C3PX

auximenies said:

 Do you happen to live in the southeastern US?

Nowhere near it. Though I am very curious as to why you ask.

Oop! C-3PO's vertical force is showing!

.

Haven't you seen Ziz's avatar? Prehaps you are not as familiar with robot anatomy as you think you are.

Anchorhead said:

C3PX said:

In an ideal world, none of us would feel the need to "escape" in some artificial way.

 

For me, baseball is much more than an artificial escape. It's an appreciation for, a sort of connection to, a skill I don't have. As well as a deep interest in a contest of differing strategies. It's also a connection to the history of the game. It's hard to explain to people who don't feel it.

Interesting that video games have come into the conversation because I feel about them the same way several people here feel about sports. I don't get the devotion or interest. Sitting in front of a computer monitor for hours seems as uninteresting to me as going to a baseball game would seem to some people.

Not to mention, sitting in front of your monitor playing a video game - you have to cook your own hot dogs. ;-)

My last two posts in this thread were thrown together in quite a bit of a rush. Now that I have a few minutes, maybe I can explain my position more clearly.

I agree that video games are a waste of time, and just as much of a meaningless time waster as sports. I guess the biggest difference is that I rarely have random strangers coming up to me and saying, "Did you play Halo last night? Man alive! How about that red team! They were somethin' weren't they?!"

Even if you were a big Halo fan, a random stranger striking up this sort of exchange while waiting in the grocery que would be awkward, right? But for some reason it seems like I am always having random people I don't know try to strike up a conversation with "last night's big game" and I never have a clue what game they are talking about.

I think it is also worth noting that I have never had an encounter like this with baseball or basketball or any other kinds of fans other than football fans. They seem to be the only ones who really lack that ability to see past their hobby and realize that not everyone shares those same interests as them. When I think of baseball fans like Anchorhead, I really feel nothing different toward them than I do toward anyone else who is really passionate about something they love. But football (and Twilight) fans rank very high on my list of "Most Annoying Things On The Planet"

Warbler said:

If we only did the things that were important and didn't have our diversions, the world and lives would be very boring.   It would not be a world I'd want to live in.

 I feel very much the opposite way. I feel that it is our affixiation with materialism that makes life boring.

Vaderisnothayden said:

It's patently absurd to say I attack anyone who has the slightest difference of opinion. I do nothing of the sort. There are certain people I will be less patient with due to past troubles (such as C3PX, on this thread)...

Wait a minute... what did I do "on this thread"?

Oh yeah, that's right! I disa-fuckin'-greed with you in the whole "cursing debate". Hell of a way to defend your position V.

Gaffer Tape said:

But think about it this way.  Sports is absolutely no different from being a fan of anything else, be it video games, anime, or Star Wars (but I'm sure lots of sports fans would take offense at being lumped in with such "nerds" but it's true).  Yet, for some reason, it's much more culturally acceptable to be an obsessive fan of sports than any of those other things.

Fixed!

I think that is that part that annoys me. Honestly, If I had people constantly telling me how awesome the new dragon boxes are, and making predictions about the next dragon box (or Star Wars, or anything for that matter), and just generally going on about the thing as if it was quite literally the most important thing in the world, and act baffled when I fail to reciprocate their enthusiasm, then you can bet I'd feel the same level of annoyance for those things as I do sports. 

I guess it is the magnitude of the obsession, added with the social disapproval I am met with for not sharing that obsession, that makes me dislike it so much.

Sure, I'll go ahead and condemn myself on this point too. I play video games, which serve very much the same purpose, I suppose. Though, if you add up all the hours I play per week on average, and compare it to the time it takes to ONE sports game on TV, I still have less hours of my week tied up on my mindless hobby. I can't say I spend my whole life doing things that "matter", though I wish I did far more than I do.

