LadyCrimson

I was going to say there is this product called headphones, but I suppose that wouldn't be great if working/having to keep half an ear on something else at times. But at home/late night. I know in some cases, if one has bad tinnitus (as example), that headphones can be bad, but if it's mild (like hubby's), light over-ear heaphones/low volume still works fine. He uses the small Koss ones I gave him at his desk and loves them. If I like a game's soundtrack well enough, I'll leave it on. Most of the time however, after either a few hours (or for repeat playthrus) I end up turning it off and playing my own music. I do like game sound design noises to be on however, and I become mighty peeved if that's attached to the same volume slider as soundtrack/music, ala games of many many years ago. That was one of the best side advances - sound is no longer just on/off. Gotta have Speech, Music, Game sounds at minimum.

Diane Keaton, Oct. 11, age 79.

John Candy - I Like Me, via Prime Biography film, lot of interview and film snippets, of Candy and his friends/co-stars/family etc. Well done. Tries hard to hit the feels, mostly works. John Candy is still missed.

I think the online/sub service/settings stuff runs kind of parallel to the "right to repair" stuff. "They've" decided there isn't enough money in making things that people can buy once and use for years. eg, something that makes ppl keep paying repeatedly, much faster/more often, is "required." Thus current effort to make ppl adopt the notion that you are not buying a product, you're buying a service. When I buy something, I expect it to work on its own - that's why I bought it. And a lot of these "services" are things that could work perfectly fine on their own with no service - which is what annoys me. If I want magical heating/super adjustable car seats, I will pay extra for such seats to be installed. I will not pay monthly so I can have them turned on as a "feature." It's like paying twice and then forever. Even if it costs no cash, you're paying with it in time and lack of functional independence (games included). Paying or being beholden to a 3rd party for a service on your ringcam that will call the cops or send alerts to your phone if it detects something while you're on vacation, that's one thing. Outside of that type of thing, no, I'm outta here.

Depends on game mode and/or custom settings. One of those games where there's the default pre-set modes, but there's like 3 screens of difficulty game settings and you can mix/match as you wish It's a giant sandbox - once you figure out what you like, you can do it almost exclusively if you wish. There are predator type fauna that will attack - but not all fauna will. Or you can set them to be defensive only so they only attack if you attack/hit them first. Or never at all. You can turn on-foot and ship combat off/minimal/standard/hostile, which has affects on planet/space sentinel hostility conditions and certain system warp random encounter stuff. That said, outside of very early game, most of isn't really much threat. As to base building - if you don't want to ever build a base, you don't really have to, outside of any quest, or a weather/temperature shelter. Some ppl go super all out on bases ofc. It can be fun but is has no purpose (don't need to defend etc). Most of the time I just build 1-2 prefab room shelters with a few crafting/storage tools in them and that's about it. You could also disable the ability to alter difficulty settings entirely (can't change on the fly). Very wide, not very deep.

NMS - Started Abandoned Mode save #8. --found a good A class Interceptor ship, certain type of multi-tool, maxed carry inventory, hit a certain amount of units/nanite currency, purchased all upgrade/craft stuff, and looted/scavenged enough tech-upgrade modules to make it all decent gear wise. --since planet/system you start in is different each time, any of those aspects could be easier, or harder, to achieve (especially tech modules in Abandoned Mode), so a bit of variety in that way. Sometimes it takes 30ish hrs, sometimes it takes 60+ hours. I see/scour a lot of cool planets, caves (terrain and water), pretty lagoons, vast oceans. But then I reach that point where the ship/gear/all that set up is done and ... the methodical task oriented part of the save is gone. And apparently all I want lately is to obsessively "zone out." Starting Abandoned Mode save #9 ...

Just to be clear, I've never done Xbox, never owned one, don't even like their controllers. It's just all more signs of the way tech and near monopolistic corps and own nothing etc. is going - or at least the direction they would like to force everyone to be going - which includes the game industry. It all makes me Crabby.

