I actually rewatched it tonight and I've changed my mind that the "power corrupts" theme doesn't go anywhere. On a second viewing (where I could concentrate 100% without someone eating popcorn loudly in my ear) I thought there was actually quite a well rounded arc built around that theme, ::: spoiler spoiler with the conclusion coming when Lawrence admits to Bellini he has considered his own papacy and finally succumbs by voting for himself. The suicide bombing occurs right as he casts his vote, and acts as a symbolic intervention from God in response to his sin.
Aside from distraction in the cinema and the benefits of a second viewing, I think the reason I overlooked this the first time around is because it is immediately followed and perhaps overshadowed by the multiple plot twists involving Benitez, who until then hasn't featured much in the film. Originally I thought his story didn't really tie in with that of Lawrence, and I still think it is underdeveloped considering the ending of the film, but now I can see that if Benitez represents innocence then the ending of the film is really about Lawrence coming through a trial of his faith and the temptation of sin to rediscover this. :::
Okay, so you're asking what the point is in buying it at launch...in which case I'd agree. The same could be said for many consoles throughout history, and particularly for Nintendo consoles which are always primarily about the games.
It has microSD and up to 3 major Android upgrades (so probably 3 - 4 years of security), according to GSMArena. If it's anything like the first one, the "modularity" aspect has nothing to do with repairability and is just a gimmick.
What’s the point of the Switch 2? It seems like it’ll only have a small handful of exclusives that’ll cost maybe $1,000… that seems crazy expensive for like.4 games.
The "point" is that more exclusive games will be developed for it over its lifetime, which will last a lot longer than the year of release. You can point to many consoles throughout history and ask "wHaTs tHe PoInT???" based on their launch titles.
But it’s also not just “what happens in Victoria”. The linked review shows the official national Facebook page for the party
Yeah that's a fair point, I did miss that those comments were made on the national page. In line with my argument, I would say that the social media accounts for a micro-party are not necessarily as reliable as those of larger parties and are more prone to individual influence. You can see in one of the screenshots in the article at the top of this comment chain that whoever was operating the Twitter account at the time was actually out of touch with decisions that had been about HTV cards in one electorate. To me, the whole fiasco looks a lot more like the usual micro-party clusterfuck where you have too many different competing egos and influences, leading to a disorganised and poorly communicated mess. I wouldn't definitively state that it's evidence of some party-wide shift to the right, like some in this thread are claiming. But I can see why voters on the left would steer clear of Fusion at this election, particularly when there are some more stable and cohesive left-wing micro-parties like the AJP running in the same electorates.
Yeah I definitely saw this and was a little disappointed it didn’t amount to anything. I left it out because I wasn’t actually sure it was really there, or if I just read it into the film without serious evidence.
I had the exact same experience. I went with some family, so we were talking about it afterwards and I mentioned that I was kind of disappointed that this seduction of power element didn't go anywhere and no one else even knew what I was talking about. But I think we're right, it was definitely in there...we're not crazy!
I agree with you and I think quite a few other people have shared similar sentiments here too. There is nothing wrong with any of the narrative components that comprise the ending, but they aren't given enough time throughout the film to match everything that has come before. All the political thriller tension type stuff leading up to the finale is consistently excellent and there is a lot of time spent on this sort of personal crisis the lead is going through, with quite a bit of foreshadowing that he is going to be corrupted by a lust for power. Yet that never actually comes, and instead we get a different ending which is fine but hasn't received anywhere near as much attention. It's like a 9/10 film for 85% that drops to a 6/10 right at the end. I left the cinema feeling somewhat disappointed but if I reflect honestly on the entire film it was still great and absolutely worth the watch.
Take a look at this list. SHIFT from Germany is somewhat comparable to Fairphone in terms of modularity, HMD from FInland has also recently introduced some modular design into their phones. Note that these phonse are not manufactured in Europe, I'm not sure if any smartphone is. Another option not listed on that Wikipedia page is Mudita, from Poland, which is in the process of launching its first minimalist e-ink smartphone the Kompakt.
