The One Year Thread 2007: XWA's Celibatic Boogaloo - Page 65

Keyan Farlander · 12-10-2007, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zargon

no, it was the awesome CG fighting and they got all lame and overly metaphysical and the fights got lamely stylized and it sucked

Truth.

edlib · 12-10-2007, 11:18 PM

Well... a couple of things:

First: Star Wars really isn't proper sci-fi. (No more than Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter is, anyway...) Never has been. Wasn't really meant to be.

It's fantasy... just set in a futuristic environment. Seems a slight distinction, but to me it's an important one.

REAL sci-fi movies tend to be more like 2001 and Contact. Full of big ideas... but kinda low on the "Gee-Whiz!" and action factors. They also tend to be lifted from novels with the names Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, and Dick attached.

Stories like Star Wars and the Matrix seem to fall into a sub-genre I call: Sci-Fantasy (Any story involving unexplainable supernatural powers is almost always far more fantasy-like than science-fiction.)

Secondly: I wasn't all that amazed by the original Matrix... so the sequels didn't seem all that much worse to me. It was OK as action movies go... but not the life-changing, mind-expanding, generation-defining event a lot of people seemed determined at the time to really try to turn it into.

It was a fun popcorn flick, with a couple of big-ish ideas (although I've always summed it up by calling it: "A reverse 'Tron' crossed with 'The Terminator'"...) and some cool never seen before effects and a few good fight sequences. But I didn't go into the sequels with super-high expectations... so I wasn't all that disappointed by them. A bit too "talky" maybe...

Granted, I've watched the first one a couple of times... but each of the sequels only once each. I'm not sure what that says...

Oh yeah...Today was dull. Slept. Did chores. Watched TV. Ate. Wow.

Rogue15 · 12-11-2007, 02:02 AM

work was alright today. a bunch of people are doing those greeting cards. it's crazy!

got home and have been playing Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. It's amazing, i'm trying not to blow through it, as there's a 'success rating' thing and secondary objectives...it's nice that your primary mission doesn't get cancelled if you trigger a bunch of alarms. it's pretty fun. i went through the 2nd level pretty fast, had to infiltrate a ship, it was fun.

K_Kinnison · 12-11-2007, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edlib

First: Star Wars really isn't proper sci-fi. (No more than Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter is, anyway...) Never has been. Wasn't really meant to be.

It's fantasy... just set in a futuristic environment. Seems a slight distinction, but to me it's an important one.

Elib, because it is futuristic, that makes it Science fiction. You might want to read up on one of Phil Foglio's "what's new" when he humorously deals with the subject.

If anything Star wars is space opera.

edlib · 12-11-2007, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_Kinnison

Elib, because it is futuristic, that makes it Science fiction.

I disagree.

You can lift the characters and situations of Star Wars and place them in almost any other period and it still works. The fact that there are spaceships and robots and laser-guns is actually largely unimportant to the story. All those things could easily be replaced with far less techie analogs and the story would still be completely recognizable.

To me, this is something Lucas admits right up front in every installment with the "A long time ago..." bit: he's admitting the story's fairy-tale origins.

Think about it: It really wouldn't take all that much to re-write the entire SW saga to fit in a LOTR-type quasi-medieval, magical world: Magic-using Knights with swords; fighting the forces of a fallen, mutilated one clad in black armor; castles in the clouds; saving the princess... it's all there.

To me, real Sci-Fi (or HARD Sci-Fi if you will...) can only take place in a technologically advanced future situation and still work. Once you remove the science aspect of it, the story falls apart.

Star Wars is, at best, science-fiction-y. Sci-Fi-ish.

Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing... I usually like the sci-fantasy stuff far better than the real sci-fi stuff most of the time.

But to me, genuine science-fiction is usually based on the real universe... with at least a brief passing nod to what's actually possible inside the principles of physics.

SW never even pretended to be that.

But maybe it's a distinction that's only important to me...

Zargon · 12-11-2007, 10:31 AM

serenity was last year and def counts as futuristic sci-fi

im sure hollywood would do more, but the last matrix bombed in theaters, so did serenity

AVP did OK, but it was a crappy movie anyways

Zargon · 12-11-2007, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_Kinnison

Elib, because it is futuristic, that makes it Science fiction. You might want to read up on one of Phil Foglio's "what's new" when he humorously deals with the subject.

If anything Star wars is space opera.

I am with Edlib, that detail would make ALOT of movies that aren't, classified as SCi-FI

Ray Jones · 12-11-2007, 10:35 AM

AvP was a better Alien sequel than Resurrection, which I do not even consider to be part of the Alien series.

In fact, even The Simpsons give a better sequel to Alien 3 than Resurrection.

