Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I noticed a funny thing when watching shows with closed captioning when I only speak a little of the language (spoken not captioned; Spanish in this instance) is that sometimes I pick up things that are said but not captioned. It's funny to see how certain phrases are changed or how the meaning of what was said just doesn't come through in the caption. It's not something I've ever considered before, and you'd think it was 100% in general. In the grand scheme it really doesn't natter, but for small interactions and scenes I always figured that the caption might try and convey the true meaning more accurately. Anyway, not a life altering thought, but one of those odd things I never really thought about until it I caught it.

My wife did some translation work back in the day and we've also talked about this. We both fall on the side that the best translation is not a literal one but one that gets the sentiment and ideas across.

You'll see it a lot with anime, too. What is a better translation: one that literally translates the joke from Japanese to English but doesn't land because it doesn't make sense culturally or one that is a somewhat different joke but still related and understandable to an American audience? I think there's an argument to be made for both.

SI

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Do most big-name artists have this kind of policy? Is it limited to comedy, stage shows, etc.? I can't imagine Taylor Swift, for instance, could do this kind of thing considering the logistics of dealing with 15K people. But for 2-3K, sure I can see it.Just curious.

Most? No.

There are a few absurdly arrogant pricks that do it but it's still at the point of being uncommon

[molson]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Just what everybody was clamoring for, Pepsi but less carbonated!

So like a can of pepsi you opened and forgot about. But imagine the time savings!

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I rarely if ever attend anything other than music shows at small venues - mostly with lightly-known and/or unassuming artists who would be glad for the publicity of having video shared on YT and the like - but I just came across a job ad for "cell phone check-in/out attendants" for a John Mulaney comedy show and I'm wondering how common this is these days.

Do most big-name artists have this kind of policy? Is it limited to comedy, stage shows, etc.? I can't imagine Taylor Swift, for instance, could do this kind of thing considering the logistics of dealing with 15K people. But for 2-3K, sure I can see it.

Just curious.

What's a cell phone check-in/out attendant? Is this like a coat check but for your phone? Is this to look over phones to make sure they're not leaving with videos of the show?

SI

[stevew]

I think it's totally normal for a comedian. They're touring a show of new material which will invariably end up as a special on Netflix, etc. The last thing they want is the funniest 3-5 bits of the show turned into youtube clips that they don't control or monetize before the show is released.

[stevew]

We went to a show the other night and had to wait in a freezing line outside for a vaccination checkpoint. That was fun.

[Poli]

Heading to Grass Valley, CA next month. Looks like I'll be staying in an old saloon/hotel. Gonna have to break out some Red Dead Redemption 2.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

What's a cell phone check-in/out attendant? Is this like a coat check but for your phone? Is this to look over phones to make sure they're not leaving with videos of the show?

SI

They give you a pouch that you put your phone in, they lock it, you keep the pouch with you, and when you leave, they unlock it and you take your phone with you.

$18 an hour for 5-6 hours for the John Mulaney show in Cincinnati.

[NobodyHere]

If you start to hear voices in your head, it's generally best not to listen to them.

Florida Woman Says She Heard Voices Before Driving into Pedestrians Outside Grocery Store: Police

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

They give you a pouch that you put your phone in, they lock it, you keep the pouch with you, and when you leave, they unlock it and you take your phone with you.

$18 an hour for 5-6 hours for the John Mulaney show in Cincinnati.

So there's a line of people waiting for the cell-phone-unlocker-guy when you leave the show?

[albionmoonlight]

dola: Their show, their rules. But that would have kept me from going when we had young kids. I would not use/take out the phone. But I definitely had it on silent in case there was an emergency with the babysitter.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

dola: Their show, their rules. But that would have kept me from going when we had young kids. I would not use/take out the phone. But I definitely had it on silent in case there was an emergency with the babysitter.

My thoughts exactly. I believe Dave Chappelle was the first one who started doing this.

[Ksyrup]

Not including Derek Jeter when he entertained at home, ha!

[RainMaker]

I saw Tom Segura at a smaller venue and phones were banned. Guessing he was ironing out his routine for a Netflix or Comedy Central special.

