Hot and hotter. There is a rumor of rain and cooler temps but I’m not holding my breath. It was plenty hot yesterday. I was soaked to the skin and feeling very hot as I loaded up my truck and sorted out some bins of auction stuff.
I had to sit in the air conditioned truck for a while and cool down.
I did get another load to auction. Failed to pick up from two others. Those were the pickups I had missed or delayed thinking I’d have time. They both close early on Friday, which I know now…
I’ll have to take time next week to get the stuff.
I ended up at Costco instead, where I got a few pleasant surprises (prices for protein, and for rice) and a bunch of the things I buy regularly were on sale. The overall ticket was still shockingly high. I haven’t bought stacks of meat in a while. I used to feel like a certain number was a big number, but yesterday I was double that, and didn’t buy paper products or purely prep items. Double, despite the discounts and the actual low prices on some items (pork roast was only $2/pound).
————————————————————————————-
Today my non-prepping hobby meets. We’ll show and tell the stuff we picked up at the show, and management will do a ‘lessons learned’ AAR following the meeting. It went very well, but there are always things you can tweak. I just don’t want to get shanghied into running it next year. I’m willing to be support, but shouldn’t be in charge.
I think that is the best description of how I see myself- as an expediter, clearing the path for the other people to do the work, managing the problems so that they can keep going toward the goal. An awful lot of my various careers boiled down to that, when I wasn’t holding tools myself. In the most extreme application, people don’t even see that you are working, because they don’t see the resources already put in place, the permits already obtained, the backup shipper waiting to be called in if there is an issue… the drawings, plans, schedules, money, or relationships. It looks EASY.
There are parallels to my prepping too. We didn’t skip a beat when the lockdown came. I did my “last run” but probably could have skipped it. We had masks, disinfectant, TP, food, etc. When it was time for the kids to do school, we had stuff to make that transition. When my wife wished she had a second monitor for work, I offered her a choice from ones I had stashed. Of course there were things I missed and stuff I didn’t have, but the stuff I did have made 90% of the transition easy.
I’m starting to feel like the next transition will catch me more flat footed. I feel like I’ll be lucky to get to 50%. It’s not a question of taking it seriously but of taking it seriously ENOUGH. I feel a crisis of faith coming. Stacks are comforting, but not enough on their own. I need to figure out what else I need to get ready. And then I need to actually do it.
Ay carumba. So much angst. You’d think I was in my teens again.
Look around and ask yourself it things are getting better or worse. Ask what it would take to make it better. Do you see that thing actually happening? If you don’t see it getting better, or can’t see a clear path to better, you should be topping up your preps and making plans.
Expedite your own survival and success. And stack, always stack.
nick
Nick,
Thanks for continuing to share your insights and thoughts on a daily basis. I have recently implemented the use of milk crates to store canned food. I have a schedule to empty them into can dispensers for consumption. I can now rotate a large portion of my stored food in a way that prevents massive expiration and wastage. Your comments on spare coolers was spot on as I was just questioning the retention of some empty ones in my shed. Also the need to create instructions and inventories for the rest of the family is something I have moved higher in priority. Due to the nature of my work I cannot read all the comments each day. I do know when I rarely get the chance to read the comments others are sharing their wisdom as well. Thanks to all who participate.
While for the most part, “Silicon Valley” never lived up to the potential of its subject matter and writing room’s pedigree, the “Blood Boy” episode was genius and remarkably insightful.
For all of the life extension therapies, Gates looks like cr*p as of late. My wife thinks he’s dying of something, and she doesn’t get first impressions wrong.
At a party for our group at the Death Star once, she took a look at my boss, no knowing anything about his history, and said quietly to me, “Three heart attacks.”
I responded, “I think the count is only two.”
“Wait.”
Accepting the mask kabuki was the biggest mistake we made as a society during the pandemic.
At least so far. The jabs may end up being worse, far beyond the psychological impact and political statement of the Good Germans wearing their friggin’ armbands.
