mistie710 comments

Posted in: Disney announces 'Jungle Book,' 'Maleficent,' 'Mary Poppins' sequels See in context

@NathalieB

Yes, so much hate on Disney, but for a reason. Like so much of the movie industry it is failing to innovate. The closest they have come in recent years would be titles like Frozen or Tangled which I applaud but the numbers of such shows are swamped by reboots, sequels, prequels and re-imaginings of titles that were great in and of themselves but in so many cases these follow-ups are shallow, meaningless drivel using the name of that original to get bums on seats. People are only going to get fooled that way so many times before the hatred becomes obvious.

"Don't like it? Don't go see the movies." I hear that argument so many times and while it seems like an obvious one to make, the trouble is that we won't know exactly how bad something is until we have actually seen it. Of course once we know that the rodent is taking us for sheeple then yes, we will avoid it. If enough of us avoid it then they will need to address the problem or go out of business. Simples!

As for the charity work, what has that got to do with the subject at hand? They do charity? Whoopee! However you will find that charity work is normally done either for the people that need it done, which is laudable, or is done to elevate a person's or company's profile, which is less laudable and, in some cases I've seen such as Jimmy Savile, totally despicable. Whatever the case, it has little if anything to do with what people think of the output from the Mouse.

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Posted in: Disney announces 'Jungle Book,' 'Maleficent,' 'Mary Poppins' sequels See in context

@lostrune2

People don't go to new and original movies; that's why sequels/remakes keep getting made.

Not quite. Hollywood lost its creative edge years ago as the execs and the accountants took over and few, if any, have the balls to back an original concept these days because they know that not every original idea will appeal to the sort of audiences they want, so they play it safe. They go with a proven franchise and run it into the ground.

A good example was Police Academy which ran to seven movies and a TV series. Consider the success generated by the first film, then consider what happened with each successive release.

Disney has long been a part of this problem given the number of film and direct-to-video sequels, reboots and spin-offs they have released over the years, some of which were successful but more have been reviled by the public. Their involvement with Pixar injected a fresh dose of creativity but even there the rodent has still tried to milk it with sequels and prequels galore, not because viewers necessarily want to see them but certainly because the risk involved is nowhere near as great as in putting out something completely new.

The mouse, like so much of Hollywood these days, is all about selling product rather than creating original art.

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Posted in: Miss Hooters Japan Contest 2016 See in context

@MikeL

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Impressive Twilight Sparkle impression you have there!

They're nice and all, but what about the food?

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Posted in: How much do you know about giving first aid in an emergency situation? See in context

Did a bit of first aid training many years ago but never had to use it in anger. Apart from respiration, coping with shock, immobilisation and (very) basic bandaging techniques, I suspect that my expertise would only go as far as trying to get those who know the drill well to do the main bit and stay out of the way.

Which, if you don't know what you are doing, is probably the best thing to do anyway.

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Posted in: Do you think the so-called “Panama Papers”— documents that have shed light on how the world's rich and powerful use offshore companies to stash their assets — is a big deal? See in context

@fxgai

So you are OK with fat cats / one-percenters keeping their money offshore, so long as they pay tax to the country of their residence, right?

Read back what I wrote. As long as they have paid up what they owe, I have no problem with what they do with their money.

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Posted in: Do you think the so-called “Panama Papers”— documents that have shed light on how the world's rich and powerful use offshore companies to stash their assets — is a big deal? See in context

@trouble

There is nothing illegal in holding assets in a low or no tax country. None. If you're an American, it's in the decision by Judge Learned Hand. He ruled that there is no patriotic duty to increase your taxes, and you have a legal right and obligation to arrange your affairs to pay the least tax.

And chances are that "Judge Learned Hand" is probably on one of these lists.

If you earn income in a specific country, then you should pay tax in that country. That's true for everyone. You make use of that country's assets, so why don't you pay for them? Of course, once paid, there's no problem doing whatever you want with what is left but that greedy bunch of fat cats (it's a popular term in the UK - the US prefers the one-percenters) should not be allowed to funnel their ill-booten gotty offshore.

That goes for corporates too.

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Posted in: Ben Affleck to direct, star in next Batman movie See in context

@genjuro

This is just Hollywood running out of ideas. They'll be trying to milk any possible superhero combination they can get from both the DC and Marvel universes, including reboots and reworks. Frankly, it's getting tiring. Something more original, please.

