Stratovania

Last night's was the fourth Simpsons episode to take an extended look into a possible future for the characters, the first one being the sixth season "Lisa's Wedding," which took place in the year 2010. I don't think the writers had any idea that the show would still be on then. Anyway, I think this new one tried to cram too much in, and even though the underlying message was decent, I don't think it worked that well. As with some of the earlier future episodes, they did way too many jokes about improbable technology. "Lisa's Wedding" had some of those as well (and hey, it's now 2011, so where are our commercial biplanes and self-aware robots with melting heads?), but it mostly focused on the characters. With the other three, it seemed that the technology gags took precedent. Tonight's episode also had a similar characterization of Bart to the one in "Bart to the Future," which I really didn't like that much. So much of the show suggests that Bart really does have potential to turn his life around, but both of these suggest that in thirty years he's just become more of a loser. Eh, whatever. The stuff with Maggie was kind of cute. The Krusty as Andy Rooney gag was perhaps a bit ill-timed, but not especially so, and I guess that's going to happen when there's a gap between the show being made and aired. I would also imagine that the Sarah Palin bit at the end of American Dad was made before she announced she wasn't going to run in 2012. I liked the American Dad episode, by the way, largely because of how amusingly far-fetched the idea of being excommunicated from every kind of Christianity was. By the way, the service dog Stan shot was named Clancy, which is also the name of one of our dogs. I did watch the Cleveland Show, but as I've never seen Die Hard, I can't say I got most of the jokes. And Family Guy was all right, but I can't really think of anything specific to say about it.

Also, I got this meme from poisonyoulove, so I might as well go ahead with it.

Comment to this post, and I will list five things I associate with you - they might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your LJ (or just add a reply back to me). Other people (including me) can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.

Here are my five:

1. Oz
What makes you think I would be willing to expound upon this topic? :P Seriously, I'm not entirely sure why the Oz books have been my absolute favorites for so long, but it's still the case. It helps that there's a small but active fandom that's still cranking out Oz stories. The quality varies, but some are really good. Did L. Frank Baum have any idea what he had wrought?

2. Mythology
I remember starting to cultivate my interest in mythology, particularly the Greek variety, when I was in elementary school. I recall reading through the entry on the gods in my mom's old Book of Knowledge (published back when it wasn't so much an encyclopedia as a hardcover magazine), and checking out a lot of books on the subject from the library. Obviously it's stuck with me. Many things seem to; I've noticed that I rarely totally lose interest in anything these days, but simply put some things on the back burner from time to time.

3. They Might Be Giants
My favorite band, although I knew of their existence for years before really listening to anything of theirs. It was in college that I first heard a significant amount of their stuff (I lived in an honors dorm, so there were a lot of nerds there), and started buying their albums for myself. It seems that TMBG tends to attract completists who want to hear everything they put out, unless it's just the Internet that attracts such people. And now that their fanbase seems to be averaging out to an increasingly younger crowd, I guess I'm now one of their older fans, although it certainly doesn't feel like it.

4. Politics
I'm not the most politically astute person, but I try to keep at least some tabs on what's going on in the political arena, if only to avoid becoming one of those people who think they're too good to pay attention to current events. I'm obviously on the liberal side of the spectrum, which I'd like to say is because I really care about people, but ultimately it's more or less selfish. I'm not rich, so why would I support politicians who only care about the rich? Mind you, I think that in our country that's largely the case with both major parties, but I'm still a registered Democrat. Lesser of two evils, or something, plus I wouldn't be able to vote in the primaries otherwise.

5. Twitter
I think I first heard about Twitter from 3x1minus1, who's someone with her finger on the pulse of all the new online developments. Well, at least she's much more so than I am, but that's really not saying much. I think what led me to become a pretty regular Twitter user is that it's a good place for one-liners and one-off observations, which I'm generally loath to blog because a one-sentence journal entry seems wrong to me. Yeah, I'm weirdly obsessive-compulsive in that respect. I remember overhearing someone in the break room at work a few days ago talking about how Twitter is just people posting what they had for lunch. My problem with that complaint isn't even so much that there's more to it than that as it is that people wanting to share mundane details is nothing new. It's just that, prior to the Internet, people usually just shared them with anyone who happened to be around, most of whom really didn't care.
With the Internet, it's easier to acquire an audience that might actually take an interest, and when they don't it's easy to just skip the boring parts. I guess Twitter especially, and other social networking sites to a certain extent, is a good substitute for small talk for the socially awkward among us. To me, a lot of the complaints I hear people make about online socialization don't really have anything to do with technology at all, but rather are outgoing people not understanding the rest of us.

