Captain_Wacky's recent activity
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
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Comment on Disney reportedly planning full reboot of the Indiana Jones franchise in ~movies
Captain_Wacky Link ParentIn today's sociopolitical hellscape, I can't help but think even Disney would be hesitant, for "reasons." That being said, I wholly agree, it wouldn't be an Indiana Jones movie if he wasn't...Make Indiana Jones fight Nazis:
In today's sociopolitical hellscape, I can't help but think even Disney would be hesitant, for "reasons."
That being said, I wholly agree, it wouldn't be an Indiana Jones movie if he wasn't whaling on occultist Nazis.
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Comment on The Cat in the Hat | Official trailer in ~movies
Captain_Wacky LinkThe only thing I liked about that was the Looney Tunes gag in the intro. That and the general art style. That makes sense, given the era Dr. Seuss's works began in. The color palette also makes...The only thing I liked about that was the Looney Tunes gag in the intro. That and the general art style.
That makes sense, given the era Dr. Seuss's works began in. The color palette also makes sense, visually the whimsy matches Dr. Seuss's art style. The animations also fit the whimsy.
Hader's voice absolutely does not fit the visual whimsy, however. Neither does that simulated "cameraman being knocked around by a mob" camera effect. Neither does mace and cell phones and "stranger danger" and, frankly, anything introduced after the 1970s.
Wild to think that the Jim Carrey Grinch can't be topped by anything else from the Seuss Pantheon in the course of 25 years.
Also, I am 1000% sure Warner Bros is wanting to position the "Things" to be the next minion craze, so.... Brace yourselves, I guess.
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Comment on Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film in ~movies
Captain_Wacky Link ParentGives him more time to cook, to get it done right.Gives him more time to cook, to get it done right.
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Comment on Most US exhibition execs think traditional moviegoing has less than twenty years as ‘viable business model,’ according to new survey in ~movies
Captain_Wacky LinkI can see the historic, small theaters soldiering on. They're not really beholden to market trends and the demands of Hollywood. As a result, the little guys can be selective and they won't waste...I can see the historic, small theaters soldiering on. They're not really beholden to market trends and the demands of Hollywood.
As a result, the little guys can be selective and they won't waste their schedule time running a bomb like 2019 cats or Morbius because they're contractually obligated, or something to that affect, but can make money on 2019 cats (or Morbius) later down the line when the thursday night specials for the month are "cult-following flops."
Also, from a purely anecdotal standpoint: the last movie I've seen in an AMC was 2019 cats, and that was for the spectacle. Hollywood trends don't really work for me. I've seen both Dunes and the Phoenician scheme, but those three were at the local theater I discovered when I moved in 2021. I can't provide an accurate count of the movies I've seen since my move, but I can certainly say it's been over 10 and they were the specials. The Oscar nominated shorts/animated, Young Frankenstein/Ghostbusters in October, 5th Element during sci-fi month, 7 Samurai, etc. My movietheater-going has increased, and it's partly because the theater is less than five minutes away, sure, but the other big reason is that they'll run appealing films I'd be hard pressed to have the chance to see in theater again.
I still can't believe I missed Jaws.
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Comment on Reddit in talks to embrace Sam Altman's iris-scanning Orb to verify users in ~tech
Captain_Wacky Link ParentIt's not just that, but what would happen to that third party over time? What if it enshittifies, has to be bought out, and someone like Palantir drops an impossible-to-refuse offer?It's not just that, but what would happen to that third party over time?
What if it enshittifies, has to be bought out, and someone like Palantir drops an impossible-to-refuse offer?
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
Captain_Wacky LinkHere's a local Cincinnati article about cicada season and the local theme park. -
Comment on McDonald's is bringing back its discontinued Snack Wrap in the US in ~food
Captain_Wacky Link ParentAs him being a mental health counselor....As him being a mental health counselor....
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Comment on Measles exposure alert issued for Shakira concert at MetLife Stadium by New Jersey health officials in ~health
Captain_Wacky LinkMan, New Jersey can not catch a break this year.Man, New Jersey can not catch a break this year.
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Comment on This 200-year-old lighter ignites without a spark in ~science
Captain_Wacky LinkNever knew that material was platinum wool of all things. Very curious material.Never knew that material was platinum wool of all things. Very curious material.
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Comment on Which unanswered questions do you want to see an answer for in your lifetime? in ~science
Captain_Wacky Link ParentFor myself, the distance really hampers my excitement, especially when we have some promising candidates here in our cosmic backyard. I really can't wait for the day to come when someone gets a...For myself, the distance really hampers my excitement, especially when we have some promising candidates here in our cosmic backyard.
I really can't wait for the day to come when someone gets a probe under Europa's surface.
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Comment on If you could travel back in time and bring one thing back to the modern day, what would it be? in ~talk
Captain_Wacky Link ParentGive me ten years and a time machine and I'll check to see if there's any dodos at the docks... Edit: that would make for a good objective: within the dock inventories, what are animals and what...Give me ten years and a time machine and I'll check to see if there's any dodos at the docks...
Edit: that would make for a good objective: within the dock inventories, what are animals and what may be extinct? Prioritize for photos.
