Everything Geek goes here...

[cheerfulgreek]

I just got back from seeing The Green Hornet. It was okay, I guess. Kind of reminded me of the movie "Kick Ass". Hmm, I wonder who would win, Kick Ass and Hit Girl vs. The Green Hornet and Kato. lol

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by Animate

Little Big Planet 2 today!!!!!!!!!

Collector's edition of course.

What's Little Big Planet 2?

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Animate

Little Big Planet 2 today!!!!!!!!!

Collector's edition of course.

Live-in and I picked it up after work last night. I like the story levels, he likes the created levels. I made it through the first full level only because he wanted to play some of the created ones, and we were actually responsible and went to bed at 11pm instead of staying up all night like we both probably wanted to.

Tonight I have work stuff to do but I will probably play it a little more through the week (although Live-in just got a couple of games that he wants to play, too), but he works on Saturday so I'm planning on scooting through as much as I can.

What I really love:
I can play with my friends without meeting up with them in person (read: I want to wear my rattiest PJs ever while playing this game). I didn't have an account while playing the first one, so I'm not 100% sure if you could do that before, but I love the "join the players" aspect of 2.

Also, the story aspect is more interesting so far.

CG I think you might actually like Little Big Planet. The "story" levels (if you can call what's in the first version an actual story) are kindof similar to Super Mario Bros, but you collect items that help you build your own worlds and you can play the worlds that other players are creating. It's got a social networking aspect that's really quite interesting.

Plus, the sackboy is cute. Well, mine is a sackgirl right now. And she's freaking a-dorable.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Stop harshin' our dreams, yo.

This...

and I am still sticking with my answer.

Haven't we all seen enough Buck Rogers / James Bond flicks to wish it possible?

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

This...

and I am still sticking with my answer.

Haven't we all seen enough Buck Rogers / James Bond flicks to wish it possible?

I wasn't trying to get you to change your answer, it's just that we've already accomplished flight.

[AGDee]

Teletransportation or hover cars, so that I don't have to deal with slick, icy or snowy roads ever again. EVER.

[DaemonSeid]

Netflix is slowly getting rid of DVDs...resistance is coming

In a seemingly innocent 109-word blog post, Netflix director of product management Jamie Odell announced, "We're removing the 'Add to DVD Queue' option from streaming devices," suggesting that it was being done so that the company "can concentrate on offering you the titles that are available to watch instantly." Granted, the Netflix website still allows DVD queue updating, but this post, dropped on the morning of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, created an immediate firestorm of comments -- most of them very, very angry.

"Clearly Netflix wants to send less discs through the mail, and therefore wants to make it more difficult for the user to add to their queue in furtherance of that," wrote "Eldendor." "Horrible idea!" wrote "usrbingeek." "Especially when there are still few titles available for streaming and the titles that you do have, seem to have very narrow license windows." On and on came the complaints, with most responders saying essentially (1) I like having access to DVDs even if I use a PS3 or mobile phone to stream movies on Netflix; and (2) there aren't enough good titles available on "Watch Instantly." "I think this is a totally foolish move on your part. I like to be able to add movies to my DVD queue from my iPhone," commented "b.dsign." "[I]f this means that netflix is going to add more movies to watch instantly i support the change," "Beto" wrote, "but if they are not, then it's just a bad idea."

As of yet Netflix hasn't released any response, which, really, is their response. Whether customers like or not, Netflix knows that the future is moving away from physical discs and toward instant access. And, really, none of us who use Netflix should be surprised: Back in November the company announced that they were offering a new lower subscription rate for streaming-only customers while increasing the rate for people who still wanted DVDs. Right now, if you want DVDs from Netflix, the company is less than thrilled with you: They need you to get used to the idea of streaming films and TV shows so that you'll drop the physical disc habit: a craving, ironically, that they themselves created thanks to the ease of their iconic red envelopes.

[Drolefille]

^^ Honestly I don't see this as a move away from DVDs but more making it easier to find streaming when you're looking for streaming. Now, that said adding a checkbox to show/hide DVD only titles would have been smarter. While moving from DVDs may be their goal, I don't see this as relevant to that.

You also need to get off of yahoo blogs >.>

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

^^ Honestly I don't see this as a move away from DVDs but more making it easier to find streaming when you're looking for streaming. Now, that said adding a checkbox to show/hide DVD only titles would have been smarter. While moving from DVDs may be their goal, I don't see this as relevant to that.

You also need to get off of yahoo blogs >.>

@drole...I read this in three other sites and I still think that eventually netflix will try harder to push people away from disks. I mean, they already pushed people away from Blockbuster and the streaming option has grown tremendously within ONE year. They have brokered deals with Starz, ABC and Disney and almost had one with HBO, which would have been a coup, so I would really keep an eye on Netflix this year especially since their price went up.

Hulu needs to start looking over its shoulder.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

@drole...I read this in three other sites and I still think that eventually netflix will try harder to push people away from disks. I mean, they already pushed people away from Blockbuster and the streaming option has grown tremendously within ONE year. They have brokered deals with Starz, ABC and Disney and almost had one with HBO, which would have been a coup, so I would really keep an eye on Netflix this year especially since their price went up.

Hulu needs to start looking over its shoulder.

Well, it depends. Right now there are some problems with the streaming. Mainly, Netflix contracts out to a server/push company (I don't remember what the correct term is), and companies like Comcast (FUCK THEM, but they own part of Hulu and are also running their Xfinity streaming which they actually don't have license to do), is putting an additional fee on Netflix's contractor because instant streaming is "taking up" so much bandwidth (plus, Netflix competing with Hulu is bad for the cable companies). Additional fee - I remember hearing it was a whopper - is then passed on to Netflix, which ultimately will endanger the low low prices of streaming only or any other plan, really.

