inherit
401
0
1
41,567
DragonKingReborn
20,519
August 2016
dragonkingreborn
http://bsn.boards.net/threads/recent/143
https://i.imgur.com/1myVt9D.jpg
DragonKingReborn
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
887
590
|
Post by DragonKingReborn on Aug 6, 2023 21:23:50 GMT
Terminus was a planet populated by scientists, dedicated to advancing technology. Of course they were going to surpass The Empire eventually. Yup - even with 'religion' getting in the way.
|
|
inherit
2044
0
Nov 10, 2016 16:47:07 GMT
10,115
AnDromedary
4,384
Nov 10, 2016 16:30:09 GMT
November 2016
andromedary
|
Post by AnDromedary on Aug 7, 2023 16:34:08 GMT
Oh, season 2 is coming out? Wha't going on? I have to rewatch season 1 again first. I don't remember enough and I get confused with all the changes from the books. So will be back here in a few weeks.
|
|
inherit
Banned For Sass..?
12474
0
2,014
GhostofFuckIt
649
July 2023
ghostoffuckit
|
Post by GhostofFuckIt on Aug 7, 2023 16:43:55 GMT
Oh, season 2 is coming out? Wha't going on? I have to rewatch season 1 again first. I don't remember enough and I get confused with all the changes from the books. So will be back here in a few weeks. Airing Fridays (I think) and we're only on episode 4, presumably of 10 again, so you have some time and backlog.
|
|
inherit
Banned For Sass..?
12474
0
2,014
GhostofFuckIt
649
July 2023
ghostoffuckit
|
Post by GhostofFuckIt on Aug 7, 2023 19:59:21 GMT
2-4 Round 2 + Reply Watching it again with my breakfast n coffee. Dawn has my hackles up. I'm wondering if he's as oblivious and easily manipulated as it seems. On the surface it looks like Dominion is playing him for a fool, stringing him along. *** This is the part I forgot in my previous post. Knew something was niggling. Poly/Hari and the murder of the Warden. Like I said before, the Warden didn't seem inherently evil. Hari's summary execution of him is a good reminder if his view on how cheap life is in the grand scheme of things. He's trying to save trillions and losing count of the individuals. Poly's reaction, got me wondering if this plays out. Mentioned before he gives me "sacrifice play" vibes, his new dimmer view towards Hari kind of tracks with that. *** Missed this little bit of conversation last time, from the spy. Then call me Ducem, please. Patrician sounds like a rich man sliding apology money across a mattress.Good line, that. *** I realized at the end there when Dominion is reassuring her newfound Imperial spy that they can deal with a memory audit, that Enjoiner Rue must have her memories back. *** Those two Dominion Ladies are the Rick Astley's of Galactic politics. They know the game, and they're good at playing. Difficult needle to thread. As soon as one Cleon realises something, the game is up, and they're dead. Yeah they make quite a duo. The Cleons. I dunno, they've been acting like children and getting strung along by Dom/Dem. Is this showcasing them becoming weaker, or does Day have a trick up his sleeve?(or Dawn...) Speaking of which, Demerzel was sadly missing this ep. Could argue we already bought a ticket now we're just watching the pregame. I wonder if Dawn's emotions will be "exceptional" enough to start a civil war .
|
|
inherit
401
0
1
41,567
DragonKingReborn
20,519
August 2016
dragonkingreborn
http://bsn.boards.net/threads/recent/143
https://i.imgur.com/1myVt9D.jpg
DragonKingReborn
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
887
590
|
Post by DragonKingReborn on Aug 8, 2023 2:18:03 GMT
2-4 Round 2 + Reply Watching it again with my breakfast n coffee. Dawn has my hackles up. I'm wondering if he's as oblivious and easily manipulated as it seems. On the surface it looks like Dominion is playing him for a fool, stringing him along. *** This is the part I forgot in my previous post. Knew something was niggling. Poly/Hari and the murder of the Warden. Like I said before, the Warden didn't seem inherently evil. Hari's summary execution of him is a good reminder if his view on how cheap life is in the grand scheme of things. He's trying to save trillions and losing count of the individuals. Poly's reaction, got me wondering if this plays out. Mentioned before he gives me "sacrifice play" vibes, his new dimmer view towards Hari kind of tracks with that. *** Missed this little bit of conversation last time, from the spy. Then call me Ducem, please. Patrician sounds like a rich man sliding apology money across a mattress.Good line, that. *** I realized at the end there when Dominion is reassuring her newfound Imperial spy that they can deal with a memory audit, that Enjoiner Rue must have her memories back. *** Those two Dominion Ladies are the Rick Astley's of Galactic politics. They know the game, and they're good at playing. Difficult needle to thread. As soon as one Cleon realises something, the game is up, and they're dead. Yeah they make quite a duo. The Cleons. I dunno, they've been acting like children and getting strung along by Dom/Dem. Is this showcasing them becoming weaker, or does Day have a trick up his sleeve?(or Dawn...) Speaking of which, Demerzel was sadly missing this ep. Could argue we already bought a ticket now we're just watching the pregame. I wonder if Dawn's emotions will be "exceptional" enough to start a civil war . Damned board keeps freaking out. Dawn They still haven't told us what the corruption of the Cleons was, have they? We know it happened 'some time' ago, but not exactly what it entails?
