol

That sounds like fun! And a perfect way to spend time when you’re always bored like I am. lol jk 😛

I’ve read, and I believe it now, that you could take Batman out of The Dark Knight, replace him with a generic cop character, and you wouldn’t really notice.

ecto_coolest

The funny critters of nature….they don’t know they’re ugly.

SHAEGGY

There’s a G1 Transformers Soundwave ornament that I have to have this year to accompany my Optimus Prime and Megatron pieces. also, a Skeletor ornament but I still have to track down a He-Man one from last year.

Oh, man — that Spookies opening credits music is really hitting the spot for me. I haven’t ever gotten around to watching that movie, but given what I do know about it, I somehow wasn’t ever expecting it to have such an incredible theme. That’s definitely going on my Halloween playlist.

I’m halfway through a Japanese film called Escape from Vampire Island – I recomend it to any Dino Drac fan (if you don’t mind subtitles) – it’s got that real Goonies / Dream Warriors “goofy kids stuck in a bizzare adventure” feel.

I am also hooked on a techno-thriller/mystery novel series called Joe Tesla by an author called Rebecca Cantrell. These books really need to be more well known. It’s about a genius software inventor with agoraphobia – he lives in a mansion below NYC’s Grand Central and travels using the tunnels – who stops bad guys getting their hands on new technology…very fast paced and easy to read..

probably Buffy and Matrix. Matrix is too “cold” for me and I couldn’t really relate to how Buffy talks like a snappy middle aged comedian dropping one liners about Spinal Tap and Star Trek. She always seems too much like a writer’s fantasy of a young woman who jokes about stuff that appeals to older nerd men. I couldn’t accept Buffy and Xander as real teenagers although I liked the other characters like Willow and Spike. Sorry everyone.

I was planning on participating last night, but I passed out on the couch around 9. I’ve been going in to work 2 hours early to try and beat the heat around here, so I’m pretty much done for by the time Friday gets here.

I’m really hoping the weather holds off for us today. The wife and I are going to go pick some blueberries at a local farm, and it will probably be one of the last times we’ll be able to do so. The owner died, and his wife just won’t be able to keep up with all of it on her own. It’s the end of an era.

We’re also going to an event called BBQ and Bluegrass at a local winery. It’s basically what it sounds like. I’m not a fan of bluegrass, but I do love some barbecued pig. Last year I tried a piece of the skin, and for just a moment, I touched Valhalla. It was delicious. I’m hoping we’ll see some folks we know, since our friends aren’t able to attend this time. That’s something that’s always puzzled me about this place. It always seems like an older crowd that attends these events. I don’t know if it’s the cost that keeps our age group away, or if they’re just not interested. It’s part of the reason why it’s so hard making friends around here.

I watched The Void yesterday afternoon. I didn’t know much about it, other than it was funded on Kickstarter and had a tiny budget. It definitely looks like they were able to stretch those dollars. The effects were decent, as was the acting, something that can’t always be said for lower budget flicks. It definitely felt like a mashup of other films, such as Re-Animator, Lord of Illusion, In The Mouth Of Madness, and..there’s another one I can’t think of. If I had a complaint, it’s that the scale of the threat seemed a bit small, and the ending felt a little cheap. It’s a quick watch though, with some top notch effects. I recommend it.

That fury glove is actually an accessory to the Sectaurs’ playset, The Hyve.

SHAEGGY

I find the term “star” is used extremely loosely these days with the “celebrity” (again, used loosely) participants trotted out on shows like Battle of the Network Stars, Dancing with the Stars, Celebrity Name Game, etc.

I actually spent my night last night listening to Halloween radio on Pandora and reading old Dino Drac Halloween articles. I’m just ready for some gloomy skies and garbage bag pumpkins.

~SpikeIsMine~

Thanks! 🙂

Hallie

I love Letterboxd! It’s nice to be able to track what I’ve watched, but I also love just browsing poster art and weird lists. It’s helped me discover a bunch of cool movies I never would have heard of otherwise.

