#variation on a million bucks

[mariocki]

Man in a Suitcase: Variation on a Million Bucks - Part Two (1.5, ITC, 1967)

"So, money and women make fools of us all. Which is making an idiot of you, Mr. McGill?"

"Both."

"Then you are twice damned."

[carcrash429]

there's just something so great about Natasha + Bucky + the concept of names

Natalia and Yasha if they knew each other in the red room of course but I also love when she calls him James

be that because Steve introduces him as Bucky but BUCKY hasn't said that name is okay to use (which is done really well in several fics)

OR because she thinks Bucky is too unserious of name (which I literally just wrote into my current WIP lmao)

[rikerssexblouse]

Oh my God, Rikerssexblouse! That salamander embroidery is just stunning!

Did you do it freehand? Or did you have some kind of instruction because if I wanted to take up embroidery before - I now need to do it! 😂🦎💕

Thank you! It was not freehand, and this was actually my first attempt doing one that wasn’t out of a kit. Before this I’d only bought kits on amazon or Etsy, which is nice because you get everything you need, plus instructions. But for a while I’ve wanted to do something of my own design, but I hadn’t quite figured out how. So since it would have been useful for me when I was trying to figure this out, I’m going to explain the whole process. And to be clear, I’m just figuring this out, so maybe people have other strategies, but it worked for me.

First, I took a screenshot of the salamander babies poking out of the hole and opened it up in Procreate. I am not at all experienced with Procreate (my 9 year old is better with Procreate than I am), but I created a second layer, and then drew on the second layer to outline the image. That looked like this:

Then I hid the layer with the screenshot, so you only saw the outline. It looked like this:

Then I printed it out.

Michaels has little squares of fabric for embroidery, so I bought two of those, one white and one purple.

It’s probably overpriced for the amount of fabric you get? But it’s a very convenient size for one embroidery project and it’s just two bucks.

But then I had to transfer the pattern to the fabric. This meant that I had to lay the fabric on the printoff and trace it with a special pen. I used this one.

It’s water soluble, so you can rinse the marks right out when you are done.

The problem I ran into, was that the purple was much too dark to see through to be able to trace, so I had to use the white (I just thought the purple would be more fun but dark colors won’t work well with this strategy). Then I was just filling in the shapes from my pattern. After I was done, I took it out of the hoop, rinsed it in water to rinse away the blue pen marks, pressed it between towels overnight, then put it back on the hoop and tied it up the back.

I think figuring out what stitches to use were might actually be the hardest part. It’s a combination of your vision/creativity and just enough experience with the stitches that you can visualize what they will look like. I used satin stitches (to fill in the big spaces like the salamander babies’ faces and the rocks), lazy daisy stitches (the nostrils), stem stitches (for the outlines), and about a thousand million french knots (the moss). Oh and straight stitches for the letters.

The salamander babies’ heads were hard, because I had to work around the spots and eyes and everything. The hole might be the part I’m most proud of, because my plan to give it depth actually worked. Instead of doing a satin stitch to fill it in smooth, I did straight stitches and arranged them directionally (into the middle and then down) to try to give it shape so you could see how the the hole goes down into the ground. I also used a little gray in between the black to give it some dimension.

The french knots that made up the knots aren’t particularly hard (although I do suggest finding a YouTube video to see how to do it, I could NOT figure it out from written instructions when I first started) but it used up SO MUCH more thread than I ever anticipated. Doing a kit, you get everything you need, but I didn’t know what I needed. Whoops. So I had some last minute panic about running out of thread (literally the night before Threshold Day). So a lot of the color variation is a matter of necessarily rather than my plan. But it worked out well.

If you look closely, the moss on the left has a lot more color variation than the moss on the right, and that is because I was running out of thread. But it’s not too noticeable (hopefully). I do love how the moss looks though! French knots are usually used for little details, but the mass of them gives it so much texture. I love it.

I will say, if you are trying it for the first time, don’t start by doing your own design. Follow a kit and figure out what you are doing first. And don’t be afraid to look up YouTube videos when you can’t figure out how to do something. Video is a MUCH better teacher than words can ever be, in this context. But at the same time, there really isn’t anything that difficult about embroidery. You mostly just have to be patient. I find it quite relaxing.

[mynightingalecomplex]

Man in a Suitcase - Whump List

1x01 Sweet Sue Hit on head, unconscious. Rough fight, sore and wincing

1x03 Blind Spot Fist fight (not hurt), held at gunpoint. Shot at, sprained ankle, limping briefly.

1x04 Jigsaw Man Beaten, raspy voice. Sore, holding his ribs, wincing

1x05 The Boston Square Fight, knocked out and thrown in water. Wakes up coughing, sore, swollen lip.

1x07 Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins? Hit with chair

1x10 Dead Man's Shoes Gilson: shot in the arm, weak, hunted. McGill: Beaten up, bleeding from head wound, holding side

1x11 Castle in the Clouds Hit in the head, punched. Rubbing head.

1x12 Night Flight to Andorra Punched in the stomach.

1x13 The Revolutionaries Wakes up, holding head. Punched in the stomach, slapped

1x14 Man From the Dead Beaten, dizzy, bloody face

1x15 All That Glitters Punched in the stomach, fight. Shot in the shoulder, recovering in hospital.

1x16 The Bridge Jumps in water, cold, shivering. Fight, knocked out. Holding head, moving stiffly.

1x17 Find the Lady Exhausted, fist fight

1x18 Brainwash knocked out, kidnapped, drugged. Shot left shoulder

1x19 Web with Four Spiders Hit on head, knocked out, thrown out of moving car

1x20 Essay in Evil Knocked out, tied up, thrown around

1x21 The Whisper Knocked out, difficulty standing, dizzy, holding head

1x22 Why They Killed Nolan Knocked out

1x23 Burden of Proof Captured, tied to chair, beaten repeatedly

1x24 Who's Mad Now? fistfight

1x25 Which Way Did He Go, McGill? hit on head, knocked out

1x26 Three Blinks of the Eyes Arrested, escape. Slapped, fist fight

1x27 No Friend of Mine Ambushed, hit on head with gun. Staggering, dizzy, holding head

1x29 Variation on a Million Bucks Part 1 beaten, knocked out

1x30 Variation on a Million Bucks Part 2 (best whump I’ve seen in this genre) Stabbed in the shoulder, weak, hit on head. Staggering. Bleeds through sweater, collapses. Delirious, fever. Weak and dizzy for rest of episode. Shot at, collapses. Tackled, in hospital

[addisonacres]

That's a wrap.