@steve mac, thank you for the kind words. We can wander into the woods with other discussion, but that’s one of the things I love about this place. I’m glad some of what I’ve shared is working for you.
———————
Up, coffee is ready for the ‘go’ cup and I’m out the door…
n
You’re just counting direct checks and not the people whose soup bowl is tied to government at various levels.
6 out of the 10 wealthiest counties in the US are clustered around DC.
The tolling company just helped open additional express lanes down to Fredericksburg in VA, enabling the assimilation of more farmland into the collective.
Interestingly, Maryland kicked out the Australians behind the express lanes scheme.
“Your comments on spare coolers was spot on as I was just questioning the retention of some empty ones in my shed.”
Cooler storage should be done with some thought to conditions. @Nick pointed out that parts like hinges and handles are readily available. The bodies themselves are construction of extruded and molded plastic, foamed plastic, and plastic adhesive. All of these materials age, heat accelerates the process, and UV from sunlight makes them brittle. The shell may pass part of the UV which is happy to go to work and make the foam insulation brittle.
I have a medium sized Coleman cooler that I bought in 1984. The top is removable and has a storage compartment that works nicely for paper plates and utensils. In summer it lives in the car trunk and goes to the farmers market. The removable top makes it easy to load with veg and facilitates cleanup.
Cleanup should be done immediately. How many times have you heard that plastic is porous? That same cooler has yellow-brown lines inside that telegraph the adhesive that was used to put it together, which aged, turned color, and bled into the interior liner.
Dish soap and warm water, rinse, wipe and air dry, then store. My main coolers are up high on top of some tall metal storage cabinets in the garage.
Masks again with this putz. God forbid he suggest people lose some weight to reduce risk or camp their happy a**es at home if the think they are sick. Real medical advice which might actually be effective as opposed to kabuki.
At least the local Faux News is offering some evidence contrary to what Fauci spews, unlike three years ago, when his word was “settled science”.
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/fauci-concerned-people-mask-recommendations
Speaking of public health crises, New Mexico governor
Michelle GrishamPol Pot had declared a 30-day ban on carrying guns in the name of public health.At least one sheriff and at least one city police chief have said that their departments will not be enforcing the ban, what with its blatant unConstutionality and all.
As many wise men have said, if you allow governments to seize power and suspend rights in an emergency, they will always find an excuse to declare an emergency.
Unfortunately, not enough people yanked on governments’ choke chains over the past few years. Those with a tendency to tyranny have learned that they can get away with unprecedented affronts. Those with a tendency to servility have been further conditioned to it.
I have a question about coolers, non-prepping related.
I’m building my own small cooler for a specific need, of a precise custom size. Think shoebox sized. I will be using some as-yet undetermined foam product, either closed-cell or coated or laminated with some plastic. Maybe neoprene like mousepads. When it’s completed, it needs to be watertight and all interior surfaces must be food-grade.
The internal seams must be fused or glued or plastic-welded. I suppose I could go with vaccuum forming if I had to but I didn’t want that much tooling for this. It’s a prototype, not a manufacturing setup.
The important thing is that whatever materials are exposed on the interior will be in contact with liquid water, and the construction must not leach toxins into that water. Perhaps some kind of silicone coating?
I welcome suggestions.
For a custom-built, food-safe cooler, how about using a freezer-safe plastic food storage container? Find one that fits inside your shoebox, surround with insulation, snap on the lid, and put an insulated lid over the whole box.
@lpdbw: Creating a finished product with coating sounds difficult. If this is just a prototype, would be be acceptable to have a foam structure, and inside that just a food-grade plastic bag?
Rubbermaid Brute is food grade and a favorite among tropical fish farmers in Florida. I also read that the Boudin sourdough culture is maintained inside a Brute trashcan on wheels at the Fisherman’s Wharf bakery in San Francisco.
I used one as a sump for my water softener in Florida when the old container sprung a leak. It worked.
I don’t know how small the line goes, however, but Rubbermaid may use the same plastic in other containers.
