This is what happens when you reply to a post before getting to the end and figuring out there is a new thread. Posting again here in reply to Van’s informing us of the passing of Michael Nesmith.
As much as I love the Monkees, I think that the movie Elephant Parts had a bigger influence on my evolving sense of humor. He was truly a unique style in and of himself. Didn’t we watch Elephant Parts at some Meeetup as well?
Absolutely heartbreaking news. This is a celebrity death that gets me.
The first three books in her Vampire series are of the greatest things I’ve ever read. Absolutely brilliant. I cannot recommend them enough.
And they seriously changed the vampire genre forever.
Agree 100%
I will always hold a special place emotionally for those as they were what got me back into reading for fun. As a kid I read everything I could get a hold of. Then in my late teens/early 20’s there were suddenly just so many other things to do. Then, in late 20’s a friend gave me the 2nd book in that series and said “Read this. No, seriously … read it!”
I did and started my “adult” love affair with reading.
Well, not that it was ever going to happen anyway, but it looks like Disney’s managed to save me six grand that I won’t be spending on their “Starcruiser Hotel” experience.
Some of their arguments defending the golf courses are a stretch, but really, the major culprits are the giant water-consuming industries and the over-development.
And if you think any lawmaker is going to curb any of those, well. . . .
I should check the mail. However, it’s -17C. I have a small dilemma.
Is that dilemma not knowing where your coat and gloves are…
It’s more of a I didn’t want to go out into the cold dilemma, even with a coat and boots. I got over it though and bundled up and walked to our mail box and got the junk mail.
Normally I wouldn’t have even gone out today but I’m expecting a parcel
Star Wars Eclipse??
Impressive – – forget the game, let’s see this movie.
Can we just have Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh in everything?
So, we’ve been watching Corner Gas. They drink Pilsner. My hubby, ever the slave to product placement, picked up a case of Pil. He of A Castle for Christmas on NetFlix, now he wants to watch that this weekend.
At what point do I need to stage an intervention?
Corner Gas?
It’s an older Cdn tv show. We were pretty hit and miss watching it when it was out. Now it’s available on local streaming so we’ve slowly been going through it
Dune, although a fantastically well written novel, was not my cup of tea because I just don’t enjoy in-depth investigations into religion or politics. However, I’m definitely excited to see this adaptation. I’m a huge Arthur C. Clarke fan. The only thing that would have been better is if it was Childhood’s End.
It’s not their first try to enter the US. I don’t think they resonate. Just like Dunkin Donuts have tried, and failed, to enter Canada.
Tim’s doughnuts are ok. I used to love their ice Capps, when I could have caffeine. The rest of their stuff is pretty meh in my opinion. Does that make me a bad Canadian?
They are making a big push in the UK, still haven’t been in the local one that used to be a Pizza Hut.
I think their coffee is pretty damn good, quite a bit like Dunkins.
I greatly enjoyed having a Timmy’s kiosk in the arena for Coyotes home games, but it only lasted a few seasons.
Another YouTube reaction channel covers “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” a few weeks after Lost in Vegas. I wonder if they track each other.
Roger is the brain, David is the heart, Mason is the muscle, but Rick is the soul, is the glue.
I never actually sit and watch these things in their entirety, but I dig seeing people love the music I love. I sometimes have it playing in another tab.
I was happy to see the people that I recognized in that video. Unfortunately, even upon seeing the list of people that participated in order of appearance, I still don’t know 80% of the people involved.
Side note: I’ve been to the book store that they are wandering around in at the beginning of the “investigation”. Insanely cool place.
I haven’t watched yet, but I hope it’s a direct reenactment of the Chiffons “He’s so Fine.”
ElderDaughter’s favorite YouTube gamer jacksepticeye has also called this the best game of all time. His second favorite is Bloodborne.
#Parentingteens2021
Getting a booster shot when you’re team AstraZeneca is more complicated than you’d think
Not in the UK, was team AZ and got the Moderna booster.
They’re making us start from scratch. We’ll get our “first dose” on Saturday, then, in a few months get a second dose. In this case, we’ll be getting Pfizer.
Well looks it looks like I will be the winner this year of my DPSS gift being the last to arrive.
So finally watched all 10 episodes of the live action remake.
Enjoyed it, pity they won’t be a season 2.
Cowboy Bepop that is.
Had you watched the original anime?
Nope, so not a Bladerunner situation for me.
Well, I’d strongly suggest you give it a try. It is one of the most beloved series out there.
Apparently, in the newest season of The Expanse, there are bonus short videos in the x-Ray section.
We haven’t started watching yet to test this out but it sounds cool
The second season of The Witcher has started streaming on Netflix. Goodness know when I actually get around to watching it with all the other to stuff I would like to watch.
Booked ticket to see the new Spider-Man flick this weekend.
brrrrrrrr.
I get to go to the dentist later this morning. Fun times
I know this was posted last year but it bears repeating
It’s got spoilers but I love the lead-in:
“Gideon the Ninth waltzed up to the doors of reader expectation, planted plastic explosives around the frames while whistling a jaunty tune, and purposefully walked away in slow-motion, aviators glinting, and blew it all to hell.”
And Harrow did that tenfold, imo.
I don’t know if I’ll read Harrow. I’ll have to see how Gideon sits in my brain.
I wasn’t really enjoying the excess cheese while reading AoT vol 1, but then it ended the way it did, and I went, “Fuck, now I need to see what happens next.”
Kinda the same for AoT#2.
I expect to keep going until I run out of the free stuff on Comixology.
I will get back to the Murderbot books soon. Great stuff.
While the write up suggests he can, I don’t see it from watching the video. The cat seems fine laying across the “hole”
Crap joke for the day:
You are driving in a car at a constant speed.
On your left side is a ‘drop off’ , (The ground is 18-24 inches below the level you are travelling on), and on your right side is a fire engine travelling at the same speed as you …
In front of you is a galloping horse , which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it .
Behind you is a galloping zebra . Both the horse and zebra are also travelling at the same speed as you .
What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation ?
…
…
…
…
Get off the merry-go-round, you’re drunk!
I would caution this is a single study and we don’t know what new mutations may come forward. But there might be an end to this madness in the not-so-distant future.
The new Spider-man flick was a lot of fun.
The cinema experience less so, but at least most people kept their masks on.
The young kid squealing out the names of the two guest stars when they came on screen even made this humbug smile.
Oh and two scenes after the end credits start rolling.
One slight flaw, the CGI for The Lizard is really really crap.
I have no idea when I’ll get out to see this movie.
I will let it come to me.
CW: Venom: Let there be Carnage
I was wondering why a lot of bit part actors were British, checked on Wikipedia and Lo and Behold it was mostly shot in the UK.
Well that was ok, but after the seeing new Spider-Man flick it was bit of a let down.
The Carnage move is actually quite terrible. I mean, good for a laugh, but not really a defensible movie in any way.
… but yes, let’s talk about what cookware the Vice President may have purchased.
The numbers are staggering. The lack of empathy… the denial of reality…. The irresponsibility from some – – also staggering.
Oh no. 🙁 Sorry Bunny. Feel better.
Loving the convenience of Stamps.com. Anything that saves me standing in line for the post office is a good thing. However, I’ve just hit a snag: the web form demands local phone numbers for international shipping.
Paging Bunny and Van: Could you please email or Facebook PM me a phone number I can use for each of your shipping labels? Thank you. You’ll get these care packages eventually, though probably not in time for Christmas. :/
Done, via FB.
Thank you! 🙂
That’s really sweet, Amy
I got this link from ditto on FB: the latest Hugo Award winners:
“For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.” – – it will change zero minds, but it’s satisfying to see.
I glanced at the comments section on the local ABCNews Facebook post following Dr. Fauci’s most recent statement. I can’t even crack a joke about the idiots. There were many calls for him to be jailed.
I’m thinking of telling my Boo I’m cancelling Christmas dinner again this year.
It’s usually just her and her partner over for Christmas. So gathering size is not the problem. The issue is, they go over to his mom’s house for Christmas eve dinner. It’s usually a big affair with several families (his two sisters, their spouses, children, as well as any extended family and friends his mother may invite). Do I really want the two of them over the day after that with unknown exposures?
I would say no, but then I don’t have to deal with the possible emotional fallout.
Agreed. That’s a lot of unknowns. There’s pretty much guaranteed to be some vax-challenged in that crowd.
Interesting bit of trivia, but the article stretches it a bit.
Just started Umbrella Academy. I have to say that I’ve been frustrated with the concept that you should give a series 3 episodes to decide if you like it or not. It’s created an “industry standard” IMHO in which TV series get to be very slow about grabbing your attention and hooking you on the show. I’m really, really glad to say that Umbrella Academy grabbed me right with the first episode. Fantastic setup, great characters, and action right in the first episode. Well done Umbrella Academy.
Side note: I had seen and really liked Robert Sheehan in Misfits. Was quite surprised that I really liked Klaus and went the whole episode without realizing it was Robert Sheehan. That guy’s got some talent.
Derek Mah was just telling me some of the Hawkins lore. I love that they shut down production on weekends.
I do agree that they’re far more delicious than Cheetos. Thank you, Ryah, for bringing these into our lives.
I sent Hawkin’s Cheesies with my Secret Santa gift
Ha! The mentioned Corner Gas. I was talking about that in an earlier post.
And they were definitely better than Cheetos.
Worked out a compromise with my Boo. She’s coming over for dinner on New Year’s Day. That way, they have a week to figure out if they’re sick. I know, technically it’s up to ten days to see if you’ve got it but, *shrug*, it’s a compromise.
I’d never cast aspersions on anyone who’s doing their best. I’ll reserve judgment for those who are recklessly, carelessly, selfishly endangering everyone around them.
And FWIW, I’d probably make the same compromise in that situation.
Fascinating and absolutely nuts. What might have been.
HOLIDAY EATING TIPS
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly, it’s rare. You can not find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert, Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:
“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ” WOO HOO what a ride!”
Since it appears to have vanished, I watched the Hawkeye finale whilst having my tea and it was good, in fact the whole series was good.
The end sequence was amazing
Fun. Just stifle any “How could” and “Why did” questions.
Just checked the mail. There was a set of Fifth Element dice but nothing on the card said who it was from. While I want to guess Amy? I didn’t want to presume.
Thank you, whoever you are.
Just finished consuming the new Matrix: Resurrections film.
It’s everything the Star Wars sequels should have been. A believable and natural progression from the original trilogy that honors without getting mired in simply retelling the same old story. It also respects the original characters, heroes and villains alike.
Was it necessary? In light of how Revolutions ended, I would say it absolutely was.
So last night had a play of the The Matrix tech demo on the PS5. The action sequence is ok but the chance to explore the city by walking, flying or just driving is pretty impressive.
Good Christmas Eve eve day Deadpan
Did up the draft for the end of the year newsletter. God I hate writing newsletters. If I wanted to do a blog, I’d do a blog.
Free Harlan Ellison – I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream game for the next 48 hours. Comes with a soundtrack and a copy of the short story.
The Google page Santa tracker is either wrong, or Santa has a lot of explaining to do. He’s skipping a whole bunch of places.
JW: Encanto on Disney+
A rather charming animated film with forgettable songs.
Well worth a watch.
My Elder loved the Arcane series and has become infatuated with the soundtrack.
There are a couple of excellent songs on it. Check it out! She was even introduced to this hip new artist named Sting. Watch that guy, I think he’s going to have quite a career.
Well I’m getting up at 0515am tomorrow for a zoom chat so Happy Christmas Deadpan.
Enjoy! Sounds like an Xmas nap will be in order.
Been sick as a dog these past 2 days. It was bad enough that I went to the drive thru test line yesterday (negative).
Just gotta point out that I’m blessed to have Tiffany as my backup and partner. After working overnight, she let me sleep in today.
I still feel like shit. Gotta get unfunked for tomorrow.
Google’s Santa tracker and Norad’s show Santa in different places. Google says The Netherlands. Norad says Africa. They really should get their stories straight.
Some of you will remember my bass player friend, Lee. His long-time girlfriend is in the ICU. Just awful news.
Aww. *hugs* to you and your friend
So sorry man. 🙁
Sad you are under the weather as well.
Here is wishing it is all looking up from here for all concerned.
That sucks Jack, hope you feel better soon and fingers crossed for your friends girlfriend.
Thanks, everyone. I hate being sick, but especially on Xmas, when I need to put on A happy face.
Power has been out here for about 2 hours.
Sounds like the battery on my UPS is about to go now.
So long cable modem and wifi :/
Oh no!
I blame the 3 spirits who are coming to visit you tonight.
The fun part was around 3am when power came back on an everything that had been on CAME BACK ON!
A startling way to wake back up.
Morning Pan
Expect a quiet day of gaming. Then, since it’s just the two of us, I’ll roast up a chicken breast as our dinner.
Merry Christmas Deadpan-y People! A gift for all They Might Be Giants Fans. They have some free downloads of live albums. https://bit.ly/3sBIFSX
Enjoyed that. Jonathan Groff as you know who was fantastic.
CW: John Williams Live – Music from the Movies
JW himself, conducting the Berlin Philharmonic playing the music he wrote for films.
Last night, before we lost power, we watched “ Labyrinth“.
Might have to make that a new tradition.
We watched the new,Resident Evil movie tonight. I liked the original series of movies. I also liked this one. This one was actuacloser to the games (1 & 2) in feel
There’s a major character on The Expanse who is a serious drag on the show. Ep 3 of the current season teased killing them off and I was momentarily thrilled. Not as a rooting interest, but as a wish for the show to get back to its past greatness.
But alas.
The Expanse is still great, btw. Wow, is there a LOT to wrap up in just 3 last episodes.
It’s -34C (-40 with the wind chill) right now. We’re going to do some grocery shopping in an hour. Do you think it will warm up much between now and then?
A warning to all of you out and about , be careful about drink driving as we are getting close to new year. The Police are out there checking on people.
Last night a friend and I were out for a few drinks and a meal. One thing lead to another and we had a few too many beers and then went onto the wine, finishing with coffee and brandy. Not a good idea. Knowing we were over the limit, we decided to leave my car and took a bus home. Sure enough, we passed a police checkpoint, where they were pulling over drivers and performing breathalyser tests. Because we was on the bus they just waved it past. We arrived home safely and without incident, which was a real surprise as weve never driven a bus before and I am not even sure where we got it from. Now it’s parked outside my house and I don’t know what to do with it!
Slow clap
JW: Being the Ricardos on Prime
I knew going in there were inaccuracies and found out later that Arnaz was booted out of Cuba in the 30s due to a military take over and not Fidel and the communists.
It’s an old-time lazy/easy shortcut for writers.
I would think/hope he’s evolved. All but one of the examples she cited are over 35 years old. *shrug*
*RE: It’s an old-time lazy/easy shortcut for writers.
Good writers shouldn’t do this. Especially in our more enlightened age.
Did anyone else read Warren Ellis’ webcomic FreakAngels? He started that back in 2008. It seems like there is an anime adaptation of it coming out now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-PvSMbDv6s
I thought Freak Angel was that Goth magician guy.
I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by Matrix Resurrections. Maybe I was hoping for to much? I loved the meta commentary and tie-ins to the previous movie, but once you strip that out and focus on the story, it was a little weak. Still, I’m glad it was made by LW and not WB, and I really hope to see more of Bugs in the future.
Bugs was the most interesting character. I didn’t realize at first that she’s Colleen from Iron Fist!
I definitely like this movie, but it suffers a bit from the same issues as the new SW movies. Oh, you liked this character in the originals? Check out this new version of them! I need to see it again, but I still rate Matrix 2 as better.
1 – 2 – 4 – 3
I’d be more 1-3-4-2 but I agree with your comments.
Glad it wasn’t just me. It was a hole lot of OK as far as movies go. It wasn’t bad and it wasn’t great.
James Garners performance in this sci-fi drama from the 50s lead to him getting the role of Maverick.
You are.
This is pretty damn exciting – due the launch going pretty much perfectly, the Webb telescope is expected to last a good bit longer than the 10 year plan due to not having to burn much of it’s on board fule supply for course corrections:
The early deployment of the solar array was also a bonus. I was a bit shocked when seeing it go open shortly after detaching from the upper rocket stage…as it was not supposed to happen for a couple more minutes. Turns out the deployment was automatic once the telescope reached the correct altitude, which it did a few minutes earlier than estimated.
*likes*
Super news!
I’m a fan.
I’ve been tracking this too. Seriously exciting stuff. Most of humanity’s best news these days is happening in space.
Book of Boba ep1 – good not great. But I’ll take it and i enjoyed it. I should also stop expecting great every time. That’s on me.
Unless it’s Matrix 4…. that’s on y’all. Cough.
Yeah, plus it’s good he’s not perfect in the role of a crime lord.
I had tix to MST3K Live at a local theater, so I will catch Boba Fett tonight.
I don’t think anyone is saying Matrix 4 is great? To me, it was just a fun little revisit to a beloved playground.
I chose not to get tix for MST3K for various reasons. Looked fun tho.
it was much fun. Judging by this one performance, I definitely prefer Emily to Jonah.
As for Boba Fett? That first episode episode was bantha poodoo.
My tickets for MST3K live are at the end of January. Got a hell of a deal on the VIP package.
Morning Pan
Another quiet holiday morning
You say that as if it was a bad thing..;
Absolutely not! I love quiet. I can read, play video games, relax in front of the fire place. Give me quiet any time.
Pretty bad fires near Boulder, Colorado, Louisville being evacuated.
Sadly about to get worse once the first subdivision goes up.
Our daughter is being evacuated from her apt so we’re a bit tense. No immediate danger but dammit child! Just get here already!
We are hoping that your family is safe, as well as Kris and Bernie.
All the best to you and your family, Lo Pan. And everyone in your area. Fuck.
Thank you all. All fam members are safe at home. The fires are out now with the help of a heavy snowfall today. Which, honestly, the fact the snow came today is a slap in the face to the 1000 families that lost homes yesterday.
Just saw that. Had to check several sites to make sure it wasn’t a hoax. Wow!
Sad news. I think we were all rooting for her to make 100.
Still – enjoying life and keeping your wits into your late 90s? It doesn’t get much better than that. Hats off to her.
Past midnight so Happy New Year Deadpan!
Happy New Year Van!
Happy New Year Deadpan!
Merry New Year sir. Since you’re in the future, can you tell yet if 2022 sucks as much as 2021?
The Piña Colada says no..hic!
I love sauced future Van…..
JW: Belfast
About a young lad growing up when the troubles hit Northern Ireland, impressive.
Happy New Year, Deadpan!
Always been a fan of Rally-X from the arcades, catchy tune, and spent a pleasant hour playing a 2018 version written for the ZX Spectrum (via emulation).
Any, here’s the tune I still hum from time to time:
1. Odd that this makes the first set of footage look like something shot in the 60s at first glance
2. I remember when colorizing black and white footage was considered a crime against humanity (although that was for beloved movies rather than random shots like this and we’re doing it for different reasons).
3. The footage starting at about 0:58 somehow looks like video rather than film.
4. Even in the 1930s LA was too damn crowded
2. Agreed. Remember how terrible the first colorized movies looked? I imagine it could be done properly now, but I don’t think the change would ever feel right.
And look, I’m glad some people liked that first Boba Fett episode. I want Star Wars to succeed – – it’s still sacred to me. I thought this ep was awful in just about every way.
I do have faith that they’ll right the ship, though. If nothing else. Ming-Na Wen can save it.
I wasn’t blown away by Boba Fett ep 1. But neither do I understand the hate. It was about what I expect so far. Only thing I wasn’t crazy about is trying to make Boba Fett too respectable. He is a bounty hunter and didn’t really seem to have the kind of ethics they seem to want him to have for this series when I’ve seen him in the other movies.
Yeah, I don’t get it either. It’s ep 1. I liked it. Yes, it was a bunch of backstory, but I’m hoping it will setup how the rest of the story plays out. Because you have to admit, the current Boba is different from the Boba we saw in the original trilogy.
If I had to rank the cool stuff that came out in December I would rank Spidey as first, Matrix as second, and Boba Fett as 3rd. I enjoyed all three, although the acting on the part of Boba Fett could be better, I’m confident the series will improve.
Finished watching S2 of The Witcher. I found some of the plot confusing and there were a few times I just enjoyed the spectacle as I lost track of the plot.
Still, it was enjoyable and hopefully there will be a S3.
Great to still be relevant at eleventy-one plus nineteen.
Morning Pan
Last day of holidays before going back to work tomorrow
I’d really like to read this one. Rudy Rucker is a bona fide genius.
My boss wanted to show off his new car, so he took me out to lunch. It’s one thing to say that a Tesla Model S Plaid will do 0 to 100 MPH in 4 secs. It is another to experience it. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a car that can make you lose consciousness through acceleration.
Did he remind you that if you work really hard he can afford another car :-p
Was this the Tesla launched into space??
No, but it felt like it had some Space X technology in it.
Just when you think old tech is dead..they add Bluetooth:
I have stuff that only ever existed on cassette. I got a cassette deck with USB to digitize and the very first thing I hooked into it (a bootleg tape that I made of a free Frank Zappa concert in Madrid in 1987) was almost immediately eaten. Fortunately I was able to get some cassette repair stuff and only lost a few seconds of total tape.
I love the concept of playing my old cassettes on Bluetooth speakers, but let’s not forget that cassette’s have a shelf life and can only be played so many times. I would make cassette copies and only play the copies on a regular basis. Then again, finding blank cassettes is it’s own issue.
Possibly the first SF convention..or at least in the UK:
Dani Cutler’s Top 10 albums of 2021. Definitely a more Pop-Alternative-Indie style; I’ll be checking a few of these out.
Morning Pan
Actually at my desk working. What’s that about?
Out in the brrr
Why? Because the silly cat thinks it’s a good idea if she gets fed every day.
Did she want a slurpee?
JW: The Nest (Netflix)
A Carrie Coon film that was disappointing..I’m in shock.
Is anyone reading any of the “High Republic” series? I read the first book, but I’m not sure if it is worth reading more.
I follow a couple of the writers on twitter and it seems popular as far as I can tell.
Yeah, I’m more interested in a first-hand reaction, but thanks.
Not familiar.
So basically this cream I got from the doctor is chemo for the sun damage on my head. So it nukes the fast growing cells and it’s going to leave inflamed oozing skin.
Sigh.
I came here to post a terrifying story about the aftermath of the 2024 US election, but my clipboard seems to have dropped the link. Probably for the best. I think we all have enough dread in our lives.
Instead, I’ll post a cool photo gallery of 1970s Tokyo:
I’ve not checked any of those out yet. I still need to get caught up on the most recent set of Thrawn novels.
I did finish the Deadwood series. And holy crapola, what a downer of an ending. I don’t have high hopes for the movie, but I at least hope there’ll be some accountability and some tying up of loose ends.
Overall, it was a good journey. The show had amazing dialogue, some great characters, and great little Godfather-esque intrigues. It had its issues too, for sure, but maybe some of those could have been fixed in future seasons.
Trailer for the final season of the Peaky fookin Blinders
CP: Driving to Texas — Tom Morello feat. Phantogram
Well that was much much better. Although the lizard stuff was wacko.
When is lizard stuff not wacko?
Boom na da mmm dum na ema
Da boom na da mmm dum na ema
So on a recommendation, I watched Space Pirate: Captain Harlock – – a CGI Sci-Fi anime movie.
Deeply silly in many places, but some truly amazing visuals. The space combat scenes are pretty great. And ridiculous.
Hilariously, the buxom space babe – – 1 of 3 female characters in the whole thing – – just randomly takes a zero-g shower at one point. They don’t even attempt to justify the scene; it has no purpose at all.
“They don’t even attempt to justify the scene; it has no purpose at all.”
Oh, I believe it had a “special purpose”.
Yesterday a friend of mine, while taking down decorations, fell off a ladder and knew he had broken his leg. His wife rushed him to the emergency room where he waited for 6 HOURS before they took an xray and pronounced that it “was a doozy”. Broken 2 places below the knee. He then had to wait 2 HOURS before they could find a bed for him so a Doc could see him. This info came from his wife, to mine, to me so the timeline becomes muddled at this point but eventually, after the Doctor looked at it, they declared he needed “emergency’ surgery.
He had to wait in their facility for more than 8 hours with something that needed EMERGENCY surgery.
By the time they declared this, they decided he needed to be moved across town to their other Hospital to get to him quicker. It was the middle of the night and they had to wake the orthopedic team and get them in. At 8:00 this morning he was finally in pre-op where he still waits 3 hours later. His last pain medication was at 4am and has long ago stopped working.
This is what US emergency medicine has fallen to at this point. They day before both Hospitals had declared they were canceling ALL elective and outpatient surgeries because they were over run.
This is in a metropolitan area with top notch hospitals. He is a white male with ALL the insurance so if there is ANY advantages to be had, he would supposedly have them. I can’t imagine how bad it must be for those with no insurance.
I feel like the same people who have fought to keep us from getting socialized medicine (because they said that this is how it would be) are the same people who have fought all of the Covid mitigation efforts. They have given us THEIR worst “socialized medicine” nightmares without giving us any of the Universal access to Healthcare.
