Synthetic

I almost had the balls to pick the Saints to win the NFC South. I may have should.

LeBron proved all his haters,doubters and critics wrong...He finally got the respect he's deserved. I will never get why people hate that man so much. He broke down crying like a baby when the buzzer hit. That championship meant more to him than anything and I got chill bumps when he said "Cleveland this is for you!". I hated LeBron for years but I learned a valuable lesson in sports when Favre retired and that is that we need to ENJOY these guys while we have them cause they won't be around forever. Instead of people nitpicking them to death, they need to just enjoy the ride cause once they're gone, they're gone forever

At the doctor's office today, there was a kid there telling me and another person about basketball and he kept saying "Bron James is my favorite player!". He was talking so fast, it was hilarious he was saying 'Bron' instead of LeBron and adorable. I told the kid I liked LeBron too and he tells me "he can do everything! He blocks, he scores, he can dunk!". Kids can be so funny in times. 

I can't wait for basketball myself to begin again. Really looking forward to it.

I am a bit worried now, my cousin David picked the Lions for Sunday. Thats often a bad sign.....he is pretty good at predictions even though he is a m*ron. I hope he is wrong but these are also picks against the spread so it means the Colts can win by 1 to 3 points and the Lions still won and covered.

Oh btw, Cam did get beat the hell up last night badly. I hate to admit that since I was so worked up and mad but yeah he got hit in the head too.

Oh and I think David picked the Saints to beat the Raiders, in his group they were only 1 point faves.

Bogie showed me a good long video about the zone defense and comparing it to the old era.

I have to say after seeing this video, I think even more highly now of guys like Lebron and Kobe then ever before if that was even possible for me.

Yeah throughout most of the Kobe era you could play Zone Defense which means doubling and tripling teaming a player was legal. Back when Jordan played in his prime you could only double or triple team for a couple of seconds, any longer it was considered Illegal Defense and a Technical Foul. The NBA was more physical when Jordan, Magic, and Bird played in their prime years but I think it has been tougher for a player to dominate a game pretty much throughout the Kobe era because of Zone being allowed. Regarding the Warriors, them signing Durant isn't fair. They have great enough Coaching IMO to avoid chemistry issues, Kerr will figure it out. Curry's minutes will be watched this upcoming season as well because they now have Durant. The Spurs are really the only team that maybe can give them a scare in the West IMO. Clippers choke every season and cant even get out of the 1st Round most of the time and the Blazers aren't ready for the bigtime. You cant hate the Warriors all you want like I do the Patriots but unfortunately they will be great again.

I always knew about the rule changes on defense, but seeing direct comparisons from now to then was kinda mind boggling to me. I mean in a video with it all broken down so easily to see.

It was more physical then, but I think I might prefer it now since it has a more fluid pace with more passing and just seems more like you have to think on the court and not just plow around.

Kobe IMO might be the best vs. the zone defense we have seen, maybe. There are several out there but he really peaked in that era. The Lakers didn't seem to need Shaq as much after the rule changes if you ask me and the dominant big man became more neutralized a bit.

And after thinking about this, with the rule changes......it is tough to compare now to then with eras too. 

Oh I know the Warriors won't go away lol. I just am curious to see how they gel and also how this all kinda operates, there is only one ball on the court.   Curry has to stay healthy too but then again I still think they were slightly worried about his injuries too and feel they need more scoring at times. 

People forget too the Durant contract I think is only two years and I think he can even leave after a year if something happened. 

Romo is in a back brace and he has a broken bone in his neck and the team still is not giving up him coming back later. Sigh......

He got hurt last year twice and gets hurt in his first preseason drive. Very sad stuff. And he has been hurt in the past before too as we know.

I hope Dak is ready, he looked good in preseason so far but he is so young and now he has Cowboys nation wanting him to become the next big thing.

I was looking for a suprise NFC team, perhaps it can be the Cowboys with Dak instead of the Rams with Goff? Rams look to have some issues on offense big time still. And I have had no idea who to pick to win the NFC East.

Rams are planning to start Case Keenum again week 1 and thats a good thing for Goff but this hardly spells out PLAYOFFS. And the Rams o line is GARBAGE. Keenum actually almost got hurt vs. Denver in preseason too.

