The Spam Thread!

[huckleberrypie]

There existed a world where you could get hundreds of DVDs with everything from cartoons to obscure live action films to badly edited Ninja flicks. This place was Walmart.

Okay, Walmart still exists, and likely will continue to exist for ever. And you can still get hundreds of DVDs there, but from 2005 to around 2008 or 2009, they participated in one of the greatest fads of all time....the $1 DVD movie!!

Yes, for just $1, you could buy a DVD containing a very obscure film, or an hour of old cartoons, or some odd shockumentary on deadly animals in Australia. Many of the films were B-Grade fare, though a few gems did get through. Even so, these DVDs were $1 for a reason. The companies got their material from readily available public domain stuff (as in, films that have lapsed or questionable copyright status), and the quality of this material varied wildy. Sometimes, you can get a cartoon with an excellent film print, or a print that has seen better days. Some DVDs were just lifted off an older VHS or Betamax release. You certainly got what you paid for!

When the fad of $1 DVDs were sweeping the nation, I started collecting, and have amassed a huge collection of Walmart $1 DVDs, ranging from public domain cartoons (think Betty Boop, old Looney Tunes, Popeye, etc), to animated adaptations of classic childrens books produced by Burbank Films Australia, to even rare feature length material!

Yesterday evening, I watched one of my $1 DVDs, "The World of Hans Christian Andersen", an extremely rare 1971 English dub of a 1968 Japanese Animated film. The DVD was just copied off of some old VHS release and the picture and sound leave much to be desired, but it's still an enjoyable film nontheless. I last saw it back in 2005.

Perhaps I need to start watching movies more often. After all, I have developed some sort of internet addiction. I need to fight that off somehow, and movies seem to be one answer. Another answer is video games...both console and on computer too.

I guess that seems to be something of a lulzy alternative especially when The Pirate Bay just won't cut it.

[Blackberry Bun]

Borderlands 2 coming soon. I hope it won't be like Diablo 3 where you have to connect to their server to play a single player game.

[huckleberrypie]

That sure reminds me of Ubi's oft-criticised DRM system.

[Stella Grapes]

What do you do when your husband loses his mind and is so depressed he thinks he needs to do something drastic, I ask a group of single men as if they'd know the answer.

Sorry, guys.

[RAMChYLD]

Borderlands 2 coming soon. I hope it won't be like Diablo 3 where you have to connect to their server to play a single player game.

I don't think they'd dare to do that. This is 2K games we're talking about. 2K games are usually lenient- for example, for Duke Nukem Forever, it just requires you to use Steam. No server required, but the game has to be authenticated online before you can play.

UBISoft and ActiBlizz (ActiVision-Blizzard)... Now those are a-holes.

[huckleberrypie]

Borderlands 2 coming soon. I hope it won't be like Diablo 3 where you have to connect to their server to play a single player game.

I don't think they'd dare to do that. This is 2K games we're talking about. 2K games are usually lenient- for example, for Duke Nukem Forever, it just requires you to use Steam. No server required, but the game has to be authenticated online before you can play.

Same with GTA4, R* just requires you to have your game authenticated, and if you opt for online features a Windows Games Live serial is required. Ubisoft's DRM for Splinter Cell: Conviction, as mentioned earlier, was more of a troll-ish attempt, and it didn't help that cracked copies actually ran better than the legit thing.

[cpd2009]

What do you do when your husband loses his mind and is so depressed he thinks he needs to do something drastic, I ask a group of single men as if they'd know the answer.

Sorry, guys.

I don't know. I never been in any such position before. I never been in any relationship, and frankly, I never want to get married. I prefer to be on my own accord while I am living by myself. I did not have a roommate in college for fear that they would make fun of my interests. And my experience with the idiots at the college last fall made me see they would have teased me left and right if they found out I love ponies and rabbits and kids books instead of Madden, Xbox, and drugs. I know this doesn't relate to your own relationship, Grapes, but I'm just telling you why I can't answer your question. I lack experience.

I certainly hope your life isn't going to hell. It doesn't seem like things are going too well for you at the present time.


Blake, David, and Sandy....have any suggestions for Grapes? You just kept talking about video games while she came here and asked a question to us.

[RAMChYLD]

Blake, David, and Sandy....have any suggestions for Grapes? You just kept talking about video games while she came here and asked a question to us.

I don't know how to answer this Maybe force him to take the family on a vacation? Last time I lost it, I just grabbed my car and drove very far away (and I do mean far- I think it was almost a hundred miles away)...

And often, when I feel down, I just go out for a drive. Get my minds off things.

[Blackberry Bun]

I can't give any suggestion without knowing what exactly the problem is. But looking at the neighboring thread, it seems James needs to take some days off, no matter how difficult it is to get any. Working 7 days a week will eventually worsen his health both physically and mentally.

In the meantime, show him your love and support as his loving wife.

[huckleberrypie]

Yeah, I'm not really that sure, either, but I'll vouch on what Dave and Sandy suggested. Cool off and take it slow, perhaps.