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Seen on Bluesky: "Before you say something mean about Henry Kissinger, take a breath and see if you can think of something meaner"
posted to MetaFilter by Pronoiac at 7:38 PM on November 29, 2023

CONGRATULATIONS.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, YOU HAVE OUTLIVED HENRY KISSINGER.
posted to MetaFilter by AlSweigart at 6:55 PM on November 29, 2023

Now do Trump.
posted to MetaFilter by evilDoug at 6:49 PM on November 29, 2023

Loomis lets loose with Kissinger is Dead, Finally Something Good Has Happened in 2023:

One of the most vile individuals to ever befoul the United States, Henry Kissinger is dead. A man responsible for the deaths of millions of people around the world and yet the most respected man within the American foreign policy community for decades, Kissinger’s sheer existence exposed the moral vacuity of Cold War foreign policy and the empty platitudes and chummy gladhandling of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by NoxAeternum at 6:30 PM on November 29, 2023

Artw, that was the first thing I did.
posted to MetaFilter by computech_apolloniajames at 6:14 PM on November 29, 2023

I hated it - far too antiseptic and lacking in character. Who wants to explore time and space in an Apple Store?

Reminds me of the original Tardis, which I assume was the point. I love the sweeping walkways and a sense of '60s era space flight aesthetic.
posted to FanFare by Atreides at 8:57 AM on November 27, 2023

Atreides: BTW, I'm in with the new Tardis. (watches new Tardis go up in flames) oh.

I’ll just put it over here with the rest of the fire.
posted to FanFare by dr_dank at 4:42 PM on November 27, 2023

I missed Ten. Tennant. Oh dear, I just realized that. Destined since birth to play the Tenth Doctor.

I enjoyed the episode and the return of the Doctor and Donna dynamic.

There is a sort of thematic thing going on here with the split room? Wasn't there an episode with Wilf stuck in a chamber when the Tenth regenerated? I was thinking that glass wall was just a stupid trope, but now I'm thinking (it's that and) it's RTD doing a... [more]
posted to FanFare by Atreides at 7:53 AM on November 27, 2023

Oh, Donna Noble, I missed you so.

I was so unimpressed by the last season or two of Doctor Who that I was leery of this episode, but I loved it. I really loved Donna and The Doctor together, and I hated what they did with Donna's character before (erasing her memories over her pleading protests, ugh) so I liked that they fixed it and restored her to who she was.
posted to FanFare by maryellenreads at 6:15 AM on November 27, 2023

I may actually be Making Shows Worse because if this was pandering? Shoot it directly into my veins.

Yeah, my take is that there were some clumsy parts, but you also had things like the scene in the kitchen, where multiple different characters are freaking out with different-yet-interrelated motivations, and it's interesting.

Chibnall seemed to just love exposition, and wasn't great at weaving it into... [more]
posted to FanFare by Blue Jello Elf at 11:01 AM on November 26, 2023

They put out a fun "behind the scenes" video on YouTube.

Aw, man. If you look quick, there's a brief shot of Bernard Cribbins at the first read-through. Sadly, he passed in July, 2022. Per Wikipedia, he was seen filming before his death, but I guess he passed before anything solid had been shot. In any case, the script in this special seems to necessarily put Wilfred out-of-sight.
posted to FanFare by Thorzdad at 7:47 AM on November 26, 2023

"Time Mistress" - WHACK - "Keep up!".

The Doctor said he was "Grand Master of the Knowledge" -- ie, the legendarily difficult London cabby test -- and hubby said, "It says Grand Mistress."
posted to FanFare by Saxon Kane at 8:40 AM on November 26, 2023

David Tennant is my favorite Doctor and my wife feels the same way. We met long after he left the show, so this was our first chance to watch a new Tennant episode together. It’s amazing what ends up meaning a lot.
posted to FanFare by Servo5678 at 4:24 PM on November 25, 2023

I couldn't be happier that this was the episode going in front of a new and potentially larger audience.
posted to FanFare by Inkslinger at 2:16 PM on November 25, 2023

"Moopsy!"
posted to FanFare by ewan at 1:52 PM on November 25, 2023

I feel like RTD was trying a little too hard ("binary"/"non-binary"/***cringe***)

Doctor Who has never really been subtle about its subtext and I actually thought this was inspired - "binary, binary, binary" was from all those years ago and this was fitting: the energy was spread across Donna and Rose, and in the intervening years, The Doctor has presented as traditionally female. It's not something RTD could have ever... [more]
posted to FanFare by crossoverman at 7:05 PM on November 25, 2023

after 20 yrs, y'all hardly know each other. when you reconnected, that was remembering, not living now. especially, you don't really know this person sober; could be an awakening.

you want to split up with h? cool, do that. then be on your own with a therapist for two years. then contact x and have coffee; see if it's still vibing.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by j_curiouser at 1:54 AM on November 25, 2023

Every time with this guy, it's just the pettiest shit imaginable. Every single time.

Imagine sitting down at a smorgasboard with the full breath of the possible human experience laid out before you, and choosing ketamine and spite over and over again. Imagine being able to have anything, anything at all, and every time, picking "a tantrum".
posted to MetaFilter by mhoye at 12:57 PM on November 22, 2023

In cases like these, new relationships can offer true succour and light.

