My last post, about the slapfight between William Shatner and RLM fans, contained a passage perhaps intemperate: More to the point, I think people who do fill their house with junk and go to such conventions are spiritually depleted dorks. Am I still a fan? It seems I let my rhetoric get away with me.… Read More On Dorks and Spirits
Never meet your heroes. I’ve mentioned Red Letter Media before. They’re a YouTube channel that discusses film in a serious way, but with lots of jokes – spoonfuls of sugar to make the medicine go down. They’re different from most cinema nerds on YouTube in that they’ve actually undergone the process of making movies themselves… Read More William Shatner, Red Letter Media, and What Everyone Gets Wrong About Fandom
I began reading this book some months ago, out of my growing general interest in aesthetics as such. In earlier posts, I’ve lamented how aesthetics became an academic sophistry rather than a practical philosophy, after spotting Tanner Guzy on Twitter, this seemed just the right tonic. I’ve always been a man who dresses himself and… Read More Aesthetics as Performance: Tanner Guzy’s “The Appearance of Power”
I had planned to try and view this prior to recording our most recent Shallow & Pedantic podcast, but didn’t get around to it. Nevertheless, with the absorption of all things Shining, it was bound to happen. So we grabbed it at the library and gave it a watch. Sequels are a delicate business. In… Read More Quick Review: Doctor Sleep
This may sounds like the typical lament of social media, but I got into an argument yesterday that bored me. It was about history, and it involved an alternative history theory I’ve communicated in a number of ways. And I don’t mind the fact that people disputed it. Good points were made. What bothers me… Read More The Only Argument That Matters is Performance
Since we’ve been locked in, I have taken it upon myself to rely a bit yes on the internet for the evenings entertainment, and to tuck into my ancient collecton of DVD’s and Blu-Rays. No chance of a failure of Net Neutrality (*snicker*) to deprive me of a viewing. Here’s what I’ve watched over the… Read More The Discreet Charms of the DVD
Is there anything more modern, and stupider, then arguing over the name of a virus? I try to get into the mindset of someone who hears someone say “Coronavirus” and says “No, it’s COVID-19”. Because all “COVID-19” means is “This particular kind of Coronavirus.” And I know those who have been conditioned so are apt… Read More Blogging in the Time of Coronavirus
Provocative thoughts at The Rational Male: For all this easy access to competency, mastery, information-based skills, what we find lacking is real, valuable content. It’s great that we have access to the tool boxes of old order masters, but what do we build with those tools? Thus far, not very much. Usually those tools build… Read More If Content is King, Why is Nothing New?
A thought about my most recent review: I don’t tend to like things unless they stand out from the herd. Call that elitism, call it snobbery; I don’t care. I can’t pretend to like things I don’t like. One thing I feel obligated to point out is that I detest snobbery. Snobbery is close-minded, passive… Read More Of Snobbery and Boredom
The idea of generations, especially as Demographers use them, is overrated. I’ve said so before, I’ll likely go on saying it. Being born at the same time as others gives you a set of shared cultural memories and not much else. Now, those shared cultural memories can be powerful, especially given the rate of pop… Read More Generations Are Arbitrary. Act Accordingly.
Content Blues 