The General Chat thread

[JustHarms]

If you like Serial (I sure did) maybe look into Radiolab or its parent podcast This American Life. I'd also recommend Snap Judgement if you're a fan of the 'story about people' podcasts.

[viscomica]

Yeah, I'll probably check This American Life, thanks for the recommendations!

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

I'm sure one day I'll buy a piece of Pokemon merchandise which isn't a video game or trading card.
You know, to prove my fandom. I just wished they manufactured merchandise that was good quality and looked good. I look at all this new stuff for sale at the American Pokemon Boutique and I think "wow, that looks crap!"

I think there once was a plushie I wanted, a Tyrunt. But it had all sold out. Any other version I could find were awful.

[Kapol]

I just got back from Mad Max: Fury Road. AKA Watch The Protagonist Get The Shit Beat Out Of Him For 30 Minutes Before We Let Him Be The Badass

Pretty fun movie. Though I feel I was missing something by not seeing the first one before it. There were some things that felt too obvious and telegraphed. But overall, I enjoyed it. WITNESS!

[viscomica]

Welp, I've just signed up for a winter course at uni. Fingers crossed.

[Bebop Man]

Mad Max Fury Road is one of the best movies I've seen all year, and I only watch several hundreds every year.

[Kapol]

Honestly, I think my favorite part of the movie was the visual design. It was really well done in that regard. The scene of them driving into the sand storm and zooming out to show how large it was is honestly something I found somewhat stunning. I found the story a bit lacking (many parts felt fairly obvious to me). But it was good enough for what the movie was. The story was made up for by the culture and world details I feel.

[Bebop Man]

Jurassic World: not as good as 1 by a long, long shot, but equally better than 3 by a long, long shot. It's more or less as good as 2, whatever you think of that movie, which seems to divide people.

Pratt is missing his trademark charisma, Bryce looks fucking gorgeous, the kids aren't as endearing as they should be and InGen are a bunch of morons on par with Weyland-Yutani and Umbrella Inc. But you knew that last part.

[viscomica]

Today I woke up and my cat was there, in bed, sleeping on me. So I tried to move (so as to get out of bed) and my cat kind of changes position so that she would still be snuggling / sleeping. I succeded to get out of bed.
Before I got out of bed my cat was purring, but when I finally got out of bed she tried to bite me as in "how dare she scoot me over when I'm purring. For shame"
Cats are so funny sometimes!

[Smeghead]

At the school where I work; teachers breath fire to keep students in line

[the_lone_bard]

These new headphones are seriously amazing. So many layers to music I'd never heard before. And I have all of Seventh Wonder to listen to with them!

That said, I think I might have listened to The Great Escape too many times. I know I once worked out based off of Winamp I'd spent 4 continuous months of the first year it was out listening to it (Not including Ipod, car, friends places.) so, when I just hit play then within 2 notes it was like putting on an old, comfortable pair of shoes... It just feels right, like this song is the natural background noise of the world. First 5 minutes so far have yielded no new layers to the song (I only stopped finding them about a year ago to begin with.) but then again, the intro is pretty simple comparitively, once we hit the 16 minute mark things should get interesting with the vocal layering at the least.

Edit: The intensity of the bass during the revelation is like being hit in the face. The layer of Jenny Kareviks vocals somehow made me fall more in love with her voice and there is absolutely no distortion whatsoever when Tommy unleashes his one and only scream through his entire singing career, which changes the one and only "Complaint" I've ever come close to having about this song.
Is it legal to marry headphones? Cause I'm seriously considering trying, mostly because the guys from SW are over in Sweden and I can't get them.

[McGurganatorZX]

Took a bit of a hiatus trying to get my youtube ducks all in a row and working at a summer camp. Nothing like the joy of many little anklebiters harassing me with my own name.

Although, on the topic of conversation, what headphones did you buy, the_lone_bard? I've owned a couple of $20 sony headphones that somehow my audiophile friend says are better than a bunch of other studio 'phones.

[the_lone_bard]

Steelseries Siberia V3's. $110.
I used to LOVE a $30 (Aud) pair of panasonic headphones from K-Mart. Flimsy, cheap, sounded amazing. And then they started only selling them in certain parts of Asia...

[viscomica]

So yesterday I went with Bebop to a Peruvian - Japanese restaurant nearby. It was amazing! From the outside it looks kind of shabby and like a take out place only but inside it's really nice. After eating we had some drinks at a bar (I get drunk way too easily) and headed back home. All in all one of the best outings we've had I'm quite happy with it

[Prospero101]

A Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant? Interesting. That begs two questions from me, however:

What's Peruvian food like?

What's it like when fused with Japanese cuisine?

[Lord Chrusher]

Peru has a significant minority of people of Japanese descent, the second largest in South America after Brazil's.

[viscomica]

A Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant? Interesting. That begs two questions from me, however:

What's Peruvian food like?

What's it like when fused with Japanese cuisine?

Well, here at Buenos Aires there aren't many fusion restaurants but if there are, they are Peruvian-Japanese. The place I went with Bebop wasn't a fusion restaurant, or at least we didn't order any fusion plates... we had a peruvian starter and then sushi. The starter was called "papas a la huancaina" or something of the sort (a quick google search tells me they also serve that at Bolivia. Go figure)
Maybe next time we'll try something more daring

Oh! And I didn't know there was such a strong japanese minority at Peru! The more you know

[Lord Chrusher]

The disgraced former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, is of Japanese descent.

