Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

I'm listening to this Pokemon Eurobeat song while keep monitoring the funny debates on Pokemon Sword / Shield articles with some "Wah Wah Dexit, Wah Wah Gamefreaks is lazy, etc".

My friend let me borrow her XB1 so I can get a Fallout fix. Managed to snag copies of 4 and 76 for $18 total, and 4 had an unused code for 3 inside. I’ve opted to install 3 and play that while I wait for 70+ GB of updates to 76.

Fallout 76Gb. I see what you did there, Bethesda. I see it, and no one thinks it’s funny but you. I’ve no interest in playing with randos, so has a solo experience gotten any better, @NEStalgia ?

I bought a baggie of discounted Halloween candy.

I have Tootsie roll stuck in my teeth.

Hm. I'm gonna need more.

The best time of year to buy candy in my experience is after a holiday where it's a necessity for many. I don't normally stock a lot of it in my house, but the time after some holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day makes that VERY difficult. XD

I'm just staying out of most of the comment sections on those articles at this point. Sorting the sane points, optimism, objective criticisms, etc. from the insane stuff requires more brainpower than I want to spare for something like that. I've been trying to expose myself to less of that stuff recently.

@ThanosReXXX ...Which still means I should probably take it easy on the drinks in any case at the Christmas party. XD I get along with most of the people I see on a day-to-day basis just fine, but we're also quarantined off from a lot of the company for the most part; my team is situated in a unit across the street in a building the company owns along with some other businesses. A few of the requests that have come through the pipe from over there have been...odd, to say the least. I'm so glad our support team and the managers filter through some of that, or else we would have likely appended a program that runs a toaster that displays memes or something.

Funnily enough, I joked with my coworker before we met up to head to the event via text message. I asked them if they were ready to risk committing involuntary manslaughter.

Drinking and driving is definitely never okay in my book either. If someone wants to get past the tipsy point, that's up to them. I just hope they'd have the sense in advance to give their keys to a DD or another trustworthy person or to arrange a ride home. I've not been directly affected by drunk driving, but I do know someone who is VERY lucky to be alive after getting behind the wheel several years ago. They're still here, but the vehicle they were driving? It was hauled to their high school on a trailer, at the insistence of the parents, to set an example of what NOT to do.

@Tyranexx “Sorting the sane points, optimism, objective criticisms, etc. from the insane stuff requires more brainpower than I want to spare for something like that.”

So true. 😂 Well said.

I'm really not sure if it's me that's changed or the general atmosphere online. But more and more I've felt like there is nothing but negativity in nearly any thread or comment section I visit anymore. I felt like I got away from it when I left mainstream social media sites like Facebook, and I never heavily used Twitter or Reddit.

Talking to my coworker over lunch yesterday and he says it's because it's just easier for people to criticize and attack. And I happen to think people are more likely to say what they don't like, than what they do...

For anyone with telescope AND SOLAR FILTER in North & South America, transit of Mercury going on right now, and for the next 3 hours. Ends 11:15am eastern time US. Probably just me & a tumbleweed care on here. But it's cool to check out if looking at a planet or galaxy appeals to you. Transit of Mercury is when the planet Mercury passes in front of the sun. Too tiny to see with solar eclipse glasses. (it's the lower black dot in the example pic)

https://www.techexplorist.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Tran...

Edit: Viewing area:
http://www.eclipsewise.com/oh/oh-figures/tm2019-Fig02a.gif

@Woomy_NNYes
Not happened in my country Indonesia (Mercury transit 2019)

@NotTelevision Yeah, I know someone like that alright... Suffice to say that little more than half a lifetime ago,
I sat next to one of those over-confident drivers. He had borrowed his father's Mercedes, and we went to the city with a group of friends, while out camping, to look for the local disco or bar. We did find several, and had a good time, but on the way back, no one was able to convince him to hand over the keys.

So, against all our better judgments, we got into the car with him. It was pretty crowded too, me and another friend sitting on the front passenger seat, and four in the back. Now imagine this: pitch dark, only some yellow light lanterns on the road, which was what we call a B-road over here (not a freeway, but also not quite a country road, so more like a smaller, two lane asphalt road), which drives past a lot of farm lands, with ditches on both sides of the road.

