All work posted at this blog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
![[sticky entry]](proxy.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dreamwidth.org%2Fimg%2Fsilk%2Fentry%2Fsticky_entry.png)
Sticky: Content License
Jul. 1st, 2025 03:42 pmKeeping It Together
Mar. 20th, 2026 05:54 pm1) My response to the meta prompt at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
marchmetamatterschallenge, "Do you think it's more likely that meta would be preserved and read if it were regularly included in other fanwork challenges? Would you take part if you had the chance?"
I do, and that's because I feel that challenges, fests, and other group activities help extend the life of the given fandom. ( Read more... )
2) I watched the Sally Ride documentary and had mixed feelings about it. ( Read more... )
3) I tried out Happiness, a New Zealand comedy about a director returning to his hometown community theater group. I'm liking it more as it goes on, though the way so many characters are turned up to 10 is a little much for me. What I am liking quite a lot are the musical numbers themselves. If more kids learned history like this, they might remember it.
4) I took a survey which explored how much people trust the wisdom of crowds vs AI. I clearly didn't do it the way they had planned. ( Read more... )
5) Delighted by the arrival of spring, wish it didn't feel like the arrival of summer.
marchmetamatterschallenge, "Do you think it's more likely that meta would be preserved and read if it were regularly included in other fanwork challenges? Would you take part if you had the chance?"I do, and that's because I feel that challenges, fests, and other group activities help extend the life of the given fandom. ( Read more... )
2) I watched the Sally Ride documentary and had mixed feelings about it. ( Read more... )
3) I tried out Happiness, a New Zealand comedy about a director returning to his hometown community theater group. I'm liking it more as it goes on, though the way so many characters are turned up to 10 is a little much for me. What I am liking quite a lot are the musical numbers themselves. If more kids learned history like this, they might remember it.
4) I took a survey which explored how much people trust the wisdom of crowds vs AI. I clearly didn't do it the way they had planned. ( Read more... )
5) Delighted by the arrival of spring, wish it didn't feel like the arrival of summer.
Poll #34391 Kudos Footer-566
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Odds and Ends
Mar. 18th, 2026 08:00 pm1) Curious events yesterday. A takeout place we order from every other month or so couldn't be reached. Its website was not working over a half hour period. I looked up their number and at least 3 other sites listed the same one. Called it and was told it was not a valid number. Since I wanted more oranges, I figured I'd stop by to see if the restaurant had closed down.
Nope. They seemed completely unconcerned the website was down, and told me I'd used the wrong number (also seeming completely unconcerned a wrong one is widely available!) But at least we are not down yet another restaurant.
2) Got many yummy oranges but this store sells them by count not by weight. So I picked all the largest oranges I could and I swear some of these are bigger than both fists.
3) Nesting time for ducks is great for all the adorable little fluffs we will be seeing soon. It is definitely not so when we have to keep watching drakes attacking the female ducks. This week there was one poor female attacked simultaneously and sequentially by 5 drakes. She was finally able to get out of the lake (I felt half sure she had drowned) and one followed her and kept attacking her on land, which was the first time I'd seen that happen.
4) Was watching Life of Chuck and can I say I am incredibly tired of the romantic convention of looking at stars together and (usually the man) pointing out the constellations to the person they are wooing. Come up with something else!
That said, it was a nice little film. ( Read more... )
5) Belatedly I was not impressed with the Oscars. I was glad there were only 2 of the nominated songs sung and that there was no opening number, but I also would have preferred to skip that whole pre-filmed Conan bit and just have a very strong monologue (which I didn't think it was). ( Read more... )
Nope. They seemed completely unconcerned the website was down, and told me I'd used the wrong number (also seeming completely unconcerned a wrong one is widely available!) But at least we are not down yet another restaurant.
2) Got many yummy oranges but this store sells them by count not by weight. So I picked all the largest oranges I could and I swear some of these are bigger than both fists.
3) Nesting time for ducks is great for all the adorable little fluffs we will be seeing soon. It is definitely not so when we have to keep watching drakes attacking the female ducks. This week there was one poor female attacked simultaneously and sequentially by 5 drakes. She was finally able to get out of the lake (I felt half sure she had drowned) and one followed her and kept attacking her on land, which was the first time I'd seen that happen.
4) Was watching Life of Chuck and can I say I am incredibly tired of the romantic convention of looking at stars together and (usually the man) pointing out the constellations to the person they are wooing. Come up with something else!
That said, it was a nice little film. ( Read more... )
5) Belatedly I was not impressed with the Oscars. I was glad there were only 2 of the nominated songs sung and that there was no opening number, but I also would have preferred to skip that whole pre-filmed Conan bit and just have a very strong monologue (which I didn't think it was). ( Read more... )
Poll #34383 Kudos Footer-565
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
Things to Like
Mar. 17th, 2026 02:01 pm1) Whoa, the changes at Tumblr have meant a flood of people signing up for accounts at Pillowfort. I just went through a feed four times longer than usual.
2) We've watched four episodes of Starfleet Academy and are both pleasantly surprised by it. I confess I haven't been very enthused by the new crop of shows. In fact my favorite season was one that it seems most viewers didn't care for, which was S1 of Discovery. ( Read more... )
3) Looks like it isn't just late night shows that are winding to a close but talk shows and entertainment news. I can see why podcasts would be far cheaper to make and competing with the audience, but I do wonder if most can put out episodes as consistently as is done with larger productions. (I note, for example, that Access Hollywood has four hosts).
4) Not being a reader of Outlander, I had no idea there was a separate Lord John Grey series. A spinoff based on the books sounds great, and you'd think with the success of Heated Rivalry (it was a Jeopardy question this week!) that the timing would be perfect. Granted, a period piece with a large cast would be significantly more expensive, but it also has a built in audience via its linked TV show and books.
5) Watched Zootopia 2 and enjoyed it. I particularly liked how they worked in references to favorite things from the first film without having it slow down or detract from the story in progress. For us this was wolves starting a howl, and the appearance of the sloth. There were lots of little in-jokes (such as the Hulu menu) and things moved along quite well, with fun new characters to meet.
2) We've watched four episodes of Starfleet Academy and are both pleasantly surprised by it. I confess I haven't been very enthused by the new crop of shows. In fact my favorite season was one that it seems most viewers didn't care for, which was S1 of Discovery. ( Read more... )
3) Looks like it isn't just late night shows that are winding to a close but talk shows and entertainment news. I can see why podcasts would be far cheaper to make and competing with the audience, but I do wonder if most can put out episodes as consistently as is done with larger productions. (I note, for example, that Access Hollywood has four hosts).
4) Not being a reader of Outlander, I had no idea there was a separate Lord John Grey series. A spinoff based on the books sounds great, and you'd think with the success of Heated Rivalry (it was a Jeopardy question this week!) that the timing would be perfect. Granted, a period piece with a large cast would be significantly more expensive, but it also has a built in audience via its linked TV show and books.
5) Watched Zootopia 2 and enjoyed it. I particularly liked how they worked in references to favorite things from the first film without having it slow down or detract from the story in progress. For us this was wolves starting a howl, and the appearance of the sloth. There were lots of little in-jokes (such as the Hulu menu) and things moved along quite well, with fun new characters to meet.
Poll #34380 Kudos Footer-562
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13
Want to leave a Kudos?
Error, Error
Mar. 13th, 2026 03:17 pm1) I wrote last year about the movie The Big Year, which was about birders trying to break a record in seeing the most birds that year. When I told my partner I was trying to pass 1000 wins at Solo on BGA he said, "So this is your Big Year." ( Read more... )
2) I confess I don't really follow the Oscars race or even nominees since I only see movies once in a while and usually well after they've been released, but I thought this was an interesting summation. I was particularly struck by the discussion of costs, and how chasing Oscar prestige outranks movie ticket sales, since so many potential contenders crowd into the end of year period. This almost guarantees many people will miss a number of them.
What was interesting about this survey is the data on how people have changed their opinions of last year's Oscar nominees. "Americans are much more likely now than they were last year to say they love "A Complete Unknown" (51%, up from 39%). They’re less likely to say they love "Dune: Part 2" (43%, down from 53%)."
3) On the same day in which NPR's 1A did a show on the value of acknowledging mistakes, someone also posted about The Ctrl-Z Award’ to honor researchers who correct the scientific record. This latter seems like a much needed antidote to our times (and can also be immeasurably helpful). I hope it does well.
RE: the 1A episode, here's a quote: "So, you know, theoretically, you could make a decision that was the wrong decision, but if it doesn't have a bad outcome, you're not even judging it as a mistake half the time. And that that's actually potentially the difference between a little mistake and a big mistake...we talk about this three act structure, what happened before the mistake, the mistake itself, and then how we deal with the mistake thereafter...It's not the crime. It's the cover up. Right? And that's an act three problem. But because people haven't gone through the process of saying, okay, what actually happened in act one, act two, and and now how am I gonna deal with it in act three? They make an even bigger one."
The fear of error is also talked about here: "what I see in the therapy room is sometimes it can take folks a while to really come around to admit to themselves actually that a mistake even happened because there's so much shame. It gets kind of locked up because as we've been discussing, as a culture, we do a terrible job of admitting to ourselves and to others that mistakes actually are how you learn. And so we get have so much shame that's wrapped up in it. And from that end, when there's shame, depression, anxiety, trauma, you know, are not far behind. So talking through mistakes, processing mistakes, learning not to avoid coming around to kind of, unpacking the Russian doll, if we stick with that metaphor, that's a huge piece of therapy." I can really recommend reading the episode transcript (you can also listen to the show).
4) What these incidents made me think of was fear on the Internet. "One of the phrases we like is curious, not furious. And so whether you're thinking about yourself, oh, I'm so angry at myself. Why did I do this? Or you see someone else make a mistake and you're kind of angry that they did it. The more that you can use curiosity as opposed to anger, I think we would all get along a little better. And then to your point, it's so helpful to talk with someone else. We believe you have to talk your mistakes to death. And it's helpful to write about them, sure, if you really don't have anyone with whom you can speak."( Read more... )
5) And speaking of mistakes, it's nice to have unexpected support even when you make them. ( Read more... )
2) I confess I don't really follow the Oscars race or even nominees since I only see movies once in a while and usually well after they've been released, but I thought this was an interesting summation. I was particularly struck by the discussion of costs, and how chasing Oscar prestige outranks movie ticket sales, since so many potential contenders crowd into the end of year period. This almost guarantees many people will miss a number of them.
What was interesting about this survey is the data on how people have changed their opinions of last year's Oscar nominees. "Americans are much more likely now than they were last year to say they love "A Complete Unknown" (51%, up from 39%). They’re less likely to say they love "Dune: Part 2" (43%, down from 53%)."
3) On the same day in which NPR's 1A did a show on the value of acknowledging mistakes, someone also posted about The Ctrl-Z Award’ to honor researchers who correct the scientific record. This latter seems like a much needed antidote to our times (and can also be immeasurably helpful). I hope it does well.
RE: the 1A episode, here's a quote: "So, you know, theoretically, you could make a decision that was the wrong decision, but if it doesn't have a bad outcome, you're not even judging it as a mistake half the time. And that that's actually potentially the difference between a little mistake and a big mistake...we talk about this three act structure, what happened before the mistake, the mistake itself, and then how we deal with the mistake thereafter...It's not the crime. It's the cover up. Right? And that's an act three problem. But because people haven't gone through the process of saying, okay, what actually happened in act one, act two, and and now how am I gonna deal with it in act three? They make an even bigger one."
The fear of error is also talked about here: "what I see in the therapy room is sometimes it can take folks a while to really come around to admit to themselves actually that a mistake even happened because there's so much shame. It gets kind of locked up because as we've been discussing, as a culture, we do a terrible job of admitting to ourselves and to others that mistakes actually are how you learn. And so we get have so much shame that's wrapped up in it. And from that end, when there's shame, depression, anxiety, trauma, you know, are not far behind. So talking through mistakes, processing mistakes, learning not to avoid coming around to kind of, unpacking the Russian doll, if we stick with that metaphor, that's a huge piece of therapy." I can really recommend reading the episode transcript (you can also listen to the show).
4) What these incidents made me think of was fear on the Internet. "One of the phrases we like is curious, not furious. And so whether you're thinking about yourself, oh, I'm so angry at myself. Why did I do this? Or you see someone else make a mistake and you're kind of angry that they did it. The more that you can use curiosity as opposed to anger, I think we would all get along a little better. And then to your point, it's so helpful to talk with someone else. We believe you have to talk your mistakes to death. And it's helpful to write about them, sure, if you really don't have anyone with whom you can speak."( Read more... )
5) And speaking of mistakes, it's nice to have unexpected support even when you make them. ( Read more... )
Poll #34365 Kudos Footer-562
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 10
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 10
Want to leave a Kudos?
TV Stuff at High Prices
Mar. 9th, 2026 12:46 pm1) I am starting plans for a fall foliage road trip in October through Michigan. Anyone have any recommendations?
2) Following up on what I wrote about in my last post, I watched several episodes of Paradise S2. I'm not sure why I'm still watching this. ( Spoilers )
3) By contrast, I saw the Muppet Show (special? Apparently a one-off?) and found it a delight. Disney has definitely struggled in finding a way to utilize the Muppets and two shows have now failed. I'm glad they tried to do something different with them, and I rather liked the show where they were trying to make a more realistic "behind the scenes" Muppet show.
But maybe these days a return to the past would be particularly welcome (and surely there's still a lot of appeal for kids). I've got to imagine they've got a potential guest list a mile long. My partner and I kept thinking that some of the puppeteers must have been filled with glee at being able to recreate this show.
It did make me laugh when Sabrina Carpenter said she'd watched the show, her parents had watched the show, and her grandparents had watched the show. We'd be rather young to be her grandparents but, yeah, 50th anniversary after all.
4) I found the first of my top 3 shows of the year last month when we watched How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. I'd quite enjoyed Derry Girls, so was interested in trying this. I found it had a lot of the fun from Derry with an added mystery at the center. ( Read more... )
5) When in his latest charity auction batch Stephen Colbert listed a Lord of the Rings sword that had been on the stage wall, we couldn't believe he'd be selling such a thing at any price. Turns out it's a replica of the actual sword used in the film, which he already has (and he joked he would be buried with). Even so, I figured it would go for a lot, and it's going to be well over $25,000. His neckties are going for over $1000.
2) Following up on what I wrote about in my last post, I watched several episodes of Paradise S2. I'm not sure why I'm still watching this. ( Spoilers )
3) By contrast, I saw the Muppet Show (special? Apparently a one-off?) and found it a delight. Disney has definitely struggled in finding a way to utilize the Muppets and two shows have now failed. I'm glad they tried to do something different with them, and I rather liked the show where they were trying to make a more realistic "behind the scenes" Muppet show.
But maybe these days a return to the past would be particularly welcome (and surely there's still a lot of appeal for kids). I've got to imagine they've got a potential guest list a mile long. My partner and I kept thinking that some of the puppeteers must have been filled with glee at being able to recreate this show.
It did make me laugh when Sabrina Carpenter said she'd watched the show, her parents had watched the show, and her grandparents had watched the show. We'd be rather young to be her grandparents but, yeah, 50th anniversary after all.
4) I found the first of my top 3 shows of the year last month when we watched How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. I'd quite enjoyed Derry Girls, so was interested in trying this. I found it had a lot of the fun from Derry with an added mystery at the center. ( Read more... )
5) When in his latest charity auction batch Stephen Colbert listed a Lord of the Rings sword that had been on the stage wall, we couldn't believe he'd be selling such a thing at any price. Turns out it's a replica of the actual sword used in the film, which he already has (and he joked he would be buried with). Even so, I figured it would go for a lot, and it's going to be well over $25,000. His neckties are going for over $1000.
Poll #34344 Kudos Footer-562
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
How Did I Get Here?
Mar. 6th, 2026 07:52 pm1) At the grocery this morning and their clothing displays mirror the seesaw of our weather – puffy coats next to sundresses. It was so warm today than when I came back to drop the groceries off, I had to change into a t-shirt before I went out again, and it was barely 10 AM.
2) Had a nice piece of luck as well. The grocery was running a $10 coupon for $100 or more of purchases. I had to drop my partner off at work this morning because he had an all-day thing, and in the rush forgot to take the grocery list. So as I was putting stuff in the trunk I remembered I'd forgotten his celery. Went back and decided to pick up a few more things since I had the $10 coupon now. Got to the register and realized someone had left that same coupon sitting in the machine when they left! So I got the $10 off and still have my coupon for next week.
It amazes me how people don't bother taking their coupons. It's usually for things they're buying anyway and a free item is not unusual. And this was literally $10 in cash sitting there, when groceries are so expensive! I didn't even know what it was at first, just saw that someone hadn't taken their coupon and figured I'd look to see if it was something I could use.
3) Also on the grocery front, I have recently become addicted to Sumo oranges. Came across them during a sale, and got just one bag because they're pricey. Came back home with 3 the following week.
Oranges have never been my favorite, even though we had incredibly good ones growing in our backyard growing up. These are the closest I've gotten to those. I never end up eating only one.
3) As part ofmarchmetamatterschallenge, I have been going through my tv_talk comments in case I discussed much about a show (mostly, no). However it was a good reminder about a great many shows I watched which I liked and would recommend, but might not think of if someone asked me.
Some of these were strong throughout, and some long running ones have some weaker seasons but still worth watching. In no particular order, just as they came up on my entries: ( Read more... )
4) One of the things reviewing all these past posts made me aware of is how much more TV I'm watching, but overall with less enjoyment. Every so often I hit a show I would really recommend, but usually they fall into the "ok" category or I just nope out of it a few episodes in.
I think the changes in TV have a lot to do with this. ( Read more... )
2) Had a nice piece of luck as well. The grocery was running a $10 coupon for $100 or more of purchases. I had to drop my partner off at work this morning because he had an all-day thing, and in the rush forgot to take the grocery list. So as I was putting stuff in the trunk I remembered I'd forgotten his celery. Went back and decided to pick up a few more things since I had the $10 coupon now. Got to the register and realized someone had left that same coupon sitting in the machine when they left! So I got the $10 off and still have my coupon for next week.
It amazes me how people don't bother taking their coupons. It's usually for things they're buying anyway and a free item is not unusual. And this was literally $10 in cash sitting there, when groceries are so expensive! I didn't even know what it was at first, just saw that someone hadn't taken their coupon and figured I'd look to see if it was something I could use.
3) Also on the grocery front, I have recently become addicted to Sumo oranges. Came across them during a sale, and got just one bag because they're pricey. Came back home with 3 the following week.
Oranges have never been my favorite, even though we had incredibly good ones growing in our backyard growing up. These are the closest I've gotten to those. I never end up eating only one.
3) As part of
marchmetamatterschallenge, I have been going through my tv_talk comments in case I discussed much about a show (mostly, no). However it was a good reminder about a great many shows I watched which I liked and would recommend, but might not think of if someone asked me.Some of these were strong throughout, and some long running ones have some weaker seasons but still worth watching. In no particular order, just as they came up on my entries: ( Read more... )
4) One of the things reviewing all these past posts made me aware of is how much more TV I'm watching, but overall with less enjoyment. Every so often I hit a show I would really recommend, but usually they fall into the "ok" category or I just nope out of it a few episodes in.
I think the changes in TV have a lot to do with this. ( Read more... )
Poll #34334 Kudos Footer-561
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
Want to leave a Kudos?
It's Been a Weird Day
Mar. 4th, 2026 01:58 pm1) marchmetamatterschallenge has begun! I'm particularly excited this year since I will finally come current with my meta archiving. I'm already finished with 2024 and should finish 2025 by tomorrow. One thing I hope is to do more writing this year.
2) The February CheckIn ateverykindofcraft has gotten a lot of responses. It's interesting to hear all the different ways that people have learned these skills.
