babypuncher's recent activity

  1. Comment on ‘Predator: Badlands’ officially rated PG-13, meant to be “boundary-pushing” in ~movies

    babypuncher
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    I think this movie really rubbed up against the ceiling of the PG-13 rating when it comes to violence. Christopher Nolan is a talented filmmaker and really knew how to make the action feel gritty...

    I think this movie really rubbed up against the ceiling of the PG-13 rating when it comes to violence. Christopher Nolan is a talented filmmaker and really knew how to make the action feel gritty and intense without being outright graphic. The prosthetics and CGI for Harvey Dent's face post-injury are another area they spent considerable time fine tuning to get exactly the right vibe while keeping it PG-13.

    2 votes
  2. Comment on ‘Predator: Badlands’ officially rated PG-13, meant to be “boundary-pushing” in ~movies

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    "Intense" means a lot of it happens or it has strong implications, "graphic" means lots of blood and/or guts. The Joker slamming a pencil through a guy's forehead in The Dark Knight is a good...

    "Intense" means a lot of it happens or it has strong implications, "graphic" means lots of blood and/or guts.

    The Joker slamming a pencil through a guy's forehead in The Dark Knight is a good example of on-screen violence that is intense but not graphic in its depiction.

    The rules get fuzzier the less human the targets of the violence are, which is probably why a science fiction movie about aliens getting hunted is able to "push boundaries".

    11 votes
  3. Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    These are hilarious, I can't believe I've never seen them before!

    These are hilarious, I can't believe I've never seen them before!

    4 votes
  4. Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    TNG was shot open matte and cropped to 4:3 in post production. Keeping the original aspect ratio it was composed for was the right call, however CBS also didn't have much choice in the matter....

    TNG was shot open matte and cropped to 4:3 in post production. Keeping the original aspect ratio it was composed for was the right call, however CBS also didn't have much choice in the matter. While the photography was open matte, no attempts were made to keep film crew and equipment out of parts of the frame that were going to be cropped out later.

    Later seasons of DS9 were actually shot with 16:9 widescreen in mind so we might see that if it ever gets a proper remaster.

    15 votes
  5. Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv

    babypuncher
    (edited )
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    The 4:3 screens these shows were originally composed for were almost certainly smaller than the letterboxed 4:3 area on any modern 16:9 TV. Just like the benefits of tall aspect ratios you point...

    The 4:3 screens these shows were originally composed for were almost certainly smaller than the letterboxed 4:3 area on any modern 16:9 TV.

    Just like the benefits of tall aspect ratios you point out, there are also very good reasons artists will choose a wide aspect ratio as well.

    This is why 16:9 was chosen for the switch to high definition. It's a decent middle ground that allows both 4:3 and 2.39:1 content to be presented with minimal pillar/letterboxing.

    5 votes
  6. Comment on Elon Musk plans to take on Wikipedia with 'Grokipedia' in ~tech

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    It would be funny if the people who believe this nonsense didn't have so much power.

    It would be funny if the people who believe this nonsense didn't have so much power.

    15 votes
  7. Comment on imgur.com geoblocks the UK in ~tech

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    are.....are they stupid or something? "We don't think this will work, and it will cause a lot of problems. Let's do it anyways!"

    are.....are they stupid or something?

    "We don't think this will work, and it will cause a lot of problems. Let's do it anyways!"

    1 vote
  8. Comment on OpenAI enables shopping directly from ChatGPT in ~tech

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I was around when people were making similarly disastrous predictions about the future of social media and we all dismissed them as reactionary.

    I was around when people were making similarly disastrous predictions about the future of social media and we all dismissed them as reactionary.

    5 votes
  9. Comment on Deus Ex Remastered | Announcement trailer in ~games

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    The iMac G3 had a considerably less capable GPU than the Gamecube

    The iMac G3 had a considerably less capable GPU than the Gamecube

  10. Comment on Starship was doomed from the beginning in ~space

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I think, at least for me, I would rather have no space program at all than one which directly enriches Elon Musk. I can directly point to ways Musk has used his money to make my day-to-day life...

    I think, at least for me, I would rather have no space program at all than one which directly enriches Elon Musk.

    I can directly point to ways Musk has used his money to make my day-to-day life worse, but I can't point to a single thing SpaceX has done that has made my life better. So as much as I love rocketry and space exploration, there simply isn't enough love there to absorb my hatred for a Nazi sympathizer who proudly deadnames his own daughter.

    So it doesn't really matter what SpaceX does at this point. Until the board of directors grows a conscience and removes Musk, I won't get excited about anything they do and I won't support giving them any amount of public money to do it.