[Bebop Man]

If nothing else, I learned a new word today: e-blast.

[the_lone_bard]

Hey, what's everyones idea of a good coffee? I've never drunk it, but a mate used to get them free from Maccas and not drink his 2 per shift, so yeah, turns out tastes change and I kinda like it now. But, my experience is entirely limited to a late from Maccas with 4 sugars. I got told to try a Moca, something to do with chocolate, but I have no clue. And without glasses,I can't even remotely see the board at the coffee shop, and people here ae snobby as fuck about coffee, so ontop of typical introvert anxiety, there's that added so there's pretty much no way I'm ever going in there and saying "Hey, so I kind of like coffee when I never did before, but I've only ever had lattes from maccas... Halp plz."

So yeah, suggestions? Not too bitter please. Sorry for typos, edit shall happen when I return from shops, bus to buy food leaves in 6 minutes.

[fantôme]

I've found that people's tastes in coffee is one of the most diverse there is - just go try everything.

If you're drinking it at home I can offer a few suggestions:

Buy a cafetiere.
Drink out of a glass rather than a cup.
Let the water cool a little before adding to coffee.
If you're going to be drinking it regularly, four sugars is too much.

Personally I start every morning with a strong iced mocha sidamo, one milk one sugar.

ps. Welcome addict.

[the_lone_bard]

I'm all for trying everything, but like I said, I can't actually see the board at all (I am effectively blind beyond like 2feet without glasses, with glasses I have eyesight so good they couldn't find any more tests for me to pass -_- ) and I only know how to order a late cause that's how 'Rardy made it. I don't know what my options are. Like, I know a Mocha is a thing that's somehow got chocolate. And I constantly hear peoples stories about customers at Starbucks being like "I want a large mocha chai late with a caramel strawberry swirl and a dark choc infusion... And sprinkles." and, I don't even know where to start. Like, I looooove me some Caramel, is that a thing you can do with Mochas? If so, how would I order it, a large Caramel Mocha, a large Mocha with Caramel, do I specify sugars before or after... The Sugar part I assume is down to the store, or simply how you talk "I'd like a ___ with 4 sugars." or "I'd like a 4 sugar ___" but, without being able to see the board I can't see any sort of descriptions of what a drink is. The best I've got is google (Enjoy 40000000 different results for everyones personal favourite starbucks drink.) or the Maccas description for a Mocha "Made with rich Arabica coffee, enjoy a Mocha today!"

So, like I said, there's no way I'm confident enough to walk into an actual Coffee shop and say "I have no clue, whad'ya got?" and I can't get glasses for another month minimum. I'm looking for some suggestions to try out, since I walk past there every day and always go "I really want a coffee, but I could just get a dirt cheap Late from Maccas, and I dunno how to order anything else." Normally I'd just get a basic version of something and go from there, but I'd rather not waste money on something I'd hate just cause I can't read the board. I mean, I love Caramel, I'm ambivilent to Chocolate but can't eat it straight up (sensitive taste buds, it actually burns.) and dislike Peanut Butter, and I'm am too shy to stand around while a line forms asking questions that are definitely dumb. (Though personally, I don't care about the dumb part that much, because at the end of the day, I can't fucking see, it's not my fault. Not like I woke up one day and said "I'd like my effective vision range to be the tip of my nose." so anyone who doesn't like me asking them a question when the menu is around, can get a polite explanation and if they wanna be a dick, go get fucked.)

And no, definitely not drinking it at home. I'd only drink like 1 or 2 a week if that, so not gonna run out and buy a coffee maker, and my grandparents instant coffee... I think it was 1.5 tsp of coffee and about 15 sugars and I still gagged because it tasted like someone had condensed nothing but biterness and that was now a flavour by itself. Never again.

I'm gonna try your Mocha, but, what's sidamo. And do you normally specify milks? At Maccas I've always literally just said "Late with 4 sugars please." and forget to specify milk, so get asked "What type of milk would you like." "Oh right, normal please." and that's it.
I feel like there's a book somewhere everyone else read but nobody ever gave me a copy. Same reason I've never drank anything but a Lipton iced tea. I'd love to try real tea, but no clue about any of it, and from experience whatever is in the cupboard will be the cheapest instantest version and taste like an ass, if I figure out how to make it.

[viscomica]

Ehhh.... I like cappuccinos.
(That's my contribution to the coffee conversation, btw)

[fantôme]

Baristas are generally friendly enough that they won't mind if you don't just immediately & mechanically rattle of an order, I have never encountered any kind of snobbery in a cafe.

[Master Gunner]

I fumble ordering a "medium dark roast, 2 cream" more often than one would think was possible. Dealing with hundreds of people a day, baristas tend to be used to it.

For trying new coffees, sometimes I've just ordered whatever somebody in front of me in line got. Sometimes I check the Internet for terms I've heard thrown around. Pick a base drink you like, like the latte, and look up variations on it that might look appealing. Start small, and add on something to try here and there until you figure out what your tastes are.