#Video Production : Creative COW News

[shredsandpatches]

Teatro la Fenice's new production of Mefistofele (with Alex Esposito in the title role) opens tonight so I've been seeing a lot of preview pics on the bird site, including this one and a video of the chorus from the end of this scene (which does look cool despite the schlubby costumes on the two leads, why are they putting Alex Esposito in sweatpants, come on, they put him in fishnets for Gounod!). ANYWAY it got me thinking about the various props I've seen used for the globe in "Ecco il mondo." For the uninitiated: this scene is set at Walpurgisnacht, the witches' sabbath and the primary event of the infernal social calendar. At one point the chorus presents their sexy demon overlord with a globe, symbolizing his mastery over the world and prompting Mefistofele's aria about the folly of humanity, at the end of which he smashes it. (The original libretto mentions a glass globe, and they did have sugar glass in the 1870s so I think that's probably what it would have been.)

Anyway, if you look at the video from later in the scene you can see that disco ball earth looks substantially redder and more burnt out by the end of the scene, a lighting effect which I am guessing takes place at the end of the aria. Which is pretty cool! I rather like that! Not as much as something that can go boom, but still pretty neat.

Other prop choices I've seen, roughly in order of how much I liked them:

Nothing (Festspielhaus Baden-Baden 2016, ft. Erwin Schrott). Come on. Why would you do it this way. I love this production quite a lot (and I actually otherwise really liked their Walpurgisnacht staging) but sometimes it makes questionable choices and this was one of them. Projecting equations all over the giant stage skull does not count. LET MEPH SMASH THINGS.

Giant blue lighted globe (I forget what production this was, but I saw this scene on youtube and couldn't find it when I looked just now). Pretty attractive visually, and stood out amid an otherwise red-dominated scene. Also the closest on this list to authorial intent (and, let's be real, Boito would certainly have used a lighted globe if it were possible to do safely at the time). However, you lose a lot of the impact if your singer has to carefully drop the prop globe into a trapdoor. This is kind of a common theme in this post and a principle by which I would abide: if you can't break it, use something else.

Cow heart (Bayerische Staatsoper 2015, ft. Rene Pape). Well, it's certainly creatively gross! I'll give it points for that. It was definitely not the worst idea this production had in re: Walpurgisnacht. But there are also a few problems: one is the destructibility issue outlined in the last entry. If you do something gross like that it's not gonna be as effective if it doesn't get to go splat, which obviously the prop cannot do. Another is that it doesn't really go with the symbolism of the aria (why is the world a cow heart, specifically?). A third is that the scene had already placed a bunch of writhing pregnant women downstage which made me worry that things were going to go a LOT darker than they actually did. I neither need nor want to see sacrificial baby yeeting in Mefistofele, but if your production is generally committed to maximum squalor, you probably shouldn't do anything that would make the audience imagine it and consequently doubt that commitment.

Paper globe (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma 2023, ft. John Relyea). A solid choice! He spikes it into an oil drum fire pit and and it makes a nicely scary-looking flame for an instant. It would have looked cooler if it were bigger, but it was definitely visually interesting (unlike most of the scene, alas; Relyea was typically fantastic but the director did not give him much to work with in this sequence beyond dressing him like Mussolini) and appropriately destructive.

Latex balloon (San Francisco Opera 1989, ft. Samuel Ramey). This one sometimes draws sniffs from opera purists for being cheap and tacky, but honestly that's entirely on-theme: behold the world! It's a piece of crap! This staging is iconic for a reason (it's on the cover of the dvd) and the simple balloon is satisfyingly destructible (Ramey dramatically stabs it with a very large pin), easy to bat around before destroying it, and inexpensive to replace. Full marks. Of course, this is a famous enough production that any other one that goes that route will probably be seen to be alluding to it.

Because I am obsessed with this opera and have an unattainable fantasy of directing it I have a lot of thoughts about all kinds of staging details, and so I would definitely return to the "inflatable earth" well, but distinguish it by getting Faust into the act: the second and third verse of the aria, after all, are about how dumb and generally shitty humans are. (And I think it's important for stagings of this sequence not to lose sight of him, which sometimes happens.) I'm picturing Meph dragging Faust up "onstage" and handing the globe off to him, as a representative of said dumb shitty humans (a lot of teasing interspersed with aggressive flirting going on here ofc). At the climactic "Ecco il mondo!" he flicks a finger in Faust's direction, and the globe explodes in his hands, to the great delight of the chorus. It's different, and it's a nice moment for making your singers cooperate in selling it (Faust, of course, has the more difficult job here since he'd have to play startled at a stage effect he is largely responsible for carrying off). My throughline for Mefistofele is that it's fundamentally a toxic, destructive love story that's still somehow weirdly ennobling for the participants on some level, and the Walpurgisnacht scene is a pivotal moment in that arc (it's where Meph's switch flips from "I want to win my wager" to "I want Faust") so that staging choice would be a another little thing that makes that relationship central.

[graphicpolicy]

Marc Silvestri and Marguerite Bennett discuss the new Witchblade in a trailer reveal

Marc Silvestri and Marguerite Bennett discuss the new Witchblade in a trailer reveal #comics #comicbooks

Top Cow Productions has shared a peek into the new world of Witchblade with a trailer video featuring writer Marguerite Bennett and Marc Silvestri on what’s in store for readers this July from Image Comics. This new Witchblade #1 will be penned by Bennett and drawn by fan-favorite artist Giuseppe Cafaro. The creative duo will work closely with Silvestri. Together, the team will reintroduce the…

[tygerbug]

Out of pure curiosity, what's the origin of the title "tygerbug"? For some reason it makes me think of "snug-as-a-bug" but I'm sure there's a more interesting story involved.

"Tygerbug" is one of the names I've used online since the late 90s on AOL, when I was a teenager (born 1981). Sometime between 1996 and 1999. You'll pardon the outdated references for that reason.

I first got online properly and was making webpages around 1997. For no special reason, I chose the name "Ambush Bug," a D-list DC comics character who I had a "Secret Origins" issue of in my comic collection.

"Tyger" is from the William Blake poem (1794).

"When the stars threw down their spears And water'd heaven with their tears: Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"

"Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"

I vaguely recall that some years later I visited a museum and viewed William Blake's illuminated manuscripts from the Songs of Innocence and Experience. I don't know where or when. Possibly The Met in New York around 2010.

I set up two webpages then, in 1997 on AOL. One was a small fanpage for Monty Python, which became PythoNET, and was the #1 Monty Python fansite for awhile. It reflected my interest in obscure media, as it was largely a catalogue of rare Python-related projects I'd managed to track down via bootleg VHS.

I now run a Facebook Group called "Knights of the Lost Media (Obscure TV and Film)," and restore film and video.

The other website I set up was dedicated to "Dr. Fred's Amazing Exploding Cow Show," a no-budget sketch comedy series I was making at the time, inspired by Monty Python. I was 15 or 16, and this was very nearly my first attempt to make a movie.

I'd bought a cheap rubber tiger mask, the sort that only cover the face. I'd paired it with a helmet to cover my hair, and waddled on my knees doing a vague impression of Tony the Tiger, to introduce the next sketch. I would keep doing cameos as this character, who was barely a character and more of a visual gag.

We made seven comedy features on home video at the time, with my friends in Connecticut. They were shot on 8mm or Hi8 video, without digital editing. Three were Dr. Fred movies and the others might as well have been. I was between 15 and 19 years old.

I was trying to learn how to make movies, and being very silly about it. I kept the Tiger around as my logo for awhile when making movies in the early 2000s.

I left Connecticut for film school in Los Angeles in 1999, a decision I immediately regretted.

I've kept the name all these years.

Another name I've used online is "OCPmovie," which stands for "Orange Cow Productions" movies.

When I was about twelve I was given an orange Nickelodeon cow pin, and as a joke I would use it to control my friend David. "The orange cow commands you," that sort of thing.

I continued to control my friend David for awhile, when we made the "Dr. Fred" comedy movies together.

In my early teens, I wrote a little book of philosophical poems from the point of view of a cow. Living in harmony with nature, and being happy with what you have. That sort of thing. It was called "The Tao of Cow" and I revised and republished it when I was in my early twenties.

I used the name "Orange Cow Productions" for my early attempts at movies and other creative endeavors, because it felt more spiritual or philosophical than just saying "Garrett Gilchrist Productions," because it was a reference to a particular philosophy I'd had when I was younger. I kept the "cow in a robe" around as my logo for ages.

My website is still at orangecow. org.

These are not the names I would choose now, if I were starting again, but I've never felt any particular need to change them either. At least it reminds me of how it all started.

[bluepoodle7]

#ItemLabel #ItemLabelPlainPlainThePlaneCreatureFirstEditionPlush #MimicPlanePlush #PlanelopeThePlainPlainPlush#MimicPlanePlush #GatewayTheMiteLarvaPlush#Plushies #PlushPals

This is a Item Label plush of Plain Plain the Plane Creature that acts bird but is actually a bug moth that mimics what a plane looks like but is chibi in appearance and this plane like creature eats Moley the mole creature.

My order came with one Plain Plain the Plane plush, a Item Label sticker that gives me Crashbox the tv show vibes, a warning more larva mini plush which is like a baby version of one of these item label creatures or a plush with less detail, and Item Label Bean Sprouts trading card game Professor's Creation card.

