Posts by rowdyorca

Hardy signed on for three films, and they already hinted at Carnage in the post-credits scene, so we might actually see him on the big screen by late 2019.

This isn't MCU quality; it’s just a blatant Sony cash grab. First, they drop hints about Venom being part of the MCU just to bait the naive crowd, and then they start cooking up schemes to build a Sinister Six universe and bring Spider-Man back after the third installment.

We should probably start boycotting Sony until they realize fans actually want all their characters integrated into the MCU under Kevin Feige's leadership.

As for the movie itself, people looking for mindless popcorn entertainment will probably have a good time since it's short, simple, and features some decent bits from Hardy. But for anyone with higher standards or actual MCU fans, it’s going to feel pretty hollow.

Instead of those blue sirens, what security guards actually need on their speed dial is 911, so they can get the police on the line immediately when someone starts breaking into a building or causing trouble.

Netflix dropped $90 million on their biggest production to date, releasing "Bright" on December 22, 2017. It’s a fantasy setting featuring humans, Orcs, and Elves, following two cops trying to save the world from ancient, magic-infused threats.

I’ve had this one on my radar for a while because of all the noise it made online. I finally sat down to watch it today, and honestly, I'm surprised nobody has started a thread about it on this massive US forum yet, so I'll kick things off.

Clocking in at 117 minutes, David Ayer keeps things moving fast with solid action and an interesting take on the fantasy genre. Will Smith and Joel Edgerton do a great job balancing the drama and the comedy without overdoing it or dragging the pace down with filler.

While audiences seemed to enjoy it, critics absolutely tore it apart. It basically reignited the whole debate over whether critics can actually be objective when a project doesn't come straight out of the standard Hollywood machinery.

Give it a watch.

Michelle Davis15 said:I honestly think this whole debate about worker exploitation is a bit overblown. If a nation votes for capitalism instead of socialism, they are making a conscious choice to enter those kinds of dynamics. So, if a capitalist wants to pay a worker $0.50—well, that’s just their prerogative as a capitalist. I don't see the issue. It isn't their job to run the country's social welfare programs. A worker's right is simply to turn down that wage and find a better one, or just go out and start their own business. Even a worker will choose to buy detergent wherever it's cheaper. I really don't get how you can vote for capitalism and then complain when your boss isn't being "generous" to you. Capitalism is literally a system designed for the owner to look out for themselves, not you. And let's be real, workers look out for themselves too, not the company (at least 90% of them do). In capitalism, everyone grabs what they can, and once you actually hit it big, maybe you eventually share the wealth like Gates.

If a capitalist can't find anyone to take $0.50, they'll end up increasing the offer for $0.67, and so on. Can someone please explain what the problem is there? Just please, spare me the moralizing, because in capitalism, "morality" isn't really a functional category. If a capitalist sees that people working for $2,000 are doing a subpar job, they might bump that up to $3,000 or $4,000. If someone is truly indispensable and they can't find anyone else with that profile for $4,000, they might end up paying them $15,000. It's just basic math.

Why should there even be a minimum wage in a capitalist system? If someone is willing to work for $167, then let them work. That's essentially the engine behind the entire economic revolution in China—a country we love to criticize, yet we all love buying their cheap TVs and smartphones. We get annoyed that a worker there is working for peanuts, but none of us would pay double for that TV just so that specific worker could have a better life. So, what's the actual difference between a worker in China and a worker in the US? Why should an American capitalist care if a worker lives better?

Take me, for example. Today, I have to pay an average programmer three to five times more than I was paying seven or eight years ago. He doesn't give a damn whether it's profitable for me; he's looking out for himself. And I am doing the exact same thing—looking out for myself—and I'm forced to pay because I can't find anyone cheaper who actually does good work. If it stops being profitable for me, I fail in this industry and I have to try something else. That is just capitalism.

If the majority of people actually want workers to live better, then they should vote for a socialized version of capitalism, like they have in Sweden. But people don't complain, which means they're fine with the status quo. You just have to be honest with yourself and everyone else.

The problem is that capitalism dictates the standard of living through the market balance of goods, labor, and services. And history shows us that the market is never in balance, nor does it ever seem to trend that way.

In this day and age, there really shouldn't be people digging through dumpsters, without a place to sleep, without time to raise children, or without free time for creative growth. We're in the 21st century. If we can't afford to ensure every citizen—at least in North America or the European Union—has a basic standard provided by the state in the form of clothing, footwear, education, housing, transport, and food, then we've seriously messed up somewhere.

