mindstalk | Network

Unlike most weeks when I hem and haw, there was no question this week when I saw the titles of these two episodes. Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff covered two of my favourite historical anarchist weirdos this week, one of whom I'm quite obsessed with. Each episode is a standalone despite the format, but you're going to want to listen to both.

The Surprising Stories Behind Foosball and Air Mail Part 1 is about Alejandro Finisterre, who for my money is one of the most interesting people who ever lived. A lot about his story brings happy tears to my eyes. He's best known for inventing foosball when he was a teenager, but (spoiler) he lived to age 87—outliving Franco and Spanish fascism—and did a whole bunch of other things, all of which are also cool as hell. He was a poet, publisher, and anti-fascist activist and also, from all reports, a lovely guy. Come for the foosball, stay for what's probably the best hijacking story of all time.

The Surprising Stories Behind Foosball and Air Mail Part 2 is about Nadar, who is most famous as the guy who took the first aerial photo and was one of the first celebrity photographers, but again, he did all kinds of other stuff. I actually did know about the hot air balloon thing during the Franco-Prussian War and the Siege of Paris, as well as his politics, but Margaret goes into a lot of detail about the many incredible things he got up to. Do yourself a favour and Google his photos if you haven't seen them, and then go and learn about his backstory.

1. K-pop Demon Hunters explained by a Korean teacher 😈🧑‍🏫: (tags:Korea music language movie demon video )

Is it too early for autumn leaves?

Feeling sore enough today it feels worth taking note of, though I've been feeling sore and tired in general for the last month or two of Continuous Stresses. But today there have been painful spasms! I don't get that very often and am Not A Fan.

Also, relatedly...
( family stuff )

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Joss_Whedon%2C_Zack_Whedon%2C_Maurissa_Tancharoen%2C_and_Jed_Whedon

"You give my regards to St. Peter, or whoever has his job, but in Hell."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Joss_Whedon%2C_Zack_Whedon%2C_Maurissa_Tancharoen%2C_and_Jed_Whedon

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Tallulah_Bankhead

"They used to photograph Shirley Temple through gauze. They should photograph me through linoleum."

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Tallulah_Bankhead

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Steven_Wright

"When I woke up this morning my girlfriend asked me, 'Did you sleep good?' I said 'No, I made a few mistakes.'"

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Steven_Wright

http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=3150

Hello.

http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=3150

118 Zoey (KPop Demon Hunters) Icons

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

♥ From Now on I’m Taking All of My Storytelling Lessons From This Wild Epic About Love, Loyalty, and Necromancy

"It’s a bit strange, I think, how little writing advice is about feelings. There is abundant writing advice about everything else—from saving the cat to killing our darlings, to never/always using 'said,' writing what we know, info-dumping and more—but not a whole lot specifically focused on the fundamental question that faces every writer when we sit down to write: How do we make people care?

"...Being a professional author as well as a former scientist, I have chosen to approach this problem in the most rational and scholarly manner possible, which is why I have watched a shit-ton of gay fantasy Chinese television drama and will now tell you all about it."
--Kalli Wallace, author

"I absolutely love this article! As a developmental editor in the 'story structure' space, I’ve learned and am now unlearning the so-called rules of story that never look outside the western (and often just the US) canon."
--Anne Elizabeth Hawley, commenter

♥ Script Change: The Writers Trading Movie Dreams for Bite-Size Dramas
by Sun Yiyang and Zhang Lingyu; translated, edited, and republished with permission by Sixth Tone

"I long ago let go of the intellectual arrogance that came with my formal training. Shifting my mindset has brought unexpected rewards: improved cross-cultural communication, deeper language fluency, and opportunities to inject even the most conventional plots with subtle innovation."
--Wu Yue, as told to reporters Sun Yiyang and Zhang Lingyu

"...I believe the essential first step is to set aside our preconceptions. If creators lose that human connection, if we stop caring about the people we’re writing for, our work loses its soul."
--Wu Yue

"I still remember, back in film school, how often I complained to my professor about assignments and the state of the industry — that familiar blend of love and frustration so intrinsic to the writer’s life. What he said has stayed with me: 'Real passion isn’t about constantly declaring, "I love this more than anything." It’s when you’re completely exhausted by it — maybe even hate it a little — and you still choose to continue.'"
--Yu Jie

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250904.html

Magnificent spiral galaxy

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250904.html

Rating: General Audiences
Archive Warnings: None
Fandoms: None
Categories: Gen
Relationships: None
Characters: Unspecified Narrator
Other: Poetry, Regret, Water, Allusions to Death

Words: 147

Summary: What do I do if I keep drowning?

Notes: Deadpoint as in bouldering/rock-climbing.

( Writing under cut )

Current Music: Feed Us Your Girls — Lydia the Bard

"Would a Calvinist have just scoffed an entire bag of fish jerky?" I reasonably texted

selkie, who had just significantly improved the evening of a week that has taken a deeply unwanted turn for the medical by causing a bagful of groceries and seltzer to appear on the front steps. Hestia professed interest in the little squares of maple-and-coconut salmon, but had to content herself with treats designed for delectation of cat and curling up on the couch next to me. I am fascinated by the pumpkin spice cookies that come ready to bake from refrigerated. The bananas are already having a short shelf life.

ETA: Later texted to

spatch: "Who the hell is going to steal and sell Pedialyte? If you could get high off it, I'd have spent 2023 as a kite."

Current Music: Arthur Askey, "I Want a Banana"

Ah, here we go; my usual time slot!

Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!

Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!

Taking a break from MUD coding.

Latest singles preparing for a 3-ply "leaf" yarn!

This one is also slated for Local Astronomer Knitter Friend. :)

This book has genuinely been my favorite read all YEAR. It's so engagingly written (I love technical/craft instructional books), wry moments of humor, but incredibly clear explanations of the engineering of a spinning wheel along with the MATH.

Title: The Path to Belonging
Fandom: Horizon: Zero Dawn
Characters: Aloy
Rating: G
Length: 44 words
Summary: 3 sentence fic. Aloy is well cared for, but lonely.

( Read more... )

There's so much TV coming back soon:

- the new season of Only Murders in the Building starts on 9/8
- the new season of Slow Horses starts 9/24
- the new season of Abbott Elementary starts 10/1

And it's not tv, but the new season of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures also starts 10/1 - there was a new mini episode last night, featuring Alfred being the best. <3

Meanwhile, I still have not watched:

- season 2 of Andor
- season 2 of Wednesday
- season 2 of Poker Face (though I did watch the first episode - the one with Cynthia Erivo, who was fantastic)

And of course, China Beach is finally available on a streaming service I do not have, and without some of the iconic music they used, but it would definitely be worth checking out if I wanted to pay for another streamer, which I don't.

Instead, I seem to have fallen into another Elementary rewatch. Despite some of the ghastly murders, it is a very comforting watch and I love Joan and Sherlock's relationship so much. And I might be feeling a Killjoys rewatch coming up soon too. I guess we'll see.

There are other shows I keep meaning to check out but have not as of yet - there is just too much to watch and too little time.

*

Current Mood: tired
Current Music: Wayfaring Stranger - Neko Case

Not quite full moon but a nice clear sky for London, so I dug out my trusty 500mm mirror lens and a 2X converter and put it onto my micro 4/3 camera, so effective magnification was about equivalent to 2000mm on full frame 35mm. At some point I really do need to sort out a tripod that I can use from my bedroom window, which is fairly high up, for this one the camera was resting on a pillow on the window sill and probably not completely motionless. This is uncropped and has not been edited in any way.