Of course, no one was sober anymore, so while he was driving, we were talking and singing and what not, when all of a sudden, you felt the car swerve to the right, wheels bouncing over uneven surfaces, and then the car coming to a sudden stop, bumping into something...

Luckily not too hard, because we weren't driving that fast, so no one flew through the car or the windshield, but the first thing I saw when I looked through that wind shield was both pretty harrowing and sobering:

If we had been driving any faster, we'd probably all be taking an involuntary dive in the ditch...

To this day, I'm VERY glad we survived that. Suffice to say that we drove what little was left of the way home even slower than we already had, and none of our parents ever got to find out. I don't even know anymore what excuse my friend told his father, to explain away the dent on the nose of the Mercedes...

@Tyranexx Of course, you should ALWAYS take it easy, especially if you're either the designated driver, or a person who already speaks easily and freely when not inebriated. Then again: from our previous discussions,
I didn't really get the impression that you fall into that second category, so if you don't have to drive, I wouldn't be too worried, if I were you. And from what you also already told me, you don't even drink that much to begin with, so I think you're safe on all counts...

As for knowing someone who's lucky to be alive: see the story above the comment directed at you...

@Heavyarms55 I'd say your friend hit the nail right on the head. And it is true, unfortunately. Being negative is FAR more easy than being, or staying positive, ESPECIALLY in this day and age, when everyone has an incessant need to express his or her opinion, or wants to post their every brain fart for the entire world to see, no matter how useless or insulting.

Saying something negative is quick, mindless, and anyone can do it. Being positive or constructive, takes conscious thought, and putting together a string of reasoning, and of course, in today's fast online world, you just KNOW that you're going to put yourself right in the middle of a sh** storm, because half of the world or the local community of whatever website you're on, is going to disagree with you, or dislike your comment. Even on here, there's articles where only ever a royal handful of sane and positive people are posting actually thoughtful and normal comments.

Like I always say: the internet, and it's online anonymity, gave many more people a voice. And it also gave a voice to certain people who never should have gotten one in the first place.

I'm all for democracy, and freedom of speech, but if all you do with that freedom is whine, b**** and moan about every damn thing or person that doesn't agree with you or your views, then far as I'm concerned, you're not the person who these inalienable rights were meant for...

@ThanosReXXX "Saying something negative is quick, mindless, and anyone can do it."

While this is true you don't believe that all negative comments are mindless and NOT constructive right?

It is very easy to point out flaws but if you are a die hard fan of something it is also very easy to point out positives. Does that mean that the fan of something that only says positive things is mindless because he is not able to see the negatives?

I think we can assume that the 50/50 rule or 60/40 is more appropriate in regards of constructive criticism. The bias will always be present in ALL kind of opinions.

But I agree that opinions of this kind "This suxxxx because it is idiotic and pathetic!" are mindless indeed.

@Zuljaras Of course, but I don't consider that as something truly positive. Blind support of any side is stupid.

But the rest stands: true positivity takes rational thought, and being able to support that thought with sound reasoning. The opposite of that would be constructive criticism, which can also have its benefits, but the downright insane negativity found online sometimes, or rather: more and more, doesn't even come remotely close to being constructive and/or sound criticism. Nine out of ten times, it's either just "because my opinion is fact" or "this company hurt my feelings because they didn't listen to what I want". Me, me, me and all that...

@ThanosReXXX I agree. But that line is so hard to be seen outside of the obvious trolling ofc.

The best situation I have seen was:
"1. I know that my point is correct.
2. And I know that My point is correct.

1. You are free to think what you want, take care.
2. You too!"
   However most of them are you are "toxic", "why even post if you don't like it", "omg haters" etc.
   And this is not only here, But I must admit that NL forums are mostly civil.

@Zuljaras Well, even in that second example, you don't even know if that is well-meant or negative, or you can probably expect it, depending on the person it's coming from...

