Re: Seamaster and Iago's endless rehashing Bond thread

**Seamaster** Fri Feb 01, 2013 10:31 am

It's funny that some of those things are drawbacks.

The slight lag is present in many cars. Highly sprung turbo-charged engines are notorious for lag until the turbo spools. And I haven't been in an automatic-equipped car that didn't demonstrate some lag when stomping on the gas. Even milliseconds are detectable if you're looking for instant response. In fact, the only cars that might offer truly instant response are electric cars, but I have never driven one, so I don't know for sure.

I drive a six-speed Mazdaspeed 6 and while the turbo is that car is geared for low-rev boost, lag is still present. I think it's inherent in all cars save for big-block engines that are only found in old American cars and today's supercars, where the lag is less detectable.

The rollback on hills is also typical of a manual transmission, so even an automated manual transmission would demonstrate that trait unless the clutch was balanced perfectly (something a firmware debate could address). The only alternative is adding a clutch pedal back into the car, but that would defeat the purpose.

I had to smile at your comment about manuals providing harsher shifts. That is definitely true, but I actually take pride and make an effort to shift so that my passengers are unaware of the shift. Of course, that goes out the window during spirited driving.

**Iago** Fri Feb 01, 2013 3:55 pm

From the early reviews of the Focus that I read, it was not lag that they considered the issue so much as it was hard to get the vehicle to downshift when passing, period. But like I said, it works just fine for us.

"Harsher" may not be the best choice of words, but obviously you figured out what I meant. Maybe "jerkier" would have been more accurate. But yes, like a manual transmission (not being driven by the likes of you, that is!) you feel the shifting. However, if you are used to a manual it is hardly too distracting, though it does take some getting used to at first since you are NOT accustomed to feeling that unless you are operating a clutch and stick. But again, we are ranging around 36mpg in mixed driving, so it is really hard to find fault!

I was looking for something on the various Bond sites and found a story that a making-of book for The Living Daylights is available again on Amazon. I had never heard of it, but they said that it was by the same author who wrote a book on the making of OHMSS in 2009. I had not heard of that one either, of course, but it really looks good. Check out the first review listed, which is by none other than John Cork, and he gave it a glowing write-up. The downside is that it costs $50, but I may just have to consider it:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Making-Majestys-Secret-Service/dp/0984412603/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359758577&sr=8-1&keywords=the+making+of+on+her+majesty%27s+secret+service

**Seamaster** Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:41 pm

I placed an order . . .

**Iago** Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:24 pm

For which one?

I did pick up the Blu-Ray yesterday, and plan on watching it this weekend. Looking forward to it!

By they way, Skyfall did cross $1.1 billion last weekend. It will settle about there; Return of the King will be out of its reach. But #7 all-time is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, only two of the movies above it were non-3D releases (ROtK and Titanic) so it is the #3 all time non-3D movie. But to be fair, it was available in Imax and the surcharge for that certainly did not hurt.

**Seamaster** Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:38 am

I ordered The Making of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I was ho-hum for about 10 seconds, then started reading Cork's review and that was that.

I haven't picked up Skyfall, but would like to do so this weekend. I'm going to do the Craig films as a trilogy and see how that goes.

**Iago** Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:51 pm

Yeah, Cork's review really is a major selling point. It does not sound like he is just blowing smoke, either. Well, you will have to let me know how it is. The last film-related book that I sank a lot of money into without even being able to browse through it was when I ordered David Kalat's book on the Godzilla series off of Amazon for the same $50, and I have to admit that was worth every penny. But I have spent a bit too much on toys lately, so I would rather read your review first. Eve just took a fairly major pay cut at work, and while we still make very good combined money, it cannot hurt to be a bit more careful. Mind you, I just saw that Amazon has all three seasons of Star Trek, the original series, for about $100, so they are not making it easy on me. But I am going to wait to spend the bucks on season two of Game of Thrones next week instead. Which is pricey enough!

**Seamaster** Fri Feb 15, 2013 12:28 pm

HBO does a good job of bending over consumers. But we willingly pay, so there isn't much more to say about it.

I'll let you know what I think of the book when it arrives.

**Iago** Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:24 pm

Yes, I keep eyeing both seasons of Rome for a good sale. And never fear, I have been watching True Blood closely and have yet to see the first season hit that magic $30 mark. Game of Thrones will cost me more than that, but I am committed to the series now. Did you ever finish the first season?

**Seamaster** Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:40 pm

I did. Love that show.

Having never read the books, I was a bit surprised by what happened to Stark (don't want to say too much in case I spoil anything).

**Iago** Sat Feb 16, 2013 3:49 pm

Given who played the part, you really should not have been surprised. I was more surprised by the golden crown scene, mostly because it seemed to completely discard what was shaping up to be a major plotline. In the case of Stark, the story goes on. But I have not read the books, either.

