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yourlibrarian

1) I've no idea why, but this afternoon my monitor screen brightness suddenly shot up to where the blue light on white areas is practically visible. I went to my computer settings and found that the brightness slider was greyed out. I looked for info online and – along with various instructions which seemed to lead nowhere – it was suggested that I needed to change the settings on my monitor. Problem is, I'm using a Roku TV as my monitor, and when I went in there the brightness settings were already low and making them lower changed nothing.

I did a Microsoft update yesterday but supposedly all the downloads were related to security updates. I already use dark mode on both browsers but this doesn't apply to MS Word, and in any case the dark mode has to be switched off at times because it obscures buttons or other info in certain layouts. (This is also true of MS's accessibility dark mode themes)

2) Ok, then: Regal sold its inventory of $50 “Dune” tickets projected in 70 millimeter IMAX film in a matter of minutes. "Some 17% of film tickets sold last year were for premium-format theaters with bigger screens and better sound, compared with 13% in 2021. They cost an average of $18 nationally, according to research firm EntTelligence, and as much as $30 in big cities such as New York and Los Angeles."

3) Perhaps relatedly, Las Vegas Sphere is a Success. Although largely for music concerts, the site has also been used for movies, notably “The Wizard of Oz.” "Dolan decided he wanted to turn the 1939 classic film into an immersive experience. He recruited Google’s AI engineers for the $100 million project...Red apples made of foam drop from above in one scene, and leaves swirl during the tornado. From its opening Aug. 28 through Jan. 20, the movie generated more than $260 million in ticket sales, the company said."

But it comes at a high price: Tickets to Sphere concerts can range for a few hundred dollars to thousands.

4) Not thrilled with the Copilot product placement in Season 2 episode 18 of High Potential. It makes me think we should have a contest to see what increasingly absurd examples of AI use will start to intrude into scenes across TV shows.

5) My partner clearly enjoys Dark Winds, because Mr. I-Hate-Binging watched 2 seasons of it within 5 days with me. This was probably just as well because I was not thrilled with S4. ( Read more... )

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shadowkat

I'm horribly behind on the Question a Day - April - Meme - so, I'm just going to finish out the month while I have the opportunity. I was going to read more of "This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me" but the vagus nerve associated with my neck is bothering me today - and I'd need to well bend over the book? Had troubles reading on the train for the same reason. It's the weather - which is turning again, and as a result my arthritis is flaring up. (I may go back to audio books - actually, that was why Masq (from ATPOBTVS) started on audio books, back and neck issues.)

22. If you took part in a quiz, what would be your specialist subject?

Probably movies, television, theater and fictional books. I have an insane amount of trivia knowledge in that arena. For some reason or other, my brain holds onto that sort of data? When I played Jeopardy on my phone - every time it did that category - I won. Same with Trivia pursuit.

23. In 1895, Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand detective writer and producer, was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Have you ever read any of her detective novels? If not, who is your favourite detective novelist?

Yes, a couple. It's been a long time since I read them though - and I get her confused with PD James (who I prefer and have read more of). Neither are my favorite. My favorite is the Master - Agatha Christie. I read all of her books. I did find Peters Vicky Bliss mysteries up to and including The Night Train to Memphis - to be fun and memorable. I always wished those novels had been adapted in a series or movies. But alas, no.

I also loved Minette Walters, another British mystery writer - whose first novel was adapted. Not sure any others were. She would be a close second to Agatha Christie.

24. It’s Barbara Streisand’s birthday – are you a fan of her music or movies?

I didn't realize she was born in April. So is my niece and brother. Fan? Not really? I'm not sure I'd call myself a fan exactly? I enjoy her music and her movies. Like her music better - she has an amazing range. One of the original belters. Her movies are a mixed bag, unfortunately. But I have enjoyed several of them. Her better ones were when she was younger...

She's the same age as my mother and Harrison Ford.

25. When’s the last time you had to use a plumber?

I can't remember? I always call the Super, and they tend to fix the problem if I can't.

26. Do you still have a landline, or do you only use your mobile phone/cellphone?

Yes. Although not sure why - since it's not really a landline but through a cable bundle? Phone, cable and internet. It does make the other two cheaper, but it would probably be cheaper just to have the internet. I just don't want to deal with figuring out how to return the equipment.

27. What sweets/candies do you remember from your childhood? When was the last time you ate some?

Butterfingers, Kit Kats, 3 Musketeers, Big Chew Gum, those sour balls that you can suck for hours and they change flavors and colors, sweet tarts, colored sugar in straws (can't remember the name of it)...

