My daughter drew that for me. I’m not going to say she’s weird, but she’s a very unique kid who has a touch of Wednesday Addams in her at times.
The government is now funded until December 20 which means I’ll continue to be employed for the time being. If the president and the Senate didn’t approve and sign last night, I wouldn’t be working today.
I finally got around to watching the first two episodes of Disney+’s The Mandalorian. It’s great, there’s so much to like about it. Other than the big reveal at the end of the first episode (which has got to sell a plethora of Christmas toys), I’d say the most surprising thing was Nick Nolte’s performance. I had no idea it was him nor did I think he could pull off such a performance.
I think the Mandalorian is the Batman of the Star Wars universe. Pablo Pascal does a great job of acting with the disadvantage of never being able to see his face. His body language carries a lot as well as his voice.
The music for The Mandalorian is great. I mean, it’s not enjoyable, but it really helps sets the tone and helps carry the story. Also, the storyboard images displayed during the end credits are a great touch. Man, that Jon Favreau is telling a great story. I’m curious how long he’s had the overall concept, and I loved the Indiana Jones hat-tip in the second episode.
The special effects are fantastic and I started to wonder how much it must cost to produce such a great series. It turns out Disney is using new technology, some sort of innovative projection system which is going to change the industry, and it even fools people on set. For instance:
“It was really funny as we had an executive from The Walt Disney Company come down early in the process because it’s one of those things that is difficult to explain until you walk into the environment to see how it’s working. And he stepped in, and he looked around, and he said, Jon, I thought you weren’t going to build anything. And he had no idea he was standing in a virtual set. That’s how unbelievable it is.”
“It means that if you want a big establishing shot in Iceland, and you don’t want to take 700 people, spend four months prepping a set because you only want to do the establishing shot and you can bring everything back to shoot interiors on a stage, that becomes very meaningful on big, huge projects and small projects. So the interesting thing with Mandalorian, the fact that we tested this technology inside of television and not on the big screen was the way we felt that we could take a big risk but not a giant risk.”
I would not like to be a congressional staffer who is filmed sitting behind a congress representative for several hours during an impeachment hearing. Knowing I’d be on camera, I don’t think it would be possible for me to act “normal” and wondering if my neck fat is showing, my tie is on crooked, or the glare on my head causing the cameras to go out of focus.
Random fashion prediction – In the next decade, capes are going to be in fashion.
But the results showed that music industry workers were no more likely to develop difficulties hearing in a noisy environment than people working in the finance industry.
This surprises me as I would have thought almost all musical industry workers would suffer from tinnitus. I’ve hard of fighter pilots, for example, George W. Bush, have suffered permanent hearing damage. It’s hard for me to believe the likes of Mick Jagger and his crew not be more susceptible to their decades-long exposure.
The doctors punctured the passenger’s bladder and improvised a makeshift catheter using a plastic tube from a portable oxygen cylinder, a syringe from the plane’s first-aid kit, a plastic straw from a milk carton and some tape.
However, Zhang discovered the syringe needle was too thin. He then siphoned out the urine using his mouth, sucking most of the fluid over half an hour and then spitting it out into an empty wine bottle. “It was an emergency situation. I couldn’t figure out another way,” Zhang was quoted as saying. “When I saw that the man could hardly bear the pain any more, my only thought was how to get the urine out of his bladder,” he added.
The latest Silicon Valley trend is dopamine fasting – having a break from anything pleasurable in order to “reset” your brain chemistry.
I like how AccuWeather breaks down their allergy forecasts. It provides the option to see the counts for different types of pollen. But as bad as my allergies have been the past few days, I’m surprised the pollen counts haven’t been higher.
JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say.
Here’s something for those of you who are fans of prayer, Mr. Rogers, and Tom Hanks. I’ve qued this video up for you. You’ll hear how Mr. Rogers has inspired Hanks, Savannah Guthrie, and her daughter to pray for others every night. It all has to start somewhere. [Insert planting seeds metaphor here.]
Bob: Yeah. Something classic, like, like Dynaguy. Oh, he had a great look! Oh, the cape and the boots…
Edna: [throws a wadded ball of paper at Bob’s head] No capes!
Bob: Isn’t that my decision?
Edna: Do you remember Thunderhead? Tall, storm powers? Nice man, good with kids.
Bob: Listen, E…
Edna: November 15th of ’58! All was well, another day saved, when… his cape snagged on a missile fin!
Bob: Thunderhead was not the brightest bulb…
Edna: Stratogale! April 23rd, ’57! Cape caught in a jet turbine!
Bob: E, you can’t generalize about these things…
Edna: Metaman, express elevator! Dynaguy, snagged on takeoff! Splashdown, sucked into a vortex!
[shouts]
Edna: No capes!
🙂 🙂 🙂
The Mandalorian is phenomenal. It’s a Clint Eastwood western set in the Star Wars universe, and while that’s a concept that doesn’t sound like it should work, it just does. Interesting that you mention the score, because I’m not sure most people have really noticed it since it’s not a “typical” Star Wars score filled with John-Williams-style fanfare and obvious leitmotif. It’s subtle, but plays a great supporting role. I really can’t say enough about this series, and this has only heightened my excitement for the upcoming Obi-Wan series.
Enjoyed The Mandalorian also. Disney was smart to maintain the Lucas touch of a quality story that engages the viewer. Good stuff.
Bob: Yeah. Something classic, like, like Dynaguy. Oh, he had a great look! Oh, the cape and the boots…
Edna: [throws a wadded ball of paper at Bob’s head] No capes!
Bob: Isn’t that my decision?
Edna: Do you remember Thunderhead? Tall, storm powers? Nice man, good with kids.
Bob: Listen, E…
Edna: November 15th of ’58! All was well, another day saved, when… his cape snagged on a missile fin!
Bob: Thunderhead was not the brightest bulb…
Edna: Stratogale! April 23rd, ’57! Cape caught in a jet turbine!
Bob: E, you can’t generalize about these things…
Edna: Metaman, express elevator! Dynaguy, snagged on takeoff! Splashdown, sucked into a vortex!
[shouts]
Edna: No capes!
🙂 🙂 🙂
The Mandalorian is phenomenal. It’s a Clint Eastwood western set in the Star Wars universe, and while that’s a concept that doesn’t sound like it should work, it just does. Interesting that you mention the score, because I’m not sure most people have really noticed it since it’s not a “typical” Star Wars score filled with John-Williams-style fanfare and obvious leitmotif. It’s subtle, but plays a great supporting role. I really can’t say enough about this series, and this has only heightened my excitement for the upcoming Obi-Wan series.
I caught a few minutes of The Incredibles (2004) last night:
“No capes!”
– Edna Mode