3) In less good news, a bunch of RSS feeds seem to have stopped working. The AO3 vids feed hasn't updated in weeks (so unlikely to be AO3's recent issues), and 4 feeds from Tumblr have stopped as well, though it seems only 2 have been updating lately. It's definitely not the feed service, because at least 3 other feeds I have set up have updated within the last few days. I'm wondering if Tumblr is somehow blocking RSS feeds now?
I also feel like there are people's posts that I have missed though I am less sure about that.
3) I was waiting for a cashier and there were 3 women and 2 small girls ahead of me. The two little girls were racing around everywhere, grabbing things and then having them put back by the women. It was all taking some time, and the squealing was getting on my nerves. But then one grabbed an Easter Bunny and told her mom she wanted it.
The mom asked the cashier if it was solid or hollow, and was told it was hollow (which seemed most likely to me given its size and price!) The little girl then asked what "hollow" was, and her mom struggled to explain it, finally saying "It has a hole inside it." The little girl then said "I'll put it back and get another." We all burst out laughing as her mom then tried to explain that the bunny wasn't defective, it was just the way it was made.
4) So it looks like Paramount will fold HBO into its service. I expect that will put paid to its bundling with Disney services, though it does make it more likely we'll keep Paramount+ around post-The Late Show cancellation. At this point the U.S. looks like it's going to have 3 major streamers, a number of secondary streamers (in which I include Peacock) and a vast number of tiny streamers.
5) Never posted here that I finished the latest season of Strange New Worlds. Thought it somewhat better than earlier seasons, despite the way it started, though I find it a bit jarring to see TOS episodes essentially revised for use here. The finale seemed a cross between Rey at the end of the Skywalker saga and ST:TOS's Lazarus episode. ( Read more... )
marchmetamatterschallenge has begun! I'm particularly excited this year since I will finally come current with my meta archiving. I'm already finished with 2024 and should finish 2025 by tomorrow. One thing I hope is to do more writing this year.2) The February CheckIn at
everykindofcraft has gotten a lot of responses. It's interesting to hear all the different ways that people have learned these skills.3) In less good news, a bunch of RSS feeds seem to have stopped working. The AO3 vids feed hasn't updated in weeks (so unlikely to be AO3's recent issues), and 4 feeds from Tumblr have stopped as well, though it seems only 2 have been updating lately. It's definitely not the feed service, because at least 3 other feeds I have set up have updated within the last few days. I'm wondering if Tumblr is somehow blocking RSS feeds now?
I also feel like there are people's posts that I have missed though I am less sure about that.
3) I was waiting for a cashier and there were 3 women and 2 small girls ahead of me. The two little girls were racing around everywhere, grabbing things and then having them put back by the women. It was all taking some time, and the squealing was getting on my nerves. But then one grabbed an Easter Bunny and told her mom she wanted it.
The mom asked the cashier if it was solid or hollow, and was told it was hollow (which seemed most likely to me given its size and price!) The little girl then asked what "hollow" was, and her mom struggled to explain it, finally saying "It has a hole inside it." The little girl then said "I'll put it back and get another." We all burst out laughing as her mom then tried to explain that the bunny wasn't defective, it was just the way it was made.
4) So it looks like Paramount will fold HBO into its service. I expect that will put paid to its bundling with Disney services, though it does make it more likely we'll keep Paramount+ around post-The Late Show cancellation. At this point the U.S. looks like it's going to have 3 major streamers, a number of secondary streamers (in which I include Peacock) and a vast number of tiny streamers.
5) Never posted here that I finished the latest season of Strange New Worlds. Thought it somewhat better than earlier seasons, despite the way it started, though I find it a bit jarring to see TOS episodes essentially revised for use here. The finale seemed a cross between Rey at the end of the Skywalker saga and ST:TOS's Lazarus episode. ( Read more... )
Poll #34324 Kudos Footer-560
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
Want to leave a Kudos?
1) I happened to catch the Heated Rivalry episode on NPR's 1A, and they mentioned these HBO stats: "The audience on HBO went from 53% women the week of December 22 to roughly two thirds women by January." This apparently refers to viewers and not signups to the service, so it makes me wonder how they know these demographics? Also, I would have thought new signups would be the bigger success rate for a streamer.
2) When we heard this news story on Wait Wait this morning, my partner said, "So it was Llama and Order" : https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/crime-fighting-llamas-catch-thief-by-surrounding-him-in-a-field-until-cops-arrive/
3) Americans now listen to podcasts more often than talk radio, study shows
What's interesting to me about this is that for a long time I had been reading articles about "when is podcasting going to break through". The surge in 2020 is unsurprising -- it's when a lot of people discovered podcasts, but then there's an immediate drop the following year. Meanwhile radio drops in 2020 because so many people listen to it mostly while commuting, which fewer are doing. ( Read more... )
4) Apparently we'd better prepare for a large wave of dementia patients in coming decades due to early wave Covid infections.
5) Had one of my best nights of bowling, at least in terms of outcomes. Normally my goal is just to break 100. I almost did so in game 1, did 114 in game 2, and 141 in game 3. This followed a 20+ minute delay when our lanes (which had been getting balls stuck all evening), stopped altogether and wouldn't lower pins. We were eventually moved to a different set of lanes to finish game 2 and do one of the fastest game 3s I've ever played. Paid off though!
2) When we heard this news story on Wait Wait this morning, my partner said, "So it was Llama and Order" : https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/crime-fighting-llamas-catch-thief-by-surrounding-him-in-a-field-until-cops-arrive/
3) Americans now listen to podcasts more often than talk radio, study shows
What's interesting to me about this is that for a long time I had been reading articles about "when is podcasting going to break through". The surge in 2020 is unsurprising -- it's when a lot of people discovered podcasts, but then there's an immediate drop the following year. Meanwhile radio drops in 2020 because so many people listen to it mostly while commuting, which fewer are doing. ( Read more... )
4) Apparently we'd better prepare for a large wave of dementia patients in coming decades due to early wave Covid infections.
5) Had one of my best nights of bowling, at least in terms of outcomes. Normally my goal is just to break 100. I almost did so in game 1, did 114 in game 2, and 141 in game 3. This followed a 20+ minute delay when our lanes (which had been getting balls stuck all evening), stopped altogether and wouldn't lower pins. We were eventually moved to a different set of lanes to finish game 2 and do one of the fastest game 3s I've ever played. Paid off though!
Poll #34304 Kudos Footer-559
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
1) Squidgeworld will be doing video hosting! So if you have videos you need hosting and, like us, hate Youtube, you'll be able to host your videos on Squidge Images.
Various services are currently down for maintenance but there's more info about that at the link.
2) This post was about how people offer gaming opinions via social media but I think the larger lesson applies to everything, and says a lot about how forceful peer pressure (even of unknown peers!) seems to be:
"The feedback they provide is not about the game, it’s about an opinion they believe to be correct based on the crowd."
"When you share an opinion or give feedback, you are telling a story about yourself. People want to share a story that they like, and that makes them feel skilled, or knowledgeable. They do not write the honest objective truth about themselves into these things. They write the version that they wish they were. We know this because we’ve surveyed a lot of players over the years and then compared their answers with their actual behavior data, and the two rarely have anything in common."
"if there’s ever a conflict between what people say and what they do, believe their actions. People say things that aren’t true all the time, but the way they use buttons that say Play Now and Uninstall tell their ultimate truth."
3) Interesting thoughts in this course introduction on Global Cinema by Henry Jenkins. A few of them here: ( Read more... )
4) I found a way to make AI tell you lies – and I'm not the only one. "People have used hacks and loopholes to abuse search engines for decades. Google has sophisticated protections in place, and the company says the accuracy of AI Overviews is on par with other search features it introduced years ago. But experts say AI tools have undone a lot of the tech industry's work to keep people safe. These AI tricks are so basic they're reminiscent of the early 2000s, before Google had even introduced a web spam team, Ray says. "We're in a bit of a Renaissance for spammers."
Not only is AI easier to fool, but experts worry that users are more likely to fall for it...Even when AI tools provide source, people are far less likely to check it out than they were with old-school search results. For example, a recent study found people are 58% less likely to click on a link when an AI Overview shows up at the top of Google Search."
5) This post speculates about the impact AI will have on economies and frames it as a look "back" to our time period. The whole thing is available to read for free, in part because this analyst group sees this potential economic and social catastrophe happening within the next few years.
"It should have been clear all along that a single GPU cluster in North Dakota generating the output previously attributed to 10,000 white-collar workers in midtown Manhattan is more economic pandemic than economic panacea. The velocity of money flatlined. The human-centric consumer economy, 70% of GDP at the time, withered. We probably could have figured this out sooner if we just asked how much money machines spend on discretionary goods. (Hint: it’s zero.)"
The key to a collapse is the disruption in the historical model of companies that have become outmoded (or undercut) by new technology: ( Read more... )
I disagree with the report in two respects. The first is the speed of the timeline. AI does not work well and there is already public disaffection with the experiences they've had. I don't think it will be adopted as widely as predicted as quickly, because its problems will become apparent as early adopters start pulling back. Should improvements develop quickly though, I could see this playing out, but probably not within the next decade.
I also think they fail to address the power demands of all this accelerated computing, and how that will affect individuals (skyrocketing utility bills are already here) and the likelihood that the grid will collapse from the excessive demand. I didn't watch the State of the Union address, but did hear NPR discussion of it this morning. I found it striking that Trump addressed this issue at all. That tells me that there's way bigger pushback on the rapid development of data centers than has been reported.
Our only hope seems to be that AI will be so incompetent in the near term at solving problems within their customers' businesses and operations that it all collapses before it can spread that widely. And that might kneecap the tech industry enough that they slow down and stop breaking things. That leads me to another rather interesting post about how slowly very disruptive tech develops compared to its hype. Though I'd really recommend it as a read, the post is long so I'm only going to pull out one item from it, which you may have heard about in the news: ( Read more... )
Various services are currently down for maintenance but there's more info about that at the link.
2) This post was about how people offer gaming opinions via social media but I think the larger lesson applies to everything, and says a lot about how forceful peer pressure (even of unknown peers!) seems to be:
"The feedback they provide is not about the game, it’s about an opinion they believe to be correct based on the crowd."
"When you share an opinion or give feedback, you are telling a story about yourself. People want to share a story that they like, and that makes them feel skilled, or knowledgeable. They do not write the honest objective truth about themselves into these things. They write the version that they wish they were. We know this because we’ve surveyed a lot of players over the years and then compared their answers with their actual behavior data, and the two rarely have anything in common."
"if there’s ever a conflict between what people say and what they do, believe their actions. People say things that aren’t true all the time, but the way they use buttons that say Play Now and Uninstall tell their ultimate truth."
3) Interesting thoughts in this course introduction on Global Cinema by Henry Jenkins. A few of them here: ( Read more... )
4) I found a way to make AI tell you lies – and I'm not the only one. "People have used hacks and loopholes to abuse search engines for decades. Google has sophisticated protections in place, and the company says the accuracy of AI Overviews is on par with other search features it introduced years ago. But experts say AI tools have undone a lot of the tech industry's work to keep people safe. These AI tricks are so basic they're reminiscent of the early 2000s, before Google had even introduced a web spam team, Ray says. "We're in a bit of a Renaissance for spammers."
Not only is AI easier to fool, but experts worry that users are more likely to fall for it...Even when AI tools provide source, people are far less likely to check it out than they were with old-school search results. For example, a recent study found people are 58% less likely to click on a link when an AI Overview shows up at the top of Google Search."
5) This post speculates about the impact AI will have on economies and frames it as a look "back" to our time period. The whole thing is available to read for free, in part because this analyst group sees this potential economic and social catastrophe happening within the next few years.
"It should have been clear all along that a single GPU cluster in North Dakota generating the output previously attributed to 10,000 white-collar workers in midtown Manhattan is more economic pandemic than economic panacea. The velocity of money flatlined. The human-centric consumer economy, 70% of GDP at the time, withered. We probably could have figured this out sooner if we just asked how much money machines spend on discretionary goods. (Hint: it’s zero.)"
The key to a collapse is the disruption in the historical model of companies that have become outmoded (or undercut) by new technology: ( Read more... )
I disagree with the report in two respects. The first is the speed of the timeline. AI does not work well and there is already public disaffection with the experiences they've had. I don't think it will be adopted as widely as predicted as quickly, because its problems will become apparent as early adopters start pulling back. Should improvements develop quickly though, I could see this playing out, but probably not within the next decade.
I also think they fail to address the power demands of all this accelerated computing, and how that will affect individuals (skyrocketing utility bills are already here) and the likelihood that the grid will collapse from the excessive demand. I didn't watch the State of the Union address, but did hear NPR discussion of it this morning. I found it striking that Trump addressed this issue at all. That tells me that there's way bigger pushback on the rapid development of data centers than has been reported.
Our only hope seems to be that AI will be so incompetent in the near term at solving problems within their customers' businesses and operations that it all collapses before it can spread that widely. And that might kneecap the tech industry enough that they slow down and stop breaking things. That leads me to another rather interesting post about how slowly very disruptive tech develops compared to its hype. Though I'd really recommend it as a read, the post is long so I'm only going to pull out one item from it, which you may have heard about in the news: ( Read more... )
Poll #34291 Kudos Footer-558
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9
Want to leave a Kudos?
Of Shows, Puzzles and Meta
Feb. 16th, 2026 04:13 pm1) Apparently I never mentioned here that my partner and I went to see The Harlem Globetrotters last month. He said he'd always wanted to see them. It turned out to be different from what we expected. ( Read more... )
2) I also tend to work on a lot of jigsaw puzzles in December and January. It's nice to sit by the sunny window and watch TV in the background while working on them. I've now put away the jigsaw board and sold off the puzzles, but Ahsoka and Grogu were a favorite ( Read more... )
3) I was listening to the Mutant Enemy Writer's Room Reunion recorded on March 17, 2015. Over 10 years ago now, but at the time it was already a decade on from the ending of all the Mutant Enemy shows. It was a really interesting listen, in terms of how those shows were written vs. the writers' experiences on other shows (especially broadcast network shows). But it also amazed me how, while rewrites were apparently rare, it was also not at all unusual that scripts were unfinished even as episodes were being filmed. ( Read more... )
4) In recent months I've been listening to a radio show from the 50s and 60s that does a variety of non-rock/pop tunes, as opposed to stuff like mambos, sambas, novelty songs, and other stuff that doesn't tend to make oldies' playlists. Sometimes they have TV theme songs in there too. Not sure I'd heard the Route 66 theme before, but the version I was listening to sounded like The Simpsons theme in that the main repeated phrase was similar. Made me eyebrow raise a little since it's one of the most profitable show themes ever written.
5) The recent Fansplaining article The Success of Heated Rivalry Should Not Be a Surprise contains other surprises. For one, the author is bewildered by most articles on the show covering (for the 1 millionth time) the "women interested in gay sex" aspect, and then also why there are so many more connections to Asian BL fandoms rather than more close-to-home slash fandoms including RPF fandoms. ( Read more... )
2) I also tend to work on a lot of jigsaw puzzles in December and January. It's nice to sit by the sunny window and watch TV in the background while working on them. I've now put away the jigsaw board and sold off the puzzles, but Ahsoka and Grogu were a favorite ( Read more... )
3) I was listening to the Mutant Enemy Writer's Room Reunion recorded on March 17, 2015. Over 10 years ago now, but at the time it was already a decade on from the ending of all the Mutant Enemy shows. It was a really interesting listen, in terms of how those shows were written vs. the writers' experiences on other shows (especially broadcast network shows). But it also amazed me how, while rewrites were apparently rare, it was also not at all unusual that scripts were unfinished even as episodes were being filmed. ( Read more... )
4) In recent months I've been listening to a radio show from the 50s and 60s that does a variety of non-rock/pop tunes, as opposed to stuff like mambos, sambas, novelty songs, and other stuff that doesn't tend to make oldies' playlists. Sometimes they have TV theme songs in there too. Not sure I'd heard the Route 66 theme before, but the version I was listening to sounded like The Simpsons theme in that the main repeated phrase was similar. Made me eyebrow raise a little since it's one of the most profitable show themes ever written.
5) The recent Fansplaining article The Success of Heated Rivalry Should Not Be a Surprise contains other surprises. For one, the author is bewildered by most articles on the show covering (for the 1 millionth time) the "women interested in gay sex" aspect, and then also why there are so many more connections to Asian BL fandoms rather than more close-to-home slash fandoms including RPF fandoms. ( Read more... )
Poll #34232 Kudos Footer-557
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16
Want to leave a Kudos?
March Meta Matters Challenge Returning!
Feb. 9th, 2026 08:02 pm1) It's surprising to me that it's been a month since I last posted...here. I have been posting every week in communities, but simply haven't completed some write ups and reviews I wanted to make.
However speaking of communities,marchmetamatterschallenge will be starting up again on March 1. If you've written meta, join in and copy your meta over to an additional location for both discovery and safekeeping! More details at the community link.
2) We were watching Colbert and his wife Evie was on. For Valentine's Day they read through her 12 year old writings about what she considered the perfect guy for her. Among her notes was that he should be "all man." This made my partner remember an event in hockey where a player was placed in the penalty box because his team had too many players on the ice. The TV caption however, as they showed him sitting there was "Too much man." I found this hilarious.
3) I daresay the article Stop Meeting Students Where They Are is relevant to various readers here. They key to me is that (a) younger online users are starting to intentionally reduce their time there, and ( Read more... )
4) Love how the same people scolding audiences for preferring to watch movies at home, don't go to the cinema even when it's free. "The Academy has long hosted screenings of Oscar-hopefuls for its members throughout the year in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, New York and London, and then again after the announcement of the Oscar nominations.
But in recent years — particularly over the seven years since the Academy introduced its members-only streaming service, the Academy Screening Room, through which members can watch films at home — attendance at all of these screenings has markedly declined.... “an average of five members attended these screenings in the last two years,” ...which reportedly cost the organization thousands of dollars a pop. So the Academy decided to save resources by eliminating them altogether." Aside from the Academy members can view movies on the big screen at the many showings hosted by the nominating studios. They just choose not to, just like most other viewers.
5) We finished watching Bodkin, which I will agree was an interesting view, though I had trouble getting into it, primarily because I was not fond of any of the main characters. A few episodes in the mystery was developing and I was fairly satisfied with how that unfolded and its complexity.
My big problem was that Netflix had labeled this "Comedy." ( Read more... )
However speaking of communities,
marchmetamatterschallenge will be starting up again on March 1. If you've written meta, join in and copy your meta over to an additional location for both discovery and safekeeping! More details at the community link. 2) We were watching Colbert and his wife Evie was on. For Valentine's Day they read through her 12 year old writings about what she considered the perfect guy for her. Among her notes was that he should be "all man." This made my partner remember an event in hockey where a player was placed in the penalty box because his team had too many players on the ice. The TV caption however, as they showed him sitting there was "Too much man." I found this hilarious.
3) I daresay the article Stop Meeting Students Where They Are is relevant to various readers here. They key to me is that (a) younger online users are starting to intentionally reduce their time there, and ( Read more... )
4) Love how the same people scolding audiences for preferring to watch movies at home, don't go to the cinema even when it's free. "The Academy has long hosted screenings of Oscar-hopefuls for its members throughout the year in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, New York and London, and then again after the announcement of the Oscar nominations.
But in recent years — particularly over the seven years since the Academy introduced its members-only streaming service, the Academy Screening Room, through which members can watch films at home — attendance at all of these screenings has markedly declined.... “an average of five members attended these screenings in the last two years,” ...which reportedly cost the organization thousands of dollars a pop. So the Academy decided to save resources by eliminating them altogether." Aside from the Academy members can view movies on the big screen at the many showings hosted by the nominating studios. They just choose not to, just like most other viewers.
5) We finished watching Bodkin, which I will agree was an interesting view, though I had trouble getting into it, primarily because I was not fond of any of the main characters. A few episodes in the mystery was developing and I was fairly satisfied with how that unfolded and its complexity.
