Paddington in Peru

broderic on February 28, 2025

I should’ve enjoyed Paddington in Peru more considering the previous entries in the series were solid fare. Unfortunately, Paddington in Peru missed it’s mark with me. Maybe it was the replacement of Sally Hawkins’s mother with Emily Mortimer that felt off. Perhaps it was the weird final act reveal of the true villain that felt out of place. Anyway, I didn’t fall for it as I had for the previous two. I guess I went in with high hopes for another movie to charm my pants off, but came away disappointed.

3 of 5 stars.

Economic Blackout

broderic on February 27, 2025

No shop Friday!

To protest against this wack administration, the plan is to not shop large box retailers and fast food conglomerates. Instead look to small, local mom and pop shops. Or even don’t buy anything at all.

Personally, I believe in the Mangione Method. Take dead aim. Take them down.

Link of the Day [2.15.25]

broderic on February 15, 2025

Wait. Here’s something that I’ve wanted for a long time. You see. I’ve got several Apple IDs. I wish for them to be consolidated into one. Yet that wasn’t ever available until today. Or this is kind of close to consolidation. We’ll have to see.

For now, I’ll just book mark this page.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/117294

Superb Owl Lix

broderic on February 9, 2025

For Super Bowl Sunday, today, I have one thing to have you think about. It’s better to watch from further west than it is in the east. Let me explain.

Lately, the games have started at 6:30 on the East Coast, and they usually run until 9:30/10 PM. That starts being a bit late to keep a Super Bowl party running. By half-time, you want to just go to bed, like the old man, you are. Yet the further west with the time difference the earlier it is at night. I guess Hawaiian time is the perfect time as you have the evening to look forward to.

Anyhow, that’s something to think about…

Thus Falls a Democracy

broderic on February 3, 2025

An important read on what’s happening with Trump, Musk, and their cronies. I would’ve made this a link of the day, but it’s too important to overlook.

We have ceded our country to people who never believed in democracy. We have started the fall of the United States of America. I don’t know where we will be in the future, but what’s certain is a government by the people, for the people is no longer.

Best Films of 2024

broderic on January 22, 2025

Nada.

To be fair, I didn’t watch too many films in the theatre, and none of those were any good.

I should go to the movies more often like I used to. But movies haven’t been engaging in the least. They don’t make them like they used to.

Anyhow, this list is empty. There may have a few I had enjoyed but even now I don’t remember.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

broderic on December 31, 2024

The least I can say of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is that it does follow some story from the appendices to The Lord of the Rings. It’s rough structure is there in the text. Does it necessary follow what Tolkien has written? Well… maybe?

The story comes from the before the events of the War of the Ring in the kingdom of Rohan. When they were fighting off the Dunlendings and establishing the Hornburg AKA Helm’s Deep. It tells of the succession of the throne of the kings of Rohan for the end of the first line and the star of the second line which ends with Theoden at the end of the War of the Ring. A bit of history which wasn’t not known, but was fleshed out a bit well.

Since this isn’t really written by Tolkien, I was suprised at how well it adhered to the structure of Tolkiens story. There was the king. His fallen sons. The daughter. The nephew/successor. It was animated which is great for one of Tolkien’s tales. It was made to look as if from the movies, which made it all too familiar. As a Tolkien fan, I liked it.

3 of 5 stars.

Quote of the Day [12.26.24]

broderic on December 26, 2024

“To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, a lot of patience. The spiral notebook, if present, has some straggling notes and To Do lists that illuminate the gist of it. My tech is pretty locked down because I work in engineering so probably not much info there. I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming. A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy. United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart. It has grown and grown, but as our life expectancy? No the reality is, these [indecipherable] have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allwed them to get away with it. Obviously the problem is more complex, but I do not have space, and frankly I do not pretend to be the most qualified person to lay out the full argument. But many have illuminated the corruption and greed (e.g.: Rosenthal, Moore), decades ago and the problems simply remain. It is not an issue of awareness at this point, but clearly power games at play. Evidently I am the first to face it with such brutal honesty.”

Luigi Mangione
Manifesto on United Health

“That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”

broderic on December 25, 2024

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,　I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.