Algernon_Asimov's recent activity
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Comment on What online subscriptions do you pay for? in ~tech
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New vaccine technology could protect from future viruses and variants
The vaccine antigen technology, developed by the University of Cambridge and spin-out DIOSynVax in early 2020, provided protection against all known variants of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes...
The vaccine antigen technology, developed by the University of Cambridge and spin-out DIOSynVax in early 2020, provided protection against all known variants of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – as well as other major coronaviruses, including those that caused the first SARS epidemic in 2002.
The studies in mice, rabbits and guinea pigs [...] found that the vaccine candidate provided a strong immune response against a range of coronaviruses by targeting the parts of the virus that are required for replication.
Professor Jonathan Heeney from Cambridge’s Department of Veterinary Medicine, who led the research, [said] “We wanted to come up with a vaccine that wouldn’t only protect against SARS-CoV-2, but all its relatives.”
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Comment on Survey documents that American viewers are increasingly using subtitles - Gen Z uses them most frequently in ~tv
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentI go through phases, hot and cold. In the past, I've dropped out for months at a time. I'm still here, though. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression about me. ;)You commented more frequently when I first joined
I go through phases, hot and cold. In the past, I've dropped out for months at a time. I'm still here, though.
and were welcoming.
Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression about me. ;)
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Comment on Just finished reading The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, and wondering what to read next in ~books
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentAnyone watching the Foundation show and then deciding to read the books should be aware that they are in for a very different experience. The show has little connection to the books: the plots,...I'm also part way through the show Foundation, based on the books by Isaac Asimov. I've not read the books
Anyone watching the Foundation show and then deciding to read the books should be aware that they are in for a very different experience. The show has little connection to the books: the plots, the themes, and the characters are quite different. The show and the books are best considered as two totally different works by differente writers, that just happen to share some names in common.
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Comment on Survey documents that American viewers are increasingly using subtitles - Gen Z uses them most frequently in ~tv
Algernon_Asimov LinkPeople reading this topic might also be interested in this previous post: Why is everyone watching TV with the subtitles on?People reading this topic might also be interested in this previous post:
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Summer of severe heatwaves predicted for Australia as Bureau of Meteorology declares El Niño
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Comment on Little Shop of Horrors - re:View in ~movies
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentI just had a realisation. The 'Skid Row' number includes Seymour's "wishes and dreams" moment, where he tells the audience about how he wants a better life, somewhere else. Ever since Dorothy sang...I just had a realisation.
The 'Skid Row' number includes Seymour's "wishes and dreams" moment, where he tells the audience about how he wants a better life, somewhere else.
Ever since Dorothy sang 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' back in 1939, an opening song about the hidden dreams of the protagonist has been a trope in musicals. Sometimes, they're even rainbow-themed - as when Kermit sang about 'The Rainbow Connection' in 'The Muppet Movie'. Well, 'Skid Row' is Seymour's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" moment (just as Audrey's is 'Somewhere that's green', later on).
However, buried in the lyrics of 'Skid Row' is an actual rainbow reference. After Seymour walks down an alleyway, singing "someone give me my shot or I'll rot here", some residents of Skid Row start clambering up the fence, and one of the lyrics they sing is "Downtown, where the rainbow's a no-show". I believe that lyric is not accidental or coincidental. The lyricist is telling us this is an anti-rainbow song: Seymour wants to go over the rainbow to a better place, but the rainbow never shows up in Skid Row.
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Comment on Little Shop of Horrors - re:View in ~movies
Algernon_Asimov LinkInteresting discussion about 'Little Shop'. I mean... they didn't really say anything I didn't already know. But I suppose it was pleasant to hear a couple of random internet guys chat about a...Interesting discussion about 'Little Shop'. I mean... they didn't really say anything I didn't already know. But I suppose it was pleasant to hear a couple of random internet guys chat about a movie I love.
They did make me realise something. I know what my Top 3 favourite musicals are; they solidified in the 2000s when I first saw 'Rent', and I've never bothered to question that Top 3 in the two decades since. This review video made me realise that 'Little Shop' is knocking on the door of that Top 3. On top of that, I recently re-watched one of my Top 3 musicals after a long absence, and I realised it's not quite as good as I remembered. Maybe I need to reconsider where 'Little Shop' sits in my favourite musicals. It's definitely Top 5. Is it Top 3...?
The guys are right: Rick Moranis was born to play Seymour, Ellen Greene was perfect as Audrey, Steve Martin does a great guest appearance, Vincent Gardenia is right as Mr Mushnik, and Bill Murray's cameo as a masochist is just delicious (I love the line where Martin's character ends up calling Murray's character "a goddamn sicko"!). I can't think of a single mis-cast character in this movie, which is actually quite unusual; there's usually one in every movie. But not 'Little Shop'.