A restaurant supply may be a place to check.
College football day. I saw at least a half dozen UW or Oregon Ducks shirts in various places today while running errands. Hopefully, they didn’t bring their home state politics with them, but I think that it is too late for Texas at this point.
BTW, I didn’t know Jimbo was back in Florida today. Miami isn’t a big FSU territory, but it isn’t far from places which have a lot of alumni. UM also has a rabid fan base who would love a return to the glory days.
I once asked a Tallahassee alum friend about what became of Jimbo’s infamous Christmas tree, and the response came back, “Its safe. Waiting.”
I noticed today when I stopped that Best Buy was offering 12 months 0% financing on an OLED Switch.
No more Biden Bux, and student loan payments resume soon.
If you need to finance $350, you can’t afford the console, kids.
Hot and hotter. There is a rumor of rain and cooler temps but I’m not holding my breath. It was plenty hot yesterday. I was soaked to the skin and feeling very hot as I loaded up my truck and sorted out some bins of auction stuff.
We got about a ¼ inch of rain about 6pm yesterday. Cooled our 105 F down to 84 F for our 8pm 1.2 mile walk outside. Much more pleasant than the 90+ F that we have had recently.
I bought a truck in the last week. Brand spanking new F-150.
I’m drowning in tech. My last vehicle purchase was a 2014 Toyota, my upgrade from my 2004 GMC.
So I update every 10 years or so.
I appreciate most of the safety features, and they’re largely intuitive, once you’ve had them demonstrated to you. Lane-keeping on cruise control is scary, but I’m unlikely to ever trust it anyway. In my testing, it is only reliable when there are clearly painted lines available, which rules out Houston surface streets.
The camera visuals available whenever in reverse or on demand by a button push are very useful when parking. They simulate an overhead 360 degree view from multiple cameras, with warning lines in the picture. Not just behind, but on the sides as well. Extra useful when going from a vehicle the size of a RAV4 to a truck.
I’m still figuring out Android Auto and the features of the FordPass app. There are apparently 2 different nav systems, one built-in and one via Android Auto, and thre’s some online disagreement whether you can use Android Auto wireless or if you have to be plugged in to USB. Plugging in every time you drive would suck.
I’ve noticed that the stores have no lack of PS5 and various previously unobtainium Switch consoles since the Supreme Court published the student loan decision and adjourned for the Summer.
Nintendo is even rumored to be showing Switch 2 behind closed doors.
lpdbw says:
With my 2020 F-150, Android Auto only works when I’m plugged in to USB. Which isn’t that big of a deal. 2 nav systems? Yes, and Google Maps/Waze is far superior to the Ford infotainment system. Big difference is that the Ford map system displays a north-up map (a GPI view) while Googol displays a facing-up map (PPI view). Also, the Ford maps are updated every 6 months or so, while Googol maps are always current.
If you have an Android phone with SD card capability, make sure to also install OsmAnd via FDroid with a cache of whatever states you drive through regularly, especially if you tend to travel places with iffy cell service.
FDroid also offers SatStat, which will give you a very good idea as to how well your GPS works.
OsmAnd installed on an Android tablet saved me when I ventured off the freeway to find guava pastries at Publix and both the GPS and data service on my iPhone went Tango Uniform for about 10 minutes, surprisingly in Bellevue, a Fancy Lad neighborhood.
The camera features sound pretty cool. Have fun with the new truck!
Ford will update the maps on my F-150, 2014 model, last of the steel beds, for $150.00, plus tax, but a bargain according to Ford as they will ship the card for free. No thanks. My Garmin GPS works better and I get updates for free.
@ken, you should be able to configure the googlle to stay North up. Mine is set that way. Also check that you have “most eco friendly route” turned off. I found that it would send me out of my way to use a freeway, probably because steady speed is more eco friendly than stop and start. I had already told it not to give preference to freeways.
Home from my meeting. Small crowd today but two new guys, and one previous couple returning to the group. Not a ton of show and tell, which was a surprise and no ‘lessons learned’ meeting yet.