I love the theory that the aliens in Signs are actually demons, what with the main character being a priest and being hurt by water and such.

Shawn

Well ‘Little Debbie’ has done it again and dressed up their treats for yet another season; summer! The new seasonal line is called ‘Camp Debbie’ and includes four items; Animal Track Brownies, S’mores Cake Rolls, Happy Camper Vanilla Cakes and Happy Camper Chocolate Cakes. They’re also running a contest on their website for best summer camp memories where you can win free treats and swag like Swiss Roll Duffel-bag. Sadly the only camp I ever went to was Space Camp so I don’t think I qualify,

You really should watch Iron Fist, if anything for them finally introducing the character of Colleen Wing into The Defenders TV Universe. Is the Iron Fist series great like Daredevil? No, but you could do a lot worse in choosing what to kill a dozen or so hours by. Honest!y, a lot of the flak this series caught online was from social justice warriors who, wrongly, were in a tizzy that this role of a martial arts master was cast with a white guy in the role. Hello? Pick up a comic book sometime people…Iron Fist IS a white guy and that fact factors in greatly in the overall arc of the original comic series. Now if Shang Chi had been a character in the series and played by a white guy, by all means go grab your torches and pitchforks.

Basically, give Iron Fist a chance and make up your own mind. While I do rank it at the bottom of all the Marvel Netflix series so far, that’s all largely representative of just how solid (most) of the others have been so far…and that I’m not a huge martial arts fan to begin with.

SHAEGGY

In my opinion, Comic Book Men is about worthless. Do I still watch it? Yes, but mainly because my DVR is still set up to record it and it makes for adequate background noise but it’s really wearing thin. Waaay too much of this show is setup and most of the cast are unentertaining idiots. Now, if they actually made the show more like a fly on the wall voyeur approach of the “real” geek conversations and debates that an average comic shop hosts, THAT would be interesting enough to watch…this show, as is currently, is just more fake “reality TV.”

Such a waste too when there’s unfettered access to Kevin Smith who is interesting to listen to and can spin quite the entertaining yarn. I recommend watching any of his recorded “A Night with Kevin Smith” Q&A sessions…quality entertainment not fit for the whole family.

SHAEGGY

Is it bad that my initial thought upon reading “Nip ‘n Sip” was “strip club?” It would be a perfect name a bar featuring adult entertainment.

SHAEGGY

I caught my wife dipping Doritos in cream cheese last week and immediately wondered what was wrong with her.

SHAEGGY

I’ve posted it here before last week, but have you checked out the crowdfunded project on IndieGoGo for an orchestral re-recording of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space soundtrack by the original composer? I love the original synth score but am intrigued to hear it done by an orchestra. Check it out at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/killer-klowns-orchestral-soundtrack#/

SHAEGGY

I may just have to go with the Snuggle Bear from the fabric softener commercials of my youth. All the adorableness of a Mogwai but none of the worry about breaking the three rules of guardianship.

SHAEGGY

I agree with all of yours, save for Nirvana since I’ve dug them for two-and-a-half decades now. Bob Dylan is a brilliant songwriter and fantastic guitarist but the name can’t sing to save his life. No desire to read the Harry Potter books and the three or four HP movies I’ve begrudgingly seen just didn’t do anything for me. Seinfeld just isn’t funny…a friend of mine hosted a Final Seinfeld Episode party back when and my wife and I were both bored to tears watching what amounted to a pointless two hours. Breaking Bad I saw the first episode on Netflix a few years back after the series ended, thought it had promise but couldn’t watch it with the kids mingling about, and never felt!t much compelled to go back and revisit it. Maybe someday.

I would add Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers…I like big, dumb monster flicks as much as the next guy but this show I could never get into. I feel the same way about anime in general (although, the new Castlevania series on Netflix looks sort of interesting and I did kind of enjoy the High School of the Dead series). Ska music, too…just no (with a handful of Sublime tunes being OK enough to crib once in a while).

SHAEGGY

Gravity Falls was a fantastic show that sucked me in unexpectedly. It really was an X-Files for kids and my family sorely misses it.