Okay, I haven't done a meme like this in a while, so why not?

Comment if you'd like a color. Then list ten things that you like/love which are that color.

I got this from radiantwterror, who gave me silver/gray.
( My answers are under the cut. )

I'm sure you know by now that I have an interest in monsters. It isn't even so much that I like to be scared as that I just like weird-looking creatures. And I know I'm not the only one, due to the fact that the Krampus seems to be gaining popularity in the online world. So what's a Krampus? Most of you probably already know, but he's basically the Anti-Santa. In Alpine lands, when St. Nicholas makes his rounds distributing presents to the good kids, the bad ones are beaten with a switch by this demonic dude. In fact, it's said that he takes REALLY bad ones to Hell in a handbasket, and I mean that literally. Krampusfest is celebrated on the night of 5 December, right before St. Nicholas' Day, and it involves people dressing up like the holiday devil. Images of the Krampus vary, but he pretty much always has horns and what might be considered a typical demonic face.

( Please, Krampus, don't hurt 'em. )

I don't have too much to say about the cartoons tonight. The Simpsons episode was pretty low-key, but it had its moments, and I think it did a decent job of explaining Bart's reasons for wanting a brother. The Cleveland Show and Family Guy had a few funny moments, including the Jeremy Irons and House bits in the latter, but were rather weak overall. I obviously don't expect these shows to be totally realistic, but the way Peter took over the company was pretty unconvincing even for a Family Guy plot. American Dad, on the other hand, was a fantasy episode, but it still worked. I did wonder how they were going to end it, but I think they did a pretty good job with that, without having to resort to it all being Stan's dream. Klaus WILL still be alive in the next episode, though, right?

And then there's this:

This meme was shamelessly appropriated from SamuraiFrog.

List 10 musical artists (or bands) you like, in no specific order (do this before reading the questions below). Really, don’t read the questions below until you pick your ten artists!!!

1. XTC
2. Frank Black
3. "Weird Al" Yankovic
4. Neko Case
5. Dresden Dolls
6. Nellie McKay
7. They Might Be Giants
8. Fastbacks
9. Tori Amos
10. Stephin Merritt

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
I think it was "Ding Dong."

What is your favorite song of 8?
I'd say "Old Address of the Unknown."

What kind of impact has 1 left on your life?
A fair amount, I'd say. I associate them very closely with my college years.

What is your favorite lyric of 5?
"Coke and Pepsi finally found a compromise." (From "Modern Moonlight")

How many times have you seen 4 live?
I think maybe seven? Once was with the New Pornographers.

What is your favorite song by 7?
It's Not My Birthday

Is there any song by 3 that makes you sad?
By Weird Al? No, I don't think so.

What is your favorite song by 9?
Black Dove (January)

When did you first get into 2?
My senior year of college, when I bought Teenager of the Year used

How did you get into 3?
Not even sure. While I didn't actually get any of his albums until high school, I've been familiar with his work for much longer than that.

What is your favorite song by 4?
Deep Red Bells

How many times have you seen 9 live?
Several. I've lost count, but I saw her once in college, and bethje and I have seen her most of the times she's come to the area in the past few years.

What is a good memory concerning 2?
Seeing him at both an in-store and a regular concert in November 2002

Is there a song by 8 that makes you sad?
I can't think of one, but some of them are kind of melancholy.

What is your favorite song of 1?
Burning with Optimism's Flames

How did you become a fan of 10?
I heard a few Magnetic Fields songs through the magic of the Internet, and eventually decided to buy the albums.

