#wonder how hard it would be to try and put together a python script that can decrypt them...

[elle-p]

The things I do for Ryoji...

[zombiebarbee]

The Sunday Times article

DEMON DAZE

After almost 30 years, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s comic fantasy Good Omens has made it to the screen – and in lavish fashion. Benji Wilson discovers how Pratchett’s dying wish came true

Heaven, as it turns out, is in an industrial park in Weybridge. The old Samsung building, with floor-to-ceiling windows and lighting so bright you have to squint, is the celestial set for Good Omens, the BBC and Amazon’s TV adaptation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s beloved fantasy novel. The floor, in particular, is attracting attention from Jon Hamm, who plays the angel Gabriel.

“Did we put this floor in?” he asks, wearing a power suit and looking more Wall Street CEO than heavenly host. When he looks down, he sees his own face reflected. “I mean, who orders up a silver floor? Of all the choices.” Then an angel rides by on a hoverboard. “This,” Hamm says, “is insane.”

Much of Good Omens could be described that way. Were he alive, Terry Pratchett would probably delight in the description. It tells the story of an angel, Aziraphale, and a demon, Crowley, played by Michael Sheen and David Tennant respectively. They have been on Earth since the Garden of Eden, working for their opposing teams in heaven and hell, one lighting fires, the other putting them out. Over the centuries, they have become friends.

We first meet them as the Antichrist is being delivered to Earth – indeed, one of Crowley’s missions is to deliver the Antichrist to the maternity ward. But they both realise this means the end of humanity as we know it, and, as Tennant puts it, “Crowley and Aziraphale have quite a nice time on earth. They quite enjoy the dinners and the wine and the lifestyle.”

So they get together to decide they’re going to try to avert the apocalypse. “But it’s a comedy,” Sheen says. “It’s in the vein of Douglas Adams and Monty Python. When Neil sent me the first draft of the script, it reminded me of Whoops Apocalypse [Andrew Marshall and David Renwick’s 1982 ITV comedy set in the weeks leading up to the end of the world.] I remember watching that when I was a kid and finding it funny but also quite scary. It’s hard to know what my 14-year—old self would think of Good Omens, but I imagine it might be similar.”

This kind of tonal mash-up intermingling humanity’s most momentous concerns with the quotidian minutiae of “where did I leave my keys?”, is notoriously hard to pull off. For a start, there’s the scope of it: Good Omens has been in production since mid-2017 and has had to recreate not merely heaven and hell, but all of Christian history in between. The beginning of episode three features a sequence catching up with Aziraphale and Crowley at the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, the crucifixion, ancient Rome, Shakespeare’s Globe, the crucible of the French Revolution and on, via the world wards, to the present. We see their relationship developing down the aeons. It’s all been done in less than 20 minutes.

“It’s basically a collection of single scenes,” Tennant says when I speak to him in a church in an Oxfordshire village. (He’s about to go outside and take delivery of the Antichrist.) “But for one of those scenes we got Shakespeare’s Globe for a day. For another, we transformed St James’s Park into Edwardian England for a day. For one scene. It’s fantastic to be able to work on something that has those sort of resources. You wouldn’t really be able to tell this story otherwise.”

Resources means Amazon’s money. That, and the allure of Gaiman’s writing, has drawn in a supporting cast including Frances McDormand as the voice of God, alongside Hamm, Jack Whitehall, Michael McKeen and Miranda Richardson. With a Game of Thrones-shaped hole to be filled, Good Omens is supposed to be a very big deal indeed.

Yet Gaiman, who co-wrote the original novel, adapted it for the screen and is the showrunner, would happily not have made it at all. “I didn’t really plan to give 18 months of my life to making a TV show. I’d much rather be writing novels. I would be making a lot more money writing novels. Nobody would be telling me what to do and my wife wouldn’t be complaining about not seeing me. But on the other hand, this,” he says, pointing at the shiny floor and Hamm running through lines as Gabriel, “was what Terry wanted to happen. And he’s not here.”

Good Omens was published in 1990. There followed almost 20 years of fruitless attempts to turn it into a film. Terry Gilliam received a prepublication copy of the book asking for a cover blurb. He misplaced the letter that came with it and thought he was being sent a story that might work for his next film. He loved it, but, as so often with Gilliam’s grand visions, Hollywood got in the way.

“Terry [Pratchett] and I decided that we wanted it to be television six years ago,” Gaiman says. “We went went looking for a writer – both of us were too busy – but basically we couldn’t find one.”

Pratchett died in March 2015. As he was overtaken by Alzheimer’s in his final years, he wrote Gaiman a letter – something he had never done before. “He said, ‘You’re the only other person out there with the same love and understanding and passion for this that I have. I know how busy you are, but I want to see this before the darkness takes me. Will you do this, please?’ In 35 years, he’d never asked me anything before. So I said yes. And then he died. So suddenly I was dealing with a last request. And I’m honouring it.”

Gaiman and Sheen have been friends since the actor mentioned in an interview about a decade ago that Gaiman was one of his favourite writers, across novels and comic books. Gaiman happened to read this, and sent Sheen a selection of special editions with a card saying “From one fan to another.” Since then, Sheen has appeared in Gaiman’s episode of Doctor Who, and now stars in Good Omens. Part of their friendship is based on a shared love of science fiction – Sheen only mentioned Gaiman in that interview in order to make a point about genre snobs. Many of his favourite writers, he said, worked in fantasy and SF.

Sheen says the snobbery still pertains - “If you’re of a mindset that anything written in a science-fiction context just can’t be great literature, then I don’t think anything is going to change your mind” - adding that there’s a similar prejudice against comedy as high art.

“Comedy films are always seen as impossible to be great films. They’re rarely winning Oscars. Good Omens ticks both boxes, comedy and fantasy – and I like that. When I was growing up, two of the biggest influences on me in terms of how I see art were The South Bank Show on TV and Kenneth Tynan, especially his profiles. Neither of them made a distinction between high and low art. One week is was Shostakovich , the next Billy Connolly. Tynan would profile Brecht, then Morecambe and Wise. I loved that.”

Just because Good Omens is funny, he goes on, doesn’t mean that it’s glib. “I was looking at a scene today when one of the angels says it’s been written that the end of the world begins with unrest in the Middle East, and the Antichrist is being taken to the Pains of Megiddo. I’ve seen that being written in newspaper articles – Isis are trying to engineer a situation where this battle takes place in a certain location because that’s ‘what was written’. People actually think that Trump is the coming of the Christ. Or the Antichrist. People are actually talking about this in fairly mainstream circles.

“That gives Good Omens a difficult context to when the book came out. You’ve got these two main characters who are very much in their own echo chambers – or should be. Yet the action of the piece requires them to break out of those bubbles.”

Tennant goes further. “We started making this in 2017. We knew it wouldn’t come out until 2019, and did wonder whether the apocalypse might have hastened towards us by then. It does give an added piquancy that the world might not be as stable as we thought it was a couple of years ago. By the time this article is printed, who knows where we’ll be?”

Good Omens is on Amazon Prime Video from May 31 and will air on BBC2 at the end of the year.

[clevercatchphrase]

2019 year in review

So… The 2010’s are almost over. Huh. What a decade it’s been. Hard to comprehend how much has changed in 10 years. I can barely believe that I was in high school at the beginning of this decade, and now I’m a college graduate with 2 degrees who’s been working at the same job for the last 3 years. But trying to summarize the past 10 years in a single post is a good way to give myself an existential crisis, so let’s not do that! Instead, let’s just focus on 2019 because there has been more than enough shit that’s happened to me in this year to talk about.

PART 1 OF 2: 2019 AND 2020 GOALS AND RESOLUTIONS

Huh, looking back through my archives, I apparently didn’t make a tumblr post about my goals this year. I definitely had some, though. Lemme list ‘em off real quick, and then we’ll go through them point by point.

1)      Pay off all my student loans 2)      Finish some song comics 3)      Make art for my Redbubble account 4)      Finish the first rough draft/script of a game I wanted to make 5)      Practice ASL 6)      Sew some stuffed animals 7)      Finish some fan fictions 8)      Work on Ghost Switch 9)      AMVs 10)   Do some original writing 11)   Make illustrations for my fan fictions

Okay, first off, the student loans. I was actually SO CLOSE to successfully completing this one bUT THEN MY CAR HAD TO BE A WHINEY PISS BABY AND HAVE ITS ALTERNATOR DIE ON ME WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND THEN A BLOW OUT THREE WEEKS LATER.

GOD, if I had to summarize this year in two words, for me it would be “Car troubles”. I swear I spent more on auto repair in the first third of this year than I ever have just freakin’ OWNING a car. All four of my tires had to be replaced, my alternator failed and my car literally just SHUT OFF while I was driving, and I was barely able to coast into a gas station. Both my front breaks and rear breaks were worn down the metal and I only learned this when my car was barely able to stop after I had to slam the petal down full force!  I went in for an oil change, and they found some problems and then I didn’t get my car back for three days! I don’t even like owning a car! I hate driving! I hate my country’s refusal to provide universal, free public transportation! I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS!

Oh-kay… number 2. Finish some song comics. I didn’t finish any. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t work on them. I have made tiny progress, but that’s certainly better than no progress. One of these song comics I hope to be realizes is going to be a collab with one of my friends. It’ll be a long-time coming as it’s pretty low priority for the both of us, but if anyone else out there was disappointed with KH3’s ending, we’re gonna have ya’ covered… With SONG!

3. Make some redbubble art. I actually did this one! Not in the way I expected, but I added (technically) 3 new designs to my redbubble in the middle of the year. If you like butterflies and dragons, I got some product for you~!

Number 4, finish a script for a game I want to make. I… thought about this. I thought about this a lot, but I never put pen to paper, so… oops. It almost happened! I debated making this my main writing project for NaNoWriMo this year, but ended up having more inspiration for another story. Maybe next year? (god, I hope not. I don’t want to wait a full year just to write something)

Number 5, practice ASL. I just straight up didn’t do this and I only have myself to blame. Still keepin’ up that Danish Duolingo streak, though. 4 years going strong and not a day missed yet.

Number 6, sew some stuffed animals. Again, another one I just straight up didn’t do, but I have an excuse of trying to save money while my car crashed and burned in every other sense except literal this year. Hopefully 2020 will be different. I’ll definitely be able to pay off this last loan within the first half of 2020, and then I can start saving for whatever I want to buy.

Finish some fan fictions was number 7, and I did this! Well, I only finished, 1, but it was a story I’ve been working on for over 3 years, and it came out to over 200 THOUSAND words long, which is the longest thing I’ve ever written, and I’m quite proud of myself. Now that the big story is out of the way, and I’ve gotten into a good rhythm of working on Ghost Switch, maybe I can squeeze in some short writing sessions more frequently. (either that, or just wait for my car to break down again and then go on a writing spree in a pepboys. The lord and the fan fic discord know that’s solely why I finished my other fic this year)

Speaking of Ghost Switch, working on it was a goal this year too, and I did that! I kept it up all year and took a vacation in November and it was wonderful. While the major plot points have been in place since before I started drawing, I still need to script each arc beyond Snowdin, but hey, by the time we get there, it’ll be 2022 so I got time. (Note, don’t do this, kids. Script your stories and comics thoroughly before publishing. The road I’m on is paved with misery and pain and it will only end in tears unless I change lanes soon)

Number 9, amvs. Do people make AMVs anymore? Idk… the last one I made was... Jesus, 5 years ago? (it was a gravity falls/fall out boy crossover, if you were curious) I’ve been wanting to do 2 more for just as long, but in order for me to do that, I’d have to spend time re-watching the shows to find the footage, and then actually edit them together, and I just don’t…. feel like it. Maybe someday, but not any day soon.

