905 thoughts on “The Scroll Days of Summer

  1. … and of course this –
    Science division of White House office left empty as last staffers depart.
    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/science-division-of-white-house-office-now-empty-as-last-staffers-depart/

    On Friday afternoon, Eleanor Celeste, the assistant director for biomedical and forensic sciences at the OSTP, sent one last tweet before departing –
    Elle Celesteā€ @elleabella1112
    science division out. mic drop.

    https://twitter.com/elleabella1112/status/880870684485984256

  2. Last week, Jack posted a link to a comic that featured a character who was a child in Italy during the rise of fascism … how as a child, he didn’t see anyone making a big deal about the prison camps so it just started to seem “normal” to him and what will this current generation of kids start to accept as “normal”.

    It made me realize that not only had I mostly stopped talking about articles like I posted above … I had even stopped reading them. I would see the headlines and think, “Oh gee. More shenanigans.” and then move along.

    The steady erosion of civility, rationality and privacy is becoming “normal” and it is picking up speed. That I have started to only pay slight attention to anything but the twitter rants suddenly bothers me.

    So I may post more “shenanigan” links in the future. Feel free to ignore them. I think it’s just a last ditch effort to make me feel like I’ve not given up.

    • I encourage the effort to keep us all awake, J0e. We’re in danger of waking up one day and finding ourselves rounded into camps for those deemed “not loyal enough.”

  3. It’s suppose to be meltingly hot all week. What’s that about?

    Late June/early July is usually our rainiest time but not this year. We are way below our average rainfall and way above our average temperature.

  4. So, I do have to admit to being completely hooked on the Saga comic. Just wonderfully imaginative world-building and storytelling, full of these amazingly poignant little moments.
    There s my recommendation for the day.

  5. So between Canada Day and the July 4 holiday, I’m assuming most of us are off from work?

    Well, I should say, most you *you* because I’m at the office, for some reason.

    • Inviting neighbors over for cookout and fireworks tonight has turned today into a major work effort.
      Will I never learn?

      Mower broke with the front yard still to cut.
      On the other hand I have a growler of local Ale and a bunch of my homemade cider so …

    • Nope. I was also at office. Then came home and for some reason worked even harder on the yard. My day was finally doner about an hour ago

  6. Today’s MST3K joke… (from Rocket Attack USA)

    “All right, Captain, as long as you didn’t get inside.”
    TOM: Well, I got to third, if that counts for anything.

  7. Today, Americans celebrate their Declaration of Independence from a government that didn’t care about about their needs, and only took their money.

    “Taxation without representation” seems like a very interesting phrase this year.

  8. Because this is not normal …

    NPR tweets out the Declaration of Independence.
    Trump followers loose it. Call it propaganda and conclude that the lines about standing up to tyranny are advocating violence and the overthrow of the trump regime.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/05/some-trump-supporters-thought-npr-tweeted-propaganda-it-was-the-declaration-of-independence/?utm_term=.a35e8f19cb89&hpid=hp_no-name_hp-in-the-news%3Apage%2Fin-the-news

  9. Crap joke for the day:

    [couple on a blind date]

    HER: I’m a big country fan

    ME {trying to impress her}: China is very large

  10. So when did the meeting happen where it was decided we no longer need big teapots? I must have missed seed that one as I all can find are small teapots..

    • I’m the Ugly American that uses the “hot water” spout on my water dispenser to make tea. In my defense: 1) I use an electric kettle to get my water to a rolling boil at work where I drink 90% of my tea and 2) the company providing tap water in my area only recently sent out notices that because they had achieved 6 months of consecutive safety regulations, the water is “perfectly safe to drink” and, safe or not, the water tastes of sulfur.

  11. So… I took a Lyft from one remote area in Georgia to another remote area in Georgia. Quick ride, at 15 minutes. But, oh what a ride #ohwhataride, #hashtagsareforidiots, #whyamiusinghashtags? I had just hit up a brewery that was just across the river in Alabama and an odd oasis of a beer bottle shop in remote Georgia and I was feeling pretty good. My friend from work called for a Lyft driver and told me we were looking for a gentleman named “Dragan”. Not your typical Deep South name. When we got into the car, the guy asked how we were doing. Having had a few, I replied… “I have a case of beer, I’m as happy as a pig in shit.” He laughed and started telling us this uplifting (to me anyway) story of how he (being from an Easter European country) felt that it was refreshing to see an American that could understand how awesome life could be in this glorious country to which he had emigrated. I agreed con mucho gusto, even suggesting that we are a spoiled peoples that love to find anything to be unhappy about. But, as the brief and long 15 minute drive progressed, he transitioned from how awesome this country is because he can do something that would seem trivial to most Americans (such as owning a car) to how in his previous country a call from his ex-wife falsely claiming spousal abuse would simply be rotely dismissed by the police. And, from there it bled into an odd tail that I could only half follow about a naked woman in his car and the police in Georgia letting him go because… I really don’t know. For that matter, I don’t really even know the point of telling this story beyond what a strange occurrence it turned out to be. I think it’s time to turn in for the night and try to think of other things.

