If you're such a big cinema fan you should try the festivals, and foreign films. Hollywood is just going through a bad period. It had several Golden Ages throughout the decades, now it's in a rut. All film industries have their good and bad periods. Check out Korean cinema - it's fantastic right now(whereas 10 years ago it was awful). Italian, and South African are amazing too. Avoid the Asian horror - it's cliched commercial tripe now, but stick to the Asian dramas, a lot of excellent films. You'll see these films at a lot of festivals, including many excellent independant American ones.
The truth is, films aren't worse now than any other period. In fact, I'll say there are more better films now than ever before, since equipment is much cheaper and within the reach of talented young writers and directors, who ten, twenty years ago might have given up their dreams and gone back to just journalism, or whatever put food on the table. The problem with Hollywood currently is the distribution system is heavily based on the same marketing principles that govern regular products like clothes, music, fashion, which means cool, original, interesting artistic films tend to be sidelined in favour of more commercial films. This makes perfect business sense, since it's clearly making them money, but it makes others outside of obsessive film fans believe there are no good films anymore.
Great films are still being made, you just have to know where to find them.
The theatre experience is not dead - far from it. You're just not as much of a cinema fan as some people are, in the same way that most people will watch football on TV but they're not as dedicated as fans who'll go see any game live. If there's ever a film that's perfect to see with a crowd, not just for the quality of the film, but for the experience of seeing it in a packed theatre, it's Snakes on a Plane.
Now, I have no interest in seeing this film, personally, so I won't. There's a film festival on here and there are already too many films to see, and not enough time. But I have to disagree with you that the theatre experience is dead. I see film fans all the time, and though they, like me have extensive DVD collections, there's a magic about seeing films on the big screen, even if there are other people around. Sometimes other people are a pain, and sometimes if their mood is in sync with yours, then it can be an added bonus. Would you rather see your favourite comedian in an empty room where you're the only guy there, or would you prefer a busy comedy club with a great atmosphere, and laughter everywhere? You might either way, but the experience sure will be different.
Human beings are social creatures, and though we love to watch movies, tv shows, read books in the privacy of our own homes, it's not NATURAL to do this all the time, and social environments are natural to be in and can enhance a cinematic experience (and take away from it also).
Being a young guy with no children, and living next to a cinema, I don't have to worry about some of the extra costs you incure, but if you don't like the theatre so much then that's cool, it's your opinion. However, the theatre experience is very much alive, even in the age of DVD and people stealing movies off the internet, it's still vibrant.
Not true. Proper use of credit is about paying your balance IN FULL, not making the minimum balance and letting it float. In that case, you pay only an annual fee (if you have one). And if you argue that an annual fee is extra cost, you have to weigh that against the very real costs paying and carrying cash brings to the table.
That's a fair point, but is only an issue where debit cards (or equivalent) are not accepted. Debit cards are not accepted world wide because of the understandable pressure from the credit card companies. This needs to be rectified, and debit cards need to be as widely accepted as credit cards. I believe France at the moment is experimenting with some kind of money\cash card. I'd be interested in seeing how that turns out.
Anyone who needs a credit card is already in financial trouble, despite what their ego might tell them. Statistically very few people pay off their credit card balance in full.
Want to borrow some money? I'll give you a grace period, and a lower rate of interest than the credit cards.
I happen to know a great deal about grace periods, and they're another scam the credit card industry uses to fleece people out of money. The industry also has a series of terms to describe people who believe this - but my favourite is "Sucker".
Look, I don't mean to insult you, or insult the industry. The credit industry is full of amazing businessmen who I admire and study, but they're not your friends. You're a walking statistic - just because you believe you haven't paid any money yet doesn't mean you never will.
Like I said in an earlier post - the fact that you even use a credit card regularly (as opposed to interest free debit cards which I use all the time) indicates that you are not in control of your money. If you were then you'd never have to defer payment at all.
This is totally logical, and I don't understand why people are having so much trouble with it.
If you've got money then you don't need to defer payment until a later date...
If you don't have money, and put purchases on a credit card, you're pretty much unlikely to have that money at all on the due date...
Therefore, you make small payments monthly, which seem reasonable, and you do a quick calculation in your head. $2000 at 15% APR, with minimum payments I should owe $2300 in total.. that's not bad - it's a small price to pay.