Totally agree but it will need a massive stroke of luck for it to happen as long as the beancounters of the world that control the media groups continue to deny originality and the risk that it inevitably brings. Hollywood became creatively bankrupt a long time ago.

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Posted in: Ben Affleck to direct, star in next Batman movie See in context

Is anybody else getting sick of superhero movies yet?

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Posted in: Which movie or TV president do you wish the real-life U.S. president could be like? See in context

Forget that lot!

What about Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks? Or Stephen Colbert in Monsters vs Aliens?

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Posted in: 6-year-old girl falls to death from 43rd floor balcony in Osaka See in context

It's a story I've heard before.

At a local authority I used to work for, everyone was stunned by the story of a child living in a twelfth floor flat belonging to the authority crawling out of a window and falling to its death. The immediate result was that every flat belonging to the authority above a certain floor had its windows altered so that they could not be opened enough for this to happen again.

Didn't bring the child back, but it possibly saved others from a similar nasty fate.

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Posted in: Japan is asking U.S. President Barack Obama to make an official visit to Hiroshima when he comes to Japan in May for the G-7 summit. Doing so would make him the first sitting U.S. president to visit t See in context

It's all a matter of context. That's the reason why there are such sharply differing opinions here, of course.

If this is seen as somehow validating Japan and its actions during the first half of the twentieth century then he should certainly avoid visiting these sites. All that would do is to inflame the current situation.

If this is seen as an apology for past misdeeds, then I'd be in favour if the same actions could then be followed by the various heads of states that were similarly in the wrong. The apologies have to start somewhere, always considering that such apologies would be accepted by all parties concerned.

If this is seen as another step on the road to removing the atrocities that are nuclear weapons from this world, then I'm all for it. It would only likely be a token gesture though, so I'm not sure if it would do much good but then any gesture in that direction is better than none.

The trouble in all three cases is that you can never untangle them from each other and hard liners, political opportunists and others will always seek to read their own agenda into whatever action is taken, whether Obama visits Hiroshima or not. It therefore all descends into the same old argument that we always have about Japan, China, Korea and so forth.

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Posted in: Japan's 'Masked Girls' seek fame under cover See in context

I've said it before. I'll say it again.

Meh.

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Posted in: Are you worried that one day, robots will become so powerful that humans will no longer be able to control them? See in context

My own thought is that I am less scared of an artificial intelligence taking over on its own for whatever reason and more scared of a machine taking over because somebody screwed up. It's more possible because it doesn't need the machine to be intelligent and it's more likely because there are any number of reasons why a machine could be affected in this way. Most of the reasons would relate to the human responsible for building or operating it in the first place.

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Posted in: N Korea sentences U.S. student to 15 years hard labor See in context

@1glenn

It appears that "let the punishment fit the crime" does not apply in North Korea.

Hey, it could be worse! Consider the penalty in some middle eastern countries!

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Posted in: S Korea condemns updated Japanese textbooks See in context

meh

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Posted in: N Korea sentences U.S. student to 15 years hard labor See in context

@nandakandamanda

Don't the NKs know that it is a national pastime in the US to steal stuff from hotels? Who is more stupid here?

But don't the USs know that NKs take this sort of thing very seriously and don't really have a sense of humour about it? Besides, theft is theft. If you get caught stealing in any country you will expect to get some sort of penalty. Whatever else we might think or believe about NK and its political quirks, if he did the crime, he does the time.

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Posted in: Wear to be seen See in context

Every so often, somebody will try something outrageous just to be different then wonder why people laugh at them and make jokes about them.

Sometimes the joke comes back to bite these people on the bum. Sometimes not. Vivienne Westwood comes to mind as an example.

Personally, however, it doesn't appeal to me.

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Posted in: Would you like to see Donald Trump become the next U.S. president? See in context

I should explain about what I said earlier with regard to the "promises" that Drumpf made. The one about the wall and the one about keeping muslims out and so forth. You see I don't believe that Drumpf has the political smarts here to really become a good president. Here's why.

It's quite obvious that a lot of what he did and said at the start of the campaign was all about elevating his image in the eyes of voters that are either disaffected with the current situation or are simply too gullible to exercise reasonable judgement and will swallow any idea of that kind whole, never thinking of the consequences.

