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the box

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
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  • S Shog9 0

    So, do you get to keep the box if you don't press the button?

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    ragnaroknrol
    wrote on last edited by
    #22

    I would assume no. They want to take it to someone else to see if they will press it.

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    • M Member 96

      It's a bit mystifying how you can make a movie with such a thin premise as a *remake*. After all everyone will know the only twist in the story before they go to see it. :) As a twilight zone episode it was perfect subject matter for such a short format. As a movie though? After everyone knows the premise already? Bad idea. It frustrates me to no end that there are zillions of absolutely epic sci fi novels and short stories out there, any one of which would make an excellent movie or tv show in the right hands that are passed over for rehashing tired old ideas and remakes because of the sad risk averse mentality of the big entertainment industry.


      "Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it." -- Lore Sjöberg

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      Christian Graus
      wrote on last edited by
      #23

      John C wrote:

      After all everyone will know the only twist in the story before they go to see it. Smile

      Yes, this has me beat, but I presume the answer is that they assume that their target audience was too young to have seen the Twilight Zone. I saw the poster and immediately got what it was. No chance I'd bother seeing it.

      Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.

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      • C Corporal Agarn

        Does the button pusher get informed who died? If not you could convince yourself that no one really dies.

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        Christian Graus
        wrote on last edited by
        #24

        If you saw the original Twilight Zone episode, the protagonists spend the episode convincing themselves that it doesn't really matter if one more person dies. Then when they get the money the guy tells them the button will now be given to someone else. 'Someone you've never met, someone you don't know'. The phrasing is the same as the way he described who would die, so it's clear when you push the button, the last person to push it, is the one who dies.

        Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.

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        • C Christian Graus

          I've seen the poster and assumed that's what it was about. It's an old Twilight Zone episode. The punchline was that it was clear at the end that the next people who pushed the button, would by doing so, kill the last person who decided that the death of a random person could be justified. No, I wouldn't.

          Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.

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          Dinobot_Slag
          wrote on last edited by
          #25

          So it should really go something like "1. A random person dies 2. You get a million dollars 3. You die." But I guess that wouldn't be quite as intriguing.

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          • C Christian Graus

            I've seen the poster and assumed that's what it was about. It's an old Twilight Zone episode. The punchline was that it was clear at the end that the next people who pushed the button, would by doing so, kill the last person who decided that the death of a random person could be justified. No, I wouldn't.

            Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.

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            ragnaroknrol
            wrote on last edited by
            #26

            I believe 75% of this movie is them figuring this out and trying to go meet the next person in line to get the button. They can't kill you if the person with the box knows you. While a brilliant way not to get killed for being greedy, sooner or later you will either run out of money or time and so they will get you. Not exactly a good deal for you.

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            • R ragnaroknrol

              I would assume no. They want to take it to someone else to see if they will press it.

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              Christian Graus
              wrote on last edited by
              #27

              In the Twilight Zone movie it was kind of like Eve and the apple. They had to keep looking at it, and therefore keep considering pressing it.

              Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.

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              • R ragnaroknrol

                I would assume no. They want to take it to someone else to see if they will press it.

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                Shog9 0
                wrote on last edited by
                #28

                Well, it makes a huge difference - if they keep trucking it around, then there's a chance you'll be the unknown stranger killed by some other selfish bastard.  And even if it isn't you, someone still gets killed regardless of which choice you make. Lots of fodder for rationalization, if you don't get to keep the box...

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                • S Single Step Debugger

                  John C wrote:

                  Not sure what you mean by that. There have been a *lot* of "blockbuster" sci fi movies but the ratio of truly good sci fi (and fantasy) stories to movie remake schlock is astounding.

                  Probably this has something to do with the special effects’ cost. Hopefully now when the prize of the computerized effects is going down we will see some quality SiFi moves. I personally can’t wait for the James Cameron’s “Avatar”.

                  The narrow specialist in the broad sense of the word is a complete idiot in the narrow sense of the word. Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.

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                  Steve Mayfield
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #29

                  Avatar estimated production cost: $230 Million :omg:

                  Steve _________________ I C(++) therefore I am

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                  • S Shog9 0

                    Well, it makes a huge difference - if they keep trucking it around, then there's a chance you'll be the unknown stranger killed by some other selfish bastard.  And even if it isn't you, someone still gets killed regardless of which choice you make. Lots of fodder for rationalization, if you don't get to keep the box...

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                    ragnaroknrol
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #30

                    It's pretty safe to assume anyone willing to give you a million dollars to kill someone is willing to wait until someone else pushes the button to kill you. Safest way to deal with this is ask to be excused, push the button, get your money, then kill them and use power tools and a pig farm to dispose of them. I think I have been stuck in Iowa too long...

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                    • R ragnaroknrol

                      It's pretty safe to assume anyone willing to give you a million dollars to kill someone is willing to wait until someone else pushes the button to kill you. Safest way to deal with this is ask to be excused, push the button, get your money, then kill them and use power tools and a pig farm to dispose of them. I think I have been stuck in Iowa too long...

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                      Shog9 0
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #31

                      ragnaroknrol wrote:

                      I think I have been stuck in Iowa too long...

                      Heh. Yeah, I once spent the better part of an afternoon there too... :-\

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                      • T thrakazog

                        So coming out soon is the movie the box.[^] The basic premise of the movie is that you can hit a magic button that will give you a million dollars and kill somebody you don't know. I'm pretty sure after thinking it over like Stimpy here[^] I'd smash the jolly candy like button with my whole fist. Would you push the button?

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                        peterchen
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #32

                        no

                        Personally, I love the idea that Raymond spends his nights posting bad regexs to mailing lists under the pseudonym of Jane Smith. He'd be like a super hero, only more nerdy and less useful. [Trevel]
                        | FoldWithUs! | sighist | µLaunch - program launcher for server core and hyper-v server

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                        • C Chris Austin

                          I think I've read this one before when I was in third grade. Except then it was called "The Monkey's Paw".

                          And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning. --Isaac Asimov Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --Ralph Charell

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                          Vikram A Punathambekar
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #33

                          Hey, I read that too. What is third grade? Is it two years of KG, then grade 1, grade 2, etc? I read it in a higher class, around 8th standard (that's like I described).

                          Cheers, Vikram. (Cracked not one CCC, but two!)

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