Random Thoughts

UltimateMarvel wrote:
This is something I desperately want to see happen. At least we're back on the Paris Agreement. Hopefully in the next 5 years, US will take a big step towards a green future. This is the way! Death to fossil fuels!

WyldeMan wrote:It hasn't stopped snowing yet, we're approaching two feet.

I hope you got your shopping done. Drive safe and stay warm!

WyldeMan wrote:The next ten years will bring forth a push in electric vehicles like the world has never dreamed. Renewable energy is the only way forward and I plan to invest accordingly.

When I saw snow was coming I fully stocked up on any extra supplies I may need but I still generally keep a year round stocked pantry.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:The next ten years will bring forth a push in electric vehicles like the world has never dreamed. Renewable energy is the only way forward and I plan to invest accordingly.

When I saw snow was coming I fully stocked up on any extra supplies I may need but I still generally keep a year round stocked pantry.

I would like to get a Tesla Model 3, hopefully it goes down a little in the near future. It would be nice if there was more competition and other car manufacturers made EVs.

WyldeMan wrote:Among Tesla's many upcoming releases, there is a compact $25k car in the pipleline that might be more to your price point.

When I do make the jump to an EV, it will be a Tesla but since they're always getting better, I haven't settled on which one yet.

UltimateMarvel wrote:Nice! A $25K Tesla is much more affordable.

A Model 3 is somewhere in the $40K, isn't it? You plan to pay more for the Y?

Ace Ventura 3 Being Considered with Evan Peters as Son of Jim Carrey's Pet Detective?

Allllrighty then! A new rumor has emerged claiming that Ace Ventura 3 is in the works, with X-Men star Evan Peters reportedly being sought after to take over as the hugely popular pet detective. Originally portrayed by Jim Carrey, the idea is to bring in Peters as the son of Carrey's character, who, much like his father, has an affinity for animals, Hawaiian shirts, and giant, pompadour styled hairdos.

While there is very little more information regarding a proposed Ace Ventura 3, this rumor does come from a fairly reliable source, and while Evan Peters has never quite shown the manic energy or rubber-faced delights of a comic of Carrey's calibre, his potential as the son of Ace Ventura is immediately clear. Evans' star is undeniably on the rise at the moment thanks to his role in several big franchises such as X-Men and American Horror Story, as well as his mysterious role in the Disney+ Marvel series, WandaVision, making him prime Hollywood real estate and an inspired choice to lead an Ace Ventura sequel.

Audiences first laid eyes on Ace Ventura way back in 1994's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Starring Jim Carrey as the zany title character, Ace is hired by the Miami Dolphins when their dolphin mascot, Snowflake, is suddenly abducted. Soon Miami Dolphins players begin disappearing too, including star player Dan Marino, played by himself, making Ace's sleuth work even more pressing. Working with Dolphins representative Melissa Robinson, Ace gradually closes in on the culprits, but not before uttering many ludicrously quotable catchphrases along the way.

Directed by Tom Shadyac from a screenplay he wrote with Jack Bernstein and Jim Carrey, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective co-stars Courteney Cox, Tone Loc, Sean Young, and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and features a cameo appearance from death metal band Cannibal Corpse. The movie was a huge success, grossing $107.2 million against a $15 million budget, launching Carrey into the A-list stratosphere along with The Mask and Dumb and Dumber, all of which were released that same year.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective quickly spawned a sequel, 1995's Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which found the private investigator being summoned to Africa to locate a missing bat, which happens to be the one creature he despises. Another huge financial success, neither the sequel nor its predecessor was particularly well-liked by critics, but both movies have since found huge popularity among general audiences, with the character remaining one of Carrey's most beloved creations.

Should Evan Peters be brought in as Ace Ventura's son, this would not be the first time that such an approach has been tried. Released in 2009, Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective stars Josh Flitter as Ace Ventura Jr., the son of Ace Ventura, who must follow in his father's footsteps in order to save his mother from going to jail. A low-rent made-for-TV cash-in, Ace Ventura Jr.: Pet Detective had zero involvement from either Jim Carrey or writer Steve Oedekerk, and the fact that you've never heard of it before now tells you everything you need to know about its quality.