And the songs are brilliant. 'Somewhere that's Green', 'Suddenly Seymour', 'Skid Row'... Oh. My. God. 'Skid Row'. From the opening notes 'Alaaaarm goes off at seven' (How on earth did that lady not become a break-out star? Although I see she was nominated for a Tony 25 years prior to 'Little Shop'.) to the closing refrain of "I've gotta get out of Skid Row", the whole number is perfectly performed, staged, and filmed. It even has a sneaky little costume change by one of the street urchins, as Frank Oz filmed the opening sequence in a single take. And 'Suddenly Seymour' is totally ridiculous and over the top, and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.
I bought the re-released director's cut some years ago. It's an imported special edition, with a booklet and everything. I hadn't seen the director's ending before then; I didn't even know an alternative ending existed! I saw it for the first time when I bought that special edition, and it is the right ending for this musical. Absolutely. The plant has to win. It was inevitable. Also, I love a dark ending - where it's earned, and it's earned here. However, like the guys in this review said, that ending does go on and on and on, it just keeps going, and it does feel self-indulgent. It needs trimming. But it's still a better ending than Seymour saving the world, which is nice... but not the way this movie should end.
And now I'll have to re-watch this movie some time this weekend.
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Comment on Fairphone 5 review: Could this be the first phone to last ten years? in ~tech
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentThat's good enough for me!If all of your apps are 100% locally operating and self-contained, the yes, they should continue working barring any major bugs or exploits.
That's good enough for me!
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Comment on Fairphone 5 review: Could this be the first phone to last ten years? in ~tech
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentHow does an app that's installed on my phone, where the app isn't updated and the operating system isn't updated, know that its API is retired? Again: how does this happen if I've got updates...Often old API versions are eventually retired; any old apps built around that retired API version will break.
How does an app that's installed on my phone, where the app isn't updated and the operating system isn't updated, know that its API is retired?
Some apps/games check the local versions and assets against the latest ones before fully launching
Again: how does this happen if I've got updates disabled on my phone?
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Comment on The legacy of Star Trek: The Animated Series, fifty years on in ~tv
Algernon_Asimov LinkThe Animated Series is a much-maligned and misunderstood part of Star Trek history. I like the show. Even when it's bad, it's fun.The Animated Series is a much-maligned and misunderstood part of Star Trek history. I like the show. Even when it's bad, it's fun.
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Comment on The legacy of Star Trek: The Animated Series, fifty years on in ~tv
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentI don't get why 'The Slaver Weapon' can't be canon. There were lots of alien species features in TOS, TAS, and TNG who never turned up on Deep Space Nine. The Kzinti is just another one of those...I don't get why 'The Slaver Weapon' can't be canon.
otherwise you’d have Kzinti and Puppeteers hanging out on Deep Space Nine
There were lots of alien species features in TOS, TAS, and TNG who never turned up on Deep Space Nine. The Kzinti is just another one of those species.
And, reading the Memory Alpha page about Kzinti, it seems that they are embedded in Star Trek canon. As well as making two appearances in TAS, they seem to have appeared in, or at least been name-checked in, no less than 8 'Lower Decks' episodes. And, this paragraph confirms that the Kzin are canonical:
Their homeworld of Kzin was subtly included on a star chart created by Mike Okuda that was displayed at Starfleet Headquarters in TNG: "Conspiracy", and which made occasional appearances thereafter in that series, in Kirk's quarters in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and in the classroom on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
As for the Puppeteers, they are not part of Star Trek canon. The role of the pacifist vegetarian non-human in 'The Soft Weapon' was played a Vulcan, Spock, in the adaptation, 'The Slaver Weapon'. There are no Puppeteers in Star Trek.
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Comment on Fairphone 5 review: Could this be the first phone to last ten years? in ~tech
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentSo, just do what I do: stop installing updates for those apps. The apps will keep working as they are. You don't need to update an app if your operating system isn't being updated. I've got apps...So, just do what I do: stop installing updates for those apps. The apps will keep working as they are. You don't need to update an app if your operating system isn't being updated.
I've got apps on my phone that were removed from the Play Store years ago. They still work.
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Comment on Fairphone 5 review: Could this be the first phone to last ten years? in ~tech
Algernon_Asimov Link ParentBut "dropping support" isn't the same as "not working". I bet those apps of yours are still working, yes? And they'll continue to keep working for another few years yet, right?I'm starting to experience the apps dropping support
But "dropping support" isn't the same as "not working". I bet those apps of yours are still working, yes? And they'll continue to keep working for another few years yet, right?
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Comment on Fairphone 5 review: Could this be the first phone to last ten years? in ~tech
Algernon_Asimov LinkMy current handset is 7 years old, and counting... Of course, it's only been in active use for 4.5 of those years (I bought it 2.5 years after its release date). But it's still going strong. I...My current handset is 7 years old, and counting... Of course, it's only been in active use for 4.5 of those years (I bought it 2.5 years after its release date). But it's still going strong. I thought it was having a problem with the battery, but that turned out just to be a dodgy charging cable. (Oh, and if it had been the battery... it's replaceable.) It has a tiny smidge of screen-burn in one corner, but if you don't know what you're looking for, you can't see it. And that's it. It works just as well today as it did on the day I first switched it on, 4.5 years ago.
