celluloid_dream
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User ID: 758
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
soundtrack for The Revenant
Yeah, that fits. I thought of Earth, and was surprised to learn they'd also done an inspired-by album. The subtitle, "Printing in the Infernal Method", is from William Blake, which recalls the film Dead Man.
thoughts on the ending
Assume you're referring to the epilogue? I also found it perplexing and looked online for interpretations.
One: "Perhaps the digger is a figure for the novelist himself, striking fire out of the dead holes of history, bearing witness, though it is not at all clear that those following understand."
but that sort of meta-commentary feels unnecessary, self-centered, and incongruous with the preceding novel. I dunno. Maybe?
Others: That the post digger represents the coming of civilization and the end of the bloody, evening redness, (Epilogue: "In the dawn"), or that it represents the opposite - the continuation of that philosophy after the night.
I honestly don't know. I think the fact that so many interpretations disagree so wildly means it was intentionally left ambiguous. Like you, none of the ones I read seemed right.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I think this requires a fair bit of reinterpretation of the story's events. I wondered about it while reading, but ultimately rejected it.
Evidence for: The Judge is more often seen counselling the gang, encouraging them, teaching them, but not seen committing the deeds himself. We see the aftermath and assume he is responsible. He is almost inhuman, impossibly skilled, knowledgeable, strong. His being the personification of evil/violence/war/his philosophy, he certainly doesn't seem real.
Evidence against: But on the other hand, he does act a fair bit himself and can't easily be removed. I'm not sure how to reassess scenes like the stand-off with Toadvine, Brown, Tobin, and the Kid toward the end without the Judge there as a real character. Holden negotiates on behalf of the gang with some of the more cultured/learned characters in the story. He teaches the gang how to make gunpowder, etc. Sure, these events could be waved away, but.. who did it then? Is that another aspect of Glanton's personality? If so, why is it the Judge the more intellectual, rational part rather than the violent, impulsive part that is still attributed to Glanton.
I thought it worked better if he was a real, though possibly supernatural character. The confrontation at the end is the two of them committing to their respective philosophies. The Judge again lectures the man on war and the way of the world. The man again rejects it. "You aint nothin".
The Judge will have him anyway, but not willingly.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
It can't only be laid at the feet of some exec imposing norms on the masses below them. Advertisers cater to their customer base, and their customers are us: people, weak humans with stone-age psychology insufficient to the demands of liberal modernity.
It should be possible to separate the content from the advertisers, the art from the artist. We should understand that when le_edgy_tuber6969 drops N-bombs, says "fuck" every two words, and giggles "Kanye was right", scoring hundreds of thousands of views, this does not reflect on the politics of the company that pops up in the ad box for two seconds before the average person hits 'skip'.
In practice, people either can't do it, or disagree that they even should; that, yes, the company in the ad box is to blame for platforming/supporting le_edgy_tuber_6969.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I don't disagree, and maybe phrased my objection poorly.
I think it comes down to a tacit acceptance of the vocal minority's complaints as legitimate. Rather than pushing back against the advertisers saying "hey! what the hell? Give us back our obscene/offensive content!", they/we nod along and say "well that sucks, but I understand why they would pull that".
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
True, but what if a high profile demonetization or removal caused a greater controversy than the objectionable content?
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I keep getting slates of comments that are all good or all quality. It reminds me of those multiple choice tests where the answers are all the same letter, and you start to wonder if the examiner is messing with you.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I'm sure you're referring to a more general pattern, but I remember watching this discussion last year. IIRC, it's quite good - civil and balanced - with both Aella and Louise talking to each other rather than at each other.
do not use the DNA to snoop into whatever intimate info that DNA might reveal about the people involved
If one's DNA is public information (and I'd argue it almost always is. People leave it everywhere), then I don't think it makes sense to classify any inferred facts from it as intimate/private. Saying that analysis of public information crosses a line into an invasion of privacy rubs me the wrong way, though it's difficult to articulate why.
Like, if Sherlock Holmes makes brilliant, true deductions about someone based on the smallest details, he has not really violated their privacy, even if they'd preferred to keep those facts to themselves.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
In the spirit of "the best camera is the one that's with you", I'll pop open a web browser tab and search whatever I wanted to note down. This has the advantage of being in my face the next time I open that browser, which I do often, and I'm less likely to forget that I took the note in the first place. If it's worth expanding on or saving for future, I'll write it down as plain text or email later.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
Becoming Trader Joe - after learning it existed in this viral tweet
This probably seems weird to Americans, but up in Canada, we have a certain reverance for those uniquely American food chains. We have burger joints, but they're no In-N-Out. Donut shops, but they're no Krispy Kreme. Grocery stores, but no Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's occupies a special place in this pantheon because its products can be brought back. "Oh my god, Sasha went down to Seattle on the weekend and brought back cookie butter from Trader Joes! Cookie Butter! eeeee!". For a while, we even had a guy running a grey market Pirate Joe's.