I am lost on the NFC East, can the Boys win it? Or is this a dream worth not even trying for?

And the Vikings are doomed as we called, curse of the Purple 2016.

Sorry to hear that you suffer from Chronic back pain like Tony Romo Bogie. 

I agree that Dak Prescott is the Cowboys future. I still deplore Dallas as a football team, but Dak is extremely talented as a QB & a nice kid. 

I love your Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker picture & all, but given my disdain for Dallas in general, I couldn't bring myself to like your 1st post. Sorry my friend. I did like another one though. 

I did not like the Miami Vice movie at all. I've seen so much of the show, and there's so many issues with it. Farrell and Fox have absolutely no chemistry as Crockett and Tubbs. That's really like the #1 problem of the movie. I wasn't even sure they liked each other in the movie, whereas in the show, there's that whole "I got your back" mentality about them with this brotherly bond. In the movie, he leaves Tubbs behind to go on that cruise with the girl to Cuba...in the show, this only happened once, he left Tubbs behind in the episode 'Nobody Lives Forever' and Tubbs gets the crap beat out of him, and this leads to Sonny feeling guilty and trying to make up for it later. People can make fun of Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas all they want, but those two had a chemistry together that has largely been unmatched in buddy cop films and shows. 

If you do like that movie though, I would highly recommend checking out the episode 'Smuggler's Blues'. The entire movie is really like a 2 hour long re-write of the Smuggler's Blues episodes. And yep, it's the one with Glenn Frey pretty much playing himself in it, but he still pulls off a good performance. There is only minor differences between the film and that episode, most notably, Trudy doesn't die but Tubbs is given such a crappy situation at the end. (he jumps, Trudy dies. He don't jump, she still dies)

and the point of where in the film, Sonny leaves Tubbs behind, in Smuggler's Blues, there's the scene where of him and Glenn Frey talking about Vietnam and he says "I had to leave fallen comrades behind, but this one, I CAN'T leave behind". 

I don't know if that movie should've even been made though cause Vice pretty much is a product of the whole 80's era, and it's a definite necessity for the younger generation of 80's loving hipsters, and I don't know if that formula can work in modern setting. Crockett and Tubbs benefited from that environment of the wild wild west mentality of the cocaine cowboys. That all changed in later decades. 

To be completely candid with you Bogie, I never followed the Miami Vice TV show as closely as you clearly did & still do apparently. I viewed Miami Vice the 2006 movie more like co-workers who know what makes each other tick, but they're not hanging out after work going to a local cop dive eating brats, buffalo wings, swallowing an ice cold beer together & bonding. It's not that they don't care about each others welfare; they just appreciate space apart from each other so that when they are in life & death situations respect for their colleague doesn't blur or get in the way of arresting the big criminal fish or killing him as an absolute, last resort. 

Chemistry between central characters matters yes, but in my estimation, Crockett & Tubbs are more like 2 guys who appreciate 1 another's skill sets under cover & they have no desire to be blood brothers or bosom buddies at all. Why them come together against that drug smuggler who hurts Trudy is because these bad guys bleeped up the professionalism & smoothness of their vice unit collectively. Sure Trudy is considered a friend that no harm should come to. However, when a unit gels professionally & you know each members tendencies; when a bad guy messes with that cohesion that took yrs to build an aggressive response of revenge is required. 

I actually liked the feature film better than the series because if you are that close to a partner & something horrific happens to them or a loved one they care about....Your professional relationship is forever tarnished & compromised now because your objectivity is totally lost & you're too emotionally invested in the protection of your parter rather than completing the mission in the field. Some level of distance is mandated to see the big picture, lock up the bad guy, & not become yr partner's guardian angel. 

I like that we don't know if Tubbs will retire from police work to tend to Trudy's needs. I like that Crockett has regrets over falling in love with this money manger & flipping her world upside down. I like that the audience has no idea if this Vice Unit will split up or not at the end of the movie. That's real life. Not a 40 minute show where everybody will be back next week no matter what. 

I do appreciate the insights & familiarity you have with Michael Mann's early work in TV before he became a major motion picture director though Bogie. Thank you. 

Yes, the original Miami Vice TV show was perfect for the era it was produced in. All that is true. However, I applaud Mann for modifying the storyline to fit in a 21st Century backdrop about cops, drug smugglers, people caught in the crossfire; & the toll this kind of work transforms a person into--cold, calculating, stoic, & indifferent with jaded attachment issues. 