10; do some original writing. I did this! For nanowrimo! I wrote the first draft of some original fiction I’ve been planning for a year or two now and it completely sucks! But it’s on paper now and I’m happy. Will I revise and edit it? Sure, but not for a while. I want to let it sit and forget about it and look at it with new eyes months from now so I can be sure I can make it better when time comes to rewrite.

11, make illustrations for my fan fics. Now that You Monster is done, I want to go back and add pictures to it. I didn’t do any this year, but I did keep a list of scenes I wanted to draw, so I have plenty of ideas to do as warm up sketches next year~ I kinda want to stream them~

So, that was 11 goals, and I successfully fulfilled 4 of them! That’s! Not a very good ratio… QmQ So, goals for 2020. Some I’m gonna keep from this year, some I’m gonna drop and some I’m gonna add. In short I would like to,

1)      Finish paying off that last student loan 2)      Put more stuff on my redbubble 3)      Illustrate my own fan fics 4)      Sew at least one stuffed animal 5)      Make an enamel pin 6)      Read one new book a month 7)      Write one page a day/Complete at least one new fan fic 8)      Learn Python or C# for the game I want to make 9)      Finish fully scripting Ghost Switch 10)   Boost my patreon

Most of these I think are pretty self-explanitory, but I’ll go into detail just a bit because I’m on a roll and typing my thoughts helps me feel less alone in the middle of the night when you’re super tired and you know you should probably go to sleep, but the toddler in you is throwing a tantrum and doesn’t wanna go to sleep just yet, but you can’t fight the progression of time either way.

Number 1- I should be able to reach this goal by the end of March. End of June at the absolute latest. Once that goal is met, my secret new year’s resolution will be unlocked as well!

Number 2- I want to put more art of my OCs on redbubble. These OCs are tied to the game I want to make. There’s already some art of them up there, but I want at least one piece for each character.

Number 3- Mostly for You Monster. Embrace the cardinal rule of fan fic and apply it to fan art. If you want to read about see art about certain ideas, scenarios, or what-ifs, you gotta make it yourself.

Number 4- I have 3 potential ideas to sew. One is definitely leagues easier than the other two and will probably be chosen if/when I have the time and materials.

Number 5- This year I got really, REALLY into the idea of making enamel pins. Unfortunately it’s a pretty big investment (like, $350 to make 100 pins you  might not even sell). If this happens, it’ll probably be towards the end of the year, and if I get enough interest. I’m currently torn between making an original enamel pin and one based off Undertale. We’ll just have to see where this goes.

Number 6- Back in 2018 when I paid off one of my many student loans, I rewarded myself by spending over 200 dollars in used books. All these books had a theme; they were focused on dragons because I have a problem. I have not yet read a single one of these books I have bought, and I would like to fix that. I have, like, 20 unread dragon books, and even if I only read 12 out of 20, I would consider that an amazing accomplishment and money well spent.

Number 7- I currently have about 8 different WIPs I could work on. (well, I don’t know if I can even call them wips. More like, a general idea and a title written down.) I want to build good writing habits, and if I can write just 200 words a day, hell, even 200 words a week and just one of my 8 stories done, I would consider this goal met.

Number 8- I’m torn between making my game in unity or ren’py. I know jack shit about both. Ren’py is more user friendly, but unity will allow me more customization. (Lol, can you guess what kind of game I want to make yet?)

Number  9- I really just want the full story to be done and written incase anything goes horribly terribly wrong in my life and I find myself unable to continue making ghost switch in comic form. Then at least I can finish the story by other means, you know?

Number 10- It always surprises me every month when I get that patreon email saying I got paid. Sure, I don’t even make double digits on it, but it still awes me enough to know that people out there like my work enough to throw me a tip. I can’t thank my patrons enough for supporting me and I hope to one day be in such a good place I can update my comic/song comics/writing frequently enough without need for goals or milestones. But until that magical day arrives, money is always a great incentive for anything, I suppose. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 ALRIGHT. PART 2 OF 2: SHIT THAT HAPPENED TO ME IN 2019

Cheesus crust what a year. This year started off great! Back in late January Kingdom Hearts 3 FINALLY released, and let me tell you a little story. Back in the summer of 2006 I was a 13 year old middle schooler with no way of making money other than by doing house hold chores at a rate of 25 cents a task. A few weeks ago, I had a sleep over at a friend’s house and they let me play this weird game called “Kingdom Hearts” and god, I was instantly hooked on it. That summer, I did over 800 chores, enough to earn myself 200$ and buy myself a playstation 2 (just in time for the ps3 to come out, gg me) The only games I had for the ps2 were KH1, 2, Re:CoM and Okami, and I beat them all… except Okami. Miffed that the PS3 wouldn’t allow for backwards compatibility, little 13-year-old me made a promise. I looked myself in the mirror and said “I will not buy the next playstation console until KH3 comes out, AND BOY that was probably a good choice for me to make with my level of gaming. I’m even less of a casual gamer than the average casual gamer, but I have been waiting 13 years for this piece of closure, and I even told my friends and family that “the day Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out is the day I will buy a playstation 4”. My dad apparently thought this was the funniest shit, because he literally took the day off from work that Friday to drive me on base to get the game and console (he thought it would be less crowded than a regular walmart, I suppose). I paid $400 on a ps4 pro while he bought me the game. Again, I have an impecible sense of timing seeing as the PS5 is now right on the horrizion, but just like before, I’m not buying a new console until the next KH game is released. See you in 2045, sony~. While I was at the gamestop on base, I also picked up Okami HD and The Last Guardian. For all of February and even early March, I took my time playing through KH3. And…! It was the best disappointment I’ve ever played. After a month away from gaming, I started The Last Guardian and finished it in a couple weeks. I love trico and would die for him, but trying to get 100% completion on that game is udder insanity. Okami, HD, however… again after a month break after finishing TLG, I started replaying Okami. I think I had only managed to get about halfway through the game before I just… stopped playing it on my ps2 version. I am currently SO CLOSE to getting a 100% on the ps4 version. In fact, I’ve beaten the game. I only (techinically) need 2 more trophies to be done; 1st, escape the water dragon without being eaten, 2nd, I need to beat that dumb stupid race with Kai, in order to get the last bead on my rosary, as well as the top dog trophy. I hate her so much. I hate this race so much. It’s awful and bad.

Flash forward to December! Earlier this month I was at Barnes and Noble, buying myself a planner for 2020. I exit the store and notice that there’s a gamestop across the street. For shits and giggles I go inside to look at their game selection, and I find KH 1.5 and 2.5. Now, my PS2 died a few years back (it just won’t read my discs anymore, I don’t know why) and I haven’t been able to replay any of my other kingdom hearts games since. If you had seen me the day I finished kingdom hearts 3, after the ending credits rolled, you would have heard me say “Man…. I wish I could play kingdom hearts 2 again”. AND NOW I CAN, ALONG WITH BBS which I had never even played yet, but knew the story of. I’ve restarted playing kh1, and I was so happy to hear that familiar music when I booted the game up for the first time. While at the game stop, I also picked up Rime and Tearaway, two games that had looked interesting to me. At the time of writing, I’ve finished Rime and am 25% done with tearaway. Rime was…. An interesting experience. I learned about it through Jacksepticeye’s channel a couple years back and thought the art style was enticing. For a super casual gamer like me, I found the puzzles just the right level of challenging and exploring was a blast! The music gave me VERY strong Princes Mononoke vibes, but the overall story left something to be desired. Overall I had fun, and enjoyed completing this game to 100%. Now for tearaway. Can I just say this game is super fucking adorable? I know the original was on the ps vita and the gameplay there was arguably more diverse and imaginative, but this game is just so fucking cute I don’t care?? ALSO, this game’s sound track is ABSOLUTELY incredible and I’ve only heard the first fourth of it! Listen to The Orchards, Pig Riding, and Gibbet Hill Pilgrimage for a taste of their wonderful beats and fantastic use of string and woodwinds! God, I’m so excited to get some more games in 2020. I’m proud to say I currently own more ps4 games than I ever did with my ps2 (and now the majority AREN’T Kingdom Hearts titles!), and I’m still hoping to play Journey, The Witness, and Abzu before everything becomes ps5.

What else happened to me this year. Oh, I went to a doctor for, like, the first time in seven years. I also had my blood drawn for the first time ever, and the nurse said the most disturbing thing to me while she did it. Now, whenever I get shots, I refuse to look. I did that here. So she thought it would be appropriate to say to me “Can you feel your blood leaving your body?” Lady… You can clearly see I am uncomfortable with what is happening here. Why, of all the things you could say, did you choose to say that. Unfortunately, while my doctor is nice, she keeps wanting to run tests on me, that I just cannot afford with my current salary, and my monthly insurance is about to go up to 200$ a month, so I’ve cancelled my next appointment with them, and don’t plan to go back until it’s absolutely necessary. Capitalism is fun, guys. Preventative healthcare is for wusses.

I started going to a chiropractor on a monthly basis. Story time- I don’t know when it started, but sometime late last November I began to notice that I had a headache that just... wasn’t... going away? And each day it was starting to get a little worse. It made it hard for me to find a comfortable position to sleep, it made it hard for me to be in bright areas or move fast. So I said to myself “Okay, if this headache persist through the month of december, then something is proooobably wrong and I should go see someone about it. And hoo-boy were thing wrong with me. By the time this January rolled around, I couldn’t even stay on my feet for more than a few hours without it physically hurting to just BREATHE. So I started going to this chain called The Joint (A+ name, I know). THey aksed me “How are you doing?” I said “I’m in pain” and they said “We can help fix that!”. I’ve only been to a chiropractor once before in my life a few years back after my freshmen year of college because I began to notice my hips weren’t able to support me? LIke, I would lie on my back, and I couldn’t push my hips up when my feet were flat on the floor. I also couldn’t climb anything steep, because my legs just couldn’t push me up if my knee had to bend more than 90 degrees when I lifted my leg up. (Turned out both my hips were apparently out of place). This time only one of my hips were out of place (which they fixed. they said one of my legs was an inch “longer” than the other because I had been leaning all my weight on one leg when I stand). But two of my ribs were apparently “Stuck” which was why it was hurting for me to just breathe, and one of my shoulders was missaligned too, causing one of my trap muscles to constantly be streched, which was pulling on my skull, and causing the headache. Anyway, after they popped all my bones back into place, I still felt terrible, but by god, that night was the first time in weeks I was able to sleep without a migrane. A chiropractor can’t magically heal your arthritis, or fibro, but I definately think they have merit to keeping your posture good and helping your body with things like circulation. 10 outa 10, would recomend. It’s all the fun of getting your neck snapped without the dying!

