#hi herbert har har har har

[justsomedrawing]

Herbert

[w2soneshots]

Guernsey -W2S

Words: 0.8k+

Warnings: none.

In which you meet Harry’s parents for the first time.

a/n: I finally wrote something I like and it wasn’t a request🫢. I hope you enjoy lovelys🫶🏼.

y/username

Liked by wroetoshaw and 501,348 others

y/username: umm hey😉

Tagged: @faithloisak @eatsides

-comments-

faithloisak: beautiful beautiful girl

-> y/username: 💋💋

y/nfanpage21: the last pic!!🤭

eatsides: supportive queen🍗❤️

user15327094: OMFG IS THAT W2S??

user89130243: herb what r u doin here

Me and Harry have been together for almost five months now. We met through instagram, he followed me, liked my posts, then finally sent me a message. Since then we've been inseparable, texting every day and it feels like I practically live in his apartment since he doesn't want me to leave, saying “no… don’t go, just one more night?” Along with his best puppy dog eyes. I get along great with Harry's friends, especially Tobi since he was so welcoming. After meeting Faith at Tobi's birthday party we became quite close and have had many great conversations. I feel as though I can always go to her if I need someone to speak to or if I just need some advice.

Today Harry's talking me to Guernsey to meet his family for the first time. We woke up early and threw on a comfy outfit then headed to the airport. When we arrived we went through security and waited around for a little while before actually getting onto the plane. After just over an hour we were landing in Guernsey.

y/username just posted a new story!

"Oh my god, this place is fucking beautiful." I stared out the plane window in awe of the island. Harry chuckled at my giddiness. I'm so excited to meet his family, unfortunately Rosie is at uni and Josh is on holiday so ill have to wait a little longer to meet them but ill get to see his parents. He's met mine multiple times but our schedules have never been clear enough to spend a weekend here, so when we got the chance we immediately booked the flights.

Once we'd collected our bags and were making our way out of the airport we spotted Harry's dad stood leaning against his car. I took a deep breath. "You have nothing to worry about. They're gonna love you." Harry whispered into my ear. I looked up at him "ok let's go."

"Hello, nice to finally meet you. I'm Harry's dad but you can call me Adrian." He spoke in a very cheery voice. My nerves instantly calmed. "Hi, I'm y/n." I introduced myself. "Yes I know. Harry don't stop talking about you." He chuckled. I looked over to Harry, his face was bright red and he'd gotten all embarrassed. "Does he now?" I teased him. Adrian laughed once again "well we better get going, Sue is desperate to meet you."

When we arrived outside of Harry's home my jaw dropped, it's practically a mansion. We hopped out of the car, Adrian and Harry grabbed our bags and I headed inside to introduce myself to his mum. Harry told me that the door was unlocked so I pressed down the handle and pushed it open. I was immediately bombarded by Herb, who seemed very excited to see me. I'd spent quite a lot of time with the dog since Harry had brought him with him back to London a few times.

"Hello! Come on in." Harry's mum Sue pulled me into a hug. I smiled "It's so nice to meet you." She walked me through into the kitchen "Are you hungry? I just made lunch." My eyes lit up "I'm starving and that smells amazing!" She smiled "great." Harry burst into the room seconds later and came to stand next to me. "You hungry Harry?" His mum asked. Harry nodded. "Alright, food will be ready in ten. Why don't you to go and get settled in." Harry gave me a quick toor of the house then showed me to his room. "See I told you they'd love you."

After lunch Harry wanted to take me on a walk to show me one of his favourite places on the island. So we put on our coats and shoes then he put a harness on Herb. "Come on let's go, Herbert!" Harry shouted and seconds later Herb came running towards us. I opened the door. "So where are we going?" I asked as we walked down the street. "My favourite beach." He replied.

"Wow, I can't believe you grew up somewhere like this." I admired the waves as Herb played in the sand. "I didn't appreciate it enough when I lived here, but now that I don't come here as often I realised how much I miss it," Harry said without breaking eye contact with the view. I placed my head on his shoulder and let out a breath. "I love you." "I love you too Haz."

y/username

Liked by faithloisak and 702,539 others

y/username: weekend in paradise💗

Tagged: @wroetoshaw

-comments-

taliamar: pink is your colour🌸

-> y/username: 🤗

wroetoshaw: ❤️🐶

y/nfanpage21: omg there so cute together!

user80163294: she actually posted harry🙊

user28945110: she met the fam they're definitely serious

[jerktournament]

ROUND FOUR - Louie (Pikmin) VS Herbert P. Bear (Club Penguin)

!!! PROPAGANDA BELOW !!!

LOUIE: "single handedly caused his employer to go in massive debt. stole the food supplies of 3 people tasked to save their homeplsnet from starvation. tried to kill his employer snd coworker twice."

HERBERT: "operation blackout would have been NOTHING without him (mostly because he caused it). he has a SOLAR LASER. this polar bear is an ass who literally harnessed the power of the sun and froze the top members of the elite penguin force (a group of penguin special agents) and his best friend is an equally villainous crab"

[delayed-affection]

Are you taking request ? If so, can I request one with Justin Herbert where you surprise him with a dog. Thank you 🥰

Brisket

Oneshots Navigation

Justin Herbert x reader

Warnings:

Word count: 0.8k

Justin always talked about wanting a dog but he could never bring himself to get one because of football.

So with his season sadly coming to an end due to injury, you thought it would be a great idea to not only fulfill his wants of a dog but to uplift his spirits.

And today was the day you were going to go to the shelter to see the dogs and bring one home.

Justin was going to be out all day today to help and support his team during their game against buffalo.

So when he left for the day so did you.

~

When you get to the shelter you look for a dog whose personality would best fit his. You want to find the perfect dog that will complement his lifestyle and personality.

You walk around the shelter with one of the workers and spend time with each of the dogs, getting a sense of their energy levels, behaviors, and temperaments.

You’re looking for one who is friendly, energetic, and fun-loving but also calm enough to be around the house and won't be too hyperactive for her boyfriend.

After looking around for a while, you finally finds a dog that fits what you’re looking for. It's a 4 year old rottweiler, who’s house trained.

They explain to you that he was brought in a month ago after his previous owner wasn’t able to move with him.

They let you go into his cage with him and he immediately brightens up. Even though his tail is docked you can tell that trying to wag his little nub.

You immediately feel a connection with the dog and know that it would be a perfect fit for her boyfriend. And the cherry on top is that his name is Brisket.

After spending some time with him you have come to definitive conclusion that this is the dog that would be great for Justin.

You proceed to file all the necessary papers and pay the fees in order to take Brisket home.

They help you load him into the car, giving you a leash and a collar to use for now.

~

Before going home, you stop at PetCo and bring Brisket inside with you so that he can get some toys that he likes.

As you let him sniff around and choose, you notice that he's pretty picky and likes to analyze each toy before deciding if it's worth taking home with him.

It honestly reminds you of Justin when he’s looking for equipment and woods for his smoker.

Letting him pick and chew a few things it’s time to get actual supplies and necessities for him.

You grab a harness, bed, grooming supplies, food, bowls, and make some new tags for his collar.