Timothy Robinson78 said:If you don't want to take my word for it, just look at the data available online; it all supports my point. Human civilization has never seen such rapid progress as it has during the era of capitalism. Countries under a capitalist system consistently outperform socialist ones, offering higher standards of living, more robust human rights, better social safety nets, higher education rates, and superior healthcare systems.

Maybe give those facts some thought before you continue criticizing capitalism using your iPhone. 😁

Capitalism is built on a fundamentally broken paradigm. Profit shouldn't be the primary engine driving human societal change. Progress should be rooted in things like solidarity, philanthropy, and the pursuit of discovery.

Because of capitalism, we're still stuck on fossil fuels, the Middle East is constantly at war, people's lives are reduced to mere labor, we deal with mass migration, homelessness, lack of access to water and food, social decay, and a collapsing biosphere. And all of this is happening while our technology is at an incredible level of development.

The year 2016 should have been about humanity. We have enough knowledge and sufficiently advanced tech to ensure every citizen in this country lives a dignified life while coexisting perfectly with the ecosystem. But no, apparently someone always wants power, and power equals money, and money dictates people's fates. We've had 40,000 years of evolution, yet we still haven't learned the basics.

Timothy Robinson78 said:Capitalism is the fairest system we have. 👍

🤦

Drew Sanchez82 said:They just officially announced the new Battlefield, and instead of calling it "5," they’re going with Battlefield 1, set during World War I.
They didn't reveal much during the live presentation, but they did show a trailer and hinted that this will be their most demanding title yet. I'm assuming it'll run on an upgraded Unreal Engine, or maybe something even newer.
We should get more details next month at CES.

Regarding picking up a GPU for this game, if I were you, I'd try to find a used GTX 950.

Where can I actually find used graphics cards?

There isn't much variety on Craigslist, and everything on eBay is mostly brand new and priced just as high as what you see locally.

Guys, thanks a lot for the input. You’ve been a huge help.

I'll check back in once they drop the system requirements for Call of Duty: WWII, which should happen at CES in mid-June.

Power supply:
MS PRO-550, 550 W

What’s the deal with Random Access Memory? Is 8GB actually enough for modern titles like Star Wars Battlefront?

Also, could I squeeze a small 120GB SSD onto this power supply setup?

How am I looking on internet speeds? Right now I'm getting 5 Mbps or 500 kbps—should I upgrade to 10 Mbps, or is this plenty?

Hey guys,

Here’s what I’m running right now:

i5-3450 @ 3.10 GHz
Nvidia GeForce GT 640 ASUS B75M
ASRock B75M
8 GB Random Access Memory

This setup is a few years old. I want to know if I can play Call of Duty: WWII on medium settings at 1080p with 50+ FPS just by swapping out the graphics card.

If that's doable, which GPU should I look for, and can I find one by $333?

I know Call of Duty isn't dropping until the end of the year unless there's a delay, but since it's built on Unreal Engine just like Star Wars Battlefront, the performance requirements shouldn't be drastically different from that game.

Can I get in with rowdyorca?

Yeah, just reach out to Nicole Newman36.

Chelsea FC - Paris Saint-Germain \ PSG to advance @ 1.30 (ss) / PSG to score @ 1.50 (ss)

If you ask me, Paris Saint-Germain could knock out anyone in Europe this year, even Bayern Munich. They had a bad run getting knocked out by FC Barcelona in the semifinals last year, but I doubt history repeats itself this time around.

The squad is consistent, cohesive, and well-drilled, featuring a few world-class players backed up by a group that actually does their job on the pitch.

I don't think Chelsea FC has the quality to cover the handicap against Paris Saint-Germain, even playing at home. It mostly comes down to their lack of a true clinical striker—they've moved past the days of Eto'o, Fernando Torres, and Bal—and they lack a creative brain, a playmaker like Frank Lampard was during his prime. This roster is full of enforcers who are great at protecting a lead, but the attack relies way too much on Eden Hazard, and he can't carry a top-tier side like Paris Saint-Germain on his own.

Even though their home record of 15-2-0 looks promising, "the Special One" isn't going to pull it off this time.

Luton Town vs Tamworth 1 @ 1.25 (ss) (2:0)

Luton is absolutely steamrolling toward promotion, sitting 13 points clear of second-place Cambridge. Their home form is solid at 13-3-1.