The reality of it is that $2000 at 15% APR using the default minimum payments as laid out in the terms of your contract will take over thirty years to pay back, and the end payment will be over $10,000
This is why the credit industry is a trillion dollar industry. The fact that you even own a credit card means the industry, based on your financial records, already believe you to be another source of profit for them. Meaning, you're paying more back than you borrow.
Bottom line - Everything you pay with the card costs more.
Uhh, no it doesn't. I get to pay later and get 1% cash back. As long as I make my payments it is a smart thing to do.
LOL - It's compound interest working against you. Calculate it and you'll see. Most people only think in terms of the next few months of payments. The credit industry isn't a trillion dollar industry because they give people 1% cash back.
One thing is certain - barring a few lucky accidents, in a 100 years the human race as we know it will be dead. Everyone. That's a fact. Enjoy your day!
...is a really nifty player. I just tried it. I can't believe I never heard of this before. Anyone else like it? I was using Media Player Classic but that still makes things awkward: like reverse is simple to do on my set top DVD player yet a pain with MPC. It's a frickin' breeze with this program. It works more like a normal DVD player. The only problem is the skin is ugly, but I'm sure I can change that.
I used to be a part of SETI@Home, but I've since decided to donate my cycles to something more pressing like AIDS and climate prediction.
I was going to donate my cycles to AIDS research, but then i thought - the best cure for AIDS is not having sex, so why not just get everyone to subscribe to slashdot!
No the answer to all of those questions is he paid money for the merchandise because he couldn't download it for free, so asking further questions is moot.
Apple do what they do very well, but they also market extremely well, and a lot of suckers are attracted to their products because they think they're "cool", such as this nonsensical obsession with iPods.. I listen to music while I'm running, walking to work etc all the time (for several hours a day) - I'm the kind of person that would get a huge amount of use out of such a product, yet I still don't feel I need one. My 256MB flash player does the job superbly, is lighter and the single AA battery lasts longer. I'm not saying iPod isn't a great product, all of these Hard Disc music players are great.. but i don't think the majority of people who bought them bought them out of necessity, or even just want but simply because it was cool, it was fashionable.
There are a lot of suckers out there, and many slaves to the marketing machine that is Apple, and I bet even most geeks blindly believe "tech specs" and out of context benchmarks if it gives them a good excuse to be fashionable, have the latesty trendy useless gimmick, and for bonus points, send Microsoft a Fuck You.
Also, what's with macs and Hollywood? Pretty much everyone I know who works in the film industry owns a mac. Is it because of the product placement Apple likes to do? They swear they're better without knowing much about them, or even knowing what Linux is.
Paying for merchandise at their concert entitles you to steal their product? If you support the band why don't you put your hand into your miserly pocket and go out and buy it, and stop coming up for excuses to justify what is essentially theft (and hypocrisy).
Slashdot Mirror
The truth is, films aren't worse now than any other period. In fact, I'll say there are more better films now than ever before, since equipment is much cheaper and within the reach of talented young writers and directors, who ten, twenty years ago might have given up their dreams and gone back to just journalism, or whatever put food on the table. The problem with Hollywood currently is the distribution system is heavily based on the same marketing principles that govern regular products like clothes, music, fashion, which means cool, original, interesting artistic films tend to be sidelined in favour of more commercial films. This makes perfect business sense, since it's clearly making them money, but it makes others outside of obsessive film fans believe there are no good films anymore.
Great films are still being made, you just have to know where to find them.
Now, I have no interest in seeing this film, personally, so I won't. There's a film festival on here and there are already too many films to see, and not enough time. But I have to disagree with you that the theatre experience is dead. I see film fans all the time, and though they, like me have extensive DVD collections, there's a magic about seeing films on the big screen, even if there are other people around. Sometimes other people are a pain, and sometimes if their mood is in sync with yours, then it can be an added bonus. Would you rather see your favourite comedian in an empty room where you're the only guy there, or would you prefer a busy comedy club with a great atmosphere, and laughter everywhere? You might either way, but the experience sure will be different.
Human beings are social creatures, and though we love to watch movies, tv shows, read books in the privacy of our own homes, it's not NATURAL to do this all the time, and social environments are natural to be in and can enhance a cinematic experience (and take away from it also).
