Since the return of thousands of works entering the public domain again in 2019, I’ve been posting about it — and given site traffic and feedback, y’all want me to, so here goes this year’s edition (previous entries should all be tagged). Note that I’m specifically talking about the United States, where, as of today, creative works published in 1930 and sound recordings from 1925 are free to use without licenses or fees. If you’re…
It’s the end of the year, so it’s a good time to be contemplative. And you know those novels or TV shows, usually fantasy, where some character opines that they have “fewer winters ahead than behind?” It’s in that contemplative mood that I looked through my stack o’ possible blog posts and found an article called “The Tail End” by Tim Urban. You probably know Tim Urban from his gloriously funny and insightful piece on…
It’s definitely time people start thinking about making New Year’s resolutions or otherwise mapping out things they want to get done for the year ahead. And I’m suggesting that, whatever those plans are, it should include some art. This should not come as a surprise. I have advocated this whole wacky “making art thing” on this blog multiple times as my seven or nine regular readers may remember. Whether it’s a post I did about…
This is not the first time I’ve posted about enshittification, that occurence when an online platform ceases to provide value, first to its regular users, then to its business customers. In fact, I posted about it in 2023, the same year it became word of the year (according to some). So, you’ve probably experienced this online yourself on one or more platforms. It’s ridiculous, dispiriting, and infuriating in waves, isn’t it? Well, not content to…
My kids independently confirmed they did not want Christmas music to play nor Christmas decorations to go up until after Thanksgiving. Indeed, they voiced their displeasure at local radio stations switching to Christmas music and lights going up on neighborhood houses before this sensible demarcation point. Alas, we are not the Holderness Family and will not be producing a Thanksgiving banger… for now (one kid does seem to feel that is a worthy mission, so…
No, not if the play’s gone wrong. That’s its own thing. And I don’t mean the Shaun of the Dead has gone wrong. That’s as brilliant as Shaun’s plan to get to the Winchester is daft. I just needed a good image of befuddlement. But we have all watched films where we’re befuddled about how unremarkable it is, haven’t we? Well, longtime writer Mark Evanier has a theory on why some films are like that.…
All seven or nine regular readers may realize I like folklore, probably more due to two fiction podcasts (one more fairy tales, one more spooky tales) Jabberwocky Audio Theater makes versus posts here. Basically, you combine the fact that my siblings and I quickly went beyond Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology with the fact that we got to read O.G. (Original Grimm) fairy tales and the like, there’s always going to be a space for…
I thought of that quote this weekend and what it means to me. And boy, it takes some shifting of weight for this kind of creative loss. You see, British playwright Tom Stoppard has died at the age of 88. You can read obituaries and remembrances from: Tom Stoppard and his works have been dancing around my synapses for decades both as an audience member and as an actor. From seeing posts on social media…
This year’s sci-fi offerings on screen have included some truly dickish tech bros from Nicholas Hoult’s self-assured Lex Luthor in the latest film version of Superman to Samuel Blenkin’s infuriating Boy Kavalier in Alien: Earth. Even if you haven’t seen interviews with tech titans professing their love of science fiction and related geekery, this video may prove to be more validation than surprises.
Evidently, events in this timeline have caused many to revisit Babylon 5, the 90s TV space opera aided by the immortal Video Toaster. And you know what? That’s a damn good reason and if you need a reminder, there’s YourFutureSelf’s video… BUT WAIT! Before you watch, if you haven’t seen Babylon 5, it has some serious spoilers that might detract from the enjoyment of the series unfolding. For you, there are two viewing guides to…