Friday Ephemera

In case of emergency, how to move the solar system. (h/t, Elephants Gerald) || Little wooden woods. || Gardening gloves of note. || Grounds for divorce, a possible series. || Augmented reality for dogs. || I’m sensing doubt. || Just a few weeks, they said. || Awkward. || Kicking option. || Hokum pays. || Nippy. || “Possibly a chess piece.” || Our betters hate capitalism. || Angry bird. || Critical Drinker reviews The Boys season two. || One bedroom, one bathroom, outstanding view of airport. || About bloody time. || Not untrue. || That’s exactly how I would have done it. || Not as easy as it looks. || The thrill of Marks & Spencer’s Food Hall. || Furnishings of note. || And finally, madam, you must choose quickly.

Comments

[PiperPaul]

In exciting kerning news from a few years ago, it took this ITV show a few years to get the kerning right. Season 1 top, season 3 bottom.

.

[ComputerLabRat]

The thrill of Marks & Spencer’s Food Hall.

That was actually pretty neat! Looks like one of the fancier Super Targets here in the States - also a retailer that now sells food. That M&S had a much better Asian specialty and ready made selection than I've seen in supermarkets, but then again I have never gone grocery shopping in NY City or San Fransisco. The prices on some of the goods were much cheaper then I would expect in a big city - comparable to the smaller city/suburban places I shop at.

[Rick Henwood]

Little Wooden Woods

With woodies?

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/malet-8-640x862.jpg 640w, https://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/malet-8-960x1294.jpg 960w, https://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/malet-8-1140x1536.jpg 1140w, https://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/malet-8-624x841.jpg 624w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px">

[Rick Henwood]

Didn't work exactly as planned

Try this https://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/malet-8-1140x1536.jpg

[Steve E]

Gardening gloves of note.

"...they’re meant to make it easier to work in the dirt when you don’t have a shovel handy."

Yeah right, you're gardening and you forgot to bring a shovel but you remembered these ungodly camel-toed gloves.

[WTP]

how to move the solar system

Yeah. Umm...yeah...uh...mmm..well...there's this...the sun...you've seen it, right?

[Steve E]

I’m sensing doubt.

"My husband helped me love my "Super Fat" body"

No kidding, you'd need help just finding parts of that body. Although, I'd be worried about the gravitational forces

[Steve E]

Angry bird.

If you're on a highway and roadrunner goes beep beep...

[Hal]

|| Grounds for divorce, a possible series. || Augmented reality for dogs. || I’m sensing doubt. || Just a few weeks, they said. || Awkward. ||

Ahem.

But yes,very nice work juggling on a tightrope, there.

[Hal]

Kicking option.

I wonder where this elevator is.

Not too unusual, rather definitely available as an option.

As another comment there notes, elevators like that are used in the Berkeley Main Library, where as a point, that elevator is indeed somewhere else---Berkeley Main is five stories tall.

[Hal]

Hokum pays.

Granting, of course, that one does have to have the absolutely correct terminology to apply as needed.

[Daniel Ream]

In case of emergency, how to move the solar system.

"It's the sort of thing that might be done by an advanced civilization with Dyson spher-level technology"

So magic, then.

Critical Drinker reviews The Boys season two.

I presume I'm the only one who remembers Marshall Law. And The Authority. And Powers. And Brat Pack/Maximortal. And Incorruptible/Irredeemable.

It's not enough to be grimdark faux-edgy superhero deconstruction any more. It's been done to death, and once you get done making fun of Superman and the Justice League you need to have an actual story.

[Min]

And finally, madam, you must choose quickly.

Lol. Always save the wine!

[David]

Morning, all.

It’s been done to death, and once you get done making fun of Superman and the Justice League you need to have an actual story.

I thought the first season was kind of fun. Not earth-shattering or anything, but entertaining enough, albeit in a gory, nihilistic kind of way. But season two was less successful – partly, as you suggest, because of the thinness of the story, and the fact that gory nihilism soon outstays its welcome. And also, the added, on-the-nose woke pandering – which, I suspect, may become more prominent. Mr Kripke and his colleagues seem to imagine they’re being very now, very clever, and terribly edgy; but their targets are hardly novel and are generally chosen - as they almost always are, given the people involved - from a decidedly left-of-centre worldview.

