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PaperclipPerfector  24d ago (text post)   3368 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for May 24, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Started The Killing Star as my falling asleep reading last night, and it reminded me how huge Titanic-mania was in the 80-90s, with the 1997 film release hitting what seems like the crest of the wave.

For a solid decade you'd see raising the Titanic as a random "as you know, we are living in the future" infodump, there were endless books and documentaries about it, people invested millions in building replicas. As late as the 2016 the Chinese were building a full size one (in Sichuan of all places) that seems to have been abandoned during construction.

It was striking because of how absolutely the meme died since 2015 or so. "Draw me like one of your French girls" is the last relic.
A good warning of the dangers of making big investments jumping on cultural bubbles only to be left holding the bag when they burst (cough Sega)

Is anyone old enough to remember the start? Did it just build steadily from the discovery of the wreck? "Raise the Titanic!" was late 70s, and Clive Cussler isn't known for original ideas...

Is it best to try and avoid presentism in your writing, or embrace it and write for your audience/profitable fads rather than for future readers?

Also read Jasper Fforde's "Red Side Story" last night, and regret the wasted time. Dreadful sequel 15 years too late to use the original ideas of the first book.

On the flip side, Titanic Belfast opened in 2012 and it's a really well done museum. Maybe it's not as broad of a cultural touchstone, but it's still fascinating history.

Went to see it in January, having received several recommendations over the years. Far better than I expected it to be, definitely worth spending two or three hours if you're in the area.

It’s an excellent museum but it also benefits because it’s like the only major attraction in Belfast, so everyone who visits the city for any reason (tourism in NI in general, business, visiting friends or family, any kind of event) and has a spare half day is going to go. On Google reviews it has 33,000 ratings while the next biggest attraction in Belfast has under 10,000.

Ahem, we also have the Europa hotel, the "most bombed hotel in the world".

Well it was during the Troubles. I think some Bosnian hotel stole that accolade.

It's also #1 on lonely planet for Belfast.

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