@Tyranexx I can't help but agree, I've been avoiding most Pokemon articles because of how some fans have gotten over Sword and Shield. Personally, I tend to be more optimistic and positive with games, and I'm more of a casual Pokemon fan. I don't have the time to play the games as much as I use to, but will still enjoy them when I do play them. Also, outside my brother, I don't know anyone who actually caught 'em all.

I do plan to play the new Pokemon game, though much later on as I have other games that interest me more at the moment, the new Mario & Sonic Olympics and New Super Lucky's Tale. I want to play the latter more since I love Super Lucky's Tale on PC, and I was playing it for PC last night.

@Woomy_NNYes This actually does appeal to me a bit, I actually watched the 2017 solar eclipse using a cereal box pinhole projector as a safe way to watch it. Given how small Mercury is, I doubt that will work, so I'll keep peeking at it online.

@Sunsy i can only see it with 30x power. I've got a spotting scope with solar filter. I can't see it with eclipse glasses, or my quick pinhole job. If you try projecting it on something, it must be smooth and clean, like blank paper, to see detail this fine.

I had another one of those recurrent “back at Disneyland” dreams. However it was kinda unique since this time I did get to get on one of the dream rides (they usually end before I can). I still remember the dream quite clearly so I figured it would be fun to write it down.

It seems to be based off on the fact that I wanted to ride the Matterhorn bobsleds during our last visit in January, but wasn’t able to. However, even though the outside looked like Matterhorn, I’m fairly certain my brain completely made up the contents of the ride.

It started with the bobsled-kinda-looking-cart going up into an area decorated like the solar system, for whatever reason. It was pretty, if out of place. After that it went through a more appropriate short section in what looked like ice caverns, before the cart got into the next section.

It was a dark Industrial looking room, with shiny metal appliances and pipes in the background. Probably inspired by me playing Luigi’s Mansion 3 before bed. However, the main attraction in this section was the big projection of Pennywise’s (the clown) face on the wall, looking a bit cartoonier, but still trying to be scary. After some minor hauntings in the room, I got to see the clown being constrained by none other than Carl, from Jimmy Neutron. Yeah I have no idea why Carl. Probably just memed his way into my dream.

From there the cart moved to what looked like a small Roman auditorium, but it was completely empty and the cart stopped. The usual ride malfunction recording started playing for a while, but then the lights went out, and the person started talking about how we should not leave the cart because “they” are watching us. Then the lights went back on and there were lots of faceless animatronics surrounding the area, followed by intervals of the lights going in and out and they getting closer. When they were right about to reach the cart, a hatch opened in the ground and we started going down fast.

On the way down, we were sprayed with green goo, for whatever reason, but the ride ended with us splashing into a little river like on the splash mountain ride, which rinsed it off. I think my brain wanted the goo to be the part where the ride takes a picture, but mixed it with Nickelodeon slime thanks to Carl being there earlier.

Then I remember being disappointed because that was a very short ride.

The end. I woke up after that.

@Woomy_NNYes I didn't even try, after seeing how small Mercury looked, I didn't think a pinhole projector would be able to show something that small.

Sneak peek what i was drawing just now.

Leaked of my Calendar 2020 in progress. 😅

@ThanosReXXX Ohh man. That could have been bad. That barricade is a relief compared to the ditch, that’s for sure. Good thing it was there.

Some of the countryside roads here are narrow, lack streetlights, unbarricaded, and next to big ditches or canals. It’s just a disaster waiting to happen, even for the sober.

@Sunsy I'm like that too, I am the kind of guy who isn't overly negative about games in general. Sure I don't like every single game that I've played, but I do try to find any positive aspects of games. The whole "bring back national dex" debate reminds me of how people reacted to Waluigi remaining as an assist trophy in Smash Ultimate. Not gonna lie, I got kind of annoyed every time someone said "Waluigi for Smash Ultimate" in the comments. I just wanna enjoy the game, for crying out loud!

Speaking of New Super Lucky's Tale, I just played the demo yesterday and I liked it! The controls are great and it's just bursting with charm. I might pick it up sometime.