#like. released players (the hall stars) are gone. they’re dead and they’ve gone to whatever the true afterlife is for them.

[leonstamatis]

the thing is, okay. and i know not everyone agrees with me on this one and that’s okay, different interpretations are fun and keep things interesting. but. the thing is that i don’t want the ending where all the people who never fell or who died or who were lost all come back.

like. blaseball was horrible, and horrifying, and that was what i liked most about it. i liked the death and the grief and the negative emotions, and the weight that they gave the good moments when they happened to come along. people died; they are gone; they were mourned.

and the way blaseball ended… didn’t give us, as fans, any kind of closure. it just. stopped. i like leaving the players in that same place, and processing the emotions of being left in the lurch through the ones who didn’t get the ending we would have given them if we chose, or the ending they would have gotten if it all played out how it was supposed to.

again, i get and appreciate the other interps. the happy endings are all well and good. i just prefer the one that does not feel like it ended how it was all supposed to, because. it didn’t! it was weird and off kilter and off putting to witness for me, so. it can be for the players, too.

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2

After a dip in enthusiasm for this game, the past two levels have pulled me back in!

The biggest problem with this game is the environment design. While they’ve captured the textures and accents of Star Wars, the spaces just don’t make sense. It’s strange interconnected hallways with confusingly dangerous walkways and bridges. Games like Goldeneye 64 and Half-Life still had very gamey-environments, but they seemed to live within real places. While the past two levels aren’t lived-in, they’re closer.

First, the Fuel Station--or something. The level opens on a rooftop. There’s a lethal space to another rooftop with an interesting structure/guard tower. It took a few tries, but I used my force-jump to hop across. While exploring the other side I realized, while this was a secret area, I could have totally gotten here by taking a back way.

Whatever, I found my way.

This level is basically a downward spiral, not in a bad way--just literally a downward spiral of walkways. The spiral orbits around a center piece that is a fuel container, I think. The goal is to drain the fuel and go through the container to sneak into the thing...

It reminded me of the Missile Silo level of Goldeneye 64, which is a good thing. That was one of my favorite level. The linear, tight spaces allowed for a lot of fun shootouts without worrying about getting lost. Unless you forgot to pick up the keycard or whatever, then there was a lot of back tracking.

This level was fairly similar. It wasn’t too hard to get lost as almost every hall or room led back to the main spiral. What was confusing, was how to drain the fuel tank. There’s four buttons, one on each “level” of the spiral. Because you start at the top and fight your way down, I was under the impression I needed to flip each switch as I traveled down. This was reinforced by the fact that hitting the switch showed the fuel level in a window lower down to where you are. I definitely felt like I was draining the fuel tank.

I finally get to the boom and find a door, but I can’t get in. There’s a switch but it says something about a tool. Like many mid-late 90′s games, this tool is hidden in some random place with no rhyme or reason for being there or for the player to think to look there. You’re just expected to look EVERYWHERE!

Anyway, found the tool and took it back to the tool-using-place and it didn’t work. I spent about 30 minutes backtracking, trying to figure if I had missed a switch or there was a hidden path. After a while, I gave up and checked a guide. Turns out you don’t drain the tank by flipping switches. you move the fuel up higher so you can go underneath. I think...anyway, it was weird and unintuitive.

I then end up in a fuel tunnel--which is huge. This part was interesting cause there’s these walls along the tunnel that have gates. There’s these giant half-pizza doors that rotate open when you use the tool to flip a switch. I realized that if you stood in the door’s path, preventing it from opening, the door stopped and an alarm sounded. Pretty neat. The safety measures made the level feel more lived in. It also created a basic, but logical puzzle of having to close the previous gate before opening the next.

I then wound up in some tunnels that looked like what Luke fail through in Empire Strikes Back and finally into this large, circular room. I knew I “had” to go here, but I couldn’t figure out what to do. There was a circular platform at the center, and it looked suspicious. So I stood on it, jumped on it, threw grenades and missiles at it. I looked it up, I had to use the light saber.