Regardless – I advise hunkering down. Do not put yourself in any position to get hurt if you can do so. There are no such things as “Minor medical emergencies” right now.
What a nightmare.
Terrifying. Our medical system was always slow and dangerously ineffective, but now that there’s a major medical event, it’s become entirely crippled.
Medical care shouldn’t be “for profit.”
In other news –
This from POTUS national broadcast a little while ago:
“Here’s the truth. The former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election,” President Biden says.
“Because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution. He can’t accept he lost.”
Tough words are just words, Joe. Let’s see some significant sentences for these traitors. Let’s see trump and the other ringleaders in jail.
The Joe I was referring to was Biden, not JustaJoe. 🙂
Given what I’ve seen of your political system, I’m not sure how much power Biden even has to enact your wishes, Jack.
Yes, you’re right. Maybe JustaJoe has that kind of influence?
It’s amazing that these people are not only still free, but holding government positions and talking openly about running in 2024.
Gratuitously speaking, it felt good to here him say that. I think most bullies are bullies because no one who COULD have stood up to them ever did.
More practically speaking, that speach was undoubtably written and re-written and closely scrutinized and vetted by lawyers and policy wonks. I am thinking that he wouldn’t have been allowed to call out TFG like that unless THEY know something that we don’t.
I gotta hope.
I went out to check the mail. The cat was standing behind me when I opened the door to go outside. A blast of cold air hit her face and she gave me a look like i had done the most offensive thing in in the world
Similar thing here.
It was hovering around freezing with a steady rain/sleet coming down but cat was being a pain in the neck wanting go out. So I open the door to let her out and she ran past me like she had pulled something over on me … only to come to a screeching stop just outside the door and turn and scowl at me as if to say “What have you done to the outdoors, evil human!”
BTW – my friend got his surgery. Has stabilizers screwed into place.
Apparently he made the right initial choice of hospitals. The doc that saw him at 8 hours had seen his case on the list and for some reason, bumped him up the list. Would have been another 2 hours had he not done so.
Had he started with the Hospital they transported him to for surgery… the wait time in the ER started at 20 hours.
No update on the Christmas decorations he was taking down.
My ex cracked her toe back in 2004-2005 and was at the ER for 12 hours. It’s not like we’ve ever been good at this.
The main takeaway, I’m glad your friend got some kind of small mercy, and got that surgery done. At this point, it would seem a signal to just keep the Christmas lights up all year.
“What is the end result?” Lee asks. “When does the constant agonizing stop? At what point do we reach satisfaction in life and think ‘fuck yeah, I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved and how far I’ve come’?”
Draft newsletter done.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled spreadsheets.
I just finished watching “Hawkeye”. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well, except for the sole post credits sequence, which I hated.
Amusing at first. . . but then. . . oh god please make it end.
I greatly enjoyed the series – – a lot – – but I also really disliked the unexplained inconsistencies in the big bad. It could have worked just as well – – better – – without that.
I adored every single bit of the post creds. Mainly because it pissed so many people off.
There’s no inconsistencies in the big bad one bit. Worked extremely well.
I have questions about the watch that were left unanswered. That bothered me.
All in all probably the most consistent Marvel show outside Loki. More please.
1. Well OK then!
2. Absolutely some unexplained changes.
3. I assume we’ll get those answers.
4. Agreed. This was the most easily enjoyable of the Marvel shows.
From twitter:
Dr Rochelle Walensky @CDCDirector said on @GMA “the overwhelming number of death [sic] over 75% occurred in people who had at least 4 comorbidities, so really these are people who were unwell to begin with, and yes really encouraging news…”
I don’t use the c word very often but what a cunt Dr Walensky is for spouting that eugenic crap.
I have not specifically fact checked the following post, but have checked some of these details before and it is in line with what I had found. Also, not mentioned below – Obiesity is a comorbidity and a high percentage of Americans don’t even realize that it would show up on THEIR death certificate.
++++++
“If you have diabetes (32M US adults) and get diagnosed with depression (40M US adults), then depression is a comorbidity. Other comorbidities: high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea, cancer, stroke, asthma, autism.
Also, covid literally causes comorbidities.“
Welp, finished Deadwood. Never thought I’d type these words.
The movie was. . . good. . . . but way too open-ended with most of the characters. And it also didn’t really alleviate the queasiness from the f***ed-up season 3 finale.
The movie was patronizing barf.
Again we disagree! It’s a wrap-up thing. . . I just wish it actually wrapped things up.
I’ve played about half of them. Like all lists, your mileage may vary. My favourite game(s) aren’t on this at all.
Restarted playing portal 2, still a great game.
It’s a pretty okay list. I didn’t see Horizon Zero Dawn, which is a hell of an omission.
ymmv indeed
I’d like to know how they figured out that list and the ordering. Some interesting omissions and the ranking is complete shit imo.
*shrug*
KOTOR at only #46 is a crime against humanity.
The neglect of TIE Fighter altogether is unforgivable….actually, it seems that flight/space combat sims were completely snubbed. Really, not even a Wing Commander? shameful.
Jack, that list is crap and I award 5 dark side points to House Slytherin on your behalf.
So, I got sidetracked watching other stuff, and TOS was dropped from Netflix. I’m not paying for goddamn Paramount+, and their free trial is only 7 days.
I’d paused after Journey to Babel in S2.
Bummer, but it’s 2022. I can find other things to watch.
You really should have been watching DS9 anyway. Star Trek peaked with that show.
Morning Pan.
It’s a beautiful 2C today.
Off to the city this morning.
Repairing a leaking toilet … day 2
Analysis for you homeowners.
I seems that when we had a tile floor out in a few years back, the contractor failed to make allowance for the fact that the mounting flange (which was screwed to the sub floor) was now significantly below floor level. The resulting gap meant that the new wax ring gasket was not compressed by the toilet and did not make a seal.
I hate plumbing.
Narrator: He really did.
Yuck. You have my sympathy Joe.
I’ve had 2 incidents now that have convinced me not to engage in plumbing. The first was when I tried to replace an outdoor faucet, wrecked the PVC pipe inside the concrete wall, had to make a trip to the store to buy new PVC pipe supplies, create a much larger hole in the concrete and re-build the pipe inside. All while hoping I could get it done before the sun set to avoid having the water shut off to the house all night long.
The second was trying to fix a leaking tub faucet. Internet made it look super easy and only need to replace a washer, then found out that the type of fixture I have doesn’t work that way at all. Not I had to run to the store (I have a good friend that likes to say that something isn’t a real project unless you have to run to the store and somebody bleeds) to buy an expensive piece of fixture. Then I and 3 separate friends (all of the friends had experience with plumbing) all could not manage to get the old fixture out. Had to call in a friend of a friend professional who came in and literally hacked the old piece out bit by bit by bit because it had stuck in there with sediment. What should have been a washer cost upwards of $150. Next time I’ll just let it leak.
I soooooo feal your pain.
My extentsive experience with plumbing consists of replacing all five toilets in my house. There was a class action lawsuit over the tanks cracking and generating extensive water damage. Thankfully, none of mine ever cracked, but they were all included in the models and manufacturing dates covered.
I’m still amazed that I got reimbursed for all five of them. Replacing the first one took me most of an afternoon while I kept rereading directions and looking at Youtube videos. I think I got the last one swapped in about 30 minutes.
Otherwise, I leave plumbing to the plumbers…
Possibly the best hting about renting. You can always “call the guy.”
I do wish I had “the guy”.
In my late 20’s my best friend bought a house (he was single with an engineer’s salary) and when he decided to move across town, he rented the house instead of selling it.
He always went on about how great the extra income was but he was seldom available for FUN because now he was “the guy” for TWO properties!
Hahahahaha!
In today’s mail I got Christmas cards from both the Mangan’s and Amy. Don’t you just love the Canadian postal service?
I generally dislike musicals, but I really enjoy the Moana soundtrack.
Meh.
I can recall at least two times in my life in which there were research studies done on trying to break the recomended 8 hour sleep into smaller, spread out chunks.
In all cases it ended in failure. In one of them I can recall that initially the participants discovered they were much more productive. After some days of this though they lost the ability to concentrate and focous.
Now I’m picturing the Kramer micro sleep episode of Seidfeld.
How TF is The Expanse going to wrap all of that up in one last episode??
Badly I suspect.
A number of sources are claiming there will be another season. I guess we’ll see.
I’ve heard talk about future movies. I’ve not read this far into the book series, but there’s apparently a decent time jump after this, which gave Amazon a natural stopping point.
But, yeah, unless it’s 3 hours long, I don’t see how it isn’t anything but rushed.
Perhaps the plan on doing a movie to fix it ?
CW: The Tender Bar
There’s a scene in the film, set in the 80s, where they go ten pin bowling. So far so normal. However the bowling balls are the tiny (like crown green bowling balls size) and the pins are just vertical columns.
So was this ever a thing in the USA???
Candlepin bowling!
Maybe you weren’t seeing it in it’s original aspect ratio?
Anyway the film was good and it’s on Amazon Prime.
CP: The Guns of Brixton — The Clash
I’m trying hard to remain ignorant of what “Wordle” is. I wonder how long I can keep my ignorance alive.
The library comes through once again! I’ve borrowed the complete Star Trek TOS: season 2 on DVD.
I’d actually left off at The Deadly Years, which is the one where everyone ages rapidly.
And is one of the worst episodes of the original series. Jeebus.
Never again…ever… give up on a show after the first dew episodes. The first two yeae of TNG were drek.
Morning Pan
I want to say something pithy but it’s just not working today.
Above and beyond my general distaste for remakes, I think remaking Hitchcock films is an extra slap in the face. Going to see a Hitchcock film was often more about enjoyment of his directing style than it was about the plot or the actors involved. So to remake a Hitchcock film is more than just bringing an old story to a younger audience. It’s directly saying that the modern director is a better director than Hitchcock. And I would doubt that.
New Alex Lifeson song. The breathy female vocals definitely took me by surprise.
Really, this is closer to Bjork or God Lives Underwater than Rush. I dig it.
I like it. It also reminds me a bit of How to Destroy Angels
The slow monotony of the guitar in that particular song seems like quite a waste of Alex Lifeson’s skills. I hope he lets loose somewhere else on that album.
CW: Eternals
Trying not to doze off.
Actually, once a major plot point revealed it gets better.
Omg stop it. You enjoy some of the most boring films known to man
Matt Mango’s new album is available on Apple music, if you want to deny him his $.00.000000000000000000000000000000000000001 payment for a play on Spotify.
Remember before Christmas I was grumping because a friend dropped a trilogy on my to format? I guess I must have made him feel guilty. I received a $50 gift card in the mail from him today.
Morning Pan
Hubby got a chip in his windshield yesterday. Today we are trading cars so I can take his in to get it repaired. The roads better treat my car nicer.
Every windshield here is chipped. I’ve been through a couple. If it’s not going to spread, then you just let it go.
This one will spread. I’d rather repair the chip then replace the windshield.
Because hubby commutes to the city for work, driving on the highway leads to a lot of chips. We usually need to replace his windshield every couple of years.
Oh no!!
Imagine paying upwards of $1699 for a concert festival ticket, and then being unable to go or to get a refund.
It was not a thing at all here, but I’ll be honest – – the waves were a bit freaky to watch. They weren’t especially high, just more persistent than anything I’d ever seen in person.
We’ve been playing with friends on Board Game Arena since we can’t do it live. Today we’ll be playing Gaia Project. We have this in physical form and quite enjoy it.
JW: The Tragedy of Macbeth
It looks sparsely beautiful, well acted, but the almost impenetrable dialogue leaves me cold.
Is it the original Shakespeare play and dialogue?
Yup.
So watched the first three episodes of Peacemaker, not too bad at all.
CW: Black Mirror – San Junipero
..and just like that I know now know where I first saw that actress from Loki.
Actually that episode rocked! Didn’t think that after watching it the first time.
Weird.
Just watched the end of The Clone Wars. Wow. That was awesome.
YES!
Like the final season end of Clone Wars? Yes, it most definitely was awesome!
That show really grew into itself.
Hands down, some of the best Star Wars I’ve ever seen or read. I can forgive some of the bad episodes–ahem… Jar Jar–when parts of the series, especially the last 4 episodes, are so great.
Finally saw Eternals on the weekend. Maybe it was because I listened to the reviews and had low expectations to begin with, but we enjoyed it
YES!
CP: Joy Division Ovengloves – Half Man Half Biscuit
I’ve been reading an old book from the late 80s that I got as part of an association with the Canadian space program. It’s called “Soviet Cosmonautics: Questions and Answers”. It’s pretty interesting reading.
JW: Episode 3 of the Station Eleven adaption.
I’m slightly biased because I just love watching Cameron Mackenzie in anything but this series is really good, if you have HBO Max give it a go.
I’m trying to figure out how I got to this age w/o having previously read any Lois McMaster Bujold.
I think I’m on book 7 now of the Vorkosigan Saga. Most of the audiobooks are included on Audible w/o having to spend credits.
Simply fantastic story telling.
I’ve read all of her vorkosigan books and liked them all
Hmmm. I’ve also never read her. Added to my list.
I like the characters but some of the freely available ones on audible have left me with a meh!
Also the setup for who Miles actually marries is a long game I utterly despise…so many more interesting characters are left by the wayside.
I literally just started listening to Falling Free on Audible today.
I’ve been reading this series since it was first serialized in Analog back in the 80s. I love it. I’m a bit behind, but it is one of my favorite series.
It would seem that Joss Whedon consulted with JK Rowling about doubling down and going on the attack when you should just lay low and be quiet.
Ugh…
And if you do happen to have HBO Max… give the television equivalent of a brain hemorrhage that is Peacemaker a go. Jesus Lord does it trip all the right triggers
It’s a good.
Do we dare hope? Will a Disney show go as dark as a proper Moon Knight story needs to be?
I guess we’ll find out. Do you think Disney will ever release Marvel properties on Hulu in the future? That would be the proper place for their more violent heroes.
they have the Alien movies on D+. I don’t think violence is an issue anymore
I can’t remember which one it was (maybe 3) that I tried watching with my daughter when she was really getting into horror movies but we were trying to keep the sex scenes out. The Alien movies were fine, but this particular one made us both uncomfortable to watch together because nearly every other word across the whole movie was a curse word. Surprised that’s making it onto D+.
Hmmm. Interesting list. There are a lot of good books on there, I won’t quibble with that. Even Scalzi might argue about considering him as hard SF. Personally, Vernor Vinge should appear in that section. But yeah, as a starting point, that list is good.
If you like slow-burn creepy horror, you might like “Archive 81” on Netflix. Teresa and I have been enjoying it.
First episode was intriguing.
Mangan TV recap from the past few weeks:
We liked Boba Fett eps 2 and 3 (I liked them more than Tiffany). Completely washed away the yuck of the first one. Not surprising. I’m not sure when we’ll get around to ep 4.
The Expanse finale was a bit disappointing. Unsurprising. Overall, still a great show. I do think the Amazon seasons were inferior to the ScyFy seasons.
Approaching the end of Ted Lasso s1. Really good show – – it definitely lives up to the hype. Surprisingly.
ST: TOS: Wolf in the Fold is an extremely silly episode. I remember it being a clever plot twist, but now the whole thing is just cringe. At least the tribbles are up next.
We’ll try to watch Eternals one of these nights.
Wolf in the Fold is one I have fond memories of. I don’t think I’ve rewatched it since I was 12. Maybe I shouldn’t.
We’ve only started watching the new season of The Expanse. One thing I noticed, why are all the tattoos only black? Do they run out of colour ink in the future?
Really enjoyed them all but boy, all the walking gives the Lord of the Rings films envy…
This… was supposed to go under Jack’s
Who was walking?
Respect.
Are you talking to me?
Walk on home boy.
Somewhere in my brain is a newsletter trying to get out.
Big hugs for Tiffany today.
*Hugs* Tiffany!
Tom Baker turned 88 today. Good time traveling number!
Here is an example where he had underlying conditions that a certain section of the populace will use as a defense that COVID didn’t kill him. Well…. if I have asthma and get hit by a bus… no one is gonna say the asthma killed me. The whole “underlying conditions” argument is sickening.
A guy on twitter has done a wordle clone for prime numbers:
Seems like this might be a great opportunity to get these folks some help.
Maybe they could program in some basic “counselor 101” stuff.
Unlike a real person … they can’t actually bully an AI because an AI doesn’t feel fear.
CP: In The Hall Of The Mountain King — The Offspring
On one hand, it’s better to abuse toasters than real human beings. On the other, what possesses these dudes to engage in such behavior?
I caught Ripley, Hudson, Hicks, and Vasquez. Nice little Easter egg in the Expanse series finale.
Thank you all so so much for the sweet love to me and da fam, regarding Beckham. He was a cool cat. Almost 14 years old. Im glad he isnt sick anymore. It was really hard taking him away from the youngest, after she said her goodbyes. She handled it much better than I did.
Ok, trend or no trend, Wordle is right up my alley.
CW: Midnight Special
One I missed at the cinema, rectifying that tonight.
We all agree that comic properties should be family friendly so that all can enjoy. Movies – PG-13 at most for full family fun. But Jesus Christ, it seems the only thing that the DCEU can do correctly (besides Shazam) are hard R films/tv that don’t star major characters. If that’s the case keep it that way.
Do you really wanna taste it?
I’m so confused.
I think he’s talking about the Peacemaker tv series.
Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn the animated series – all hard R and all pretty terrific. DC cannot make good “family friendly” content with the exception of Shazam and even that film was violent for PG-13. That’s all Im sayin
I’ve enjoyed a lot of the CW shows based on DC characters.
Those aren’t done by the same companies and not in same universe ala the Marvel ABC shows and the MCU.
Although now that I saw that I dunno if Harley Quinn animated series is either. I think so…?
Has DC attempted a major release family-friendly movie or show in the past 2 decades?
I often recall A Piece of Your Action being touted as an example of “Star Trek being silly,” but it’s always been one of my favorite episodes. Still holds up.
This is the one where they go to the alien planet that’s modeled their society around 1920s Chicago mobsters. Totally plausible.
*A Piece of THE Action.
“A Piece of Your Action” is a Motley Crue song.
Oh goodness just no, it’s as bad as the ones where the society chose Nazis or Romans.
But what do I know I actually liked Assignment Earth.
It’s hard to defend A Piece of the Action. . . . but truly, it’s a lot of fun. Ridiculous, sure – – but really enjoyable. Especially when Kirk really gets into being a gangster.
I have now watched 3 episodes of the new Cowboy Beebop.
As someone who never saw the anime (was it a graphic novel ? ) I review it as being “Ok.” And “entertaining”.
I will probably watch the rest of it if I remember it next time I sit down to Netflix.
We enjoyed cowboy bebop. Are currently watching the anime and am enjoying that too
The co-creator of the Valerian comic has died, it’s in french:
If nothing else it is causing the public to have some interesting conversations about why drug prices are so high.
“…we live in a reality where too many people try to turn the world into an elaborate conspiracy-driven hellhole, where everybody is trying to keep the truth from you and the villains are hidden in shadow. And that mentality cuts against something we know to be true, which is mostly that the villains are right out there in the open. Conspiracy theories in the real world have too often become a coping mechanism for those who feel powerless in the face of problems that seem insurmountable. If the truth is hidden in shadow, that’s an easier reality to approach than one where you know the truth but can’t do anything about it.”
What is interesting is that the music loving, twenty somethings of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s (with disposable income to buy music) apparently out number the music buying twenty somethings of today and continue to be a viable market.
There are some interesting points in this article. Especially “Never before in history have new tracks attained hit status while generating so little cultural impact” (which is distinctly NOT old music killing new music, but rather new music failing in it’s own right). But, I would need to see more that last year compared to this year data. it’s gone up 4.7% from last year. But a 2 year slice of time is nothing. What are the trends of the last decades and what was it in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s that he’s claiming are stealing the business. Seems like there is always more music available that is more than 18 months old and this could just be the way of things. He makes a lot of cultural arguments, but no mathematical modeling arguments to back these up.
Indeed.
What were the record sales numbers when 60’s, 70’s, 80’s music fans began replacing their Vinyl with CDs?
I’ll bet there’s a similar trend in place now with that same group replacing their CDs with newer, physical forms of music.
Another thing that interests me is the “most music is crap” effect.
The majority of “new” music has always been crap. As time goes by, the crap gets forgotten and the good stuff rises to the top. So my kids only hear music from those decades that was worth hanging onto or is good enough to still get played on the radio. This could actually give an incorrect bias that “old music was ALL good.”
Regardless, it’s now a fact that new artists are vying for attention with really good “old music” and frankly if they want to compete they need to be as good or better.
Are you insinuating something negative about the deeper catalogue of the 1970s band Bread, sir?
It has been decades and yet … I still cannot un-hear “Seasons in the Sun”.
No joy no fun no seasons in the sun? 😉
That does not spark joy. It’s been Kondo’d.
There is a room in Hell that plays that song on repeat… only occasionally interrupting it to play “Shannon“.
If I ever got access to a time machine that bloody depressing song would be wiped from history, along with:
Honey
Leader of the Pack
Sunshine on My Shoulders
In addition to the “most music is crap” effect, the author seems miss much of their own point. Record companies have always had an extremely bad reputation of robbing artists blind. And there have always been a very few artists that actually make any real kind of money in any given year through that old platform. Almost seems to be looking at being any musician in the past through rose tinted glasses when there were always a thousand (likely far far more) struggling to make a living for every “Beatles”.
David Byrne put out a great book looking at (amongst other things) technological impacts on music and the recording industry. What I would really like to see is an article that looks at what that landscape is actually like now and where it could go. It’s far to easy to self publish music now and artists just don’t need the record company access to recording studios that once bottlenecked the business. However, distribution and getting name recognition has become practically impossible. So what is the solution?
Survivorship Bias has always been an issue, not just in music. Books, movies, businesses – our “knowledge” is always biased by the things that managed to not flame out early.
Very good counterpoints to the article, guys. My input would be, how long has recorded music been a thing. Every year the catalog grows bigger, and to Joe’s point, the tastemakers curate that collection and present it to a new audience. So to my mind, there are two factors at play. The first would be an ever-increasing number of songs and the second would be the availability of the internet to expose people to those songs. The record industry used to be able to shape those trends by controlling how people got their music. Via Youtube, both of my kids have been exposed to all sorts of music. My son had developed an affinity for Rush and 80’s prog, eschewing new music as not cutting it. My daughter has developed a love of free-form Jazz and likes a newer band “Falling in Reverse.” For me personally, I’ve found a lot of good new music on Youtube. I like the “Pretty Wreckless” and “Chelsea Wolf.” Youtube is sort of the MTV of old but caters to any taste. There’s no unified front of dancing, pretty popstars to sell soft drinks and chips. But new decent new music is getting made, it just takes some digging to find.
While the fellow does make some interesting points (I do think the lawyers and courts did some serious damage with that “Blurred Lines” verdict), as you fine people have noted, he misses the mark a lot.
I do think streaming and Youtube have pretty fundamentally changed the nature of music. Of course, they (and Netflix, et al.) have fundamentally changed the nature of video.
It’s quite possible for a show or song to become a big hit with millions of fans…that the other 8 billion people will never hear of. I’m working my way through Babylon 5 again (HBO Max has the stream) and checking out the B5 subreddit…where kids who weren’t born when the show ran originally are discovering it. So, yes, the large quantity of existing content is a factor, particularly since the best of it (and even most of the crap) has survived to be easily accessible with whatever flavor of streaming service you prefer.
And, honestly, his talk about record stores and music sales? I can’t remember the last time I actually bought an individual item of music. I don’t think that’s a useful gauge of how popular something is anymore.
He almost gets it when he comments on dealing with Fortune 500 companies wanting to stick to their old ways of doing business….yet the swing and a miss is that he’s pretty much pining for exactly the same thing.
A guest counterpoint from Mas Uvas (posted with permission):
First, I think it should be taken into consideration that “new” is anything released in the last 18 months. The catalogue of “old” is ever increasing, and the catalogue of “new” stays relatively the same, so it’s statistically more likely to be listening to something old than something new. Gioia “doubts these old playlists consist of the songs from the year before last” but doubt isn’t proof or statistical backing.
He also presents this idea of “cultural impact” as if it’s been long enough to judge. We only think old (I think he means pre-90s) music has such cultural impact because it’s been long enough to know what stuck around in the cultural conscious. Plenty of new music has had incredible impact in internet culture- it just appears that Gioia isn’t in these online spaces. He measures music popularity through sources that are outdated: mostly the Grammys and the radio. The Grammys’ declining viewership has less to do with the music they’re judging and a lot more to do with people gaining consciousness about the issues with their judging process- nobody wants to watch the same 5 white artists win the same awards every year.