Hit a couple sales on the way home, got stuff for the BOL, and a couple items to flip.
It started cooler, but it got plenty hot.
n
Disney still hasn’t learned. Now they’re going after the Country Bears.
I’m guessing that Tex Ritter singing “Blood on the Saddle” will be no more. End of a very long era, but I’m the tail end of the age range who remembers these things.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/controversial-country-bear-jamboree-to-be-re-imagined-at-disney/ar-AA1gtRdF
Yes, the Ritter family as in John Ritter. Tex was John’s father.
Despite being *very* young at the time, John Ritter had instant cred as the minister in “The Waltons” because of his then more famous father, a country music legend and lifetime member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Yes, Jack Tripper. Minister. Again, only my age or older seems to remember remember these things.
Uh, yeah. About the GPS map updates? Why?
When we did the “One Lap of America” trip about 30 years ago, we used paper maps. Pick them up at each state’s visitor center. There’s your “update”.
Our main map was an Esso map dated 1967. It had the Interstates. Good enough to plan the way to the next stop.
I’m kind of a jerk. If you are going to someone’s house, say, 2258 Oak Street, and you need your GPS to find the house once on Oak Street, maybe you shouldn’t be driving.
I’m starting to feel like the next transition will catch me more flat footed. I feel like I’ll be lucky to get to 50%. It’s not a question of taking it seriously but of taking it seriously ENOUGH. I feel a crisis of faith coming. Stacks are comforting, but not enough on their own. I need to figure out what else I need to get ready. And then I need to actually do it.
I am not quite sure how to prepare for a financial apocalypse in the USA. First, I will be 69 if it happens in 2029. Second, accumulating gold and silver in my possession is incredibly expensive. And the metals prices will be going up soon as people start getting nervous. Third, my wife is not willing to get further away from Houston due to our daughter’s medical problems.
The wife is getting ready to sell her father’s townhouse in Dallas so we are going to get a capital gains event from that. No telling if she will sell this year or not. She has a month to month tenant in there, more as a caretaker for the property than making money. The rent he is paying does not cover the utilities and property tax as I have mentioned to her a few million times.
I am trying to decide if I should sell my commercial property now. My main business does not need the 5,300 ft2 space so I could easily move it to a way smaller place. Luckily, I am not in a rush.
You said it, not me.
I’ve driven on vacation from coast-to-coast, in pieces. St. Louis to Maine, St. Louis to San Diego, St. Louis to Spokane, St. Louis to Atlanta.
All using paper maps. I think it’s important to know how to navigate from a map. And to have maps.
But I live in* the 4th largest city in the US, and I don’t like driving in heavy traffic in circles while I figure out one-way streets and missing blocks and disconnected streets and unreadable house numbers. I have meetings and shopping all over town. Gooogle also has up-to-the-minute traffic info, so I can decide on alternate routes on the fly when I actually know the area I’m in.
One or two strange new places a month is ok. Being on a vacation adventure is ok. Being late to an appointment at your newest doctor is not ok.
I’m also looking to escape to a rural property, and I’m doing drive-bys before I have to deal with a realtor. If I wanted to buy detailed maps of BFE Texas county roads, they still wouldn’t help me find the properties by specific house number. But Gooogle maps can.
Oh, and if your city is laid out like Spokane, you don’t even need paper maps after a while. There are like 3 steets that aren’t on a rational square grid.
OTOH, in Houston, there are streets that curve everywhere, and streets that are not called by their actual name, and streets in pieces, and neighborhoods called by their names that an outsider like me doesn’t know. After 8 years, I still can’t tell The Heights from Montrose. Mostly, I’ll admit, because I don’t care.
LIke Fry, and Mason, and 1094, and OST, and every freeway has at least 2 names.
* I don’t live technically in Houston, but at this point Katy is indistinguishable from Houston. And my mailing address says Houston anyway.
