LadyCrimson

I'm pleased that RRR won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song (Naatu Naatu). It's not my favorite of the film's original songs but it's a fun one. If the two stars + others were to do an Oscars stage performance of that dance, I might watch (part of) the Oscars for the first time in years and years (and years). But I won't hold my breath for the Oscars to do something that fun.

Re: Hogwarts Legacy I noticed under Additional Notes on the Steam requirements for this game, it says: ---(Min) 1080p/60 fps, Low Quality Settings, *Upscale -Performance- Setting* --(Rec) 1080p/60 fps, High Quality Settings, *Upscale -Quality- Setting* So, are they saying these requirements are taking into consideration that you must be running non-native upscaling for them? That seems disingenuous. I guess I can understand for Minimum, since that would be part of the ... minimum. But Recommended should always be for native resolution, imo. >.>

I have only just now learned of Hogwart's Legacy. I am not a Potter fan (did see all the movies, eventually, they were ok, only tried to read one of the books, not for me) so don't care about that aspect. But --I like that it's single-player only --I still enjoy the occasional open world and virtual tourism, if it's done well --I like that it's all wand and spells combat (no melee/swords etc) --Ever since Drakan: Order of the Flame and WoW, I like flying mounts, and the ones in this game look fantastic. --Taming pets/mounts in a personal yard or something? --I think eventually school friends can join as party members so not 100% a solo chr. game? --No micro transactions ... except that the extra stuff in the Deluxe version supposedly will be sold separately as a DLC? Not clear. Anyway...if it's too much like Skyrim type open world game, I would likely find it dull. But maybe it'll be a new openworld, virtual tourism, action-rpg that I could sink time into...or it'll be another hype-before-release that ends up as suck. hmm.

Re: natural water features: I don't like the slimy-toes or not seeing where I'm stepping either, but don't mind floating or paddling around in a lazy and muddy looking river, as long as the feet don't have to touch ground for more than 5 seconds at a time. That said as I think I've said before I'm not a huge fan of being in big open water etc, - boats are fine - so mostly I like to look at them, or to watch wildlife interact with them. I like/enjoy river/stream swimming holes and/or small waterfalls a lot more than giant lakes or oceans. Having one of these in an extended backyard would be nice.

Thought: I suppose it's also possible that they've just reduced the video compression quality so much that it's become very noticeable on big screens but not on smaller ones. All I know is the icons used to be there - even if they were lying, so to speak, and they've now corrected it - and that it used to look a ton better on the big TV's hence my assumption. Edit: well that and an article I read during covid, which I cannot seem to find now/again. >.>

No, no extension. Hm. It is possible that while the 4k icons were there, that it was only playing in 1080 and I just didn't think about it back then. All I know is the visual quality suddenly dropped (re: 50-55" TV's anyway, it still looks decent/good at 27"). I checked Prime on PC again (haven't in a while) and now the 4k/UHD icons are there again, but it tosses up a "because you're not on a supported device, only Standard Definition for you!" message that I never got/saw before. Supposedly this is mostly about DRM concerns and they consider Firefox not good enough for that. There was a time when there was some command while playing Netflix that let you see the tech stats/bandwidth etc. info but I think it no longer works, or it's changed and I know not what it is. If it's actually 720, not even 1080, that's even worse/would explain why it's so much more drastically softer/compressed on the TV's now.

No, 4k did work on Firefox initially, at least for me where I am. Both on Prime and Netflix. I remember suddenly noticing (at some point after Covid started) on both services that all the little 4k icon's on titles were suddenly nowhere to be found, as well as noticing the drop in video quality on the big TV's. Edit: I wouldn't have gotten the 4k level sub. if it hadn't. Edit: at any rate, thanks for checking for me. : ) PS4 still streams in 4k for services, it's the only reason I'm still paying Netflix that tier.