This is what they use.

400 Bad Request

[molson]

The most lovey-dovey teenager romance-esque posts on my Facebook wall involve my high school guidance counselor and a girl I graduated high school with.

I mean, god bless 'em, we're 26 years out of high school now. It's still strange every time though. He was one of those new-agey hippy trying-to get-involved-in-the-kids' lives kind of guidance counselor. She was popular and nice in high school and is a fitness enthusiast now. I'm fascinated to know how this came about. I'm not on regular chatting terms with anyone I went to high school with, but, there are a few I would ask about it if I ever saw them.

[Lathum]

So wait. She was a student and he was a guidance counselor?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by molson

The most lovey-dovey teenager romance-esque posts on my Facebook wall involve my high school guidance counselor and a girl I graduated high school with.

I mean, god bless 'em, we're 26 years out of high school now. It's still strange every time though. He was one of those new-agey hippy trying-to get-involved-in-the-kids' lives kind of guidance counselor. She was popular and nice in high school and is a fitness enthusiast now. I'm fascinated to know how this came about. I'm not on regular chatting terms with anyone I went to high school with, but, there are a few I would ask about it if I ever saw them.

There was a girls soccer coach in my high school that went on to marry one of the girls' he coached as soon as she graduated & my friends who went to a nearby high school have the exact same story. I get the impression this went on a lot back in the day.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Lathum

So wait. She was a student and he was a guidance counselor?

Yup. He was our guidance counselor.

I have heard a lot anecdotally about this kind of thing being fairly common. But when you know the two people involved, it's very strange. Especially with the added factor of them both being so public about it, so open about their affection. My mother was a teacher in the same city. She knew the guidance counselor, and I know they talked about me - as a parent with that kind of casual access would. So for me, it was still kind of weird just being friendly with him as a peer when I saw him over the years. My mother might be my best source of gossip about him, and whether this surprises her, or whether there were any rumors back in the day.

[stevew]

Yeah our HS English teacher apparently had married a student after she graduated. I always thought he was creepy. I mean since boomers got jobs right out of college he could have been 23 and her 18 when it happened. But still.

[flere-imsaho]

My freshman-year (college) girlfriend ended up marrying her college diving coach not long after she graduated. Last I checked, they're still married, and it's been a couple of decades. I think there was maybe a 10 year difference?

[Silver Owl]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

While on the subject of people who have had way too much work done to their faces...

I don't know if anyone watches Gold Rush, but Rick Ness's GF is on the show and ... wow. Not what I was expecting at all. I really like that dude, he seems down to earth, so the last thing I expected was someone who looked like a washed up pole dancer who had $100K of plastic surgery performed by Dr. Nick from the Simpsons. She looks like Lady Elaine from Mr. Rogers.

I watch Gold Rush and OMG, where the hell did he find her and why show her off on the show.

[AlexB]

Made my own Biltong last night. Just wow, better than market bought and literally a quarter of the price.

I’m sure I would not have been proud of any of this 20 years ago

[albionmoonlight]

My dad has always been super handy. I have not. When we lived in the same town and something broke, he'd just come over and fix it.

When I moved out of town, I lost that (there's only so much you can do over the phone).

So YouTube fix-it videos have been a God-sent. Just this weekend, I was able to fix a slightly broken toilet and get out something that had fallen into the innards of our clothes dryer. I'm not sure I would have trusted myself to do either without the videos.

And most of them tend to have pretty good production value. I get that part of what they are doing is just trying to get eyeballs for clicks. But from my perspective, they are like really helpful and patient neighbors that are willing to come over and help me with my toilet.

[lungs]

I just had a great experience with the Tempur-Pedic warranty department. My 7 year old bed base literally collapsed this weekend. A weld broke and the rest of the base quickly broke afterwards. For as poorly as it was made, I snapped a few pictures and uploaded them to their website yesterday. Arrangements are being made for a new upgraded version to be delivered in a week.