I’m still figuring out Android Auto and the features of the FordPass app. There are apparently 2 different nav systems, one built-in and one via Android Auto, and thre’s some online disagreement whether you can use Android Auto wireless or if you have to be plugged in to USB. Plugging in every time you drive would suck.
Congrats ! Ford Autonation Katy ? Which engine ?
Good luck on the Android Auto. I gave up on it pretty quickly, my Dad still messes with it in my truck.
Yes.
5.0 V-8
I forgot to mention that I was lost in a Fancy Lad neighborhood in Nashville.
BTW, a Publix in Nashville is not going to have guava pastries, even if they are in season in Florida.
The store did have some pretty good cinnamon bread, which I had never seen before at a Publix.
And the shredding of the Pixar legacy will continue.
The “A Bug’s Life” has been in Animal Kingdom since before the movie hit theaters.
Oh, that’s right. Kevin Spacey. Well, that settles things.
https://www.clickorlando.com/theme-parks/2023/09/09/dinoland-usas-extinction-bugs-life-replacement-among-new-ideas-at-disney-d23-expo/#//
Still, “A Bug’s Life” proved that Pixar was not just about “Toy Story”.
And, hopefully, the “Indiana Jones” ride is a direct copy of California, without Fleabag anywhere in sight.
Climate Protester Who Glued His Feet to the Floor Complains About Being Put in Psych Ward
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2023/09/09/climate-protester-who-glued-his-feet-to-the-floor-complains-about-being-put-in-psyche-ward-n1725708
Protestors have a right to protest, but that does not include being able to steal time from other people. The law should require an immediate polling of the affected group:
Question: A protest was conducted that interrupted this event for x minutes. Should the perpetrators be fined in time as well as money?
The affirmative answers should be tabulated, the time totalized, and the protestors should begin serving immediately.
In the event that the time stolen exceeds a single human lifespan, or if people have died as a consequence (highway closed, emergency vehicles blocked, people can’t get to the hospital or die in a fire, for example) the protestors should be put to death immediately. Appeal? Did their captive audience have a choice?
In this case 23,771 x 50 minutes = 19, 800 hours = 825 days
Further, there should be no provision in the law for concurrency, i.e. multiple protestors don’t get to divide the time fine by the size of their mob.
I’ve run out of free updates for TomTom maps in my Subie. I primarily use Apple Maps through Apple’s Car Play in the Subie. The Tom Tom built in sucks like most buit ins, but works as a good backup. I also have CoPilot on my iPhone, download the latest maps, and you can navigate with out internet just fine.
Some people might think that’s a little harsh, and advocate some sort of misdemeanor charge and a small fine.
Theft of 19,800 hours is not a small thing.
What is leisure time worth? And what is the purpose?
As to the latter, if the purpose is therapeutic in some way, then having time stolen from you is the very antithesis.
So the former question should be “What is the forcible interruption of leisure time worth?” For the fans, a relatively modest $100/hour times 19,800 yields nearly $2 million.
And we haven’t even begun to consider the possible effects on the sporting event that was interrupted.
It occurs to me that such people evidently don’t want to leave. In which case, let them stay. Don’t unglue them, don’t feed or water them, don’t provide “physical needs relief”, just leave them in their seat.
See how long it takes for them to demand release.
G.
Oh, absolutely. Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, should have his feet connected to live electrical wires; at least 24V. and EVERY time that an airline passenger has to remove their shoes, he should be shocked.
GPS systems; I used to teach aerial navigation, including celestial, in the Navy. And as a AAA member, I used to be able to come to their office and get free maps, but I haven’t done that in a while. I don’t NEED a GPS – but I have three. Built into the F150, my Android phone, and a separate Garmin unit. And I’m never lost. Never have been, even before the advent of GPS.
Of course, he had the excuse that there were no maps available.
Nor trails!
But in those days, the solution was simple; go downhill until you reach a stream, and then follow the stream. You’ll find SOME trace of people, because humans always build next to water.
“And I’m never lost. Never have been, even before the advent of GPS.”