Earlier this month I got together with two of my friends and we baked Christmas cookies. It was a lot of fun, as well as a great learning experience. A member of my family has a gluten allergy, so we used rice flour for most of the cookies. We learned this is a bad idea! The cookies will just fall apart! A few member’s in one of the friend’s family have nut allergies. Other friend and I knew this and were careful to avoid cookie recipes with nuts, bUT THEN COMPLETELY FORGOT THAT ALMOND MILK AND ALMOND EXTRACT COUNT AS NUT. IN FACT, ALMOND EXTRACT IS PURE CONCENTRATED NUT JUICE AND WE FELT SO BAD FOR ALMOST ACCIDENTALLY POISONING THE FAMILY.

Earlier this year me and these same friends took a field trip to Hobby Lobby and just dicked around the store for a couple of hours. It was super fun, 11 outa 10, would recommend, a great date idea for your artsy S.O.

Back in May I went to a wedding for the first time in my life. (well, not true, but the first one I could remember) we left at 5am, drove 5 hours to get there, hung out at a zoo and spent the night in a la quinta before the wedding day. I slept on the bathroom floor because my mom was snoring too loud in the main room and keeping me awake, and the rest of the day was just spent me trying to keep myself together because I was pissed off and tired.

Other than all of that, nothing really major happened to me this year. I guess one more thing I’ve tried to do this year is started the process of breaking certain internet addictions so I can use my free time for more personal projects. Seriously, I found myself watching way too much youtube and following blogs that didn’t even make me happy. I had a personal intervention with myself where I sat down and asked myself, “why do you watch these videos and youtubers? Why do you follow these blogs? Do you really enjoy their content? Do you really care? If you stopped watching/following them, would you even notice?” After critically thinking it over, I’ve found myself unfollowing several channels and blogs and suddenly I feel so much happier. I thought I would miss it, but I realized I didn’t really care if I saw their content or not. I wasn’t missing much. And now I feel like I have more time to draw, read and write. If you think you spend too much time consuming and not enough time creating, I suggest you try and de-clutter your internet habits as well. It’s done wonders to un-fuck my headspace.

And… well, that about sums up my year. How are your holidays going? Anything fun, exciting, dramatic happen to you this year? I hope your new year is warm and safe! Good night, everybody!

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: TGWTG Anniversary Crossovers

I think enough time has passed where I can talk about these films without looking like I’m jumping on a trend.

Back when it was, you know, an actual thing, Channel Awesome would every so often gather together and make a big-as anniversary film to celebrate the site. The movies would always be these massive doorstoppers where everyone would be running around in Halloween costumes of whatever character they liked the most that fit the theme and fighting some random villain. None of this ever really tied in to their work, and none of this even remotely had anything to do with reviews. It was all just hanging around with friends and having dumb fun, and when I was younger I kind of just accepted that.

But certain revelations have made that dubious. No one was having fun making these. Everyone was miserable, except perhaps Doug Walker, who was just utterly oblivious to the plight of his coworkers. There was seedy stuff going on, people were pretty much being tortured and abused, and it’s a wonder anyone was ever able to feign enjoyment in any of their scenes. And looking back on these movies I used to remember fondly, I have to say… they kind of really, legitimately suck ass. These three films – Kickassia, Suburban Knights, and To Boldly Flee – are just legitimately painful and depressing to sit through, for reasons both meta and writing-wise.

The biggest problem with all of them is their humor, which is a pretty big problem when you’re starring a bunch of comedians, some of whom can be legitimately funny. The worst bits tend to revolve around the mind-boggling number of references they cram into each script; To Boldly Flee and Suburban Knights are much worse in this regard, as they have all of the actors literally dressed up as their favorite characters, but there are two examples of this sort of thing that shine as the worst examples of all. The first is Lindsay Ellis doing a Sarah Palin impersonation in Kickassia; Palin was such a flash-in-the-pan politician that it instantly dates the whole movie, and I don’t know if it was just bad writing, lack of direction, or what, but Ellis just fails to make this joke work at all. Like I know I can’t expect this to be as funny as Iron Sky’s Palin riffing, but still, it’s just sad.

The absolute worst, however, is JO in To Boldly Flee as Ed from Cowboy Bepob… at least that’s who I think he’s supposed to be playing. I know nothing about Cowboy Bebop and have outright refused to ever watch it because if Ed is anything like how JO played her, I’m going to fucking hate the whole show, Steve Blum and Melissa Fahn be damned. JO’s portrayal is whiny, hyper, annoying, manic, obnoxious… there’s not a single positive thing that can be said. His performance of the character is pretty much the poster child for just how absolutely awful these movies could get.

There’s also a lot of jokes where the punchline is basically just “this guy’s body/genitalia is funny, teehee.” Suburban Knights and To Boldly Flee have some truly awful examples of this, such as the numerous upskirts Doug Walker gets as Link and the infamous Spoony Dune scene. But even that isn’t the worst of it. The worst of it comes from the frequent states of near-nudity that Justin “JewWario” Carmichael would find himself in throughout these films. To Boldly Flee has him channeling George Takei and fencing without his shirt on, which is bad enough, but Suburban Knights has perhaps the worst scene of all, in any of these films, though only with hindsight.

For those of you not familiar, JewWario was outed as a creepy sexual predator during the whole #ChangeTheChannel fiasco. The guy groomed young women and did god knows what else during his time on the site, with none of his coworkers any the wiser and the management doing their best to cover it up; in fact, everyone only found out because the suits who owned CA made a huge blunder during their rebuttal of the claims of its former employees. With all of that context, please try and rewatch Suburban Knights’ climax in which JewWario helps save the day by revealing his penis to everyone. This right here is Keyser Soze levels of “uncomfortable in hindsight.”

The stories aren’t much better, and often fall into the same sort of issues that The Angry Video Game Nerd movie fell into, in that nothing in these films really showcases why we love the reviewers; Kickassia infamously has the Dr. Insano twist, as one example of how they botched this. All of these movies just feel too epic in scope and don’t really try to incorporate anything that we love about these reviewers into the films. Only To Boldly Flee really does anything right in that regard, as it throws back to everything from oneshot Nostalgia Critic villains to the Todd-Lindsay-Lupa love triangle to Phelous dying… the real problem is you have to actually sit through To Boldly Flee to see that. The movies go for these epic plots where the reviewers do cool shit like take over micronations (Kickassia), quest for powerful artifacts (Suburban Knights), or deal with extremely heavy-handed and hamfisted allegories for internet privacy bills (To Boldly Flee). You’d think maybe throwing a bunch of comedians into an epic plot like any of these could lead to some funny jokes, or maybe some sort of Monty Python-esque parody, but no, instead these comedians decide to revel in melodrama and try to genuinely act, with EXTREMELY mixed results. It doesn’t help that some of these people just aren’t even remotely funny when they’re trying to be.

Here’s the thing with The Angry Video Game Nerd’s movie, in comparison to these, though: it may have had this epic, ridiculous, goofy plot involving Area 51, kaiju, aliens, and crappy Atari games buried in a landfill, but the entire plot was building up to, and ultimately delivered on, the promise of the long-awaited review of the E.T. game. For all the film’s flaws, Rolfe knew what we loved about the Nerd, he knew what the fans wanted, and by god did he give it to them in the silliest, most epic way possible. Even if I didn’t love the film, the fact Rolfe knew why we’d want to see a feature-length Nerd film in the first place speaks volumes about how he understands that he can do what will make him happy artistically and still show the fans what they want to see.

These movies from the Channel Awesome crew don’t seem to get that at all. They don’t build up to a review. They don’t build up to them discovering the worst movie or song or whatever they review. They’re all very straightforward genre comedies where they can make a bunch of shallow, Seltzer & Friedberg-esque “Look at this thing that exists! That’s a joke right?” references. Aside from seeing your favorite reviewers in a goofy plot like this, where is there any bit of the reason you watch these people in the first place? Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they were playing characters instead of them playing themselves, in their internet reviewer personas; at least then you wouldn’t be watching Brad Jones stumbling around in a Darth Vader helmet and think to yourself miserably “God I wish that poor guy was watching another E.T. porno.”

So there are some positives in these films, shockingly enough. Brad Jones is consistently good across the entire ‘trilogy,’ especially in Kickassia where he has the good sense to walk out on all the bullshit for a while. Maybe it’s just because these films got me interested in him, but I definitely think he does a good job. The same can be said for a lot of the actors, such as the bad guy in Suburban Knights and Ma-Ti’s actor; they manage to deliver at least solid performances in spite of the films. And then there are the James Rolfe cameos, and it’s just always good to see Rolfe in general.

To Boldly Flee, despite its reputation, actually has a lot of genuinely good bits. For instance, the distraction song is actually a really solid musical number. Linkara, Doug, and Spoony actually play really well off of each other, so when they have their three idiot villains team up they at least get some decently good moments. And other reviewers I generally like such as Phelous or Todd do a solid job, and frankly in To Boldly Flee Doug Walker does show some impressive dramatic acting… but it’s in service of a character who has previously been portrayed as a petulant, whiny, self-serving, egotistical manchild, so it almost feels like he’s playing a totally different character. Still, credit where credit is due.

None of these films succeed at what they want to. Ostensibly, they are supposed to be celebrating the site and the friendship of the reviewers, but as I mentioned, there’s no reviewing, there’s nothing that indicates what the site is about, and they all just come off as ego-stroking self-congratulatory wanking. None of these films were worth the pain and suffering that the cast and crew had to go through to produce these, and watching them at all these days is especially hard knowing that a lot of these people are smiling and joking through pain, stress, and abuse. It’s sick.

Kickassia may be the most competent, but that isn’t saying much at all. Aside from the whole Palin bit, this one has a simple, straightforward plot and is relatively down-to-earth, and it almost feels like it really was just a bunch of friends making a shitty low budget action movie in the desert… something sadly undermined by reality. Suburban Knights is probably one of the most uncomfortable to sit through due to jokes like Film Brain saying he’d eat Kinley Mochrie’s “pea-ness” (this was before she came out mind you) and the numerous jokes surrounding JewWario’s junk, but it almost works, like it nearly comes close to being a dumb epic fantasy comedy, but it just frequently shoots itself in the foot with the bad writing and acting and its overreliance on references.

To Boldly Flee is, to put it absolutely simple, a hot mess. This film is an utter trainwreck from start to finish. It is the Battlefield Earth of internet review movies, a bloated, messy, overly long dumpster fire with some of the most nightmarish behind-the-scenes stories and horrendous financial mismanagement you could ever imagine. But where Battlefield Earth is at least unintentionally funny, this film… is not. This film just makes you feel bad for everyone involved, it makes your heart ache for all the poor reviewers who had to suffer under the miserable conditions, it makes you question Doug Walker’s sanity in thinking he could turn his screeching manchild of a reviewer into some tragic martyr in a total 180 from how he had always been portrayed prior. None of these three films are worth sitting through, but I think To Boldly Flee is, with hindsight, the one least worth sitting through, which is a truly incredible accomplishment.