Again, you are missing the point if you assume that what happens in VIctoria has any connection to what is happening in other states. You are vastly overestimating how organised party politics is at this level, it is much more about powerful and loud individuals making acting on behalf of everyone else (often without even informing them) than it is about collaborative decision making. People are often there for their own selfish reasons, that's why these micro-parties tend to implode and have loads of weird drama that you just don't see in larger parties. I very much doubt my SA candidates are even aware of the preference deal controversy happening over there.
Android journalists do the same pump and dump with the 9 - 12 month newer Motorola every year now. It's quite funny how they all just collectively ignore desynced release cycles and pretend like their comparison between the 2025 Motorola and the 2024 Samsung is a fair and/or useful one. Wouldn't you know it? The newer Motorola wins every single time! How surprising!
Using major parties like Labor, or even popular third parties like The Greens, as an example misses the point. The reason they are more trustworthy is because their candidates are screened more intensely. There is a much stronger connection between the party and the candidate, and the actions of one can often be an insight into the other.
On the other hand, it is quite normal for micro-parties to be a confusing clusterfuck, and for that reason you can't assume a local candidate is good or bad based on how the broader party is operating in other areas. Micro-parties are not organisations/institutions in the same way as larger parties, they are ultimately just collections of individuals who share some kind of common sentiment and that makes them much more volatile.
Not sure if it's a practical choice but that 'Mountain Trail' one with the "wood" back looks amazing.
Again, I don't necessarily agree with that last part because every candidate and branch may (or may not) be different. Frankly, I don't really care who is being preferenced in Victoria when I'm voting in South Australia. But yes, I absolutely agree that Fusion as a concept has a major issue in that it's values and policy positions are so broad that it makes it very difficult for me as a voter to determine which aspects of the party platform are core, where influence lies and why my candidate is running under the party banner. I like a lot about Fusion but I expect that I'm actually a minority in that regard and that people are probably more likely to be attracted by specific elements of the party, which is a problem for stability and transparency. I am fortunate to have a lower house Fusion candidate in my seat but I can't preference him above The Greens guy because it's not at all clear why he is running or what he stands for.
This is only from Victoria, it doesn't mean necessarily mean that your local candidate or branch is the same (depending on where you live). Fusion is a micro party that attracts a very wide range of people, so I don't think painting them all with the same brush is a particularly smart or helpful thing to do.
Recently, it’s been listening to audiobooks while sharpening all my kitchen knives.
This sounds so ominous lol
Haven't they had major issues with the OneUI 7 rollout on other devices? I don't think this has anything to do with OneUI being "bloated" as others are saying, like you my family has many mid-range Samsungs and none of them ever had performance issues. Last year's weren't anywhere near this bad, either. To me it sounds like something is seriously fucked up with OneUI 7, which these new phones are launching with, and that is the major reason why it the weaker chipsets are suddenly struggling.
That white one is a thing of beauty, such a clean design. I always loved the look of these phones with their uninterrupted displays (kinda crazy that is actually a feature now).
Weird, I don’t remember that being in the article when I read it.
It's from a different article, that's why I linked it at the end of the quote.
is there precedent for Nintendo going after people who sell Jailbroken devices without copyrighted content on them?
Not that I'm aware of. Companies are generally much more concerned about distribution rather than usage, as the former has greater potential to affect them financially. That's why they try to shut down modding projects, go after re-sellers, threaten people who share (seed/host) pirated content, etc. It's much more efficient than trying to target individual users one-by-one. In adjacent industries, like the film and music industries, companies target torrent site owners and seeders rather than people who only download pirated content. The definitions and legal precedents around copyright law in particular countries can also make it difficult for companies to go after individual users. Basically every single case I have seen in the decades I've been following this stuff involved people who were trying to make money or distribute publically.