Before leaving you schedule a date for him to get chipped.

~

For the rest of the day you make sure that Brisket is comfortable in his new home.

As it closer to the end of the game you text Justin saying that you have a surprise for him. You know that he won’t see it until after the game because of the no phones on the sideline rule but it’s fine.

~

When Justin texts you that he’s on his way home, you can’t help but sit in anticipation for his arrival.

Hearing him pull up makes both you and Brisket perk up. You stand in the living room with him sitting next to you as you watch the front door.

Your stomach is filled with butterflies as you waits for him to come through the door. You’re eager to see his reaction to the surprise, and you feel nervous but excited about how it will all turn out.

When he walks through the door you happily shout, “Suprise!”

He tilts his head in slight confusion as he shuts the door, his eyes going from you to Brisket.

He drops his bag and walks over to you asking, “Who’s this?”

You kneel down and pet the dog, “This is Brisket, isn’t he cute?”

He lets out a little chuckle, “Cute… but whose is he?”

He puts his hand out to him to sniff and a small smile plays at his lips.

“Yours… mine… ours.” You say dropping your hands from Brisket.

He looks at you like you’ve grown two heads but in somewhat of a good way, “What? Really?”

Nodding you smile, “Yeah, really.”

Brisket nudges his hand allowing him to pet him.

Justin’s face lights up, “Well hello there Brisket.”

He squats down and uses both hands to pet Briskets face, “You got quite the name.”

You watch as they happily interact, “So, you like him?”

“Is that even a question?” He replies leaning over giving you a kiss.

[godlizzza]

can u write trans danbert smut? your choice whos trans or both is good! :-)

"That's...interesting," Herbert said.

It wasn't the worst answer Dan had imagined but it wasn't exactly the most promising either.

"Um. Okay," he replied from his spot in the middle of the living room. Herbert, sitting primly on the sofa, legs crossed, hands in his lap, watched him with a slight furrow in his brow. Dan's hands went from hanging by his sides, to his hips, to awkwardly crossing over his chest. His palms were clammy and his brow was damp with cold sweat. "Is that-? Is that a good interesting?"

Herbert seemed to consider this before shrugging. "It's a neutral interesting."

"This doesn't change anything though," Dan insisted, eying Herbert's expression for any cracks, any sign that what he'd just heard made him think differently of Dan. "Nothing would be any different."

"Well, that's not true," Herbert said, causing Dan's heart to freeze in his chest. "A vagina is considerably different to a penis."

Dan's heart stuttered back to life as he nearly choked on his own spit.

"Where did you even get that thing?" Herbert asked, eyes blown wide and glued to Dan's dick.

Dan glanced down at his strap-on, now secured in the harness. The weight of it between his legs was a comfort, the colour of it so close to that of his skin he could pretend it was a part of his body. He gripped it in a loose fist as he turned back to Herbert, who was splayed out on the bed, his legs knocked apart.

He looked deliciously disheveled, with his glasses off, shirt unbuttoned and pants on the floor. He still wore his socks, held up by a pair of black garters, the strip of spandex the same colour as the hair dusting his legs. Dan could see he was getting hard, his cock pushing against the confines of his white briefs, and that knowledge- that the sight of Dan's naked body was affecting Herbert so much- had his back straightening and his spirits lifting.

"At a shop," Dan replied, bracing one knee on the edge of the mattress, between Herbert's spread legs. He rubbed the head of it against the inside of Herbert's thigh and smirked at the flush that bloomed across his pale skin. "Like it?"

"It's-" Herbert swallowed and Dan watched his throat bob, "-big."

Dan chuckled as he crawled onto the bed and over Herbert, forcing him onto his back. Herbert blinked up at him, cheeks pink, as Dan leaned down and nuzzled at his neck. Their chests were pressed flush together, something Dan would have once avoided in the bedroom, before his surgery a couple of years ago. Now, he reveled in the matching flatness of his and Herbert's pecs, their body heat seeping into each other.

"You'll be fine," Dan murmured as he nosed at Herbert's neck. "I believe in you."

Herbert snorted, his hands coming up tentatively to grip Dan's shoulders. "Well, thank you for that vote of confidence. That's very kind of y-"

He broke off with a gasp as Dan cupped him through his briefs. His fingers dug into Dan's shoulders as he ground his palm against Herbert's erection, bringing him to full hardness. Herbert moaned into his ear and Dan soaked in the sound, spurring him on to reach past Herbert's waistband and take him in his hand.

The noise Herbert let out was obscene, throaty and loud, and sending Dan's blood shooting south. He was tempted to finish Herbert off then and there, as he had quite a few times before. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of watching Herbert come apart from his touch, but they'd gone into this tonight with a game plan that Dan intended to stick to.

He withdrew his hand, earning him a whine of protest, but Dan barreled on, tugging at Herbert's underwear until Herbert acquiesced and lifted his legs up. Dan pulled Herbert's briefs down the length of his legs and tossed them somewhere over his shoulder. He took a brief moment to take in the sight of Herbert's bare, weeping cock dripping against his stomach, before he was crowding over him again and kissing him feverishly.

"Shh," Dan said against Herbert's lips. "Shh, let me."

Herbert's head tipped back against the pillow and he whimpered at the ceiling as Dan reached for the lube.

He'd never fucked someone in the ass before and Herbert, in turn, had never been fucked up the ass, so it was a first for the both of them. It took some time and a lot of work from Dan's fingers to get Herbert loose and relaxed enough to take Dan's dick, but once he was sheathed inside him, they both let out matching moans.

Herbert's skin was blotchy and red from his face, down to his chest, both from the worked-up state he was in and the ministrations of Dan's mouth as he'd pried him open. His head was tipped back, his hands holding Dan's shoulders in a vice grip and the balls of his feet digging into the backs of Dan's thighs. Dan fucked into him shallowly, each roll of his hips drawing a gasping breath from Herbert's lips. The base of the silicone strap rubbed against Dan's t-dick as he fucked into Herbert, sending lightning pleasure shooting up his spine.

"Fuck," he panted into Herbert's neck. "Fuck. Herbert-"

"Keep going," Herbert hissed, his voice strained.

When Dan doggedly lifted his head up to look at him, he found Herbert with his eyes screwed shut. He hoped it was from pleasure and not the pain of taking him.

"Is that good?" Dan asked, but even so, unable to keep still. He kept rolling his hips, the length of his cock sliding in and out of Herbert. Dan almost wished he could lean back and watch it, but that would mean pulling away from Herbert and he wasn't prepared to do that. "Is that good, baby?"

Even in the throws of pleasure, Herbert had the capacity to look pissed off. He cracked an eye open to glare up at Dan.

"Don't call me that," he barked. He nudged his heel into Dan's ass, none too gently. "And don't stop."

Dan had no plans on stopping. He curled his fingers into the sheets and proceeded to plough into Herbert with purpose, fucking him into the mattress. Every snap of his hips punched noises of pleasure out of Herbert and rubbed against Dan's dick. He could feel his orgasm quickly mounting, the sensation pooling like molten steel in his gut, and he knew if he didn't slow down it would soon be over.

