OT: General OT MEGATHREAD (No Politics) - Read OP before posting

[Calicaps]

Changing topics for a minute: Anybody here an avid camper/backpacker?

We currently have 2 tents: A 2-person Marmot for backpacking and a 4-person Coleman for car camping. But the Marmot is 10+ years old and weighs maybe a pound less than today's 4-person lightweights and the Coleman is not durable or worth paying to have repaired. So I'm trying to split the difference and find 1 tent that will suffice for both. But I'm really struggling to balance interior space, weight, features, and price.

Plus also, we have big wolf dogs so delicate butterfly fabrics won't work for us.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Your loss....and it is a loss if you don’t.

It’s extremely “low magic” for fantasy. More political intrigue in midevil times. It’s some of the best “TV” ever made, but if it’s not your thing it’s not your thing.

I’ll respond to the episode stuff later. Heading back from NYC.

Yes. It's violent and disturbing. And really amazingly great.

I've spent a fair amount of the series curled up in a ball, but I'd do it all again.

I'm undecided on taking the plunge or not. My favorite show of all time is Mad Men. Breaking Bad, The West Wing, The Sopranos, and The Wire round out the top five and recently I've come to love Suits and This is Us. Also love Silicon Valley, It's Always Sunny, Eastbound and Down, and The Office.

Torture porn just ain't my thang and I don't like violence for the sake of violence so it really needs to add something of value to the story for me to find it tolerable or even palatable. More so than not being a huge fantasy guy by any stretch of the imagination, human misery and suffering isn't my first choice of genre.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

It’s in no way senseless violence as a storytelling crutch.

If human misery and suffering isn’t your thing, how did you make it through The Wire?! Lol...


Remember they call it medieval (The Dark Ages) for a reason. Wasn’t a joyous, light and bubbly era...

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Awesome to watch. Not as awesome in retrospect.

On the lighting issues. The darkness absolutely added confusion and anxiety to the episode. I'm sure that was intentional. What likely wasn't intentional (or anticipated) was the artifacting created by cheap HD compression by the vast majority of providers (HBO GO among the worst). At the viewing party I attended, we switched form their HBO Go stream to my casting through hulu and there was a significant improvement. It'll shine when it's on blu ray

The compression thing was a massive issue of some . It was also too dark at some points to be fair.

I think the reasoning is twofold.

1. Budget issues. If they only show the approaching darkness it’s much cheaper on the CGI budget.

2. Most importantly (I hope) is that from a storytelling perspective, the unknown size of the army was scary because you couldn’t see. Much more ominous. Also, let’s be real....from the human perspective, those troops were barely holding on mentally. If they showed a sea of undead, 20 x their size, they might have just fled with no hope.

I did a full rewatch last night and it was easier to discern some of the darker scenes, but you have to pay attention.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

I'm undecided on taking the plunge or not. My favorite show of all time is Mad Men. Breaking Bad, The West Wing, The Sopranos, and The Wire round out the top five and recently I've come to love Suits and This is Us. Also love Silicon Valley, It's Always Sunny, Eastbound and Down, and The Office.

Torture porn just ain't my thang and I don't like violence for the sake of violence so it really needs to add something of value to the story for me to find it tolerable or even palatable. More so than not being a huge fantasy guy by any stretch of the imagination, human misery and suffering isn't my first choice of genre.

It's nothing close to torture porn or violence for the sake of violence. It uses violence no more obscenely than the Sopranos did. Top-3 show all time for me. The quality of all aspects of production is insane.

 

[hb12xchamps]

I’ll be pissed if the last we see of Ghost is him running in the initial pack and then vanishing (or should I say ghosting ).

I thought the battle was okay. They did a good job of switching between characters and balancing the battle scenes with story scenes. My biggest gripe was that the characters that died were mainly “C” level characters in terms of their contributions to the story.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I’ll be pissed if the last we see of Ghost is him running in the initial pack and then vanishing (or should I say ghosting ).

I thought the battle was okay. They did a good job of switching between characters and balancing the battle scenes with story scenes. My biggest gripe was that the characters that died were mainly “C” level characters in terms of their contributions to the story.

Spoiler info below.

Still plenty of time to kill off some big names if that’s your thing.

The deaths we did see of those B/C level characters almost all served some purpose or died with honor if not heroically (looking at you Sir Jorah and Lyanna).

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

I watched GoT for the first time a month ago. I got caught up to tonight’s episode this morning. Can’t belive I dismissed this show for so long. Crazy and riveting at the same time.