The Plain Plain plush is 8 inches, the Item Label sticker is 4 inches, the warning more larva white bag is 5 inches while the larva defect cow pattern Mite mini plush is 2 inches, the cardboard trading card protector is 6 inches while the Pokémon looking trading card is 5 inches in plastic while 4 inches for the card that I'm keeping in the plastic.

The Plain Plain plush felt firm while soft at the same time with the purple nose being soft and the larva defect cow pattern mite mini plush has a little stuffing while also having a squeaker in this mini plush with a mini keychain loop sticking out the plush.

And I hope Plain Plain sells well that we get different plane styles that hunt the other Item Label creatures like other animals in real life or in Pokémon.

The Plain Plain plush has a few plane like details on it like the circle windows and the wing lights but I wish this plush had a back door where the butt area is since this plush is a creature trying to mimic a plane in design but is more cartoony chibi in style.

Also I wish this plush had a quirk gimmick that makes this plush stand out like the item Label Munmun having magnets on the arms and legs or the Peepy with the OuiOui plush having a squeaker inside of the plush that makes noise like a plane taking off.

I know a sound pack that you could change the batteries easily would make the plush cost more but I wouldn't mind since that would make this plush stand out.

This plush doesn't make noise similar to the Homie the house plush that doesn't make a door bell noise when you squeeze it but this Plain Plain plush does look nice while creative design wise but I wish it had something special like glow in the dark areas on this plush like the windows or the wing lights.

This plush is smooth feeling and feels high quality since this is a new character Item Label made but I noticed the older plushies have a quality control problem like OuiOui's not belonging in sets in blind bags like Papupi and Ouioui but just the OuiOui from that line ending up in blind bags randomly or the color of the plush is different from the other plushies.

Also the high chance of duplicates when getting a blind bag or box and also the whole 1st Edition Homie the house's legs can easily be broken.

These Item Label plushies give me weird modern version of Beanie Babies since some of these plushies and figures are super rare due to blind box or bag rarities while also having many editions or versions of the same plush with defective ones selling for a lot on the second hand market.

These Item Label creature plushies gives me Hypnospace Outlaw squisherz vibes.

I also like the weird commercials this plush company makes with the food with plush reviews since it seems like it was down my alley and I can't wait to see what kind of weird plushies they will make next.

I would love Item Label to make a plush similar to Oozurf.

SquisherZ | Hypnospace Outlaw Wiki | Fandom

Like these videos.

Unboxing itemLabel's Secret Product... - YouTube

Unboxing the Next Generation of Peepy.. - YouTube

I took pictures of the Item Label sticker, the card, and pictures with the Homie the House plush with the mite larva plush like both object creatures adopted this little friend.

I want to name this plush Planelope The Plain Plain Plush and this plush also reminds me of the Tsundere Plane from Undertale.

I want to also name the mite larva plush Gateway like the old school cow patterned boxed computers.

I took a picture of the BJ Toy Company Squeaky Nose Orange & Grey Monster plush with the mite larva plush since both plushies squeak and also this pink lobster plush.

I did make a short video of the mite larva plush making a squeaky noise.

#BJ Toy Company Squeaky Nose Orange and Grey Monster Plush – @bluepoodle7 on Tumblr

#Haan Crafts LLC Fuzzy Pink Lobster With Squeaker Plush – @bluepoodle7 on Tumblr

My favorite Moley is this fuzzy purple fella.

Moley B – Item Label

Plain Plain – Item Label

The mite larva.

Does anyone know what the heck this is??? : r/itemLabel

[lighthousenewsnetwork]

WASHINGTON D.C. – In a groundbreaking revelation that threatens to melt the very foundations of our favorite summertime treat, a team of leading climate scientists has unveiled a chilling truth: ice cream consumption, not fossil fuels, is the primary culprit behind global warming. "This is a paradigm shift," declared Dr. Percival Froster, head researcher at the Institute for Churned Catastrophes. "For decades, we've been chasing after these red herrings like carbon emissions and deforestation. But the real icebreaker, so to speak, has been hiding in plain sight all along – our insatiable national love affair with the frozen dairy delight." Dr. Froster's team, known for their groundbreaking research on "The Churning Effect" (a term sure to replace "greenhouse effect" in all future climate change discourse), presented a damning report outlining the destructive cycle unleashed by every lick of a waffle cone. "It's simple thermodynamics," explained Dr. Froster, adjusting his meticulously sculpted ice cream cone beard. "The production of ice cream requires immense amounts of energy to churn, freeze, and keep those pints rock-solid. This translates into a massive carbon footprint for every pint consumed." But the energy woes don't stop there. Dr. Froster's research dives deeper, revealing a shocking link between ice cream consumption and methane gas emissions, a notorious greenhouse gas with a comedically inconvenient habit of escaping from certain, shall we say, enthusiastic ice cream consumers. "The average human body emits a staggering amount of methane gas after indulging in a large sundae," revealed Dr. Froster, delicately avoiding eye contact with a particularly enthusiastic ice cream lobbyist in the front row who was visibly sweating under their Ben & Jerry's tie. The internet, naturally, turned into a digital ice cream battlefield. Social media exploded with viral videos claiming ice cream cones were the new plastic straws, and influencers swapped their protein powder posts for graphic images of melting glaciers captioned "This is what your daily Ben & Jerry's habit is doing to the planet!" Meanwhile, the ice cream industry, predictably, went into full damage-control mode. Big Ben & Jerry released a statement assuring consumers that their new line of "Climate Conscious Cones" were made with wind-powered churns and ethically-sourced methane cows. Häagen-Dazs launched a campaign where a portion of every pint sold would go towards planting "carbon-offsetting waffle trees." Sadly, both initiatives involved complex calculus and photosynthesis respectively, a fatal flaw in the eyes of the average ice cream enthusiast. The political front is just as frozen solid. Politicians are scrambling to appease both ice cream-loving constituents and increasingly vocal environmental activists. One particularly creative senator proposed a "National Ice Cream Rationing Act," which unsurprisingly met with a bipartisan chorus of boos. So, what's the cure for this global ice cream crisis? Dr. Froster's team proposes a radical solution: the Great Global Gelato Switch. "Gelato," he explained, "is inherently more environmentally friendly. It has less fat content, leading to lower production costs and reduced methane emissions from less enthusiastic consumers." While the idea has drawn skepticism from purists (who claim gelato is a "thin, Italian imposter"), desperate times call for desperate measures. One thing's for sure, the future of our planet may very well hinge on our willingness to give up the creamy, sugary comfort that has defined our childhood summers. But before you mourn the demise of your favorite flavor, remember – the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance. After all, what's a world without ice caps… next to a world without ice cream cones? Just imagine the news footage: "Florida Man Arrested After Throwing Molotov Cocktail at Local Baskin-Robbins." Not a future we want to live in, folks. Choose wisely.

[stampwithtami]

BLOG HOP & VIDEO: UPRIGHT Z FOLDS WITH CUTEST COWS BARD CARD #1

UPRIGHT Z FOLD CARDS Today is my Stamp It Demonstrator’s Group Blog Hop . We’re all really excited to unveil our projects, and announce a new contest giveaway. To continue on your journey through our projects, simply use the BLOG HOPPERS links belong. Welcome, crafters, to the exciting kickoff of my new fun fold card making series! In this video tutorial, I'll delve into the whimsical world of Upright Z Fun Fold Cards, adding a charming twist to the classic Z Fold design. Get ready to be inspired with the delightful "Cutest Cows" stamp set and discover creative tips for crafting a barn and barn door background that will steal your heart. Crafting the Barn Door Unlock the magic of creating a captivating barn and barn door background. Follow along and I'll share tips to achieve stunning effects that will make your Upright Z Fold Cards truly stand out. The barn door may just become your favorite element in card making! Tips & TechniquesOn the video I'll share some basics coloring with Stampin' Blends markers as well as how a tip to stamping multiple stamps at once.  Two Fold Styles, Endless Possibilities Discover the versatility of Upright Z Fold Cards as we guide you through creating them in both portrait and landscape orientations. Learn two distinct styles – one with a stopper on top for added stability and another with a card base backing. The possibilities are endless, and your cards will be free-standing works of art. Entire Series of FunStay tuned until the end of the video, where I'll reveal more cards in this series, highlighting the incredible variety you can achieve with Upright Z Folds. Get a sneak peek into the upcoming tutorials on my blog, where I'll delve deeper into each card design, sharing step-by-step instructions for you to recreate the magic at home. Get ready to elevate your card-making skills with Upright Z Fun Fold Cards! Download the step-by-step instructions and supply list, and join me on the video. Don't miss out on the upcoming tutorials, where I'll explore each card in detail. Happy crafting! UPRIGHT Z FOLD VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNNVzv-shKs INSTRUCTIONS INSTRUCTIONS PDF ⬇ The instructions include measurements, step by step directions and a template to create this card. There is also a clickable supply list.  DOWNLOAD PDF MATERIALS I USED TO MAKE THIS CARD STAMPIN UP MATERIALS I USED  Click the links below for more information on each product and to purchase in my online store.  SEE MORE TUTORIALS MY UPRIGHT Z FOLD SERIES UPRIGHT Z FOLD SERIES Click the thumbnails below for more free tutorials in my series. STAMPIN' UP! CATALOGS CURRENT SPECIALS Description for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block. PHOTOS I created this stinkin' cute barn card with the Stampin' Up! Cutest Cows Bundle. I love this "upright" twist on the classic Z Fold Card. The Cutest Cow stamp set and punch are both builder sets. You can change the cows to give them personalities. I'll share how created the barn and barn door background on the video. This card folds down to fit in a standard sized Stampin' Up! Envelope. I sponged the barn to give it an aged wood effect. And what about those stinkin' cute Adhesive Backed Hearts & Flowers? This is a side-view of the card. I will share 2 different styles of stand up Z folds that each free stand. In this card I use both styles. Catch the video for details. I like the bright and cheery vibe of this card. I think it works for so many occasions. This card has a middle panel which shares another scene. Sharing another part of the story. This is a view of the card front unfolded to show both scenes. These little chicks are so dang adores. The middle panel of the card. I added a card base to the back for more area to write your greeting. Want to save these ideas for later? Pin them to your favorite Pinterest board. Have you tried these designs? I love to see your creations! Be sure to share them on #shareyourcrafts post every Saturday on my Facebook Page    BLOG HOP BLOG HOP GIVEAWAY This is a blog comment entry giveaway. To enter, simply scroll and leave a comment. No purchase necessary. Current Contests & All Winners announced on my WINNERS CIRCLE page Read the full article