But he didn't want to slow down- couldn't slow down. It was like he'd lost control of his body, his brain taking the back seat to his cock. He continued to fuck into Herbert, hard and fast, their moaning almost in synch with the squeak of the mattress.

"Fuck, you're hot," Dan babbled, enraptured by the bead of sweat clinging to Herbert's cheek.

Herbert arched up against him, his cock rubbing against Dan's stomach.

"Dan," he gasped, and that was enough to send Dan over the edge.

He came with a long groan, grinding against the strap through his orgasm, until the pulsations of pleasure ceased between his legs. Beneath him, Herbert came against his abs, his come spattering their skin and making their grinding bodies squelch. Dan didn't mind the mess though. In that moment, he felt as though nothing could ever bother him again. What could possibly bring him down from a cloud so high?

Dan slumped over Herbert, boneless, and after a minute of heavy breathing from the both of them, Herbert began to squirm beneath him. With a grunt, Dan pulled out and rolled over, flopping back against the mattress. Herbert's arm craned over Dan's chest, fumbling on the bedside table for his glasses. Dan passed them to him wordlessly and Herbert slipped them on as he tried to catch his breath.

Eventually, Dan broke the silence by saying, "See? I told you you could handle it."

Herbert responded by slapping him on the shoulder.

Dan just laughed.

[brainrotlesbian]

Alright everyone give it up for yet another Boxtrolls mini whump bit (you can blame @guys-in-distress-database for this, I’ve become a monster)

His father’s son

Tears still stung hot in Eggs’s eyes as the cage was lowered from the ceiling. He didn’t care what Snatcher was going to do with him, not anymore. His family was dead, crushed to death in that evil contraption. His father, that he’d only met that day, had lost his mind. He had no hope, and no help.

The door to the cage swung open, and he was grabbed by Mr. Pickles, violently yanked out. He cried out in pain as he was forced to his knees, his arms wrenched behind his back. Mr. Trout began to encase his hands in gloves that looked a lot like the costume from the fake boxtroll. From the festival earlier that day…

“Ow! That hurts,” he said, struggling against Mr. Pickles, although it was no use. “Are you happy now? My family is all gone now and it’s your fault!”

“Well… good triumphs over evil,” Mr. Pickles said, tying his crossed wrists tight. He sounded unenthused, though.

“But this is wrong! The boxtrolls haven’t hurt anyone!” he protested. “And you murdered them like they were nothing! Is this some kind of silly game? For you to win a silly prize?”

“I win what I rightfully deserve; I’m going to get a white hat!” Snatcher answered. “Now shut your mouth. Can’t have you ruining my plans.” He grabbed a long brown cloth and wrapped it multiple times over Eggs’s mouth, muffling his protests.

“Mmm! Mmmff!” Eggs looked up at his father. Herbert Trubshaw. A man who had lost his mind, and couldn’t help his son now. Eggs lowered his head, stifling a muffled sob.

Herbert giggled. “Jelly! I like jelly!”

“Nnnnff!” He struggled uselessly as the prop boxtroll head was placed over his own, disguising both him and the gag covering his mouth. “Nnnn!”

“What was that? I couldn’t quite hear you,” Snatcher said, laughing maliciously. “Try speaking up.”

“Mmmm!” Eggs struggled against the chains binding him, panicking as Mr. Pickles looped more chains across his chest, creating a harness that he would dangle from.

“So, what are we gonna do with him, Mr. Snatcher?” Mr. Trout asked, forcing fake boxtroll legs onto his legs.

“We’re putting on a performance for the good citizens of Cheesebridge!” Snatcher announced, grinning as he watched Eggs struggle and wriggle against his restraints. “To show that we have finally rid this town from those pests!”

He stopped struggling and glared up at his captor. Hot tears streamed down his face; his entire body shaking. If he weren’t bound he would… he would…

He couldn’t. Even if he were free, this man was three times his size. His shoulders slumped, his head hanging against his chest. Snatcher laughed.

“Alright, load him up boys!” he announced. “We gotta make a stop by Lord Portley-Rind’s house! He will want to see this!”

Mr. Pickles grabbed Eggs and yanked him to his feet, then shoved him into the cage on the back of the contraption that had decimated the boxtrolls’ home earlier. He curled into a ball as he was lifted into the air, and marched out of the factory and into town. He was a disappointment, to his family, and to himself. Much like Herbert Trubshaw, he supposed. His father’s son.

[dragons-bones]

happy munday!

what's your go-to reclist for book series? (asking for a friend, i swear)

The number one absolutely top tier DT pick: the Firebringer Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce. Highly formative for tiny me. Non-human characters form the vast, vast majority of the cast, and it tells the story of the unicorns' reclamation of their ancestral lands (and also learn to not be bigots to everyone around them).

Number two pick: the Dragon Chronicles by Susan Fletcher. This was originally just a trilogy when I was a tiny (Dragon's Milk, Flight of the Dragon Kyn, Sign of the Dove), but had a fourth book (Ancient, Strange, and Lovely) written thirteen years ago. Dragons, and the girls who save them.

Book series that came much later for me in life and I think everyone should read:

Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee; space opera overthrowing a despotic empire, in a nutshell. Calendar math as a way of exerting actual power and technological effects on the world, which is why said despotic empire is in the mess its currently in. Incredible worldbuilding, fascinating characters, including some you will love and some you will loathe and some you will love to loathe. (Get fucked, Nirai Kujen.)

Dune by Frank Herbert; this includes the original novel plus the second two books in the series, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. These three books are basically the main arc around Paul Atriedes; Dune itself reads a bit like a traditional heroic mighty whitey story, but the end of the novel plus the next two brutally deconstruct that. Huge themes of religion, psychology, ecology, politics, and the messiness of humans trying to harness all these forces for their various competing ends. Do not read from God Emperor onward. ESPECIALLY do not read anything by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, it's all trash.

The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien; his writing style is absolutely not for everyone, but his themes of hope and compassion even in the darkest times has resonated with me for decades. Every "traditional" fantasy novel is a poor imitator who completely missed the point.

The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson; The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages were my introduction to Sanderson and his absolutely godly ability to worldbuild and foreshadow. A post-apocalyptic world where the bad guy won, a bunch of thieves work to overthrow his empire, and the consequences thereof. Highly recommend Sanderson's other stuff, too, but this is the trilogy that started it all for me.

The Nightside series by Simon R. Green, for no other reason than I think they're fun, pulpy novels. The terrible, dark netherworld of London, where noir meets fantasy and scifi. High literature? Absolutely fucking not. Rollicking good time? Very much so! If you are using your brain to read these books you are doing it wrong.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"YOUTH FOUND GUILTY HAVING STOLEN CART," Victoria Daily Times. December 23, 1913. Page 20. --- Evidence Given in Support of Charge is Quite Clear in Spite of His Denial ---- This morning Herbert Scarce was declared by Magistrate Jay to be guilty of being in possession of a wood cart belonging to Sohan Singh, which he knew to be stolen, and he will be sentenced on this charge to-morrow. The evidence connecting him with the case was very clear, but in spite of this he went in the witness box, and denied the whole of the circumstances, persisting in his denial, although he was given every chance to tell the truth.

