Completely Inconsequential Hot-Takes 2: People Take Too Long to Post New Threads

[Ionathus]

Probably was, actually. The cooks couldn't see anything either!

Yikes, there's a horrifying thought. The dining area already felt kind of grungy in the dim light: I really don't want to think about the kitchens being that dim and how that would affect the visible hygiene!

[Bohandas]

To me, dim light has always seemed more dismal than fancy.

(Doubly so if there's candlelight. At that point it just flat out looks like you can't afford electricity.)

Yikes, there's a horrifying thought. The dining area already felt kind of grungy in the dim light: I really don't want to think about the kitchens being that dim and how that would affect the visible hygiene!

That's another thing. While I can kind of understand it's use in fancy restaurants as being some kind of arbitrary cultural thing, it's occasional use in places that are clearly not fancy is absolutely baffling. At the place where I work the lights in the cafeteria are constantly kept dim and I won't eat in there anymore; I'll eat in my car or in a disused conference room, depending on the time of year

[HalfTangible]

Calling 40k a satire is both reductive and incorrect. And every time I hear it it pisses me off.

[Rynjin]

Calling 40k a satire is both reductive and incorrect. And every time I hear it it pisses me off.

Statements from the creators are incorrect and piss you off?

[enderlord99]

Calling 40k a satire is both reductive and incorrect. And every time I hear it it pisses me off.

What about Fight Club? Is that also non-satirical?

[Rater202]

I find the whole concept of "Hanahaki disease" to be more horrifying than romantic and I can't help but feel that if it existed IRL it would be weaponized by incels.

[Lord Raziere]

I find the whole concept of "Hanahaki disease" to be more horrifying than romantic and I can't help but feel that if it existed IRL it would be weaponized by incels.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people would agree with you on that actually.

[SerTabris]

I find the whole concept of "Hanahaki disease" to be more horrifying than romantic and I can't help but feel that if it existed IRL it would be weaponized by incels.

I think that's definitely true, and there's quite a few romance fic tropes that something like that applies to. For one glaring one, most settings that have love potions don't take them nearly as seriously as they should.

[veti]

I'm pretty sure a lot of people would agree with you on that actually.

Yeah, I've read a lot of tropes that didn't seem to be very well thought through, but that one is next-level deranged. Seriously, does anyone call it "romantic"?

(Well, maybe if you're using the word in the sense of "rather silly and thoughtless and divorced from reality".)

most settings that have love potions don't take them nearly as seriously as they should.

That's a trope that's evolved in the past generation, though. "Love potions" (and "love spells", which are practically the same) used to be seen in a dewy-eyed "wouldn't it be nice" kind of way, but more recent works (e.g. Harry Potter) have treated them as varying levels of manipulative, evil and downright freakin' dangerous.

[Bohandas]

By that logic, shouldn't pizza (as well as any number of other dishes) be blamed for burning one's mouth (if consumed too quickly after making it) too?

Ironically enough, two pr three days after this discussion I burned the roof of my mouth on chili dip that I'd accidentally microwaved for too long.

[Ionathus]

“Talking about the weather” is considered a cliche in my neck of the woods but I’ve never understood the hate. Weather is a universal experience that we really can’t control day-to-day, so it makes sense we’d make it a fixture of conversations.

What I can’t understand or tolerate is when people complain about the weather not being as extreme as forecasted.

I’m from a part of the world where snow is pretty common, so blizzards are a regular fixture and thus blizzard predictions feature heavily. Number of inches of snow, driving conditions, school and work closures, that kind of thing. And every single time the meteorologists predict any significant snowfall, whiteout conditions, or subzero temperatures, I always have to hear complaints from somebody about how it didn’t snow/it didn’t get as cold/driving wasn’t as bad as the weather predicted.

Prediction was 10-12 inches but we only got 8? You better believe someone’s gonna whine about the storm being “totally overblown”. Heaven forbid school gets fully cancelled and then the impending storm fizzles or weakens. People will gripe about it like spoiled children for days.

This isn’t just regular “oh shoot, the storm wasn’t quite as strong as expected” chatter. This is actual annoyance or criticism of the meteorologists. Calling them idiots. Cowards. People seem to take it PERSONALLY when the weather channel errs on the side of caution.

I don’t get it: better to forecast too much disruption than not enough, right?

[veti]

I don’t get it: better to forecast too much disruption than not enough, right?

I think some historical context might be helpful.

Back when I wor' a kid, some... several decades ago now, weather forecasters didn't see themselves as "warning" people. They were just saying what the best guess of the weather was likely to be. They might throw in some good-natured advice of the level of "so wrap up warm" or "make sure the house is secure", but that was about as far as it ever went. Ever.

Then there were a few episodes where weather-powered disasters struck, and - something completely new happened. People started complaining that they hadn't had warning. Or, in the case of the more cautious, "adequate" warning. I think this was, if you'll pardon the pun, the watershed moment at least where I lived. For 30 years that forecast has been more talked about than the storm that followed it.

