Month: August 2017

Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro coming back to theaters for two nights.

This… is something to consider.  Subtitled, of course. Yes, I’m afraid that I’m a bit of a snob about that sort of thing.

This was one of the first anime I’d ever seen, and it triggered a bit of a paradigm shift in my opinion of animated films.  I’m not an otaku or anything like that, but I will happily sit down and watch Miyazaki’s stuff. So I may very well go see this in theaters.  I’m glad that said theaters have realized that events like this are an opportunity to get more butts in seats, too…

Some interesting stuff on the Waffle House emergency response teams.

There’s a bunch of stuff in here (via Glenn Reynolds).  Short version: Waffle Houses reopen so quickly after major storms, and stay open, because of a comprehensive, refined disaster strategy that uses ‘jump teams’ made up of employees from outside the affected areas coming in and operating the stores while local employees regroup (Waffle House also provides emergency disaster relief directly to its own employees).  If you’ve been slogging through sullenly smug, faux outrage about those poor Waffle House employees being forced to work*, this story is a fairly useful corrective.

It also answers the question that you’ve probably been asking: Continue reading Some interesting stuff on the Waffle House emergency response teams.

Some clips from the upcoming “IT” movie.

I rather badly want this movie to not suck. I mean, I REALLY want this movie not to suck. IT is maybe the best Stephen King book I’ve ever read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10gfbsXSf2k

But it could suck.  And that’s what worries me.  The casting looks good, but the entire first movie is literally about children being menaced and threatened, which is pretty raw stuff for modern audiences (even if they take out That Scene From The Book).  But if the movie hesitates on putting those kids through the wringer, it’s going to suck.  Horribly.

Please God, don’t let it suck.

Why a Bethesda Game of Thrones video game might be *wonderful*.

No, don’t throw your keyboard through the screen yet.  Let’s think this through: “Bethesda Game Studios, developer of Elder Scrolls and Fallout, could be working on a Game of Thrones project. There’s very little detail however, and it’s largely supposition at this point.” Why is this maybe not such a bad thing? I’ll tell you why.

Mods. Continue reading Why a Bethesda Game of Thrones video game might be *wonderful*.

“Happy Birthday to You…”

…Happy Birthday To You;

Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby,

Happy Bir…

…What do you mean, Google hasn’t put anything up today? It’s Jack Kirby’s 100th birthday!  He was quite possibly the single greatest influence on Western comics of his, or any other, time! Screaming Jeebus on a recumbent bicycle, but those people will fall all over themselves to honor the 89th birthday of some obscure minor figure who worked on excessively esoteric sub-genres of various artistic fields — and yet, Google can’t be arsed to remember the centenary of somebody that their readership might have actually heard of.

Gah.  These people.

…thday To You.

Tweet Thread of the Day, This Is A Good Background For The Houston Flooding Situation edition.

Straightforward, methodical, and it will get you up to speed on conditions. It also isn’t pointing any fingers, which is something that I have regretfully seen a little of. Short version: Houston is on a flat plane, and they’ve been actively working to do what they can with improving drainage for several decades, but this storm’s just been too much for them. If the thread is correct, it’s not a corruption problem (which is what more or less drowned New Orleans, back in the day).  It’s a not-enough-time problem, made worse by population growth.  Which makes sense to me.

So, check it out.

Creature seed: Canursines.

[UPDATE: Today is a good day.]

Canursines – Google Docs

Canursines

(Blame Penny Arcade.)

 

Wolves. That turn into bears.  As has been said in the aftermath of many a catastrophe: “It seemed a good idea at the time.” Or “Well, the principle was sound.” That’s a popular one, too.

Continue reading Creature seed: Canursines.