Here's an old favorite, this time taken from ozma914.

vovat's Halloween party:

1womp dressed as Adam-the-first-man but the fig-leaf was far too big.
3x1minus1 dressed as Pavlova the ballerina -- dancing on point too.
alicornmoon dressed as Jack the Ripper in a time machine, complete with gory knives.
aliste dressed as a W&H Computers employee.
anjeelou dressed as Camilla Parker-Bowles when she becomes Queen.
annamatic dressed as Sybil - except that Sybil didn't show but the other 14 personalities did.
arfies dressed as something surface, but what, specifically, you can't tell.
auronsgirl dressed as a sub-adjunct software reinstaller.
bec_87rb dressed as a bottle of Glyovur.
bethje dressed as Dan Fouts.
bibliophile21 didn't even show up and doesn't get any candy.
billiedoll dressed as Rubeus Hagrid.
blitzchamp dressed as a 1980's yuppie child.
bluesilverkdg gets drunk, strips naked, and somehow emerges dressed as Barbra Streisand.
brostron forgot to put on clothes!
burningofroissy dressed as Elizabeth Regina on steroids and roller skates.
carvinkeeper12 dressed as Josephine Baker but the banana "skirt" didn't survive the night.
chhinnamasta dressed as a character from Harry Potter and the Coalition of Steel.
chrisstangl dressed as George Lucas riding a eagle.
chu_hi dressed as Mary-Kate Olsen with her very own conjoined Ashley.
cog1201 dressed as a character from a Silent Hill game.
colbyucb forgot to put on clothes!
colleenanne dressed as Ichabod Crane, the schoolmaster from Sleepy Hollow.
countblastula dressed as Susan Lucci - tarred and feathered.
dave_noisy dressed as a pimp.
daveychu dressed as Mary Queen of Scots ... without her head. Most convincing.
dennisanfuso didn't dress up, spoilsport.
doktor_x dressed as the Viscount of Old Sherman.
dragonxbait dressed as Hurricane Dorothy.
eagledna dressed as a disturbing self-made character called "Zippy Girdlehiney".
farmanimalsrock dressed as a referee.
gick dressed as the Vicomte des Boules-Velues, though it looked more like Rutherford B. Hayes.
gloworm59 dressed as a safety for the Rams.
goldenmoonbear dressed as the Duke of Apliuflu.
graycardinal dressed as a first baseman for the Padres.
i3uffalogirl dressed as a walking Guillotine.
jazzsammich dressed as David Letterman.
jenhime dressed as Daniela Pestova.
k1cup dressed as Jennifer Love Hewitt.
kevenn dressed as Guy Fawkes but the exploding barrel of dynamite didn't go down too well.
kristenjarrod dressed as Josephine Baker but the banana "skirt" didn't survive the night.
kyrie1618 dressed as Marie Antoinette going to her death.
leolapyre dressed as William McKinley.
listenesmerelda dressed as Worf from "Star Trek".
little_octagon dressed as a rabbit.
logical_con dressed as a mummy.
lozenger8 dressed as a grating ghost.
majellen dressed as blues legend Skinny Eyes Lee.
matt_argos dressed as a skeleton, though it looked more like Mr. Sulu from "Star Trek".
mikeleffel dressed as the Innocent Power Ranger.
mmpoetatheart dressed as the King of Romania.
not_glimmer dressed as James Buchanan.
notaboyscout dressed as a new superhero: White Squirrel.
nova_one dressed as Sigfried in need of testosterone.
obsessical dressed as Karl Rove.
odontv dressed as a very fake witch-doctor complete with a collection of shrunken skulls.
onesto_hotel dressed as the love child of Jim Carrey and Hillary Clinton.
onib dressed as a Level 5 bard, though it looked more like a witch.
ozma914 dressed as legendary space hero Pack Rockbone.
petie_s dressed as Optimus Prime.
pixielust dressed as a funny drizzle.
poisonyoulove dressed as the Governor of Wisconsin.
possumworld dressed as the spirit of their dead grandmother Gail.
punterschlagen dressed as a new superhero: Yak Master.
radiantwterror dressed as Mde. Lachienne Foutue d'Enfer -- you don't wanna know.
revme didn't even show up and doesn't get any candy.
rockinlibrarian dressed as a disturbing self-made character called "Cheeseball Rhinolips".
sailorptah dressed as a goblin.
sapsorrow dressed as a particle.
science dressed as a pitcher for the Red Sox.
secondlina dressed as Drew Barrymore's grandmother.
secretnthewings dressed as Helga the wisewoman, although the live snake was a mistake.
shadarko dressed as your brother.
skylark_king didn't even show up and doesn't get any candy.
speciesof1 dressed as the resurrected dead -- complete with the most convincing coffin.
spookydiblover dressed as a deer.
suegypt dressed as a data entry intern.
themall dressed as the main character of "The Station Agent".
therealtavie dressed as Jay Leno.
thestraggletag dressed as Nosferatu the Supreme Vampire.
tisok dressed as Lady Godiva without the horse and far too little hair!.
travspence didn't even show up and doesn't get any candy.
twobitme dressed as Optimus Prime.
unclemilo dressed as a success.
vee_ecks dressed as Ivan the Terrible of Russia.
vilajunkie dressed as a new member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Unlucky Knight.
yosef dressed as Trent Reznor.
zaph didn't even show up and doesn't get any candy.
zimbra1006 dressed as Sigfried in need of testosterone.