The forecasters didn't know quite what to make of that complaint at first. They'd said what was likely to happen, was it their fault if people weren't paying enough attention? But pretty soon, they shifted gear. They switched to the policy they've maintained to this day - give loud and alarming warnings of everything that anyone might consider disruptive.

To those of us who remember how it used to be - frankly, it's irritating. Yes, we'd like to know if a hurricane is blowing through, but when the warnings are false alarms as often as not, are we really any better off than we were before? Is there any chance we could go back to having just the forecast, without the "warnings" and "alert levels" and, in a word, drama?

[Bohandas]

"Space saver" or "donut" style spare tires are the worst innovation in the history of automobiles (or at least the worst one that isn't illegal)

[Ionathus]

"Space saver" or "donut" style spare tires are the worst innovation in the history of automobiles (or at least the worst one that isn't illegal)

This sounds personal. Flat tire this week?

[Bohandas]

This sounds personal. Flat tire this week?

Yes. And the tire place can't fit me in until tomorrow which means that I have to spend the whole day driving around on this make believe tire that I'm not supposed to drive around too much on. And there's a lot of needless switching back and fortn. When they finally get me in I'm gonna see if they can sell me an extra rim and tire too so I can throw the donut in the garbage where it belongs

[Khedrac]

"Space saver" or "donut" style spare tires are the worst innovation in the history of automobiles (or at least the worst one that isn't illegal)

Not even close, replacing the space-save tyre with a can of gunk to blow into the tyre to form a temporary seal is far worse. Not only does in not seal a lot of punctures (last time I tried to use one I didn't have my mobile phone with me so I had to drive5? miles on a completely flat tyre to phone the breakdown service) but what they don't tell you is that the gunk has a 3-year expiry date so most people are probably driving around with gunk that won't even work on a puncture it could fix!

I agree that a full-size spare wheel is the best though.

My current car came with the gunk, but unlike a lot of electric cars it has a spare wheel space in the boot that it actually deep enough for a full size wheel! It's a shame the plastic trays that surround the top make the hole just too small for a sull-sized tyre so you either have to buy a space-saver or remove some of the fittings to make the hole larger. I bought the space-saver, but I have a lot of local tyre places so a wait is not a problem. The newer version of the same car is horrible (not just in the boot) and has a very shallow wheel depression (not deep enough for anything) with cable trunking running across the middle of it - so why put the depression in there?

[Peelee]

FIL put on Mask of Zorro. Just finished watching the first big fight scene after training, where Zorro tries to steal the black horse.

Hot take: Antonio Banderas Zorro was the original Captain Jack Sparrow.

[Ionathus]

Not even close, replacing the space-save tyre with a can of gunk to blow into the tyre to form a temporary seal is far worse. Not only does in not seal a lot of punctures (last time I tried to use one I didn't have my mobile phone with me so I had to drive5? miles on a completely flat tyre to phone the breakdown service) but what they don't tell you is that the gunk has a 3-year expiry date so most people are probably driving around with gunk that won't even work on a puncture it could fix!

I agree that a full-size spare wheel is the best though.

My current car came with the gunk, but unlike a lot of electric cars it has a spare wheel space in the boot that it actually deep enough for a full size wheel! It's a shame the plastic trays that surround the top make the hole just too small for a sull-sized tyre so you either have to buy a space-saver or remove some of the fittings to make the hole larger. I bought the space-saver, but I have a lot of local tyre places so a wait is not a problem. The newer version of the same car is horrible (not just in the boot) and has a very shallow wheel depression (not deep enough for anything) with cable trunking running across the middle of it - so why put the depression in there?

I'll never understand why any manufacturers put any faith in that can stuff. I assume they're not even expecting it to work, it's just a token gesture to say "we tried, not my problem anymore".

Extra tire or bust.

FIL put on Mask of Zorro. Just finished watching the first big fight scene after training, where Zorro tries to steal the black horse.

Hot take: Antonio Banderas Zorro was the original Captain Jack Sparrow.

I miss the era of playful adventure movies. Mask of Zorro and The Mummy come to mind first and foremost. Pirates of the Carribbean 1 also fits in there, but even then the genre was already morphing into something else.

I want more movies that are inventive, playful, and don't take themselves too seriously, but also don't take themselves too comically. Being earnest is not a crime! Being a little goofy because you were a little too earnest is not a crime! At its best moments, D&D: Honor Among Thieves was like this, which is why I loved it a lot.

[Peelee]

I miss the era of playful adventure movies. Mask of Zorro and The Mummy come to mind first and foremost. Pirates of the Carribbean 1 also fits in there, but even then the genre was already morphing into something else.

I want more movies that are inventive, playful, and don't take themselves too seriously, but also don't take themselves too comically. Being earnest is not a crime! Being a little goofy because you were a little too earnest is not a crime! At its best moments, D&D: Honor Among Thieves was like this, which is why I loved it a lot.

Raider of the Lost Ark was advertised with the tagline "THE RETURN OF THE GREAT ADVENTURE".

I feel like we could use that return again.