SHAEGGY

My dad had told me years ago that I would lock in to the music I enjoyed in high school and college, and once a few years past that window come to be, there would be a disdain for new music, even newly recorded albums by bands in your school years sweet spot, for the most part. He was right. My ears are stuck in the ’90s and very early 2000s.

SHAEGGY

Funny, I feel the same way about soccer, even though it’s basically hockey without the ice…and I can enjoy watching ice hockey. Soccer is terribly uninteresting to me but to each his own.

SHAEGGY

I love the original West World movie and would love to give the TV series a shot whenever it hits Netflix someday…I’m just not compelled enough to pay extra on top of my already expensive cable bill to watch it while it’s fresh on TV.

Madra Rua

I can see that! Some of the songs that come on my 90s station on Pandora I absolutely hated when they were new and on the radio all the time, but I’ll let them play now just because they round out the station, haha.

Madra Rua

I really like the Burton Batman movies, but the newer ones aren’t my thing. I didn’t even think about Batman, haha! I guess my brain doesn’t even think of him as a superhero 😉

Madra Rua

I really liked Logan, and that was with absolutely zero attachment to any of the characters. I appreciated that I could watch that movie as a complete outsider, and not feel like I missed out on anything. It was surprisingly good.

Madra Rua

I’ve seen the little trees at our store, but not the brownies yet. And those are the only Little Debbie things I like! (I say that without tasting them because I’m 99% sure they’re the exact same brownies they always have that just get a slight revamp depending on the holiday!)

IanCamps

Once again, I recommend a short story by Robert D. Rowntree titled STICKLEYBACKS from NEVERARY.COM in Issue #1 (2003) – search archive.org to find it. It is a terrifying tale of a man who is called back to his hometown where his boyhood friends died in an accident. He tried to bring them back with a magic spell, but it backfired badly, and now things have gone to hell. I recommend everyone read it, especially since I am the only person on Google who apparently has ever mentioned the title of this very obscure tale.

Madra Rua

Happy Birthday!!

Madra Rua

I had no idea they still made Oreo-O’s! May have to give them a try.

Brew Berry

For best camp memories, can we just talk about our favorite scenes from movies like Meatballs and the Friday the 13th series?

Brew Berry

Fury Glove is the Nintendo accessory I never knew existed but just realized I’ve wanted my whole life.

I’ve grown my own pumpkins for the last 3 years, and this year’s first is almost ready to be cut from the vine! I am growing 3 types this year.
1. The giant kind you see at the fair. None of these are growing on the vines yet, but it is getting flowers and I see bees out there every day. 2. Mini pumpkins! These I think are technically not pumpkins, but they look just like them! A mini pumpkin is the first one that is almost ready to be picked! There is a 2nd mini pumpkin about the size of a grape tomato! 3. Regular-sized jack-o-lantern pumpkins! These are the pumpkins I’ve grown every year! I planted seeds I saved from last year’s crop. There is one pumpkin about the size of a promotional mini basketball or a decorative foam skull from Michael’s. It’s still as green as a watermelon, so it’ll be much bigger by the time it’s ready to be picked!

My Pet Monster! Or a billy-bumbler from the dark tower series! Or Yogee (however it’s spelled) from tge Problem Child cartoon. Or Cringer.

MichaelKz

Oh man, this is the first time in awhile that I’ve wanted some SDCC exclusive toys. NECA’s TMNT set and the Playmates Usagi Yojimbo set are exercises in cruelty. I missed the brief window to order the TMNT set from NECA’s online store.

Whalley Range

That title you made up is hilarious. I found that film incredibly boring as well. I’ve even heard rumors that there’s going to be an Avatar theme park. Does anyone care about that movie that much? (Actually, maybe that theme park already exists…?)

Whalley Range

I really disliked Downton Abbey a lot. I watched the first season, but found the estate owners so oblivious and loathsome that I really couldn’t stand to be around them. Like having a weekly hangout with people you despise. Why?