2023 is on its death bed and I'm both happy and sad about that. Personally, this year has sucked on so many levels and for so many of my loved ones. But four months ago I published my first title under Addison Acres and so my foray into the world of M/M publishing began.

It has not been easy. It was a hell of a learning curve, and I still feel out of my depth some days. It's hard bloody work. I work full-time and I also study part-time so it's not like I can sit and write all day (as much as I wish I could). I needed to take the leap though because if I kept on saying 'I just don't have the time' then it was never going to happen.

I've published 2 shorts and a novella on Smashwords and I think I've done okay with them. To date I've sold 768 copies. Yes, some of them have been freebies (Draft2Digital counts those in total books sold) but hey, I'm pretty happy with those numbers. Have I made millions of dollars? Pfft, no. Have I made thousands? Yeah, nah. But I've made a about $700USD so far.

Yeah, I don't have a problem talking about stuff like this. I know a lot of people are very hush hush about money but one thing I've discovered coming into this gig is that there's very little data to measure against. Who knows if this means I've been successful? I fucking don't! But maybe another indie author will see this and go 'Hey, that's similar to what I managed' or 'I made more than that so I'm doing really well!'. So yeah, I'm happy to throw out my figures if it'll help someone else. I'm not raking in the cash, and I haven't had my first title become a crazy best-seller and I'm suddenly playing with the big kids. I'm still very much a baby in this industry, finding my way.

Ultimately, yes I got into this publishing gig to make a few extra bucks. The cost of living has sky-rocketed and my job does not pay well. I adore it though so I needed to do something to supplement what I make. This isn't going to pay off my mortgage but it's paid for a new water pump for our rainwater tank and a delivery of hay for the alpacas. I've also re-invested some of my royalties into my writing. I've purchased the Atticus software and I got a bundle of photos from Depositphotos to use for book covers.

There's still a lot I need to do. I have yet to set up a newsletter, which is much to my detriment. I feel like I need to have a NL magnet first (which is the term used for a free story readers get when they sign up for your newsletter). I feel like no one will sign up for nothing so I've not set one up yet, but I have no idea what to write for the magnet...

I've been doing a lot of promo work on FB with joining release parties and giveaways but it's hard work. The marketing side of things takes up a lot of time, which yeah, I don't have a lot of. I did set up an Instagram account but I've hardly used it as it's very, very full on and I haven't really had the spoons. I know I need to invest more time in that, and I will try in the New Year but we'll see how full the cutlery drawer is first.

I also made the choice to do Tumblr instead of Tik Tok. Probably a very stupid choice since BookTok is huge and people get a lot of exposure on there. Why didn't I? Well, firstly, I'm really not very good at making videos and editing them. It's so very time consuming. Secondly, I like Tumblr. Is it a dumpster fire? Yes. Am I a bin chicken masquerading as a human? You betcha. So, yeah, I feel comfortable here. But I know I need to invest in more time here also.

Anyway, next year is a new year. I am currently working on a project that I've told no one about because I feel if I do, I will jinx myself and my motivation will fuck off to the moon. So, there is something in the works for publishing maybe in February. I'll be looking for beta readers once I've gotten it finished so if you're interested, hit me up.

I've also created a new logo because I haven't really done that and I figured I really should. I've made 4 variations to use for different situations and I really like it. It's pretty.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. Just wanted to do a little wrap up for the year and to prove that I'm not dead lol

Enjoy the final days of 2023 and I shall catch you all on the flip side.

[shortformblog]

The Game Genie’s Great Gift 🎮

It was more than just a way to cheat. The Game Genie was a gateway to remix culture that we’re seeing amplified with ChatGPT.

So, I do this thing where I publish a shorter version of Tedium on different outlets like Substack and LinkedIn. I call it Lesser Tedium, and I’m going to try it here. If you like it, subscribe to Tedium here. If you think it sucks, leave an angry comment, so I feel the depth of your anger.

In many ways, the Game Genie broke through gamer culture in ways very similar to the reasons that people use tools like ChatGPT—not for its intended use case, but to see if they can break it.

Developed in the late 1980s by the British firm Codemasters and sold in the U.S. by the toy company Galoob, the device in its various forms became a $140 million juggernaut, something that players used to make it easy to survive another round of Battletoads or make it past jumps that otherwise might have seemed impossible.

The Game Genie, of course, was a pass-through tool that essentially modified address registers of 8-bit and 16-bit video games. It was not the first tool of its type—that honor goes to the Action Replay, an earlier device which also had the ability to save states into memory. (That inspired a weird device for the Nintendo 64.)

But the Game Genie, in many ways, was an early harbinger of what was to come with internet culture, particularly around remixes. The device was at the center of a 1992 appeals court ruling that found, essentially, that modifications of a piece of software were allowed as long as the original copyright was kept intact.

“The Game Genie merely enhances the audiovisual displays (or underlying data bytes) that originate in Nintendo game cartridges,” the Ninth Circuit court ruling in Lewis Galoob Toys vs. Nintendo of America states. “The altered displays do not incorporate a portion of a copyrighted work in some concrete or permanent form.”

In a world where so much of our software relies on slight changes and modifications—remixes, if you will—this was a big deal. It allowed for changes to the way things were built. If this decision hadn’t been made, imagine the number of things we’d have out there that couldn’t be remixed.

In many ways, the Game Genie did for software what the sampler did for music—it created new ways of thinking about the things we already owned.

We are now seeing some of the more extreme variations of that with large language models, which are taking this mindset even further.

But they just aren’t as fun as messing with a Game Genie.

» Wanna learn more? Check out my 2015 piece discussing the Game Genie, as well as David Buck’s 2018 take on Codemasters. The Game Genie is one of my favorite devices ever.

[titansmegee]

How I Won The Lottery...... Or Maybe Not

Protect yourself from scams promising you lottery winnings although you have never bought a ticket. Do not get found out in these scams and always be suspicious

I must be the most fortunate person on the planet. In the beyond three days I found out I won 1.5 Million Euros in the UK lottery, How I Won The Lottery...... Or Maybe Not Articles One Million Euros in the Winx International Lottery, 1.5 Million Euros in the 2007 Email Lottery, and 500,000 Pounds in an email lottery held by the Coca Cola Company.