Well, this time all the rain and the oversaturated higher section of the yard decided to pool up ground water that overflowed over and down the higher wall/walkway behind the pool, so all this dirty water rivered into the pool. The pool is now all cloudy. Which doesn't bother me at all but hubby was worrying whether the pool filter would clean it out effectively, eventually. Not saying it's not nice to have one I suppose, but the extra work, care and cost (replacing pool filter parts or the auto-pool vacuum if you have one can get expensive...) is one reason why I've never cared about having one and it wouldn't be on my "must haves" when home buying. Hubby wants it, he takes care of it. If I was really into swimming for daily exercise (hubby isn't...), I'd rather build a room to house one of those small inifini pools where water pressure keeps you swimming in place or something to that effect. Or just go to the YMCA or something else cheap/similar. Edit: I know California needs the rain (when does it not, technically) but it would be nice if there were more breaks inbetween. Crazy weather this year all over.

So does anyone here that uses Firefox get Netflix and Prime to offer/play 4k titles thru it, at this point? I remember reading they stopped partly because of Covid/bandwidth concerns - and also maybe other concerns - and it hasn't returned yet for me. So wondering if this is still the normal for Firefox, or if it's maybe because, say, I haven't updated Win10 or the browser for a little while.

Have fun and congrats.

How much are non-matinee film ticket theater prices these days, in the USA? The new Puss n Boots film is getting good reviews -that first one was cute in spots but not that great so this is supposedly leaps above that one- and I was half tempted to try and convince hubby to go to a theater with me. Then I saw it was early-access rent-able. For $25. What happened to $20 early-acess rent price? Is that Amazon or Dreamworks being greedy, or both? I'm not sure Puss n Boots is worth $25 for at home viewing. >.>

WHITE NOISE - I didn't realize it was on Netflix already. So I tried watching it. There was a chuckle here and there but despite the satire or whatever you want to call it, I found it generally not-amusing. Just offbeat and strange. I think it was too cerebral or existential or whatever, for my current tastes/moods.... Actors, including most of the children, were all fine. The middle section was probably the best section. The credits with a strange dance sequence in a grocery store was pretty creative.

I find the term limited series a little odd but I'm used to stuff like k-dramas, that are 93% single, no 2nd season series, all the time. Although if Netflix has their way, it'll change before too long. At any rate, as long as Netflix continues to put up quite a few k-dramas (and other "foreign" to the US) shows that I like, I'll continue with it. I think hubby goes through Prime far more often than Netflix now tho (just more serials to try), whereas I find Prime mostly useful only for film rentals. And while I occasionally like having HBO-Max on hand, I'm not sure it's worth the $150 a year at this point, either. I miss the more procedural dramas the US used to make more frequently. Maybe they still do, just not for streaming channels so much, no clue, I haven't watched broadcast/cable TV in ages. But I mean where suchwould still have some character arcs sprinkled in, and cliffhangers, but each episode was much more self-contained. story wise. Made cancellations a little less painful.

^ Well that's why I said it doesn't seem like a good long-term plan, if only because gaining too much of a rep like that = self-fulfilling prophecy of low viewership/cancel, plus is likely to cause long-form content series creators to not even go to Netflix in the first place. Although, at least I no longer have to watch most fictional TV on a certain day and time or otherwise lose the chance to see it ever. I don't want to go back to that, thanks. Cancelled shows happen constantly regardless, but I'm not ever going back to watching anything on a day/time schedule like that.

Constant on and off rain, with a lot of very gusty winds periodically. Us and the neighbors have the long, cheaply-constructed plastic-squares patio shade covering thingies, with none of them being new or in great shape, and you can often hear them loudly rattling with big winds. This evening most of the right-corner plastic squares on our patio cover blew off. We wanted to replace the whole patio cover next summer anyway so less work for us! One neighbor's was already very badly wind/weather-damaged, I wonder if it's totally stripped now. Too dark for me to tell, heh. ...at least the power came back on quickly.

Just to report, I was just now unable to post a reply with quotation marks and italics in it - when I removed those, it posted. So that issue seems to still exist (if sporadically/not always) for me as well.

