Random thoughts.

Been a bit of a miserable bastard recently but I woke up in a legitimately good mood today, for no real reason. So I'm riding that high!
 
Audiophile said:
They literally run into burning buildings but they can't give hot girls a ride, talk about ungrateful:

Click to expand...

"Frat house" mentality. Tell me you've never set foot in a station or talked to a firefighter without telling me.

Nothing wrong with this. Its a big clubhouse. They have extremely stressful jobs in between long periods of boredom
 
Mistake said:
From what I read in the news, your catfish are eating them
Click to expand...
Those things are the worst!

I always chuck em back in though

4RAGyUX1SOsVpSid.png


In all seriousness mind you, it could well be 🤷‍♂️
 
I love reading Katakana. it's like doing a little word puzzle.

I was motivated to write this because Spotify randomly put the Japanese version of an album into my recommendations this week. this happens from time to time for some reason 🤨. and I'm not talking about an actual Japanese album, but the japanese localised one of an English language album, where all the song titles and the band name are written in Katakana.

so I basically saw the song ザ・ダーク・エレメント by ザ・ダーク・エレメント (yes, it's a self titled song on their self titled debut album)
and while all of these are English words, due to japanese having to write everything in syllables that end with a vovel (except for n), it's like decrypting a code 🤣
 
Last edited:
A random thought I had regarding Fincher's 1997 film "The Game".
How much did all of that cost?
I asked Grok to contemplate the cost of the CRS service. It took a bit of work to get the AI to understand all the facets involved, but it eventually arrived at a number.

$2.5 million (in 1997 dollars)

Here was its full breakdown:

Revised Cost Estimate
Factoring in the branching paths, which significantly increase the resources needed, I estimate the cost of the CRS game in 1997 dollars to be $1,500,000 to $5,000,000. Here's the breakdown:
  • Base Operation ($500,000–$1,000,000):
    • Core elements: 20–50 actors ($1,000–$5,000/day each), sets ($50,000–$200,000), surveillance tech ($50,000–$100,000), psychological profiling ($10,000–$50,000), and logistics (e.g., vehicles, travel) for a multi-day operation.
    • This aligns with the initial estimate but assumes a streamlined, "expected" path for Nicholas.
  • Branching Paths Multiplier ($1,000,000–$4,000,000):
    • Contingency planning for multiple decision points requires 2–4x the base resources. For example:
      • Alternate locations and sets: $100,000–$500,000 per major branch (e.g., 5–10 branches).
      • Additional personnel: $200,000–$1,000,000 for standby actors, techs, and coordinators.
      • Redundant tech/props: $50,000–$200,000 per scenario for backups.
    • If Nicholas has 5–10 major decision points, each with 2–3 possible outcomes, CRS must fund parallel setups, many of which go unused, inflating costs.
  • Overhead and Profit ($500,000–$1,000,000):
    • CRS's exclusivity and corporate structure suggest a high profit margin (e.g., 50–100% markup) for catering to billionaires like Nicholas.
    • Administrative costs (e.g., planning, legal, and risk management) add another $100,000–$500,000.
Most Likely Cost: $2,500,000. This accounts for a sophisticated base operation ($750,000), doubled or tripled by branching paths ($1,500,000), plus CRS's premium overhead (~$250,000). It reflects the game's complexity, the need to anticipate Nicholas's unpredictability, and CRS's elite status, while staying plausible for a 1997 high-end service.
Reasoning for Range
  • Low End ($1,500,000): Assumes fewer decision points (e.g., 5 branches) and leaner contingency plans, with CRS optimizing resources based on strong psychological profiling to predict Nicholas's choices.
  • High End ($5,000,000): Assumes extensive branching (e.g., 10–15 decision points with 3–4 outcomes each), requiring massive redundant setups, personnel, and tech, akin to a small-scale intelligence operation or film production.
  • Why Not Higher?: Costs above $5 million approach the budget of a 1997 mid-tier film, which seems excessive even for CRS's bespoke service, given the game's focused scope (one client, ~1 week).
  • Why Not Lower?: The branching paths and CRS's ability to manipulate a billionaire's life (e.g., hacking accounts, staging crises) require resources far beyond a $500,000 operation, especially with contingencies.
Assumptions and Notes
  • Branching Paths: I assume CRS plans for 5–15 major decision points, each with 2–4 possible outcomes, based on the film's depiction of Nicholas's proactive and skeptical nature. Each branch requires pre-funded resources (e.g., actors on standby, alternate locations), even if unused.
  • 1997 Constraints: I'm using 1997 pricing for labor, tech, and services, avoiding modern inflation or tech assumptions (e.g., no advanced AI or drones). Surveillance and props reflect 1997 capabilities (e.g., analog cameras, basic hacking).
  • No Film-Specific Data: The film doesn't provide a dollar amount for the bill, so this estimate extrapolates from the game's scope and reasonable assumptions about CRS's operations.
  • Ignoring Conrad's Finances: Per your request, I'm not limiting the estimate based on Conrad's ability to pay, allowing for a higher cost reflective of CRS's full effort.

