What a beefy comment.

Thanks for the stranger, kind gold.

So I play guitar. I had a problem where I would sometimes drop my pick. Then, one day, I had an idea. I took some copper wire and attached it to a pick through a small hole I burned into it with a needle. I wrapped the wire around my finger. Now I physically cannot drop my pick.

I know I’m a month late, but I just came across this comment. Joel Haver is one of the most beautiful filmmakers I have ever encountered. He just has so much empathy for his subjects, and it feels like he really loves his characters. I discovered him a few years ago, and I am definitely in for the ride. There is not enough ass in the world for that man to kick.

So I have a story related to this. I teach English in Korea. One time, two 11-year-old students chose kopi luwak as a topic for their in-class (no research) project. I asked what that is, as I had never heard of it. They explained in pre-intermediate English that there is a cat that poops coffee beans. I didn’t believe them at first, because it sounded so silly. But they urged me to look it up. At first, I got confused between ‘kopi’ and ‘coffee’, because Korean has no ‘f’ sound and substitutes a ‘p’ sound. But when I finally found the Wiki page, I was blown away. The fact that this is real would be so funny if it weren’t for all the abuse another user pointed out.

It used to be very popular, so I don’t know if this qualifies, but I watch a lot of noir and neo-noir. Specifically, I like the ones told from the criminal’s perspective. Films like Double Indemnity, Body Heat and The Postman Always Rings Twice are great places to start.

They shoot horses, don’t they?

Good on you. You can teach your son some valuable perspective, while getting in some quality time as well. Please let us know how it goes, if you don’t mind. I feel invested now.

Depends on what you’re looking for, really. I’m unsure about the rules regarding sharing specific sites, but if you DM me, I can throw a few recommendations your way.

You make some good points there. I remember LAN parties in high school where we would spend hours troubleshooting network problems and calling older brothers for advice. I learned a lot from those experiences, because I was forced to. I think a big part of the changes we are seeing in computer literacy is what I would call the Apple philosophy: if a toddler can’t use it, we need to simplify. Basically, as you said, things are getting simpler with less granular control. Of course, Apple is far from the only company doing this stuff, but they seem to be industry leaders in the sense of ‘dumbing down’ tech.

I recently had a friend say that privacy is a luxury these days. My first thought was that there is nothing luxurious about it. It takes hard work, inconvenience and savvy. And I’m not even close to Stallman levels of privacy paranoia. I know just enough to acknowledge that I know nothing. I feel similarly about tech in general. I have been using Linux for ten years, I use VPNs, I have played around with DNS settings, et cetera. But I realize that I have barely scratched the surface of what is possible and available to those willing to spend the time and get it done.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now. Thanks for replying thoughtfully, and thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

I’ll only say no to this question because I don’t want to have kids. But I taught my mom how to pirate, and I’m proud of that. I believe that piracy is not a morally neutral act. It is morally good. Pro-piracy is an ethically good stance to take in this age.

Can I DM you?

I can imagine; I wouldn’t recommend it for kids. Way too much gore and tension.

I think it’s intentionally ambiguous. For me, the point is the paranoia and distrust. I might be wrong, of course, but my interpretation is that we are supposed to leave the experience with questions.

Awesome, thanks. I just checked out her website, and it looks great. Thanks for the link. I will definitely consider this as an option.

Right? I can’t watch it with people anymore, because I keep pausing to explain how certain effects were achieved. It’s a monumental achievement.

That’s a great one as well. That alleyway fight scene is so fucking cool. Carpenter is easily one of the most creative, most fun artists of his generation.

John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece The Thing. The themes of paranoia and isolation are so perfectly explored; it launched the career of Keith David, who is just a treasure; the performances are all immaculate; and those effects. My god, the effects.

Can I DM you with the concept(s) I have in mind?

That sounds awesome, although I do want to insist on paying. Your labour is worth something. Can I DM you with the details?