smiles134's recent activity

  1. Comment on Maybe there was an egg cartel after all in ~food

    smiles134
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    Of course they are, considering they spent the entire run up to the election harping about the price of eggs, only for Trump to get into office and claim prices were fine and not his problem.

    The U.S. Department of Justice has been very quiet about a slap-on-the-wrist proposed settlement.

    Of course they are, considering they spent the entire run up to the election harping about the price of eggs, only for Trump to get into office and claim prices were fine and not his problem.

    8 votes

  2. Comment on How Los Angeles Dodgers' three-peat hopes ended with NLCS loss to Milwaukee Brewers in ~sports.baseball

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    I have been a lifelong Brewers fan. My dad is from Wisconsin, and we moved to the Milwaukee area when I was 7. I saw Geoff Jenkins destroy his ankle at third base in person and was inconsolable. I...

    I have been a lifelong Brewers fan. My dad is from Wisconsin, and we moved to the Milwaukee area when I was 7. I saw Geoff Jenkins destroy his ankle at third base in person and was inconsolable. I watched Russell Branyan hit a ball almost 500 feet. I was there when Randy Johnson hit the lone HR of his career (against us). I was there when Shawn Marcum hit a grand slam as a pitcher! (in a game that we'd go on to lose). I watched us trade away Richie Sexson—I watched us bring up Rickie Weeks, and Prince Fielder, and Ryan Braun. These guys were the guys when I was a kid. I watched CC Sabathia throw a no hitter in Pittsburgh, no matter what MLB has to say about that.

    I remember dancing around my basement with my dad in 2005 when we finally finally avoided a losing season by getting 81 wins. That felt like, for a long time, as good as it was going to get. We had glimpses of success—2008, just making it to the playoffs was a miracle. Then 2011, with Nyjer Morgan's walkoff. And again in 2018, when we finally were right on the cusp... just to get knocked out in game 7 by the Dodgers.

    I really cannot overstate what this series, this season, has felt like. I want to win a World Series, finally, for Milwaukee, but man, just making it this far.

    I called my dad last night as soon as Chourio caught the last out, and he said, "Hey, guess what, we're going to the World Series."

    I cried.

    16 votes

  3. Comment on Oh, Sleeper - The Pitch (2013) in ~music

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    Oh yeah I'm always here for some Oh, Sleeper. They're probably the most underrated metalcore band from that era. I have a pic of me with Micah at Warped Tour sometime around 2011/2012, and I...

    Oh yeah I'm always here for some Oh, Sleeper. They're probably the most underrated metalcore band from that era. I have a pic of me with Micah at Warped Tour sometime around 2011/2012, and I caught a drumstick from Zac at that show too.

    "Hush Yael" rules, Son of the Morning rules, When I Am God rules.

    And to be clear, Children of Fire also rules but "Hush Yael" is such a good song it deserved special mention.

    I think the EP and album that came after Children of Fire weren't as good but I will 100% buy tickets to see them whenever they come back around where I'm at.

    3 votes

  4. Comment on Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin returning for ‘Sicario 3’. Padraic McKinley to direct Steven Knight’s screenplay. in ~movies

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    Not sure if I'm interested without Villeneuve or Sheridan attached.

    Not sure if I'm interested without Villeneuve or Sheridan attached.

    3 votes

  5. Comment on Jon Watts is our ‘Star Wars: Episode X’ director in ~movies

    smiles134
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    I basically had this same conversation elsewhere with the same examples, and even the same context as the convo started in response to this announcement. For me, Andor is a terrific example of the...

    I basically had this same conversation elsewhere with the same examples, and even the same context as the convo started in response to this announcement.

    For me, Andor is a terrific example of the kind of story that could be told in Star Wars -- yeah, the story itself isn't star wars centric, and is mostly using the universe as backdrop, but that's the point for me. It's telling a great story in that world, and it doesn't have to be focused on jedi and sith.

    Conversely, I didn't bother watching The Acolyte because I'd already been worn down by the number and quality of shows that had been released in quick succession. It just became too much with diminishing returns.

    3 votes

  6. Comment on Comerica Park will be renamed to Fifth Third Park starting in 2027 in ~sports.baseball

    smiles134
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    Wait you like KFC Yum! Arena? Genuinely haven't heard anyone say they liked that one before lol

    Wait you like KFC Yum! Arena?

