The Sofa (General Chat Thread)

CastorTroy · 12-07-2016 9:12pm

Random appearances on Angie Tribeca this week. Set in hospital and had 2 ER stars

Eriq La Salle and Noah Wyle

. The show itself is okay but I do like the guest stars.

FunLover18 · 14-07-2016 5:54pm

I just finished Third Rock From The Sun on Netflix, I'd only ever seen bits and pieces. It's not great but it's enjoyable and John Lithgow is clearly having a ball.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 14-07-2016 6:19pm

FunLover18 wrote: »

I just finished Third Rock From The Sun on Netflix, I'd only ever seen bits and pieces. It's not great but it's enjoyable and John Lithgow is clearly having a ball.

Re-watched it all a few years ago, it can be a bit hit and miss at times, but when it gets it right, it's great. I'll always love it for the nostalgia factor though.

Mr E · 21-07-2016 6:58am

This article may or may not affect a few people here.

The feds continue to play whack-a-mole with Torrent sites and Kickass is the latest casualty.

http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/feds-bust-kickass-torrents-piracy-arrest-1201818775/

pickarooney · 21-07-2016 3:15pm

Busted because he bought something legally on iTunes! The irony...

_Tombstone_ · 21-07-2016 4:09pm

How did they get the iTunes IP?

Facebook gave them all the IPs for the kickass Facebook page logins and then they went over to iTunes and...what?

Mr E · 21-07-2016 6:17pm

Here’s a tip: If you happen to find yourself at the helm of a gigantic illegal torrenting operation, don’t use an Apple email, and for the love of all that is holy do not use Facebook.

Unfortunately for 30-year-old Artem Vaulin, he made this very mistake while allegedly operating Kickass Torrents, a popular source for links to torrent files, which can be used to illegally download music, movies, and TV shows. Apple and Facebook have no qualms turning over information like IP addresses and purchase history when presented with a warrant, and the information these companies turned over to US investigators helped catch Vaulin.

This was a truly imprudent move by Vaulin, and one he could have easily avoided. By utilizing one of the many darknet services that allow you to have what is essentially a disposable email, Vaulin could have avoided being behind bars.

As we learn from the criminal complaint against Vaulin, authorities were able to catch him just by chasing his IP address. Let’s walk through Vaulin’s many apparent f**k ups. First, for whatever reason, this guy was operating a Kickass Torrents Facebook fan page. Probably for promotional purposes, sure, but a bonehead move nonetheless. This is almost incomprehensibly misguided if you are operating an illegal enterprise. By doing this, Vaulin was essentially handing over all of his Facebook-related data to US investigators. When the US government came to Facebook with a warrant for the Kickass Torrents fan page, Facebook handed over the log data (as it should) and revealed that Vaulin was using an @me.com email address to sign into Facebook. Who owns me.com? Apple.

Next, Authorities went to Apple and said, essentially, turn over all the data you have on tirm@me.com, Vaulin’s email account. This is where Vaulin continued his string of devastating screw ups.

Vaulin used his @me.com email address to make an iTunes purchase. Well, luckily for US investigators, every time you make an iTunes purchase, your IP address is recorded. The authorities then used these IP addressed they gathered to determine Vaulin’s online bitcoin account.

Authorities were also able to determine that Vaulin’s @me.com email account was receiving alerts relating to administration tasks on the Kickass Torrents. Another sloppy decision in a string of lazy and careless decisions that ultimately led to his downfall. It’s almost like when Silk Road founder and operator Ross Ulbricht used his real name to ask questions about Tor hidden services on Stack Overflow. A stupid mistake that helped authorities put him in prison for life.

All of these careless mistakes eventually helped US investigators catch Vaulin. It’s funny how the people who run massive illegal online operations seem to care very little about operational security.

Full article:
http://gizmodo.com/the-colossal-screwups-that-got-the-kickass-torrents-own-1784033848

_Tombstone_ · 21-07-2016 6:31pm

Mr E wrote: »

Full article:
http://gizmodo.com/the-colossal-screwups-that-got-the-kickass-torrents-own-1784033848

Jaysus!