Oh. I didn’t realize this was the only tool to overcome cheap metal.

After that, I had to rush across a platform to jump onto a moving ship. I didn’t quite realize that’s what i was about to do, but fun.

The next level was pretty interesting. I’m on the ship now and I have to “cut the power” to doors to release the locks. Now that have many weapons to choose from (rapid fire pistols, rocket launchers, BFG, whatever) it’s a lot easier to go blaster-crazy. And every defeated enemy drops plenty of ammo. So the caution I needed earlier in the game is gone.

Pretty neat, they had “invisible” force fields defending key areas, but the switches to those force fields are not clearly labeled. Maybe would be nice to have some wires leading me there, or brighter colors and not some tiny, black switch box hidden in a corner.

After disabling a fan, i found myself in a vent shaft. I didn’t not understand what they wanted me to do. It felt like the vents were “breathing” with air pushing and pulling in rhythmic waves. I thought, for a bit, that I was supposed to time the exhale with a jump to get to a higher region, but really--I just had to “sprint through” the resistance and I found myself getting to where I needed to be. A reactor. Though I later realized I needed to disable a force field with an inconspicuous switch and shut down the reactor (I died from radiation a few times).

After all this, I get to a cutscene and my nemesis so far, 8T88, is there. But his head falls off cause he’s already dead. All this time chasing a ghost...A large guy and a tiny guy challenge me with light-sabers to match their sizes. Yay, another awkward boss fight.

I goofed around in the fight before bed, but I didn’t expect to win. I may cheat my way through, I’m really not interested in more junky lightsaber battles. But overall, I’m having fun again!

[eldritchsurveys]

1031.

5k Survey LXXV

3826. Why do most people associate being spiritual or connected to the world as being a hippy? >> Okay, so the first 25 questions in this section were all specifically about LOTR The Two Towers, for some reason? I’m not interested so I just skipped them entirely and am smushing the remaining 25 questions in this part into the other 50. Whatever. Anyway, because that’s the stereotype they’ve internalised, idk. Looking down on non-materialistic worldviews is a common modern pastime in the Western world, just in general. (Not that being a hippie is inherently a negative or stupid thing to be, but that’s definitely the sort of context this stereotype is going for.)

3827. Why is passion and honest emotion equated with hallmark cards? >> I feel like my answer to this would just be similar to my answer to the previous question. These ideas don’t necessarily have the same root, but they’re definitely related. 3828. What words set off alarms in your brain (for me it's anarchy, pagan, etc)? >> *blinks* Certainly not those words. Usually it’s words like, idk, “American values” and “lizard people”... 3829. Are you dancin in the dark? >> No. 3830. Name 2 things you have never done in public: >> I’ve never done the Charleston or the Riverdance in public.