Scarce, who had been in the middle of his own story when the case was adjourned on Saturday, was again put in the box by Mr. Lowe, He stated that his first horse he bought from a white man on Old Esquimalt road, and the express wagon from a Chinese. He had been working at the market, but found it did not pay, and decided to go into the wood business. On Tuesday last he left home with the old horse and wagon with the intention of getting a heavier horse and a wood wagon. At the top of Hillside avenue a Hindu and a white man were standing beside a horse in a field. To the white man he sold the horse for $35, and left his wagon there in the field.

From there he went out towards Tolmie road, and after hunting for a horse elsewhere he met, near where he left the wagon, a Hindu with a horse. He purchased this animal for $39 odd, all the meney he had with him. He took the horse back to where he had left the wagon and hitched up. With the Hindu he went back to the latter's barn and exchanged his express wagon for a wood cart. With this outfit he began on Wednesday to haul wood.

Chief Langley, who was conducting the prosecution, warned the young fellow of the penalty of committing perjury, but the witness stuck to his story, and denied that he had made any exchange of horses near the University school or that he had been near that spot for three weeks.

Scarce informed his counsel that a Hindu who had been in court on a charge of drunkenness, was the man with whom he had made the exchange of the wagon.

Esa Singh was brought in from the celis, and stated that early this morning the young fellow had accused him of stealing his wagon. Esa denied categorically that he had ever done anything of the kind, that he had ever seen the accused before, that there were any wagons or carts about the house where he lived, that there was any barn attached to the house, or that any of the dozen Hindus living there drove wood carts.

William McCully was called by the prosecution in rebuttal, and retold how he had seen Scrace exchange his old bay horse for a black horse in a field on the Lansdowne subdivision. He positively identified Scrace, who had driven towards him full face to within a distance of seventy feet.

Rev. E. G. Miller gave character evidence. He said he had never had occasion at any time to accuse him of doing anything wrong.

Magistrate Jay expressed his conviction that the accused was guilty of the offence of retaining possession of Sohan Singh's wood cart, knowing it to have been stolen, and reserved sentence. On the charge of retaining a horse, the property of the University school, Scrace stands committed for trial. There is a third charge of being in possession of a set of harness, which may or may not be proceeded with.

[asc27]

AI CULTURE: THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THE AI HISTORY I #2 I John Clifford Shaw

John Clifford Shaw was a visionary in the world of computing. As a systems programmer at the RAND Corporation, he co-authored the first artificial intelligence program, The Logic Theorist, and played a pivotal role in developing the General Problem Solver, a universal problem-solving machine, along with the Information Processing Language in the 1950s.

Shaw is rightfully regarded as the true "father" of the JOSS language, a monumental contribution to programming. His work with Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon during the IPL-V language development ushered in the concept of list processing, a fundamental building block of modern computing technology. Shaw's invention of the linked list continues to shape how we organize and manipulate data today.

Born in Southern California, Shaw's journey began at Fullerton High School and later Fullerton Junior College. He even worked as a timekeeper at the Douglas Aircraft Company, where he handled calculations and timecard reports. His dedication to service extended to a three-year stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he served as a navigator and instructor.

Shaw's educational path led him to graduate in Mathematics from UCLA in 1948, after which he joined the fledgling RAND Corporation in 1950 as a mathematician. His early work involved streamlining administrative processes through automation and collaboration with Allen Newell on a radar simulator.

In the mid-1950s, alongside Newell and later Herbert Simon, Shaw formed the renowned NSS team (Newell, Shaw, and Simon) in the field of artificial intelligence. They pioneered AI, programming languages, computer-simulated problem-solving, and human-machine communication. While Newell and Simon focused on human behavior aspects, Shaw concentrated on creating a programming language that could implement their ideas. NSS was instrumental in developing programs like The JOHNNIAC, which later became the foundation for Shaw's work on conversational time-sharing in the 1960s and a practical language capable of simulating human behavior in 1954.

During this time, NSS laid the theoretical groundwork for what they called Complex Information Processing (CIP), forming the basis for three major computer programs: Chess Program, Logic Theorist (LT), and General Problem Solver (GPS). Shaw developed IPL (Information Processing Language), one of the earliest list-processing languages. Through experimentation with assemblers, compilers, and interpreters, he devised list-processing sequences that allowed computers to organize and store data more efficiently, thanks to the connections forming the lists.

In the 1960s, with the JOHNNIAC's computing power falling short and the IPL reprogrammed for IBM 7090, List Processing (LISP), a high-level programming language, surpassed IPL as the preferred language for AI research. Shaw's focus shifted towards simplifying computer use for all types of users. This led to the birth of the JOHNNIAC Open-Shop System (JOSS) in November 1960, an online time-sharing system designed for ease of use.

From 1972 onward, Shaw embarked on a consulting career, offering fresh insights into operations research, video games, human-machine interfaces, interactive computer systems, time-sharing, information architecture design, and artificial intelligence. In the 1980s, he also became increasingly involved in church-related activities.

His contributions to programming and artificial intelligence, particularly the creation of the Information Processing Language in the 1950s and the JOSS program in the 1960s, remain his defining achievements. IPL-I, his programming language, stands as one of the earliest examples of list-processing languages now widely used. The JOSS program was among the first user-friendly, remotely accessible interactive programs that empowered non-programmers to harness the computing power.

John Clifford Shaw's life and work are a testament to his enduring impact on the fields of programming and artificial intelligence. His legacy lives on through IPL, JOSS, and the countless innovations he brought to the world of computing.

Timeline:

1922: Born in Southern California

1939: Attends Fullerton High School and then Fullerton Junior College, graduating in 1943

1947: Begins working at Beneficial Standard Life Insurance Company

1948: Earns a degree in Mathematics from UCLA

1950: Joins the fledgling RAND Corporation and forms the NSS team (Newell, Shaw, and Simon) in the mid-1950s

1954: NSS team focuses on creating programs that enable machines to "think" like humans and work on a practical language capable of simulating human behavior; Shaw develops IPL (Information Processing Language), one of the first list-processing languages

1955: Completion of the Logic Theorist (LT) program

1957: NSS constructs the General Problem Solver (GPS) program

1960: Initiates the JOHNNIAC Open-Shop System (JOSS) project

1971: Takes a one-year position as a Research Associate in the Department of Information Sciences at the California Institute of Technology

1972: Begins working as a consultant, a role he continues for the remainder of his professional career

1991: Passes away at the age of 69

[denimbex1986]

'Part I of this essay reflecting on the new film Oppenheimer discussed the moral quandary that Oppenheimer faced as his team approached completion of the bomb. His argument that dropping the bomb would be a trigger for the creation of a world government that would usher in world peace was a failure of moral and political reasoning. But it was perhaps more likely that he so failed to reason given that his misconception of both nature and grace derived from his understanding of the scientific vocation as an agnostic enterprise, untutored by faith in God.

