Random Thoughts

[Max Rockatansky]

I was thinking of Dragon's Lair II.  Space Ace popped up now and then depending on the arcade.

[ZLoth]

The timeline was:

• 1983 - Dragon's Lair
• 1984 - Space Ace
• 1990 - Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp

There were multiple issues with the laserdisc games, notably in replayability and the lack of quality of other laserdisc games that were rushed to market by 1984. While a typical arcade game was 25¢ per play, the higher costs of the laserdisc games meant that the operators were charging 50¢ or more per play, yet the arcade operators were unable to recoop their investment. The consumer-grade laserdisc players that were initially used did not hold up well, causing downtime on the games.

One notable laser game, Cliffhanger, utilized footage from the 1979 anime classic The Castle of Cagliostro in order to quickly get the game out (along with a bad dubbing job). This is one of the earliest works of Hayao Miyazaki who is considered one of Japanese animations legends having won Oscars for the films Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron, plus multiple other Oscar nominations.

Dragon's Lair was still around in arcades well into the 1990s in my area.  I never ran into the sequel cabinet though in the wild. The NES adaptation was hot trash.

Are you talking about this?

Yeah, and this is the first time I've seen this "port". Many of the computer ports at that time were bad. Fortunately, you can pick up both Dragons Lairs and Space Ace as a package dea for around $20 at Steam. I did have the opportunity to play all three games in a arcade setting.

[Max Rockatansky]

Yes, the NES port featured on an early episode of AVGN.  The idea is that you die repeatedly in absurd ways until you memorize all the hazards.  I powered through it once on an emulator in high school, even that wasn't easy.

[LilianaUwU]

You know, this whole game is all about trial and error. The only way to get through it is to memorize everything that happens. And, once again, I'd like to stress, what's the point of having an energy bar when everything kills you with one hit? ONE, FUCKING, HIT!

--AVGN

[formulanone]

You know, this whole game is all about trial and error. The only way to get through it is to memorize everything that happens. And, once again, I'd like to stress, what's the point of having an energy bar when everything kills you with one hit? ONE, FUCKING, HIT!

--AVGN

To be fair, almost every video game from the timeframe was like that: One hit/touch/error = Instant death

Space Invaders: whomp, whomp, pew, pew, boom
Barrel touches Mario: rotating death
Ghost finds Pac-Man: shrinking pie life disappearance
Battlefield tank battle: one hit and KIA
Tap another car in Pole Position: fiery explosion
Almost anything in Sinistar: beware, you'll die

[TheHighwayMan3561]

There are more modern franchises that are one-hit or quasi-one-hit deaths, like Crash Bandicoot.

[Max Rockatansky]

Do people consider Crash Bandicoot a modern franchise?  That's all early PS1 stuff to me.

[LilianaUwU]

There are more modern franchises that are one-hit or quasi-one-hit deaths, like Crash Bandicoot.

Those franchises don't send you back to the beginning of the game everytime you die like in Dragon's Lair, though.

[SectorZ]

You know, this whole game is all about trial and error. The only way to get through it is to memorize everything that happens. And, once again, I'd like to stress, what's the point of having an energy bar when everything kills you with one hit? ONE, FUCKING, HIT!

--AVGN

Other random thoughts, AVGN expired about 10 years ago. I still watch the old videos, but geez his new stuff is so unwatchable.

[Max Rockatansky]

YouTube itself got too safe when it became a big business.  It was a lot more fun with small creators, bootlegs and YouTube Poops.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

You know you are really committed to something, when you are still updating a 10 year old file. Now that is something.

[SectorZ]

You know you are really committed to something, when you are still updating a 10 year old file. Now that is something.

Some of my excel files for bicycling records are 30 years old.

[Max Rockatansky]

I keep data and facts about distance running from the past 23 years in my head.  I have a couple medals in the garage from random events I've been entered into.  Those are good enough for me.

[ZLoth]

I still have a couple of text files from the early 1990s that I now store on my server, including a set of rules from a Fidonet echo that I moderated in the early 1990s.

[ZLoth]

From CBC (Canada):

Nothing highlights the generation gap quite like when I, a boomer, stay with the adult children in my life
Each millennial child confounds us in their unique ways

Let me begin by saying that the adult children in my life are wonderful people. I love them madly, I am deeply proud of them, but they drive me crazy. I don't like admitting to the latter. I came of age in the 1960s — in an era that advocated for change and urged: "Do your own thing." But now I seem to embrace: "Why don't you do things the way we did?"

FULL ARTICLE HERE

[JayhawkCO]

tl; dr, generations are different. Older generations don't choose to embrace the things of the younger, and the younger think the things that the older generations hold onto are antiquated.