Wow! How did I get every one of these wealth? The miserable truth is there are actually people who succumb to these plans. For the promise of a fast buck (or million Euros by and large) people will turn over their financial balance numbers, wire money in the hopes of getting more back, or give other information that could prompt data fraud. These lottery and sweepstakes plans have gone on long before the web, with one of the oldest being the phony sweepstakes which required an extra charge to guarantee your prize, which amounted to more than the "prize" was worth.

Another variation of that plan was requiring the potential "winner" to call a specific number to see whether the person was a winner. The phone refer to cost the potential as "winner" a specific amount each moment with an unusually-long stand by time on hold. The genuine winner was the scamming company which brought in money off the phone calls.Today's cheats have a wide choice of scam-delivery components, remembering for person, the mail, phone and web. However, similar holds genuine no matter how the scam is conveyed: assuming it sounds too good to be valid, it is.

How Might You at any point Recognize the Lottery or Sweepstakes Scam?There are surely genuine lotteries and sweepstakes offers. Who hasn't bought a state or multi-state lottery ticket from their local lottery retailer? Or, who hasn't seen one of those sweepstakes offered by a recognized company publicizing in the coupon section of the Sunday paper? You finish up the section form or reasonable copy (usually a 3"x5" card) with your name and address and send it off.Therein is your greatest piece of information regarding whether you're the survivor of a scam. In a genuine lottery or sweepstakes you have bought the ticket or entered your name and address. In a scam lottery or sweepstakes you are notified you've won when you haven't even entered or bought a ticket.In addition, it's against the law to use the mail or telephone to play lotteries across borders, whether national or state lines.

Any lottery offer involving the acquisition of lottery tickets for other state or country lotteries could wind up with you being accused of criminal operations. One ploy used by foreign scammers involving lotteries or sweepstakes is offering you an "advance" on your winnings. The scam craftsman will send you a check for part of your "winnings." You should simply wire them payment for "charges" or other official purposes.

[adultswim2021]

Space Ghost Week

Space Ghost Coast to Coast #68: “Waiting for Edward” | December 25, 1998 | S05E11

Ending the season on an episode that’s just fine. Denis Leary joins the Ghost with his acerbic brand of being a jerk. Denis plays it roughly how you’d expect, by acting very CYNICAL. He’s a cool guy who speaks his mind, and you gotta respect that. 

I’m a little at odds with myself, because I’m pretty sure that the first time I saw this I literally thought Denis Leary was ACTUALLY VERY FUNNY AND COOL. I still appreciate him on some level; he does embody a very 90s ‘tude that is generally “my bag”. In fact I bet you a million space bucks that I at one time or another referred to this as one of my favorite episodes just because it has Denis Leary in it. I really was that much of a loser. But I’ve grown up.* I’ve changed.**  Nowadays I just wish he would stop smoking and ranting, I got school in the morning, sheesh! I

This one starts with a very long “Waiting.” title card intro. I’ve been told that this episode aired with different variations where the music that plays during it is changed out. I remember one time noticing that in the program schedule for this episode they actually added “(version B)” to the episode title. I think Kon, who knows and is actually very good friends with Space Ghost, told me that it meant there was different music, and that it was on purpose. I think. He’ll correct me.

 I have to tell you something: I recently downloaded the Superjail episode “Superbar” as-aired as part of it’s stealth premiere on April Fools Day 2008. It was a “fine cut” version that wasn’t final, and it had the “Waiting.” title card at the start of it. Was “Waiting.” some kind of genuine internal Cartoon Network thing that played before the episodes instead of a more traditional countdown lead-in or production slate or whatever? 

This one also ends with, instead of an episode number, a little bug in the corner that designates this episode as belonging to the “100 series”. To this day, I don’t know what that means. When I was just watching these on TV in random order I assumed they actually had reached 100 episodes and decided not to count them after that. I was wrong, and I’m still baffled by it. In my comic “Early Conan” (which I’m not linking to because the web hosting is about to expire and I’m gonna move it somewhere else eventually) I actually included a “100 series” reference when I hit strip 100.

Notable moment run-down: the very long “Waiting” intro being interrupted briefly with footage of Space Ghost with Zorak on his shoulders, doing something mysterious. Zorak telling Leary that he’s seen all of his movies and that he didn’t think any of them were very good.  Moltar trying to get Space Ghost to say “nice jacket, Fonzie” to Denis. Denis dismissively telling Space Ghost that he only agreed to be on the show because his kids like it, and Space Ghost singing the line back “so the feelings of your stupid kids are more important than mine”. Space Ghost’s spit-take gag turning everyone red. Appearances from Brak and Lokar, who hasn’t been seen in a while. 

There’s also an appearance from the Cartoon Gang, who did somewhat lengthy interstitials between shows on Cartoon Network. It was just a group of kids discussing cartoons. They weren’t too beloved, and they seemed like the product of a craven attempt to be more outwardly kid-friendly by putting real kids on camera. I didn’t really remember them at all, but for some reason I have strong memories of Evan Dorkin hilariously bad-mouthing them during a Space Ghost commentary track. In their thankfully brief segment, Space Ghost bores them to tears about “saving Christmas” and then yells at them for being layabouts. Christmas gets a special thanks in the credits. Hilarious. Hey, when did this air, anyway? I don’t feel like looking up.

That closes out another Space Ghost Week. We’ve only got one more Space Ghost Week for classic Ghost, then I’ll probably do another one covering the dreaded GameTap episodes. Until next time, uh… I can’t think of a Space Ghost reference to put here. Oh well.

*I have not grown up. **I have not changed.

MAIL BAG

Tonight we resume our Adult Swim programming. Yippee! Here are a bunch of SG Mail Bags:

it's a line from the smash hit mario movie. don't read the trades much, do ya?

I’m afraid I don’t believe you that Merrill Markoe’s dead dog Lewis is in the Mario Movie and that they say “Lewis Lectures here we come!”. I’m willing to be wrong about this, though.

its hard to explain how cool kevin smith was to people who were too old or too young to be there.

He’s simply too weird for words nowadays. But man, the run of Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy was gigantic if you were an easily-impressed teenager who liked indie movies in the 1990s. I sorta admire him for trying new-ish things after that though. I Stan Tusk.

Meeting!