3831. If you had to choose out of what you just named, which one WOULD you do in public? >> I don’t even know how to do those dances, which is part of the reason why I’ve never done them in public. 3832. Challenge yourself. Do whatever it is in public. Why not? What are you so terrified of? >> ... 3832. Is hell REALLY other people? >> The actual context of that quote is so much more interesting than seeing people using it as some kind of antisocial mantra. 3833. Or would it be more hellish to live totally without other people? >> We’re all aware that humans are social creatures, correct? Just making sure. 3834. Leggos or linkin logs? >> I had Lincoln Logs as a kid but not LEGO. 3835. What books have you read more than once? >> I’ve read The Fountainhead three times. 3836. Do you get different things out of reading a book a second time a year or more after reading it the first time? Is it because you are a different person after time passes? >> Yeah, I do, and yes, that’s why -- but first I have to convince myself to read a book more than once. My to-read list is so long all the time and then I learn about yet another interesting-sounding book and jump on that and the cycle never ends... it feels like a waste of time to go back and read books I’ve already read. Even though I know that’s not a logical way to think at all. 3837. The person who goes to ____ is not the same person who comes back. Fill in the blank with anything you think fits. >> Whatever. 3838. Quick! Empty your brain here! >> ... 3839. What's the best movie soundtrack? >> I’m partial to Clint Mansell soundtracks, personally. 3840. Tissues with or without aloe? >> I rarely even use tissues, but when I do, I’m not terribly precious about what kind they are. I just use whatever Sparrow bought. 3841. Are you on any medication? >> No. 3842. Does any part of your own body disgust you? If yes, isn't that odd? What could have caused that feeling of disgust with your own body? >> Having a body disgusts me, overall. Yeah, I’m not fond of the relationship I have with my body either, but it’d be one hell of an uphill battle to reprogram my brain to not think I’m gross. I’m doing my best, all right. 3843. Want some popcorn? >> No. 3844. What if Atlas shrugged? >> I imagine he’d do it in far less time than it takes to read that book. 3845. Who has led the most interesting life? >> ... 3846. What movies are comming out next year that you are looking forward to? >> Ha, what movies are coming out next year... that’s the question, innit. 3847. If someone is half man and half dog is he his own best friend? >> --- 3848. Paper or plastic? >> I usually get plastic bags. 3849. Why did things make sense in childhood, but they don't now? >> What things? 3850. Is it crazy time? >> --- 3851. If there is a lotto with 50 numbers, and a player picks 6 numbers without repeating any, what are their chances of getting all 6 winning numbers? >> I don’t know, dude.