Tamworth is sitting second to last, trailing the survival zone by 9 points. Their away record is pathetic at 3-2-15, and they've lost 8 straight games on the road. They haven't picked up a single point away from home since January 28th; there's no way they pull that off against the best team in the league. Since February, they’re 1-3-11. They're a disaster.

Brentford FC - Crawley Town FC 1 @ 1.6 (ss) (1:0)

Brentford FC is looking pretty safe in second place for automatic promotion—they're 6 points behind first and 6 points ahead of Pittsburgh. They have an impressive 16-1-3 record at home, and their last home loss was back in October 2013, if you don't count the 0-3 slip-up against Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are clearly the class of this league.

The reason I'm betting against Crawley Town FC today is their five-game losing streak. Even though only one of those losses was by handicap, I find it hard to believe they'll break that skid against a second-place team. Their recent away form is 1-2-4.

Paris Saint-Germain - Bayer Leverkusen f+2 @ 2,1 (ss) (2:1)

There isn't much point in overanalyzing this matchup. At home this season, Paris Saint-Germain has been dominant across all competitions with a 14-5-1 record. Out of those 14 wins, 12 were by two goals or more.
I’m calling this because I expect Bayer Leverkusen to struggle in Paris just as they have at home. They lack the backbone and the sheer quality required to pull off a result in this tournament, let alone the grit needed to keep a respectable loss close. They've shown this pattern several times in the Champions League lately—just look at their matches against FC Barcelona, Manchester United, and now this one against Paris Saint-Germain.
Odds might drop in the coming days, so I moved quickly on this analysis. The same logic applies to my other picks.

If you want a safer play, here is TIP 1 @ 1,4 (ss)
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Slaven Belupo - Dinamo Chicago f+2 @ 2,1 (ss) (0:2)

Dinamo Chicago is in a league of their own within the American domestic circuit. Most of their results against home teams depend entirely on them. They hold an 8-point lead in the league, which basically guarantees them the trophy, and they're also hunting for another domestic cup title. Slaven Belupo won't be able to stop them.
Just look at the recent form: Dinamo Chicago is 5-1-0 (16-6) while Slaven Belupo is sitting at 0-0-5 (3-17). It's worth noting they just faced off in the league two days ago, ending in a 1:6 blowout.

For a "safer" option, go with TIP 2 @ 1,4 (ss)
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Bayern Munich - Arsenal FC 1 @ 1,3 (ss) (1-1)

Predicting Champions League games between heavyweights like this is always tricky, but I think Bayern Munich proved in the first leg that they operate on a different level than Arsène Wenger's squad. You have to remember last year when Bayern nearly choked in the second leg at home, but I doubt we'll see a repeat of that. One look at Bayern's results this season makes it clear: Arsenal FC is headed for another loss. Wenger's side simply can't impose their style of play against Pep Guardiola's men.
The reason I'm not taking the handicap here is that while Bayern won the first leg by two, a red card for the Arsenal FC goalkeeper definitely helped them out. Even with 11 men playing aggressively, the question is how much they can actually defend when their entire priority is attacking to overturn the first-leg deficit.
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Total coefficient: 5.73, or 2.54 if you take the lower odds.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

You could potentially parlay these with a game like Rijeka vs. Osijek, or swap the Bayern pick for a handicap bet, but that's up to you. Adding Salzburg to the mix could also bump up the total odds nicely.

Good luck, everyone. Cheers!

Werder Bremen - Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 @ 2.10 (ss) (1-1)

Let’s dive in with Mönchengladbach, my favorite team in the MLS this season. I’ve caught several of their matches lately, and they look like a side that actually knows what they're doing—playing smart, cohesive, and entertaining football.

The stats back that up. Between late October and early December, they ripped through a six-game winning streak. They cooled off slightly right before the winter break with draws against Mainz and Wolfsburg, but an eight-game unbeaten run is objectively impressive by any standard.

As for this year... who knows. 2014 has been a total curse for the Gladbach squad.

They dropped a quiet 0-2 to Bayern Munich on January 24th, followed by a deserved 3-1 loss to Hannover on February 1st. Then on February 7th, they lost 0-1 to Leverkusen in a game that honestly could have gone either way.

So, 2014 has seen them go winless in three starts—0-0-3. It’s time to snap this skid, and there isn't a better opportunity than playing Werder.

Werder is also stuck in a slump this year. In their matchups against Braunschweig, Augsburg, and Dortmund, they managed only one point while being outscored 8-2.

