I hold to Affleck being the best all around portrayal of the character, just saddled in relatively mediocre films. That said, I really liked Pattinsonʻs take and the film overall (and I do sympathize with your take on the second half; it feels a bit bloated for the kind of “street-level” Batman they had going).
The thing about Thanos though is that he is also a good example of what happens when a powerful figure is only surrounded by “yes” folks. Because his idea is, ultimately, stupid. Killing half of all life in the universe doesnʻt really change anything substantial because you wind up with the same problems: If you have 100 people and 50 cows or fruit trees or whatever, and you snap half of those, you still wind up with the same ratio. Now itʻs 50 people fighting for 25 cows or fruit trees or whatever.
The Infinity Stones basically make Thanos close to God. He could do anything. He could have doubled the resources of the universe, he could have created an entirely new form of resource.
In some ways this is in keeping with his characterization in the comics, where he has a habit of getting in his own way. But I kinda wish that Endgame, like in the Infinity Gauntlet series, would have revealed that he was actually trying to woo Death (which could have been represented by Hela) and so his supposed altruism is actually self-serving. Regardless, he does stand as a good representative of charismatic villains that garner sympathy while also being singularly focused on a really bad idea rooted in the villainʻs own self-assurance and ability to gather acolytes through a kind of “reality distortion field” effect.
I think I read it somewhere in a trivia thing on Memory Alpha, but I honestly donʻt remember. But the Progenitors seeded common ancestors with their DNA. Which means that species like the Xindi wouldʻve had Progenitor DNA even though they have a multi-facted evolution with reptillian, primate, and arboreal humanoids…
Holy shit! I’ve an old friend that had a mildly successful Christian band back in the early ‘00s and they opened for DC Talk a few times. He once told me that he smoked pot in a jacuzzi with Michael Tait (the guy referenced in the article) and that he repeatedly put his hand on his thigh under the water, but tried to laugh it off as “messing around.”
google fonts are legit great. Just don’t do what I did and figure out how to install ALL the Google fonts… did that on my Ubuntu machines and it seems to play a significant role in why GIMP takes a decade to load and regularly freeze (also being on a 13 year old Mac might play a role). Was much more discerning on my laptop running Mint lol
iirc, in Star Trek the Klingons descend from a crab-like ancestor. I mean, yes, I understand what you’re getting at but I still think it’s kinda cool that Klingons are sort of humanoid crabs
Prince’s solo on ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ at the tribute to George Harrison is both incredible and a masterclass in, well, class. He blows Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne completely out of the water, but doesn’t try to overshadow them while clearly having a good time playing with them, and then quietly leaves so as to not make it about himself.
Start watching at 3:20 for Dhani Harrison’s face. He’s so happy with what’s about to go down:
I actually did not know that! A friend of mine used to own an independent roaster and kinda ruined me on coffee lol. Learned a lot from him, but somehow missed this tidbit. Makes sense.
Two things: First, coffee became an “American” beverage after the Boston Tea Party (though, iirc beer remained a significant breakfast beverage for awhile). Coffee houses were also places for patriotic discussions and where the revolutionary zeal was fostered. So you have some MAGA types wanting to tap into that.
Second, dark roasting coffee is an old trick to cover the flavor of inconsistent and shitty coffee. Some people really like to taste the “roast.” But what’s happening is that a burnt flavor is masking the actual taste of a coffee bean. You want a light roast to actually taste the coffee.
Also, if I’m not mistaken, it was the French who first came up with dark roasting coffee (likely for preservation reasons). I’m sure MAGA would love to know that their “dark, hard-hitting” coffee has its flavor profile originating in France.
Haha, I switched to Firefox years ago and recently to Linux and I’m quite fine with the gender I was born with lol. I’m a(n Episcopal) priest. It’s not like I wear a black dress or lacey white garments to work…
Yeah. I’ve lived in DC in June. I’m originally from Florida and the most oppressive heat and humidity I’ve experienced in the US was during summer in DC. And given that it’s only like two months of such heat (compared to the like 7 months where it’s cold), they don’t prioritize infrastructure for it. It is not going to be a good time for anyone.
I’m in Hawai’i and I basically assume all Hellcats and Corvettes are military. So when they cut me off in traffic or whatever, instead of getting angry I just say a little “easy there recruit” or “settle down Private” to myself. It makes me chuckle and keeps me from sin.
Had an Android tablet that sat in a lost and found for like three years with no claims. Finally decided to mess around with it. After charging it up there was a password screen. Tried 1234. No dice. 2580 and it opened right up.
Agreed. Big Scott Bakula fan. Plus I hold that the show remains under-appreciated for the Star Trek fandom and— oh. THAT Archer. Nevermind. Please continue.
I’ve long held that the untranslated words are either the result of those words having entered into common universal vernacular that they don’t need to be translated OR they don’t have an equivalent English translation that’s not cumbersome. Like “targ” doesn’t need to be translated because a targ is a targ. Either everyone knows what that is or it would be super awkward for everyone to hear “dog-like possum creature thing with huge outward teeth,” every time a Klingon says the word “targ”
Thatʻs right! But at the time of Endgame, weʻd only seen Hela. I could definitely see someone snapping half the universe away for either of them lol.