[naturecoaster]

FIRE UP CITRUS! brings Great Ideas to the Valerie Theatre

by Tom Craig, co-author of Treasures of the Trails A crowd of people anxiously awaited the 2023 FIRE UP CITRUS!, a Citrus County Chamber of Commerce event produced as part of their October Business Appreciation Month since 2014. Ardath Prendergast, Chamber VP and creator of the Fire Up Citrus! events wore her signature red dress. Where does she find a unique new red dress for every event? Again we weren’t disappointed. We were FIRED UP! to see the 12 creative thinkers make their presentations about what they would like to see happen in Citrus County. The event is held bi-annually at the Valerie Theater. Josh Wooten, President/CEO of the Chamber, kicked off the event with a video explaining the event rules and highlighting past presentations. Originally scheduled for October 12 FIRE UP CITRUS! was re-scheduled to November 1 due to the tornado that hit Crystal River. Tom Ryan, Chair of the Chamber Board of Directors. introduced Dale McClellan, principal of M&B Dairy, who is fresh off hosting this year‘s BAM BBQ event with his son, Leon.  Dale talked about how he moved his dairy farm from Hillsborough County to Citrus County as the best decision he could’ve made. Starting with a dilapidated building “from almost nothing” in his words, with the help of the Chamber and especially Josh Wooten, he built his empire to over nine figures in sales annually!  While working on financing and getting the building and his milk business up and running, he began by selling orange juice. Tom Ryan, the MC asked, “How do you get orange juice from cows?“ Dale replied, “We feed them orange pulp,“ to big laughs from the audience. Dale said he has never liked speaking to groups. You couldn’t tell by this speech. The audience was entertained by Dale’s anecdotes about his humble beginnings and his efforts to be the best milk producer he and his family could be. He talked about his new product, A-1 protein milk, created to bring a new kind of milk to those people who mistakenly believe they are lactose intolerant. Dale expressed his thanks to Citrus County, now his favorite place on earth.  Dale’s message to the FIRE UP CITRUS! presenters and the audience is “Never give up“ when it comes to your dreams and your passion. He told us that if you pursue your dreams and keep going no matter what, you will be rewarded with success. Dale likes the FIRE UP CITRUS! Event, because he likes to be around people who have new ideas and people who inspire him. As MC for the evening, Tom Ryan spoke with grace and humor. Throughout the evening, he introduced the presenters and recapped the important and interesting points of their concept wishing them well with their passionate presentations about what they believe would be great ideas for the citizens of Citrus County. Tom outlined the procedure for the night’s event and the first presenter. The rules of the FIRE UP CITRUS! are unique. The rules are as follows: Presenters are required to make a 20-image slide show presentation and present it in 5 minutes. There are no restrictions on the idea just so long as it is positive (no negativity or criticism). Sounds easy? It’s not. Especially if you are passionate about the idea you are presenting.  The program was divided into three rounds.  - Round One: Empowering Our Citizens  - Round Two: À Votre Santé (To Your Health) - Round Three: Feeding the Entrepreneurial Spirit.  Elisha Belden presents at Fire Up Citrus! promoting arts funding in Citrus County. Images courtesy of the City of Inverness. The Twelve Presentations at FIRE UP CITRUS! 2023 Reviewed The first presentation, A ROAD-WORTHY CITRUS, by Harold Walker Harold discussed how there could be a better way for the County to explain the state of the roads. He thanked County Administrator Howard for addressing the issue. Harold outlined a better way to explain where the money for roads comes from and how much goes to actual paving, encouraging the County to give better notice regarding what roads are being paved and when. Howard explained how the roads that get paved are in direct relation to the percentage of roads in poor condition for each voting district. He suggested that we ask the pavement companies if there is a better way to save money on paving, like a 5-year contract, rather than bidding each road project individually. The second presentation, THIS IS CITRUS COUNTY JEOPARDY, by Kristen Coble & Katie Lucas, suggests a better forum for getting answers to questions. They suggested that an alternative to the local newspaper’s Sound Off would entertain questions from citizens and then get the real answer from the local person or organization who has the truth. They made a tongue-in-cheek parody of a few choice responses to Sound Offs and offered the citizen’s answers, then compared them with the truth as they know it. Katie Lucas was a former Citrus County Chamber Board Chair. The third presentation, PORT CITRUS: AQUACULTURE BUSINESS INCUBATOR by Michael Czerwinski brought back his previous presentation with an update. He reiterated that the Port Citrus land is sitting fallow and can be repurposed to be a home for an alternative Agriculture initiative. He highlighted successful aquaculture businesses around the world dedicated to aquaculture for nationally known companies. Mike says that Citrus County and other Florida counties have land spaces close to fresh and saltwater that can support a thriving aquaculture cooperative. He envisions educational institutions like the University of Florida and the Academy of Environmental Science would benefit from having on-site laboratories. A county-sponsored facility could include leasable open land for tenant use for research, education, and a business park. The fourth presentation, THE HUB IN CITRUS, by Rhonda Allen, envisioned a 25-acre multi-purpose retail entertainment attraction. Like the Island in Pigeon Forge, Rhonda imagines this should be Citrus County’s next big thing with stores, restaurants, and a hotel surrounding a central park area with water features and amusement rides. The fifth presentation, A MOVEABLE FEAST TRAIL, by Max Schulman who passionately believes that the Withlacoochee State Trail is the perfect venue for an interpretive museum with 10 or more stations along the way from Dunnellon to Brooksville. Each stop would highlight a unique historical perspective of life in the County. Some of the stops would display our cultural heritage from cattle ranching and the equestrian life to the phosphate and turpentine industry that helped form who we are in Citrus. Not only would the displays educate our citizens, but also entertain tourists as they walk or bike along the trail. Similar to how the display in Pineola is a time capsule of the Great Train Wreck of 1956, other displays would stimulate interest to visit more places in and around the County like Fort Cooper, Floral City, the Tsala Apopkas, or the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Displays could be sponsored by companies or social organizations. The sixth presentation, CITRUS COMMUNITY / FAMILY + WILDLIFE RESCUE, by Alyssa Clossin proposes transitioning her successful animal rescue business to help support battered women who need a place to shelter and make a living to transition out of an abusive environment. The seventh presentation, MR. MARK'S GOURMET PUREE, by Kelly Scoville. Kelly was empowered by the loss of her husband, who suffered in his later years from dietary challenges, to create food that tastes great and can be swallowed easily. She has created many pureed recipes that she cans for local retail consumption. She used her presentation to educate people about the needs of aging and ailing populations that are underserved in Citrus County and across America.  The eighth presentation, DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE, by Betsy Schwartz. The philosophy espoused by Betsy’s presentation fits in well with the meme of the event. She chronicled her efforts to create a community of like-minded people who want to improve their lives and those of others. Betsy enlightened us with healing modalities that others may not be familiar with.  The ninth presentation, ACCESS TO THE ARTS: A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT, by Elisha Belden. Elisha made an eloquent presentation about the importance of The Arts in making a well-rounded individual and community. She talked about art as the right of all people, not just those with means. She also says expanding The Arts in Citrus County brings economic benefits by attracting people outside of the county to see our shows and festivals. Elisha proposes that we need a dedicated Arts Center to encourage young people to pursue viable careers in the arts. A Center for the Arts in Citrus County would also bring the opportunity to engage with professional artists and to contribute or participate in activities that suit their skills and interests. In the tenth presentation, CORE MAKERSPACE, by Jim Green, Jim wants a maker space for people to make products that require access to large expensive equipment like 3-D modelers. He discussed his progress so far in establishing the CORE business plan and securing financing to seed the facility. CORE is the Citrus One-Stop Resource and Entrepreneurial Business Center. The Makerspace should be the next big thing for Citrus County. The audience liked his proposal, giving him one of the loudest approvals of the night. The eleventh presentation, CITRUS ACTORS THEATRE, by Charles Niski showed us an updated presentation now highlighting the County's need for a private theatre to be built to attract theatergoers from a larger drawing area than is currently offered by public venues in our area. He showed us a picture of the logo for the new theatre that would be named CAT, Citrus Actors Theatre. Charles presented a video that showed the time-lapse construction of a theatre house, explaining that smaller shows can be produced while most of the building is under construction to pay for the construction before the building is finished. Unfortunately, one presenter, Hope Haag, with an idea for a LOCAL GROWTH CO., was unable to be at Fire Up Citrus! that evening, but we understand that the Chamber will allow her to film her presentation so that it may be included on the Chamber’s website with those of the other presenters. This historic Valerie Theater hosted FireUpCITRUS! where the latest ideas to improve the County were presented to an enthusiastic audience. Image by Diane Bedard. An Educational and Entertaining Evening at FIRE UP CITRUS! Closes with Encouragement to All Closing comments were made by Dr. Jim Harvey, the retired President of the College of Central Florida and a member of the Chamber Board of Directors. Jim wrapped up the evening with some wise entertaining advice and an analogy. He asked the audience what were the three most important developments of mankind as revealed by a questionnaire that reached around the world. The audience would probably unanimously say the SmartPhone, but Jim gave a few clues that were not the answer. He astounded us with visual props of a hammer, a screwdriver, and duct tape! Jim said, ”All of the presentations here tonight carried one common theme which is, ‘No dream is too small to become the Next Big Thing’.” He praised the presenters for their forward-thinking and passion for our community.  Like Dale McClellan earlier in the evening, Dr. Harvey encouraged the presenters and the entire audience to never give up. You never know when that one good idea will make a difference for so many people. Read the full article

[mattved]

On new jobs

A story of my six-month journey from working for a company I no longer identified with, through rocky paths of the job market, toward a great opportunity.

