To be fair, this isn’t behavior exclusive to male cats with orange-colored fur. At Jennifer’s place, the nuisance cat was Cody until she passed and in my old household, it was Nemo because he was at the bottom of the pecking order with the other cats.
It’s been making the rounds all day in the news. Obviously Musk’s perfect place would never be anywhere close to Austin, even the NeoLiberal city government doesn’t legally back slavery. So he’s bought property around Bastrop, a somewhat distant ‘burb with enough MAGA morons who have realized, Musk’s tunnel company is near. Translation, given the lazy-faire state gubmint, Musk and his lieutenants can poison the ground water with all the chemicals and waste they’ll dump digging a hole to nowhere.
Meanwhile, he wants to build a place for his Tesla employees that’s affordable. Anything to avoid paying competitive wages should they choose to live closer to Austin! For those of you who need a quick History refresher, Henry Ford (notorious Hitler fan) did something similar almost a century ago in Brazil. Short version…it didn’t go well for the employees. Let’s also not forget how Ford had his own goon squad barge into his people’s homes to make sure they were ‘moral.’ Musk isn’t any different and despite all his shit talk regarding California’s onerous laws, his engineering department will remain there. I wonder why?
Despite the people at the forefront of the technology being greedy sociopaths, AI has a long way to go before it becomes anything like Skynet or Demon Seed. Think about this. When is the last time have you had a call routed by voice recognition or verbal commands, succeed 10 times in a row? Right.
I really wanted to see this to scratch a mental itch and what my friends told me was pretty correct, if you’ve seen Goodfellas, there’s little reason to see Casino. It demonstrated how Marty has little right to criticize others, especially when he was crappin’ all over the MCU movies. Meanwhile, he only knows how to write/direct one type of story, gangster stuff. I was also disappointed with all the name changes since much of Casino‘s plot was based upon the Outfit’s rather turbulent Seventies, hence why the government went after them harder than before. St. Reagan and his Neo-Con goons did most of it, the Outfit tended to contribute more to the Democratic Party.
On its own merits, it isn’t a very good movie. DeNiro looks bored. Pesci is a parody of the shallow Jim Breur impression from SNL. Stone really needed to star in a movie which wasn’t softcore porn. It was cool to see Joe Bob Briggs in a minor role; he’s one of the locals the Outfit employs to keep the gaming commission appeased. Ditto for Don Rickles in a dramatic part; the casino’s manager.
Should Casino come up on your streaming service, pass it up. Either watch Mary’s swan song Goodfellas or try to find the better, funnier parody…Jane Austen’s Mafia.
I still got off light compared to the one million (and counting) dead around the world. But damn, it’s pretty embarrassing over how easily I am winded just walking from my car in the parking lot to my cubicle at work. Before COVID-19, it was easy peasy and routine. I’m definitely re-evaluating my exercise routine that I will be getting back into. Normally, when I’ve slacked and let it slide, I start with 10 miles, then up it a mile a day until I’ve returned to what I can pull off in an hour (17-19 miles/day). Should I follow the past plan, I will probably be in the hospital so I think I will go with three miles and just raise it half a mile/day. Let’s say I get back up to five and if I’m not in pain and/or wheezing forever, we proceed. Otherwise, I need to throttle back to half a mile every two days (or a quarter mile a day, I prefer the former).
The first in what I hope will be a trilogy of books I will be finishing about the end of the Baby Boomers/Boomers overstaying their welcome in about every aspect of American life. Entertainment, I can live with. Music? Depends. Politics, absolutely not. Work? This is tricky given how I fear the majority of them didn’t save up enough for the future.
