The USFL

[Torn Mind]

Highlights of the first game.

Product doesn't look bad. A little more violent, even.

 

[BoomerD]

If we could get GOOD football all year, I'd watch it, but in past years, the alternative leagues have sucked.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

So it's NFL with less penalty calls? Sounds like a recipe for a lot more injuries. Bread and circus I guess?

 

[Captante]

I'm fine waiting till Sept for the NFL to get my football-fix .... it's baseball season at the moment.

 

[BoomerD]

I'm fine waiting till Sept for the NFL to get my football-fix .... it's baseball season at the moment.

 

[Captante]

Or naptime!

(why not both?)

 

[Spacehead]

Well, at least you don't have to wonder which game to watch. They're all playing in the same stadium.

 

[Torn Mind]

Well, at least you don't have to wonder which game to watch. They're all playing in the same stadium.

Those in Birmingham, AL can access the venue for $10. 15 and unders for free.

 

[Charmonium]

I'm just here to bitch about the fact that TBS delayed The Prisoner of Azkaban by over an hour to air one of those shitty games. Over and HOUR!!! You know what that means. I had go into the guide listing and record whatever shitty shows were after the last movie. PRIORITIES TBS - priorities. m'kay? Oh, and as I was FF at warp speed I'm pretty sure the stands were empty.

 

[BoomerD]

I'm just here to bitch about the fact that TBS delayed The Prisoner of Azkaban by over an hour to air one of those shitty games. Over and HOUR!!! You know what that means. I had go into the guide listing and record whatever shitty shows were after the last movie. PRIORITIES TBS - priorities. m'kay? Oh, and as I was FF at warp speed I'm pretty sure the stands were empty.

Wait...you don't have ALL the Harry Potter movies recorded? Fckn fck...I'm OLD and have them all stored on my external hard drive attached to my Dish Hopper.

 

[Charmonium]

Wait...you don't have ALL the Harry Potter movies recorded? Fckn fck...I'm OLD and have them all stored on my external hard drive attached to my Dish Hopper.

I have 40 TB RAID array with tons of video like the complete Lexx series, Forever Knight, etc. But oddly enough, no Harry Potter. Well, maybe. I'd have to do a search so give me a couple days. Hehe.

I was never really into it but I'm starting to understand just how f*ing amazing J. K. Rowling is. Even so though, I'm mostly a scifi person but there is a lot of fantasy that I also like. I'm just oddly selective. Not sure why. For scifi though, I've even watched most of the animated Star Wars stuff. OK, not that impressive. Hmmm. I can't think of anything off hand but I've watched some truly awful scifi.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I have 40 TB RAID array with tons of video like the complete Lexx series, Forever Knight, etc. But oddly enough, no Harry Potter. Well, maybe. I'd have to do a search so give me a couple days. Hehe.

I was never really into it but I'm starting to understand just how f*ing amazing J. K. Rowling is. Even so though, I'm mostly a scifi person but there is a lot of fantasy that I also like. I'm just oddly selective. Not sure why. For scifi though, I've even watched most of the animated Star Wars stuff. OK, not that impressive. Hmmm. I can't think of anything off hand but I've watched some truly awful scifi.

You mean how amazing Tolkien was, right?

 

[Torn Mind]

I have 40 TB RAID array with tons of video like the complete Lexx series, Forever Knight, etc. But oddly enough, no Harry Potter. Well, maybe. I'd have to do a search so give me a couple days. Hehe.

I was never really into it but I'm starting to understand just how f*ing amazing J. K. Rowling is. Even so though, I'm mostly a scifi person but there is a lot of fantasy that I also like. I'm just oddly selective. Not sure why. For scifi though, I've even watched most of the animated Star Wars stuff. OK, not that impressive. Hmmm. I can't think of anything off hand but I've watched some truly awful scifi.

Harry Potter is a mundane retelling of British society through the author's eyes and biases. That society is classist as fuck, with nuances everywhere. Slytherin was overt but only Hufflepuff was truly inclusive of the commoner. But Rowling sucks the reader in via Harry's viewpoint and sympathize with what he thinks.

Seeing John Lennon in round specatacles and a line from British House of Cards, where the to-be murdered journalist mentions prefects and Head of Houses like they were a part of normal school.

And the love triangle of Cho Chang, Ginny, and Harry is like some wish fulfillment of Lennon not picking Yoko....

 

[Captante]

Harry Potter is a mundane retelling of British society through the author's eyes and biases.

Have you actually even read any of the Harry Potter books?

 

[nOOky]

No thanks. The NFL doesn't even hold my interest much any more.

 

[Charmonium]

Harry Potter is a mundane retelling of British society through the author's eyes and biases. That society is classist as fuck, with nuances everywhere. Slytherin was overt but only Hufflepuff was truly inclusive of the commoner. But Rowling sucks the reader in via Harry's viewpoint and sympathize with what he thinks.