And so we get lots of self-congratulatory interviews and articles about the dangers of Trump and “far-right” politics, and the immensely brave radicalism of satirising it, while for month after month entire neighbourhoods have been trashed and burned by mask-wearing leftists, and while random people find themselves being menaced, whether in cafes and restaurants or in their own homes, by more masked leftists using Sturmabteilung tactics. Up to and including sealing doors with concrete and trying to burn people alive.

But hey, relevance.

[JuliaM]

"But season two was less successful..."

Still going to look like something by Ibsen when put up against the upcoming 'The Watch', I suspect...

[John]

O/T

A gentleman enjoys his lunch.

https://youtu.be/ifwlZxpJOkw

[Mike]

In case of emergency, how to move the solar system.

A project for the weekend?

[David]

A project for the weekend?

Possibly two weekends. I mean, mining the raw materials - several large planets - is going to take an afternoon.

[David]

A project for the weekend?

And the narrator’s rather optimistic closing line, about a new year coming in which to improve the world, i.e., 2020, was, in hindsight, somewhat ironic.

[Xas7wcrg9e]

Angry bird.

Ostrich : "Can you help with these directions good sir"

"Sir?!"
"Sir?!"

[Mags]

The thrill of Marks & Spencer’s Food Hall.

That was relaxing. :-)

[Nearly a spelling nartsi]

Berkeley Main is five stories tall

So not a very well stocked library?

Ah! US English...

[David]

That was relaxing. :-)

It does invite thoughts of their excellent cheese crackers, and those black-and-red-only fruit gums.

[TimT]

Haha oh dear.

For some reason the ‘chess piece’ link defaulted on my phone to a charming video of two horses kissing, and - possibly in one of my usual fits of forgetfulness, possibly distracted by the amusing warning from Imgur - ‘you may be about to view adult material’ (two horses kissing!) I promptly shared the link with my wife. What could possibly go wrong?

So, er, thanks.

PS: horsies!

https://imgur.com/gallery/LH4V4av

[David]

For poor mortals who haven’t yet tried them, M&S Crispy Cheese Crackers go very nicely with their Cornish Cruncher mature cheddar. Seriously, a quality cracker.

And a glass or two bottle of Pheasant Gully Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon.

Obviously.

[ Strokes chin, feels sudden need for grocery-shopping excursion. ]

[David]

What could possibly go wrong?

Heh. Should be an interesting evening for you, then.

[Lancastrian Oik]

I thought the first season was kind of fun. Not earth-shattering or anything, but entertaining enough, albeit in a gory, nihilistic kind of way. But season two was less successful – partly, as you suggest, because of the thinness of the story, and the fact that gory nihilism soon outstays its welcome.

Yes- the plot line became simultaneously maudlin and contorted as it staggered on to its conclusion. I'm not at all convinced by Karl Urban's depiction of Billy Butcher as he is so limited as an actor, and the too-frequent deployment of the c-word became irritating.

Having said that, episode six was a belter....

[David]

Having said that, episode six was a belter....

It did take a second or two to register what was happening with Mr, um, Love Sausage.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Pray for this person as she makes a bold political statement never before heard from a "celebrity".

[Captain Nemo]

Cornish Cruncher mature cheddar.

I stopped buying that years ago. When preparing meals with it I found that most of the cheese would disappear before it made its way onto or into whatever it was I was preparing. Dangerously addictive stuff, that.

[David]

[ Shopping-list writing intensifies. ]

[David]

Dangerously addictive stuff, that.

Overall, their range of food products is pretty good and it’s generally a nice place to shop. Though I’m not keen on their Cumberland sausages, which are too heavily seasoned for my taste. Ditto their smoked bacon, which is way too smoky for me.