(doing the three stooges “hello” thing) (Jason Mewes, revealed to be napping at Kevin Smith’s feet during his Space Ghost interview) “heh-leoh”

any tips for anyone looking into getting into space ghost?

I can see how it might be tough getting to Space Ghost; especially since younger people might not be able to latch onto it for various reasons. Saying to check out episodes based on the guests can backfire, and I’m sure some viewers consider all the guests to be impossibly ancient.

I got into Space Ghost by seeing whatever episodes were on randomly. References to other episodes would pique my interest and they’d pay off later when I finally got to them.

At some point I’ll probably produce a list of best episodes of Space Ghost, but I won’t right now. You could do worse just finding random “best episodes” lists or sorting one on IMDB.

If you’re the type of person who compulsively starts with a full chronological watch-through regardless of the advice you receive saying to do otherwise, I’d say do this: get whatever you can get your hands on (DVDs, torrent, streaming [it’s getting yanked from HBOMax soon]) and just go with that even if it’s missing stuff. Fill in the gaps later. Please know that the early episodes might not be the funniest things ever, but this is also one of the rare comedies that actually gets funnier as it goes along. There’s going to be references you don’t get, There’s still stuff about the show I don’t understand, either. 

This might be unorthodox but: Maybe watch the episodes or seasons in backwards order? That’s actually probably a very good idea. Okay, yeah, actually, just do that.

[brioso123]

Which Makeup is Best for Maharashtrian Wedding - Airbrush/HD Makeup?

A Maharashtrian wedding is one of the most enjoyable weddings among the various cultures of India because it is also full of color and fun rituals that bring the whole event to life. The Maharashtrian bride is getting married this season, you will likely have a lot to do before the big day. Self-care and handling all makeup looks for different occasions are undoubtedly high on your priority. 

Let’s make it easy by hiring the Best Makeup Artist in Pune. They help you to manage all your makeup and use makeup that is long-lasting. You don’t need to put in extra effort to complete your bridal glam look. So you just enjoy your wedding function. After all, on one of the most important days of your life, you want to look like a million bucks.

A classic Nath (nose ring) and crescent moon bindi define the classic Maharashtrian bridal look, which is complemented with Airbrush and HD makeup for indoor and outdoor. To help you with your bridal makeup, we have compiled the essential makeup guide you need to achieve the perfect Marathi makeup.

A Few Tips and Tricks for a Bride from Maharashtra

1. Hairstyle 

A traditional Maharashtrian bride typically wears her hair in an Ambada with different accessories, a neat and simple bun that makes her look unquestionably regal. As a result, we recommend that you stick to your traditional hairstyle. To add a personal touch, you can make several variations, such as a braided bun or a plaited bun, or different bun accessories, that will look great with your Maharashtrian saree and add a twist to your traditional look.

2. Makeup 

Makeup depends entirely on the look and your skin tone. Airbrush and HD makeup is the best for wedding makeup. If you have oily skin then airbrush makeup is best otherwise HD makeup also gives you a flawless look with intricate embellishments. You can choose between Airbrush and HD makeup. Always listen to the opinion of Professional Makeup Experts on the subject.

3. Outfit 

The traditional outfit adds some extra beauty to your look. Choose the best outfit that goes with the Maharashtrian look. Also if you hire a makeup artist then they will help and suggest what outfit is best for your overall look. 

Which Makeup is Best for a Wedding

Choosing a makeup artist who can make you look gorgeous on your wedding day is really important, but there is something much more important - the makeup technique he/she will use.

Brides all over the world opt for Airbrush or HD makeup that gives you the best look and stunning appearance. This makeup is for all wedding functions. These new makeup techniques leave no blemishes and look amazing on camera.

What are Airbrush and HD Makeup?

The technique for applying both Airbrush bridal makeup and HD bridal makeup is different. HD makeup is applied with high-end HD products that are designed to scatter light on the skin, making it look softer and prettier. Whereas Airbrush makeup requires an applicator brush to apply a layer over light makeup. Airbrush makeup uses a free-hand technique to manipulate distance and pressure to create specific effects and reach. When the trigger is pressed, a fine mist of foundation covers the face for a flawless finish, and the makeup blends seamlessly with the skin.

Which Skin Type HD Makeup is Suitable 

This makeup technique is suitable for all skin types, as it makes makeup more natural than layering. If you're looking for a soft focus and non-dramatic look, then HD Makeup is perfect for you.

Which Skin Type Airbrush Makeup is Suitable 

This makeup technique works wonders for brides with oily skin as the products used are silicone based and stay in place for a long time. However, if you have drier skin, airbrush makeup might not be the best option for you. This type of makeup begins to flake much more easily on dry skin. Because airbrush makeup is waterproof, it is not as creamy as a traditional foundation, according to makeup artists. As a result, it is not suitable for dry skin. This is also an expensive method and you may need to budget.

Conclusion

The MUA's tell you which is the best makeup in HD and Airbrush makeup, though. It depends on you and your makeup artist for your Maharashtrian wedding look, learn about her experience and make sure it matches what you want. They'll wrap up this blog with the key takeaways that will help you decide between Airbrush and HD Makeup.

The MUA's skill is crucial to both HD and Airbrush makeup, though. Before hiring a Makeup Artist for your wedding, learn about her background and make sure it matches what you're looking for.

[mariocki]

Mike Pratt makes a fleeting appearance as Detective Sergeant Peters, investigating a double shooting (and getting nothing from McGill) in Man in a Suitcase: Variation on a Million Bucks - Part One (1.4, ITC, 1967)

[curatedattire]

The Blueprint for a Signature Look Crafting Your Own Style Uniform

You might be wondering, "What the heck is a style uniform?" Well, buckle up, because I'm about to break it down for you.

Picture this: You open your closet, and instead of staring at a chaotic mishmash of colors, patterns, and styles, you're greeted by a curated collection of pieces that seamlessly complement each other. That, my friends, is the power of a style uniform.

So, what exactly is a style uniform? It's essentially a signature look or a set of go-to outfits that reflect your personal style DNA. Think of it as your fashion playbook - a foolproof guide to looking effortlessly cool without breaking a sweat.

Now, why should you bother creating a style uniform? Well, for starters, it streamlines your wardrobe. No more agonizing over what to wear in the morning or spending hours wandering aimlessly through clothing racks. With a style uniform, getting dressed becomes a breeze. You know exactly what works for you, which means less time wasted and more time slaying the style game.

