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      Welcome!   03/05/2016

      Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change.  If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away.  I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!

Darth Fluffy

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Posts posted by Darth Fluffy

  1. Posted

    3 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

    Debate Trigger:

    Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?

    I've seen it on 'Favorite Christmas Movies' lists, and it takes place during Christmas, but I would say "No", because it does not focus on a Christmas theme, 'Yes" because it involves a Christmas party.

    Would you call 'Little Women' a Christmas movie? There is a scene celebrating Christmas, but it is not the focus of the story.

    'Home Alone' is harder, it kind of doesn't focus on Christmas, but Christmas is the rationale for the story's events.

    In the myriad 'A Christmas Carol' adaptations, Christmas is central to the theme, but it's not really what the story is about. Scrooge has a redemptive epiphany through the interaction with the spirits of the season, but it could have been set in a different context. (Indeed, similar stories often are.) The well regarded 'It's a Wonderful Life' is similar.

    Even among 'legitimate' Christmas fare, the focus varies widely. Some stories focus on traveling home for the holidays. Some spoof the crass commercialism of the time. Some are religious in nature, interpreting the Bible story. Some focus on an aspect of the modern traditions, like Santa and Frosty.

    Then there's edge cases, like 'Jack Frost'.

    Also Christmas themed Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, South Park, that subvert elements of the season. 

    I guess it's complicated.

     

  2. Posted

    3 minutes ago, mlooney said:

    They have Christmas movies, if nothing else.

    Oh, good point.

     

    4 minutes ago, mlooney said:

    5 pointed, hand drawn in red ink the color of fresh blood.

    Nice! Good attention to detail. Sounds stylish, hand crafted like that. Was the donor a salesman? Sorry, you probably shouldn't say in a public forum.

     

  3. Posted

    NP Comic Saturday December 18, 2021, starring Pseudo-Justin, who is straight.

    It's all about the Grace, 'bout the Grace, and Ellen. It's all about the Grace, 'bout the Grace, and Ellen.

    It's all about the Grace, 'bout the Grace, and Ellen.  When she speaks it's all transparent, 'cause she uses prefix words.

    Not a bit of confusion, she says what she really means (That's hot). She dates that girl Ellen, I think that is really cool beans. (That's hot)

          (Repeat, or something)

  5. Posted

    1 hour ago, AFNB said:

    I was always planning on sharing the official NASA rankings and reasons behind them. That's the last part of the exercise - scoring, seeing how well you did.

    Based on, "The guns are not needed for defense on the moon":

    Things you might need for the task:
     1 -  1 Two 100lb tanks of oxygen
     2 -  6 50ft of nylon rope
     3 -  8 Parachute silk
     4 -  5 A solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter -
     5 - 10 Signal flares
     6 -  2 20L of water
     7 -  3 A stellar map
     8 -  4 Food concentrate
     9 - 12 One case of dehydrated milk

    Things you might need on arrival:
    10 -  7 A first aid kit, including an injection needle

    Things you might need when you get to Earth, also by weight:
    11 - 15 A box of matches
    12 - 14 A magnetic compass
    13 -  9 A self-inflating life raft
    14 - 11 Two  - 45 caliber pistols

    Probably not needed:
    15 - 13 Portable heating unit

    Score:

    0,4,5,1,5=15
    4,4,4,3,3=18
    4,2,6,3,2=17

    15,18,17=50   Fair

    Guess I'm not working for NASA.

     

    20 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

    No.  The last part of the exercise is arguing about why the test was wrong

    Well, I misread the scenario, I thought it said you were on the light side, but it only said the mother ship was on the light side. So the portable heating unit might be necessary, but you would know before you left the crash site. If you were on the dark side and needed a heater, it is a pretty important item, not getting why they only give it a 9.

    I really don't see the point of personal propellants, they seem like more of a hazard than a benefit. A unit that was designed for travel, sure. Shooting off a gun or gas bottle to throw yourself? Not so much. Crack your face plate, and you're done. (Damn, where's the duct tape?)

    Previous gripes about too little information have already been mentioned.

    They seem to have missed the point that flares would fly much higher.

    Still a fun exercise.

     

     

     

     

  6. Posted

    2 hours ago, mlooney said:

    For some reason I though she was eaten by an alligator.  My bad.

    Like I said, I don't even recall the character, much less the event.

    You may be thinking of Something Positive. Randy Milholland makes use of Canadian Trapdoor Alligators to take out the trash from time to time.

  7. Posted

    1 hour ago, mlooney said:

    According to Tedd the seers would not only need have used human magic but also be familiar with Uryuom magic as well to be able to make a wand making glove.  I suspect that limits the possible glove makers to Tedd only.

