AnthonyB's recent activity
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Comment on The Odyssey (no, not that one) | Official trailer in ~movies
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The Odyssey (no, not that one) | Official trailer
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
AnthonyB LinkWatched The Invite a few days ago. It was a lot funnier than I expected. The trailer made it seem like it was going to be slower, cringier, and maybe a tad bit creepy. Watching it with my parents...Watched The Invite a few days ago. It was a lot funnier than I expected. The trailer made it seem like it was going to be slower, cringier, and maybe a tad bit creepy. Watching it with my parents wasn't the most comfortable experience, but it was still fun nonetheless. Middle aged Seth Rogan is the best Seth Rogan.
I also saw The Apprentice for the first time. Great performance from Jeremy Strong, as usual. I'm sure he was a delight on set.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
AnthonyB Link ParentI recently went through all of the Mission: Impossible movies and MI2 stands out for its ridiculousness. I don't know if it's just a product of its time, the John Woo of it all, or what, but that...I recently went through all of the Mission: Impossible movies and MI2 stands out for its ridiculousness. I don't know if it's just a product of its time, the John Woo of it all, or what, but that movie is insane. Having said that, I'm not ashamed to admit that I thought it was the greatest movie ever made when I saw it in theaters as an 11 year old. And yeah, that Limp Bizkit theme song is a banger. When it kicks in as the bad guy realizes Cruise did a face swap with the number one henchmen? Goosebumps.
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Comment on Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO in ~news
AnthonyB Link ParentOh damn, I didn't know that they did that! Thanks for the heads up.Oh damn, I didn't know that they did that! Thanks for the heads up.
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Comment on I'm not ready to let this place go in ~tildes
AnthonyB Link ParentI did a lazy search through some old topics and I think that was around the last time something like that happened. There's a good chance I could be misremembering, but there was a stretch where...I did a lazy search through some old topics and I think that was around the last time something like that happened. There's a good chance I could be misremembering, but there was a stretch where it felt like departure posts and the airing of grievances was a regular thing, even for petty issues. The only thing I've ever had taken down was a sarcastic meta post about people leaving the site, and that was in August of 2021. I don't remember exactly what brought that on, only that there were a string of 'Here's why I'm leaving' posts.
Looking back on some older posts, it seems like we were on a good run, but it's still disappointing to see how we're still having the same conversations about the same problems. I've linked to this post in the past, but after this week it feels like it should be required reading. The conversation and the linked posts that spurred it are unbelievably (unsurprisingly?) relevant. The Simpsons 'Don't make me tap the sign' meme comes to mind.
Then there is this post from 2020 that is more broad but it also feels relevant. It's like we're always repeating the same cycle. One of my fellow white boys/spiritually white boys acts up, blowback ensues, departures, ideas for how to fix the problem, kfwyre chimes in somewhere with an exemplary comment, rinse and repeat. Same as it ever was, time is a flat circle, blah blah blah.
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Comment on I'm not ready to let this place go in ~tildes
AnthonyB Link ParentI think it's just been a while since there was drama that took over the site for a few days. Combine that with the end-of-summer-break vibe in God's post and it probably has some people feeling a...I don’t understand everyone else speaking about the most recent meta-conversations as foreshadowing the site shutting down.
I think it's just been a while since there was drama that took over the site for a few days. Combine that with the end-of-summer-break vibe in God's post and it probably has some people feeling a little rattled. I'm not sure why that's the reaction, but it's nice to know that people really care about this place.
Come to think of it, I don't know if we've had this level of drama since the great influx of '23, so this might be some of y'all's first rodeo. This has happened several times before, and almost always for the same reason. Here's to hoping that people learn from it so the next big drama can be about something completely different.
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Comment on Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO in ~news
AnthonyB (edited )Link ParentA couple of things: First, the world is a pretty big place. Any famous murderer who is at least a 4 is going to have fans. I'm not sure how serious the science behind this is, but they do have a...A couple of things:
First, the world is a pretty big place. Any famous murderer who is at least a 4 is going to have fans. I'm not sure how serious the science behind this is, but they do have a word for it.
Second, I think the memeification of Luigi is a little bit murkier than plainly idolizing him or the propaganda of the deed or whatever. Taylor Lorenz, who has been reporting on Internet and social media culture for a long time, made a video essay about the 'Somebody needs to do it' memes last year and I think it touches on your question. It's worth a watch, but the TL;DR/TMVF;DW is: frustration, despair, catharsis.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
AnthonyB Link ParentWow, now that you mention it, there is a lot of market correction potential with Inde Navarette and Jenna Ortega.And with Inde Navarette coming up out of nowhere. With this sleeper hit that's going to result in her getting an Oscar nomination and, if rumors are true, going to be Mystique in X-Men. She's already got a leg up on Ortega. Because, as we know, there's only one Latina allowed at a time. But, it does seem like she's going to be taking her place. Even if Navarette does an equal amount of bad movies, she'll still have that Oscar nomination and still have what is presumably a big franchise.