But wait, there's more! A style uniform also simplifies the shopping process. Instead of being lured in by flashy trends or impulse buys, you can focus on investing in pieces that complement your existing wardrobe. Every purchase becomes a strategic move, adding value to your style arsenal and ensuring that you get the most bang for your buck.

Now, you might be thinking, "But won't a style uniform make me look boring or repetitive?" Au contraire, my friend. A style uniform is all about consistency, not monotony. It's about finding what works for you and owning it with confidence. Whether you're rocking a classic suit and tie combo or a laid-back jeans and t-shirt ensemble, it's the subtle variations and personal touches that set you apart from the crowd.

So, how do you go about creating your own style uniform? It's simple, really. Start by identifying your signature pieces - those go-to items that make you feel like a million bucks every time you wear them. Then, build your wardrobe around them, adding complementary pieces that enhance your overall look.

And remember, your style uniform is just that - yours. Don't be afraid to experiment, mix things up, and make it your own. After all, fashion is all about self-expression, so embrace your individuality.

Keep Curating

[mynightingalecomplex]

Man in a Suitcase 1x29 & 1x30 “Variation on a Million Bucks pts 1 & 2″

Available on Prime Video in May 2023 and on Daily Motion

[thelibrarian1895]

#Luthor is new money#especially when compared to#the Waynes who were probably exiled from whatever country to the New World back in like the 1600s#and stayed wealthy#I like to think that the Waynes#might be the oldest money family in America#or one of the oldest#founding family of Gotham but all the others went bankrupt between then and now

Agreed about Waynes being oldest money family in America, will add that if they go past their American roots I will claim that they were still old money in previous countries even when they actively tried to not have money. The Universe will not allow the Wayne family to be poor and Bruce is trying so, so hard to be at least just a millionaire instead of a billionaire. It's not working. The harder Bruce tries, the more the Universe laughs.

Gotham loves New Money families. New money families generally have no idea about the scams in Gotham. They don't know how to handle Gotham, which is why they pay the Big Bucks for Gotham bodyguards who all inexplicably seem to have ninja training, since New Money wants to be in Gotham for about a month every year to prove they have Made It in the social scene. They want to prove they're rich enough to be able to hire Gotham bodyguards and to be able to handle losing money in Gotham and still be ridiculously rich. It's become a bit like the social Season in regency England. Best place to find a wealthy spouse from a wealthy family? Gotham. If you get something stolen by Cat Woman then the object becomes 200% more valuable if it's ever found again. There are so many insurance scams staged not just to get the money but to prove your taste in fancy things was so amazing that Cat Woman or some other rogue took your stuff. There's always a spike of interest in a book that was involved in one of Riddler's crimes and the Riddler actually gets advanced copies of a lot of books sent to Arkham with the hopes that they'll feature in his next crime. Gold diggers love Gotham. Artists who hope for patrons, or to have the Right Gotham rogue interested enough in their stuff to steal something making it valuable to the 1%, love Gotham.

However, no one wants Luthor in Gotham, not because he's "new money". No one in Gotham wants Luthor in Gotham because he's Luthor. Gothamites in general 100% believe that Luthor will drag his beef with Superman into Gotham and no one wants that. They already deal with gas attacks on the regular, super vines tearing down buildings that were built over endangered species of plants or have some sort of problem with them that's made Poison Ivy mad, or bombs because the Joker thought it was funny, rising rent prices from slum lords, protection fees from organized crime, drug rings, dodging human trafficking, hoping your latest place of employment won't be busted for money laundering (again) and more. They don't need buildings being crashed into by robots and indestructible aliens on top of everything else. Luthor could offer half his company to the greediest slum lord in Gotham to buy just one apartment in a building that should be condemned and the slum lord would still rather sell to some random jerk with a start up that just barely made their first million and can only offer not even the smallest fraction of what Luthor has offered. Hotels in Gotham will be all mysteriously completely booked anytime Luthor tries to book a room in Gotham, even under assumed names or through one of his employees. Several variations of a program that performs basic background checks, emphasizing relation to Luthor, may have been sold around Gotham which helps. If you're from Metropolis basically the only way you get to stay there for longer than a day is if you come up as being an employee of the Daily Planet, and thus are a potential honorary Gothamite pending investigation since you work for Wayne Enterprises, or you stay with a Gotham friend. Luthor has no Gotham friends. Even Gotham rogues will leave Gotham to work with Luthor if Luthor has cajoled them into working with/for him rather than risk Luthor coming into Gotham.

Gotham hates Luthor almost as much as they dislike Metropolis's sports team when Metropolis plays against Gotham sports teams.

Gotham Rich People

So there are other millionaires and billionaires in Gotham besides Bruce Wayne.

I'll wait for you to get over the shock.

You good? Ok

There are other stupidly rich people in Gotham. A thought that if you've really made it in stupidly rich society in the dc verse then you have to have some property in Gotham where you stay for like a month or so every year like it's the regency society season. It's a sign that you're so ridiculously rich that it doesn't matter if someone steals your priceless painting or holds you for ransom because you can afford it and still be ridiculously rich. You are rich enough that your bodyguards are so skilled that they can keep you safe in Gotham. Because people are stupid and people who are rich and want to be snobs about it and show off tend to be a little more so than not.

Ridiculously rich seasonal Gothamites will also absolutely think that being kidnapped and held for ransom by one crime family or another or a rogue shows a different level of quality and status. Because they are just that bored and just that rich. And it lets them deal with the ✨trauma✨ ala gallows humor.

Lex Luthor has a bunch of snobby rich people look down their noses at him because he doesn't have Gotham property (Bruce keeps outbidding him when he tries and then Tim does the same when Bruce is busy because neither want Luthor in their city though sometimes people just won't sell if they find out it's Luthor trying to buy the property because they don't want him in the city either) and while he's rich enough to make mechs to go after Superman he can't afford quality Gotham caliber bodyguards.

Oliver Queen might have had a tiny by rich people standards apartment in Gotham, he inherited it. It may have been destroyed during the quake. He doesn't bother to rebuild or buy a new one and just stays in fancy hotel if he has to be in Gotham for any length of time and grumbles that Bruce won't let him crash at his place.