I did see some of the original series when it was originally released on network before cable & satellite widened an audiences viewing choices at large. It was a well made show with solid script writing. I just like Micheal Mann now as an established director who cut his teeth on the original TV show, but he doesn't plan on living there forever. TV was a steeping stone to bigger productions in cinema & he's not gonna be a slave to that small screen medium unless Hollywood says Mike you can't cut it as a big screen director anymore. 

He doesn't despise TV perse. No, it's more like his grand visions & storylines are better suited for wrap around surround sound environments with outstanding picture clarity. I also like that his high intense action scenes are few & far in between. He understands that less is more in terms of explosions, chase scenes, & gun violence. All that really matters is the emotional investment the audience has with the characters on both sides of the law. 

 I hate the Grateful Dead so much. They are the most overrated band of all time. #1, always have been, always will be.....BUT it's wrong to not say some positive things about Jerry Garcia as a guitar player and song writer. Dude was a beast on the pedal steel and credit has to be given with his disadvantage not having a middle finger. Jerry Garcia was a great guitar player, he definitely deserves praise and especially for what a monster he was with the pedal steel. But I still don't care for the Grateful Dead. 

I might have real interest in this album, "the midnight?"?

I like this song you posted A LOT in the original post.

Okay for the Grateful Dead, this song always got me......it's one I sometimes listen to.

I like the lyrics and sound of it and have for a long time. And it's not one of their over done jam songs that goes on for an hour.

The Dead have a few songs I do like, but it's usually the shorter ones with more singing and not just 10 minute musical zone out pot feasts.

Sorry to go OT a bit with the Dead from retro synth.  

Sometimes it's the bit of John Lennon/Bernie Sanders liberal stuck in me that pops out at times.

Heading to sleep now finally.

One more note before I go - Dax Prescott, wow. 

If Dax Prescott has another huge game like that next week, sign me up for the hype train bandwagon. That kid is amazing. I am blown away watching clips of him from the past two weeks of preseason. This might have been the best quarterback in the draft, and he gets an approval nod from me for having #4 of all numbers. 

Dak* Prescott, blah, whatever. Been up since 4 AM. That kid's got an arm, he's going to be a star I hope. 

Go get some sleep.  

Yep observing these players working has been a real treat.

Good point with the guitar players he had. Most just focus on David Bowie himself (which isn't a bad thing) and ignore the musicianship around him at times that did so much.

I didn't even know he worked with so many big names.

Mick Ronson is the name I am most familiar with him concerning Bowie.

I am a huge fan of sliced bread but this DOOM stuff sounds intriguing.

DOOM  

I've been playing DOOM since the 90's (probably longer than I have any other game)....and DOOM 64 is a brilliant game, but was plagued being on a console with a god awful controller that made it difficult to play. DOOM I think, was always meant to be played with a keyboard and mouse. 

And DOOM 64 scares the living hell out of me even 19 years later. Midway really took advantage of the horror elements of the original and juiced them up, and added a very good ambient/industrial soundtrack to make it a game that gives you the creeps playing in the dark. 

I never played DOOM. It sounds scary the way you describe it.

Quote

Okay if they are imports then they probably do cost too much and it's best to just find them online for free.

That is a solution but you would be surprised at video game nerds, or just nerds in general that will fork out money for something they love. And I'm not innocent either, I've blown a lot of money in the past on old records, sometimes crazy excessive amounts of money on trash albums. I stopped collecting a few years ago, I just don't have the money to afford to blow it on CD's and old records left and right anymore (and to be honest, I'm running out of room for CD's. So many take up a lot of space) 

I think I would rather buy the Miami Vice stuff if I am going to blow some money lol.

That would NOT be wasting money. Miami Vice is the bomb, and right now some of those DVD sets are dirt cheap with the new 2016 boxed reissues coming out in October. 

I can't wait for my birthday, I'm ordering season 5 so I can go back and re-watch the finale. 

*years in, I guess my s was in love with my in  

My dad has a lot of issues now from a few incidents playing high school football. He got crunched on special teams and still has a pinched nerve in his neck.