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Comment on If you could travel back in time and bring one thing back to the modern day, what would it be? in ~talk
Captain_Wacky Link ParentIn a place like ancient Athens, I'm sure I could find plenty of samples on the floor like gum on a sidewalk in the present.In a place like ancient Athens, I'm sure I could find plenty of samples on the floor like gum on a sidewalk in the present.
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Comment on If you could travel back in time and bring one thing back to the modern day, what would it be? in ~talk
Captain_Wacky Link ParentIf I'm being told of this mission years in advance, I'm going to turn into a monk dedicating years of my life to training to ensure this is a success. Currently, I don't know much about...If I'm being told of this mission years in advance, I'm going to turn into a monk dedicating years of my life to training to ensure this is a success.
Currently, I don't know much about photography. I know what would look important and what would be of interest. Market inventories, libraries, library contents, scrolls and scroll contents if able, average people doing average people things, construction projects in construction, musical instruments and their players and their music, plays, processions, arts and artifacts from media/materials that don't preserve well, (textiles, fabrics, woven goods, foods, etc) the port itself and its contents and the "visitors/traders" within that area, in an effort to maximize socio-scientific value trying to get more than "just" the ancient Athenian but whoever I can put a camera on. Spartan, Daanan, Egyptian, Persian, Arab, Eithiopian, whoever.
And that's all I can think of off the top of my head, without any real prep time. Give me proof that this mission is a real thing and something like 10 years prep time and I'll make sure I'll be bringing back a little bit of something for everyone in that camera.
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Comment on If you could travel back in time and bring one thing back to the modern day, what would it be? in ~talk
Captain_Wacky LinkI'm gonna stress-test these rules. I'm bringing a camera with the biggest possible storage, and I am going to (somehow) covertly take all the photos possible of ancient Athens. If I could manage...I'm gonna stress-test these rules.
I'm bringing a camera with the biggest possible storage, and I am going to (somehow) covertly take all the photos possible of ancient Athens.
If I could manage to get the back of Socrates' head from a mile and a half away, I'd consider it a successful endeavor.
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Comment on Habemus Papam - Leo XIV named first American pope in ~humanities
Captain_Wacky Link ParentAh yes, Karl "religion is the opiate of the masses" Marx.Ah yes, Karl "religion is the opiate of the masses" Marx.
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Comment on How many languages do you speak? in ~humanities.languages
Captain_Wacky Link ParentIt will not be easy if it is your first (learned) language. It will not be easy if it is your second (learned) language. That being said it is a deeply rewarding language to learn, and a realistic...It will not be easy if it is your first (learned) language.
It will not be easy if it is your second (learned) language.
That being said it is a deeply rewarding language to learn, and a realistic approach would be to go slow. Depending upon who you ask, Japan can have something like 5+ scripts to the language. Stick to one script for a certain block of time, and focus only there, starting the focus on Hiragana first then Katakana second. Probably take a year learning those two inside-out while drip-feeding oneself only the most essential of Kanji.
I never got past being able to memorize and read Hiragana. It was a truly impulsive, "fuck it why not" college course. The teacher made the effort to impress upon the class that this would be very much a "crash course" as far as the subject matter is concerned, condensing things down by semester. If I had the time to make a "proper" second attempt at Japanese, that would be my approach, but everybody's different, too.
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Comment on Is it time to get offline? in ~tech
Captain_Wacky (edited )LinkI don't "hate" the internet, but I do severely dislike this version of what the Internet has become; and the internet became this way when the moneyed interests got involved and started to craft...I don't "hate" the internet, but I do severely dislike this version of what the Internet has become; and the internet became this way when the moneyed interests got involved and started to craft things into their image, and accrued enough power/authority to bend things to their interests.
Completely anecdotal, but I feel the "tipping point" was probably around the "YoU WoUlDnT DoWNlOaD a CaR" phase, and the mass audience took that messaging at face value.
Edit: I think better, healthier versions of the internet could absolutely exist, but it would require some robust regulatory practices from the Fed that would favor the human and not the business... And they've been favoring the business since at least the Carter Administration.
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Comment on What is one of the coolest museums you've visited? in ~travel
Captain_Wacky LinkCleveland has an incredible museum complex that doesn't get enough exposure, in my opinion. The Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, the Botanical Gardens, and the Museum of Contemporary Art...Cleveland has an incredible museum complex that doesn't get enough exposure, in my opinion.
The Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, the Botanical Gardens, and the Museum of Contemporary Art are all together in the same walkable area, with plenty of hotels nearby as well as light rail connections into downtown.
One could truly spend an entire week there and not run out of things to see and do.
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Comment on A college student accidentally broke the laws of thermodynamics while attempting to mix fluids in ~science
Captain_Wacky LinkAs a Popular Mechanics article, I've come to expect a certain quality of writing, but the immediate appeal to emotion via a Simpsons reference in the opening paragraph is wild.As a Popular Mechanics article, I've come to expect a certain quality of writing, but the immediate appeal to emotion via a Simpsons reference in the opening paragraph is wild.
Reading both The Iliad and The Odyssey, the Samuel Butler and the Fagles translations, chapter by chapter. First the Butler translation then Fagles to pick up what I may have missed the first time.
Already finished The Iliad this way, was very helpful. It's convinced me to find the Pope translations.