Shenanigans are probably to be expected at this point, which is probably why Day has decided maybe we need to go 'old school' in continuing the Imperial line. Day Speaking of - is this 'Day' the 'Dawn' that was thawed to replace the one that got liquefied for attempting to run away? He looks...younger than the Day that arranged for the rebel to be locked away for all time with all the people she loved killed. If so, I wonder if he is operating on knowledge he isn't supposed to have? He shouldn't know that something had gone wrong, they would've wiped the memory updates from him before bringing him out of storage. But his behaviour is...singular amongst the Days that we've seen.
|
|
inherit
Banned For Sass..?
12474
0
2,014
GhostofFuckIt
649
July 2023
ghostoffuckit
|
Post by GhostofFuckIt on Aug 8, 2023 2:32:19 GMT
Damned board keeps freaking out. Dawn They still haven't told us what the corruption of the Cleons was, have they? We know it happened 'some time' ago, but not exactly what it entails?
Shenanigans are probably to be expected at this point, which is probably why Day has decided maybe we need to go 'old school' in continuing the Imperial line. Day Speaking of - is this 'Day' the 'Dawn' that was thawed to replace the one that got liquefied for attempting to run away? He looks...younger than the Day that arranged for the rebel to be locked away for all time with all the people she loved killed. If so, I wonder if he is operating on knowledge he isn't supposed to have? He shouldn't know that something had gone wrong, they would've wiped the memory updates from him before bringing him out of storage. But his behaviour is...singular amongst the Days that we've seen. Should I go back to the hamster gif signature instead of the Elba? Might've been helping. Maybe we all should have hamsters in our signatures to help spin them wheels? I think the dynasty back then was 12-13-14, and we're on 16-17-18, so no overlap in Cleons. (I think.)
The genetic alterations speak of a seriously long term plan. Only group capable of that right now, that we know of, is the Foundation itself and their weird benefactors. (Lady that reincorporated Hari, whoever informed Hari of Hober's usefulness, etc...)
However, Demerzel also fits the bill given her lifespan, past, and enslavement.
We clearly aren't seeing all the pieces though, so it could be a new faction. I've been wondering if there is an Anti-Foundation running parallel to Hari's objectives.
|
|
inherit
401
0
1
41,567
DragonKingReborn
20,519
August 2016
dragonkingreborn
http://bsn.boards.net/threads/recent/143
https://i.imgur.com/1myVt9D.jpg
DragonKingReborn
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
887
590
|
Post by DragonKingReborn on Aug 8, 2023 2:44:43 GMT
Damned board keeps freaking out. Dawn They still haven't told us what the corruption of the Cleons was, have they? We know it happened 'some time' ago, but not exactly what it entails?
Shenanigans are probably to be expected at this point, which is probably why Day has decided maybe we need to go 'old school' in continuing the Imperial line. Day Speaking of - is this 'Day' the 'Dawn' that was thawed to replace the one that got liquefied for attempting to run away? He looks...younger than the Day that arranged for the rebel to be locked away for all time with all the people she loved killed. If so, I wonder if he is operating on knowledge he isn't supposed to have? He shouldn't know that something had gone wrong, they would've wiped the memory updates from him before bringing him out of storage. But his behaviour is...singular amongst the Days that we've seen. Should I go back to the hamster gif signature instead of the Elba? Might've been helping. Maybe we all should have hamsters in our signatures to help spin them wheels? I think the dynasty back then was 12-13-14, and we're on 16-17-18, so no overlap in Cleons. (I think.)