But where are those supposed to come from? The thing that stayed with me through this essay was, wow, for a lonely person, she sure does describe making a LOT of social connections. While the two lonelinesses she describes do matter and do cause pain, being unable to find anyone to be friends with, is its own kind of worse.
posted to MetaFilter by mittens at 5:42 AM on November 25, 2023

"The triumph of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism"
posted to MetaFilter by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 10:18 PM on November 24, 2023

More important question: is your Bear ok with seeing your Dad?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by EllaEm at 6:36 PM on November 17, 2023

I only blurb books I like because it's my fucking name on the cover, along with the author's, and I'm not going to mess with my own reputation just to be nice. Also, if I'm directly blurbing a book, I will, in fact, read the thing, because, see above. I will sometimes give a general endorsement of an author whose work I perennially enjoy; I feel that's within bounds (see the covers of the recent repackaging of Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch series for an example of this). But... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jscalzi at 6:28 AM on November 18, 2023

"The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t."
– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

This is a fine list. Numbers 9 and 14 are quite clever.
posted to MetaFilter by bryon at 4:05 PM on November 19, 2023

I particularly loved "The sardines were packed as tight as the coach section of a 747." Clever, pithy, subverts expectations just the right amount.
posted to MetaFilter by allegedly at 4:05 PM on November 19, 2023

The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

That's bloody brilliant. Almost Chandler-esque in its structure.
posted to MetaFilter by tim_in_oz at 3:22 PM on November 19, 2023

#49 is really quite brilliant ...

She was as unhappy as when someone puts your cake out in the rain, and all the sweet green icing flows down and then you lose the recipe, and on top of that you can’t sing worth a damn.
posted to MetaFilter by philip-random at 3:10 PM on November 19, 2023

I would hide it.

Not out of shame.

I decided a long time ago to stop sharing my little joyous moments with my parents, because they always found something to criticize. The things that make me happy are just for me, they don't deserve them.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by phunniemee at 7:23 PM on November 17, 2023

I'm not sure if the Doctor Who show bible is hundreds of pages long or a leaflet, because both feel simultaneously true all the time

It looks like a leaflet but then when you open it up it's a much, much bigger book on the inside.
posted to MetaFilter by Ursula Hitler at 2:59 PM on November 18, 2023

Arguing about Dr Who continuity is like punching the ocean

I just wanted to quote this because it is incredibly apt. I'm not sure if the Doctor Who show bible is hundreds of pages long or a leaflet, because both feel simultaneously true all the time.
posted to MetaFilter by JHarris at 12:59 PM on November 18, 2023

Speaking of good words, I like that in the closed captioning of the skit, the arrival of the Tardis is captioned: "Tardis vworping."
posted to MetaFilter by Well I never at 8:50 AM on November 18, 2023

The first time I hit the list, my editor said to me, "Congratulations, you have a new first name: 'New York Times Bestselling Author John Scalzi.'" This was his way of noting that a) in the world of authors, it's the one accolade everyone, even (especially) people who don't read books, understand as a mark of achievement, b) as a consequence, it would open doors previous locked.

And that part, at least, was accurate. My sales went up... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jscalzi at 7:28 AM on November 15, 2023

I’m just convinced given the last eight years or more, that mainstream media news, when confronted by a total fucking loon, is completely unable to report that this person IS a total fucking loon. Instead, they just dance around saying this and that in a completely unconfrontational way, and never deal with the reality they are looking at. Journalism has rolled over on its back. Back in the ‘70’s, given Watergate, everybody wanted to become brave investigative journalists that spoke truth,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by njohnson23 at 6:13 PM on November 20, 2023

You know how sometimes you're like three quarters of the way through a book and you finally realize what the theme is? I just now finally got 2023:

"I can't believe these people are in charge of the future."
posted to MetaFilter by MrVisible at 7:21 PM on November 17, 2023

"Does that make me feel better about totaling cars? Nope. I still feel terrible. But the kicker is that the job pays better than what I was making when turning wrenches. So how do you leave? I haven’t found a solution to that question yet."

I don't want to go all socialism-or-barbarism, but let me just say that while capitalism may sound like a good idea on paper, it just doesn't work in the real world.
posted to MetaFilter by AlSweigart at 11:57 AM on November 15, 2023

It almost no training

That the people who do a job exceedingly well have got to that point by relying more on practice than on training doesn't make the attention that they've paid to their practice any less worthwhile, or the work that they perform any less skilled, or the skills that they demonstrate any less appreciated, or that appreciation any less worthy of being expressed. Not by this particular customer at any rate.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by flabdablet at 5:05 AM on November 19, 2023

Don't go. Your instincts are correct, and it will be a kindness to spare them illness, even if they're happy to take the risk. Maybe split the difference and go visit earlier for Christmas (if possible) to spend more time with people you're missing now.

Also, this?

has delegated the decision and any reprocussions (cancelling plans, smoothing any ruffled feathers, telling the catsitter, etc.) to me.

