Early Risers.

[Ozexpatriate]

10 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Well, it’s certainly not science fiction, despite being set in the future and in outer space (some people would refer to it as “space opera“ – a bit like “soap opera“).

My emphasis. Obviously you've never watched it.

 

Every single episode begins with

Quote

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...

EDIT: Oops - already flagged by John - the problem with being 8 hours behind:

6 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

The only thing I can remember about Star Wars is the opening "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"

 

Who said it was science fiction? George Lucas has told everyone who bothered to listen that it is a mish mash of Flash Gordon / The Lone Ranger Saturday morning serials, Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with A Thousand Faces" and Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai".

 

It is precisely that and doesn't pretend to be anything else.

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Ozexpatriate
Missed earlier post

[Ozexpatriate]

8 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Then we get to the sequels. The first one was just a remake of episode 4, very unoriginal and derivative but enjoyable enough. The final two were awful and represented the point where tather than being immersed in it all to the point of not noticing the plot holes and silliness (I never found the gaping question of time in empire strikes back a problem) I was sat muttering 'what *****'.

And were written after Lucas sold the 'franchise' to the House of Mouse.

 

While Lucas had a concept outline when the original (middle) trilogy was written (there were articles in the news in the late 1970s) about the struggles of a new republic assisted by a new Jedi order created by the Skywalkers, we can perhaps assume his imagination had been exhausted (or he would have done VII-IX years ago).

[Ozexpatriate]

9 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

(I never found the gaping question of time in empire strikes back a problem)

What gaping question of time?

 

The bigger timeline question is between III and IV. (It's around 20 years, but many characters aged more than that - like Obi Wan Kenobi.)

 

The timeframe between V and VI (a year) is also a question. Yoda is hale and hearty at 899 years old (or whatever), in V and then lies down for his eternal rest in VI.

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

6 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

At no time did Captain Cynical feel the need to gloat, justify himself, reveal his plans or show the secret agent The Big Red Auto Destruct Button on CC’s expensive and complicated world-conquering device (not that CC’s equipment ever has such a button, Captain Cynical is firmly of the opinion that any supervillain who needs to install an auto-destruct button on their equipment shows a distressing lack of self-confidence).

It served the crew of the USS Enterprise well on two occasions, though there isn't a button. The computer has to oblige. There wasn't an episode (to the best of my recollection) where the self-preservation instincts of the AI refused (aka HAL 9000).

 

Starfleet computers are apparently programmed to recognize the chain of command.

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

Ah yes, but the Rebel Alliance use "The Force".....

Strictly speaking, only the Jedi (and the Sith) use the 'force'. 
 

EDIT:

As Flavio mentions:

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

... so do the Imperial Troops (with the aid of the Sith) ...

 

Everyone else is a bad shot and their armour doesn't seem to do very much.

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Ozexpatriate
Missed earlier post

[Ozexpatriate]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Sometimes I think we are losing the battle about plastic waste...

Paraphrasing someone famous:
 

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. Nor is it even the end of the beginning. We're only just getting started.

 

Happily smaller "smile" items now come in padded paper envelopes that claim to be recyclable, and do appear so. The Danish house of bricks no longer use plastic inflated pillows and I rarely see those revolting expanded foam polystyrene peanuts any more.

[Coombe Barton]

... Domestics today and shifting wood. Fortunately I finished just before the rain made its presence felt. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/09/17/no-new-zoe-figures-again-and-curating-the-pandemic/

[PupCam]

Is it safe to admit this?   

 

       I'VE NEVER SEEN STAR WARS!     (no, not any of them) 😆

 

And that's the way I like it, you can put it on my headstone if you wish.

[polybear]

13 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Is it safe to admit this?   

 

       I'VE NEVER SEEN STAR WARS!     (no, not any of them) 😆

 

And that's the way I like it, you can put it on my headstone if you wish.

 

You're in good company - I believe a certain Mr. Wright hasn't either.

 

Bear here.......

 

This doesn't exactly come as a great surprise - nor does the length of time it's taken for the UK Gov to finally get off it's lazy, useless ar5e and do something about it:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ex-raf-officers-face-prosecution-if-they-train-chinese-pilots/ar-AA1gPVGB?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=e231a6fc83dc471f91732e46cb03fc0a&ei=6

 

ION......

 

Bear whacked in a "Best Offer" punt on a muddlin' "something" ** on the 'bay that was significantly under the asking price, not expecting it to be accepted - but it was 😁.  That's definitely A Big Tick.

 

**Rarely seen & new "other" as well

 

Bear gone.

 

[The White Rabbit]

44 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Is it safe to admit this?   

 

       I'VE NEVER SEEN STAR WARS!     (no, not any of them) 😆

 

And that's the way I like it, you can put it on my headstone if you wish.

 

I'm not sure I've seen a complete film. Bits of, certainly but it's never 'rocked my boat' enough to justify making the effort to sit down and watch from curtains up to end credits. I've no desperately strong opinions on the films, they are just not for me. 

