By Roy Mathur, on 2020-02-14, at 09:04:51--09:46:34 GMT, for Captain Roy's Rocket Radio Show, Listen
It is impossible that this pod will go on forever as our lives are finite, and even if they were not, the universe is, but 2012, when this podcast started, seems but a distant flicker.
That purple tells you I've been writing again. Can't you tell? Don't worry, I'll mention it again in a few minutes, so hang on tight. Or, more captainly, hold fast!
Back to those many episodes; I've heard that Apple Podcasts only lists three hundred episodes. I'll find out if that's true soon enough, or if instead my pod turns into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight... or something.
The random, last minute, tangential item added to these show notes: I'm still stunned at how expensive moving from a single bed to a king size bed is in terms of the additional expenses. As well as a good bed, you need good quality bed linen (i.e. "How much?! Are you serious?"), and a bazillion pillows. A bazillion. Really. It's a bloody big bed.
What else? Too much labour in the garden, followed by flu, then the long drive to my uncle's funeral, and getting the place ready for my parents, who are temporarily moving in, has made things rather hectic at Casa Roy.
Everything is now relatively under control, but in the process of getting to this point, I have badly managed my tasks and cranked up my stress levels so that I've had constant IBS attacks and my Tourette's Syndrome has gone haywire. I used to have a theory that stress helps my Tourette's, but this is obviously the wrong kind of stress.
All this chaos flapping around my head lately has taken more out of me than it should, hence fewer podcasts, hence even more stress worrying about producing fewer podcasts.
I am writing again though, partly as a way from escaping everything else. See? I told you we'd talk about this again.
I'm single so I understand what a repellent day this can be, so let's do a podcast instead.
This is a forgettable adaptation of award winning novel about boy who survives terrorist attack in an art gallery and his guilt over stealing a priceless rare painting in the midst of the chaos caused by the bombing.
The problem is not that the story isn't engaging, it is, it's the execution that isn't great. That is a pity as it struck me as something that should have come off as a cross between Charles Dickens and Walter Tevis.
I like that Patrick Stewart is playing his real age. Not only for sake of diversity, though we do need to see older people leading dramas, but also because it brings another dynamic to the character. I also like that he is going rogue to save the universe without the help of Starfleet. It makes the show feel more intimate to narrow our focus to Jean-Luc Picard, a fellow Earther with a fascinating and tragic backstory. Although Picard isn't my favourite captain, his generalist approach, i.e. not as brilliant as Kirk, but highly competent and strongly principled, together with his incredible ability to survive and overcome personal tragedy and severe injury in the line of duty always impressed me.
I was already an post-teen young adult by the time TNG started, so re-runs of the Kirk led TOS was my Star Trek, but I enjoyed TNG, even the earliest episodes, like Encounter at Far Point, that aren't well regarded. TNG is also old enough that I feel sentimentality for the show. Much as I like the character of Michael Burnham of Star Trek: Discovery, I think Star Trek: Picard is certainly better.
It is admittedly slow moving---it took three episodes for Picard to get a ship---but I'm savouring this fun continuation of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Make it so.
Engage.
Glossy, tough. crime drama set in the 80s about the LA coke dealers and the CIA's use of the cocaine trade to fund anti-communist guerrillas in South America at the cost of turning the poorest areas of America into a coke addled hell-hole. I watched a few episodes, but despite the interesting characters, it got very depressing, very fast.
Enjoyable adaptation of Joe Hill's and Gabriel Rodriguez's comic book series of the same name. I'm sure we've talked about the comic before, but, briefly, it's about a family who move to big, creepy house. The house contains special keys that lead to magical portals. I think it's much better than Joe Hill's last adapted TV work NOS4A2. And those keys? I love traveling, so I really wish I could own the Anywhere Key.
RIP Kirk Douglas, birth name Issur Danielovitch, December 9th 1916 to February 5th 2020. He was one of my favourite actors, I used to be teased that I had his chin, which isn't a bad thing. He was the star of so many films, including Spartacus, The Vikings, The Fury, and The Arrangement. CRRRaSh! salutes Kirk Douglas! I'm Spartacus!
You know all that effort you put into recycling stuff? A lot of it is a waste of time because we don't know what we're doing because no one has told us how, and even if we do the right thing the process can and does get cocked up further up the line.
Here are links to articles at Wired: https://web.archive.org/web/20190829061431/https://www.wired.co.uk/article/recycling-myths-busted and The Telegraph: https://web.archive.org/web/20190629111629/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2019/06/27/britains-chaotic-recycling-system-waste-nations-goodwill/. Notice that I've included the archive.org links rather than the original links because I can't trust the longevity of articles anymore.
Please don't let this item get you down and stop recycling! It reinforces the point that we ordinary people need to do our bit because making the planet a nice place can't be left our idiot governments.
Authors: Janet Nunn, Alex Hughes, John Byrne.
I'm a doodler and I've been trying to graduate from doodler to cartoonist. This is a really great book I've been constantly borrowing from my local library. I've taken it out so often I decided to buy a copy. On Abebooks, it cost less than three pounds.
We often talk about Abebooks in a context of buying retro scifi, horror, and fantasy books, but as a creative, you can also find some real bargains. You should also pat yourself on the back if you buy from an Abebooks retailer, sure in the knowledge that you're shafting Amazon.
I'm not religious, but I thought the end was very nigh indeed recently after Storm Ciara rocket propelled me from my giant bed where I was enjoying a nice nap.