Sociopaths was written shortly after the Orange Menace screwed up the country for four years and well before the COVID-19 pandemic, so most of Gibney’s contemporary data and forecasts are ruined. He does present strong evidence on the past, namely dispelling the myths still told again and again about the Vietnam War; only 30% of the forces in the conflict were draftees plus it was pretty easy for middle-class or higher Boomers to avoid. He also departs from other authors on the transitional definition year of when the Boom started. Traditionally it’s often 1946, as thousands of enlisted men are discharged from the US Armed Forces; numerous and quite awful Boomers were born that year, Slick Willie, Girth Vader and Dubious Bush. Gibney pulls it back as far as 1940. Why? He argues the Great Depression is mostly over thanks to WWII boosting the US economy (supplying the UK and France) so the birth rate was already starting to recover from the Thirties. I can see his point somewhat. I would only split hairs over how well the person recalls the time before 1946. For example, the rationing; the fear in people’s eyes whenever a government came to visit, namely to tell them they lost a loved one; etc. My argument coincides with Douglas Coupland regarding Generation X, it’s not always anchored to a year, it’s a state of mind or attitude. Meanwhile, let me clarify the title. Not all Boomers are Sociopaths. Every generation has a lump of these awful people (X have Musk & Bezos, Mills have Zuckerberg, Gen Z? I’m stumped but I’d go with the FTX guy); the problem derives from how large and unique the Baby Boom was. There has never been a population spike on par with it in recorded history. Emphasis on recorded. Ergo, the greater numbers created a larger pool of Sociopaths to get in there and take the US (and the world) down the wrong direction. I’d say Star Trek almost got it right via The Eugenics War since the past Earth was almost destroyed by superhuman tyrants who seized power in the Nineties.
More of the book covers the most depressing stuff and we’re reaping the outcome caused by the Boomers…the financial consequences. Even though St. Reagan wasn’t necessarily their POTUS (Girth Vader is) when their generation arrived in enough numbers to be a political force, they embraced his shitty policies to cut back on infrastructure. Their leadership then used all the “savings” to transfer to themselves while screwing over all who have followed, aka Gen X, Millenials and Gen Z. It’s pretty obvious when you look at the cost getting a university-level degree. I remember how unrealistic the discussions with my parents were. Back when they went in the Sixties, a modest-paying Summer job covered their tuition, including many private schools. By the time I left for Marquette, 20 years later, I was lucky if I earned enough to cover two classes and their overpriced textbooks! If I went to the underwhelming ISU as my mother begged, then I would’ve earned enough for three classes!
The future and near-future aren’t completely bleak as per Gibney but I have to agree, it’s not going to be easy. The cost outlays to repair forty-plus years of neglect and selfishness are going to be expensive; about in the tens of trillions of dollars. Given inflation making a surprise appearance after publication, I would triple his estimate now. If we could have meaningful reform on how bids/work are done, it wouldn’t have such ridiculous price tags. The major battle will be twofold, wrestling power away from them and re-allocating the money away from them. With the former, we know it’s hard. Pelosi may have “retired” to the backbench of Congress yet we know she’s still pulling the strings as her main skill was raising money, not governing. Plus (as of this posting), the Democrats are allegedly going to circle the wagons around Grampa’ Brunch out of fear from either another attempt by Girth Vader or worse, the professional Nazi, Meatball Ron. On the latter, death will take care of many as wealth in the US is often transferred down to the younger generations; why do you think rich buttholes lie about inheritance taxes? I really hope my fellow Gen Xers are in lockstep with the Mills and Z to fix this. Given how the most prominent Xers I see in the House are McCarthy, Cruz and Paul, I’m worried.
Lastly, don’t be intimidated by Gibney’s thorough research with numerous graphs and facts. He makes good points. I don’t agree with all of them. Trust me, he seems to be a friend of the South Park assholes. He tears into the Right but you can smell the venom dripping from his mouth whenever Sanders or the American Left propose a solution. I shouldn’t have been too surprised, Gibney’s regular beat covers Silicon Valley so he’s be drinking from that poisoned well of “optimism” for years. I’m still willing to work and find a compromise. We just need to hurry up before it’s too late. Xi getting a third term to pack China with more of his cronies is only a brief delay for the US.
