Impression

Harry and Megan raised 13 million for kids and gave away 3 million in grants.

The other 10 million I suppose is earning interest and paying rent on their Montecito castle. 

In general, might much of the more ridiculous forms of activism we see out there simply be dumb, idle, mediocre rich people trying to find something to do with their money? Not joking here - all the heirs and heiresses and trophy wives and dumb cousins who dumb-fucked their way into too much money being manipulated by NGO-do gooder careerists to part with their hard-inherited cash?

Logging

TV Pilot: The Last of Us 

Dear ChatGPT: Write me a tv show mixing plot and relationship elements from the Mandalorian, Children of Men, and The Walking Dead set in the video game called The Last of Us. Please cast actors from other prestige tv shows (or relatives of such actors). Thank you...

ChatGPT: Done. How would you like the credit sequence? 

Show creators: Game of Thrones with mycelium. Gracias.

ChatGPT: Got it. I'm finished creating the show, do you think we should add some thematics to the show so we can be said to saying "something"?

Show creators: Good point. Can you make a checklist of issues vital to coastal Democrats and just sprinkle them in?

ChatGPT: Sure. So diversity casting (of course) - a lot of mixed race couples, women should be in positions of power, bad guys will be mostly white men who wear uniforms and use guns, include a gay love story, that type of thing...

Show creators: Perfect. Ah...one other thing...can you add a long lecture scene at the beginning about science so we can educate the audience?

ChatGPT: Do you think it might be boring?

Show creators: Not if you set it on a tv stage. Like it was a tv show on a tv show.

ChatGPT: Genius. I wouldn't be able to do this without you.

The Two Chats

While all the news is about ChatGPT, I spend an equal amount of time on yahoo NBA chat app. Much more entertaining and original use of language and emojis. Taco league? Stocks? The sexual innuendo? The grateful comments (as if players read the chat)? The yelling and flipping out? It's like being in a giant sports bar. Internet comment sections oddly underrated...

Logging

Film: Shoot First, Die Later 

Another good one by Di Leo. If somehow everything broke right for me, I have a dream of writing, directing, or producing a Di Leo or Boetticher like run of tight genre films that make some dough but fly under the radar, seem damn fun to make, and are still good to watch in 30+ years time. 

Theory

Most people in California and Hollywood have a mixture of conservative and liberal values but only speak aloud their liberal ones because we to do otherwise would cause some pain in the ass in our regular lives.

The Big Story

American incompetence seems to me at an all time high. I have countless examples, but this one is beyond: the school administration was warned 3x the day of the shooting a 6 year old had a gun at school and was threatening people and did nothing before the teacher was shot.

As a dad of a child around that age, the proper response to finding out a 6 year old has a gun at school to to go grab the gun from the kid's backpack right away.

Elementary School

Bans sports at recess. 

It would not surprise me if they cut PE programs before this and had 90% female teachers and staff. 

Another Weird Development

A few weeks past I pondered what my mid 2000s self would find weirder: dogs allowed everywhere all the time, the blind institutional acceptance of new gender identities, or the JLo and Ben Affleck marriage -- but time to add another one: that European attitudes toward basic domestic policy would resemble red state America more than blue state America.  

Logging

Film: The Italian Connection (1973)

Another Fernando Di Leo flick. 

Mario Adorf steals the show (from Henry Silva) as a simple pimp who gets roped into a mafia war.  

Know Thyself

I'd like to be the type of guy who wears nice boots, but am the type of guy who opts for the comfortable sneakers each day. What that says, I know not. 

Prince Harry

Gave up being a prince in the UK to become an American reality star. 

And he thought the UK institutions were cruel. Wait until he sees how Americans treat talentless fame-whores.

Logging

Film: The Boss (1973)

Another by Fernando Di Leo. This one features a nymphomaniac who responds to her kidnapping by rival mafios by having sex with everyone. Henry Silva and Richard Conte (Don Barzini) are in the film. I'll be watching more from this filmmaker...

This Was My Theory

Chinese watching the World Cup realized COVID was over for the rest of the world.

Astonishing how little anyone in the West is talking or tracking what's happening in China as a result of the 180 degree flip in policy. So strange. 

He Won't Wear the Ribbon

Hockey player refuses to wear rainbow jersey for pride night.  

We need more of this Kramer-like pushback, but not just on religious grounds. We should stop being sheep used for propaganda and instead pick and choose causes wisely.

SNL Movie Bits

Chazz Palminteri in Night at the Roxbury and William Forsythe in Deuce Bigalow are two of my favorite little side performances of all time. 

Try This

SF committee proposes $5 mil payment plus 97k per year for 250 years to certain black residents of the city for reparations. They should try this if only to provide tangible cost-benefit analysis. I am curious how long it takes a rich place to go broke... 