Seeing John Lennon in round specatacles and a line from British House of Cards, where the to-be murdered journalist mentions prefects and Head of Houses like they were a part of normal school.

And the love triangle of Cho Chang, Ginny, and Harry is like some wish fulfillment of Lennon not picking Yoko....

I wouldn't argue with the factual aspects of your assessment and honestly, I never really saw the appeal. It definitely appeals to brits where class and family are still a thing. My paternal ancestors come from there and while we have one of the first crests registered with the college of Heralds I rarely have any reason to mention that.

As for the retelling part, well, yeah. What's your point. There are very few truly "new" plotlines. All stories involve conflict or romance. It's no accident that the Assyrians had the same goddess for both love and war (Ishtar). That's why I love scifi and some fantasy. It adds elements that you don't find in history or classical stories like the Greek and Roman myths, legends of Arthur and Charlemagne, etc. But as for classic tropes, they just keep getting recycled. Progeny recapitulates ontogeny.

Oops. I had to check and it seems Ishtar is an Akkadian and Sumerian goddess. Those are both earlier than the Assyrians. Yet she was the primary god of the Babylonians who were later than all of the above.

 

[Captante]

I wouldn't argue with the factual aspects of your assessment and honestly, I never really saw the appeal. It definitely appeals to brits where class and family are still a thing. My paternal ancestors come from there and while we have one of the first crests registered with the college of Heralds I rarely have any reason to mention that.

As for the retelling part, well, yeah. What's your point. There are very few truly "new" plotlines. All stories involve conflict or romance. It's no accident that the Assyrians had the same goddess for both love and war (Ishtar). That's why I love scifi and some fantasy. It adds elements that you don't find in history or classical stories like the Greek and Roman myths, legends of Arthur and Charlemagne, etc. But as for classic tropes, they just keep getting recycled. Progeny recapitulates ontogeny.

If you like fantasy novels and can put aside what everyone else has told you about them, the Harry Potter novels are a pretty darn good read for kids books. (with the possible exception of book 1)

I'm not going to be hanging out with JK Rowling anytime soon and so I honestly could not care less about what she thinks in terms of finding the fictional stories she's written entertaining.

 

[Torn Mind]

I wouldn't argue with the factual aspects of your assessment and honestly, I never really saw the appeal. It definitely appeals to brits where class and family are still a thing. My paternal ancestors come from there and while we have one of the first crests registered with the college of Heralds I rarely have any reason to mention that.

As for the retelling part, well, yeah. What's your point. There are very few truly "new" plotlines. All stories involve conflict or romance. It's no accident that the Assyrians had the same goddess for both love and war (Ishtar). That's why I love scifi and some fantasy. It adds elements that you don't find in history or classical stories like the Greek and Roman myths, legends of Arthur and Charlemagne, etc. But as for classic tropes, they just keep getting recycled. Progeny recapitulates ontogeny.

My wording wasn't the best. I cannot id any story Harry Potter retells, if any. My point elements of the world are clearly based on real U.K society.

I do find Harry Potter rather impressive in that while it is evidently based on real society with subtle shades at the elements of society(or particular individuals that irked her), it is distant enough and the individuals are relatable enough that you are indeed in a different world with its own logic and charm. People feel for Harry and his perspective. The literal story is good. But there is also social commentary that manages to be present but not intrude the literal story.

It is evident Rowling has very little regard for the official "government" or the Prime Ministers, represented as the Ministry of Magic. Fudge turned into a sour one quiet fast. Pius is clearly a puppet and a shade against the Catholic Church. The use of Dementors is a point that even the conventional states we are familiar with are willing to use a powerful, terrifying force to enforce compliance.

The Houses in Hogwarts are actually three groups of elites and one inclusive one. Slytherin is the nobles by blood. Gryffindor are the blessed folks who destined to earn a "SIr" or "Dame", and Ravenclaw is the intellgientsia, such as the Oxford and Cambridge educated. The Asians happen to be in Ravenclaw.

The Dark Arts could represent all those "vice activities" and secret little transgressions the higher ups engage in but get away with due to their power. The likes of Epstein shows just how they just get away with it.

Sirius' rebellion on the familial level is easily understood. But it also may refer to a hidden message where younger nobles broke ranks with the parents beliefs.

Arthur Weasley is a good guy, helps the protagonist, but even his character has a little shade. He too still is of a noble lineage, he sympathizes with the outsiders(Muggles), but has no comprehension of their world.
Ron too, has an overall good guy demeanor, but in thd matter of house-elf freedom, he is stuck in his world's paradigm of dominance oppressed when it came that particular group. Hermione though, became a bit woke and sort of a white knight for their freedom.


Cricket is the basis for Quidditich, but reading of Quidditch matches have very good visual and sensual imagery.

