Toadfish Monastery

I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. It happens frequently. Once corrected, the chances of future incorrectness decrease, and this is a good thing.



Beagle, I hope you know about camouflage and concealment.

Quote from: Pachyderm on February 24, 2008, 07:40:14 PM
Beagle, I hope you know about camouflage and concealment.

I worked in Peckham for three years. Does that answer your question?

Quote from: beagle on February 24, 2008, 06:58:34 PM
Though she doesn't accept luncheon vouchers.*


* Obscure Brit reference which I hope to God/FSM/whatever, she won't understand.

Wrong-o, small canine person.

However, it was funny...

On the 'not shady references' part of the ACTUAL luncheon voucher programme, I'm a Southern woman. We feed everybody in our immediate vicinity out of a sense of...duty? Faux maternity? Habit. That's it, habit.

I just watched Men In Black on TCM channel.  Nice, letterboxed and everything.

Watching it made me recall an excellent Saturday morning cartoon, MIB the Animated series.  I saw 3 or 4 of these, and they were well worth watching.

Soo... I figured, with EVERYTHING a commodity, I could drop over to Amazon and look up purchasing the series on DVD.

No joy. Some unmigitated @ss decided that the US market was insufficient to release these in DVD.  I could get them overseas (In PAL, for which I'd have to convert using my PC into the US format.. a tedious and time-consuming process) I could pay huge extra cost for shipping, and I would have to pay upwards of $25 an episode, because the US$ is doing so badly these days. _{(George-- if EVER I meet you in person, I'm gonna SPIT IN YOUR EYE!)} This is assuming they will even ship to the US-- many Euro companies won't, because of our STUPID import crap. _{(BOTH Eyes, I MEAN it! I may even stomp on your foot!)}

I could purchase SOME of the episodes, used on VHS tape.  TAPE! in this, the day of BluRay, the ONLY venue I can get is USED TAPE.  Incomplete, too---not all episodes are available.

*bleah*

I just don't get it.... why NOT sell something while it still had some "play value"?  By now, only a collector or someone like me would be interested.  Had they made these available when the movies were still hot....?

Though imports from the US into the Euro zone have become attractive, the tariffs have gone up and the lower limit too.
Not to forget the time items spend at customs before they find the time to inform one that one is expected to pay the ransom.
It is obviously cheaper to pay a higher price by buying through a UK vendor but to get it custom-free that way.

I think about ordering that Opus Magnum on Mario Bava (book weighing 12 pounds) because the 290$ for customers outside the US are compensated by the freefalling $ exchange rate but the risk of having to pay import duty clearly puts a damper on my enthusiasm.

I HATE forums which make accounts inactive if one doesn't post within X months.

One in particular comes to mind, but I am plagued by another one with a similar policy where I am a mod and regularly get users screaming at me when they find they have been blocked. It's a really stupid policy. I know many many people who dip into forums on a very infrequent basis and why shouldn't they? Is there any International Legislation that says Thou Shalt Only Allow Frequent Posters or Thou Shalt Clobber Read-Only Users?

Grrrrrrr!!

It's all about ego. If their precious forum isn't good enough to visit AND comment upon regularly, then you must not be 'special' enough to warrant membership.

Egomaniacs, unfortunately, rule the world.

I have a headache.

have you all gathered I am on a daily rant kick yet?

Quote from: Griffin NoName on February 25, 2008, 12:18:10 PM
I HATE forums which make accounts inactive if one doesn't post within X months.

One in particular comes to mind, but I am plagued by another one with a similar policy where I am a mod and regularly get users screaming at me when they find they have been blocked. It's a really stupid policy. I know many many people who dip into forums on a very infrequent basis and why shouldn't they? Is there any International Legislation that says Thou Shalt Only Allow Frequent Posters or Thou Shalt Clobber Read-Only Users?

Grrrrrrr!!

Oh, I'm totally with you on that score.

And, I'll second what Chatty said, too.  (go Chatty! )

I can see it for a bank account-- 5 or 7 years of zero activity probabily means somthing Bad.  90 days on a check, is just good policy, so they don't have to hold open forever an outstanding check.

But, for a forum?

Who CARES if a poster only posts once every 100 fortnights?   It literally costs them NOTHING to maintain the old members' names and logins.  It's just a record in a database. 

Some people are compulsive-obsessive, though.  There's a really interesting essay, that strongly suggests that the highly-functional, but seriously compulsive-obsessive people are the source of The Rules.

I mean ALL the rules, like the dogma that any given Religion is based on.

It kinda makes sense.....

Quote from: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on February 26, 2008, 01:04:38 AM
Who CARES if a poster only posts once every 100 fortnights?   It literally costs them NOTHING to maintain the old members' names and logins.  It's just a record in a database. 

Some people are compulsive-obsessive, though.  There's a really interesting essay, that strongly suggests that the highly-functional, but seriously compulsive-obsessive people are the source of The Rules.

I mean ALL the rules, like the dogma that any given Religion is based on.

It kinda makes sense.....

Yes it makes sense. Though on the whole thou shalt not kill is a good rule.

The only reason to care re forums is in producing stats. But since with a combination of last logged in, number of posts, last post date, etc one can form a fairly accurate enough picture of activity and true membership it just shows a lack of intelligence     If you also check things like whether the email addis are live, and/or stupid etc, and whether the users own websites are selling viagra the stats become even clearer. Analysis is all. YAY! for analysis.

ONE forum of common knowledge still has a good representation from the Russian Porn Industry...

As to people who propagate too much ado over Da roolz...



them...

Quote from: Sibling Chatty on February 26, 2008, 01:31:04 AM
ONE forum of common knowledge still has a good representation from the Russian Porn Industry...

As to people who propagate too much ado over Da roolz...



them...

LOL!

For any Rule, there can be imagined a Situation wherein it is Desirable to break that Rule.

I have YET to see a Rule where this is Not So.

Is why we use Judges, instead of Computer Programs..... (or did-- with the Mandatory Sentencing idea growing ever more popular, one could EASILY write a Computer Program to do their jobs.... NOT a Good Thing. Not at All. )

Judge not lest ye be judged.

Quote from: Griffin NoName on February 26, 2008, 04:20:17 PM
Judge not lest ye be judged.

Sometimes, it is quite desirable to Judge another person.

In fact, I will go so far as to say that you cannot HELP BUT judge people you meet-- it's the essence of being human.

So, this rule does not qualify as an unbreakable.

Quote from: Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith on February 27, 2008, 12:05:29 AM

Quote from: Griffin NoName on February 26, 2008, 04:20:17 PM
Judge not lest ye be judged.

Sometimes, it is quite desirable to Judge another person.

In fact, I will go so far as to say that you cannot HELP BUT judge people you meet-- it's the essence of being human.

So, this rule does not qualify as an unbreakable.

If you would like to debate this in the light of Unconditional Positive Regard (in which I am trained and have the Certificate ) - start a thread for it......

Today's rant:

Early night needed. Max sleeping pills administered. Going slowly dozy. Good omens.

Then there's a freakin' earthquake !!

At least, if a loud voice had come from the sky saying it's just a freakin' earthquake, I'd have continued my downward spiral into dozyland. But no. I have to wake up, search for confirmation, unblock sewage, and generally waste precious sleeping pills while waiting to for after-tremors - because being British I haven't read up on What to do in Earthquakes and I am not sure if going to sleep is the right action.

I've written the book now. It's short. It says don't flush the loo and go back to sleep.