Search Results

  1. Misty
    Looks like the setting was toggled off for some reason. It's available now!

    To organize your pins, you can head over to your profile page, click on the 'Awarded Pins' tab, and scroll to the bottom to find the 'Organize Pins' button. It'll take you to this page: http://kh-vids.net/account/medals
    Post by: Misty, Jan 18, 2015 in forum: Feedback & Assistance
  2. Misty
    Well server collocation and having multiple datacenters for a large company like Nintendo is pretty much mandatory -- I don't know how well Nintendo is doing it, though. Microsoft's advantage has always been that they charge for online and therefore can funnel that capital into multiple high-speed datacenters, unlike Nintendo or Sony (up to this gen). On a game-per-game basis I'm sure there's plenty a developer can do to optimize online experiences, which is why some games have more lag than others, like you're saying. User-end access to online multiplayer and streaming in the US is still seriously crippled by our terrible network infrastructure.
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Spam Zone
  3. Misty
    Brother Sport by Animal Collective

    You're halfway 'till you're fully grown,
    You've got a real good shot.
    Won't help to hold inside,
    Give a real, give a real shout out!
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Playground
  4. Misty
    The network infrastructure in the US is pretty awful, generally. More urban or populated areas have it okay, particularly California (for obvious reasons) and along the east coast, but you'll pay through the nose for it no matter where you go. The midwest varies greatly but is significantly lower, on average, than the coasts, especially in the rural areas. It's actually a very major economic issue, because to get a speed of 25 up/down, you're basically stuck with Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner, or AT&T, possibly less than that depending on your location. Many cities in Europe or Asia have internet speeds ten times faster than the US for half the price. Very few small ISPs can afford to upgrade their entire infrastructure to fiber and larger companies see no reason to invest the capital to do so because they have an oligopoly in the market. The increasing deregulation of American business and markets is the culprit here, and it's definitely not going to improve given the dubious rulings on net neutrality lately; the market is cornered so there's no pressure to improve prices or infrastructure.

    Companies like Nintendo or Sony can locate all their servers in Europe or Asia or somewhere else where internet service is cheaper, more reliable, and faster, but it's a further trip for US customers and therefore US customers are going to suffer lag -- placing their servers in the US might still be a laggy experience for US customers, but not as laggy as an EU server, in general. Even that's changing though given how far behind the US is falling. Basically, blame the US politics and economy for your lag. Nintendo's infrastructure obviously has a long way to go before it catches up to Sony or Microsoft but sometimes it's not all their fault.
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Spam Zone
  5. Misty
    Check out Nintendo refurb if anyone is shopping for an original 3DS; I imagine they'll keep their stock for a while and you can snag a nice deal.

    I've yet to buy a 3DS but I consider it frequently (sadly I have more pressing financial concerns lol). If/when I do pick one up, I'll probably go with the new release just so that I don't miss out on any future titles exclusive to it -- but it's still a really weird move on Nintendo's part. I understand why they did it but it hasn't really worked too well for them in the past with the DSi. I do like the faceplates, though; I never dug any of the previous color options but these faceplates are really cute.

    Are we not going to talk about them no longer bundling an AC adapter with the new 3DS? I know it's standard fare for them to not include them in Japan and I believe Europe, but I have a feeling this will upset a lot of consumers. I pity the retail employees who have to explain the change. It'd be one thing if the 3DS used a standard micro-USB charging port but it obviously doesn't, and someone like me, whose last Nintendo handheld was the DS lite, certainly doesn't just have an extra 3DS charger lying around... not to mention that, if someone was going to trade in their old 3DS for the new one, stores like Gamestop usually require you to trade in the charger with it. Granted, the AC adapter is only $8 when bought separately.
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: Gaming
  6. Misty
    Hopefully strong sales will motivate Square to release a KH3D remaster and then port everything to the PS4. :D
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: Kingdom Hearts News & Updates
  7. Misty
    Profile Post Comment

    yes

    yes
    Profile Post Comment by Misty, Jan 17, 2015
  8. Misty
    You should change that, if you can! I had a blast. I actually went two years ago, but I skipped Animal Kingdom that time (and therefore missed Pocahontas!) and I only went with one sister so I was eager to return. I also really wanted to see the expansion to Harry Potter world (which was so worth it, imo the Gringotts ride was better than the castle ride).
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Playground
  9. Misty
    #1. Amélie (2001)
    When I die, bury me with this movie. I love it. I love it so much it's hard to talk about, because it's such an abstract and emotional ride for me, but I'll try. It's a fairly popular one for a French film, when it came out I believe it received its fair share of awards, and I really can't recommend it enough. It's fun and romantic and whimsical and fantastical and suspenseful and sad, and perhaps most of all, incredibly poignant. The soundtrack fits every moment unlike anything I've seen or heard before, it's a joy to look at, and it racks more scenes that make me positively bawl than any other movie I've listed. It's such a strange blend of the everyday and the surreal and changed, for me, the way I look at the world. If you're not used to foreign stuff it can be daunting to read subtitles for 2+ hours, but it's seriously worth it for this movie.

