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Post by afriendlychicken on Jun 29, 2013 2:56:37 GMT -5
Yea, I agree with Spackle. This board lacks in curmudgeon without you so:
Rant Rant Rant!!!
Let's hear it for rant!
Wow, I just noticed Spice's Chuck Berry 'Blues for Hawaiians' video. I must take a listen.
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Post by Crowfan on Jun 29, 2013 6:29:25 GMT -5
I know how to make Phantom rant, just mention ABBA music.
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Post by Phantom Engineer on Jun 29, 2013 8:37:43 GMT -5
Out of respect for you I won't rant about ABBA.
But I do need to come up with a rant. I'll set my puzzler to a-workin' on it.
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Post by Phantom Engineer on Jun 29, 2013 10:05:34 GMT -5
Here's a rant that's kind of a thought experiment that I've inflicted on people over the years. Here it is, there are two parallel universes. One is All Ages Universe (AAU) and the other is Grown Up Universe (GUU). The universes are duplicated but the people are not. The difference is in GUU no one under the age of 21 can physically exist. There are portals to travel between them but only for a limited time. So you have to set up residency in only one universe. What is the point of this you may be wondering? It's to illustrate how much children affect our lives even if we're not around them. In GUU there would be no child proof caps, no need for movie ratings, no slow for school zones, no screaming babies on airplanes, in restaurants, in theaters, no annoying kids at all. No one could use the argument "But what about the children?" Now this doesn't mean I don't like kids, they're fine in their place, which for me would be in another universe. So, which universe would you choose?
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Post by nondescript spice on Jun 29, 2013 10:52:44 GMT -5
totally, utterly and undoubtedly yours. i adore my nephews, but once aunt spice had enough of their crap when they were little i'd have to leave in order to save their lives. i'm so glad they are almost grown now - now they have a baby nephew and i'm gleefully awaiting their payback. i just missed that maternal link, i guess. i have no patience - i know babies cry and toddler throw screaming fits, but i just cannot tolerate it.
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Post by spackle on Jun 29, 2013 11:11:11 GMT -5
Yeah, think of all those children being shrill in that OTHER universe. Whew!
Phantom, what about things that may be for kids but grown ups like them too, like cartoons and amusement parks? Are those allowed in GUU?
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Post by Phantom Engineer on Jun 29, 2013 12:48:29 GMT -5
Oh sure everything else is the same. And amusement parks without kids would quadruple the amusement.
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Post by spackle on Jun 29, 2013 14:24:43 GMT -5
You said it! Are we being mean?
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Post by nondescript spice on Jun 29, 2013 16:17:14 GMT -5
hell no. THE BOUNCY HOUSE IS MINE.
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Post by spackle on Jun 30, 2013 9:03:09 GMT -5
Not to be a spoilsport or anything, but I foresee a problem. Some people live to control and/or condescend to others, so what's to stop them from creating a whole new set of laws to "protect" idiots? So you'd end up with idiot-proof caps, which would of course foil the attempts of even the most dexterous adults to open them. And there'd be movie ratings to protect the feeble-minded, which would necessitate FQ (Feebleness Quotient) tests for all. What's to keep Grown Up Universe from turning into Gulag of Unhappy Underlings?
spice: I WANNA BOUNCE TOO!
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Post by Crowfan on Jun 30, 2013 9:14:08 GMT -5
That's where I come in, and kill those people, keeping you folks all happy.
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Post by Ijon the Asano on Jun 30, 2013 10:01:18 GMT -5
Y'know, all joking aside, that's an interesting concept. Childhood is a topic that imaginative fiction frequently touches on but then glosses over. I remember when I finally managed to read Lord of the Rings all the way through I cam away disappointed with the Elves. Wouldn't the fact that they're immortal show up in their culture and psychology? Would children be rare and pampered or--as suggested here--walled off because adult Elves couldn't stand being around them?
Watching 2001 again the other day, I was struck again by the idea that when Bowman starts ripping out HAL's brain by the roots, HAL reverts to childhood. I suspect that if they ever make AI work they'll find that something analogous is unavoidable. Probably my biggest disappointment with TNG was taking the safe route of saying that Data was made of Legos both physically and mentally, and that ultimately emotions were a plug-in upgrade (though I'll admit many of their best scripts revolved around his trying to fit in).
I s'pose I should watch AI one day, but even thinking about Spielberg doing this premise risks hyperglycemic shock for me.
Heh heh . . . I'm also recollecting the Guido Sarducci bit about the planet where you age to 100 then start getting younger again.
Edit: Come to think of it, Blade Runner probably explored this the best that I've seen. "Wow, you've got a lot of really great toys!"
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Post by nondescript spice on Jun 30, 2013 10:52:25 GMT -5
or the curious case of benjamin button. i never saw the movie, but i read the short story a few weeks ago. i thought it was funny how a 70+ year old man could be "born" and seem irritated and anxious by everyone's expectancy that he play with blocks and toy soldiers with other babies and toddlers.
my main concern would be the cereal, trix. could the silly rabbit, and by silly rabbit, of course, i mean ME, finally have a %$&*(@! bowl?
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Post by afriendlychicken on Jun 30, 2013 19:17:00 GMT -5
I s'pose I should watch AI one day, but even thinking about Spielberg doing this premise risks hyperglycemic shock for me. Just read the Brian W. Aldiss short story 'Supertoys Last All Summer Long.' It's much more effective and doesn't destroy the pathos of an android in a childless family by introducing an actual son. Even though I kind of enjoyed 'AI' I thought that ruined the whole point of Aldiss' wonderful story. I may be the only one here but I chose the universe with kids. For all the crap they bring that's already been mentioned by others I'll miss the enjoyment of watching them experiencing and learning new things, but most of all I'd miss the funny they can bring by their views of the world. There's nothing like a kid story with their wonderful illogical connections. It's like living in Wonderland. "Impossible? Why sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'
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Post by Ijon the Asano on Jun 30, 2013 19:38:50 GMT -5
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