Up to 10 years of software updates is simply unheard of, gaining it an extra star.
You don't need software updates for a phone to keep working. My phone has Android 7 (the manufacturer hasn't released any updates since then), and it's still chugging along, as well as it ever did.
The only reason my phone might stop working or become unusable is if outside influences act to make it obsolete.
Like, for example, how my phone company keeps harassing me about how my 3G phone won't work any more when they shut off the 3G network in December; I bought a 3G phone from them ages ago, and didn't bother to let them know I'm no longer using it, since I bought my current 4G-compatible phone back in March 2019. So, if someone switches off the 4G network, my phone might become unusable, but that's not because of anything inherently wrong with the phone itself.
A phone with old software doesn't become unusable just because the software is old. It becomes unusable because other people decide the software is unusable. Like my bank, which doesn't provide a version of its app that's compatible with Android 7 (which makes me regret not installing the bank's app sooner, when it was still compatible - it would still be working now, like all the other apps I installed back then). But, again, that's not because of anything inherently wrong with the phone itself.
My main worry is how the chip at the heart of the Fairphone will fare: something that is fine now may be achingly slow in a decade.
I assume the reviewer means "slow in comparison to other chips in other phones", rather than "the chip itself will get slower and slower over time". But, if I'm still using my phone to do the same things I've always done, why do I care if other chips in other phones are faster?
We've all been conditioned by phone companies that the latest is the greatest, and last year's phone is sooo "last year" - which is why the idea of a phone that might just... keep working as intended... is so foreign to so many people.
I'm now half-tempted to keep using my current phone for another 5.5 years, just to prove a point to this reviewer. (Not that that would be awful - I quite like my current phone.)
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Comment on How do you feel when people sign off an email with a single letter? in ~life
Algernon_Asimov LinkPeople call me "AA" on Tildes & Reddit all the time. That doesn't mean I'm pompous or important. It just means they're being informal and/or lazy... like the person who signs off their email with...People call me "AA" on Tildes & Reddit all the time. That doesn't mean I'm pompous or important. It just means they're being informal and/or lazy... like the person who signs off their email with an initial.
You wouldn't survive long here in Australia! People shorten names as much as possible. If it can be shortened, it will. Three syllables? Too long! Make it two. Two syllables? Too long! Make it one. One syllable? Too long! Make it one letter. Seriously. That actually happens.
I work with:
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a Hanna who's a "Han" or "H"
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a Beatrice who's a "Bea" or possibly a "B" (it's hard to tell when people say her name)
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a Lydia Jones who's an "LJ"
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a "Zoe" who's a "Z" (pronounced "zee" because Australian culture has been colonised by the USA)
... and so on.
It doesn't matter how short your name is... in Australia, it can be shortened.
Almost everyone I work with has a shortened name, and many of them sign off their emails with that short name - or with just their initial.
In fact, to insist on people using your full name, or to sign off an email with your full name, is what's seen as pompous and self-important or overly formal.
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Ever Present, the National Gallery of Australia's behemoth exhibition of First Peoples art, resonates with Auckland audience
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India, the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, European Union (EU), Italy, France, and Germany have announced an ambitious infrastructure plan — the ‘India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’
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Comment on Is understaffing a new norm? in ~life
Algernon_Asimov LinkHere in Australia, experts have been saying that unemployment is unusually low and job vacancies are unusually high, since the pandemic. We stopped all international travel for a while, including...Here in Australia, experts have been saying that unemployment is unusually low and job vacancies are unusually high, since the pandemic. We stopped all international travel for a while, including international students and people with working visas - who formed a significant portion of our workers. With them gone, Aussies have been stretched to fill all the jobs that need doing.
Even now, with international travel back, it's taking a while for the impact to be felt in employment.
We're short of workers all across Australia, in a wide range of industries.
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Comment on We lost the war - Come to terms with the imminent loss of privacy and civil rights without going lethargic in ~life
Algernon_Asimov LinkWhat war? Who were we fighting? What were we fighting about? Who even is "we"?What war? Who were we fighting? What were we fighting about? Who even is "we"?
I don't currently subscribe to any streaming services (I just cancelled the one service I was subscribed to). I do, however, contribute some money towards my housemate's subscription to a few streaming services, so we can share them. He subscribes to lots of streaming services, and I pay my bit for the ones I use.
I subscribe to Spotify.
I pay a regular Patreon contribution to Tildes.
I subscribe to a local newspaper's website.
I hire/lease/whatever a custom internet domain and subscribe to an associated email service (partly to keep my emails out of Google's grubby paws; even though I'm required to have a gmail account to use my Android phone, I don't give that gmail address to anyone).
And... that's about it.