thewrightmatt's recent activity

  1. Comment on My wife is going to a con this weekend and is going to get a meet&greet with Mark Hamill. I have to be at work but I'm freaking out for her. Anyone have any great meet&greet stories? in ~talk

    thewrightmatt
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    I guess this counts as a meet and greet, but really just fortunate timing on my part. I was in Vegas to attend DEFCON and after the talks for the day I went to one of the casinos to wonder around...

    I guess this counts as a meet and greet, but really just fortunate timing on my part. I was in Vegas to attend DEFCON and after the talks for the day I went to one of the casinos to wonder around and they had a neat little $BEER sponsored human foosball area. I think it was 5v5 or maybe 7v7 where you'd be strapped to a bar along with some other folks and play soccer with a beach ball.

    While I was gathering my breath once the game was over, I saw there was a poster that Landon Donovan was going to be doing signings. He is/was a big name in MLS, the top soccer league in the States and played for the national team; one of the most recognizable names of (now) former players. As luck would have it, he was going to be doing signings due to his partnership with $BEER company in the next hour or so from when I saw the poster. Even more lucky for me, I wore one of my USA jerseys on the flight over so I had something for him to sign. One of the cooler things was I had specially ordered this jersey so that it came with some national supporters group patches on the sleeves.

    I was able to grab my jersey from my room, head down to the signing area and stand in very short line. (It was kinda surreal, as one of the biggest names in US soccer, a line to have a quick conversation and get an autograph with Landon at any soccer game would have taken ages. In not widely publicized signing in Vegas, he was just a barely noticeable person at a table). Once it was my turn he kindly signed my jersey, made a quick conversation and once he saw the patch he instantly recognized it and really took time to talk to me about it. I also able to get a picture with him which was equally as awesome as getting a jersey signed. It was a really awesome little side quest for one of the things I love, while being there for a huge IT security conference; two things that I really enjoy that are completely different.

    1 vote
  2. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    thewrightmatt
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    Boo! Just kidding, young me is jealous from having to wait till Christmas back in the day. I recently got a digital one as well for myself and a helpful site is psdeals (I won't add the TLD incase...

    My wife and I, also, decided that making our young boys wait until Christmas would be too tough on them.

    Boo! Just kidding, young me is jealous from having to wait till Christmas back in the day.

    I recently got a digital one as well for myself and a helpful site is psdeals (I won't add the TLD incase it's against the rules, but a Google search will bring it up) for finding out when there's a sale on a digital edition of a game and looking at pricing history to see if it's a good deal or not.

    7 votes
  3. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    thewrightmatt
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    I would say I like the books more, but that's almost always the case (the main exception Children of Men). As streblo mentioned, they are faithful to the books. There's just a lot of details that...

    I would say I like the books more, but that's almost always the case (the main exception Children of Men). As streblo mentioned, they are faithful to the books. There's just a lot of details that can't be fit into the show due to either technical or time constraints.

    One of the nice things about the TV show is the 'aftershow' with Ty Franck and Wes Chatham that give a little bit more insight into the show and some decisions that are made on the adaption.

    3 votes
  4. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    thewrightmatt
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    Just finishing up the first book of The Expanse. I read it a year or two ago and got all caught up on all the released books at the time (I don't recall if that includes Tiamat's Wrath or not...)....

    Just finishing up the first book of The Expanse.

    I read it a year or two ago and got all caught up on all the released books at the time (I don't recall if that includes Tiamat's Wrath or not...). The game plan is to re-read all the books (and hopefully the last book whenever it comes out this year!) before the last season of the TV Show airs. I'm hoping I finish all of them before Dune releases as that's another book I'd like to re-read. The book series really helped me get back into reading again after a long break.

    This isn't reading exactly, but I got two books from the Audible settlement, one of them being We Are Legion (We are Bob). It's a fun book and reminds me a bit of Ready Player One due to the nostalgia/geek aspect. I'm enjoying it so far.