Now the problem here is the same as with any politician. Often they will say things to get themselves votes but will renege on their "promises" once they have got what they want, their bum sitting in the seat of choice. Then it's all down to only doing what they want to do. If that doesn't suit your purposes, then tough.

That might seem like a rather cynical view of politics, but no doubt everyone can think of situations where past governments at whatever level have done this, regardless of the party involved. There have been very few politicians over the years that have actually stood up for what they have campaigned for and while those few tend to be venerated by those that come afterwards, they are vastly outnumbered by those that take the money from whoever is rich enough to lobby them. And don't think for one moment that this is a Republican only thing, or even an American only thing.

What this means, however, is that Drumpf is issuing sound bites to those people that have what he wants right now - nomination votes - and will continue to do so should he get nominated so that he gets a chance to become President. Should he get into power, then we get to see what his agenda really is and that's what is worrying everyone; not just the Democrats, not just the media on all sides but the Republicans as well. What I've said here could easily condemn any of the standing candidates on either side, but all we have to go on with Drumpf is his history including his sueball threats, his multiple bankruptcies and his total lack of realistic political experience.

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Posted in: Would you like to see Donald Trump become the next U.S. president? See in context

@goldnugget

John Oliver is not an American. His opinions are worthless.

John Oliver is an observer, and has provided a good observation of the current situation. Whatever his opinions might be, they are worth as much as yours.

But then this assumes that the material was all of his own making. If you spent a little time actually examining the evidence he puts forward and its sources instead of casually casting the whole thing aside just because he's not American, then put up your own arguments for or against his view of Drumpf, then people might be willing to listen to you.

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Posted in: Would you like to see Donald Trump become the next U.S. president? See in context

I've written before about how I feel about the American parties here before and I feel that Trump is just a further indication of how the so-called 1% are trying to take over the political system in America. They tried at the last election with Mitt Romney but failed because Romney didn't have the smarts to hide his credentials in public. You could argue that Trump doesn't either, but Trump does have something that Romney doesn't. Charisma. He knows how to market himself and his name. He's made a business of it, and much of the support that he is getting now could well be the result of that rather than any political smarts.

And that's the scary part. It's not as if the American public hasn't done it before. We got lucky last time when Reagan got in, though not without the occasional gaff. Reagan, however, was nowhere near as radically blatant as Trump. Overall, we have to consider that America is a very large military weapon that can be turned to good or to evil. Evil, however, does not need to be intentional - Trump has already upset various people and various countries around the world, from his "let's build a wall to fence off Mexico and make the Mexicans pay for it" to "let's stop anyone Muslim from entering the country, regardless of why". If he were to get in, who's to say what he will do with that power.

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Posted in: LDP lawmaker under fire for Obama remarks; refuses to resign See in context

He made an assumption. Do not assume, for when you assume you make an ASS out of U and ME.

Chances are that he's probably cringing about it and might consider resignation just to get out of the spotlight, but I don't believe that he should be forced out. As long as he doesn't make a habit of it!

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Posted in: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants to amend part of the war-renouncing Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution, argues that the Constitution was created during the U.S. occupation after World War II, and See in context

This seems to be a question that keeps getting asked. Goodness knows somebody attempted to bite my head off when I last commented on the subject - "Do you know what you are talking about" was the accusation, usually from somebody that has a very high opinion of themselves.

I agree that the question is somewhat loaded but again I ask how the JSDF was created if the constitution did not allow it, and what ulterior motives does Abe have? I would also not leave such a question as this purely to a debate by the Diet - in many countries with constitutions, ratification of any change can only be achieved by referendum.

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Posted in: Japan worried about 2020 problem, or life after Olympics See in context

This is nothing new. I think I said as much months ago. Sooner or later, the various games or tournaments will go that little bit too far and potential host nations will finally work out that they are being taken for a ride. I hope that Japan weathers it.

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Posted in: Microsoft wants you using Windows 10, like it or not See in context

Same here but, for whatever reason, it's my Microsoft experience, knowledge and training that pays the bills. Well, they did until last year... :(

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Posted in: Should Japan stop identifying Buddhist temples on maps with the traditional "manji" symbol that is often confused with a Nazi swastika? See in context

What you have here is a symbol. Nothing more, nothing less. If you know what it is meant to represent, then there's no problem.

The problem is where people attribute a meaning to a symbol where none is intended. That's what the Nazis did, and that's what is happening now.