Having said that, couldn’t have imagined waiting between seasons as the series went along. So things worked out ok.

Also, Arya is my favorite character. What are journey she had and what a complete badass she has become.

Finally, I thought the battle of Winterfell was pretty darn good. Don’t get some of the criticism. Compelling ****.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

Pretty good, and sad.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Changing topics for a minute: Anybody here an avid camper/backpacker?

We currently have 2 tents: A 2-person Marmot for backpacking and a 4-person Coleman for car camping. But the Marmot is 10+ years old and weighs maybe a pound less than today's 4-person lightweights and the Coleman is not durable or worth paying to have repaired. So I'm trying to split the difference and find 1 tent that will suffice for both. But I'm really struggling to balance interior space, weight, features, and price.

Plus also, we have big wolf dogs so delicate butterfly fabrics won't work for us.

Any input is appreciated.

Wish I could help you more Cali. I go solo and lots of primitive camping/bushcrafting. I typically use a hammock or bivy with screen for the spring and summer months. During the Fall I use a tarp. If what you have works, stick with it. As for car camping I just use my truck bed and sleep under the stars on clear nights with a tarp. The big factor for space is certainly the dogs, especially if you get bad weather. Are you going camping in the mountains? If so, I would prepare for quick changes in temperatures and conditions like sudden snow, rain, and wind. When I lived out West I often found vast changes in weather and even a blizzard in July in the Cascades. The box stores especially places like Home Depot etc have nice containers for space which work great in extended truck, vans, SUVs, and some cars. What vehicle are using? If you're going backpacking specifically weight is the real concern. Ounces add up fast and those light packs aren't cheap. Marmot made quality stuff and should last you a long time. I'll look around at tents this week and get back to you. Remember when it says 2 person etc they are being generous with space until you set it up and find it's a tight fit. Oh yeah state laws and park rules add in the decision making process too. Some places won't allow hammocks. One thing to consider if you want really light gear it gets expensive thanks to the minimalist folks. When you say Coleman I'm guessing you are referring to their line of tents? When I read that I still think of the coolers .

 

[IafrateOvie34]

I watched GoT for the first time a month ago. I got caught up to tonight’s episode this morning. Can’t belive I dismissed this show for so long. Crazy and riveting at the same time.

Having said that, couldn’t have imagined waiting between seasons as the series went along. So things worked out ok.

Also, Arya is my favorite character. What are journey she had and what a complete badass she has become.

Finally, I thought the battle of Winterfell was pretty darn good. Don’t get some of the criticism. Compelling ****.

You will get book sticklers verses the television show debates, but overall it's one of the best HBO series I've watched along with Sopranos and The Wire. I highly recommend folks who haven't watched it to at least watch the first five seasons. I can't say I'm a fan of this season, however understand there is budget limitations. It sucked having to wait for the new seasons. My all time favorite series is Breaking Bad by AMC though. That show literally had me on the edge of my seat with some of those predicaments. The Battle for the Wall is my favorite battle episode in GoT.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

I’ll be pissed if the last we see of Ghost is him running in the initial pack and then vanishing (or should I say ghosting ).

I thought the battle was okay. They did a good job of switching between characters and balancing the battle scenes with story scenes. My biggest gripe was that the characters that died were mainly “C” level characters in terms of their contributions to the story.

Tactics wise I was shaking my head but it made for great entertainment. Lol, didn't help watching the episode in the dark either.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

So... should I start watching GoT? Saw one episode where the dude got gold poured on his head and was like:

It's disturbing, but I like the real life historical aspects you find in the fantasy story. It reminds the reader/watcher the reality of human cruelty. I think of what the Mongols did to the leader of Khwarezm. I see a lot of real historical examples in GoT. I like both GoT and Vikings. I found more violence in Vikings which is really surprising since the History channel doesn't have an HBO budget and not a premium channel. I can't imagine what TWD would be if HBO produced that.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Aquaman sucked. So disappointing.

I think of the Frank Caliendo joke on Bob & Tom years ago.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Greg "The Shark" Norman, just caught a massive Hammerhead Shark, that just ate another Shark.

Yikes! One of my childhood fears was sharks thanks to Jaws. That's a big hammerhead.