It’s kind of tragic. I still like a lot of the reviewers who took part in these – Todd, Linkara, Phelous, Brad Jones, and even Doug to some extent (though that’s an unpopular opinion these days) – but I just can’t muster up any forgiveness for these films anymore. And I don’t blame any of the people in it (except maybe Doug); most of them were there out of obligation or friendship or what have you. These films are just a monument to hubris, ignorance, broken friendships, horrible management, and wanton cruelty to those who called you friends.

See that picture up there at the top? With all of them gathered together like friends? God, how I wish that were the reality. How I wish that picture accurately reflected life, that they were all pals having a good time and that these films were something they were proud of. But behind that picture are stories all of them could tell of hurt, betrayal, resentment, anger, contempt, and some very unspeakable things in Carmichael’s case. I wish the sort of world a surface level glance at that picture shows you existed, where the crew of TGWTG all had a blast making these shitty movies together, because at least in that case I could find a sort of ironic enjoyment in them. But reality has gone out of its way to undermine any of that. 

[hazzatack]

Series: NFWMB

Chapter 1. Told you I'd give you student Harry.

"Alright, let's get started then."

Ah, the first day of classes of a brand new semester, you think as you slide into your seat in the very knick of time. Being on time was, well, not your strong suit. But you could feel the swell of pride in your heart that came from getting to your first class at all. After a year of nearly-failed classes, this was a new year new you, and nothing could get in yo-

"Do you have a pen I can borrow?"

A calamity of a boy has slunk into your row of seats - the last open in the whole lecture hall - and did so with as much clamor as physically possible before slamming into his chair.

You try not to roll your eyes too hard before reaching into your bag and pulling out a pen for him to do the "getting to know you" assignment.

No, where were you? Oh right, nothing was gonna distra-

"And a piece of paper?"

Now you look up at this boy with vitriol in your eyes and you aren't that surprised when you see he's got the Python logo emblazoned across his chest. Python, aka Pi Theta Nu. Aka the worst fraternity on the entire campus, kicked off multiple times in their history, back on now with a pending suspension that wasn't stopping them from continuing to host parties in off-campus houses.

Or you from going to them.

All that aside, you are surprised when you see him smile a genuine apology as you rip out a piece of paper and hand it to him.

You focus forward once again, eyes trained on Professor Martin as she begins her mini-lecture. So much for syllabus week.

You barely get the date written on your notebook page before you feel a tap on your shoulder.

Dear God, you are going to strangle this boy.

"One last question I promise," he says, and you notice an accent lolling around on his words, but you sigh in frustration instead of longing when he continues. "What time does class end?"

"Ummm, I think 1:35," you say back, just as Professor Martin looks up at you.

"Y/N! A pleasure to see a familiar face. Do you know the answer?"

Oh, fuck. Damn those stupid green eyes and accent for getting you started off on the wrong foot.

"Sorry, I missed the question, Dr. Martin," you say sheepishly, and slope down into your seat and - you hope - right into a black hole underneath it.

"Convergence," you heard your English neighbor shout across the lecture hall. Oh god, it was an easy question. and this bastard got it first.

"That's right... what's your name?"

"Harry," he replies.

When Dr. Martins goes back to the lecture, you feel him lean toward you ever so slightly.

"Sorry," he whispers, and you resist the impulse in your bones to flip him off.

Class ends early and without another word from the disruptive boy, aside from him sliding your pen back onto your desk.

You run out of the classroom and down the hall to the media checkout desk, and plop on top of the counter.

"I'm just here for candy," you say, leaning over your coworker to grab the Reese's that's behind her.

"Dude! You just missed it. That asshole Ryan kid just dropped a lens. Like right in front of me."

Your eyes widen, watching Jen repeat the story back to you. Typical entitled freshmen. No one gives a shit about this equipment the school pays thousands for. Can't wait till they're in the real world.

Same conversation as - it seems - every day.

"The semester literally started today. How is this already happening?" You say between popping another chocolate into your mouth.

You get swept up in conversation around the desk; your boss, classmates, and AI's all hang near the window during breaks. While you're laughing at your boss joke-firing you for the millionth time, you see the boy walk by and smile at you shyly, before putting his head down and walking on.

The week goes by crazy fast, and you're already obsessing over your next project for your Directing class by the time Friday night comes. Your teacher has already set up an open casting call and you walk onto campus the best way you know how to deal with 2 hours of immeasurable boredom - in sweats, holding a back of goldfish.

You'd been to these kinds of things before. 30 or so actors come in to give their monologues and each one is so... the same as the last that you wonder if you'll ever make anything worthwhile in college.

"Are we ready to begin?" Your teacher asks, clapping his hands together. You look up from the script you were furiously typing and the lights go down.

You sit in your uncomfortable chair in the middle of the studio and watch actor after actor come in and say their name, grade, experience, and then glaze over as they "act" for you and 5 other media school hopefuls that need to cast their next 10 projects. You take notes, and a few people even surprise you. Maybe you actually WILL get something off the ground this semester. It's a hopeful thought, given this is your final year before graduation and then LA.

"We've got just one more, then pizza. Or go home, I don't really care, but there will be pizza," your teacher says. Everyone laughs and begins to stir as the last actor comes into the studio.

"Hello, I'm Harry. Harry Styles. I'm a junior, theatre and advertising major, and I most of my experience comes from on-campus stuff. Black box studio theatre."

The familiar and slightly warm accent pulls your head up from the script you've once again opened up, and you can't help your heart from racing at the sight of the boy. He hadn't sat next to you for class yesterday - probably sensing your distaste wafting off of you - and you thought you'd been rid of him for good.

You sit back and smile smugly when he looks up at you, honestly kind of HOPING that he'd be absolutely awful.

And then... he's not.

"I've always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die," he starts. It's interesting to watch a scene come to light in an actor's eye, and not something that's very common for college students, but damn. He absolutely knocks it out of the park and you can see your brain mentally tallying where to slot him in for every part you need to cast for the next... forever. He's that good.

Everyone claps when it's over and your teacher stands up, slaps Harry on the back, and announces the pizza.

When you grab your slice, you're first out the door, heading down the hall to pick up your late night shift at the media lab, all the while trying to reconcile that Harry with the frat-star you broke down in your brain.

"Thought you had me figure out, eh?" Harry says from down the hall. An hour later, you're closing up the lab, locking it down before the weekend.

"Sorry?" You hear yourself saying, but your heart is so far up in your neck that you can't really tell if you're controlling your mouth or not.

"I'm just kidding," he says. He walks up next to you and leans against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. "I did see your face during my audition though. Your jaw was basically on the ground."

There. That's it. The Python ego that you'd come to know and hate.

He might be a good actor but you're not working with that kind of attitude for a whole project. No way.

"I was blinded. American Beauty's one of my favorite movies, and you were the first person to do the monologue tonight."

He shrugs.

"Whatever you say." There's a small moment of awkward silence as your click the key in and twist the lab shut.

"I've got a show tonight," he says out of nowhere. "You should come."

"You're in a band?" You ask, instead of one of the other trillion questions flying around your head. Why the fuck are you inviting me to your show, being the first and most important.

"Drummer," he says. There's a glint in his eye that totally says I-get-girls-to-drop-their-pants-just-by-using-that-one-word. But you're not falling for it.

You stay silent, mostly confused.

"We need a videographer?" Harry says, looking at you like any other option would be idiotic. And it would. "We'd pay you."

You breathe a sigh of relief.

"I don't have my own equipment, sorry. But have a good show," you say and turn around, heading toward the door, your car, somewhere that isn't sweatpants in front of Harry Styles.

"You could come anyway!" He tells down the hall, right as you open the door. You play it off like you didn't hear it, knowing it's making his heart race that he didn't have you running back to him with your panties already halfway down your legs.

But you absolutely know what you're doing tonight.

[tom5ive]

The 2018 Moments

Hey, let’s break the silence in this blog with a review of 2018, shall we? Hereby I’ll try to list some significant moments/things/ones that I consider influential in 2018. Something that in the future --maybe when I’m waiting for my flight-- would randomly pop up and “Hey, I remember that!”. That does not mean that these things are only temporary moments; it’s the opposite. They might have lingering effects that may influence me for the upcoming years…

Here goes!

Friends

I started off 2018 in Budapest with my friends as part of a week-long winter trip. Of course we had a lot of fun, but we also had some up-and-down moments. We started off our trip visiting the concentration camp in Auschwitz. It felt dark, sad and depressing...but it was such a valuable lesson of history. We often slept on the train or bus while navigating to different cities: comfortable beds were not our everyday thing during the trip. Also, Eastern Europe was dazzling cold. As it was our first ever European trip, we were quite ambitious to visit 6 cities merely in the span of 7 days...so indeed, our energy was drained. As you can guess: with that condition, conflict arose, everyone got more sensitive (including me). But don’t get me wrong, Eastern Europe is so beautiful!

All in all, those moments were the ones that tightened our bond. We learn to understand each other’s character and we didn’t stop hanging out ever since. We even went for another trip to Italy in the summer and I think it was one of those so-called moments of lifetime. Although we won’t meet that often again, I hope we’ll retain our bond even after we graduate 😊

Geoscripting

Geoscripting is a course title. Probably the best course I’ve ever taken during my master study. This traced back further into late-2017 though, when I decided to take the Python class. You know, programming has always been a daunting subject ever since I was in my bachelor study. I know it is important, but no matter how hard I tried, I always gave up. I really want to be able to code.

Among the recommended courses that I can take during the first period of my study was Python. I hesitated at first, because sometimes you would want to take the ‘safe’ path, especially when it is among the first class you take abroad; not to mention its relatively low passing rate (less than 60%). But then, screw the safe path! I took it anyway and I think it was one of the best decisions in my life.

Early 2018 was the time when I took the continuation course: Geoscripting, where you also code, but specifically in the wonderful geo-domain. I felt scripting has opened up a novel path in my life, a broad lane that I’d like to pursue. I know for sure, that my future, my career, would follow that path 😊 The future of geo-information is in scripting. Desktop GIS would get outdated pretty soon.

Spatial modelling and statistics

With the best course comes the toughest course. I think it was in this period that I felt the lowest, frustrated and fed up. I just could not comprehend the material. The sentences in the reader felt too long and complicated to understand. At some point I just skipped a class and went to the park just to calm my nerve.

But again, I am glad that I took this class. The professor, Gerard, was the best professor I’ve ever had. I know he is an expert, but it is amazing how he can just put himself among the students. His patience and the way he explained was super clear. I think it was him that kept me going; without such motivation I wouldn’t be able to pass the course.

Such figure is the kind of person I would like to be. I want to be an expert in my field, and when I do, I’d like to be able to put myself on other’s feet. Explain something as simple as possible, stay humble and hungry. I think that’s one way to show the significance of my expertise as well 😊

Reunion

My family came to visit me in Europe. It was 1997 when we left Paris, and after 21 years, the three of us came back. Gare du Nord was the place that we reunited. It was so memorable. My parents stayed for about 3 weeks in Europe, but we dedicated 10 days merely in Paris. And I still felt it was not enough..or maybe just the right amount. Every corner of the marvelous city has special story for us: that my parents can tell the name of each stop of RER B because it’s their everyday commute, that we used to eat at Flunch often because it was cheap and delicious (and still is!), that my mom and I used to wait at that Monthuchet bus stop when it’s time for my dad to come home, and a lot more. Countless.

