Discussion Thread II: Bots? What bots?

[Kinokokao]

What do you mean by TV snob, Scy?

I do watch some programming via DVD or download/streaming. My main revulion against television is the advertisements. UGH. They drive me crazy. Everytime I do catch a glimpse of TV I'm always just stunned by what I see.

I've recently acquired Big Love to watch, which I'd always been curious about. I have this crazy fascination with Mormon polygamy and FLDS culture. The show is about a suburban polygamist family. The producers wanted to present a fair portratal, but it's almost too ideal. If all polygamist families were like the Hendricksons, the practice wouldn't be as disgusting to the average individual (but our misguided mindset of heterosexual monogamy as the only correct/nature path is extremely powerful, despite historical and contemporary evidence to the contrary).

My review/synposis, so far (very mild spoilers, cut mostly for length)
[spoiler]
Much emphasis is placed on the harmony between the sister wives and their joint husband. Each wife is emphasized to have chosen this path and this family situation, and the overall attitude toward the Hendricksons is positive. The oldest daughter has been shown to dislike the polygamist path, but just in that "I'm not going to do it" kind of way -- the children, so far, seem comfortable in their living situation.
The families live in three houses that share a common backyard. The children live with their respective mothers and Bill rotates between the homes at night, although there is much mingling among the families during the day. There have been spats between the wives about it being "their night" with Bill -- they set the schedule at the beginnning of the month. The cost of maintaining three such homes is astronomical, so it's fortunate that Bill's business is successful. Each wife is encouraged to decorate her home to her taste. There have been hints that they previously shared one large home, and the current 3-home structure is preferred by all.
Nikki, the second wife, is the daughter of the current Prophet at the fictional Juniper Creek, a FLDS breakaway sect that lives a sheltered existence. Bill was kicked out of Juniper Creek at age 14, ala the "Lost Boys" of Salt Lake, and has a rocky relationship with his parents and the Prophet. The Prophet, Roman, is depicted as a typical sect leader -- manipulative, controlling, an old man with too many wives and his newest much too young... under 16. Roman's financial dealings with Bill is emerging as a key plot area.
Nikki dresses the most conservative of the wives, befitting a woman of a fomer FLDS sect. She wears her hair long hair in a french braid most of the time and favors Western-style skirts, boots and high necked, long-sleeved shirts. She has a problem overspending. She has two young boys, ages 3-5, that she stays at home with. Nikki complains of feeling out of place in the family and has considered returning to Juniper Creek. She's the least comfortable with the modern, surbuban lifestyle.
The first/legal wife is Barbara. She's revealed to have had a hysterctomy due to cancer 6 years ago, after 11 years of monogamous marriage to Bill. She's called "Boss Lady" by Nikki, who resents her dominant position within the family and how much influence she has with Bill. Barbara is a kind woman and accepts her sister wives, despite their occasional spats. Nikki and Margene often take their problems to her and ask her to appeal to Bill on their behalf. She has a teenage son and daughter, plus another daughter who is about 8-9. She dresses like a typical 40-something mother, fairly conservative, but with short sleeves, low neckines and often pants or a knee-length skirt. She earns extra income by substitute teaching sometimes.
The youngest/newest wife is Margene, the former babysitter. Her youth and excurbernce often earn her disapproval from the elder wives, especially Nikki. She dresses the most revealing of the three, which sometimes gets commented on by the others. She stays at home with her toddler and infant. She critiques herself as a bad mother due to her inexperience compared to the other wives. Margene is enthusiastic for the lifestyle she has chosen and her presence is described by Bill as having completing their family.
[/spoiler]

@Celebrities
They're pretty much the new nobility, and the parralels simultaneously fascinate and disgust me. Mostly disgust.

[Twat]

In complete other news, one year for Christmas I received a Songbird ocarina marked with the word "Origin" in Chinese. I told myself this year, I would finally take time to learn it. And now is the time. Going to take time to go to a quiet hilltop where hardly anyone goes during the cold months to play, play, play until I get it right. At least I won't shatter any ears or anything. :P

[Kimiko]

TV.. I have a cable subscription, but I'm seriously considering ending it because I never watch TV. What holds me back is that then I wouldn't have access to the common news and stuff either (you know, the channels that in the past you could pick up with an antenna). I wouldn't miss it actually, it's just habit.

[scy]

In general, I just refer to the people who take the position of "better than you" for what they watch (either for not watching it* or for their shows being better or WHATEVER). I extend this to the whole "I ONLY DRINK LIQUOR" crowd at college parties and the fucking cigar smoking douchebags. They make me feel bad for smoking cigars and owning a pipe sometimes due to how they act >> THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH CIGARETTES PEOPLE**.

*I probably break this a lot and am a giant hypocrite but it's usually just a "really you liked that?" kind of thing and not "yeah I'm better for not watching what you watch" thing.

**Except the whole cancer dying thing ... yeah.

***I realize the irony here considering I'm an elitist jerk as far as gaming and ... well ... this is just hating other elitists. At least I'm a funny prick in real life~! It sort of kind of makes up for it but not really.

Edit: Never even heard of this Big Love show ... sounds like a drama though and I tend to not watch those much. I mean, the shows I listed are all picked up due to watching them with everyone I live with to laugh at ....sans Burn Notice and Dexter. We watched those because they're AWESOME.