The scientist who does not understand his vocation under the wings of God’s providence and grace doesn’t really understand what he observes under the microscope. In reality, he finds there, in Kepler’s words, the “spirit and trace of God” in creation, not merely godless and purposeless “stuff” that is rightfully manipulated at will by man. On this point, Oppenheimer’s contemporary, Pope Pius XII, saw the truth with clarity.

Of course, any mention of the Venerable Servant of God Pius XII in this context must note that he has been subject to all sorts of attacks on his conduct during World War II, summed up in the epithet “Hitler’s Pope.” While this is not the place to adjudicate those historical arguments, suffice it to say that if the most recent iteration of the Pius Wars is any indication, the critiques of him have tended to ignore inconvenient evidence and amounted to slander. The most recent study, aided with expanded access to Vatican archives, has shown that Pius opposed the Nazis’ racist ideology, worked against Nazi tyranny, and helped save the lives of thousands of Jews.

In his remarkable 1948 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Pope Pius XII laid out a Christian perspective on science. It was a fitting setting, for the Academy’s history is a witness to the Church’s high valuation of the natural sciences. The Pontifical Academy of the Sciences has its roots in the Accademia dei Lincei under Clement VIII in 1603, one of the first academies established specifically for the purpose of scientific study of the natural world and of which Galileo was eventually a member. It was reestablished by Pius IX in the 19th century and Pius XI reconstituted and renamed the Academy in 1936.

Pius identified ours as “The Atomic Age,” as demarcated by the creation of the bomb, “the most terrible weapon, which the human mind has, up to now, devised.” After a thumbnail historical sketch highlighting the progress of physics’ understanding of the atomic world that culminated in the capacity to harness the energy from the atom, the pope offered praise to the scientist’s vocation: “Wonderful achievements of the human intellect, which scrutinizes and investigates the laws of nature, dragging humanity with it along new paths! Could there be a more noble conception?”

But he went on to insist that the scientific vocation must be embraced under God. In denying that he is peering into the order God designed, he suggested that the agnostic scientist lacks an upright impulse for humility. In other words, when the scientific vocation is framed as an agnostic enterprise, the scientist is apt to fancy himself a god, which is precisely what Oppenheimer’s story illustrates.

The human heart—Oppenheimer knew all too well—is restless. The film doesn’t include the fact that he loved quoting from George Herbert’s poetry and knew The Pulley. The poem recounts how God bestows upon man all manner of gifts, including honor, pleasure, and wisdom, but withholds from man rest:

But keep them with repining restlessness; Let him be rich and weary, that at least, If goodness lead him not, yet weariness May toss him to my breast.

Yet, it doesn’t appear that Oppenheimer’s weariness ever tossed his restless heart to the bosom of his Creator. As an agnostic, he never returned to the faith of his Hebrew ancestors. When his friend Isidor Rabi heard Oppenheimer had taken up Sanskrit in earnest so that he could read the Bhagavada Gita, the Hindu scripture, Rabi was perplexed: “Why not the Talmud?” Nor, apparently, did he have faith in Donne’s “three-person’d God,” which inspired him to name the bomb’s testing site “Trinity.” And, of course, the notions that Niels Bohr was his “god,” and Oppie his “prophet” were not meant literally. That was a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for Oppenheimer’s real faith. In truth, Bohr came late into the Manhattan project to offer his advice to Oppenheimer as his peer, not as a god to his prophet.

Oppenheimer’s faith was in Science, which is to say, his was a Baconian faith in man and man’s ability to conquer and master nature for man’s own knowledge and power using the scientific method. As Oppenheimer explained in a 1945 lecture to the American Philosophical Society, the substance of scientists’ faith was “the general recognition of the value, the unqualified value of knowledge, of scientific power and progress.” This was the object to which his restless heart was directed. As his friend Freeman Dyson observed: “Restlessness drove him to his supreme achievement, the fulfillment of the mission of Los Alamos . . . ”

It is possible to set aside the politically naïve component of Oppenheimer’s argument for the bomb and focus in on the knowledge argument. Oppenheimer believed that, in the name of scientific power and progress, the scientific secret of Los Alamos needed to be revealed to the world. In Promethean fashion, Oppenheimer, in the name of Science, offered atomic fire to the world (which could be used for peaceful objects like generation of power). But if correct, this underscores the peril of reason unmoored from faith, since idols, even if they promise some good, always demand sacrifice.

As the film narrates, the moment the first bomb was successfully tested at Los Alamos, Oppenheimer’s thoughts went to (a paraphrase of) the god Vishnu’s line in the Gita: “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.” There is some debate about what he really meant here. I think Oppenheimer glimpsed himself (literally, symbolically, and synecdochally) in that moment, albeit, perhaps in spite of himself. His free choice to direct his restlessness toward the creature rather than the Creator was the condition of becoming such a “god.” The testimony of Oppenheimer’s neighbor on St. John suggests he relished this. She witnessed Oppie’s festivities on the anniversary of the dropping of the bomb and remarked that “he transparently loved the Bomb and his lordly role in its creation.” Synecdochally, it could be said that Science, or perhaps more accurately, the new Scientist, had become a most terrible god, as all idols must.

And yet, as the film accurately (and cleverly) portrays, Oppie was a man of tortured conscience. Almost immediately, Oppenheimer experienced the pangs of guilt over the “poor little people,” e.g., the tens of thousands of Japanese men, women, and children civilians who were incinerated or died later from radiation poisoning. Perhaps his conscience was convicting him that, inasmuch as their fiery and radioactive deaths were offered as a sacrifice in the name of Science, the cost was too high. Even though Oppenheimer himself doesn’t seem to have admitted this in so many terms, he did admit in a 1965 television interview (which is not in the film), that he and his fellow physicists had “known sin,” the sin of pride, by thinking they knew what was best for man and the world.

Among the sacrificial victims of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki at 11:02 am on August 9, 1945, were two Roman Catholic priests, Frs. Saburo Nishida and Fusayoshi Tamaya, and about thirty of their parishioners who were gathered for confession in Urakami Cathedral, about 500 meters from ground zero of “Fat Man.” They all died instantly. Hibaku no Maria, also known as Our Lady of Nagasaki, with her charred face and burnt out eyes, is an enduring and haunting witness to the evils of that day.

As Frs. Nishida and Tamaya could have explained to Oppenheimer, the conviction of sin in one’s conscience generates the objective needs of confession and penance. And so it isn’t surprising that Oppenheimer in his first interview with President Truman shortly after the bombs dropped, said: “I feel I have blood on my hands.” But Truman did not (and indeed, could not) offer him the absolution he sought.

So Oppenheimer imposed a penance on himself: to spend the next several years advocating for international nuclear control and, when he realized that the Marxist ideology of the Soviets prevented them from cooperating with the West, he advocated restraint in development of America’s nuclear arsenal, opposing the hydrogen bomb’s creation. (The film also suggests that he chose to endure the kangaroo court as a form of penance.) His argument for restraint was not unreasonable. In order to avoid triggering a hydrogen bomb arms race, the United States should not test one, since Russia would be forced to respond in kind. Perhaps a window was open for an H-bomb test ban treaty that would be self-enforcing, since any such test could be detected. On the other hand, Oppenheimer didn’t seem to appreciate the moral force of the counterargument that, once the nuclear cat was out of the bag, nuclear armament in the face of a mendacious enemy hellbent on spreading communist tyranny around the globe, combined with a no first strike policy, was prudent statecraft. As the neorealists would argue, when nuclear powers have arsenals with second-strike capacities, it actually has a stabilizing effect, since it makes the cost of using nuclear weapons too high to be rational.