[Captain Nemo]

I’m not keen on their Cumberland sausages... Ditto their smoked bacon

I haven't tried either, but now I'm curious. Looks like I'll have to pop in to my local M&S next time I'm passing. Damn it, you've got me writing a shopping list now.

[David]

Right, play nicely for an hour. I’m off to the M&S Food Hall.

[Adam]

"Opinion polls only have a hope of being accurate in a society where people feel safe voicing an opinion."

Misses the entire point that such polls are not intended to measure opinion but to move it. The only opinion that counts is the one you are allowed to express.

[David]

[ Returns from hunt, laden with booty. ]

[Captain Nemo]

As long as you don't shake your booty in our faces, we're all fine with that.

[Daniel Ream]

I thought the first season was kind of fun.

If it's the first time you've seen this kind of thing, then I don't doubt it seems very clever. I expect if you randomize the order of the things I mentioned you'd end up in the same place I am: the first one seems quite novel, and by the end you're just eye-rolling at the pretentious condescension of it all. Pace Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex, we all know that superhero comics/movies are unrealistic fantasy; that's the whole reason we enjoy them.

Comics' Silver Age was aimed at 8-13 year old boys. The Iron Age was aimed at angry, disaffected, insecure 14-16 year olds. The Bronze Age was aimed at adults who are mature enough to recognize that while simplistic and cartoonish isn't really very satisfying, neither is edgy and splashed in blood.

This video is perhaps the best example I can think of: the voice of Optimus Prime was based on Peter Cullen's brother, a Marine Captain and Vietnam War veteran who had been injured in combat multiple times.

[David]

As long as you don’t…

I promise nothing.

[Killer Marmot]

Ostrich might be angry. Or it might be following its herding instinct. Or it might just want to race. Who knows what's going on in that tiny little brain.

[Jonathan]

Some good advice for the entitled:

via Battle Beagle

[pst314]

As long as you don't shake your booty in our faces

[David]

we all know that superhero comics/movies are unrealistic fantasy; that’s the whole reason we enjoy them.

Yes, the escape from real-world politics is very much, for me at least, part of the appeal. I don’t think I’m alone in this. Adding political content, which generally means from a leftist set of assumptions, and with varying degrees of cack-handedness and self-congratulation, doesn’t really enhance the experience. Usually, quite the opposite.

[Darleen]

Our betters hate capitalism.

Because at some time or another, in a capitalist system, you either need to build a business or get a job. No LARPing on your boss's dime or when trying to secure customers or clients.

[David]

No LARPing on your boss’s dime

Somewhat related, the first item here.

And because I’d forgotten about it, the first item here.

[Sam Duncan]

“In case of emergency, how to move the solar system.”

What an awesome voiceover. I'm slightly disappointed there wasn't a phone number at the end I could call to buy my own Caplan Thruster at a low, low price not available in stores.

“The thrill of Marks & Spencer’s Food Hall.”

Moving up in the world. It was Tesco last time, wasn't it? Next stop, Waitrose!

[Steve E]

I'm slightly disappointed there wasn't a phone number at the end I could call to buy my own Caplan Thruster at a low, low price not available in stores.

Made me think of the Bloom County cartoon where Opus and the gang give Cutter John a gift. Cutter John says, "A brand new warp drive, you shouldn't have." The gang replies, "Sears had a sale!"

[Sam]

I've was considering binging season 2 of The Boys this weekend with the missus. Though I enjoyed the shock moments and tension of S1 there were red flags aplenty, and now I hear it's going woke. I see the damp reviews here but...worth at least a watch or skip entirely?

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Modern problems...

[pst314]

Modern problems...

Darwin Award level stupidity.

Favorite response: "It’s completely unacceptable that when ordering a test for covid, there is no option for people who hate turtlenecks to state their correct identity as a turtleneck hater...."

[Rick Henwood]

Does Cabin Porn involve a bear-skin rug, an indoor hearth and roasting nuts by an open fire?

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/malet-8-1140x1536.jpg

[John]

It should also involve Fran Jeffries.

https://youtu.be/paWt-vWYbyU

[Microbillionaire]

Remember Islam? ;-) It kind of faded into the background for a bit, but over in France, apparently a Mohammedan just beheaded a teacher for showing caricatures of Mohammed. Police showed up and shot the murderer in turn.