I had a 3 Musketeers about a year ago. The rest, I can't eat any longer - too much sugar or they have gluten. Kit Kats are a thing of the past - I can't have them at all. Butterfingers are possible - but high in sugar, as are all the rest.

I don't know what I did? But sugar got angry at me. So did gluten. And here we are.

28. In 2004, Shrek the sheep from Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand, was finally shorn live on TV after 6 years of avoidance; the fleece weighed 27 kg (60 lb). Do you own, or have you made anything from sheep’s wool?

There's a sheep named Shrek? Oh that's hilarious. Did they name it after the movie Shrek?

Yes, I have wool - not a lot, I find it itchy. But I have wool sweaters. I even have a knitted wool blanket. At least I think it is wool - it might be alpaca.

29. When was the last time you received a letter (not junk mail)?

God knows. I've no clue. I miss letters. I think it might have been five years ago - from my mother? She has sent me cards - do those count? The rest of the family uses Facebook or Texts.

And my penpals are on social media now.

30. In 2018, Sweden's official Twitter account confirmed that Swedish meatballs actually originated in Turkey. Do you like Swedish meatballs? Ever had them in IKEA?

Yes. My mother used to make them a lot - with rice. But I can't have them now - because they contain gluten. I suppose you could make them without?
But I've also kind of limited red meat intake - because it doesn't agree with me any longer. So, I eat it sparingly, if at all.

***

I should have put that under a cut, but I didn't feel like it. It's been one of those days.

***

Today I finally "attempted" to schedule my X-rays, only to be reminded of why I was procrastinating?

So I call the Trinity location in Manhattan.
( hell is scheduling x-rays )

Oh well, if it doesn't work - I'll try Lennox Hill in Cobble Hill, which has openings on weekends. I just hate their portal and it's difficult to share with other doctors.

I'm worried about my vagus nerve - which apparently affects the gut and the head, and causes all sorts of issues if out of wack.

***

So, I gave up on Firebird and went over to Scalzi's Locked-In (I may go back to Firebird, not sure yet.) John Scalzi is kind of the Stephen King of Sci-Fi writing. ( Read more... )

Book Instagram is odd? Very young. And kind of whiny? Apparently book reviews and book blogging has been replaced with book podcasting?? Where everybody and their mother gives book reviews via podcasts. Some of them are paid to do this? Why? ( Read more... )

angrboda

So today's Wednesday, so I have that off, because I am part-time employed and Wednesday thus became the Best Day of the Week.

I also have Thursday off this week, because I had work on Saturday, so we get a protected day off for that (as well as some time in lieu and a bit extra per hour because it's the weekend) and mine is always on the Thursday. We have an unofficial work Saturday every seven weeks, but we can put it up for grabs if we can't work that weekend (or even if we don't want to) and they tend to be very easy to get rid of. Some of the others will nab as many Saturdays as they can, because it's a quieter work day and a week day off. I'd personally rather have my weekend intact with Husband, but it takes all sorts. It's unofficial because as far as the rest of the hospital is concerned we're not open. We'll only be six or seven people there, and we're largely there in order to give ourselves a helping hand so Monday's work load isn't quite so huge.

This week I also have Friday off because it's the first of May and according to our general agreement we are supposed to have the right to have that day off. Well, that doesn't actually work in reality because there's an obvious limit to how often you can just arbitrarily close down the work place when you work in the health sector and we already don't work weekends (sort of) and holidays. So we usually have as many people having the day off as possible and it's determined by drawing lots where the people who didn't win last year are guaranteed it this year.

And then after that of course it's the weekend. So through sheer luck I've managed to get five days off in a row. That's like a little holiday. I shall make a great deal of progress on my puzzle.

Today, I've taken the bicycle into town to have it serviced, and treated myself to coffee to go for the trip home. I can pick it up tomorrow, and I'm sort of toying with the idea of going in and just having a coffee and some breakfast at the Espresso House before I go to the bicycle shop. I could bring a book. Right now this idea is very tempting. It's not unlikely tomorrow I'll just want to get the bike and go home as quickly as possible.

Also accidentally picked up a succulent. It was flowering, it wasn't my fault! It only took Husband a couple hours to notice it. Can't sneak anything past him...

slaymesoftly

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shadowkat

I think I've given up on Gideon the Ninth, made it to the 15% mark, I just can't follow it? I have no idea what is going on or why? I'm confused? It's a busy and harrowing/ugly narrative style, and the way it's written is hard for my brain to make sense of - and this is coming from someone who read and analyzed and wrote a paper on James Joyce's Ulysses and William Faulkner's Sound and the Fury.

The writing style was just irritating me, I think. Here's the first chapter.