[RainMaker]

Does anyone know why they use some remake of the song in these pharma commercials? Like you have the money, bought the rights in some capacity to the song, and have spent millions in TV time. Why not just use the Fleetwood Mac version?

ANORO -'Go your own way' - YouTube

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Does anyone know why they use some remake of the song in these pharma commercials? Like you have the money, bought the rights in some capacity to the song, and have spent millions in TV time. Why not just use the Fleetwood Mac version?

ANORO -'Go your own way' - YouTube

The cost of the original performance -- if licensable at all -- would outstrip the cost of obtaining rights to the song itself.

You're talking 7 figures vs 6 figures.

[Ksyrup]

I hope the dudes from Pilot (or their estates) have made a ton of money off of Ozempic.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The cost of the original performance -- if licensable at all -- would outstrip the cost of obtaining rights to the song itself.

You're talking 7 figures vs 6 figures.

Didn't know the difference was that much. I don't even like the song but that cheesy remake drives me nuts for some reason.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Didn't know the difference was that much. I don't even like the song but that cheesy remake drives me nuts for some reason.

Obviously depends on the specifics but yeah, could easily be that sort of difference (or 6 fig vs 5 fig in lesser cases)

The songs themselves are often dumped, en masse, into a licensing house database by whoever owns the publishing rights. You can one stop shop a lot of stuff, with fairly set pricing.

The performance rights to the original have often changed hands numerous times -- indeed simply figuring out who to negotiate with legally can be a months long task. Or even worse, are held my multiple parties.

And in cases like this one, getting back an absurd ask (because they really don't want it used anyway, hypothetically) wouldn't be unusual even after all that effort.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Does anyone know why they use some remake of the song in these pharma commercials? Like you have the money, bought the rights in some capacity to the song, and have spent millions in TV time. Why not just use the Fleetwood Mac version?

ANORO -'Go your own way' - YouTube

man, that is wretched.

[thesloppy]

Back in the day I remember Knight Rider used to use remarkably bad covers of current hits because they wanted to save on the rights.

[Ksyrup]

Those were just Hasselhoff singing.

[RainMaker]

There was a show called Cold Case back in the day that would play music based on the time period of the case. It was a cool gimmick but it seems like they couldn't secure those rights for streaming, so they would have to put in these horrific pseudo-covers of all the songs on Netflix.

[sabotai]

So that's what it was...I was watching a few episodes of Cold Case on Netflix not too long ago and something felt really off. The first time I watched that show, it was when I was getting DVDs mailed to me.

[cuervo72]

See also: More than a Feeling snowman.

They are all horrible.

[Lathum]

Loved cold case.

We did a 2 week honeymoon and by the end we were pretty cooked. You can only do so much beach/drinking/eating/etc...and I remember the last day we sat in the jacuzzi in our room for like, 11 hours drinking champagne and watching Cold Case reruns.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by stevew

Yeah our HS English teacher apparently had married a student after she graduated. I always thought he was creepy. I mean since boomers got jobs right out of college he could have been 23 and her 18 when it happened. But still.

We had a teacher (he was about 30 when I was a senior) who was notorious for choosing a senior at graduation and trying to persuade her to date him. A couple of them naively went on a dinner date early on, but as far as any of us knew, it just became a standing joke - we'd say, "will you have the honor of being chosen?" Hopefully, it was as harmless as it seemed. I'd hate to think anyone was hurt later on and we could have prevented it just by confronting him as a group when we had the chance.

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

So YouTube fix-it videos have been a God-sent. Just this weekend, I was able to fix a slightly broken toilet and get out something that had fallen into the innards of our clothes dryer. I'm not sure I would have trusted myself to do either without the videos.

Youtube is great for that - I don't otherwise go to the site. When we moved in, the previous owner had gifted us with a cash rebate of sorts - there was a dime stuck in the innards of the dryer and was rather unpleasantly making quite a racket trying to escape.

Since the laundry room wasn't in the basement, this quickly became a "I'll replace that damned thing before I run it again" issue. So, a couple of videos later and with the dryer in pieces I couldn't imagine creating on my own, I managed to extract it. Never in a million years would I have tried it without seeing how it was done.