Speaking of the aforementioned actor, I do not know if you have seen the youtube compilation of all of his greatest "hits," but here it is. Needless to say, major spoilers abound, but I think that you have seen enough of the movies and shows in question that it will hardly ruin anything for you:

**Iago** Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:09 pm

Probably as good a thread as any for this, but Jalopnik took on the Bentley GT Speed convertible. Looks like a mighty fine car:

http://jalopnik.com/2013-bentley-continental-gt-speed-convertible-the-jalo-422337275

And, by the way, Skyfall took home two Oscars last night, one for song and one (a tie with Zero Dark Thirty!) for sound effects editing. Not "big" awards, of course, but they are the first Oscars won by a Bond film since Thunderball -- and those two wins officially doubled the total for the series from two to four. Sadly, Roger Deakins got screwed on the Cinematography award, his tenth loss.

**Seamaster** Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:10 pm

You'd be proud: I actually watched (some of) The Oscar's.

Nice review. If it was me, I'd stick to the coupe.

And the golden crown scene was awesome. Couldn't have happened to a nicer chap.

**Iago** Tue Feb 26, 2013 4:14 pm

Oh, I would never want a convertible -- I was more interested in the rest of the car. I do like this line in the review:

"Manageable power plus a gross weight of over 6,000 lbs and good tires equals Hulk smash."

Sounds like my kind of car. I am willing to give up some maneuverabilty for power. I am always impressed by the engineering feat of making bigger, heavier cars perform like the svelter cars. The fact that it nearly accelerates as well as a 911 despite weighing nearly a ton more is amazing.

I suffered throught the whole show. Seth McFarlane was truly terrible. On the other hand, I had a smashing year and only got three wrong for a 87.5% final number. It could have been higher, too, as I knew that Roger Deakins would lose again (he has had ten total nominations over the years!) for Skyfall, but I predicted him anyway to send good karma his way. Apparently it never reached him.

**Seamaster** Wed Feb 27, 2013 9:24 am

Communication breakdown!

I've always been fond of smaller, lighter, and more nimble cars, but heavy cars have their place. You cannot beat a heavy car for just cruising or cross-country touring on the highway. The heavy cars eat up the bumps much better and provide a smoother ride. If only funds allowed . . .

**Iago** Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:49 am

It is not so much the heavy as the power. You get more of a "feeling" of power in a heavier car travelling at the same speed as a lighter car -- certainly on the corners, but even on straightaways. It may be psychological, but I think that there really is something there.

By the way, I am hearing now that it was definitely Brosnan who threw a monkey wrench into the planned Bond tribute at the Oscars.

Did you get the OHMSS book yet?

**Iago** Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:11 pm

O.K., this is pretty cool:

http://www.evanshalshaw.com/bondcars/

**Iago** Sat Mar 02, 2013 6:57 pm

Hmm . . .

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=100663

**Seamaster** Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:03 pm

Mansfield? Hmmm, indeed.

That car site was cool.

I checked the tracking number and my book should have been delivered today. Unfortunately I won't have time to read it right away, as I have an exam in a week.

**Iago** Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:11 am

**Seamaster** Tue Mar 05, 2013 3:58 pm

You know what I meant . . .

**Iago** Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:01 am

No, actually I do not; apparently my single preposition was a bit too elliptical. I meant, your exam is in what?

**Seamaster** Wed Mar 06, 2013 11:31 am

Oh, sorry. I thought you were poking fun at my sloppy sentence.

The exam is in negotiation. Silly thing is, it's these common-sense type courses that are the most troubling from an academic perspective. And the exam results in a huge hand cramp too. The exam will comprise a case study and three essays, all to be completed, by hand, in three hours. The other issue I have is that I tend toward brevity. But conciseness is not always a plus with subjects that have a lot of grey area. And I'm often left wondering when other students talk about having produced a seven- or eight-page response, and I've only done about a page-and-a-half to two pages.

To help with the hand cramping, I'm considering writing the exam with a fountain pen. Fountain pens require less pressure to operate, which should mean less cramping. The drawback is that the ink takes longer to dry and might not mate well with the paper provided in the exam booklet. The other drawback is that I use a water-based ink that flows well and does not clog my pens; however, that ink is not archival quality. Exposure to water will result in my answer running off the page, which could be a good thing, now that I think about it.

**Iago** Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:10 pm

Just make sure that you are wearing an Omega while you are taking the exam, and you will not be worrying about the pen.

Some bad news:

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/sam-mendes-wont-direct-bond-24-who-should/

**Seamaster** Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:12 pm

I have a soft spot for pens like I do watches . . . .

That's too bad about Mendes.

**Iago** Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:56 am

Yes, I like what he did with Skyfall and the direction that he was taking. Bringing in a new director will likely change some of the things that Mendes would have done. In a way, though, I really do not blame him, as directing the follow up to Skyfall is setting himself up for a, well, fall from the sky. How do you top the most successful Bond film of all time, even in adjusted dollars, and the best-reviewd one in ages as well? No matter what, he would have set himself up for disappointment. Of course, whoever takes over from him is going to face a similar problem. I have read a lot of people mentioning Martin Campbell's name, and I would be perfectly happy to see if he can perform a hat trick, but I suspect that Eon will go elsewhere. Christopher Nolan's name keeps coming up as well, but I am skeptical that he would do it at this point, or that they would ask him. Nolan is a bit too much of an iconoclast, whereas Mendes was willing to fit into the Bond "factory" while still managing to make things his own.

Sponsored content