How to explain? I think it's the made-up slang? My brain doesn't like made up words or slang laden novels. Examples? Clockwork Orange (couldn't make it through that book either). There are others. Their Eyes Are Watching God, also gave me a headache. Too much slang and dialect.

I don't know if an audio book would be better? It might. Because this book was playing havoc with the dyslexia. (I need poetic prose or sentences to have a certain rhythm to them or my mind won't grasp it.)

I've decided to start reading "Firebird by Susanne Kearse" on the Kindle now, it's only been waiting in the queue for the last five years. We'll see - it's a historical/supernatural romance. I tried it twice before and gave up. Ugh. I like my hard cover novel better.

***

Mental illness has increasingly become a problem in our society - and our media isn't helping matters. It's judgemental of the mentally ill. People are really judgemental of others, aren't they? I guess there are positive aspects of being judgemental - so probably not something we want to get rid of completely.

I keep thinking...there but for the grace go we or I or you. It helps push away the judgement, and superimpose empathy and compassion instead. Emphasis on compassion. Sympathy tends to fall into the trap of judgement. Empathy, often falls into the trap of over-relating, but compassion is just caring for the other person and being mindful of their situation and our own, and trying to not do more harm.

I keep reminding myself that I'm here on this earth, right now, to learn and to help wherever or however I am able (emphasis on able? I'm not always able.). And everything is a lesson. It helps. More than one might think?

***

Wasn't planning on it - but since it recorded instead of General Hospital, I watched King Charles III's speech. I was impressed - he's a good speaker and it was an excellent speech. (Granted the bar was set pretty low with Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the White House at the Moment, but still.) He said, words and actions matter - and made a very strong point about how we need to be careful about the ones we take and honor the past in doing so. Britain may not have wanted him to come - for well, understandable and obvious reasons, but I'm glad he did - because what he said to both houses of the US Congress - needed to be said, and both Houses and both parties for the most part were in agreement with what he stated. Specifically, that we need to fight against tyranny, and honor checks and balances. It's ironic that a British King is kindly admonishing and reminding the United States ( a former colony that rebelled against tyranny) of what it's shared values are - and why it rebelled and won that rebellion in the first place.
Made all the more ironic - by the fact that the King in question is a direct descendant of the one the US's founders rebelled against, and just a few months before the US's 250th birthday. But there you have it.

Maybe the people who needed to hear that - did? Let's hope it wasn't just the choir - but also the congregation? It appeared to be both? Nonetheless, it gave me a smidgen of hope. And the befuddled yet not quite dead historian in me celebrated and did a little dance in my head.

So make of that what you will.

Off to bed, to sleep, or at least I hope. It's been up in the air of late.

yourlibrarian

1) Anyone notice my shiny new icon? Thanks to

soc_puppet's offer to make sheep icons for folks as part of

3weeks4dreamwidth I now have one in my favorite colors! And I'm repurposing my old sheep icon for use at

tv_talk, which, thanks to

seleneheart, I got during a previous 3 Weeks event.

Unfortunately, this meant having to boot some icons I wasn't using as much because my icon storage has been full for some time. But if you've been wanting icons for something in particular, there's a general icon request event going on as well!

2) Saw S1 of the Ipcress File and liked it well enough. I never saw the film but from reading a synopsis of the book and the film it seems that it's kept a lot of the original story, but changed it as well in interesting ways. ( spoilers )

3) I found some information saying that the network wanted to make more of Ipcress Files but that the cast was so busy they couldn't find a way to do so (and presumably still haven't). This is such a curious issue to me that seems to be related to both British TV and the current way contracts are made. ( Read more... )

4) Also saw Tron Ares. There was nothing wrong with the overall premise and plot for the film, and the idea that a tech billionaire might be overselling his capabilities and putting people at risk is, let's say, au courant. But I felt that the good performances within it were wasted because the movie was clearly about the cool toys. ( Read more... )

5) Funny how some shows click immediately and some do not. Because I have AMC+ for a week, we've been barreling through S3 of Dark Winds. Unfortunately not enough time for S4 but we will definitely see it at some point. We saw S1 and S2 a few years ago and always wanted to get back to it.

I tried out Cannes Confidential, and I really wanted to like it. ( Read more... )

On the other hand, London Kills grabbed me at once. Interesting setup and dynamics as well as mysteries in the episodes I've seen so far. I noticed they seem to have Sharon Small in a very similar sort of dynamic as Barbara Havers.

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shadowkat

I binged the first two seasons of From this weekend and am quarter of the way into the third. It's been renewed for two more seasons, with the fifth as the final season. S4 is currently airing on MGM+ in the US.

Damn thing is good. Each episode ends on a creepy cliff-hanger. I'd classify it as psychological/supernatural folk horror.