Harry is very much a trust fund baby of sorts with many blessings that comes from the sky, but the reader always sympathizes with his suffering and growing pains in his life. One of the not-so-obvious messages is that the battle between him and Voldemort is a battle between the


I would say that the perception between non-U.K and U.K individuals might be quite different. U.K natives would find it "familiar", but outsiders are pulled into new place that are enchanted by predominantly the characters and literal story.

 

[sdifox]

I'm just here to bitch about the fact that TBS delayed The Prisoner of Azkaban by over an hour to air one of those shitty games. Over and HOUR!!! You know what that means. I had go into the guide listing and record whatever shitty shows were after the last movie. PRIORITIES TBS - priorities. m'kay? Oh, and as I was FF at warp speed I'm pretty sure the stands were empty.

Record movies? Never heard of Blockbuster huh.

 

[Captante]

Record movies? Never heard of Blockbuster huh.

I have some bad news.....



*(unless of course you happen to live in Bend, OR!)

The Last Blockbuster

Our Story:

"In 2010, Blockbuster Corporate filed for bankruptcy. The once giant video store chain had fallen from over 9094 stores in 2004 to a mere 1700 struggling corporate locations. By April 2011 they were being auctioned off and the winning bid of 320 million dollars went to Dish Network, a satellite TV provider. Slowly the new operators began closing corporate owned stores and in January 2014 the final Blockbuster Corporate location closed. This left only a few franchise locations around the world and at the end of March 2019 only 1 store remained, our store in Bend Oregon.

Ken & Debbie Tisher along with their two teenagers (Marc and Rory) moved to Bend in September 1990. The following December they opened the very first Pacific Video Store on the south end of Bend. Two years later they opened the second of what was later to become 3 Central Oregon locations, here at 211 NE Revere. As small business owners the Tisher’s recognized they had the opportunity to bring the movie experience to our family homes. By offering the newest movie titles and our favorite classics on VHS they were able to give the Bend community an inexpensive alternative to going out to the theater.

After successfully operating their locally owned video stores for 10 years, the Tisher’s, along with their partners, Debbie’s parents, Larry and Berniece Doan made the decision to become a Blockbuster Franchise in June of 2000. This was the beginning of our Blockbuster Story: how a small business, thru stubborn determination and a bit of pure luck, has been able to operate in the chaos of an ever changing home video world."

 

[Charmonium]

Damn. 10 years from start to almost 10k stores to bust. That's insane, even by today's standards. I wonder how they could have pivoted. Although I'm guessing there was some mismanagement since I think Red Box is still around. It must be a tight margin business to be so dependent on low overhead. I think Netflix did discontinue their disc mailing service. Ha, at one point I had what I think was their '8 at a time' plan.

 

[sdifox]

Damn. 10 years from start to almost 10k stores to bust. That's insane, even by today's standards. I wonder how they could have pivoted. Although I'm guessing there was some mismanagement since I think Red Box is still around. It must be a tight margin business to be so dependent on low overhead. I think Netflix did discontinue their disc mailing service. Ha, at one point I had what I think was their '8 at a time' plan.

Pretty sure I had more titles than the Blockbuster near me before it folded. I was averaging ten new movie purchase a week.

I bought the Harry Potter BluRay complete set in 2014 for C$39. Already had the DVDs.

 

[Charmonium]

Pretty sure I had more titles than the Blockbuster near me before it folded.

That sounds right. BB probably expanded too fast. But back 2006 I was using the Netflix disc service. According to this article though, the service started in 1998 and peaked in 2010-2011. Probably not a coincidence that was also when BB folded.

 

[Meghan54]

Damn. 10 years from start to almost 10k stores to bust. That's insane, even by today's standards. I wonder how they could have pivoted. Although I'm guessing there was some mismanagement since I think Red Box is still around. It must be a tight margin business to be so dependent on low overhead. I think Netflix did discontinue their disc mailing service. Ha, at one point I had what I think was their '8 at a time' plan.

Ummmm…no, Netflix never discontinued their DVD-by/mail rental plan. It’s still in operation…operates separately from the streaming division.

Netflix Germany - Watch TV Shows Online, Watch Movies Online

Watch Netflix movies & TV shows online or stream right to your smart TV, game console, PC, Mac, mobile, tablet and more.

dvd.netflix.com

 

[Charmonium]

Thanks. The reason I thought that was that I tried to that from my streaming account and I didn't really look into it further.

A question though. I saw an article title someplace bemoaning the loss of Netflix's DVD library. Does that make any sense? I assumed that meant not so much that they had to melt it down or something but that there was some sort of DMCA issue - except that RedBox is still around, so that doesn't really compute. Stock has been prison-raped since last year though it seems. RB I mean. Not it's 'happy days' for netflix either.