Been a student. Been a clerk. Been a salesperson. Been a manager. Been a teacher. Been an expatriate. Am a husband, father, and chronicle.
I’ve seen a bunch of those. Enough to know of his April 1st gags and to be able to shill for his website.
Which I won’t do here.
I’m more wondering about doing it as a career. What’s the annoyance/danger factor? How much work do you need to stay afloat? What do start-up costs look like? What would cause a locksmith to walk away and get into something else?
And so on.
Any insights about locksmithing? Aside, of course, from odd hours
I’d also like to hear about the journey toward being a master carpenter.
“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink,” Guterres said. “The United Nations stands ready to support any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy, and a renewed commitment to peace.”
I feel like I’ve heard this before…
"It is time for restraint, reason and de-escalation.
"There is no place for actions and statements that would take this dangerous situation over the abyss.
“It is time to establish a ceasefire and return to the path of dialogue and negotiations to save the people in Ukraine and beyond from the scourge of war.”
~ Antonio Guterres, 23 February 2022.
UNSG must be one of the most frustrating jobs on Earth.
Wow. Hadn’t heard of this one. Power of Nightmares and the Century of Self are among my favourite docs.
Take a serious look at the collapse of the Soviet Union, the gutting of the Commonwealth, and the rise of Russia under Yeltsin, then Putin. I’m not sure of any fictionalized works that examine this in any detail, but the aftermath and the new reality is well-described in Nothing is True and Everything is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev. Link is a 10 year old review in the Guardian.
The falls of other empires would also be instructive. There is an excellent podcast/YouTube channel, the Fall of Civilizations(YouTube Link)(Spotify Link). In listening, I found several parallels to the first Trump presidency. I haven’t listened in years.
A paper-thin skinned hegemon leads a dying empire against his staunch allies. I fed this prompt to ChatGPT and it handed me back Dune by Frank Herbert and Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
There are 101 years in your question. So, no year zero then?
Still fighting for command of this very small hill.
Phrasing.
I mean, Com Truise defo had more than luck. He had pull even then. And, yes, he is just a person. He is dedicated to his art, which, I think, is running hard and making memorable movies.
Top Gun (1986, Dir. Tony Scott, Budget $15M),
Rain Man (1988, Dir. Barry Levinson, Budget $25M),
Days of Thunder (1990, Dir. Tony Scott, Wri. Robert Towne, Budget $60M),
A Few Good Men (1992, Dir. Rob Reiner, wri. Aaron Sorkin, Budget $40M),
the Firm (1993, Dir. Syndey Pollack, Budget $42M),
Interview with the Vampire (Dir. Neil Jordan, Wri. Anne Rice, Budget $60M),
Big directors, writers, and big hit films. Then, he became Ethan Hunt.
M:I-2 (Dir. John Woo, Wri. Robert Towne) was thoroughly forgettable. That said, I just discovered that the writers of Star Trek: DS-9 and Voyager — Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga — wrote the story. Wild. Still, no quarter given. Until, maybe, I watch it again.
The next 4 are great.
M:I-3 (Wri./Dir. J.J. Abrams with Alex Kurtzman (latter-day Star Trek writers and executive producers))
M:I-4, Ghost Protocol (Dir. Brad Bird (the Iron Giant and the Incredibles))
M:I-5, Rogue Nation (Wri./Dir. Christopher MacQuarrie (the Usual Suspects and the Way of the Gun))
M:I-6, Fallout (Wri./Dir. Christopher MacQuarrie)
Jury is still out on M:I-7, Dead Reckoning Part 1, and Final Reckoning. Full disclosure, I did not really feel Part 1.
Tron Cubes does attract/demand talent. And, his collaboration with Christopher MacQuarrie is long-standing.
No year zero. Meaning: year 2000 is in the 20th c. and year 2100 is in the 21st c.
M:I-3, 4, 5, and 6 are excellent movies. Each in their own right. I know, Tom Cruise. But, plug and play any action star, and these are still great movies. He just happened to land the role of Ethan Hunt back in '96.
As a film, yes, it’s pretty bleak. That’s the point. Watch until the post-credits scene.
As a repository of contemporary history, it’s fascinating. This is the shit that is going down now that we could recognize in order to defend against that bleak future.
Again, that’s the point.
I did not think it was a good movie. I thought it was an awesome ride and a great rendering of the source material.
Yeah, I’ve read my Asimov. Love that guy. I knownsome haven’t, so Im glad you’ve included them. It was a student of mine who got me to read Caves of Steel for the first time. I thought they were excellent.
Strangely, I’ve only seen the 2004(?) Will Smith version of I, Robot. But, I digress.
The prompt for that post moved me. To think that we could break human affairs down to just three laws is enticing. I took a swing at it. That was what I had off the top of my head. I’d read a list — years ago — of Dene Law (it’s a PDF, sorry). Those were also an inspiration.
I’m pretty happy with this answer to what the three laws would be if I made them.
It’s not my top response, but it is short, sweet, and to the point.
The moment where Picard says, “we have no law to fit your crime.”
Picard on the first duty.
I came to put this scene in. But this comment informed me. I know of the IWW, but had never made the connection. Top notch comment, this.
Ah. Ok. Well, the rest stands. And, hopefully, you’re able to smooth things with Greg.
You are in a very messy, very confusing stage of life. You will make many, MANY mistakes and piss some people off. I’m twenty-26, and I still make mistakes.
You’ll start to understand what makes you who you want to be, and stop listening to all you’ve been told. You rebuild yourself out of your life experiences. Constantly. Forever.
You’re human. Not perfect. None are. What matters is what you do next.
As was said above, no one who questions their actions or who admits their need for mental health support is all bad. It’s the people who strategically, purposefully manipulate people with no regard for their well-being who are bad. The people who pathologically lie, cheat, steal, and remorselessly exploit others who are bad.
If you have the means, get assessed. Take no diagnoses from the Internet or people on message boards.
If you have the means, apologize, and commit yourself to treating Greg better or even neutrally. He doesn’t have to accept your apology. You have to make your peace with that. Also, he introduced you as a “boyfriend.” You had a reaction to that. You’re allowed. Again, it’s all about what you do next.
I think that Banksy’s couch gag broke something in me. I stopped watching the Simpsons about then.
The voice I used for “piece by piece” was Denzel’s from Man on Fire (2004).