  12. Watched the first episodes of the new Castlevania animated to series.

    Nice animation but some of accents were jarring.

  13. OMFG…..

    So I pulled into the gas station to get some gas & a cup of coffee. When I was walking in, I noticed a police officer parked on the side, he was watching this woman who was smoking while pumping gas. Of course I saw her & thought “Is she nuts?!?! And the officer right there too…..Dumb!!!” But anywho, I went inside and got my coffee. As the cashier was giving me my receipt, I heard somebody screaming….I looked out the door & the woman’s arm was on fire!!!! She was swinging her arm & running around like crazy! I ran outside to assist the police officer who had JUST put the lady on the ground & was putting the fire out with his coffee!! (was NOT about to waste my coffee).
    Then he handcuffed her & threw her in the Police car.. lmbo. I was thinking “What kind of person smokes WHILE PUMPING GAS & think nothing’s gonna happen? Just dumb!” So being the inquisitive person that I am, I asked the officer what he was charging her with….. He looked me dead in the face & said …….. “WAVING A FIREARM!!”

  14. Ok, as you know The British are rather fond of tea. So we have kettles to boil the water and teapots to brew the tea.

    I hear you North Americans are not big on kettles, is this true?

  15. Depends on the person. There is a minority of tea fanatics out there that pay strict attention to the exact temperature of the water (e.g., 79.4c for green tea, 90.5 for oolong tea) and steeping time (1 minute for green tea, 3 minutes for oolong). In fact, we had a fancy schmancy tea kettle at work where you put the loose tea in a basket, told the kettle what kind of tea it was and it would get the water to the right temperature for you and drop the basket in for the right amount of time. The grand majority (if they drink tea at all) will pull barely hot water from a water cooler and drop in a cheap ass bag of Lipton or Tetley tea. I’m in the middle. I like loose leaf tea, but will pour boiling water or hot water cooler water over it (caring very little about what temperature the water is supposed to be) and let it steep until I remember about it again (10-15 minutes, sometimes a half hour). I also squeeze the tea bag (shame on me).

  16. I love that even at my age, I can still get weird looks for my concert t-shirt.

    And this one just has an extremely tame image of a Joe Satriani guitar. I should have worn my Overkill shirt.

  17. Thanks, y’all for the anniversary well wishes! We had a great, little quickie trip to the land of cooler (cough) weather and out-of-this-world scenary.

    A shower later and I am once again human!

  18. So an acquaintance was bemoaning the fact that we don’t really have many parody artists a la Dr. Demento anymore (Alan Sherman, Spike Jones, Kip Addotta). We both could cite Weird Al, and I could remember Tripod and The Axis of Awesome. I’m sure there are more out there who aren’t just one offs. Are there others you turn to?

  19. The parody reminds me that I watched all the despecialised editions of the first three films in 2015/16.

    So smug mode is on.

  20. Crapjoke for the day:

    Why do Swedish warships have bar codes on the sides?

    So that when they return to port, they can Scandinavian.

  21. FYI – The Lego Batman movie is awesome. Wonder Woman notwithstanding (is that all one word…dammit, can’t look back now), DC should just outsource their super hero movies to the Lego folks.

  22. Dude… Jack… that SyKotic Sinfoney video just blew up my 16 year old mind. There was a local PBS station that had a late-nite video show. “I’m So Happy” was a staple for a time, along with Bungle’s “Travolta”

  23. Happy birthday, TEB!

    In honor of TEB, Ditto, and Canada Day, here’s a Canadian joke that somebody told on the mike during the local convention we had this past weekend. To fill time while the costume contest was being judged, they opened the floor up for anyone to tell (family-friendly) jokes. I thought it was funny; I apologize if I inadvertently offend anyone.

    You know why Canadians are so nice? Every year, at the full moon of the sixth month, they all take part in a moonlight ritual that takes away all their meanness and orneriness…

    …and transfers it into Canadian geese.

    (Thank you! I’ll be here all week.)

    In other news, I just took advantage of my day off to go on an Internet shopping spree. I bought several books I’ve been meaning to read, booked my flight and my membership for this year’s Dragon Con (I confirmed last week that I’m sharing a room with the same roommate as last year), and booked a hotel room for this year’s Deadpan MMMMeetup (same hotel as Rhettro, for convenience). I can’t wait to see everyone! šŸ™‚

  24. Anyone watching “Blood Drive” on SYFY? I caught the tail end (snirt) of episode 6 and may go back to watch the whole series. It is, ah… interesting.