Also, Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are pretty much our lives The nerdy part from BBT and the whole dating/bar scene from HIMYM. Also, Neil Patrick Harris (DOOGIE HOWSER) as a manwhore in HIMYM is [s]AWESOME[/s] LEGEN ... wait for it ... and I hope you're not lactose intolerant because the second half of the word is -DARY.

Barney is awesome:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndwaw8q6MiY&feature=related[/youtube]

[Maxine MagicFox]

:\ The only thing I have to say in response is, you might be a lot of things, Scy, but you've never come off to me as an elitist jerk as far as gaming. Maybe ONCE when we were in an IM chat talking about shounen-anime you came off as elitist, but even then I felt it wasn't you so much as that I was attacking something you liked in that conversation and you were simply defending it (in other words, I was probably the elitist one and you were only responding).

You come off as knowing your material and spending a LOT of time with it and have opinions you like to view, but you are generally respectful towards the views of others in the chats I've seen on the forums.

Meh, anyways, I just wanted to remark about that since I considered it an unfair statement about yourself. In short: you are more true with that "hypocrite" statement than your "elitist" statement. ^_^; But, I think we are all hypocrites about something or another. And I'm definitely not the exception.

[Kinokokao]

@Elys's Ocarina
I wish I was musically inclined. I'm pretty tone deaf. I used to take piano lessons, but with most things that I find difficult I quit. >_>;

@Big Love
Yeah, it's a drama. *shrug* I kinda like them.

Dexter is made of awesome. Haven't seen or heard of the other shows you mentioned, Scy. The only comedy I keep up with is The Office. I got hooked watching it on Netflix, when I had that.

[scy]

I don't have a problem with dramas ... just not the type of show to watch, imo, with a bunch of guys Hence why I stick with comedy or action during school. I'd suggest Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother (can probably find them on hulu) if only because I find them hilarious and have been pretty much shoving it on everyone I know in real life anyway so might as well do it here too.

As for elitist ... don't play an MMO with me~ When "success" matters, it becomes MATH TIME RAR and whatever the optimal method is. Sorry you want to be lame and suck but be UNIQUE AND MY STYLE IS FUN but we want to raid and be winners so fuck you. Something from years and years and years of MMO raiding; we want to win, not appreciate your desire to be the least optimal build possible.

Fun != "Playing how I want at the expense of everyone else in the Raid!!!"
Fun = WINNING

</rant>

[negzee]

Regarding musical instruments:
I've been wanting to learn to play for a long while now, but like a lot of things, I just have a hard time motivating myself to do anything about that desire. Also, people look at me funny when I say I want to learn guzheng, the most frequent response being along the lines of, "isn't that for girls?" ... ;_;

[Kinokokao]

[Maxine MagicFox]

[Kinokokao]

[scy]

If you play for fun that is fine and dandy and I don't really give a damn about you. If you play in a Guild that RAIDS and want to be unique* then you can go fuck off. If we're doing something that depends on people to be doing their best then you better be actively pursuing your best.

*And by unique, I mean a terrible, terrible, terrible player.

I also don't consider the "free-to-play" games as MMOs. That's really just an archaic view on them (you know ... back like 8 years ago when they were just terrible and easy to hack and blahblahblah) but ... yeah.

Anyway, what do you mean by relationship? It's not really the gushy-feelings dating show (...okay, actually Ted is...). More of a comedy with the setting of a guy going out and trying to find his future wife in NY. Also, Neil Patrick Harris randomly sleeping around for hilarity and win.

Edit: Also worth noting that really, these two shows are ridiculously close to my life. The guys I live with are all pretty nerdy guys (For a shock, I'm the least nerdy probably!) and we spend a lot of times at bars ON THE HUNT (god that sounds weird).

...even down to the MC + obligatory hot girl character interaction.

[Maxine MagicFox]

*sigh* I just want to play a game where I can enjoy the company of a friend as we fight together and level up and try to race to see who can be better than the other and don't mind standing around sometimes just goofing off and chatting.

[Kinokokao]

By relationship I mean the standard:
"I like you! But here is awkwardness as to why we aren't together. Oh we're so awkward and hilarious...
Now we're together! But here is an issue that pops up: I like someone else, or meet someone else, or kept a secret or did anything else that causes you to do immature, irrational behavior-- no, seriously, me and OtherChick are totally platonic..... HAHA JK
"The other person is actually my soulmate. No, wait, we're still awkward .... Sexual tension, can you feel it?!"

In other words, dating, sexual tensions, hook-ups/break-ups and the like. Doesn't have to be romantic or gushy.

Which makes me a bit of a hypocrit, since I like the relationships in The Office. But they tend to stay fairly light-hearted, but when they do get serious they get surprisingly serious. I really hate love triangles created by one person just being indecisive -- unrequited love = awesome. Someone like Kate on Lost, or Bella in Twilight, however, I just feel nothing but disgust for. Also, 99% of all harem anime protagonists.

[noodles]

I have all sorts of awesome TV stuff goin for myself (HD channels, DVR, On Demand etc) but I spend most of my free time on other stuff >_> I usually turn on TV just to have something entertaining to do when I'm waiting for something else.