[Dave Hunt]

9 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I bought some magnifying headband lenses (both headband and lenses are plastic, but nonetheless do the job). As I was tired of switching lenses to change magnification,  I bought a couple more and I now have four ready set up magnifying lens headbands at different magnifications. Then it’s a matter of just seconds to slip off one headband in favour of another when I want to get “up close and personal” with some model details.

 

When muddling I tend to wear magnifying specs quite low on my nose and an Optivisor of greater magnification positioned so that by simply raising or lowering my eyes I can transfer my vision between them, thus effectively having bifocal magnifiers. With a loupe on the Optivisor I also have an extreme close up capability without having to physically change anything.

 

Trouble is, of course, that it means I can see in great detail what a cockup I'm making of things.

 

Dave

 

[Dave Hunt]

6 hours ago, polybear said:

Tomorrow looks to be A Very Bad Day Indeed for danglin' however - so it looks like I'll have to find something else to do instead.....

 

You know what you have to do Bear.......

 

Dave

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

Is it safe to admit this?   

 

       I'VE NEVER SEEN STAR WARS!     (no, not any of them) 😆

 

And that's the way I like it, you can put it on my headstone if you wish.

 

I never got around to seeing the first one because back then in  a pre-VHS  world if you missed the cinema release you had to wait for it to come on the telly eventually which I don't think it did until the mid-80's or so.

 

 The second one (or whatever one came out in 1980?) we were meant to see on a school excursion at a cinema in Parramatta but the bus broke down in  the middle of Parramatta Road  and we never got there. 

 

Then since I'd never seen the first ones there didn't seem any point to seeing any more until I got around to  that and I just never did, so I add myself to the "never seen any Star Wars movies" club.

 

The weird thing is though that because they are such a part of pop culture they are so familiar to me that I feel like I have. I recognise quotes and references and can correctly use things in context like the Jedi Mind trick and recognise what is happening  when people talk in that strange backwardsy  way like Yoda, rather than just assuming they were mental.

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Who said it was science fiction? George Lucas has told everyone who bothered to listen that it is a mish mash of Flash Gordon / The Lone Ranger Saturday morning serials, Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with A Thousand Faces" and Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai".

 

It is precisely that and doesn't pretend to be anything else.

 

 

 

The reviewers of the time recognised that, if this review of the first one from Sydney Morning Herald is typical.

 

 

https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/flashback-our-original-star-wars-review-from-1977-20170525-gwcl0h.html

 

 

I think it has been morphed into something that its not by fanatically loyal fans, subsequent studios  and franchisees and the fact that it never seems to have an end!

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. According to the thingy at the bottom of the screen its still 18C outside. I've been looking at the Norwegian weather reports (for this area) and they concur. I've been glancing through the GER Journals and as far as I can see I have no duplicates.

[figworthy]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

Is it safe to admit this?   

 

       I'VE NEVER SEEN STAR WARS!     (no, not any of them) 😆

 

And that's the way I like it, you can put it on my headstone if you wish.

 

Lucky you.

 

Against my better judgement, I started to watch the first episode, and after about 20 minutes my codswallopometer (tm) had gone off the scale.

 

Adrian

[Barry O]

Watched a bit of rugby today. A very out of sorts Australia were pummelled by Fiji. A good, close game. Then England managed to beat Japan..

 

Baz

Edited September 17, 2023 by Barry O

[Barry O]

Star wars.. well I have seen the first 3 and then  the second 3. You take it as it is...its not hard on the brain..

 

Baz

[BoD]

18 minutes ago, Barry O said:

Star wars.. well I have seen the first 3 and then  the second 3. You take it as it is...its not hard on the brain..

 

Baz

Why did the Star Wars films come out in the order 4,5,6,1,2,3?

In charge of the order, Yoda was.

 

The old ones are the best.

[BoD]

Posted elsewhere,  but I know that @Coombe Barton is fond of statistical charts so ….

 

[Tony_S]

Shop signage. 

Something didn’t seem quite right to me but I am happy to have an explanation . 

[BoD]

Well it could be that Fresh food was frozen.

Or the frozen food is fresh.

Or they have Freshly frozen food

Or…

 

[Tony_S]

16 minutes ago, BoD said:

Well it could be that Fresh food was frozen.

Or the frozen food is fresh.

Or they have Freshly frozen food

Or…

 

Look up and to the right, above the doors…

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

We slept in this morning, not waking up until almost 9 o’clock, so after breakfast, instead of looking in on here, I went straight outside to make the most of the dry weather. As I was late starting, I decided to scrape the paint off the glass panes of the door and then just add the final coat of paint to the surrounds. I then refitted the 2 pieces of decking that I removed to give me access to the bottom of the workshop for painting. I knocked off early as we were going out for a meal at our favourite Indian restaurant, the table was booked for 5 o’clock and we definitely didn’t want to be late. As usual, Mike and Sarah called here and we then walked there together, meeting Vickie, Ian, Charlie, Ava, Max, Evie, James and Amelia there. As usual we had a good time and I probably ate too much but ho hum.