The genetic alterations speak of a seriously long term plan. Only group capable of that right now, that we know of, is the Foundation itself and their weird benefactors. (Lady that reincorporated Hari, whoever informed Hari of Hober's usefulness, etc...)
However, Demerzel also fits the bill given her lifespan, past, and enslavement.
We clearly aren't seeing all the pieces though, so it could be a new faction. I've been wondering if there is an Anti-Foundation running parallel to Hari's objectives. Well, the hamsters are less likely to distract my wife... Agree on all the spoilered Demerzel would be the 'waaaaaaaaat?' option. Played almost for shock value. Believable motivation, but the longest shot.
A Counter Foundation seems the most likely option (with no evidence to back up that claim). Sort of the philosophical antithesis of the same conclusion.
Instead of "Empire is doomed, we must prepare for humanity to survive", it is "Empire is doomed and let's watch it all burn, lol".
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 8, 2023 7:28:46 GMT
Damned board keeps freaking out. Probably all those GIFs loading.. I've been wondering if there is an Anti-Foundation running parallel to Hari's objectives. They already mentioned The Mule, so there might very well be.
|
|
inherit
401
0
1
41,567
DragonKingReborn
20,519
August 2016
dragonkingreborn
http://bsn.boards.net/threads/recent/143
https://i.imgur.com/1myVt9D.jpg
DragonKingReborn
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
887
590
|
Post by DragonKingReborn on Aug 8, 2023 9:02:27 GMT
Damned board keeps freaking out. Probably all those GIFs loading.. I've been wondering if there is an Anti-Foundation running parallel to Hari's objectives. They already mentioned The Mule, so there might very well be. What gifs?
|
|
inherit
Banned For Sass..?
12474
0
2,014
GhostofFuckIt
649
July 2023
ghostoffuckit
|
Post by GhostofFuckIt on Aug 8, 2023 16:40:20 GMT
Damned board keeps freaking out. Probably all those GIFs loading.. I've been wondering if there is an Anti-Foundation running parallel to Hari's objectives. They already mentioned The Mule, so there might very well be. Just keep in mind we haven't read the books so I have no clue.
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 10, 2023 16:24:06 GMT
we haven't read the books Yeah, I'll keep schtum, AFAP.
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 11, 2023 12:31:10 GMT
Ep. 5 was pretty meh; some good Cleon stuff, but otherwise.. just meh. Get on with the show already! [throws spuds]
|
|
inherit
Banned For Sass..?
12474
0
2,014
GhostofFuckIt
649
July 2023
ghostoffuckit
|
Post by GhostofFuckIt on Aug 12, 2023 8:26:13 GMT
I loved this ep. Probably my favourite of this season. (Doesn't hold a candle to the Spiral ep last season though.) Shit hits the fan. Next episode should prove entertaining. ***
Getting more info on Rayche was good. Particularly the "I love you" part to Hari. There was a disconnect in the story there and that bit helped. Rayche thus far has seemed like a card waiting to be played, but this is one of the weaker facets of the show, IM HO. It'll be nice to get this portion moving. This is a mystery I don't really have much invested in, yet it has a lot of answers. Ultimately, Rayche himself is the first plan-wrecker. Gaal was just irritating until she started wrecking it herself. *** Salvor, oh she mad... When the Beggar crashed, you think that was actual "negative ionic particles" or whatever the technobabble was, or do you think the Beggar was fine and Salvor got telepath'd into grounding it herself? Liked how gung-ho Salvor was to get out of the ship and acting rather than reacting. She needs to get out of this shadowy place between plan-wreckeress and Harincorporated and get on her own path. (I'm workshopping the names.) I dunno what kind of gait-recognition I have in my brain but I knew it was the blue eyed not-Australian lover about a tenth of a second after he showed up cloaked. I was happy, and then I wasn't. Got it a bit earlier than the unfortunate Salvor did but I admit I got caught up in seeing him again too. Also Salvor, "yeah he kissed me, fuck you for that." Hari telling Plan-wreckeress to hide the Prime Radiant somewhere, okay. Telling her not to tell him where she hid it?... Hari seemed to have preprogrammed knowledge of what they were going to encounter this entire episode, by not knowing. (I'm handing out shockedpikachus if you need one.) He guesses Blue-eyed lover is a ruse, sees through the blinding light of Pa'a, and apparently is "very hard to