Throw your own party at the Hallomeme!
Created by sigma7: More info here.

First, a meme from burningofroissy:

Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" [or just saying you want to participate -ed], and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your journal, and explain what they mean to you.

Mythology

It's been one of my most significant interests for years. I guess I have a special fondness for the myths involving weird monsters.

Oz fandom

Oz has been my first literary love for years now, and I've done a fair amount of my own writing pertaining to L. Frank Baum's fairyland.

Thoughtful essays

Not sure why anything thoughtful would be associated with me, but I think that's definitely the best kind of essay.

Logic

I'm not always (and perhaps not even usually) a logical person, but I think I ASPIRE to be. Not necessarily to Vulcan levels or anything, but I appreciate the ability to reason.

Music

Well, it hath charms to soothe the savage breast, doth it not?


Okay, what else? Well, bethje and I watched The Sixth Sense last night. I don't know how much it was ruined for me by already knowing the twist ending, but I can usually enjoy movies (and books) even when I do know what's going to happen. It's the journey that's important. Here, however, the journey was incredibly slow-paced (although nowhere near as bad as The Village, from what Beth tells me), and didn't seem to consist of much other than hints that Bruce Willis' character is dead. And at the end, they pretty much hit you over the head with it, as if M. Night were thinking, "Even the dumbest viewer will understand the twist in THIS movie!" I'm not sure why it was a big hit back in its day.

From poisonyoulove:

01. Anyone who looks at this entry has to post this meme and their current wallpaper at their LJ.
02. Explain in five sentences why you're using that wallpaper!
03. Don't change your wallpaper before doing this! The point is to see what you had on!

( It's under the cut. )

And now, to change the subject abruptly, I came across a link to this list of sci-fi movie conventions that need to die from SamuraiFrog's blog, and I thought it was worth commenting on. So here are my thoughts on each item:

6. I think this one is just a throwback to the cheap special effects of early Star Trek.

5. I don't mind this one so much, but it did always seem to me that Star Trek characters spent an awful lot of time talking about what, to them, would have been ancient history.

4. I think the part about logical holes is what particularly gets to me. And it's not just sci-fi that does this. I mean, look at how often magical devices in fantasy aren't used when it would make sense. (Magic Belt, anyone?) I guess I like consistency in what things can do. For the same reason, magic that grants wishes can be an irritating trope in many situations.

3. I have to agree whole-heartedly with this. I can recall even noticing as a kid how weird it was that entire planets would have one culture and a single ruler (if not a single ruler for an entire galaxy), when such obviously wasn't the case on our own planet. Mind you, I still used the trope in some of my own stories. I was in elementary school at the time, after all. But really, why bother using planets and aliens when their entire civilizations are less diverse than the local country club? And I know I've seen several people point out how Star Wars is full of desert planets, ice planets, swamp planets, and the like. They're all fit for human habitation, yet consist of only one environment. Does every part of each planet somehow receive the exact same amount of sunlight? Or ARE there other environments on these planets that we just never see?

2. This just makes me think of the part in the Futurama episode "The Birdbot of Ice-catraz" where Bender just flies the ship out from the middle of Old Man Waterfall's peace ring.

1. A society with advanced military technology relying on infantry? Well, that's basically what we had in Vietnam, wasn't it?


And finally, another quiz result:

Your Brain is 60% Female, 40% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

I've done this same basic thing before, but I couldn't resist doing it again. This time, I took it from annamatic.

Go to Google Images and do an image search for your answer to these questions, then post one of the pictures that come up.