I wonder if Scott Adams will go on to be textbook a case of someone getting sucked into the Right-Wing idiocy, e.g. the Q-Anon craziness? Of course, I have no recollection or knowledge of his viewpoints back in the Nineties when Dilbert was quite fresh and funny. Adams’ crappy attitudes were more likely caused by getting rich which happens to many people. I think he was the last person to become wealthy through a comic strip too since newspapers are dying and who is paying for it when you view them for free online? Heck, I’m stumped on the last property to make the jump from a daily to TV or film, Boondocks?
We know he’s crying crocodile tears too. The real pity is that Al Capp (the racist behind Lil’ Abner) isn’t around to provide advice on the next career step. Adams made enough cash from all his licensing which is how you get rich from a daily strip; notice how there wasn’t any official Calvin & Hobbes. Now all those wall and desk calendars are going to disappear (into the trash) while there will probably be a selloff blitz of those collections at our nearby Half-Priced Books. Such a bummer. I used to enjoy Dilbert but I was still young and not as familiar with the tropes of office/white collar life. However, it probably stopped being funny as per other comedies that didn’t age well (SitComs, SNL skits) plus I think there’s a limit on how many jokes or gags can be formulated via Dilbert‘s premise. Right alongside with how boring it has been when Dagwood is kicked in the ass by his boss or eats a giant sandwich. Let’s hope Gary Larson has no strong opinions about anything!
Finally tested negative by mid-week but then COVID-19 appeared to leave me a gift, as it seems to do to people over 40 or is it 50? I had been experiencing chest pains on my left side near the end. Initially I’m think, feels similar to a pulled muscle, but then how? Coughing? No, abdominal would be the winner there. Why not the right side too? Great, heart issues. So yet another EKG which I wish could be done when I’m really in pain followed by X-rays (got those results this morning). Everything has come back to the pulled-muscle hypothesis despite some of the pain being new to me, as if some object is pressing really hard down on the area. I’ll take it and live with it because the doctor’s guess was an infection in my left lung.
Do I have any other lingering side effects or symptoms of COVID-19? One I really…no, two, I can’t stand. The upside is they’re not contagious.
And this is why I always put the cover down on my turntables! I hope the DJ who let these little orange stinkers do their thing was playing something expendable, Prince’s Batman soundtrack readily comes to mind as per Shaun of the Dead. No worries in here as 99% of the music is via streams or MP3s. Only laps are vulnerable.
Maybe there is a divine power, laughing it up at me. Nah! Personally it’s more like actual proof there isn’t, especially a benevolent one as per numerous human-based mythos. Now that I think about it, it is cool I can’t immediately come up with one religion or pantheon in each every deity or power is malevolent and/or indifferent. There always seems to be at least one who’s a cheerleader for humanity. I get it why religion has its appeal there.
Oh, the light? The Sample line is fainter but the instructions on by types of test say, any outcome with any sign of pink on Sample is a “positive.”
Woo hoo! Some good news while I’m sick! My first passport in 20 years! I promise this one will get used but first, I need to put it away in my safety deposit box along with a couple other important items. Odds favor that the Netherlands will be the first country to be stamped on it. I could’ve sworn there were more pages in my 2003 passport. Let me know what you all recall. Mine has 26 pages in it with the first seven already occupied by State Department instructions, forms, blah blah.
Well…it beats death, given all the things I would like to do within the next decade or longer. The part that really sucks, I’ve used up all the tests I get via insurance so what follows is coming out of my own pocket. Is it worth it? I don’t know. Again, I’m alive as this virus has killed over 400,000 people in the US alone; I’m with Dave Anthony, probably more like a million since neither party wants the reality to sink in.
Another weekend cooped up in the house. Not entirely, I still go to the mailbox and have had to drive to Walgreen’s. I’m being a good citizen though. Whenever I come within a couple meters (or less) of a human in my vicinity, I put on my easily available mask to lower the risk of me being the one to blame. I probably should with animals since we never know if a cat or dog could be the unlucky one to suffer a cross-species jump. According to a Scientist on NPR, pigs are sadly the most frequent victims.
