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Slashback: Towel, Linkage, Drafthouse
They're also good for drying off after bathing. Snitty writes "Douglas Adams passed away a little over a year ago now, and as tradition will soon dictate the first Thursday after May 11th every year is International Towel Day. This happens to be this Thursday, so make sure you all show up to the 12:01 am showing of Attack of the Clones with your favorite lightsaber and a towel. Always know where your towel is."
Update: 05/15 00:11 GMT by T : Hmmm -- this seems to clash with a link another reader submitted, which suggests "the last Friday of every May," which this year would be the 31st.
Update: 05/15 15:00 GMT by T : D Clyde Williamson writes: "Towel Day (since I'm the guy who started it) is on May 25th every year." So ... it's not a portable feast?
Three guesses where they each get that money from. mblase writes "CNet, among others, informed its readers that Macromedia successfully countersued Adobe for patent infringement to the tune of $4.9 million, almost double the $2.8 million Adobe recently won from Macromedia. The article notes Macromedia has another patent suit against Adobe going to court in June 2003."
Listening material when Prairie Home Companion is over. Ender, Duke_of_URL writes "The second portion of Rep. Boucher's interview is up (MP3). This has been discussed previously on Slashdot."
They're also opposed to front doors. dringess writes "Wired has yet another article about deep linking. This one has some fun lawyer rebuttals. I guess I am deep linking right now!"
I especially like this quote: "... but this would set a terrible precedent implying that links have to have a certain amount of ads."
Keeps popcorn out of your keyboard, at least. smashed writes: "After being slashdotted and geekaustin'd and touted for being the first theater with wireless access .... I went to see Spider-Man tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse North in Austin. Apparently you can't have 'electronic devices on' during the feature. I was warned if I didn't shut down my laptop I had to leave by some girl that worked for the theater. The world's first Cyber-Theater my ass. Nice try, but apparently wireless users are absolutely not welcomed there when a movie is playing. I'm very disappointed. I couldn't even have my PocketPC with wireless NIC on while the movie was on. Was I taking off down the runway on an airplane? What's the point?"
Wouldn't you like a mainframe in the closet? Writing in regards to this posting on Linux on mainframes, rudy writes: "Your reference was to the first one in the series, the second one has been up for about a week and the third, and last, one in the series will go on late this week or early next."
apparently wireless users are absolutely not welcomed there when a movie is playing. I'm very disappointed. I couldn't even have my PocketPC with wireless NIC on while the movie was on.
Personally I'd be pretty pissed if the person next to me had their laptop/PDA on during the movie. The bright screen would be very annoying in a dark theatre, and the tapping of stylus or keys would drive me mad.
RIP Douglas Adams
i wonder if dying is like entering a total perspective vortex...
42, amen, and we'll miss you. looking forward to salmon of doubt and the moive.
The restrictions for the wireless theatre access is more for copy protection than anything else. No reasonable person would want to watch the movie through a slow internet connection with a web cam, but the movie studios certianly don't want it to even be considered.
-Adam
"I was warned if I didn't shut down my laptop I had to leave by some girl that worked for the theater. The world's first Cyber-Theater my ass. Nice try, but apparently wireless users are absolutely not welcomed there when a movie is playing. I'm very disappointed. I couldn't even have my PocketPC with wireless NIC on while the movie was on. Was I taking off down the runway on an airplane? What's the point?"
Good. If I'm watching a movie, I don't want the backlight from your laptop or PocketPC glaring at me, the clunking of your keyboard or beeping (or worse) from your laptop.
Cellphones have shown that there are plenty of people who have no concept of others in public places, and who can't be bothered to turn it off.
If you arrive early at a movie, and want to browse the web to pass the time, fine. Once the movie starts though, I want everything (including your mouth) shut off.
Just watch the movie. That's what you paid $10 for anyway.
If at any time in the future, someone has a laptop, ipaq, or any other glowing, clicking, beeping little device on around me in a movie theater, i reserve the right to confiscate said device and return it to them at the end of the movie... via anus.