Things had been okay half way into the summer. Then, I had a five month long career hiccup triggered by denied aspirations.

Exposition

Driving progress through research and contribution has been my thing, I am obviously more suited for academia than commerce. Turns of events however forced me away from that path - dealing with the aftermath of experiences like that from On Cancer takes enough time, effort and substitutions in life plans. Restarting Master's at 25 with not much in terms of social insurance, physical need for settling down, and earning enough to sustain myself was out of question.

So I went ahead and got hired and deliver. Am I passionate about it? Only slightly. I still do all I can to pursue my passions, even though time is limited. I keep updated on my field of study and hope to maybe save up once to be able to return to academia. I also enjoy filming and editing video in the proper way, planting another potential skill of trade.

Angel investor

Working for a business moving its product from question mark into star stage of life had me all excited and optimistic. What I wish to have had understood is how all stars inevitably turn into cash cows, of which investors are cautiously aware and re-staff in preparation for that. They now need cash cow kind of people, to hold rather than drive market share, impose cautious pace on development, and protect their passive income for at least a decade.

In case of my then employer, the angel investor placed their own HR manager in to "help out" with growing workload, later taking position of HR lead because "there was no other suitable candidate." Product lead, who made the product a star, was demoted for safety, I suppose. And most importantly, the computer scientist of a CTO was driven to submitting his position to prince Charming from Shrek 2.

Their reasons are legit but I scowl at how unfair towards the people who worked toward something great under significant budget constraints. Significant portion of their legacy was sold to a cash addict who hits them with a glass ceiling.

Personally, I asked for the extra budget required to provide analytics solution that would employ my entire skillset and benefit the venture, rather than pretty charts with far outgrown backend. Regardless, the scenario from other departments came for me. Miss me with that shit - I am 25, not 60.

Slip-up

Because I saw it coming, I took precautions by interviewing ahead. CoViD pandemic obscured the process, though.  Interviews took form of conference calls, driving expectation disparity. I got to see my opportunities, came to understand that employers are much more to be dissected than applicants, and made a wrong choice at the end.

It was Wunderman Thompson, a consulting company with surprisingly decent reputation that fills skill gaps in businesses looking for creative solutions. I had some achievements presented to me but the experience itself was dreadful.

The first interview was a recorded one-on-one with the voice of my boss to be. With my camera on, I outlined my skills, said what I am good at, outlined my expectations, and did my skill demonstration task. I was given name of their client the work was for and got excited.  

Week later, a display of red flags I did not see was on. The data science lead and my future duo colleague were in, the former on camera. After feedback on the previous call, I asked questions and lay down expectations such as a requirement of a decent computer.

After the onboarding, I got a laptop with i5-6200U, 8 gigs of ram, and one hour of battery life. Two weeks of asking for upgrade yielded me extra 8 gigabyte, but the processor was no fit for the JavaScript based tools I was given to work with. The client I was excited to work did not show up either, there was an intermediary in form of another consulting company from The hub. They created a lot of communication noise but seemed keen to cooperate - few meetings with them and their project management colleagues cleared things out.

Most disappointing was my duo colleague, a 35ish woman with an attitude who drove an Audi and used Windows Server VM to run scheduled scripts in Python. Some worked, alright, but her legacy database I was assigned contained obsolete, redundant, incomplete, or scattered mess with no documentation whatsoever. Asking for help, which she encouraged, caused me more confusion. Requesting access to the load scripts, I was told her previous colleague never needed that, later even that I was likely to steal the know-how and leave.

I lasted two months, asking superiors for help and trying to be constructive, before being profane in a recorded meeting. I confronted her before hanging up, wrote a farewell e-mail, and navigated to LinkedIn. My boss or the skill group manager never met me in person. And the latter had the audacity to require in-person meeting to discharge me.

The Search

That was not quite the way to go. And because it was early in the month and employers onboard new people on the first day of month, I was left with little over two weeks of mental health leave and a job to find. At the beginning, it felt easy - I would do three consecutive interviews every other day. There was no need to to leave my table and there was a with substantial amount of time left for reflection, learning, and gaming.

My ability to detect the red flags of job market transaction negotiations had developed throughout the period. And so had that of understanding my own priorities. I spoke to headhunters, middle managers, HR operatives, friends, former colleagues, even self-proprietors. I had responded to fiveish job ads a day, whatever showed up, but still hoped to hit the bull's eye and be finally satisfied with my job after six months.

I had also came to identify with the story of Chandler Bing - I am good at what I do and I enjoy it, but there are things I enjoy more. There needs to be work-life balance - productivity and leisure generate utility, which an agent seeks to maximize. And that is where one must start when assessing potential employer.

The Englishman interviewing me for position in centre of excellence of a Fortune 500 company said that my story is all disappointment and lack of resilience. The first was true, the second was nonsense. Resilience is a great character, not a realistic job requirement, though. Yes, one must resolve difficulties without breaking down, but there is a threshold beyond which no job is not worth it. His lack of acknowledgement here does not play well for any Fortune 500 company. Care for yourself first.

Contrasting opportunity was Dolphin Consulting who have amazing teambuilding activities, car pool to share, and even mentioned a dolphin wedding. It all sounds great and I agree that working with friends makes good experience. But I have friends I wish I had more time for, which would only be made more difficult, should I try to blend in.

Turns out the handful of interviews I attended in person was relatively more productive, exposing the employer and their culture beyond choice of videoconferencing software and views of employees' living rooms. The interviewers seemed more humble and honest with respect to their activity. Besides, the caution to see candidate in person in spite of having to wear a face mask and taking other precautions is a good sign, right?

The one I thought was it (updated 2023)

By the end of the month, I had three offers that I considered on hand. Two from in-person interviews, one from an online call. And I picked the one that offered some diversity, felt most familiar in its description, and seemed to be accounting free.

I was a web analyst at online marketing department of nation’s largest news publisher. The portfolio of sites I got to work was great, the technology behind them alright, and the team consisted of cool people I had plenty in common with.

Trouble was, the boss turned out to be a bully, putting more pressure on his team than was fair. He thoroughly probed me throughout the trial period and I did my best. He wasn’t satisfied, though only now do I understand the reasons.

The funny bit is, he called on the last week of my trial period at an employer I have been working for two years now, saying he was firing a colleague, really the only one that I found being real nuisance, and incompetent at that, while working there, asking me whether I would be willing to come back. Lolz.

[goboymusic]

Listening to “Bring Me To Life” by #Evanescence yesterday, I can confidently say it’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, and it deserves every bit of praise that it has received.

Go for it. Screw what they think. You, everyone that knows you, and everyone that knows everyone that knows you will be dead in a few decades. If you want to try something outrageous, like posting songs about dicks on the internet, relax and give it a shot. Just don’t be stupid about it and get yourself fired (use an alias and don’t tell your acquaintances or whatever). That’s what “#GhostGirl” is about.

Maybe publicly humiliating yourself on a continual basis requires some masochism. Internet commentary is one thing. Posting non-satirical creative work for people to commentate on is another (YouTube videos, podcasts, music, artwork, writing, etc). You go into it with the understanding that people who are smarter than you are going to shred you with accurate criticisms, but you do it anyways, hopefully because you love it. If you post content with the expectation that people are going to regularly tear you a new asshole, you’ll never be surprised when they inevitably do.

The songwriting of “Ghost Girl” is a love letter of sorts to @blink182, my favorite musical group. The chord structures and melodies are meant to sound like something they’d use.

Seven months after the original version of “Ghost Girl” was completed, I reopened the old Logic Pro file for the song, deleted about 50% of it, and wrote new segments to fill those empty spaces. The original version had verse vocals that I couldn’t bear listening to, and the structure made my ears bleed, so the new version was well warranted in my mind. Overall, including production of both versions, the song took about 2.5 weeks to complete. Not bad, considering each song on GoBoy 6 took 30 days to complete, even without any hiccups.

I was dabbling in a raspy pop-punk vocal style for this song, something that would become more prevalent on GoBoy 6 and 7.

