LedRush

I don’t know how many games I can watch before I OD on wokeness. I hope this peters out fast so I can watch a game and actually escape the political stupidity of America right now.

No one cares.

 

Apparently viewership is down during a time where people have a lot fewer entertainment options. I want sports to unify and be an escape from the political nonesense. I suspect there are more than a few others who agree.

I don’t know how many games I can watch before I OD on wokeness. I hope this peters out fast so I can watch a game and actually escape the political stupidity of America right now.

 

Just tune in at kickoff...

 

It’s in the end zones, on the uniforms, and commentators talk about it. I’m streaming on NFL Gamepass so if I don’t watch live at least I don’t get the woke infomercials.

I don’t know how many games I can watch before I OD on wokeness. I hope this peters out fast so I can watch a game and actually escape the political stupidity of America right now.

My Positive Grid Spark arrived today and I haven’t got much work done because I am in love. I appreciate all the feedback that people have given me, but as soon as you start talking about names and gear and settings, I get lost. When I’ve done research I am just overwhelmed and stop looking out of frustration. The Spark is super small and light, but gets very loud to my ears...certainly more than enough for what I need at home. The great thing is in how many sounds and effects it has. If I’m playing Fly By Night, I just type it into the tone cloud, click a button, and I get someone’s idea of what the song’s guitar should sound like. I can go in to each aspect of the sound and change the settings to get it closer to what I want. I have no idea how accurate these tools are, but I’ve learned more about the gear used to create tones today than I’ve ever known before.

 

I’m obviously in the honeymoon stage of this relationship, and I’m sure there are other amps that do this type of stuff, but this thing seems like it was built for me. I can play along to my entire song catalog (plus YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify), get tabs on the fly based on what it hears, and it all happens fast without me having to understand a damn thing about why it works. At some point I’m sure I’ll be back in the market for more “authentic” sounds, but right now I’m just having fun learning and playing.

I’m playing Paper Mario: Origami King with the kids

My Fender amp is having increasing problems and I decided to get the Positive Grid Spark practice amp (they deliver to Taiwan for free whereas I cannot order a Fender, Marshall, or Mesa Boogie myself...I have to go through someone). Any suggestions for a tube amp? Maverick, which Mesa Boogie would you recommend?

The technology associated with this is a bit overwhelming, and as I’m a bad player who has only ever just plugged into an amp and fiddled with dials (other than me briefly using an amp which had a foot pedal to switch between 4 preloaded sounds, none of which I particularly liked), I feel like I lack the vocabulary and knowledge to intelligently make a decision.

 

I would like to change sounds in the middle of a song, so does that mean the Mustang is off the table?

 

I spend 30 minutes searching options, going down this rabbit hole and that, until I get pulled away with no more clarity on how to proceed.

 

What information can I provide to you for you to just choose an amp for me so I don’t have to think for myself?

I was checking out the fender site last night and the Fender Champion 100 XL looks pretty nice a lot of pre-built sounds built into it. That might be a little too much for what you're looking for but the price at $450 seems pretty decent. Check out the video on the fender site.

 

Thanks, I looked at a YouTube review and it seems interesting. I’ll have to compare it with the Mustang.

I played a Fender Mustang about a year ago and it seemed like a great amp to noodle around on.

 

Any suggestions for the type of Mustang? It’s one of the models that google search lists have recommended.

I'm a huge Mesa Boogie fan boy. They make amps that have excellent cleans, and crunch up very well, too. The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is a great amp (best selling amp in the world, actually.) The Fender Blues Jr. is also great. All take pedals really well, too.

 

I don’t think I’ll be going into the pedals market soon, seeing as I’ve spent 24 years on an amp that can only do chorus or overdrive. I’d like to get an amp that has a lot of different sounds but also sounds good doing it.

When I played I used Line 6 stuff which at the time was less expensive than many of the other big brand amps and the modeling was pretty good for a solid state amp.

 

That was 15 years ago and I bet its gotten better. Best bet is to probably to go to a shop and play some different amps and see what you think.

 

Not many guitar shops in Taiwan...I think I need to buy online what I think will best fit what I want.

I last got an amp in 1996...a Fender Princeton Chorus, not a tube. I still suck at guitar, but I like playing and fiddling around, and this amp has been enough for me. I’ve always wanted to get crunchier sounds and thought that a Marshall tube of some sort would be in my future. But recently I’ve seen some ads for amps that have a ton of preloaded tones and sounds, and supposedly modeling amps have come a long way.