I think this is why people in America are typically so depressed, we put far too much stock in absolutely nothing, and not enough stock in things that should matter to us. Everyone seems perfectly happy with sports stars and celebrities making their millions and wasting it, while you have people starving to death in the world, or dying from curable illnesses.

We look at some celebrity do humanitarian work and then we cream all over them for it. "So-and-so is TRULY a wonderful person! They gave 100 thousand dollars out of all their millions to help starving children!" Things like this excite us, while it ought to make us vomit.

In an ideal world, none of us would feel the need to "escape" in some artificial way. We would find much more productive things to do with out time. Everyone would be a lot less concerned about what hot celeb is dating what other hot celeb, or who won what trophy and more concerned with their own lives and the people in them.

However, I don't feel Star Wars really fits with the same thing. Star Wars is a movie I watched a lot when I was a kid, but at this point (other than Trooperman's edit) I can't remember the last time I watched a Star Wars film. It was actually probably when Adywan released Star Wars Revisited. Even if I were to watch the entire original trilogy once a month, the number of hours I'd waste on the things would probably still be a lot less than your typical sports fan wastes watching grown men toss inflated balls around.

I am not trying to attack anyone, or make them feel bad. It is wonderful if you like sports. I just feel it is a major offender in a world obsessed with things that don't matter. Perhaps it is an easier target for me, because I have never had any interest it in.

A diversion... as in a way to put your brain on park and fill it with things that don't matter so you don't have much room left to worry about the things that really do matter. I used to consider that a very harmful excercise. But I guess presently I can sympathize. In this day and age, drifting through life doped up on fluff while feeling sucessful at your career and life in general is probably the ideal life for most people.

Wow, just reading this thread makes me feel slightly insane. I can honestly say that out of all the years I have been here, and all the silliness we have indulged in, this is by far the weirdest, most awkward, and chaotic thread I have ever been party to. That whole bizarre invasion of 30 year old virgin orcs was mere peanuts in comparison.

Hmm, Spinch toffee!

xhonzi said:

I'm still waiting on the Jedi Academy -> Dark Forces mod.  I played through the first half or so that they released and thoroughly enjoyed it... but where's the 2nd half?!?!?

I used to be so excited about that thing! I couldn't wait for it to come out! The release date drew nearer and nearer and my excitement grew. This thing was going to be awesome!... then the release date got moved back... then they replaced the date entirely with these horrible words: "WID", "When Its Done" or something like that. I would still check the site every few months to be greeted with no change in progress. Then I'd check it about every six months, and eventually just gave up on it.

Man, I was still in college back then, that seems like a million years ago. Glad it isn't dead, but as far as I am concerned it might as well be. I don't even know where my Jedi Academy disc is anymore, and probably wouldn't even take the time to dig it up and install it if I did.

Oh, and another game for the non-zombie zombie games list, Star Trek: Elite Force (from the makers of Jedi Knight III: Jedi Outcast) featuring heavy use of the borg, every nerds favorite non-zombie zombie. They might even be considered the first non-zombie zombies, at least I can't think of any that pre-date them.

xhonzi said:

(though I do prefer Alec Baldwin (I know, that's weird!) as Jack Ryan)

I don't think it is that weird. Hunt for Red October is by far my favorite Tom Clancy novel based film, and I don't think Ford could have pulled it off. Baldwin was perfect for the character of Jack Ryan. While I enjoyed the other two films well enough, Hunt for Red October is the only one I really care to continue watching.

Wow, both George Lucas and Harrison Ford saw their greatness meet its demise with their divorce.

You can actually buy Half-Life Source over steam. Though I don't think the graphics are much improved over the high definition pack that was released with the Blueshift expansion. The Playstation 2 version has the best graphics out of the versions I have played. So for anyone with a PS2 lying around (or a backwards compatible PS3) they really have no excuse for not running out to Gamestop and picking up a copy for $10 (unless they just don't want to, which is a pretty good excuse).

