I could have written that exact same post; I do the same thing, and for the same reasons.

In an age when (hopefully) distribution from creator to viewer can bypass the studio and theatrical system altogether, I'm not sure what makes the Academy any more relevant than any other awards body, or what makes them any more authoritative or the defining statement on anything.

When even now it's entirely possible to shoot your own movie and get it seen by millions without ever hitting a theater, that you're not being recognized by an establishment just doesn't seem to matter terribly much. There's been an apparent disconnect between them and public taste since, well, forever.

I agree that box office receipts are ever more a poor metric of what's being seen and when. It seems nowadays you'd have to get receipts from not just DVD, but PPV in its various incarnations (on demand, download, etc) to really gauge how a movie did on "release".

I know. I agree. I shouldn't be poking at it. I just found the spanking you gave him last time to be so immensely entertaining.

Tell us about the trees on Mars again. Lynx loves that one.

The name and credentials as stated do dial out, if you google for them. Of course whether or not this poster is that person is a separate matter entirely.

I'm disappointed, Professor. I was waiting for you to weigh in with some substance and I find none in your response. If you did, I think it not a stretch to say that you'd find it addressed by some posters, and if legitimate, recognized.

(I've had the HD on the 360 for a year and Santa brought a standalone BR for Xmas, so I'm now immune to format attacks)

Paramount is denying that they will follow suit and switch over.

The more interesting article would be how exactly BR won here. HD appeared to have the cheaper players and dual compatibility, yet BR didn't and it won, as whether Paramount makes the switch or not, it does seem like it's all over but the crying now.

...Among many of the other fascinating topics of psychology on the internet, are the reviews written by people who obviously don't own the product. This is particularly prevalent in the tech and game areas.

Yes, there are paid shills out there; these are not that. I'm talking about people who feel compelled to enthuse about something that they don't actually have any hands-on with. In some cases pre-reviews can be written by beta testers who really did have access to the product pre-release, but in most cases this is somebody opining and, effectively, lying about a product. It's of a piece with fanboyism in a lot of cases, I think. Somebody who's bought the hype and is also seduced by the idea that thousands of people will read their words and be influenced by them.

I've seen at least one site that tags such reviews with "Preview Buzz" to indicate that you should have your salt shaker in hand while reading. I'll bet more such tags follow in the future, from more sites.

...I'm sure he was simply wanting to show his support for the rail industry. It is such a beautiful way to see the country, after all.

;)

I'm sorry, but I really have no issue or problem with the giveaway about the dog's death written in this review.

For crying out loud, the dog's death is shown in one of the trailers, for those of us who actually pay attention. And if you've read ANY OTHER REVIEW on the web (this is perhaps the fourth I myself have read), they too either imply or state outright that the dog doesn't make it.

So, seriously. Welcome to the internet. If you don't want spoilers of any kind, don't read frackin' reviews. Confine yourself either to the blurbs, the star rating, or just skip the reviews altogether. Knowing at least some what happens in a movie as a consequence of reading the review is, well, a consequence of reading the review. Lean into it.

Ms. Price...if that ad was the first time you were exposed to the Chuck Norris meme and jokes, I'd like to welcome you to teh intarwebz. That-all was the rage about a year or more ago, so that's by how far Huckabee missed being on the cutting edge, if internet humor can be described in such a way.

A period where it should have been at the end of my last post. Jeez I hate it when that happens.

Oh, indeed. In fact in my fantasyland, there's a Matrix-level simulator where we plug in the various variables, down to the butterfly wings creating typhoons halfway around the world, and see how various courses of action or attitudes might possibly play out for the world's future. Wouldn't THAT be nice.

I believe the next-gen "Life" simulator is slated for release in '08...it's called "Spore", and it looks hella interesting from what I've seen of it. File that as another thing to check out for your amusement

Ever read "Out of Control", by Kevin Kelly? I believe it's...sheesh, 14 years old now? That was where I first heard of what you're describing. Great book. Don't think it answers the specific questions you're asking, but if the topic interests you, it's a hell of a read.

You have now not only made my current week but next one as well.