Just reading the summaries on that page, almost all of them seem to be some form of "Zen practitioner did a bad thing". To me, that's not the same as being critical of Zen.
- "Bell briefly outlines two well-known scandals that have hit two Buddhist centers"
- "the Sõtõ Zen school has become embroiled in controversies over traditional institutional practices that foster prejudicial attitudes and social discrimination."
- "this article explores how Eido Shimano, abbot of the New York baseed Zen Studies Society, has been accused of sexual misadventures for over 30 years"
- "Victoria explores the question '...what is the relationship, if any, of the Buddhadharma with nationalism? ' "
.. and so on. Naively, I would expect criticism to be more like "Zen teachings are incorrect because <indecipherable jargon re: the Way>", or perhaps, "study finds students struck in the face by Zen Masters achieve enlightenment no better than chance", or similar.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I see it's hiding usernames now. That's good! but..
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It's not hiding user flair
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IMO, it's important to always check the context, and that reveals the username anyway
Cities speak saith Paul Graham.
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Devon Zuegel thinks Miami says "Be entertaining and flamboyant"
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Sasha Chapin thinks that Joshua Tree invites you to slow down and take the long view, that Las Vegas is a damned liar
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Isaac Simpson thinks we should pay attention to what Montana is cursing under its breath
What does your city say? I'm interested in more articles that try and convey the vibe of a place.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
Relatedly, I've noticed a lot more inane and just plain stupid comments on ACX posts these days. (example, another).
Maybe I'm looking at the past through rose coloured glasses, but I can't remember this sort of thing back on SSC. After wading through enough emoji reacts and "lol so true!!", I get annoyed and close the tab. It's frustrating that a growing percentage readership feels this is meaningful participation.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
I've found it's great at explaining song meanings. Sometimes it needs a little guidance on abstract lyrics, but overall it has impressed me.
Example: Coldcut - Mr Nichols
Consider the following song lyrics: <snip> What do you think this song is about?
This song appears to be about a man named Mr. Nichols who is contemplating suicide and is standing outside a window on the twelfth floor of a building. The lyrics suggest that Mr. Nichols is disillusioned with his life, particularly with the failure of his investments and the corrupt practices of the corporate world. The song touches on themes of societal pressures, family dynamics, and the pursuit of happiness.
The lyrics urge Mr. Nichols to reconsider his decision to jump and to turn away from his western glare and face the rising sun instead. The rising sun represents a new beginning and a way to find inner peace and fulfillment, rather than chasing external desires and material wealth. The song also suggests that Mr. Nichols' family, particularly his mother, is a source of comfort and love, and that he should consider the impact his actions would have on them.
Overall, the song seems to be a call for individuals to re-evaluate their priorities and to focus on finding meaning and purpose in life beyond societal expectations and material success.
The song contains several lines with clever wordplay. Note them and explain.
- "The warmth of a kiss/Invest your tongue into the mouth of mystery" - This line uses the word "invest" in a clever way by connecting it to the act of kissing. The word "invest" is usually associated with finance or business, but here it is used to suggest that exploring the unknown (represented by "mystery") can be just as valuable as investing in material things.
- "The shifting current seems to conspire against you" - This line uses a clever play on words by using "current" to refer to both a literal current (such as a river current) and a metaphorical current (such as the current state of affairs). The line suggests that both types of currents can work against Mr. Nichols.
- "You contemplate the setting sun, Unaware of your disorientation/Dis-orient: turned away from the east" - This line uses a clever play on words by connecting the word "disorientation" to the prefix "dis-" (which means "away from" or "not") and the word "orient," which refers to the east. The line suggests that Mr. Nichols is turned away from the direction he should be facing.
I'm sure someone could automate a site like Genius Lyrics using GPT, taking user suggestions to correct it when it's wrong.
I've been totally mesmerized by ChatGPT4's writing capabilities lately, having used it to generate hours upon hours of entertainment somewhere in the gray area between a TTRPG and collaborative fanfic. I give it the outline of a scene, tell it what the characters do. If there's combat or uncertainty, I have it evaluate using the game rules and their character sheets. Mostly though, it reads like a choose-your-own-adventure novel with all possibilities open.
Consider this tavern-meet scene from the Cyberpunk universe: I think this is pretty fucking good. GPT's prose is not high art, but it's a damn sight better than what I could manage. If I played a live game with friends, we would not narrate this well. If we played a PbP or written game, I'd still forget to colour the similes with elements of each character's backstory like GPT did without my even asking.
It's empowering to be able to orchestrate tropey pulp so quickly. Normally I'm a slow writer (seconding @PatellaFarmer 's comment a while ago ), and not a good one - both for fiction and nonfiction. I'll agonize over word choice, phrasing, go back, edit too much, and it'll still come out awful (e.g. this post).