[Batcathat]

On a car I owned, the spare tire was mounted at the bottom of the car and was a pain in the ass to get loose even in a garage, I very much doubt I even would've been able to do it in an emergency.

On a more positive note, the one time I've used the aforementioned spray stuff it worked so well I didn't even have to get the tire fixed afterwards, it was just whole again. (Though in that case I bought it right before using it, so the expiration date wasn't an issue).

[Khedrac]

I'll never understand why any manufacturers put any faith in that can stuff. I assume they're not even expecting it to work, it's just a token gesture to say "we tried, not my problem anymore".

I don't think they do - but it is a lot lighter than a wheel and tyre so it improves the performance measures...

[Draconi Redfir]

The D&D movie "Honour among thieves" ain't all that.

Now granted, i was having a bit of insomnia when i was watching it at the time, so that might affect things. but when i watched, it was very boring.

Okay introduction to characters
okay fetch-quest
okay more characters
they overplay the "speak with dead" thing too much
okay fetch-quest
okay fetch-quest
okay fetch-quest

At what point is this supposed to be interesting? the fat-dragon? was the fat-dragon supposed to be interesting? it was onscreen for like three minutes.

The whole thing is just one long chain of fetch-quests and nothing of substance. I got bored and turned the movie off right at the halfway mark when they finally got the McGuffin and the one guy walked away. Like okay, that's... nice... you spent half the runtime on a boring fetch-quest, are you NOW going to begin telling the story or what?

personally i didn't stick around to find out.

[Peelee]

The D&D movie "Honour among thieves" ain't all that.

This is more of a lukewarm take.

[Ionathus]

Okay introduction to characters
okay fetch-quest
okay more characters
they overplay the "speak with dead" thing too much
okay fetch-quest
okay fetch-quest
okay fetch-quest

The whole thing is just one long chain of fetch-quests and nothing of substance. I got bored and turned the movie off right at the halfway mark when they finally got the McGuffin and the one guy walked away. Like okay, that's... nice... you spent half the runtime on a boring fetch-quest, are you NOW going to begin telling the story or what?

personally i didn't stick around to find out.

To be fair, "fetch quest, fetch quest, fetch quest, overcommit to a goofy scenario (speak with dead), fetch quest, fetch quest..." IS a pretty quintessential tabletop experience

As someone who enjoyed the film quite a lot, I'm with you on this gripe. The plot and dialogue are really nothing special - a few fun lines and moments, but the overall storytelling doesn't break a lot of new ground. The parts that I liked most were the inventive action sequences and the acting. If I had to pick a word, I'd call it "charming".

[Batcathat]

As someone who enjoyed the film quite a lot, I'm with you on this gripe. The plot and dialogue are really nothing special - a few fun lines and moments, but the overall storytelling doesn't break a lot of new ground. The parts that I liked most were the inventive action sequences and the acting. If I had to pick a word, I'd call it "charming".

Yeah, this is pretty much my take on it, too. I would place it in the same category as something like Pacific Rim. A bit silly and without a ton of depth, but with enough charm and style to make it worth my while.

[Bohandas]

To be fair, "fetch quest, fetch quest, fetch quest, overcommit to a goofy scenario (speak with dead), fetch quest, fetch quest..." IS a pretty quintessential tabletop experience

Speaking of movies that are like types of games, has anybody else noticed that Back To The Future 1 is basically like one of those point and click adventure videogames? Marty spends the first 1/3 of the movie accumulating random objects (the clock tower flyer, the tape player, the radiation suit, etc) and the rest of the movie combining them to get out of various situations.

[DavidSh]

Raider of the Lost Ark was advertised with the tagline "THE RETURN OF THE GREAT ADVENTURE".

I feel like we could use that return again.

<begin New Jersey in-joke>
Alas, they got bought out by Six Flags long ago.
<end New Jersey in-joke>

Spoiler: explanation

Show

Great Adventure was an amusement park in southern New Jersey, that is now Six Flags Great Adventure.

Though I don't see how you get six flags for New Jersey. Dutch, British, US, and what else? Swedish?

[veti]

Though I don't see how you get six flags for New Jersey. Dutch, British, US, and what else? Swedish?

Well, NJ has a state flag. It's better than the average state flag because it's not blue, but it's still just a coat of arms on a plain background, pretty forgettable.

But in case you're serious, the name comes from Texas, which really can list six flags in its history. Wikipedia has the list.

[DavidSh]

Well, NJ has a state flag. It's better than the average state flag because it's not blue, but it's still just a coat of arms on a plain background, pretty forgettable.

But in case you're serious, the name comes from Texas, which really can list six flags in its history. Wikipedia has the list.

I was not previously aware of the French settlement in Texas. It appears to have been about as significant as the portion of the New Sweden colony in New Jersey.

And while I am a dutiful son of the Garden State, I must confess its flag is nowhere near as flashy as Maryland's.

[veti]

If you want a cool state flag, it seems like the thing that does you most good is a border with Mexico. Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California - those are the most memorable and beautiful state flags. California loses points for writing the name, but it's still memorable.