    4 votes
  5. Comment on Rob Cantor - "Shia LaBeouf" Live (2014) in ~music

    thewrightmatt
    Link Parent
    Hah, it's one of my favorite levels to play in Beat Saber (along with SandStorm that's usually just above it in my custom songs.)

    Hah, it's one of my favorite levels to play in Beat Saber (along with SandStorm that's usually just above it in my custom songs.)

    3 votes
  6. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    thewrightmatt
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    I have a hard time following Lovecraft Country, but I feel too invested to give it up. I'm hoping they'll bring it all together like Watchmen but it seems like a trip with each new episode. Still...

    I have a hard time following Lovecraft Country, but I feel too invested to give it up. I'm hoping they'll bring it all together like Watchmen but it seems like a trip with each new episode.

    Still digging Raised by Wolves and still absolutely adoring Ted Lasso, I even managed to find an AFC Richmond t-shirt. If anyone needs a good pick-me-up show, I wholeheartedly recommend Ted Lasso.

    I blew through All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur and was just fascinated by it. I really enjoyed the behind the scenes look and being able to hear conversations between players and coaches (however brief). I saw there were other teams covered in the same series and will definitely dive into those (and maybe even the American Football episodes as well.)

    1 vote
  7. Comment on What are your go-to websites and apps for desktop and mobile wallpapers? in ~talk

    thewrightmatt
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    I've used wallhaven for the past few years. I like that I can specify resolutions and has a wide variety of wallpapers

    I've used wallhaven for the past few years. I like that I can specify resolutions and has a wide variety of wallpapers

    1 vote
  8. Comment on Inside ILM: Creating the Razor Crest (From The Mandalorian) in ~tv

    thewrightmatt
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    I follow Adam Savage's Tested on YouTube and he recently posted a video talking to two folks from Industrial Light and Magic about The Mandalorian's Razor Crest in the series. I found the...

    I follow Adam Savage's Tested on YouTube and he recently posted a video talking to two folks from Industrial Light and Magic about The Mandalorian's Razor Crest in the series. I found the featurette interesting and love behind the scenes look so I figured I'd share!

    2 votes
  9. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    thewrightmatt
    Link Parent
    I agree with you about Lovecraft Country - I think it has odd pacing on some episodes but the latest one seemed much less erratic.

    I agree with you about Lovecraft Country - I think it has odd pacing on some episodes but the latest one seemed much less erratic.

    2 votes
  10. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    thewrightmatt
    Link
    Great British Bake Off - It's back! Definitely a good quarantine show. The Vow - I never knew much about the cult but remember hearing about Allison Mack being involved in a cult a while ago. An...

    Great British Bake Off - It's back! Definitely a good quarantine show.
    The Vow - I never knew much about the cult but remember hearing about Allison Mack being involved in a cult a while ago. An interesting look.
    Lovecraft Country - It's a whirlwind and the latest episode I think is one of the only episodes that I liked because of the pacing was much better than the last few, though I did like the "A History of Violence" episode.
    Challenger: The Final Flight - I knew most of the details surrounding the event but never knew much (with the exception of Christa) about the rest of the crew and their lives.

    4 votes
  11. Comment on Freedom Fighters to be re-released on GOG, Steam and Epic Games Store in ~games

    thewrightmatt
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    An old classic that I loved is getting re-released, figured other folks may care as well.

    An old classic that I loved is getting re-released, figured other folks may care as well.

    1 vote
  12. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~tech

    thewrightmatt
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    I've been using Brave lately with uBlock Origin as a fallback for ad-blocking, Dark Reader and my password manager. I like the sense of privacy and protection (also has built in HTTP Everywhere)...

    I've been using Brave lately with uBlock Origin as a fallback for ad-blocking, Dark Reader and my password manager. I like the sense of privacy and protection (also has built in HTTP Everywhere) in Brave and I fire up Chrome when I need to see if its Brave that's blocking some content on a site or my Pi-hole.

    5 votes
  13. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    thewrightmatt
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    I just started Hyperion after seeing it recommended somewhere (either here or Reddit) I think after I saw some discussion on the 1st Dune book which I loved. So far it's alright, I'm not...