Rogue15 · 12-11-2007, 10:59 AM

28 Weeks Later was a good sci-fi movie, or would it be more on the 'horror' side.

Keyan Farlander · 12-11-2007, 01:18 PM

OK...look. I love you guys. And I know we're all supernerds here. Just look at the title of this thread. It's to be expected; it's a forum about Star Wars video games. But debating the subtle points of what makes something science fiction...I don't know. I feel like we've crossed some sort of line, here. You know, one of those lines where you can't go back and there is no hope on the other side. Like we just crossed the event horizon of a supermassive black hole of lame.

edlib · 12-11-2007, 02:24 PM

That's a very nerdy way to put it.

**Wildstar** · 12-11-2007, 04:45 PM

http://10thboard.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/getting-there

Nothing special (yet)...just a 554 series where I came w/in 5 pins of having 2 games of 200 or better in the same series.

K_Kinnison · 12-11-2007, 04:59 PM

Since I am in the minority I would like to add my addtional $0.02

THe aspects of "the force" has certain fantasy elements, at the most Star wars could be a Science Fantasy blending both what could be, and what is impossible. Thus bridging the two genres into one happy pot

Keyan Farlander · 12-11-2007, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edlib

That's a very nerdy way to put it.

That's how it works on this side of the line...

edlib · 12-11-2007, 07:41 PM

Besides: I bask in my nerdliness! It has gotten me as far as I have come!

Oh, hey! Wait...

Zargon · 12-12-2007, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keyan Farlander

That's how it works on this side of the line...

rofl!

we are all screwed aren't we.......

Ray Jones · 12-12-2007, 11:47 AM

imnot

edlib · 12-13-2007, 06:49 AM

Yeah, whatever...
dweeb...

Survived yesterday... just barely.
The most miserable day I have spent at work in a while.
No... scratch that.

The most goddamn miserable day I have spent at work in a while.
Hmmm... not quite...

The most goddamn ****ing miserable day I have spent at work in a while.
Still not there...

The most goddamn ****ing miserable ****ty day I have spent at work in a while.
Getting closer...

It sucked.

Basically, we did a rock festival on our stage.
Problem is: we are not equipped for festival setups.

3 bands. Nobody sharing ANYTHING.

We have a 40 input-channel monitor board. The 2nd act had more than 40 channels and their own monitor engineer who INSISTED that he needed every single one of those inputs at the desk.

So that left 2 other bands with less-than-ZERO channels for thier monitors.

So that meant repatching the inputs to the monitor amps between bands so that we could mix the monitors from the front-of-house board for the other 2 bands. Pain in the ass.

Oh... did I mention that we had less than 10 minutes to do all this stuff between bands, because this was all going out live on air for satellite radio? Yeah... that part seems important.

So, I reported to work at 1-ish, and stood behind or next to the FOH board pretty much until 11:30... except for a couple of VERY brief bathroom breaks. And I'm lucky one of my crew was thoughtful enough to bring me a sandwich by the board at one point... or I never would have eaten in all that time, either. Not that I got much of a chance at that... I gulped down a couple of bites, and then immediately got too busy again to even finish it.

Oh... and one of the drummers was a complete putz. Didn't want to share his kit,.. but wouldn't let us move it so we could set up another drumkit in the same spot. Pitched a girly little hissy fit about it, too.

Yeah... things like that help the day go by sooooo much quicker.

(By the way: He sucked. Wasn't even a good drummer after all that stupid drama. The way he bitched with his little diva attitude you would have thought he was a drum god or something. Like we were in the presence of another Neil Peart or Bill Bruford or someone.)

Couldn't sleep last night either, as exhausted as I am. Tossed and turned until after 2... and then woke up again just after 5.

Well... a ****-storm of snow this afternoon/ tonight. I'll leave work early, do the clean-up, and go to bed by 7.

Zargon · 12-13-2007, 09:47 AM

sounds rough~!

my new creative zen 4gb should be here today

should be pretty sweet, size of a credit card and all

and the 4 gb SDHC card that goes in the exp slot should be here as well

***Rogue Nine*** · 12-13-2007, 09:51 AM

Gonna get shat on by this sudden icestorm, so I'm working from home today.

Man I love my boss.

Rogue15 · 12-13-2007, 10:16 AM

tested out my 4wd. it works nice. got a decent sized check today, surprised me that profit sharing came in early. payed my first car bill, got some breakfast and came home.

yesterday i got almost all of my christmas shopping done. need to get a few more things yet. i would like to surprise my mom and get her a new computer, the one they have is going on 6 or 7 years. i got enough in my check that i can get an eye exam and new glasses and contacts. i think i'll wait until next payday, this way all bills are sure to be payed off, and my income tax return shouldn't be too far away.

went to mcdonalds after paying the one bill, i almost did a 360 upon turning into my driveway. thank god nobody was coming...tonight i'll have to be extra careful.

Zargon · 12-13-2007, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue Nine

Gonna get shat on by this sudden icestorm, so I'm working from home today.

Man I love my boss.

nice

we got some of that last week, it was pretty nasty but we got off easy compared to alot of the midwest

edlib · 12-13-2007, 02:22 PM

College closing at 3 today.

I probably won't bother going in tomorrow. We'll have to see...