  25. Both The Big Sick and War for the Planet of the Apes are excellent. Both got me in the feels.

    And the loud drunken frat boys reminded me why I don’t usually go to a theater opening weekend.

    • Don’t know her but she seems neat.

      Well at least it only took 55 years! Here’s to another quick 55 when they finally make the Doctor non-white! Hell by 2345 he/she may actually be gay!

        • I liked her on Broadchurch and Black Mirror, she is an excellent choice. Haven’t watched Who though since the Eccleston days.

        • Ok.
          So I’ll take the contrarian view.
          I didn’t think I really cared about this when it was first rumored but know that it has happened it makes me sad.
          For one, I don’t get why this character HAS to be a woman. In my recollection, this character has never been about “being a man” so why is it imperative that he has to change gender?
          I don’t think it is and that is what makes me sad. This just feels like a “stunt”, done in an attempt to boost flagging interest.

          The last season or so I’ve felt like the quality of the story lines (on the whole) have really been in the decline. So rather than putting the time and effort (and money?) to develop solid scripts … they’ve gone for the diversion. “Pay no attention to the quality of the episode because !!LOOK!! the Dr. now comes with lady parts!”
          Time will tell of course but based on past performance, (where-in they brought in a REALLY quality actor like Peter Capaldi and then rarely gave him anything to work with )… I fear we are in for a season of lazy “look I have breasts” type one-liners, lots of cheeky innuendo about the Dr. now being a women and story lines revolving around the Doctor’s gender.
          My creeping disenchantment with this franchise has never involved the main character’s sex – so changing it does not seem to address what’s wrong.

          • Yeah, I kinda fall in that boat as well, particularly in the drop off in the show. While I liked Capaldi, I haven’t been terribly impressed with the show while he’s been on it. Actually, I haven’t been able to bother with the latest season with the new companion (unless she’s been around for more than one, I don’t really know).

            As for the actress herself, I must confess I have trouble seeing her in particular as the Doctor after two seasons of Broadchurch. She always struck me as one of the weaker elements of that otherwise great show.

            I guess we’ll see.

          • There are about 9 good solid counterpoints in these 2 posts. Ed, you’re the first person I’ve seen actually comment on the past performance of the actress herself.

            I also have yet to see newest season or its Xmas special, but I am completely disillusioned at this point, after two seasons of wasting a good Doctor on terrible stories. I do welcome a change, and I do think it’s a very positive social decision – – PC or not.

            I hope Jodie Whittaker is less publicity stunt, more “let’s see what new possibilities open up we shake things around a bit.” And following J0e’s point, I hope the first episode gets all of the body jokes out of the way.

      • I’m seeing it from both male and female fans. But generally this: http://imgur.com/gallery/wrxZeW5

        Personally, I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the choice of Capaldi either, but he grew on me. Her character in Broadchurch went through some horrendous stuff, but her acting choices weren’t anything that made me seek out her other roles. I’m happy that they are expanding their options for the Doctor, I’m just in wait and see mode ’til next spring.

          • One more note on this Doctor Who business: maybe it’s just my filters, but it does seem that I’m seeing more backlash against the backlash than actual backlash.

          • This is the same society that starts buying Christmas stuff right after the 4th of July. We are the microwave people. We can’t sit around and wait until the backlash of the backlash actually occurs before we start bitching about it. If we do something crazy like that, we’ll look like we just jumped on the bandwagon. Have to be out there with our opinions RIGHT NOW, before others get the chance.

    • Wow.
      Now THERE is a guy who made a major change to the world’s culture. A change that has certainly had “staying power”. Quite a feat when you are talking about Pop culture.

    • Attack the Block was phenomenal. As was the similar (sort of) but not as well known Grabbers. Which she was not in. But Ruth Bradley was.

  26. Morning Pan

    No walk for hubby and I today. AHS are telling people to avoid staying outside if at all possible because the air quality is poor due to smoke from fires west of us

    • Comedy has become our truest journalistic source.

      I need a chart of who’s “MSM,” “Lamestream Media,” “Liberal Media,” “Fake News,” Hollywood Elitists,” “Snowflakes,” etc.

  27. Went to the mall to walk around. The smoke outside is really strong on both smell and feel. My eyes are burning and we’ve only been outside long enough to get to the mall from the car

    • No link to purchase, no link to fund going from a prototype to a sellable item. We seem to have hit the point where we’ve become too lazy to actually make products. We just make something that gets a shit ton of press because we know that no one is actually going to buy the crazy shit we’re making.

      • I do wonder…. they must know how silly this “product” is. Are they counting on socially inept nerds to buy it anyway, or were they only intending to get publicity from people reposting to laugh at it?

  28. We are very happy with the 13th doctor. Loved her in Broadchurch.

    Just saw a funny list posted by Samantha Bee “Fem Agenda What to Ruin Next” with Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Super Heroes, and Dr Who crossed off.