Most radio stations play 80s/90s music because gen z doesn’t listen to the radio, so they have to cater to older audiences. And plenty of people I know who are very into the new music scene don’t like the radio, because “new” music isn’t relegated to Pop music, and they want other genres. Why would you wait through 10 ads and 3 songs you don’t care about just to hear one song you love, when you could just stream exactly what you want to hear at any time? And ease of streaming brings up another possibility: discovering new music is easier than ever.
The internet makes it possible to listen to just about any song anyone has ever recorded, so most people don’t limit what they listen to. Friends and acquaintances are always asking for new things to listen to, so perhaps there’s less clear favorites or “cultural impact” because people have so many choices (and it’s cheaper than buying new cds every time you want something new). Of course we have favorite artists we go back to, but it’s easy to experiment with new artists and genres all the time. You discover a new song/artist, listen to it for a while, then move on to discover more artists, and by the time you go back to the old discoveries, they’re not catalogued as “new” anymore (remember, that’s from the last 18 months).
Gioia may doubt the newer “old” music is on anyone’s playlists, but I’ve got plenty to prove him wrong.
Neat input.
I think I’ll play some Neil Young on my Amazon music streaming service today.
Also an excellent pick. I prefer the solo acoustic guitar version to the orchestral – – by a great margin.
I actually saw him perform in South Shields with Martin Simpson, great night.
Good album
CP: All That You Want — Ibibio Sound Machine
There. All my tax information is together ready to be entered.
My afternoons are amazingly exciting.
CP: Rock Star — Hole
Well episode 5 of Boba Fett was rather cool if a bit indulgent.
Hey guys, I shared the music article that we have been discussing with my youngest. While I distinctly remember what it is like to be that age, they ARE that age! I ask for any thoughts and got a whole bunch of texts message. So I gave my college sophomore the writing challenge of putting it all into a more concise blog post. If you are interested, I will be posting it as a reply to the original article back up the thread a ways.
Fantastic and eloquently stated!
Cool!
CW: Resident Alien S2E1
So glad we are getting season 2 of this. I’ll have to start watching later this week.
Are bans like this really effective in this age of the Internet and Amazon next day delivery?
Nothing makes kids seek out a book more then banning it!
Clutch those pearls!
Apparently they’re citing “female nudity” in the book.
It’s true that the female form represents temptation and evil to a certain dwindling Bible Belt sect, but I’m gonna go ahead and suspect they’re more uncomfortable with the subject matter.
Not just female nudity, but mouse female nudity. I know I made boo cover up her mice when we had them as pets
Well. I just got off the phone from an interesting call. I was asked if to be on the jury for the Canadian Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
I said I’d let them know by this weekend as I’d have to talk to John about it and, unfortunately, he works late tonight so I won’t get a chance.
Nice!
Are you now what we call “A mover and a shaker”?
Only if you ask nice 😉
What a fantastic honor! Congratulations!
First order of business: Get Strange Brew inducted 😉
These days soldier as it’s easier with usingbCPAP machine.
Also today was the day I realised the team behind No Mans Sky was the team behind the Joe Danger series of games.
Off to the city this morning
Mando > Boba Fett.
This is the way.
Also, a potential spoiler for Boba Fett question…
Do you think the silver C3PO we saw as a random character in EP3 was Triple Zero?
One can always hope. I’ve been anticipating them all season.
CP: Burn — The Crow
Everytime I think I’ve found a good alternative to SONOS it turns out to have the same “you will forever be beholden to us” business model.
Meh
All the expensive systems want to tie you into their sound systems, Sonos is just the worst of a bunch.
Saying that, I do like the Sonos Arc I bought to accompany the tv.
The products really are good but the fact they give no Fs about suddenly making your stuff stop working is pretty evil.
They backed off on the destroying equipment, they also allow you to use older equipment with the S1 app they just won’t worker with newer speakers.
If you are happy with your current system
jj just keep using it.
I find the S1 app crashes constantly now. It won’t run in the background. If you open it, then try to go to any other tab and come back to it, it’s frozen up and has to be restarted.
I was helping someone else out and trying to find them something that did what SONOS does without being SONOS but I am coming up empty.
I have an urge to play Red Storm Riding, going to have to dig out the Amiga emulator.
Rising not riding.
The thing about TOS episodes – – pretty much every single one of them – –
I think they could benefit from modern remakes with better effects, updated storytelling, and better acting.
That or the MST3K treatment.
BTW, just watched the Nazi planet one (Patterns of Force). I’d never seen it before. None of the charm or wit of A Piece of the Action. I didn’t hate it, but it’s not a classic, by any stretch.
Modern retakes, modern mistakes.
Not that I disagree with you, but I also just appreciate the show for what it is: mostly better than average pulp sci-fi with moments of brilliance. I love TOS. It was a big part of my childhood. But some of those episodes make me cringe nowadays. That doesn’t stop me from loving “Spock’s Brain” though. 😀
I am enjoying every episode, schlock and all. Sometimes primarily because of the schlock.
These crimes have to be prosecuted, and I understand the family’s desire to push on this, but I’m worried that if it goes to trial, they will lose. The defense could make a decent argument that these guys are being tried twice for the same crime.
Not that their sympathizers need any encouragement, but this would give them just the sliver of false “doubt” they need to justify obnoxious and negatively disruptive behaviors.
There needs to be a graph that shows how the quality of life increases as parking fees increase.
Nope! These fuckers… I wont say it should be the death penalty but least they should lose a fucking toe
Years ago I heard an NPR program that talked about this. Bottom line is that “Fines” psychologically made the worst offenders feel they had been given approval to behave badly in exchange for a fee.
A better solution is to TOW and impound these offenders. The inconvenience of having to spend a day to retrieve their vehicle it’s a far greater penalty and much more of a deterrent.
Got to admitt, the Chain Mail bikini would be effective against me as I would be so baffled/surprised/distracted by the appearance of a foe in such attire, they would easily have first strike advantage.
I go and play for the first time today….and the NY Times becomes convinced that it is now worth buying.
I feel like I should have gotten something for that endorsement.
It’s snowing
I need to come up with something pithy to say about Valentine’s Day for the newsletter. It’s hard to do that about something you don’t actually believe in.
Perhaps a pithy comment about St. Valentine himself and how writers must be able to suffer for their art?
That or just go with a vaguely bawdy limerick.
There once was a man from Nantucket. . .
Tori Amos touring in 2022!
I suppose I should throw her new album onto my playlist.
2-2-22 is just a warm-up for 2-22-22.
Oh great praise is bestowed upon ye the gods of the interwebs. Especially anyone and anything that is involved in the Internet Archives. I had a subscription to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Magazine back in 1985. Now I can revisit those glory days. I’ll definitely be wasting some time here.
2022 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame nominees are out. I’ll definitely be casting my vote for Devo. I want to give all the props in the world to Dolly Parton as a musician and I feel like she 1000% belongs in a country music hall of fame. But I just don’t see her as Rock N Roll.
The RnR HOF is kind of a joke, and this is one of the reasons why. . .
Yes, Dolly deserves to be in the Country Hall of Fame and the Pop Culture Hall of Fame (if such a thing exists), but she has never been Rock n’ Roll.
I hate to ever gatekeep and build fences, but this particular award should stick to Rock n’ Roll acts.
When are they going to induce Flattus Maximus into the Country Hall of Fame?
Yeah, this one raised my eyebrows. And I’m not going to gatekeep either: I’d just like to know in more detail why she was nominated.
It does raise some interesting questions. For instance, just who qualifies as Rock? Does it take a certain number of hit songs? How does song writing come into play? Plus, Rock, Country, and Jazz all share the same core roots. They’ve evolved in different and sometimes entwining ways, but are still considered very different genres.
Did Dolly Parton what about Kate Bush? I would hardly describe her music as rock and roll.
If Pink Floyd is rock, then I’d give KB a pass.
Yeah, I think Kate Bush counts as Rock n’ Roll.
So you’d say LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash, Jay-Z, Tribe Called Quest shouldn’t be in either?
Here’s my latest Metal Legacy article for the Metal Hall of Fame.
Sad day here.
Our Australian Shepard, Annie, passed away suddenly last night. She was 14 and had been in decline for the last few
months (Mobility, appetite, hearing, cognition) so while we knew it was on the horizon, it was still rather sudden. At least we were all together when it happened.
We were her herd. She was our family.
Always tough.
Sorry Joe. Losing furry friends is tough.
Our sympathies, JJ.
Condolences JJ, losing a pet is hard.
Oh no 🙁 I feel lucky to have met her and given her skritches. She’s a very sweet dog.
So sorry, Joe. Condolences to your family on your loss.
Oh. *hugs* Joe. 🙁
Thanks all.
John Cena did actually play that piano in the latest episode of Peacemaker:
CP: Think — The Blues Brothers feat. Aretha Franklin
In the chair to lose 1/4 of my wisdom. Questions come to mind.
Why am I doing this so late in life? Why did I let my dentist convince me this was necessary at all, at this point? Why have I been here for an hour and still not seen the actual dentist? How much misery is in store for tonight?
Booze, lots of booze.
It seems I’ll have a few days of antibiotics, so no booze.
I know the worst is yet to come, but the actual experience in the chair was faster and less horrific than I expected.
I have a procedure coming up that requires me to be of any and all acid reflux medications (can’t even take tums) for 7 days. Alcohol is a double acid reflux whammy as it produces more acid and loosens the esophagus to let more acid up. So I’m right there with you on the no booze train for a bit.
Sidenote: after being on prilosec twice a day for 20+ years, a week without anything is a living hell. Just saying.
Oh my! What a hit to your lifestyle.
Ooooooooh! That one hit me right in the lifestyles!
Can they go back and do this for Rogue One so it actually sounds like Peter Cushing:
Watching the Olympic opening Ceremonies.
I know there is a lot of baggage that comes with them anymore but both the Winter and Summer games have always been a big thing in my family.
And yeh, a lot of it gets me choked up because I’m an old softie.
So Like when I suspend my disbelief in order to enjoy a movie, I’ll willingly Let the producers manipulate me, no one is worse for it. 🙂
Nope! No one is allowed to like things.
All that being said … some “Opening Ceremonies” are better than others.
Oh well.
Let the games begin!
ok yes, it got worse.
CW: Nightmare Alley
Well that was just ok.
Bit of a waste of talent.
Disappointing. But really, Guillermo’s last great movie was Pan’s Labyrinth.
Ok sure, Pacific Rim was great, but that’s going for something very different.
I learnt much later that the actor who plays such an evil bastard in that film is more famous in Spain for comedy roles.
It’s like if somebody got Bob Hope play Hitler..
Or like if someone put Hugh Laurie (famous for playing comedic roles in Britain) in a drama/mystery role like House.
Disclaimer: I love Hugh Laurie to death and think he is both a comedic genius, talented musician, and talented serious actor.
Hmmm. I don’t think I’ve heard of this book. I’ve added it to my want to read list.
“Interesting” is not usually a complement. 😀
It’s a good book, but there is violence against a lot of women, so interesting is not a bad thing.
Hubby won’t let me come to his school and give some of his teacher’s heck. I want to tell them what I think about the fact they think giving me a video game for Valentine’s isn’t enough. I told him they are bullying him by trying to make him give in to their way of thinking instead of accepting we are happy with how we do things. I’d much rather have a video game than flowers that will die in a week and chocolates I can’t eat.
He laughs. I’m angry.
We have a very strange life.
Conform. . . . conform. . .
They should just shut the fuck up, what you and John want to do for each other is none of their business.
CP: Happy Birthday — Leah Andreone
I have nothing to say, except, “Blecchhh.” I have a terrible taste in my mouth.
Stupid human teeth. Sharks don’t have to deal with this crap! Whales don’t have to deal with this crap!
It’s still dark outside. Sinner or later the sun will be up before me again
Scheduled to talk to Carmine Appice(!!!!!!) tonight through the Metal Hall of Fame on Facebook – – but not as an interview. We’re talking about my Led Zeppelin article(!!!!). We’ll also have Gretchen Menn on – – who is a rising guitar superstar.
I’m not sure if Rich is joining as my cohost. (Between you and me – – and I’ve discussed this with him – – he might be podfading a bit)
I think history will view Futurama as superior to The Simpsons.
Although those early Simpsons seasons were groundbreaking.
“John DiMaggio, the voice of the foul-mouthed and boozing robot Bender doesn’t seem to be attached at the moment, but it’s very hard to imagine a revival without him on board. If, by some twist of cruel fate, DiMaggio can’t join in on the fun, many fans will demand that Hulu kiss their shiny metal…well, you know how the catchphrase goes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, the actor is currently in the midst of “finalizing a deal to return.”
Looks like they are going to recast according to the latest scuttlebutt.
Recasting would be easiest but at this point it seems like they could go back through all the previous episodes and harvest all his one-liners and pithy comments and just reinsert them where applicable.
Bad news everyone!
I finally watched a “Book of Boba Fett” episode early enough where Van and the Internet haven’t totally spoiled it for me. 😀
I had to say up to 2am to do it though. 😀
We couldn’t watch last night, so it will have to be tomorrow.
I’ve already had a few minor spoilers. . . but for stuff that was telegraphed early on.
This was the season finale?
Yes it was. I was surprised too. I had assumed we would get 8 episodes.
Seems like they spent 90 percent of their budget on EP 7.
Big. $5 billion dollar. Meh. I hope to be proven wrong.
In other meh news – – I watched S22 Ep1 of Locke and Key. . . and. . . . it seems to have lost all of the magic of S1 and from the books.
I will probably ditch. We’ll see.
While it wasn’t as good as season 21 😉 we still enjoyed it.
I actually gave up on it twice. The 2nd time seems to have stuck.
I just couldn’t stomach the occasional, absolutely stupid things they would have the characters do to advance the plot.
In my book, you can’t have the characters seem to be worthy adversaries for the big bad and then suddenly have them act like the bad guys from “Home Alone”
Lazy writing.
I only gave up on it once part way through the first season. Budget TV making at it’s worst. They couldn’t really afford to do what was actually done in the comic so they padded it out with an insane amount of high school and family drama.
I did enjoy season 1, but you nailed my thoughts on what’s wrong with S2.
I dropped out halfway through ep 3.
CP: Hello Hello (Dr. Who – Series 8) — Murray Gold
I really miss his work on the series.
Ugh. I really need a new job. 🙁
Teresa and I finally got serious with our retirement plans. Looks like it will happen somewhere between 7 and 10 years from now. This sounds like a long time, but if I was 10 years away from retiring from the point I started participating in the Deadpan, I would have been retired in 2016.
The feels.
We should all quit our jobs, start a podcast, and rake in the dough!
I think the best option is to buy a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver/amplifier and slowly upgrade your speakers over several years. A good subwoofer makes a big difference.
I think this has a pretty good chance of being true, especially given that all Marvel content is being pulled from Netflix after March.
My fingers are crossed:
The Netflix Daredevil series was a little more adult, a little more gritty than the typical MCU stuff – – but it worked perfectly the character. I hope they keep that going.
The English soft drink Vimto is very popular in Saudi Arabia where it is produced under license.
CP: Conga Fury — Juno Reactor
So that’s series 4 of Disenchantment watched.
It gets a lot of hate but I do rather love it and one of those series I just have to binge watch.
I got sidetracked after season 1 and haven’t gotten back to it.
Me watching S3E2 of Daredevil and pointing at the tv:
That’s the actress from Archive 81!!
On ling gaming today. Gaia Project followed by Wingspan. should be fun.
I’m tempted to buy Sifu tonight, but the reviews mentioning the difficulty are putting me off.
CW: In the Heat of the Night
Found this on BBC iPlayer, haven’t watched it in years.
Me:
There’s the old guy from S2 of The Walking Dead who was keeping the zombies in the barn when he was a young un.
What I didn’t know until I listened to a podcast about this film is that they couldn’t film in the Deep South so had to film further north in similar named town. Everybody acts as if the weather is hot and humid when in reality it was bloody freezing. There’s one scene when Virgil visits the diner (seen at the start of the film) and you can see the condensation from their breaths.
Let me know when it’s OK to talk about the season finale of Boba Fett. It really solidified for me what I liked and didn’t like about the series and looking forward to discussing.
I’m ok with it. Anyone else object to Boba Fett talk in this space?
Much as I love Euphoria, it’s basically beautiful young people doing fucked up shit.
90210?
Melrose place?
Those but with more drugs, alcohol and dicks on display.
After the young un went to bed, Tiffany and I hit a local watering hole for a drink. Literally had the place to ourselves, along with the bartender. Felt almost normal for about an hour. #weird
Happy VD, everyone.*
*If you celebrate
A little bit of snow overnight bit still not too cold
I’m seeing some “cash grab” hate for the Rings of Power show. . .
And I can’t really disagree.
I mean, I guess it’s OK to take a beloved old property and create your own massive-budget fan fiction. . .
Is it really “fan fiction”? The Tolkien estate is pretty protective of their property and tend to fight anything that they don’t approve of.
I’m seeing more hate for the woman wearing non erotic armour.
My eyes cannot roll hard enough.
Yeah, that an diversity inclusion.
We’ll see if Amazon does a better job with the source material than Jackson did with “The Hobbit”. But I’m willing to give it an honest chance. If this is really about the creation of the rings, then I’m pretty excited about the series.
I think the curmudgeons in the Tolkien family have all died off (mainly JRR and Christopher). I get the impression this is 100% new interpretations of the Middle-Earth histories with little or no connection to the original texts – – much like the extraneous nonsense Peter Jackson threw into The Hobbit.
I’m aware that there will be idiots braying about brown-skinned elves, but I haven’t seen that. I have actually only seen praise for Galadriel’s practical (non-sexy) armor and the people of color.
> I get the impression this is 100% new interpretations of the Middle-Earth histories with little or no connection to the original texts
I haven’t heard that. You might be right, but I’m not so sure.
> I’m aware that there will be idiots braying about brown-skinned elves, but I haven’t seen that.
I have.
Whether to call it a cash grab is a bit of a fine line. I think of it more in terms of the current trend to “play in someone else’s playground”. They take a property like LOTR or Watchmen or any of the Walking Dead spinoff series and find a safe haven where the source material didn’t originally go. That way they can get all of the benefits of using the property name (the cash grab aspect) without needing to worry as much about fans saying that they got this or that detail wrong.
I too also as well am are ready to give it a fair shot.
Yeah, that’s pretty much my feeling too.
Also, when I tend to associate “cash grab” with a lazy effort that will make money because fans will buy/support the product regardless. Amazon is sinking a shit ton of money into this show. That doesn’t feel lazy to me. That doesn’t mean they won’t play fast and loose with the material. I’m not a Tolkien scholar, but I’ve read a lot of it multiple times.
CP: Everybody Breaks — Ivan & Alyosha
Ok. I’ve waited enough. Here is my take on the Book of Boba Fett. I likes some aspects and didn’t like others. Definite spoilers.
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Here is what I liked:
1. They did not shy away from death. Many shows that have children as part of their target audience like to have all of the violence against droids or some other safe haven.
2. Incorporating The Mandalorian Season 1.5 to bridge the next gap. I think these stories go together and shouldn’t be contained only in one or the other series.
However see also, what I didn’t like to this same point.
3. Black Krrsantan is an awesome character. I don’t follow any of the animated shows so I’m sure I should already know who he is. But I really liked him.
Here is what I didn’t like:
1. The complete and utter (most likely deliberate because kids will watch this) misinterpretation of what a CRIME syndicate is and does. They want Boba Fett to be a hero figure and that is never what he was set up to be. He can’t be the benevolent leader of the community and the slimy leader of it’s illegal activities at the same time. Just doesn’t work.
2. I thought, when the series started, that he had an actual organization under him and we were only seeing the main characters. As the battles in the last episode made pretty clear, his ENTIRE organization consisted of him, his second in command, and a droid. He then added 2 henchmen, a Wookie, a second Mandalorian, and some kids on speeder bikes. Even when the cavalry comes from the town, it’s only like 15 people. This is not the size of a crime syndicate. This is a war between book clubs.
2. The kids on the speeder bikes. Whoever designed those costumes and props did not seem to be at all related to the people who designed the rest of the show and/or the rest of the Star Wars universe. They seem like a deliberate attempt to get teens to think the characters are cool than to be actual characters.
3. The need to bring in the cavalry from Freetown. They live in a giant city full of people with guns and Boba Fett says he has plenty of credits. They should have been able to hire a small army from right there in town.
Looking forward to other perspectives.
FWIW: I agree with pretty much all of your points, although some of those didn’t really bother me (e.g.: you’re not wrong about the crime syndicate logistics, but that didn’t bother me).
I was familiar with Krrsantan from the (excellent) Kieron Gillen Darth Vader comics series.
My own 2 cents (SPOILERS TO FOLLOW):
If you’d told me all of things that happened in the final episode, I’d have thought it was the greatest hour ever aired on TV. Instead, the last episode was awkwardly edited and directed (I guess?), and ended up being one of the weaker of the season.
The Tusken storyline wasn’t fully satisfactorily paid off.
I think this could have benefited from another episode or two to really establish the characters and situation more (and to wrap up that Tusken storyline). The Syndicate wasn’t all that scary, and we never reeeeallly saw them flex their power. I don’t think there was any time for that.
Overall though, I enjoyed the series.
Part of me wants a series dedicated to Luke’s adventures during this time, while he’s building the Jedi school and fighting the Empire at the height of his powers. Part of me wants to keep that in small, special doses.
I generally agree with a lot of your pluses and minuses.
It definitely felt…rushed I suppose trying to cram all this story into 7 episodes. The last one in particular was especially unsatisfying.
Of course, one of the wildest things this show did was have a large vocal aspect of Star Wars fandom bagging on one director and singing the praises of another. But this time around, the bagging was on a guy (Robert Rodriguez) and the praises were for a woman (Bryce Dallas Howard)…and I’m pretty much on board that train. I though Filoni did OK on his direction, but I think he’s better served in the animation world.
While it probably would have been a hard sell, I think it would have been a better story to focus more on his time with the Tuskens and end the season with his take over of Jabba’s palace. The whole spice trader business added too much – he could have stayed plenty busy dealing with the other crime families.
Overall, some decent points, but aside from the fan servicey stuff along the way, I wasn’t overwhelmed.
Tangential –
I heard/read (can’t remember) an article about self healers. Apparently given a billion people, random mutation sometimes produces variants that can actually cure themselves. It’s insanely rare but happens. The first recorded case of someone getting cured of AIDS was apparently one of these.
He has of course been studied to try and figure out WTF.
The dark side of this… there seems to be at least one of these in the ALS world and an entire marketing effort has sprung up to sell to despirate people, his elixirs and seminars.
In itself, these things aren’t “harming” them … but it is not curing them and is funneling a lot of family funds and donation dollars to one guys pockets. ☹️
While I’m cautiously interested, given the state of the description, I don’t see any way this arrives by the end of 2023…
I still maintain that the first of the new ones was excellent. And the second one was almost excellent (but not. It sucks). And the third was entertaining and forgettable.
I’m down for more.
Oh yeah – – Having watched the first 2 seasons of ST: Disco, it also hurts that their Spock is far superior to Zachary Quinto.
ST: Discovery’s Spock is Ethan Peck, btw.
Then you should really be hyped for Strange New Worlds.
Oh joy. More snow
There’s a bird chirping outside. The cat is not amused
CP: ISN’T EVERYONE — HEALTH & Nine Inch Nails
Ok, I admit. Treasure of Nadia is the first adult game steam recommended to me that I almost considered. Not because of its adult content but because it looks like it might actually have an interesting story line.
I hadn’t heard of it, but a quick Google search seems to show it to be favorably reviewed.
cough
Although, Rhett, most of the adult games Steam recommends well rated by Steam users. Recent reviews for yesterday’s recommendation (Intruder on the Bridge) are very positive. (overall reviews are a mixed)
Interesting.
I’ve spared you my usual diary complaining. . . Let’s just say that I’d vote for any candidate who could abolish HOAs.
As horrible as they become… the only thing worse is having no HOA and ending up with “That Guy” as a neighbor.
Sadly, in both scenarios, often the only relief is to move.
Is an HOA really effective against THAT GUY anyway?
In our case it was… but not without a great deal of pain and eventually, cops in the process.
It changed my tact to “buy a place without an HOA and WITH a buffer of land and trees around it.”
Not something that can be done everywhere.
We may have to move. The very thought makes me want to curl up into a ball.
Unrelated but somewhat parallel to my vaguepan griping above:
I know of a woman who lives in an apartment here in town. A “mentally unbalanced” neighbor fired off his gun, shot a hole through the wall into her home.
So she, her, husband, and their daughters now have to move.
How has this become normalized in our culture? Why do they have to move? Why isn’t the “oops, I almost shot you” guy being evicted or moved?
The guy behind The Middleman wrote an article about The Black Hole:
I think I’ll take tomorrow off. That way I’ll have a four day weekend instead of three 🙂
We get Monday off for Presidents Day in the US. What’s the Canadian holiday that gets you a 3 day weekend?
*Some of us get Presidents Day off.
Today my Steam discovery queue recommends the upcoming game College Bound: Arctic Adventure.
Seriously, finding out what Steam recommends each day has become a game unto itself.