1 Your first car?
2 Where you grew up?
3 Where you live now?
4 Your name?
5 Your middle name?
6 Your favorite pastime?
7 What do you do for a living?
8 Your grandfather's name?
9 Your grandmother's name?
10 Favorite food?
11 Favorite drink?
12 Favorite song?
13 Favorite smell?
14 Favorite pair of shoes?
15 Where do you wish you were right now?

Go to Google Images and do an image search for your answer to these questions, then post one of the pictures that come up.

( Pictures behind the cut )

Okay, first of all, I'd better reveal the answers to that lyrics quiz.

1. What's the matter with the songs he's singing? Can't you tell that they're pretty lame? "It's Still Billy Joel to Me," by "Weird Al" Yankovic (nova_one, rockinlibrarian, revme)
2. I can understand why you'd want a better man, but why you wanna make him out of me? "Spitting in the Wind," by the dB's. I don't think I would have gotten this one either.
3. The color of infinity inside an empty glass. "Experimental Film," by They Might Be Giants (carvinkeeper12, petie_s, zimbra1006, nova_one, revme)
4. I know that you're in there. I can see you. You're saying you're okay. I don't believe you. "Learn to Live with What You Are," by Ben Folds
5. So I guess I'll give it up. Yeah, I guess I will. What's the use in pushing when it's all uphill? "(Believed You Were) Lucky," by 'Til Tuesday
6. Take off into space from this terrible place, won't be 'round for a year. "Weather Perfectly Clear," by the Fastbacks
7. I'm gonna [title], like a pussycat. "Pounce," by Nellie McKay
8. Never thought I'd fall, but now I hear the call. "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You," by TMBG (revme)
9. On the way home from the party, neither of us said a word. "Scotch Grove," by the Mountain Goats
10. One part sad and two parts brave. "To the Stars," by Erin McKeown
11. "Why do cupids and angels continually haunt her dreams like memories of another life?" is printed on her shirt in capitals. Oh, come on, I was sure someone would get this! It's "Trompe le Monde," by the Pixies.
12. Billie, you're a miracle, and God knows I need one. "My Only Friend," by the Magnetic Fields (zimbra1006)
13. Desmond has a barrow in the marketplace. Molly is the singer in a band. "Ob-Li-Di, Ob-La-Da," by the Beatles (carvinkeeper12, burningofroissy, little_octagon, petie_s, zimbra1006, nova_one, rockinlibrarian, vilajunkie, revme)
14. There was a face on a hoarding that someone had drawn on. "Better Off Dead," by Elton John
15. I spring up from the ground. I stretch myself up and look around this whole world. "Spring Succeeds," by the Olivia Tremor Control

As usual, a few really easy ones, and mostly ones even I wouldn't be able to guess. This game never works out as well as I would hope.

Also, happy belated birthday to leolapyre, and here are some cartoon reviews for your reading pleasure.

Simpsons: This one actually had a halfway decent plot, but wasn't particularly funny. Even parts that seemed like they SHOULD have been funny, like the dream sequence, really weren't. Come on, how do you mess up an appearance by the ghost of Oscar Wilde? And Homer's becoming a supertaster was never resolved. Also, was this Lunchlady Doris' first speaking role since Doris Grau died?

Sit Down, Shut Up: No, the second episode wasn't an improvement over the first. And the combination of bad drawings with actual photographic images is pretty bizarre.

Family Guy: With all of the TV and movie clichés that the show has mocked, I don't think they'd done the one with the popular kid dating a loser before. Not a bad episode overall, but it did come across as yet another one where the plot really just fizzled out at the end, possibly due to lack of time. And nothing really came of the Stewie subplot, although his tough-guy behavior was kind of amusing.

American Dad: I liked it, but I have to wonder why they'd choose to show two Stan and Steve bonding episodes in a row.

I've done memes like this several times in the past, and I haven't seen anyone else do it recently, but I'm in the mood to solicit some suggestions, so why not?

Recommend to me:

1. A book you think I should read
2. A video game I should check out
3. A musician/band I should look into
4. A blog/journal you think I might like (and don't suggest your own LJ, because I'll check that out anyway if you comment)
5. A topic you think I should cover on my own journal

If you want to give more than one suggestion for any category, or you can't think of anything for one or more of them, that's fine with me. It's all very informal, you know?