    Good point, although, we don't really know how widespread is the knowledge of the existence of Uryuoms and of Uryuom tech. Lavender in particular is participating in government service, and there is sensitivity training mentioned to address discrimination. Their contact with EGS Earth goes back a long time, not necessarily ancient, as the Egyptian scenes could be relatively recent, but some are mentioned as having been born here.

    Also, a curiousity, Lavender is rather tall for a Uryuom. Guessing she's actually a hybrid?

     

    2 hours ago, mlooney said:

    OK, /me says that does it.  You get a star next to your latest entry.  Plus Epiphany isn't until Jan 6th, or 19th for some people. Post 1970 in some churches it's Jan 2nd next year.  In the real world it's a few weeks away.  In the comic world it passed a few weeks ago.

    Epiphany, the event, is based on the word epiphany, to have a sudden understanding, a light bulb moment. Tedd had a light bulb moment. His did not involve three or any other number of wise guys. Huh, it was actually the result of a conversation between two Magi, Arthur and Tedd. Hmm.

    Do they have Christmas in the comic? I recall Zeus (formerly Jerry) in a Santa hat, I think. I don't recall any festivities. They had a New Years party, that's where he wore the hat, ... drawing a blank on Christmas. I guess a Santa hat is a weak connection, seems a bit generic.

    I appreciate the star, thanks. Five pointed? Foil sticker, or drawn on? Might I ask, "What color?" It's nice when ones efforts are recognized.

     

     

     

  11. Posted

    22 hours ago, mlooney said:

    I know that explosives (other than Thermobaric and other "fuel/air" types) will work with out air, due to them having their own oxidizer, but will flares?

    What ijuin said; they are basically rockets, optimized for being a bright, fairly steady display. We are assuming 'flares' is standard rescue flares for being noticed by search and rescue.

    There are other types of flares. I don't know if road flares self-oxidize or not. I would guess that they do, but it is just a guess. IR decoy flares probably self oxidize, because if you need to use them, you don't have leeway for them failing to light, and altitude, hence available oxygen may vary greatly. Illumination flares are designed for low altitude, to illuminate the ground, but like road flares, I don't know if they self-oxidize. They stay aloft by means of a parachute, so on the moon would drop like a rock.

    Sky rocket fireworks would work, but any stabilization that depends on air would not, so fins or a tail that drags in the air is no good. A weighted tail might work. Any spin stabilization that depends on aerodynamics would not, but the rocket could be designed to spin itself.

    Although I assumed flares fired from a flare gun, which the linked page also seems to go with, any of these that would burn on the moon might be useful if someone on Earth was trying to locate you with a powerful enough telescope. If they commandeered the Hubble, this might make you easy to spot.

    Even a fuel/air type, if for some reason you had it with you, would be minimally effective on the moon. The fuel is dispersed by explosive, and that initial charge will still disperse the fuel, even though the fuel won't burn. The truly creative might think of a use for this, maybe gumming up windows.

    Mayhem on the moon.

    So much of the Sci Fi of my youth is no longer apropos, just because the places are not as they were imagined to be. No Green Hell Venus, sorry.

  12. Posted

    1 hour ago, mlooney said:

    I knew that, just Yay is "real" in canon of QC but Skynet isn't.  Of course "Station" might be Skynet, see Hanner's "joke" about calling down a strike.

    You can never tell. WoG says one of the characters has been eaten by an allosaurus. See the Cast page, last entry, Sara, below Yelling Bird. I do not recall the in-comic event. Maybe it was just a text mention.

  14. Posted

    3 hours ago, AFNB said:

    Okay, since people seem to be about done with the exercise, here's the link to the actual thing:

    https://www.csuchico.edu/anthmuseum/_assets/documents/nasa-exercise-survival-on-the-moon.pdf

    Thanks for posting.

    Given HOW they ranked the items, using them on Earth is not a factor, which begs Grace's question about those items.

    There was missing information, "... will fit a special aperture in NASA space suit"

    The line of sight limitation of the radio is based on frequency, also unknown, but probably guessable. There is no ionosphere on the moon to duct a signal, and the curvature is sharper, so the horizon is closer, OTOH, 200 miles isn't all that far. (Yes, I agree, I wouldn't want to walk it on the moon.)

    The references to the utility of propulsion make no sense to me. Seems like an invitation to have an accident and tear your suit. Stability counts for a lot.

    "A stellar map is your primary means of navigation" is surprising. Seems too coarse.

    The flares near the bottom is also surprising.

    Again, thanks.