My big problem was that Netflix had labeled this "Comedy." ( Read more... )
Poll #34206 Kudos Footer-556
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 11
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 11
Want to leave a Kudos?
1) threeforthememories is off to a great start! You have until January 24th to make your own post. I made mine today about my 2025.
2) Speaking of things to rec, saw the film House of Dynamite and thought it was wonderfully done –- except for the ending. ( Read more... )
I do think that its structure was helpful, given that just 10 minutes in there is a lot starting to go on, and it helped to have it reinforced with repeated elements.
3) Another yes from me was for the series The Beast in Me. This is mostly because I thought it was particularly well done. I'm not a big fan of the murderous husband/neighbor type thriller because they're always guilty and one of my DNW is gaslighting elements. But I thought this was a particularly well developed story and one with less "shocking twist!" than unexpected surprises that relate to character development.
4) The documentary about the making of Frozen 2 was very interesting, and rather surprising, in seeing how Disney approaches making an animated film. I'd think that -- given the costs and enormous amount of labor -- they would have a script nailed down before starting. And not just a draft, but one that had been run past the internal focus groups, had a table reading done by the cast, etc. Instead they scrapped tons of work from animators, some of which took them a year, because they kept veering back and forth on elements of the story, rewriting the central songs, etc. ( Read more... )
5) The re-release of the Beatles Anthology on Disney+ promised a new episode and remastered footage. It certainly looked very good, but as I'd seen it during its 1990s release, I noticed more about the big gaps in it. ( Read more... )
threeforthememories is off to a great start! You have until January 24th to make your own post. I made mine today about my 2025.2) Speaking of things to rec, saw the film House of Dynamite and thought it was wonderfully done –- except for the ending. ( Read more... )
I do think that its structure was helpful, given that just 10 minutes in there is a lot starting to go on, and it helped to have it reinforced with repeated elements.
3) Another yes from me was for the series The Beast in Me. This is mostly because I thought it was particularly well done. I'm not a big fan of the murderous husband/neighbor type thriller because they're always guilty and one of my DNW is gaslighting elements. But I thought this was a particularly well developed story and one with less "shocking twist!" than unexpected surprises that relate to character development.
4) The documentary about the making of Frozen 2 was very interesting, and rather surprising, in seeing how Disney approaches making an animated film. I'd think that -- given the costs and enormous amount of labor -- they would have a script nailed down before starting. And not just a draft, but one that had been run past the internal focus groups, had a table reading done by the cast, etc. Instead they scrapped tons of work from animators, some of which took them a year, because they kept veering back and forth on elements of the story, rewriting the central songs, etc. ( Read more... )
5) The re-release of the Beatles Anthology on Disney+ promised a new episode and remastered footage. It certainly looked very good, but as I'd seen it during its 1990s release, I noticed more about the big gaps in it. ( Read more... )
Poll #34076 Kudos Footer-555
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
Things I've Been Reading and Watching
Jan. 5th, 2026 07:43 pm1) "Bloomberg found that in areas near significant data center activity, wholesale electricity prices rose as much as 267% in a single month. After analyzing 25,000 “grid nodes” they found that more than 70% of those showing price increases were located within 50 miles of data center activity. With data centers forecast to account for 9% of all US power demand by 2035, the reporters said the “unprecedented granularity” of their data showed what is at stake for those living nearby this AI infrastructure."
Another data research story looked into climate change conspiracies, revealing "that hashtags were predominantly pushed by accounts with ties to oil interests in Gulf states and uncovered a coordinated effort to amplify climate conspiracy narratives through networks of automated and semi-automated accounts."
2) Been watching Celebrity Name That Tune and recently Christian Siriano was on it. In some ways this was the funniest one because neither he nor the other person were any good at identifying songs. By the second round they were tied and they ended up going through 4 tie breakers before he finally got one so that he could go on to the third round. Jane Krakowski ended up sitting down on stage while they went through song after song.
3) It's always great to celebrate new content in the public domain. It's still too little but major characters and works are now there, including Poirot and Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, Lord Peter Wimsey, various cartoons, art and music.
4) Cementing its reputation as worst company ever, Meta created ‘playbook’ to fend off government pressure to crack down on scammers. This includes making "scam ads “not findable” when authorities search for them."
5) Amid so many retail closures and the growth of audiobook sales, bookstores were growing in 2025. "This year, 422 newly opened stores joined the American Booksellers Association — nearly a hundred more than joined last year. Barnes & Noble added 55 stores around the country and Books-A-Million added 18. By comparison, Books-A-Million opened seven new stores in 2024.Genre-specific bookshops are also thriving." This even though 40% of Americans read no books at all. However "Only 14% of Americans say they prefer to read digital books, but these are some of the country’s heaviest readers. 13% of them say they read 50 or more books in 2025, compared to 4% of those who prefer physical books and 5% of those who prefer audiobooks."
Another data research story looked into climate change conspiracies, revealing "that hashtags were predominantly pushed by accounts with ties to oil interests in Gulf states and uncovered a coordinated effort to amplify climate conspiracy narratives through networks of automated and semi-automated accounts."
2) Been watching Celebrity Name That Tune and recently Christian Siriano was on it. In some ways this was the funniest one because neither he nor the other person were any good at identifying songs. By the second round they were tied and they ended up going through 4 tie breakers before he finally got one so that he could go on to the third round. Jane Krakowski ended up sitting down on stage while they went through song after song.
3) It's always great to celebrate new content in the public domain. It's still too little but major characters and works are now there, including Poirot and Miss Marple, Nancy Drew, Lord Peter Wimsey, various cartoons, art and music.
4) Cementing its reputation as worst company ever, Meta created ‘playbook’ to fend off government pressure to crack down on scammers. This includes making "scam ads “not findable” when authorities search for them."
5) Amid so many retail closures and the growth of audiobook sales, bookstores were growing in 2025. "This year, 422 newly opened stores joined the American Booksellers Association — nearly a hundred more than joined last year. Barnes & Noble added 55 stores around the country and Books-A-Million added 18. By comparison, Books-A-Million opened seven new stores in 2024.Genre-specific bookshops are also thriving." This even though 40% of Americans read no books at all. However "Only 14% of Americans say they prefer to read digital books, but these are some of the country’s heaviest readers. 13% of them say they read 50 or more books in 2025, compared to 4% of those who prefer physical books and 5% of those who prefer audiobooks."
Poll #34050 Kudos Footer-554
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9
Want to leave a Kudos?
1) In my last post I shared an article about dynamic grocery pricing, and how this was likely to hurt some who could least afford it. The issue of dynamic pricing leaped out to me in this article about Disney's shift to being a luxury experience. The author wrote:
"Over my three-decade-long consulting career, I saw industry after industry use this kind of information to shift their focus to the big spenders in its customer base. Banks, retailers, hotels, airlines, credit card issuers, manufacturers and universities all learned that their richest customers didn’t just spend more than the rest; they spent multiples more. Many companies found that if they didn’t focus on their richest customers, they couldn’t provide competitive salaries to staff members, increase returns to shareholders and attract capital to invest in new products. Whereas in the 1970s and before, the revenue driving corporate profits came from the middle class, by the 1990s it was clear that the big money was at the top."
At the same time, just because something's expensive doesn't mean it's any good. ( Read more... )
3) Saw the Pixar movie Elio and can see why it didn't do well. It's a take on The Wizard of Oz but was too focused on its theme and message to develop some of the other important aspects. ( Read more... )
4)![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
greenfinch posted about a study on pop music showing a darker and more stressed turn in music. I had some issues with it. ( Read more... )
5) First posted attv_talk, a Bloomberg News article discussing how sports acquisition will be the big driver to streaming services listed the biggest months for signups during 2025 to Apple+. The top 4 were all connected to MLB games leading with Dodgers vs. Yankees (May) 722K. The top series program was 'The Morning Show' with 524K. Slow Horses didn't make the Top 10 list, but then the data stopped in September, and its new season premiere was in October.
It's clear that Slow Horses is hugely popular as a streaming show. But apparently Morning Show is as well but isn't discussed nearly as much. Its writing is also very strong, it has a large cast, and some big names in the mix. Having just seen its 4th season, I can say it is also not slowing down in any way. If anything, the personal stakes for all the characters just keep going up.
To me, the most riveting episode was 4.8 The Parent Trap. The juxtaposition of Alex and Cory's polar opposites in parenting certainly made suggestions about how and why they turned out as they did, but it also connected to how the finale resolved the season. ( Spoilers )
"Over my three-decade-long consulting career, I saw industry after industry use this kind of information to shift their focus to the big spenders in its customer base. Banks, retailers, hotels, airlines, credit card issuers, manufacturers and universities all learned that their richest customers didn’t just spend more than the rest; they spent multiples more. Many companies found that if they didn’t focus on their richest customers, they couldn’t provide competitive salaries to staff members, increase returns to shareholders and attract capital to invest in new products. Whereas in the 1970s and before, the revenue driving corporate profits came from the middle class, by the 1990s it was clear that the big money was at the top."
At the same time, just because something's expensive doesn't mean it's any good. ( Read more... )
3) Saw the Pixar movie Elio and can see why it didn't do well. It's a take on The Wizard of Oz but was too focused on its theme and message to develop some of the other important aspects. ( Read more... )
4)
greenfinch posted about a study on pop music showing a darker and more stressed turn in music. I had some issues with it. ( Read more... )5) First posted at
tv_talk, a Bloomberg News article discussing how sports acquisition will be the big driver to streaming services listed the biggest months for signups during 2025 to Apple+. The top 4 were all connected to MLB games leading with Dodgers vs. Yankees (May) 722K. The top series program was 'The Morning Show' with 524K. Slow Horses didn't make the Top 10 list, but then the data stopped in September, and its new season premiere was in October. It's clear that Slow Horses is hugely popular as a streaming show. But apparently Morning Show is as well but isn't discussed nearly as much. Its writing is also very strong, it has a large cast, and some big names in the mix. Having just seen its 4th season, I can say it is also not slowing down in any way. If anything, the personal stakes for all the characters just keep going up.
To me, the most riveting episode was 4.8 The Parent Trap. The juxtaposition of Alex and Cory's polar opposites in parenting certainly made suggestions about how and why they turned out as they did, but it also connected to how the finale resolved the season. ( Spoilers )
Poll #33978 Kudos Footer-554
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Get That AI Outta Here!
Dec. 10th, 2025 05:33 pm1) In another sign of AI run amok, I do the AARP Trivia quiz each day. I swear they have delegated its creation to AI. There have often been errors in the past, usually spelling ones, though sometimes also offering the same answer twice (out of 4 choices) -- which if it happens to be the right answer means you have a 50/50 chance of being wrong even when you're right.
Last weekend there were two. An "explainer" or "further info" box usually pops up after you finish a question. One of them just said "nar."But my favorite was the question "What is the name of dish where beef is cooked in wine." The answer? Coq au Vin. To boot the explainer mentioned that though the name meant rooster it was often made with chicken. Which is, as we know, beef. ( Read more... )
2) This is the first I've heard that Friday Night Lights is getting a sequel, or maybe a reboot depending on how you look at it.
3) Back in October my Garmin tracker just stopped working as I was biking. It didn't do anything the rest of the day and I figured its (unchargeable) battery was dying, since it was guaranteed for a year and it was almost exactly that. Since Garmin seems to be moving away from selling trackers, I decided to try a Fitbit as my partner was satisfied with his. However the next day, the Garmin was working again, so I hadn't opened or set up the Fitbit yet.
Cut to last weekend when it went out again while I was exercising. The Garmin came back after an hour but I'm suspecting that the battery is dying and so it's particularly stressed during continuous activity. It's probably been cutting out for some time, as I've noticed odd differences in step reports during days that are functionally the same.
Skipping over all the things I already don't like about the Fitbit, I decided to start using it alongside the Garmin. The first morning, before I even started exercising, there was already a 200 step difference between what the Fitbit showed and what the Garmin reported. ( Read more... )
3) Saw the last Mission Impossible movie and have to say I was pretty unimpressed. Of course, they were never my favorites to start with. I thought I'd done a review of an earlier film but if so, I can't find it. So this will have to do. ( Read more... )
4) As if people who need groceries delivered (likely those with disabilities or lack of transport) weren't already paying more, now there's dynamic food pricing in action. "hundreds of volunteers shopped on Instacart for identical baskets of goods from Safeway and Target. Of the 437 participants, every single one was exposed to algorithmic price experiments, according to the report. The investigation also found evidence of price experimentation at Albertsons, Costco, Kroger and Sprouts Farmers Market." " All told, the price variations could cost families $1,200 a year, based on how much Instacart says the typical household of four spends on groceries."
"Customers were also shown different "original" prices, making some savings appear larger, the report found, a concept known as "fictitious pricing." Amazon was sued this October for allegedly using this tactic during its summer Prime Day sale."
Also a shout out to Consumer Reports for being one of the few sources that can be counted on in this time of media greed, kowtowing, and chasing squirrels.
5) While I've noticed my grocery has these errors all the time, perhaps they're just a new business practice. The attorney general's office said its investigation revealed that during 2019 and 2023, Dollar General failed more than 40 percent of pricing accuracy inspections.
"The settlement also requires Dollar General to modify its business practices to prevent future violations of Pennsylvania's consumer protection law, the attorney general's office said. The changes include training employees, maintaining enough staffing to update shelf tags weekly and posting notices at registers saying the lowest posted price will be honored." "We are hopeful the corporation takes this settlement very seriously as Pennsylvanians expect to pay the price that is on stickers and labels.""
Last weekend there were two. An "explainer" or "further info" box usually pops up after you finish a question. One of them just said "nar."But my favorite was the question "What is the name of dish where beef is cooked in wine." The answer? Coq au Vin. To boot the explainer mentioned that though the name meant rooster it was often made with chicken. Which is, as we know, beef. ( Read more... )
2) This is the first I've heard that Friday Night Lights is getting a sequel, or maybe a reboot depending on how you look at it.
3) Back in October my Garmin tracker just stopped working as I was biking. It didn't do anything the rest of the day and I figured its (unchargeable) battery was dying, since it was guaranteed for a year and it was almost exactly that. Since Garmin seems to be moving away from selling trackers, I decided to try a Fitbit as my partner was satisfied with his. However the next day, the Garmin was working again, so I hadn't opened or set up the Fitbit yet.
Cut to last weekend when it went out again while I was exercising. The Garmin came back after an hour but I'm suspecting that the battery is dying and so it's particularly stressed during continuous activity. It's probably been cutting out for some time, as I've noticed odd differences in step reports during days that are functionally the same.
Skipping over all the things I already don't like about the Fitbit, I decided to start using it alongside the Garmin. The first morning, before I even started exercising, there was already a 200 step difference between what the Fitbit showed and what the Garmin reported. ( Read more... )
3) Saw the last Mission Impossible movie and have to say I was pretty unimpressed. Of course, they were never my favorites to start with. I thought I'd done a review of an earlier film but if so, I can't find it. So this will have to do. ( Read more... )
4) As if people who need groceries delivered (likely those with disabilities or lack of transport) weren't already paying more, now there's dynamic food pricing in action. "hundreds of volunteers shopped on Instacart for identical baskets of goods from Safeway and Target. Of the 437 participants, every single one was exposed to algorithmic price experiments, according to the report. The investigation also found evidence of price experimentation at Albertsons, Costco, Kroger and Sprouts Farmers Market." " All told, the price variations could cost families $1,200 a year, based on how much Instacart says the typical household of four spends on groceries."
"Customers were also shown different "original" prices, making some savings appear larger, the report found, a concept known as "fictitious pricing." Amazon was sued this October for allegedly using this tactic during its summer Prime Day sale."
Also a shout out to Consumer Reports for being one of the few sources that can be counted on in this time of media greed, kowtowing, and chasing squirrels.
5) While I've noticed my grocery has these errors all the time, perhaps they're just a new business practice. The attorney general's office said its investigation revealed that during 2019 and 2023, Dollar General failed more than 40 percent of pricing accuracy inspections.
"The settlement also requires Dollar General to modify its business practices to prevent future violations of Pennsylvania's consumer protection law, the attorney general's office said. The changes include training employees, maintaining enough staffing to update shelf tags weekly and posting notices at registers saying the lowest posted price will be honored." "We are hopeful the corporation takes this settlement very seriously as Pennsylvanians expect to pay the price that is on stickers and labels.""
Poll #33941 Kudos Footer-553
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 10
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 10
Want to leave a Kudos?
The Good and the Could Be Better
Nov. 26th, 2025 07:03 pm1) Some good news, NPR program revenue is way up, and much of it is coming from new donors. Also, John Oliver not only did his final 2025 episode about it which you can watch on YouTube but held an auction which, given how its bidding was going, is likely to raise about $1.25 million for them.
2) I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this (definitive) Fantastic 4 movie. Like many others I loved the set design, the 60s retro futurism, and the framing and pacing for it. It was not easy to build in those domestic and intimate character scenes within a movie that had a lot to get through.
Unfortunately though, the more I thought about the movie after, the more it fell apart. ( Read more... )
3) First posted ontv_talk, I couldn't help comparing 2 shows that are forever tied together for me because of a friend, now gone from us, who I watched them with. ancing with the Stars which had its 20 year anniversary this month, has been on so long it had its own In Memoriam segment. (Charo and Wayne Newton though, in the audience, still with us). It was a great show, starting with an excellent opening number. Funnily enough, I turned to my partner and commented on how well choreographed it was, only to find out a minute later that it had been done by Derek Hough.
"He should choreograph everything," he said. There were a number of excellent dances, as well as a good effort by Andy Richter.
The best moment though, was at the start when we not only saw the original pros start the show (I can't believe there were no interviews or moments with them about their memories – guess that was all saved for the podcast) but Tom Bergeron was back. I am quite happy with Alfonso and Julieanne as co-hosts but I miss Tom.
And speaking of hosts, Project Runway has had a more checkered history for several reasons. ( Read more... )
In the meantime, there's a lot of joy on DwtS, perhaps best exemplified by this semi-final performance of Robert Irwin's:
4) I watched The Roses with Olivia Colman/Cumberbatch, which is a remake of War of the Roses but much more British. Near the end he builds this house by the sea, and I just wanted the movie to spend time showing all parts of it because it looked great! I recently saw pics of the Stahl House in L.A. which is up for sale, and am a sucker for those integrated-with-the-environment type buildings.
As to the movie ( Read more... )
5) What has always been known has now been proved about who's behind most of the MAGA shit stirring on X (and undoubtedly every other platform). The biggest irony of all is that so much of it isn't even political manipulation by foreign powers so much as international scammers getting paid for ruining the U.S. social sphere.
"Musk instituted an “engagement-based” payment structure that pays out money based on how many views, retweets, and comments you get. For people in lower income regions, trolling on politically sensitive topics in America to generate likes and clicks (especially now that they can use AI to do so) isn’t just easy—it’s an actual business model that Musk built into the platform."
2) I can see why a lot of people enjoyed this (definitive) Fantastic 4 movie. Like many others I loved the set design, the 60s retro futurism, and the framing and pacing for it. It was not easy to build in those domestic and intimate character scenes within a movie that had a lot to get through.
Unfortunately though, the more I thought about the movie after, the more it fell apart. ( Read more... )
3) First posted on
tv_talk, I couldn't help comparing 2 shows that are forever tied together for me because of a friend, now gone from us, who I watched them with. ancing with the Stars which had its 20 year anniversary this month, has been on so long it had its own In Memoriam segment. (Charo and Wayne Newton though, in the audience, still with us). It was a great show, starting with an excellent opening number. Funnily enough, I turned to my partner and commented on how well choreographed it was, only to find out a minute later that it had been done by Derek Hough. "He should choreograph everything," he said. There were a number of excellent dances, as well as a good effort by Andy Richter.
The best moment though, was at the start when we not only saw the original pros start the show (I can't believe there were no interviews or moments with them about their memories – guess that was all saved for the podcast) but Tom Bergeron was back. I am quite happy with Alfonso and Julieanne as co-hosts but I miss Tom.
