Random Thought Thread

I remember seeing a machine years ago in Las Vegas, but hell its Vegas like they give a crap.

 

There's no law requiring it, but the majority of Japanese adult videos for sale in Japan still have the naughty bits "mosaiced", or pixelated. The mosaics are getting progressively finer grained, leaving less and less to the imagination, but it's been argued that this practice (20 years ago there were just black blobs blocking things out) is what led to some of the odder things ending up in Japanese videos. For example, you can't really show an actress orally pleasuring a man, but a tentacle is fine. Furthermore

Spoiler: 1/4 description of an extreme sex act

bukkake came about (yes, I see what I did there) as a result of video makers trying to find new ways to attract audience attention to their films. Can't show the bits, but an actress completely drenched in semen is fine.

I have heard of the used panty vending machines, but I was told the government banned them in the late 90s as a public health hazard, can't seem to find a link right now. However, there are still stores that sell them, along with a picture of the young lady who (allegedly) wore them.

Right, I had more to say, but it got rather long for a thread post, so I've made it into a blog entry, for anyone who's interested.

 

Oh yeah, one more fun fact about Japanese vending machines. There are still cigarette vending machines, but to operate them you need a "TASPO" card, which is an NFC card you can get from any convenience store with proof of age.

The beer machines*, on the other hand, don't need any proof of ID.

Were I a childowner, I'd be a bit more concerned about my kid getting its little mitts on alcohol, getting drunk, and staggering into traffic than I would about it choking on its first cigarette...

*They don't only sell beer, they also sell chu-hi, which is a fruity drink similar to a wine cooler, and very appealing to younger and less developed palates. I've also seen one selling bottles of whisky, and one that sold 1998ml** (half gallon, roughly) bottle-cans of beer.

** Japan taxes what we used to call "common sources" of alcohol, aka kegs, at a higher rate than "single serving" containers, and the cutoff (for beer) is two liters, hence the 1998ml cans.

A random picture snagged off of google images of a "single serving" can:

 

Many conversations later, but... I just discovered that older seasons of MST3K are available on Netflix. Netflix is really good an randomly hiding things from you.

 

It's certainly an acquired taste, and trust me, there are plenty of people this side of the pond who would agree with you. It's got its hits and its misses, its moments of genius and moments of wtf? A lot of it is dependent on inculturation to the American midwest, which is a complaint that has popped up as regards its newest iteration, that the goofy, kids-in-the-basement innocence of the original show is missing. And yeah, it could be also that it just doesn't translate well across the Atlantic. Sometimes the genius of British absurdism is also lost on the average Joe American because of the tendency here for things to be contextualized.

ETA: As a counter-example, while I loved, loved, loved Mongrels, so many jokes were hooked on British cultural elements, celebs and politicians that the first time I watched the series I needed my iPad next to me to look up all the name-drops, etc.

ETAA: I'm absolutely convinced that Joel was super baked in many of the early episodes, so I think there's also an element of appealing to goofy stoner humor.

 

You didn't know that?

Yeah, Netflix has had it for some time.

Only they only put a couple individual "episodes" as stand alone movie things (which they aren't) each month, and then would cycle through different seasons with these individual episodes.

Then the month before Netflix released the newest season of MST3K (which they didn't produce, just bought rights after the fact) they suddenly released the entire season collection finally (like every other series) so people could binge watch in anticipation as well as build up the hype for this new edition

Edit: My best friend & I would curl up on my bed during the wee hours of a Saturday night around once a month, and we'd watch whatever episode they had available.

My favourite I think was Hercules vs the Moon Men or something like that.

 

Nope. It came up as one of their suggestions for something else I might like to watch, but I've been regularly popping on the newest episodes since I found them, and today was the first time I was given that suggestion.

 

Oh, that's so sad.

Had you watched any of the episodes they posted as stand alone "movies"? Because I've been watching for several years every time they pulled down a few episodes & posted up a few episodes more, all as individual films to click on (with no implication it's from a running television series if you weren't in the know, and it helped that there was no real necessity of context of surrounding episodes to understand/enjoy the one they posted).

So when they FINALLY posted the entire 10 seasons or something as a connected running tv series, it was one of my first suggestions because I had been following their ridiculous release format before.

 

Also nope. I only just joined the Netflix a couple of months ago. The hubby has been watching forever because they carry a number of Spanish soaps that can't be had otherwise.

 

Netflix sounds a lot like my cable company. They've got a video on demand service that runs big-screen movies as well as TV shows, but the kicker is that they have a habit of picking up shows on the cheap once they've been cancelled after a season or two. "Invasion", "Powers", etc.

Oh, they did run "The Wire", but only season five.

 

Ah.

Yeah, I've been a Netflix watcher for at least 10 years. Actually, when they were still green & solely disc deliveries where you got like three films at any time, and the faster you watched and sent them back, the faster you got your next on the queue.

When they started their streaming they had some weird formats for sometime for certain old shows that were a niche fanbase.

I didn't complain before, because I was just happy to get them at all.

Unlike others, I did NOT get to grow up watching it live on normal television. So Netflix was my only access. . .

 

Hahah Yeah, MST3K is defo a part of my youth. I was already in the service when it started and a buddy of mine got episodes on video tape sent to him as part of his "care packages" from the family. I thought it was kinda' strange at first too.

 

When I first watched it, it just felt like I was watching someone else do all the quips I do—only less snide or snarky.

Actually, MST3K was pretty tame & kind for all its riffs. And a lot of the jokes called attention to the actual technical aspects of film making, which was interesting.

(I never really was into the invention exchanges, but the skits were fun)

Anyway, when I watched bad movies (which I do, because they're a riot) I always am snuggled on the couch, being sassy, finishing/twisting dialogues or calling out wannabe witty things.

It's kinda like how when I first saw Drunk History and it sounded a lot like how I verbally recount history or story summaries—only sober. It's something between Drunk History and the condensed YouTube history of Japan that was really popular a year or more ago.

I'm not particularly articulate when it comes to speech. . .

 

And a very important one. Just think of the confusion you'd cause if you said that Louie the Fly had moused you out to the cops...

 

Social protocol forced me to offer to share a slice of cake.

How do I get the whole slice to myself?

A) Eat it immediately and trust that social protocol will prevent the would-be sharer from challenging me.

B) Eat half, lick the other half, offer it.

C) Caress the entire cake while maintaining eye contact with the would-be sharer. Offer it.

D) Eat it, hand over crumbs, because I didn't actually offer a 50/50 split.

E) Eat half, announce I have hepatitis, offer the other half.

F) Kill the would-be sharer.

 

G) Explain that while you did offer part of your cake, you only did so because of social pressures and had no real intention of sharing.

If they continue to press the point, offer a trial by combat.

 

I like H, a lot. Two slices...

G isn't so appealing. I try to avoid combat as I have a bit of a bad back.

 

Just say, "Would-be sharer, I hate your guts and always have. I'm eating the whole damn piece of cake, and if you don't like it, fuck you." Have your lawyer present when you say this. It's more intimidating that way.