Mod post - Off-Topic Tuesday

[icon_uk]

In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like. Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

This has perhaps not been the UK's finest week (Well except weather-wise where we had the hottest recorded temperature EVER, at 38.7C in Cambridge) but we do have a new Prime Minister, in the somewhat dissheveled shape of Conservative MP Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (If Trump is a Captain Planet villain, Johnson is the guy who plays the same villain in the mall-touring stageshow). But if you're having a bad day this week, just remember that this wassock has been on a whistlestop tour of the country trying to drum up support, to be met by loud booing pretty much everywhere. He also spent yesterday meeting the Scottish First Minister, who unabashedly loathes him, and the Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, who should be on his side, but really isn't.

This means we have a new Cabinet who seem dead set on us having a No Deal Brexit (Which would be calamitous economially, and cause severe issues especially in Ireland) and we have human anachronism Jacob Rees-Mogg as Leader of the House. Put it this way, his newly issued "Style Guide" is a quaintly baffling tour down some seriously outdated usages, like using Imperial measurements instead of Metric when, apart from miles, they haven't been taught or used in schools since the 1960's. And his insistence that all non-titled male MP's be referred to with Esq. after their surname, seems pointless as no one uses Esq. it any more, until you remember that there is no female equivalent of Esq. so work on the basis that he barely remembers that women CAN be MP's or likely even vote. Strange times ahead folks.

Look, I appreciate that with Hong Kong's protests, and POTUS just... in general, other parts of the world have their own problems right now, but I'm doing a little personal venting here. Feel free to do the same in the comments.

The European Court of Justice has made a landmark ruling against musicians sampling other people's music without permission.

Nintendo are removing a voice actor in their newly released Fire Emblem game, due to his admitted record of emotional abuse of friends and ex's.




Just a reminder that the next batch of She-Ra episodes drop on Netflix this Friday"

And to end on a lighter note, Whitney Avalon has a new song out, and it's a rather lovely Agent Carter number, which is her first foray into the MCU I think.

Comments

[skjam]

I need to see a dentist soon, really really soon if I can swing it, but my phobias are not helping.

Over at my blog, I discuss something more pleasant, a recent horror anthology: http://www.skjam.com/2019/07/27/book-review-best-new-horror-28/

[owlbrigade1]

Sympathies, I too am terrified of dentists.

[informationgeek]

Russi Taylor, the voice actress for Minnie Mouse, has passed away. This was her last work to be released before she passed, so feel free to give it a watch.

[tripodeca113]

I watched classic film Alien. Two observations come to mind:

1. Wow Red Dwarf really ripped off its interior space ship design.
2. Why do they have a cat? Letting a cat wonder round this industrial ship, seem risky. At best the cats going to hurt itself, at worst it could endanger the human crew.

Oh look Rockstar has added a casino to Grand Theft Auto 5, which you can spend real money on buying in game money to gamble with. its nice that their not bothering with a façade, but this is awful.

[zachbeacon]

I would assume a space ship would have a cat for the same reason aquatic ones do; pest control.

Unfortunately the vermin in those movies were a bit larger than your typical rat.

[cyberghostface]

Jonesy's official purpose was to get rid of rodents on the ship.

[owlbrigade1]

Therapy animal?

[wizardru]

It's pretty clear that Weyland-Yutani gives zero fucks about the safety of her crew, IMHO, but it's also pretty clear that this is the equivalent of a deep-space oil tanker. They're just blue-collar workers on a giant boat travelling a huge distance with a lot of rocks and from the looks of things, not a ton of supervision. I suspect that Jones is probably a rules violation, but if the company doesn't know, it can't say anything about it.

[cyberghostface]

The Studio Ghibli film Kiki's Delivery Service turned 30 years old this week.

[ozaline]

And it may be playing near you if you're in Canada or the US right now as part of Ghibli fest.

[zachbeacon]

Watched the Boys over the weekend. That certainly was a show.

The premise it seems to be going for "the superheroes are bad people and need to be stopped" but my takeaway is that "the superheroes are mostly incompetent* and being propped up by an evil marketing firm that needs to be stopped".

Its really hard to root for the Boys when they're getting innocent(ish) people killed and put in harm's way.

*With a few terrible outliers like A-Train and Homelander (who comes off less as an Ultraman and more as a petulant Superboy Prime)

[owlbrigade1]

I think I watched that. I don't recall being impressed with much except how well Karl Urban wears a beard, but that isn't fair; Karl Urban looks great in everything.

I think I'm missing an episode on my service though. What happened after Homelander brought Karl Urban's character to see his dead wife and kid?

[owlbrigade1]

"
This has perhaps not been the UK's finest week (Well except weather-wise where we had the hottest recorded temperature EVER, at 38.7C in Cambridge)"

Not a good or fine thing. Quite apart from what that signifies for the planet, it has major impacts on elderly and disabled people who are at significantly increased risk of death due to the heat. For example, my own painkillers are less effective when it is hot. This week has been one of increased pain and decreased mobility due to that. And that is even in Scotland's far lesser heat.

Plus I'm told by some trans friends that the heat makes it harder for them to "pass" and puts them at greater risk of being assaulted, killed, or harassed.