Theirs a huge multi-part article on the fall/mistakes of silk road out there, good read (I on phone) and you can see how they could all happen (building a business mistakes).

But this.... jaysus.

CastorTroy · 22-07-2016 1:16pm

Was wondering what was with kickass last nigh...... I mean I didn't even know that site existed.

Finished House last night. Next up is Stranger Things. Though may catch up on Punisher and Outcast or finish Monk. Too much!

pickarooney · 22-07-2016 9:13pm

Yeah, I thought summer would be calmer but I only went and got a taste for Walter's presentations and I'm worse off than ever.

I kid, I'm enjoying TV immensely at the moment.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 22-07-2016 10:47pm

Looking forward to watching some of the Panels from San Diego Comic Con on YouTube over the weekend - last year had some great panels...

The Black Oil · 23-07-2016 12:17pm

CastorTroy wrote: »

Finished House last night.

What did you think of the last two seasons and the finale? They seemed to give up on growing the characters later on in the show.

Didn't realise VCR's were still being made, well, not for much longer.

Funai Electric, which claims is the world's last VCR manufacturer, says it will no longer make the classic VCR, according to a CNN report.

Link

FunLover18 · 23-07-2016 12:20pm

The Black Oil wrote:

What did you think of the last two seasons and the finale? They seemed to give up on growing the characters later on in the show.

I enjoyed it myself, it fit in with House's philosophy that people don't change but I can see why that would bother some people.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 24-07-2016 2:18am

Some of you may have noticed I'm very much pro everything The CW is putting out these days, but when they're dropping Network Promos as slick as this, can you really blame me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcxxLpT1RBY

CastorTroy · 25-07-2016 1:15pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

What did you think of the last two seasons and the finale? They seemed to give up on growing the characters later on in the show.

Thought it was only the last season that was really any different. season 7 seemed to be business as usual, then 8 changed up the cast a bit. Was a bit disappointed

they didn't get everyone (ie Cuddy) back for the finale. Some closure there would've been good

Can't watch the CW trailer here, but a lot of the shows I watch are CW

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 25-07-2016 8:28pm

This doesn't fit into any particular TV Show thread, so thought this was the best place for it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njdAZRY1Zes

Dr Crayfish · 28-07-2016 10:46pm

Anyone watching The Night Of so far? Best thing on TV now for me

pickarooney · 29-07-2016 8:33am

It's very good all right. It feels like ages between episodes which is a good sign.

Agent Coulson · 30-07-2016 1:34am

Hulu might be starting to crack down now they are starting to block payments through iTunes.

pickarooney · 31-07-2016 4:19pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Hulu might be starting to crack down now they are starting to block payments through iTunes.

Crack down on people giving them money?

Agent Coulson · 31-07-2016 4:25pm

pickarooney wrote: »

Crack down on people giving them money?

It's a way to bypass regional workarounds if you have a US itunes account.

The major studios are going to target this next as seen with Netflix being forced to block the workaround.

They are going after torrents sites more than ever now and streaming sites are next.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 01-08-2016 3:14am

Agent Coulson wrote: »

It's a way to bypass regional workarounds if you have a US itunes account.

The major studios are going to target this next as seen with Netflix being forced to block the workaround.

They are going after torrents sites more than ever now and streaming sites are next.

As hard as they may try to stop torrent and streaming sites, more will pop up in its place - it's like whack a mole. I remember years ago when they tried to crack down on torrenting and streaming - for every site they managed to cut down, 10 more arrived to take its place. There was less illegal streaming and torrenting when people could access different Netflix regions, but now that they've crushed that, torrenting has become stronger again (the major studios would probably have been better off allowing the Netflix Region Switching - surely that was better for them that full on torrenting.

_Tombstone_ · 01-08-2016 9:31am

Theirs no alternative to torrents for TV shows at all is their??

Agent Coulson · 01-08-2016 5:09pm

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

As hard as they may try to stop torrent and streaming sites, more will pop up in its place - it's like whack a mole. I remember years ago when they tried to crack down on torrenting and streaming - for every site they managed to cut down, 10 more arrived to take its place. There was less illegal streaming and torrenting when people could access different Netflix regions, but now that they've crushed that, torrenting has become stronger again (the major studios would probably have been better off allowing the Netflix Region Switching - surely that was better for them that full on torrenting.

