CRRRRS 556 Experimentally Non-Reproducible Strange Phenomena

By Roy Mathur, on 2024-10-06, at 00:00:59 to 00:31:45 BST, for Captain Roy's Rusty Rocket Radio Show

The Second Half

Welcome to Halloween season, again on the Shure SM7B. I've been away for a while, at a loss of what to do in my favourite season due to a gammy shoulder, followed by the sudden and excruciatingly exquisite pain of a gammy hip has not helped. Luckily, I'm recovering.

This is the second half of abruptly truncated pod 555, due to power issues. In fact, my recorder failed a few times while taping lately due to a series of fading batteries, but it's not only those that went paff. There are other hardware and software cockups, headphone pads at GBP 25.50 a pop, domain and hosting fees, time, effort, heartache, headache, and all the anxiety that occurs in any creative endeavour. In summary, producing a podcast is not cheap, and it's even worse for YouTubers, so please consider supporting this show with a small one-off tip. That also goes for other creators whose work you enjoy.

UFO

An enjoyably cerebral 2018 SF film about a fascinatingly unlikeable student who decodes an alien transmission.

Stuntcasted Gillian Anderson seems to be in this minimal effort Scully-like role for an easy payday.

Chapelwaite

Chapelwaite (2021) is an Epix (now MGM+) period horror series based on Stephen King's short story Jerusalem's Lot, a prequel to 'Salem's Lot. As a fan of the book, the David Soul series, and the Rob Lowe series, in roughly that order, it is what I decided to watch while recuperating from whatever demon took up temporary residence in my hip. It's particularly timely because the latest adaptation of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot will be released on the 11th. In fact, that announcement led directly to the discover, or rediscovery, of this series that somehow passed me by.

It stars Adrien Brody as a widowed father and ex-whaler captain who inherits a spooky mansion on the outskirts of a miserable 19th century rural town. It's such and awful town, vampires murdering most of the inhabitants would be an improvement.

The Gift

Joel Edgerton directs himself in this Blumhouse 2024 thriller on BBC iPlayer, in which not all stalkery past acquaintances are entirely unjustified, though I feel sorry for the animals.

Welcome to Chippendales

2022 Hulu miniseries on ITVX, starring Kumail Nanjiani as Somen Bannerjee, founder and owner of the Chippendales. This the immigrant American dream gone terribly awry, which is what always happens when you make it big and the vultures start circling.

Well acted, flashy, affecting, and compelling disco era drama with an incredible soundtrack; listing on Spotify.

Supernatural Writing

Mum noticed my name spelled out in the wear pattern of my Bauhaus t-shirt recently. I'm not trying to out-goth anyone, but how Pitr Paksha/Halloween appropriate is that?

However (open-minded skeptic hat donned), annoyingly statistically insignificant and experimentally non-reproducible strange phenomena happen to me all the time.

Google Labs NotebookLM

I have been uploading literature to Google Labs' new NotebookLM AI app to help me fact-check my shownotes. Let's see if that means less errors in future.

Who's Been Hacking My Facebook Account?

Someone keeps trying to reset my Facebook Account.

While it is only marginally useful to me, I defend it, and my other social media accounts to prevent identity theft.

Hello, whoever it is out there doing it, stop it, you are annoying me.

Chagos Islands

Finally caving to international pressure, the UK have grudgingly returned the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after having blackmailed them into selling sell for a nominal amount in exchange for independence in 1968. It's not all roses, as the US/UK base will stay on Diego Garcia and displaced Chagossians were kept out of the negotiations.

As the child of Mauritians, I've followed this saga for years and, although the solution is far from perfect, it's at least as small step in the right direction.

Who Follow Up

Shamefully, for someone with Francophone parents, in pod 553 (Doctor Who: The Twin Dilemma) I Anglicized and mispronounced Maurice Denham as Morris Denham (Azmael).

The sound used to mask my foul mouth in 554 was a old broken bugle that I graceless blew and taped just for that purpose.

Doctor Who Is?

Apologies to those who remember those cringey "Love Is" posters. The Doctor is the un-jaded eternal tourist, who brushes off threats, and tries always to take the moral high path. I keep telling myself those things when the spinning world frequently tries to fling me into the abyss.

The classic Doctor revisit will return very soon. Expect a lot more Who this year as we rocket down the Time Vortex to the end.

Of course, I'm planning something for Halloween, but right now I may or may not post-podcast unwind by going for a buzz around my city on my little motorbike. (It was cold, the traffic was loud, so I didn't).