    #2. Upstream Color (2013)
    I watched this movie on a whim last year and it catapulted up my list. It was rec'd to me on Netflix, I liked the cover and their (incredibly brief and cryptic) synopsis seemed intriguing, so I gave it a go one night.
    I've never had such an unsettling and visceral reaction to a movie as I did with this film. If anyone is trawling through this topic looking for movie recommendations, I seriously caution you to check out a content advisory for this movie before you watch it -- I went in completely blind and there's a lot of triggering content, especially in the first thirty minutes. The majority of the movie, you're left to figure out what is even going on, let alone the overall point of the movie. I thought about this movie for weeks after seeing it, and now that I've formed somewhat of an idea about what I saw, I can't wait to rewatch it and have that completely blown up again. There's very little dialogue to the movie and it never shows or tells you explicitly what's going on. It's a really challenging, abstract film, but even in your utter confusion, it manages to evoke some extremely powerful emotion from you. It coalesces into something very beautiful, ultimately, at least in my view, but dear lord does it put you through the ringer to get there. This movie ****ed me up.

    #3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    I couldn't get through this list without putting at least one Star Wars film on it. @parabola hit it pretty well already, but Kershner's approach to the film not as the space fantasy of A New Hope, but as a drama, gave it a nuance, a humanity, that I don't think any of the other Star Wars films have achieved (to date).

    #4. Wristcutters: A Love Story (2007)
    While I could wax poetic about some of this film's thematic value, I think part of its favor with me lies in it simply being a fun movie to watch. It's steeped in an incredibly dark setting, of course, but at its heart it's really just a movie about friendship and family and falling in love. It's a real joy to watch and, while I've read some criticisms for it, I really love the ending -- to me it's everything that the movie promised and needed. Oh, and Tom Waits is in it.

    #5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
    Another acclaimed movie; unfortunately I've not watched it in quite a while but it's been a really formative influence for my taste in movies. It's also another unpopular (depending on who you ask) ending that I positively adore. I really doubted Jim Carrey's ability to play a serious role before seeing the film but he absolutely pulls it off -- and the movie has plenty of other great actors and actresses in it beside him (Kate Winslet, of course, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst).

    Honorable mentions going to Pride & Prejudice (2005), The Science of Sleep (2006), Matilda (1996), Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), and plenty of others that I'll be ashamed to realize I've forgotten.
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: Movies & Media
  10. Misty
    no?? I don't live in the jungle
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Spam Zone
  11. Misty
    this past semester i was finishing up the last two classes for my degree so naturally they were the ones i'd put off for ages, one of them being french 102. the only option for it was an 8am class which is roughly when i go to bed so i was really hopeful i wouldn't have to register for it

    when registration day finally rolled around, i searched french 102 in our course lookup thing and saw there was a 9:30 one also scheduled. naturally i was psyched and immediately put in for it, even though there was no professor listed and nobody else had registered for it

    two days later i got an email saying the listing was a mistake and that i should register for the 8am. like why you gotta tease me like that
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Spam Zone
  12. Misty
  13. Misty
    pee with the door open
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Spam Zone
  14. Misty
    I'm late to reply to this but hopefully I can still offer some words of advice!

    I'm taking a semester off from school right now and I'm definitely afraid to return in the fall, simply because I feel I'm out of practice -- I went part-time last semester, as I only had two classes left to finish my two-year degree, so come September I won't have written a paper in over a year. It's frightening but I reassure myself knowing that I really love and care about my program of study and that I can and will get through it to reach my ultimate goal.