While this all remains a rumor for now, there is no doubt that we could all use a little bit of Ace Ventura in or lives. This comes to us from Giant Freakin Robot.

Get nervous, Shooter McGavin ... HAPPY GILMORE'S STILL GOT IT!!!

On the 25th anniversary of "Happy Gilmore" -- arguably the greatest golf movie EVER -- Adam Sandler hit the links to recreate his old protagonist's iconic swing -- and it was epic!!

Adam dusted off his clubs ... explained this was the first time he's taken the old 3-step approach to hit a tee shot in a quarter of a century -- and then he launched a golf ball into outer space!!!

   Happy loves you all! Thanks for everything! pic.twitter.com/p1aY9JcFWh
   — Adam Sandler (@AdamSandler) February 16, 2021 @AdamSandler

The best part? ADAM TALKED SMACK TO SHOOTER WHILE DOING IT!!!

"Shooter McGavin, this is for you," Adam said, before piping the shot. "I'm not lying to you. That is smashed. Smashed. That went pretty well. You're dead, Shooter!"

Of course, back on Feb. 16, 1996 ... Happy came back from down 4 strokes to beat Shooter to win the gold jacket -- and the movie has been legendary in the sports world ever since.

In fact, if you go to a local Top Golf to hit shots, the rules there even state there's no Happy Gilmore swings allowed!!

"Happy loves you all!" Adam captioned his video on Tuesday. "Thanks for everything!"

Now if we could just find a way to get Bob Barker back on the course with Sandler ... we'd really bring back memories!!

WyldeMan wrote:The Y wouldn't be my first choice but I do like things about both the 3 and the S though neither makes me feel like I gotta own one right now.

Considering the rate at which Elon is improving his own tech year over year, I'll just keep waiting while he keeps refining and continues to improve on the batteries.

In the meantime the tech will continue to get better, more supercharer stations will go up as right now I've got two within 45 miles of me and the $7,300 EV tax credit will finally return. I don't mind waiting, I'm waiting on something from all of Elon's companies and that just keeps me interested and invested.

UltimateMarvel wrote:There is only one supercharger station near me about 15 mins away.

I didn't know the EV tax credit was off the table. Those fuckers, just more ways to remove incentive from people who want to go green.

I also liked the solar roofing that Elon introduced, there was a deal with Home Depot at some point but it didn't go anywhere but maybe one day.

As Dwayne Johnson runs for president in 2032, he takes a comedic look back at his extraordinary life through the outrageous stories of his family and youth that shaped him into the man he is today. He explores his childhood years living amid influential wrestling icons while his dad rose to fame in the business, his rebellious teenage years attending high school in Pennsylvania, and his football years teamed up with powerhouse players at the University of Miami. In his telling, Johnson explains that while his experiences have been larger than life, he remains a down-to-earth guy who still relates to the American people.

Demi Lovato is opening up on the 2018 overdose that nearly took her life in her YouTube Originals docuseries “Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil.”

In the trailer, released on Wednesday, the 28-year-old singer revealed that she suffered three strokes and a heart attack after her overdose in July 2018.

“I had three strokes. I had a heart attack. My doctors said that I had five to 10 more minutes,” she says in the trailer.

In the docuseries, directed by Michael D. Ratner, Lovato opens up for the first time about her nearly fatal overdose, dissecting every aspect that led to the incident and her awakenings in the aftermath. The doc features interviews with Lovato, her friends, family members and other musicians, including Elton John and Christina Aguilera.

Lovato gave Ratner “unprecedented access to [her] personal and musical journey during the most trying time of her life as she unearthed her prior traumas and discovered the importance of her physical, emotional, and mental health,” according to the logline of the docuseries. The project goes “far deeper than an inside look beyond the celebrity surface” and “is an intimate portrait of addiction, and the process of healing and empowerment.”

“I’ve had so much to say over the past two years wanting to set the record straight about what it was that happened,” Lovato says in the trailer. “I’ve had a lot of lives. Like my cat, you know? I’m on my ninth life.”

“Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil” will have its world premiere and open the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival on March 16.

Tyger wrote:They separated months ago but damn she moved on fast

Interviewed as part of Styles's Vogue cover story, Wilde opens up about her reaction to casting the former One Direction member in Don't Worry Darling. Wilde also describes the excitement she shares with Oscar-nominee, and the film's costume designer, Arianne Phillips. "She and I did a little victory dance when we heard that we officially had Harry in the film, because we knew that he has a real appreciation for fashion and style," Wilde explained (via People). "And this movie is incredibly stylistic. It’s very heightened and opulent, and I’m really grateful that he is so enthusiastic about that element of the process—some actors just don’t care."

"To me, he’s very modern, and I hope that this brand of confidence as a male that Harry has—truly devoid of any traces of toxic masculinity—is indicative of his generation and therefore the future of the world," Wilde said. "I think he is in many ways championing that, spearheading that. It’s pretty powerful and kind of extraordinary to see someone in his position redefining what it can mean to be a man with confidence."

WyldeMan wrote:The internet has immediately taken to calling this Disney's Joker.

WyldeMan wrote:Rush Limbaugh is finally dead from lung cancer at 70 years old.

And in quite possibly, directly related news...I'm suddenly in a very good mood.

WyldeMan wrote:In crazier news, Olivia Wilde has left Jason Sudeikis after 7 years. She ended their engagement and has moved in with One Direction's Harry Styles. She left him for a pop singer that's twenty years younger. Daaaamn, that's a total man move and to make it even more so, Wilde and Sudeikis have two children together.

The mayor of a Texas city resigned after telling people it was their own fault if they were suffering from the vast loss of electricity in the state this week amid a historic cold snap.

Tim Boyd, the mayor of Colorado City, accused his constituents of looking for a "handout" as power went out across the state. He encouraged residents with no water to "think outside the box to survive."

The outburst came in a since-deleted Facebook post that included numerous misspellings.

It said: "No one owes you are your family anything; nor is it the local government's responsibility to support you during trying times like this! Sink of swim it's your choice!"

He said later in the post: "I'm sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout! If you don't have electricity you step up and come up with a game plan to keep your family warm and safe.

"If you have no water you deal without and think outside the box to survive and supply water to your family.

"If you are sitting at home in the cold because you have no power and are sitting there waiting for someone to come rescue you because your lazy is direct result of your raising.

"Only the strong will survive and the weak will parish."

Here is the full post:

At least 20 people had died in connection to the storms as of early Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

Boyd resigned Tuesday. According to Fox News, he said in a Facebook post: "I would never want to hurt the elderly or anyone that is in true need of help to be left to fend for themselves.

"I was only making the statement that those folks that are too lazy to get up and fend for themselves but are capable should not be dealt a handout. I apologize for the wording and some of the phrases that were used!"

Freezing temperatures across many US states have left people battling ice and snow and have caused severe power outages.

Texas is seeing some of its coldest temperatures in more than 30 years, the BBC reported.

Millions of homes and businesses in Texas were without power Tuesday.

Some of the deaths were directly linked to efforts to try to get warm. The Houston police said a woman and a girl died of carbon-monoxide poisoning after trying to use their car to generate heat.

WyldeMan wrote:

According to the article I just read, Harry Styles was the reason they separated in the first place.

Shia LeBefou was replaced by Styles in an upcoming movie called "Don't Worry, Darling" that Olivia has a small role in and that's how they met. Olivia was raving and drooling about Harry being some new form of man in interviews before they even worked together. She was basically in heat from the jump.

Tyger wrote:

WyldeMan wrote:

According to the article I just read, Harry Styles was the reason they separated in the first place.

Shia LeBefou was replaced by Styles in an upcoming movie called "Don't Worry, Darling" that Olivia has a small role in and that's how they met. Olivia was raving and drooling about Harry being some new form of man in interviews before they even worked together. She was basically in heat from the jump.

Uh, the small role of directing?

In shock move, Facebook blocks news access in Australia

By ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — In a shocking act of retaliation Thursday, Facebook blocked Australians from sharing news, a milestone in the increasingly frantic jockeying between governments, media and powerful tech companies that one Australian minister called “an assault on a sovereign nation” and abuse of power.