It also recommended Attack of the Giant Crab. If it’s anything like Maneater (about sharks, get your mind out of the gutter), it could be fun
JW: Peacemaker S1 finale
Enjoyed the ride.
1) Eaglie is my favourite
2) That End battle cameo was great
A coworker of my wife got Covid back at the end of December. She was surprised to find out that he wasn’t vaccinated because he was a SUPER smart, science guy who had never been political or mentioned anything anti-vaccine. She’s not sure if he was too busy or absent minded or what.
Anyway, they put him on a ventilator January 1st and this morning he finally died.
Another totally useless and almost assuredly preventable death.
Aside from his own personal tragedy, he indirectly caused suffering in countless others around him. And likely innocent strangers who came in contact with him.
A modern take on rear window, Zoe Kravitz is bloody fantastic in this.
Hey, Ed! Finland win the gold medal in men’s hockey this year! I still hum that “Finland, Finland, Finland” anthem every time they’re mentioned on TV. 🙂
*won
Same here
Definitely one of my favorite things. 🙂
Never have I enjoyed losing so much.
This brings me joy.
And same.
For my money, Ed’s version is the official Finnish national anthem.
<3 Glad I could bring some joy to this group.
Amy you ARE a joy!
Ed, all you need to do is re-record this in a Scandinavian black metal format and you’d become their unofficial US ambassador
In light of current events in the Ukraine, a look back at the Russia-Georgia war:
Lo Pan’s Unofficial Official ranking of canon MCU/DCEU shows I’ve seen so far. (Not counting the ABC and Netflix Marvel shows cause I haven’t a clue where they stand in the grand scheme)
I’d put Loki higher than Wandavision but yeah we’ve been spoilt with good comic based shows the last few years.
YOURE WRONG FIGHT ME!
Kidding. Well you see Wanda is ahead of Loki for me by a literal nose. I preferred Wanda’s exploration of grief over Loki’s discovery of self. Just by a nose.
I really liked the stylistic risks that Wanda took and loved that it was an exploration of grief. I found Loki more entertaining by a width of a hydrogen atom. They are both superb.
Huzzah!!
I don’t even want to air my opinion. This place can get kinda rough.
I allowed myself to chill and watch Nightmare Alley last night. And I kinda wish I’d spent that time better.
It’s well-acted and lovely to look at, but way too long and mostly pointless. This could have been a great Twilight Zone episode.
I want my old Guillermo Del Toro back.
CP: You Cross My Path — The Charlatans
There is a gorgeous, utterly unique Marvel film deeply buried somewhere in the WTF slog that is Eternals. I can’t imagine that a director of Chloe Zhao’s talent fucked a film up this hard. This HAS to be an issue of a unique filmmakers vision being fucked by a studio that doesn’t understand said vision and interferes with the outcome. Right? Cause… this was garbage. As with such a diverse and talented cast it shouldn’t have been. I’d love to read the untouched script.
Firsties!
Where’s my needle?
Teresa almost convinced me to put this up in the yard for the holidays.
https://horrorfigures.com/6-5-ft-krampus-animatronic-decorations/
Doooo eeeeet.
Your debt is someone else’s asset:
https://youtu.be/Bhn3jsBHKg4
This is what happens when you reply to a post before getting to the end and figuring out there is a new thread. Posting again here in reply to Van’s informing us of the passing of Michael Nesmith.
As much as I love the Monkees, I think that the movie Elephant Parts had a bigger influence on my evolving sense of humor. He was truly a unique style in and of himself. Didn’t we watch Elephant Parts at some Meeetup as well?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi0b8tcCQSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6GUpmHFvME&list=PLU_ycxo-Q7PspWqZCya2VD0mQbXMuO-sA
The Roaming Asshat , December 11, 2021 at 6:09 am
Need to see that.
BIG fan of Repoman and it’s soundtrack.
Yes, I brought Elephant Part to a meeetup. I also own its sequel Television Parts
This late in the year?
More than 70 killed in Kentucky’s worst ever tornadoes https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59620091
Yeah, it sounded like a motherfucker. Very sad.
I do hope none of our friend or family in the area were affected.
This evening I will watch The Last Duel on Disney+
It’s not Bladerunner right? RIGHT????
Ok, I have no problem with the actors taking English playing French people but why sing songs in French?
..and why have an English actress speak in an American accent?
Anyway, not the train wreck I was expecting, pretty good in fact, over long but heck it’s worth a watch.
I hadn’t expected this one to go to D+
Well I had not heard of this before today:
https://youtu.be/MlvvSCmYsog
Expanse S6 E1 was consumed last night!
I’d intended to rewatch the entire series in prep for the finale, but life had other plans. Maybe someday we’ll do the full rewatch.
Has the final season started?
I’ve lost track of the count.
One of the more weird names for a person:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preserved_Fish
Considering the industry he worked in this is all set I a case of nominative determinism
Scottsdale is 7 degrees colder than Newark right now.
Somehow, neighboring Phoenix is 20 degrees colder.
(Fahrenheit)
Anne Rice has died, I’ve only seen the film adaption of An Interview with a Vampire.
https://t.co/BGDeHQRUpp
I was just going to share the same article.
Absolutely heartbreaking news. This is a celebrity death that gets me.
The first three books in her Vampire series are of the greatest things I’ve ever read. Absolutely brilliant. I cannot recommend them enough.
And they seriously changed the vampire genre forever.
Agree 100%
I will always hold a special place emotionally for those as they were what got me back into reading for fun. As a kid I read everything I could get a hold of. Then in my late teens/early 20’s there were suddenly just so many other things to do. Then, in late 20’s a friend gave me the 2nd book in that series and said “Read this. No, seriously … read it!”
I did and started my “adult” love affair with reading.
Well, not that it was ever going to happen anyway, but it looks like Disney’s managed to save me six grand that I won’t be spending on their “Starcruiser Hotel” experience.
I mean, dear lord, does it look awful.
So this is why we don’t deserve nice things:
https://t.co/HBFXvvmw3z
We’re a noble species.
At this rate my Secret Santa gift is going to be a Secret New Years gift. So sorry. It’s coming !
I don’t recall SNL going this far into the black humor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HDOieQvP58
Can’t view it in Canada
Wow!
https://www.avclub.com/dont-let-holiday-spirit-blind-you-to-the-monster-next-d-1848201393
I don’t know if this will help.
The dangers of hiking unprepared:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/12/tragic-death-young-california-family-hike
Morning Pan
We re-watched Blade on the weekend. It was still enjoyable
Think I’ll pass;
https://t.co/Frrfc95Zcv
I received my booster Friday night. Aside from a stiff neck and a slightly tired feeling, I felt a lot better compared to my second dose.
It would seem that this is going to be a thing, every 6 months, for the rest of our freaking lives.
Well, who knows. Perhaps we may get a vaccine that grants sterilizing immunity to covid.
And in case we needed something else to worry about:
https://www.12news.com/article/news/verify/golf-courses-water-shortage-arizona-verify/
Some of their arguments defending the golf courses are a stretch, but really, the major culprits are the giant water-consuming industries and the over-development.
And if you think any lawmaker is going to curb any of those, well. . . .
A less cranky post:
This is my latest Metal Hall of Fame article:
https://www.metalhalloffame.org/jon-zazula/
And OK, OK, I’m going to bed. But I dedicate this last one to Van:
https://imgur.com/svQg2DA
Long motionless crane near Pripyat, Ukraine
Are you sure that isn’t a screenshot from Half Life 2?
Well now this looks like it could be as cheesy as hell and fun:
https://youtu.be/wxN1T1uxQ2g
I’m in.
Amazing photos and story:
https://mymodernmet.com/australasian-antarctic-expedition-photos/
Is that where they retrieved this?
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/34/97/fe/3497fe724ef53ab0523c2c8dc332ccae.jpg
A year in photos:
http://womenphotograph.com/news/2021-year-in-pictures
Those kids look so happy
How to pronounce Omicron by Star Trek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GjMbMQGOpA&ab_channel=Mark2k
I should check the mail. However, it’s -17C. I have a small dilemma.
Is that dilemma not knowing where your coat and gloves are…
It’s more of a I didn’t want to go out into the cold dilemma, even with a coat and boots. I got over it though and bundled up and walked to our mail box and got the junk mail.
Normally I wouldn’t have even gone out today but I’m expecting a parcel
Star Wars Eclipse??
Impressive – – forget the game, let’s see this movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH-Bk1ueih0
Good Morning from the frigid north!
Don’t forget to feed the reindeer.
but I wanna be a dentist!
So after watching episode 5 of Hawkeye;
Oooooh! at the ending.
Can we just have Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh in everything?
So, we’ve been watching Corner Gas. They drink Pilsner. My hubby, ever the slave to product placement, picked up a case of Pil. He of A Castle for Christmas on NetFlix, now he wants to watch that this weekend.
At what point do I need to stage an intervention?
Corner Gas?
It’s an older Cdn tv show. We were pretty hit and miss watching it when it was out. Now it’s available on local streaming so we’ve slowly been going through it
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397138/
I need to check out Matt Mango’s new album, out today:
https://mateomango.hearnow.com/ancestors
Dune, although a fantastically well written novel, was not my cup of tea because I just don’t enjoy in-depth investigations into religion or politics. However, I’m definitely excited to see this adaptation. I’m a huge Arthur C. Clarke fan. The only thing that would have been better is if it was Childhood’s End.
https://geektyrant.com/news/denis-villeneuve-will-direct-film-adaptation-of-arthur-c-clarkes-sci-fi-novel-rendezvous-with-rama
I’ve been hit-or-miss with ACC, but I really loved the first Rendezvous with Rama (couldn’t get into the sequels).
Ah ACC, the first author whose a books I started to collect. RWR was frustratingly vague about the intentions of the builders of Rama.
Is it wrong that I want to see a bunch of these?
https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/13-mockbusters-that-are-clear-rip-offs-of-bigger-movies/2900-3893/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa1d#10
I want these PBPs!
That Jimmy Carter..what a guy:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/04/05/milnes.carter.nuclear/index.html
While his effectiveness as a President can be debated at great lengths, he is clearly one of the finest human beings we’ve ever had as a President.
Agreed. I wonder: was he any less effective or bland than Gerald Ford?
Ryah, what are your people doing to me?
https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/12-15-21-tim-hortons-canadian-coffee-shop-doughnuts-houston-location-justin-bieber/
It’s not their first try to enter the US. I don’t think they resonate. Just like Dunkin Donuts have tried, and failed, to enter Canada.
Tim’s doughnuts are ok. I used to love their ice Capps, when I could have caffeine. The rest of their stuff is pretty meh in my opinion. Does that make me a bad Canadian?
They are making a big push in the UK, still haven’t been in the local one that used to be a Pizza Hut.
I think their coffee is pretty damn good, quite a bit like Dunkins.
I greatly enjoyed having a Timmy’s kiosk in the arena for Coyotes home games, but it only lasted a few seasons.
Another YouTube reaction channel covers “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” a few weeks after Lost in Vegas. I wonder if they track each other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bmBbKFVRz4
Roger is the brain, David is the heart, Mason is the muscle, but Rick is the soul, is the glue.
I never actually sit and watch these things in their entirety, but I dig seeing people love the music I love. I sometimes have it playing in another tab.
Awkward family photos:
https://en.thefunpost.com/family-christmas-photos?utm_source=twitter2&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=create&ly=native_one&mbid=kwbgqikhgc
George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord gets it’s first official music video (after 50 years):
https://youtu.be/04v-SdKeEpE
I was happy to see the people that I recognized in that video. Unfortunately, even upon seeing the list of people that participated in order of appearance, I still don’t know 80% of the people involved.
Side note: I’ve been to the book store that they are wandering around in at the beginning of the “investigation”. Insanely cool place.
I haven’t watched yet, but I hope it’s a direct reenactment of the Chiffons “He’s so Fine.”
Agreed:
https://t.co/osHQXqPBTt
Meh
ElderDaughter’s favorite YouTube gamer jacksepticeye has also called this the best game of all time. His second favorite is Bloodborne.
#Parentingteens2021
Getting a booster shot when you’re team AstraZeneca is more complicated than you’d think
Not in the UK, was team AZ and got the Moderna booster.
They’re making us start from scratch. We’ll get our “first dose” on Saturday, then, in a few months get a second dose. In this case, we’ll be getting Pfizer.
Well looks it looks like I will be the winner this year of my DPSS gift being the last to arrive.
https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-forced-bot-to-watch-1000-keaton-patti/
CP: Fighter — Sneaker Pimps
I’m liking the new album. 😀
https://www.starwars.com/news/gareth-edwards-rogue-one-interview
Rogue One has already been out for 5 years?!
Yeah, but Metallica is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Cheers to 10 years of great music! (I kid! I kid the Metallicas)
Ha!
These were our years:
https://t.co/wbpIIAHFBM
So finally watched all 10 episodes of the live action remake.
Enjoyed it, pity they won’t be a season 2.
Cowboy Bepop that is.
Had you watched the original anime?
Nope, so not a Bladerunner situation for me.
Well, I’d strongly suggest you give it a try. It is one of the most beloved series out there.
Apparently, in the newest season of The Expanse, there are bonus short videos in the x-Ray section.
We haven’t started watching yet to test this out but it sounds cool
The second season of The Witcher has started streaming on Netflix. Goodness know when I actually get around to watching it with all the other to stuff I would like to watch.
Booked ticket to see the new Spider-Man flick this weekend.
brrrrrrrr.
I get to go to the dentist later this morning. Fun times
I know this was posted last year but it bears repeating
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cUz-zAATNI&ab_channel=SmallTownTitans
Welp, my teeth are now clean for Christmas.
CP: I’m Dead — Bam Bam
Reading recap:
Started Gideon the Ninth. Halfway through, I paused to read:
The first Murderbot book. Every bit as great as ditto and Van have been saying.
Finished Gideon.
Reread the first Matt Fraction Hawkeye graphic novel, which is a blast. (Only a few elements in common with the show)
“Attack on Titan” manga. #1 and #2
“The Sun Also Rises.” It’s fine. I don’t love Hemingway.
Now reading: “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” by John LeCarre.
What do you mean you didn’t ask??
I love the whole Murderbot series. It’s one of the most enjoyable things I’ve read in years.
I also love Gideon and Harrow, but they are “work” especially Harrow.
AoT is good, once you get past the artwork. I enjoyed it overall, but I think the anime is better in many respects.
I also have to share this Tor article on Harrow:
https://www.tor.com/2021/12/07/hugo-spotlight-harrow-the-ninth-by-tamsyn-muir/
It’s got spoilers but I love the lead-in:
“Gideon the Ninth waltzed up to the doors of reader expectation, planted plastic explosives around the frames while whistling a jaunty tune, and purposefully walked away in slow-motion, aviators glinting, and blew it all to hell.”
And Harrow did that tenfold, imo.
I don’t know if I’ll read Harrow. I’ll have to see how Gideon sits in my brain.
I wasn’t really enjoying the excess cheese while reading AoT vol 1, but then it ended the way it did, and I went, “Fuck, now I need to see what happens next.”
Kinda the same for AoT#2.
I expect to keep going until I run out of the free stuff on Comixology.
I will get back to the Murderbot books soon. Great stuff.
Can cats see optical
Illusions:
https://t.co/nQoaMHZV8B
While the write up suggests he can, I don’t see it from watching the video. The cat seems fine laying across the “hole”
Crap joke for the day:
You are driving in a car at a constant speed.
On your left side is a ‘drop off’ , (The ground is 18-24 inches below the level you are travelling on), and on your right side is a fire engine travelling at the same speed as you …
In front of you is a galloping horse , which is the same size as your car and you cannot overtake it .
Behind you is a galloping zebra . Both the horse and zebra are also travelling at the same speed as you .
What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation ?
…
…
…
…
Get off the merry-go-round, you’re drunk!
https://www.boredpanda.com/illustrated-good-news-2021-mauro-gatti/
Because I complain a lot, here is some positivity.
Here’s some potentially good news.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/full-vaccination-against-covid-19-110257193.html
I would caution this is a single study and we don’t know what new mutations may come forward. But there might be an end to this madness in the not-so-distant future.
The new Spider-man flick was a lot of fun.
The cinema experience less so, but at least most people kept their masks on.
The young kid squealing out the names of the two guest stars when they came on screen even made this humbug smile.
Oh and two scenes after the end credits start rolling.
One slight flaw, the CGI for The Lizard is really really crap.
I have no idea when I’ll get out to see this movie.
I will let it come to me.
CW: Venom: Let there be Carnage
I was wondering why a lot of bit part actors were British, checked on Wikipedia and Lo and Behold it was mostly shot in the UK.
Well that was ok, but after the seeing new Spider-Man flick it was bit of a let down.
The Carnage move is actually quite terrible. I mean, good for a laugh, but not really a defensible movie in any way.
Booster side effects suck
Indeed they do ☹️
Speaking of which, I was/still am stunned that – as of last week 1 out of every 100 people in the US, over the age of 65 since Covid started … has died from Covid.
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-deaths-american-older-population-cdc-data-2021-12
… but yes, let’s talk about what cookware the Vice President may have purchased.
The numbers are staggering. The lack of empathy… the denial of reality…. The irresponsibility from some – – also staggering.
Oh no. 🙁 Sorry Bunny. Feel better.
Loving the convenience of Stamps.com. Anything that saves me standing in line for the post office is a good thing. However, I’ve just hit a snag: the web form demands local phone numbers for international shipping.
Paging Bunny and Van: Could you please email or Facebook PM me a phone number I can use for each of your shipping labels? Thank you. You’ll get these care packages eventually, though probably not in time for Christmas. :/
Done, via FB.
Thank you! 🙂
That’s really sweet, Amy
I got this link from ditto on FB: the latest Hugo Award winners:
https://www.tor.com/2021/12/18/2021-hugo-award-winners/
So have any of you played Wildermyth?
Any good?
A game on Steam.
A reminder about Asimov:
https://t.co/Oyndl4lKmy
He deserves credit for his innovations.
But he also needs to be remembered as a perverted creep.
CW: The French Dispatch
It’s Wes Anderson so weird is de rigueur.
Well that was all rather strange and beautiful looking.
I would like to see this.
Just finished the 2nd season of The Witcher. Very much enjoyed the ride and looking forward to more.
Looking forward to watching this. I just started The Expanse S6 tonight.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/19/1065297022/how-to-get-your-teens-or-college-age-kids-to-take-omicron-seriously
Back to grumpy links. Though I do hope this one is useful, even when not dealing with teens.
Some very direct, straight talk from the White House on Covid.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/12/17/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-74/
“For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.” – – it will change zero minds, but it’s satisfying to see.
I glanced at the comments section on the local ABCNews Facebook post following Dr. Fauci’s most recent statement. I can’t even crack a joke about the idiots. There were many calls for him to be jailed.
Holiday Morning Pan
Martin Scorsese is an underrated actor:
https://t.co/pgdOqXcomN
How the Enigma machine worked:
https://youtu.be/ybkkiGtJmkM
That is fascinating and well done.
https://www.sciencealert.com/perseverance-has-discovered-organic-molecules-in-mars-jezero-crater
Exciting Mars news – – but don’t call David Bowie just yet.
How the Enima machine worked:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enema#/media/File:Klistierbank1.JPG
Not like that!
Not gonna click it. Not gonna click it.
So after watch the first few episodes of Cobra Kai, I stopped watching for months and now I’ve restarted watching and really enjoying S1.
Loved S1. Bailed halfway through S2.
https://metalinjection.net/news/kid-rock-is-very-offended-that-people-dont-like-his-edgy-new-song
Your daily schadenfreude.
Chef’s kiss
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/18/fellowship-of-the-ring-at-20-the-film-that-revitalised-and-ruined-hollywood
Well said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1dU1HZ_73M
Stars at about 1:30
Apparently Quicksand released an album in August and didn’t tell me.
https://quicksandnyc.bandcamp.com/album/distant-populations
Digging it!
Yep. I was surprised too.
I’m thinking of telling my Boo I’m cancelling Christmas dinner again this year.
It’s usually just her and her partner over for Christmas. So gathering size is not the problem. The issue is, they go over to his mom’s house for Christmas eve dinner. It’s usually a big affair with several families (his two sisters, their spouses, children, as well as any extended family and friends his mother may invite). Do I really want the two of them over the day after that with unknown exposures?
I would say no, but then I don’t have to deal with the possible emotional fallout.
Agreed. That’s a lot of unknowns. There’s pretty much guaranteed to be some vax-challenged in that crowd.
https://www.slashfilm.com/713904/the-john-wayne-cameo-in-star-wars-you-probably-never-noticed/
Interesting bit of trivia, but the article stretches it a bit.
Just started Umbrella Academy. I have to say that I’ve been frustrated with the concept that you should give a series 3 episodes to decide if you like it or not. It’s created an “industry standard” IMHO in which TV series get to be very slow about grabbing your attention and hooking you on the show. I’m really, really glad to say that Umbrella Academy grabbed me right with the first episode. Fantastic setup, great characters, and action right in the first episode. Well done Umbrella Academy.
Side note: I had seen and really liked Robert Sheehan in Misfits. Was quite surprised that I really liked Klaus and went the whole episode without realizing it was Robert Sheehan. That guy’s got some talent.
Klaus is my favorite.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20211214-doughnuts-the-fried-treat-that-conquered-the-modern-world?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Doughnuts is the proper spelling, but it’s always donuts in my heart.
You’ll be spelling Color with a U next.
Would the Canadian contingent agree?
https://t.co/8J1sV6C2sl
Derek Mah was just telling me some of the Hawkins lore. I love that they shut down production on weekends.
I do agree that they’re far more delicious than Cheetos. Thank you, Ryah, for bringing these into our lives.
I sent Hawkin’s Cheesies with my Secret Santa gift
Ha! The mentioned Corner Gas. I was talking about that in an earlier post.
And they were definitely better than Cheetos.
Worked out a compromise with my Boo. She’s coming over for dinner on New Year’s Day. That way, they have a week to figure out if they’re sick. I know, technically it’s up to ten days to see if you’ve got it but, *shrug*, it’s a compromise.
I’d never cast aspersions on anyone who’s doing their best. I’ll reserve judgment for those who are recklessly, carelessly, selfishly endangering everyone around them.
And FWIW, I’d probably make the same compromise in that situation.
https://www.iflscience.com/environment/atlantropa-colossal-1920s-plan-dam-mediterranean-and-create-supercontinent/
Fascinating and absolutely nuts. What might have been.
HOLIDAY EATING TIPS
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly, it’s rare. You can not find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert, Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:
“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ” WOO HOO what a ride!”
Since it appears to have vanished, I watched the Hawkeye finale whilst having my tea and it was good, in fact the whole series was good.
The end sequence was amazing
Fun. Just stifle any “How could” and “Why did” questions.
Hmmm:
https://t.co/S2k3gjQrot
Amy Bowen is pretty damn rad!
That is all.
Just checked the mail. There was a set of Fifth Element dice but nothing on the card said who it was from. While I want to guess Amy? I didn’t want to presume.
Thank you, whoever you are.
Just finished consuming the new Matrix: Resurrections film.
It’s everything the Star Wars sequels should have been. A believable and natural progression from the original trilogy that honors without getting mired in simply retelling the same old story. It also respects the original characters, heroes and villains alike.
Was it necessary? In light of how Revolutions ended, I would say it absolutely was.
So last night had a play of the The Matrix tech demo on the PS5. The action sequence is ok but the chance to explore the city by walking, flying or just driving is pretty impressive.
Good Christmas Eve eve day Deadpan
Did up the draft for the end of the year newsletter. God I hate writing newsletters. If I wanted to do a blog, I’d do a blog.
Free Harlan Ellison – I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream game for the next 48 hours. Comes with a soundtrack and a copy of the short story.
https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3697088/grab-no-mouth-must-scream-free-gog-48-hours/
CW: Jungle Cruise
Rewatching and rather enjoying it a second time.
There’s a light snow falling and the trees are covered in frost. It’s actually kind of pretty outside
https://youtu.be/w9QLn7gM-hY
How to say you are a hypocrite without saying it:
https://t.co/EsfIyr6ab3
Well, after that run, I’m hoping we get to see more of Hawkeye and Bishop in the future.
I do recommend the Matt Fraction Hawkeye comics. At least the first bunch of issues.
..and Yelena.
I’m a fan of Peter Dinklage, but this is a seriously tone-deaf take.
https://www.insider.com/peter-dinklage-game-of-thrones-fans-move-on-finale-2021-12
No, that’s not why we hated the final season.
CW: WOT season finale.
Looks like they spent 90% of the budget on the finale.
Weapons Of Tickling?
Whereabouts Of Traveling?
Werewolves Of Timetravel?
The Jewish guide to the Gregorian Calender:
https://www.gregcal.com/
Happy Christmas Adam Deadpan!
Eve wants a word with you!
It’s Christmas Eve, not Christmas Steve!
The Google page Santa tracker is either wrong, or Santa has a lot of explaining to do. He’s skipping a whole bunch of places.