I still shed my tear everytime I remember this. It is not an exaggeration that Paris holds such a special value for us, both happy and sad. And I feel really blessed that the three of us were able to walk down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées last year.

Thank you, God.

Cousin

Yup, my cousin, he came! He is also starting his study in Wageningen last year. It’s great to have a family while we’re living abroad like this. It also means more adventure. In fact, we went to Morocco last year. Hopefully more adventures would come!

Thesis

I started working on my thesis after the summer break last year. Looking back and seeing my progress now, I feel that a lot of things can be improved, particularly my time management. When I’ve been working with them for several straight days, I find it difficult to concentrate. Also, I got tired quite quickly. Usually at 9-10 I already went to the bed...although I have this weird habit of sleeping exactly 6 hours, so I always wake up around 4 in the morning. But I didn’t went straight working again, so I thought I should be able to use my time more effectively.

However, I am really happy with my supervisor. I feel like this is my first time doing ‘real’ research with a supervisor. We meet regularly and we always have a lively discussion. We think and we solve problem together. That’s amazing. Sorry to say, but it is unlike my previous experience when I worked with my bachelor thesis: I had to work super independently, with no one to discuss with (because my topic was quite weird anyway). At that time, I think I only met my supervisor about 2-3 times..for the whole thesis! It’s crazy if I think about it now.

I’m also glad about my thesis topic choice. I worked a lot with coding, with R… Combining spatial analysis with data science, which is the direction I’d like to follow for my career. Frustration popped up at times, but it’s part of the process!

[hollyplays]

The Roundup: July 2018

It’s been a shitty, shitty month. I’m getting evicted, we got into a car accident, the new insurance has my girlfriend confused for someone with a horrible speeding ticket record, and my little brother, who is learning to drive, has started hiding the car keys for some reason.

I have a tendency to hoard media. During my first year of college I was extremely depressed and contemplating suicide when I read a piece of advice- find something to look forward to, and you’ll never do it. So I started hoarding comics- I think I have 180 GBs of comics on my computer- and movies.

Well, at some point during July things got so bad I started burning through my movies. I’m not sure exactly how many I watched, but...it’s a lot. This is going to be long. 

(I have since stopped watching multiple movies a day, and gone back to semi normal movie watching habits.)

Tampopo: I think I technically watched this in June and forgot, but I love it. Tampopo is a “food western” about a group of food enthusiasts helping a young woman perfect her ramen restaurant. Tampopo has lots of smaller vignettes about how food affects our lives, and the result is lovely and comforting and meditative. Tampopo is excellent, and manages to have one of the best opening scenes to a movie I’ve ever seen.

The Exterminating Angel: This was my first movie by Luis Bunuel, and I loved it. This kind of supernaturalish, surreal horror really really works for me. Plus, the rich suffer, which is always nice. This movie is really wonderful, plus the behind-the-scenes stuff on the blu-ray was super interesting. Apparently to make the actors more uncomfortable in the scene, Bunuel would rub honey all over their arms. Nasty.

The Fisher King: My second Gilliam movie. Better than Jabberwocky, but I still wouldn’t call it good. Robin Williams was excellent as always, but I felt like Jeff Bridges was playing half a character. It had some touching scenes, but overall kind of forgettable. I don’t think I’ll be seeking out Gilliam anymore.

Badlands: I try not to judge directors on their first movie, but Badlands really comes out in Malick’s favor. This is as wonderful a movie about a serial killer as I’m likely to ever see. It’s like a landscape painting with characters. It manages to never be slow or drag despite long flowing scenes. I’m still thinking about Badlands more than a month later, and that says a lot.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine: This is a really interesting game. WWTLW has one of the most unique mechanics I’ve ever seen in a video game, and the process of watching your stories grow and evolve is so, so cool. I wish the overworld map wasn’t so barren, and that the sprinting mechanic wasn’t such a pain, but beyond that this game is excellent. The writing here is top-notch.

Eraserhead: I’d technically seen this before, but I was half asleep so I’m counting it. Eraserhead is obviously good- it’s film history for a reason- but on a second viewing I’m struck by just how impressive the visual storytelling is. The dialogue in this movie could fit on half a page, but there’s still so so much to it. You need to see this at least once.

Frances Ha: “Frustrating, but enjoyable” seems to be Baumbach’s general ouvre, and Frances Ha is no exception. Still, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Frances is likable, even when she’s fucking up, which is more than I can say for her life partner Sophie. For as much time as Frances spends making mistakes, it’s really lovely and warm to see things come together for her in the end. Worth a watch, especially at an hour and fifteen minutes.

The Thin Red Line: Jesus christ, this movie is so long. It’s two hours and forty minutes long, and nothing of worth happens after the forty minute mark. It’s a war movie that manages to be beautiful and haunting, which would be impressive if it didn’t just fucking drag. I might watch this again and just turn it off at two hours, honestly.

Days of Heaven: I wanted this to be better than Thin Red Line and it was. Days of Heaven brings Malick’s landscape painter sensibility to labor in the 20th century, and the result is genuinely fantastic. The visuals here are stunning, even if the story is a little lacking- my biggest frustration is that most of the story events take place in the third act, like Days of Heaven is the first part in a series of novels that doesn’t exist.

Fat Girl: I get what this movie was trying to do. I understand the metaphor for how dangerous it is to be a woman. I get it, and I can respect it, but fuck do I hate this movie. I just don’t wanna watch 2 hours of a young fat girl getting shit on by her family, interspersed with rape scenes. I’m not interested in that, no matter how pretty it’s shot.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower: I watched this as a palate cleanser after Fat Girl, and it served that purpose just fine. It’s an okay movie on it’s own, but in the shadow of the rest of Ghibli it kind of pales. The animation and visuals are as phenomenal as ever, but the story is a little all over the place. Definitely still enjoyable, but sort of middling.

Sounds of Summer by Ten Toes Spumoni: If we’re Facebook friends, you’ve probably already seen me talk about this album. It’s been on repeat around here pretty much since it came out. Ten Toes Spumoni is a good friend of mine, and I genuinely believed nothing he made would top Journal of Hypnosis, but Sounds of Summer blows it out of the fuckin water. Throw a few bucks his way, because he deserves it.

Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette: This is a standup comedy act that isn’t particularly funny. It’s amazing, and full of toothed commentary on the world and LGBT issues, but it isn’t funny. It’s heavy, and hard to watch, and worth the trouble. I think this is one of the few things I gave 5 stars this month, and it deserves it.

Wizard of Legend: A big part of watching movies for me this month has been finding the perfect roguelike to play while I watch movies. I eventually settled on Gungeon, but Wizard of Legend was a strong contender too. It’s roguelike elements are really enjoyable, and finding the perfect combination of spells is fun, but resources are a little too scarce for my liking.

My Own Private Idaho: I loved this movie more than I expected to, and I knew I’d like it. My Own Private Idaho offers an exceptionally gay take on modern Shakespeare, and River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves are absolutely phenomenal here. The interview segments are a little hard to watch, but the rest of the movie is beautiful and sad and lovely. One of my favorites in a long time.

Coco: Similar to Witch’s Flower, I thought this was fine. The music is wonderful, and the animation is beautiful, but the story is a little lacking, especially towards the third act. I think Pixar forgot how to write villains that aren’t just ‘good guy’s been bad the whole time’. Hell, even Incredibles 2 did it.Those complaints aside, Coco is really enjoyable and well worth your time.

The Spirit of the Beehive: A meditation on childhood, the Spanish civil war, early film, and Frankenstein. I enjoyed thinking about this movie later more than I actually enjoyed watching it, I think. It’s a little slow, but the third act picks up and wraps the story up nicely. Definitely watch Huellas De Un Espiritu if you watch it, it adds a lot of context which helps the movie out.

Simon Of The Desert: Short movies are nice when you’re watching three a day, so I really appreciated Simon Del Desierto’s 45 minute runtime. It’s both less surreal and funnier than I expected- Simon Del Desierto feels more like Monty Python than Jabberwocky did. Highly recommended.

Cronos: A little disappointing, I’m not gonna lie. I’m a huge Del Toro fan, so I was really excited to watch his first movie, but it left me lukewarm. He describes it as a vampire film, but it takes a long time to find it’s legs. Worth the watch just for Ron Perlman and the scene where a little girl breaks his nose.

The Devil’s Backbone: This is what I wanted Cronos to be. A Del Toro twist on gothic romance and ghost story, Devil’s Backbone is as unsettling as it is charming. The kids in this movie are exceptional actors, and the script sells their childhood so, so well.

The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins: I didn’t expect too much from the graphic novel of TAZ’s first arc, but it really surprised me. Carey Pietsch’s art is just cartoony enough to bely the adult humor in the series, and the characters have been deftly adapted. The first arc in the podcast suffers a lot from ‘pregen syndrome’, where Taako and Merle weren’t super fleshed out, but the graphic novel rights the ship really well.

Black Girl: At 59 minutes, Black Girl is well worth your time mostly for how angry it’ll make you. Black Girl tells the story of a Senegalese woman who is deceived into becoming a house maid for a rich French woman, and the sheer amount of bullshit she puts up with before losing it makes her a saint in my eyes. I enjoyed this movie a lot, and I’m excited to see more African cinema.

A Hat In Time: I’ve played the shit out of this game and it never gets old. A Hat in Time is as charming as charming gets, and it perfectly recreates the feeling of playing Mario Sunshine for the first time. Only, you know, Hat in Time is fun.

Pony Island: Pony Island is one of those games that’s just a little too short- not because it feels rushed, but because I wished there was more when it ended. It’s a little cheesy in places, and the dialogue is a little slow, but the puzzles are perfectly scaled and the sense of humor is really great.

Styx: Shards of Darkness: This game might be good. I don’t know. The main character’s dialogue was so shitty I only played about 40 minutes of it. Imagine the mechanic in Jak & Daxter where Daxter makes fun of you when you die, but they got the writers from Family Guy really drunk and had them write it and never told them no.

[loadholiday383]

Script Mods Sims 4

Best Script Mods Sims 4

Script Mods Sims 4 Fantayzia

Documents Electronic Arts The Sims 4 Mods.Do NOT put them in your Program Files path. Remember.ts4scripts can only go ONE sub-folder deep inside your mods folder. For example, when adding ScarletSimCityLoans.ts4script: Correct (it can go in the CustomFolder): Documents Electronic Arts The Sims 4 Mods CustomFolder.

Sims 4 Mods: Getting Started with Python Scripting (November Patch Update) For those familiar with Script modding (and those trying to learn it), Andrew over at Sims4Studio has updated the unpyc used for Script Mods for the upcoming November patch. He also posted a very easy to follow tutorial on how to get started.

To install Sims 4 mods, download the mod you'd like to use. Find your download with a file explorer and simply drag and drop or copy and paste it into your Sims 4 'Mods' folder. The game should.