Watched #TheQueensGambit on #Netflix while mixing the vocals. Holy cow that show is amazing. During production, something entertaining is always playing in the background for extra brain stimulation, whether that be a movie, tv series, a video game play through, podcast, etc. Anything but music, because I can’t mix music while listening to other music (excerpts from post 87).

Beat + bass + melody. That’s the style of GoBoy 5. While I’ve appreciated this minimalistic style for years, “Tell My Mama (Song 42)” was the first time trying it. I went whole-hog with GoBoy 5, in which most songs primarily consist of a beat, bass and melody (excerpt from post 80).

For GoBoy 5, instead of creating for the sake of creating, like I did for GoBoy 4, I wanted to make poppier songs that would appeal to a larger audience. Was that goal accomplished? Well, maybe, I guess. It resulted in the song “In Love (Song 82),” which everyone and their mother seems to like (excerpt from post 79).

GoBoy 5 ragdolled me. I remember wondering if I’d live to see the completion of the album. While the style is minimalistic, the writing and production processes were chaotic, akin to throwing darts with a blindfold on. Most songs turned into a puzzle once they reached the mixing phase, with a portion of the pieces being destined not to fit. It required constant compromising - discarding segments, restructuring, rewriting, etc. The combination of the difficult production process and temporary chaos at work left a blood-soaked trail behind me (excerpt from post 80).

In April, 2021, almost all of GoBoy 3, 4 and 5‘s songs were restructured to be under 3 minutes (preferably under 2m 30s), including this song. I became okay with releasing songs around the 2 min mark after realizing The Beatles and The Beach Boys had some songs around that length. In an attempt to increase replay value in this streaming era, most of GoBoy’s songs are now purposely around 2m 20s (excerpts from post 37).

A bass boost was added to songs 37-99 in Nov, 2021, while I was stuck at home with covid. As a result, this song feels more powerful. The bass boost isn’t a simple plugin nonchalantly added to each song. It’s a process that took about 3.5 hours per song, or one whole month to complete all songs. Admittedly, I pushed the bass boost a little too far for some of them. The bass in some songs sounds like a freaking earthquake (unnecessarily pronounced low frequencies 20 - 50 Hz). Might dial that back someday. The bass boost was also applied to every song on GoBoy 6 and beyond (excerpt from post 37).

[cyclicalaberration]

Listen. Listen. Are you looking for new hermits to watch? No? You should be! Hermits are all great and there's not too much to backlog this season, so you want to get on that!

Welcome to a Semicomprehensive list of hermits by someone who watches (almost) everyone. I will not be including welsknight, xisuma, hypnotizd, Mumbo or Grian in this post as I do not watch Wels, hypno or X and Grian is Grian and Mumbo is Mumbo, and the chances are that you've probably heard about them.

Do you want insane builds and some of the Noises ever made from a human mouth? Try bdubs! Bdoubleo100 uses a lot of experimental editing in his videos, with strange camera angles, cuts with transitions that are just him sneezing, or experimental zooms in his intros. He's an incredible builder and has mastered the art of small interiors, and his redstone is compact, pretty, and functional, even though he once spent a very long time on a complex farm before his daughter pointed out he could change which pickaxe he was using.

Cubfan is the hermit for you if you want wacky technical Minecraft, unusual ideas and off the walls grinds for difficult to farm materials. Last season he made a dripstone, red sand, raw iron and rooted dirt custom biome, and he often does speedruns over on his twitch. This season he's teamed up with Ren, building a house in his basement.

Do you want game breaking technical skills? Farms you wouldn't think possible? Weird taste in what farms are normal and sane to build? As long as your brain can process deep voices, Docm77 is the hermit for you! He's got a hive mind of technical Minecrafters behind every farm and is racing against Mojang to exploit glitches before they're patched. Who knows, maybe dinnerbone will take his other arm for this.

Etho hasn't yet returned to hermitcraft, as he's on hiatus to take care of his parents, but when he's back he's full of wacky hyjinks, strange farms and builds with insane palettes. He's been doing Minecraft since the very beginning, giving many their start and teaching many a Minecrafter a thing or two.

Falsesymmetry is a PVP powerhouse, and being the queen of heads, hearts and body parts she can and will go head to head with the best of the best. She's also an incredible builder, organics and massive digs comprising many of her recent projects. She's witty and cool and her builds are often out of this world.

Do you like your Minecrafters sweet and terrifying? Geminitay keeps ravagers as cows and doesn't blanch at taking on a woodland mansion on day one. She freehands statues, bonemeals custom trees into existence, and stays upbeat and positive through it all.

You've probably heard of goodtimeswithscar, with his improv prowess, incredible terraforming and absolutely insane, detailed builds. He's absolutely hilarious, taking the bit to the extreme, but don't let the bumbling exterior fool you, the man is scarily competent when he remembers to check his elytra durability.

Ijevin is a mix of technical and beautiful, with detailed builds and fascinating ideas, but he's also one of the more prolific farm builders of the hermitcraft server. While he may not invent quite as many farms, he almost always builds scarily productive farms with hours of work put into them.

Impulsesv is an incredibly creative technical YouTuber, known often for his mob wrangling and creative theming for his builds and inventions. When it comes to interactions he's not lacking either, fitting into any group with laughter and ease.

Another super, mega, dare I say Omega YouTuber is Iskall, whose infectious laugh and creative time lapses never fail to brighten up a day. He's chill, and he often builds whatever comes to mind, be it a carrot hill or a villager encampment, and all of them look incredible.

Coming to you as he always does from Nashville Tennessee, joehills spends much of his time on the server on community projects, teaming up with Cleo, or simply making the Joehills difference. His videos aren't as fast-paced as some other hermits, but he streams frequently and is simply a joy to watch.

Do you like your family friendly YouTubers toeing the line? Do you like your guys to know what a house looks like? Then keralis is the guy for you! His builds remain grounded while at an incredible scale, and each time he makes an innuendo, his voice is so calming you can almost believe he doesn't do it on purpose. Almost.

Pearlescentmoon makes building an art form with gorgeous colors, organics with incredible detail and the small tendency to rotate her builds 90° if she's not happy with them. She's energetic, off the walls bouncy, and she never fails to bring a smile to the face and awe to the server.

Do you want lore with that? Get your lore with rendog, the official Lore Guy of the hermitcraft server. His lore carried over, landing gigapods and making gigapies after the disaster that ended the last server, with instructions from his alien compatriots and a significant amount of yes, and.

Stressmonster has earned her rightful place in the hermitcraft hall of chaos, full of giggles and excitement, not a moment of her videos are ever dull. She's in awe of it all, excited by everything in the game and incredibly creative in all of her builds. Who else builds a teapot as a starter base?

Do you want ravagers? You can get ravagers with tangotek, builder of insane farms, with off the walls redstone and an affinity for one of the game's most dangerous mobs. He's best known for inventing the iron farm, creating a new version of it each season, and for Decked Out, the mini game he's revamping this season with Even More Ravagers, Wardens, and who knows, maybe a captured wither or two.

Tfc is like when you're watching your friend or family member play Minecraft, just doing the every day tasks, mining, mining, more mining. He puts the hermit in hermitcraft, but as the server's resident grandpa, he's allowed to take it slower than the crazy kids around him.

Vintagebeef is like when you take a man who is absolutely Not normal and wrap him up in a veneer of Just Some Guy. His videos are calmer and chiller than many of the hermits, but his projects are by no means small... I'm not going to spoil anything, but if you're a fan of map art, you should absolutely check him out.

Xbcrafted deserves his spot in the Hermitcraft Hall Of Should Absolutely Cuss. He is straining at the confines of the family friendly content, and when he and keralis are together, only good things happen. Being one of the shyer members of the server, he's also fairly calm, but he and keralis also make up the flirting quota of the server.

Zedaph lives up to his mad scientist base of season eight, making the game interesting with insane challenges submitted by viewers for him to complete for retextured pumpkins and bragging rights. He's into automation in the most inefficient method, because redstone is meant to be funny, not maximum output.

And finally, last but not least, zombiecleo themself! They're a master at armor stands, a skill few can claim, and also a stunning builder. Going for a mythological type of vibe for this season, they've recently changed their hair to snakes, all the more ways to terrify bdubs. They're sarcastic and witty, and I thoroughly recommend their videos for a good time.

As always, every hermit has something to enjoy, and don't limit yourself! Poke your head in a video, check it out, even if you're not sure you'll like it! Who knows, you could find your new favorite!

[the-celluloid-correspondent]

Why I am very cautious about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

I have been a fan of Tolkien's work since I was a little girl. I have been completely captured by his work, and his work has helped me through a lot. I love the Jackson films, even with their flaws. With that said, I am very worried about the Rings of Power series by Amazon. I will go ahead and state that I am not a book purist. I understand that in adaptations, not everything will perfectly adapt to screen, and stuff will be added and changed to make the story work visually. I understand certain aspects of the novels will be cut due to runtime and budget. I am open to adaptations and fanfictions; however, I do have conditions. You must respect the source material. The story you create must follow the themes, the worldbuilding, the characters, the aesthetics, and the lore that the author wrote. I am incredibly lenient about the story, but you must follow what is stated above. From what Amazon has released thus far, Rings of Power does not match any of these criteria and is only Tolkien in name. I do not want to see the Professors' work turn into mindless entertainment and a cash cow, like Marvel, Star Wars, and so many other IPs. All the fandom is asking is to respect his work, and Amazon seems to be doing the opposite.