M: I thought you didn't like horror?
Me: Depends on the horror. (I'm not a fan of torture porn, gore, or body horror for example? Also slasher and rape horror tropes - I steer clear of. Most of the teen horror flicks - I'm not interested in, and I can't watch 98% of the stuff directed by Wes Craven.)
M: So as long as it doesn't have spiders right?
Me: well among other things. But yes, definitely not spiders.

I need characters that are interesting figuring out a problem, with some modicum of success.

From - does have some issues? It has a couple of annoying characters that I keep wishing they'd kill off - but nooo...instead they keep killing off minor supporting characters that I kind of liked? They can kill off that kid at any time - but alas, I don't see it happening. There's a lot of characters who have temper tantrums, almost every other episode, while other characters attempt to calm them down.

That said, right around the time I start wishing they'd kill someone off - the show makes them likable?

It's the folks lost in a nightmare/Twilight Zone style town, unable to find the way out, and the town keeps playing mind-games with them, and trying to kill them - trope. (See Lost, a lot of Stephen King stories, and there was a sci-fi horror series in the 1970s starring Ike Eisenman and Roddy Dowel about folks who end up on this island in the Bermuda Triangle and are kind of lost, and have nightmarish adventures. I've seen this done a lot - it was popular in the 1960s and 70s.)

The writing for the most part, is rather clever. Blending elements of folk horror with psychological and supernatural horror. Also rather innovative.

Also, for the most part, the main or lead characters are likable. Boyd, Donna, Kristi, and Kenny are among my favorites.

***

Mother called to let me know that her friend loved the book I self-published. The friend loved the cover, the title, and the writing. And wants to know when I'm going to finish writing and will publish another one.

When I manage to write one that I think is publishable? The last three weren't.

****

kazzy_cee

On Friday, Mr Cee and I travelled to Bermondsey in London to visit the Young V&A Museum to see their exhibition all about Aardman Animations. There had been issues with the tube trains all week (a series of strikes), but fortunately, we could easily get to the museum by train to London Bridge and a bus from there took us almost to the door.

The museum is aimed at families and young children with lots of hands-on activities, but it was interesting to see that most of the people who were visiting the exhibition were nearer to our age *g*. Founded by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, Aardman Animations has been around since the early 1970s. They began with stop-motion animations on a children's TV programme created for deaf children, called Vision On, and the birth of their first cute Plasticine (modelling clay) animated character, Morph. Their work has extended into commercials, short films, music videos (including the famous Sledgehammer video with Peter Gabriel), and into full-length animated (and extremely successful) films with memorable characters such as Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.

Under the cut for examples of the processes involved in producing clay-based characters, animation and lots of models!
( Read more... )

There was so much more than I've included here, including the chance to make your own stop-motion clip, film yourself as an animation guide and play around with lighting a scene (and more). It was well worth a visit. The exhibition will finish in November this year, and if you buy a ticket, you get free access if you want to go back to see it again.

yourlibrarian

Every time I planned to post and got sidelined, something else got added to the list.

1)

3weeks4dreamwidth is underway, and I am again hosting a points donation and gifting event. If you have US $3 (or more) to spare, join in!

Dreamwidth stays afloat by selling paid services, but a lot of users can't buy them for one reason or another. That's a lot of people who would like to support the site but either can't get the payment through or are currently unable to start or maintain services. So if you currently can, leave a comment (all donors and recipient comments are screened) by May 4. At that point, a call will go out for recipients and they'll be matched up by May 15.

2) Finished the Fire of Love documentary about French volcanologists spending their lives studying volcanoes. Some of the footage they got is just spectacular, almost technicolor. But the risks they took are appalling. ( Read more... )

3) We finished watching S1 of the Puzzle Lady last month. It was fine as a series; we would watch more. One thing that stood out to me was the wardrobe and decor which normally is not something that catches my attention. ( Read more... )

4) A recent episode of Jeopardy had the following quotes in a category about words from the Founding Fathers. I don't think their choices were a coincidence:

"Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net." – John Adams

James Madison wrote, "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands... may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

5) I'm still watching Daredevil Ep 6 (which I have been looking forward to) but I thought Ep 5 was really well done. The way the stories were balanced out, the flashbacks, and the details were well written. I think that was probably the best Marvel show episode I've seen so far. ( Read more... )

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kazzy_cee

It has been a gloriously sunny day today with clear skies and a temperature of 20ºC/68ºF, which was perfect for an outing to a tulip festival about an hour's drive away.

Tulley's Tulip Fest runs for about three weeks each year and is a celebration of beautiful tulips. This week is the peak time to see them, and they have 1.5 million tulips with over 120 different varieties on show. It was lovely to enjoy them in the sunshine today.