Did I ever mention Manor House here before? It’s a PBS reality show where (prior to Downton Abbey), they put real people in that situation — the rich estate owners and the poor servants downstairs. It was fascinating to see how quickly the people placed in the wealthy roles took to their privileged situation and were sad to leave it when the show ended. Well worth watching.

Whalley Range

That’s a fascinating read on Potter. I’ve never taken the Harry Potter personality test, but I’ve taken others. It’d be interesting to have all the folks who frequent After Dark take the Myers-Briggs or Keirsey or something. In high school, I took it and was an INFJ. After college, I took it again and was an INFP. With a grain of salt, I found it pretty accurate to my personality both times.

I have this one friend who is very much like me, except that he doesn’t get bogged down in the emotions of situations like I do. He’s able to reason through them and move on efficiently. I asked him what his type was one time and, as luck would have it, he’d taken the Keirsey in college. He was an INTP. “Thinking” vs. “Feeling.” That made a lot of sense.

Whalley Range

Agreed. When I saw those classic Kenner Star Wars figures scaled up to like two feet tall, I thought: I must have one. But I just can’t justify it. I don’t have lots of extra money sitting around and I don’t like clutter. Yet, I’m drawn to them for some inexplicable reason.

Just wanted to stop in and say that Firepro Wrestling World is everything I was hoping it would be last Friday when I mentioned worrying if it would run or not.

And it seems like it’s doing alright. The last one was a financial disaster for the developers, which is why it took twelve years for a new one to come out.

~SpikeIsMine~

No, weather didn’t cooperate! Maybe in august!

~SpikeIsMine~

Haha, no. He calls me “the girl” like homer calls Bart “the boy”.

starwenn

Avatar was…ok. Pretty, but the story was generic. I didn’t get the fuss, either. Probably the visuals got everyone over excited.

~SpikeIsMine~

Liberty Craft Brewing was where we went. Amazing, feels like you are in a tree house. Great food. Great views. Great beer.

scottbirchler

Yeah, I’ve heard about that. It is a cool idea for sure. Honestly I don’t really get the point of the 360 video. It seems like kind of a pointless gimmick. I like the rest though.

starwenn

No! More leg room, more comfortable seats, no traffic. Trust me, I’ve taken the big buses. I used to take them up to New England, until I discovered the trains. Trains are so much better. If you’re going somewhere a train goes and aren’t in a huge hurry, I highly recommend train rides. I really want to take a cross-country train ride someday when I have the money.

starwenn

Thank you! 😀

Joseph Valencia

That movie needs a sequel right now.

Joseph Valencia

That would be one hell of a generic cop character. I mean, he would be jumping off skyscrapers in Hong Kong and illegally extraditing mob accountants with skyhook. Internal Affairs would not approve.

The visuals were beautiful, I will admit, but otherwise, I agree with you completely. How it became the highest grossing film of all time is beyond me.

Teddy Ray

Well, it’s the highest grossing film of all time, so at least a few people care about it, but I ain’t one of them. And yeah, according to Wikipedia, Pandora: The World of Avatar opened in Disney’s Animal Kingdom back in May. And it also inspired a Cirque du Soleil show. AND like I said, James Cameron is planning to make FOUR more Avatar movies. I just don’t get it.

Teddy Ray

That sounds pretty accurate. There are some new albums by bands from my sweet spot that I still like (Weird Al, in particular, because hey, it’s Weird Al and he’s always awesome) and every once in a while I’ll discover a new band or song that I don’t hate (Nathaniel Ratefliff and the Night Sweats, The Silent Comedy), but those exceptions are rare and for the most part, not necessarily “popular” (although Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats are sort of popular). But aside from the few exceptions, you’re exactly right. I’ve noticed the same thing with my dad. He only seems to listen to the “60s on 6” on Sirius XM. He likes some 70s stuff, too, but he really only listens to that 60 station. He was born in 1949, so that tracks.

Teddy Ray

I don’t want to think about cream cheese when I’m eating Doritos.