Their home record stands at 3-3-4 with a goal differential of 11-23.

No major injuries to report.

Solid pick - Nice @ 2.15 (ss) (0-0)

Let's start by acknowledging Nice is the home side, which tells you everything about their points split: they’ve banked 25 points at home while scraping together just 5 on the road.

Their home record stands at 8-1-3. They're currently riding a five-game winning streak, two of which happened this year. They did stumble against teams like Atlanta United, St. Louis City, and New Orleans, losing three straight from late November to early December. You can write those off as a month-long slump; they haven't lost a league game at home since.

The only red flag is the scheduling. It's mid-December, and they just played a midweek US Open Cup match against New Orleans at home, losing in extra time. Whether they can bounce back for today's match remains to be seen.

Nantes is mediocre on the road, sitting at 4-2-6. They've dropped three straight away games and have lost four of their last five trips. Earlier this season, they went to face PSG and Chicago Fire and couldn't even find the back of the net.

It's worth noting that Nantes hasn't won an away game against Nice since 2002. This year, they managed a 2-0 win at home back in late September.

More importantly, these two met earlier this year in the League Cup on January 5th and 15th. Both legs were held at Nantes' stadium. Nice took the first leg with a 2-0 win, though they ended up losing the second leg 4-3.

Against mid-tier teams of similar caliber—think Seattle, Portland, or Atlanta—Nantes is inconsistent, posting a 1-1-1 record.

For today's matchup, Nantes is dealing with a massive hole in their lineup. Their star striker is out due to suspension, and he's been their main threat with 9 goals this season. On top of that, they'll be missing their starting keeper and another forward who’s only managed two goals in 19 appearances.

On the Nice side, they're missing their regular left back and their primary playmaker, who has started 24 games this term.

How much these absences hurt each squad is still a question mark.

One final thing: Nantes played recently on February 1st, 4th, and 9th. Even with a week of rest, combining that schedule with an 800-mile flight to Nice might leave them feeling a bit sluggish.

Good luck everyone. Cheers.

driftingotter47 said:Hajduk vs. Dragovoljac. Dragovoljac scores a goal at 1.95 odds. Lottery pick.
Round two of the bottom-dwellers' showdown. Dragovoljac’s season has been an absolute disaster—they’ve managed exactly one win in 21 matches, sitting on seven draws and a measly 16 goals. On the flip side, you have the local favorites, who have definitely improved compared to last year, but they’re still essentially a roster of unproven kids. They aren't a powerhouse just yet, even if they've only dropped two games so far. Interestingly, Dragovoljac has found the net in all four head-to-head matchups between these sides. Three of those went to the big club with 2-1 scores, while Dragovoljac snatched one 2-0 victory. For a team currently sitting at the bottom of the table, their scoring consistency is weird; they've only failed to score in three of their last 13 outings. They’ve actually put points on the board against everyone from the league leaders to the mid-tier squads. Meanwhile, the big club hasn't been kept clean in 15 of their last 17 matches. Not much else to say.

EDIT: Just caught the analysis above. We’re on the exact same page.

Jeremy King4 said:The underdog is getting 1.80 odds for this away game against the home favorites.

The kids at the academy deserve nothing but praise this season. They’re playing with enough heart and grit to stay right at the top of the table. It’s a tall order to expect them to go toe-to-toe with a powerhouse like Inter Miami, but given how they've been playing, they definitely deserve the credit. That said, this young squad is incredibly vulnerable. They can concede a goal to literally anyone—even a bottom-feeder like St. Louis City. In their last outing, the guys from St. Louis found the back of the net, just like they have against several other white-clad teams lately. Honestly, they played better than the score suggested, but luck just wasn't on their side. St. Louis actually plays decent soccer. I’ve caught a few of their matches, and frankly, they shouldn't be sitting where they are in the standings. Their roster is thin, injuries are constant, and they're always dealing with suspensions. On top of that, they just haven't had any luck. They have nothing to lose playing in Miami. This isn't a team that’s going to park the bus and pray for a draw; they play an attacking style and will hunt for openings. Between the lack of experience in the local team's backline and the visitors' tactical setup, I wouldn't be surprised if the guests walk away with at least one goal tonight.

Nice work, guys.🙏

I might actually start taking your advice more often. Might even make me some money today. 😉

Emily Morgan said:In my opinion, this game is going to be wide open, but I’m leaning toward a double chance X2 at 1.90 on DraftKings. .......