And speaking of hosts, Project Runway has had a more checkered history for several reasons. ( Read more... )
In the meantime, there's a lot of joy on DwtS, perhaps best exemplified by this semi-final performance of Robert Irwin's:
4) I watched The Roses with Olivia Colman/Cumberbatch, which is a remake of War of the Roses but much more British. Near the end he builds this house by the sea, and I just wanted the movie to spend time showing all parts of it because it looked great! I recently saw pics of the Stahl House in L.A. which is up for sale, and am a sucker for those integrated-with-the-environment type buildings.
As to the movie ( Read more... )
5) What has always been known has now been proved about who's behind most of the MAGA shit stirring on X (and undoubtedly every other platform). The biggest irony of all is that so much of it isn't even political manipulation by foreign powers so much as international scammers getting paid for ruining the U.S. social sphere.
"Musk instituted an “engagement-based” payment structure that pays out money based on how many views, retweets, and comments you get. For people in lower income regions, trolling on politically sensitive topics in America to generate likes and clicks (especially now that they can use AI to do so) isn’t just easy—it’s an actual business model that Musk built into the platform."
Poll #33883 Kudos Footer-552
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
What Else is AI Doing?
Nov. 22nd, 2025 01:13 pm1) Saw the One to One: John and Yoko documentary. It was, I thought, a clever way of creating one with very little new footage or audio recordings. It focuses on a 2 year period where they are in a small apartment in the Village and basically drops in bits about the two within a larger documentary weaving pop culture and political activity clips as if switching TV channels. ( Read more... )
2) Disney+ to Allow User-Generated Content Via AI. It's hard for me to imagine how this could possibly work. The only thing I can figure is that they plan to use a version of AI that is more like a choose your own adventure option, than something open to user input.
In other AI news however: "A staggering 97% of listeners cannot distinguish between artificial intelligence-generated and human-composed songs...underscoring growing concerns that AI could upend how music is created, consumed and monetized.
The findings of the survey, for which Ipsos polled 9,000 participants across eight countries, including the U.S., Britain and France...found that 73% of respondents supported disclosure when AI-generated tracks are recommended, 45% sought filtering options, and 40% said they would skip AI-generated songs entirely. Around 71% expressed surprise at their inability to distinguish between human-made and synthetic tracks." ( Read more... )
3) Big Tech banks on our laziness."Like any new technology, AI is a natural threat to these businesses, whose basic technology is already decades old. There’s a very real threat that a newcomer like OpenAI could mount a successful challenge to Google Search or Amazon Web Services. Yet, ingeniously, the platforms may manage to ward off AI challengers by using AI themselves to reinforce their dominance, protecting monopoly positions and justifying their large investments. Doing so depends, more than anything, on using AI to further increase our dependence and that sense of couchlock....( Read more... )
4) Webtoon Entertainment Inc. is partnering with Walt Disney to bring Star Wars and Marvel comics to Webtoon's English platform and with Warner Bros. Animation to co-produce animated series for global distribution.
5) Although this article focused on how many people want to listen to music made with AI, it was rather an interesting picture painted of how people consume music at all, what they know about artist pay, and what sorts of music related things they're willing to spend money on.
One thing I found personally interesting is that they either were not asked or did not respond, that a main way to encounter new music was via TV or movies, even though some of them mentioned that soundtracks were their favorite genre. I know it's been one of my big 3 ways for decades now.
2) Disney+ to Allow User-Generated Content Via AI. It's hard for me to imagine how this could possibly work. The only thing I can figure is that they plan to use a version of AI that is more like a choose your own adventure option, than something open to user input.
In other AI news however: "A staggering 97% of listeners cannot distinguish between artificial intelligence-generated and human-composed songs...underscoring growing concerns that AI could upend how music is created, consumed and monetized.
The findings of the survey, for which Ipsos polled 9,000 participants across eight countries, including the U.S., Britain and France...found that 73% of respondents supported disclosure when AI-generated tracks are recommended, 45% sought filtering options, and 40% said they would skip AI-generated songs entirely. Around 71% expressed surprise at their inability to distinguish between human-made and synthetic tracks." ( Read more... )
3) Big Tech banks on our laziness."Like any new technology, AI is a natural threat to these businesses, whose basic technology is already decades old. There’s a very real threat that a newcomer like OpenAI could mount a successful challenge to Google Search or Amazon Web Services. Yet, ingeniously, the platforms may manage to ward off AI challengers by using AI themselves to reinforce their dominance, protecting monopoly positions and justifying their large investments. Doing so depends, more than anything, on using AI to further increase our dependence and that sense of couchlock....( Read more... )
4) Webtoon Entertainment Inc. is partnering with Walt Disney to bring Star Wars and Marvel comics to Webtoon's English platform and with Warner Bros. Animation to co-produce animated series for global distribution.
5) Although this article focused on how many people want to listen to music made with AI, it was rather an interesting picture painted of how people consume music at all, what they know about artist pay, and what sorts of music related things they're willing to spend money on.
One thing I found personally interesting is that they either were not asked or did not respond, that a main way to encounter new music was via TV or movies, even though some of them mentioned that soundtracks were their favorite genre. I know it's been one of my big 3 ways for decades now.
Poll #33868 Kudos Footer-551
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Snow No One Seemed to Be Expecting
Nov. 12th, 2025 03:32 pm1) Maybe given that Sunday morning's snow was light and disappeared when it hit the ground, no one was expecting it to stick. But it sure did. As a result, our complex had not salted stairs or sidewalks and had not plowed parking lots. And the local roadways hadn't been either.
The stairs had snow 2 inches deep on them, so I descended carefully Monday morning. The snow was very powdery so it brushed off the car easily. Funny thing though, the snow came from the southeast side. The other side of the car? Completely clear, no snow at all. ( Read more... )
I was thinking of how booking your own appointment online is rarely the convenience it's supposed to be. It's never worked for me at my medical group because I can't do it without inputting a mobile number. When I was trying to do it for car maintenance appointments, it would turn out the appointments didn't sync with the in-office calendar they had. And here, had I spoken to a person they would have known the doctor wouldn't be in on Monday at all.
2) Watched a multi-episode documentary on Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. I suspect that the various revelations would be unlikely to emerge with any living subject, or without the sort of research that went into it while they were still alive. ( Read more... )
3) First posted over attv_talk, Paramount has just cut 1000 jobs and 1000 more job cuts are expected. They want to reach "$2 billion in expense cuts across the company." That's more than most companies and some countries are worth.
Job cuts after an acquisition aren't surprising. It usually happens in a frenzy, and some positions come back once the losses start leading to problems. But a line in this news story, as well as another article coming out the same day, made me start thinking about where big cuts are likely to come from.
"More than 800 people — or about 3.5% of the company’s workforce — were laid off in June, prior to the Ellison family takeover. At the time, Paramount’s management attributed the cuts to the decline of cable television subscriptions and an increased emphasis on bulking up its streaming TV business. In 2024, the company eliminated 2,000 positions, or 15% of its staff." (emphasis mine) ( Read more... )
4) Speaking of TV habits, a study about people's searching behavior finding content on streamers indicated 46% of those surveyed are having more trouble finding what they want, and are more willing to cancel their subscriptions because of the difficulties. Searching time can run from 12 to 26 minutes. Many users also use the Internet to find information rather than the apps themselves.
The answer for many companies is to embed more AI with an eye to making their services able to answer general questions as well as viewing related ones.
5) More streamers are using pause ads. Personally I don't mind these, especially if they only take over the screen as an opt-in feature. I pause stuff often for different reasons, and as long as the ads aren't interrupting my viewing, they can have the screen.
That said, there are plans afoot to use AI to tie ads into the show action as well as localize your viewing. "Amazon has begun to offer the format to local and regional advertisers, says Jenn Donohue, director of local ad sales at Amazon Ads. Commercials from regional banks or community grocery stores can often be extremely meaningful to viewers, she says, and “there’s nothing more important than making it very relevant to the experience that I’m having as a viewer.”"
The stairs had snow 2 inches deep on them, so I descended carefully Monday morning. The snow was very powdery so it brushed off the car easily. Funny thing though, the snow came from the southeast side. The other side of the car? Completely clear, no snow at all. ( Read more... )
I was thinking of how booking your own appointment online is rarely the convenience it's supposed to be. It's never worked for me at my medical group because I can't do it without inputting a mobile number. When I was trying to do it for car maintenance appointments, it would turn out the appointments didn't sync with the in-office calendar they had. And here, had I spoken to a person they would have known the doctor wouldn't be in on Monday at all.
2) Watched a multi-episode documentary on Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. I suspect that the various revelations would be unlikely to emerge with any living subject, or without the sort of research that went into it while they were still alive. ( Read more... )
3) First posted over at
tv_talk, Paramount has just cut 1000 jobs and 1000 more job cuts are expected. They want to reach "$2 billion in expense cuts across the company." That's more than most companies and some countries are worth.Job cuts after an acquisition aren't surprising. It usually happens in a frenzy, and some positions come back once the losses start leading to problems. But a line in this news story, as well as another article coming out the same day, made me start thinking about where big cuts are likely to come from.
"More than 800 people — or about 3.5% of the company’s workforce — were laid off in June, prior to the Ellison family takeover. At the time, Paramount’s management attributed the cuts to the decline of cable television subscriptions and an increased emphasis on bulking up its streaming TV business. In 2024, the company eliminated 2,000 positions, or 15% of its staff." (emphasis mine) ( Read more... )
4) Speaking of TV habits, a study about people's searching behavior finding content on streamers indicated 46% of those surveyed are having more trouble finding what they want, and are more willing to cancel their subscriptions because of the difficulties. Searching time can run from 12 to 26 minutes. Many users also use the Internet to find information rather than the apps themselves.
The answer for many companies is to embed more AI with an eye to making their services able to answer general questions as well as viewing related ones.
5) More streamers are using pause ads. Personally I don't mind these, especially if they only take over the screen as an opt-in feature. I pause stuff often for different reasons, and as long as the ads aren't interrupting my viewing, they can have the screen.
That said, there are plans afoot to use AI to tie ads into the show action as well as localize your viewing. "Amazon has begun to offer the format to local and regional advertisers, says Jenn Donohue, director of local ad sales at Amazon Ads. Commercials from regional banks or community grocery stores can often be extremely meaningful to viewers, she says, and “there’s nothing more important than making it very relevant to the experience that I’m having as a viewer.”"
Poll #33829 Kudos Footer-550
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
What We Don't Want
Nov. 8th, 2025 07:39 pm1) Amazon plans to deploy automated translation of books into non-English languages.
2) Chances are so many past shows have been cancelled due to inaccurate measurements. While that's no longer true for streaming content, it still is for cable and broadcast. ( Read more... )
3) Alarming stats about AI slop: "There's a streaming platform called Deezer... And they're one of the very few platforms that... actually set up a AI detection algorithm..And back in January, they reported that 10% of those [new] songs were AI generated, and they don't allow them on the platform. But then a few months later in April, they said 18% of the songs...delivered were AI generated. And just a few days ago, the September report came out and the number is up to 28%. And so I think ... we're just not even given a choice about whether we wanna see this or hear this stuff or not."
4) When reading this article about how people given the right information refuse to change their wrong take in the face of evidence, I was reminded of an unpleasant encounter this week. The writer of the article concludes that this is a social media issue, but I think it's worse than that. Social media has exacerbated behavior where people always have to be right. ( Read more... )
5) Yet what a difference it makes when an employee makes an effort to help. I had a WalMart gift card which I knew worked because I had used it in May. A few months ago when picking up other meds and groceries I tried to use it. It wouldn't scan. I asked for help and after trying it a few times, the clerk said I'd have to go into a regular cashier line because only they could input the card number. Given the line and having to rescan everything, I just paid with credit and left. ( Read more... )
2) Chances are so many past shows have been cancelled due to inaccurate measurements. While that's no longer true for streaming content, it still is for cable and broadcast. ( Read more... )
3) Alarming stats about AI slop: "There's a streaming platform called Deezer... And they're one of the very few platforms that... actually set up a AI detection algorithm..And back in January, they reported that 10% of those [new] songs were AI generated, and they don't allow them on the platform. But then a few months later in April, they said 18% of the songs...delivered were AI generated. And just a few days ago, the September report came out and the number is up to 28%. And so I think ... we're just not even given a choice about whether we wanna see this or hear this stuff or not."
4) When reading this article about how people given the right information refuse to change their wrong take in the face of evidence, I was reminded of an unpleasant encounter this week. The writer of the article concludes that this is a social media issue, but I think it's worse than that. Social media has exacerbated behavior where people always have to be right. ( Read more... )
5) Yet what a difference it makes when an employee makes an effort to help. I had a WalMart gift card which I knew worked because I had used it in May. A few months ago when picking up other meds and groceries I tried to use it. It wouldn't scan. I asked for help and after trying it a few times, the clerk said I'd have to go into a regular cashier line because only they could input the card number. Given the line and having to rescan everything, I just paid with credit and left. ( Read more... )
Poll #33818 Kudos Footer-549
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
Things Completed
Nov. 5th, 2025 01:19 pm1) nacramamo has ended and for the time being so has my jewelry making. I made more than I posted about, although there was a lot of that, too. Just a reminder that everykindofcraft remains open for everyday work in progress, completed or stalled.
2) Finished a few shows, such as Perry Mason on HBO. I can see why it was cancelled. It was ambitious and fairly well written, and I thought the character backstories made sense. However, it liked to roll around in the noir aspects rather too much, which I think affected the pacing in S1. I prefer S2. I also think you could watch S2 on its own. ( Read more... )
3) Finished both seasons of House of the Dragon. Am looking forward to S3. I can see why Game of Thrones would have drawn people in. I love a complicated political story with various competing interests, which is what this is. Add in the important female protagonists and it's interesting to follow the zigs and zags.
4) For those with pets, the same things are happening surrounding vet care, supplies and even services as with a lot of other industries – buyouts, stripping services to the bone, and reduction of care. "As with human health care, billionaire consolidators aim to extract big coin on veterinary services, pushing expensive tests and pricey interventions, instituting aggressive billing and collection, and focusing on cost-cutting on the service side, including squeezing wages from employees....These vulture investors typically collect management fees on all transactions, strip out profitable assets (including real estate), call the shots in terms of major decision-making in the practice, and charge fees for monitoring them, even as some of the companies they acquire spiral into bankruptcy. “It’s like setting the fire, being paid to put out the fire, and collecting the insurance on the fire all at the same time."
5) The issue of news avoidance or indifference isn't a new one, but what I found interesting in this was the breakdown of who actually sought out news or made it part of their routine:
MSNBC viewers: 72% active
CNN viewers: 71%
Seniors (65+): 69%
Daily Twitter users: 69%
Strong Democrats: 67%
White college grads: 67%
Fox News viewers: 66%
White collar workers: 66%
MAGA Republicans: 64%
Given this is a recent study I find this to be relatively unsurprising, as it leans towards politically engaged and even fanatical ideologues, who are the only people I can imagine being able to tolerate most of the news these days. Seniors are also unsurprising as they have traditionally been the biggest news consumers, partly due to time, but also because they have the most time to be politically engaged and are the most reliable voting bloc.
This also leads to a logical reversal in more passive news consumers: ( Read more... )
nacramamo has ended and for the time being so has my jewelry making. I made more than I posted about, although there was a lot of that, too. Just a reminder that everykindofcraft remains open for everyday work in progress, completed or stalled.2) Finished a few shows, such as Perry Mason on HBO. I can see why it was cancelled. It was ambitious and fairly well written, and I thought the character backstories made sense. However, it liked to roll around in the noir aspects rather too much, which I think affected the pacing in S1. I prefer S2. I also think you could watch S2 on its own. ( Read more... )
3) Finished both seasons of House of the Dragon. Am looking forward to S3. I can see why Game of Thrones would have drawn people in. I love a complicated political story with various competing interests, which is what this is. Add in the important female protagonists and it's interesting to follow the zigs and zags.
4) For those with pets, the same things are happening surrounding vet care, supplies and even services as with a lot of other industries – buyouts, stripping services to the bone, and reduction of care. "As with human health care, billionaire consolidators aim to extract big coin on veterinary services, pushing expensive tests and pricey interventions, instituting aggressive billing and collection, and focusing on cost-cutting on the service side, including squeezing wages from employees....These vulture investors typically collect management fees on all transactions, strip out profitable assets (including real estate), call the shots in terms of major decision-making in the practice, and charge fees for monitoring them, even as some of the companies they acquire spiral into bankruptcy. “It’s like setting the fire, being paid to put out the fire, and collecting the insurance on the fire all at the same time."
5) The issue of news avoidance or indifference isn't a new one, but what I found interesting in this was the breakdown of who actually sought out news or made it part of their routine:
MSNBC viewers: 72% active
CNN viewers: 71%
Seniors (65+): 69%
Daily Twitter users: 69%
Strong Democrats: 67%
White college grads: 67%
Fox News viewers: 66%
White collar workers: 66%
MAGA Republicans: 64%
Given this is a recent study I find this to be relatively unsurprising, as it leans towards politically engaged and even fanatical ideologues, who are the only people I can imagine being able to tolerate most of the news these days. Seniors are also unsurprising as they have traditionally been the biggest news consumers, partly due to time, but also because they have the most time to be politically engaged and are the most reliable voting bloc.
This also leads to a logical reversal in more passive news consumers: ( Read more... )
Poll #33802 Kudos Footer-548
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
1) I enjoyed watching Emma Thompson's arrival on Colbert's show, and also her rant about how AI keeps trying to change her writing. "“And so I end up just going, ‘I don’t need you to f**king rewrite what I’ve just written! Will you f*** off? Just f*** off" "Colbert then jokingly suggested that Thompson show her computer the Academy Award she won for her screenwriting on the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility, which made her the only person to ever win an Oscar for both acting and writing."
2) Watched a Donna Summers' documentary, which was pretty uninformative. I knew little about her career so some of the info was new, but hardly anything was explored. ( Read more... )
3) Also saw the new 2025 documentary about LiveAid. I already knew a fair amount about it but given there were new interviews there were still some new bits. ( Read more... )
4) Had an afternoon with everything higgledy piggeldy. Got a call mid-afternoon from the leasing office that the utility company needed to make repairs to a transformer by our building. It would mean a 2-hour electricity cut off. So I got off the computer and decided to run the TV and finish exercises while I was waiting. But despite being told the power would be off in about 15 minutes, we still had power an hour later. My partner wasn't sure whether to stay late at work or come home. And if he did, we'd have to either eat snacks or wait for power to come back since we wouldn't want to open the fridge or freezer. ( Read more... )
5) A bit of hope that major money can be gotten out of politics, via a legal case. "Corporations exist with the express permission of the state in which they are incorporated. They are legal inventions, statutorily-created entities. They only have as much power as the states grant them.
That means the answer to Citizens United may be staring everyone straight in the face. After all, the states—and this Supreme Court majority is for “states’ rights” after all—by definition have the final say over what corporations may do in their states. As noted by the Center for American Progress, which backs campaign finance law reforms, “Corporations are pure creatures of state law. And for more than two centuries, the Supreme Court has affirmed that states have virtually unlimited authority to modify and withdraw the powers they grant to their corporations.”
Why couldn’t that authority include never granting corporations the power to spend money on political contributions in the first place?"
2) Watched a Donna Summers' documentary, which was pretty uninformative. I knew little about her career so some of the info was new, but hardly anything was explored. ( Read more... )
3) Also saw the new 2025 documentary about LiveAid. I already knew a fair amount about it but given there were new interviews there were still some new bits. ( Read more... )
4) Had an afternoon with everything higgledy piggeldy. Got a call mid-afternoon from the leasing office that the utility company needed to make repairs to a transformer by our building. It would mean a 2-hour electricity cut off. So I got off the computer and decided to run the TV and finish exercises while I was waiting. But despite being told the power would be off in about 15 minutes, we still had power an hour later. My partner wasn't sure whether to stay late at work or come home. And if he did, we'd have to either eat snacks or wait for power to come back since we wouldn't want to open the fridge or freezer. ( Read more... )
5) A bit of hope that major money can be gotten out of politics, via a legal case. "Corporations exist with the express permission of the state in which they are incorporated. They are legal inventions, statutorily-created entities. They only have as much power as the states grant them.