JW: Encanto on Disney+
A rather charming animated film with forgettable songs.
Well worth a watch.
My Elder loved the Arcane series and has become infatuated with the soundtrack.
There are a couple of excellent songs on it. Check it out! She was even introduced to this hip new artist named Sting. Watch that guy, I think he’s going to have quite a career.
Well I’m getting up at 0515am tomorrow for a zoom chat so Happy Christmas Deadpan.
Enjoy! Sounds like an Xmas nap will be in order.
Been sick as a dog these past 2 days. It was bad enough that I went to the drive thru test line yesterday (negative).
Just gotta point out that I’m blessed to have Tiffany as my backup and partner. After working overnight, she let me sleep in today.
I still feel like shit. Gotta get unfunked for tomorrow.
Google’s Santa tracker and Norad’s show Santa in different places. Google says The Netherlands. Norad says Africa. They really should get their stories straight.
Some of you will remember my bass player friend, Lee. His long-time girlfriend is in the ICU. Just awful news.
Aww. *hugs* to you and your friend
So sorry man. 🙁
Sad you are under the weather as well.
Here is wishing it is all looking up from here for all concerned.
That sucks Jack, hope you feel better soon and fingers crossed for your friends girlfriend.
Thanks, everyone. I hate being sick, but especially on Xmas, when I need to put on A happy face.
Power has been out here for about 2 hours.
Sounds like the battery on my UPS is about to go now.
So long cable modem and wifi :/
Oh no!
I blame the 3 spirits who are coming to visit you tonight.
The fun part was around 3am when power came back on an everything that had been on CAME BACK ON!
A startling way to wake back up.
Morning Pan
Expect a quiet day of gaming. Then, since it’s just the two of us, I’ll roast up a chicken breast as our dinner.
Merry Christmas Deadpan-y People! A gift for all They Might Be Giants Fans. They have some free downloads of live albums. https://bit.ly/3sBIFSX
Score!
Merry Christmas you old Deadpan!
What got stuck in rectums this year:
https://t.co/dyzgAC06dj
JW: The Matrix Resurrection
Enjoyed that. Jonathan Groff as you know who was fantastic.
CW: John Williams Live – Music from the Movies
JW himself, conducting the Berlin Philharmonic playing the music he wrote for films.
Last night, before we lost power, we watched “ Labyrinth“.
Might have to make that a new tradition.
We watched the new,Resident Evil movie tonight. I liked the original series of movies. I also liked this one. This one was actuacloser to the games (1 & 2) in feel
Another slice of history:
https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2020/09/swiss-enigma/
CW: Don’t Look Up on Netflix
Well that was an experience.
There’s a major character on The Expanse who is a serious drag on the show. Ep 3 of the current season teased killing them off and I was momentarily thrilled. Not as a rooting interest, but as a wish for the show to get back to its past greatness.
But alas.
The Expanse is still great, btw. Wow, is there a LOT to wrap up in just 3 last episodes.
It’s -34C (-40 with the wind chill) right now. We’re going to do some grocery shopping in an hour. Do you think it will warm up much between now and then?
Goodbye to Edward O. Wilson:
https://t.co/vncLYQkLrO
The manga that teaches martial arts techniques:
https://youtu.be/PvTOlV6GGaI
CW: Swan Song on AppleTV+
You know it’s just bloody nice in this age of the sci-fi blockbusters to watch a low key sci-fi film where nobody is shot or blown up.
Oh and the first scene with it’s homage to a certain biographical story by Douglas Adams is the cherry on top.
Interesting walk through the movies of 20 years ago.
https://www.avclub.com/the-best-movies-of-2001-1848148057
I haven’t seen or care to see a bunch of these, but the others made a major impact.
I saw Moulin Rouge by mistake as I went into the wrong theatre in a multiplex.
I adore Amelie, especially the music.
I’ve only seen seven of these.
And for the record, I liked Moulin Rouge.
Morning Pan
Another quiet day.
Quiet days are the best. Been an bank holiday here cos Xmas and boxing were at the weekend.
Where is the James Webb Space telescope ?
Check it out in real time.
https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html
Crap joke for today:
A warning to all of you out and about , be careful about drink driving as we are getting close to new year. The Police are out there checking on people.
Last night a friend and I were out for a few drinks and a meal. One thing lead to another and we had a few too many beers and then went onto the wine, finishing with coffee and brandy. Not a good idea. Knowing we were over the limit, we decided to leave my car and took a bus home. Sure enough, we passed a police checkpoint, where they were pulling over drivers and performing breathalyser tests. Because we was on the bus they just waved it past. We arrived home safely and without incident, which was a real surprise as weve never driven a bus before and I am not even sure where we got it from. Now it’s parked outside my house and I don’t know what to do with it!
Slow clap
JW: Being the Ricardos on Prime
I knew going in there were inaccuracies and found out later that Arnaz was booted out of Cuba in the 30s due to a military take over and not Fidel and the communists.
Still, I enjoyed it.
Bit close to Lo Pan’s area:
https://t.co/U3exIq2Ak6
It’s become par for the course and I pretty well hate it.
Brutal:
https://youtu.be/tHCsz78GfYg
Holy shit but is Hit Monkey a fantastic show. It’s not MCU and that’s ok. Its great Marvel TV. A ton of fun. Jason Sudekus is terrific.
Your crap joke for the day:
I made a graph of all my past relationships.
It has an ex axis and a why axis.
Ending the year with your best material I see.
Goodbye to John Madden, who I first heard about when I played an American football game on the Sega Megadrive (Genesis):
https://t.co/nsHYwaY1rV
Finally got out to see Spider-Man. Lots of fun. It’s the only movie of the current phase that I liked a lot. (Shang-Chi had its moments, but… meh.).
– We were basically the only people in the theater wearing masks. Omicron is going to be a bloodbath.
After the movie, it was hailing. Hailing! Literally.
So does anybody know this Lucy Rose that just popped up in the Deadpan Facebook page?
Stephen King hates fat people:
https://t.co/iNqnTjWf9k
It’s an old-time lazy/easy shortcut for writers.
I would think/hope he’s evolved. All but one of the examples she cited are over 35 years old. *shrug*
*RE: It’s an old-time lazy/easy shortcut for writers.
Good writers shouldn’t do this. Especially in our more enlightened age.
Did anyone else read Warren Ellis’ webcomic FreakAngels? He started that back in 2008. It seems like there is an anime adaptation of it coming out now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-PvSMbDv6s
I thought Freak Angel was that Goth magician guy.
I have to admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by Matrix Resurrections. Maybe I was hoping for to much? I loved the meta commentary and tie-ins to the previous movie, but once you strip that out and focus on the story, it was a little weak. Still, I’m glad it was made by LW and not WB, and I really hope to see more of Bugs in the future.
Bugs was the most interesting character. I didn’t realize at first that she’s Colleen from Iron Fist!
I definitely like this movie, but it suffers a bit from the same issues as the new SW movies. Oh, you liked this character in the originals? Check out this new version of them! I need to see it again, but I still rate Matrix 2 as better.
1 – 2 – 4 – 3
I’d be more 1-3-4-2 but I agree with your comments.
Glad it wasn’t just me. It was a hole lot of OK as far as movies go. It wasn’t bad and it wasn’t great.
https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/christmas-movies-show-how-fake-snow-evolved-from-its-a-wonderful-life-to-harry-potter
Bookmarking to read later.
My WiFi network has been slow for days, so spent an hour switching stuff off/on and turns out one of the mesh nodes needed to be rebooted.
Then discovered wpa3 had been switched off, switching it back on improved WiFi speeds about 10%..what the fuck is that about?
The Man from 1997:
https://youtu.be/qZMdb_ZXpMM
James Garners performance in this sci-fi drama from the 50s lead to him getting the role of Maverick.
You are.
This is pretty damn exciting – due the launch going pretty much perfectly, the Webb telescope is expected to last a good bit longer than the 10 year plan due to not having to burn much of it’s on board fule supply for course corrections:
https://www.slashgear.com/webbs-telescope-only-just-launched-but-its-already-surpassing-expectations-29704624/
The early deployment of the solar array was also a bonus. I was a bit shocked when seeing it go open shortly after detaching from the upper rocket stage…as it was not supposed to happen for a couple more minutes. Turns out the deployment was automatic once the telescope reached the correct altitude, which it did a few minutes earlier than estimated.
*likes*
Super news!
I’m a fan.
I’ve been tracking this too. Seriously exciting stuff. Most of humanity’s best news these days is happening in space.
Book of Boba ep1 – good not great. But I’ll take it and i enjoyed it. I should also stop expecting great every time. That’s on me.
Unless it’s Matrix 4…. that’s on y’all. Cough.
Yeah, plus it’s good he’s not perfect in the role of a crime lord.
I had tix to MST3K Live at a local theater, so I will catch Boba Fett tonight.
I don’t think anyone is saying Matrix 4 is great? To me, it was just a fun little revisit to a beloved playground.
I chose not to get tix for MST3K for various reasons. Looked fun tho.
it was much fun. Judging by this one performance, I definitely prefer Emily to Jonah.
As for Boba Fett? That first episode episode was bantha poodoo.
My tickets for MST3K live are at the end of January. Got a hell of a deal on the VIP package.
Morning Pan
Another quiet holiday morning
You say that as if it was a bad thing..;
Absolutely not! I love quiet. I can read, play video games, relax in front of the fire place. Give me quiet any time.
JW: Ron’s Gone Wrong
Well that was fun.
Alas poor BlackBerry I knew you not well:
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/12/end-of-the-line-finally-coming-for-blackberry-devices/
Pretty bad fires near Boulder, Colorado, Louisville being evacuated.
Sadly about to get worse once the first subdivision goes up.
Our daughter is being evacuated from her apt so we’re a bit tense. No immediate danger but dammit child! Just get here already!
We are hoping that your family is safe, as well as Kris and Bernie.
All the best to you and your family, Lo Pan. And everyone in your area. Fuck.
Thank you all. All fam members are safe at home. The fires are out now with the help of a heavy snowfall today. Which, honestly, the fact the snow came today is a slap in the face to the 1000 families that lost homes yesterday.
Oh Lo. All the best for you guys out there.
A bit of good news:
https://t.co/ROA0cpcBva
This is incredible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCdsIkQqAmE&t=137s
Have you posted this before? Clicked on the link and it was right at the end of the video.
That was beautiful
I’d never seen it before. Maybe you had?
Or maybe Youtube has gotten more specific about its links? *shrug*
The swing band version of the portal 2 song:
https://youtu.be/q_NbeowU_9s
That was fun
It appears Betty White has died just as the year was ending.
Wow. Just yesterday the news was just all about her upcoming birthday.
https://t.co/Iw8TSN92ra
Just saw that. Had to check several sites to make sure it wasn’t a hoax. Wow!
Sad news. I think we were all rooting for her to make 100.
Still – enjoying life and keeping your wits into your late 90s? It doesn’t get much better than that. Hats off to her.
Past midnight so Happy New Year Deadpan!
Happy New Year Van!
Happy New Year Deadpan!
Merry New Year sir. Since you’re in the future, can you tell yet if 2022 sucks as much as 2021?
The Piña Colada says no..hic!
I love sauced future Van…..
JW: Belfast
About a young lad growing up when the troubles hit Northern Ireland, impressive.
Happy New Year, Deadpan!
Always been a fan of Rally-X from the arcades, catchy tune, and spent a pleasant hour playing a 2018 version written for the ZX Spectrum (via emulation).
Any, here’s the tune I still hum from time to time:
https://youtu.be/qBZY_THLJuo
Happy New Years, Dead Pan!!!!
CW: Fight Club
Haven’t seen this since it’s theatrical release back in 1999.
Its a good one. Can I also recommend the Fight Club 2 graphic novel
1930s footage from Los Angeles get color restorations an is upgraded to 60 fps.
https://geektyrant.com/news/old-1930s-footage-of-los-angeles-gets-a-cool-colorized-remaster
1. Odd that this makes the first set of footage look like something shot in the 60s at first glance
2. I remember when colorizing black and white footage was considered a crime against humanity (although that was for beloved movies rather than random shots like this and we’re doing it for different reasons).
3. The footage starting at about 0:58 somehow looks like video rather than film.
4. Even in the 1930s LA was too damn crowded
2. Agreed. Remember how terrible the first colorized movies looked? I imagine it could be done properly now, but I don’t think the change would ever feel right.
So the new word game craze is Wordle:
https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/
Oh and if you want to play more than once a day:
https://octokatherine.github.io/word-master/
CW: Werewolves Within
Horror comedy on Netflix
That was pretty cool, well worth a watch.
I really don’t get the hate for Boba Fett ep 1. Just fucking enjoy life for a second.
Cause it was a thousand times better than the awful and should have been aborted Matrix 4.
Speaking of Matrix 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHCsz78GfYg
I liked both, go figure.
And look, I’m glad some people liked that first Boba Fett episode. I want Star Wars to succeed – – it’s still sacred to me. I thought this ep was awful in just about every way.
I do have faith that they’ll right the ship, though. If nothing else. Ming-Na Wen can save it.
I wasn’t blown away by Boba Fett ep 1. But neither do I understand the hate. It was about what I expect so far. Only thing I wasn’t crazy about is trying to make Boba Fett too respectable. He is a bounty hunter and didn’t really seem to have the kind of ethics they seem to want him to have for this series when I’ve seen him in the other movies.
Yeah, I don’t get it either. It’s ep 1. I liked it. Yes, it was a bunch of backstory, but I’m hoping it will setup how the rest of the story plays out. Because you have to admit, the current Boba is different from the Boba we saw in the original trilogy.
If I had to rank the cool stuff that came out in December I would rank Spidey as first, Matrix as second, and Boba Fett as 3rd. I enjoyed all three, although the acting on the part of Boba Fett could be better, I’m confident the series will improve.
Tolkien would have been 130 today:
https://t.co/SWTFHCGGPI
Finished watching S2 of The Witcher. I found some of the plot confusing and there were a few times I just enjoyed the spectacle as I lost track of the plot.
Still, it was enjoyable and hopefully there will be a S3.
Great to still be relevant at eleventy-one plus nineteen.
Morning Pan
Last day of holidays before going back to work tomorrow
I’d really like to read this one. Rudy Rucker is a bona fide genius.
https://www.rudyrucker.com/juicyghosts/html/
You know you’re Canadian when…
It’s minus a bajillion degrees, and you decide to go out because you want a slurpee
Very educational:
https://youtu.be/VgVQKCcfwnU
I slept on this band, but good gosh they’re excellent. They released 2 albums in 2021, and both would have made my Top 25 list:
https://kingbuffalo.bandcamp.com/album/the-burden-of-restlessness
https://kingbuffalo.bandcamp.com/album/acheron
Outer space grooves galore.
Really like.
Definite “not uplifting” mood though.
My boss wanted to show off his new car, so he took me out to lunch. It’s one thing to say that a Tesla Model S Plaid will do 0 to 100 MPH in 4 secs. It is another to experience it. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a car that can make you lose consciousness through acceleration.
Did he remind you that if you work really hard he can afford another car :-p
Was this the Tesla launched into space??
No, but it felt like it had some Space X technology in it.
Just when you think old tech is dead..they add Bluetooth:
https://www.ninmlab.com/product-page/its-oktoo-cassette-player
I have stuff that only ever existed on cassette. I got a cassette deck with USB to digitize and the very first thing I hooked into it (a bootleg tape that I made of a free Frank Zappa concert in Madrid in 1987) was almost immediately eaten. Fortunately I was able to get some cassette repair stuff and only lost a few seconds of total tape.
I love the concept of playing my old cassettes on Bluetooth speakers, but let’s not forget that cassette’s have a shelf life and can only be played so many times. I would make cassette copies and only play the copies on a regular basis. Then again, finding blank cassettes is it’s own issue.
Possibly the first SF convention..or at least in the UK:
http://fiawol.org.uk/FanStuff/THEN%20Archive/1937con.htm
I like how they went all in on the “old timey” COSPLAY.
https://kwss.org/top-ten-albums-2021/
Dani Cutler’s Top 10 albums of 2021. Definitely a more Pop-Alternative-Indie style; I’ll be checking a few of these out.
Morning Pan
Actually at my desk working. What’s that about?
Out in the brrr
Why? Because the silly cat thinks it’s a good idea if she gets fed every day.
Did she want a slurpee?
JW: The Nest (Netflix)
A Carrie Coon film that was disappointing..I’m in shock.
Is anyone reading any of the “High Republic” series? I read the first book, but I’m not sure if it is worth reading more.
I follow a couple of the writers on twitter and it seems popular as far as I can tell.
Yeah, I’m more interested in a first-hand reaction, but thanks.
Not familiar.
So basically this cream I got from the doctor is chemo for the sun damage on my head. So it nukes the fast growing cells and it’s going to leave inflamed oozing skin.
Sigh.
I came here to post a terrifying story about the aftermath of the 2024 US election, but my clipboard seems to have dropped the link. Probably for the best. I think we all have enough dread in our lives.
Instead, I’ll post a cool photo gallery of 1970s Tokyo:
https://mymodernmet.com/1970s-tokyo-greg-girard/
I’ve not checked any of those out yet. I still need to get caught up on the most recent set of Thrawn novels.
I did finish the Deadwood series. And holy crapola, what a downer of an ending. I don’t have high hopes for the movie, but I at least hope there’ll be some accountability and some tying up of loose ends.
Overall, it was a good journey. The show had amazing dialogue, some great characters, and great little Godfather-esque intrigues. It had its issues too, for sure, but maybe some of those could have been fixed in future seasons.
Trailer for the final season of the Peaky fookin Blinders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nsT9uQPIrk
A fleeting moment of fun:
Google the word “askew”
Got a Christmas card in the mail today from EssBee and SlyB. I always like their handmade cards.
Indeed.
Matrix 4 and trauma:
https://t.co/GAmVSj7eB1
CP: Driving to Texas — Tom Morello feat. Phantogram
Well that was much much better. Although the lizard stuff was wacko.
When is lizard stuff not wacko?
Boom na da mmm dum na ema
Da boom na da mmm dum na ema
So on a recommendation, I watched Space Pirate: Captain Harlock – – a CGI Sci-Fi anime movie.
Deeply silly in many places, but some truly amazing visuals. The space combat scenes are pretty great. And ridiculous.
Hilariously, the buxom space babe – – 1 of 3 female characters in the whole thing – – just randomly takes a zero-g shower at one point. They don’t even attempt to justify the scene; it has no purpose at all.
“They don’t even attempt to justify the scene; it has no purpose at all.”
Oh, I believe it had a “special purpose”.
Yesterday a friend of mine, while taking down decorations, fell off a ladder and knew he had broken his leg. His wife rushed him to the emergency room where he waited for 6 HOURS before they took an xray and pronounced that it “was a doozy”. Broken 2 places below the knee. He then had to wait 2 HOURS before they could find a bed for him so a Doc could see him. This info came from his wife, to mine, to me so the timeline becomes muddled at this point but eventually, after the Doctor looked at it, they declared he needed “emergency’ surgery.
He had to wait in their facility for more than 8 hours with something that needed EMERGENCY surgery.
By the time they declared this, they decided he needed to be moved across town to their other Hospital to get to him quicker. It was the middle of the night and they had to wake the orthopedic team and get them in. At 8:00 this morning he was finally in pre-op where he still waits 3 hours later. His last pain medication was at 4am and has long ago stopped working.
This is what US emergency medicine has fallen to at this point. They day before both Hospitals had declared they were canceling ALL elective and outpatient surgeries because they were over run.
This is in a metropolitan area with top notch hospitals. He is a white male with ALL the insurance so if there is ANY advantages to be had, he would supposedly have them. I can’t imagine how bad it must be for those with no insurance.
I feel like the same people who have fought to keep us from getting socialized medicine (because they said that this is how it would be) are the same people who have fought all of the Covid mitigation efforts. They have given us THEIR worst “socialized medicine” nightmares without giving us any of the Universal access to Healthcare.
Regardless – I advise hunkering down. Do not put yourself in any position to get hurt if you can do so. There are no such things as “Minor medical emergencies” right now.
What a nightmare.
Terrifying. Our medical system was always slow and dangerously ineffective, but now that there’s a major medical event, it’s become entirely crippled.
Medical care shouldn’t be “for profit.”
In other news –
This from POTUS national broadcast a little while ago:
“Here’s the truth. The former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election,” President Biden says.
“Because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution. He can’t accept he lost.”
Tough words are just words, Joe. Let’s see some significant sentences for these traitors. Let’s see trump and the other ringleaders in jail.
The Joe I was referring to was Biden, not JustaJoe. 🙂
Given what I’ve seen of your political system, I’m not sure how much power Biden even has to enact your wishes, Jack.
Yes, you’re right. Maybe JustaJoe has that kind of influence?
It’s amazing that these people are not only still free, but holding government positions and talking openly about running in 2024.
Gratuitously speaking, it felt good to here him say that. I think most bullies are bullies because no one who COULD have stood up to them ever did.
More practically speaking, that speach was undoubtably written and re-written and closely scrutinized and vetted by lawyers and policy wonks. I am thinking that he wouldn’t have been allowed to call out TFG like that unless THEY know something that we don’t.
I gotta hope.
I went out to check the mail. The cat was standing behind me when I opened the door to go outside. A blast of cold air hit her face and she gave me a look like i had done the most offensive thing in in the world
Similar thing here.
It was hovering around freezing with a steady rain/sleet coming down but cat was being a pain in the neck wanting go out. So I open the door to let her out and she ran past me like she had pulled something over on me … only to come to a screeching stop just outside the door and turn and scowl at me as if to say “What have you done to the outdoors, evil human!”
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/worlds-first-skyscraper-designed-to-hang-suspended-from-an-asteroid/
Neat idea. What could go wrong?
Goodbye to Peter Bogdanovich:
https://variety.com/2022/film/obituaries-people-news/peter-bogdanovich-dead-dies-director-1235148166/?fbclid=IwAR2Nxmqk-l5r4xr9KVg8B51TPoCA_kozxxn6uJrC4m1vYU6mHr-z0GscayQ
BTW – my friend got his surgery. Has stabilizers screwed into place.
Apparently he made the right initial choice of hospitals. The doc that saw him at 8 hours had seen his case on the list and for some reason, bumped him up the list. Would have been another 2 hours had he not done so.
Had he started with the Hospital they transported him to for surgery… the wait time in the ER started at 20 hours.
No update on the Christmas decorations he was taking down.
My ex cracked her toe back in 2004-2005 and was at the ER for 12 hours. It’s not like we’ve ever been good at this.
The main takeaway, I’m glad your friend got some kind of small mercy, and got that surgery done. At this point, it would seem a signal to just keep the Christmas lights up all year.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/06/burnout-epidemic-work-lives-meaning
“What is the end result?” Lee asks. “When does the constant agonizing stop? At what point do we reach satisfaction in life and think ‘fuck yeah, I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved and how far I’ve come’?”
Draft newsletter done.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled spreadsheets.
Sidney Poitier passed away
Sad news:
https://t.co/Zt32w5kgJL
I didn’t realize he was still with us :-/ Good for him making it to 94.
Seriously, what an icon. Bravo to him.
I did another thing. This song is probably possibly a bit too far off the beaten path, but – whatevs.
https://www.metalhalloffame.org/sleep-study-doom-for-the-21st-century/
You know, this is the third time, in the last 24 hours, I’ve seen/heard someone use “whatevs”.
Did I miss something? When did it become so popular?
It’s very fetch.
The sort of thing discussed over some za ?
I just figured I’d yeet out some whatevs.
Adding eyes to peppers. Both fun and disturbing.
https://www.sadanduseless.com/peppers-with-googly-eyes/
CP: Paranoia — The Barstool Prophets
When I moved to the US, this was playing on the radio. I perhaps didn’t take it for the sign it should have been. 😉
“The government is putting poison in my coffee
So they can hunt me; mount my head up like a trophy”
Very well done Google Doodle on Stephen Hawking today!
Very cool!
CP: Sound and Vision – Franz Ferdinand
CW: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Wired weighs in on “which N95 mask” recommendations
https://www.wired.com/story/best-disposable-face-masks-n95-kn95-kf94-surgical/?bxid=5bd679a924c17c1048025772&cndid=42849476&esrc=OCULUS&mbid=mbid%3DCRMWIR012019&source=EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=WIR_Daily_010822&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_010822&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=P4
Have we forgotten how to read critically:
https://t.co/nCGPR2ivGG
I just finished watching “Hawkeye”. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well, except for the sole post credits sequence, which I hated.
Amusing at first. . . but then. . . oh god please make it end.
I greatly enjoyed the series – – a lot – – but I also really disliked the unexplained inconsistencies in the big bad. It could have worked just as well – – better – – without that.
I adored every single bit of the post creds. Mainly because it pissed so many people off.
There’s no inconsistencies in the big bad one bit. Worked extremely well.
I have questions about the watch that were left unanswered. That bothered me.
All in all probably the most consistent Marvel show outside Loki. More please.
