PanthersATL

They said it was when Fedra restored power to a section of town, they inadvertently powered up the closed off mall that nobody is supposed to go in. Reasonable explanation, considering. As one critic said this week as to why the mall episode worked: the series keeps a close eye, through Ellie, on what’s been lost. Ellie’s fondness for even a dilapidated shopping center offers a reminder of how simple pleasures can be as important as food and shelter. This ruined complex is meaningful not because it houses a sick collection of Halloween decorations, but because it’s a monument to Ellie and Riley’s friendship. Genuine human connection is rare enough in a normal world. Sure, this episode included little forward momentum of the overarching plot, but that’s the point: The show is not just about whether Joel and Ellie will save the world. It’s about what is left to save, and why they should save it at all.

While the overarching theme of the show is tied to the infected (or zombies, for easier reference) -- the show itself is not a zombie show The first episode makes it seem like it's All Zombies, All The TIme. But it's not. It's about how people still need to find a connection to other despite difficult circumstances. Perhaps "difficult" is an understatement given the fungus. But folks have lived - some would say thrived - over 20 years, as they found their connections that could get them through. As someone who hasn't played the game, the show is pretty darn good. The fact that it is inspired by a game doesn't detract. Yes, there are set pieces that seem very video game-ish. But so does pretty much any action film. Was the Ellie backstory required to be a full hour episode? For the TV viewing audience - probably. But the same could be said for episode 3 -- these stories needed to be told to bring the human element to the character's drive to find those connections. To me, this is basically a Zombie-themed version of The Mandalorian. In both shows, Pedro Pascal is tasked with bringing The Child to an unknown/hidden destination, with various people helping or trying to prevent things along the way.

From that terrific Panthers.com article, it says for the 18 coaches listed we have... 191 combined years of NFL Coaching experience 75 years of player time 10 super bowl rings 266 total years of NFL experience How does this stack up against what other teams have as experience on their coaching staffs? Is 20+ coaches a normal number to have? Looking at the Patriots, for lack of anything else to do: Belichick has 47 years in coaching the other 20 coaches have.... 161 years amongst them

Season 2 has already been approved

I keep thinking that instead of Joel and Elle vs the infected, it's Mandalorian and Grogu vs the Troopers. Pedro Pascal is basically playing the same character. Same plotlines. Shows how hard it is to act while wearing a helmet.

Epi 5 in KC was terrific. Epi 6 in Jackson Hole was pretty darn good too. Really looking forward to next week, which appears from the preview to be some more backstory we haven’t gotten yet. Or maybe it’s new story. Either way, it’s going to be good.

So now the next question is…. Does a stacked coaching staff entice players to want to come to Carolina and be a part of this show? I mean, it cant hurt, but really how big is the player benefit when looking from the outside? and I’m sure the current roster are watching this and saying WTF in a good way.

Any concerns about the ages of some of the older coaches, and how long they’ll be with the team vs retirement?

And willing to make corrections and improve. question: how many coaches are too many? and would Reich be #4 on the QB depth chart?

Waiting for @SCP to chime in with words of wisdom.

Taylor Swift would have been a good get, but for years she was associated with Diet Coke, and Pepsi ran the half-time gig. So that was never going to happen. Once Pepsi bowed out and Apple stepped in, it became more likely to get Taylor. Maybe next year. A reminder that the headliner does not get paid for their participation (at least, not by the NFL). The exposure, on the other hand, can pay dividends in increased sales/streams/consumption. The problem with using the Grammys as an indicator is that they're going to be more "sound of the moment" rather than music that would appeal to a larger audience. It's why we typically get older artists with an established discography rather than, let's say, Harry Styles or Sam Smith. (and if Sam Smith pulled the Grammy UNHOLY performance at the Super Bowl, there'd be hell to pay. Literally - based on the response the Grammy segment got from ultra-conservatives and TV pundits) Everyone thought we'd get Jimmy Buffett at the recent Miami super bowl. But while his stuff is easy to listen to, it's not mass-market crowd toe-tapping music. Probably the same reason there hasn't been a big Country star as a headliner. And you can blame the Panthers SB appearance in Houston for the NFL wanting to play it more safe with artists. No more nipples! Which likely means current rockers-of-the-moment MANESKIN will not be invited to play - not without extra-heavy-duty nipple tape available. Recent headliners: Rihanna Hip Hop Spectacle (Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Blige, Lamar) ---- oooh, there was a terrific behind-the-scenes doc on this segment on... uh, showtime?... that's worth watching Weeknd Shakira / J-Lo Maroon 5 Justin Lady Gaga Coldplay Katy Perry Bruno Mars Beyonce Madonna Black Eyed Peas The Who Bruce Tom Petty Prince Rolling Stones McCartney Janet / Justin Shania Twain / No Doubt U2 With next year's SB taking place in Vegas - the availablity of more interesting headliners looms large. U2 will be the first act to play in the new MSG SPHERE, so maybe they'd be asked back - it's been 20 years...

What does the script say?

When is Luke coming back? We’ve all been keeping that seat warm for him…l

(did I read this here earlier?) any contractor that insists on Venmo - especially without a signed contract - is likely not licensed, insured, or paying appropriate taxes etc.

no, not for DCs. at least, that's what I've been told.

Happy for Wilks. Sad that he's not sticking with us as DC and ended up going somewhere else to be DC. Sure, I get why various people felt he should depart for elsewhere, doesn't mean I have to like it.

same company did the GOT graphics as TLOU. The original running length of Epi 3 was two hours. It got cut back to the 1:20 running time -- would be super interested in seeing the original edit. Kudos to HBO for giving the showrunners the space to let the story breath.

Epi 2 was pretty good, better than how epi 1 laid out epi 3 is fantastic.

Looks like we're getting another year of Greg in the #1 announcer slot? Good.

Thanks for asking. Been there, done that. Literally got a tshirt. Happy to offer advice from experience, but not currently looking for more things to do.

having run a forum before: consider legal liabilities/protections and copyright awareness (among other related topics when it comes to hosting a community) before spinning up yours.

You need to have content to go along with the forum. I'd suggest establishing the content first to establish traffic/authority before moving on to a forum space. See how your content engages users via on-site comments, etc. Find out if you even have an audience to warrant creating a forum in the first place?

A forum isn't necessarily the guaranteed passive income you think it will be. Lots of work to maintain/manage for little $ return until you get the dedicated base of traffic. And going immediately along the subscription route is tough if you haven't already established your forum as THE authority on the topic first. Don't buy into the online hype you see from influencer articles where people are travelling the world claiming they only work "1-2 hours a week". They had to put in 80+ hour weeks on their part-time gig first. And not everybody is willing to put in that sort of effort.

Not everybody is or wants to be on FB. Same with Reddit (although browsing Reddit is easier than browsing FB). Think of a dedicated forum like a community that can stand on its own, rather than being dependent on someone else's real estate and traffic. Lots of boards are successful in avoiding political or other polarizing discussion, and spam/hackers can be dealt with in various manners.

To answer your question: are forums still a thing? Yes -- if you're able to keep the conversation focused on the topic at hand and set groundrules for what constitutes good/bad member behaviour. Eventually the thing becomes self-moderating, but it won't be at the start.