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Myriad Subjects!
Jan. 24th, 2014 04:53 pmBeen neglecting this here journal for a while, since no one subject has been occupying my thoughts recently. So heck, I'll just throw all the random tidbits against the wall and see what sticks.
Riddick was a better movie than what I was expecting. Vin Diesel took me completely by surprise back in 2000 with Pitch Black, a movie I viewed with zero expectations(as an aside, I tend to like movies a lot more when viewed this way). I didn't even know he was the main character until about halfway in, something I wish more filmmakers would emulate instead of keeping it on the rails of the modern day Hollywood picture formula. There was no real protagonist and no real love interest for the lead role, and the film still managed to impress me. The follow up to PB a few years later was a little too ambitious and collapsed under its own weight somewhat, but I still liked it in spite of its flaws. This one was a big question mark; Diesel is 13 years older, only just now getting back into mainstream pictures, and from what I saw of the newer F&F movies he isn't in as great a physical shape as he once was. But, there was one impossible-to-resist caveat: the trailer revealed almost nothing in terms of the film's plot or showstopper moments. Needless to say, it's a fun ride and a great return to Diesel's most interesting role.
No extra points in football anymore? I guess I can't say I'd be sorry to see them go, but a huge smokescreen has gone up in regards to why this change is necessary---Commissioner/team owner mouthpiece Goodell claims that the PAT is a play with no excitement and almost no relevance. Why bring it up after all this time, though? It was an unexciting play 30 years ago, and further back even. Ostensibly they help to prevent tie scores, but this rarely seems to be a difference maker in most games. What I haven't heard anyone say is that the sudden concern over this issue is probably due to perception by prospective advertisers that the aftermath of a touchdown is usually a cue for viewers to change the channel, since everyone knows that the PAT is just for show and that their dreaded commercials will be following it. But how can they trick their customers into buying their stuff if they've already tuned out? Maybe they'd be better off paying those ad dollars to the NBA instead.....well, PATs gotta go. They're potentially costing us MONEY!
Richard Sherman is a dolt. I don't care what color his skin is, where he went to school or what kind of family background he has. He comes off like just another rich asshole who thinks the world owes him something, and I've met enough of those that I know I don't like them no matter what race they are. Pretty cliche for him to bring race into it, now that I think about it. I didn't much care which team would win the game until all the BS drama started over his outburst, though now I hope the Seahawks lose just because of how stupid he'll look. Then again, that might be just what the league was hoping for...have we been played, America?
After reflecting upon my attempts at being a DM running a D&D game for a good-sized group of people, I've come to the conclusion that I just don't have the talent for it. I can't find a steady medium between telling a story and creating an immersive, interactive environment for players. I also don't have the glibness of speech that I can employ when writing, or the intuitive understanding of the game system necessary to run a balanced game. It's been fun in the attempt, though.
Riddick was a better movie than what I was expecting. Vin Diesel took me completely by surprise back in 2000 with Pitch Black, a movie I viewed with zero expectations(as an aside, I tend to like movies a lot more when viewed this way). I didn't even know he was the main character until about halfway in, something I wish more filmmakers would emulate instead of keeping it on the rails of the modern day Hollywood picture formula. There was no real protagonist and no real love interest for the lead role, and the film still managed to impress me. The follow up to PB a few years later was a little too ambitious and collapsed under its own weight somewhat, but I still liked it in spite of its flaws. This one was a big question mark; Diesel is 13 years older, only just now getting back into mainstream pictures, and from what I saw of the newer F&F movies he isn't in as great a physical shape as he once was. But, there was one impossible-to-resist caveat: the trailer revealed almost nothing in terms of the film's plot or showstopper moments. Needless to say, it's a fun ride and a great return to Diesel's most interesting role.
No extra points in football anymore? I guess I can't say I'd be sorry to see them go, but a huge smokescreen has gone up in regards to why this change is necessary---Commissioner/team owner mouthpiece Goodell claims that the PAT is a play with no excitement and almost no relevance. Why bring it up after all this time, though? It was an unexciting play 30 years ago, and further back even. Ostensibly they help to prevent tie scores, but this rarely seems to be a difference maker in most games. What I haven't heard anyone say is that the sudden concern over this issue is probably due to perception by prospective advertisers that the aftermath of a touchdown is usually a cue for viewers to change the channel, since everyone knows that the PAT is just for show and that their dreaded commercials will be following it. But how can they trick their customers into buying their stuff if they've already tuned out? Maybe they'd be better off paying those ad dollars to the NBA instead.....well, PATs gotta go. They're potentially costing us MONEY!
Richard Sherman is a dolt. I don't care what color his skin is, where he went to school or what kind of family background he has. He comes off like just another rich asshole who thinks the world owes him something, and I've met enough of those that I know I don't like them no matter what race they are. Pretty cliche for him to bring race into it, now that I think about it. I didn't much care which team would win the game until all the BS drama started over his outburst, though now I hope the Seahawks lose just because of how stupid he'll look. Then again, that might be just what the league was hoping for...have we been played, America?
After reflecting upon my attempts at being a DM running a D&D game for a good-sized group of people, I've come to the conclusion that I just don't have the talent for it. I can't find a steady medium between telling a story and creating an immersive, interactive environment for players. I also don't have the glibness of speech that I can employ when writing, or the intuitive understanding of the game system necessary to run a balanced game. It's been fun in the attempt, though.