Agreed.

All major studio's are light years behind what their consumer wants be TV Film or Music and until they decide to change that stance and become pro consumer these crackdowns will happen every couple of years.

The one company that has listened to it's consumer Netflix has shown that consumers of media are will to pay for the media and Netflix were happy to let their consumers region hop until the dinosaur studio system stepped in.

Region hopping will be back at some stage and if Hulu follow through there will be a way around that in time the same goes with Amazon.

The streaming companies will do enough to keep the studios pacified and not much more that is all I think anyway but I could be completely wrong.

Basq · 01-08-2016 7:31pm

Dr Crayfish wrote: »

Anyone watching The Night Of so far? Best thing on TV now for me

Just watched first episode.. absolutely enthralling!

Lovely Bloke · 01-08-2016 7:45pm

_Tombstone_ wrote: »

Theirs no alternative to torrents for TV shows at all is their??

not at the moment, no.

what the major content creators need to do is go down the Spotify route - have 99% of everything available, worldwide, for one single reasonable payment.

Spotify is €9.99 (or €5.99 with some mobile phone plans) for access to an excellent library of music, with no geo-restrictions, and pretty much all new-releases as the come out. Some restrictions apply, but there really aren't many.

The general public don't care which studio is releasing TV shows, they just want to watch them when they want, in top quality - until they realise this then torrents and streaming sites are just going to keep on keeping on.

Having I don't know many channels of online content is frustrating and expensive. And impossible for people outside of North America to subscribe legitimately even if they wanted to.

I like to, off the top of my head, watch shows from HBO, Showtime, Netflix Original Content, Amazon, AMC and god knows what else, I don't even look at the logo half the time. All the major film studios too, and if a smaller film comes out that I want to see I spend my money and I go to the Lighthouse Cinema for the experience.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 05-08-2016 11:04am

Ah no, the auld Google of the Torrent community (I won't name it, but anyone in the loop will probably know what I'm referring to) has ceased operations as of today - been going strong since 2003. So soon after KAT, I wonder if it is time to worry. There's still one big player in operation for me, but if that happens to go now too, I'll have to go looking for a new primary source - and even though I know there's hundreds of option, it's still a prospect I'm far from ecstatic about.

Mr E · 07-08-2016 9:41pm

I just finished Sharknado 4. I didn't think it would be possible to be worse than the first 3, but they pulled it off. With the different tornado types (sandnado, bouldernado, hailnado, lightningnado, firenado, lavanado, cownado and nukenado), horrible HORRIBLE special effects, horrible HORRIBLE acting (Ian Ziering and Tara Reid are truly awful), April's new super powers, the shark-inside-a-shark-inside-a-shark-inside-a-whale scene, the baby chainsaw, the shark defibrillators, the terrible green screen work, the bad movie one-liners, the pointless cameos (including Jedward), the bad Baywatch jokes, the cliffhanger...

Yeah I loved it.

I wonder if they are deliberately doing poor special effects for the cheese factor?

CastorTroy · 08-08-2016 12:32pm

Yeah think I recognised only a few of the cameos. Looking the others up and they're from likes of Housewives of Beverly Hills. Gena Lee Nolin looked good though.
I was trying to figure out who Gemini was supposed to be. Finn's sister?
Watching it I just realised they have just given up on any attempt to make it realistic.
I will admit I laughed at him saying "Hey bud..." and it turned out to be David Faustino he was talking to.
And how can Jedward be in 2 Sharknado movies and

survive both

?

But I will watch the next one if it gets made.

Next up is 2 Lava 2 Lantula.