 

I don’t gig and I think I’ve only played in public twice in my life. I like being able to get a loud sound at home, but I don’t need a concert level amp.

 

Ignoring value or price, based on quality and versatility, what would your recommendation be?

I would start with Far Cry 3 or 4 first for sure...

 

They just announced Far Cry 6 coming in February 2021...

 

Hmm...I was thinking of 5 because more recent games I’ve played are better with telling you “for the story, go here; for the side mission, go there”. The earlier games sometimes just dumped you off and let you explore. That was ok when I was playing Zelda at age 10 and had all the time in the world. But I play in short increments now, and it could be weeks before I go back to a game, so I need the game to very clearly tell me where I’m supposed to go and what I’m supposed to be doing. Still think 3 or 4? Which one?

Still think 3 or 4. But try 5 if you wish - I found 5 to be more confusing on several fronts, but I was used to the look and feel of 3 and 4 and 5 was very different for me.

 

You will not be confused as to where you need to go and what you need to do to follow the main mission. Follow the yellow diamond on the map each time to do the main mission. However, you will find (as in many games) that in order to successfully proceed (mainly obtaining the weapons you need), you will need to do other things (hunt for certain animals and craft things, obtain new weapons, etc)

 

Hmm...it seems there are lots of versions of these games. Is there any compelling reason to get a “gold edition” or “complete” or “ultimate” edition? I can get the base versions of 3, 4, and 5 for $18.

By the way - the villain in Far Cry 3 is Nacho (Michael Mando) from Better Call Saul. https://en.wikipedia...i/Michael_Mando

 

They announced that Far Cry's 6 villain is Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) from Breaking Bad.

 

While I saw that regarding 6, I had also read a story which said that the 3 villain was poorly received by critics, but the story assumed I knew that and didn’t provide an explanation.

I would start with Far Cry 3 or 4 first for sure...

 

They just announced Far Cry 6 coming in February 2021...

 

Hmm...I was thinking of 5 because more recent games I’ve played are better with telling you “for the story, go here; for the side mission, go there”. The earlier games sometimes just dumped you off and let you explore. That was ok when I was playing Zelda at age 10 and had all the time in the world. But I play in short increments now, and it could be weeks before I go back to a game, so I need the game to very clearly tell me where I’m supposed to go and what I’m supposed to be doing. Still think 3 or 4? Which one?

During quarantine I replayed to 100% Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4, Far Cry 5, Far Cry Primal, and Far Cry New Dawn.

 

Still love those games. Hoping a Far Cry 6 comes soon.

 

Those games are at deep discount now on xbox. I’ve avoided them as I’m not a huge open world guy, though I’ve become more accepting of them now assuming that next objectives and map navigation are crystal clear. So, with this in mind, which of the main entries do you think I should play....which is the most accessible and easy to play?

Fourteen years? Get back to me when you surpass Johnny’s 15.

 

Congrats, Treeduck, it really is an impressive time, and your humor is (almost) always appreciated!

Happy belated anniversary Johnny! Fifteen years is a long time. Please enjoy as many fish flakes in your food as you think is appropriate for this occasion :D

I’ve been playing Super Blood Hockey on the Switch. I think I got it for $1 and it is basically like old NES hockey, except with much smoother and better controls, and lots of blood and fighting!

I don`t think anyone has ever had their mind changed about fundamentals like religion or politics in an internet forum, and the principle for most interactions should be

 

a) Try not to offend

b) Try even harder not to be offended

 

I’ve had my opinions changed by discussions I’ve had with people on SOCN.

This was a great one: https://www.aier.org/article/eulogy-for-neil-peart-champion-of-freedom/

I watched Exit...Stage Left...it was nice to hear Neil talking in the intro and between so many songs.

http://youtu.be/cWoMIlivrtU

Thanks for that input. He sucks at cello, though I doubt he will suck less if he switched hands.

I have a kid who’s left handed, 8, and is interested in starting to play guitar. I always just assumed that I’d buy him a lefty guitar (which would keep my guitars safe from his grubby hands), but he’s been learning the cello at school. For cello, he fingers with his left hand and uses the bow with his right.

 

So, the question is, how much harder is it for a left handed person to learn the guitar right handed; and do you think practicing right handed on other stringed instruments (cello) will make it easier?