1. Well OK then!
2. Absolutely some unexplained changes.
3. I assume we’ll get those answers.
4. Agreed. This was the most easily enjoyable of the Marvel shows.
From twitter:
Dr Rochelle Walensky @CDCDirector said on @GMA “the overwhelming number of death [sic] over 75% occurred in people who had at least 4 comorbidities, so really these are people who were unwell to begin with, and yes really encouraging news…”
I don’t use the c word very often but what a cunt Dr Walensky is for spouting that eugenic crap.
I have not specifically fact checked the following post, but have checked some of these details before and it is in line with what I had found. Also, not mentioned below – Obiesity is a comorbidity and a high percentage of Americans don’t even realize that it would show up on THEIR death certificate.
++++++
“If you have diabetes (32M US adults) and get diagnosed with depression (40M US adults), then depression is a comorbidity. Other comorbidities: high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea, cancer, stroke, asthma, autism.
Also, covid literally causes comorbidities.“
Welp, finished Deadwood. Never thought I’d type these words.
The movie was. . . good. . . . but way too open-ended with most of the characters. And it also didn’t really alleviate the queasiness from the f***ed-up season 3 finale.
The movie was patronizing barf.
Again we disagree! It’s a wrap-up thing. . . I just wish it actually wrapped things up.
You are!!!! Cough I’m tired
The movement of tectonic played over time:
http://portal.gplates.org/cesium/?view=rift_v
Guess I will be renewing my Disney+ Subscription:
https://t.co/kmYz8Qzd6L
Narrator: he was going to do that anyway.
So Tiffany had a bunch of accounts hacked. Good times.
I was a bit late to the party, but finally binged and finished “Only Murders in the Building” on Hulu.
Sublime is the word I have for it. Definite recommend and looking forward to season 2.
Probably the best show of 2021. Steve Martin is my hero.
Early reports are that Bob Saget has passed…. wtf
Only 65. As I recall, his joke in The Aristocrats went way, way, way further than anyone else’s.
IT is.. it’s art. Gross, offensive, brilliant art.
For all of the video gamers.
https://www.ign.com/articles/the-best-100-video-games-of-all-time?utm_source=pocket-newtab
I’ve played about half of them. Like all lists, your mileage may vary. My favourite game(s) aren’t on this at all.
Restarted playing portal 2, still a great game.
It’s a pretty okay list. I didn’t see Horizon Zero Dawn, which is a hell of an omission.
ymmv indeed
I’d like to know how they figured out that list and the ordering. Some interesting omissions and the ranking is complete shit imo.
*shrug*
KOTOR at only #46 is a crime against humanity.
The neglect of TIE Fighter altogether is unforgivable….actually, it seems that flight/space combat sims were completely snubbed. Really, not even a Wing Commander? shameful.
Jack, that list is crap and I award 5 dark side points to House Slytherin on your behalf.
So, I got sidetracked watching other stuff, and TOS was dropped from Netflix. I’m not paying for goddamn Paramount+, and their free trial is only 7 days.
I’d paused after Journey to Babel in S2.
Bummer, but it’s 2022. I can find other things to watch.
You really should have been watching DS9 anyway. Star Trek peaked with that show.
Morning Pan.
It’s a beautiful 2C today.
Off to the city this morning.
Repairing a leaking toilet … day 2
Analysis for you homeowners.
I seems that when we had a tile floor out in a few years back, the contractor failed to make allowance for the fact that the mounting flange (which was screwed to the sub floor) was now significantly below floor level. The resulting gap meant that the new wax ring gasket was not compressed by the toilet and did not make a seal.
I hate plumbing.
Narrator: He really did.
Yuck. You have my sympathy Joe.
I’ve had 2 incidents now that have convinced me not to engage in plumbing. The first was when I tried to replace an outdoor faucet, wrecked the PVC pipe inside the concrete wall, had to make a trip to the store to buy new PVC pipe supplies, create a much larger hole in the concrete and re-build the pipe inside. All while hoping I could get it done before the sun set to avoid having the water shut off to the house all night long.
The second was trying to fix a leaking tub faucet. Internet made it look super easy and only need to replace a washer, then found out that the type of fixture I have doesn’t work that way at all. Not I had to run to the store (I have a good friend that likes to say that something isn’t a real project unless you have to run to the store and somebody bleeds) to buy an expensive piece of fixture. Then I and 3 separate friends (all of the friends had experience with plumbing) all could not manage to get the old fixture out. Had to call in a friend of a friend professional who came in and literally hacked the old piece out bit by bit by bit because it had stuck in there with sediment. What should have been a washer cost upwards of $150. Next time I’ll just let it leak.
I soooooo feal your pain.
My extentsive experience with plumbing consists of replacing all five toilets in my house. There was a class action lawsuit over the tanks cracking and generating extensive water damage. Thankfully, none of mine ever cracked, but they were all included in the models and manufacturing dates covered.
I’m still amazed that I got reimbursed for all five of them. Replacing the first one took me most of an afternoon while I kept rereading directions and looking at Youtube videos. I think I got the last one swapped in about 30 minutes.
Otherwise, I leave plumbing to the plumbers…
Possibly the best hting about renting. You can always “call the guy.”
I do wish I had “the guy”.
In my late 20’s my best friend bought a house (he was single with an engineer’s salary) and when he decided to move across town, he rented the house instead of selling it.
He always went on about how great the extra income was but he was seldom available for FUN because now he was “the guy” for TWO properties!
Hahahahaha!
In today’s mail I got Christmas cards from both the Mangan’s and Amy. Don’t you just love the Canadian postal service?
I generally dislike musicals, but I really enjoy the Moana soundtrack.
It’s so Shiny!
Even the Rock’s singing ain’t bad.
Wee doggie…
https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/s0zilm/just_now_on_espn/
That’s a joke you could tell your mother!
LOL!!!
Traffic jams:
https://t.co/8MMfkmlhsx
Two sleeps:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep?ocid=ww.social.link.facebook
Meh.
I can recall at least two times in my life in which there were research studies done on trying to break the recomended 8 hour sleep into smaller, spread out chunks.
In all cases it ended in failure. In one of them I can recall that initially the participants discovered they were much more productive. After some days of this though they lost the ability to concentrate and focous.
Now I’m picturing the Kramer micro sleep episode of Seidfeld.
How TF is The Expanse going to wrap all of that up in one last episode??
Badly I suspect.
A number of sources are claiming there will be another season. I guess we’ll see.
I’ve heard talk about future movies. I’ve not read this far into the book series, but there’s apparently a decent time jump after this, which gave Amazon a natural stopping point.
But, yeah, unless it’s 3 hours long, I don’t see how it isn’t anything but rushed.
Perhaps the plan on doing a movie to fix it ?
CW: The Tender Bar
There’s a scene in the film, set in the 80s, where they go ten pin bowling. So far so normal. However the bowling balls are the tiny (like crown green bowling balls size) and the pins are just vertical columns.
So was this ever a thing in the USA???
Candlepin bowling!
Maybe you weren’t seeing it in it’s original aspect ratio?
Anyway the film was good and it’s on Amazon Prime.
CP: The Guns of Brixton — The Clash
I’m trying hard to remain ignorant of what “Wordle” is. I wonder how long I can keep my ignorance alive.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2021/dec/23/what-is-wordle-the-new-viral-word-game-delighting-the-internet
I love me some word games, so I assume I need to try this.
It’s not bad, just some simple word fun. It reminds me a lot of a game I used to play as a kid.
Some people are comparing it to the old Mastermind game:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(board_game)
Yep. That’s exactly the game I was thinking of.
For those wondering when Kerry King from Slayer and Lionel Ritchie would work on a project together.
https://www.revolvermag.com/culture/dave-grohl-kerry-king-lionel-richie-see-first-trailer-foo-fighters-horror-movie-studio-666
You know what …
I say, Why Not!
The library comes through once again! I’ve borrowed the complete Star Trek TOS: season 2 on DVD.
I’d actually left off at The Deadly Years, which is the one where everyone ages rapidly.
And is one of the worst episodes of the original series. Jeebus.
Never again…ever… give up on a show after the first dew episodes. The first two yeae of TNG were drek.
Morning Pan
I want to say something pithy but it’s just not working today.
Above and beyond my general distaste for remakes, I think remaking Hitchcock films is an extra slap in the face. Going to see a Hitchcock film was often more about enjoyment of his directing style than it was about the plot or the actors involved. So to remake a Hitchcock film is more than just bringing an old story to a younger audience. It’s directly saying that the modern director is a better director than Hitchcock. And I would doubt that.
https://geektyrant.com/news/gal-gadot-set-to-star-in-a-remake-of-alfred-hitchcocks-to-catch-a-thief
Has any Hitchcock remake ever improved on the original? I can’t think of any.
It seems like Tarantino was tempted to try in his Four Rooms short, but instead went for full homage.
“The Man Who Knew Too Much”? 😉
CP: Video Verite — Blue Peter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV-IZRh22mo
New Alex Lifeson song. The breathy female vocals definitely took me by surprise.
Really, this is closer to Bjork or God Lives Underwater than Rush. I dig it.
I like it. It also reminds me a bit of How to Destroy Angels
The slow monotony of the guitar in that particular song seems like quite a waste of Alex Lifeson’s skills. I hope he lets loose somewhere else on that album.
CW: Eternals
Trying not to doze off.
Actually, once a major plot point revealed it gets better.
Omg stop it. You enjoy some of the most boring films known to man
https://elements.wlonk.com/
The Periodic Table in the real world.
Goodbye to Ronnie Spector:
https://t.co/Hcd0TP8MYf
Icon. RIP.
Paywall on the NYT article.
https://bit.ly/3FkQf7d
Was gonna say… utter icon.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/ancestors/1604537917
Matt Mango’s new album is available on Apple music, if you want to deny him his $.00.000000000000000000000000000000000000001 payment for a play on Spotify.
Remember before Christmas I was grumping because a friend dropped a trilogy on my to format? I guess I must have made him feel guilty. I received a $50 gift card in the mail from him today.
Morning Pan
Hubby got a chip in his windshield yesterday. Today we are trading cars so I can take his in to get it repaired. The roads better treat my car nicer.
Every windshield here is chipped. I’ve been through a couple. If it’s not going to spread, then you just let it go.
This one will spread. I’d rather repair the chip then replace the windshield.
Because hubby commutes to the city for work, driving on the highway leads to a lot of chips. We usually need to replace his windshield every couple of years.
Oh no!!
Imagine paying upwards of $1699 for a concert festival ticket, and then being unable to go or to get a refund.
https://www.stereogum.com/2172662/wilco-respond-to-fans-calls-for-sky-blue-sky-fest-refunds/news/
Gore Vidal and Orson Welles play Warhammer:
https://t.co/gwJji2BaTN
H.G. Wells playing Star Wars Miniatures
https://tinyurl.com/4wwumypb
I wish this was non-fiction.
Looks interesting:
https://youtu.be/N-sWlgFhUGo
Yes. Colour me intrigued.
The preview had a very “Edward Scissorhands” meets “Brazil” feel to it.
CW: Gorky Park
Still a damn fine film.
I remember liking that when I saw it ages ago.
I believe I watched this on HBO sometime in the mid-eighties. Can remember much about it. Probably too young to appreciate the intrigue.
-Can + Can’t
Well, as much as I worship Favreau and Filoni, we’re really struggling to dig “The Book of Boba Fett” in our little corner of the world.
Watched the 3rd episode today…still waiting for….something.
I’m all for the slow burn, but this thing hasn’t even found a spark yet.
Nah. Its a fantastic look into the world of Star Wars.
Yeah, that’s our feeling too. I haven’t seen ep 3 yet, but we loved the exploration of Tusken culture. The end of ep 2 was fantastic.
I like it so far, not as much as Mandalorian. I haven’t watched EP3 yet, but I’m heartened at the appearance of Black Chrysanthemen.
Happy Birthday Jack.
Or you will have a birthday.
OH HE SURE WILL!
Animated of London being reconstructed in 17th Century:
https://youtu.be/SPY-hr-8-M0
Have a great birthday Jack!
Happy birthday Jack!
Have a great Birthday Jack!!
Happy Birthday Jack! Try not to eat too many Pofflewacks and Tweedles.
CP: Halo: Opening Suite — Martin O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori
You know, looking at the picture I posted with Jack’s birthday greetings on Facebook…makes me realize that was the last gathering.
What do we think about a Mmmeetup in 2022?
I’m up for a virtual meetup, but still have my doubts that a physical one is in the cards
Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone. It was a lovely day.
We happen to be in San Diego this weekend, staying at a lovely beachfront Vrba house, primarily paid for by my aunt (long story).
We have been avoiding the unwashed masses, just enjoying the beach.
We will meet up with a small number of people while here, hopefully including my aunt, but always outdoors with social distancing.
As for a 2022 Mmmmmmeetup, I’d love to shoot for something, but I think it’s too soon to know.
Stay safe in California:
https://t.co/rhyYJeZco2
The waves aren’t expected to be high: a couple of feet at most.
Here’s video of the underwater volcanic explosion caught on satellite. It’s very cool.
Link my friend?
Oops. 🙂
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/15/asia/tsunami-warning-tonga-volcano-intl-hnk/index.html
It was not a thing at all here, but I’ll be honest – – the waves were a bit freaky to watch. They weren’t especially high, just more persistent than anything I’d ever seen in person.
We’ve been playing with friends on Board Game Arena since we can’t do it live. Today we’ll be playing Gaia Project. We have this in physical form and quite enjoy it.
JW: The Tragedy of Macbeth
It looks sparsely beautiful, well acted, but the almost impenetrable dialogue leaves me cold.
Is it the original Shakespeare play and dialogue?
Yup.
So watched the first three episodes of Peacemaker, not too bad at all.
CW: Black Mirror – San Junipero
..and just like that I know now know where I first saw that actress from Loki.
Actually that episode rocked! Didn’t think that after watching it the first time.
Weird.
Just watched the end of The Clone Wars. Wow. That was awesome.
YES!
Like the final season end of Clone Wars? Yes, it most definitely was awesome!
That show really grew into itself.
Hands down, some of the best Star Wars I’ve ever seen or read. I can forgive some of the bad episodes–ahem… Jar Jar–when parts of the series, especially the last 4 episodes, are so great.
Finally saw Eternals on the weekend. Maybe it was because I listened to the reviews and had low expectations to begin with, but we enjoyed it
YES!
CP: Joy Division Ovengloves – Half Man Half Biscuit
..and WTF:
https://youtu.be/VjzDWYHMLiI
I’ve been reading an old book from the late 80s that I got as part of an association with the Canadian space program. It’s called “Soviet Cosmonautics: Questions and Answers”. It’s pretty interesting reading.
JW: Episode 3 of the Station Eleven adaption.
I’m slightly biased because I just love watching Cameron Mackenzie in anything but this series is really good, if you have HBO Max give it a go.
I’m trying to figure out how I got to this age w/o having previously read any Lois McMaster Bujold.
I think I’m on book 7 now of the Vorkosigan Saga. Most of the audiobooks are included on Audible w/o having to spend credits.
Simply fantastic story telling.
I’ve read all of her vorkosigan books and liked them all
Hmmm. I’ve also never read her. Added to my list.
I like the characters but some of the freely available ones on audible have left me with a meh!
Also the setup for who Miles actually marries is a long game I utterly despise…so many more interesting characters are left by the wayside.
I literally just started listening to Falling Free on Audible today.
I’ve been reading this series since it was first serialized in Analog back in the 80s. I love it. I’m a bit behind, but it is one of my favorite series.
It would seem that Joss Whedon consulted with JK Rowling about doubling down and going on the attack when you should just lay low and be quiet.
Ugh…
And if you do happen to have HBO Max… give the television equivalent of a brain hemorrhage that is Peacemaker a go. Jesus Lord does it trip all the right triggers
It’s a good.
Do we dare hope? Will a Disney show go as dark as a proper Moon Knight story needs to be?
https://consequence.net/2022/01/moon-knight-trailer-marvel-disney/
I guess we’ll find out. Do you think Disney will ever release Marvel properties on Hulu in the future? That would be the proper place for their more violent heroes.
they have the Alien movies on D+. I don’t think violence is an issue anymore
I can’t remember which one it was (maybe 3) that I tried watching with my daughter when she was really getting into horror movies but we were trying to keep the sex scenes out. The Alien movies were fine, but this particular one made us both uncomfortable to watch together because nearly every other word across the whole movie was a curse word. Surprised that’s making it onto D+.
Dodgy English accent incoming:
https://www.theverge.com/22889548/marvel-moon-knight-trailer-english-accent-villains
Putting the boot in, ho ho ho:
https://amp.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/18/oscar-isaac-british-accent-moon-knight-marvel
CP: Inversion — Quicksand
While I disagree, it’s still funny
https://mediachomp.com/a-lesbian-asks-what-its-like-to-sleep-with-a-guy/?fbclid=IwAR1mKUSHrRB3aP3VTt2DBDJQNUs8QHqMJC7IFmxN7tnIF_wtG_ygwjJucJg
Now they need to follow up by asking guys what it’s like to sleep with a lesbian.
https://youtu.be/idhxrZKlLvc
https://pitchfork.com/news/weird-al-yankovic-biopic-to-star-daniel-radcliffe
Another book list!
https://yourmoneygeek.com/sci-fi-books-that-all-science-fiction-fans-must-read-in-2022/
Hmmm. Interesting list. There are a lot of good books on there, I won’t quibble with that. Even Scalzi might argue about considering him as hard SF. Personally, Vernor Vinge should appear in that section. But yeah, as a starting point, that list is good.
Goodbye to Yvette Mimieux:
https://deadline.com/2022/01/yvette-mimieux-dead-the-time-machine-actress-the-most-deadly-game-1234914745/?fbclid=IwAR0DrpkEW9JtOg0DUrKTsx2zZxxMQjkqcocoI4L1puX914B8i03eMf5YZIE
That means only Joseph Bottoms is the only survivor of the main cast of The Black Hole.
Anyway, if you wanted to watch the actress in an early role there is Death Takes a Holiday from 1971 on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/gNgXybXjuNE
Was gonna say – – I only really recall her as the psychic from The Black Hole.
RIP
MoonKnight getting off to a tragic start:
https://t.co/1tnhMkZafE
Yeah I heard this.
Rainbow Bridge appointment tomorrow for our cat Beckham.
:'(
Ah bloody hell, that sucks Jack, condolences 🙁
I’m sorry Jack. It’s hard losing a furry friend, especially a long-term one.
So sorry Jack.
Family is family no mater the species.
Oh Jack. *hugs*
Thanks. Beckham had been with Tiffany for a few years when I met her, so it’s going to be especially tough on her.
And also especially tough on our littlest one. He’s her favorite of the animals.
Our condolences, Jack & Tiffany. That’s always difficult.
The latest episode of Boba Fett was really good.
Picard S2 will be on Amazon Prime in the UK..woot!
If you told me I either had to watch one more episode of Picard, or have my skull kicked in… it would be a most difficult choice…..
Good! Means we will have less bullshit from you when the season starts.
No cause now Im gonna watch and complain just to piss you right off!!
I’m putting my boots on then.
May I call you ‘Puss’?
Sure Dick!
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/liszt/cartoonist-how-generation-learned-classical-music-bugs-bunny/
If you like slow-burn creepy horror, you might like “Archive 81” on Netflix. Teresa and I have been enjoying it.
First episode was intriguing.
Mangan TV recap from the past few weeks:
We liked Boba Fett eps 2 and 3 (I liked them more than Tiffany). Completely washed away the yuck of the first one. Not surprising. I’m not sure when we’ll get around to ep 4.
The Expanse finale was a bit disappointing. Unsurprising. Overall, still a great show. I do think the Amazon seasons were inferior to the ScyFy seasons.
Approaching the end of Ted Lasso s1. Really good show – – it definitely lives up to the hype. Surprisingly.
ST: TOS: Wolf in the Fold is an extremely silly episode. I remember it being a clever plot twist, but now the whole thing is just cringe. At least the tribbles are up next.
We’ll try to watch Eternals one of these nights.
Wolf in the Fold is one I have fond memories of. I don’t think I’ve rewatched it since I was 12. Maybe I shouldn’t.
We’ve only started watching the new season of The Expanse. One thing I noticed, why are all the tattoos only black? Do they run out of colour ink in the future?
Really enjoyed them all but boy, all the walking gives the Lord of the Rings films envy…
This… was supposed to go under Jack’s
Who was walking?
Respect.
Are you talking to me?
Walk on home boy.
Somewhere in my brain is a newsletter trying to get out.
Big hugs for Tiffany today.
*Hugs* Tiffany!
Tom Baker turned 88 today. Good time traveling number!
Meatloaf has died:
https://t.co/9GOa8ktgSb
Well, everybody seems to be just dropping lately
Tom Baker:
Not today Satan!
His name is Robert Paulson.
Yeah, but Louie Anderson was added to the list
His death is sad, and I feel for him and his family, but none of this changes the fact that he as was an Antivax conspiracy crank.
TMZ is reporting that he died of COVID – – but I’ll wait for a real news source to confirm before I believe anything from TMZ.
You know I liked him in Fight Club, not so much his music career or his politics.
Well he was a man of his word:
https://t.co/RvnxNxvm7h
Here is an example where he had underlying conditions that a certain section of the populace will use as a defense that COVID didn’t kill him. Well…. if I have asthma and get hit by a bus… no one is gonna say the asthma killed me. The whole “underlying conditions” argument is sickening.
A guy on twitter has done a wordle clone for prime numbers:
https://converged.yt/primel/
Knives Out 2 coming to Netflix:
https://variety.com/2022/awards/awards/knives-out-2-release-date-fall-1235159727/
When you have no time for the mainstream:
https://t.co/sb8qlFK699
Colour me unsurprised:
https://t.co/7nvyPBHeU1
Sometimes you root for the rise of the machines.
More often than not
Seems like this might be a great opportunity to get these folks some help.
Maybe they could program in some basic “counselor 101” stuff.
Unlike a real person … they can’t actually bully an AI because an AI doesn’t feel fear.
CP: In The Hall Of The Mountain King — The Offspring
On one hand, it’s better to abuse toasters than real human beings. On the other, what possesses these dudes to engage in such behavior?
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheExpanse/comments/s3rz67/big_scifi_easter_egg_in_the_final_episode_spoiler/hsmm1ht/
I caught Ripley, Hudson, Hicks, and Vasquez. Nice little Easter egg in the Expanse series finale.
Thank you all so so much for the sweet love to me and da fam, regarding Beckham. He was a cool cat. Almost 14 years old. Im glad he isnt sick anymore. It was really hard taking him away from the youngest, after she said her goodbyes. She handled it much better than I did.
Run free and play some soccer, Becks!
Sonic for the C64:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-46epZd-qw
Ok, trend or no trend, Wordle is right up my alley.
CW: Midnight Special
One I missed at the cinema, rectifying that tonight.
We all agree that comic properties should be family friendly so that all can enjoy. Movies – PG-13 at most for full family fun. But Jesus Christ, it seems the only thing that the DCEU can do correctly (besides Shazam) are hard R films/tv that don’t star major characters. If that’s the case keep it that way.
Do you really wanna taste it?
I’m so confused.
I think he’s talking about the Peacemaker tv series.
Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn the animated series – all hard R and all pretty terrific. DC cannot make good “family friendly” content with the exception of Shazam and even that film was violent for PG-13. That’s all Im sayin
I’ve enjoyed a lot of the CW shows based on DC characters.
Those aren’t done by the same companies and not in same universe ala the Marvel ABC shows and the MCU.
Although now that I saw that I dunno if Harley Quinn animated series is either. I think so…?
Has DC attempted a major release family-friendly movie or show in the past 2 decades?
I often recall A Piece of Your Action being touted as an example of “Star Trek being silly,” but it’s always been one of my favorite episodes. Still holds up.
This is the one where they go to the alien planet that’s modeled their society around 1920s Chicago mobsters. Totally plausible.
*A Piece of THE Action.
“A Piece of Your Action” is a Motley Crue song.
Oh goodness just no, it’s as bad as the ones where the society chose Nazis or Romans.
But what do I know I actually liked Assignment Earth.
It’s hard to defend A Piece of the Action. . . . but truly, it’s a lot of fun. Ridiculous, sure – – but really enjoyable. Especially when Kirk really gets into being a gangster.
Goodbye to Don Wilson:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/don-wilson-the-ventures-rhythm-guitarist-dead-obit-1289277/amp/?fbclid=IwAR0uDs3dKg6EtZuw8h82J4MMI3EcVUmfZJT1h27HJTyTgj43o3WjMLj9Dx4
Damn. The Ventures were truly, truly great.
I have now watched 3 episodes of the new Cowboy Beebop.
As someone who never saw the anime (was it a graphic novel ? ) I review it as being “Ok.” And “entertaining”.
I will probably watch the rest of it if I remember it next time I sit down to Netflix.
We enjoyed cowboy bebop. Are currently watching the anime and am enjoying that too
The co-creator of the Valerian comic has died, it’s in french:
https://www.dargaud.com/actualites/jean-claude-mezieres-nous-quittes-photo
Archive 81 would be a much shorter tv series if Dan would just say “fuck this shit” and scarper.