So I am going to break this down into different aspects of the series. I will start by talking about the showrunners of this series, Patrick McKay and John D. Payne. What might be a surprise to you is that the two showrunners of this series have no experience with any Hollywood production, even though they have been in the industry for over 15 years. They are not ghostwriters in Hollywood; they literally have no experience and were recommended for the series by J.J. Abrams. To me, this seems like they are going to be used as puppets for executives swaying creative decisions. This is a widespread practice today with big-budget Hollywood movies. Small indie directors are brought in to direct a big-budget film, but they have no creative control over the story nor the overall direction of the film; they are puppets to the executives. I feel it will be the same with these two gentlemen because they have very contradicting views of how the executives of this series view Tolkien, based on interviews. On the positive side, from what everyone has stated, they do know their Tolkien lore. However, my big question is can they show it? Because thus far, they have only talked about how much of Tolkien they know but have not demonstrated it. If you are going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.

Another concern I have with this series is how poor the marketing campaign has been. Amazon, with billions of dollars at its disposal, is showing a very mediocre campaign for this series when they have marketed some series perfectly. So there are two routes this could go, either Amazon has hired the worst marketing team for this series, or the material is as bad as the marketing. I am guessing the latter because Amazon has a history of doing a terrible job of covering up bad material. What also adds to the layers of this series is that we are less than 2 months out, and there has not been a full trailer released yet, only teasers. No plot has been revealed, only pretty cinematography and some first-age flashbacks. For new television series, generally, 2 months is when the first main trailer is released with plot details. Amazon not doing this tells me they are not confident with the story. Furthermore, what has to be the cherry on top of the disaster is the marketing campaign, which was the Superfans disaster. If you are unaware, Amazon hired these fake Tolkien fans and did a staged reaction video, where they all called it the "best thing ever." The backlash was so bad that they deleted the video. In reaction to this disaster, Amazon brought Tolkien fans to a small screening in England, where they received an all-paid vacation, tours of Oxford, Tolkien lectures, free swag, and a Q&A with the showrunners. Like the previous Superfans, everysingle person who went to this came back saying the same thing, down to the wording. Out of the over 20 people invited to this, all of them praised the series, with some even calling it "the greatest tv series of all time," after watching only 20 curated minutes from the series. Not a single criticism was made. Many in the fandom called bull because Amazon has done this before with the Wheel of Time, and we all saw how much of a disaster that series was. So by the looks of it, Amazon is buying positive reviews for their series because they know it will be a disaster.

Now let's talk about the actual show rather than what Amazon is doing with Tolkien. As previously stated, not much of the story is known, and only those familiar with the lore know what the series will be about. However, what is known is that it's going to be a very compressed version of Second Age, with some First Age flashbacks, with a lot of fanfiction. The writers compressing the timeline is very understandable. However, by the looks of it, they are cramming the entire second age into a single lifespan. I believe this is wrong because they will sacrifice some of the most prominent themes within the Second Age. The writers should have let a significant event in the Second Age be its own season and slowly built up the themes, the lore, and the conflicts of the Second Age. What further concerns me are the First Age flashbacks. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see a proper adaptation of the Silmarillion. However, I feel that these flashbacks will be used as fan service to cover up shakey storytelling. My last most significant concern with the story is the fanfiction that is going to be within this series. What has been presented thus far feels like they have copied stories from Tolkien they don't have rights to and put their own spin on it. They do this by changing the names and the story slightly, then throwing it into their fanfiction. For example, they are telling a forbidden love story between an Elf and a human in this series. This directly responds to the fact that they don't have the rights to the three elf-human romances in Tolkien's work. So what will probably happen is they will take elements from all three and put them into their story. You think they would have learned from the Hobbit Trilogy why this is a bad idea. Furthermore, they are throwing Hobbits into this series, not because they will add to the story, but because of nostalgia.

The next major issue with this series is going to be its characters. I know that there are going to be a lot of non-canon characters in this series, so I am going to focus on the canon characters because, thus far, they don't resemble their book counterparts. The first character up is Elrond, who is described as a politically ambiguous politician and architect in the series. However, to those familiar with his book characters, he is none of this. He is a politician, but not ambiguous; he was focused on peace and alliance-making. Furthermore, he is not an architect but a scholar. What I find to be interesting is that the show does not describe him as a military leader because he is one. Another red flag is how the series tells the relationship between Tar-Miriel and Ar-Pharazon. In the series, they are described as close to one another. However, that is very far from the truth. The pair are cousins on opposite sides of the Numenorian political spectrum. Tar-Miriel is part of the "Faithful," and Ar-Pharazon is part of the "Black Numenorians." The show's description of them so wrong is that Ar-Pharazon eventually usurps Tar-Miriel and forces her to be his bride. So the show describing them as "close" is very wrong. Now the biggest red flag for characters is Galadriel. What appeared to have happened is that they have taken a very feminine, wise, and powerful sorceress and turned her into the damaging trope of the strong female character. Galadriel uses her wisdom and magic to fight off the forces of evil, not a sword. As a woman, they are defeminizing her and making her " a hothead ... filled with piss and vinegar" (now my words, the producer's words for describing Galadriel in the Second Age) is one of the most sexist things they can do. Even more concerning is that based on the trailers, it looks like Galadriel will be correct, and everysingle man is wrong, which insults me. Don't even get me started with writers gender-bending Anarion.

So far, the worldbuilding/aesthetics within the Rings of Power series has been a very mixed bag. I know I am very attached to the aesthetics Peter Jackson and Company brought to life in his respected adaptations. He set a bar for fantasy adaptions that no one else has been able to reach, with only Game of Thrones hitting that bar. So far, from what I have seen, the production design is starting to look like Middle Earth. Furthermore, I am confident that the music for this series will be fantastic, with Bear McCreary and Howard Shore scoring the show. However, for the rest of the series, it does not scream Middle Earth. The costume design looks incredibly cheap for a multimillion-dollar show. The costumes look like they came from the tailor and don't look lived in. I like the overall aesthetics they are going for, but it's missing the mark by looking like generic fantasy. Furthermore, some costumes don't look like they are correctly fitted to their actors. The character design also has been a very mixed bag. Getting used to the short-hair elves is going to be very difficult. To me, the elves lose their angelic nature by doing this. Furthermore, they are not even given the female dwarves' beards, which is a must for a Tolkien adaptation. Now let's talk gently about the most sensitive topic of this series, which is its race-bending of characters and people. Here are my two cents on the matter. Changing the race of established characters and people in the name of checking boxes is incredibly wrong and racist. When a series does this, they tell me a couple of things. They are telling me they don't think stories with the representation they want can succeed. They are also telling me they only brought this person in for money because they want viewership from a specific demographic. Lastly, the actors are sadly going to be used to deflect criticism by calling the fandom toxic, racist, etc., for not liking the changes, which the creators are already doing. What has to be the irony of the creators changing this is that if they had stuck to the lore, they would have had the representation they were looking for. Instead, they resorted to Tokenism.

So here are my final predictions for this series. I have a feeling that this series is going to be incredibly mediocre. It will be another product in the line of corporate-made entertainment. I am confident that this series will have great scenes and sequences in it, and it will be spectacular to watch. I am convinced that this series also has a lot of horrible scenes and sequences within it. Finally, the remainder will just be mediocre, corporate content. However, my biggest concern is what this will do to the Tolkien fandom. As we have seen over the past couple of years, so many fandoms and IPs have been destroyed by talentless corporations. Star Wars, Star Trek, Halo, Resident Evil, The Witcher, Marvel, and DC Comics, have almost entirely been destroyed by these corporations who alienate the fanbase from the material. They call the fandom toxic, racist, sexist, homophobic, etc., if the fandom does not like what the corporation puts out. The fandom is shattered, and the IP is left creatively empty. The IP has nowhere to go because the fans have left. The only people left cheering for these series is a loud but small vocal minority on Twitter. This is why the majority of the Tolkien fandom is against this series. They don't want Tolkien's work torn apart by a greedy corporation. They don't want to see the fandom shattered due to modern politics. All that the Tolkien fandom is asking for is to respect the material, and that's it.

Sincerely,

A Tolkien fan since she was 3 years old.

[the-cooler-vigilante]

Minecraft needs a "Major" update

So I've been playing Minecraft for years. It's one of the greatest video games of all time in my book. But recently, I've been burnt out on doing anything in the block game, whether it be creative OR survival. It's just that I know the grind, and whenever I start a game, I get bored of doing the same thing over and over for materials and such. It's just a product of playing the game over the years. And I'm not saying what the current stuff Mojang is doing is bad, I just feel like we need more. Yes, I get that working on making new content for the game is hard, but I've got an Idea or two that could make things pretty interesting for both newbies and veterans. Tale mode: So, we've gotten some pretty good stories that use Minecraft's world as a Springboard, so why not add that into the game? Tale mode would add new "story" NPC's that would give the player randomly generated quests and/or lore for the world they're in, with a overarching "storyline" NPC companion that would stick with you throughout the game. I think it'd add some sense of accomplishment for the game, and you could do any of the quests at any time, so you wouldn't have to worry about loss of freedom. Different Overworld types: The Overworld is a pretty interesting place, with all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore, but for us veterans, we've seen it all, and all the new stuff that's been added just adds a small section for us to explore. So, to spice things up, let's add/bring back different types of Overworld generation. For what I have in mind, there would be two types of variation; mild and extreme.