In the end, Oppie’s opposition was interpreted or portrayed by his opponents as disloyalty rather than mere dissent, which they used to orchestrate his political downfall. The U.S. and Soviet Union proceeded to create thousands of hydrogen bombs that were thousands of times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Oppenheimer closes ominously with a closeup on the man. He is standing alone, stone-faced and porkpie-hatted, brooding on what he has unleashed on the world. Perhaps the takeaway is that brooding alone is the fate of the scientist who makes Science into his god.'

[dan6085]

"Dune" is a science fiction movie directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. The movie follows the story of Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet), the young heir to the House of Atreides, who is tasked with taking control of the desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, where a valuable spice called melange is harvested. The House of Atreides is taking over from the House of Harkonnen, who have been in control of Arrakis for years.

The desert planet in "Dune" is called Arrakis, but is also known as Dune due to its harsh, arid landscape. The planet is a barren wasteland of sand dunes, rocky outcroppings, and extreme temperatures.

Despite its seemingly inhospitable nature, Arrakis is home to a valuable resource known as melange, or spice, which is highly sought after for its ability to expand consciousness and allow for space travel. The spice is found deep beneath the planet's surface and can only be harvested by the native Fremen people, who have developed a unique way of living and surviving in the harsh desert environment.

The Fremen are a deeply spiritual people who have a strong connection to the land and its resources. They are fiercely independent and have resisted attempts by outside forces to control their way of life. The Fremen are also skilled warriors and have developed their own unique fighting style, which allows them to navigate the treacherous desert terrain and defeat their enemies.

Arrakis is also a planet of great political significance, as control of the spice trade can make or break the fortunes of the various factions vying for power in the galaxy. The House of Atreides, for example, sees Arrakis as a means to gain greater political power and influence, while the House of Harkonnen seeks to maintain their control over the planet and its valuable resources.

Overall, Arrakis is a harsh and unforgiving environment, but one that holds great potential for those who are able to harness its resources and navigate its dangers. It is a key setting in the world of "Dune" and plays a central role in the conflict between the various factions vying for power in the galaxy.

As Paul and his family arrive on Arrakis, they are met with resistance from the Harkonnens, who are plotting to take back control of the planet. Paul begins to experience prophetic visions of a future in which he is a messiah-like figure who will lead the people of Arrakis to freedom. He also learns about the native Fremen people, who live in the desert and are believed to hold the key to the planet's future.

As Paul begins to explore his newfound powers and connect with the Fremen, he becomes embroiled in a power struggle between the various factions on Arrakis. He must navigate treacherous political alliances, deadly sandstorms, and ferocious battles in order to protect his family and the people of Arrakis from the Harkonnens and their allies.

Along the way, Paul also learns about the true nature of the spice melange and its importance to the galaxy. He discovers that it has the ability to expand consciousness and even allow for space travel, but at a great cost to those who consume it.

Ultimately, Paul must confront his destiny as the chosen one and lead the Fremen in a battle against the Harkonnens and their allies. The fate of Arrakis and the entire galaxy hangs in the balance as the conflict reaches its climax.

Overall, "Dune" is a visually stunning and epic tale of power, destiny, and the struggle for survival in a harsh and unforgiving universe.

[theaibooks]

Todays story comes from author frank Herbert

And is titled: dune

This is a sci-book I recommend to everyone,

They have released movies about this book and recently did a remake that is definitely worth the watch. This a short and brief version of the book if you like this feel free to check out the original book by frank Herbert.

In the far-off future, humanity has spread out across the galaxy, colonizing numerous planets and star systems. Among these worlds is the desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, which is the only source of the valuable substance known as "spice." The spice is essential to space travel, as it allows navigators to fold space and travel faster than the speed of light.

Dune is ruled by the Harkonnens, a cruel and powerful family who have exploited the planet's resources for generations. However, the Emperor, seeking to maintain a balance of power, arranges for the noble Atreides family to take over control of Dune.

The Atreides, led by Duke Leto and his son Paul, arrive on Dune and begin to establish themselves as the new rulers. Paul quickly becomes fascinated by the harsh and beautiful landscape of Dune, as well as the culture of the Fremen, the native people who live in the deep desert.

As the Atreides begin to gain a foothold on Dune, they find themselves facing opposition from the Harkonnens, who are determined to regain control of the planet. In the midst of this conflict, Paul discovers that he is part of a prophecy that foretells the coming of a messiah figure known as the "Kwisatz Haderach," who will possess incredible powers and have the potential to rule the universe.

As tensions between the Atreides and Harkonnens escalate, Paul is forced to confront his own destiny and the powerful abilities he possesses. He begins to train with the Bene Gesserit, a secretive organization of women who have been manipulating human genetics for centuries, in order to harness his full potential.

With the help of the Fremen, Paul leads a rebellion against the Harkonnens and the corrupt Emperor, who seeks to maintain his own power. The Fremen, who have long been oppressed by the ruling powers, see Paul as their savior and eagerly join his cause.

As the conflict reaches its climax, Paul faces off against the Harkonnen leader, Baron Vladimir, in a final battle that will determine the fate of Dune and the entire universe. With the help of his friends and allies, Paul emerges victorious and secures his place as the leader of the universe.

Throughout the course of the story, Dune explores themes such as politics, religion, ecology, and human nature, while also creating a richly detailed and vividly imagined world full of complex characters and cultures.

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: The Dead Zone

If the top echelon of Stephen King adaptations can be defined by the eminent classics like The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, and Carrie, 1983's The Dead Zone belongs in the rank right below. It's just as good as, if not better than, more ubiquitous titles like Christine, Cujo, Pet Sematary, and Children of the Corn. While The Dead Zone may lack the iconography of those films, director David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome) adapts King's 1979 novel of the same name into an extremely effective thriller.

The first story set in King's fictional New England town of Castle Rock (also home to Cujo, The Dark Half, and Needful Things, among others) - although it's transported from Maine to the more political New Hampshire for the film, and shot in Canada - The Dead Zone's plot is episodic in nature. School teacher Johnny Smith's (Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter) life is uprooted by a horrific car accident that puts him in a coma for five years. He awakens to find that his girlfriend (Brooke Adams, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) is married and has a child, his job is gone, and he has an uphill battle if he ever wants to walk again - but he has gained the remarkable ability to experience clairvoyant visions through physical contact.

As news of the phenomenon spreads, local sheriff George Bannerman (Tom Skerritt, Alien) enlists Johnny to harness his unique ability to help catch a serial killer on the loose. But his gift is also a curse, as Johnny's body weakens as his powers become stronger. In the most memorable - and eerily prescient - portion of the film, Johnny meets Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen, Apocalypse Now), a power-hungry, sociopathic politician running for senate with presidential aspirations. He has amassed a groundswell of cult-like followers who fail to recognize his corruption. Culminating in an impossibly tense finale, it poses an age-old dilemma: if you could go back in time to pre-World War II Germany knowing what you know now, would you kill Hitler?