I think it underestimated by a factor of ten.
 
Woggleman said:
I thought my HVAC unit died but I just flipped the breaker panel on the side off and back on and it works like new. That was a relief.
Click to expand...
Yup. Sometimes that happens.

10 or so years ago a new tenant rented out my new condo. She said AC didn't work. I went over and flipped the switch. By default the builder has it turned off. Up to the owner to flip it. Forgot to for my tenant.
 
This is from the Cologuard home colon cancer screening kit instructions regarding the step where you have to apply the preserving fluid to your sample.

That this has to even be included is why I weep for humanity. 🙄


92QAPIMg8C81ten9.jpeg
 
Nydius said:
This is from the Cologuard home colon cancer screening kit instructions regarding the step where you have to apply the preserving fluid to your sample.

That this has to even be included is why I weep for humanity. 🙄


92QAPIMg8C81ten9.jpeg
Click to expand...

I'm also fond of the obvious "lift the bottle...out of the box" & "hold the bottle and turn the cap to unscrew it". Just in case folks aren't fully familiar with the minutiae of picking a bottle up and opening it. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 
Audiophile said:
I'm also fond of the obvious "lift the bottle...out of the box" & "hold the bottle and turn the cap to unscrew it". Just in case folks aren't fully familiar with the minutiae of picking a bottle up and opening it. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
Click to expand...
My favorite 'instruction' in the entire booklet is: "Remember don't overthink it"

Yeah, that's easier said than done for someone whose hobbies include anxiety and overthinking. 🤣
 
I was watching Bad Times At The El Royale (Fantastic Movie BTW) and Jon Hamm had a small but memorable role. I never saw Mad Men but now that I'm watching this Apple TV Plus show called Your Friends & Neighbors with once again Jon Hamm starring and having the lead role this time, made me realize, I have to get on with watching Mad Men later this year. Everything I seen this actor in, he does a fantastic job acting. He's a very underrated actor
 
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt said:
I was watching Bad Times At The El Royale (Fantastic Movie BTW) and Jon Hamm had a small but memorable role. I never saw Mad Men but now that I'm watching this Apple TV Plus show called Your Friends & Neighbors with once again Jon Hamm starring and having the lead role this time, made me realize, I have to get on with watching Mad Men later this year. Everything I seen this actor in, he does a fantastic job acting. He's a very underrated actor
Click to expand...
I remember him just for Skip the dishes ads.
 
I'm thinking of taking up archery. There's a club three miles from me and I can get there walking a lovely scenic route on the canal. Gets me out of the house. I was mulling over trying to find a local five a side footy team, but I have health issues which render that unviable, I think.
 
Me:
*Trying to catch a lay in after a late night*

My cat for an hour and a half:
"I have important business"

Me:
*Drags arse downstairs and opens back door and front flap*

My cat:
*Walks three feet from the back door, spends 10 minutes licks his butthole, 10 seconds chasing a fly, then lays down for an hour*
 
Last edited:
ForAcademicPurposes said:
His most expensive concert ever.

Click to expand...

Dude deserves the shit he gets. Not only because of the affair, but because he's been so fucking retarded to think that at a concert with thousands of people with phones, there wouldn't be a chance to get exposed.

I would actually question if that guy is fit to be in a leading position.
 
Hudo said:
Dude deserves the shit he gets. Not only because of the affair, but because he's been so fucking retarded to think that at a concert with thousands of people with phones, there wouldn't be a chance to get exposed.

I would actually question if that guy is fit to be in a leading position.
Click to expand...
I'm European and I have no idea who that person is.

I do know that this goober just wasted half of his assets right then and there.
 
NBC/Universal announced they'll be raising the rates of their Peacock TV streaming service by the end of the month. Third price increase in three years. But don't worry, they're adding an even more stripped down version at the former price point!

We did it chaps! We cut the cord to break away from cable only to end up with Cable a la Carte where every damn streaming service now has their own individual form of "basic", "expanded basic", and "premium"! Hooray! 🙄
 
Last edited:
When buying something do you think about how much work was necessary for it, or I got this much on bank so no big deal or something else?
 
There's a very specific genre of woman that can be best described -- among a larger set of characteristics -- as, "scuffs along in flip flops" and they are the epitome of a collapse in femininity.
 
