I’m watching DS9 en español and it’s fascinating how they’ll just swap actors/vocal performances between seasons. I’m sure this is common when dubbing TV shows to other languages, and it’s been with good reason so far. Season 1 Odo sounded like he’s got a bad case of laryngitis but his season 2 voice improves considerably.

fictionz:

I used to hear about people learning Japanese to watch anime in its original dub and would think that’s nuts, bonkers, bananas!

Now here I am thinking it’ll be fun to learn every language DS9 was dubbed into just so I can rewatch it with different voices.

Gonna take out a loan to further invest in my education.

I used to hear about people learning Japanese to watch anime in its original dub and would think that’s nuts, bonkers, bananas!

Now here I am thinking it’ll be fun to learn every language DS9 was dubbed into just so I can rewatch it with different voices.

I’m watching DS9 en español and it’s fascinating how they’ll just swap actors/vocal performances between seasons. I’m sure this is common when dubbing TV shows to other languages, and it’s been with good reason so far. Season 1 Odo sounded like he’s got a bad case of laryngitis but his season 2 voice improves considerably.

New Fiction 2022 – January

“2 B R 0 2 B” by Kurt Vonnegut (1962)

This is the first Vonnegut I’ve read in full. Is it satire? It’s certainly dark. I will continue.

“From the Deposition of the Vaginal Teeth” by Elizabeth H. Turner (2022)

They speak for themselves.

Avatar: Book One by S.D. Perry (2003)

This really should have been grouped with its latter half… but as an opening statement, it’s a bold one. I’ve been looking forward to this longer work from Perry since reading some of her short entries in the Deep Space Nine anthologies. Rather than settle into the peaceful promise of the end of the series, it shakes things up with some fairly shocking moments.

Avatar: Book Two by S.D. Perry (2003)

And I just gotta say, the Avatar duology is phenomenal. I love the focus on Kira as commander of the station and that Bajoran faith and religion continue to play a vital role. As a post-war trauma narrative, it’s also fascinating to see them deal with their feelings in the aftermath.

“Lot’s Wife” by Anna Akhmatova (1973)

I’ve started reading the bible and allow me the heresy of saying that–much like The Simpsons–other stories becomes that much better when I understand the references. I’ve known about Lot’s wife for a while but now I really understand the outrage. God didn’t have to go that hard.

“The Door in the Kitchen” by Abby Howard (2019)

My love of creepy horror comics continues unabated.

Displacement by Kiku Hughes (2020)

Written in the time when Trump was dominating the public consciousness against our will, this is a nuanced examination of experiences we don’t read about in history books. “Never again” feels like something we aspire to and never achieve, so I hope we continue to get books like these to remind us.

“Slide in the Woods” dev. Jonny’s Games (2021)

Listen, do you want creepy things? Because that’s what happens when you put a slide in the woods.

Florence dev. Mountains (2018)

I loved everything about it. Light on gameplay, heavy on the feels.

“The Snowman” dir. Dianne Jackson (1982)

I can’t believe this isn’t as big a deal outside the UK as it should be. It’s an amazing animated film.

Baker Bobb” dir. Billy Burger (2018)

Cute little short from a local group.

“Magnetic Rose” dir. Kōji Morimoto (1995)

Goddamn, that nineties anime hits hard.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie dir. Shinichirō Watanabe (2001)

If you’re going to make a movie from a beloved series, this is the way to do it.

The Tragedy of Macbeth dir. Joel Coen (2021)

German expressionism gets me every time.

The 355 dir. Simon Kinberg (2022)

I want more of these. More women-led action is the way to go.

The King’s Man dir. Matthew Vaughn (2021)

What a bizarre movie. Tonally, it’s trying to be a period war drama but also a ridiculous action comedy.

Scream dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olphin & Tyler Gillett (2022)

I guess it’s neat, but I hadn’t seen the fourth before I watched this. Then I did and this was missing a crucial character…

Scream 4 dir. Wes Craven (2011)

Bring back Kirby.

Belle dir. Mamoru Hosoda (2021)

This was a great movie, it seems like it’s going to be one thing but then takes a turn. And the animation is :chefkiss:.

Licorice Pizza dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2021)

Nothing has ever inspired me to run for the joy of it like Licorice Pizza does. I had a real strong aversion to it based on the trailer… you know, more nostalgic dude filmmakers who grew up in the valley in the sixties and seventies. But I liked its meandering. I like a good meandering plot. The cast were great of course. Also so white as are all these nostalgic era movies. I think that’s strong points against it. It makes me wanna go rewatch The Wood or Dope.

What If…? – “What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?” (2021)

I intended to watch the series, but after the first episode I really just want more of Captain Carter.

Cowboy Bebop (1998)

Yep it’s a classic. I’ll have to rewatch this sometime soon. The early aughts was an embarrassment of space western riches.