That means the answer to Citizens United may be staring everyone straight in the face. After all, the states—and this Supreme Court majority is for “states’ rights” after all—by definition have the final say over what corporations may do in their states. As noted by the Center for American Progress, which backs campaign finance law reforms, “Corporations are pure creatures of state law. And for more than two centuries, the Supreme Court has affirmed that states have virtually unlimited authority to modify and withdraw the powers they grant to their corporations.”
Why couldn’t that authority include never granting corporations the power to spend money on political contributions in the first place?"
Poll #33772 Kudos Footer-547
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Are Kids On Our Lawn?
Oct. 20th, 2025 02:49 pm1) Well, I guess we've come full circle in the commercialization of fandom. Lionsgate Hired TikTok Fan Editors to Market Movies
"Mendez says he realized the potential of fan edits a couple years ago, when “Suits” videos were garnering hundreds of millions of views on TikTok. He credits those clips with catapulting the 2010s legal drama to the most-streamed show of 2023 and spawning a spinoff.
While it’s difficult to measure the conversion rate of people who see a fan edit and then watch the movie or show it’s based on, Mendez says the proof is in the comments section...The week Areq’s edit was posted, viewership of the 2015 boxing drama increased 29% on Amazon Prime, according to Luminate data.”
2) Was watching High Potential and a recent episode was such a mess, all it revealed was that the show writers are clearly not in the same category as their main character. ( Read more... )
3) I don't want to ding High Potential for this specifically because this problem occurs in every show and movie I think I've ever seen. But it leaped out at me because the way CPR was done for a drowning victim was so crappy. The fact is that near-drowning can cause lifelong problems in a number of areas and is not something one just bounces back from in minutes (not to mention, there's hardly ever a scene of a victim doing prolonged puking). To me, this is a public health disservice. ( Read more... )
4) Even though I never used Deviant Art myself, it's fascinating to read about its history (and its deliberate destruction) given it's a contemporary period for my being online. It seems strange to have the ethos of the web then explained to people who have never known anything but today's impersonal and exploitative models.
"All of these various elements that might make up a page linked back to the tens, sometimes hundreds of other creators, alongside prominently displayed collections of favorited works from around the website, making every profile a constellation of user creation curated in a unique way that promoted not just the user themselves but the entire community." ( Read more... )
5) There was a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter about how movies are the lifeblood of streaming services. Though I find this disappointing, I don't find it surprising. Movies are (often) a one-shot sort of story, quick to get through, and usually getting a lot of expensive publicity before their release date, thus raising awareness in a big part of the potential viewing public. And people rewatch a good bit because, again, it's short and doesn't require a big commitment.
The other two reasons are, I think, more recent in nature. ( Read more... )
"Mendez says he realized the potential of fan edits a couple years ago, when “Suits” videos were garnering hundreds of millions of views on TikTok. He credits those clips with catapulting the 2010s legal drama to the most-streamed show of 2023 and spawning a spinoff.
While it’s difficult to measure the conversion rate of people who see a fan edit and then watch the movie or show it’s based on, Mendez says the proof is in the comments section...The week Areq’s edit was posted, viewership of the 2015 boxing drama increased 29% on Amazon Prime, according to Luminate data.”
2) Was watching High Potential and a recent episode was such a mess, all it revealed was that the show writers are clearly not in the same category as their main character. ( Read more... )
3) I don't want to ding High Potential for this specifically because this problem occurs in every show and movie I think I've ever seen. But it leaped out at me because the way CPR was done for a drowning victim was so crappy. The fact is that near-drowning can cause lifelong problems in a number of areas and is not something one just bounces back from in minutes (not to mention, there's hardly ever a scene of a victim doing prolonged puking). To me, this is a public health disservice. ( Read more... )
4) Even though I never used Deviant Art myself, it's fascinating to read about its history (and its deliberate destruction) given it's a contemporary period for my being online. It seems strange to have the ethos of the web then explained to people who have never known anything but today's impersonal and exploitative models.
"All of these various elements that might make up a page linked back to the tens, sometimes hundreds of other creators, alongside prominently displayed collections of favorited works from around the website, making every profile a constellation of user creation curated in a unique way that promoted not just the user themselves but the entire community." ( Read more... )
5) There was a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter about how movies are the lifeblood of streaming services. Though I find this disappointing, I don't find it surprising. Movies are (often) a one-shot sort of story, quick to get through, and usually getting a lot of expensive publicity before their release date, thus raising awareness in a big part of the potential viewing public. And people rewatch a good bit because, again, it's short and doesn't require a big commitment.
The other two reasons are, I think, more recent in nature. ( Read more... )
Poll #33746 Kudos Footer-546
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
ATLA Was Such a Good Show
Oct. 16th, 2025 03:38 pm1) Signs of the times: TiVo stops making devices and Paramount+ is launching a stream 4 channels simultaneously feature.
2) I literally can't remember what was the last event I went to. But back in 2016, I saw a similar show for Star Trek music and really loved it. So when I heard one for The Last Airbender would be close to me, I decided to go. It's a really fun way of enjoying a fannish thing, and kind of fascinating to watch what instruments are used to create different scenes.
The stage was much smaller than I expected, as the concert program talked about a full size movie screen, which this definitely wasn't. That said, ATLA was designed for square screens so it made sense, and the venue was small so a large one wasn't needed. ( Read more... )
3) Saw Caddo Lake this past week, and had no idea it was connected to M. Night Shyamalan but did wonder if it was a Stephen King story. I went into it blind, only curious what Dylan O'Brien was doing these days since I saw him in the movie banner. (I'm intrigued about the SNL film he did, I'll have to see where it's available). ( Spoilers )
4) Against the precipitous backdrop of funding cuts to public media, low-power radio emerges as a lesser-known source of inspiration. "Low-power stations are hyperlocal and as varying as the wind, concerned with community voices, emergency notifications, and information specific to a confined area...Practitioners of community radio also tend to see their work as politically and philosophically important. “The Low Power FM movement is a small but energetic alliance,” Scott writes in her Dummies book. “Real living, breathing humans are pushing through the cracks of commercial automation with spontaneous ideas and original thought. DJs are playing music because it moves them, not because it fits a mathematical formula."
2) I literally can't remember what was the last event I went to. But back in 2016, I saw a similar show for Star Trek music and really loved it. So when I heard one for The Last Airbender would be close to me, I decided to go. It's a really fun way of enjoying a fannish thing, and kind of fascinating to watch what instruments are used to create different scenes.
The stage was much smaller than I expected, as the concert program talked about a full size movie screen, which this definitely wasn't. That said, ATLA was designed for square screens so it made sense, and the venue was small so a large one wasn't needed. ( Read more... )
3) Saw Caddo Lake this past week, and had no idea it was connected to M. Night Shyamalan but did wonder if it was a Stephen King story. I went into it blind, only curious what Dylan O'Brien was doing these days since I saw him in the movie banner. (I'm intrigued about the SNL film he did, I'll have to see where it's available). ( Spoilers )
4) Against the precipitous backdrop of funding cuts to public media, low-power radio emerges as a lesser-known source of inspiration. "Low-power stations are hyperlocal and as varying as the wind, concerned with community voices, emergency notifications, and information specific to a confined area...Practitioners of community radio also tend to see their work as politically and philosophically important. “The Low Power FM movement is a small but energetic alliance,” Scott writes in her Dummies book. “Real living, breathing humans are pushing through the cracks of commercial automation with spontaneous ideas and original thought. DJs are playing music because it moves them, not because it fits a mathematical formula."
Poll #33732 Kudos Footer-545
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
NaCraMaMo Here at Dreamwidth
Oct. 12th, 2025 08:15 pm1) Social media use is declining world wide but still going up in the U.S. Yet younger users are increasingly posting and using less as they develop privacy concerns. ( Read more... )
2) Speaking of investing more time in crafts, I'm taking part innacramamo for the first time. The goal is to post daily about crafts in progress or finished. Here's what I've got so far.
Also, as I was asked about this on one of my posts, yes, the necklaces are available for sale. I am also offering them in exchange for donations to Pillowfort.. Pillowfort also applies donations towards Premium features.
3) Over ontv_talk there's been various conversations about things that have changed since short seasons and irregular hiatuses. I was reminded today that one of them is Halloween episodes. I know that in the UK one-off episodes for Christmas are fairly common but not so in the US. And not all shows take note of Halloween either regularly or at all. But it is fun to guess the release date of an episode when you see what seem like definite Halloween themes in them.
4) Strangely enough when I caught up on S2 of Hacks, there wasn't any indication there were further seasons available. I blame Max, which is really wonky about these things. ( Read more... )
5) I've posted the last of my May trip photos over atcommon_nature, featuring Mount Shasta, San Francisco and the San Luis Reservoir.
2) Speaking of investing more time in crafts, I'm taking part in
nacramamo for the first time. The goal is to post daily about crafts in progress or finished. Here's what I've got so far.Also, as I was asked about this on one of my posts, yes, the necklaces are available for sale. I am also offering them in exchange for donations to Pillowfort.. Pillowfort also applies donations towards Premium features.
3) Over on
tv_talk there's been various conversations about things that have changed since short seasons and irregular hiatuses. I was reminded today that one of them is Halloween episodes. I know that in the UK one-off episodes for Christmas are fairly common but not so in the US. And not all shows take note of Halloween either regularly or at all. But it is fun to guess the release date of an episode when you see what seem like definite Halloween themes in them.4) Strangely enough when I caught up on S2 of Hacks, there wasn't any indication there were further seasons available. I blame Max, which is really wonky about these things. ( Read more... )
5) I've posted the last of my May trip photos over at
common_nature, featuring Mount Shasta, San Francisco and the San Luis Reservoir.Poll #33717 Kudos Footer-544
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
Good Intentions Buried
Oct. 4th, 2025 01:00 pm1) From osteophage, a post about The Good Web Graveyard, "a link compilation on departed websites that had marketed themselves in terms of ethics." I think one doesn't have to be an out and out cynic to assume that it's difficult for a company to do well when it's not on a level playing field with unethical companies. But it's good to consider that good intentions aren't enough in surviving long-term online.
2) My Britbox subscription has run out, and at an inopportune moment. I was speed watching Passengers, by which I was skipping some of, or entire, episodes and relying on their recaps to keep up with developments. Unfortunately I was interrupted near the end of the final episode and by the time I got back to it, the subscription had ended. ( Read more... )
4) Some interesting details of the AOL sale: "AOL's website traffic has grown 20% year-over-year among the users aged 25 and 54, outpacing the growth in the category of users aged 55-plus...The growth was driven by the introduction of multiple new content categories to AOL.com, including Health, Fitness, Animals, Science & Tech, Home & Garden, Lighter Side, True Crime, Local, amongst others"
I wonder if AI searches can account for this? Granted the nature of these new topic pages was designed to attract views, but I've hardly ever seen AOL as a site turn up in any searches I do.
"Bending Spoons... agreed a deal to take private video platform company Vimeo for $1.38 billion, its largest acquisition to date." I was also surprised to find out that AOL owns Last Pass, so that has a new owner now as well.
4) I know everyone's upset at the rising cost of everything. But sometimes it's the little things that make you mad. My main supermarket has recently switched its sales period from Wednesday to Tuesday after 20+ years (maybe always, for all I known) of doing Sunday to Saturday. This is making a mess of their shelf and data system, because the ad says one thing but there's nothing showing on the shelf and they don't ring up on sale. ( Read more... )
5) "Consumer Reports’ fourth annual digital assessment shows a 50 percent increase in texting and messaging scam attempts over the past year. Meanwhile, a 10,500-person poll from Talker Research indicates that Americans field around 100 scam attempts per month compared to an average of 84 in the United Kingdom. Australians, however, experience half the number seen in the US. But while scams continue to frequently target older demographics, one of the most dramatic upticks concerns younger populations."
The main reasons? Group texts which disguise unknown numbers, and quick access to money apps.
osteophage, a post about The Good Web Graveyard, "a link compilation on departed websites that had marketed themselves in terms of ethics." I think one doesn't have to be an out and out cynic to assume that it's difficult for a company to do well when it's not on a level playing field with unethical companies. But it's good to consider that good intentions aren't enough in surviving long-term online.2) My Britbox subscription has run out, and at an inopportune moment. I was speed watching Passengers, by which I was skipping some of, or entire, episodes and relying on their recaps to keep up with developments. Unfortunately I was interrupted near the end of the final episode and by the time I got back to it, the subscription had ended. ( Read more... )
4) Some interesting details of the AOL sale: "AOL's website traffic has grown 20% year-over-year among the users aged 25 and 54, outpacing the growth in the category of users aged 55-plus...The growth was driven by the introduction of multiple new content categories to AOL.com, including Health, Fitness, Animals, Science & Tech, Home & Garden, Lighter Side, True Crime, Local, amongst others"
I wonder if AI searches can account for this? Granted the nature of these new topic pages was designed to attract views, but I've hardly ever seen AOL as a site turn up in any searches I do.
"Bending Spoons... agreed a deal to take private video platform company Vimeo for $1.38 billion, its largest acquisition to date." I was also surprised to find out that AOL owns Last Pass, so that has a new owner now as well.
4) I know everyone's upset at the rising cost of everything. But sometimes it's the little things that make you mad. My main supermarket has recently switched its sales period from Wednesday to Tuesday after 20+ years (maybe always, for all I known) of doing Sunday to Saturday. This is making a mess of their shelf and data system, because the ad says one thing but there's nothing showing on the shelf and they don't ring up on sale. ( Read more... )
5) "Consumer Reports’ fourth annual digital assessment shows a 50 percent increase in texting and messaging scam attempts over the past year. Meanwhile, a 10,500-person poll from Talker Research indicates that Americans field around 100 scam attempts per month compared to an average of 84 in the United Kingdom. Australians, however, experience half the number seen in the US. But while scams continue to frequently target older demographics, one of the most dramatic upticks concerns younger populations."
The main reasons? Group texts which disguise unknown numbers, and quick access to money apps.
Poll #33689 Kudos Footer-543
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
Surprising News
Oct. 1st, 2025 03:47 pm1) Some TV stuff: I've been watching the KenJennings Jeopardy run, and enjoying it. It seems to me the questions were easier than some of the ones I've seen most recently, but I guess those were largely the tournament of champions so that makes sense.
I tried out Match Game, Weakest Link and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. ( Read more... )
2) Last week my partner went to Indianapolis for the weekend and on Sunday morning called me to say that the car wouldn't start. Luckily he was in the hotel parking lot and could just take his stuff back inside. All the dealerships were closed on Sunday but as he happened to be at an airport hotel, he took their shuttle there and I was able to get him booked for a week's car rental. ( Read more... )
3) Adding to fan image hosting woes: Imgur blocks UK access after the ICO notified it of a possible fine over its handling of kids' data
4) Thought this stat was interesting: U.S. streamers are increasingly sharing content catalogs across third-party services. In July, 39% of domestic titles appeared on two or more services, compared with 13% in the U.K. and 8% in France over the same period. ( Read more... )
5) I was amazed to see this story about boyfriend cosplay. "I cosplayed as the client’s chosen character and walked around with them, on the street, on a date. To be honest, I must confess that even as an experienced cosplayer, I found it challenging to act nonchalant in public while wearing a full costume and a light-colored wig. This difficulty was compounded by the specific nature of this commission: I was tasked with roleplaying as a romantic partner and caring for my "girlfriend." Though the date was challenging, I was obsessed with the sense of accomplishment I felt when I took care of someone and acted as their beloved character."
It certainly seems to be taking fanwork commissions to a new level...
I tried out Match Game, Weakest Link and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. ( Read more... )
2) Last week my partner went to Indianapolis for the weekend and on Sunday morning called me to say that the car wouldn't start. Luckily he was in the hotel parking lot and could just take his stuff back inside. All the dealerships were closed on Sunday but as he happened to be at an airport hotel, he took their shuttle there and I was able to get him booked for a week's car rental. ( Read more... )
3) Adding to fan image hosting woes: Imgur blocks UK access after the ICO notified it of a possible fine over its handling of kids' data
4) Thought this stat was interesting: U.S. streamers are increasingly sharing content catalogs across third-party services. In July, 39% of domestic titles appeared on two or more services, compared with 13% in the U.K. and 8% in France over the same period. ( Read more... )
5) I was amazed to see this story about boyfriend cosplay. "I cosplayed as the client’s chosen character and walked around with them, on the street, on a date. To be honest, I must confess that even as an experienced cosplayer, I found it challenging to act nonchalant in public while wearing a full costume and a light-colored wig. This difficulty was compounded by the specific nature of this commission: I was tasked with roleplaying as a romantic partner and caring for my "girlfriend." Though the date was challenging, I was obsessed with the sense of accomplishment I felt when I took care of someone and acted as their beloved character."
It certainly seems to be taking fanwork commissions to a new level...
Poll #33682 Kudos Footer-542
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
Timing and Distribution
Sep. 24th, 2025 05:16 pm1) Nothing like a Disney bundle price increase right on the heels of the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco. I wonder if they held off on the announcement until 24 hours after saying he'd return?
2) Having just watched the latest Death in Paradise spinoff, it struck me as curious that a successful show like Silent Witness has not done the same (though maybe it has? Anyone know?)
In a way though, it's like the show has had various spinoffs within the same show. ( Read more... )
I also thought about this issue given this article which argues that technology will continue to make the cost of content creation fall to where practically anyone can create marketable content, especially since consumer expectation of what counts as entertainment and information has changed due to cost and access issues as well as demographic changes. As a result, companies that invest heavily in it will expect to get paid in different ways. ( Read more... )
3) It's fun to see how many people over time at Board Game Arena have recognized my Merlin icon. It's a little fannish high five.
4) Sister Boniface's episode of Doctor Who struck me as a sign of changing times. Twenty years ago the fan would have been the geekiest cast member, probably the reporter, but here various cast members are fans and it's mainly the tall, matinee idol detective.
5) Interesting to see how U.S. films are getting less viewing overseas, mainly due to China's restrictions on how many can be shown there. I thought this bit was interesting as well: "The the top French films released were all English-language movies co-produced with the UK among other countries, and did more business in the UK than in the US or China." I didn't realize France even made films in English.
2) Having just watched the latest Death in Paradise spinoff, it struck me as curious that a successful show like Silent Witness has not done the same (though maybe it has? Anyone know?)
In a way though, it's like the show has had various spinoffs within the same show. ( Read more... )
I also thought about this issue given this article which argues that technology will continue to make the cost of content creation fall to where practically anyone can create marketable content, especially since consumer expectation of what counts as entertainment and information has changed due to cost and access issues as well as demographic changes. As a result, companies that invest heavily in it will expect to get paid in different ways. ( Read more... )
3) It's fun to see how many people over time at Board Game Arena have recognized my Merlin icon. It's a little fannish high five.
4) Sister Boniface's episode of Doctor Who struck me as a sign of changing times. Twenty years ago the fan would have been the geekiest cast member, probably the reporter, but here various cast members are fans and it's mainly the tall, matinee idol detective.
5) Interesting to see how U.S. films are getting less viewing overseas, mainly due to China's restrictions on how many can be shown there. I thought this bit was interesting as well: "The the top French films released were all English-language movies co-produced with the UK among other countries, and did more business in the UK than in the US or China." I didn't realize France even made films in English.
