Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Found liable for massive fraud, is required to post a massive bond, gets a break, then files a *fraudulent* bond!

So many bastards, so little time.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Everybody saw this coming.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

No one could have predicted…

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Dead end MAGA boomers crying about Talyor Swift being a Dem is my kind of music. Turn it up.

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Friday Night Open Thread

Friday Night Open Thread

by | 94 Comments

This post is in: 

Slowly starting to get better- I can hear out my left ear and my right nostril opens up briefly every now and then. I’m in the stage where you feel better when you wake up, then two hours later feel like death again, so you go to sleep, and then wake up feeling better, rinse and repeat.

For you gamer dorks, I guess Blizz is actually gonna go there:

Not sure how I feel about that, but I’m just waiting for the Old Republic anyway.

Reader Interactions

94Comments

  1. 1.

    jl

    Had to skip through the thing, but looks like there is a squad of ninja honey badgers at the end of the clip.

    Is that what Cole means by ‘going there’?

  3. 3.

    feebog

    Pandaria looks a lot like China. Wonder if the Pandas will be manipulating their currency to win dragon points.

  4. 4.

    Chet

    Oh boy, I can’t wait for thread to fill up with people saying they don’t know anything about video games! “Pandarans, I don’t speak that crazy moon language hurr durr!”

  7. 7.

    Paddy

    Any suggestions for interesting movies or shows I can stream on the intertubes sans Netflix? Only thing I had going for me tonight, Fringe, is a rerun already. Sheesh. Finished Torchwood: Miracle Day and it was eh.

  8. 8.

    joeyess

    Hey, Cole. Go down to your local phamacy, CVS, Osco, what have you.. and get these things called “shower lozenges”. About the size of a small hockey puck and you lay them on your shower floor, take the hottest shower you can stand and they fizz like an alka-seltzer with vaporizing goodness. They feel great and you can blow that nonsense out of your beezer.

  9. 9.

    General Stuck

    I will give you a recipe for nasal spray given to me by an ENT a long time ago. A few drops of white vinegar and a dash or two of table salt in an empty Ocean Spray like sprayer, then add water. though the glycerin water it comes with would probly do.

    You have to learn to adjust the amounts of vinegar and salt to water ratio, (I use distilled) to where it is strong enough to work, but not to the point of intense pain.

    Even out here in the desert, I have to use this spray at least once a day, or pay the price. Already permanent loss of hearing in one ear, and the other one barely hanging on. No better thing to keep sinus/ear eustacion tube free of the shit that leads to more infection.

    We accept poultry for payment.

    Now where is that gnarly rascal corner stone to spank proper with my hickory switch?

  10. 10.

    Jenny

    THIS IS HILARIOUS111!111

    The Professional Left showed up at Zuccotti Park to hawk their websites and tee vee shows and they got boooed.

    One of the OWS protesters yelled the PL “is full of shit!”.

    And then the Professional Left got mad at the protesters for…. wait for it… video taping.

    The douchebag Professional Lefty media member specifically said, “it’s not a free country for you to stick your camera in my face!”. #RollingOntheFloorLaughingMyFuckingAssOff

    What a fucking hoot. A member of the media and a supposed populist saying, “it’s not a free country for you to stick your camera in my face!”

    See, only the elite members of the Professional Left should be allowed cameras.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dgqJ29HzfZg

  11. 11.

    Jay in Oregon

    John:
    I haven’t played since right before Icecrown Citadel was out, but I read the announcement about the new expansion.

    That has to be the greatest troll job by Blizzard on their users, ever; the only way it could have been better would be if they announced it on March 31st.

    I can think of one guy whose head will probably explode before he gets to ragequit the game for ZOMG CATERING TO CASUALS!

    They’re almost completely doing away with the concept of customizing your specs — you basically choose a spec at level 10, and all of the appropriate talents are just given to you. You can still swap specs, but any tinkering you can do sounds largely cosmetic (a few options you can pick every 15 levels). I guess it makes it easier to balance classes if you lock down what choices you can make.