    • That’s fantastic. Would Star Trek have been considered ruined long ago by Janeway? Or will the franchise not be ruined until the new series with its female leads?

    • NPR finally chimed in on this today.
      They claim that the biggest complaint comes not that she was a woman … but that the new Doctor isn’t black.
      So that kind of sums up my annoyance with the whole thing.
      Since when did the re-boot stop being about story and start being about what the Doctor looks like?
      If it’s come down to that then I’m fine with changing the Doctor’s gender but I want an Asian Female Doctor. Something more like Agent May !

  29. Rewatching the New Who from the first season.

    Dalek was the first stand out episode, even if it felt like a downsides Who classic story.

  30. Trivia I learned today:
    The Expanse series of books/tv show (which I’ve read/watched all), their ship is called the Rocinante.
    This is the name of the ship in the Rush song Cygnus X-1. Turns out, one of the authors is a Rush fan
    (note: Rush was referring to Don Quixote with Rocinante)

  31. Your crap joke for the day:

    Apparently Neil Armstrong used to tell unfunny jokes about the moon, and follow them up w ‘Ah, I guess you had to be there!!

  32. Crap joke for the day:

    Batman came up to me and hit me over the head with a vase and he went T’PAU!

    I said ‘Don’t you mean KAPOW?’

    He said ‘No, I’ve got China in my hand’

      • I overheard someone in the office mention it. He said that he had quite the drug problem, but it appears that his drug problem may have arisen from child abuse. Sad day.

        • I never knew much about his personal life; I really had no idea he was such a wreck. We saw them in Phoenix a few years back – – he was seriously as muscular as a comic book character superhero. I’d have thought he was into fitness and – – based on their last few releases – – living a positive life. Appearances. . . . šŸ™

          • I believe his drug habit was kicked in the late 2000’s.

            It also appears his suicde mimicks Chris Cornell’s- by hanging.

            Sad day, indeed.

            Anger, too.

            I have been a diehard fan of LP, a member of the LP Underground, met the band in 2004/2005, and love their music, their talents, and Im so upset.

            Mr. Mangan and I have a trip to Vegas planned next month to see LP live. I feel awful for his family, his wife and six young childrena dn for his bandmates that he left hanging. (No pun intended)

  33. I haven’t seen the movie “Dunkirk” but I assume it is about a bunch of expat Americans living in England who bravely took their boats to France to rescue Allied soldiers.

  34. No good trailers before Valerian either — but apparently there were a bunch of new ones out from Comicon today.
    I think I’m not gonna watch trailer 2 for Thor. I’m sold already.
    Justice League – not bad.
    I have yet to watch Ready Player One, but that one I’m interested in.

  35. Maybe I shouldn’t post, but after some input from close friends that love their beer and food as much as you all do, I’ve chosen the Friday night restaurant for the KC Meetup. I’ll solidify the reservation once we have a better idea who will be able to make it. I have a rough estimate at this time. thx

    • Thanks for taking the initiative, Cynthia.

      I suppose we ought to start discussions for the restaurants people want to hit, coordinating the eclipse viewing, people’s weekend availability, and all that.

      Is Oklahoma Joe’s the same thing as Joe’s? Is that place on the agenda?

      • It’s Joe’s KC now (same food, new name). I’ll let Ditto answer that. I think barbecue was planned for some point, but I couldn’t tell you which was being ordered.

  36. I can do nothing at work. I have a whole bunch of things I need to do but I’m missing information or files. Our authors didn’t really want royalties for this quarter did they?

    We don’t want to put out our next book in the near future either, right?

    *sigh*

  37. We were suppose to see Valerian tomorrow. Tickets bought and everything. Then hubby went and bought a new amp that is suppose to be delivered tomorrow. Luckily, movie tickets are close to half price on Tuesday so the loss won’t be as bad as it could be, but still.

  38. Been trying to slog my way through Penny Dreadful.
    I’m on episode 3 or maybe 4 now. Have renamed it “Pretty Dreadful”.
    I sooooo want to like it. The production value is high. It is chocked FULL of actors I like.
    It’s just

    • I’m two episodes in and have liked it so far. It is little more than an excuse to show as much sex and violence as possible, like a good exploitation series should do, but the satire makes it worth the effort.

    • I appreciate anything that lampoons the nonsensical absurdities of biz jargon. The trailers for that show do give the impression of gleefully over-the-top trashy, B-horror pulp.

  39. My patience is pretty much done with the developer guys who are so proud of how busy they are, and who talk about how busy they are in every conversation and every meeting.

    Note1: Not directed at anyone here.
    Note2: I’ve probably been that guy, at some point.

  40. Any of the metal/music nerds here know of a band called Periphery? They are touring with Animals as Leaders is their co-headliner.