Teddy Ray

I absolutely agree with you on Dancing with the Stars and some of the “stars” on Celebrity Name Game. As for Battle of the Network Stars, at least the people on there that I don’t know are on shows that I’ve at least heard of.

It’s all good. You can call me an out of touch old man when I say negative things about something you love. 🙂

Teddy Ray

Finally, rap for hipsters!

Daviel McKaye

I’ve taken the Myers-Briggs a few times for various psych classes and even business classes use it now. I’m usually either an INTJ or an INFJ, depending on my mood at the time, with INTJ being the more frequent result.

I think one of the limitations of that kind of testing is that it doesn’t reveal whether the personality traits being measured are innate to the individual or whether they’re socialized as a result of the individual’s environment (or even a combination thereof, I suppose). That can make a big difference when exploring the thinking versus feeling dynamic in particular and how it relates to a given individual.

In my case, I’ve often found myself in situations I couldn’t fully control that nonetheless elicited very intense negative feelings in me. As a result I am often uncertain about how much feelings really matter in a larger ultimate sense. I don’t actively believe that feelings don’t matter, I just don’t know how much they really do, if that makes sense. I often score higher on “thinking” because of that.

“Johnny the Homicidal Maniac” is an old favorite comic book series that I still reread with some regularity. One of my favorite parts involves the main character having a complicated discussion with a Bob’s Burger Boy statue (which acts as an external manifestation of his internal dialogue) about the benefits of eradicating all sensation as it often seems excessive and distracting. When life becomes so overwhelming it’s difficult not to question the wisdom of feeling anything at all.

That’s a big reason why I hang around here quite often. There’s so much focus on the way the things featured on this site make us feel and the importance of remembering that.

Daviel McKaye

I’ve found that to be somewhat true in that my preferences from the 90’s and early 2000’s have formed the nucleus of my listening habits, but I still find newer groups that tap into similar styles and sentiments that I like as well. I like Five Finger Death Punch and In This Moment, for instance, because they remind me very much of groups like Pantera and Marilyn Manson, whose early stuff I also still listen to.

As far as later albums by the bands go, I think success tends to soften an artist’s intensity over time and that makes it harder to create art that meshes well with the tone of their earlier work.

Daviel McKaye

In my case I think it helps that I was never a top 40 kind of guy. There are two decent hard rock stations and one modern rock station around here that I listen to. That’s the only place I hear new music outside of whatever I hear on movies and television shows.

I think maybe there’s a greater sense of continuity within more distinct musical genres that make it easier to find newer bands to like.

Daviel McKaye

Maybe less “generic” and more “John McClane”? 😉

Wren

Agreed. I’m an expert on kids shows today (& of the ’80s & ’90s) but don’t ever watch violent stuff anymore because of my kids being around. I still enjoy supernatural movies, old horror and slashers, and action and Sci-fi when I do find time to watch them after the kids are in bed but I can’t stand how new shows and movies are all about cruelty, brutality, and torture. I’m so sick of the antihero. That was cool like 20 years ago but way overdone now. Just reading about GOT I can tell that’s not a show I won’t to subject myself to.

Wren

Way late, but I wanted to say that I watched Jaws 1-4 on VHS last week in what has probably been at least 20 years. The first one is excellent Spielberg work with that slice of ’70s life that makes me so nostalgic for childhood. Also, part 4 was good & I like the mind screw they were going for. Awesome Matt & Jay just did a shark theme podcast, bc I listened to that this past week too.

Also, watched Fast Times twice this week. One on VHS from ’80s & one on VHS from late ’90s. The music is different in them, so that is what I was checking out. The ’80s one actually has different music from the theatrical releases but ironically that’s the one I know best bc I’ve watched that tape a million times. The way it was originally released in theatres actually sounds new to me.

I wish they would do an extended version of Fast Times with all the deleted scenes included. I watched a few on YouTube and they would help flesh out the movie.

~SpikeIsMine~

Haven’t seen fast times in so long I can’t remember much about it! I’ll have to find a copy! Thanks!

~SpikeIsMine~

Awesome!!!! How many jack o lanterns do you carve each year??