Is... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by fight or flight at 12:10 PM on November 19, 2023

I think the kindest thing you can do for everyone in this situation, if you're able, is put together plans for Zoomsgiving plus Extra Thanksgiving in another few weeks if possible. I would tell the family members that Partner is absolutely gutted and could honestly use some cheering up and reassurance because they are so sad about this on top of being sick.

It's the right thing to do for your elderly parents, and it's also the right thing to do as a prevention effort... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Lyn Never at 11:32 AM on November 19, 2023

Staying home and not giving people Covid isn’t “ruining Thanksgiving”. It’s showing care to the people you love and to yourself,
posted to Ask MetaFilter by matildaben at 11:21 AM on November 19, 2023

I use fingerless gloves, but the ones without anything between your fingers.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bluesky78987 at 6:41 AM on November 21, 2023

I like the kind of fingerless gloves that have light compression -- it keeps the finger tubes from rubbing together and bunching up. I think they are mostly made for arthritis pain.

But overall I prefer a heated desk pad, like this one, so that my fingers can fly free: https://www.amazon.... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by OrangeDisk at 10:27 AM on November 20, 2023

And this is one sandwich that my wife loved.

NY Times (archive):
Gloria Pépin died in December of 2020. “I am by myself, so I use small pots now,” Mr. Pépin said quietly, nodding at the gleaming, copper-bottomed cookware hanging on a wall in the kitchen. “I cook every day. But this is what I miss most: sharing a bottle of wine, which we did for half a century, and eating together, which we did for half a century.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by pracowity at 9:54 AM on November 21, 2023

In a recent interview, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, who composed the score for the HBO miniseries ‘Chernobyl’, revealed how the score came together. Namely: every sound in the score is recorded from sounds from inside a nuclear power plant.
posted to FanFare by orrnyereg at 11:04 AM on May 29, 2019

This episode was extremely raw, and I'm not sure I'm in a place to tease out all the parallels.

You must limit your exposure. The longer you spend in the invisible poison of radiation, the more it turns your body to corruption. The longer you spend in a brutalizing system, the more it erodes your soul - or forces you to gird up the most vulnerable parts of yourself in lead armour. Shcherbina and Bacho having moments of caring too much. Pavel, who cried, becoming resigned... [more]
posted to FanFare by jurymast at 12:47 PM on May 28, 2019

A little subtlety I loved: Scherbina and Legasov transitioning to first names as they find themselves facing the reality of the situation together. Boris and Valery - and then Valera, the diminutive, as Scherbina tries to rally him - and then back to Comrades Legasov and Scherbina during times when they butt heads, and find the gulf of party strictures and hierarchy yawning between them.

GoT Watch: Jeor Mormont in amongst the miners!
posted to FanFare by jurymast at 10:25 AM on May 22, 2019

Lyudmila's actions made sense to me in the context of a world where information was routinely withheld or misrepresented in the service of the state and you had to bribe professionals in order to get anything done. Knowing what any citizen knew at that time, why should she have automatically believed them about how dangerous his condition is?
posted to FanFare by Countess Elena at 8:14 AM on May 21, 2019

And given that they were basically leaving him to die in agony alone, I can see how she'd think that it was just neglect, rather than danger, that was the problem. I mean, she gets yelled at by a nurse but there's nobody around to actually enforce whether you go behind the plastic or not.
posted to FanFare by TwoStride at 8:32 AM on May 21, 2019

Lyudmilla is not an idiot. She is very young, she doesn't know much about radiation, she's trusting the officials who are LETTING HER IN THE ROOM. They are newlyweds and Vasily is the love of her life. She is a real person and has suffered a great deal and it's shitty to call her an idiot. This stuff actually happened.

I didn't like this episode as much as the first two but I still liked it. The coal miners were awesome.

The music continues to... [more]
posted to FanFare by Aquifer at 6:21 AM on May 21, 2019

Very excited about this. Two big thoughts:

1. This is not a show about Chernobyl. This is a show about the beginning of the implosion and total collapse of the Soviet Bloc and the bizarre chaos and terror of uncertainty that it would bring down upon it's people. The point here is that the state fell under the internal forces of incompetence and ideology trumping logic. And on a yet deeper level it's about humans playing God and being punished for it.... [more]
posted to FanFare by mit5urugi at 8:28 AM on May 12, 2019

I also felt like maybe he was in denial because he could tell that he had radiation sickness and didn't want to admit it?

This dude got sick in the meeting, but I would have bet if he were well enough, he would have taken a look at the blown up reactor himself, and then still reported back it was just a hydrogen explosion.

As someone who has been in room where the situation being discussed was rated **EXTREMELY FUCKED!**,... [more]
posted to FanFare by sideshow at 1:30 PM on May 9, 2019

Whatever you think of American gun culture, you can see the appeal there. It's like any other gearhead/tinkerer hobby.

I think I speak for a lot of us when I say there's no valid reason for there to be law-abiding combat weapon owners. If someone can't enjoy their hobby without there being a massive body count, fuck their hobby. They can get into archery, or airsoft, or machining, or rocketry, or any other of the thousands of other hobbies that,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by phooky at 8:53 AM on November 16, 2023