Cowboy Bebop (2021)

This isn’t the anime and I think their attempt to be like the anime hurt the series. I enjoyed it as its own work, and really wished they’d gotten a second season to smooth out the rough edges. The casting in particular is great.

New Fiction 2022 – January

“2 B R 0 2 B” by Kurt Vonnegut (1962)

This is the first Vonnegut I’ve read in full. Is it satire? It’s certainly dark. I will continue.

“From the Deposition of the Vaginal Teeth” by Elizabeth H. Turner (2022)

They speak for themselves.

Avatar: Book One by S.D. Perry (2003)

This really should have been grouped with its latter half… but as an opening statement, it’s a bold one. I’ve been looking forward to this longer work from Perry since reading some of her short entries in the Deep Space Nine anthologies. Rather than settle into the peaceful promise of the end of the series, it shakes things up with some fairly shocking moments.

Avatar: Book Two by S.D. Perry (2003)

And I just gotta say, the Avatar duology is phenomenal. I love the focus on Kira as commander of the station and that Bajoran faith and religion continue to play a vital role. As a post-war trauma narrative, it’s also fascinating to see them deal with their feelings in the aftermath.

“Lot’s Wife” by Anna Akhmatova (1973)

I’ve started reading the bible and allow me the heresy of saying that–much like The Simpsons–other stories becomes that much better when I understand the references. I’ve known about Lot’s wife for a while but now I really understand the outrage. God didn’t have to go that hard.

“The Door in the Kitchen” by Abby Howard (2019)

My love of creepy horror comics continues unabated.

Displacement by Kiku Hughes (2020)

Written in the time when Trump was dominating the public consciousness against our will, this is a nuanced examination of experiences we don’t read about in history books. “Never again” feels like something we aspire to and never achieve, so I hope we continue to get books like these to remind us.

“Slide in the Woods” dev. Jonny’s Games (2021)

Listen, do you want creepy things? Because that’s what happens when you put a slide in the woods.

Florence dev. Mountains (2018)

I loved everything about it. Light on gameplay, heavy on the feels.

“The Snowman” dir. Dianne Jackson (1982)

I can’t believe this isn’t as big a deal outside the UK as it should be. It’s an amazing animated film.

Baker Bobb” dir. Billy Burger (2018)

Cute little short from a local group.

“Magnetic Rose” dir. Kōji Morimoto (1995)

Goddamn, that nineties anime hits hard.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie dir. Shinichirō Watanabe (2001)

If you’re going to make a movie from a beloved series, this is the way to do it.

The Tragedy of Macbeth dir. Joel Coen (2021)

German expressionism gets me every time.

The 355 dir. Simon Kinberg (2022)

I want more of these. More women-led action is the way to go.

The King’s Man dir. Matthew Vaughn (2021)

What a bizarre movie. Tonally, it’s trying to be a period war drama but also a ridiculous action comedy.

Scream dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olphin & Tyler Gillett (2022)

I guess it’s neat, but I hadn’t seen the fourth before I watched this. Then I did and this was missing a crucial character…

Scream 4 dir. Wes Craven (2011)

Bring back Kirby.

Belle dir. Mamoru Hosoda (2021)

This was a great movie, it seems like it’s going to be one thing but then takes a turn. And the animation is :chefkiss:.

Licorice Pizza dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2021)

Nothing has ever inspired me to run for the joy of it like Licorice Pizza does. I had a real strong aversion to it based on the trailer… you know, more nostalgic dude filmmakers who grew up in the valley in the sixties and seventies. But I liked its meandering. I like a good meandering plot. The cast were great of course. Also so white as are all these nostalgic era movies. I think that’s strong points against it. It makes me wanna go rewatch The Wood or Dope.

What If…? – “What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?” (2021)

I intended to watch the series, but after the first episode I really just want more of Captain Carter.

Cowboy Bebop (1998)

Yep it’s a classic. I’ll have to rewatch this sometime soon. The early aughts was an embarrassment of space western riches.

Cowboy Bebop (2021)

This isn’t the anime and I think their attempt to be like the anime hurt the series. I enjoyed it as its own work, and really wished they’d gotten a second season to smooth out the rough edges. The casting in particular is great.

In the interest of spring

I signed up for four classes this semester, and dropped each one in sequence when the parameters of the class didn’t align with the way I wanted to learn from them.

Piano I was by far the class I was most excited to try, having taken Music Fundamentals last semester. I can now read sheet music on a basic level and play simple ditties and that alone was an incredibly exciting experience. It’s like learning the letters/symbols of a new language and then being able to read a menu at a restaurant. In this way, to learn musical notation and its arrangement on the piano is the means to playing a melody, like learning to read a restaurant menu is a means to selecting a meal. I cannot cook the meal, but I can understand its contents and relay that to a fellow diner. But the class was synchronous and I couldn’t/wouldn’t make time for the biweekly class meetings. But I did invest in the cheapest 88-key digital piano that I could find, so I will chip away at this as a hobby. I’ve always wanted to learn to play music and this is the cusp of that long-held dream.