I don't really have a pop culture week this week, mainly due to the pain/immobility thing. I know I watched stuff, I just cannot remember what.

[icon_uk]

Sorry to hear that, hope the weather cools soon for you.

[cygnia]

I really enjoyed "The Taco Chronicles" over on Netflix last week.

[icon_uk]

I started to watch "Another Life" (I think it's called) the new Netflix sci-fi with Katee Sackhoff, Tyler Hoechlin (, Justin Chatwin (The superhero known as "The Ghost" in Doctor Who) Samuel Anderson (danny Pink in Doctor Who) and a cast of equally improbably pretty people, but could feel my OWN life draining away as I tried to give a crap about anyone on the spaceship or back on Earth.

[thezmage]

Two men kissed on Young Justice today

[gadz00ks]

Yes, they really snuck that one in there. Wish I could get the boyfriend's name or anything else about him but let's celebrate the little things.

Very minor spoiler, but for Kaldur's step-dad (adopted dad?) saying he's from San Diego and had to adjust to life under the sea, does that mean he's an Atlantian born on the surface or a human turned merman?

I guess it wouldn't be Young Justice if they weren't sneaking in little things that give me 20 more questions.

[scorntx]

Ooh, new She-Ra.
… it's just going to be another six or seven episodes which they'll claim is a season, isn't it?
(Still, I shall take it. At least until there's s'more Steven Universe.)

And a chance for another viewing of the Crappy Parents Sweepstakes.
As every year, Shadow Weaver looks like a top contender for the grand prize.

[joetuss]

I just finished my NG+ play through of Spider-Man PS4, and it dawned on me that I do not like this take on MJ. What is wrong with her being a Supermodel/actress? Why does she need to be Lois Lane lite?

[gadz00ks]

I think it spawned from a need to give her a playable role and in the developer's eyes this was the only way she could contribute without a complete character re-vamp (like giving her powers or something). And I agree with most of the others that played it, that these stealth sections felt like homework we were forced to swallow just to get back to swinging through New York.

The DLC aside, personally I think Yuri Watanabe would have been better at it but I can also see the argument for using the more popular and well-known character.

I can see what they were going for but I agree that it was a bit bare bones and unnecessary. Still better than Web of Shadows where they gave her a shotgun.

[janegray]

Went to watch Men In Black International today.

It was okay. Not a bad movie, but it doesn't have the charm of the original.

I do wish it had skipped the irritating "the black guy dies first" trope.

[thezmage]

It’s been awhile, but I don’t remember a black guy dying? A bunch of aliens with no established human forms and an old white guy, sure, but which black guy died?

[deh_tommy]

That's nice to have Horrible Histories back in some form that's not reruns or rereleases with a different host.

[matrix_dragon]

"Just a reminder that the next batch of She-Ra episodes drop on Netflix this Friday"

One of the snippets up on Youtube has Catra giving one of the best responses to a pair of second-rates trying to intimidate her ever... and Scorpia being awesome and adorable. I love it

https://youtu.be/n5tBGuU_Mbc

[arilou_skiff]

One week until the release of Age of Wonders: Planetfall, the sci-fi spinoff of the venerable Age of Wonders series.

It's looking good, if only because most of the factions has so much character. Also, the Amazons has a Tyrannosaurus with lasers strapped to it's head, allowing me to live out my Dino Rider fantasies!

[remial]

John Oliver said at one point that Boris Johnson and Donald Trump each look like failed clones of the other guy. My worry is what if they are both failed clones of a third guy?

[mrwalker]

I feel like there's a Metal Gear Solid plot in there somewhere...

[gadz00ks]

Regarding the Fire Emblem voice actor being recast, while it's likely the abuse allegations contributed it must be stated that he broke his non-disclosure agreement.

But, "which is the real reason, the abuse or the NDA break" is one of those hypothetical questions that I don't need to know the answer to.

[matrix_dragon]

I take the NDA violation as an extra straw on top of his pile of bullshit.

[shadowkat]

So the UK is basically as screwed as the US, with equally horrific leadership and it's becoming a competition regarding which country does itself in first?

Does the UK get to blame the Russians for this situation like the US?

I'm avoiding national news...for my own sanity. Been escaping into X-men comics, and discovered The Mighty Thor series by Jason Aaron. It's quite good.

Be nice if someone could just snap the US POSTUS aka Doofus and the UK one out of existence...but alas, no.

[thezmage]

Russians were definitely implicated in Brexit

[junipepper]

Words mean what we say they mean, I guess. In the U.S., all lawyers (male and female) use Esq. after their last names. Why? FIIK. We needed a pretentious title and that one was available?

Junipepper, Esq. indicates that junipepper has earned a Bachelor’s Degree and a Juris Doctor, has passed a bar examination, and holds a license to practice law in at least one state. As far as I know, it doesn’t (so far) entitle junipepper to vote in Parliament.

[icon_uk]

In Europe there's also the title "Eur Ing", which is sort of the same as Doctor, but is specifically referring to a highly qualified Engineer, on the basis of why should Doctorates be the only recognition of exceptional skill and training when it comes to titles.