    Lots of small-group PvE “events” that differ from dungeons, but they haven’t made clear what that means. More stuff like Brewfest and Darkmoon Faire? Scaled-down versions of the Scourge Infection? They did mention something about minipet-based combat, which immediately prompted cries of “Pokemon Battle Stadium!”…

    At the same time, the Monk will have a spec called the Brewmaster. So it’s a tough call.

  13. 13.

    The Other Chuck

    So WoW has gone full-on Kung Fu Panda Oriental Stereotype. Did they add waterskiing too so that every player can replicate Blizzard’s heroic “Jump the Shark” achievement?

  16. 16.

    Violet

    @Jenny:
    That’s funny. Thanks for posting. I like the guy talking — he seems smart and knows what’s up with Ratigan trying to co-opt OWS.

  20. 20.

    Irving

    I’m loving it. If you take a hard look at some of the every-15-level choices, they do in fact matter – they’re not just utility or cosmetic. But they change your playstyle a great deal.

  22. 22.

    Woodrowfan

    Open thread? OK< can anyone recommend a good laptop? I'm not a gamer, but I need one for taking to conferences, trips, etc. I use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint at work and home so it needs to be able to use those programs, so I'm guessing a Windows platform would work best. thanks.

    And oh yeah, it can't be too expensive either.

  23. 23.

    Phylllis

    Going to stream my high school football team’s game on this fancy iPad for a while at least, unless/until it turns into slaughter. They’ve outscored their opponents something like 155 to 7 over the past three games.

  25. 25.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    Tediously inchng my way through my last work shift before being off for 10 days. No big plans, just R&R and some serious deep thought about how to quit this gig. Management gets weirder by the day, and I really would like to avoid the holiday season with the collection of psychos and incompetents we have collected.

    Back here at midnight.

  27. 27.

    Violet

    @Woodrowfan:
    I looked through CNet’s recommendations, then went to Best Buy and looked at some of them in person. Then I bought a reasonably cheap one that had what I wanted. There are a lot of variables, like screen size, processor speed, memory, etc. and only you can decide what you need.

  28. 28.

    Maude

    @Woodrowfan:
    You might want to look at a used IBM Thinkpad.
    I manage one and it is older, but it runs like a dream.
    Thinkpads are reliable, even the new ones.
    That’s the one that came to mind. There are plenty of other laptops around.

    Quadaffi is on display in a freezer.

  33. 33.

    Bethanyanne

    Count me as one of the unimpressed dorks. This looks absolutely awful. Somehow it reminds me of Dragon Age 2 – where Bioware threw away the main point of an RPG, and had you wander around doing whatever for a full game. Looks like Blizz has decided to be bold and throw out the basics, too. And I think some of them realize it, too. Giving Diablo 3 away if you don’t quit Wow ain’t a rousing vote of confidence in my book.

  34. 34.

    Linnaeus

    I’m just waiting for the Old Republic anyway

    Old Republic does look pretty awesome. When I finally defend my Ph.D. dissertation, that and/or Starcraft II will be my reward to myself.

  36. 36.

    jayjaybear

    I’m starting to think I’m the only WoW player in the world that LOVES this, unironically. I’ve wanted to play a pandaren since I played Warcraft III.

  37. 37.

    drew42

    @Mark S.: Luckily for me, my wife goes to bed early. 10:00pm and on – Skyrim time.

    I haven’t played the first Batman, so I’m going to wait until both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are sold as a bundle.

  40. 40.

    Humanities Grad

    I’m not really a WoW player (actually I’m not a WoW player, period), but I’m enough of a game geek to derive enjoyment from the player fights that break out whenever something like this shows up.

    Not really a lot of middle ground here…looks like the WoW community really sees the Pandarans in black and white.

  41. 41.

    piratedan

    a modest suggestion…. can we simply refer to all of these folks that claim to be so disillusioned with our current president and his lack of effort in finding them their pony while still in the process of cleaning out the Bush Memorial stables as “the poniless”. I’d like to calmly ask them if they honestly believe that Mitt is giving out ponies and if he is, why they think he’s going to give them one.

  43. 43.

    Roger Moore

    @piratedan:

    can we simply refer to all of these folks that claim to be so disillusioned with our current president and his lack of effort in finding them their pony while still in the process of cleaning out the Bush Memorial stables as “the poniless”.