WindowsPass

You misunderstand, at least in my case. I don't mind needing internet for gaming - if the online is needed for a gameplay function. Like playing with a net friend who lives in another state/country etc. Or downloading a digital game onto my drive. Kinda need the internet. Most of the time, games that require always online, I have zero interest in anyway. What I do mind is a company deciding I need to be online for a reason that is not specifically game circumstances required - like it's SP (or it's SP but online req. because they're too lazy or too telemetry or store app focused to create a SP/offline function). Nor would I wish to have to be "online" and login to Microsoft just to play Dungeon Keeper on my PC. --I don't mind if online/app is used for some gadget/device/service that no one really "needs." Those vacuum donuts, ringcams, house remote controls, whatever else. Do what one wants, use what one wants, up to individual. although I think people getting too used to/emotionally dependent on that stuff breeds ... well, Wall-E comes to mind. But that's very subjective/just me. --I do mind if companies start wanting to make online/app required to access something like a dishwasher cycle, a fridge setting, a car feature you paid for but can't access without online. This is what many companies seem to be trying to get people used to - almost grooming the public in some strange way - and I refuse to get used to it. I will wash my dishes by hand before resorting to this sort of nonsense. Pretty soon you won't be able to flush your toilet without being subbed to some flush-switch online-bootup for your bathroom waste disposal "device". And then there's Microsoft possibly trying to prep people re: needing to online-login to your O/S, just so you can utilize your separately purchased photo editing program, which is not ok. And more likely, it's all a precursor to then eventually making Windows a monthly pay service O/S.

Yeah heard about that. Although I also saw some ppl posting new workarounds already. I don't really care much re: having to account register for the initial install permission or something but always having to login/online to that account for everything Windows related would suck gopher butt. I made a MS account re: Win10 but I honestly don't recall what I had to do with it. I know I used it once and haven't "logged" into it since, for anything, including the once or twice when I did Windows updates. I'm not sure I even know what my MS account is at this point. It helps I never use/never even clicked once on any MS specific programs/apps (gamepass, edge, store, etc). I figure for me it'll be like Win7 to Win10 - I'll use Win10 for 2-3 more years and then have to decide what I'm doing when building a new PC. I still don't think LInux would be my thing, but I feel more and more like I don't have a choice. Maybe I'll convert old PC to Linux for certain stuff, use Win11 NASA pc for gaming stuff only. Edit: heck I still have my old Win7 PC. Maybe I'll just go back to that/old programs/games and stay offline forever *echo-voice* and ever and ever and ever. Edit: the one nice thing about being older right now is I won't have to live as long with all this AI/own-nothiing brave new world. 2nd Edit: also, I'm still Crabby. Life is kind of sucky right now. Oh well.

*listens to Anthony Vincent sing Your Idol in the style of Sleep Token* --- "Who is Sleep Token?" --- *google* Heard a few of what I assume are their more popular singles. For some reason some of their slower songs and musical passages made me think of Tangerine Dream. Something about the mood/tone of those Sleep Token passages, not the singing/genre aspect. This led me to look up some TD music again. I was listening to Betrayal (never saw the movie), and kept thinking the beginning reminded me of something. Then I got it: from Terminator. Maybe TD was an influence for Mr. Fiedel. I think they were for many back then. Ah, synth soundtracks.

I think I'm something like halfway through the 7th episode of that Genie, Make a Wish k-drama. I'm not sure I'll finish, even if there's only 4.5 episodes left I think. It's still fitfully charming/amusing but I'm not connecting emotionally with anything, so the "I don't really care what's happening/why" syndrome applies. I end up turning it off mid-episode to do something else. Even for comedy kdrama (mixed with a little pathos), not my thing. A shame - really wanted another great vehicle for this actor pair. Just me tho.

For me, this was a great trailer that really made me want to see the movie. Sadly, probably won't reach Prime or whoever until next year.

Manor Lords - finally a giant beta test version dropped. I guess it isn't abandoned after all (ha). Didn't sign up for access, I'd rather wait for full public version with beta-resultt patches added, but from reading up, sounds like a lot of changes (plus some new maps). Old saves will not be compatible with it. No Man's Sky - still making silly ships, still flying around exploring planets, still occasionally see stuff I've never seen before - and still have restart-itis re: Abandoned Mode new starts. I never went much past the intro of Little Kitty, Big City, since the one time I tried was when I had the PSU reboot issues, and I just never went back to it. They keep patching/adding to the game, including cute outfits (heh). Hoping to motivate to look at it again this weekend. I could use some "cute."

Watched 2.5 more episodes of the Genie kdrama. It did get better and I was enjoying it more/finding it more amusing (or I was just better prepared for the silliness), but it started drifting into the too many chrs/beats to follow with a lot of fast cutting scenes between them - among other things. Pacing/editing. So it goes on the maybe watch a couple episodes a week list - not a "just one more episode/binge" show.