This is one of two fields covered in rows and rows of gorgeous colour. Under the cut for giant tulips, floating tulips, windmills, butterflies and unicorns...

( Read more... )

There were lots of opportunities to buy from vendors selling food, including Dutch specialities such as bitterballen, pancakes and stroopwaffles, but also lots of street food. We ended up having a delicious, freshly cooked wood-fired pizza for lunch before heading home.

shadowkat

My back and neck have been bugging me today, along with my right knee. I blame the weather, and arthritis. And sitting at a desk all day. And the commute. Oh well, at least I scheduled my lab work. Now, I just have to schedule three more doctor appointments and two x-rays. And figure out where to do it around my schedule.

And try not to worry about the stupid union going on strike. Folks were worrying over it in line to get cookies at Insominac Cookies today. A strike would effectively shut down a good portion of the city and all of Long Island - it would be a nightmare for everybody - which is why I'm against it. The Insominac Cookie Clerk decided I deserved a free cookie and a discount - since I come in every day or every other day. I got three cookies today as a result, one was free, and I only paid $5.58 for all three of the home-made, freshly baked, chewey, warm cookies - and the cookies are medium size. I was in heaven. Insominac has the best gluten free cookies anywhere. I've not had better gluten-free cookies anywhere - the closest I've come to these are Heritage. They are even better than home-made tollhouse cookies and the old Mrs. Fields that I had prior to being diagnosed with Ceiliac. You've not had cookies until you've had these. Yum.

I wish there was a pill or something I could take - to get more patience. I feel I've almost reached my limit?

Mother thinks I've a phenomenal amount of patience.

Apparently folks in the publishing realm and in educational circles have decided that people are writing with AI, if:

* they are using em -- dashes.
* semicolons
* proper word syntax
* coma usage

Yes, we live in a world in which -- if you have learned to write well or know proper grammar usage, you are considered a robot. So, from now on - if anyone checks my grammar or syntax - can I accuse them of being a bot? Yeah, that'll end well.

***

Chloe Zhao was apparently interviewed (prior to the cancellation of the Buffy pilot) on the Buffy ships. (Damn, they must all be very disappointed that the Revival was cancelled - since they marketed the hell out of the pilot.) ( Read more... )

As an aside? I'd rather have a continuation of Buffy in animated form, than a continuation of Firefly. We've enough stuff like Firefly out there, I mean come on - Star Trek, BSG, Farscape, Star Wars, Expanse (which is a lot better by the way), etc... Firefly wasn't that good. I tried a re-watch and thought, damn, this is annoying in places - it may have gotten better. I should try again? I remember enjoying it, but I never really loved it. It was problematic? It kind of took the worst things in Westerns and threw them in the middle of a space opera, that reminded me a touch more of Space 1999 meets Star Wars? I'd have preferred more of Caprica - which was a bit more...innovative?

I don't see myself watching an animated Firefly. I barely watch animated Star Trek or Star Wars, and I liked those better.

mark posting in

dw_maintenance

Happy Wednesday!

I'm taking search offline sometime today to upgrade the server to a new instance type. It should be down for a day or so -- sorry for the inconvenience. If you're curious, the existing search machine is over 10 years old and was starting to accumulate a decade of cruft...!

Also, apparently these older machines cost more than twice what the newer ones cost, on top of being slower. Trying to save a bit of maintenance and cost, and hopefully a Wednesday is okay!

Edited: The other cool thing is that this also means that the search index will be effectively realtime afterwards... no more waiting a few minutes for the indexer to catch new content.

shadowkat

Television Re-Watches

I attempted to re-watch Veronica Mars and Firefly - but neither held my interest, and Veronica Mars - sigh, it neither dates well nor holds up. I remember liking this better when I first watched it? Maybe I wanted to like it? The writing and direction just aren't that good. And Bell doesn't quite sell the high school student vibe? The performances are more forced and less natural than the ones on Buffy - there's a scene with Veronica crying in about the seventh or eighth episode, and I don't buy it. Buffy cried - and I bought it. Also, Veronica isn't as likable nor is Keith, none of the characters are - and I think it's a dual problem, writing and direction. I can see why Rob Thomas's work didn't take off and Veronica Mars didn't last more than three seasons, and the revival didn't take off. I may try Firefly, again, not certain, don't really remember it all. I only have a vague memory of most of the episodes.

April Question a Day Memage:

20. Did you sleep well last night?

Not really. I need to go to bed earlier. I've been getting to bed around 10:30, and as a result only sleep a little over 5 hours. Also getting up at 5:50 am. I slept longer, when I went to bed by 10 am, and slept until 6 am.

21. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

New York City. I really don't want to live anywhere else? It has ease of transportation, my favorite mode of transportation, is near water, has lots of trees, and a temperate climate. Plus lots of cultural pursuits, and is very diverse in population.

I'm a New Yorker, I think. It's going to be very hard to prod me out. NYC has kind of ruined me for anywhere else. You either take to this city and love it for life, or you can't wait to get out of it - and don't stay long. It's often one or the other. Also apparently, you either love Boston or NYC, not both.

Maybe London would work? I remember loving London in the 1980s. I suck at languages, so it would have to be a place that spoke English as the official language. Also, I don't/can't drive any longer (yes, I drove once upon a time - long ago, in a galaxy far far away - it was called Kansas, and it was back in the 20th Century). I like trains. And I need trees.

**

Books

To get out of the reading slump - I've embraced one of my go-to genres, Fantasy. And am exploring all the new fantasy novels out there. I have two favorite go-to genres - Fantasy and Science Fiction. (Then mystery and romance, and horror, and sigh, regular realistic fiction which more often than not tends to bore me? I need more plot and world-building than actually exists in realistic fiction.)

I finished Illona Andrews "The Kinsmen Universe" novellas, Silver Shark and Silver Streak (I think), and stopped short of the soft core porn short story (Illona Andrews isn't that good at sex scenes, and I tend to roll my eyes?). It was good. Not enough plot. But fast reads.

Now? I'm reading Gideon, the Ninth on my Kindle - it's a book about lesbian necromancers in Space. Gideon is attempting to escape a necromancer strong-hold. We'll see. I'm heterosexual - so lesbian stories sometimes work for me, and sometimes don't. It depends on the characters. Actually that's true of heterosexual stories too, so never mind. It came highly rec'd - mainly for the banter and laugh out loud sections, also emotional core. From various social media sources - people here, and random strangers on "Book Instagram" (I finally found "Book Instagram" - which is kind of like Book TikTok but far less annoying, and not quite as obnoxious with the marketing and pimping - not that I'm on TikTock - TikTock irritates me - and that's just from the posts folks throw at me from it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It reminds me of the worst of Twitter - but with videos.)

Also making my way through This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Illona Andrews - in hard cover (so I can only read it at home - although, I am debating lugging it to doctor's appointments). This book is a portal fantasy - except into a "GrimDark Fantasy World" (a la Game of Thrones without GRR Martin's abilities - so think a very watered down version of Game of Thrones?). Portal Fantasy is not my favorite fantasy sub-genre?
It's hard to pull off well - and Illona Andrews doesn't quite manage it? So far there are far too many information dumps, and way too much telling and not enough showing. Every time a character shows up - we get a couple of paragraphs, sometimes pages of character backstory, summarized by the protagonist based on her memory of the book's world. It's kind of like having a commentator with you as you read? CS Lewis did a better job with the portal fantasy in the Chronicles of Narnia, as did the guy who wrote The Magicians, which became a series. Long Live Evil - was atrocious, I couldn't get through it.

Also the world, which is GrimDark, is much nicer to the protagonist than it should be. It's kind of a comforting, romantic take on Game of Thrones, while at the same time making fun of Game of Thrones...or the fact that GRR Martin can't finish the series because he wrote himself into a corner and got writer's block as a result. (We're never going to see Winds of Winter.)

***

Doctors...

I've finally figured out why people who see doctors are called patients. I'm surprised it took this long. It's kind of obvious when you think about it.

angrboda

For my birthday, Husband bought me a furniture cleaner. And before you all go, "oh gosh, what a clueless man!" let me just assure you all, he is far from clueless and I wanted one. I have in fact been casting long glances and coveting for at least the last six months. So I am HAPPY!

It's one of those things where I want it and I can easily afford it, but it is also expensive enough and specialised enough that I have a great deal of trouble convincing myself that yes, I am in fact allowed to buy one. So I don't. Husband to the rescue.

I have tried it out on a chair. The used water was... opaque. It was WILD! I want to wash the sofa, but I will control myself and wait until tomorrow morning, because it does require a bit of drying time afterwards and we want to be able to sit in it tonight. I'm worried about what the water is going to look like after that.

This is going to be so useful! I can wash our mattress!

shadowkat

1. My workplace's browser (MSN) shot an article at me today on the renewed, cancelled and still waiting television series. I'll see if I can find it?

Well I found it HERE on Scary Mommy (sigh don't ask) (does it by network and streaming channel) and via Rotten Tomatoes (does it alphabetically),
and Tv Line and Metacritic (which is more up to date than Scary Mommy, not surprising in the least).