Edit: Oh and confirmed to be set in the same timeline as Defiance, with how the arch was destroyed.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 12-08-2016 12:35am

Mr E wrote: »

I just finished Sharknado 4. I didn't think it would be possible to be worse than the first 3, but they pulled it off. With the different tornado types (sandnado, bouldernado, hailnado, lightningnado, firenado, lavanado, cownado and nukenado), horrible HORRIBLE special effects, horrible HORRIBLE acting (Ian Ziering and Tara Reid are truly awful), April's new super powers, the shark-inside-a-shark-inside-a-shark-inside-a-whale scene, the baby chainsaw, the shark defibrillators, the terrible green screen work, the bad movie one-liners, the pointless cameos (including Jedward), the bad Baywatch jokes, the cliffhanger...

Yeah I loved it.

I wonder if they are deliberately doing poor special effects for the cheese factor?

CastorTroy wrote: »

Yeah think I recognised only a few of the cameos. Looking the others up and they're from likes of Housewives of Beverly Hills. Gena Lee Nolin looked good though.
I was trying to figure out who Gemini was supposed to be. Finn's sister?
Watching it I just realised they have just given up on any attempt to make it realistic.
I will admit I laughed at him saying "Hey bud..." and it turned out to be David Faustino he was talking to.
And how can Jedward be in 2 Sharknado movies and
survive both
?

But I will watch the next one if it gets made.

Next up is 2 Lava 2 Lantula.

Edit: Oh and confirmed to be set in the same timeline as Defiance, with how the arch was destroyed.

Just got around to watching it. It was deliciously awful. Best (worst?) so far. Absolutely loved it. Many of the cameos went over my head but the ones I knew were just brilliant - my favourite had to be David Faustino.

And the cheesy one-liners and homages were just gloriously dreadful.

The Black Oil · 12-08-2016 7:43pm

Yeah, pass, I think.

https://twitter.com/moryan/status/764142684986417152

https://twitter.com/moryan/status/764144056666427392

Frank O. Pinion · 13-08-2016 4:02pm

If it's exciting television, I have no problem 90 minute episodes. The real problem is it happens too much with slow, non-exciting shows. I haven't checked out The Get Down yet, but do the people who complain about 90 minute TV episodes never watch films?

Brian CivilEng · 16-08-2016 1:26pm

Am I right in saying that the only place in Ireland where I can buy digitally individual episodes and tv box sets is the Microsoft App Store (previously Xbox video)? Keep getting burned by box sets disappearing off of netflix and sky, but when I search online to buy episodes it seems the big 3 (Google play, Amazon and apple itunes) don't sell tv shows in Ireland. Are there no domestic companies picking up the slacks, "Sean's TV Download Shop" or the like?

Agent Coulson · 18-08-2016 7:50pm

Steven Bochco has released a memoir. For those old enough to remember what was huge at the time David Caruso leaving NYPD Blue here is a bit from the memoir.

By the end of the cop drama’s breakout first season, “David Caruso had become impossible,” Bocho writes in the book (a portion of which has been excerpted on THR.com). “Caruso’s behavior was, simply put, cancerous. He was emotionally unavailable to everyone, and he was volatile, moody or sullen, depending on the day. Most people don’t function well in a dysfunctional environment, but Caruso loved it because he was the source of all the discontent, and it empowered him.
“He never said it to me directly, but the simple truth was, Caruso felt he was too good for television,” Bochco adds. “He wanted to be a movie star. And his plan was to alienate the writers, producers and his fellow castmates in hopes that we would dump him from the show.”

When that didn’t happen, Caruso asked to be let out of his contract unless certain demands were met, Bochco alleges. Among them: A raise from $40K to $100K an episode, as well as “Fridays off… a 38-foot trailer…. an office suite on the lot, replete with his own development executive, for whom we had to foot the bill to the tune of $1,000 a week… two hotel suites in New York when the company went there on location, plus a dozen first-class plane tickets… and additional security to shield him from his adoring public.”
In the end, Caruso was written out of NYPD Blue four episodes into Season 2. Jimmy Smits, meanwhile, was brought in to replace him and, as Bocho states, ended up making “the series even greater.”

http://tvline.com/2016/08/18/david-caruso-nypd-blue-exit-controversy-steven-bochco-memoir/

That could be an interesting memoir to read in general .