    Genuinely haven't heard anyone say they liked that one before lol

    1 vote

  7. Comment on The doomsday cult inside OpenAI in ~tech

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    If they sincerely believed the technology they were in charge of could one day bring about the end of humanity, the move is not to beg someone else to put guardrails in, it's to stop fucking...

    If they sincerely believed the technology they were in charge of could one day bring about the end of humanity, the move is not to beg someone else to put guardrails in, it's to stop fucking building the technology.

    These people are not motivated by anything but profit.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on What are the genuinely worst films of all time? in ~movies

    smiles134
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    Oh yeah this is a a big stinker. I love a noir but what in the fuck was the ending of this movie.

    Oh yeah this is a a big stinker. I love a noir but what in the fuck was the ending of this movie.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on [SOLVED] Hunting for a movie in ~movies

  10. Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

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    I watched a lot of movies in August -- I think the most movies in a month this year for me. A couple rewatches (The Big Short and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse). Biggest duds: Mission...

    I watched a lot of movies in August -- I think the most movies in a month this year for me. A couple rewatches (The Big Short and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse).

    Biggest duds:

    • Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Just, what the fuck was this movie. The first, like, hour of the movie is incomprehensible with random intercuts of scenes from previous movies because I guess they had no faith that the audience would remember anything at all. It eventually settles into a rhythm but never tells a very interesting story. I lost track of how many characters gush to Tom Cruise how awesome and good he is.

    • White Noise. I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. I love Adam Driver, and Tim Meadows was fantastic. I enjoyed the academia scenes the most (as someone who went to grad school thinking I wanted to be a professor but decided I really did not want to work in that environment). But the dialogue just didn't work for me. It works far better on the page than it does actually spoken aloud. There's a great scene that I swear could've been cut from a National Lampoon's Vacation movie, but overall I felt like it just missed the mark.

    • The Sheep Detectives. Honestly I did like this movie but I had a lot of people talk it up to me as being very moving, and it just felt like a very standard family movie to me.

    Movies I greatly enjoyed:

    • Anatomy of a Fall. This was a long movie but very good. The actor who played the kid was great, the scene with the dog was extremely distressing, and I loved that you never really know what happened. The whole movie is about where we look for answers when the truth is uncertain, so that worked for me. I love legal dramas, and holy shit the French legal system seems fucked?

    • Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. This felt like a movie they just don't make much of anymore. Very fun, extremely weird. Sam Rockwell was great.

    • Everything Everywhere All at Once. What a weird and incredibly profound movie. Blows my mind that this was taken seriously enough to win Best Picture. I mean the central conceit is a metaphor about an everything bagel and there are weaponized dildos. Wild.

    Others:

    • Manhunter. I've been working my way through Michael Mann's oeuvre. My wife hated this but I liked it as a progenitor to things like Criminal Minds. Not my favorite of his movies, but I enjoyed it.

    • Quiz Lady. Solid, funny movie. Awkwafina and Sandra Oh had great chemistry. I definitely just threw this on in the background cause I learned it was written by the sister of a jeopardy contestant who's run earlier this year was very impressive.

    • Windfall. I hadn't heard of this movie until I was randomly scrolling through Netflix. I immediately clocked it as a COVID movie (small cast, single setting, etc.). I liked it if I thought of it as a stage production, it's fine as a movie. People seemed to really hate it online though lol

    • Donnie Brasco. I forgot Johnny Depp had a part of his career where he was just a normal guy, pre Jack Sparrow. I guess same with Al Pacino, who's much more subdued here. I thought it was funny that the movie ended and my wife turned to me and asked what the name of the movie was lol

    Ope, edit to add Backdraft. Kurt Russell rules, that is all.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on What made that wedding that you attended particularly memorable? in ~life

    smiles134
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    Yeah my wife and I compare the DJ at every wedding to ours and no one even comes close. A good DJ makes all the difference for the reception imo

    Yeah my wife and I compare the DJ at every wedding to ours and no one even comes close. A good DJ makes all the difference for the reception imo

    2 votes

  12. Comment on What made that wedding that you attended particularly memorable? in ~life

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    My wife and I hired the DJ who did my sister's wedding because we thought he was great. He was the 2nd most expensive part of the day (behind the venue) but was absolutely worth it. He coordinated...