read/murky." Question in there is, not why Hari has preprogrammed knowledge of a potential conflict he's facing, that matches expectations but why Hari doesn't know it himself consciously. That's... one of the only tools you could have against telepaths as a mundane. So, does he have other subliminal orders, is Hari is a ticking time-bomb, saboteur, or assassin? (Or not...) Or is this much more coordinated and he actually has a block or shield of some sort? Ignorance is Strength. *** Rue has some potential to become complex. Her lamenting over her lost "shy Sareth" makes me wonder what her own ends are. She has no motivation it seems beyond Dominion's. Not a fault per se, she just hasn't had a lot of screen-time, small fish in a big pond. That said they gave her a bit of the spotlight this ep; I wonder why. Just information gathering or something more? *** Demerzel, "think of me." fistpumpThat was comedic gold. But the rest of that sexcapade was cringe and I was happy it was over fast... Once the jig is up Empire gets characterful. I liked his explanation to Demerzel after. He was smart enough to watch Dominion's every move and savvy enough to gauge what she was doing. He simply lacked wisdom. I get there are mechanisms to keep him in place, but he still has to be "Empire" at some points in his life. Arguably most of his life. He can't be a complete nit. This helped reinforce that. It's a hard line to walk for a character like his, between a plausible royal disconnect from social norms, and just being ridiculous. As a good example, Emperor Cartagia from Babylon 5 walked this line very well. *** Dawn/Dusk memory audits, bit of the aforementioned shit that hit the fan. Demerzel reiterates her wiggle-room. Best for Empire. If that means snapping Cleon necks then snappy-snappy. *** Okay what in the Jiminy Cricket Psi-Corp fuck... Buzz Lightyear, "telepaths, telepaths, everywhere..."
Oprah Windfury, "and you're a telepath, and you're a telepath, and you're a telepath!"
Pippin, "we've had one, yes. What about second Foundation?"
*** Aaaand, they (Dominion) know. Demerzel's game is up. That's either really big, or getting swept under a rug really quick. (snappy-snappy)
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 12, 2023 14:23:33 GMT
Again, it's impossible to say where they are taking the plot, but the following may actually be spoilerific. You have been warned. but why Hari doesn't know it himself consciously He should know. And it should be revealed later. What about second Foundation? That's what I'd like to know! Demerzel is supremely important, so, snappy, snappy!
|
|
inherit
401
0
1
41,567
DragonKingReborn
20,519
August 2016
dragonkingreborn
http://bsn.boards.net/threads/recent/143
https://i.imgur.com/1myVt9D.jpg
DragonKingReborn
Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
887
590
|
Post by DragonKingReborn on Aug 12, 2023 21:37:28 GMT
I loved this ep. Probably my favourite of this season. (Doesn't hold a candle to the Spiral ep last season though.) Shit hits the fan. Next episode should prove entertaining. ***
Getting more info on Rayche was good. Particularly the "I love you" part to Hari. There was a disconnect in the story there and that bit helped. Rayche thus far has seemed like a card waiting to be played, but this is one of the weaker facets of the show, IM HO. It'll be nice to get this portion moving. This is a mystery I don't really have much invested in, yet it has a lot of answers. Ultimately, Rayche himself is the first plan-wrecker. Gaal was just irritating until she started wrecking it herself. *** Salvor, oh she mad... When the Beggar crashed, you think that was actual "negative ionic particles" or whatever the technobabble was, or do you think the Beggar was fine and Salvor got telepath'd into grounding it herself? Liked how gung-ho Salvor was to get out of the ship and acting rather than reacting. She needs to get out of this shadowy place between plan-wreckeress and Harincorporated and get on her own path. (I'm workshopping the names.) I dunno what kind of gait-recognition I have in my brain but I knew it was the blue eyed not-Australian lover about a tenth of a second after he showed up cloaked. I was happy, and then I wasn't. Got it a bit earlier than the unfortunate Salvor did but I admit I got caught up in seeing him again too. Also Salvor, "yeah he kissed me, fuck you for that." Hari telling Plan-wreckeress to hide the Prime Radiant somewhere, okay. Telling her not to tell him where she hid it?... Hari seemed to have preprogrammed knowledge of what they were going to