Mild variations wouldn't affect the gameplay much, so you would have things like Isle Land: where the player can find many floating chunks of land, Caver's Delight: a world where there are many overhangs and cavern's to explore, and Mountain Madness: Where large mountains dominate the world, surrounded by either a large ocean, or a sea of sand or gravel. Extreme variations would greatly affect how you play the game, so you would have generations like Drought and Good Luck, where the oceans are either almost gone, or replaced with Lava. Caverns of Chaos, which essentially turn the world into a block of swiss cheese. But I've got some ideas of my own.

Administrated: The sky of the world has been covered by a thick layer of bedrock, plunging the world into a chaotic dark. There'd be holes in the bedrock, allowing for light to get through, but no way to get to the top without building your way out. Anarchy: The center of the world is covered in layers of cobblestone and obsidian, you will have to navigate your way out and survive off the harsh wilderness. But you would be able to find more materials on your way out.

Further Lands: The World would be surrounded by generated Farlands, which would offer a unique challenge to player survival and exploration.

Another option I came up with is just a Spice of Life update: Change a few things, like animal behaviors, if you punch one cow, they all panic. Maybe some wolves you encounter won't want to be tamed. Maybe some monsters will pick fights with each other for no reason. I think that giving the mobs some variety in AI behaviors would definitely spice things up a little. You could also change some blocks a little bit, make fragile things like glass and ice break when hit with an arrow! Add some visual effects to blocks like diamond ore, or gold blocks, make them shine a little in the light! Add some alternatives, lead for iron, silver for gold, you can do all the same things with them, they just look different! There's no limit to the things one could do.

But hey, maybe they've got some plans for some of this stuff, idk. If anybody else's got any ideas I'd love to hear em'.

[simssimi]

Cottage living Legacy challenge

I have been playing #thesims4 for years and I really like the community that the game has created. However, when I searched for a legacy challenge for the new pack, I couldn't find any. So I tried my own hand at creating one. Here are the rules:

The main goal for the legacy challenge is that you start a farm, make it successful and keep it successful throughout 10 generations.

Main rules: 1. Each generation must be raised on the farm. 2. Every generation will have a specific goal, however the first five generations must quite their job and move back to the farm when their first child is born or when the previous generation dies, which ever comes first.

Lot challenges: Wild foxes, Simple living

With that let's get into the challenge:

Generation 1: The Founder

You are tired of city life and want to start fresh, so when you heard that your aunt left you her land in Henford-on-Bagley, you packed your bags and moved straight away. However, when you got there, you see that it is really just a piece of land. Now you have to start from scratch to make it a nice looking farm.

Packs needed: Cottage living

Aspiration: Country caretaker

Traits: Animal enthusiast, loner, vegetarian

Rules:

Move into the empty lot in Old New Henford.

Marry a sim with the outgoing trait.

Have four children (two sets of twins).

Complete the aspiration.

Have a good relationship with a cow, a llama and three chickens.

No jobs allowed! Live on the money the farm makes, or what you can make from your farm (Knitted things, soda, candles etc.).

Generation 2: The Artist

This generation must be a female heir.

You grew up on a farm, struggling to get by on the funds the farm makes, but during all the chaos, you found a love for painting. Your parents and siblings were very encouraging of you pursuing your dream, and with their blessing, you moved to the city to become a successful artist. However, one drunken night, you had a one night stand and got pregnant. You decided that you want to move back to the farm, so that your child can have the same loving childhood that you had.

Packs needed: City living

Aspiration: Painter extraordinaire

Traits: Creative, art lover, outgoing

Rules:

Complete the aspiration.

Master the painting skill.

Move to the city when you reach young adulthood.

Join the painter career when you move out.

Have a one night stand with a friend and get pregnant.

Move back to the farm when child is born.

Quite job.

Never get married.

Generation 3: The Jokester

You grew up without a father. To hide the hole in your heart you make jokes. People find you hilarious and you start to feel that this is what you were meant to do. Your mom, however, doesn't think that you should follow this path, because other comedians struggle to get by. You move to Willow Creek anyway. However, soon you realize that your mom was right and you move back with your new spouse.

Aspiration: Joke star, Successful lineage

Traits: Hot-headed, goofball, clumsy

Rules:

Move to Willow Creek when you are a young adult.

Master the comedy skill.

Meet and marry a sim with the gloomy trait.

Fail as a comedian.

Change the aspiration when you move back to the farm. (DO NOT COMPLETE THE JOKE STAR ASPIRATION.)

Quite job.

Have two children (have second child when the first child is a teen)

The next heir must be your first born.

Generation 4: The Academic

Your parent is a failed comedian and because of that you decided that you want to be prepared for what life gives you. So you decide to work hard and go to university. However, your roommate doesn't take university seriously and throws a party every single night. After a while your anger turns into love and you end up marrying the sim.

Packs needed: University

Aspiration: Academic

Traits: Bookworm, genius, perfectionist

Rules:

Sign up for university.

Master the research and debate skill.

Attend the University of Britechester.

Have a roommate with the bro trait.

Argue with roommate at least once a night.

Fall in love with roommate and marry him.

Complete half of the aspiration.

Move back to farm when you have your degree.

From here on, some generations would have outside businesses. These generations stay on the farm.

Generation 5: The Chef

You loved to cook together with your family and would love to become a world renown chef. With that, you practice your cooking skill everyday, in the hopes that one day you will have your own restaurant. You succeed, and your restaurant is the best in the world. Things could not be more perfect, but you feel very lonely. You worked so hard that you never stopped to look for a soul mate.

Packs needed: Dine out

Aspiration: Master Chef

Traits: Foodie, glutton, proper

Rules:

Cook together with your family every night from childhood.

Master the cooking and baking skill.

Meet a sim at the restaurant.

Have one child.

Have a successful restaurant.

Generation 6: The Serial Romantic

You know your parents met only after the family restaurant reached the top. You don't want that, however you also don't want to be tied to a sim for the rest of your life. You set out to be unmarried for the rest of your life. You start on your heartbreak journey when you are a teen and when you become a young adult it intensifies.

Aspiration: Serial romantic

Traits: Noncommittal, romantic, self assured

Rules:

Complete the aspiration.

Master the charisma skill.

Have three children with three different sims.

Let the children live with you.

Neglect your children.

Never get married.

Generation 7: The Animal lover

Your parents were never around while you were growing up. The only family that you had was your half siblings and your family pets. This is what makes you decide to become a veterinarian. You are thrilled when your grand parents restaurant is left to you and your siblings when they die and you decide to turn the rundown, once loved restaurant into an animal hospital.

Packs needed: Cats and Dogs

Aspiration: Friend of the animals

Traits: Gloomy, good, family orientated

Rules:

Complete the aspiration.

Master the vet skill.

Turn your grandparents' restaurant into a vet clinic when they die.

Marry a childhood friend.

Have twins.

Generation 8: The Photographer

You have always loved photography. When their was a photo opportunity, you were always there to snap the camera. So it would make sense that you become a photographer.

Packs needed: Moschino stuff pack

Aspiration: Friend of the world

Traits: Outgoing, active, cheerful

Rules:

Complete the aspiration.

Master the photography skill.

Join the freelance career as a photographer.

Fall in love and marry a model from one of your photoshoots.

Have two children.

Capture important moments in your family's lives and put it on the photo wall.

Generation 9: The Simstube Sensation

You grew up with a photographer as a parent and you love the way you can edit a photo to make it look perfect. Then you are introduced to the world of vlogging and you know that is what you want to do.

Packs needed: Get famous

Aspiration: World-famous celebrate

Traits: Jealous, self-absorbed, ambitious

Rules:

Complete the aspiration.

Master the media-production skill.

Start vlogging when you are a teenager.

Marry a sim that you met while out vlogging.

Post a video everyday.

Have one child.

Retire from vlogging when you become an elder.

Write an autobiography when you are an elder.

Generation 10: The Actor/Actress

You grew up with a famous parent and from really early on you knew you want that too, but you don't want to be a vlogger. You are going in with a bang. You decide to become an actor/actress. You also want to leave this farm life behind. It has been in your family for generations and it is time for a new start. You want to own the biggest house, best clothes, newest electronics etc. Materialistic much?

Packs needed: Get famous

Aspiration: Master actor/actress

Traits: Materialistic, snob, neat

Rules:

Complete the aspiration.

Master the acting, singing, guitar, piano, violin and charisma skill.

Start drama classes when you become a child.

Enter the acting career when you become a young adult.

Marry a fellow actor that is materialistic.

Move to Del Sol Valley with no looking back.

Own the biggest mansion.

I really hope that you enjoy this challenge. Share your families with me if you decide to do this challenge. ❤

[vinylanswer]

I love gimmicky records and this set of UK 7” singles for Duran Duran’s “The Wild Boys,” which debuted this week in 1984, is an excellent example—but gimmicks don’t happen by accident. They happen to make money, period. In this case, it was to ensure a song that the band spent a month recording and more than $1 million on its video would become a hit, despite the fact that it is unconventional compared to most top-40 of the era and relatively tuneless. In the UK, that meant they released the single with a new cover five weeks in a row so that teenagers would go buy it again each time, artificially helping keep it at the top of the charts. Accordingly, the covers are unabashed pin-up fare, no matter how well art-directed they were. There was a lot riding on this song—not merely the cost of recording it—as the track was the lynchpin of a massive marketing campaign. The group was at the zenith of its popularity and had just finished a US tour, so the single was tacked on to a live album, Arena, released for fall, 1984. The single would power sales of Arena, which in turn would power home video sales of a concert film, as well as a documentary on the film’s making, plus a documentary on the tour itself, a board game (of course), and other memorabilia. No stone was left unturned in finding products to milk the proverbial cow just a little more. This was an amazing bit of marketing, but it all hinged on the single doing well—and the single, though well-known even today, simply isn’t very good. You can hear the band’s creativity running on fumes due to them being overworked; the song is really an exercise in production rather than songwriting. They had done better in the past and they would again soon enough (their James Bond theme, released the following spring and similarly recorded in the clutch, is far better), but to make this a hit, gimmicky records were as close as their record label could get to insurance—and clearly the gambit worked.

