Ray Guns and Pink Monkey Bird

No, not a good eclipse shot but, nonetheless, I liked it.

We seem to have had an eclipse yesterday. I wasn’t really paying attention – been there, done that. When I was 12, we lived in Bloomington, Indiana. We didn’t get the full show but, as part of science class, we made pinhole projectors and watched the reflected partial moon/sundance. Being an obnoxious, c’mon-impress-me-NOW kind of a kid, I was underwhelmed.

Given that yesterday’s event, here on the East Coast, was gonna be partial, I didn’t invest in eclipse glasses or build a pinhole projector. Ya know, I was all MEH, I’d rather look at the online pics of the full monty tomorrow. Apparently I’m still that impress-me-now kid. *sigh*

And then, yesterday afternoon, while going tippy tappy on the computer, I looked out the window and noticed a definite, very interesting change in the quality of light – the shadows were intriguing as all hell. Yup, fascination snatched me right up and, camera in hand, I ran out to the seawall. Unlike the dimwitted Orange Menace, I didn’t look directly at the sun (tempting as that was) – I aimed my camera in what I figured was the general direction and shot.
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I know I’ve linked to this John Scalzi post before, Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is, but, given the recent butthurt white supremacy protests, it seems a good idea to float it out here again.

Dudes. Imagine life here in the US — or indeed, pretty much anywhere in the Western world — is a massive role playing game, like World of Warcraft except appallingly mundane, where most quests involve the acquisition of money, cell phones and donuts, although not always at the same time. Let’s call it The Real World.
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You can lose playing on the lowest difficulty setting. The lowest difficulty setting is still the easiest setting to win on. The player who plays on the “Gay Minority Female” setting? Hardcore.

Coco sez, Yes, I'm privileged and damn happy about it, too!

Scalzi’s VERY clear that the Straight White Male setting doesn’t guarantee wealth and all the best submissive blonde pussy imaginable (hard work and, ya know, charm helps. FYI). He went on to address a lot of the folks whose comments were all “But, But, BUT!!!” in a follow up post.

Read, read and share!
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After Sunday’s flick, Atomic Blonde, I get the sense I've a Charlize Theron binge coming on.
Movies that I want to see:
Æon Flux
Yeah, even Theron panned it but, I hear tell, the visuals are brill and, boyhowdy, I am all about the visual. Oh, yes I am.

Monster

Aileen Wuornos - prostitute, serial killer, superstar. The trajectory of her hideous career is completed by this sensationally watchable and superbly acted true crime biopic from writer-director Patty Jenkins. (source)

Creepy and not sci fi at all BUT Theron won an Oscar for this. Gotta see it.

Snow White and the Huntsman
I like fairy tales and, oh yeah, cool visuals. Roger Ebert writes:

Snow White and the Huntsman reinvents the legendary story in a film of astonishing beauty and imagination.  (source)

Yup, I’m there.
Moonage Daydream – Bowie