I'm serious, movie theaters had better not allow this sort of thing.
In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
Granted, when I'm in a typical movie theatre, I kindof expect that everyone won't have thier cellphones out and their laptops running.
However, when I go to a wireless, geek based theatre, I DO expect it, and SHOULD expect it and should not be surprised in the slightest when everyone, INCLUDING ME, has this equipment running. The theatre can set the policy. Obviously they saw a market for a theatre that actually ALLOWED those very "distractions" since so many people seemed compelled to distract others. This is actually a perfect idea. Give these people a place they can go that this activity is welcome and they'll leave the rest of us alone.
Alas, apparently all is not what it seems to be.
-Restil
Play with my webcams and lights here
An excellent and sobering quote. Very good sense of perspective.
I believe the reason why laptops and other PDA-type devices aren't allowed in this theater (or others) are for reasons above just the sheer annoying blips and beeps. What about people with digital cameras stealing the movie to their laptop's HDs? I don't think Lucas or any other producer would be too happy to hear that this theater knowingly let 50 geeks in with laptops (all with the knowledge to steal his movie and distribute it via P2P/FTP/copyright-infringement-method-of-choice), let alone allowing them to be on during the movie.
Obviously you are not one to take much of an observance of life. Nor one who is a fan of british humor.
In his H^2G^2 Series, Adams took a rather playful and accurate punch at life, and nailed it on the nose. Life truly is silly. There are so many things that happen arround us every day that we take for granted as perfectly normal and yet would make anyone who was not acustomed to our lives go "What the hell?"
Life was meant to be enjoyed in a way that is condusive with happiness. The infamous "Don't Panic" mantra is one that should be taken to heart. Life does have a mysterious way of working out, and even if it doesn't, in the end we die anyway, so why should you worry that your toast was burned thismorning, or that you can't find your socks. Just take life one breath at a time and enjoy.
T Money
World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
But, isn't it just implicit that any event commemorating Douglas Adams has to be on a Thursday?
I don't know where the idea of a Friday would come from. A towel on a Thursday just makes sense. Helps you get the hang of Thursdays.
Deep Linking is exactly like Magazine #1 writing:
"There's this interesting article on page 42 in this month's Magazine #2 issue."
Would Magazine #2 sue Magazine #1 in the real world? Then why do lawyers seem to think it's perfectly normal to sue over exactly the same thing in the digital world?
I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
See Theater Schedules & Order Movie Tickets to coming shows
Do this when you're out of the theater. 5 minutes at home can get you a months worth of tickets. If you can't remember the preview you saw, then it didn't make that big of an impression on you, and you don't want to see it that bad anyway.
Messaging to Fellow Movie goers adjacent in the crowd without talking.
What makes you think they want to listen to you in the first place? And even if you're not talking, any noise or flashing indication that you have a message will be just as (or more annoying) to movie goers.
Messaging to Fellow Movie goers in adjacent screens in multi-screen venues without talking.
When the hell would you ever want to do that?
Surfing to related or official websites for the current movie showing.
What could be on those sites that is more interesting than the movie at hand? Character bios? OH JOY!
Surfing to the InternetMovieDataBase [imdb.com] for related data to movie, actors and screen writers.
Wait till you get home. The last thing we need is someone wanking off to the latest modeling pictures of Angelina Joli (sorry for the name butcher)
Connecting to promotions related to movie sponsor.
Right, cause not only do I like watching preview, I love reading advertisements while I watch my movie.
Driving the movie content in real-time via audience response in Digital Theaters.
I can see this now, some 20 year old college student pushing the button for more blood and sex while some 40 year old mom is sitting there pushing the "Cuddly Soft" button.
Ordering Food and drinks from the kitchen and bar without talking.
It would be less distracting for you to get up and get the food yourself than to have an attendent walk in and yell out "Which person ordered the double buttered grease tub bucket -o-popcorn?"
