EOY Reflection #3:
I’ve been more analog. First the small pocket notebook for morning thoughts, and then back to my paper journal. Also less Emacs.
Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate!
EOY Reflection #2:
Luck is a component of what I have today. Perhaps not a big component, perhaps I hate to admit luck has anything with it at all, but even developing a skill of knowing when to jump on an opportunity is, in a way, learning to be lucky, isn’t it?
EOY Reflection #1:
I’ve made more friends than I have before. A big part of it is embracing more of my neurodivergent nature (a new word for me to use) and understanding that I don’t fit in places where most folks around me do (marriage, kids, mortgage, a normal job, etc.)
I just complained about Ridley’s Prometheus, so let me counter that with praise for a show I’ve been watching: Undone.
Go watch it.
It’s hard to explain and hard to follow, much like Jacob’s (Bob Odenkirk) explanations, but that’s part of the point. Part of the show’s charm is that it takes the ideas of time travel and alternate dimensions (kind of) and breaks them down into concepts we slowly learn to understand with Alma (Rosa Salazar). She’s having a hard time digesting everything that’s happening, not just conceptually but (even more importantly) emotionally, in a way that takes us along on the ride with her.
The show’s completely made with rotoscope animation, something I haven’t seen since A Scanner Darkly (thank you Undone, for reminding me to re-watch that one!) and it works beautifully here. It wouldn’t work the same if the show wasn’t animated, but lose a part of its unique reality if it was “fully” animated.
On a personal note, the idea of time travel like this is something familiar that reminds me of deep meditations and astral projection on levels I might write about in the future. Without a doubt, this last bit made it much more special to me right now.
Prometheus, 2012 - ★★
I had hopes: Ridley. A compelling story. Horror Sci-Fi.
Instead, what we have here is an "If it ain't broken, don't fix it" movie based on a tested and proven formula from Ridley's successful Alien movies. It's too much of the same to be unique. Where Alien was ahead of its time championing Weaver as Ripley (not to be confused with the director... or perhaps that's part of the point?), this movie is running after the trope's wagon, waving its hand desperately, "hey! Wait for me!"
The main problem we have here is lack of character development. There are too many secondary folks mixed with special effects and dark alien horror for this to happen. The movie's too busy telling us a unique story, providing background, and wowing us with special effects, all of this while also introducing the characters all at once, and as a result, it all feels too shallow. So I didn't care. Not when someone died, not about the story, and not about the movie.
It's a shame because if the movie would slow down a bit and take its time (squeals perhaps?), we'd have something much better that would get me invested. Instead, it's a marathon of flashy black oozy horror in a "been there, done that" sort of a feeling. Back to Alien for me.
The Muppets are amazing. NK and I grew up in different countries, yet we both enjoy the uplifting fuzzy entertainers of our childhood. I identify mostly with Animal (my favorite) and, of course, Statler and Waldorf; they are more of the Gonzo type. We watch The Muppets Mayhem regularly (give it a try, it’s one of those “for kids” shows that has plenty for adults as well)
Last night we went to see a performance based on the The Muppet Christmas Carol for adults. Seeing the others in the hotel’s lobby, drinking, cheering, and singing along at this stand-up-style comedy was a blast.
NYC can be annoying often, but it’s also one of those places you can go into a ransom Christmas Carol muppets style for adults out of nowhere.
At the moment, though, I’m stumped. I have no idea what Hasbro is doing. Yes, there are financial elements at play here. The company itself has had a difficult year. But the sheer severity of these layoffs and the senior roles they are targeting is beyond the pale.
I’m actually not surprised. The main owners of Hasboro, which owns Wizards of the Coast, which owns DnD, are financial groups that are all about pleasing Wall Street and its paranoia.
Over at Mastodon, Emily Gorcemski posted:
I asked for the source, but it was lost. In any case, the point made here is hardly original, though, for me, it hit the nail on the head. There’s a long discussion brewing in my noggin, and this might be a start.
First, to state the obvious, it’s sarcasm. As far as I know and remember, all of these things were called AI at the time; that’s the point. Second, even though I don’t like blaming rich people and capitalism for everything wrong under the sun, and I can’t stand the word “literally” anymore, there’s a second point here: the term AI was coined by those who made this technology. It’s not accurate as it is “cool” and buzz-worthy, and the whole kerfuffle (I missed this word) around AI these days proves it.