Here is the list of 20 best Sims 4 Mods 2020: Sims 4 Mods. These Sims 4 mods have everything from minor modifications to complete rework. New ones keep on coming almost every week. However, it may be hard to keep track of which ones are the best. Many of the Sims 4 mods have not been updated for years, and any official game updates may make.

Food Delivery Service. Cooking in the Sims takes a long time. Spending 4 hours to make some nasty eggs just isn’t worth it, so order in! This mod is a huge upgrade to the pizza delivery service, and we love it.

Sims 4 has the best career paths of all the Sims games.

It’s one of those things that EA has truly perfected throughout the years, and the many modern careers are a big draw for this newest installment.

However you can never really have enough careers in a Sims game.

People who like to start many different saves often like to have their sims follow different career paths, and there comes a point where you’ll run out of new careers to try (or you’ll simply find many of them not as interesting as others).

And that’s why we have mods mods to keep the game interesting.

After scouring the web I’ve put together this post of all the best career mods that you can download right now.

There are hundreds of career mods for the game, but many of them are bland and not truly well developed.

But worry not–I’ve filtered all the low-effort mods to present only the best ones to save you the time and trouble of searching around. Have a peek and see what grabs your interest.

20. Retail

Working in retail is one of the most underrated careers in the world.

The hours are long, the work is hard, and customers can be quite a pain to deal with.

There’s no reason why a virtual human wouldn’t love this career, though!

And with this mod you can have your sim work the life of a retail salesperson by working their people skills to net profits for the store.

This rabbit hole career will let your sim live the same experience as many people have to live in real life. There’s nothing more realistic than having a young adult work in retail to try living on their own.

The modern world at its finest, am I right?

19. Animal Care

Is your sim an animal lover?

Well this mod will allow your sim to care for animals all around the world, helping protect endangered species and being one with nature by helping wildlife survive.

With the animal care career add-on you will become the protector of nature that you might be dreaming of becoming in real life.

After all, there’s no better way to earn a living than by helping others – nature needs our help!

18. Filmmaker

Spielberg, Tarantino, watch out.

With the filmmaker career you will be able to become the most famous movie director in the entire world(well, the Sims world).

Have your sim grow from an amateur filmmaker to one of the world’s leading directors.

This career has many riches waiting for you. And with very creative branches and descriptions for each level, work has definitely been put into making this one of the best deeper careers in the entire Sims 4 modding community.

What films will your sim make? Are you going to be a science fiction director, or more of a rom-com movie maker? Movie magic is in your hands.

17. Ultimate Educator

Being an educator is one of the noblest yet underpaid professions in the entire world.

Thankfully this mod doesn’t let a teacher’s wages fall below the average earnings of a regular sim, and there are many branches to choose from too.

You can even reach a high level in the academy branch and have them become the director of a university. How cool!

If you want your sim to become a teacher then go straight ahead and download this mod. You won’t be disappointed with what this career path offers.

https://loadholiday383.tumblr.com/post/655793848440815616/shur-dri-owners-manual. You may get different mileage depending on how fast you drive, weather conditions and trip length. Actual vehicle price may vary by Dealer.MBFS NMLS #2546.Stated rates of acceleration are based upon manufacturer's track results and may vary depending on model, environmental and road surface conditions, driving style, elevation and vehicle load.†EPA estimated fuel economy. Compare the estimated mpg to the estimated mpg of other vehicles.

16. Makeup Artist

Being a makeup artist is probably the dream of many girls around the world.

But becoming one isn’t an easy as it seems – even if the talent is there.

This mod allows any sim to become a makeup artist with enough time.

But beware – the road to the top is full of challenges and becoming the best makeup artist won’t be easy. You know how gossipy those salons can be.

15. Fitness Instructor

The fitness life is not for everyone.

But there’s not really a clear way to choose it in the Sims 4 unless you go with the bodybuilder aspiration.

With the fitness instructor career, your sim works to help others become the fitness monsters that they wanna be. It’s inspiring and educational, and might even help you get in the gym a bit more.

Spread the words of health and teach others how to follow the footsteps of your sim’s healthy lifestyle.

14. Modeling

It doesn’t matter whether your sim is male or female; models are always wanted by companies if they’re good enough.

With this mod you can have your sim pretty easily become a paid model. If only it was this easy in real life…

Be aware that you’ll need to remain in the most pristine physical shape if you want to succeed in this career, and doing so won’t be as easy as it sounds.

Stay away from junk food, make sure you lift weights, do runs, and get enough sleep. Making money with your beauty is possible if you stay on top of it.

13. Game Dev

Developing video games has to be one of the most sought-after careers in the modern world.

However not many people get into it because you need to have a lot of programming knowledge if you wish to succeed. Even then, creativity plays a huge part in your success as a game developer. After all, not everyone can create the next Sims franchise!

But if you want your virtual friend to help you feel what it’s like to work in the gaming industry you can try out this mod and have your sim develop games for the world’s most famous companies.

Simply download the mod and apply for the initial role to move into a Game Dev career path. Also this is a bit meta so it’s really quite entertaining.

12. Therapist

Being a therapist might not be everyone’s dream career.

Yet those who do manage to chase this path often help others far beyond their wildest of dreams.

It’s a tough job and it requires a lot of mental strength, but if you think that your sim is up for it then go ahead and take them through this mod.

The later stages of this career allow your sim to make quite a significant amount of money, so the hard work will eventually pay off.

11. Mortician

I’ve added the mortician career mod amongst the best career mods in the Sims 4 because it’s so unique and probably unthinkable to become a mortician in such a fun game.

I mean, we know EA/Maxis would never add this. So I’m really happy with this mod’s ingenuity.

Experience the grim side of life in The Sims 4 by taking care of the deceased. This forces your sim work closely with the dead and helping to send them on their way to a better life on the other side.

10. Oceanography

The ocean. The strangest place that the Earth has to offer, and same goes for our friendly sims fellows too.

We’ve managed to discover some of its mysteries with the latest Island Living expansion pack, but there are still many things that lie at the bottom of the ocean waiting to be discovered.

Well now you can have your sim study the oceanic landscape and become a prolific scientist with this free oceanography career mod!

This is one those careers that you probably didn’t know you wanted in the game until you saw it. And while it hasn’t appeared much in older titles, now you have the chance to try it out.

9. Psychologist

The strain of being a psychologist takes a toll on most sims. And it’s only natural for them to come home feeling tense(basically a therapist with a doctorate).

Best Script Mods Sims 4

Apart from the satisfaction that it provides to help others, being a top-rated psychologist in the world of Sims 4 can see you rack up those stacks of simoleons quite fast.

You get to help people and become wealthy doing it. What more do you need?

8. Medical (4 Branches)

Let’s face it: being a doctor in the Sims has never really felt quite right.

Options don’t seem as aplenty, and there’s just something that feels to be lacking.

Sure, the Get to Work expansion did wonders to the scientific career. But medicine has always been a weak spot in the Sims.

Even though this mod only adds one deep career path, there are 4 branches that you can choose to follow as a doctor with this mod.

These 4 specialties are dermatologist, cardiologist, plastic surgeon, or a pediatrician. Some pretty varied options that I think add a lot of creativity into the mix.

7. Animal Rescuer

https://loadholiday383.tumblr.com/post/656877697345159168/usb-interface-protocol-for-owi-robotic-arm-edge-for-mac. There are so many innocent animals that don’t have a future because they either get abandoned by their owners or left behind by their parents.

Not to mention some terrible living conditions that animals need to be saved from. Even virtual animals.

With this mod your sim can help out those animals in need and work for the biggest shelter in the city.

Pay the bills all while making the world a better place for our lovable pets.

6. Daycare

Caring for a child is not a job everyone can handle.

Many people, in fact, are not fond of children at all.

If your sim loves to spend their time caring for the needs of children then you should consider making them follow the daycare worker career path.

You’ll be caring for the next generation’s best & brightest so make sure you’re up to the task.

5. Singer

Being a musician is incredibly fun. Getting on stage, touring, what’s not to love?

That said… why is there a singing skill if your sim can’t become a singer?! It makes no sense!

This mod fixes that – and boy does it make the game feel far more complete.

With a singer career you can live the dream of becoming the next big thing in the musical world without having to pick up a guitar to do it – although that would definitely help so don’t shy away from the instruments.

4. Real Estate

Working in real estate is for sure a great way to earn.

To install Firefox on a Windows XP system, because of Windows restrictions, the user will have to download Firefox 43.0.1 and then update to the current release. Recommended Hardware Pentium 4 or newer processor that supports SSE2. Download, Install, or Update the best Mac apps - MacUpdate. Home Internet Utilities Browsers Firefox Download. Download Firefox 48.0.2. Aug 24, 2016 Version 48.0.2, first offered to Release channel users on August 24, 2016 We'd also like to extend a special thank you to all of the new Mozillians who contributed to this release of Firefox! The Firefox 48.0.2 was released August 24, 2016 and is missing several security updates that the Firefox 45.9.0esr released on April 19, 2017 has. Read this answer in context 👍 1 All Replies (3). Download Firefox 48.0.2 for Mac from FileHorse. 100% Safe and Secure One of the World`s Most Popular Web Browsers for Mac. Mozilla firefox 48.0.2 download.

It may not be your childhood dream but it’s certainly a mature career choice.

Sims cannot really get into the business of selling properties in the vanilla game, but with this mod you can have your sim sign up for the real estate career and have them become experts in the selling game.

And if you do good work you’ll see plenty of bonuses.

3. Rocket Scientist

You can actually be a rocket scientist in The Sims 4, but there’s no career for it!

With the skill of rocket science already implemented in the game, becoming a rocket scientist just makes sense. Special thanks for this mod because it also adds a sense of completion to the game.

You can now have your sim walk the career path of one of the most difficult scientific careers on Earth – and take it all the way to outer space as you advance in ranks!

Rocket scientists are very well paid and respected too.

If you think your sim has what it takes to become a respected rocket scientist then go ahead and pick up this job. Rewards are aplenty at the latter stages of this career.

2. Social Services

Irresponsible simmers have probably felt the wrath of social service workers many times in their life as Sims players.

With this mod you’ll be able to have your sim work for them!

It’s still a rabbit hole career but there’s nothing quite as fun as seeing your sim work for a company that so many sim parents despise.

In any case, working for Social Services is nothing but an honorable profession. Help protect children from awful parents and shine as a state worker with this career mod.

1. YouTuber

Sure, the filming station might help you become a famous vlogger in The Sims 4.

But with this mod you’ll be able to actually become a famous YouTuber and watch your career propel you all the way into internet stardom!

We’ve all dreamt of becoming a YouTuber one day, or if we haven’t then we can at least admit it’s a cool way to make money. Well now your sim can actually do it with this incredibly modern and creative mod.

No matter what mod you choose just remember the Sims is all about variety and having fun. Maybe download a few, try them all out, and let us know what your favorites are.

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The Sims 4 script mod are custom created files also known as CC where developers write their own code from scratch to provide enhanced features in the game. These mods are a perfect example of why the sims 4 games are not getting old.

What are Sims 4 Script Mod?

In the sims 4, script mods are those when developers write their own code in order to change the behavior of the game as opposed to pre-existing game files. Usually, mods are modified using the pre-existing masix files. The best example is trait mods. Most trait mods offer new effects and buffs that are not available in the initial game.