I often did running and jogging at times too. More jogging though and I still sometimes do it but on a treadmill not on the road. I don't like to hit the road much with working out anymore. Too many creepy people out there.  

I still sometimes figure skate too but thats not like it once was when I was competitive with it. I help out a young girl at times in it and still can do stuff but I don't jump anymore on the ice.

I never have put on a pair of skates, if I did I would probably fall flat on my face. That's awesome you were a figure skater! You really have to be in shape to do that. I broke a growth plate in my ankle playing Basketball when I was in HighSchool and so my left foot has always really bothered me off and on, I just ignored the pain and soaked it after running most nights but as I have got older it's got worse arthritic wise. The Treadmill is a great way to stay in shape. I have used it a lot as well besides running outside on the streets. Running on the streets is really rough on your feet and knees.

Glad to see you so excited too, now I want to listen sometime.

Wait, this is a real record/CD? I thought it was just a really bad info mercial or something. 

It sounds like 7 grand is headed your way Bogie. Just Joking! 

The pitch man is wearing a black ski mask. Sounds legit to me.  

Is Trevor a former terrorist? Or does he just kidnap & hold rich US citizens for ransom as a 401 K plan? 

Is Trevor masquerading as a self help, spiritual guru or something? Very odd. 

If it really improves your life, I'm happy for you Bogie, but I think I'll pass. Thank you. 

Best Windows I think they've ever made. Anything that XP, Vista, and 7 couldn't get to run with old programs, I've managed to get them all to work so far in a week of using 10. 

windows lost me, switched to mac and am living happily ever after

I could never afford a Mac, but I would get one if possible since they are so much easier to use with Apple products like the iPod. 

What or who is Thrawn? A Grand Admiral you said?

I hate to sound stupid.

This guy 

In the book series Heir to the Empire, Thrawn took over the remains of the empire after Vader, Palpy, and the second Death Star were destroyed. He was an interesting character, the main reason those books were worth reading. 

Reverb in recording almost sounds Biblical.

Proverb, Reverb

Sorry  

It IS biblical for music 

Reverb makes everything sound better in studio recording. I'll never record without it 

Thou shall always have Reverb.

Mitch Murder is an underground producer, he's had some big hits online over the past several years. I've never bought one of his albums sadly, but I love the singles he puts out. Very very well rounded production with all the synth madness. He reminds me a lot of some strange hybrid between Gary Numan and Jan Hammer. 

Speaking of cats, I got some new ones I took of white kitty this morning. 

You had me at "white kitty". I lost all train of thought after that.

Oh and yeah btw this music is all pretty good. Listened to some of Kristine's songs on youtube and been looking around a bit on stuff.

Love this stuff Kix, McQueen Street, Herman the German, Babylon AD, Keel and of course the top dogs Great White, Motley Crue, Ratt and more

What's up crockett and tubbs? Miami Vice was a very good TV show that had a ton of soon to be well established stars on it back in the mid 80's & 90's Bogie. 

My sister went to high school with a classmate who's father supplied or rented all the ferraris & other luxury on that production. 

Quote

My sister went to high school with a classmate who's father supplied or rented all the ferraris & other luxury on that production. 

*fan girl squeal*

BTW I started watching Miami Vice too.  I am getting mini hooked as well.

Sun record legend along with Jerry Lee Lewis & Johnny Cash. Darn, this has been a tough year for losing groundbreaking musicians. 

Thanks for posting this Bogie. I appreciate it. 

RIP I have heard of him. Man it was a bad day for people passing away. Bad year actually for musicians and sports figures.

I am just glad I am not famous since if I was I might think 2016 is my last year.

This year is getting scary!!!!

I never saw Finding Nemo. I just remember it was nominated for 8 million Oscars.

But, yes I do like little fish......which reminds me how I wish right now I had some of those little awesome gold fish crackers.

I will probably end up seeing Ghost Busters this summer since of the men folk around me I know will probably want to see it.

My parents have a Melissa McCarthy fan craze too and used to watch that show she was on. If she is in something they go see it, period. So having her in it is huge for the older crowd.

I never saw Finding Nemo. I just remember it was nominated for 8 million Oscars.

But, yes I do like little fish......which reminds me how I wish right now I had some of those little awesome gold fish crackers.

I will probably end up seeing Ghost Busters this summer since of the men folk around me I know will probably want to see it.

