I’ll take that for sure. Absolutely loooove winter. I downright detest summer. It’s too bright, too warm, sweaty, makes me irritable and I’m less productive in general.

To quote The Weeknd: I come alive in the fall time. My mood improves, everything gets cosy and comfortable. Fall and winter bring nice things like christmas, hot chocolate, gorgeous colors in nature, nice sweaters, warm jackets. Absolutely love it.

God yes. I absolutely LOVE a well written manual.

Even if you THINK you know how a thing works, it’s always good to find out the quirks and gotchas, not to mention functionality that might not be obvious at first glance.

In fact, I read the manuals before buying an item or piece of software. They tend to be much more enlightening about a product’s limitations than the marketing material is.

Conversely, it really annoys the fuck out of me when people come on forums and ask a really basic question that’s answered on page 2 of the manual. It shows that someone is incredibly lazy and incapable of basic problem solving. And they have the audacity to get offended when you tell them it’s covered in the manual.

Fair enough. I do know some cinemas, usually the ones that run quiet, arthouse movies, have a no snack policy for that reason. Of course, those generally don’t run silly comedies anyway :D

The other day I was riding home from work on my bicycle. This being the Netherlands, lots of idiots are on bikes as well.

A bike passes me on the left, with one guy pedalling at a good clip. And a second dude casually standing on the rear of the bike, with his arms crossed. As if he was standing at a bus stop.

Weirdest, most dangerous shit I’ve ever seen on a bicycle. This was a busy street at rush hour no less. I was sure I’d see the guy end up on the pavement, but had to turn off before I could witness the dismount.

I know, right? That was such a staple of aviation in general. Everybody knew about Concorde, just like how everyone can immediately recognise a Boeing 747. Maybe in thirty years time, some young’in will post about ‘I learned about an aircraft called a 747.’

Concorde was such an icon, they even made an entire disaster movie featuring it, Airport ‘79:

https://youtu.be/BdwoWbBduxw

Not so fun fact: the aircraft used in the movie, F-BTSC, was also the actual Concorde that crashed in 2000, ultimately killing the type.

The chewing sounds are a bit of an annoyance, sure. But since I like to snack a bit as well, I’m not going to complain about it :D

You could try some earplugs; they make specific ones to wear to music festivals and the like. They block quieter sounds like someone chewing two rows back, but still let you hear the movie just fine. They can help people with misophonia.

This will of course depend on where you are, but from my own experience here in the Netherlands, most people are very respectful.

I went to the cinema 140 times last year; and only had two movies where I was annoyed with others. And staff promptly intervened. In about 250 movies total, I’ve only seen ONE case of people ejected from the movie after multiple complaints.

So at least here, statistically, it’s not so bad. But that could vary greatly depending on the demographic and behaviour of others who frequent your cinema.

Oh it is, I’m enjoying every minute of it.

Back in the early days of Movie Pass in the US, I was hoping we’d get something similar in the Netherlands. But our local cinema didn’t offer anything like that. When the new chain opened two years ago, I got their movie pass immediately.

‘Going to the movies is expensive’; that’s the common complaint many people have. But, those tend to be people who see maybe a handful of movies per year, if that. The average consumer here in the Netherlands sees three movies in cinema per year. So, they buy a ticket for Saturday night, which costs 15 euros. Now add a popcorn and drink, and it’s easily 25 euros per person. That feels expensive for the average person.

But when you look at the pass… it gets really attractive. I pay 22 euros per month. That allows me to see every movie, every day, as much as I want. No limit.

You only really need to watch two movies per month to be cheaper off with the pass. Except I’m not seeing two per month. I see on average three movies per week. Sometimes on the same day. I’ve done cinema days from 10 am to 10 pm.

And the best part? It’s a modern nine screen cinema with all luxury recliners. Every single seat.

I know I’m very lucky that I can do this, so I’m taking full advantage.

It’s definitely something I’ve noticed as well. I’m in my early 40’s, but I’ve got the same issue.

When I’m at home, just doing one thing feels wasteful. I’m always multitasking. So when streaming a movie on my PC for example, I’m usually too tempted to do some browsing. As a result, I just don’t finish a lot of streaming movies.

Two years ago we got a new cinema, which offered unlimited movie passes. You pay 22 euros per month and can see as many movies as you like.

I saw 142 movies in cinema last year. And I have no problem seeing three hour plus movies. Because it’s a forced no phone zone, I’m actually able to focus on just the movie.

It’s something I’ve heard from other, younger moviegoers as well.

If some fucker breaks into your house, kicks your dog, rapes your wife and steals your TV, you don’t ’compromise’ to let him keep the TV. You shoot that fucker right between the eyes.

Russia needs to get out, simple as that. After that, we’ll hang Putin for war crimes and put the rest of Russian leadership against a fucking wall.

The Netherlands is not the worst to live, but I for one could use a few days extra off for sure…

Well… the satanists I’ve met definitely seemed like a Linux crowd, so it’s not the worst suggestion prior to sacrificing a goat or something of that nature.

Sooooo build a bunker and hoard guns and ammo, then?

You know the saying: ignorance is bliss. There’s a lot of perfectly content people out there, barely more conscious than a house plant.

Yep. That’s a difficult nuance for people to grasp. Alcoholism isn’t really about the amount, it’s about your relationship to its use.

If you drink 7 beers on a random friday night, but nothing the rest of the week, you’re probably fine. But if you drink a beer with your breakfast so you can face the day, that’s clearly not a good place to be. Same amount of alcohol, but a different relationship to its use.

Basically, anytime you feel like you ‘need a drink to do X’ with any regularity, it’s time to talk to your doctor about alcohol use.

I had so many experiences like that. I was a voracious reader as a kid. I was reading books in English (my second language) about topics such as aeronautics and space exploration. I was reading far, far above the level of any classmates. And that lead persisted all through college.

Every time a new teacher would give us an essay assignment, I’d get called out to stay after class once they graded it. And they’d casually accuse me of plagiarism.

My usual response? Quiz me, right the fuck now, on any paragraph you want from that 20 page paper. And ask me the definition of any word you’re unfamiliar with. That shut them up right quick.

A large vocabulary is its own reward, but not so much when those who’re supposed to teach you are lacking in that department.

Exactly. Back in 1995, my dad could never get online. Heck, he couldn’t even remotely figure out a PC. We tried to teach him some basics like ‘click with the left mouse button to open something’, but he was downright scared of the thing. He never, ever touched it.

But ‘thanks’ to the iPad, he’s e-mailing, on Facebook, on YouTube, TikTok etc. Which also has the unfortunate effect of subjecting him to boomer brainrot. He’s now more actively misinformed than he used to be because of that fucking iPad.

We’ve made the web accessible to people who shouldn’t be on it. Because it’s hurting them and hurting society as a whole.

I’ve been online since 1995. I weep for what we lost. The web should have stayed a nerd domain. We’d have been better off as a society.

Do watch Andor. It’s not just good Star Wars, it’s ‘good TV’ in general. And I say that as someone who hates modern Star Wars with a passion. Andor’s excellent.

God yes. I was one of the first people to buy it. Back when you had to send Notch himself five bucks to play it. I was interested in the concept, but frankly didn’t think it would have much appeal beyond people who enjoy completely self-guided experiences with no set goals.

How wrong I was.

It’s been wild seeing it rise to the top of the pop culture heap, become popular with 12 year olds and eventually result in me seeing a movie starring Jack Black based on it.

It’s wild that it started with me and a handful of guys sending Notch a fiver.