encounter this entire episode, by not knowing. (I'm handing out shockedpikachus if you need one.) He guesses Blue-eyed lover is a ruse, sees through the blinding light of Pa'a, and apparently is "very hard to read/murky." Question in there is, not why Hari has preprogrammed knowledge of a potential conflict he's facing, that matches expectations but why Hari doesn't know it himself consciously. That's... one of the only tools you could have against telepaths as a mundane. So, does he have other subliminal orders, is Hari is a ticking time-bomb, saboteur, or assassin? (Or not...) Or is this much more coordinated and he actually has a block or shield of some sort? Ignorance is Strength. *** Rue has some potential to become complex. Her lamenting over her lost "shy Sareth" makes me wonder what her own ends are. She has no motivation it seems beyond Dominion's. Not a fault per se, she just hasn't had a lot of screen-time, small fish in a big pond. That said they gave her a bit of the spotlight this ep; I wonder why. Just information gathering or something more? *** Demerzel, "think of me." fistpumpThat was comedic gold. But the rest of that sexcapade was cringe and I was happy it was over fast... Once the jig is up Empire gets characterful. I liked his explanation to Demerzel after. He was smart enough to watch Dominion's every move and savvy enough to gauge what she was doing. He simply lacked wisdom. I get there are mechanisms to keep him in place, but he still has to be "Empire" at some points in his life. Arguably most of his life. He can't be a complete nit. This helped reinforce that. It's a hard line to walk for a character like his, between a plausible royal disconnect from social norms, and just being ridiculous. As a good example, Emperor Cartagia from Babylon 5 walked this line very well. *** Dawn/Dusk memory audits, bit of the aforementioned shit that hit the fan. Demerzel reiterates her wiggle-room. Best for Empire. If that means snapping Cleon necks then snappy-snappy. *** Okay what in the Jiminy Cricket Psi-Corp fuck... Buzz Lightyear, "telepaths, telepaths, everywhere..."
Oprah Windfury, "and you're a telepath, and you're a telepath, and you're a telepath!"
Pippin, "we've had one, yes. What about second Foundation?"
*** Aaaand, they (Dominion) know. Demerzel's game is up. That's either really big, or getting swept under a rug really quick. (snappy-snappy) Telepaths Merry - “they’re going to stop Second Foundation, Pip”
Always jarring when I see a New Zealander in one of these big budget shows. Rachel House has been in a few things, now. The Orville, Thor: Ragnarok. But still weird.
No good can come from a society where everyone knows what everyone is thinking. Hive mind is fine for bees. Not so much people.
Plus the whole ‘we are of peace’ vibe is making me think they’re actually snake people. Empire/Dominion/Demerzel As always, Lady D is the star of the show.
That “think of me” line was gold. I’m struggling to believe that she has ‘Empire’s’ best interest at heart. I just think she’s playing the long, long game. But her timelines are going to get moved now that it is known what she is. I guess that higher ups just assumed she was a clone, like the Cleons, to give them continuity of care - particularly Dawn.
The memory thing is interesting. Doubt it is Day that has hidden all the clones memories. Lady D is my prime suspect.
|
|
inherit
Banned For Sass..?
12474
0
2,014
GhostofFuckIt
649
July 2023
ghostoffuckit
|
Post by GhostofFuckIt on Aug 13, 2023 3:06:30 GMT
2-5 I guess that higher ups just assumed she was a clone, like the Cleons, to give them continuity of care - particularly Dawn. They mentioned something earlier, er, Day says something like, "she has her own arrangements." I think it was to Dominion IIRC. The memory thing is interesting. Doubt it is Day that has hidden all the clones memories. Lady D is my prime suspect. When Dusk is grilling her she seems to be oozing complicity. The lighting on her was quite interestingly done too, vague silhouette on her right side. Gave her quite the ominous cast.
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 13, 2023 8:00:34 GMT
Not too spoilerific this time. Second Foundation was published in 1953, when hive mind was a fairly new idea in Sci-fi. I just think she’s playing the long, long game. I don't think even Asimov knew how long her game would be. It's the longest I've ever seen or read.
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 16, 2023 14:09:06 GMT
I suppose I could've posted this in the lobby, but it kind of fits here.