Always love It in Twitch/Youtube streams there always a opinion/take that where If you walk In Indirectly pointing out how stupid there being, Suddenly It becomes a actual war. Not a great situation If you have severe ADHD where It can feel like a attack on you personally when It not.

Like how someone went on a rant about IEM's after someone In chat pointed out High end IEM's are a thing. Sorry that my Etymotic ER4SR's blow the HD650's out the water while having the comfort of Ice picks?. lol
 
Last edited:
I remain completely perplexed by how many people are incapable of hiding their porn on computers or phones; or how they don't even think to do so before handing it off to be repaired or backed up.

I've become the unofficial computer fixer & backer-upper to pretty much everyone I know and by extension a lot of people they know. I've had people hand me their phone saying "can you get this or that to work?" and I'll tap the recent apps and there's a chrome instance hanging there with 87 xhamster tabs still open.
 
Landlord: Hello?
Me: Hiya matey. Fancy coming round to watch the third season of The Last of Us?
Landlord: Huh?
Me: Oh sorry, what I meant to say was, you've still not fixed my leak that I reported in May. There's damp. There's mould. There's mushrooms comin' out the fucking wall.
 
Audiophile said:
The two most dangerous people on earth:


~400 murders in the villages of one little county...

90



~300 people just happened to die when she's in town...

JessicaFletcher_NovelSuspects.png



Side Eye Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
Click to expand...

*cough*

let me introduce you to CONAN EDOGAWA:
VjJFIk1tlrHwWwwa.png



within the span of a year, this 17yo in the body of a 7yo was involved in solving so many violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder, terrorist attacks and more,
that if he was real, and if we look at the violent crime rates of Japan, he would have been in the direct vicinity of, and involved with somehow solving every single violent crime in the entire Kanto region in Japan during that year.


the show, which has more than 1000 episodes and 28 movies, is all set within around 12 months in canon.
if you think about the logistics of this show for even a second, you'll come to the conclusion that it's pure insanity what is happening.

HE IS THE REAPER! if he shows up, YOU'RE FUCKED!

Km90dH9EWxnqMvyQ.png

(sidenote... fuck the English localisation btw)

and that's not even touching on the subject that they somehow went from greyscale flipphones to touchscreen smartphones within that year 🤣
 
Last edited:
kevboard said:
*cough*

let me introduce you to CONAN EDOGAWA:
VjJFIk1tlrHwWwwa.png



within the span of a year, this 17yo in the body of a 7yo was involved in solving so many violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder, terrorist attacks and more,
that if he was real, and if we look at the violent crime rates of Japan, he would have been in the direct vicinity of, and involved with somehow solving every single violent crime in the entire Kanto region in Japan during that year.


the show, which has more than 1000 episodes and 28 movies, is all set within around 12 months in canon.
if you think about the logistics of this show for even a second, you'll come to the conclusion that it's pure insanity what is happening.

HE IS THE REAPER! if he shows up, YOU'RE FUCKED!

Km90dH9EWxnqMvyQ.png

(sidenote... fuck the English localisation btw)

and that's not even touching on the subject that they somehow went from greyscale flipphones to touchscreen smartphones within that year 🤣
Click to expand...

I plan on reading this for next year

I was wondering what is wrong with the English Localisation?
 
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt said:
I plan on reading this for next year

I was wondering what is wrong with the English Localisation?
Click to expand...

well for starters the character that Megure mentions in that panel is called Mouri, not Moore.
they basically changed all the Japanese names into Americanised names.

Juzo Megure is Joseph Meguire, Kogoro Mouri is Richard Moore, Ayumi Yoshida is Amy Yaeger and so on.
and afaik it's the only localisation in the world that did this shit.
it's super weird and was only done to mimic the Anime dub by Funimation. which then meant, because only a tiny amount of Anime episodes were ever loclaised, every new character that wasn't introduced in the Anime just kept the Japanese name.
so now you have a bunch of pivotal characters in the Manga that have stereotypical American names, while others have very stereotypical Japanese names.

this should also lead to some issues with the translation at times, since they do reference the meaning behind some of their names from time to time. like which Kanji is used, or how their name are homophones of other japanese words wtc.

there is however an English version released in some asian countries with large English speaking populations, that didn't change things around. probably not easy to get tho
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Do you ever feel sorry for random characters in movies?
24
242
Soodanim replied
What are your thoughts on humility?
32
2K
CGNoire replied
Random: anyone know why I suddenly can't access my Apple tv subscription on my devices?
7
690
jorgejjvr replied
The new DND Player's Handbook is out. I have thoughts
27
3K
goldangelcorp replied
  • Poll
How much time each day are you left fully to your own thoughts?
21
1K
Tams replied
Top Bottom