The Sims 4 Script Mods Install

The installation process is quite easy, you just have to perform a number of steps and you’re all set. The process for sims 4 script mods mac is similar with the PC version of the game. However, as of now, mods are not available in the console version of the game.

To get started, you first need an extractor tool in your PC. You can download free tool from the internet.

How to uninstall the Sims 4 Script Mod?

This process is as simple as the installation process. Just locate the newly installed CC mod file, delete it and relaunch your game.

The Sims 4 Script Mods Update

We have received a lot of complaints regarding the sims 4 mod not working. This is a major problem during the sims 4 November 2018 Patch Update. This problem has been fixed as of now. Most CC developers have updated their mod files with the newer security patch update. We recommend you to update your game with the latest version and install newly updated Custom Content files. Contact the owner of the mod, in case they’ve not updated their mods for more than 6 months.

The Sims 4 Script Mods Not Working Mac

A lot of Mac players are facing such problems. Here is some solution that you can try.

Script Mods Sims 4 Fantayzia

Update your game with the latest version

Update the CC file from the developer site

Make sure you’ve enabled the script mod option

Try repairing your game from the Origin games library

Try resetting your Sims 4 Mod folder

[seanpatricklittlewriter]

The Movie Post

Greetings and salutations, true believers. I haven’t posted anything in a while other than shameless book promotion stuff for #FourthAndWrong, and for that I apologize. I always say I’d let you know if anything good happened immediately, but nothing good has happened. The new book is out. A few people who have read it told me they liked it. It’s not selling well. Lack of sales means a lack of reviews, which only helps it not sell faster. It’s all a vicious cycle. At a certain point, you have to remember that you’re only writing books because some tiny voice in your head won’t let you stop, and you just throw your hands up and let everything else fall as it may. For the first time, I’ve actually bothered to try real advertising. I’m giving advertising on the Kindle lock screens a go. I’ll let you know if actually works.

 In the meantime, I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts while puttering around the house, going for walks, and ignoring the gym. (I gotta stop ignoring the gym…) If you haven’t watched “Ted Lasso” on AppleTV yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s one of the best shows I’ve watched in a long time. Great writing. Great characters. Great story. Very uplifting and wonderful. One of the show’s writers, creators, and stars, the wonderful Brett Goldstein (who plays the gruff Roy Kent on the show), has a podcast called “Films to Buried With.”

 I started listening to his podcast because I enjoy him on the show so much, and I’ve found out that I enjoy his podcast as much as the show. He’s a genuinely sweet man, and he gets comedian and actor friends to guest on his podcast. The show’s conceit is that Brett invites guests on, tells them they have died, and then gets them to relive their life through the films that meant something to them. It’s a fun little chat show, and a solid way to waste an hour while you’re getting through doing the dishes or mowing the lawn.

 It’s precisely the sort of podcast I would love to be on. I’ve always said you can judge your level of success by what people invite you to do. I always said I’d know if I “made it” if I could ever get invited to be on one of the podcasts I enjoy, rather than trying to wrangle my way into someone else’s podcast or blog. So far— this has not happened. That should tell you what level of success I’m stuck at. I don’t get invited to the movies by my imaginary friends. But Brett encourages people to share their ideas and opinions on social media, anyhow. It’s a fun way to play along at home, tell other people about the podcast, and start conversations around your favorite movies. Stories bind us together. They give us common ground and build bridges toward strengthening relationships. If you meet someone new, you can tell if you’ll get along with them by what films they enjoy. So in that spirit, I’d like to answer the questions Brett asks his guests by discussing a few of my favorite films. If you’d like to play along in the comments, please do. I always love reading about what other people think about movies, books, or music. I won’t bother going through the death/afterlife conceit he uses, but I recommend listening to a few of his podcasts if you enjoy this sort of thing. It’s a fun little premise he uses to generate the episodes.

 --What’s the first film you remember seeing?

         I remember bits and pieces of several films from my childhood. I remember the Muppet Movie in the theater. I remember seeing The Black Hole. I remember a lot of little chunks of a lot of Disney animated films. But the movie that sticks out in my head is “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It was 1981. I was six. I remember going to see it on a Sunday matinee with my family. I remember it was packed. People were literally sitting on the floor in the aisles. We got three seats someplace, but I remember my dad having to sit in the row in front of us. I don’t remember a ton about the movie the first time I saw it other than being scared of the pit of snakes and the melting Nazi faces. However, I remember the iconic moment when Harrison Ford pulled the gun on the swordsman and shot him. I remember the audience reaction and thinking, “That’s a hero.” I’ve long been a Harrison Ford fan. Between Han Solo and Indiana Jones, he played two of the most iconic heroes of my childhood. When I wrote the TeslaCon novels, I made no secret that my protagonist, Nicodemus Clarke, was just a shallow rip-off of Indiana Jones. It’s funny, but to this day, in my head, if you ask me what a hero looks like, it’s always going to be Harrison Ford.

  --What’s the scariest film you’ve ever seen?

          The scariest film I’ve ever seen is Kevin Smith’s “Red State.” It’s a movie about a religious cult that’s very reminiscent of the Westboro Baptist Church, David Koresh/Waco compound, or any of the other extremely far-right Christian separatist movements. It’s scary because there are many, many of these gun-hoarding compounds, and the movie, while extreme, is not too far off from possibility. Michael Parks plays the leader of the family at the heart of the film, and his performance was award worthy. He was truly terrifying.     As an aside, prior to Red State, I always told people the movie that scared me the most was the original “The Amityville Horror.” Basically, I saw the scene where the poltergeist made the drop-sash window fall on the kid’s fingers and nearly sever them, and that was it. I had the same drop-sash windows in my bedroom, and I was scared of them from then on. I’d like to say that I outgrew my fear of drop-sash windows, but I’m 46 and they still skeeze me out when I see them. A movie I saw 40 years ago warped me forever.

  --What’s the movie that made you cry the most?

         I used to not be someone who cried at movies. However, years of thyroid issues and depression have messed with my response to emotional moments, so I do get teary nowadays at movies. Emotionally speaking, it’s not sad movies that get to me. It’s movies where someone overcomes something difficult. Especially sports movies. The ones that get me the most teary-eyed now are movies like the first “Rocky,” “Hoosiers,” “Miracle,” and “Rudy.” I also get teary-eyed at points of bravery to the point of stupidity. The best example of that is the climax and denouement of “How to Train Your Dragon.” Strangely enough, when a movie does something that is supposed to be a tear-jerker moment to the point that it panders to the audience, I don’t cry— I actually get angry. Anything Nicolas Sparks has ever had his name attached to, for instance. It’s maudlin, and it doesn’t deserve our respect.

  --What the film that made you laugh the most?

       This is not going to be a popular answer. If I was a little more erudite, I’d say something like “Airplane” or “Blazing Saddles” or “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” However, I didn’t see any of those in the theater originally. I was home, watching them on video. While they were funny and some of my favorite movies, I did not really do a ton of laughing while I saw them. I went to see “BASEketball” with my sister, and the theater was packed. Something about seeing a movie in a crowded theater heightens the emotional impact of jokes, and for whatever reason, that movie put me on the floor a couple of times. It’s a silly movie full of cheap laughs, but I remember hurting as I was leaving the theater. My sides and cheeks were sore. Second on that list was the movie “Bridesmaids.” I don’t think I’ve laughed harder at any movie than the scene where they all get diarrhea in the bridal shop. Especially Melissa McCarthy: “LOOK AWAY!”

  --What is the sexist film you’ve seen?

         For me, I will never forget seeing “Bachelor Party” on HBO at a friend’s house. Monique Gabrielle’s scene is probably the first time I saw full-frontal female nudity in a film. It burned itself into my brain. I probably have a thing for redheads to this day because of that scene. The rest of the movie is very wild and funny. It was one of the launching blocks for Tom Hanks’s ridiculously amazing career. But that one moment stands out as one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.

  --What film did you used to love, but now it’s not that great?

         Pretty much anything with “Rocky” in the title and a number following it. I still enjoy them, but Rocky III and IV, especially— not that good. I used to love them. I used to watch them whenever they hit TV, but now I only need to watch the first “Rocky,” and maybe the final fight in “Rocky II.” Anything else, I can leave out. They just feel a little overclocked at this point in my life.

  --What’s a film that people and critics panned, but you enjoyed?

        “Goon.” It’s a hockey film written by Jay Baruchel and starring Seann William Scott. It didn’t get wide release—almost straight-to-video. It didn’t get great reviews. I think Metacritic has it around 60%. But something about that movie hit me, and I love it. I suggest it to people all the time. It’s got great performances. It’s a solid flick. It’s not going to overwhelm you. It’s now one of my comfort films. When I’m bored and need something on in the background, I will often choose “Goon” or its sequel, “Goon: Last of the Enforcers.” The sequel was not as good as the original, but it’s still worth a watch. Kurt Russell’s son Wyatt is the villain in the sequel. He’s extremely good.

  --What’s a film that people love, but you hate?

        Hands down: “Avatar” or “Titanic.” Something about a lot of James Cameron films just don’t work with me. I think it’s because they’re too grandiose. They try too hard. Also, the scripts are just there to get him to the big, visual set-pieces. They’re thin on both character and plot. I can’t stand either of them.

  --What’s a film that means a lot to you, but it’s not because of the quality of the movie (i.e. you saw it with someone and it’s special, or it has importance to people around you, etc…)?

       Easily, “The Man From Snowy River.” This is a family favorite. I grew up watching this flick, and I made my daughter watch it when she was younger. I will never get tired of it. I probably watch it maybe three or four times a year. There’s just something about the cinematography of the climax when Jim goes down the mountainside on Denny’s back. It’s always breath-taking. Also, if you watch “The Man From Snowy River,” you see what my dad always wanted his life to be. Most boys’ fathers want their sons to be doctor or lawyers. My dad wanted me to be a cowboy.

  --What film do you relate to the most?

        “Clerks.” I saw “Clerks” when I was a senior in high school. Rented it from a local video store. I saw two dudes who were outliers in their social group working crappy jobs and dealing with the mundane nothingness of life. It hit me right in the gut. I resolved to do something better than that. So far, I’ve failed to do so, but I keep trying.

  --Empirically speaking, what is the best film? (Not necessarily favorite film— but what film do you think is the best film ever made?)

         I have to say it was “Lawrence of Arabia.” The casting was amazing. The cinematography was incredible, unrivaled, really. The story was excellent. And the ordeal of the entire filming process was without peer. What they went through to make that movie, hands down, makes it the best film ever made. The scope of the film alone is mind-boggling.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a close second, but that’s technically three films, so I went with Lawrence of Arabia.

  --What film have you seen the most?

         I have watched “The Muppet Movie” a ton. I still love the movie “Roxanne.” I have also seen “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “The Quiet Man” more than any single person probably should. If I had to think about it and pick one film I’ve seen more than other…it’s probably “Meatballs.” Growing up, my sister and I watched that flick a thousand times. I can probably recite it from memory. It’s also one of the films that cemented an undying loyalty to Bill Murray.