~SpikeIsMine~

That sounds like a glorious night.

~SpikeIsMine~

Enjoy your blueberries! Maybe someone will step up to help the little old lady?

~SpikeIsMine~

If you love movie posters, you must already know about expresso beans dot com? If not….you’re about to go down a rabbit hole…

~SpikeIsMine~

Hilarious!!!

~SpikeIsMine~

The line up sounds like a repeat? From 1977 and 1994?

~SpikeIsMine~

Teddy, I see dinosaur Dracula has fetched your pipe and slippers, time to go inside to watch bonanza.

Hey..by the way…..has anyone seen my glasses…I set them down somewhere….

Jingo

Libraries are almost too forgiving and useful and friendly. About the only fault mine has is being stocked with pretty much the worst selection of books ever, but even then I feel bad because the inter-library system is so efficient. I must be burning gallons of gas making them haul up books from the sticks every week.

~SpikeIsMine~

Yes, could not agree more!

~SpikeIsMine~

Poor Anatoly. What a way to go, even for a horrible criminal.

~SpikeIsMine~

Even though it’s late, happy birthday kn09!

Hallie

No I didn’t! Time to get lost there, it looks very relevant to my interests…

Whalley Range

My apparent expertise in feeling feelings has been my undoing many, many a time. The experts tell me that feelings are created by thoughts, which suggests that a person could control their thoughts and, thus, control their feelings. But trying to do so seems as futile for me as it often was for ol’ Mr. Spock.

Whalley Range

Highest grossing of all time?! Holy cow, I didn’t know that. I don’t know what so many people grabbed onto in that film. I just couldn’t gain entry.

If you like music, now is an incredible time to get into vinyl. First, you have your turntables — lots of research to be done there, prior to buying. Then you’ve got your subscription services — they’ll send beautifully packaged records to your house every month! Then there are the new releases — many bands release on vinyl now and the presentation is top-notch. Colored vinyl, textured vinyl, sand and other fibers pressed between the sides, Third Man Records even released a record with playable grooves under the center label. AND, you’ve got your dollar bins at record stores, where you can buy the weirdest, most random stuff and then go home and listen to things that will never, ever be available digitally.

Whalley Range

Congratulations!

Whalley Range

Was that the annual half-off Criterion sale? What an amazing thing that is. So many films, so little time.

Whalley Range

30 ain’t old. 😉

Daviel McKaye

My view is that they can be managed, but never fully controlled. I think the best anyone can hope for is to delay the outward expression of feelings until the appropriate place and time, and hopefully find some way to cope with those feelings when the time comes.

I think the real trick is how to build a society that can adequately recognize the significance of feelings without being totally controlled by them.

~SpikeIsMine~

When you guys are settled in, make the drive to liberty, you’ll love it!

~SpikeIsMine~

EB is great, it’s mainly a forum for Screen printed posters of all kinds, rock posters, movie posters and art prints. Screen print posters have taken over my husbands life and my house.

~SpikeIsMine~

Thanks teddy!

<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON>

Yeah, it surpassed “Titanic,” I believe. That’s another movie I find grossly overrated. James Cameron must have made a deal with the devil or something to have such mediocre movies become so successful.

Teddy Ray

They’re on your head. 😉

Teddy Ray

I used to keep up with the top 40, back when it was a bit more diverse. There was a day when there was plenty of rock music in the top 40. Not anymore. But then again, a lot of what passes for “rock music” these days doesn’t sound like rock to me. The same goes for what passes for “country music” these days.

Teddy Ray

Haha…I know, right???

Whalley Range

Where’s my Titanic themepark? That’s what I want to know! “Relive the horror of a frigid death!” “Experience being in lowly third class!” “Try your hand at avoiding the iceberg!!”

~SpikeIsMine~

Thanks!

Whalley Range

I have just finished viewing the video you speak of and I am a man forever changed. Now, where could my pipe be?

Teddy Ray

Play “Nearer, My God, to Thee” with the band as you sink into a watery grave!