Wow, now that you mention it, there is a lot of market correction potential with Inde Navarette and Jenna Ortega.
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Comment on Josh Kushner, Bob Iger to buy Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5B in ~sports.basketball
AnthonyB (edited )LinkConspiracy take: Mark Walter is under federal investigation and sold the franchise after one year to a Kushner 🤔 Sports take: Does this mean the Vegas expansion is off the table? Personal take: As...Conspiracy take: Mark Walter is under federal investigation and sold the franchise after one year to a Kushner 🤔
Sports take: Does this mean the Vegas expansion is off the table?
Personal take: As a lifelong Lakers fan, I never thought I would miss the Buss Family Fail Sons, but here we are. I'm sorry, Jim! I take it all back! Jeanie, my queen, I was wrong about the Rambises (Rambi?), I can handle decades of mediocrity. Now my Broncos are owned by the Waltons & Condoleezza Rice, and my Lakers are owned by Bob Iger & Josh Kushner. Eww.
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One woman's message from the hell of US Immigration and Customs detention
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Comment on Is it time to include pronouns? in ~tildes
AnthonyB Link ParentLol well that is something I won't forget any time soon.Lol well that is something I won't forget any time soon.
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Comment on Is it time to include pronouns? in ~tildes
AnthonyB Link ParentWTF??! I don't where I got mixed up, but for years I thought you were a woman. Like, since 2018/2019. I usually don't make any assumptions and just base these things off of posts where someone...Honestly as a cis-gendered man I feel the same way. I’d rather someone mistake me as “she” than refer to me as “they.” (Except in the usual case of context making it indeterminate).
WTF??! I don't where I got mixed up, but for years I thought you were a woman. Like, since 2018/2019.
I usually don't make any assumptions and just base these things off of posts where someone made it clear, like with TaylorSwiftsPickles. I guess I must've made that connection because I've met a handful of girls/women named Nara? In any case, my bad if I ever misgendered you, and yes to pronouns in bios because hot damn this just melted my brain.
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Comment on Guess what? Tony P hates you, too. in ~life
AnthonyB Link ParentI was wondering if anyone on here had ever heard of him. You surprise me every day, 286437714. And yes, I had the same takeaway after reading this. When he first came across my feed ~3 years ago,...I was wondering if anyone on here had ever heard of him. You surprise me every day, 286437714. And yes, I had the same takeaway after reading this.
When he first came across my feed ~3 years ago, I was mystified. Like the author, I couldn't tell if it was performance art, incredibly subtle alt comedy, or just a socially inept person who was unable to fully grasp how he was coming off. I was sad to learn it was none of the above. At least he hasn't abandoned the positivity angle in favor of some reactionary manosphere bs.
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Comment on Guess what? Tony P hates you, too. in ~life
AnthonyB Link ParentOof. 8 years and I still don't understand the basic functions of this site. Thank youOof. 8 years and I still don't understand the basic functions of this site. Thank you
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Comment on Guess what? Tony P hates you, too. in ~life
AnthonyB Link[meta/off-topic] normally I leave myself at the mercy of the gods, but ~tech? This a profile of a hyper-niche social media personality. It's a human interest piece. Right now the other posts in...[meta/off-topic] normally I leave myself at the mercy of the gods, but ~tech? This a profile of a hyper-niche social media personality. It's a human interest piece. Right now the other posts in this group are about AI and computer hardware. How is this tech related?
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Comment on Guess what? Tony P hates you, too. in ~life
AnthonyB LinkI did not know the man on the screen, but I saw him all the time.
He’d pop up between other things in my Instagram feed: a guy playing golf, a beautiful woman, a hand running a knife sideways over the crispy skin of a piece of pork belly. I watched him walk toward the camera and point at his outfit—lavender shirt, blue slacks, purple tie—before cracking an awkward smile and crossing his arms. I watched him make dinner. That was disconcerting. He didn’t seem to be much of a cook; I’d never seen someone chop with such hesitation. He talked about how he spent his time in Washington, a city I knew pretty well. But he never did much of anything I hadn’t thought of before.
Other people started sending me videos of the man on the screen. Why is he smiling like that? Why is he putting the oil on the salmon that way? Why is he so excited about this new-development restaurant? Is this some kind of elaborate bit? I wasn’t sure, even as I kept seeing him more and more. The Washington Post profiled him and assured readers it wasn’t a bit.