I do like wireless earbuds, but environmentally they are a disaster:
https://t.co/YVzwMeQtkX
Talking to Biff today. Hoping for no technical glitches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxon_(band)
There was a technical glitch! But it was on his end.
Very nice 71-year-old Yorkshire guy.
cOOL!
I’ve been meaning to get to this article:
https://www.thebulwark.com/john-carpenter-genre-genius/
For the USA crowd, might help some of you:
https://costplusdrugs.com/
If nothing else it is causing the public to have some interesting conversations about why drug prices are so high.
“…we live in a reality where too many people try to turn the world into an elaborate conspiracy-driven hellhole, where everybody is trying to keep the truth from you and the villains are hidden in shadow. And that mentality cuts against something we know to be true, which is mostly that the villains are right out there in the open. Conspiracy theories in the real world have too often become a coping mechanism for those who feel powerless in the face of problems that seem insurmountable. If the truth is hidden in shadow, that’s an easier reality to approach than one where you know the truth but can’t do anything about it.”
https://www.vox.com/culture/22882797/yellowjackets-finale-succession-mystery-box
I have not seen Yellowjackets or Succession, but I’m interested in storytelling trends.
CP: Milos — Jake Houlsby
Morning Pan
Stuff to do. House to clean.
Another regular morning in Canadaland
https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/is-old-music-killing-new-music
With no due respect I say, “Pfffft!”
What is interesting is that the music loving, twenty somethings of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s (with disposable income to buy music) apparently out number the music buying twenty somethings of today and continue to be a viable market.
There are some interesting points in this article. Especially “Never before in history have new tracks attained hit status while generating so little cultural impact” (which is distinctly NOT old music killing new music, but rather new music failing in it’s own right). But, I would need to see more that last year compared to this year data. it’s gone up 4.7% from last year. But a 2 year slice of time is nothing. What are the trends of the last decades and what was it in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s that he’s claiming are stealing the business. Seems like there is always more music available that is more than 18 months old and this could just be the way of things. He makes a lot of cultural arguments, but no mathematical modeling arguments to back these up.
Indeed.
What were the record sales numbers when 60’s, 70’s, 80’s music fans began replacing their Vinyl with CDs?
I’ll bet there’s a similar trend in place now with that same group replacing their CDs with newer, physical forms of music.
Another thing that interests me is the “most music is crap” effect.
The majority of “new” music has always been crap. As time goes by, the crap gets forgotten and the good stuff rises to the top. So my kids only hear music from those decades that was worth hanging onto or is good enough to still get played on the radio. This could actually give an incorrect bias that “old music was ALL good.”
Regardless, it’s now a fact that new artists are vying for attention with really good “old music” and frankly if they want to compete they need to be as good or better.
Are you insinuating something negative about the deeper catalogue of the 1970s band Bread, sir?
It has been decades and yet … I still cannot un-hear “Seasons in the Sun”.
No joy no fun no seasons in the sun? 😉
That does not spark joy. It’s been Kondo’d.
There is a room in Hell that plays that song on repeat… only occasionally interrupting it to play “Shannon“.
If I ever got access to a time machine that bloody depressing song would be wiped from history, along with:
Honey
Leader of the Pack
Sunshine on My Shoulders
In addition to the “most music is crap” effect, the author seems miss much of their own point. Record companies have always had an extremely bad reputation of robbing artists blind. And there have always been a very few artists that actually make any real kind of money in any given year through that old platform. Almost seems to be looking at being any musician in the past through rose tinted glasses when there were always a thousand (likely far far more) struggling to make a living for every “Beatles”.
David Byrne put out a great book looking at (amongst other things) technological impacts on music and the recording industry. What I would really like to see is an article that looks at what that landscape is actually like now and where it could go. It’s far to easy to self publish music now and artists just don’t need the record company access to recording studios that once bottlenecked the business. However, distribution and getting name recognition has become practically impossible. So what is the solution?
Survivorship Bias has always been an issue, not just in music. Books, movies, businesses – our “knowledge” is always biased by the things that managed to not flame out early.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias
Very good counterpoints to the article, guys. My input would be, how long has recorded music been a thing. Every year the catalog grows bigger, and to Joe’s point, the tastemakers curate that collection and present it to a new audience. So to my mind, there are two factors at play. The first would be an ever-increasing number of songs and the second would be the availability of the internet to expose people to those songs. The record industry used to be able to shape those trends by controlling how people got their music. Via Youtube, both of my kids have been exposed to all sorts of music. My son had developed an affinity for Rush and 80’s prog, eschewing new music as not cutting it. My daughter has developed a love of free-form Jazz and likes a newer band “Falling in Reverse.” For me personally, I’ve found a lot of good new music on Youtube. I like the “Pretty Wreckless” and “Chelsea Wolf.” Youtube is sort of the MTV of old but caters to any taste. There’s no unified front of dancing, pretty popstars to sell soft drinks and chips. But new decent new music is getting made, it just takes some digging to find.
While the fellow does make some interesting points (I do think the lawyers and courts did some serious damage with that “Blurred Lines” verdict), as you fine people have noted, he misses the mark a lot.
I do think streaming and Youtube have pretty fundamentally changed the nature of music. Of course, they (and Netflix, et al.) have fundamentally changed the nature of video.
It’s quite possible for a show or song to become a big hit with millions of fans…that the other 8 billion people will never hear of. I’m working my way through Babylon 5 again (HBO Max has the stream) and checking out the B5 subreddit…where kids who weren’t born when the show ran originally are discovering it. So, yes, the large quantity of existing content is a factor, particularly since the best of it (and even most of the crap) has survived to be easily accessible with whatever flavor of streaming service you prefer.
And, honestly, his talk about record stores and music sales? I can’t remember the last time I actually bought an individual item of music. I don’t think that’s a useful gauge of how popular something is anymore.
He almost gets it when he comments on dealing with Fortune 500 companies wanting to stick to their old ways of doing business….yet the swing and a miss is that he’s pretty much pining for exactly the same thing.
A guest counterpoint from Mas Uvas (posted with permission):
First, I think it should be taken into consideration that “new” is anything released in the last 18 months. The catalogue of “old” is ever increasing, and the catalogue of “new” stays relatively the same, so it’s statistically more likely to be listening to something old than something new. Gioia “doubts these old playlists consist of the songs from the year before last” but doubt isn’t proof or statistical backing.
He also presents this idea of “cultural impact” as if it’s been long enough to judge. We only think old (I think he means pre-90s) music has such cultural impact because it’s been long enough to know what stuck around in the cultural conscious. Plenty of new music has had incredible impact in internet culture- it just appears that Gioia isn’t in these online spaces. He measures music popularity through sources that are outdated: mostly the Grammys and the radio. The Grammys’ declining viewership has less to do with the music they’re judging and a lot more to do with people gaining consciousness about the issues with their judging process- nobody wants to watch the same 5 white artists win the same awards every year.
Most radio stations play 80s/90s music because gen z doesn’t listen to the radio, so they have to cater to older audiences. And plenty of people I know who are very into the new music scene don’t like the radio, because “new” music isn’t relegated to Pop music, and they want other genres. Why would you wait through 10 ads and 3 songs you don’t care about just to hear one song you love, when you could just stream exactly what you want to hear at any time? And ease of streaming brings up another possibility: discovering new music is easier than ever.
The internet makes it possible to listen to just about any song anyone has ever recorded, so most people don’t limit what they listen to. Friends and acquaintances are always asking for new things to listen to, so perhaps there’s less clear favorites or “cultural impact” because people have so many choices (and it’s cheaper than buying new cds every time you want something new). Of course we have favorite artists we go back to, but it’s easy to experiment with new artists and genres all the time. You discover a new song/artist, listen to it for a while, then move on to discover more artists, and by the time you go back to the old discoveries, they’re not catalogued as “new” anymore (remember, that’s from the last 18 months).
Gioia may doubt the newer “old” music is on anyone’s playlists, but I’ve got plenty to prove him wrong.
Neat input.
I think I’ll play some Neil Young on my Amazon music streaming service today.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jan/25/neil-young-demands-spotify-remove-his-music-over-joe-rogan-vaccine-misinformation
Good for him
There are certain songs that just stop me in my tracks every time I hear them. Like “Happy alone” from Earlimart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRz2LECBzus
https://youtu.be/S33tWZqXhnk
Also an excellent pick. I prefer the solo acoustic guitar version to the orchestral – – by a great margin.
I actually saw him perform in South Shields with Martin Simpson, great night.
Good album
CP: All That You Want — Ibibio Sound Machine
There. All my tax information is together ready to be entered.
My afternoons are amazingly exciting.
CP: Rock Star — Hole
Well episode 5 of Boba Fett was rather cool if a bit indulgent.
Hey guys, I shared the music article that we have been discussing with my youngest. While I distinctly remember what it is like to be that age, they ARE that age! I ask for any thoughts and got a whole bunch of texts message. So I gave my college sophomore the writing challenge of putting it all into a more concise blog post. If you are interested, I will be posting it as a reply to the original article back up the thread a ways.
Fantastic and eloquently stated!
Cool!
CW: Resident Alien S2E1
So glad we are getting season 2 of this. I’ll have to start watching later this week.
Idiots:
http://tnholler.com/2022/01/mcminn-county-bans-maus-pulitzer-prize-winning-holocaust-book/
Are bans like this really effective in this age of the Internet and Amazon next day delivery?
Nothing makes kids seek out a book more then banning it!
Clutch those pearls!
Apparently they’re citing “female nudity” in the book.
It’s true that the female form represents temptation and evil to a certain dwindling Bible Belt sect, but I’m gonna go ahead and suspect they’re more uncomfortable with the subject matter.
Not just female nudity, but mouse female nudity. I know I made boo cover up her mice when we had them as pets
NASA remembers Apollo 1:
http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/remembering-apollo-1
Well. I just got off the phone from an interesting call. I was asked if to be on the jury for the Canadian Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
I said I’d let them know by this weekend as I’d have to talk to John about it and, unfortunately, he works late tonight so I won’t get a chance.
Nice!
Are you now what we call “A mover and a shaker”?
Only if you ask nice 😉
What a fantastic honor! Congratulations!
First order of business: Get Strange Brew inducted 😉
Whoa!
Car wash. Waiting. Bleh.
https://www.lewdlegame.com/
Well I guess this was inevitable.
https://www.vox.com/22893634/marvel-post-credits-scene-history
Looks like an interesting article. I hope it mentions Young Sherlock Holmes.
Hmmm:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/best-sleep-position-to-alleviate-pain_uk_61f12dfce4b067cbfa1667e8?fbclid=IwAR34IQR92gpo564WxZUU19JkhIEdG-5iBlnVqRsh9KKz6waGBmRwUY7LdGo
These days soldier as it’s easier with usingbCPAP machine.
Also today was the day I realised the team behind No Mans Sky was the team behind the Joe Danger series of games.
Off to the city this morning
Mando > Boba Fett.
This is the way.
Also, a potential spoiler for Boba Fett question…
Do you think the silver C3PO we saw as a random character in EP3 was Triple Zero?
One can always hope. I’ve been anticipating them all season.
CP: Burn — The Crow
Everytime I think I’ve found a good alternative to SONOS it turns out to have the same “you will forever be beholden to us” business model.
Meh
All the expensive systems want to tie you into their sound systems, Sonos is just the worst of a bunch.
Saying that, I do like the Sonos Arc I bought to accompany the tv.
The products really are good but the fact they give no Fs about suddenly making your stuff stop working is pretty evil.
They backed off on the destroying equipment, they also allow you to use older equipment with the S1 app they just won’t worker with newer speakers.
If you are happy with your current system
jj just keep using it.
I find the S1 app crashes constantly now. It won’t run in the background. If you open it, then try to go to any other tab and come back to it, it’s frozen up and has to be restarted.
I was helping someone else out and trying to find them something that did what SONOS does without being SONOS but I am coming up empty.
Homebrew games in Communist Czechoslovakia:
https://t.co/2GqPbTdqUW
James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti performing a duet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaB9F3R9cIY
It’s pretty goddamn incredible.
This looks AWEFUL. https://geektyrant.com/news/trailer-and-poster-for-animated-film-pinocchio-a-true-story-featuring-pauly-shore-as-the-wooden-boy
Seriously? Pauly Shore?
I would have refused this in 1992. Let alone 2022.
I think the youngest will like these:
https://mymodernmet.com/animal-comic-buddy-gator/
I have an urge to play Red Storm Riding, going to have to dig out the Amiga emulator.
Rising not riding.
The thing about TOS episodes – – pretty much every single one of them – –
I think they could benefit from modern remakes with better effects, updated storytelling, and better acting.
That or the MST3K treatment.
BTW, just watched the Nazi planet one (Patterns of Force). I’d never seen it before. None of the charm or wit of A Piece of the Action. I didn’t hate it, but it’s not a classic, by any stretch.
Modern retakes, modern mistakes.
Not that I disagree with you, but I also just appreciate the show for what it is: mostly better than average pulp sci-fi with moments of brilliance. I love TOS. It was a big part of my childhood. But some of those episodes make me cringe nowadays. That doesn’t stop me from loving “Spock’s Brain” though. 😀
I am enjoying every episode, schlock and all. Sometimes primarily because of the schlock.
This talk of TOS has sparked a fond memory of playing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek%3A_25th_Anniversary_(computer_game)
I see that it is available on Great Old Games. I might have to revisit.
Still got the floppy version of that game. There did a full voice cast later, but Shatner sounds so bored I think I prefer the floppy version.
So spent some of my Sunday morning play an old arcade conversion of Targ, the arcade was so basic the conversion is almost identical.
Goodbye to Hardy Kruger, who was brilliant in Flight of the Phoenix, the original and not the shitty remake:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/20/hardy-kruger-obituary
Luckily nobody was hurt:
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/01/28/watch-this-road-rage-video-caught-on-dashboard-camera-from-inside-shooters-car/
Jesus, Florida Man. . .
Morning pan. We’re suppose to get a spot of snow today
Our forecast is a bit all over the place right now, but it sounds like we will get at least 5-8″ of snow on Wednesday.
right now, it’s all about the wind
So there’s this: https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/us/travis-and-greg-mcmichael-plea-deal-ahmaud-arbery-federal-hate-crime-charges/index.html
These crimes have to be prosecuted, and I understand the family’s desire to push on this, but I’m worried that if it goes to trial, they will lose. The defense could make a decent argument that these guys are being tried twice for the same crime.
Not that their sympathizers need any encouragement, but this would give them just the sliver of false “doubt” they need to justify obnoxious and negatively disruptive behaviors.
Yeah. I’m just glad the fed judge threw it out.
Galactic noodles.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/dazzling-milky-way-panorama-reveals-mysterious-galactic-threads/ar-AATdnAH?ocid=winp-sf
Did they find evidence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
Is this your doing Lo?
https://denverite.com/2022/01/28/drivers-we-park-so-badly-that-denvers-raising-fines-in-february/
There needs to be a graph that shows how the quality of life increases as parking fees increase.
Nope! These fuckers… I wont say it should be the death penalty but least they should lose a fucking toe
Years ago I heard an NPR program that talked about this. Bottom line is that “Fines” psychologically made the worst offenders feel they had been given approval to behave badly in exchange for a fee.
A better solution is to TOW and impound these offenders. The inconvenience of having to spend a day to retrieve their vehicle it’s a far greater penalty and much more of a deterrent.
Also, goodbye toe.
CP: Make It Funky — James Brown
Another variation on why the chainmail bikini works. lol
https://mcnostril.tumblr.com/post/667179836825124864/i-have-discovered-the-truth-about-chainmail
That’s funny.
Got to admitt, the Chain Mail bikini would be effective against me as I would be so baffled/surprised/distracted by the appearance of a foe in such attire, they would easily have first strike advantage.
All good things come to and end:
https://t.co/PaadYn08jb
I thought you said “good” things
I go and play for the first time today….and the NY Times becomes convinced that it is now worth buying.
I feel like I should have gotten something for that endorsement.
It’s snowing
I need to come up with something pithy to say about Valentine’s Day for the newsletter. It’s hard to do that about something you don’t actually believe in.
Perhaps a pithy comment about St. Valentine himself and how writers must be able to suffer for their art?
That or just go with a vaguely bawdy limerick.
There once was a man from Nantucket. . .
Tori Amos touring in 2022!
I suppose I should throw her new album onto my playlist.
2-2-22 is just a warm-up for 2-22-22.
Oh great praise is bestowed upon ye the gods of the interwebs. Especially anyone and anything that is involved in the Internet Archives. I had a subscription to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Magazine back in 1985. Now I can revisit those glory days. I’ll definitely be wasting some time here.
https://archive.org/details/pulpmagazinearchive?and%5B%5D=twilight+zone&sort=publicdate
RIP Jon Zazula. I published this tribute to him just this past December.
https://www.metalhalloffame.org/jon-zazula/
It’s cold
Well yes, you do live in Canada after all.
Pfffffttttt!
However, it’s supposed to get above freezing on the weekend
That’s our forecast as well.
Washrooms cleaned. Kitty litter changed. Garbage and recycling gathered for pickup tomorrow. I think that’s about enough housework for now
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/02/joe-just-conversations-rogan-defends-misinformation-like-a-classic-grifter/
Pretty good take on all of this nonsense.
I wonder if they’ll sell Joe Rogen branded horse dewormer on Goop.
I wonder if you can buy a candle that smells like Joe Rogan’s vagina.
I prefer to get my women’s health products from Pink Cherry. Although, I hear good things about Dame Products too.
HA!
I meant to say “Talk about a fear factor!”
I think my next subtitled film to watch will be this one:
https://youtu.be/taSkmZUa4dY
Bloody hell:
https://t.co/seQ2azNHco
Paywall, but I was able to read about it here: https://www.click2houston.com/news/texas/2022/02/03/threats-from-qanon-conspiracists-have-forced-a-butterfly-sanctuary-in-the-rio-grande-valley-to-close/
How is this not criminal behavior?
The only goat girl, a story:
https://sarajbenincasa.medium.com/the-only-goat-girl-c17ea9a83af5
Happy birthday, Boo!
Lol
So Cad Bane.
Sure enough, VAN.
I htink meant, “So that Bane in Dark Knight Rises. What a cad he was, amirite?”
We did watch tonight. I feel properly serviced.
I do like it when the corners of my bed are tucked in.
CP: Yeti — Like Bells
The King Crimson documentary looks fun.
https://consequence.net/2022/02/in-the-court-of-the-crimson-king-trailer-watch/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/02/07/the-radical-woman-behind-goodnight-moon?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Goodnight mush.
2022 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame nominees are out. I’ll definitely be casting my vote for Devo. I want to give all the props in the world to Dolly Parton as a musician and I feel like she 1000% belongs in a country music hall of fame. But I just don’t see her as Rock N Roll.
https://www.rockhall.com/2022-nominees
Agreed
The RnR HOF is kind of a joke, and this is one of the reasons why. . .
Yes, Dolly deserves to be in the Country Hall of Fame and the Pop Culture Hall of Fame (if such a thing exists), but she has never been Rock n’ Roll.
I hate to ever gatekeep and build fences, but this particular award should stick to Rock n’ Roll acts.
When are they going to induce Flattus Maximus into the Country Hall of Fame?
Yeah, this one raised my eyebrows. And I’m not going to gatekeep either: I’d just like to know in more detail why she was nominated.
It does raise some interesting questions. For instance, just who qualifies as Rock? Does it take a certain number of hit songs? How does song writing come into play? Plus, Rock, Country, and Jazz all share the same core roots. They’ve evolved in different and sometimes entwining ways, but are still considered very different genres.
Did Dolly Parton what about Kate Bush? I would hardly describe her music as rock and roll.
If Pink Floyd is rock, then I’d give KB a pass.
Yeah, I think Kate Bush counts as Rock n’ Roll.
So you’d say LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash, Jay-Z, Tribe Called Quest shouldn’t be in either?
Speaking of HOF:
https://www.metalhalloffame.org/cliff-burton-bass-solo-take-1/
Here’s my latest Metal Legacy article for the Metal Hall of Fame.
Sad day here.
Our Australian Shepard, Annie, passed away suddenly last night. She was 14 and had been in decline for the last few
months (Mobility, appetite, hearing, cognition) so while we knew it was on the horizon, it was still rather sudden. At least we were all together when it happened.
We were her herd. She was our family.
Always tough.
Sorry Joe. Losing furry friends is tough.
Our sympathies, JJ.
Condolences JJ, losing a pet is hard.
Oh no 🙁 I feel lucky to have met her and given her skritches. She’s a very sweet dog.
So sorry, Joe. Condolences to your family on your loss.
Oh. *hugs* Joe. 🙁
Thanks all.
John Cena did actually play that piano in the latest episode of Peacemaker:
https://youtu.be/bp5YOPgZAGo
CP: Think — The Blues Brothers feat. Aretha Franklin
In the chair to lose 1/4 of my wisdom. Questions come to mind.
Why am I doing this so late in life? Why did I let my dentist convince me this was necessary at all, at this point? Why have I been here for an hour and still not seen the actual dentist? How much misery is in store for tonight?
Booze, lots of booze.
It seems I’ll have a few days of antibiotics, so no booze.
I know the worst is yet to come, but the actual experience in the chair was faster and less horrific than I expected.
I have a procedure coming up that requires me to be of any and all acid reflux medications (can’t even take tums) for 7 days. Alcohol is a double acid reflux whammy as it produces more acid and loosens the esophagus to let more acid up. So I’m right there with you on the no booze train for a bit.
Sidenote: after being on prilosec twice a day for 20+ years, a week without anything is a living hell. Just saying.
Oh my! What a hit to your lifestyle.
Ooooooooh! That one hit me right in the lifestyles!
Can they go back and do this for Rogue One so it actually sounds like Peter Cushing:
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a38971109/cgi-luke-skywalker-mandalorian-book-of-boba-fett/
Watching the Olympic opening Ceremonies.
I know there is a lot of baggage that comes with them anymore but both the Winter and Summer games have always been a big thing in my family.
And yeh, a lot of it gets me choked up because I’m an old softie.
So Like when I suspend my disbelief in order to enjoy a movie, I’ll willingly Let the producers manipulate me, no one is worse for it. 🙂
Nope! No one is allowed to like things.
All that being said … some “Opening Ceremonies” are better than others.
Oh well.
Let the games begin!
ok yes, it got worse.
CW: Nightmare Alley
Well that was just ok.
Bit of a waste of talent.
Disappointing. But really, Guillermo’s last great movie was Pan’s Labyrinth.
Ok sure, Pacific Rim was great, but that’s going for something very different.
I learnt much later that the actor who plays such an evil bastard in that film is more famous in Spain for comedy roles.
It’s like if somebody got Bob Hope play Hitler..
Or like if someone put Hugh Laurie (famous for playing comedic roles in Britain) in a drama/mystery role like House.
Disclaimer: I love Hugh Laurie to death and think he is both a comedic genius, talented musician, and talented serious actor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZBDhJ-GWFQ
It’s so odd seeing Hugh Laurie in Stuart Little. He and Geena Davis are both kinda great.
So what I learnt today, there was an analogue video system that used vinyl records for storage:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitance_Electronic_Disc
Insane! I only wish I had known at the time (although I was dirt poor back then and never would have been able to afford one).
TOS S2 is in the books.
Van, did you say you liked Assignment: Earth? It was the S2 finale. Weird to see a young Terri Garr. Weirder to see Star Trek trying to do James Bond.
I did! I like the silliness of it and the fact Gary Seven is oblivious that the cat is not really a cat..
To bad it never became its own series. It could have been fun.
A long, long read – – but it’s brimming over with great insights.
https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2022/02/06/todays-fandom/
The book was interesting:
https://youtu.be/Gzwsh50QN10
Hmmm. I don’t think I’ve heard of this book. I’ve added it to my want to read list.
“Interesting” is not usually a complement. 😀
It’s a good book, but there is violence against a lot of women, so interesting is not a bad thing.
Hubby won’t let me come to his school and give some of his teacher’s heck. I want to tell them what I think about the fact they think giving me a video game for Valentine’s isn’t enough. I told him they are bullying him by trying to make him give in to their way of thinking instead of accepting we are happy with how we do things. I’d much rather have a video game than flowers that will die in a week and chocolates I can’t eat.
He laughs. I’m angry.
We have a very strange life.
Conform. . . . conform. . .
They should just shut the fuck up, what you and John want to do for each other is none of their business.
CP: Happy Birthday — Leah Andreone
I have nothing to say, except, “Blecchhh.” I have a terrible taste in my mouth.
Stupid human teeth. Sharks don’t have to deal with this crap! Whales don’t have to deal with this crap!
It’s still dark outside. Sinner or later the sun will be up before me again
If we ever do a Canada meetup, I’d like to see Banff National Park.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banff_National_Park
You should be able to teleport to Banff.
I agree. Just not in February.