Interesting, albeit not surprising, sidebar? Paramount is cancelling all the Star Trek in favor of all of the Taylor Sheridan modern (also uber violent) Westerns. (I'm feeling validated for cancelling Paramount and boycotting CBS. Honestly, people were willing to unsubscribe to Disney for Jimmy Kimmel, but not unsubscribe from Paramount for Star Trek and cancelling Colbert? People? Really?)

Gone are the days, I can just list them. There's too many. It would take me hours.

2. Listened to a podcast - with Juliet Landau interviewing David Greenwalt.
Landau is great at interviewing folks. She barely talks and just lets them talk, with various targeted questions that spur them to say more about the business, and she, for the most part, avoids problematic topics.

Take away? Greenwalt's reward for doing Buffy was supposed to be - joining the writing and producing team for the X-Files. But Greenwalt states that he couldn't write for the X-Files. He just couldn't write that type of television series. When Landau asked why, he said that he needed an emotional arc or an emotional core - that his writing was more character based and emotion based. He said that while the X-Files is brilliantly written - it has no emotional core. It's just not there, and he couldn't write for it because of that. The network apparently wanted Mulder and Scully to kiss in the first episode, and the writers fought against it and won. Which was the right decision - it wouldn't have worked at all.

X-Files is plot based, not character based. You literally could put anyone in it and it would for the most part work - a skeptic and a true believer.
That's actually a hard format to pull off well. Emotion based is easier.
Plot based can get redundant and old fast. X-Files had good writers: Tim Minear came from the X-Files as did Vince Gillian.

I didn't like the X-Files that much - for two reasons? 1) I don't really like hyper-realistic horror. I like my horror unrealistic. Also alien invasion/government conspiracy stories irritate me - it's most likely a side effect of being forced to watch a lot of 1950s, 1960s and 1970s sci-fi alien invasion/government conspiracy series/ and B movies as a child. My best friend at the time loved that shit. 2) It's a by the books, plot procedural with no emotional base - and I'm a bit like Greenwalt, I need the emotional arc. I get bored or my attention starts to wander if I don't have that. I'm more character than plot oriented, most people tend to be one or the other? Some are both. I preferred Fringe? It was less hyper-realistic scary, and had more of an emotional core.

3. Listened to Nerd Subculture - which is an Australian Podcast Series on well, American television series? It's not very good. FB kept throwing snatches of it at me. So I gave it a try. They lost me in their analysis of Beneath You. (It's a couple, one has seen the series, one hasn't.)
( Read more... )

eldritchhobbit

My proposal for an academic essay on Andor and Rogue One has been accepted for an upcoming anthology on Star Wars and politics. I’m delighted.

For Ferrix! For Jedha! Rebellions are built on hope.

shadowkat

April Question a Day Memage:

18. How often do you listen to the radio? If you do, what kind of things do you listen to (talk/pop/classical)?

I don't really listen to the radio? But if I do - it's usually music, and a mix. I have an Apple Music account - so I just download music, and its unlimited.

19. In 1934, Shirley Temple starred in her first film. Have you ever seen any of her films?

Yes. In law school during the 1990s, I had a friend who adored Shirley Temple films - so we binge watched a few of them. (I'm not a fan - Temple annoyed me. So, I suffered through them? Also saw a lot of them in the 1970s during the afternoon movie. I've suffered through Shirley Temple, Godzilla, Elvis, Frankie and Annette Beach Party, Sandra Dee, and Kurt Russell films in the 70s. The best were the Kurt Russell films. )

We didn't have cable or streaming back then - so the pickings were kind of slim?

***

Started watching From on Prime, although it's an MGM + series. It's rather good. Surprisingly so. I don't find it scary so much as...suspenseful with an air of dread? Also kind of gory, but not overly violent. It's a common enough horror trope - made rather popular in the 1950s and 60s, actually (Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits loved this trope) - in which a group of people find themselves stuck in a town or specific local, there's no way out, and monsters hunt them at night. All they have to depend on is each other - which being human beings whose default is selfish entitled stupid asshole syndrome, isn't necessarily helpful? In these series, it's really the human beings that cause all the problems. Actually that's true in most horror tales. Let's face it - the worst monster is well, us.

The setup is written rather well - or the trap. I enjoyed the first episode, and the tension didn't let up and delivered. It has some nice jump scares. Stars Harold Perrineau of LOST, except with a much bigger role - he's the lead. (Note LOST is part of this particular horror trope - and among the better entries. Where folks are stuck somewhere and keep trying to escape, yet keep finding themselves back there.)

***

Online kerfuffles

People will fight about anything online.