I was in Pennsylvania in the mid-90’s in a Hertz rental with the NeverLost system.
Got lost in some road construction.
New neighborhoods in Las Vegas used to be fun–somewhere there was a huge factory where they made them, rolled them up for shipping, transported them, then unrolled them in the middle of the night and plugged them in.
When I was growing up I had and aunt and uncle that lived in a town that was N-S streets and E-W avenues, with compass quadrants centered on the courthouse. You could not only drive to any address you could mentally figure the distance. It had a number of imperfections: a railroad line, some large parks, and some large parcels of commercial real estate, and, of course, addresses were a little boring.
Vantucky -er- Vancouver, WA is laid out on a grid like Spokane, with NE/NW/SE/SW streets and avenues radiating out from a central point in the city.
Seattle is too in the suburbs, but the downtown is a mess.
Portland is not a grid, but if you watched “The Simpsons”, especially during the better years, you will see street names which inspired names of characters on the show. Matt Groenig grew up in Portland.
The traffic reports about “Terwiliger Curve” always made me laugh. Terwiliger is the ‘real’ last name of Principal Skinner.
Salt Lake City (and most Utah towns) have the same address system. Easy to find an address, as long as you knew which way was North. And that was easy – just stand with the Wasatch mountains on your right side (you can’t miss them), and you are facing North.
Of course, some people are ‘directionally challenged’ even there. My wife for instance. We lived in Utah for 5 years, and she still hadn’t figured it out.
@geoff, didn’t someone do that with a gallery or store or museum? Caused some outrage… at least among the protesters. Japanese?
————-
I’ve never been as lost as I could get in Houston when I moved here. Take “Campbell Road”. It runs mostly N-S and is parallel to Blalock Rd. Just north of I-10 it is EAST of Blalock. About one mile north of I-10, it turns and runs E-W for a while, crossing Blalock at a 90 deg angle. Another short bit north, and it turns to parallel Blalock again, running N-S but now it is WEST of Blalock.
Or take the example of 290, which runs at an angle from the inner ring road north and west. IE it’s NW and SE, not N and S, but it feels and is called 290N and 290S. Almost all the surface streets cross it at 90 deg angles. BUT they are mostly on a 90 deg grid. The surface streets bend and turn as they cross… SO you can be going (mostly) north on 290, get off and turn right onto a surface street and now you are going NORTH not EAST like you think…
————–
When I lived in the LA area, no one went anywhere without looking at a Thomas Bros. or KeyMap first. The streets there wander around, we joked that you could start on Chevy Chase Blvd going north and before you got off, you’d travel in every direction, including south… And most streets were interupted at some point by a mountain, or a valley, or a fault zone…
————-
Thomas Bros is still making maps for LA, San Diego, Houston, and San Antonio, as well as Austin and other areas….
And our Fire Dept dispatches by map page and section.
n
Paul re addresses:
Too often there are no numbers on the houses. Or there is a break and the street ends and you have to got around the break to get to the address you’re looking for. One of my neighbors in a corner house has his mail box on the cross street and the cross street houses have their numbers as 201, 221, 235, 255 275, 281, and 297; the houses on the other side of the street are 222, 242, 262, 290, 296, 298 and 124. There are three readable numbers. Door dash ,etc. drivers go crazy making deliveries.
In my block the numbers are in order you will encounter them (with odd on the left side) are 320, 315, 325, 340, 335, 345, 355, 350, 365, 360,380, 375, and 401 (this house is on the right, behind 380). Three mail boxes are unnumbered. We regularly get each others mail, and Amazon, UPS and FEDEX deliveries.
Reid and the foot fetishists at the TSA who came up with the rule.
Reid was just a catalyst for a very weird kink being indulged by someone.
“Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel
https://www.amazon.com/Station-Eleven-Emily-John-Mandel/dp/0804172447?tag=ttgnet-20/
A standalone apocalyptic dystopian fiction book with no prequel or sequel. I read the well printed and well bound trade paperback published by Vintage Books in 2015. I have no idea if there will ever be a sequel for the book.
