In celebration of Banned Books Week, I have a post I’ve meant to make for some years now. With every story I read about the late writer Kurt Vonnegut, it reminds me that I should read and re-visit his own stories — his novels. One of these stories relates to a letter he wrote to some honest-to-badness book burners. I first read it on Letters of Note (note, paywall) and also via the Peabody Institute…
I’ve always enjoyed the official start of Fall, but one of the more recent heralds of the season is Banned Books Week, something I’ve posted about on this blog since 2018. Much like Pumpkin Spice, some people hate on particular books for the most spurious of reasons. And then some people get mad that you use words like ‘spurious,’ which they’re pretty sure has to be a naughty word. I’ll be posting throughout the week,…
On this, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, it is only just and right that we talk about pirates not simply like them. Now, I’ve posted about pirates before, and you should definitely check out Isli Lawrence’s video which I linked to before. She also has this piece specifically about famous pirates: But why confine yourself to just one pirate historian? Enter Rebecca Simon, who has a whole host of insights to give you that’ll…
Since I was recently speaking about cinematic joy, this is a story that absolutely gives The Force “the feels.” There’s a brand new language dub of the original Star Wars in the Ojibwe language. The group can be found across the northern United States and Canada, so, when digging for more news, I found many a local report, as they appear to have sought speakers from all over to bring this latest version of the…
The algorithm fae have decided to gift me with the news that Every Frame a Painting is back… if only for a short while. Tricky fae. Starting about 10 years ago, and for tantalizingly too few episodes, Taylor Ramos & Tony Zhou crafted meticulous videos that remind one of why cinema is magical. The care in making the videos is, of course, why there are not a gazillion episodes, but that invigorating feeling is why…
Somewhat derailed by yesterday’s news, I pushed this post until today, but I wanted to offer a counter-balance to last’s week’s video tearing apart the tech industry mania of about AI with a thoughtful one from a different Adam. The video could be divided into two parts, one about AI and the other about connecting with people online (or the difficulty therein). And while there may not be a through-line at first glance, it flows…
Really don’t have much to mention at the moment except that I felt a great disturbance in the Force earlier, and now I know why: James Earl Jones has died at the age of 93. I’m going to go release my feelings and try not to turn to the Dark Side now. ### UPDATE In addition to the BBC article above, you can also check out the Washington Post and, really, a slew of pieces…
This isn’t the first post I’ve done about artificial intelligence. It isn’t even the first AI post involving Adam Conover, but given last week’s post about the future of TV and tech companies’ hand in it all, it felt right to revisit AI. Also, I posted about the possible tech bubble of AI all the way back in February, so it feels right to revisit. Enter Adam Conover and this interview with Ed Zitron from…
As I mentioned back in August, one of my recent audio fiction roles was playing a slice of upper Midwestern wholesomeness in the form of Deputy Ray Lester. It was all the more fun considering the distinct unwholesomeness of what goes down in and around this little American town (like many horror podcasts, this is not broadcast-friendly). So, feel free to check out the trailer below, check out the rest of the fabulous cast and…
I had to bump the post I planned for today after seeing this, because, while I can’t say it’s the best episode of Hot Ones (I haven’t caught up since realizing posting about it this February), it’s everything you would hope it to be. As a reminder, Hot Ones is an interview show where host Sean Evans asks well-researched questions that often get insightful answers from celebrities, often actors, while they both eat chicken wings…