Tim gets Drake Manor back, if he didn't have it already, and puts it in his and Kon's name so Kon can be smug at Luthor because Kon has property in Gotham. Tim might come up with another secret identity as Connor Luthor's Gotham bodyguard just for fun. Superman may be Luthor's villain nemesis, Tim is determined to make himself Luthor's social and business nemesis because Tim apparently doesn't have enough people who want his head on a pike. Also fewer people give Tim well meaning lectures against villainy when Tim makes trouble for Luthor than when he's made trouble for Clark after Clark has said or done something dumb to Kon. Plus having a business nemesis makes being primary shareholder in Wayne Enterprises less mind numbing for Tim.

These other stupidly rich people also end up getting fleeced for millions by the Waynes for the Wayne charities because if they're going to have all these extra idiots to keep an eye on then these extra idiots are going to pay for things like the road work that the city isn't paying for because the city budget was embezzled by some jerk who ran off with the money to some other hole in the ground.

If Jason is bored enough he will be one of those rogues who kidnaps one of the Gotham elite visiting for their maintain the status month and the ransom money goes directly to literacy and educational programs. This way his preferred causes are funded and he doesn't have to be stuck in a suit at a horribly boring gala where he has to be polite. He is also considered the top tier platinum star in rogues to be kidnapped by since he is professional, has kidnapped Waynes before (Damian convinced him to do it so Damian could get out of a series of civilian parties and go hang out with Jon instead and a few times Cass has gotten Jason to "kidnap" her so she doesn't have to deal with a gala either) and is known for returning people when the ransom is paid. He has, on occasion, returned people after the ransom demands were made and denied and it is later discovered that he took the ransom anyway and the person who denied to pay the ransom finds themselves in serious physical and legal trouble. Seasonal Gotham rich people will absolutely brag about having been kidnapped by the Red Hood who clearly has good taste in hostages.

[44gamez]

What is Lego Fortnite and how to get it

The individuals behind Fortnite, the favored build-and-battle-royale recreation, have launched a brand new, kid-friendly tackle the sport: Lego Fortnite. The sport makes use of Lego bricks and characters to provide gamers a unique sort of expertise that focuses on long-term survival, crafting, constructing, and on-line cooperation with buddies. It’s so much like one other survival/crafting recreation, Minecraft, however powered by Lego bricks and acquainted characters. Lego Fortnite was successful from day one; Tens of millions of gamers are constructing and battling monsters collectively in on-line worlds stuffed with characters to fulfill, creatures to slay, and mysteries to find. It’s additionally free (not like Minecraft), and co-developers Epic Video games and The Lego Group have gone to nice lengths to make it protected for youths to take pleasure in. Right here’s a fast rundown of what Lego Fortnite is, the place to obtain it, and every part else you must must find out about Fortnite’s standard new spinoff.

What's Lego Fortnite?

Whereas the favored model of Fortnite is a battle royale recreation the place gamers struggle one another to be the final participant standing, Lego Fortnite isn’t a shooter or a battle royale in any respect. It’s a recreation of exploration, constructing with Lego bricks, and crafting objects (like pickaxes and torches). In Survival mode, gamers tackle the position of somewhat Lego hero character. They’ll collect sources, construct constructions, instruments, and weapons, and discover an enormous open world. They’ll additionally work together with different Lego characters who will be a part of their group and assist them out with missions. There’s some fight too, nevertheless it’s primarily in opposition to Lego variations of skeletons, wolves, spiders, and different beasts. This mode is named Survival as a result of gamers have to collect and craft what they want: meals to stave off starvation, wooden to construct constructions and craft instruments, and different parts to create extra complicated objects. There’s additionally a non-violent Sandbox mode, the place gamers can merely construct no matter they need with Lego bricks to get inventive and discover the world freely.

Tips on how to obtain Lego Fortnite

Taking part in and downloading Lego Fortnite is free. You’ll want an Epic Video games account to play, which can also be free. All it's important to do is obtain the principle Fortnite recreation shopper, and also you’ll discover Lego Fortnite on the principle display of a menu that appears like a Netflix library display. On recreation consoles like Nintendo Change, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X, you may obtain Fortnite by looking every platform’s retailer, or by utilizing the hyperlinks under from an internet browser: Be aware that if you happen to discover and obtain Lego Fortnite from one of many above on-line shops, you’re really downloading the total Fortnite recreation shopper, by which you'll play Lego Fortnite. Complicated, sure, however no less than every part’s centralized.

Tips on how to get and activate an Epic Video games account

To play Lego Fortnite (or any Fortnite recreation), you’ll want an Epic Video games account. You possibly can join one utilizing an electronic mail tackle at the Epic Games website, use an current login from Apple, Fb, Lego.com, or Google, or log in with an current account from Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, or Steam. You may also create a model of that account referred to as a Cabined Account, which is meant for youngsters 13 years previous or youthful. Gamers with Cabined Accounts can play Lego Fortnite, however they received’t be capable to entry options like voice chat or make in-game purchases with cash till their guardian or guardian gives consent. You possibly can learn extra about parental controls in Fortnite games at Epic’s website.

How V-Bucks work with Lego Fortnite (and the best way to redeem them)

Epic Video games’ digital foreign money for Fortnite, generally known as V-Bucks, works within the core model of Fortnite and new experiences like Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Pageant. V-Bucks will be spent on in-game objects, like outfits and different digital objects. V-Bucks will be bought inside Fortnite and by way of present playing cards. You possibly can redeem V-Bucks gift cards at the official Fortnite website. In the event you (or your baby) have spent V-Bucks in Fortnite battle royale, many of the cosmetics in that recreation carry over to Lego Fortnite. There are some exceptions, like characters in Fortnite who've weapons as a part of their design, however many cosmetics tied to a core Fortnite account can be utilized throughout video games.

Lego Fortnite multiplayer and enjoying with buddies

You possibly can play Lego Fortnite with buddies on-line. As much as eight gamers can play collectively cooperatively in the identical recreation world. However you may’t play Lego Fortnite (but) in split-screen mode on the identical platform. When you've got a number of youngsters enjoying Lego Fortnite, they’ll all want their very own console, pill, or PC to play. Lego Fortnite helps cross-play throughout all platforms, so gamers on Change, for instance, can play with their buddies on PlayStation 5, Android, PC, and wherever else Fortnite is obtainable.

Do you want a separate on-line subscription to play Lego Fortnite?