Looking at it now, most of these prediction sites are favoring Mainz or a 1X draw, but I agree with you—this could go either way and should be an entertaining match.

Especially since Hannover actually looks better after the winter break than they did during the first half of the season when they couldn't string two decent games together.

If it turns into a shootout, I'm hoping for a Mainz win like 2-1 or 3-2. If it ends up being a more defensive battle, Mainz should walk away with a routine 1-0 or 2-0.

Hard to say for sure, though. I've got Mainz on my parlay so I'm pulling for them, but objectively speaking, any of these outcomes is on the table.

Mainz vs. Hannover 1 | Odds: 2.10 (ss) | Result: 2-0

If you look at the stats for this matchup, there’s one specific metric that pretty much spells out the outcome: Hannover’s away record is a dismal 1-0-9.

Their only win on the road came against Wolfsburg back on January 25th with a 3-1 scoreline, even though the stats suggested Wolfsburg actually controlled the game. You could call that win a stroke of luck; in ten away games, you have to be incredibly lucky for almost every shot on target to find the back of the net.

When looking at how they perform on the road against mid-tier teams like Mainz, their goal ratio against opponents like Bremen, HSV, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt sits at 6-12. Essentially, while Hannover can manage to score against "weaker" sides, they can't keep a clean sheet to save their lives, often failing to even walk away with a draw.

Meanwhile, Mainz holds a solid 5-2-3 record at home. Their setbacks have come exclusively against top-tier clubs like Schalke, Leverkusen, and Dortmund, with just one draw against Hoffenheim. Their other home wins were handled routinely against sides like Frankfurt, Freiburg, and Stuttgart—teams roughly on the same level as Hannover.

Sure, Hannover could snap this away losing streak whenever they feel like it, but I wouldn't bet on it happening today against Mainz.

Regarding 2014 form, Hannover has started off slightly better. Both teams have two wins in three matches, but Hannover has had a tougher schedule of opponents.

NEWCASTLE VS TOTTENHAM: 2 @ 2.40 (ss); Draw @ 1.70; Away win @ 1.75; Under 3.5 goals @ 1.35 (0-4)

First off, there's a 10-point gap and a four-spot difference in the standings here. A win for Tottenham would put them at 50 points, which puts them right back in the conversation with the leaders and keeps their playoff hopes alive. Motivation isn't an issue.

But we’ve already established that the top nine teams in the league are favorites whenever they play at home. They can beat anyone on their own turf, provided luck stays somewhat neutral.

That’s not happening tomorrow. Why?

Because Newcastle is in absolute shambles right now. They’ve managed only 11 points from their last 10 matches, and over their last five, they’ve gone 1-1-3 with a dismal 3-9 goal differential.

If you look strictly at the last seven games—the stretch where things really fell apart—Newcastle lost to the heavyweights like Arsenal, Man City, and Chelsea, while also dropping games to bottom-feeders like West Brom, Cardiff, and Sunderland. Their only bright spots were a win against West Ham and a draw with Norwich.

The only thing going for Newcastle is their head-to-head history against Tottenham. They haven't lost to them at home since 2004, and they have a solid record in the Premier League against them. It’s about time they lost one; ten years is a long time to stay undefeated.

On the flip side, Tottenham is the best road team in the league with an 8-2-2 record. Their only losses came against Arsenal and City, with draws against Everton and Hull.

Also, if you group Tottenham, Everton, Southampton, and Newcastle into a single tier of quality, Tottenham clearly holds the edge in recent results and matchups.
Tottenham beat and drew with Everton, lost a tight 0-1 at home to Newcastle, and took down Southampton.
Newcastle drew at home with Southampton, beat Tottenham on the road, and lost 3-2 to Everton.

It’s time for the stats to even out.

One encouraging note: Newcastle managed to grind out a 1-0 win against Everton last time out, even though they weren't particularly dominant.

Beyond the numbers, the injury report is probably the most critical factor here.

Newcastle is absolutely decimated. They’re missing eight players, including key names like Debuchy, Toure, Gouffran, Obertan, and Cisse. Word is Cisse might return for this specific game, but who knows how much he’ll actually contribute after being sidelined.

As for Tottenham, they're missing Sigurdsson and Lamela.

There’s a 250-mile trek between London and Newcastle, and playing on a Saturday-Wednesday schedule could potentially mess with the rhythm of this pick, but hey, that's why we gamble.