Can't tell you the details, but I heard of an ongoing study, where an algorithm predicted future events. The participants installed an app, that monitored everything they did on their phone, and I mean literally everything, texts, social media, swipes, taps, the works. After some months of collecting data and meta-data, the two were combined in order to create a predictive algorithm. And this is where the next phase of the study began.
Now they started to compare the predictions given by the algorithm to actual events. And it worked; In some cases, the participants' actions were predicted months before they happened. And these were big events, like booking a trip, applying for a new job or getting married even. Most of the participants were interviewed after the study, and the algorithm had predicted events, before they had first thought of them.
To me, that's what Psychohistory is all about. Person of Interest and The Machine come to mind too. If predictive algorithms get good, they will shape the future beyond our recognition.
|
|
inherit
Banned For Sass..?
12474
0
2,014
GhostofFuckIt
649
July 2023
ghostoffuckit
|
Post by GhostofFuckIt on Aug 16, 2023 17:15:06 GMT
I suppose I could've posted this in the lobby, but it kind of fits here. Can't tell you the details, but I heard of an ongoing study, where an algorithm predicted future events. The participants installed an app, that monitored everything they did on their phone, and I mean literally everythingThat's kind of amusing. I do some side-work on a website called "Prolific" which lets legitimate researchers (as opposed to bullshit marketers) conduct paid academic studies online. That^^ sounds very much like a couple studies I declined a while back. Interesting to see where that must've went. I just finished a study on human creativity collaborating with generative LLM AI (GPT). Was kind of fun, the basis of it was to give supporting ideas on a subject that was false. Making up "fake news" essentially. The way you could go about that was either using the AI to help you make up stuff yourself (what I did) or you could use prompts and just copy/paste the AI's responses in. It was stated that the best responses would receive a bit of bonus compensation. *** In terms of predicting human behaviour, I'm not that surprised. We're pretty damned unsophisticated in our general lives. Especially people that are stuck in a routine of sorts. Every person in your day-to-day life makes you easier to predict, and them. A nuclear family as an example, like a web of chains of predictability around everyone in it. The vacation thing is a great point, there's so much reliant on it from every person going that it could only happen in specific times, has a likely total cost, and even the place they're going to would be a short list.
One of the "saving graces" of humanity insofar as I am concerned, is our ability to channel chaos and go left when everything in the universe is saying, "go right". To break that prediction. But most of the time, we don't.
A decade or so ago I remember really enjoying reading "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions" by Dan Ariely. He's a Behavioural Economist.
The book showcases how batshit fucking stupid our decision making process is and how easy it can be to manipulate it.
I first came across him watching his TEDTalk where he explains how adding a third option to a binary choice can eliminate the choice almost altogether, giving only the illusion of it. Amongst a lot of other interesting examples.
|
|
inherit
2044
0
Nov 10, 2016 16:47:07 GMT
10,115
AnDromedary
4,384
Nov 10, 2016 16:30:09 GMT
November 2016
andromedary
|
Post by AnDromedary on Aug 17, 2023 5:03:25 GMT
Ok, I caught up as far as the first two episodes of season 2 so far. Goddammit, I am still pissed at how much they are butchering the books. Hollywood (or whatever the streaming equivalent wants to be called these days) just can't help themselves, can they? They have to tell some kind of a hero's journey, even if the source (sauce ) material is all about systems and broad concepts. So I am kinda still hating this whole business with Salvor and Gaal and their goddamn "Specialnes" But that said, if I can turn my mind off for a second and just look at it as a scifi tv show, it is a dam good show when you just look at it that way. The first scene with Empire certainly has a kick to it. I also really like that at least they embraced the time jumps and are moving forward. I was afraid they'd just get stuck at some point but I do love that we are seeing the clerics and the religion-timeframe of the Foundation now. That's awesome! And the visuals! I would watch this just for the visuals. I think I watched the approach of the queen's ship to Trantor 10 times now it's just so fricking beautiful. I mean, look at this: So yeah, anyway, I am both furious and delighted at the same time about this show somehow. It's just a weird thing they are doing there.