Lego Fortnite, like different Fortnite video games, doesn't require an internet subscription like Nintendo Change On-line, PlayStation Plus, or Xbox Reside Gold/Xbox Recreation Move to play.

Guides for Lego Fortnite

Lego Fortnite is new, however already fairly massive. Right here’s the best way to get began, with some solutions to some difficult questions: Source link Read the full article

[colebegins]

I posted 879 times in 2022

That's 332 more posts than 2021!

14 posts created (2%)

865 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hattalove

@swiftiebuckleys

@reversedscene

@glutenfreepng

@demieddie

I tagged 619 of my posts in 2022

Only 30% of my posts had no tags

#0 - 321 posts

#911 spoilers - 115 posts

#eddie diaz - 98 posts

#buck x eddie - 89 posts

#evan buckley - 70 posts

#911show - 60 posts

#911 spoilers  - 44 posts

#cosy - 28 posts

#heartstopper - 26 posts

#art - 24 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#i think the only actual clip i’ve seen is the ‘love confession’ or whatever but honestly. i didn’t even finish letting that play out so

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

259 notes - Posted February 14, 2022

#4

what are you afraid of?

i pushed all my problems to the back of my mind, then they surfaced in my dreams / a million different pieces looking back at you / a stained glass variation of the truth, thread by thread i come apart. if brokenness is a form of art, surely this must be my masterpiece / i was brought up in a line, but i seem to walk in circles. it's getting hard to navigate, so please step inside my soul; i'd love to watch you gasp. you'd understand in minutes / it's a miracle i'm still alive. no one said it was easy trying to piece the broken pieces, but that's the shit i'm working on; the journey is a work of art / your heart is your masterpiece

510 notes - Posted March 6, 2022

#3

“what does it feel like to be a dad?”

based on the wonderful fic the wood marked for your fire by kris! @hattalove

610 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

#2

“you were hurting. we’re not always our best selves when that happens” is the theme for season 5

689 notes - Posted March 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

931 notes - Posted January 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[brianmcnett-blog]

There was a brief redux of the rocket belt in the 1990s, but the tale turns bizarre. The "RB 2000 Rocket Belt" was the brainchild of Brad Barker, Joe Wright, and Larry Stanley, who invited inventor Doug Malewicki to create a modernized version of the rocket belt using lighter materials (titanium, aluminum, and composites). They were able to increase the flight time to 30 seconds. The partnership soon broke down. Stanley accused Barker of fraud. Barker absconded with the rocket pack and disappeared. Stanley successfully sued Barker for the return of the rocket belt (and a payment of $10 million) , but when Barker refused, Stanley KIDNAPPED him. Barker escaped after eight days being held captive in a box. Stanley was arrested and spent eight years in prison for the kidnapping. Joe Wright was brutally murdered in his home in 1998. The murder remains unsolved. The RB 2000 Rocket Belt was never recovered. https://www.amazon.com/Rocketbelt-Caper-Invention-Obsession-Murder/dp/0956227007

Two other rocket belts were owned by stuntman Howard "Kinnie" Gibson, who died in 2015. He earned as much as $25,000 per appearance. Gibson owned a patent on a key part of the rocket belt design, and was able to license the rest from Bell. Jetpack International was able to push the fight envelope of their rocket belts to 34 seconds, but have since moved on to other technologies (last news from them about their rocket belt was 2016).

In all, there was never much of a future to the Bell Rocket Belt. It was limited to a pricey demo you could rent out to sporting events and product launches. The jetpack was a lie. But the liars kept at it. Every few decades, a slight improvement would roll out, and another wild-eyed businessman with dollar-signs for eyes would sell us on "the future." Some of them are still at it, plugging variations using small jet engines, etc. This is NEVER going to be a thing for all the reasons @mostlysignssomeportents states, but the lie rakes in the bucks for promoters.

You were promised a jetpack by liars

TONIGHT (May 17), I'm at the INTERNET ARCHIVE in SAN FRANCISCO to keynote the 10th anniversary of the AUTHORS ALLIANCE.

As a science fiction writer, I find it weird that some sf tropes – like space colonization – have become culture-war touchstones. You know, that whole "we were promised jetpacks" thing.

I confess, I never looked too hard at the practicalities of jetpacks, because they are so obviously either used as a visual shorthand (as in the Jetsons) or as a metaphor. Even a brief moment's serious consideration should make it clear why we wouldn't want the distracted, stoned, drunk, suicidal, homicidal maniacs who pilot their two-ton killbots through our residential streets at 75mph to be flying over our heads with a reservoir of high explosives strapped to their backs.

Jetpacks can make for interesting sf eyeball kicks or literary symbols, but I don't actually want to live in a world of jetpacks. I just want to read about them, and, of course, write about them:

https://reactormag.com/chicken-little/

I had blithely assumed that this was the principle reason we never got the jetpacks we were "promised." I mean, there kind of was a promise, right? I grew up seeing videos of rocketeers flying their jetpacks high above the heads of amazed crowds, at World's Fairs and Disneyland and big public spectacles. There was that scene in Thunderball where James Bond (the canonical Connery Bond, no less) makes an escape by jetpack. There was even a Gilligan's Island episode where the castaways find a jetpack and scheme to fly it all the way back to Hawai'i:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0588084/

Clearly, jetpacks were possible, but they didn't make any sense, so we decided not to use them, right?

Well, I was wrong. In a terrific new 99 Percent Invisible episode, Chris Berube tracks the history of all those jetpacks we saw on TV for decades, and reveals that they were all the same jetpack, flown by just one guy, who risked his life every time he went up in it:

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/rocket-man/

The jetpack in question – technically a "rocket belt" – was built in the 1960s by Wendell Moore at the Bell Aircraft Corporation, with funding from the DoD. The Bell rocket belt used concentrated hydrogen peroxide as fuel, which burned at temperatures in excess of 1,000'. The rocket belt had a maximum flight time of just 21 seconds.

It was these limitations that disqualified the rocket belt from being used by anyone except stunt pilots with extremely high tolerances for danger. Any tactical advantage conferred on infantrymen by the power to soar over a battlefield for a whopping 21 seconds was totally obliterated by the fact that this infantryman would be encumbered by an extremely heavy, unwieldy and extremely explosive backpack, to say nothing of the high likelihood that rocketeers would plummet out of the sky after failing to track the split-second capacity of a jetpack.