With GPT though, I'm like Mickey in Fantasia's Sorcerer's Apprentice and god, it's fun! "Have two characters enage in a fierce argument reflecting their core moral differences". "Write a climactic battle scene, every action heightened to the stuff of legend", "Do a silly montage anime music video (AMV) set to an angsty alt-rock song (Paramore, MCR or something) Cut the lyrics with descriptions of each clip as you write the next few days of story." Call me easily amused, I guess.
Maybe I'll get bored eventually, but for now, I'm astonished at how addicting it is. A quick ctrl+F of my inputs says I made 422 requests on one session alone: great value for the monthly subscription. I found myself staying up late several nights to wait for the next quota rollover. It's like that just one more episode feeling of a good TV show, but the next episode never disappoints, because you can tell the writers to go back and fix it straight away. Then they do!
Of course, it's not without flaws. Given the limited context window, ChatGPT behaves kinda like "Skeleton Jelly", forgetting details you haven't mentioned recently. You have to act as its script supervisor and fix continuity when it inevitably screws up. I mitigate this by keeping a running "save file" prompt of character stats, appearance, the story so far. So long as I keep that up to date and re-prompt it, it does all right, at the cost of re-using the same descriptive words more than it should.
There are also quirks I wish I didn't have to burn requests correcting. Like, for whatever reason - my prompting? its training data? - dialogue tends to drift into therapy-speak. Characters validate each others' feelings and everyone is super happy and supportive. I have to keep pulling on the reins to maintain tension and conflict.
Anyway, I highly recommend trying some stories with it if you like narrative crafting or TTRPGs but otherwise can't write.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
That'd probably work. Sometimes I'm asking questions and letting it write. Other times I just tell it how it should go, or did go (it writes better in past tense). You can ask for combat with rules - admittedly that's not it's forte, and often needs correction.
My usual format is something like: "Write the scene/story/day as a bunch of things happen, then write what happens next, and make sure you do it in this style, including this, that and the other".
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
For sure, though it's likely my fault. I think the prompt for it included "as if in a cyberpunk novel or role playing game", and some of that is inherent to the genre.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
But a community college student can't churn out a page in ten seconds, fast enough to run an ongoing open-ended story at the pace of a conversation. Maybe I unintentionally emphasized the wrong thing. It's not so much the prose, but the interactivity of it.
celluloid_dream
1yr ago
Yeah, trumpet and other brass instruments are miserable because you lose your emboucher without continual upkeep. After enough time off, you physically can't play the notes, even if you remember how. Oh, and the noise. There are harmon mutes for that though.
Rambling half-formed notes that never get posted are basically all I write. Example of a fun thread one whining about pokemon:
(Pokemon games are poorly designed by their own stated principles)
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games constantly tell you to bond with pokemon, not only use them as tools, but then make you use them as tools, sometimes literally
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and the stats/moves/types are unbalanced, encouraging you to only use the overpowered ones
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the game doesn't teach the real game - doesn't play like a human trainer would, switching based on type matchups, having inter-pokemon synergy, having strategies.
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(later pkmn games): raids .. - this is a terrible thing to put in as a game mechanic in pokemon. It makes sense in fantasy because coming together to take down the giant/dragon is sort of the thing. Pokemon is absolutely NOT that. It's .. cute cockfighting. It's low-level. It's gym training. It's person vs person, poke vs poke at their normal power levels. No super saiyan, no magic. definitely not supposed to be fighting some giant pokemon inflated like a balloon
- can just imagine some lazy game designer coming up with this. "players like raids in MMOs right? very social, much enjoyment. let's just copy that!" instead of coming up with something more creative that fits the world & game they actually had
A duvet is the superior bedding. It sports a number of desirable properties:
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Puff - What you call giant and heavy, I call comfortable and reassuring. It's like a pillow for your whole body in just the right thickness. It neither restricts your movement (like a tight blanket), nor is too light to do hold you (like a sheet). It is the perfect middle ground. A big floofy hug from Duvet-chan!
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Cleanliness - A duvet cover is always washed. You needn't worry about accidentally waking up to find your face has wandered from the safe haven of a clean sheet and found its way to uncharted territory of a scuzzy blanket. Hic sunt sordes
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Simplicity - Just toss it on the bed in roughly the right orientation. What could be simpler? No tucking, no tensioning the corners or messing up the folds
celluloid_dream
11mo ago
- You don't get it, words dilute
This is like one of the cryptic notes I scribble down and then can't remember what it was supposed to mean. Then when I go back and try and flesh it out, I'm probably getting the thought subtly wrong. Words diluting indeed.
celluloid_dream
11mo ago
Oh, I appreciated "Notes on Blood Meridian" by the way. Thanks for that rec! Wish it had started with the analysis first and then the historical references afterward though.
Often overlooked: test taking speed correlates with writing speed, like actual physical putting letters to paper. I think in my school days I probably spent 90% of the time writing and 10% of the time thinking of the answer. My penmanship was just that poor.
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