    I had similar anxieties starting community college, too, especially considering how awful my high school experience was. The panic of not finding my way around campus gripped me every time I started at a new school, too, so don't feel that's at all unreasonable. For starters, I'm sure you'll be able to find a map of your campus, either online or at an information center -- which, by the way, the student center at my college had an info desk dedicated specifically to things like "where is ___ building" or similar questions, so see if you can locate that! If not, receptionists or even students are, in my experience, pretty kind about helping you get around. You can even ask your professor at the end of your first class, which will not only help you get around but also lets you get some face time with the professor. If you have some time between your classes or you can hang around campus after your last class of the day, take a stroll around the campus and try to get your bearings. Within a week or two I'm sure you'll locate everything.

    The nice thing about community college too is that a lot of the people there are in very similar situations -- they're in school for the first time since high school or they did some college then took some time off. Sometimes there are seniors taking their first class in fifty years! You'll be surprised at how easily you fall back into the swing of school, and even if you don't right away, perhaps you can establish some new habits to correct old ones from high school (like never writing down your assignments or procrastinating).

    Beyond that, if I can offer just a few general school/college tips...

    Be organized. Seriously. It's obvious but it's so important to find an organization plan that works for you. Just because everybody uses binders doesn't mean you're a binder person. You might be more of a notebook and a folder person, or a legal pad kinda dude. It's all okay as long as it makes sense to you. Keep track of deadlines and parcel out your assignments -- it's a lot easier to read five pages a night than 50 in one day (and you retain things better that way). Similarly, find a good environment to get work done. Some people can't do homework in their bedroom because they have their stereo or phone or computer right there and they let themselves get distracted -- if you need to, go to a library or something, whatever keeps you focused (but don't be afraid to take a break every hour or so).

    Get enough sleep. I know that's laughable for any college student but the classes that I slept through every week, I retained basically none of the information from them and they're the ones that ultimately dragged down my GPA.

    Take your time and don't be afraid to drop a class if you need to. The idea that you'll get your Bachelor's in four years is a completely fabricated concept; if it takes you three or five or six years, that's all okay. People work in different ways and at different speeds. It's not the end of the world if you need to drop out of a class, particularly if keeping it means you're not doing your best in your other classes because the workload is too heavy. Similarly, if you fail a class, it's okay. It happens to everyone.

    Get involved. I really cannot stress this enough. In high school I was extremely anti-social, to the point where, in a class of only 260 or so, I'm pretty sure that if you said my name to most of my classmates they'd say "who?". I resolved in college to meet people and join a club and I'm so glad I did. I'm always happier in more active groups rather than the social ones, so I joined my school's feminist newspaper and eventually became editor, which was a great experience and will definitely bolster my resume (and I've got a great recommendation from my faculty adviser). I also joined the women's club for a more social experience, and I met some really interesting people through that. I did things that three or four years ago, I never would have dreamed of, like walking around campus and surveying random students, handing out Planned Parenthood pamphlets, wheeling thousands of thick and heavy magazines around an extremely hilly campus, or gabbing about our lives to group project members instead of getting work done. Speak up in class if you have something to say. Take the dissenting opinion on a discussion or paper. College is a great time to explore yourself and get kind of a blank slate after high school.

    Talk to your professors, not just to ask for help or so that you can weasel a recommendation out of them at some point down the line, but a lot of them are genuinely interesting people that you can make great connections with. One of my favorite professors studied at law school, then mythology, learned Greek, and was deeply involved in the second-wave feminist movement. Another was a big fan of Jane Austen and scifi (sound like anyone you know?). And then, an amazing English professor I had, who I hope to emulate and deeply respect, gave me a really encouraging speech about how I have a real talent for literary analysis and always had something interesting to add to discussions or to write in my papers. You'll definitely have ones that you loathe or question why they ever decided to work in a school -- and it can help to get on their good side by emailing them etc. -- but many of them are passionately committed to their subjects and/or their students and that can be incredibly inspiring.

    Hope some of this helps! Good luck tale and feel free to ask me for help if you need~
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: Help with Life
  15. Misty
    You're right to treat this as a serious matter, even if you don't believe she will actually go through with the act. People in stable headspaces don't constantly mention death and suicide (or at least, not in a "I want to die" way). People unfortunately read these sorts of posts as "oh she's just looking for attention" and maybe that's true, but a person has to have some serious troubles if they're resorting to something like this to get attention. It's a cry for help, and either we can blame them for looking for attention or brush it off as "oh she's not seriously going to do it," but there's still a person there who needs help. And even if you think the possibility of her following through is low, this isn't the sort of scenario where you want to be taking chances.