 

[Calicaps]

Wish I could help you more Cali. I go solo and lots of primitive camping/bushcrafting. I typically use a hammock or bivy with screen for the spring and summer months. During the Fall I use a tarp. If what you have works, stick with it. As for car camping I just use my truck bed and sleep under the stars on clear nights with a tarp. The big factor for space is certainly the dogs, especially if you get bad weather. Are you going camping in the mountains? If so, I would prepare for quick changes in temperatures and conditions like sudden snow, rain, and wind. When I lived out West I often found vast changes in weather and even a blizzard in July in the Cascades. The box stores especially places like Home Depot etc have nice containers for space which work great in extended truck, vans, SUVs, and some cars. What vehicle are using? If you're going backpacking specifically weight is the real concern. Ounces add up fast and those light packs aren't cheap. Marmot made quality stuff and should last you a long time. I'll look around at tents this week and get back to you. Remember when it says 2 person etc they are being generous with space until you set it up and find it's a tight fit. Oh yeah state laws and park rules add in the decision making process too. Some places won't allow hammocks. One thing to consider if you want really light gear it gets expensive thanks to the minimalist folks. When you say Coleman I'm guessing you are referring to their line of tents? When I read that I still think of the coolers .

Thanks. Yeah, we are down for the clamping when traveling by car, but were hoping to just reduce the amount of storage devoted to our camping gear. But it seems at this time, I'm in search of a unicorn... so I will wait for the tech to catch up to my vision.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

In today's edition of, "I'm not a huge Sci-Fi / fantasy / comics guy and I'm woefully behind on pop culture," I finally saw The Dark Knight Rises last week flying home from a work trip. Bane was one of my favorite characters in recent memory. I think at this point I'll see The Avengers (the first one) some time in 2023.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

You will get book sticklers verses the television show debates, but overall it's one of the best HBO series I've watched along with Sopranos and The Wire. I highly recommend folks who haven't watched it to at least watch the first five seasons. I can't say I'm a fan of this season, however understand there is budget limitations. It sucked having to wait for the new seasons. My all time favorite series is Breaking Bad by AMC though. That show literally had me on the edge of my seat with some of those predicaments. The Battle for the Wall is my favorite battle episode in GoT.

Battle of the Bastards is my favorite episode of the show so far.

Breaking Bad I watched when it hit Netflix. It was by far the easiest and most awesome crime series of all time to binge watch. Episodes went down sooooo easy it was crazy.

Sopranos and The Wire are right up there, 1a/1b and 4 for me.

GOTS is 1c.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

It's disturbing, but I like the real life historical aspects you find in the fantasy story. It reminds the reader/watcher the reality of human cruelty. I think of what the Mongols did to the leader of Khwarezm. I see a lot of real historical examples in GoT. I like both GoT and Vikings. I found more violence in Vikings which is really surprising since the History channel doesn't have an HBO budget and not a premium channel. I can't imagine what TWD would be if HBO produced that.

Vikings I might take a crack at, but damn....lot of seasons. That’s a commitment.

In that genre, I totally dug The Last Kingdom on Netflix.

3 seasons, only 26 episodes.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

The Wire is my favourite show of all time but I wish I'd never watched it. I keep holding all other shows to the same standards and they inevitably fall short. Including GOT.

 

[Calicaps]

Vikings I might take a crack at, but damn....lot of seasons. That’s a commitment.

In that genre, I totally dug The Last Kingdom on Netflix.

3 seasons, only 26 episodes.

We burned out on Vikings... still have like 13 episodes languishing on the DVR. Last Kingdom was great.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

The Wire is my favourite show of all time but I wish I'd never watched it. I keep holding all other shows to the same standards and they inevitably fall short. Including GOT.

You have to be able to look at them as separate genres and enjoy them for what they are on their own.

The Wire will never be number one for me because of the constant distaste it left me for the dregs of humanity. It was great and horrible at the same time. I’ve always like sci-fi/fantasy/horror over your typical cop/Dr/lawyer fare too..

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Vikings I might take a crack at, but damn....lot of seasons. That’s a commitment.

In that genre, I totally dug The Last Kingdom on Netflix.

3 seasons, only 26 episodes.

I will check that out this summer.

 

[Jacoby4HOF66]

So... should I start watching GoT? Saw one episode where the dude got gold poured on his head and was like:

I would recommend it. Medieval **** like that isn't my thing. I've never seen any of the Lord of the Rings films (maybe I should now). Same with comic book movies (accept the Bale Batman stuff and Deadpool). But I started watching G0T a month ago based on every losing their **** over this latest season and I got caught up before this past Sunday's episode aired. I couldn't stop watching it. Its medieval porn with a crazy plot. I swallowed the hook I got hooked so hard.