Then came History of Video Games. This should have been a nice course in which to learn some new tidbits about a subject I know a great deal about, but my recent aversion to writing essays and the professor’s chaotic organization of the class materials put me off.

I’d taken a basics of computer science course some years ago, believing I should pivot to programming as the cornerstone of my career. I’ve been in video games for two decades now and it just feels like I need to make a change to maximize my earnings potential (blargh) because getting old in the United States is terrifying. So hey, why not try Intro to Python Programming? That would’ve been fine except the professor chose to utilize a terrifying quiz and exam security tool called Proctorio. I’ve never seen such bullshit in my many years as an online student. I have the privilege to opt out but I feel awful for students who need to take these classes and abide by this garbage. This monitoring software requires a complete view of the desk the student is using and then tracks their eyes during the test in an attempt to prevent cheating. This also assumes a student has the privilege of a private space in which to conduct this nonsense, which of course makes the experience that much worse for students who are likely living with family or must use a computer and connection out in a public space like a library. It’s like having the professor staring at you during the test. This fucking sucks and I’m still mad and disappointed that this is how colleges and universities have decided to tackle cheating for students who must learn online. Needless to say, I noped out.

And finally, I did find a friendlier programming course in Intro to C++, but realized today that I just don’t have it in me to learn this material seriously right now. I dropped it earlier today and now I’m just working on more videos about licensed video games. Our studio recently granted us 3-month paid sabbaticals (what a concept… and a miracle these days), so I’m thinking I’ll use the time when I get the time off in a few years to find a good programming bootcamp in which I can leverage my unhealthy binge-like productivity and come out of it a programming hopeful.

In the meantime, this will be a spring of reading about piano (I’m still hyped for David Sudnow’s takes on it), video games (Boss Fight books can’t release quickly enough), Deep Space Nine (natch), and going on long walks around the bay area.

In the interest of spring

I signed up for four classes this semester, and dropped each one in sequence when the parameters of the class didn’t align with the way I wanted to learn from them.

Piano I was by far the class I was most excited to try, having taken Music Fundamentals last semester. I can now read sheet music on a basic level and play simple ditties and that alone was an incredibly exciting experience. It’s like learning the letters/symbols of a new language and then being able to read a menu at a restaurant. In this way, to learn musical notation and its arrangement on the piano is the means to playing a melody, like learning to read a restaurant menu is a means to selecting a meal. I cannot cook the meal, but I can understand its contents and relay that to a fellow diner. But the class was synchronous and I couldn’t/wouldn’t make time for the biweekly class meetings. But I did invest in the cheapest 88-key digital piano that I could find, so I will chip away at this as a hobby. I’ve always wanted to learn to play music and this is the cusp of that long-held dream.

Then came History of Video Games. This should have been a nice course in which to learn some new tidbits about a subject I know a great deal about, but my recent aversion to writing essays and the professor’s chaotic organization of the class materials put me off.

I’d taken a basics of computer science course some years ago, believing I should pivot to programming as the cornerstone of my career. I’ve been in video games for two decades now and it just feels like I need to make a change to maximize my earnings potential (blargh) because getting old in the United States is terrifying. So hey, why not try Intro to Python Programming? That would’ve been fine except the professor chose to utilize a terrifying quiz and exam security tool called Proctorio. I’ve never seen such bullshit in my many years as an online student. I have the privilege to opt out but I feel awful for students who need to take these classes and abide by this garbage. This monitoring software requires a complete view of the desk the student is using and then tracks their eyes during the test in an attempt to prevent cheating. This also assumes a student has the privilege of a private space in which to conduct this nonsense, which of course makes the experience that much worse for students who are likely living with family or must use a computer and connection out in a public space like a library. It’s like having the professor staring at you during the test. This fucking sucks and I’m still mad and disappointed that this is how colleges and universities have decided to tackle cheating for students who must learn online. Needless to say, I noped out.

And finally, I did find a friendlier programming course in Intro to C++, but realized today that I just don’t have it in me to learn this material seriously right now. I dropped it earlier today and now I’m just working on more videos about licensed video games. Our studio recently granted us 3-month paid sabbaticals (what a concept… and a miracle these days), so I’m thinking I’ll use the time when I get the time off in a few years to find a good programming bootcamp in which I can leverage my unhealthy binge-like productivity and come out of it a programming hopeful.

In the meantime, this will be a spring of reading about piano (I’m still hyped for David Sudnow’s takes on it), video games (Boss Fight books can’t release quickly enough), Deep Space Nine (natch), and going on long walks around the bay area.