3852. If there were no laws and no rules name 3 things you would do that you don't/wouldn't/can't do now? >> --- 3853. It's a costume party. What will your costume be if the theme is: the 70's? 80's? under the sea? 3854. Have you ever wanted to release the lobsters from those tanks in restraunts and put them back in the sea? >> Nope. 3855. How funky is your chicken? How loose is your goose? >> --- 3856. What's your favorite animal out of these: emu, otter, duck billed platypus, moose, skunk? >> Otter. 3857. priest, rabbi, or other religios leader, a judge, or a sea captain to perform your wedding? >> We had a nondenominational minister for ours. I’m sure we would have rather have gone with someone who wasn’t any flavour of Christian, but going through the French Quarter Wedding Chapel kind of was a path of least resistance. It’s hard to plan a wedding from a completely different part of the country than the place it’s being held, and the Chapel did a lot of the legwork for us. 3858. Do you think that it's okay for people to write their own wedding vows? >> What on earth would possess me to think otherwise? 3859. Rank these as places to be married. 1 = best. Your House or Yard The Beach A Park Disneyland A Forest A Catering Hall Las Vegas A church or temple A Courthouse On a Boat On a Space Station 3860. The Earth is doomed. A giant asteroid is headed our way. It will decimate the planet in 3.2 days. You and your family own a space pod and you have room for 7 people from the list below. Everyone else dies. Who do you pick? Orlando Bloom, Justin Timberlake, Joan Jett, John Denver Baby Eve (the first human clone), Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Depp, George W Bush, David Bowie, Charleton Heston, Ralph Nader, Moby, Jeff Bridges, Kelly Osbourne, Frank Zappa, Bill Clinton, Britney Spears, Osama Bin Laden The Pope, Eminem, Madonna >> *longsuffering sigh* 3861. Rank the following dead people in order of who you would like to spend the day with. 1 = you'd like to hang out with them the most. Joan of Arc Groucho Marx John Lennon Joey Ramone Anton Levay Tupac Jack Kerouac Aaliyah John F Kennedy Lucielle Ball Jim Morrison 3862. If you could grant immortality to one person you know (can't be yourself) who would you give it to? >> I don’t want to grant immortality to anyone. 3863. If you could grant immortality to one person who you do not know personally but know of (writer, politician, etc) who would you give it to? >> --- 3864. Name a person you love: Name a person you admire: Name a friend: Name a relative: If you had to condemn one of them to death to save the lives of the others who would it be and why? >> Just... not even going to touch this one. 3865. Would you rather be one of Santa's elves or a dentist? >> What... 3866. When you first meet people what do you talk to them about? >> There’s no one specific thing that I talk to people about... it’s obviously dependent on many factors (at least one of them having nothing to do with me). 3867. You have been invited to a party with any sports team in the world. Which one? >> No. 3868. Finish the sentances. In a world where: He was: She was: Together, they were: Why do so many movie trailers start off by saying 'In a world..'? >> I had a feeling this was about movie trailers, lol. I’m guessing it’s just convenient or something. (Also, that doesn’t happen much anymore. There’s a new set of trailer tropes now.) 3869. Make up a superhero with really unhelpful powers: >> --- 3870. A couple of days ago this guy won 14 million dollars and tried to donate 1 million to the salvation army. The salvation army turned the money down saying they didn't want dirty gambling money. Did they do the right thing? >> They did what was right from their point of view, which is a dogmatic conservative-Christian POV. 3871. If you had a spare million for charity work who would you donate it to? >> --- 3872. What's the craziest most shocking moment of rock and roll history that you can think of? >> --- 3873. Why is it that if a man kills another man in battle it's called heroic, but if he kills a man in the heat of passion, it's called murder? >> Perspective. 3874. What kind of punishment do you feel the following crimes deserve: premeditated murder? date rape? drug sales? drug use? burglery? 3875. If you could kiss anyone in the world on midnight at new year's eve, who would be the lucky one? >> ... 3876. You have just taken two sexy people prisoner because they found your hide out and you think they are spies. What do youd do: kill them, hump them or have crumpets and tea? >> What the fuck. 3877. What is your new year's resolution? >> --- 3878. Should the U.S. focus more on the threat from N. Korea or Iraq? >> --- 3879. Would you ever have plastic surgery? >> I don’t know, maybe. Mostly I just can’t afford shit like that, so the answer’s “no” by virtue of that alone. 3880. How can George Bush be considered a Christian when he a war-monger and the ten comandments say do not kill? >> Oh, you know. 3881. What is the most interesting premise for a reality tv show that you can think of? >> --- 3882. Who is the Hollywood Star next to die of a drug overdose? >> --- 3883. Do you find yourself caring a lot about online people, even if you haven't met or spoken to them off of the computer? >> Not... like, as a rule... 3884. When you hear the song puff the magic dragon what do you think? >> Weed, I guess. I don’t have any other associations with that song. 3885. Let's give you a tarot reading. Go on, ask any question: first card: the reversed high preistess. you may be expecting things to come too easily. You should be careful not to give up if they dont go your way. You're feeling a desire to escape, to withdraw into yourself. Shrug off your current lack of focus and work diligently to acheive the goals you want. second card: the reversed hanged man. You shouldnt be close-minded with your situation. There are many alternatives and possible solutions to your problems. Try something new. The last card: Justice. what goes around comes around. Seek advice on the matters at hand from elders. Do healthy things, spiritually and physically. 3886. What does 'boo' mean and how did it become a slang word of affection? >> www.dictionary.com 3887. How often do you stretch? >> Whenever I feel like it. I don’t schedule it or anything. 3888. Have you ever wished that you didn't have to be yourself? >> Yep. 3889. Would you rather wear shoes full of earthworms or a hat full of spiders? >> --- 3890. What are some things that for most people go unsaid? >> Bold of me to assume I know what most people are not saying out loud. Pretty sure mind-reading ain’t a thing. 3891. I said, 'Play me the best song in the world.' You put on: >> --- 3892. What happened last year that you would like to forget? >> --- 3893. What are you not able to do alone? >> Operate a seesaw. 3894. Do you feel more connected to earth air fire or water and why? >> Air, because I have a lot of it in my birth chart, I guess. Also, I just like space. (Both in the sense of “having physical space around me” and “outer space where all the stars and shit are”, although the latter isn’t air per se.) 3895. Which two words belong together and why: life, seawater, chocolate, blood, hair piece >> Depends on what you’re trying to reference, I guess. I can go with “life and chocolate” (obvious movie reference) or “blood and chocolate” (less obvious YA book/movie reference). 3896. If con is the opposite of pro, what's the opposite of progress? >> Yeah, we all know this joke. 3897. Have you ever wanted to meet the inspectors with the numbers for names(i.e. inspected by 36)? >> What? 3898. Who is the most thought-provoking person you know, &why? >> Me. I stay thinkin about myself.  3899. If you could change 1 thing you did in the last 24 hours, what would it be & why? >> Meh, nothing. 3900. What is the most bizarre thing you've ever done? >> I’m not sure.