Poll #33655 Kudos Footer-541
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Overlooked Again
Sep. 16th, 2025 05:06 pm1) Some interesting posts at Henry Jenkins blog about the Peabody Awards process and disruption in the entertainment industry. "So, Peabody meets 3 times face-to-face. And it is an award that is decided across genres and platforms: television, radio, podcasting, and interactive, which is games and VR, etc. And across genre: entertainment, news, documentary, etc. But in particular, it's decided by a unanimous vote of a board of 18...who represent lots of different facets. There's critics, which include academics and TV critics, media executives, writers, and showrunners. ..which is different from a campaign for 26,000 voting members, in which you have no control of what they've watched and what they've not watched...Aziz Ansari was famous for coming to our show and saying, “You know, this is pretty cool. It's like you watch all of our shit, and you just decided it was good, and we didn't have to go to a bunch of weird-ass parties and stuff"
Two other factors: "It's not just celebrating entertainment. It's trying to talk about the ways that popular culture and entertainment can deeply shape who we are and want to be as a people, as empathetic citizens in the world" and "also...is it a story that matters? So, sometimes the craft can be brilliant, but it may not be a story that matters." ( Read more... )
2) A few more notes about Silent Witness as I move into S26. S23 seemed a really unusual season, enough so that I wondered about its production dates. ( Read more... )
3) Watched a documentary on the BeeGees which, like a lot of documentaries, goes very light on the time after their popularity peaked. (That was one thing the Billy Joel and Bon Jovi ones avoided). ( Read more... )
4) A Spy Among Friends was well written and interesting to watch but I kept constantly thinking about the 2003 Cambridge Spies which I saw last year and suspect it's much closer to the truth. ( Read more... )
5) Just a few comments about the Emmys, mostly in how unsurprising it was that Stephen Colbert finally won an Emmy for Best Show more because voters were jolted into a show of support. Yet John Oliver won yet again, twice. (Particular irony given the broadcast was on CBS).
Otherwise can't say it was entertaining and I wish a lot of stuff not involved in handing out awards had been cut. The tribute to Gilmore Girls seemed to really exemplify "too little, too late" since it and so many shows from the WB had been overlooked through sheer snobbery decades ago, when the attention would have done more good.
Two other factors: "It's not just celebrating entertainment. It's trying to talk about the ways that popular culture and entertainment can deeply shape who we are and want to be as a people, as empathetic citizens in the world" and "also...is it a story that matters? So, sometimes the craft can be brilliant, but it may not be a story that matters." ( Read more... )
2) A few more notes about Silent Witness as I move into S26. S23 seemed a really unusual season, enough so that I wondered about its production dates. ( Read more... )
3) Watched a documentary on the BeeGees which, like a lot of documentaries, goes very light on the time after their popularity peaked. (That was one thing the Billy Joel and Bon Jovi ones avoided). ( Read more... )
4) A Spy Among Friends was well written and interesting to watch but I kept constantly thinking about the 2003 Cambridge Spies which I saw last year and suspect it's much closer to the truth. ( Read more... )
5) Just a few comments about the Emmys, mostly in how unsurprising it was that Stephen Colbert finally won an Emmy for Best Show more because voters were jolted into a show of support. Yet John Oliver won yet again, twice. (Particular irony given the broadcast was on CBS).
Otherwise can't say it was entertaining and I wish a lot of stuff not involved in handing out awards had been cut. The tribute to Gilmore Girls seemed to really exemplify "too little, too late" since it and so many shows from the WB had been overlooked through sheer snobbery decades ago, when the attention would have done more good.
Poll #33627 Kudos Footer-540
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 5
Want to leave a Kudos?
The Island of Constant Death
Sep. 8th, 2025 08:20 pm1) During a recent episode of Death in Paradise it struck us how apt the lyrics of Hotel California were for anyone visiting Saint Marie. ( Read more... )
2) Rather puzzling what is and is not available on Britbox. I was amused by the caption for the show Landward as "the long running series" when only 2 seasons, from two non-consecutive years, are available. I was also sad that For the Love of Dogs is a continuing show but Britbox only has up until 2016 available. (Shame about Paul O'Grady, who I'd not heard of before seeing the series, but who died still making it in 2023).
3) Another Silent Witness guest star back from the dead in a different role. Mrs. Hall From All Creatures. I noticed that they went all out for S20, with a costly and pivotal final episode. ( Read more... )
4) Teaching students to fact check might be the best way to teach them to reason about what they're reading.
5) More travel photos of Agate Beach sunsets, Oregon trees and flowers and the McKenzie River.
2) Rather puzzling what is and is not available on Britbox. I was amused by the caption for the show Landward as "the long running series" when only 2 seasons, from two non-consecutive years, are available. I was also sad that For the Love of Dogs is a continuing show but Britbox only has up until 2016 available. (Shame about Paul O'Grady, who I'd not heard of before seeing the series, but who died still making it in 2023).
3) Another Silent Witness guest star back from the dead in a different role. Mrs. Hall From All Creatures. I noticed that they went all out for S20, with a costly and pivotal final episode. ( Read more... )
4) Teaching students to fact check might be the best way to teach them to reason about what they're reading.
5) More travel photos of Agate Beach sunsets, Oregon trees and flowers and the McKenzie River.
Poll #33589 Kudos Footer-539
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Hearing From Everyone
Sep. 4th, 2025 02:34 pm1) I posted several things to everykindofcraft the last few weeks. We seem to have a good number of subscribers but could use more posts from them!
2) Watched Thunderbolts and thought it was ok. ( Read more... )
3) Picked up the question fromkazzy_cee, Has the area where you live changed much over the last decade? ( Read more... )
One thing that happened this year that's been particularly curious is the disappearance of donut stores. ( Read more... )
4) Speaking of food, I made some very tasty burgers recently. This all began with an effort to find an air pump for our car tires.( Read more... )
5) Due to foot problems I can't walk much anymore but just a few days ago took a stroll to our mailbox center and was reminded of how a visiting friend said that she was so struck by the quiet of our apartment. And it wasn't that early, but I could hear the slap of my shoes on the pavement, the scratch of the squirrels chasing one another around a tree, crickets and birds chirping in the trees, and the wind rustling through the corn.
We aren't in the middle of nowhere. I also heard a train whistling a mile away, and if one listened closely the whoosh of cars on the nearby interstate was clear, as are planes and helicopters that pass overhead from time to time. But it was a wonderfully peaceful 10 minutes where everything outdoors felt very close and calm.
everykindofcraft the last few weeks. We seem to have a good number of subscribers but could use more posts from them!2) Watched Thunderbolts and thought it was ok. ( Read more... )
3) Picked up the question from
kazzy_cee, Has the area where you live changed much over the last decade? ( Read more... )One thing that happened this year that's been particularly curious is the disappearance of donut stores. ( Read more... )
4) Speaking of food, I made some very tasty burgers recently. This all began with an effort to find an air pump for our car tires.( Read more... )
5) Due to foot problems I can't walk much anymore but just a few days ago took a stroll to our mailbox center and was reminded of how a visiting friend said that she was so struck by the quiet of our apartment. And it wasn't that early, but I could hear the slap of my shoes on the pavement, the scratch of the squirrels chasing one another around a tree, crickets and birds chirping in the trees, and the wind rustling through the corn.
We aren't in the middle of nowhere. I also heard a train whistling a mile away, and if one listened closely the whoosh of cars on the nearby interstate was clear, as are planes and helicopters that pass overhead from time to time. But it was a wonderfully peaceful 10 minutes where everything outdoors felt very close and calm.
Poll #33574 Kudos Footer-538
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
Some Encouraging Signs
Aug. 29th, 2025 01:50 pm1) Too long ago now, I shared some DS9 related meta posts at meta_warehouse and found that I was interested in the suggestions about older Trek being more character oriented than newer Trek shows. Although the post involved DS9 and Discovery, if we look at Star Trek Enterprise versus Discovery, "bad writing" doesn't cover it all. ( Read more... )
2) In Germany, news readers asked to identify AI created news often couldn't, and were more likely to stay subscribed. (You can test yourself on some of the samples at the link)
3) Watched another season of Silent Witness and came to a realization about why I took to Clarissa so quickly. ( Read more... )
4) I have yet to get back to Boston Legal, interrupted as I was by new subscriptions, shows returning, etc. But I had left myself some notes about something I still think is worth mentioning even if I don't develop this out into a longer essay.
I was struck by the way political issues were engaged with in shows taking place in the 1990s vs 2000s. ( Read more... )
5) Encouraging news about the Briet startup which aims to make digital books ownable by libraries instead of the hamstringing rental agreements they now have to contend with. I hope it succeeds and grows.
meta_warehouse and found that I was interested in the suggestions about older Trek being more character oriented than newer Trek shows. Although the post involved DS9 and Discovery, if we look at Star Trek Enterprise versus Discovery, "bad writing" doesn't cover it all. ( Read more... )2) In Germany, news readers asked to identify AI created news often couldn't, and were more likely to stay subscribed. (You can test yourself on some of the samples at the link)
3) Watched another season of Silent Witness and came to a realization about why I took to Clarissa so quickly. ( Read more... )
4) I have yet to get back to Boston Legal, interrupted as I was by new subscriptions, shows returning, etc. But I had left myself some notes about something I still think is worth mentioning even if I don't develop this out into a longer essay.
I was struck by the way political issues were engaged with in shows taking place in the 1990s vs 2000s. ( Read more... )
5) Encouraging news about the Briet startup which aims to make digital books ownable by libraries instead of the hamstringing rental agreements they now have to contend with. I hope it succeeds and grows.
Poll #33549 Kudos Footer-537
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Various Goodbyes
Aug. 23rd, 2025 01:40 pm1) Finally saw the last episode of Vera and the Farewell Pet documentary extra about the series. Interesting that the show has been so successful in so many countries. I will miss seeing new stories and it's particularly unfortunate that the last season was only 2 episodes. But I'm glad it had a long run and was satisfied with how it left off.
2) When I went to cancel Britbox earlier this week, they offered me a free month to continue. So why not? As a result I had more time to get through House of Elliot and finished S3. They clearly expected to go onto another season, which is unfortunate because without the final scenes they could have wrapped the story up fairly well. ( Read more... )
3) I also forged ahead up to season 19 of Silent Witness. ( Read more... )
4) I can't say I miss mass market paperbacks, largely because I read e-books and their costs have risen considerably. But their decline does upset some for a variety of reasons. I definitely think it's a shame they've been replaced by paperback copies in a hardback size, due to storage space, cost, and reduced titles. ( Read more... )
5) Some more trip photos atcommon_nature, these at Agate Beach and nearby areas. Also a lack of whales.
2) When I went to cancel Britbox earlier this week, they offered me a free month to continue. So why not? As a result I had more time to get through House of Elliot and finished S3. They clearly expected to go onto another season, which is unfortunate because without the final scenes they could have wrapped the story up fairly well. ( Read more... )
3) I also forged ahead up to season 19 of Silent Witness. ( Read more... )
4) I can't say I miss mass market paperbacks, largely because I read e-books and their costs have risen considerably. But their decline does upset some for a variety of reasons. I definitely think it's a shame they've been replaced by paperback copies in a hardback size, due to storage space, cost, and reduced titles. ( Read more... )
5) Some more trip photos at
common_nature, these at Agate Beach and nearby areas. Also a lack of whales.Poll #33521 Kudos Footer-536
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
Well there's a change
Aug. 19th, 2025 03:26 pm1) Even though I saw it months ago now, I never really wrote up thoughts about Andor S2. I think it's hard to compare the two seasons because S1 has a lot of setup and a pretty wide canvas whereas S2 sticks with the characters we already knew but also jumps forward in time repeatedly, leaving various things unexplained. ( Read more... )
2) Another bundle of Death in Paradise seasons and yet another new inspector. I was glad to see it though for various reasons. ( Read more... )
3) Nothing like changing my email service to make it obvious how PR mailing lists work. I have maintained my Yahoo mail because after 25 years there was an awful lot tied to it that I will never remember to change. However very little comes to it now other than marketing emails for a variety of accounts I have. In fact, in one case my brokerage was still sending my statements to that address instead of the new one. ( Read more... )
4) Nobody on TV ever has their blinds closed or curtains that can't be seen through. This stands out a lot in mysteries because there are inevitably lurkers and peepers and passersby. But there are so many shows with houses made of windows and clear doors etc. ( Read more... )
5) Have that many people even ever had anchovies? Other than being an increasingly rare topping for pizza, I have to wonder how else people even encounter it. But this survey puts it at the top of the list for Americans' disliked foods. ( Read more... )
2) Another bundle of Death in Paradise seasons and yet another new inspector. I was glad to see it though for various reasons. ( Read more... )
3) Nothing like changing my email service to make it obvious how PR mailing lists work. I have maintained my Yahoo mail because after 25 years there was an awful lot tied to it that I will never remember to change. However very little comes to it now other than marketing emails for a variety of accounts I have. In fact, in one case my brokerage was still sending my statements to that address instead of the new one. ( Read more... )
4) Nobody on TV ever has their blinds closed or curtains that can't be seen through. This stands out a lot in mysteries because there are inevitably lurkers and peepers and passersby. But there are so many shows with houses made of windows and clear doors etc. ( Read more... )
5) Have that many people even ever had anchovies? Other than being an increasingly rare topping for pizza, I have to wonder how else people even encounter it. But this survey puts it at the top of the list for Americans' disliked foods. ( Read more... )
Poll #33508 Kudos Footer-535
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 9
Want to leave a Kudos?
Endings of Different Importance
Aug. 15th, 2025 07:13 pm1) I'm in S16 of Silent Witness now but started the month finishing out the Sam Ryan years before jumping back ahead. (I started watching the show in S8 and did about 5 seasons before going back to the start.)
It was a very different show and felt more like a star vehicle, as she was not only the main character but the early seasons also spent a lot of time on her personal life and family. I was glad when Leo and Harry came along to make it seem more like a team show.
I thought the way her character exited the show was a really well done job even though I had some issues with it. ( Read more... ) In short, I think many characters would like to have had this kind of ending.
2) Speaking of Silent Witness, I was amused that in the episode with Jodie Comer claiming to be possessed by demons, Tom Ellis turns out to be her priest. Well yeah, you're possessed with Lucifer himself guiding your religious life!
3) Google is quickly taking us to a zero click environment. "In this system, the platform harvests and delivers information without sending the reader to those who actually created it, often at significant cost and always with the intention of serving their own audiences. For premium publishers, it means fewer readers, ad impressions, and subscription conversions. For the open web, it means less discovery, diversity, and accountability in the information ecosystem." ( Read more... )
4) I was curious about this How Americans Do Laundry survey. I'm sharing it here because I know a lot of people like to know stuff like this for their writing. ( Read more... )
5) Posted some more trip photos of the Devil's Punchbowl and lake views atcommon_nature.
It was a very different show and felt more like a star vehicle, as she was not only the main character but the early seasons also spent a lot of time on her personal life and family. I was glad when Leo and Harry came along to make it seem more like a team show.
I thought the way her character exited the show was a really well done job even though I had some issues with it. ( Read more... ) In short, I think many characters would like to have had this kind of ending.
2) Speaking of Silent Witness, I was amused that in the episode with Jodie Comer claiming to be possessed by demons, Tom Ellis turns out to be her priest. Well yeah, you're possessed with Lucifer himself guiding your religious life!
3) Google is quickly taking us to a zero click environment. "In this system, the platform harvests and delivers information without sending the reader to those who actually created it, often at significant cost and always with the intention of serving their own audiences. For premium publishers, it means fewer readers, ad impressions, and subscription conversions. For the open web, it means less discovery, diversity, and accountability in the information ecosystem." ( Read more... )
4) I was curious about this How Americans Do Laundry survey. I'm sharing it here because I know a lot of people like to know stuff like this for their writing. ( Read more... )
5) Posted some more trip photos of the Devil's Punchbowl and lake views at
common_nature.Poll #33493 Kudos Footer-534
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Wrong Guesses
Aug. 2nd, 2025 08:49 pm1) Just a quick follow-up note to the sunshine_revival's Challenge 6 which asked about gaming. One thing I started doing earlier this year was crosswords. I'm rather surprised I never did them as a kid given how much I read and how verbal I was, plus I liked puzzles. I guess no one ever introduced them to me, though I suppose puzzles for kids was a less discoverable publication.
And trying them now I can see that even stuff labeled as "for the whole family" would have been too hard. One definitely needs to learn the conventions and accept that some clues are not only unguessable but the creators sure take a lot of license with words used. ( Read more... )
2) Have started posting photos of our stay in Agate Beach atcommon_nature
3) Back in December I began having arm pain centered around each elbow which would radiate down to the right hand sometimes. I brought it up at my annual checkup in April, at which time I had already been doing PT exercises for it for months, wearing braces on both hands to sleep, to exercise and to type at the computer, and yet it wasn't any better. ( Read more... )
sunshine_revival's Challenge 6 which asked about gaming. One thing I started doing earlier this year was crosswords. I'm rather surprised I never did them as a kid given how much I read and how verbal I was, plus I liked puzzles. I guess no one ever introduced them to me, though I suppose puzzles for kids was a less discoverable publication.And trying them now I can see that even stuff labeled as "for the whole family" would have been too hard. One definitely needs to learn the conventions and accept that some clues are not only unguessable but the creators sure take a lot of license with words used. ( Read more... )
2) Have started posting photos of our stay in Agate Beach at
common_nature3) Back in December I began having arm pain centered around each elbow which would radiate down to the right hand sometimes. I brought it up at my annual checkup in April, at which time I had already been doing PT exercises for it for months, wearing braces on both hands to sleep, to exercise and to type at the computer, and yet it wasn't any better. ( Read more... )
Poll #33458 Kudos Footer-533
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Want to leave a Kudos?
Breaking the Mold
Jul. 30th, 2025 02:07 pm1) When person after person said they watched Penguin even when it was uncomfortable to keep going with it, it sounded rather familiar. I saw it with The Wire and especially with S2 of Andor. These were stories exploring the failures of systems, their purposes sabotaged by failing to account for personal agendas and human nature.
To me, Penguin and Andor share other similarities of the "it's so well written I had to see more" variety. Both are shows set within a franchise that do not feature the main features of that franchise, and which deal with the ruthlessness of societies in recognizable and everyday ways. ( Read more... )
2) Finished watching Girls on the Bus. It was apparently meant to go on for another season though I think it ended in a good enough place. Shame though as it really came together as a story of four different women in the same professional arena and the political angles are very familiar. Girls on the Bus is about female political reporters following a presidential campaign and has a nice diversity of characters. It's also interesting to pick up details from actual candidate reporting. ( Read more... )
3) In movies, I watched Fahrenheit 451 because I never read the book. Had Michael B. Jordan not starred I don't know as I could have gotten through half of it. Depressingly topical yet also doesn't make a lot of sense, since they apparently tried to update it to account for current events. ( Read more... )
To me, Penguin and Andor share other similarities of the "it's so well written I had to see more" variety. Both are shows set within a franchise that do not feature the main features of that franchise, and which deal with the ruthlessness of societies in recognizable and everyday ways. ( Read more... )
2) Finished watching Girls on the Bus. It was apparently meant to go on for another season though I think it ended in a good enough place. Shame though as it really came together as a story of four different women in the same professional arena and the political angles are very familiar. Girls on the Bus is about female political reporters following a presidential campaign and has a nice diversity of characters. It's also interesting to pick up details from actual candidate reporting. ( Read more... )
3) In movies, I watched Fahrenheit 451 because I never read the book. Had Michael B. Jordan not starred I don't know as I could have gotten through half of it. Depressingly topical yet also doesn't make a lot of sense, since they apparently tried to update it to account for current events. ( Read more... )
Poll #33445 Kudos Footer-532
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Want to leave a Kudos?
July Views
Jul. 23rd, 2025 06:21 pm1) icontalking is looking for people to ask questions of their icon making volunteers who stepped forward to talk about icon making and share tutorials as so far they don't have any 😟
In similar "let's chat about fanworks" is the launch offan_writers which includes links to tutorials and meta about writing.