    My wife and I hired the DJ who did my sister's wedding because we thought he was great. He was the 2nd most expensive part of the day (behind the venue) but was absolutely worth it. He coordinated with all of our vendors, MC'd the whole evening (obviously), met with us several times before the wedding to find out what we definitely wanted to do/didn't want to do, what kind of music to play, coordinated a trivia game so our guests weren't clinking glasses to get us to kiss all night, got facts about all of our bridal party so he could roast everyone during the grand march. It was great, 100% would hire him again

    3 votes

  13. Comment on How to spot a psychopath: ‘It’s like the difference between a domestic cat and a wild cat’ in ~science

    smiles134
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    We've had ten+ years to watch Trump's public behavior. I would hardly call this an impulsive reaction.

    We've had ten+ years to watch Trump's public behavior. I would hardly call this an impulsive reaction.

    3 votes

  14. Comment on How to spot a psychopath: ‘It’s like the difference between a domestic cat and a wild cat’ in ~science

    smiles134
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    You can hate him for being a fascist while also identifying the fact that his personality traits align with the topic of this post.

    You can hate him for being a fascist while also identifying the fact that his personality traits align with the topic of this post.

    7 votes

  15. Comment on [SOLVED] Hunting for a movie in ~movies

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    It's not Starship Troopers, is it?

    It's not Starship Troopers, is it?

    2 votes

  16. Comment on The most confusing Major League Baseball play of the season, a breakdown in ~sports.baseball

    smiles134
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    Red Sox / Blue Jays, not Red Sox / Cubs btw

    Red Sox / Blue Jays, not Red Sox / Cubs btw

    6 votes

  17. Comment on The Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in ~sports.baseball

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    Cap/Floor is something that probably makes sense long term but I do not see the union agreeing to it under any terms

    Cap/Floor is something that probably makes sense long term but I do not see the union agreeing to it under any terms

    2 votes

  18. Comment on The Los Angeles Dodgers acquire Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in ~sports.baseball

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    This was a trade many predicted months ago when it became clear the Tigers would not compete for a playoff spot this year, and with this acquisition the Dodgers have assembled what might be the...

    This was a trade many predicted months ago when it became clear the Tigers would not compete for a playoff spot this year, and with this acquisition the Dodgers have assembled what might be the best team in baseball history.

    I'm a Brewers fan, a team that just passed the Dodgers for the best record in baseball this season, and who were considered to be the other frontrunners for Skubal. I'm not too upset in the grand scheme of things about missing out of Skubal, largely because the Brewers have gotten to be so good in the last ten years on the strength of their prospect development, but it does feel like another peg in the argument that the Dodgers are the only team with the resources to put such a team together. It's like they're playing a whole other class of the sport compared to the other 29 teams, and with the CBA talks ongoing, it definitely seems to be progressing toward a labor dispute next season.

    4 votes

  20. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

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    I rarely DNF games but I've given up on Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts about 30% through. I got it for free through Epic so I have no problems giving up on it up but I generally like to get the...

    I rarely DNF games but I've given up on Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts about 30% through. I got it for free through Epic so I have no problems giving up on it up but I generally like to get the full picture of the game before I evaluate it. This one just never really grabbed me. It's very clearly ripping from the Sniper Elite series and isn't trying to hide that. That in itself isn't the issue, as it's also clearly pulling ideas from Hitman, at least in how it presents missions.

    My frustration mostly is in immersion, which truthfully rarely bothers me. Here, though, I'm playing an elite sniper assassin, yet as soon as one enemy spots me, the whole map is aware of exactly where I am with seemingly no way to lose their tracking. Not only that, but they're able to shoot me from distance using their unscoped assault rifles. The same distance I'm measuring wind and distance to accurately line up a shot at 300 yards. Just isn't realistic.

    The real breaking point for me was trying to complete the same mission checkpoint for the sixth time, as I kept dying right after doing the last part but right before hitting the checkpoint area. The last time I wasn't even killed, but accidentally jumped off a stairwell into an open barrel that was too tall for me to jump back out of.

    5 votes