Yes, given the posts earlier this week, I couldn’t resist… but let’s face it: AI, in the form of our current crop of large language models, has been touted as the technology that will change everything. Well, for humans, anyway. And for humans, AI has proven problematic. Because, when it comes to Chosen Ones, you generally want them to do good. That’s one of the reasons they get the moniker of “Chosen One” versus “Eternal…
After May the Fourth became the official unofficial Star Wars holiday (much to the consternation of Orthodox Star Wars fans, who only celebrate May 25th and maybe Life Day) the people who can start singing “Yub Nub” at the drop of a Stormtrooper helmet tried to extend the revelry into the rest of the week. Hence Revenge of the Fifth. Hence this video. I have to say, it works for me, not that I’d tell…
As I mentioned back in February, I’ve been musing about a longer piece about AI, the catch-all if imprecise term lobbed at the current crop of large language models (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Co-Pilot, Grok, Gemini, etc.). I get more examples of videos and articles motivating me to write that longer piece on AI every week. The current hucksterism selling AI strikes me as the same overconfident idiocy that led some to believe microwaves would replace…
Okay, so it’s a couple months since the Super Bowl, so I’m arguably late to the post-SB-party, but I haven’t stopped thinking about one of the commercials that aired as it was cheerfully pro-dystopia: Yeah, even people who think “Orwell” might be a brand of microwave popcorn found their spidey-sense tingling. Well, it turns out the lawyer folks at LegalEagle really took notice and they have a very informative video validating your fears and explaining…
I’m in the midst of some other writing, so to feed the Internet algorithm, I give you Screen Junkies’ now-annual tradition of explaining all the best picture nominees in their irreverent manner. You can check out all the nominees on the academy’s web page and if you’re wondering which films to cram in before Sunday’s ceremony, Joe Reid over at Vulture gives you his ranking of all 50 films nominated. It’s been years since I’ve…
One of the kids is currently studying World War II, so I reminded them that dads (not just Baby Boomers) are required to know all sorts of military history. It’s like a Dad Merit Badge. In fact, I think World War II is only the first one. Anyway, to help dads everywhere earn or maintain their Military History trivia bona fides, check out George Dvorsky‘s article on 8 low-tech weapons and tactics used during the…
Going through some of my old research on space exploration –because why shouldn’t one write science fiction of space explorers knowing some related science fact?– I came across this article by Denise Chow for Space.com back from 2011. It’s all about how people are practicing how to explore space while still here on Earth. And since it’s from 2011, I wondered how some of these projects turned out in early 2026, 15 years later. The…
A definite plus of last year was reading the number of books I did: far more than I had the previous few years. Not only did it help with my writing, but it also helped provide some solace amid all the happy fun stuff happening in the world. But before I advocate wanton reading, you should be made aware of the research done by Gregory Berns and others, research that indicate STORIES CHANGE YOUR BRAIN.…
I’m old enough to remember when they started the National Film Registry and it’s always nice to see which 25 films are added each year. It’s always a combination of films crossing genres, decades, and current awareness. Some films you know well, some you think “about time,” and some –let’s be honest, fellow cinemaniacs– we don’t know… which means we have new films to check out! Anyway, here’s where you can learn about this year’s…
The Golden Globes have come and gone, and the Oscar nominations have been announced (as well as the Actor née SAG Awards). If you suddenly feel the urge to catch up on what are deemed the “best films” from 2025, you’re not alone. I am here to help that endeavor. Now, if you’re the type of person who’s all about group consensus, you might want to go no further than Metacritic’s round-up of the top…