Random Chat, Thoughts, Posts, and/or Rants Thread

[Sander]

Yikes, a box office weekend of $7 million. And that's at inflationary numbers.

Movie theaters are in trouble.

'The Invitation' tops tepid weekend at box office

The horror film

www.ksl.com

The last time I went to a movie theater I think Obama was president.

I offered my wife a visit to the theater to see Top Gun since she's a fan and she looked at me incredulously and said "hell no" - instead we streamed it in our own theatre... no gunky seats, no sticky floors, no driving, no traffic, no obnoxious teens, no coughing spectators three seats down... the value skew of staying home in the comfort of your own home will be the end of the theatre experience, unless value skew is somehow dramatically raised.

Me and my wife have actually been a lot more at the cinema in the last six months than ever before. Although, we often go when there aren't many other around. I love watching movies there instead of wathcing them at home. If it weren't for the relative high price, we'd go more often than now.

 

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[SteveO]

GET "Marathon, Revised and Updated 5th Edition: The Ultimate Training Guide: Advice, Plans, and Programs for Half and Full Marathons" by Hal Higdon on Kindle for $1.99

Amazon.com: Marathon, Revised and Updated 5th Edition: The Ultimate Training Guide: Advice, Plans, and Programs for Half and Full Marathons eBook : Higdon, Hal: Kindle Store

Buy Marathon, Revised and Updated 5th Edition: The Ultimate Training Guide: Advice, Plans, and Programs for Half and Full Marathons: Read Kindle Store Reviews - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

I just bought it although I ran my first marathon a little over a month ago. I used Hal Higdon's app for 100% of my marathon training, so I don't hesitate to share his book which is on sale.

Good book. I've run a number of marathons quite successfully. Did use his training methods early on.

Happy running!

 

[SteveO]

Yikes, a box office weekend of $7 million. And that's at inflationary numbers.

Movie theaters are in trouble.

'The Invitation' tops tepid weekend at box office

The horror film

www.ksl.com

The last time I went to a movie theater I think Obama was president.

I offered my wife a visit to the theater to see Top Gun since she's a fan and she looked at me incredulously and said "hell no" - instead we streamed it in our own theatre... no gunky seats, no sticky floors, no driving, no traffic, no obnoxious teens, no coughing spectators three seats down... the value skew of staying home in the comfort of your own home will be the end of the theatre experience, unless value skew is somehow dramatically raised.

It's difficult to fathom how they can remain in business. Too much noise and distraction. Home is far better.

Does that 7M include streaming numbers?

 

[Andy Black]

Holy crap, this is all massively helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to share.

I want to be clear that I'm not shopping based on results, but trust. I've had people guarantee me 10x ROAS (LOL) and others who won't talk about anything related to what they're going to do, prior results, etc. As an outsider it's strange, but reading your previous points it does make a lot more sense.

I've run my own ads for a while now on many of those platforms so I get that things aren't so simple, but hearing your perspective helped it "click" that I probably sound like I want guaranteed results - even though I actually just want to know I'm hiring someone who can do the job well, communicate, and is trustworthy.



The part I quoted resonates the most, as it's exactly the part where the conversation essentially stalls on their end. No shared results, no industry experience (I don't expect this, it's too niche tbh), and they're just not straightforward at all. To me, this feels super weird, but that's probably just be a hurdle I have to overcome by taking a calculated leap of faith lol.


This is golden advice and clears up a lot for me. This is a much better question and giving them access to my data before committing to a deal would be hugely beneficial.

Thanks again, I feel less dumb and more confident now.

I forgot to reply when I saw this originally.

I see it as a red flag when someone wants to know what ROI I can get them. How would I know without working with you?

In our initial call we look over their account and I point out what I can see and what I'd do. They're welcome to take those actions themselves, or discuss us helping them.

I never promise results, I promise we'll follow a process. I then spend a lot of time explaining our process and how it works best when there's a lot of feedback, questions, visibility, etc..

I'm showing how we'll work and I'm filtering out people who don't want to work that way.

Happy to hop on a call if you want to role play it with me.

 

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[Ing]

Yikes, a box office weekend of $7 million. And that's at inflationary numbers.

Movie theaters are in trouble.

'The Invitation' tops tepid weekend at box office

The horror film

www.ksl.com

The last time I went to a movie theater I think Obama was president.

I offered my wife a visit to the theater to see Top Gun since she's a fan and she looked at me incredulously and said "hell no" - instead we streamed it in our own theatre... no gunky seats, no sticky floors, no driving, no traffic, no obnoxious teens, no coughing spectators three seats down... the value skew of staying home in the comfort of your own home will be the end of the theatre experience, unless value skew is somehow dramatically raised.

Popcorn! Thats the value skew for me. Someone, who makes them and so eone , who cleans up after.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Does that 7M include streaming numbers?

I don't think so... that number is so bad, that doesn't even seem plausible.

Side note.... perhaps too many people are watching that new Game of Thrones travesty on HBO ... after how they butchered the original conclusion to the franchise, there's no way in hell I'm going to invest any of my entertainment time into that shit... as they say... fool me once...

