Random-Interesting-Weird

[Raithe]

Daniel Craig Prefers Going To Gay Bars • Instinct Magazine

The Hollywood star stated on a podcast this week that queer nightlife has played a large role in his life and has helped him avoid brawls.

“I’ve been going to gay bars for as long as I can remember,” he told Bruce Bozzi on the Lunch with Bruce podcast. “One of the reasons (is) because I don’t get into fights in gay bars that often. The aggressive **** swinging in hetero bars, I just got very sick of it as a kid because it’s like, I don’t want to end up being in a punch-up. And I did. That would happen quite a lot.

“A gay bar would just be a good place to go,” Craig continued. “Everybody was chill. You didn’t really have to sort of state your sexuality. It was okay, and it was a very safe place to be. And I could meet girls there, cause there are a lot of girls there for exactly the same reason I was there. I was an ulterior motive.”

[Raithe]

Robot Murder Dog New Thing to Worry About as You Fall Asleep (gizmodo.com)

Dogs have long been a hunting companion for humans, so it makes complete sense that almost as soon as robotic quadrupeds were perfected, we’d be slapping big ol’ guns on ‘em. Boston Dynamics might not want anyone using Spot for evil, but there are plenty of other bot makers happy to make robo-dogs ready for war.

Ghost Robotics’ Vision-60 quadruped moves around on four legs just like Boston Dynamics’ Spot does. Equipped with a host of sensors and cameras, the Vision-60 is agile enough to even stay up on four legs while slipping and sliding around on ice, so if in the back of your head you were planing some Home Alone-esque antics to one day escape a pack of menacing robo-dogs, you better head back to the drawing board.

[Raithe]

It does seem some people can be a little tone deaf in what they do...  Resulting in:

Zelda Williams Begs Fans To Stop Sending Her Jamie Costa's Impression - Comic Sands

[Raithe]

I know this is a controversial position to take, but I believe Columbus should be judged by the standards of his time. As a student of history, I am keenly aware of the presentist distortions that can come from imposing our own modern-day values on historical figures without considering the context in which they lived.
So how was Columbus judged in his time?

A Catholic priest, Bartolomé de las Casas, was horrified by Columbus’ invasion of Hispaniola, which included rape, murder, slavery, torture, sex trafficking prepubescent girls, and feeding babies to dogs in front of their parents. He wrote to Spain condemning Columbus’ actions in the strongest possible terms.
When word of Columbus’ actions reached a Spanish court official, Francisco de Bobadilla, he had Columbus arrested and shipped back to Spain in irons. While de Bobadilla’s reaction was based on part on his own ambitions, the Crown of Ferdinand and Isabella found cause to strip Columbus of his governorship based on the reports of his cruelty.

None of Columbus’ contemporary critics were unusually good people. De Las Casas was a proponent of African slavery; de Bobadilla colonized Hispaniola after Columbus was deposed; Ferdinand and Isabella instituted the Spanish Inquisition. They, like Columbus, were products of their time — and each of them felt he had crossed a line, in one way or another, during his time in the Americas.

That’s how Columbus was judged according to the standards of his time. I don’t know what the equivalent of “shipped off in irons and ignominiously demoted” is in today’s world, but I’m sure as hell it isn’t “celebrate a holiday named after him.

Image: a 19th century depiction of Francisco de Bobadilla arresting Christopher Columbus on Hispaniola.

 

[Gorth]

Big tech companies wants to turn us all into MMO players in a life simulator. The Matrix sends its regards...

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58749529

"Apparently, it's the next big thing. What is the metaverse?"

"The metaverse is a concept being talked about as the next big thing by tech companies, marketers, and analysts.

It's attracting attention - and money - from some of of tech's biggest names, such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Epic Games' Tim Sweeney."

...

"Unlike current VR, which is mostly used for gaming, this virtual world could be used for practically anything - work, play, concerts, cinema trips - or just hanging out."

 

Just imagine a world governed by the Zuckerbergs and Sweeneys of this world as your overlords...

(yes, the use of 'your' is used deliberately to distance myself from wanting to live in such a world)

[Raithe]

I saw one of those amusing articles about "groups that seem like cults that aren't meant to be cults"..

"Public Education in the United States."

"Teachers are encouraged to work well beyond their contract hours for extremely limited pay, come in when they are sick even during a pandemic and then fed toxic positivity about how much better they are making kids lives."

 

[Raithe]

 

[Hurlshort]

The big question is where do they store all those huge props for the rest of the year.

[Malcador]

Halloween is such nonsense.

[Gromnir]

Just now, Malcador said:

Halloween is such nonsense.

is the best holiday. yeah, the celebration has religious roots, but as celebrated in us it is almost entire secular---nowhere near the religious baggage that exists for christmas or easter. is not 'bout patriotism or celebrating a cultural icon who likely ain't the hero you were taught to admire in school. on halloween, kids dress up in costumes, pretend to be sooperheroes or monsters or whatever, and then neighbors, many o' whom the kids has never met or spoken to, give the costumed kids candy... or a small box o' raisins if the neighbors is jerks. 

if it weren't for the fact so many pets is tormented and abused by little psychopaths on halloween...

HA! Good Fun!

ps a few people getting their house tp'd is a small price to pay for general halloween goodness.