    Assuming the two of you are close, do you know if she has a history of depression or something similar? Does she see any kind of counselor? How is her living/home/family situation? I'm not expecting you to answer these things in this thread of course, but if she's going through a rough time at home or something, that could be what's causing it; if it's something like depression, there may not be a clear 'cause,' and therefore there's a different route to handling the situation.

    The absolute best and minimum thing you can do, which I'm sure you already know, is to be there for her, but know what you're getting into. I can try to dig up some posts I've saved on tumblr on the subject, but this is obviously a very delicate position you're putting yourself into. I know you're a nice guy Haya and your instinct is probably to say "I don't matter I just want to help her," but it can be incredibly difficult thing to become someone's support system for their depression or depressive behavior. Sometimes it can even begin to impact your own mental health. You have to be really aware of what you're saying and doing, and if you make promises like saying you're here to help and she can contact you any time and that you're not going anywhere, you better be prepared to follow through on those things. Sometimes the best thing you can do is make sure that she has the number of a suicide hotline and helping her to find a counselor or therapist (if possible). Of course, you should support her however you can, but be careful.
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: Help with Life
  16. Misty
    I'm glad to have a compatriot in this! I don't do graphic design much any more but the stuff I used to do usually would have cyan and yellow at least prominently featured. It's probably obvious who styles this website...
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: Community News & Projects
  17. Misty
    Just listened to push pull and begin again... again. push pull I was digging less than I recall, there's something very heavy (not in a good way) and flat about the beat (I'm not a musician I don't know how to describe these things lol). Still a nice track but not destined to be my favorite, I don't think. I do love the 'I crept up in you and I wouldn't let go' lyric, though. begin again felt much more expansive than push pull and generally felt more my style. Both songs definitely feel a bit cleaner than anything on Shrines, won't make any larger judgments than that though since I've obviously yet to hear the entire album.

    I gave Shrines another listen to today as well and was pleased to realize it's not nearly as dark as I had remember! Not to say that it being dark would be something bad, but it did come as a surprise -- perhaps it's because my favorite songs from it are the heavier tracks (Grandloves and Belispeak are my go-tos, and I'm not sure I'll ever get over Obedear), or because I listened to Shrines primarily during kind of a weird time in my life? I'm not sure. These sound more the route of Fineshrine -- which is totally fine, no pun intended -- but I'm hoping we'll get a nice mix from the album all the same.

    To tide us all over, I sincerely hope we've all heard Purity Ring's cover of Grammy by Soulja Boy. The beat coming in at 0:29 gives me life.

    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: Music
  18. Misty
    I just got back from Disney World! This isn't close to all my pics but they're the ones I figured you guys would be most interested in.


    Is this at the Lego store in Downtown Disney? lol
    Post by: Misty, Jan 17, 2015 in forum: The Playground
  19. Misty
    Post

    Reviews

    Yeah, they are basically the epitome of pretentious writing and attitude regarding reviews, and that's a well-known reputation they have -- and yet, they're this huge tastemaker for people, a standard for so many in music reviews. It's terrible.
    Post by: Misty, Jan 15, 2015 in forum: Music
  20. Misty
    I'm not surprised the production value would go up given that it's their sophomore album, I have faith that it'll still sound like them -- though, I am having nightmarish flashbacks to the overproduced second Paramore album. Will have to listen soon, honestly I could do it now with my headphones but I kinda want to wait until I have my nice speakers and my sub. :D

    Oooh I hope the lyrics are still as abstract as Shrines, obviously change is fine but there's a very poetic and evocative quality to many of the songs that I really, really adored. Much of it is nonsense (the majority of the song titles are mashed up words), but somehow that allows you to feel what they're saying more so than hear it explicitly. Occasionally they seem to use lyrics that are more so about the rhythm and the flow rather than the evident meaning of the words and I really enjoy that -- though there's still a lot to find and interpret in the their lyrics. Probably my favorite lyricist at the moment (and, I suspect, for some time) is Joanna Newsom and she experiments similarly; her lyrics are often fantastical (on Ys in particular, Have One On Me is a bit easier at times), flowing, even verbose, and there's so rarely a clear meaning; it's more about the feeling and the listeners' interpretation than some clear message she's portraying. For me, Purity Ring does something similar -- I hope they don't go too far over to the other side, but I'm sure I'll enjoy anything they put out.

    Time will tell, though -- the cover is substantially 'lighter' than Shrines, so perhaps it's a growth of some kind, a more positive direction.
    Post by: Misty, Jan 14, 2015 in forum: Music