CastorTroy · 20-08-2016 12:55am

Amazon pilots out. Watched The Tick. Never saw the animated series and saw the live action series years ago. I thought this one was good but not much of The Tick so far.
Jean-Claude Van Johnson was fun. I would happily watch more

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 20-08-2016 1:49am

CastorTroy wrote: »

Amazon pilots out. Watched The Tick. Never saw the animated series and saw the live action series years ago. I thought this one was good but not much of The Tick so far.

I didn't think much of the new The Tick pilot. Any live-action adaptation will never be a patch on the animated series though, and the 2001 version is probably the closest we'll get to the cartoon.

You should definitely watch the animated version, it's really clever and funny and can just do things with the characters (especially the villains) that a live-action version will never be able to achieve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdeci6W3HyU

CastorTroy · 20-08-2016 2:42pm

Yeah, I plan on watching the animated series.

Mr E · 23-08-2016 12:44pm

I used to like the US Apprentice when it was just regular cocky business people who were full of themselves. I lost interest when it became a celebrity-only format (and all episodes become coma-inducing 90 minute snoozefests).

Arnie is taking over from Trump in January 2017 and this promo is horrendous (yet predictable).

I wish it wasn't celebrities again, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLO5ZmO_Y-w

Mr E · 23-08-2016 5:32pm

This is pretty cool. A cartoon version of the 60s Batman (including voice acting by Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar). Jesus they sound old though...

It also has to be said - the kitsch levels are authentic!

Coming out October 11th on digital platforms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r6a8bOahFQ

_Tombstone_ · 23-08-2016 7:36pm

Snatch TV show

.http://moviepilot.com/posts/4052375

Mr E · 23-08-2016 10:09pm

Started Happy Valley tonight. It has been on my watch list for a long time but I never got around to it.

Totally hooked now, excellent show.

Basq · 23-08-2016 10:28pm

Mr E wrote: »

Started Happy Valley tonight. It has been on my watch list for a long time but I never got around to it.

Totally hooked now, excellent show.

Oh my God.. it's taken you this long Dave?!

It's a cracker!

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 23-08-2016 11:37pm

Mr E wrote: »

Started Happy Valley tonight. It has been on my watch list for a long time but I never got around to it.

Totally hooked now, excellent show.

Basq wrote: »

Oh my God.. it's taken you this long Dave?!

It's a cracker!

This has been on my list for awhile, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Might give it a whirl when I'm done with my current re-watch of The Wire...

The Black Oil · 24-08-2016 11:31am

Happy Valley is great.

Just a few episodes of Fargo s2 left to watch. Haven't returned to American Odyssey.

somesoldiers · 24-08-2016 12:26pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

Happy Valley is great.

Just a few episodes of Fargo s2 left to watch. Haven't returned to American Odyssey.

totally agreed on Happy Valley, I watched 3 or 4 American Odyssey and had totally forgotten about it til now which shows how much I enjoyed it. All too samey I thought, I like Anna Friel though

Mr E · 24-08-2016 5:48pm

Meanwhile, in North Korea....

North Korea launches a Netflix-style streaming service called Manbang

Manbang means "Everything" in Korean (apparently).

Oh dear.

Agent Coulson · 24-08-2016 9:05pm

Just came across The 100 Code and have been watching it over the last few days a Nordic Noir series written by Irish writer Ken Bruen made by HBO Nordic starring Michael Nyqvist & Dominic Monaghan it's full of cliches but still a very enjoyable.

somesoldiers · 25-08-2016 10:30am

I've been watching Canadian police drama 19-2. Has a bit of a Southland feel. 3 series out so far and getting stronger each time

Set in Montreal, the show centres around the professional and personal lives of patrol officers from Poste 19 of the Service Police Metropolitain (Montreal Police Department), a fictitious version of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal. The series name comes from the callsign of the patrol car of the main characters.[NB 1]

pickarooney · 26-08-2016 5:53am

Watching Clan/The Outlaws at the moment. Belgian black comedy drama, really good.

The Black Oil · 28-08-2016 11:30am

Going to check out Peaky Blinders.

The Sofa (General Chat Thread)

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