Rogue15 · 12-14-2007, 03:00 AM

work was slow, i worked alone. only processed 3 rolls. roads were bad, o well. i'm on the last level of chaos theory. the level before it.....was evil...reason i quit playing the first time. couldn't locate the bombs and 3 guys shooting at me. lol took about 30 tries to get it right. hopefully the last level goes by quick. i'm gonna break out the gamefaqs for it if i get to an annoying spot. damn, it's 3am! need some sleep....

edlib · 12-14-2007, 05:19 AM

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: SNOW SUCKS!!!

My commute wasn't too bad last night,.. but trying to get my car back in the driveway once I got home was a nightmare. A foot+ high wall of heavy, slushy snow piled up at the end of the driveway, thanks to the plows coming down my street, plus the way the wind was making it drift.
Took me 40 minutes of cleanup just to be able to pull in. I didn't even do the walks. Called some neighborhood kid and agreed to pay him 25 bucks to do that.

I just went straight to bed as soon as I was in the house. Totally wiped out. (With less than 3 hours sleep under my belt, I just don't understand why...)

My neck and upper back was already hurting even before I had to do the driveway. That work sure didn't help the situation at all.

Not sure if work is going to be open today. I probably won't go in even if it is.

K_Kinnison · 12-14-2007, 06:48 AM

we have hard over 20 inches of snow total this month. Big piles of snow everywhere and in some areas there is still ice on the bottom from our first snowstorm

Still it is nice living in an apartment buidling a mile from work.. don't have to worry so much about snowstorms.. could walk to work if i really needed to

edlib · 12-14-2007, 06:58 AM

I have the feeling this is going to be a bitch of a winter this year. Sunday is supposed to be teh suck around here, too.

We were due. The last couple were just too easy.

I just really hope it's not as bad as it was for the first year of these "One Year Threads"...
It seemed like every other entry from me that year was nothing but me bitching about having to clean up from yet another back-to-back blizzard.

Ray Jones · 12-14-2007, 07:57 AM

And you seriously think you are ignored by global warming?

Keyan Farlander · 12-14-2007, 09:24 AM

I could use some damn global warming right about now...

Ray Jones · 12-14-2007, 09:32 AM

What for?

edlib · 12-14-2007, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Jones

And you seriously think you are ignored by global warming?

Err... I don't recall ever saying this... or even implying it.

But yeh: I just spent the last hour-and-a-half cleaning off cars and finishing the shoveling out. I could really stand to be warmed up by a couple of hot (or is it "hawt"?..) globes right about now... if ya' knowattaymeen!

(And I'm sure you do...)

I guess I'll just have to settle for a warm mug of decaf tea, though. Not really the same...

Rogue15 · 12-14-2007, 09:56 AM

global warming we'd see snow 20' high, or like in 'day after tomorrow'

Zargon · 12-14-2007, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edlib

I have the feeling this is going to be a bitch of a winter this year. Sunday is supposed to be teh suck around here, too.

We were due. The last couple were just too easy.

I just really hope it's not as bad as it was for the first year of these "One Year Threads"...
It seemed like every other entry from me that year was nothing but me bitching about having to clean up from yet another back-to-back blizzard.

man no offense but from teh news reports y'all are F(&*()& stupid out there

tons of deaths already and no one seemed to be ready

even with the week long reports of how awful that storm messed up most of the country, you guys get it last and still seemingly takes you by surprise! wtf!

edlib · 12-14-2007, 10:35 AM

Trust me: I agree with you.

It never fails to surprise me how New England drivers totally forget how to drive in the snow in the 8 months or so since we've seen it last. (A little longer this time since we never saw all that much last year...)

But, it's not like we live in a tropical state... we freakin' get snow EVERY GODDAMN YEAR!!!

As soon as the first flakes fall, people get into crashes, and get stuck and stranded. The highways clog up, and everything slows to a crawl.
If Georgia got this kind of storm, I'd understand.

But this is ****in' Massachusetts, fer'cryin'outloud!

It should be easier than this. We like to make a big deal about how hardy and self-reliant we Northeasters are... but in reality, we are the biggest wussies in the world... at least when it comes to snow.

Of course: Massachusetts drivers suck on a 70-degree, bright sunny day... so maybe the snow isn't that big of a factor...

**Wildstar** · 12-14-2007, 11:08 AM

I was out in the storm for about 20 minutes waiting for the bus to go to a doctor's appointment, and they were behind on even a snow schedule. Of course, I get back in, call the office, and it turned out they were closed (gee, thanks for calling me

).

Zargon · 12-14-2007, 01:07 PM

quality.

Keyan Farlander · 12-14-2007, 02:17 PM

Well, office Christmas party tonight. Better get ready to hook up with some hot, drunk chick and then feel awkward the rest of the time I work here.

Ray Jones · 12-14-2007, 02:23 PM

Or simply do her again and again.

Keyan Farlander · 12-14-2007, 02:55 PM

I was just kidding. I'm an engineer and thus afraid to talk to girls.

Zargon · 12-14-2007, 03:26 PM

enter alcohol.