I think Netflix likely looks at series watching completion rates, and within a fairly short time-frame at that (a month or three), when deciding whether to cancel a show. Fans pointing at the -most watched this week- type stuff, forget that may only consist of tons of ppl checking out only the first episode. In one way it sorta makes sense, because even if a shows first few episodes garner a lot of views, if a large percentage of people don't go back and finish it, a sequel may not fare well, with possibly even much lower early viewing. It's the kind of fast gauge metric pre-internet TV didn't have, and I remember shows back then sometimes being cancelled mid-season -usually over Xmas- if those weekly ratings dropped crazily each week after the premiere, so you wouldn't even get a full single season. I'd theorize Netflix views a lack of a series quick completion rate in a similar vein. That said, of course shows can/do take a couple seasons to grow/find its footing, or for more people to even be aware something exists, and current Netflix management apparently doesn't want to pay/contract commit for long-term maybes - unless it's easy and very cheap to produce fluff. They only want to renew series that hit total binge-watchers like a freight train vs. try and foster a slow burn popularity over time. Doesn't seem like a great long-term plan.

One of the orange cats: "This is my singular walking pace and not even treats will make me go faster." Black and white cat: "I will use the high ground."

While I'm sure the next ones won't take quite as long (since they did a lot for the next one already I think), Cameron being Cameron, he'll probably pass away before he finishes the Avatar series.

That's one way to stay warm.

Fun times, isn't it. Eggs..no shortages here but they've definitely gone up in price, but so has most everything else grocery store wise past 6-12 months. Feels like what used to be $100-$120 total now ends up around $180-$200. Some annual inflation is one thing but that much in such a short time certainly hits the wallet. Especially since I can no longer subsist on a diet dominated by dried ramen and/or rice or a sack of potatoes/bread/beans as filler with maybe a little cheap protein on the side. On the other hand, 90% less snacking ends up a little cheaper in that way, so maybe it balances out. lol

I was about to freak out over an email verification when I logged in today (I hate those kind of systems since I don't allow perm. cookies + my email is on a separate PC + I refuse to use a phone for it) but when I closed browser and relogged in a 2nd time it didn't ask for it again. Phew. I assume the new fixes caused it to want verification one more time. Not that anyone cares, but if that sort of system is ever put in (constant reverify every login) I may disappear entirely. So if ya ever want to get rid of me, there's one method.

7 Days to Die. I currently have a map where I found this very tall and long mountain cliff face, which faces the right direction for me to be able to build horizontally with it ... voxel block angle/visual limitations ... so now and again I fire that up and work on a massive multiple story underground bunker city that has giant cliff windows and vault entrances, guardhouses/bunkers, workout rooms, long long hallways/staircases/ladders, giant living spaces etc. Even cheating in blocks etc. it's a huge time sink. Good for the occasional casual couple of hours at a time project. In my mind I'm building a Fallout bunker city or something akin to that, vs. a zombie defense tower. And it's pretty fun. No mega plans, just sorta winging it. Dunno if I'll ever reach a point of impressive screenshots, but here's a cruddy pic to show what I mean about "built into the clifface." Except the goal is many many more, several stories, from road-level to near the top. So far this top level and the road-garage level are getting somewhere.

Steve's (and other YT'ers) ever growing frustration/anger/befuddlement has been quite entertaining. I think I'll want to buy at least one more gpu/pc in the next 3-7years, but after that I may never build another PC. I honestly use my tablet for net browsing 98% of the time now, there's firestick or other options for streaming tv services (so I don't even use a PC for that these days), and I rarely game more than 8-12 hrs a month anymore (vs. addiction, haha). More and more often it's zero hours. I'm reaching a different stage of my life or whatever you want to call it, at a good time, I guess.

"Testing something multiple times" Edit: - yeah, inconsistent. I thought maybe some of the site scripts I don't "allow" might be wonky too (like microsoft.com) - manually allowing them initially seemed to change things for my last forum login session, bold suddenly worked, but then I exited the browser, relogged in, had those scripts not allowed again like my normal etc, but now everything works fine, including bold, quote marks, etc. >.>