Go fig...

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Posted in: Microsoft wants you using Windows 10, like it or not See in context

@lostrune2

For example, quoting inkochi above: "I, like so many others, am still resistant. Why? Still learning Windows 7; latest computer (18 months old) had Windows 8 then 8.1 and still learning that; now Windows 10 and not wanting to learn it" So learn once and that's it, since people are reluctant to change.

That will always happen, though this explains why the layout of Windows since W95 has changed very little. There are, however, quite a few reasons why people may be reluctant to change and not all of these reasons down to personal preference. If that were the only reason, I'd just sling W10 on there and shove a copy of Classic Shell on there. That is, after all, why Classic Shell and other tools like it exist.

Linux runs to the same issue that people are resistant to change. If they don't want to change Windows, it'd be even harder to get them to change to Linux.

In some respects, I agree which is why I covered my statement with the possibility of something else. However it should be remembered that one of the biggest advantages of the GUI system on Linux is the ability to skin it in whatever way you want, so if you want it to work like Windows, it can be (and has been) done. Really the only reason why Linux might be held back in this day and age is software lock-in which isn't really down to Microsoft anyway.

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Posted in: Microsoft wants you using Windows 10, like it or not See in context

@lostrune2

It's not that so much that worries people, but I've said plenty here about it.

In fact it is a good thing to worry about W10 and bring those worries out into the open. Without that, nobody would be aware of what was wrong with W10; not users, not corporates, not even Microsoft (despite the slurp). What we would end up with is something that may not suit the task at hand. If anything, the monumental uproar that came about with W8.x could be part of the reason why Microsoft redesigned the desktop in W10 to reflect more of what went before in W7 and earlier rather than continue to push the atrocious Startpanel.

So it was then, so it is now. W10 is an improvement on W8.x but I have yet to see conclusive evidence that it is any better than W7 and, as I said before, that is the acid test.

I suspect that moving to a rolling update system for W10 is, apart from anything else, an effort to avoid the sort of situation in the future that we now find ourselves in, not to mention the idea that W10 could end up as a subscription based service like the various Adobe and Corel packages, thus making the need for a completely new version such as W11 or W12 or whatever obsolete. You have to remember that the industry is trying to convince itself that the PC is a dead project despite the fact that there are too many things out there that only a PC (or its equivalent) can do.

While I'm not necessarily a Linux evangelist, I can see a possibility that Linux could gain a foothold if Microsoft continues to behave in this manner or, if not Linux, possibly something else. As for settling for Windows regardless of the version number, Microsoft have only themselves to blame for that little number!

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Posted in: Microsoft wants you using Windows 10, like it or not See in context

@Fadamor

I've used Win10 since the free upgrade was offered to me and it works fine. As for the people you've heard from, people inherently dislike change because it removes them from their comfort zone.

If it really were a "free" upgrade. It has been quite obvious since the release that it is unfinished and that your "free" upgrade is merely a way to extend their beta testing process. As for removing people from "their comfort zone", can you really blame them? For those of us in the industry it is an inconvenience though often it's just a case of adapting ourselves. Every new OS is the same in that respect. The trouble is that the majority of users are not in the the industry and expect to be able to use the kit in a way that makes some sense to them. It affects companies too as a substantial change requires testing of software, installation and training, none of which necessarily comes cheap and certainly never "free". And that's without even commenting on the data slurp and other intrusions.

As far as why Microsoft is pushing everyone to Win10, I have a basic question: Which is easier - providing support for four operating systems (Win 7, 8, 8.1, and 10) or providing support for one operating system? You have 10 seconds.

So why bother making another OS? W7 was a big success but then they decided to make W8, then W8.1, then W10. Who made them do that? What was the point?

Windows 8 was a belated attempt to try to take over the tablet and smartphone market in the mistaken belief that we would all ditch Android and Apple because "it's Microsoft". Windows 8.1 was effectively a bug fix which addressed a number of gaffs made in W8, notably things like swipe gestures which made the use of W8 on laptops and desktops difficult, so we can cut your "4 systems" to 3 right away. Even Microsoft themselves have stated that W8 users should have already gone to W8.1.