The Guardian's headline: "French police shoot man dead after knife attack near Paris school". May all the false witnesses at the Guardian be knife-attacked.

[David]

but...worth at least a watch or skip entirely?

It isn’t terrible, and there are some amusing scenes, but I found season two less entertaining. The “punching Nazis” thing is a bit on-the-nose and, given recent events in several American cities, rather ill-judged. But I think the main issues are the lack of narrative momentum and the fact that the reliance on gory nihilism soon wears thin. I don’t think it’s something you can build a series on.

[David]

Lamentation #2,037.

[WTP]

Modern problems...

Further down that Twitter feed I saw this:

Merkel: “We know that Great Britain aims for a certain measure of independence.”

Not exactly modern but it does warm my heart to hear that perhaps my uncle didn't die in vain back in 1944 after all.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Rebecca, a study in self explanation.

I'm a nurse educator...Working on Ed.D.

[WTP]

Heh. "Terminal degree". Can't teach them anything more once they've achieved that lofty status, I'm sure.

[pst314]

The Guardian's headline: "French police shoot man dead after knife attack near Paris school".

A better headline would have been "Muslim beheads schoolteacher in the street" but that would be too honest for the Quislings at the Graunaid or the New York Times.

[pst314]

Lamentation #2,037.

Liberals do seem to think that the essence of Democracy is being able to punish people they disagree with.

[Daniel Ream]

worth at least a watch or skip entirely?

My attitude towards the whole thing is mostly borne of overexposure; don't let that deter you. If you enjoy The Boys, the six-issue series Marshal Law handles the whole thing slightly better, IMHO.

And when you're done, do have a go at Superman vs. The Elite, which is the explicit retort to the superhero deconstruction movement.

[David]

The Guardian’s headline

Meanwhile, on the planet of the bedlamites.

“Social Studies teacher.”

[John]

Looking through the “Nurse Educator” twitter feed she is pretty sound on many issues.

[Steve E]

“Social Studies teacher.”

The ignorance is strong in this one, especially in its field of study.

[David]

The ignorance is strong in this one, especially in its field of study.

It’s like woke cliché bingo – the hashtag slogans, the piercings, the pronouns, the ostentatiously inapt profanity, and the in-group status-seeking of professing “empathy” with the murderer – a jihadi savage who would most likely regard our “Social Studies teacher” – the one oblivious to history and even rudimentary economics - as an abomination, another candidate for beheading.

[Squires]

...but that would be too honest for the Quislings...

No different than when they were reporting “student” or “youth” “protests” over a decade ago. The ones involving nights filled with cries of praise to Allah, and innumerable burning cars and acts of assault and intimidation.

...another candidate for beheading.

Zer/Zim/Whatthefuckever claims to be Jewish. That alone would be enough.

[Alex DeWynter]

If you're going to Waitrose, don't forget to pick up the essentials.

[Hal]

If you're going to Waitrose, don't forget to pick up the essentials.

Oh, Dear, and the Waitrose package designers completely screwed up.

None of the items are declared to be Iconic or Curated, so how is some hipster/preppy/[underclass git]/yuppy/yob supposed to spot them????

[Hal]

Additional examples of utterly and absolutely completely not getting it, #1, #2, #3, #4 . . . . #9,998, #9,999 #10,000 . . . . .

[sk60]

LOL

[Jonathan]

...another candidate for beheading.

Zer/Zim/Whatthefuckever claims to be Jewish. That alone would be enough.

I wouldn't be too Sure of That.

[Ben David]

Additional examples of utterly and absolutely completely not getting it

Actually, they DO get it - Governor Cuomo has, uhhhh, scapegoated the religious Jewish neighborhoods while allowing mass BLM protests just a few blocks away - and precipitating the deaths of thousands of elderly by forcing nursing homes to accept COVID patients. This is not exactly Protocols of the Elders of Zion, but it's pretty despicable Jew-baiting by a Leftie.