TV and Movies

[GingerPeach]

I believe Halt and Catch Fire has been on for a while but I caught an episode last night and now will have to make a point to go back and watch all the earlier ones.

This show (if you haven't seen it) is about a Silicon Valley start-up back in the 80s.  I found it well done and easy to watch.  I liked the characters.

[ChynnaBlue]

I really enjoyed the first season of Halt and Catch Fire. I have recorded all of season 2 but have only seen the first two episodes and need to catch up on the rest.

Season 2 is definitely of interest to me because of the new company, Mutiny. In the mid 1980s, someone I knew ran a small company where he had a dozen modems and some computers and ran an internet chat room and game service years before AOL. An entire 24 people could join at a time and chat, play games, or send messages. I had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people. Even back then, there were also creepers and weird people online, but the majority of the people I chatted with were very nice. Many I met in person because we were all local and many were friends of friends and attended the three local high schools.

[GingerPeach]

I was struck by the way one of the owners/creators had a "Community" portion of their site and how attached she realized the users had become to it.

p.s.  How's that free shipping coming along? 

[just bee]

I was one of the three people who watched the first season.  It looked grim: Would the low ratings sink this ship?  I worked in Silicon Valley in the early days and this series scratches an _tch.  And so does Lee Pace.  This second season has been pretty darned satisfying.  I'm really starting to enjoy Toby Huss.  I like this series and I hope it catches fire.  No pun intended.

[Lilysmom]

I started watching this too.  I am really liking it.  About three shows in.  Never was a techie expert as my friends here know but lived through the introduction of computers in the workplace so I can relate to a lot of the stories.  It's really amazing where computers and the internet can take us.  Can't imagine living without them, can you?  LM

[just bee]

I have four typewriters in my garage that no one will ever want.  I have movies on tape and DVD, music on vinyl, cassette, and CD.  I have books.  (They're this paper construct -- words on pages bound by an outer casing.  Similar to magazines but usually heavier.)

No, I don't see a future without computers.

[JanetsGirl]

I am one of the few who started watching this series from the first show. I find the overall story interesting. It focuses on the tech industry in the early to mid 1980’s — the early years when things were a bit wild and free for all. The series takes place in Texas, which at that time was a hot bed of tech innovation. The first season’s primary focus was on the creation of the new product by a mid-sized company, with appearances by the big tech companies of the time. The script was terrific and the acting and directing were very good. The primary focus for this new second season seems to have shifted to character development and is centered on the ups and downs of a start up company. I don’t know how I feel about that focus shift yet. That said, I do very much enjoy the development of the two primary female characters. In so much of drama tv series the female characters have perfect make-up, hair, clothes, etc. and are either airheads or always have some slick perfect comeback remark to the situation. I don’t know any women like that. The two female characters in this show, however, are smart, career driven and have their share of ups and downs. I know many women like this. Moreover, they are smart in the tech industry as to both software and hardware, which makes them even more interesting. I’m looking forward to what the show writers do with these characters.

[chickenbutt]

I watched the first season, as I was a fan of Lee Pace from 'Soldier's Girl'.    I pretty much enjoyed the first season, but I dropped it after the first couple episodes of S02.  

I droped three or four shows that same week, though.  I guess I was on a bender with getting bored easily. 

I hope the show continues to be good.  I did like it.  Maybe I just have too many shows and lost my patience for a few of them.  I also dropped Hannibal and I can't even remember the other one.  d'oh!    I thought Hannibal was good but I just got tired of the whole 'Will' thing.   That got way too tedious for me.

[anisa]

I've been watching since the first show of the first season. Sometimes I find it hard to follow, but overall I like it a lot. Gordon is my favorite character.