2) In shows I largely skipped through, Gotham season 5 finished in a place everyone might expect. I always found Gotham more interesting in ideas than execution. ( Read more... )
Did watch all of Hacks season 2 and felt rewarded for that. The last few episodes took it where the audience wanted to go and it felt really satisfying (perhaps one of the best uses of Goodbye Stranger in a finale). Also sadly true to life about women having to gamble on themselves when no one else will, as the Julia series is also revealing. Still only a few episodes in so perhaps more later on that one.
3) Also watched an episode of Otter Dynasty but wasn't keen on its first person voices and it just seemed rather repetitive. It was, however, revealing to me about what I enjoy about nature shows. ( Read more... )
In other animal related shows, I've been watching Dog House, a UK show about a dog adoption center. Am into S2 since who doesn't want to see a variety of dogs finding homes?
4) In Case Number 101 about why AI can in no way replace competent workers: Red Lobster. ( Read more... )
5) Watched episode 4.2 of Brokenwood Mysteries and had a pretty good idea of the murderer early on so the real Mystery was of the pixelated arrow. The victim died of an arrow to the forehead, yet bizarrely the arrow was sometimes pixelated and sometimes not and in some shots had been completely erased so that we were looking at a victim with no injury at all! This went on through the entire episode as we saw her in flashbacks. We could not figure out what the purpose of this was since the episode began with us watching her be shot with the arrow so if it was to spare the squeamish this would have been the part to cut!
icontalking is looking for people to ask questions of their icon making volunteers who stepped forward to talk about icon making and share tutorials as so far they don't have any 😟In similar "let's chat about fanworks" is the launch of
fan_writers which includes links to tutorials and meta about writing. 2) In shows I largely skipped through, Gotham season 5 finished in a place everyone might expect. I always found Gotham more interesting in ideas than execution. ( Read more... )
Did watch all of Hacks season 2 and felt rewarded for that. The last few episodes took it where the audience wanted to go and it felt really satisfying (perhaps one of the best uses of Goodbye Stranger in a finale). Also sadly true to life about women having to gamble on themselves when no one else will, as the Julia series is also revealing. Still only a few episodes in so perhaps more later on that one.
3) Also watched an episode of Otter Dynasty but wasn't keen on its first person voices and it just seemed rather repetitive. It was, however, revealing to me about what I enjoy about nature shows. ( Read more... )
In other animal related shows, I've been watching Dog House, a UK show about a dog adoption center. Am into S2 since who doesn't want to see a variety of dogs finding homes?
4) In Case Number 101 about why AI can in no way replace competent workers: Red Lobster. ( Read more... )
5) Watched episode 4.2 of Brokenwood Mysteries and had a pretty good idea of the murderer early on so the real Mystery was of the pixelated arrow. The victim died of an arrow to the forehead, yet bizarrely the arrow was sometimes pixelated and sometimes not and in some shots had been completely erased so that we were looking at a victim with no injury at all! This went on through the entire episode as we saw her in flashbacks. We could not figure out what the purpose of this was since the episode began with us watching her be shot with the arrow so if it was to spare the squeamish this would have been the part to cut!
Poll #33407 Kudos Footer-531
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3
Want to leave a Kudos?
Sunshine Challenge #6
Jul. 20th, 2025 05:21 pm1) I have not been keeping up with the challenges given other things going on, but this one grabbed me: What games do you play, if any? Are you a solo-gamer or do you view games as a social activity? ( Read more... )
2) I've been watching a bunch of things on Max, mostly biographies. I found the Jaws 50 year anniversary documentary interesting as, while I remember the film I've never seen it.
In bios I finished Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed which was a fair amount of surface stuff. ( Read more... )
3) In movies, saw Shazam fury of the gods which was pretty meh, as it just seemed rather predictable. Also watched Traitor which was a lot more interesting in terms of the undercover spy story. Then saw the Batman Lego movie which was 30 minutes too long (tedious final battle section) but was otherwise entertaining, particularly in all its pop culture references. ( Read more... )
4) In TV series, I ended up skipping through most of The New Pope just as I had The Young Pope. It just felt rather repetitive. Also watched The Investigation, a Danish production focused on the police activity finding evidence for the actual case of a murdered journalist aboard a submarine. ( Read more... )
5) Continuing to post trip photos tocommon_nature, the latest being our stay in Hood River
2) I've been watching a bunch of things on Max, mostly biographies. I found the Jaws 50 year anniversary documentary interesting as, while I remember the film I've never seen it.
In bios I finished Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed which was a fair amount of surface stuff. ( Read more... )
3) In movies, saw Shazam fury of the gods which was pretty meh, as it just seemed rather predictable. Also watched Traitor which was a lot more interesting in terms of the undercover spy story. Then saw the Batman Lego movie which was 30 minutes too long (tedious final battle section) but was otherwise entertaining, particularly in all its pop culture references. ( Read more... )
4) In TV series, I ended up skipping through most of The New Pope just as I had The Young Pope. It just felt rather repetitive. Also watched The Investigation, a Danish production focused on the police activity finding evidence for the actual case of a murdered journalist aboard a submarine. ( Read more... )
5) Continuing to post trip photos to
common_nature, the latest being our stay in Hood RiverPoll #33381 Kudos Footer-530
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
Sunshine Revival Post
Jul. 2nd, 2025 01:23 pm1) As part of sunshine_revival's first challenge: "Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community."
I just shared some necklaces I made a few months back over ateverykindofcraft. I did a lot of beading in the first 13 years after I took it up, but things have been rather start and stop in the last 10. A craft store closeout + a challenge from a relative got me making some new things in the last few months. That probably also contributed to my starting everykindofcraft here, because I saw various people posting wonderful stuff that not many people were seeing, whereas on Pillowfort some general craft communities there are always getting posts.
Hopefully we can get more crafters sharing here!
2) Have been watching a slew of Apple+ shows as our subscription cutoff nears. The miniseries Disclaimer was framed in an interesting way, one which I suspect had a lot more clarity in multimedia than in the book, but perhaps not. It uses multiple narrative voices and POV for the narration, including second person, first person, and some omniscient narrative. This was pretty relevant because of who was being framed (literally) and who actually got to have their voice(s) heard. ( Read more... )
3) Surface is a story told in a much more straightforward manner even though it also involves an unreliable narrator of sorts in that our central character had memory loss and is trying to piece together her past which also involves a parental mystery. ( Read more... )
4) Also saw the movie Wolfs, which is fine but largely a vehicle for us to watch Pitt and Clooney do fun stuff. ( Read more... )
5) Finished The Big Conn and Cowboy Cartel, two documentaries about big crime. I found the former much more interesting, even though I'd heard about the case before. What was probably the most striking about both was the role of the media in precipitating change. ( Read more... )
6) Careme was marketed as the story of the first celebrity chef, who served Napoleon, Tallyrand and others. It was certainly about far more than cooking. ( Read more... )
sunshine_revival's first challenge: "Creative Prompt: Shine a light on your own creativity. Create anything you want (an image, an icon, a story, a poem, or a craft) and share it with your community."I just shared some necklaces I made a few months back over at
everykindofcraft. I did a lot of beading in the first 13 years after I took it up, but things have been rather start and stop in the last 10. A craft store closeout + a challenge from a relative got me making some new things in the last few months. That probably also contributed to my starting everykindofcraft here, because I saw various people posting wonderful stuff that not many people were seeing, whereas on Pillowfort some general craft communities there are always getting posts. Hopefully we can get more crafters sharing here!
2) Have been watching a slew of Apple+ shows as our subscription cutoff nears. The miniseries Disclaimer was framed in an interesting way, one which I suspect had a lot more clarity in multimedia than in the book, but perhaps not. It uses multiple narrative voices and POV for the narration, including second person, first person, and some omniscient narrative. This was pretty relevant because of who was being framed (literally) and who actually got to have their voice(s) heard. ( Read more... )
3) Surface is a story told in a much more straightforward manner even though it also involves an unreliable narrator of sorts in that our central character had memory loss and is trying to piece together her past which also involves a parental mystery. ( Read more... )
4) Also saw the movie Wolfs, which is fine but largely a vehicle for us to watch Pitt and Clooney do fun stuff. ( Read more... )
5) Finished The Big Conn and Cowboy Cartel, two documentaries about big crime. I found the former much more interesting, even though I'd heard about the case before. What was probably the most striking about both was the role of the media in precipitating change. ( Read more... )
6) Careme was marketed as the story of the first celebrity chef, who served Napoleon, Tallyrand and others. It was certainly about far more than cooking. ( Read more... )
Poll #33317 Kudos Footer-529
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
All is Well
Jun. 30th, 2025 12:15 pm1) A few more trip photos posted over at common_nature, these of Oneonta Gorge.
2) Saw The Flash film and found it better than expected but also so-so. The big problem to me was the lead himself. Granted his character isn't really written to have any charm but a good bit of the humor fell flat for me, and when he was on screen twice as much it made it worse. ( Read more... )
3) Just an update about the bed situation listed in my last post. Everything went well! The youngsters delivering the bed had no problem with taking the old one down to the moving truck, and moving the other one to another room. ( Read more... )
4) A new wrinkle in the last few weeks is that during yet another heavy rain we got a leak near our front door. ( Read more... )
5) I quite liked this diagram of the interaction between entertainment production and fan activities. This came from an interview on Henry Jenkins' blog about a new set of textbooks for studying fandom.
common_nature, these of Oneonta Gorge.2) Saw The Flash film and found it better than expected but also so-so. The big problem to me was the lead himself. Granted his character isn't really written to have any charm but a good bit of the humor fell flat for me, and when he was on screen twice as much it made it worse. ( Read more... )
3) Just an update about the bed situation listed in my last post. Everything went well! The youngsters delivering the bed had no problem with taking the old one down to the moving truck, and moving the other one to another room. ( Read more... )
4) A new wrinkle in the last few weeks is that during yet another heavy rain we got a leak near our front door. ( Read more... )
5) I quite liked this diagram of the interaction between entertainment production and fan activities. This came from an interview on Henry Jenkins' blog about a new set of textbooks for studying fandom.
Poll #33307 Kudos Footer-528
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
1) I've been seeing a lot more posting on common_nature, very encouraging! Have added the first of my waterfall photos there, of Latourelle Falls.
2) Looks like there is a spammer at work on Squidgeworld. I got 3 comments to different posts within a few hours today, two with outright solicitations for commissions.
3) Saw Dune 2, and thought it was ok. It's almost as if the movie was made to be the direct opposite of David Lynch's version in casting and tone as well as visuals. ( Read more... )
4) Finally saw the Barbie movie as well. I can see why it did well. Given its remit and likely limitations, I thought it did a good job. It had a clear direction, and it did it well and with both humor and heart. I also quite enjoyed its ending. That said, I think the film itself opened the door to a more incisive critique which it didn't follow. ( Read more... )
5) This past month is turning out to be an expensive one. My partner's sister had a roof leak in her spare bedroom, which went on long enough that it damaged the bed underneath it before she noticed. Since this was where my partner stays when he visits his family, a replacement was needed. So we decided to move his current bed there and get a new one. ( Read more... )
common_nature, very encouraging! Have added the first of my waterfall photos there, of Latourelle Falls.2) Looks like there is a spammer at work on Squidgeworld. I got 3 comments to different posts within a few hours today, two with outright solicitations for commissions.
3) Saw Dune 2, and thought it was ok. It's almost as if the movie was made to be the direct opposite of David Lynch's version in casting and tone as well as visuals. ( Read more... )
4) Finally saw the Barbie movie as well. I can see why it did well. Given its remit and likely limitations, I thought it did a good job. It had a clear direction, and it did it well and with both humor and heart. I also quite enjoyed its ending. That said, I think the film itself opened the door to a more incisive critique which it didn't follow. ( Read more... )
5) This past month is turning out to be an expensive one. My partner's sister had a roof leak in her spare bedroom, which went on long enough that it damaged the bed underneath it before she noticed. Since this was where my partner stays when he visits his family, a replacement was needed. So we decided to move his current bed there and get a new one. ( Read more... )
Poll #33282 Kudos Footer-528
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
Join everykindofcraft!
Jun. 16th, 2025 01:31 pm1) Even though I know it's difficult to get any traction with communities, I decided to give a new one a go. Unfortunately Dreamwidth does not give over defunct communities to new mods, which is a shame since quite a few communities don't make it a year and the admin has disappeared.
I know there are many crafters on Dreamwidth but it seems nothing devoted to it has been updated in eons or has no admin or both. So I decided to openeverykindofcraft for what it says in the name. A community where people can share their projects, either in process or completed, as well as ask for assistance with craft-related things. ( Read more... )
If anyone would be interested in co-modding, let me know!
2) Thought it was amusing when I read in this article about Andor filming locations that a building of Calatrava's was a central choice. I've liked his work and had a book on his portfolio (most of which has involved bridges and transportation centers rather than, say, office buildings). But I didn't recognize it, which is probably in part because I was so riveted by what was happening on screen and partly because I hadn't realized they'd done as much location shooting as they had.
3) Posted another set of travel pics overcommon_nature, this from the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.
4) Read the latest two books by Ellie Griffiths, and had mixed feelings about them. They are Bleeding Heart Yard and The Last Word which I read in order. I had issues with the mystery in the first and felt like the resolution to the second one was rather pro forma. ( spoilers )
5) Also tried out the first of Helen Fields' DI Callanach series, Perfect Remains ( Read more... )
I know there are many crafters on Dreamwidth but it seems nothing devoted to it has been updated in eons or has no admin or both. So I decided to open
everykindofcraft for what it says in the name. A community where people can share their projects, either in process or completed, as well as ask for assistance with craft-related things. ( Read more... )If anyone would be interested in co-modding, let me know!
2) Thought it was amusing when I read in this article about Andor filming locations that a building of Calatrava's was a central choice. I've liked his work and had a book on his portfolio (most of which has involved bridges and transportation centers rather than, say, office buildings). But I didn't recognize it, which is probably in part because I was so riveted by what was happening on screen and partly because I hadn't realized they'd done as much location shooting as they had.
3) Posted another set of travel pics over
common_nature, this from the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.4) Read the latest two books by Ellie Griffiths, and had mixed feelings about them. They are Bleeding Heart Yard and The Last Word which I read in order. I had issues with the mystery in the first and felt like the resolution to the second one was rather pro forma. ( spoilers )
5) Also tried out the first of Helen Fields' DI Callanach series, Perfect Remains ( Read more... )
Poll #33260 Kudos Footer-527
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Oregon Trip, Days 7 through 13
Jun. 11th, 2025 06:56 pm1) The next day we were headed to Eugene by way of a stop at Silver Falls Park. This was our first bust of the trip, in that the falls required a walk to get to them. We had not found the entrance to the waterfall area easy to find either as we were looking for the wrong name. However the drive into the forest had been quite nice and we had time before check in at the hotel anyway.
Finding the hotel in Eugene proved a challenge due to one way streets, blocks and blocks of dividers preventing turns, and similar names, or streets that changed name on each side of the boulevard. When we finally arrived at our hotel (where even the entrance wasn't easy to spot, confusing our food deliverer as well as us!) we were amused by the painting in our room which seemed to echo the driving experience. ( Read more... )
2) When I returned to the room, M and I made some microwave popcorn and settled in to watch Captain America: Brave New World. My two takeaways were that Anthony Mackie did a good job as Sam, anchoring the film and giving it heart, as well as no doubt influencing Sam's perspective on the world. The second is that the overall plot mirrored Winter Soldier in many ways. I didn't mind that, as I thought that the changes both said something about our present time compared to CA:WS, and it also made both the similarities and differences between Steve and Sam stand out more clearly. ( Read more... )
3) After, we watched The Eternals, which was new to M as she was curious about the adamantium source in the sea in Captain America. I continue to think that it's a pity this film didn't do well. I liked the story, as I like using the MCU as a framework for different kinds of tales. I figured my friend would like it too as she's fond of origin myths. And she did, appreciating the variety of characters in it, even though this is also a sort of weakness in that we don't have time to explore them all properly.
It's also a shame that we probably won't have a follow up to either credit scene.
4) On the last day of the trip, M and I drove down to L.A. together. We passed a lot of nice sights during our crossing of the CA-152 West. Some were entertaining, such as all the garlic farms in Gilroy advertising things like garlic ice cream and garlic honey (also 10 avocados for $1!) Some were just pretty. One was the San Luis reservoir, which was huge. ( Read more... )
5) My week+ since the trip has been fairly occupied with catching up on things, dealing with the bed issue, and frankly just being tired. I thought it was interesting that both my friends took an extra day off work after their return than they'd planned. I had less to jump into than they did but felt so draggy my first day back I feared I'd managed to pick up a bug, despite consistent masking. But nope, just tired.
Finding the hotel in Eugene proved a challenge due to one way streets, blocks and blocks of dividers preventing turns, and similar names, or streets that changed name on each side of the boulevard. When we finally arrived at our hotel (where even the entrance wasn't easy to spot, confusing our food deliverer as well as us!) we were amused by the painting in our room which seemed to echo the driving experience. ( Read more... )
2) When I returned to the room, M and I made some microwave popcorn and settled in to watch Captain America: Brave New World. My two takeaways were that Anthony Mackie did a good job as Sam, anchoring the film and giving it heart, as well as no doubt influencing Sam's perspective on the world. The second is that the overall plot mirrored Winter Soldier in many ways. I didn't mind that, as I thought that the changes both said something about our present time compared to CA:WS, and it also made both the similarities and differences between Steve and Sam stand out more clearly. ( Read more... )
3) After, we watched The Eternals, which was new to M as she was curious about the adamantium source in the sea in Captain America. I continue to think that it's a pity this film didn't do well. I liked the story, as I like using the MCU as a framework for different kinds of tales. I figured my friend would like it too as she's fond of origin myths. And she did, appreciating the variety of characters in it, even though this is also a sort of weakness in that we don't have time to explore them all properly.
It's also a shame that we probably won't have a follow up to either credit scene.
4) On the last day of the trip, M and I drove down to L.A. together. We passed a lot of nice sights during our crossing of the CA-152 West. Some were entertaining, such as all the garlic farms in Gilroy advertising things like garlic ice cream and garlic honey (also 10 avocados for $1!) Some were just pretty. One was the San Luis reservoir, which was huge. ( Read more... )
5) My week+ since the trip has been fairly occupied with catching up on things, dealing with the bed issue, and frankly just being tired. I thought it was interesting that both my friends took an extra day off work after their return than they'd planned. I had less to jump into than they did but felt so draggy my first day back I feared I'd managed to pick up a bug, despite consistent masking. But nope, just tired.
Poll #33242 Kudos Footer-526
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
Oregon Trip, Days 2 through 6
Jun. 8th, 2025 02:15 pm1) We only spent one day in Portland, and M had to nurse her feet after all the walking required the day before. So K and I went to see the International Rose Test Garden which was supposed to have hundreds of rose varieties which were expected to be in bloom by mid-May. While some clearly were, the beds were hit and miss with many varieties not yet available. What roses were in bloom however were attractive to see and some of the blooms were huge. The garden itself though was smaller than expected.
Nonetheless despite the overcast day and the difficulty with parking, the visit to the park was worthwhile as it's overall a great feature of the city. We drove up to the top of the hill for the trees and the view, though none were in a spot where we could park and take pictures. ( Read more... )
Anyhow, discussing the cards made us discuss the Star Wars series as K had recently watched Ahsoka but found it confusing. I told her this seemed inevitable to me because so much of the meaning in the series comes from it being a stealth 5th season of Rebels. So we started watching. M really liked Hera and Chopper. K liked making the connections to what came later in Ahsoka. My partner and I had rewatched S4 before seeing Ahsoka so it would be fresh. But I hadn't seen the first 3 seasons for some 4 years or so.