In fact, I'm shocked at people would give it the time of day, considering how the screwed up the last one. They won't get me again. I'd rather watch birds, mow the lawn, or take a swim.

 

[Fox]

View attachment IMG_1947.MOV

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

I don't think so... that number is so bad, that doesn't even seem plausible.

Side note.... perhaps too many people are watching that new Game of Thrones travesty on HBO ... after how they butchered the original conclusion to the franchise, there's no way in hell I'm going to invest any of my entertainment time into that shit... as they say... fool me once...

In fact, I'm shocked at people would give it the time of day, considering how the screwed up the last one. They won't get me again. I'd rather watch birds, mow the lawn, or take a swim.

Same... but my girlfriend will end up watching it, and if we are spending time together, it will be on, so I will end up watching it... Lol!

 

[Mathuin]

Movie theaters are in trouble.

I offered my wife a visit to the theater to see Top Gun since she's a fan and she looked at me incredulously and said "hell no" - instead we streamed it in our own theatre... no gunky seats, no sticky floors, no driving, no traffic, no obnoxious teens, no coughing spectators three seats down... the value skew of staying home in the comfort of your own home will be the end of the theatre experience, unless value skew is somehow dramatically raised.

At least 2 cinemas (movie theatres) have opened or are going to be opening soon in my city of around 350k people. I was surprised. One of the chains, Cineworld, is close to bankruptcy though and it's stock has fallen 99% in the last 5 years.

I did go and see Top Gun: Maverick at the cinema (first time I had been in probably 7 years) when it came out and there was probably only around 10 people in the screening and this was in its first week.

For some of the new ones opening, their skew seems to be luxury or 270 degree screens with special effects that people can't replicate at home.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[Mathuin]

View attachment 44919

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

These people deserve to be poor.

Meanwhile, Ben Mallah with millions in the bank and hundreds of millions in assets, refuses to buy a car less than 2 years old.

 

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[xShepherdx]

Hey Andy, thanks for taking the time to reply! I really appreciate hearing your perspective.

I forgot to reply when I saw this originally.

I see it as a red flag when someone wants to know what ROI I can get them. How would I know without working with you?

In our initial call we look over their account and I point out what I can see and what I'd do. They're welcome to take those actions themselves, or discuss us helping them.

I can totally see now that my question would raise red flags without the proper wording. I was just trying to get a feel for what to expect and the trustworthiness of the firm, but as Bekit and BizyDad pointed out my questioning could have been far better.

I never promise results, I promise we'll follow a process. I then spend a lot of time explaining our process and how it works best when there's a lot of feedback, questions, visibility, etc..

I'm showing how we'll work and I'm filtering out people who don't want to work that way.

This is exactly what I'm looking for. I just want to know how my money is being spent and what to expect. I can see now that asking about results is a poor approach though.

Happy to hop on a call if you want to role play it with me.

PM'd!

 

[Kak]

View attachment 44919

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

Wow. They’re all owned by cars both financially and emotionally. That’s just sad.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

View attachment 44919

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

These guys have boring, soulless jobs and have car payments larger than what I pay for my house... I would be sick.

 

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[GPM]

At least 2 cinemas (movie theatres) have opened or are going to be opening soon in my city of around 350k people. I was surprised. One of the chains, Cineworld, is close to bankruptcy though and it's stock has fallen 99% in the last 5 years.

I did go and see Top Gun: Maverick at the cinema (first time I had been in probably 7 years) when it came out and there was probably only around 10 people in the screening and this was in its first week.

For some of the new ones opening, their skew seems to be luxury or 270 degree screens with special effects that people can't replicate at home.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

View attachment 44920

I went to one of those shows, I think it was the latest Jumanjii, in one of those 270 degree shows. It was horrible. The way they added stuff on the side did not at all fit with the movie, and it was a super low resolution and it looked like crap. All it did was take me and my wife out of the experience and made us both feel nauseated. I would NEVER go see another one.

I built a projector theater room in my basement. I only get to watch like 1 movie a month down there, but when I do it is nearly as good as being in the theater. It is "only" a 1080p projector, but still looks fantastic for movies. I got the projector for 90% off from an elderly couple who no longer wanted it in their home. I am running a used ATMOS receiver, with some discount "previous gen" tower speakers I also got for like 70% off new prices. I used some blackout curtains and cheap king size black flat sheets off of amazon and hung them on the roof and walls to get a blacked out theater room. I bought a can of paint that works well for theater rooms and just painted the whole wall.

Overall costs were about $1500 for the whole setup, and I have been using most of it for nearly 20 years now. No expiry date on speakers, and I can keep upgrading the projector for dirt cheap as I see fit. I am projecting an image that has 114" across the bottom.

Sometimes I play some twin stick shooter couch coop style games with my brother as well. The "theater experience" is pretty much the same as being in the theater, with no annoying people and smells, and it doesn't cost us $40+ per movie to go out as couple. I also threw a queen mattress on the floor with a bunch of pillows so we can lay down and chill out while in the theater. Can't do that while going out!!!