I took Van there where he was out here. It’s very pretty but very touristy
I’m still down for it.
It’s a nice place to visit.
I like places whose names are also comic book sounds.
“Look out Batman!”
“BANFF!!!l
“York!” “Waco!”
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/08/1078904804/oscar-nominations-2022
Should I have heard of The Power of the Dog?
There’s no need to fear.
Yes!
It’s on Netflix Jack, so you could just watch it, crazy idea I know…
Maybe I will!
Meh
While Chinooks are great for the weather, the sudden pressure changes are tough on the people
https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.OK05DlNjLWFjS48OTFl-PwHaEq&pid=Api&P=0&w=634&h=400
Goodbye to Douglas Trumbull:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/douglas-trumbull-dead-2001-space-odyssey-1235089009/?fbclid=IwAR1TfFLx51Cb-QCjqRHiC78d3pFrm-TAXNZaUZGVCrbv8-cP2lg3IrjQZvk
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/what-your-favorite-80s-band-says-about-you
Europe: You think Europe is Asia.
Asia: You think Asia is Europe.
These are just weird
Yes, a few of these are brilliant. A few of these would be met with awkward silence if spoken aloud.
…while drinking Zima.
Speaking of weird…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHK5fBm1YWk&t=16s&ab_channel=SesameSwap
Scheduled to talk to Carmine Appice(!!!!!!) tonight through the Metal Hall of Fame on Facebook – – but not as an interview. We’re talking about my Led Zeppelin article(!!!!). We’ll also have Gretchen Menn on – – who is a rising guitar superstar.
I’m not sure if Rich is joining as my cohost. (Between you and me – – and I’ve discussed this with him – – he might be podfading a bit)
Very cool about Carmine!
Man, that was an amazing conversation.
CP: Warsaw — Joy Division
John Williams is 90. 90!
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/03/john-williams-at-90-he-is-so-much-smarter-than-his-critics?utm_source=pocket-newtab
New trailer for Pixar’s Lightyear is out:
https://youtu.be/BwZs3H_UN3k
Fry and Leela will be back:
http://thr.cm/MVNBsnq
I think history will view Futurama as superior to The Simpsons.
Although those early Simpsons seasons were groundbreaking.
“John DiMaggio, the voice of the foul-mouthed and boozing robot Bender doesn’t seem to be attached at the moment, but it’s very hard to imagine a revival without him on board. If, by some twist of cruel fate, DiMaggio can’t join in on the fun, many fans will demand that Hulu kiss their shiny metal…well, you know how the catchphrase goes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, the actor is currently in the midst of “finalizing a deal to return.”
Looks like they are going to recast according to the latest scuttlebutt.
Recasting would be easiest but at this point it seems like they could go back through all the previous episodes and harvest all his one-liners and pithy comments and just reinsert them where applicable.
Bad news everyone!
I finally watched a “Book of Boba Fett” episode early enough where Van and the Internet haven’t totally spoiled it for me. 😀
I had to say up to 2am to do it though. 😀
We couldn’t watch last night, so it will have to be tomorrow.
I’ve already had a few minor spoilers. . . but for stuff that was telegraphed early on.
This was the season finale?
Yes it was. I was surprised too. I had assumed we would get 8 episodes.
Seems like they spent 90 percent of their budget on EP 7.
Jurassic World Dominion trailer has dropped:
https://youtu.be/Ku-tRPaIAnU
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/amazon-the-rings-of-power-series-first-look
Big. $5 billion dollar. Meh. I hope to be proven wrong.
In other meh news – – I watched S22 Ep1 of Locke and Key. . . and. . . . it seems to have lost all of the magic of S1 and from the books.
I will probably ditch. We’ll see.
While it wasn’t as good as season 21 😉 we still enjoyed it.
I actually gave up on it twice. The 2nd time seems to have stuck.
I just couldn’t stomach the occasional, absolutely stupid things they would have the characters do to advance the plot.
In my book, you can’t have the characters seem to be worthy adversaries for the big bad and then suddenly have them act like the bad guys from “Home Alone”
Lazy writing.
I only gave up on it once part way through the first season. Budget TV making at it’s worst. They couldn’t really afford to do what was actually done in the comic so they padded it out with an insane amount of high school and family drama.
I did enjoy season 1, but you nailed my thoughts on what’s wrong with S2.
I dropped out halfway through ep 3.
CP: Hello Hello (Dr. Who – Series 8) — Murray Gold
I really miss his work on the series.
Ugh. I really need a new job. 🙁
Teresa and I finally got serious with our retirement plans. Looks like it will happen somewhere between 7 and 10 years from now. This sounds like a long time, but if I was 10 years away from retiring from the point I started participating in the Deadpan, I would have been retired in 2016.
The feels.
We should all quit our jobs, start a podcast, and rake in the dough!
Dough!
Shut up and take my money!
Revisiting Neuromancer 40 years later:
https://t.co/8wgAOvcLeN
Brilliant article – – great find!
Neuromancer truly gets better for me each time I reread it.
Not that cheap really:
https://www.engadget.com/how-to-build-a-budget-home-theater-setup-140010399.html
I think the best option is to buy a 5.1 or 7.1 receiver/amplifier and slowly upgrade your speakers over several years. A good subwoofer makes a big difference.
I saw this guy’s snow art on my last trip to NJ.
https://news.yahoo.com/jersey-man-builds-14-foot-231700200.html
Such a great, kooky song. I need to read this article.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/feb/07/bored-hit-the-vodka-shakespears-sister-stay-cat-women-moon
Devo’s cover of “Head Like a Hole” is far better than it should be. Maybe little too faithful? But fun as heck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhL8Sl3dWl8
Cool if true
https://gizmodo.com/daredevil-is-back-and-charlie-cox-is-just-as-excited-a-1848493571?utm_campaign=io9&utm_content=&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0i9ctLd0JC4GQdPExNeuyTcD9c5fFaG2zeUytTKdCp8VssRIrV6IxBc5I
I think this has a pretty good chance of being true, especially given that all Marvel content is being pulled from Netflix after March.
My fingers are crossed:
The Netflix Daredevil series was a little more adult, a little more gritty than the typical MCU stuff – – but it worked perfectly the character. I hope they keep that going.
CP: Sale of the Century – Sleeper
Bladerunner series in the works:
https://t.co/NxpvJL63wT
Honestly, I could care less about Ridley Scott’s involvement in this. I’ll jump to attention if Hampton Fancher is though.
So you care a little bit, is what you are saying. ;P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQhX8PbNUWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc
Speaking of King Crimson. . . Ian McDonald has gone on to the Court of the Crimson King. RIP
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ian-mcdonald-king-crimson-dead-obit-1298588/
Mars Atlas released by the UAE space agency:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Uvzo26ptNesjXrvResH-VsXl3nj92IMj/view?ts=61ffa52f
Useless information I learnt today:
The English soft drink Vimto is very popular in Saudi Arabia where it is produced under license.
CP: Conga Fury — Juno Reactor
So that’s series 4 of Disenchantment watched.
It gets a lot of hate but I do rather love it and one of those series I just have to binge watch.
I got sidetracked after season 1 and haven’t gotten back to it.
Me watching S3E2 of Daredevil and pointing at the tv:
That’s the actress from Archive 81!!
On ling gaming today. Gaia Project followed by Wingspan. should be fun.
I’m tempted to buy Sifu tonight, but the reviews mentioning the difficulty are putting me off.
CW: In the Heat of the Night
Found this on BBC iPlayer, haven’t watched it in years.
Me:
There’s the old guy from S2 of The Walking Dead who was keeping the zombies in the barn when he was a young un.
What I didn’t know until I listened to a podcast about this film is that they couldn’t film in the Deep South so had to film further north in similar named town. Everybody acts as if the weather is hot and humid when in reality it was bloody freezing. There’s one scene when Virgil visits the diner (seen at the start of the film) and you can see the condensation from their breaths.
Test your grasp of geography:
#Worldle #23 6/6
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https://worldle.teuteuf.fr
CP: Brand New Key – Melanie
Check out Rasputina’s goth version with cellos. https://youtu.be/d8ObnDd-qAA
I apparently need to improve my reading comprehension skills. I was expecting a goth & cello version of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhPvJOnHotE
I am dissapoint.
This looks like my kind of wacky.
JW: Big Bug on Netflix
That is some bat shit crazy dystopian French sci-fi
Hey, it’s “haha, stupid sportsball” day in the US!
Or “let people enjoy things,” depending on your perspective.
I haven’t cared about the game in years, and TBH, IDGAF about the ads – – but I am down for this year’s Halftime Show.
Couldn’t help but think the theme for halftime was “Welcome to the rappers Old Folks home.”
However, mega props to emenim for standing up to the NFL. I will give him respect for that.
Goodbye to Ivan Reitman:
http://thr.cm/rRPw3M4
Didn’t recognize his name but he was a part of several things that made me laugh a lot.
It’s a quiet day in the bunny household today
Not only is it a widely-recognized holiday, it’s also Leeloo’s birthday! She’s 4 already! Going on 44.
ah! Happy birthday to the youngling.
Happy birthday little one!
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/14/1080516128/super-bowl-commercials
I will say – – I didn’t know the Zeus movie was a comedy.
I’m not sure how this movie could exist without me not knowing it does.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843303/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Are you saying we need a VelociPalooza?
(Yes I know we still have 2 other movies to do)
Let me know when it’s OK to talk about the season finale of Boba Fett. It really solidified for me what I liked and didn’t like about the series and looking forward to discussing.
I’m ok with it. Anyone else object to Boba Fett talk in this space?
Much as I love Euphoria, it’s basically beautiful young people doing fucked up shit.
90210?
Melrose place?
Those but with more drugs, alcohol and dicks on display.
There were plenty of dicks on 90210
CP: This Is Hip — John Lee Hooker
Untranslatable words:
https://eunoia.world/
After the young un went to bed, Tiffany and I hit a local watering hole for a drink. Literally had the place to ourselves, along with the bartender. Felt almost normal for about an hour. #weird
Happy VD, everyone.*
*If you celebrate
A little bit of snow overnight bit still not too cold
I’m seeing some “cash grab” hate for the Rings of Power show. . .
And I can’t really disagree.
I mean, I guess it’s OK to take a beloved old property and create your own massive-budget fan fiction. . .
Is it really “fan fiction”? The Tolkien estate is pretty protective of their property and tend to fight anything that they don’t approve of.
I’m seeing more hate for the woman wearing non erotic armour.
My eyes cannot roll hard enough.
Yeah, that an diversity inclusion.
We’ll see if Amazon does a better job with the source material than Jackson did with “The Hobbit”. But I’m willing to give it an honest chance. If this is really about the creation of the rings, then I’m pretty excited about the series.
I think the curmudgeons in the Tolkien family have all died off (mainly JRR and Christopher). I get the impression this is 100% new interpretations of the Middle-Earth histories with little or no connection to the original texts – – much like the extraneous nonsense Peter Jackson threw into The Hobbit.
I’m aware that there will be idiots braying about brown-skinned elves, but I haven’t seen that. I have actually only seen praise for Galadriel’s practical (non-sexy) armor and the people of color.
> I get the impression this is 100% new interpretations of the Middle-Earth histories with little or no connection to the original texts
I haven’t heard that. You might be right, but I’m not so sure.
> I’m aware that there will be idiots braying about brown-skinned elves, but I haven’t seen that.
I have.
Whether to call it a cash grab is a bit of a fine line. I think of it more in terms of the current trend to “play in someone else’s playground”. They take a property like LOTR or Watchmen or any of the Walking Dead spinoff series and find a safe haven where the source material didn’t originally go. That way they can get all of the benefits of using the property name (the cash grab aspect) without needing to worry as much about fans saying that they got this or that detail wrong.
I too also as well am are ready to give it a fair shot.
Yeah, that’s pretty much my feeling too.
Also, when I tend to associate “cash grab” with a lazy effort that will make money because fans will buy/support the product regardless. Amazon is sinking a shit ton of money into this show. That doesn’t feel lazy to me. That doesn’t mean they won’t play fast and loose with the material. I’m not a Tolkien scholar, but I’ve read a lot of it multiple times.
CP: Everybody Breaks — Ivan & Alyosha
Ok. I’ve waited enough. Here is my take on the Book of Boba Fett. I likes some aspects and didn’t like others. Definite spoilers.
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Here is what I liked:
1. They did not shy away from death. Many shows that have children as part of their target audience like to have all of the violence against droids or some other safe haven.
2. Incorporating The Mandalorian Season 1.5 to bridge the next gap. I think these stories go together and shouldn’t be contained only in one or the other series.
However see also, what I didn’t like to this same point.
3. Black Krrsantan is an awesome character. I don’t follow any of the animated shows so I’m sure I should already know who he is. But I really liked him.
Here is what I didn’t like:
1. The complete and utter (most likely deliberate because kids will watch this) misinterpretation of what a CRIME syndicate is and does. They want Boba Fett to be a hero figure and that is never what he was set up to be. He can’t be the benevolent leader of the community and the slimy leader of it’s illegal activities at the same time. Just doesn’t work.
2. I thought, when the series started, that he had an actual organization under him and we were only seeing the main characters. As the battles in the last episode made pretty clear, his ENTIRE organization consisted of him, his second in command, and a droid. He then added 2 henchmen, a Wookie, a second Mandalorian, and some kids on speeder bikes. Even when the cavalry comes from the town, it’s only like 15 people. This is not the size of a crime syndicate. This is a war between book clubs.
2. The kids on the speeder bikes. Whoever designed those costumes and props did not seem to be at all related to the people who designed the rest of the show and/or the rest of the Star Wars universe. They seem like a deliberate attempt to get teens to think the characters are cool than to be actual characters.
3. The need to bring in the cavalry from Freetown. They live in a giant city full of people with guns and Boba Fett says he has plenty of credits. They should have been able to hire a small army from right there in town.
Looking forward to other perspectives.
FWIW: I agree with pretty much all of your points, although some of those didn’t really bother me (e.g.: you’re not wrong about the crime syndicate logistics, but that didn’t bother me).
I was familiar with Krrsantan from the (excellent) Kieron Gillen Darth Vader comics series.
My own 2 cents (SPOILERS TO FOLLOW):
If you’d told me all of things that happened in the final episode, I’d have thought it was the greatest hour ever aired on TV. Instead, the last episode was awkwardly edited and directed (I guess?), and ended up being one of the weaker of the season.
The Tusken storyline wasn’t fully satisfactorily paid off.
I think this could have benefited from another episode or two to really establish the characters and situation more (and to wrap up that Tusken storyline). The Syndicate wasn’t all that scary, and we never reeeeallly saw them flex their power. I don’t think there was any time for that.
Overall though, I enjoyed the series.
Part of me wants a series dedicated to Luke’s adventures during this time, while he’s building the Jedi school and fighting the Empire at the height of his powers. Part of me wants to keep that in small, special doses.
I generally agree with a lot of your pluses and minuses.
It definitely felt…rushed I suppose trying to cram all this story into 7 episodes. The last one in particular was especially unsatisfying.
Of course, one of the wildest things this show did was have a large vocal aspect of Star Wars fandom bagging on one director and singing the praises of another. But this time around, the bagging was on a guy (Robert Rodriguez) and the praises were for a woman (Bryce Dallas Howard)…and I’m pretty much on board that train. I though Filoni did OK on his direction, but I think he’s better served in the animation world.
While it probably would have been a hard sell, I think it would have been a better story to focus more on his time with the Tuskens and end the season with his take over of Jabba’s palace. The whole spice trader business added too much – he could have stayed plenty busy dealing with the other crime families.
Overall, some decent points, but aside from the fan servicey stuff along the way, I wasn’t overwhelmed.
I disagree with many, many, many points in this article, but it’s on the same subject:
https://www.avclub.com/star-wars-disney-plus-boba-fett-mandalorian-1848515217
I guess it does come close in a few places.
Also, I 1000% disagree with this article.
https://screenrant.com/boba-fett-luke-skywalker-mark-hamill-cgi-better/
I did not like the look of Luke in Boba Fett at all.
I thought he was a lot more realistic and natural in BF – – though his scenes in Mandalorian were better.
As I said, I’d love to see a show done well with this character in this time period, but I don’t trust them to not fuxk it up.
Looks like Netflix is going to make a movie based on Bioshock.
Would you kindly?
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/15/scientists-have-possibly-cured-hiv-in-a-woman-for-the-first-time.html
A cure for HIV in our lifetime??
Tangential –
I heard/read (can’t remember) an article about self healers. Apparently given a billion people, random mutation sometimes produces variants that can actually cure themselves. It’s insanely rare but happens. The first recorded case of someone getting cured of AIDS was apparently one of these.
He has of course been studied to try and figure out WTF.
The dark side of this… there seems to be at least one of these in the ALS world and an entire marketing effort has sprung up to sell to despirate people, his elixirs and seminars.
In itself, these things aren’t “harming” them … but it is not curing them and is funneling a lot of family funds and donation dollars to one guys pockets. ☹️
While I’m cautiously interested, given the state of the description, I don’t see any way this arrives by the end of 2023…
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-trek-2023-movie-chris-pine-1235094254/amp/
I still maintain that the first of the new ones was excellent. And the second one was almost excellent (but not. It sucks). And the third was entertaining and forgettable.
I’m down for more.
Oh yeah – – Having watched the first 2 seasons of ST: Disco, it also hurts that their Spock is far superior to Zachary Quinto.
ST: Discovery’s Spock is Ethan Peck, btw.
Then you should really be hyped for Strange New Worlds.
Oh joy. More snow
There’s a bird chirping outside. The cat is not amused
CP: ISN’T EVERYONE — HEALTH & Nine Inch Nails
Ok, I admit. Treasure of Nadia is the first adult game steam recommended to me that I almost considered. Not because of its adult content but because it looks like it might actually have an interesting story line.
I hadn’t heard of it, but a quick Google search seems to show it to be favorably reviewed.
cough
Although, Rhett, most of the adult games Steam recommends well rated by Steam users. Recent reviews for yesterday’s recommendation (Intruder on the Bridge) are very positive. (overall reviews are a mixed)
Interesting.
I’ve spared you my usual diary complaining. . . Let’s just say that I’d vote for any candidate who could abolish HOAs.
As horrible as they become… the only thing worse is having no HOA and ending up with “That Guy” as a neighbor.
Sadly, in both scenarios, often the only relief is to move.
Is an HOA really effective against THAT GUY anyway?
In our case it was… but not without a great deal of pain and eventually, cops in the process.
It changed my tact to “buy a place without an HOA and WITH a buffer of land and trees around it.”
Not something that can be done everywhere.
We may have to move. The very thought makes me want to curl up into a ball.
Uhg.
Peacemaker going to get a S2:
http://thr.cm/MzPW5oE
Fake 70s style book created by AI:
https://cdm.link/2022/02/artist-uses-ai-to-perfectly-fake-70s-science-fiction-pulp-covers-artwork-and-titles/
Unrelated but somewhat parallel to my vaguepan griping above:
I know of a woman who lives in an apartment here in town. A “mentally unbalanced” neighbor fired off his gun, shot a hole through the wall into her home.
So she, her, husband, and their daughters now have to move.
How has this become normalized in our culture? Why do they have to move? Why isn’t the “oops, I almost shot you” guy being evicted or moved?
The guy behind The Middleman wrote an article about The Black Hole:
https://uncannymagazine.com/article/loving-the-old-wounds/
CP: Brickhouse — Commodores
I think I’ll take tomorrow off. That way I’ll have a four day weekend instead of three 🙂
We get Monday off for Presidents Day in the US. What’s the Canadian holiday that gets you a 3 day weekend?
*Some of us get Presidents Day off.
Today my Steam discovery queue recommends the upcoming game College Bound: Arctic Adventure.
Seriously, finding out what Steam recommends each day has become a game unto itself.
It also recommended Attack of the Giant Crab. If it’s anything like Maneater (about sharks, get your mind out of the gutter), it could be fun
JW: Peacemaker S1 finale
Enjoyed the ride.
1) Eaglie is my favourite
2) That End battle cameo was great
A coworker of my wife got Covid back at the end of December. She was surprised to find out that he wasn’t vaccinated because he was a SUPER smart, science guy who had never been political or mentioned anything anti-vaccine. She’s not sure if he was too busy or absent minded or what.
Anyway, they put him on a ventilator January 1st and this morning he finally died.
Another totally useless and almost assuredly preventable death.
Aside from his own personal tragedy, he indirectly caused suffering in countless others around him. And likely innocent strangers who came in contact with him.
Well… just fine then.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html
You got to hand it to Covid. It just wants to mutate until it kills us all, sort of like capitalism.
Not generally an Elvis fan … but they had me at Baz Luhrmann.
Elvis. . . was hero to most, but he never meant shit to me, the sucka was racist and plain. Mutha—- him and John Wayne.
https://consequence.net/2022/02/john-williams-to-write-theme-for-obi-wan-kenobi-series/
The Obi-Wan series is looking better!
Scary stuff:
https://youtu.be/vPQh1FrbOc0
Eeeeeeeekk
Deep Blue might get the last laugh:
https://t.co/nNeLNlVKk1
No, Kasparov gets the last laugh. 😉
https://musikguru.de/moxy-fruvous/songtext-kasparov-vs-deep-blue-2161417.html
Just sent a query for what would be the highest-profile interview of my life. The odds are slim to none, but are now better than zero.
Wait and see.
CP: Lucy — Candlebox
Watched the first two episodes of The Cuphead Show, an animated show based on the game.
Pretty good.
Amazon going to make a tv series based on Falout games:
https://bit.ly/3BxWV1A
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-dozen-ways-alanis-morissette-can-update-the-hand-in-my-pocket-refrains-for-her-fans-hitting-middle-age
Morning Pan
Silly hubby is sleeping in this morning
Happy 45th Birthday to 2000AD:
https://neotextreview.com/culture/i-bring-you-the-future-celebrating-45-years-of-2000-ad-comics/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/john-paul-jones-re-record-when-the-levee-breaks-1278309/amp/
This is an incredible collaboration.
JW: Kimi
A modern take on rear window, Zoe Kravitz is bloody fantastic in this.
Hey, Ed! Finland win the gold medal in men’s hockey this year! I still hum that “Finland, Finland, Finland” anthem every time they’re mentioned on TV. 🙂
*won
Same here
Definitely one of my favorite things. 🙂
Never have I enjoyed losing so much.
This brings me joy.
And same.
For my money, Ed’s version is the official Finnish national anthem.
<3 Glad I could bring some joy to this group.
Amy you ARE a joy!
Ed, all you need to do is re-record this in a Scandinavian black metal format and you’d become their unofficial US ambassador
In light of current events in the Ukraine, a look back at the Russia-Georgia war:
https://t.co/HDc0QCeVh2
That’s a lot of snow
Why waterbeds went out of fashion:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71404/what-ever-happened-waterbeds
This post inspired by watching Liquorice Pizza.
I miss my waterbed.
When we sold our house, moved into a rental and then finally moved into our current house it just never got set back up.
“Before settling on the waterbed, he had tried filling a chair with 300 pounds of cornstarch gel, which quickly rotted. ”
Man if that cornstarch gel chair had only worked. I would have to imagine that would be really cool to sit in.
Never really a fan. . . so damn awkward.
I had better invest in wellies or scuba gear:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2013/09/rising-seas-ice-melt-new-shoreline-maps/
Lo Pan’s Unofficial Official ranking of canon MCU/DCEU shows I’ve seen so far. (Not counting the ABC and Netflix Marvel shows cause I haven’t a clue where they stand in the grand scheme)
1. Peacemaker
2a. WandaVision
2b. Loki
3. Hawkeye
4. WinterFalconSoldier
I’d put Loki higher than Wandavision but yeah we’ve been spoilt with good comic based shows the last few years.
YOURE WRONG FIGHT ME!
Kidding. Well you see Wanda is ahead of Loki for me by a literal nose. I preferred Wanda’s exploration of grief over Loki’s discovery of self. Just by a nose.
I really liked the stylistic risks that Wanda took and loved that it was an exploration of grief. I found Loki more entertaining by a width of a hydrogen atom. They are both superb.
Huzzah!!
I don’t even want to air my opinion. This place can get kinda rough.
I allowed myself to chill and watch Nightmare Alley last night. And I kinda wish I’d spent that time better.
It’s well-acted and lovely to look at, but way too long and mostly pointless. This could have been a great Twilight Zone episode.
I want my old Guillermo Del Toro back.
CP: You Cross My Path — The Charlatans
There is a gorgeous, utterly unique Marvel film deeply buried somewhere in the WTF slog that is Eternals. I can’t imagine that a director of Chloe Zhao’s talent fucked a film up this hard. This HAS to be an issue of a unique filmmakers vision being fucked by a studio that doesn’t understand said vision and interferes with the outcome. Right? Cause… this was garbage. As with such a diverse and talented cast it shouldn’t have been. I’d love to read the untouched script.
Films I never knew Leonard Nimoy starred in No1:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baffled!
http://jackmangan.com/site-password-1234/#comment-287305
New page.