[bhlloy]

One of my music teachers in HS went to prison for a few years for getting my really good friend’s 16 year old sister pregnant, and she stood by him and they are no happily married for going on 15 years. She was hot as well, and definitely could have done a ton better. People are weird.

[cuervo72]

OH. One um, "format" where I always got a good chuckle at fake/reproduced songs -- Playboy videos. Back in the late 80s when they first started these, they apparently didn't know that they had to actually license music, and included songs like "Splish Splash" in Wet and Wild. At some point someone must have sent them a lawyerly letter, because if you seek out these videos now, the original music is no longer there. (Another good example of this is the 1988 Video Playmate Calendar. The January vignette was Marina Baker; for part of the video she dances in front of a bank of televisions. Originally that was set to Trans X's Living on Video. Makes perfect sense, right? Well, the online version you can find *cough* Archive *cough* has subbed this out. Doesn't work nearly as well.)

Anyway, at some point they started actually composing songs that sounded like other songs. My favorite example of this was from Wet and Wild II in the bit "Navel Encounters." (Yes, naked women on a submarine. Also "Navel Re-Encounter.") It's...well, it's really not bad at all. (Again - archive.org). Honestly, I would listen to it in its own right. But it uh, really really sounds a lot like something else.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Anyway, at some point they started actually composing songs that sounded like other songs.

ala pro wrestling theme music

[stevew]

the cheese and crackers handi snack things don't come with the all red cheese spreading plank anymore. you expect me to just dip my crackers in this "cheese" and make sure it ends up in a self leveling uniform thickness? the crackers lack the tensile strength to be an effective spreading mechanism.

[Lathum]

I've noticed the same thing. Really annoying decision likely made by some bean counter.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I've noticed the same thing. Really annoying decision likely made by some bean counter.

Depending on the brand, those disappeared as far back as 2017. For "eco-friendly" reasons.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Looking forward to trying out Coke (zero) Starlight.

I saw a bottle when I was grocery shopping so bought it and tried it at home. My considered opinion is "meh".

If I'm going to drink "flavored"* soda/pop, just do something simple like cherry, vanilla, etc....


*well, it's all flavored

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by stevew

the cheese and crackers handi snack things don't come with the all red cheese spreading plank anymore. you expect me to just dip my crackers in this "cheese" and make sure it ends up in a self leveling uniform thickness? the crackers lack the tensile strength to be an effective spreading mechanism.

Can you use 2 crackers to get a uniform spread?

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Depending on the brand, those disappeared as far back as 2017. For "eco-friendly" reasons.

Sure, having a bunch of stupid red plastic sticks floating around is not good for the environment and we all know that. But we also all know they used that as an excuse to save 1.5c on each package. The eco-friendly was just scapegoat.

SI

[stevew]

I typically like to make 3 conservatively spread open faced cheese crackers and then whatever’s left goes in a sandwich of the last cracker folded on itself. Obviously it’s been a minute since I’ve had these but the crackers suck as a spreading mechanism. You need the red stick. I’m willing to sacrifice a few yards of bio waste for this. I think I had ritz variety.

[Lathum]

They could easily make ones from wood.

[stevew]

Anyone else pay for the room on Hotels.com and then also get charged at the hotel? I just noticed this happened to me and it’s been over a week so it’s not just some hold on my CC at this point.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

I typically like to make 3 conservatively spread open faced cheese crackers and then whatever’s left goes in a sandwich of the last cracker folded on itself. Obviously it’s been a minute since I’ve had these but the crackers suck as a spreading mechanism. You need the red stick. I’m willing to sacrifice a few yards of bio waste for this. I think I had ritz variety.

And from Googling, they were the first one (and most bitched about one) to drop the stick.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by stevew

Anyone else pay for the room on Hotels.com and then also get charged at the hotel? I just noticed this happened to me and it’s been over a week so it’s not just some hold on my CC at this point.

YES!

Hotels.com told me to take it up with the hotel, the hotel tells me to take it up with Hotels.com. I eventually just charged back my purchase through Hotels.com and it worked.