Being a young guy with no children, and living next to a cinema, I don't have to worry about some of the extra costs you incure, but if you don't like the theatre so much then that's cool, it's your opinion. However, the theatre experience is very much alive, even in the age of DVD and people stealing movies off the internet, it's still vibrant.
touché
This was an attack on the UK - we're not the 51st state yet
That's a fair point, but is only an issue where debit cards (or equivalent) are not accepted. Debit cards are not accepted world wide because of the understandable pressure from the credit card companies. This needs to be rectified, and debit cards need to be as widely accepted as credit cards. I believe France at the moment is experimenting with some kind of money\cash card. I'd be interested in seeing how that turns out.
Anyone who needs a credit card is already in financial trouble, despite what their ego might tell them. Statistically very few people pay off their credit card balance in full.
Want to borrow some money? I'll give you a grace period, and a lower rate of interest than the credit cards.
I happen to know a great deal about grace periods, and they're another scam the credit card industry uses to fleece people out of money. The industry also has a series of terms to describe people who believe this - but my favourite is "Sucker".
Look, I don't mean to insult you, or insult the industry. The credit industry is full of amazing businessmen who I admire and study, but they're not your friends. You're a walking statistic - just because you believe you haven't paid any money yet doesn't mean you never will.
Like I said in an earlier post - the fact that you even use a credit card regularly (as opposed to interest free debit cards which I use all the time) indicates that you are not in control of your money. If you were then you'd never have to defer payment at all.
This is totally logical, and I don't understand why people are having so much trouble with it.
If you don't have money, and put purchases on a credit card, you're pretty much unlikely to have that money at all on the due date...
Therefore, you make small payments monthly, which seem reasonable, and you do a quick calculation in your head. $2000 at 15% APR, with minimum payments I should owe $2300 in total.. that's not bad - it's a small price to pay.
The reality of it is that $2000 at 15% APR using the default minimum payments as laid out in the terms of your contract will take over thirty years to pay back, and the end payment will be over $10,000
This is why the credit industry is a trillion dollar industry. The fact that you even own a credit card means the industry, based on your financial records, already believe you to be another source of profit for them. Meaning, you're paying more back than you borrow.
Bottom line - Everything you pay with the card costs more.
LOL - It's compound interest working against you. Calculate it and you'll see. Most people only think in terms of the next few months of payments. The credit industry isn't a trillion dollar industry because they give people 1% cash back.
Smart businessmen don't pay with credit cards since it makes everything costs more
One thing is certain - barring a few lucky accidents, in a 100 years the human race as we know it will be dead. Everyone. That's a fact. Enjoy your day!
...is a really nifty player. I just tried it. I can't believe I never heard of this before. Anyone else like it? I was using Media Player Classic but that still makes things awkward: like reverse is simple to do on my set top DVD player yet a pain with MPC. It's a frickin' breeze with this program. It works more like a normal DVD player. The only problem is the skin is ugly, but I'm sure I can change that.
I used to be a part of SETI@Home, but I've since decided to donate my cycles to something more pressing like AIDS and climate prediction.
I was going to donate my cycles to AIDS research, but then i thought - the best cure for AIDS is not having sex, so why not just get everyone to subscribe to slashdot!
That wasn't a debunk, that was a rant. They could have acted a little more professionally.
I rest my case.
That's the stupidest analogy I've ever read - did you actually compare file sharing\publishing to driving cars?
What's the fuss? I thought we all used OpenOffice, don't we? DONT WE? Free software is better right...right???
It doesn't matter if they have to charge for it - slashdotters will just pirate it anyway, because um... information wants to be free.
404 - Funny not found
Note that I made this point clear in my post.
No the answer to all of those questions is he paid money for the merchandise because he couldn't download it for free, so asking further questions is moot.
"cool" = "hip" = "follower" = "sucker"
There are a lot of suckers out there, and many slaves to the marketing machine that is Apple, and I bet even most geeks blindly believe "tech specs" and out of context benchmarks if it gives them a good excuse to be fashionable, have the latesty trendy useless gimmick, and for bonus points, send Microsoft a Fuck You.
Also, what's with macs and Hollywood? Pretty much everyone I know who works in the film industry owns a mac. Is it because of the product placement Apple likes to do? They swear they're better without knowing much about them, or even knowing what Linux is.
Paying for merchandise at their concert entitles you to steal their product? If you support the band why don't you put your hand into your miserly pocket and go out and buy it, and stop coming up for excuses to justify what is essentially theft (and hypocrisy).
Is it wrong of me to not care about the civil rights issue, but instead that she's one very cute nerd!
404.. Funny Not Found