Ordering the movie soundtrack online or video releases in advance.
Once again, wait till you get home. It won't get there any faster if you order it at 12 or at 3
Watching an alternate streaming movie if the one on the big screen doesn't make it for you.
I'm sure this violates the DMCA somewhere. And not only that, but if the movie doesn't interest you, you're supposed to walk out and demand your money back, that's how theaters know which movies are doing good, which are doing ok and which just plain suck.
T Money
World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
firstly, I always figured geeks had a pretty good sense of what was the right way to act in a theater. You come in sit down and shut up. You don't do anything to annoy the other people. I swear if I see a jackass with a laptop while I'm trying to watch a movie I'm gonna knock your block off. thats just fucking rude as hell. You don't want to watch the movie and pay attention then go home. also, aren't you supposed to have your towel with you at all times anyway?
-
No, because some people's need for communication devices (doctors, for example) far, far outweighs our right to a quiet theatre. I hate phones in theatres as much as you, but sometimes there are exceptions... Plus people like me like to have their phone on silent and vibrate so I at least have the option of leaving the cinema if I feel the call is important enough to me.
Send lawyers, guns, and money!
Since Duke of URL mentioned it in his Slashback, I just wanted to pause and note.
Doesn't it suck to be persecuted when you haven't done anything wrong? I wear a mobile phone so that I am available to people I choose to make myself available to. Since I am the only one interested in the calls I receive, I have my phone perpetually set to vibrate, thus avoiding any situation where it might be inappropiate for it to ring. I can personally come up with several reasons where I might not be expecting a call, but still want to be available in an emergency. A movie theatre is one of them. To take away my ability to receive calls in a public place because others have abused that privilege is just wrong in my book.
What is wrong with me setting my phone to 'Silent' so that when I receive a call only I know about it. Reaching for my phone is no different to reaching for some more popcorn and getting up and leaving to take the call is no different to getting up to take a piss.
"She's a West Texas girl, just like me" - G.W Bush Iraqis
The books are funny mostly because they remind us how superb the radio series was (is.) The last three places I've worked have ALL had copies on the local mp3 server. They were good places to work:)
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." -- Goethe
This response fits into an annoying category that we see quite a bit on Slashdot: 'I don't have the same interests and ideas as you, so I'm going to go through your post point by point and explain that your ideas have alternatives and detractors and are therefore invalid.'
For Christ's sake, the poster listed a dozen possible uses for a new technology, some of which are personally interesting to me and some of which are not. Pointing out alternatives does not negate the creativity of the poster.
Perhaps you had this exchange in the early 90's:
Internet? Who needs it?
I can send email to my relatives!
Why email when you can call or fax?
I can do my banking online!
Why not just do it on the phone or in person?
I can check movie times online!
Why not just call the theater or look in the paper?
I know you're tempted to go through my examples and rebutt each one by pointing out why the sample online activities are actually better than the alternatives provided. Go on, you know you want to.
The only thing more exciting about technology than emerging capabilities is the creativity and imagination that leads to more USES for those capabilities. When someone proposes new uses, you are free to embrace them or not. Taking the time to point out that you personally would not do each and every one is a waste of time and makes you sound like a close-minded philistine.
Evil is the money of root.
Some people are on-call 24x7x52. And others (like me) would prefer that the babysitter can get ahold of us if something dire should happen. Of course, my phone is left on vibrate and I'd leave the theater before answering. Anyone not considerate to do likewise deserves exile to the Saturday Matinee.
I agree that laptops, PDAs, and the like should be turned off during the movie. They may not be loud, but the light is surely going to bother everyone behind you.
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
What apparently doesn't occur to you, is that there are people in this world who actually code for fun, and not only when they have a massive project due.
There are some of us who would much prefer bringing a laptop to code on during a long wait over twiddling our fingers.
'Course, a good technical book is perfectly adequate as well. But if you're in the midst of something fun, you're not gonna let something like a little movie stop you.