So, DVD's and BluRays might be cheaper right now (because they worked out a sweet deal with the Post Office) since many people have plans that limit their DVD renting but not their streaming. Also, lots of dumbasses like live-in and I pay for the unlimited DVD/BluRay to mail but end up using the streaming so much that we never watch the physical disks or send them back (seriously - we had two movies sitting on our coffee table at our old place since May and we didn't watch them until after moving to our new place - in August.

[Animate]

Originally Posted by agzg

we had two movies sitting on our coffee table at our old place since May and we didn't watch them until after moving to our new place - in August.

Which reminds me...I need to return Shutter Island lol. Fiance added it to the DVD queue the week before it was available for streaming...silly rabbit.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by agzg

Well, it depends. Right now there are some problems with the streaming. Mainly, Netflix contracts out to a server/push company (I don't remember what the correct term is), and companies like Comcast (FUCK THEM, but they own part of Hulu and are also running their Xfinity streaming which they actually don't have license to do), is putting an additional fee on Netflix's contractor because instant streaming is "taking up" so much bandwidth (plus, Netflix competing with Hulu is bad for the cable companies). Additional fee - I remember hearing it was a whopper - is then passed on to Netflix, which ultimately will endanger the low low prices of streaming only or any other plan, really.

So, DVD's and BluRays might be cheaper right now (because they worked out a sweet deal with the Post Office) since many people have plans that limit their DVD renting but not their streaming. Also, lots of dumbasses like live-in and I pay for the unlimited DVD/BluRay to mail but end up using the streaming so much that we never watch the physical disks or send them back (seriously - we had two movies sitting on our coffee table at our old place since May and we didn't watch them until after moving to our new place - in August.

Right...I am actually slowly backing down on how many DVDs I get per month for the same reason...and ever since Netflix capable blu ray players and game systems are out with some newer movies (Thanks Starz!) available, it's almost a why bother stance for me.

The decision to stream movies still depends on deals from movie houses because I realisitically believe that within 3 to 5 years we will have rendered physical movie disks obsolete. The problem is of course the whole piracy issue and also I believe how to track revenue of a non physical product. Most people would tell you that music is one thing but controlling video is a bit more difficult. I think that's why we haven't seen the type of leap that we saw when iTunes came around that a lot of us did for music.

And yes, you are right that cable companies are afraid now. They lost an estimated 1 million customers last year due to recession and the fact that there are cheaper alternatives (the streaming option we just menetioned) to having cable. And as streaming sites continues to grow and as prices stay inexpensive, people will find reasons to get rid of those ghastly 100+ dollar a month bills for hardly anything on TV.

I was just having this discussion the other day with a friend who wants to use her PC as a media device to get rid of cable so she can use streaming as her only option because her bill is too expensive.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

Right...I am actually slowly backing down on how many DVDs I get per month for the same reason...and ever since Netflix capable blu ray players and game systems are out with some newer movies (Thanks Starz!) available, it's almost a why bother stance for me.

The decision to stream movies still depends on deals from movie houses because I realisitically believe that within 3 to 5 years we will have rendered physical movie disks obsolete. The problem is of course the whole piracy issue and also I believe how to track revenue of a non physical product. Most people would tell you that music is one thing but controlling video is a bit more difficult. I think that's why we haven't seen the type of leap that we saw when iTunes came around that a lot of us did for music.

And yes, you are right that cable companies are afraid now. They lost an estimated 1 million customers last year due to recession and the fact that there are cheaper alternatives (the streaming option we just menetioned) to having cable. And as streaming sites continues to grow and as prices stay inexpensive, people will find reasons to get rid of those ghastly 100+ dollar a month bills for hardly anything on TV.

I was just having this discussion the other day with a friend who wants to use her PC as a media device to get rid of cable so she can use streaming as her only option because her bill is too expensive.

The problem right now with streaming only is that there are still shows out there you can't get. Live-in used to download but his friend got NAILED for piracy so he pulled the plug on that. We do still use a media center PC, but now that netflix works and is reliable on the PS3 we might do away with that (or only watch stuff that we already have downloaded).

We don't use Hulu much.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

@drole...I read this in three other sites and I still think that eventually netflix will try harder to push people away from disks. I mean, they already pushed people away from Blockbuster and the streaming option has grown tremendously within ONE year. They have brokered deals with Starz, ABC and Disney and almost had one with HBO, which would have been a coup, so I would really keep an eye on Netflix this year especially since their price went up.

Hulu needs to start looking over its shoulder.

Hulu will do fine I think as long as it focuses on the current shows, Netflix is better for back catalogs. That said, there are a LOT of people without access to broadband internet in this country due to location or income. Even if we don't see heavy metering/usage caps from the current companies, discs aren't going away soon, and only Netflix is really in a position to serve that population. The studios aren't too interested in making streaming available so quickly that people want to stop buying DVDs and BluRays. Streaming BluRay/HD quality is even more bandwidth draining so that's a whole other issue. Having a physical backup of the movies we buy still makes people more likely to buy a disc than just a digital copy. There are just all sorts of issues involved.

So while that may be the eventual direction I don't think that we're going to shift away in the next five years. Netflix itself might, but I think someone else will jump in that gap if so.

[cheerfulgreek]

Question for Daemon. Daemon, when I was reading the information about Bane, I also read the information about each comic book. You've read all of those comics? How many comic books do you have? Both DC and Marvel? How do you keep up? And how long have you been reading them? I don't mean to get all "Barbara Walters" on you, lol, but I'm just really curious. I knew you like superheroes, but you know a lot about them.

Oh, and did I ever tell about a guy I met who saw you at that convention? I think I did. If not, I'll have to pm you. It was really funny.