Australia's government condemned the decision, which also prevented some government communications, including messages about emergency services, as well as some commercial pages. The digital platforms fear that what's happening in Australia will become an expensive precedent that larger countries will follow.

Facebook took the drastic action because the House of Representatives passed legislation that would make Facebook and Google pay for Australian journalism, said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who added that he was given no warning before Facebook acted. The legislation needs to be passed by the Senate before it becomes law.

“Facebook’s actions were unnecessary, they were heavy-handed and they will damage its reputation here in Australia,” Frydenberg said.

Facebook said the proposed Australian law “fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it.”

“This is an assault on a sovereign nation,” Health Minster Greg Hunt told Parliament. “It is an assault on people’s freedom and, in particular, it’s an utter abuse of big technologies’ market power and control over technology.”

Both Google and Facebook have threatened retaliation if Australia created the law, which the government contends will ensure media businesses receive fair payment for their journalism being linked on those platforms.

Australia's proposal requires a negotiation safety net through an arbitration panel. The digital giants would not be able to abuse their dominant negotiating positions by making take-it-or-leave-it payment offers to news businesses for their journalism. If a news business refused to budge, the panel would make a binding decision on a winning offer.

Facebook had threatened to block access to Australian news rather than pay for it under the proposed News Media Bargaining Code. Google had threatened to remove its search functions from Australia because it said the proposed law was unworkable.

But Google’s threat has faded as it quickly stitches up licensing content deals with Australian media companies under its own News Showcase model.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. announced a wide-ranging deal with Google on Wednesday. Major Australian media organization Seven West Media reached a deal earlier in the week. Their rival Nine Entertainment is reportedly close to its own pact, and state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corp. is in negotiations.

The government accused Facebook of endangering public safety by temporarily blocking state emergency services messaging on a day when there were severe fire and flood warnings in various parts of Australia.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s weather warnings, a Hobart women’s shelter and the Betoota Advocate, a satirical website named after an Australian ghost town, were among those surprised to find their content blocked at least temporarily.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said he had told Facebook that the government expected access to its pages to be restored.

“The fact that there are organizations like state health departments, fire and emergency services ... who have had their Facebook pages blocked, that’s a public safety issue,” Fletcher said.

Facebook said in a statement: “Any pages that are inadvertently impacted, we’ll look to reverse.”

Health Minster Greg Hunt said the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne still didn't have its feed fixed more than eight hours later.

Frydenberg said he had “constructive” discussions with Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg after the content blocking began.

“He did explain to me that they had concerns with aspects of the code, and it goes to the interpretation of some of its elements. And he will come back to me with some more considered views,” Frydenberg said.

Frydenberg said his government remained committed to the code that was delivering generous payment deals with Google for Australian media.

“Other countries are watching, but also Google and Facebook and other digital giants are very focused on what it means, as far as a precedent goes, for other countries,” Frydenberg said.

News Corp. said it would receive “significant payments” from Google in the three-year agreement, which includes heavyweight news organizations throughout the English-speaking world, such as The Wall Street Journal and New York Post in the U.S., the Times and the Sun in the U.K., and The Australian and Sky News in Australia. The deal spans audio and video and News Corp. will also get an ad revenue share from Google.

Frydenberg said after weekend talks with Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google, that he was convinced the platforms “do want to enter into these commercial arrangements.”

“It’s a massive step forward we have seen this week,” Frydenberg said of the Google deals.

“But if this was easy, every other country in the world would have done it already. But they haven’t,” he said.

Rusty wrote:In local news, Facebook has banned access to news articles to Australian users.

Let me be clear. All posts linking to news articles have been banned for Australian users. Not just Australian news sites. All news sites. Worldwide. Everything from Fox and CNN, to local independent websites.

Kinda fucked.

NASA's Perseverance rover just landed on Mars after leaving Earth more than six months ago.

Now that the rover is on the Red Planet, the work begins.