The Dead Zone marks a transitional film for Cronenberg. He shows great restraint in eschewing the body horror for which he was known in favor of a more compassionate, human story. Rather than generating the material himself, he was a director for hire; executive producer Dino De Laurentiis (Army of Darkness, King Kong) chose him to helm the script as adapted by Jeffrey Boam (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). While he embraces the genre elements, Cronenberg leans into the traditional suspense and melodrama as well as the political undertones. De Laurentiis' first of several King adaptations (alongside Cat's Eye, Silver Bullet, and Maximum Overdrive) is his strongest, with Debra Hill (Halloween, Escape from New York) serving as producer on this outing.

Bill Murray was King's choice for Johnny, while Cronenberg wanted Nicholas Campbell (Naked Lunch). De Laurentiis justifiably demanded a more well-known actor, so Campbell was given a supporting role as Deputy Frank Dodd and Walken was cast as the lead. Walken brings a lot of character to every role, and Johnny Smith is among the most nuanced work from his career. He has good chemistry with Adams, who he has known since high school. Sheen delivers the strongest performance of the film, and it plays ever better in a post-Trump world, as his character's parallels to the former President add another dimension. The cast also includes Herbert Lom (The Pink Panther franchise) as Johnny's doctor and Anthony Zerbe (The Omega Man) as the wealthy father of a boy that Johnny tutors.

The Dead Zone has received a new 4K scan from the original camera negative with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and stereo options for Scream Factory's Collector's Edition Blu-ray. It features reversible artwork, with a new collage illustrated by Hugh Fleming on one side (and the slipcover) and the original theatrical poster on the other. While Cronenberg was unavailable for input, his absence is made up for with three new audio commentaries. Director of photography Mark Irwin (Scream, The Fly) reminisces about the production and his Cronenberg collaborations while detailing the technical aspects. Film historians Dr. Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr provide an erudite exploration of the film and how it compares to its source material. Special features producer Michael Gingold does an even deeper dive into the minutia of the production. The final audio track features isolated selections from Michael Kamen's (Die Hard, X-Men) score following a thorough introduction by film music historian Daniel Schweiger.

The disc also features new interviews with Adams, who has pleasant things to say about Walken but calls him "very odd and quite indecipherable," and production manager John M. Eckert and associate producer Jeffrey Chernov, both of whom provide unique insight and reflect fondly on the production. Four archival featurettes - Memories from The Dead Zone, The Look of The Dead Zone, Visions of The Dead Zone, and The Politics of The Dead Zone - offer insight wisdom Cronenberg, Adams, Irwin, editor Roland Sanders (The Fly, A History of Violence), and more circa 2006. Other special features include Trailers from Hell trailer commentary by filmmaker Mick Garris (The Stand, Sleepwalkers), the theatrical trailer, two TV spots, and a gallery of behind-the-scenes stills.

The Dead Zone is available now on Blu-ray via Scream Factory.

[jerktournament]

FINAL ROUND - GLaDOS (Portal) VS Herbert P Bear (Club Penguin)

!!! PROPAGANDA BELOW !!!

GLaDOS: "So mot only is she running your character through a series of puzzles with the intention of killing her at the end, but in the second game she spends the Entire. Time. Verbally and emotionally abusing you, including body shaming and bullying you for being an orphan. If it's any consolation, she does have to exist as a potato for the second and third acts of Portal 2."

"Known for being mean (hot). Mercilessly targets the player character's every possible insecurity. Petty and mean. I understand if you don't want to include her since she tends to dominate polls, lol."

HERBERT: "This mf spends his whole life trying to heat up a frozen island and terrorizing the innocent penguins that live on it all bc he was bad at sailing one time and is too much of a wimp to try again. Classic Misery loves Company type asshole."

"operation blackout would have been NOTHING without him (mostly because he caused it). he has a SOLAR LASER. this polar bear is an ass who literally harnessed the power of the sun and froze the top members of the elite penguin force (a group of penguin special agents) and his best friend is an equally villainous crab"

"Herbert may be a fandom darling in our fandom of like, 20 people. BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU! He is a conniving, EVIL bear, and a professional jerk and some highlights of his jerkishness include...

- Spending ten years of his life (by the time the game closed) trying to destroy the Penguin Secret Agency and Elite Penguin Force (both were agencies that protected the island from disasters and villains like Herbert) with varying success...

- SUCCESSFULLY destroyed the Penguin Secret Agency with a popcorn bomb, which destroyed their HQ. It should also be noted that while doing so, he locked in the player, Rookie, and Gary the Gadget Guy, presumably so the bombs explosion would have killed them all.

-Teamed up with the EPF to stop the Ultimate Protobot 10,000 and the Test Bots, a small group of four dangerous robots after he personally brought them back. When Protobot went "too far" for Herbert's standards by threatening the environment and trying to completely destroy the EPF (despite the aforementioned Popcorn Bomb incident literally destroying the PSA, and also a certain Operation: Blackout), causing him to temporarily switch sides. This might sound like a character growth moment...except for the fact that he immediately betrays them once Protobot is dealt with and attacks and damages the EPF's HQ using a robot hydra made for the Medieval Party that he stole.

- A canonical ex-dictator. Don't believe me? Look up Operation: Blackout on the Club Penguin Wiki! He froze several agents during his reign of terror, was open to freezing innocent civilians, and also wanted to do away with puffles- the pets of penguins. He also banned several hobbies and professions during his reign (being a Ninja, a DJ, a Pirate, etc) for no reason other than disliking them. He also destroyed the EPF'S HQ and exposed two agents' private information to the public. This means Herbert is the first and only character to canonically dox people he doesn't like on Club Penguin.

-Was planning to bomb the EPF literally two months later with a hot sauce bomb (makes sense in context of the game and yes, it is more destructive than it sounds).

-Brainwashed puffles into digging coins for him purely because his henchman, Klutzy the crab brought a coin slot to use for his DIY heater, instead of just removing the coin slot and retooling it to work without one like a normal person."

[tcm]

Queen Behind the Scenes: Ida Koverman’s Reign at MGM By Kim Luperi

Her title may have been executive secretary to MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer, but she “wields a scepter of power second only to that of her employer,” journalist Sheila Graham wrote in 1937. Indeed, Ida Koverman was one of the most powerful women in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s, but you’ve probably never heard her name. As a former Hollywood assistant myself, I’m paying homage this International Women’s Day to a woman who “rarely operated in the shadows, even if history has pushed her there,” as Jacqueline R. Braitman declared in She Damn Near Ran the Studio: The Extraordinary Lives of Ida R. Koverman.

Born in Ohio in 1876, Koverman grew up with a passion for the arts and taught herself basic business principles in her early jobs. After becoming a wanted woman in 1909 for initially failing to appear as a witness in a bizarre bribery case, she entered an apparent marriage of convenience to distance herself from her past and used her new surname to start over on her own in New York. There, Koverman became involved with a plethora of female-focused community initiatives and established Brooklyn’s Women’s Athletic Club.