Last Saturday, allegedly a bunch of street racers took over the intersection around South Lamar and Barton Creek Road. Some people thought it was advanced plug for SXSW and/or what will hopefully the last Fast & Furious movie; never seen, don’t care since Hal Needham had more fun/humor to his car movies. I saw the clip posted via Evil MoPac from someone’s cell phone (please people, turn it sideways, your TV isn’t a vertical slit you watch). Pretty amusing to see a slug of what appear to be fans blocking the street, forcing an APD SUV to back away and then getting hit on the windshield with some fireworks. I figured they’d be back with reinforcements to shoot all the non-Whites in the back while yelling “stop resisting, stop resisting” to the unconscious people they’re kicking.
The Austin Chronicle gave the real scoop here. Nice dig in the headline about how much cops love donuts. I don’t think it was a serious matter. The crowd was easily dispersed and then played whack-a-mole with the fuzz for a couple more hours while they moved their stunts to other parts of the city. As much as I appreciated their help back in December when Jennifer’s car was stolen, they’re blowing these minor crimes out of proportion to use in the union’s contract negotiations. If this is the worst Austin has to offer, then we can easily lower their bloated, semi-military-level budget. More cops doesn’t equal less crime necessarily.
Infinity Pool: Recommended only for strong stomachs
Before I got COVID-19, I did squeeze in a movie with my brain doctor’s OK.
Cronenberg has a son and when it comes to this movie, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree! But put the Horror aside for a moment since Infinity does raise interesting questions around the story’s premise; this isn’t a spoiler as it’s present in the trailer; if you could have a clone take your place for the consequences, would you do it? Throw in that the clone is an exact copy of you in every detail (physically, mentally and spiritually), including why capital punishment is being used. The clone suffers, dies, etc. Now, being a Horror movie, wouldn’t you also ponder until you die…am I the clone? Did the kill the original?
Beyond the philosophical debate, Infinity treads on some familiar territory already covered by Westworld (the recently cancelled HBO one)…rich people with enough money will do incredibly immoral things if they can escape proper justice. In the protagonist’s defense, the person who killed with a car was a true accident but being inebriated when it occurred puts the blame back on the driver even in America. Over time you do begin to wonder if the police and/or the new friends set this all up to put what will follow into motion.
Now if you’re offended by elements the Cronenberg Dynasty is notorious for, namely drug usage and explicit sexual things, don’t bother watching. I would agree some does take away from the story’s point (or my interpretation) yet I could defend the writer/director for it being present to show people’s decadence and immorality on display; again, the same with Westworld‘s debauchery. I’ve seen the re-make of The Fly and Dead Ringers so I can guess I was vaccinated partially. Much like COVID-19, my stomach still turned a few times, I just didn’t barf unlike a famous scene in Trainspotting giving me the dry heaves.
One thing I loved were the details to the country for the resort. Based upon the climate, the poverty in the countryside and militaristic trappings, you can tell it’s supposed to be in the Balkans, probably one of the former parts called Yugoslavia. Being Cronenberg though, its language is entirely alien characters not in Romantic nor Cyrillic alphabets. Good thing he chose to retain the numbers we all know.
If you love Horror movies, go for it with Infinity Pool, especially with how popular Mia Goth is via Pearl and X. If you are like me, love to ponder the questions about “what if” tech as per this, Westworld or the highly underrated Downsizing, hang in there. Everyone else, just pass. You may not get to the end when it hits the fan.
Alamo Extras: They were late letting us in so I’ll do a hybrid, what they showed and what I would throw in personally. A cigar ad for Muriel (I don’t think cigar commercials are on TV anymore); a music video I can’t recall; Trailers for a Seventies flick called Clones and another Horror named Society; a newsreel of dumb college students doing track and field underwater. Now if I were in charge of the programming, I would throw in Trailers for Dual starring Karen Gillan and Aaron Paul (on my Hulu queue), the lame Gemini Man with Will Smith, Futureworld starring Blythe Danner and Peter Fonder (trust me on this), Single White Female and The Double with Jesse Eisenberg.