But in both cases, Windows 8.x were huge flops because they completely departed from what users wanted. They attempted to dictate to the user what they should be doing, something that Microsoft should have remembered from Windows Vista and from Windows ME but seem to forget on a regular basis. To that extent, we could feasibly ignore Windows 8.x going forward just as many ignore those other two failures.

Windows 10 was a great opportunity for Microsoft to redress their mistakes from the last few years and give the user what they really wanted, and they almost achieved that. Windows 10 is not the worst OS out there but the flaws that are still in there still give cause for concern. No OS is perfect when it first comes out but no other OS has been rammed down people's throats in the way that W10 has been.

So Microsoft are hoping to reduce the support burden? Too bad. They already gave their lifetime cycle statement back when each version was released and people and corporates will make sure that they stick to it. Microsoft said that W7 will be supported until 2020 and W8.x a few years after that. Some folk will insist on holding on because the whole story of W10 is far from settled and if that means not taking the "free" update, then so be it.

What will be more interesting will be how many users will be using W7 and W8.1 after July and, more importantly, how many will hold out when support ends, just like Windows XP.

I don't need ten seconds, thanks. :)

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Posted in: Microsoft wants you using Windows 10, like it or not See in context

You are right not to trust Microsoft at this point. Or at least that's my opinion based on what I have experienced so far.

On the plus side, Microsoft have effectively admitted their mistakes as far as the interface formally known as Metro (or TIFKAM) is concerned. They got a beating when W8 came out and the sop to the masses of W8.1 wasn't enough to see their fortunes change, so they have effectively reverted to a desktop that is far more like the one that last graced W7, though the differences are big enough that replacement tools such as Classic Shell are still quite popular.

The minus side has more to do with the implementation of the system itself and started getting attention back when the system was still being trialled because, at the time, it had a telemetry tool in it which, to many, looked like a keylogger. When the "free" version came out in July 2015, it appeared that Microsoft were continuing to use telemetry for their own uses yet weren't very forthcoming about exactly what those uses those were and what information was being passed. This was exacerbated by some rather contentious clauses in the EULA which, as most folk know, ordinary users seldom read before they click "I Agree".

Added to this was the introduction of an advertising ID which was supposed to be used to allow the targeting of advertising to a user. This is something that Microsoft have previously criticised Google for to the extent of lampooning a Google Chrome advert on the subject of privacy yet, not that much later, they seem to be doing similar things.

Add to that the increased strain on internet usage via tools such as Cortana, OneDrive and the BitTorrent-like Windows Updates which have also been changed to make updating compulsory, whether the patches being issued are fit for purpose or not (and if you have been in the industry long enough, you'll have an idea why compulsory patching is never a good idea - it's the reason why companies tend to use tools like WSUS) and you'll have an idea why some people are complaining about it.

What also didn't help were a number of bad patches and driver incompatibilities at issue, though I can't recall a version of Windows that didn't have problems like that at issue so that doesn't really count. What does count, however, have been the number of shills pushing W10 as a real improvement where, as far as I can see, it provides no real usable improvement over W7, whatever you might think of W8, and introduces a number of frills that benefit only Microsoft.

As for Linux as a replacement, I'll leave that up to the user. I'm typing this from a Linux desktop, in fact, though I have a W7 laptop beside me handling my email. Suffice to say that there is a lot of FUD and misinformation about Linux, as there is about every OS. What you see above may be subject to that too, but it's based on my observations of the system itself, a straight comparison between W10 and W7 and the general objections I've heard and read.

If you want to believe Microsoft, go ahead and install. If you want to believe me, fine. If anything, my advice is always to act on your own best interests and don't fall for the corporate bull. Microsoft is acting aggressively for a reason which is reason enough, in my view, to start asking questions.

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Posted in: Do you think the names of minors convicted of violent crimes should be reported by the media? See in context

@Dennis Bauer

The punishment for minors are so lenient here, If their name is publicly known maybe it stops them from doing it in the first place.

Maybe, but even then you come up against the problem of trial by society. A minor commits a crime and is rightfully judged to be guilty but will then go out into the real world having served their allotted punishment and suffer all over again, possibly into adulthood, because there will always be people out there that will get a perverse pleasure out of persecuting those they see as criminals.

It's all down to human nature, I suppose. While I like the idea in principle of controlling the media for those that are yet to be judged or convicted, I am in two minds about people that have actually been convicted, especially where the crime could feasibly be repeated to the detriment of others, for example rapists.

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