[SEWIGuy]

From CBC (Canada):

Nothing highlights the generation gap quite like when I, a boomer, stay with the adult children in my life
Each millennial child confounds us in their unique ways

Let me begin by saying that the adult children in my life are wonderful people. I love them madly, I am deeply proud of them, but they drive me crazy. I don't like admitting to the latter. I came of age in the 1960s — in an era that advocated for change and urged: "Do your own thing." But now I seem to embrace: "Why don't you do things the way we did?"

FULL ARTICLE HERE

She sounds miserable.

[roadman65]

I always wondered why tuxedos have a black stripe down the side of the trousers. So I looked it up.

Found that it copies the US Marine Honor Guard dress code. The reason why the USMC has the orange stripe on blue trousers is to cover the seam. The tuxedo inventor decided to cover the seam like the Corps and that's wear that tradition started.

Also I looked up why belts are not worn with tuxes. It's to avoid  looking casual as the inventor of that suit thought belts would take away from looking formal.

[JayhawkCO]

Also I looked up why belts are not worn with tuxes. It's to avoid  looking casual as the inventor of that suit thought belts would take away from looking formal.

In theory, this doesn't just apply to tuxes. When I used to wear suits (working remotely and not in the hospitality industry means sweats are the only suits I wear now), I was told that a well fitting suit should not require belt loops. I had suspender buttons sewn in instead, just cuz they look cool.

[formulanone]

From CBC (Canada):

Nothing highlights the generation gap quite like when I, a boomer, stay with the adult children in my life
Each millennial child confounds us in their unique ways

Let me begin by saying that the adult children in my life are wonderful people. I love them madly, I am deeply proud of them, but they drive me crazy. I don't like admitting to the latter. I came of age in the 1960s — in an era that advocated for change and urged: "Do your own thing." But now I seem to embrace: "Why don't you do things the way we did?"

FULL ARTICLE HERE

She sounds miserable.

If mass media has taught me anything, it's that Happiness is reserved for the first and last 5% of the story.

[ZLoth]

generations are different. Older generations don't choose to embrace the things of the younger, and the younger think the things that the older generations hold onto are antiquated.

Not quite. Each person has a different perspective on "what's important" in their lives, and it may not agree with the parent's definition of "what's important".

[hotdogPi]

I created this as a UV safety message, but I don't know if it's accurate enough or if it's too math-intensive for most people to understand. It's intended for my location (42°N).

To determine the approximate UV index:

Determine the number of hours away from sunrise or sunset, whichever is closer.
1 hour: 0
2 hours: 1
3 or more hours: That number. If it's astronomically fall or winter, the UV index is capped at 3.

Divide by 2 if it's overcast.
If you're wearing sunscreen, divide by the SPF number.

The recommended maximum number of hours you should be out is 3 divided by the UV index.

[SectorZ]

I created this as a UV safety message, but I don't know if it's accurate enough or if it's too math-intensive for most people to understand. It's intended for my location (42°N).

To determine the approximate UV index:

Determine the number of hours away from sunrise or sunset, whichever is closer.
1 hour: 0
2 hours: 1
3 or more hours: That number. If it's astronomically fall or winter, the UV index is capped at 3.

Divide by 2 if it's overcast.
If you're wearing sunscreen, divide by the SPF number.

The recommended maximum number of hours you should be out is 3 divided by the UV index.

Based on that last sentence I should be dead of skin cancer by now.

FWIW, Zinc Oxide sunscreen is incredible, despite what the crusty people at Consumer Reports tell everyone. I can be out for 8-10 hours in the sun and I still have trouble washing it off in the shower when I get home.

[hotdogPi]

Based on that last sentence I should be dead of skin cancer by now.

I'm personally fine well above the recommended amount, but I've found several charts that effectively give that number, such as this one:



And this one that won't embed:

https://trenchlesstechnology.com/staying-safe-sun-construction-worker-exposure-skin-cancer/

This one gives a wide range, but the number I posted above is in the middle of it:

[Scott5114]

I created this as a UV safety message, but I don't know if it's accurate enough or if it's too math-intensive for most people to understand. It's intended for my location (42°N).

To determine the approximate UV index:

Determine the number of hours away from sunrise or sunset, whichever is closer.
1 hour: 0
2 hours: 1
3 or more hours: That number. If it's astronomically fall or winter, the UV index is capped at 3.

Divide by 2 if it's overcast.
If you're wearing sunscreen, divide by the SPF number.

The recommended maximum number of hours you should be out is 3 divided by the UV index.

This seems like a fun way to try and trick your friends into dividing by zero.