[afrolatinxsunited]

News & interesting information on POS and POS System Equipment.

The National Football League can’t quit the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a relationship built on one of the world’s most reliable aphrodisiacs: money.

Aren’t sappy love stories the best?

The league and this franchise have been joined at the hip over the last four decades because the Cowboys have consistently delivered monster television ratings, compelling story lines, and star power. Think Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett, Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson.

We’re not sure Dak Prescott is going to be great. But because he’s the Cowboys quarterback, he’s one of the NFL’s most marketable players. As an athlete, coach, or front-office executive, to be associated with the Cowboys is to achieve an elevated status amid the NFL’s already rarefied air. Name another team whose owner is as famous as any of its players. That’s the magic of the Cowboys.

Like him or not, you have to tip your cap to Jerry Jones, the rascal in chief who took over a great brand in 1989 and made it even stronger and more resilient. They’ve won only four playoff games in the past 24 seasons, but the Cowboys’ mystique is based on more than the mere winning and losing of football games.

So it should come as no surprise that the NFL chose to pencil in Dallas for the 2021 regular-season opener on September 9, pitting the Cowboys against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Tom Brady. The game is sure to be a textbook example of NFL excess in all its extravagant, prime-time glory—patriotism, celebrity, music, parades.

Roll your eyes if you like. Swear you’ve had it with Jerry and his handling of the Cowboys’ roster. Countless fans have done the same throughout Jones’s three-decade reign over “America’s Team.”

But once you’ve blown off that steam, you start thinking about Prescott’s return from injury and all the offensive talent the Cowboys surround him with. Then you start talking yourself into new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as a smart coaching hire, and the notion that Jerry shored up some of the team’s weaknesses through the NFL draft and free agency creeps into your head.

That’s all it takes—you’re hooked! Now, you’re counting down the days to Cowboys-Bucs in the fall.

The NFL had other options for the opener. It could have gone with Tampa Bay at New England—Brady’s first trip back to Gillette Stadium and the most interesting game of the 2021 season. (Instead, that one’s on the books for October 3). But the NFL chose to come out swinging with the Cowboys, a team that went 6–10 in 2020—and to anyone who follows football, the decision makes all the sense in the world.

Opening night won’t be the last you’ll see of the Cowboys. They’re one of ten NFL franchises scheduled to play five prime-time games in 2021, with the San Francisco 49ers being the only other that didn’t make the playoffs last year.

If you’re looking for contrast between Texas’s two NFL franchises, start here: while every fan in the state keeps an eye on the Cowboys, the Houston Texans couldn’t operate in more anonymity if they tried.

This isn’t about winning and losing, either. In the past ten seasons, the Texans have had seven winning records and made six playoff appearances, compared with four winning records and three playoff appearances for the Cowboys. Over the same stretch, the Texans have six division championships and the Cowboys have three.

Still, you care more about the Cowboys because your dad cared, your grandfather cared, your best friend cared. Fifty years ago, you watched your dad in his Sunday best twisting a television antenna to find a station in Waco or Texarkana carrying the game. And if you’re too young to remember that, you remember your parents telling you about it.

