Various and Sundry

A Behavioral Scientist on Time Management

Evidently, I last tagged a post “Time Management” back in 2017. I’m not sure how this reflects on my overall time management skills, but it’s certainly a choice. Choice is all about Michelle Drouin’s brief article about choice in how we manage our time, and also some of the psychology around it. If this seems too squishy for you, you can always check out Stephanie Vozza’s article on cutting doown your email inbox which, statistically,…

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Various and Sundry

Dungeons, Dragons, & IP Lawyers (Yes, an OGL Post)

Given many of the folks I know, there was little chance that I wasn’t going to get bombarded by statements, screeds, and opinions about the possible changes to the Open Game License (OGL) the owner of Dungeons and Dragons currently offers and many people (including some of said folks) use. Now, there should be news as soon as tomorrow, heck, something went up as I was writing this post, but if RPGs are your jam,…

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Writing

Bradbury on Starting Writing, Keeping Writing, and Love

I grew up reading Ray Bradbury stories and loved it when 13 of his short stories were adapted for radio (because, you know, I’m into that sort of thing). So, naturally, I’ve checked out some interviews and lectures where he talks about writing and his thoughts on it. This hour-long lecture comes from when Bradbury was around 80, so it should come as no surprise if your curmudgeon detector goes off. However, other videos can…

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Producing Various and Sundry Writing

Public Domain Day, 2023 Addendum

I have a new source to look for regarding Public Domain Day every January… that is assuming Steve Shives returns for more merriment next year. I’ve already enjoyed his Star Trek commentaries and now I learn how much of a classic film buff he is — and he doesn’t mind singing. Truly, he contains multitudes. His phrasing is occasionally delightfully NSFW at moments, so be warned for when you watch.

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Various and Sundry

It’s Not Just You: They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To

I don’t always take stock in old men yelling at clouds when things “aren’t like they were in the old days,” but when it comes to manufacturing quality, there’s something to that sentiment. Izzie Ramirez over at Vox has a great walkthrough about many of the factors that have contributed to this change in approach and the costs. There’s also a bit at the end about the right-to-repair and how many corporations fight against that,…

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Rants Voiceover Writing

Thoughts on the “A.I. is Inevitable” Bandwagon

What with starting the year off with a Public Domain post, I’ll continue in the intellectual property realm with a topic currently being discussed and debated mightily amongst indie artists and writers I know: how artificial intelligence (aka “A.I.”) is starting to do creative jobs. Author Chuck Wendig has some choice NSFW words on this matter. I especially appreciate him tackling the fact that the existence of technology neither means its inevitability nor that it…

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Producing Various and Sundry Writing

Public Domain Day, 2023

I plan to do posts on public domain every year and I really should have last January for this clip alone, but the year got away from me early. Now that was last year, and most of you already know about the Winnie the Pooh horror movie soon to be out in the world? So what’s in store for 2023 and all the goodies from 1927 now in the public domain in the U.S.? As…

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Various and Sundry

2022 Additions to the National Film Registry

Given my most recent Favorite Films list, I figured it’d be nice to highlight the National Film Registry, a project by the Library of Congress. Each year, they add titles to the registry, serving as an annual reminder of the work they do and highlighting some films that might have fallen off people’s radar. You can read about this years inductees at the link above, from NPR and Variety, or via this fun video below:

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Various and Sundry

My 50 Favorite Films, 2022 Edition

It’s that time of [even] year where I reflect on the many films I’ve seen and perform that most Internet of activities: ranking them. I mean, I’ve done an offline sort of my favorite films for about 30 years, but the past 10 year online have been right at home here on the Intertubes. You can see my previous entries here (including how I do the sort by pairwise comparison). This year, the total of…

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