This is taken from Frank Herbert’s magnificent Dune series, specifically The Children of Dune [the third of six books]. The story and the series have never yet been done properly in video, perhaps never will be. Frankly, the work is too broad, too deep and too all encompassing as a commentary on Read more…
The movie In Harm’s Way with John Wayne(1), I’ve been watching that movie for a very long time, off and on, now and then. Here’s something I never thought about, ’til just a moment ago… Really, just a moment ago. In the movie John Wayne’s character is Captain Rockwell Torrey, Read more…
There’s a “hoity-toity” thing that goes on among some Tea drinkers: that the water should be brought almost to boiling, but not all the way there. Full boil is called “burning the tea.” Turns out they may be right, but for the most unlikely reason rather than the accepted explanation of Read more…
There’s this Big Thread in our culture about companies, neighbors, businesses “keeping you safe.” Doing things / not doing things in order to keep you safe. Whether that’s restricting your ability smoke near my door, requiring a CoVid mask, putting up a railing in all the right places, or what ever. Read more…
So, someone “got all over me” the other day for using the English neutral pronoun “he” — which is distressingly like the masculine pronoun(1) — and said (this person said), “I don’t do gender identification and I take it personally that you do.” Words to that effect… So I said Read more…
There’s always this war between the generations. Seems like it, anyway. I suspect it was not always that way, but explaining why I think so isn’t in scope of this posting. This is just a simple observation. The Old distrust the Young partly because they remember what it’s like to Read more…
So there I am in the middle of some work on the computer and Bang! an ad pops up offering me the secret to get rid of unwanted ads. Apparently the irony here never occurred to Those Who Create Stupid Ads. That *is* an unwanted ad. Hello! Duh!! For me, Read more…
There was once a rather important part of politics and Good Government, called the “let’s get a report card,” or telephone polling. You can see it in some of the episodes of West Wing, for example and other political / pseudo-political fiction and docu-dramas. BUT… that was before all this scam Read more…
You can’t tell me we you didn’t see this coming… I mean the times we are living in. The craziness(1), the near-civil war hysteria of “it’s your fault (and never my fault)” that’s going round and round. Don’t tell me you are surprised. Don’t do that. Ulysses S. Grant, General Read more…
Just a couple thoughts for movie reviewers. One, when I see (words to the effect of) “just like blah-blah meets blah-blah” as in a collision of two other movies and neither one is a title I recognize, I instantly know this isn’t my type of movie. Or rather, I assume it Read more…
I work with a lot of movies(1), and I’ve noticed something a little disturbing. There are almost no “G” rated movies any more. Some of that is that the movie rating system (in America, this is, other nations ratings run along different yardsticks) has changed in the last 40 years Read more…
Dear Wall Street Journal: A friend of mine tried to share an article of yours with me. Sent me the link. I clicked on the link and got about two sentences with the rest held hostage against my subscribing to your otherwise decent publication. I don’t subscribe under threats or Read more…
I just noticed the most extraordinary statement on a DVD (which movie is not relevant). “No copying, Subject to applicable laws.” Aside from being an incomplete sentence, and mispunctuated to boot — does that invalidate it as a binding legal statement? — aside from all that, it’s a silly statement. Read more…
I don’t dance, not in any formal sense. Started to get lessons once (when I was 7 more or less) and then we moved again, and never got back to it. Adrian to Rocky: “Why do you want to be a fighter?” Rocky to Adrian: “Because I can’t sing or Read more…
Sometimes I use words that are perfectly ordinary words — to me — defined in any quality dictionary(1), but some listener / reader comes back all offended. How dare you use that word!? How dare you? Don’t you know blah-blah-blah? Well, golly gee wiz, Mrs. Grundy(2). You find certain words offensive? Alright… Read more…
Some one just said the most marvelous thing to me, apropos of what doesn’t matter. It stands by itself. When people say the glass is half empty or the glass is half full, they forget: it’s a glass; you can refill it! Wow. [30]
There’s a weirdness in our society(1): the subject of IQ. I just got hit by a(nother) stream of emails and posts on the internet about the ranking of US Presidents by IQ. This happens about this time each election cycle — about 4 months in to the new president’s term Read more…
I want to propose a word that almost perfectly describes the actions of government bureaus and most government officials and an increasing percentage of so-called professionals: Specious Apparently good or right though lacking any real merit. Superficially pleasing only; no true content. A marvelous word, really, though a shame that Read more…
Why is there no psychological screening for folks hired, appointed (self, or otherwise) or elected to public or celebrity offices? From the DMV counter clerk, all the way up to the President of a nation or the hottest radio personality (who may have more actual power(1), over all, than any Read more…
Just a quick question: When (the heck!) did “family movies” become PG rated? To put it another way: when did violence and “questionable” content become “family” material? Try to find a “G” rated movie these days. G-rating seems to have gone the way of 8-tracks and floppy disks(1). Personally, I Read more…