    8 votes
  11. Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    Those figures don't sound right. $20m/episode is House of the Dragon territory, and $50m/episode would put it up there with Rings of Power.

    Those figures don't sound right. $20m/episode is House of the Dragon territory, and $50m/episode would put it up there with Rings of Power.

    1 vote
  12. Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I agree that Spocks characterization has been messy, particularly this season. However, I think him showing more emotions than in TOS is a deliberate creative choice. In TOS, Spock largely seeks...

    I agree that Spocks characterization has been messy, particularly this season. However, I think him showing more emotions than in TOS is a deliberate creative choice.

    In TOS, Spock largely seeks to ignore his emotions, culminating in TMP where we see him attempt a ritual to completely expunge them from his mind, before backing out at the last minute. This kicks off his story arc for the films where we see Spock better embrace his more human qualities.

    I believe Strange New Worlds is showing us how Spock came to view his emotions as a liability in the first place, bringing this character arc full circle.

    4 votes
  13. Comment on Looking forward to Apple Container/Containerization tool in macOS 26, an alternative to Docker in ~comp

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    where are you getting that from?

    where are you getting that from?

    2 votes
  14. Comment on NET Dollar by Cloudflare in ~finance

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    My issue here is that these "problems" with USD are not inherent to USD, they exist purely because we haven't built the infrastructure to solve them. We could build that infrastructure, and it...

    My issue here is that these "problems" with USD are not inherent to USD, they exist purely because we haven't built the infrastructure to solve them. We could build that infrastructure, and it would require many orders of magnitude less compute and energy resources than any shitcoins.

    Countries like Brazil and India have built out infrastructure that solves many of these problems but it's a tough sell in America because credit card companies and cryptobros can't make money off it

    5 votes
  15. Comment on Shopify, pulling strings at Ruby Central, forces Bundler and RubyGems takeover in ~comp

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I tried rails a few years ago and didn't find it meaningfully more straightforward than spinning up a quick asp.net app granted, I have years of dotnet experience and almost none in ruby and that...

    I tried rails a few years ago and didn't find it meaningfully more straightforward than spinning up a quick asp.net app

    granted, I have years of dotnet experience and almost none in ruby and that certainly works in asp.nets favor, but I feel most languages and frameworks designed for making web apps have gotten this stuff figured out pretty well these days.

    1 vote
  16. Comment on Are touchscreens in cars dangerous? in ~transport

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I want physical transport controls, volume knobs, and climate controls, full stop. These will always be easier to use without looking at them than any kind of touch panel. I also don't trust any...

    I want physical transport controls, volume knobs, and climate controls, full stop. These will always be easier to use without looking at them than any kind of touch panel.

    I also don't trust any car manufacturer with software. It may be flashy and up to date today, but there is no guarantee that it will still be good 5 years from now. This is why I think every infotainment system should just act as a dumb terminal for our smartphones. By outsourcing the "software" to my phone, I don't have to worry about whether my car will get some cool software feature I want. I installed iOS 26 this morning, and the infotainment system in my car just got upgraded "for free" without any input from the manufacturer, because it's just CarPlay.

    8 votes
  17. Comment on Jimmy Kimmel to return to ABC on Tuesday after show’s controversial suspension in ~tv

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    IANAL, but I believe Disney/ABC can sue uncooperative affiliates for breach of contract.

    IANAL, but I believe Disney/ABC can sue uncooperative affiliates for breach of contract.

    18 votes
  18. Comment on Are touchscreens in cars dangerous? in ~transport

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    This is just an explanation for why touchscreens are bad in cars. They have modal controls because that is what is necessary to fit everything on the screen in a usable fashion. I would argue...

    This is just an explanation for why touchscreens are bad in cars. They have modal controls because that is what is necessary to fit everything on the screen in a usable fashion.

    I would argue however that even just having dedicated buttons on the screen that don't pull up menus is still more dangerous than real physical controls. You can't feel them and they don't provide any tactile feedback, so they still require more attention to manipulate than something like a physical knob or button.

    15 votes
  19. Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    I'm skeptical Apple would let my iPhone do that without giving me controls over it.

    It'll just trickle data via your cellphone when in range.

    I'm skeptical Apple would let my iPhone do that without giving me controls over it.

    1 vote
  20. Comment on Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads in ~tech

    babypuncher
    Link Parent
    or just never connect it to the internet, like with smart TVs

    or just never connect it to the internet, like with smart TVs

    9 votes