Slashdot Mirror
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.
"Whenever you go someplace new...you should always bring a towel." - Towelie
Wanna get high?
Back in college, my house threw a "come as you come out of the shower party." Had nothing to do with Douglas Adams., and eveything to do with getting girls to show up wrapped in a towel.
We didn't have a network, or hi-speed connection, but we had a full bar, a nice bong, and a house band which are far more attractive to girls.
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!
Under this theory a deap link into a pasword protected site (like NYT) could be a contributory infringment.
Fight Spammers!
I was under the impression that Towel Day was May 25th. A quick search reveals (http://www.systemtoolbox.com/towelday/) that at least some people consider May 25th to be Towel Day...
I, presonally, have been prepping my towels for the 25th, and I don't think I'll change my plans in light of this Slashdot story.
random
For Adams' sake, I hope death is just like the total perspective vortex- he would be able to understand just how big of an impact he had on the universe.
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.
Now THAT'S what I call "deep linking".
Miko O'Sullivan
It would seem that they were trying to set things up exactly to do the sorts of things they prevented "smashed" from doing.
It's really for your own good, nobody wants to be beaten to death with their own laptop.
According to the old h2g2 site, the first towel day was May 25th, which happened to be the last Friday of the month. The author of that node therefore suggests that it always be the last Friday of the May. This explains why some people think it's May 25th and some think the last Friday of May. Where the first Thursday after May 11th came from, I have no idea. To allow those of us with sufficiently lenient casual Friday policies to participate, the last Friday of May sounds more reasonable.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
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
If I had a PDA or laptop in there you probably couldn't hear it over the chewing and slurping noises, and the more beer people drink the more likely they are to chatter noisily.
In other words, I won't be going to see Episode II anywhere that has the words "Draft House" in the name.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Agreed!
Cellular phone jammers are illegal in the USA... is anyone else up for joining me on a bill that allows (If not mandates.) jamming devices to be installed in every theatre in the country?
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
If I had a PDA or laptop in there you probably couldn't hear it over the chewing and slurping noises[...]
Having spent many an evening at Chicago's Brew & View I can say that this is just untrue; it's certainly no worse than in a normal movie theater. Moreover, many of the noises that electronic devices make are designed to catch your attention. Plus, very few foods, even in Chicago, glow; most handheld computing devices do.
In other words, I won't be going to see Episode II anywhere that has the words "Draft House" in the name.
Seeing a good, serious movie at Brew & View isn't great. But it's a great place to see something funny; the South Park movie was a blast there. And there is nowhere better see a really bad movie; between the beer and the sassy heckling from the audience, even Jar Jar Binks is tolerable.
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.
The last time someone down the isle had to take not one, not two, not three, but four calls all of them answered with "Yo HO whass the happs?!". The last pound of popcorn from my supersized popcorn bucket, 4 ounces of butter, and the bucket also hit him in the back of the head from 6 chairs over. Not only did he shut up but he left in a real big hurry when his anger was squelched by the 60+ people clapping and laughing their collective asses off. Poor sap...I almost felt bad.
Neck_of_the_Woods
#/usr/local/surf/glassy/overhead
Stream the movie to all your friends at home with your built-in webcam.
Ok some adiitional info about the Alamo Drafthouse.
Orders are taken before the show and during previews.
Staff are very quiet and make as little noise or visual (crouching once the feature presentation has started) distraction as possible.
One of the theater created bumpers before the show is a clip from the 80's version of "The Blob" where a noisy movie patron is blabbing in a normal conversation tone about what is happening on the screen and gets consumed by the blob. At which point giant block letters come on the screen to inform the Drafthouse crowd that if you talk during the the presentaion, "We'll kick your ass out."
The wireless access is very cool for the drafthouse type crowd that typically arrives 30 minutes to an hour before the showing to get their seats and order and wants something to do while waiting for the movie.
People like the guy that was acting all annoyed about being told to close his notebook are just as bad as the people that feel they have the right to leave their phones on audible ring and talk in loud voices like the theater was their own personal living room. Wireless access does not equate to the right to do whatever you want.
As a movie-aholic that frequents the Alamo Drafthouse among many of the other theaters in Austin there are times when I totally feel like this Real Life comicstrip.
If you can't have basic respect for other people trying to watch the movie stay home, please.
Once more unto the breach dear friends...
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.