    I love it. Poniless it is!

  46. 46.

    PurpleGirl

    @joeyess: That sounds good. Even though I don’t have a cold right now, I’m going to get some and keep it on hand for a day when the post-nasal drip is very bad.

    I had my flu shot this morning.

  47. 47.

    sixers

    I don’t like people so I won’t play games like Everquest or WoW. I like the solitude of an Oblivion. Skyrim 11-11-11, yo.

  48. 48.

    Peter J

    I don’t play World of Warcraft, nor did I ever play much of Star Wars Galaxies.

    But is this WoW NGE?

  51. 51.

    MikeJ

    @piratedan:

    calmly ask them if they honestly believe that Mitt is giving out ponies and if he is, why they think he’s going to give them one.

    Oooh, ooh! Mistah Kottah! (joke lost on those who weren’t 8 during the 70s)

    They will say that since Obama refused to pretend the president can do anything he wants, the Dems in the Senate will grow a spine and stop mittens from doing any damage.

  53. 53.

    FlipYrWhig

    @MikeJ: More likely they’ll say that they’re not getting what they want from Obama, so not getting what they want from Mitt Romney will at worst be business as usual, plus they won’t be disappointed because they won’t have expected anything in the first place.

  55. 55.

    marcopolo

    Hah! Now over 2 years clean from playing WoW (I played for 4+ years) and so glad I quit and reclaimed my life. Have to agree this is the kind of expansion trailer I would only have expected to see on April 1. I am giddy at the sheer pleasure I will get from using this to tease my friends who still play.

  57. 57.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Roger Moore: If you think you have only two mental states, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, _degrees_ of dissatisfaction never enter into it. Ergo all somewhat painful experiences are experientially alike.

  58. 58.

    Shinobi

    I have friends in the SWOTOR beta, and I am jealous and excited. Though sort of sad that they are releasing it over Christmas when I will have NO TIME.

  59. 59.

    OmerosPeanut

    Whoever first mentioned jumping the shark pretty much nailed this. Cute, sure, but are they serious? I’m glad I finally got bored with WoW a few months ago so I don’t feel the need to vent. Instead I can just laugh.

    Between Skyrim and The Old Republic (they can’t both flop) the little free gaming time I have is spoken for anyway.

  60. 60.

    Short Bus Bully

    Recovering WoW addict as well. Just not possible to play well when you have a family and a job. Growing up sucks.

    That being said, that trailer looks like total and complete dogshit. What.the.fuck. I was never that hardcore when I played, but that is some weak ass MMORPG. Did Blizz get bought out by Disney?

    What is this “Old Republic” and where can I get some? And before answering, how much is the Sith Lord George Lucas involved? Because if he’s running the show I don’t want any.

  61. 61.

    Roger Moore

    @FlipYrWhig:

    If you think you have only two mental states, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, degrees of dissatisfaction never enter into it you’re a fucking moron and probably shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a voting booth.

    FTFY.

  62. 62.

    soonergrunt

    I’m building a new computer for SW:TOTR. I went to the panel at San Diego Comic Con this year, many thanks to my cool brother in law, and there was a 3,500 seat nerdgasm when they rolled out some of the previews. The coolest thing that didn’t make it on screen was a listing of over 1600 lines for the beloved droid character HK-47

  64. 64.

    Cat

    @Short Bus Bully:

    What is this “Old Republic” and where can I get some? And before answering, how much is the Sith Lord George Lucas involved? Because if he’s running the show I don’t want any.

    Its a Bioware game, set way before any of the movies.

    Should be good, If you arent totally burned out on MMO’s.

  65. 65.

    Paul W.

    Watching Blizzcon instead of going out is a great idea, especially when drinking is involved.

  67. 67.

    Johnny Coelacanth

    @Woodrowfan: You might want to see what Dell has for sell. Their ‘Inspiron’ line has a lot of capable little laptops for under $300.

  70. 70.

    seanindc

    @Jay in Oregon: Dude you are COMPLETELY wrong. Like stunningly not even remotely close wrong about the specs. It’s actually the total opposite of what you said. You will learn BASE talents but the customization is what makes it awesome. It’s like if you are a mage, you spec into Arcane but also pick up combustion and blastwave along with icy veins. If you’re a rogue its getting shadowstep AND mutilate. If you’re a DK tanking in blood with half your points in Frost. Cookie cutter specs are GONE. Re-read that shit man.