[Malcador]

Well obviously it works for some, never really saw the fun in it, as a kid or as an adult.  Latter is more tedious, I have to say, having to spend the money to get said candy, then waste my night sitting outside handing it out.  Only interesting moment was one year with some single dad + starving student + award winning filmmaker + indie rocker guy coming to beg me for food. 

One good thing, at least that guy's not turned his house into a garish shrine for a sporting corporation.  I mean this is just sad.

 

 

[Raithe]

Halloween is a holiday where:

• You don't have to prepare food.
• You don't have to meet up with family.
• You don't have to attend a festival.
• Halloween songs can be catchy, but they're never repetitive or played for months on end.
• It can allow pretty much anyone to partake in it regardless of religion or background.
• It's completely voluntary with no peer pressure to do anything or attend specific functions or travel anywhere.
• Halloween lets you be, however you want to express yourself, and it's the one night pretty much no-one will judge you.

[Gfted1]

Segway Now Sells a Kit to Turn Your Hoverboard Into a Bead-Blasting Tank.

[ShadySands]

35 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

Segway Now Sells a Kit to Turn Your Hoverboard Into a Bead-Blasting Tank.

One step closer to my Delta Force motorcycle

I should probably learn how to ride a motorcycle

Edited October 21, 2021 by ShadySands
sorry, MegaForce motorcycle

[Gfted1]

I loved that its also operable from your phone. Then if any kids come on my lawn:

[Hurlshort]

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-58967120

So Ubisoft is turning AC games educational? Where do I sign up? 

Honestly, climbing around Constantinople is one of my favorite game history moments, so I hope they figure out a way to expand this project.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Hurlsnot

[Zoraptor]

At least Odyssey already had the Discovery tour prior to Valhalla, unless I was hallucinating. I was pretty surprised how historically accurate the actual game was in most respects too, it was recognisably the Peloponnesian War and most of the events even happened in approximately the right order.

[Pidesco]

There are a few mistakes but it is still pretty awesome says this archaeologist.

[Guard Dog]

Sheriff's office: Alec Baldwin discharged prop gun that killed crew member, wounded director

WTH? Movie prop guns are actual functional firearms? I didn't know that! That strikes me as being not only stupid but extremely dangerous. As this story indicates. 

[Gfted1]

Thats the same way Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son) died on set.

[Guard Dog]

9 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

Thats the same way Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son) died on set.

You’re right. I forgot about that one.

[Sarex]

7 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

Thats the same way Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son) died on set.

As far as I remember in his case something was stuck in the barrel of the gun and the blank shot pushed it out like a musket.

This one seems like he shot multiple times. So it was either live rounds, shot from too little of a distance (blanks can kill short range) or maybe they were standing behind one another and the shot went through.

[Amentep]

1 minute ago, Sarex said:

As far as I remember in his case something was stuck in the barrel of the gun and the blank shot pushed it out like a musket.

This one seems like he shot multiple times. So it was either live rounds, shot from too little of a distance (blanks can kill short range) or maybe they were standing behind one another and the shot went through.

In Lee's case, it was a squib load in the barrel used for a close-up to make it look like the gun was loaded with real bullets.  It wasn't cleared from the barrel when the prop or arms master loaded blanks into the gun, as I recall.

In this case, it was the Director (Joel Souza) and the Cinematographer (Halyna Hutchins) who were shot.  Souza was wounded and Hutchins was killed.  This makes me speculate that they were probably filming a scene where Baldwin was supposed to fire multiple times at the camera for a POV shot.  Could have been too short of a range, or could have been the wrong gun used, or an improperly loaded one.  I'm sure the investigation will take some time.

[Guard Dog]

Blanks are regular ammunition that have propellant but no projectile. For a semi automatic firearm to use them you have to stopper the barrel. In the military we had a red box with a screw that you actually screw into the end of the barrel that traps most of the gas from the propellant burn so it will work the action of the rifle and chamber the next round. I believe in this case Baldwin was firing a handgun so the barrel of the handgun would have to be blocked inside in such a way that it wasn’t visible. Usually that means “leading “ the barrel. Blocking it permanently with lead or silver or some other malleable metal. Once you do that the gun can never be used for regular ammunition again. I was reading the description of the movie and it sounds like it’s an old West movie. Which means the prop would’ve been a revolver. Since it’s not semi automatic there is no need to block the barrel. So that really comes down to inventory and asset control. How did live ammunition get on the set?

as accidents go this is about as tragic as it gets. Alec Baldwin is a pretty substandard human being by most of my criteria. He treats his children and the people around him like garbage and has a reputation for just being an all-around ****. That said I’m certainly sympathetic for how he’s feeling right now. This is not his fault obviously but it would still be a very hard thing to deal with knowing that you were the one holding the pistol at the time.

Edited October 22, 2021 by Guard Dog

[Malcador]

2 hours ago, Sarex said:

As far as I remember in his case something was stuck in the barrel of the gun and the blank shot pushed it out like a musket.

This one seems like he shot multiple times. So it was either live rounds, shot from too little of a distance (blanks can kill short range) or maybe they were standing behind one another and the shot went through.

Well if it were debris in the barrel, could still injure multiple people with one shot, like a shotgun, no ?