My parents have a Melissa McCarthy fan craze too and used to watch that show she was on. If she is in something they go see it, period. So having her in it is huge for the older crowd.

I never saw Finding Nemo. I just remember it was nominated for 8 million Oscars.

But, yes I do like little fish......which reminds me how I wish right now I had some of those little awesome gold fish crackers.

I will probably end up seeing Ghost Busters this summer since of the men folk around me I know will probably want to see it.

My parents have a Melissa McCarthy fan craze too and used to watch that show she was on. If she is in something they go see it, period. So having her in it is huge for the older crowd.

Jules you're right, the Rams deserve it though. They have not made the playoffs now in 12 years. The last time they had a 10 win season was 2003 with the remnants of the GSOT

I'm hoping Goff becomes the next Kurt Warner for them, they've desperately needed a QB for a long time now. 

I think Goff might end up being good. I am not so confident on the dude who went second though but thats the Eagles so who cares lolz.

Anytime, you can beat the Dallas Cowboys it's an awesome day in my book Bogie. Sweet! 

lol thanks, I have had a good few days and nights. No drinking really but it's been nice.

You guys are great!

A few gifts I got included a Colts teddy bear, Colts purse and a Kobe Lakers jersey.

Hey Jules, 

I'm a little late to the party here. I'm glad you received some nice presents from family & friends though. 

Thanks as always for your sharp, witty comebacks Jules. Major props to Bogie to notifying us when Jules deserves some much needed recognition on her birthday. 

Thank you southwest!

I seen the special editions in theaters when i was in school, and then the abomination called The Phantom Menace right when I dropped out of high school. 

I could talk your ear off about Star Wars for hours on end. Star Wars and music, that's my two things I know the most about. 

Yeah, I'm a bit of a Star Wars nerd myself. CBE, speaking of Return Of The Jedi, that was the coolest movie experience I ever had in the theatre because the whole crowd went awe when the baby ewok popped it's head out of the basket & cheered loudly when the 2nd Death Star blew up on screen. I got goose bumps from the collective bonding session. 

I've never experienced anything like that before in my life as a movie goer & sadly, I probably never will again. It was so surreal & unforgettable. 

Yes, Return of the Jedi was unreal!

Tried playing it again today, meh...The only thing really going for the LP is having that humbucker in the bridge for easy crunch. That's it, but I can get crunch out of a Strat just fine using an overdrive/compressor combo. 

Telecaster > Les Paul. I thought the LP could be as useful as a Tele, but it clearly isn't. At least a Tele, you can beat on it continuously and it stays in tune and can handle aggressive playing. 

Also the Les Paul has the name "Les Paul" which makes everyone swooooon at times.

Your stuff with the Strat sounds good anyway. It's crunchy and fluffy and trebles and takes a hard beating and everything else in the lingo book I love to hear.  

You will have to keep the Les Paul though probably. It's pretty and it has sentimental value etc. 

@Tegan, I think she is adorable LOL (sarcasm)

2006 did you put the ring comment in the wrong thread and meant to do that in the NBA one? But, I do agree with you.

Tegan, I am not a kid person really either but if I could get a gem like this little girl in the movie I might change my mind!!!!  

Yeah I put it in the wrong thread.

Speaking of tragic......this is one of my personal favorite classical pieces but I didn't use it too long for skating since it was TOUGH. I only used it for 4 months and it was near the end before I retired and was trying the highest level in competitions. It's advanced calculus for figure skating music and I had to move and skate so fast with footwork/spins and elements I almost passed out once when I was done.

Starting at :35 is when the music gets tough.

When Britney said "work b***ch" this is what she means for skating to classical music.

Vivaldi kicked so much butt though.

This song is awesome. I know absolutely nothing about classical music, and I hardly ever listen to it, but I really like this. 

Thats kinda what you need to say in public and always worked for me to confuse people. "So have you listened to any Vivaldi lately? I must say my favorite piece by his was always winter. I often felt summer lacked a certain intensity he put forth in his winter pieces."

So it's sorta vintage in these days lol

Yes, that game still holds up even today no question Bogie. 

Yeah I did some hour runs over the weekend and the AI is still as challenging as ever. Best Battle of Hoth stage ever done in a Star Wars game.