   --And finally: You die and go to heaven. And in heaven, they ask you to pick one film that summarizes your life, one film that makes people understand you, or a film you want people to watch to help them know you better. What is that film?

         Nothing has had more influence on my life than the movie “Ghostbusters.” It defined me in several ways: my love for comedy, my love for the paranormal, and my love for snark and snappy comebacks. I loved Ghostbusters so much that I watched it on a weekly basis. I ran the audio cables from our VCR to a tape deck and recorded an audio copy of the film to play on my Walkman while I road the bus to school every day. I still have the film memorized word-for-word. I will often let my eyes go a little weird and turn to my daughter and say, “Then, during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Sloar! Many Shubs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you!” To know me is to understand Ghostbusters on a molecular level. I owe that movie a lot.

  Anyhow, this was a fun way to waste my night. I encourage you to play along. Answer some or all of the questions Brett asks his guests. I highly recommend listening to a few episodes of “Films to Be Buried With” on your favorite podcatcher app. And if anyone out there knows Brett Goldstein, please let him know I’m available to guest on his podcast. Until next time—Thanks for reading.

--Sean

[drybonesawaken]

A group of people wanted to share a journal together. So this week, I've been journaling (almost) every day, and tomorrow I'm gonna be passing it onto the next person.

It was kinda fun. Bit scary to put my thoughts out there - but not that bad tbh. I figured since I am not gonna keep the journal I should transcribe my thoughts somewhere, so here they are.

Yes, the math bits were included in the journal when I wrote. Just something fun I did. You can try to figure out if it means anything if you want :)

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Maple 3.27.21

I don't like journaling .-. mah handwriting sucks, and pen ink takes too long to dry. Apologies If any of this page is smudged as a result ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And no, Maple does not use anything but pen. When mistakes are made, and trust they will definitely be made, you see a lot of bleh <- that. I also missed like three words in the previous sentence, but it's messy to try to go back and put them in :( this is the consequence of writing when brain is running at negative mph... This may be two paragraphs of nothing, but honestly that's how my day goes, usually. Right now I'm listening to this audiobook to fill up my brain and stop it from thinking. It's quite interesting. I read the book back in middle school, and it's taking me on a trip down memory lane. I was listening to this earlier while playing tetris, too. I'm joining a tetris tournament tomorrow, so I've been grinding this week. Hopefully it goes well! It's funny how I spend so much time playing this game which means so little - but somehow, I find fulfillment in the emptiness that it brings me. Breaking personal records is such a meaningless ordeal, but somehow it's something I strive so hard to do. These days, PBs come once every couple of months. It's not worth it.

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Maple 3.28.21

Today felt like I did everything and nothing all at the same time. I found out I don't like tetris tournaments. I hung out with some friends. I ate a big dinner. I made some choices I highkey regretted, yet couldn't stop myself from making in the moment. I spent some time sulking over said mistakes by cuddling with roommate. Very thankful for him - I definitely make him so uncomfortable LOL but he puts up with it because he knows touch is my love language. I was debating for awhile today over what I should eat for dinner (or breakfast or lunch or whatever you want to call it :') ) and I realized what I wanted to eat most was my own cooking. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling like cooking, so I had to settle for something else, but this was kind of a wake up call: when's the last time I cooked for myself? hmmm... It's also at the same time pretty cool because less than a year ago, I was still at a place where I strongly disliked my cooking and only ate it because I had to. Crazy how things can change in just a year - my culinary skills must have improved a lot over last summer... I really need to get my car tires fixed tomorrow. I have time tomorrow. I had better go. If I don't, my car is gonna break.

How does one stop beating themselves up for their mistakes? I don't struggle with forgiveness, but oh how I struggle with forgiving myself...

1 + 2 = 4 = 2

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Maple 3.30.21

Yesterday, we had to record something for Easter that took forever. It was not fun. I kept messing up. And my perfectionist self kept blabbering about wanting to redo certain things. Everyone was tired - it went so long - some people had exams; I can only imagine how annoying it must have been to hear me complaining about doing things again, and yet - and I hate myself for this - I couldn't help but keep bringing it up. Of course, being unsatisfied with the way I played, I volunteered to patch things up in post production. *sigh*, what a mistake that ended up being. Afterwards, I was tired and wanted to go home. Yet, because someone asked, and I guess I was a bit hungry, I decided to go get food with Junshik and Bryan. My ulterior motive was to talk to Bryan about buying cars, so I guess that worked out. But yikes, I only got 7 hours of sleep last night. - Today sucked. I'm realizing more and more that part of depression is the complete dependence on sleep. When I get not enough sleep, I'm not just fatigued: my life is just hell. I straight up no-showed to a meeting and apologized for it 8 hours after the fact (my excuse was that I feel asleep. Wow, something so embarrassing most people would find an excuse for it has now become my go to excuse. Rip). Went to a meetup because I didn't want to cancel - again - so that was fun (sorry if you're reading this. I lied when I said that I was ok :/). Life group was great I wanted to die but I was leading worship so I couldn't just leave. And oh yeah I just spent the last 4 hours after life group mixing that audio clip because stupid ol' me volunteered to do it asap yesterday. Tomorrow will be fun. I have 7 meetings/meetups from 9am to 8pm. I wonder how many I'll cancel last minute, or straight up skip...? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I hate ______.

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Maple 3.31.21

9am to 8pm today was rough. It's kinda crazy - when I wake up, I knew it wasn't gonna be a good day...but I really needed it to be at least an okay day. And I think I somehow willed that into existence :O I need to try this again sometime. Didn't cancel or skip a single thing today! (Praise God!!!) After my meetings all ended, I had to tutor for another 3 hours until 11:30, too. That was draining. I also pranked a friend today - told her I was dating right after midnight. Oh I love April Fools. She's the only one I can consistently troll year after year. I also spent a considerable amount of time after midnight trying to figure out how to script Audacity in Python. Useless, sure, but it could save us sound people a couple of minutes every Sunday if I figure it out. This is what my degree is for :') Sleep is going to feel so good tonight.

5 + 4 - 7 = 2 + 1 11 + 1 + 1 - 1 = 6 4 + 2 = 3 5 = 2 + 2 - 3 5 = 4 - 1 - 2

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Maple 4.2.21

I think my handwriting is getting better with this almost-daily practice =) This whole week has been busy-ness from when I wake up to when I go to bed. Hung out with people yesterday for the first time this week, and it was pretty tiring. I can't say I regret it though; I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about certain people. Recently, I've been noticing that people can tell when I'm tired a lot more obviously - someone on worship team who I only interact with on Sundays literally called me out for it. I'm finding that it just sort of slips onto my face, in such a way that I don't notice and can't even recognize it: I'm shocked every time it happens. Maybe it's because I've lost the will to live, so the lack of will to hide it came alongside as well. I accidentally let it slip that I've been brain empty to worship team today, and now there are even more people worried for me, some of whom I barely know. I'm such a burden :( Brain empty is honestly such a mood though. I have too many problems and not enough will to confront them. Better to just avoid. Yeah yeah yeah this is not healthy I know. I'll save doing things the healthy way for tomorrow :')

1 + 1 = 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 8 = 7 6 - 5 = 10 + 1 1 + 2 = 1 - 1

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Maple 4.3.21

Today was supposed to be a more chill day, but it really wasn't... Forced myself to get out of bed for a meetup rather than cancel it. I think if I had cancelled it, everything else I had to do today would have followed suit shortly after.... It ended up being a 2-hour meetup, straight into 2.5 hours of tutoring. As much as they might have been pretty ok tbh, I can't say I enjoyed it. I was so dead afterwards. I wanted to cancel my dinner meetup so bad. But I had already gone shopping earlier today (during the first meetup) so that I could cook for him. And I knew if I cancelled it'd be another week before I'd have a chance. The food would have gone bad. So following 2 tilt-inducing matches of tetris which were supposed to be stress relieving (they were not), commenced 2 hours of cooking, followed by a 3.5 hr meetup. It was... haha... Did I enjoy it? Yup. Did I have a hella-thick mask on the whole time? Also yup. I'm so ready for a long hot shower and an early bedtime. Tomorrow is Easter. I'm not feeling very victorious...

1 + 2 = 4 - 1 1 + 1 - 1 + 1 = 1 1 + 2 + 3 - 4 = 4 - 1 - 2 + 1

[simplythetest]

Writing Example Code: Keeping Up Appearances (and Being Up To Date)

In this last installment of my series on writing example code, I'll cover one of the most commonly overlooked but most critical aspects of example code. Mainly, I'll look at why keeping example code up to date is important and some approaches for how to keep code up to date.

Let's start from a good place. You've written some example code, and did a first pass to make sure it works. Then you think about your audience and make some edits. You carefully decide how you will handle copy/pasting your code and the problems that may introduce. After this you review your code from the perspective of (not) applying YAGNI and make sure code snippets are available for all readers that may need them. Lastly, you repeat necessary code snippets for clarity since DRY isn't so great for example code. After all of this hard work, you click a button and your example code is now available for everyone who needs it. Pat yourself on the back!

Now consider that time has passed. Maybe a month, maybe a few days, maybe years. How does your example code stand up to the test of time?

On the one hand, no developer works on a project forever so it stands to reason that eventually code will become outdated. On the other hand, there is nothing as frustrating as reading example code that is painfully out of date. In my experience, I've even found example code that falls over hard on the first execution with no changes by me. It is not fun. I realize that software can change, whether quickly in smallish increments or slowly in more dramatic shifts. But I also need to get my stuff working.

This frustration is the main reason example code should be written with future-proofing in mind. Taking steps to avoid example code either falling over hard when executed or simply being badly out of date provides a lot of value to developers and others who may read that code in the future. Future-proofing may even earn some respect to the original author if the code is not only helpful but also relevant long after it was initially written.

How can example code be designed well to age well? Here's a few ideas:

Internal vs External Dependencies: Dependency management is a whole topic in itself for software development, but it also applies to sample code as well. In the case of example code, consider internal dependencies - those you may control - and external dependencies - those outside of your control. For example, if a piece of code is written for a specific version of a specific programming language, that would be internal. Documentation in the code, in comments or otherwise, can specify which language version your code applies to. An external dependency may be a third-party library the sample code uses, which could change on a dime.

For external dependencies, it's worth considering if they need to be present at all. Can the example code function without the extra libraries? If not, why not? Can internal dependencies be documented? Also note if there are tool or language specific conventions that may help avoid relying on dependencies in example code. And try your best not to depend on magic numbers or hard-coded values that may change in the future.

Treat Example Code like Production Code: Just because example code is meant to be read or referenced doesn't mean it shouldn't work. Code can be exercised regardless of what it is for. Putting together code examples that are exercised regularly with some indication of new errors or issues can be helpful. And since we are living in future, there are wonderful tools that can perform exactly this task. One is doctest in Python, which searches docstrings in Python code and tries to execute them. Running such documentation "tests" slides nicely into now ubiquitous continuous integration processes and pipelines. Even a quick and dirty script might do the trick here.

The prolific Donald Knuth once famously said of code examples he wrote to "Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it". In this one case, don't be like Donald Knuth. Example code should be tried out at least once in a while to make sure it still does what it says it does.

Thank you for following my series on example code!