Link of the Day [8.13.23]

broderic on August 13, 2023

Kottke points us to a Mastodon thread explaining why the huge size of cars (and trucks) is a bad thing.

Maybe it’s just a problem in the United States.

I was just in Europe and rented a car which would be compact in the States. It had 4 doors and fit 5 tightly. There’s a trunk and fit our luggage. It was probably smaller than my Mini Cooper.

And there was an even smaller option.

Most every one in Europe was smallish compared to the US. Small to fit the small streets of many of the towns and cities. The city streets were sized for these smaller cars. Human sized.

But anyhow, our cars are getting too big which leads to many bad things. It ruins roads quicker. It kills harder. It costs more. And somehow, we’re gonna run out of room for them: road widths, parking space widths, home widths. Just not human sized.

https://kottke.org/23/08/car-bloat-huge-cars-are-terrible-for-society

It’s The Single Life

broderic on August 12, 2023

「おひとりさま天国」, Nogizaka46’s 33rd single, to be released towards the end of the month. Let’s all have fun for the last bit of summer we have left.

I am unsure about this song. At once, it is Nogizaka, it feels Nogizaka, and the members are cute in the MV. The song to my ears sounds like a few of the other Nogizaka songs. It reminds me of スキロク from last summer. I also hear some of the Asuka/Maiyan duet or Maiyan/Ringo, both of which were off of summer releases. All I have to say about the title song is that it really is a summer single.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

broderic on July 28, 2023

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One is the beginning of the end. Hopefully. Not that I wouldn’t mind many more Mission Impossible movies, but I think franchise films are a bit empty. Although this series is fantastic so I think it would do some good work and stories in any subsequent film they do.

It was certainly thrilling and the stunts were impressive, but I felt the need for the second part. It can’t get here soon enough.

3 of 5 stars.

Asteroid City

broderic on July 28, 2023

Asteroid City feels to me like Wes Anderson’s Barton Fink. Completely baffling upon first watch. Perhaps it needs several in order to understand it. I know if I was to figure out what I watched I need watch it again.

It was a meta-movie. A film about a stage play. And it looked like a stage play but as a movie. It also had the entire cast of every Wes Anderson film in it, too. Except for Bill Murray. It was a family reunion.

I guess I’ll have to watch again, but this one left me cold.

3 of 5 stars.

Link of the Day [7.03.23]

broderic on July 3, 2023

It’s the middle of the year, summer is in full swing, but what better way to think about the passing of the year with thinking about calendar layouts. Yes, you heard that right. Calendar layouts!

Today’s link is one I found a long time back, maybe earlier this year, but forgot the URL until recently. It’s such a simple idea for calendar layout. I wish I could print one. (My printer is out of ink and obsolete).

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/one-page-calendar/

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

broderic on June 24, 2023

Across the Spiderverse made me sad. I thought the implications of what the Spider Corps was doing was plenty dark. I thought the joy of having Spider-Gwen, Peter B Parker, Spider-Noir, Peter Porker, and Penny in the previous installment was washed away with this more serious, high-stakes story. I am still trying to come to grips with it. Most every review I’ve seen or read believe this to be a great film. For me, I’m not sure.

I wanted more of the same — fun adventures with Miles Morales. Instead, this one’s very much got some high stakes. The rejection of Miles from the Spider Corps was a heavy moment. He thought that he had found like minded friends and colleagues. Add to it that the head Spider thought he was an aberration. Imagine what darkness that is. Rejection. Finally, imagine falling into the darkest timeline from which we’ll have to wait for the story to be concluded next year. Multiverses are filled with madness.

It left me sad. Do I need to wait? Why do I feel Mile’s rejection?

Anyhow, they animation in this film continues the previous style even more so. Finally, animators are finding a richer way to tell animated stories. Gone is the cold perfection of CG rendering. It is now getting expressive. I wonder if we are entering the WGA style for CG animation? I like this style as it is something that shows us that animation is art for everyone.

4 of 5 stars.

Link of the Day [6.15.23]

broderic on June 15, 2023

At their inception, Nogizaka46 was the official rival of AKB48. Debuting in 2011, it took Nogizaka46 seven years to overtake their rivals and become Japan’s top mainstream idol act.

Today, Nogizaka46 are the rivals to a new idol group produced again by Akimoto Yasushi. The new group is 「僕が見たかった青空」(“Boku ga Mitakatta Aozora”) or “The Blue Sky I Wanted to See.”

How long until they overtake Nogizaka46?

https://www.bokuao.com

Apple Vision!

broderic on June 6, 2023

Not sure about this tech. Will this be the next iPhone or an Apple Watch? Or will it be a Newton? One thing you should think about though is it is first generation hardware. Buyer beware.

Link of the Day [6.04.23]

broderic on June 4, 2023

Save Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium.

My favorite idol group, Nogizaka46, call it home. Every year on their summer tour since 2014, they’ve had a show there. There have been many memorable happenings at these lives. Ikuta flown in on a copter. Fourth Year Birth Day Live’s rain. 2016’s Synchronicity dual stadium shows. Graduations. Falls. Rain. Rain. Rain.

One day, I would love to see my beloved Nogizaka at Jingu.

If it is possible.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Showcasing-Japanese-baseball-requires-saving-Meiji-Jingu-stadium