Logging

Film: Paddington 2

Showed for kid's movie sleepover. A hit for 3 of the 4. One of my preferred kid movies of recent years.

Film: Caliber 9

On the other end of the spectrum, an Italian crime flick from the Criterion channel series. Feels like a movie I would've seen at the New Beverly years ago, pre-family. Of those kind of films, I'd elevate this one for two reasons: concept and the end. I've spend most of my day running the final scene over in my head, "You don't kill a man like Uzo Piazza! You tip your hat!" And those Italians do scores well, don't they? Part of me started fantasizing about directing a film with the style and attitude of Italian filmmakers at the time with non-sync sound. 

Headphone Chargers

Am I the only one who finds those small headphone chargers endlessly difficult to fit into the charging case? I feel like it's some sort of logic puzzle you find at a ski cabin that takes you the entire vacation to figure out. Really makes me question my IQ.

Chat GPT Question of the Day

Question: Is revenge of the nerds a good movie?

Chat GPT Answer: Revenge of the Nerds is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew, starring Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, about a group of socially awkward college freshmen who join a fraternity. The movie has become a cult classic and is considered to be a staple of the 1980s genre of college comedy films. Some people find it funny and enjoyable, others may find it offensive and not funny. Overall, whether or not someone finds the movie "good" is a matter of personal opinion.

Dana White Video

Man defends himself from drunken assault by his own wife. 

The Snow

Up in the snow, during a storm with icy roads and unpredictable conditions I witnessed 4 cars unable to ascend a small hill from the cabin I was staying in. All had chains. All got stuck and had to turn around. Part of this was the cars - 2 wheel sedans or small SUVs. Some of it was the drivers obviously didn't know how to drive in the snow (LA-folk).

But boy was I glad for my underpowered, affordable AWD gas powered Subaru in those conditions. I was entirely confident of getting my family out of the mountains and didn't even need chains. I'm not overly enthused about electric cars. Have you seen what freezing cold does to your computer or Iphone battery? Have you been in storm conditions in the mountains? I can see myself still having at least one gas car for a long long time and even buying a brand new one the year before California "bans" them.

75% of the time, I'm lukewarm on Subaru. But 2% of the time - during terrible weather or tough road conditions - they're the next best thing to real rugged 4-wheel drive trucks and jeeps designed for hardcore conditions. That's why you see so many of them in the snow.

Random Thoughts

Just because trans folks deserve all the basic human dignities afforded everyone else, doesn't mean confused kids should be taken at their word.

For those who think IQ and standardized tests are racist, priority #1 would be to prove it by writing a more objective alternative. Without an alternative the claim is specious. 

Experiments with Chat GPT

Here's what I posted: What should i do with the rest of my life?

Answer:

 

1. Consider your passions and talents and how you can use them to make a difference. 2. Take up a hobby or activity that you’ve always wanted to try. 3. Start a business or become an entrepreneur. 4. Spend time travelling and exploring new places and cultures. 5. Pursue a career in a field you are passionate about. 6. Volunteer your time to a cause you care about. 7. Make time for yourself and your relationships. 8. Invest in yourself by taking courses to further your knowledge and skills. 9. Develop a side hustle to supplement your income. 10. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Or They Could Eat Their Veggies

Obesity should be treated early and aggressively through medications and surgery. 

College Students

In the 60s, the protesters didn't want to be sent to Vietnam, today they want free food and tuition because why...?

And if we collectively decided to give out free food and school, would the UCLA population be the first ones in line. I don't think so...

Logging

Film: Holy Spider

If I made a list of best movies of the year, like Tar, it would be toward the bottom. I liked it a lot, but it didn't quite rise above in the way of a Zodiac or Memories of Murder. Some interesting and somewhat unusual genre choices made in the storytelling - revealing the killer and showing his POV, the third act transition into a courtroom drama...my preference would've been more mystery and thrills, perhaps even a red herring. Themes are relevant, timely, la-de-da but ultimately somewhat predictable. Still a great addition to my favorite subgenre - crime thrillers set in unusual locations and communities. 

And a private, somewhat harsh question for the filmmaker: did he make the movie to do the choking scenes?

Interesting Take

"Underrated possibility is China doesn't have the stomach for great power competition and just gives up. Zero Covid was a sign their ambition is just to rule over a docile population, giving up the policy when they raised a fuss."

Thought experiment: take the toughest 16 year old kid in China and put them in a random American public school. Are they the toughest kid there? I'm betting not. I'm betting not even top 5. Why? Main reason: all the toughest kids I knew growing up were younger brothers. Couple that with how Americans still do a lot - and I mean a lot - of sports. Including football. I don't see Chinese equivalents yet. 

Logging

Film: Broker 

A movie entirely out of synch with the previews before it. Warm, humane...inspiring. Kore-eda one of the world's great filmmakers. The man did a little Tom Cruise speech before the film and thanked the baby for his performance for god's sake.