Sure, the Cowboys and the NFL have had their share of lovers’ spats over issues like revenue sharing, corporate sponsorships, and a contract extension for commissioner Roger Goodell (which Jerry once tried to block). In the end, they’ve always worked things out and continued making the NFL our national pastime.

And the Cowboys have reasons to feel optimistic about 2021. NBC’s latest power rankings place them smack-dab in the middle of the league at number 16 overall. But at least Dallas is ranked higher than the rest of the NFC East teams, with Washington, Philadelphia, and New York clocking in at numbers 20, 28, and 29 among the NFL’s 32 teams.

Hope springs? Last year, Prescott’s gruesome ankle injury in week five ended his season and whatever hope the Cowboys had in 2020. But so far, he has passed every off-season test we know of and his recovery appears to be on track.

The Cowboys’ offensive line, which was all but wiped out by injuries last season, also appears to be nearing full strength heading into the fall. Prolific wideouts CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper are expected to ease the pressure on running back Ezekiel Elliott, who looked worn down last season while averaging a career-low 4.0 yards per carry.

As for the Dallas defense—who knows? Quinn’s hiring garnered favorable reviews from Hall of Famer Troy Aikman and others around the league. Then Jerry used his first six draft choices—and eight of eleven overall picks—on defensive players, including Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph, both of whom could start immediately. Others—UCLA tackle Osa Odighizuwa and LSU linebacker Jabril Cox—are expected to help improve the Cowboys’ defense.

The team also added an assortment of mid-level defensive talent in free agency, but the bottom line is that Prescott’s return is the biggest reason the Cowboys will be better in 2021.

Now, remember those NBC power rankings? The Texans are number 32—dead last in the NFL and starting over after a string of bad trades by former coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, plus the apparent loss of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was demanding a trade before he was sued by 22 women accusing him of sexual assault and harassment.

The Texans’ new general manager, Nick Caserio, is stripping the franchise down to its studs and beginning a reconstruction that’s likely to take at least two years. The Texans didn’t have a first- or second-round pick this year, but Caserio has added dozens of players via free agency, trades, and the draft. There aren’t any stars among that group, and given the franchise’s state of disrepair, Caserio probably wasn’t looking to sign splashy, big-name players. Instead, he added depth at every position, a ploy to create a competitive training-camp atmosphere that might help the Texans uncover diamonds in the rough. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle estimates that Houston could see 70 percent roster turnover by the season opener.

That trial-and-error philosophy was evident when Caserio traded for quarterback Ryan Finley, then released him two months later, days after signing a different veteran QB, Jeff Driskel.

Watson’s future hangs over every move the Texans make. The three-time Pro Bowler will be traded eventually, but fans could find themselves waiting the entire 2021 season for a deal. The NFL is still investigating Watson, with a potential punishment from the league looming as the civil lawsuits against him make their way through the court system, and the uncertainty over Watson’s future will hamper the Texans’ attempts to move him.

When they do trade Watson, the Texans hope to land multiple first-round picks in the swap, because Watson is talented enough to turn the right team into a Super Bowl contender. But that’s presuming the “right team” would be willing to place its future in the hands of a player whose behavior appears to have been, at best, horrific, and at worst, criminal.

In the end, the 2021 Houston Texans could turn out even worse than last season’s four-win team, but the franchise’s decision to embrace a rebuild provides fans some peace of mind. At least their team has a strategy.

Into this situation steps first-year head coach David Culley, who, despite never having held a coordinator position, won over Caserio with his passion, football acumen, and communication skills. In a perfect world, Caserio and Culley will ride out the tough times together, build a winning team, and have a great run.

Until then, the Texans are trying to build a team that competes hard and occasionally offers a glimpse of better days ahead. Maybe, someday down the road, they’ll even field a team worthy of a prime-time date with the Dallas Cowboys.

The above post was first published on this site.

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