  71. 71.

    Woodrowfan

    WOW? I’m still trying to figure out how to get the thief to open the jeweled egg in Zork!!!

  72. 72.

    slag

    @Jenny: Great. A whole couple of weeks of something we can actually agree upon. Good work, Team Liberal! Maybe next time we can make it a whole month. Though it seems unlikely.

    Glad you find it HILARIOUS!eleventyone! Because I find you OBNOXIOUS!1111!

  75. 75.

    Cat

    @seanindc:

    Cookie cutter specs are GONE.

    I just went through the DK tree and am afraid I have to disagree.

    There will be raiding specs like always, what isn’t going to happen is running into combat rogues without AR.

  76. 76.

    kestral

    Personally, I don’t get the massive drama unfolding about the expansion pack. But then again, most of my time on WoW was spent derping around Stormwind with my friends. So I’m probably nowhere near hardcore enough to freak out over it.

  77. 77.

    Walker

    @Bethanyanne:

    Somehow it reminds me of Dragon Age 2 – where Bioware threw away the main point of an RPG, and had you wander around doing whatever for a full game.

    People say this on the BioWare forums, but this is groundless. There was nothing wrong with the RPG elements of DA2 (in fact, some of the RPG cliches, like looting were way overdone). The problem was the weakness of the story and the recycled areas. That is what made it repetitive and intolerable.

    And with that said, I still found DA2 better than those aimless walking simulators that Bethesda makes.

  84. 84.

    norbizness

    I tried it after Cataclysm, and as a casual gamer I was offended by the easiness of it. Combine that with the still-criminal lack of customization, and it really makes for a dull MMORPG.

  85. 85.

    Seanly

    RE: Blizzard & Pandaria –

    “But Malibu Stacy has a new hat.”

    I took a couple of weeks off for my move and just can’t get back into playing WoW anymore…

    I too am waiting for Old Republic.

    As norb sez, WoW is kinda dull now. Was that the real Norbizness?

  86. 86.

    Shinobi

    @Seanly: I kindof miss WoW because I used to catch up on old TV while I was grinding. If you have to watch TV while playing a video game to be entertained, the game is boring.

  88. 88.

    MariedeGournay

    I couldn’t be happier with the new expansion. Always nice to see the dredges of the community leaving because their ‘masculinity’ is questioned by a game that isn’t dogshit brown and gun metal grey.

  90. 90.

    Pamoya

    @Walker:

    And with that said, I still found DA2 better than those aimless walking simulators that Bethesda makes.

    It is like you are inside my brain.

  91. 91.

    Darkrose

    @Walker:

    The problem was the weakness of the story and the recycled areas. That is what made it repetitive and intolerable.

    Well, that and the “It’s Raining Men!” combat mechanic gets really old really fast. Overall, I liked it much more than I expected to, which in a way makes the truck-sized plot holes even worse.

    I was pleased with the first major DLC, but sadly, the new one seems to be all about how awesome Felica Day is.

  92. 92.

    Cris (without an H)

    O_o

    I watched half that YouTube thinking “I guess ‘went there’ is going to be some inside baseball thing that I don’t have the background to understand.”

    Then the Kung Fu Pandas showed up.

    I’m not a “serious” gamer, but to me the problem here is not that it’s bright or cute, it’s that it’s brazenly derivative, and weidly cynical — why does WOW, a genuine phenomenon in it’s own right, need to capitalize on somebody elses success?

    The Doom expansion that allowed you to gun down Barney was user-created. This is like that, only official. Weird.

  93. 93.

    AnnaN

    @Cris (without and H)

    Actually, it’s not derivative. Warcraft III (2002) had the Pandaren Brewmaster as a character. Ever since then, there have been calls to make the Pandarens a playable race in WoW.

    The original Kung Fu Panda came out in 2008.

  94. 94.

    HG Hay

    Definitely going the amoral to evil smuggler route on SWTOR if that’s possible, and from what I’ve read it is.

Comments are closed.