    I just started Hyperion after seeing it recommended somewhere (either here or Reddit) I think after I saw some discussion on the 1st Dune book which I loved. So far it's alright, I'm not particularly enjoying that it seems the majority (I'm about ~40-50% done) of the book will be about the pasts of the initial characters but I am interested in the main storyline so far.

    After this I may give Old Man's War a shot and then start again on the Expanse books. I absolutely loved the Expanse books and stopped reading because I was waiting for the authors to finish up the rest of the books and didn't want to wait. I'll probably start from the beginning and just re-read them all.

    5 votes
  14. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    thewrightmatt
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    I was reading Tribe of Hackers and one of the books that popped up a lot under recommendations from the people was The Cuckoo's Egg. I'm about halfway through the book and I love it.

    I was reading Tribe of Hackers and one of the books that popped up a lot under recommendations from the people was The Cuckoo's Egg. I'm about halfway through the book and I love it.

    The Cuckoo's Egg Takes place in the mid eighties at Berkeley and follows Cliff Stoll, an astronomer turned cyber-sleuth when the department's accounting software turns up with a discrepancy one month. After an investigation into the accounting software, Cliff finds the footprints of an unknown party and begins the chase.

    1 vote
  15. Comment on MLS Week 8: All Matches Discussion in ~sports.football

    thewrightmatt
    (edited )
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    CHIvCOL - Ongoing but nice to see Djordie get his first goal and it looks like they may pull out a win in front of fans (as opposed to the stadium being empty like normal for being in BFE). Dax...

    CHIvCOL - Ongoing but nice to see Djordie get his first goal and it looks like they may pull out a win in front of fans (as opposed to the stadium being empty like normal for being in BFE). Dax with a great pass for Chicago's second goal. I'm hoping they'll finish up with a win. Also nice to see Katai get his first goal of the season. I thought the use of VAR for the red card was a good call, dangerous tackle. Jesse's having a great game.

    ATLvFCD - Missed the first 25 minutes of the ATLvFCD because I have ESPN+ and Sling Orange+Blue but ESPNews isn't included in either of those packages so I was able to find a stream. Super frustrating to try and do something legally and get screwed so I just cancelled my Roku and am moving over to YouTube TV. Anywho, I thought it was a great game, Pomykal did well and was pleased to see the Acosta goal.

    Hopefully your Timbers don't get screwed by lack of VAR calls again u/maze.

    2 votes
  16. Comment on MLS Week 3: All Match Discussions in ~sports.football

    thewrightmatt
    Link Parent
    Probably not what you were hoping for, but I'm glad FCC got a great win on their home opener.

    Probably not what you were hoping for, but I'm glad FCC got a great win on their home opener.

    1 vote
  17. Comment on MLS Week 3: All Match Discussions in ~sports.football

    thewrightmatt
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    I was able to catch the first part of the Fire game and yup, it's still the Dumpster Fire, though I'm glad it wasn't a shutout at least. Attendance looked abysmal as usual (I remember when I was...

    I was able to catch the first part of the Fire game and yup, it's still the Dumpster Fire, though I'm glad it wasn't a shutout at least. Attendance looked abysmal as usual (I remember when I was back in Texas I could almost always look forward to beating the Fire in attendance). They got a new investor last year and I was hoping for something to drastically change but that doesn't appear like it'll be in the cards. I'm still hoping they're able to get rid of the Bridgeview stadium. Hell, I'd be content if they fold the team for a year and rebrand.

    I'm looking forward to watching the FCC game and I'm glad they were able to get a sellout for the first home game. I hope they have the same success when they get their stadium completed (I don't know anything about it, but hopefully it's in a good location). Will you have any pictures to share @maze?

    2 votes
  18. Comment on MLS Week 3: All Match Discussions in ~sports.football

    thewrightmatt
    (edited )
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    Highlights Seattle Sounders @ Chicago Fire FC Dallas @ Columbus Crew Vancouver Whitecaps @ Houston Dynamo San Jose Earthquakes @ New York Red Bulls Montreal Impact @ Orlando City SC Real Salt Lake...
    2 votes