I joined a Gluten Free for Beginner's Site on FB, and they keep breaking out into fights on that site.
It's painful.
( Read more... )
**

Also, there are still, STILL, idiotic judgemental holier than thou kerfuffles over Spike/Buffy and the attempted sexual assault in Seeing Red. That episode happened over 25 years ago? Seriously, people. Get a grip.

**

And, sigh, political kerfuffles over literally everything you can think of.

***

I've been battling a sinus headache verging on a migraine, with vertigo lurking in the background all day long. It's made me irritable. I blame it on the weather, allergies, and neck issues. It's also made it hard to do any exercises. I just want to sit very still and pray it goes away.

It appears to be dissipating now, along with the storm clouds.

shadowkat

Finished The Pitt S2 and here's an interview with Noah Wyle, producer, writer, director and star of The Pitt (he wrote the 14th Episode). I admittedly started watching it because of Noah Wyle (well that and I have a weakness for medical dramas). Now I love most if not all the characters. It's my favorite show at the moment. The Bear is close second. The only two characters I wasn't overly fond of - left the show during S1 or are about to. So, lucky me? I'm ignoring the fandom, because it's insane and doesn't appear to understand how television works. Sigh. Online fandom has become increasingly insane and insufferable since the early 00s, which considering it wasn't exactly sane to begin with... The nerd fandom is a little less crazy but not nearly as insufferable (nerds don't tend to ship romantic pairings (or care who is with whom) and are more into debating consistency issues, such as why is Spike's reflection visible in the glass of that store, along with the nitty gritty details of how a worm hole actually works and can you really fly that that thing through space - which is much easier to deal with.) (I miss the days in which I didn't know shows like the Pitt had a fandom.)

The Pitt is not a melodrama. Even if the crazy marketing folks online keep trying to pretend it is. It's a strict medical procedural that is hyper-realism, kind of like Homicide Life on the Streets was or Law and Order, or This is Going to Hurt (except more so than that).

Anyhow it was a good season. And I found it relatable and comforting. In the interview, Wyle provides five reasons for why it works so well and how it differs from other medical dramas (I'm a medical drama fan - so have seen all of them.)

Five things that make the Pitt work so well

"“It’s a couple of things that work beautifully in concert.

1.) No music. ( Read more... )

2) Shooting it with almost exclusively 50-millimeter or 65-millimeter lenses, which is the most comparable to the human eye—and only shooting from the point of view of a human being that’s present in this space. ( Read more... )

3) Taking place in real time. ( Read more... )

4). The election went the other way,” he says with a shrug. ( Read more... )

5.) This is essentially competence porn. ( Read more... )

Note, while the article may have spoilers, the above does not, and if anything tells you whether you'd enjoy the series. It's not for everyone? I don't like criminal procedurals for example - for some of the same reasons a lot of folks don't like medical dramas.

***

I completed Grantchester S2 as well. It surprised me, and not necessarily in a good way. I thought it was swinging more towards hyper-realism than, well it actually is? At the end of the final episode of S2, ( major spoilers )

***

It was very warm this past week, but over the past three days it's cooled a bit, and we're back to spring like temperatures. It's in the 50s and upper 40s today, overcast, with a slight breeze. Rain is in the forecast.

While this did affect my health a bit, it didn't as much as usual - ie. no vertigo. Which means what I'm taking to fend off the vertigo and doing to fend it off - seems to be working? I still think it is a combination of neck and sinus issues. The neck resulting in the vestibular, the sinus resulting in the headaches.

Had troubles getting to sleep last night. Spent time before bed on social media - which probably caused it. I got triggered - and as a result, my brain wouldn't shut off. But, I found a cure finally? My Calm App - I used two separate sleep meditations which managed to calm my brain and dis-spell the onslaught of negative thoughts churned up by time wasted on the internet. Note to self - stay off the internet at night.

eldritchhobbit

Our Hunger Games series went so well the first time, we're doing it again! And it's perfect timing, too, given that the film adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping will be coming this autumn.

You're invited to join me in SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University to talk about all five books in The Hunger Games series! The first module has been confirmed to run in June 2026.

What lessons do the Capitol and Districts have to teach us? What warnings should we heed? What road leads from here to Panem? Over the course of five months, participants in these SPACE modules will read and discuss a modern classic of dystopian storytelling, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

In this hybrid series, each week will include one lecture and one live discussion. The lectures will examine the inspirations behind, allusions in, and questions posed by that month's novel. In live discussions, participants will share their insights on, interpretations of, and reactions to the story. Together we will consider why this series has spoken to so many readers and explore how its messages remain relevant today.

Here is more information.

Watch on YouTube

Ramblings of a sad old nutter...

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January 2019

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