Oh, and I still haven't managed to watch Top Gun yet haha. Life comes first.

 

[Invictus]

View attachment 44919

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

This is fake right? It *has* to be fake. This is literally what I pay for mortgage, taxes, home insurance, and flood insurance in a FEMA flood zone.

Here I was thinking our $360 for a Rav 4 was a little too high.

 

[GPM]

@Kak I found your truck!

 

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[Andy Black]

View attachment 44919

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

Is that a car dealership?

 

[GPM]

View attachment 44919

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

Sweet baby jesus. I am nearly 40 years old (wow, that is scary to type...) and I have never had a car payment in my life. Newest vehicle I have ever purchased was 4 years old, and I have been driving it for 9ish years now.

 

[Patryk.]

I found how MJ advertised his books in 2010. Take a look: Fastlane

 

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[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

Plus, good luck trying to find better opportunities while hooked on that payment!

 

[Antifragile]

Wow. They’re all owned by cars both financially and emotionally. That’s just sad.

These are great customers!!!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

View attachment 44919

Pretty crazy to see how leveraged up all these people are.

And they all say it with a proud gleam in their eye... yes, my payment is $2,103 but it's a 2022 XDYZ!

Is that a car dealership?

Looks like it.

 

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[Andy Black]

Looks like it.

I think they're just trying to show how easy it is to get a loan, and desensitise viewers to how large those numbers are. Bet they then offer to help people get a loan so they too can swap their freedom for some nice wheels on their driveway.

 

[Simon Angel]

Side note.... perhaps too many people are watching that new Game of Thrones travesty on HBO ... after how they butchered the original conclusion to the franchise, there's no way in hell I'm going to invest any of my entertainment time into that shit... as they say... fool me once...

In fact, I'm shocked at people would give it the time of day, considering how the screwed up the last one. They won't get me again. I'd rather watch birds, mow the lawn, or take a swim.

Perhaps they've learned from their mistakes and this show will surpass the original Game of Thrones. They were doing so well for quite a few years and then F*cked it up, yes, but who knows - they might just pull it off this time.

 

[MattR82]

Yikes, a box office weekend of $7 million. And that's at inflationary numbers.

Movie theaters are in trouble.

'The Invitation' tops tepid weekend at box office

The horror film

www.ksl.com

The last time I went to a movie theater I think Obama was president.

I offered my wife a visit to the theater to see Top Gun since she's a fan and she looked at me incredulously and said "hell no" - instead we streamed it in our own theatre... no gunky seats, no sticky floors, no driving, no traffic, no obnoxious teens, no coughing spectators three seats down... the value skew of staying home in the comfort of your own home will be the end of the theatre experience, unless value skew is somehow dramatically raised.

I never have the problem of gross people when going to a gold class cinema that only has about 40 seats which are recliners. It's also licensed so you can drink if you like, and you can arrange what time you want your dinner or drinks brought in.

 

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[Andy Black]

Problem:
Argh. Will Google please stop putting YouTube videos top of the rankings. I don't want to watch a video, I just want to read instructions.

Opportunity:
Want to rank high on Google? Create short videos on YouTube that answer the questions people search for on Google.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I found how MJ advertised his books in 2010. Take a look: Fastlane

That's so cool, unfortunately in America, you'd have some idiot who would use that as a means to file a lawsuit against the mall within 48 hours. I hurt myself! Wah wah wah... Terribly sad.

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

the government does things to keep normal people fighting with each other

remember this if you ever decide to squawk about some current thing

 

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[GPM]

Problem:
Argh. Will Google please stop putting YouTube videos top of the rankings. I don't want to watch a video, I just want to see instructions.

View attachment 44927



Opportunity:
Want to rank high on Google? Create short videos on YouTube that answer the questions people search for on Google.

Man I hate those videos. Yesterday I needed to know how to move a window on my screen that I could not see due to it being placed nowhere. The answer was "alt space, and hit the arrow keys".

The answer was buried down in some blog on page 3 or so. The whole first page were these wordy blog posts full of software downloads and crap that was 100% wrong. The answer should have taken once sentence or a 10 second video! Instead I had pages and pages of words and like 5 minute clips to sift through. The internet is being filled with trash.

 

[Andy Black]

The internet is being filled with trash.

The internet is being filled with trash to rank on Google and YouTube. But long articles and videos fluffed out to get ranked aren't what people want.

Google will have to remedy this or people will stop using their search engine and bye-bye advertiser revenue.

I think this is what's making YouTube shorts and TikTok so refreshing. Creators have to get their point across in under 60s. I just spent 10 minutes watching tips about Linkedin from a guy on TikTok. I feel my time was better spent than watching a 20 minute long video that has the first 5 minutes telling me why I should subscribe.

When Google and YouTube remedy this (and I bet they will) they will reward articles and videos that get to the point. We can already see it happening as YouTube automatically creates chapters in videos.