[onestowatch]

JW Francis Follows the Feeling on ‘WANDERKID’ [Q&A]

Following a summer on the Appalachian Trail and a string of blissful singles, New York's very own JW Francis has finally released his sophomore album WANDERKID. The artist's unapologetic persona shines through as he tells candid stories of the people who come in and out of his life, even if just for a moment.

The tracks on WANDERKID were written before Francis hit the trail. Opening with "John, Take Me With You," listeners are met with warped, pop guitar layers and heavily saturated vocals singing, "John, take me away! John, take me with you!" The melodic theme from the opening track seeps into the second, a looping and lighthearted song called "I Love You." The percussion transforms into a tight snare, tom hits, light percussive sounds, and a kick you feel in your gut. There are also pulsating analog synths layers that carry the melodic theme forward. 

The rest of the album is full of sonic twists and turns that ultimately lead to the record's finale "Cars," easily a personal favorite. "Cars" is a downtempo, reflective closing track that uses a fast tremolo on the guitar lines, picking out a captivating melody. Supported by guest vocals provided by rising indie darling Margeaux, Francis ends the album with a soft fade-out, leaving listeners wanting more.

Overall, with its thematic tone, complex structure, and Sahil Ansari's impeccable production and mixing, WANDERKID is a cohesive body of work that should be on everyone's radar. We had the opportunity to discuss the record further with the artist and gain further insight into his inspirations and creative journey.

Ones to Watch: Do you feel like the record is one story with a beginning and end, or do you feel like it's more of an anthology, with each telling song its own story?

JW Francis: I feel like as an emotional ride, the record is one story with a beginning and an end. Hopefully, you can feel it in the energy of the first track and the emotional send-off of the last track. Sahil (my producer) and I always try to make it one cohesive ride that you can close your eyes and float to.

Were all of these songs written and recorded before or during the pandemic? 

All the recording was done pre-pandemic, actually! We were very lucky in that respect. All the mixing and milling over the record was done during the pandemic. It was a very nice distraction to escape into.

What or who inspires you, and how did that manifest in this album? 

NYC is inspiring. My mom and dad are inspiring. My friends are inspiring. Everything in my life is always pulling me towards the next thing, and I'm just trying to keep up with the feeling. For this record, I felt pulled towards another life, away from the comfort of my job and living with my best friend. So I recorded the record, then quit my job and left NYC. You have to follow the feeling.

Each of your music videos has this vibrant energy that retains a sense of novelty. How did you develop the concepts for your music videos, and do you have a favorite shoot from this album cycle?

A lot of the music videos are collaborations with friends where we bounce ideas off of each other. For the first record, I had specific ideas for nearly every song. For this one, I wanted to know what other people were seeing when they heard the track. For example, Clayton McCracken, who did the "WANDERKID" video, had the idea of filming with a 360 camera and plopping me into all the places I've lived. My favorite shoot, though, would have to be "Holy Mountain," which I made with my cousin Ryan because it features so much of my family.

Which video was the most challenging to shoot or conceptually execute?

Definitely the "WANDERKID" video. Not that it was challenging for me, Clayton just asked me to get a 360 camera and gave me a list of shots to get. When I saw the finished product, though, I was like, "Holy cow, he put a lot of work into this."

What song is your favorite and your least favorite on the record? Why?

My favorite song on the album is usually the last one because that one is always different. This time it's "Cars." It's a little duet with one of my favorite artists, Margaux. It's such a sweet song.

I don't really have a least favorite, but it would be "Holy Mountain" if I had to choose it, because it's the oldest song on the album. It used to be a song about strawberries. I still love it, though.

What's your process like when it comes to songwriting? Is it a tried-and-true method or something that developed over time?

I tend to accumulate lots of musical ideas in the voice memos on my phone. A lot of them in the middle of the night. Eventually, I sit down at a computer and try to figure what I was singing about.

Do you have a favorite lyric or a line from the album that resonates with you when you sing it? 

There's a line on "Cars" that goes, "I cannot drive." Which is something I actually cannot do. Never driven in my life. I didn't think it was a big deal until I went out on the Appalachian Trail and thought about all of the things I've never done. As soon as I got back, I booked a driver's test.

Can you tell me why you went with WANDERKID as the album's name? 

It actually was one of those "all of a sudden" moments I can't explain. I wrote WANDERKID on a piece of paper, looked at it, and was like, "Yeah, that's it."

[technobladetimestamps]

Dec 3 Stream Timestamps

Timestamps from Technoblade’s “a new home [dream SMP]”

Link to my youtube comment with all of the timestamps x

Timestamps with hyperlinks below

01:26  “I just did a 70 second intro with my mic off” / “It’s ya boi Technoblade” 05:14  “Philza joined the server! What a fortuitous coincidence” 07:22  server looked good for a week 8:56  Tommy joining vc and being annoying / “Dream owns this server. I’ve never said I have the most subscribers” / “You’re speaking a lot of trash for someone who is 99% getting exiled tomorrow” 10:21  really wants to kill Tommy / kills Tommy / “Mexico is now canon” / wall is so ugly / “I find you so annoying” “Hearing that from you Tommy is the best” 11:53  Tommy trying to roleplay but getting every fact wrong / “We made the crater 5% deeper I am the true criminal of that stream” / “You go ahead and prove me wrong about that speech Tommy” / Tommy is Phil’s new neighbor / “My condolences” 14:00  “If I could kill you I would...maybe I could talk you into killing yourself” “In a video game” / recruiting Phil to help him move 16:57  “God I look good in that photo though” 18:17  agreed to take a plot break / “I take a week of and suddenly they’re on the brink of war” / Tommy starts problems 19:31  Ghostbur joins vc / makes a string axe / “They’re gonna put me in the failed crafting compilation” / “The server is cursed” / “The amnesiac is flexing his memory on me” 22:00  4/4 sleepy bois / “Me and Ghostbur go way back” 25:08  “You’re telling me [government] isn’t coming between you and all of your friendships right now” “That’s because of Dream” “Blame someone else” 30:47  “Tomminnit is only like 700k subscribers away I’m getting scared” 34:41  sneaking into L’Manberg for blaze powder 43:55  “WE have natural predators, everything wants to kill us” 47:19  “I think the reason people picked glowsquid is because they were afraid of another annoying mob getting @dded like phantoms” / “Hubert is off limits 48:50  vc with Tubbo / “I stay up all night thinking of cool things I can do on Dream SMP and then I realize I have to do a stream in 5 hours” / lying about not moving / wanted posters 52:44  “Not everyone hates you, they just want you dead or alive” / rain is back / Jesus could walk on rain / “My career is over” 56:17  Tubbo trying to explain how leap years interfere / “mmm 5 hours of sleep mmm” / Ghostbur joins vc / Mexican L’Manberg / “We have to ban some people...from building” 59:09  “We’re making you drugs” “He’s going back to his roots” / explaining the sellout timer / Tubbo is not aware of what his cabinet does 1:03:59  his brother named the cow Bob 1:07:32  “I’m a tactical genius! I’m so wise” / barely used his palace in smp earth so he decided to go smaller this time / compass for Phil 1:11:44  "The start of a new era... I could not control the hearts of men" 1:15:11  Tubbo's pickaxe 1:21:54  Bedwars nostalgia and potential reaction video 1:25:47  Plot summary 1:27:32  Second monitor 1:28:40  Unopened packages 1:29:51  Sony Vegas free trial 1:31:42  Plot video/video integrity 1:37:54  Tommy and endscreen statistics 1:38:02  Tommy character development 1:40:15  Ten-noblade 1:42:30  Not a traitor just an anarchist 1:44:39  "I'll save you Ph1lza!" 1:46:22  "There was a lot of killing" 1:47:59  TECHNO WRITER 1:56:01  Second monitor and new desk 1:57:00  manager/no breakfast/sleep 1:58:40  subscriber statistics 2:01:07  YouTube should sign Techno/eat IRL 2:06:35  3 foods a year / restaurants should be using streamers to advertise 2:09:10  asking for the emeralds back / putting the art back up 2:11:42  don’t insult anime Techno or art twitter will cry 2:13:47  Fossilnet’s love of Carl / exclusive Carl video 2:15:44  complaining about Puffy returning his horse / secret collaborator 2:18:31  hungry / “No one has it harder than us...Dream SMP streamers”  2:20:01  “boring writer” / “Tommy is getting exiled so hard”  2:26:54  tnt collection / chat spa.mming E  2:29:04  exp farm / spiders killed stats / not using creative mode 2:31:26  trying to stop Tommy from catching up / being more productive / Tommy’s twitch viewerbase is too big 2:33:04  SBI streamer house / Kristen can join / ideas for more streams 2:35:18  “If the turtles had netherite armor they’d be wearing it too” / “Masterchief fishing”