The book starts off with a well known film actor, Arthur Leander, working on a stage version of the Shakespeare tale, King Lear, in Toronto, Canada. The actor suffers a heart attack in act four and passes away despite Jeevan Chaudhary rising from the audience and giving him CPR.
Unbeknownst to the actors and the audience, the first people infected with the Georgia (the country, not the state) Flu, an incredibly lethal version of the Swine Flu, are arriving on planes all over the world from Europe. The Flu is swiftly transmitted to new victims and kills 99 out of 100 people across the Earth. The resulting confusion causes a general collapse of society and infrastructure.
The book deals with the life of the well known film actor before his death and with the lives of a traveling band of actors and symphony who travel from town to town in the years after the flu, playing to the few survivors despite the dangers of a society without the rule of law.
Here is a much better review by James Nicoll, a noted science fiction and fantasy reviewer:
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/buy-this-book
The book has been converted into a series on HBO Max that I have not seen.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10574236/
The author has a website at:
https://www.emilymandel.com/
My rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (61,994 reviews)
The Reason for the Coming Collapse of Television…? The “Second Screen” Principle
https://ace.mu.nu/archives/406032.php
Ace being his spot-on self.
I re-watched Midsommer Murders The Killings of Copenhagen (2014) tonight. Murder #1, Murder #2, Murder #3 (a twofer) and Murder #5 prevented by the snatch of a pantleg. Two side-trips to Copenhagen. The obligatory “Barnaby at Home” scenes. All done in 90 minutes. BaH added ten, but probably needed to break the pace.
I doubt that such tight writing is done now for the BBC, and it was probably ten years gone from American tv in 2014.
Now the woke entertainment reporters are this stupid:
Filmmaker, Actor Laughs at Question About Lack of Diversity in Film That Takes Place in 1750s Denmark
https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/09/filmmaker-actor-laughs-at-question-about-lack-of-diversity-in-film-that-takes-place-in-1750s-denmark/
@Lynn
Thanks. Although it is very unlikely that I will read “Station Eleven”–having been overdosed on dystopian science fiction of 1950-1970 vintage when I could read nearly everything published and was comparatively desparate, reading cereal boxes and sticking needles in my eyes on the alt nights–I was curious enough to click on the Nicholls review.
Nicholls, as a professional reviewer, spends much more time than I have reading, and as he also gets paid to do so has much less discretion that I do. I am free to be discriminating according to my own tastes, and as the life that remains is much less than it once was I have evolved a number of standards, one of which is “If you find a turd in the swimming pool get out.”
Nicholls review did not give me a reason to read the book, but I clicked around on his website and chanced across an old review of Howard Waldrop’s second novel “Them Bones”. In the nine years since the review was written a Kindle version has appeared, predictably depressing the market for the out-of-print physical version. Only 3.9 on A, but it will go on my Kindle Unlimited list for when I eventually get around to signing up and trying a bunch of dodgy stuff.
Just finished book 8 in the Eric Carter necromancer series. Someone here recommended it I think, based on liking the Alex Jaktra? books… The main character is a real @sshole. And a necromancer. And does a lot of crappy and despicable things. BUT I’ve read all 8 books and if there’s more I’ll read them too. Very interesting, with background that is rooted in Aztec and hispanic cultures so very unfamiliar to me. Not going to be everyone’s cuppa, but I have enjoyed them.
Now I need to get to bed, as it’s late and I didn’t even realize because I was wrapped up in the story.
n
The central issue in the WGA strike is the count of people in the “writers room” on series, with the union wanting additional headcount carried in a production budget for writing even if the extra people are not contributing anything useful. Full employment for graduates of Fancy Lad schools with no life experience and their friends.
The WGA even turned down a reasonable offer proposed within the last few weeks, with the studios giving them most of what they want but lacking the guarantees about writing headcount.
The AI argument is BS. The studios know that won’t work.