Saturday, October 3, 2015

Arnie Films We Missed Out On

What we could have got - Sgt. Rock (1988) - What we got - Twins (1988)
Would any Arnold Schwarzenegger fan have been disappointed by this switch of films? Even if it was so-so (which is almost unbelievable considering John McTiernan of Predator and Die Hard 1 and 3 was going to direct), it would have been another classic Arnold action film under his belt and Twins would be a script adrift for some forgettable gross out Rob Schneider flick. I'm betting it would have been better than Raw Deal, better than Red Heat, better than Red Sonja, better than End of Days and Eraser and slew of others. Perhaps if Arnold needed the money he may have gone through with it too, but as it's well documented in Arnold's book; Total Recall, he was financially well off by the late 80's and could choose to be picky about his films instead of jumping on sequels like many other action stars. I would have taken Sgt Rock over Twins and it's sappy overly sentimental third act, with it's obvious dated and cliche mismatched pairing comedy format, no slight against Arnold but they could have got any bodybuilder in the role of Julius and it'd been hardly different. In terms of films I don't mind Twins but I don't see it as anything remarkable more than say Vice Versa (1988) or other late 80's mismatched comedy movies, it may have widened Arnold's scope of acting but it's ultimately forgettable beyond Arnold being a larger than life character next to Danny Devito's mannerisms.

Never forget.

For more info visit: http://www.dammagedgoods.com/2013/04/the-way-we-werent-arnold-schwarzenegger.html - I was made aware of this project's details and sourced one photo from this website.


Thoughts and Other Ramblings: The Shitbit

So looking up retail Fitbit prices I see the Fitbit starts at $100. $100 for a glorified pedometer. Oh but it acts as a clunky dull colored wristband toooooooo. And people I know are actually paying this price by means of legitimately forking out their actual earned wages? I mean did I miss something because there must be an in-joke somewhere here I'm not aware of, like it secretly calculates how much alcohol you drink, how many times you spew or is it how much money is wasted on fad items a year.

Of course I'm well aware it measures sleep but it still doesn't make it a good purchase. There are one of two reasons people think this is normal and not a lot of to spend, they believe their Fitbit will be worth it from word of mouth/popularity and two; people have become so accustomed to over priced things they feel it's not a rip off.

Word of mouth/popularity suckers in a lot of people every year, although we all like to think we can see through gimmicks and flashy junk, people are largely gullible to advice and danoz direct type sales, without so much as any research before a purchase. With just the right amount of incentive people will buy just about anything. Whereas being accustomed to an expensive life is the traditional history and inevitability of living in 1st world countries, where if there's a way to 'overcharge 20% for immediate availability' 9 out of 10 shops will do it. Shoppers aren't happy about it but they see no alternative, of course this has changed somewhat due to shopping online but for first day buyers clearly retail shops are the only option.

People who use Fitbit claim it helps them lose weight when in reality it's just positive reinforcement that is the driving force of any change in weight. They have something that congratulates them for achieving something very small and that makes them seek to achieve much more. A shame then that electronics have replaced someones positive and supportive words of encouragement.

In summary I think it's absurd that it costs $100 for what is so very limited, sure there is other more useless tech that costs a lot more but all who pay the going price are keeping the chain of expensive stock steady and ever flowing. My advice is don't buy from companies that don't charge what is fair, get a free app that does the same thing, get the knock off that costs half, don't be suckered into thinking there's no other option.