I found it really picked up speed quickly, and I my favorite thing was the mentor and apprentice relationship between Ezra and Kanan. The first time around I'd seen it mostly from Ezra's viewpoint since we're in it for much of the series. But this time I was seeing it from Kanan's and really liked how well done this was. And while most of it was in the writing I also liked the animation and the small gestures and expressions. It was quite rich and certainly had a long arc.
We got all the way through S2 during the trip and it made me want to see S3 through as well. I remember how tense I found it watching the season finale the first time around because it seemed quite possible anything could happen.
3) The time since my return has been something of a headache. My partner's sister had a roof leak which damaged a mattress in the room where he stays on his visits. The roof has been patched but reroofing will take place soon. In the meantime he is planning to leave for Ohio around the 25th. After discussion we decided to have him take his current bed to Ohio as a replacement. (She has already removed the damaged mattress but the box spring is ok). That means a new bed on our end. ( Read more... )
4) In less important news, my 3 water weights arrived, 2 while I was away and the last after. The laggard proved not to be worth the wait. While my partner tested out the first two while I was away this third one has a poor design that had it leaking within an hour. I contacted Amazon to return it and they refunded me and told me not to bother sending it back. I re-ordered a second copy of the smaller weight instead.
5) We've signed back up to Apple+ and so are going to pick up new seasons of things and try out some new shows. So far we've started up the latest seasons of Slow Horses, Mythic Quest, and Pachinko and are trying out Buccaneers and Your Friends and Neighbors.
Nonetheless despite the overcast day and the difficulty with parking, the visit to the park was worthwhile as it's overall a great feature of the city. We drove up to the top of the hill for the trees and the view, though none were in a spot where we could park and take pictures. ( Read more... )
Anyhow, discussing the cards made us discuss the Star Wars series as K had recently watched Ahsoka but found it confusing. I told her this seemed inevitable to me because so much of the meaning in the series comes from it being a stealth 5th season of Rebels. So we started watching. M really liked Hera and Chopper. K liked making the connections to what came later in Ahsoka. My partner and I had rewatched S4 before seeing Ahsoka so it would be fresh. But I hadn't seen the first 3 seasons for some 4 years or so.
I found it really picked up speed quickly, and I my favorite thing was the mentor and apprentice relationship between Ezra and Kanan. The first time around I'd seen it mostly from Ezra's viewpoint since we're in it for much of the series. But this time I was seeing it from Kanan's and really liked how well done this was. And while most of it was in the writing I also liked the animation and the small gestures and expressions. It was quite rich and certainly had a long arc.
We got all the way through S2 during the trip and it made me want to see S3 through as well. I remember how tense I found it watching the season finale the first time around because it seemed quite possible anything could happen.
3) The time since my return has been something of a headache. My partner's sister had a roof leak which damaged a mattress in the room where he stays on his visits. The roof has been patched but reroofing will take place soon. In the meantime he is planning to leave for Ohio around the 25th. After discussion we decided to have him take his current bed to Ohio as a replacement. (She has already removed the damaged mattress but the box spring is ok). That means a new bed on our end. ( Read more... )
4) In less important news, my 3 water weights arrived, 2 while I was away and the last after. The laggard proved not to be worth the wait. While my partner tested out the first two while I was away this third one has a poor design that had it leaking within an hour. I contacted Amazon to return it and they refunded me and told me not to bother sending it back. I re-ordered a second copy of the smaller weight instead.
5) We've signed back up to Apple+ and so are going to pick up new seasons of things and try out some new shows. So far we've started up the latest seasons of Slow Horses, Mythic Quest, and Pachinko and are trying out Buccaneers and Your Friends and Neighbors.
Poll #33229 Kudos Footer-525
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3
Want to leave a Kudos?
Oregon Trip, Day 1
Jun. 4th, 2025 12:23 pm1) Just returned from a road trip from Portland to L.A. Almost had a hitch at the very start when it turned out my partner couldn't take me to pick up the car until 12:30 and the pickup had been scheduled for noon. I figured, not a big deal, right, to move it to 1 PM? Tried doing so with the 800 number since I couldn't seem to alter the reservation (and the local office usually can't be reached). I was told that if the car wasn't picked up by soon after 12 it would no longer be available. That sounded ridiculous, so I went to the office in person. Yup, no problem at all to move it to 1 PM. They told me I couldn't prepay for the pickup since it had to be tied to a specific vehicle.
I then asked if I could add the pre-paid fuel and tolls since the Chicago dropoff meant it wouldn't even cost me much more than if I did it myself. No but I could do that online. In fact, I couldn't. I was never offered the option.
Despite all this had no trouble with the pickup on the day, nor the drive up other than rain all the way. And I did rather like the light that would flash if someone was coming up on my left or right side to alert me to possible blind spots. The other thing was that as soon as I'd sat in the rental the service agent let me know to ignore the constantly signaling "maintenance warning" light. They had just gotten it back from the dealership and nothing could be found wrong with the car. ( Read more... )
The flight was definitely unfun. I had a middle seat and was very tired from a poor night's sleep followed by a 3 hour drive. I tried resting for an hour but gave up and watched Wicked on the in flight panels. I thought it was fine, certainly big budget, some nice dance routines and performances. I was surprised to realize it was only Pt. 1 of the story. I guess it was a good spot to end it to get the audience back in for the sequel. ( Read more... )
2) It took me a while but I did catch up on Pillowfort posts. Here at Dreamwidth though one can't scroll back longer than 2 weeks, which was skip=350. So there may be posts from from the 21st I can't see.
That said I'm having to skim through a lot because it's a ton of posts and I have things to catch up on now that I'm home again. More on that later.
3) Yesterday was unpacking, laundry, and refrigerator triage before today's weekly shop. I thought I was shockingly tired yesterday given that Monday night I had the most sleep since before the trip and the general stress was over. I even wondered if I was coming down with something but I feel ok today too, just...tired.
4) One nice bit post-trip is that I still had some of K's curry pretzels which she gifted M and me with. People love them so much she was urged to make it a side hustle but she said she didn't have the time for that, and preferred getting to relax rather than have a second job when she came home. She made some to order for Christmas sales a few years ago and said she didn't want to go through that twice.
5) Usually my partner complains that he never has time to watch his TV stuff because he has so little viewing time, and when he does have it we watch things together. My being away is clearly helpful on this front as he's looking forward to some of our joint viewing again 😉
I then asked if I could add the pre-paid fuel and tolls since the Chicago dropoff meant it wouldn't even cost me much more than if I did it myself. No but I could do that online. In fact, I couldn't. I was never offered the option.
Despite all this had no trouble with the pickup on the day, nor the drive up other than rain all the way. And I did rather like the light that would flash if someone was coming up on my left or right side to alert me to possible blind spots. The other thing was that as soon as I'd sat in the rental the service agent let me know to ignore the constantly signaling "maintenance warning" light. They had just gotten it back from the dealership and nothing could be found wrong with the car. ( Read more... )
The flight was definitely unfun. I had a middle seat and was very tired from a poor night's sleep followed by a 3 hour drive. I tried resting for an hour but gave up and watched Wicked on the in flight panels. I thought it was fine, certainly big budget, some nice dance routines and performances. I was surprised to realize it was only Pt. 1 of the story. I guess it was a good spot to end it to get the audience back in for the sequel. ( Read more... )
2) It took me a while but I did catch up on Pillowfort posts. Here at Dreamwidth though one can't scroll back longer than 2 weeks, which was skip=350. So there may be posts from from the 21st I can't see.
That said I'm having to skim through a lot because it's a ton of posts and I have things to catch up on now that I'm home again. More on that later.
3) Yesterday was unpacking, laundry, and refrigerator triage before today's weekly shop. I thought I was shockingly tired yesterday given that Monday night I had the most sleep since before the trip and the general stress was over. I even wondered if I was coming down with something but I feel ok today too, just...tired.
4) One nice bit post-trip is that I still had some of K's curry pretzels which she gifted M and me with. People love them so much she was urged to make it a side hustle but she said she didn't have the time for that, and preferred getting to relax rather than have a second job when she came home. She made some to order for Christmas sales a few years ago and said she didn't want to go through that twice.
5) Usually my partner complains that he never has time to watch his TV stuff because he has so little viewing time, and when he does have it we watch things together. My being away is clearly helpful on this front as he's looking forward to some of our joint viewing again 😉
Poll #33198 Kudos Footer-524
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
1) Just a quick post, mostly to say that I will be away for the next two weeks in case anyone comes looking for me.
2) Saw The Woman King which wasn't always an easy view but a wortwhile one. Good story and wonderful hand to hand combat scenes. I never thought John Boyega was all that attractive but have to say he looked magnificent in this part.
3) I've been meaning to do it for ages but finally got around to posting some of my beading projects over at Bling Share. A relative sent me a bunch of orphaned earrings she'd shoved in a drawer and wanted me to make something with them. I haven't finished all of them yet but it's been fun to try making different looks with them.
4) Also posted photos of a visiting swan tocommon_nature as well as earlier ones with ducklings and goslings. Lots of pretty photos shared there regularly, such as these holloway pics by puddleshark.
5) Had our first corn on the cob since last year and the ears were all so sweet! We also got our first hummingbird visit since October as we were eating. If it wasn't for the fact that it'll be a high in the 50s tomorrow I'd say it was summer.
2) Saw The Woman King which wasn't always an easy view but a wortwhile one. Good story and wonderful hand to hand combat scenes. I never thought John Boyega was all that attractive but have to say he looked magnificent in this part.
3) I've been meaning to do it for ages but finally got around to posting some of my beading projects over at Bling Share. A relative sent me a bunch of orphaned earrings she'd shoved in a drawer and wanted me to make something with them. I haven't finished all of them yet but it's been fun to try making different looks with them.
4) Also posted photos of a visiting swan to
common_nature as well as earlier ones with ducklings and goslings. Lots of pretty photos shared there regularly, such as these holloway pics by puddleshark.5) Had our first corn on the cob since last year and the ears were all so sweet! We also got our first hummingbird visit since October as we were eating. If it wasn't for the fact that it'll be a high in the 50s tomorrow I'd say it was summer.
Poll #33139 Kudos Footer-523
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 6
Want to leave a Kudos?
Is Everyone Here Very Very Stoned?
May. 8th, 2025 08:39 pm1) Will likely have more to say once the series ends, but wow, episodes 8 and 9 of Andor S2 are heart in your throat time.
2) Have been having the worst time changing my email on accounts. It seems every few accounts throw up some problem. Trying to change it on one of my credit cards was the worst because it sent me a phone verification call and it turned out...our phone was not working. This is the second time in the past year that this has happened, and because we don't use the landline for outgoing calls, we rarely notice until a call doesn't come through. ( Read more... )
3) Speaking of the prescription pickup, yesterday morning was also a mess. After I returned from the weekly grocery run the exterminator came by. My partner had forgotten it was his scheduled visit and was just getting out of the shower. (The exterminator kindly went next door first and came back to us). And after 5 CALLS (2 to the pharmacy and 3 to the doctor's office) over 10 days my prescription refill was still messed up. First my doctor's office never put in the refill order. Then after I got the pharmacy to request the refill permission they sent the wrong order which I got into an argument with the pharmacy tech about, because she kept insisting their 41 pill refill of a 90 pill order was correct.
I had to get the doctor's office to change the dosage instruction which was causing the pharmacy to limit the pills. Then they only sent in one of the two dosage refills so I had to call them again. Then several days later I had to call a third time because no one at the doctor's office had done anything and I'm down to my last pills (even though I still had a 21 day supply when I went to see the doctor!) so the admin person said she was putting an emergency rush on it. And they did but the pharmacy still gave me 45 pills for a 90 day order leading to my second call to them to fix that!
The original refill requests were the SAME ones already in the system, so why they all insisted on making these changes I just don't know! I swear an automated system would have been faster, especially since a 90 day prescription means they can just give me a whole bottle and don't even need to count anything out!
4) Speaking of emails, I didn't even twig to this scam at first because legitimate accounts keep sending emails to the old email 6 weeks or more after it's been changed. I got an email from Xfinity saying "Ple︊ase ch︊eck yo︊ur car︊d inf︊o an︊d mak︊e a pa︊yme︊nt" because my card had been declined. I logged in (not from the email) to check it since I actually did have an issue with the credit card back in January which forced me to change the card on the account for a month until it could be cleared up. ( Read more... )
5) The same afternoon I realized that the state has yet to process my tax payment from last month 😨 Called them and was told they probably hadn't opened the return yet. Let's hope that's all it is. Apparently the phone reps have no access to the processing data so there's no way to verify it's actually there until it goes through.
2) Have been having the worst time changing my email on accounts. It seems every few accounts throw up some problem. Trying to change it on one of my credit cards was the worst because it sent me a phone verification call and it turned out...our phone was not working. This is the second time in the past year that this has happened, and because we don't use the landline for outgoing calls, we rarely notice until a call doesn't come through. ( Read more... )
3) Speaking of the prescription pickup, yesterday morning was also a mess. After I returned from the weekly grocery run the exterminator came by. My partner had forgotten it was his scheduled visit and was just getting out of the shower. (The exterminator kindly went next door first and came back to us). And after 5 CALLS (2 to the pharmacy and 3 to the doctor's office) over 10 days my prescription refill was still messed up. First my doctor's office never put in the refill order. Then after I got the pharmacy to request the refill permission they sent the wrong order which I got into an argument with the pharmacy tech about, because she kept insisting their 41 pill refill of a 90 pill order was correct.
I had to get the doctor's office to change the dosage instruction which was causing the pharmacy to limit the pills. Then they only sent in one of the two dosage refills so I had to call them again. Then several days later I had to call a third time because no one at the doctor's office had done anything and I'm down to my last pills (even though I still had a 21 day supply when I went to see the doctor!) so the admin person said she was putting an emergency rush on it. And they did but the pharmacy still gave me 45 pills for a 90 day order leading to my second call to them to fix that!
The original refill requests were the SAME ones already in the system, so why they all insisted on making these changes I just don't know! I swear an automated system would have been faster, especially since a 90 day prescription means they can just give me a whole bottle and don't even need to count anything out!
4) Speaking of emails, I didn't even twig to this scam at first because legitimate accounts keep sending emails to the old email 6 weeks or more after it's been changed. I got an email from Xfinity saying "Ple︊ase ch︊eck yo︊ur car︊d inf︊o an︊d mak︊e a pa︊yme︊nt" because my card had been declined. I logged in (not from the email) to check it since I actually did have an issue with the credit card back in January which forced me to change the card on the account for a month until it could be cleared up. ( Read more... )
5) The same afternoon I realized that the state has yet to process my tax payment from last month 😨 Called them and was told they probably hadn't opened the return yet. Let's hope that's all it is. Apparently the phone reps have no access to the processing data so there's no way to verify it's actually there until it goes through.
Poll #33093 Kudos Footer-522
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
Giftees Needed!
May. 5th, 2025 03:40 pm1) 3weeks4dreamwidth's points donation challenge is underway and we now need giftees! If you or anyone you know (particularly people getting started here!) would like to get some paid services from Dreamwidth, comment on the giftee post by MAY 14 with what you'd like to receive (all comments are screened).
For those who'd still like to donate, just visit the community post and leave a comment with the amount you'll donate.
2) $20,000 pyramid is so revealing of people's knowledge and instincts. In terms of being surprisingly lacking in general knowledge, one celebrity partner could not figure out how to describe Europe past saying London (which I would not even consider a typically European location). Someone else described Harvard as being in Connecticut. She also described the Pentagon as where the Secret Service is. ( Read more... )
3) Watched the latest season of the MCU's What If. It was a mixed bag but I was glad we got the season. ( Read more... )
4) I finished S2 of the ILM documentary on Disney+. It's really amazing how much has changed in the past decades, one challenge at a time. Made me have a lot of thoughts about genre disparagement and changes in technology that led to greater immersion. For example, were a lot of fantasy and scifi movies and shows considered a lesser form of storytelling just because the effects weren't all that great, and the characters might look funny in makeup or prosthetics? Was it because people couldn't get immersed in such stories because of the obvious artificiality? ( Read more... )
5) Also watched the Game Show Show documentary about the history and variety of game shows. Got to say, even though there are a lot of competition related unscripted shows I don't think of them as "game shows." There's a world of difference between Amazing Race and The Price is Right, or even talent competitions vs The Dating Game. I mean, why wouldn't Dancing With the Stars be considered a game show then if we're just focusing on the competition and challenge angles?
3weeks4dreamwidth's points donation challenge is underway and we now need giftees! If you or anyone you know (particularly people getting started here!) would like to get some paid services from Dreamwidth, comment on the giftee post by MAY 14 with what you'd like to receive (all comments are screened).For those who'd still like to donate, just visit the community post and leave a comment with the amount you'll donate.
2) $20,000 pyramid is so revealing of people's knowledge and instincts. In terms of being surprisingly lacking in general knowledge, one celebrity partner could not figure out how to describe Europe past saying London (which I would not even consider a typically European location). Someone else described Harvard as being in Connecticut. She also described the Pentagon as where the Secret Service is. ( Read more... )
3) Watched the latest season of the MCU's What If. It was a mixed bag but I was glad we got the season. ( Read more... )
4) I finished S2 of the ILM documentary on Disney+. It's really amazing how much has changed in the past decades, one challenge at a time. Made me have a lot of thoughts about genre disparagement and changes in technology that led to greater immersion. For example, were a lot of fantasy and scifi movies and shows considered a lesser form of storytelling just because the effects weren't all that great, and the characters might look funny in makeup or prosthetics? Was it because people couldn't get immersed in such stories because of the obvious artificiality? ( Read more... )
5) Also watched the Game Show Show documentary about the history and variety of game shows. Got to say, even though there are a lot of competition related unscripted shows I don't think of them as "game shows." There's a world of difference between Amazing Race and The Price is Right, or even talent competitions vs The Dating Game. I mean, why wouldn't Dancing With the Stars be considered a game show then if we're just focusing on the competition and challenge angles?
Poll #33080 Kudos Footer-522
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Want to leave a Kudos?
Donate Dreamwidth Points!
Apr. 26th, 2025 02:50 pm1) 3weeks4dreamwidth is on again and there is once more a points donation challenge. If you are willing to donate Dreamwidth points to other participants for paid services on the site, visit the community post and leave a comment with the amount you'll donate.
2) Found myself unexpectedly sucked into a rewatch of Veronica Mars. I noticed it was expiring on Hulu and finally picked it off my watchlist and started S1. My partner noticed this and said he wanted to see it too. So Mr. I-Don't-Like-to-Bingewatch has so far watched nothing but Veronica Mars since Monday. ( Read more... )
3) Tried out four more game shows. Since I've now seen all of Name That Tune available I tried Don't Forget the Lyrics. The concept sounded like fun but the execution was not. It drags the action out too much due to chat with the single contestant, bringing in their "consult a friend" and then you have to listen to said contestant sing poorly. I noped out halfway through one episode. ( Read more... )
4) Finished watching Daredevil. ( Read more... )
5) Posted some sunrise and sunset pics over atcommon_nature.
3weeks4dreamwidth is on again and there is once more a points donation challenge. If you are willing to donate Dreamwidth points to other participants for paid services on the site, visit the community post and leave a comment with the amount you'll donate.
2) Found myself unexpectedly sucked into a rewatch of Veronica Mars. I noticed it was expiring on Hulu and finally picked it off my watchlist and started S1. My partner noticed this and said he wanted to see it too. So Mr. I-Don't-Like-to-Bingewatch has so far watched nothing but Veronica Mars since Monday. ( Read more... )
3) Tried out four more game shows. Since I've now seen all of Name That Tune available I tried Don't Forget the Lyrics. The concept sounded like fun but the execution was not. It drags the action out too much due to chat with the single contestant, bringing in their "consult a friend" and then you have to listen to said contestant sing poorly. I noped out halfway through one episode. ( Read more... )
4) Finished watching Daredevil. ( Read more... )
5) Posted some sunrise and sunset pics over at
common_nature.Poll #33038 Kudos Footer-521
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8
Want to leave a Kudos?