Well, yeah, everything has an eventual freeze point. For something like Whiskey is would probably be more around -30°F, which would be about -34.4°C

You'd be hard pressed to find a household freezer that could manage that.

Whiskey doesn't freeze.

ABC said:

Good. Do you feel... impregnated now?

Xhonzi!!! What did you let him do to you!

Actually, I played through the first mission, and enjoyed it well enough. Then I got Left 4 Dead 2... then I moved and now I don't have internet (which isn't why I haven't played Halo Wars, but why I haven't been on LIVE). I have been meaning to continue playing Halo Wars, but for some reason I just haven't felt like playing games lately. Haven't touched a controller in weeks. 

So, did you guys check the game out last night? It was freakin' awesome!!! Man, I love sports!

HAHA! See what I did Gaff? I just hijacked your anti-sports thread to talk about loving sports, just like I hijack every sports thread to talk about hating them. Whoooohooo!!! Screw the world! Screw everyone! Yaaaaaaaahaaahaaaahaaa!!!

Just because Ferris is a Texan, you automatically assume he is a brainless sports fantatic? I though you more open minded and tollerant than that Gaff. Guess you are just another close minded, prejudiced (statist?) bigot! ;)

I'm with you Ferris, those are my feelings exactly. I just don't get it. I just don't get it. And the world is SICK and TIRED of crackers who JUST DON'T get IT... which has always made me feel like a bit of an outsider. It often feels like people get offended, or outright disgusted when they hear I don't like sports.

LEFT 4 DEAD!!!!1

Oh, guess that one is kind of obviously a zombie game, isn't it?

You can add Oblivion to your list, it has zombies. Fallout 3 also has its "zombies". Even a mission called, "You have to shoot them in the head" referencing the classic method for killing zombies.

Kind of funny to see Half-Life on that list, since the zombies were one of the most striking things about the first game (which was intented to be a horror game); but now when most people think of Half-Life, they think about Half-Life 2, which left its horror roots behind and became more of a sci-fi action game. With the exception of Ravenholm, the zombies play a much smaller role in that game and its expansions.

For anyone who has somehow not played the original Half-Life, I'd like to take this moment to highly recommend it. If you can get over the 10 year old graphics (can't believe it has been that long ago!) then you are in for a really enjoyable experience. As much as I love HL2, I can't compare it to the greatness of the first one.

Those "zombies" on Zelda use to really freak me out. Not because they look scary, but because of the whole atmosphere around them, they way they'd shriek, come at you in slow motion, jump on you, and start humping you.

doubleofive said:

Did we just get UN-Godwined?

Yes, yes, I reckon we did.

Ric Olie said:

I guess it doesn't matter now anyway, seeing as how all of C3PX's checks bounced.

My donations were suppose to be anonymous, Ric! And that whole check bouncing thing was my banks fault, I am good for the money.

Hehe, I just now got why ABC called me a robot. Man, I am still a bit off. Maybe if I was on whatever he is on, I'd be a bit more quick to get these things... or I'd just stop making sense and be a lot more fun.

Phew! Back on topic. Things were starting to get unpleasant.

While the movie itself interests me very little, I find this aspect ratio stuff really very fascinating. You've probably already mentioned this and I have just missed it in all the comotion, but what was it filmed in? Is it the 1.78:1 that is being cropped at the sides, or the 2.39:1 that is being cropped at the top and bottom?

Oh, and hopefully this wont pull things back off topic, but I feel compelled to announce that post number 74 of this thread is now my favorite post of ALL time. I learned many things from that post. It was so well said, I don't feel the need to comment on any of it, except the part where you assumed I might claim to be working class. I should point out that I am much higher on the social ladder than that, which probably explains my snobery on the subject we were discussing.

Gaffer isn't in a cell. But once we are through with our genocide of grey box faced people, you and your friends will be nothing more than an awful memory. History books will praise us for our boldness in taking the initiative to remove your inferrior species from this forum, you grey faced scum!

;)