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 17, 2023 12:19:55 GMT
Interesting to see where that must've went. From what I gather, there's an immense commercial interest, and the results are scary AH. We're pretty damned unsophisticated in our general lives. Yes, humans are extremely predictable. But how far are we willing to take this? Follow parents their entire life, and know how their children are going to live and die? Or their grandchildren? Lives could become entirely deterministic, and the illusion of free will would be gone forever. That's some depressing stuff right there. how batshit fucking stupid our decision making process is and how easy it can be to manipulate it. This I know. adding a third option to a binary choice can eliminate the choice And this. I sometimes troll convos, (not on BSN mind you ) because it's too damn easy. People say stupid things, like: There's only two choices to this, and I ask: But what about this third choice, and the entire convo falls apart.
|
|
inherit
Another Crazy Finn
11505
0
4,472
rewindbutton
2,427
May 2020
rewindbutton
Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR
|
Post by rewindbutton on Aug 17, 2023 12:29:03 GMT
I am still pissed at how much they are butchering the books. Yup, me too. it is a dam good show when you just look at it that way. Agreed. For me, it's like expecting a steak meal, but instead the cook ground the beef and made a patty, and served it with a bun, dressing and salad. It's fine and tasty, but somehow I still long for the steak meal. I am both furious and delighted at the same time about this show somehow. It's just a weird thing they are doing there. I mean, I could just add +1 and be done with it.
|
|
inherit
2044
0
Nov 10, 2016 16:47:07 GMT
10,115
AnDromedary
4,384
Nov 10, 2016 16:30:09 GMT
November 2016
andromedary
|
Post by AnDromedary on Aug 18, 2023 18:48:35 GMT
Watched Eps 3 and 4: I am pleased. Finally, this is going in the right direction! Gaal: "But Salvor solved the first crisis." Hari: "If it hadn't been Salvor, it would have been someone else." THTAT'S IT! You finally got it screenwriters. Congratulations! A bit late in the game though because the plot of the show so far really doesn't support that statement anymore but hey, I am glad they still put it in. Same with the voice overs this time. I often found Gaal's voice overs rather nonsensical, pretentious sounding and generally a bit weird but this point about the individual vs. the big picture was nice. Also, interesting to read the interpretations of all you guys who haven't read the books. Good stuff. Anyway, rest in spoilers: Terminus/Foundation faction: Pretty much loved everything about it in the last two episodes. Especially Vault-Hari, when they finally talk to him. SO many great lines. The subtle little dismissals of the director. Him playing the role of god to the two clerics (as a book reader you already know how much he would have to pull himself together not to burst out laughing at this but Jared Harris is doing an excellent job conveying this in his acting). I think they captured the religious phase of the Foundation pretty well. Oh, also Vault-Hari just executing Warden Jager, just to look more godly for the religious phase, very fitting IMO but I don't think you guys can call him Gari anymore. I also like the way they went with the Hober Mallow character a lot more than what they did with Salvor. In the books, Hober is more of an honest trader IIRC but I do like the concept of making him into this con-man/rogue. The thing about the books is, while Asimov wrote one hell of a story about large scale events and systemic changes in societies, he didn't really write fleshed out characters. So giving Hober a bit more personality this way is good iMO and finally it's something that fits with what I remember of the books. It's been a while since I read the books but still, I am going to put in some potential book-info that might spoil some of the nect couple of episodes of the show (or maybe this was already in Ep5, haven't seen that yet): So, IIRC, the show is now at the point where the Foundation moves from the religious phase to the commercial phase and I guess in the vault, Hari is setting this up. My guess is, when he was alone with Hober in the vault at the end, he basically told him that the whole religion thing was just a ruse and that the next phase of growth will be unfettered capitalism. And he needs Hober to set this up. And there is another double layer even under that but Hober will not know that one. Also loved some of the humor: "Wait, how long was I still in there?" "We've been waiting for 3 years." "Three hous." "Can't you once just play along?" Ok, Gaal/Salvor: I agree with everyone here, still by far the weakest link in the story and the one where they keep running into self-dug pits. This early view of the Mule was really weird, Salvor's death in the future has no meaning at all in this universe. The only high point for me in this whole plot line for me is scruffy Hari (again, played to perfection by Jared Harris). Otherwise, that part is just pretty shlocky IMO. Trantor/Empire plotline: I do like the insertion of the manipulative queen and her aid (also, I