  16. Posted

    2 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

    Unfortunately, the vast majority of what passes for contemporary music in any genre is mediocre at best

    Skill and Talent in any aspect of Music are apparently not the most important requirements to have music written, performed, recorded, sold, or "enjoyed" by masses who don't know any better

    Skill seems to do better than lack, within a genre. Not liking a genre is a different thing.

    That said, in our era, many other factors than just the music carry weight. The quality of the recording, the acoustics of the venue, the showmanship, the quality of the video, both technically and artistically, and the story line.

    Freddie Mercury was good on the keyboard, and Queen was a good band, but they have incredibly memorable and apropos songs that resonate with crowds, and so are often used at sporting events and the like. And Freddy was a superb showman.

    Would we remember Twisted Sister if every political hack didn't try to co-opt 'We're Not Gonna Take It'?

    I'm not a fan of disco, and if I never hear 'Disco Duck' again, it will me too soon. (Apologies for reminding you that song exists.) Yet I can recognize the brilliance of the Bee Gees disco tunes, which are at least as good as their older stuff (although, 'Words' is still my fav).

    Weird Al is widely appreciated for his lyrics, his ability to stay within the tone of the song he's spoofing while maintaining his spoof. But many others have done this and are still doing it. He blows them out of the water with his accompanying videos, which match the tone of the video of the spoofed song and/or tell their own story.

    Skill has impact, skill matters.

     

  17. Posted

    1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

    Grace has the right mentality

    If it seems like a good idea to me, it must be a good idea

    If it is not a good idea, it is the fault of someone else (in this case, the person who packed the ship)

    Arrgh, boiled down like that, it's a terrible philosophy, yet it is pretty much what we are constrained to do.

    What are the alternatives? Inaction? Yeah, that will get you far, not at all. Let someone else do the thinking? Honestly, it is better than total passivity, but still, no. 

    Hopefully, you have some critical thinking skills, and are open minded to acquire new data, yet skeptical enough to reject the bulk of the noise. Then, hopefully, you have a peer group whose opinions you value who can contribute a consensus that you can use as a platform for extrapolation, and whose responses will provide valuable guidance.

    And then it boils back down to what you said.

    Not so sure the blame part is actually all that useful. It is good to hold people accountable, but often blame does the opposite, it is deflection by involved parties to avoid accountability. In this case, Grace is using 'fault' as a point of evidence, so that works.

  21. Posted

    NP Comic Thursday December 16, 2021

    Grace makes a good point, why was (were) the compass (and matches, life raft, and guns) packed?

    My (previous) theory for the first three is for when they return to Earth.

    The guns could be as well, but there are other possibilities on the moon. There is the possibility of hostile humans, although the EGS universe seems technologically contemporary with ours, and the time frame seems similar, even a bit slower due to the pace of the comic. But we've seen Uryuoms and critters in space, and maybe NASA knows other universes occasionally visit?

    Same three guys; I wonder if "So cute" foreshadows drama?

     

  22. Posted

    I gave my VHS player away to one of my daughters, same time frame, along with hundreds of VHS tapes. Mine from my marriage, when my kids were growing up and my mom's from when she passed away. My mom was a Disney fan, and had nearly everything they released; I think she had Song of the South, which will probably never see the light of day again as a Disney release.

    I still have a CD player, which may require composite, but I can play the DVDs in my laptop.

     

  23. Posted

    2 hours ago, ijuin said:

    It belonged to my parents and is older than me. I mainly keep it to play old video cassettes and game systems that can’t run on digital sets without a signal converter.

    Good point. I think I have a flat screen with a composite input that I need to keep for my old XBox. Assuming it still works. I don't even know where I stuffed it at the moment.

  24. Posted

    38 minutes ago, mlooney said:

    Most things, if taken far enough out of context would be a good name for a band.  Maybe not a punk band, but you know, a band.

    It's the intrinsic self-deprecation that makes it punk.

    'Most Things'? I don't get a specific genre vibe from that. 'Moist Things', maybe - I imagine they'd appeal to Jimmy Buffet's crowd.

    'Out of Context' could be a country band that plays in a country themed club in an urban environment.

    'Far Out of Context' would be similar, just a weirder combo, like Peruvian pan flutes in London. Probably better if they used the Spanish for it, though.

    Anyone want to get a band together? We can be El Shiveish Goons.

     

  25. Posted

    Now I'm wondering if I can find a phone booth. Remember the egg shaped ones, and Christopher Reeves's Superman stares at it because he can't change in it, then uses a revolving door? I bet those are all gone. The old school ones were better distributed, more numerous, and might still be hanging out in remote locations.