Here's what it will do:

   The rover will explore Jezero Crater: The crater is the site of an ancient lake that existed 3.9 billion years ago. The rover will search for microfossils in the rocks and soil there.

   It will relay images from Mars: Perseverance will capture images of its surroundings and send them back, unfold its "head" and take more pictures while going through some health checkups with engineers. Teams on Earth will go through a month of inspections, software downloads and preparations for roving.

   The rover will drop a helicopter on Mars: Over a process that takes about 10 days, the rover will drop a helicopter, called Ingenuity, on the surface of Mars and roll away from it. The little 4-pound helicopter will have to survive frigid nights, keep itself warm and charge itself using solar panels. Then, it will be ready for its first flight, which will last about 20 seconds.

   It will search for evidence of ancient life: Perseverance will search for evidence of ancient life and study Mars' climate and geology and collect samples that will eventually be returned to Earth by the 2030s.

   Perseverance will record sound: It will be the first recordings of sound on the Red Planet.

WyldeMan wrote:

You don't actually get your news from Facebook do you?

Tyger wrote:Why the fuck did Australia think they were going to make Facebook and Google pay for their news??

I have nothing against social media blocking people sharing news stories honestly, but I don’t know why it also blocked emergency services and shit directly as well.

Rusty wrote:Not general day to day news, but it's beyond standard news. Friends and others sharing interesting stories from niche sites about an archaeological find, or a particular event during an armed conflict (or even just an opinion piece), or some random article about some random thing i might find interesting - that I'm never ever going to find on a major news site. All of it. Gone. And not just from my news feed. Even if I go to the publishers FB page, it's completely blank, as if they have no content. I have to go to their actual website. Which is a pain in the arse.

It's also a great way of not just discovering interesting articles, but also discovering new news sources for various topics that I likely would never come across myself.

I follow people like Neil Degrasse Tyson, Graham Hancock etc for this very reason. They post links to articles about a bunch of interesting shit from all over the place. All of it. Gone.

It's basically all I use Facebook for.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been stripped of their titles, as Buckingham Palace confirmed that the pair will not be returning to work as members of the royal family after they relocated to America.

In a statement on Friday, the Palace said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will return to the royal family all their honorary military appointments and royal patronages.

“Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” a statement said. “While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”

The decision follows a 12-month review of their duties following their so-called Megxit in January last year, when they announced plans to “step back” as senior members of the British royal family and become financially independent.

Since then, the pair have inked exclusive deals with Netflix and Spotify, while last week, they announced the news that Markle is pregnant with their second child.

The military, Commonwealth, and charitable associations that will revert to The Queen are: The Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving. The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, The Rugby Football Union, The Rugby Football League, The Royal National Theatre, and The Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Christopher Reeve heroically restores Zack Snyder's Justice League in new fan made video. The clip features footage of Reeve as the Man of Steel from 1978's seminal superhero movie, Superman, with Supes going through what a lot of audiences did back in 2017 with Justice League and the changes made by replacement director Joss Whedon.

joey con carne wrote:Have any of you guys seen the first Pandemic Special? Cracked me up. Recommended.

UltimateMarvel wrote:No. I've never seen any South Park.

Rusty wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:No. I've never seen any South Park.

My goodness. I'm not surprised hahaha

joey con carne wrote:South Park is fucking crazy. My favorite season is when Garrison runs for president and the mass destruction caused by skankhunt42. Oh! And the ‘member berries. Oooh, I ‘member!

joey con carne wrote:I always wanted to be in the storyboard room with them when they come up with the scenes. It must be such a riot seeing it all come together.

-Lets have Gerald trolling people on his computer.
-Yea, but he could have maybe two computers and he switches between them.
-I know! He can switch between them and “play” the computers like Yanni. Like two at a time.
-Brilliant!

UltimateMarvel wrote:Bill Hader was a writer on the show? Interesting!

I can't believe they did a human centipede episode, they were actually shitting. lol

UltimateMarvel wrote:I also liked the solar roofing that Elon introduced, there was a deal with Home Depot at some point but it didn't go anywhere but maybe one day.

WyldeMan wrote:This was posted a couple days ago and I was reminded of your comment.