And of course, the rocket belt wasn't going to be a civilian commuting option. If your commute can be accomplished in just 21 seconds of flight time, you should probably just walk, rather than strapping an inferno to your back and risking a lethal fall if you exceed a margin of error measured in just seconds.

Once you know about the jetpack's technical limitations, it's obvious why we never got jetpacks. So why did we expect them? Because we were promised them, and the promise was a lie.

Moore was a consummate showman, which is to say, a bullshitter. He was forever telling the press that his jetpacks would be on everyone's back in one to two years, and he got an impressionable young man, Bill Suitor, to stage showy public demonstrations of the rocket belt. If you ever saw a video of a brave rocketeer piloting a jetpack, it was almost certainly Suitor. Suitor was Connery's stunt-double in Thunderball, and it was he who flew the rocket belt around Sleeping Beauty castle.

Suitor's interview with Berube for the podcast is delightful. Suitor is a hilarious, profane old airman who led an extraordinary life and tells stories with expert timing, busting out great phrases like "a surprise is a fart with a lump in it."

But what's most striking about the tale of the Bell rocket belt is the shape of the deception that Moore and Bell pulled off. By conspicuously failing to mention the rocket belt's limitations, and by callously risking Suitor's life over and over again, they were able to create the impression that jetpacks were everywhere, and that they were trembling on the verge of widespread, popular adoption.

What's more, they played a double game: all the public enthusiasm they manufactured with their carefully stage-managed, canned demos was designed to help them win more defense contracts to keep their dream alive. Ultimately, Uncle Sucker declined to continue funding their boondoggle, and the demos petered out, and the "promise" of a jetpack was broken.

As I listened to the 99 Percent Invisible episode, I was struck by the familiarity of this shuck: this is exactly what the self-driving car bros did over the past decade to convince us all that the human driver was already obsolete. The playbook was nearly identical, right down to the shameless huckster insisting that "full self-driving is one to two years away" every year for a decade:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/23/23837598/tesla-elon-musk-self-driving-false-promises-land-of-the-giants

The Potemkin rocket belt was a calculated misdirection, as are the "full self-driving" demos that turn out to be routine, pre-programmed runs on carefully manicured closed tracks:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-autopilot-staged-engineer-says-company-faked-full-autopilot/

Practical rocketeering wasn't ever "just around the corner," because a flying, 21 second blast-furnace couldn't be refined into a practical transport. Making the tank bigger would not make this thing safer or easier to transport.

The jetpack showman hoped to cash out by tricking Uncle Sucker into handing him a fat military contract. Robo-car scammers used their conjurer's tricks to cash out to the public markets, taking Uber public on the promise of robo-taxis, even as Uber's self-driving program burned through $2.5b and produced a car with a half-mile mean time between fatal collisions, which the company had to pay someone else $400m to take the business off their hands:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/herbies-revenge/#100-billion-here-100-billion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

It's not just self-driving cars. Time and again, the incredibly impressive AI demos that the press credulously promotes turn out to be scams. The dancing robot on stage at the splashy event is literally a guy in a robot-suit:

https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-ai-day-tesla-bot-is-just-a-guy-in-a-bodysuit-2021-8

The Hollywood-killing, AI-produced video prompting system is so cumbersome to use, and so severely limited, that it's arguably worse than useless:

https://www.wheresyoured.at/expectations-versus-reality/

The centuries' worth of progress the AI made in discovering new materials actually "discovered" a bunch of trivial variations on existing materials, as well as a huge swathe of materials that only exist at absolute zero:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/23/maximal-plausibility/#reverse-centaurs

The AI grocery store where you just pick things up and put them in your shopping basket without using the checkout turns out to be a call-center full of low-waged Indian workers desperately squinting at videos of you, trying to figure out what you put in your bag:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/31/neural-interface-beta-tester/#tailfins

The discovery of these frauds somehow never precipitates disillusionment. Rather than getting angry with marketers for tricking them, reporters are ventriloquized into repeating the marketing claim that these are lies, they're premature truths. Sure, today these are faked, but once the product is refined, the fakery will no longer be required.

This must be the kinds of Magic Underpants Gnomery the credulous press engaged in during the jetpack days: "Sure, a 21-second rocket belt is totally useless for anything except wowing county fair yokels – but once they figure out how to fit an order of magnitude more high-explosive onto that guy's back, this thing will really take off!"

The AI version of this is that if we just keep throwing orders of magnitude more training data and compute at the stochastic parrot, it will eventually come to life and become our superintelligent, omnipotent techno-genie. In other words, if we just keep breeding these horses to run faster and faster, eventually one of our prize mares will give birth to a locomotive:

https://locusmag.com/2020/07/cory-doctorow-full-employment/

As a society, we have vested an alarming amount of power in the hands of tech billionaires who profess to be embittered science fiction fans who merely want to realize the "promises" of our Golden Age stfnal dreams. These bros insist that they can overcome both the technical hurdles and the absolutely insurmountable privation involved in space colonization:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/09/astrobezzle/#send-robots-instead

They have somehow mistaken Neal Stephenson's dystopian satirical "metaverse" for a roadmap:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/18/metaverse-means-pivot-to-video/

As Charlie Stross writes, it's not just that these weirdos can't tell the difference between imaginative parables about the future and predictions about the future – it's also that they keep mistaking dystopias for business plans:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tech-billionaires-need-to-stop-trying-to-make-the-science-fiction-they-grew-up-on-real/

Cyberpunk was a warning, not a suggestion. Please, I beg you, stop building the fucking torment nexus:

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/torment-nexus

These techno-billionaires profess to be fulfilling a broken promise, but surely they know that the promises were made by liars – showmen using parlor tricks to sell the impossible. You were "promised a jetpack" in the same sense that table-rapping "spiritualists" promised you a conduit to talk with the dead, or that carny barkers promised you a girl that could turn into a gorilla:

https://milwaukeerecord.com/film/ape-girl-shes-alive-documentary-november-11-sugar-maple/

That's quite a supervillain origin story: "I was promised a jetpack, but then I grew up discovered that it was just a special effect. In revenge, I am promising you superintelligent AIs and self-driving cars, and these, too, are SFX."

In other words: "Die a disillusioned jetpack fan or live long enough to become the fraudster who cooked up the jetpack lie you despise."

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/17/fake-it-until-you-dont-make-it/#twenty-one-seconds