By the early 1920s, Koverman moved out west and rooted herself in the political landscape of Southern California. The enterprising woman leveraged her ambition, loyalty and aptitude to become executive secretary for the presidential campaigns of Calvin Coolidge in 1924 and Herbert Hoover in 1928. By the decade’s end, Koverman constructed a far-reaching partisan network and established herself as an esteemed political operative within the Republican Party.

Mayer had political ambitions too, which is how he and Koverman met in the mid-1920s. It was she who played matchmaker – as she did with many – to facilitate his involvement in various Republican organizations. As Mayer must have noticed, Koverman’s strength for prioritizing a high workload, negotiating with big personalities, building relationships and harnessing public support made her a natural for the film industry.

According to Braitman, after Hoover’s inauguration, Mayer furnished Koverman with a desk and “told her to make a job for herself.” She did, and she’d remain with MGM until her death in 1954. Though she undertook typical assistant duties, Koverman also operated as an executive – one of the most powerful at MGM. She supervised Mayer’s schedule with daunting yet considerate authority as the “last and toughest obstacle” before visitors entered his office and did the same facilitating for other departments if needed. Koverman also served as Mayer’s advisor in the political arena; in fact, many publications touted her as his personal political expert. Thus, on any given day, she could secure a star’s Hollywood Bowl parking pass one moment and strategize with a Senator’s publicity director the next, according to the Christian Science Monitor in 1950.

Koverman became Mayer’s confidante, and he greatly respected and trusted her judgement and aptitude for identifying audience taste. She could (and did) take over when he was away from MGM, and her versatility proved crucial to studio operations; for instance, she fostered a family-like culture and highlighted employee accomplishments by establishing The MGM News in 1936, and her far-reaching connections made her indispensable in lobbying for MGM’s interests when she spotted proposed state legislation that could affect business. As noted in Variety’s 1942 article “The Women Who Run the Men,” “… there’s very little taking place on the lot that she hasn’t exerted some influence… and with the carte blanche she enjoys in the matter of executive decisions, she has a lot of pretty important gents tiptoeing around her with devout response.”

When it came to talent, Koverman possessed a knack for discovering and nurturing actors and musicians. Indeed, it was Koverman who saw the potential in Robert Taylor, promoted Clark Gable’s sex appeal and proved instrumental in Judy Garland’s discovery. Add to that list Lena Horne, Nelson Eddy, Deanna Durbin, Mario Lanza and others – the number of performers Koverman recruited and mentored is enormous. Her eminent position also meant balancing support for the actor offscreen with MGM’s expectations onscreen. In Garland’s case, when Koverman disagreed with Mayer’s dietary regimen for the juvenile star, she secretly directed the MGM commissary to be less draconian with Garland’s meals.

Koverman continued her cultural and political involvement at MGM, becoming director of the Screen Women’s Press Club and taking on various other community leadership roles. She also remained vocal in her beliefs, including her anti-communist rhetoric and support of the Moral Rearmament movement, which promoted spiritual uplift within movies. After almost 20 years with MGM, Koverman earned a promotion to head of public relations in the late 1940s, and the Los Angeles Times recognized her career achievements by selecting her as a Woman of the Year in 1950.

Koverman operated efficiently and openly behind the scenes, successfully executing her extensive duties while enabling the interests of high-powered people and growing her own influence. Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper observed that Koverman’s “special positions of power gave her a phenomenal chance to do good.” Indeed, Koverman told Hopper, “If you can’t help somebody, what are you put here on earth for?” Perhaps Koverman’s greatest impact was through the lives she touched, personally and professionally.

[nimblermortal]

Watchin’ the Dune movie with Hyacinth and being as obnoxious about it as possible, given that I haven’t actually read the book since I was... twelve? Fourteen?

and moreover, when I watched the LotR movies I lost what I had previously imagined the books to be like, and I don’t want that to happen again. Not even that I care more or as much about Dune, I just don’t want that to happen to me personally again. So:

Bene Gesserit = Benny Gesserit, with a hard G

Atreides = A (as in flag) TREE-ih-DEEZ

Duncan Idaho is blond, has short hair, and is kinda plump.

Gurney Halleck is a bit of a twink

Fremen don’t frikking pirouette dear god they know better than to turn their back on an enemy

Arakkis is not barren of plant life. It has particularly adapted plant life. Where else do the moisture harvesters harvest moisture from.

Liet Kynes is not a particularly interesting individual, that is something the Son of Herbert made up. (I actually enjoy the clandestine epic Dr Kynes, and also the black lady Dr Kynes, but per my original reading - meh.)

Harkonnen  = Har-KOH-nen

Feyd Rautha (feed ROW-tha) is pretty. Like, as pretty as Paul. At least as pretty as Paul.

On which note, Paul does not go around staring blankly and muttering like a sullen teenager.

MOST IMPORTANTLY. Bene Gesserit have complete control over their bodies. They’re not whinging over their emotional reaction to politics all the time. They have poise. Jessica in particular has poise. You have to set her up for this - give her scenes that show how collected she is, and then let that break just the tiniest bit while Paul is in with the Revered Mother, so that when she actually does break later, it’s shocking.

By the time they hit the desert in fleeing, Paul is in sort of instinctive Fremen mode, and trying to cope emotionally with how his mother is being more emotional about their situation than he thinks is appropriate, when his mother has always been the one in control making wise decisions. But now she is doing objectively stupid things, and he knows it, and he doesn’t know how he knows this, and it’s yet another thing to try to deal with.

Sardaukar = SAR-dau-KAR

Padisha Emperor = Pa-dee-SHA emperor

Calanhad or Celadon or whatever the planet is called is green and wet. It is very important that it is both of these things. It should have been shown in full bloom, not winter Scotland. Wet and green is a more important contrast than hot vs cold.

Thopters have bird wings, not dragonfly. (I actually prefer the dragonfly, it’s cool, but definitely waaaayyyyy worse for deserts. Also Hyacinth pointed out that it’s a non-rotary system so it could, with some clever engineering, have arhythmic wing patterns, which is way cooler.)

The way Fremen walk is not common knowledge.

Shields are not just blue vs red, with red indicating a hit. Shields specifically make it so that things moving fast cannot enter, no matter how much force they are moving with. You specifically adapt your fighting style to “pull” the blow at the last moment, so that it can move through shields. This is what makes Feyd Rautha’s style deadly to the civilized world - and incredibly weak to Fremen fighting.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO COVER THEIR FACES IN THE DESERT, DEAR GOD, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU LOSE MOST OF THE WATER FROM???

Anyway, very much looking forward to the line “Tell me of the waters of your homeworld” and also to the advent of Creepy Child. I am always here for kids, and Creepy Child is gonna be great.

I also very much enjoyed the bagpipe Atreides illustration. Bagpipes were the sole interesting thing about the Fall of the House of Atreides battle. No, I tell a lie - the way the bombs fell all together like a particularly beautiful chemistry demonstration was pretty nice.