don't comment on this often but the actress is gorgeous, I have to say). Loved that really weird conversation/negotiation she had with Day about procreation in the tank room of all places in episode 2. I do like depraved court intrigues like that where you just know there is so much self interest and manipulative strategizing involved, this can never end well. Really shows very well how the empire is rotting from the inside. I do agree that making the queen's motivation this personal is a detriment to her storyline. I'd have rather seen her be also mainly in it for the power grab but oh well. As for Bel Riose: Right now, he seems to be there for the action department with some trauma thrown in. Not quite sure what to make of his plotline yet. Though I hope we'll see him in command of a real fleet later in the series. Finally, on a general visual note, I really like how they make all the planets feel very different. I noticed it again with the planet Hober started out on. The technology, art, architecture and clothing there looked really distinct from all the other planets we've seen. That goes for all of them. The creators (SFX, costuming, props, location scouts, etc.) are doing a fantastic job on this series. Even the Star Wars franchise don't get this kind of subtle but unmistakable variety right. Oh, one more thing. RE: rewindbutton thinking they may massively speed up the plot by combining too much stuff: I heard in the podcast for the show once that the showrunners made an outline for the plot they want to tell and it's planned for 8 seasons. Now I don't know that will change (if Apple doesn't support them for that long) but they recorded this when season 2 was already shot, so if they do speed it up I don't think you'd see it already in this season. My wild guess is that Gaal and Salvor will eventually found the Second Foundation themselves. That would kinda then also fit with their special powers and all. Keep in mind that in the show so far no one on Terminus even knows that Gaal/Salvor are still out there. The secrecy of the second FOundation would be preserved for now. Only the viewer knows, which - as has been pointed out - makes sense in the TV show format.
One thing that is true: It looks like they are pushing Foundation And Empire a bit forward in time. IIRC, in the books Bel Riose didn't show up until after Hober Mallow was already long gone, now here, he is already around. This does make sense to me though because it will allow the TV-character of Hober to also take over the role of that later book-trader Lathan Devers (looked his name up, didn't remember it myself). This might allow them to streamline the sotry a little, which is probably not a bad idea. But man, I really gotta re-read the books one of these days. Anyway, all in all, s2 is developing better than s1 did IMO. We'll see how it goes on.
|
|
inherit
2044
0
Nov 10, 2016 16:47:07 GMT
10,115
AnDromedary
4,384
Nov 10, 2016 16:30:09 GMT
November 2016
andromedary
|
Post by AnDromedary on Aug 18, 2023 20:02:18 GMT
By the way, anyone else here always waiting for Hari Seldon to suddenly go: "Don't yu tink Beltalowda deserve just as much aia and whata as the inyas do, kopeng?"
|
|
inherit
2044
0
Nov 10, 2016 16:47:07 GMT
10,115
AnDromedary
4,384
Nov 10, 2016 16:30:09 GMT
November 2016
andromedary
|
Post by AnDromedary on Aug 19, 2023 5:24:35 GMT
Ok, all caught up now. Episodes 5 and 6 done. Damn, Hari is really going like a yo-yo between life and death these days. I am curious to see when his next resurrection is gonna be. I am starting to warm up to his and Gaal's/Salvor's plot line at this point. We are well out of book territory, seeing a background story to something of which we've only seen the end result in the books. So this is free territory for the writers and I can go with what they are doing at the momen. I also kinda like how the Mentalics are presented. They are properly scary and different. Though I will say, their story does tread a bit too familiar SciFi waters right now. I am feeling very much reminded of the rogue telepaths in Babylon 5. Still, I like this, curious where they'll go with it. Also interesting to see some re-imagined backstory to Seldon. In the very beginning of season 1, episode one, when they introduce Hari for the very first time, Gaal's voice over called him something like "mathematician, visionary, murderer". Guess now we know why they threw murderer in there. But it also gives him a quite different agenda towards the Empire. You'd have to wonder how much his plan really is about the shortening of an inevitable dark age and how much is influenced by the fact that Empire ultimately cause the death of his wife and unborn child. Not too much progress in the other storylines. There wasn't really that much new happening on Trantor and Hober just got like one scene? They seem to take him into a very different direction than I would have imagined. Spacer swarms? Are they taking some inspiration from Dan Simmon's Hyperion series and his Ouster swarms here? I am sometimes getting strong Hyperion vibes from this show anyway (not that I am opposed, I love that series). But anyway, too little info to really say anything useful about it for now.
|
|