The man on the screen tagged all the brands in his posts. A baseball team, a shoe company, a fast-casual food chain, an ice-cream company, a local golf course. It was hard to tell what he was being paid for and what was just a public attempt to get some free stuff. Either way, the getting seemed good. A sandwich chain flew him out to the Midwest. A ticket company sent him to a football game. He got a promo code that was also his name.
The man on the screen drew the attention of somebody on Capitol Hill. The Democratic Party was starting to panic about reaching younger people, so a senator in his late sixties ended up in a video awkwardly crossing his arms with the man on the screen. That was his thing now, the arm-crossing. He called it the “arm roll.” He had another thing, too. He called it “vibrant masculinity.” The concept wasn’t fully baked—it seemed to be about being a kind man who sometimes wore a flashy tie. Nevertheless, a few months later, he talked to another senator, a younger one who seemed to have his eyes on the presidency, about being a man.
Some people in the comments had always made fun of the man on the screen. Over time, their derision became the main attraction. They mocked his hair, his gait, the way he chose to play a Wheel of Fortune simulator after dinner. They sexualized him to belittle him: Don’t let my wife see this. It was funny, you see, because he was cleaning his apartment and talking about how he was practicing to be a caregiver for a family that he would have one day but that currently did not exist. It would have been easier to just watch the video, wonder what the point of it was, and move on, but these people kept at it. Eventually, they settled on a refrain that grew louder and louder. Hog reveal? Meaning his penis.
The man on the screen paid them no mind, at least as far as I could tell. He kept posting. He did a six-month campaign for a famous coffee-and-doughnut chain, which ended in a post about his dead grandmother and all the places he’d had coffee and doughnuts with her when he was a child. The comments were brutal. You’re pimping out your dead grandma for cash? He took the post down. The chain was cool with that. Later, though, he would tell me he regretted nothing—that his grandmother, pimped out or not, was laughing in heaven. Besides, the campaign paid him roughly $45,000.
Sometimes I wondered how the man on the screen lived with all of this.
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Guess what? Tony P hates you, too.
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Comment on The AI bailout could be baked into the AI bubble in ~finance
AnthonyB Link ParentI just finished the book Bad Company by Megan Greenwell which takes a look at the world of private equity. Holy moly. "Parasitic and generally destructive to the greater wellbeing" sums it up alright.I just finished the book Bad Company by Megan Greenwell which takes a look at the world of private equity. Holy moly. "Parasitic and generally destructive to the greater wellbeing" sums it up alright.
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Comment on China's super-rich 'in shock' and hunting for cash as Beijing issues surprise tax on offshore trusts in ~society
AnthonyB Link ParentTo clarify, I'm not saying the goal of the Apollo program was to steal land, I'm saying it wouldn't have been possible without stolen land. In that specific example, I'm saying the goal of the...To clarify, I'm not saying the goal of the Apollo program was to steal land, I'm saying it wouldn't have been possible without stolen land. In that specific example, I'm saying the goal of the Apollo program was to have a leg up in the cold war.
Personally, I don't think that was the only goal, nor do I think the CCP's only goal behind this policy is to assert its authority over its super-rich population; however, I'm not exactly qualified or interested in debating NASA's history or Chinese tax policy. The general point I'm trying to make, which seems like it was clear enough, is that we can and/or should isolate and praise/admire a good outcome, even if it is tied to something sinister or negative. China and the US each have their own massive flaws that you can tie to every policy or achievement, but that doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't recognize the things they do well.
To make a perhaps flawed analogy, if Congress and Trump in the US levied a major tax against the wealthy, but only had the IRS enforce that tax against wealthy Democratic donors, I doubt the response I'd see here would be 'well its not perfect but at least he's taxing the rich'
I don't know if that's in same ballpark though. But hey, one flawed analogy deserves another, right? Now, if in addition to that, Trump also somehow made it so that the government was no longer beholden to money or corporations, and that future administrations could rectify the enforcement problems, then I don't know, the reviews would probably be mixed.
I think where we are misaligned (and this applies to chocobean as well) is that I don't think papasquat's comment was an endorsement of any specific policy or practice like the examples you're providing.
My parents aren't able to go out to the theaters very often, so they watch a lot of new releases on the Fandango app. Last week, I heard my mother shout, "Oh my god, they have The Odyssey on here!" Fortunately, she managed to spot the difference before she spent the $20 to rent it.
This movie has been in Fandango's top-10 for the last two weeks. I assume because a lot of people thought it was Christopher Nolan's epic, however, I'm not ruling out the impact of angry dorks and hardcore AI enthusiasts. I haven't seen any press from the director, though I'll admit I am not a good googler. The studio website has some real gems though. With titles like Alien Disclosure Day, Frankenstein's Bride, Immortal Combat, and New Toy Story, it seems pretty clear what they're all about.