Captain Marvel.... Dont Ask Dont Tell?

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I am having a complicated (aka "meh") reaction to Captain Marvel.

On the positive side I should make it clear that the opening night audience in Santa Barbara had no reservations, they liked this movie. Second, this is certainly some sort of solid representation film with standout feminist and pro-cat sensibilities. But is it really that solid if we have a "dont ask dont tell" situation going on here?  A very strong cast, but to what end? I saw it all coming a mile away. Carol Danvers/Brie Larson is hot in her BDSM-inspired latex onesie, or whatever that was.

At the end of the day, this felt more like a classic movie for TV but repurposed for the big screen. I think it could have told a very similar story but been much stronger.

Notice that they carefully look away from each other... Oh no, we are not in the closet, not us!

But then I realized, after a day's thinking about it, that this is perfectly in period, It would be an anachronism for two gay women in the USAF to come out.  It would hurt their careers at the very least.  So of course they would be in the closet.  So in retrospect, this is an entertaining nuance.
 

Corrupt American Justice System

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The sentencing today of Manafort convinces me that our legal system is in denial about what is going on here.   The system failed again and there is very little chance that relying on a corrupt and failed system like ours will result in justice.  A black kid who steals food would be given more prison time than Manafort received.  

Dont these people understand what is going on?  No, I guess not.

GAN Generated Rainforest Flower Images

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Generated by a variation of a GAN from rainforest flowers as suitably modified.

Assume that these images are used in a large rendered scene where the textures are also used to generate suitable geometry.

[3/19/2019 Notes: Back in the day, this would have been enough to get me into many magazines and get lots of publicity!  Not anymore!  Now I must walk the path of ascetic renunciation of all worldly fame!  Sad!]

Liza Keith Memorial March 3, 2019

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Memorial for Liza Keith at Restaurant Hama in Venice on March 3, 2019.

Allen Battino, Phillipe Bergeron, Joseph Goldstone, Jerry Weil

Darnell Williams (Rosa Ferrer is waiting out in the car)

Donna Tracy, Di Piepol, Debbie Goydos Nelson

Reid Baker

Picture of Liza Keith (on the right)

Aliza Corzon Chaimedes, John Nelson, Scott Anderson

Jane Stefan and Jimbo Hillin

Tom Lynnes and Joan Collins

Scott Anderson, Jimbo Hillin, Donna Tracy, Mark Hardin

Scott Anderson and Aliza Corson

Movies Not Yet Made

"Hell on Wheels"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_on_Wheels

"Mercury 13"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_13

"1969 Peoples Park Riot"
http://www.dailycal.org/2017/04/21/remembering-bloody-thursday-1969-peoples-park-riot/

Naming a Project is So Annoying

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If at first you walk down the dark path, forever is your destiny affected.  What you name a project may indeed be changable later, or it may not be.  So, choose wisely.

A piece of software to assemble various elements to create a single render stream for an image shall be called ... what? 

Contenders (to be updated)

    Opaque
    Wedge
    

Short Trip to Joshua Tree (postmortem)

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Instead of just hauling ass down the road for a month or two, I decided to start off slowly and do a few day trip to Joshua Tree.  Many interesting things were learned and here is a list of a few of them.

 1. Check the weather.  We had a record setting blizzard during the exact time I chose to go.  It was exciting but maybe not the best choice.  For the kids and adults of Joshua Tree, this was a peak experience.  They had not had a snow storm like this for at least 11 years, according to one native.

2. Many exciting new symptoms seem to be present when I travel when sick, without the usual medication and in a blizzard.  Memo to File: Do not do this again.

3. Just a little further down the road from Joshua Tree is a 24 hour medical center.  The staff was very nice to me and let me hang out until I felt better.  They were particularly impressed with the blizzard. A reminder that even medical workers on the night shift can act like big kids.

4. The Safari Inn was a perfect little motel for a great price.  

5. The Crossroads Cafe was very good and I immediately fell in love with the hostess.

6. The mexican restaurant is just so so, but it is open 24 hours which is nice.

7. Google Maps does not check the weather when giving directions and nearly got me killed.  

8. Joshua Tree is really nice when there is a foot of snow dumped on it.

9. Azuza, CA apparently stands for A - Z in the USA.

10.  CalArts is right on the way to Joshua Tree if you take the Santa Clarita route.

11. Its important to pack critical items (like vitamins, medication, food, etc) in a place where you can trivially find them in your car when you are sick, havent slept for 24 hours, you are in the middle of an amazing snow storm, and everything in the car has been shuffled several times.

Other Notes:

12.  The wind farm on the way to Joshua Tree is really interesting.  Plays on size and scale.

13. There is a nice donut store back up the road from Joshua Tree in Yucca Valley.

For Those of You Attending the Academy Awards

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For those of you who are attending the awards tonight, I have compiled a short list of things to remember to help make everyone's experience more rewarding. 

First, remember to wave at your fans as you get out of your car. They have waited since last night to get a glimpse of you. Second, dont walk too fast down the red carpet, you want the best chance possible for the TV cameras to linger on you. Third, its never a problem to get a date to the Academy Awards (tm) but think carefully about whether the person you choose will send the correct optic to those who are in a position to help your career. Fourth, as men get older, they are advised to either grow a beard or go clean shaven. The unshaven look just looks disreputable over a certain age. Fifth, and finally, on the one hand you should remember to thank the little people when you pick up an award, but dont overdo it as that would be tiresome. 

Good luck tonight!

Dream as reported to Geoff Allen in Ireland

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Near a hill in Ireland. Sleeping there to find out where to dig ... something.  Rabbit/hare shows me a hole/place to dig. I set off fireworks to alert the people. They come by and ask could I not wait until morning?  Then they discussed rock and roll (Cream?)  in gaelic. Or what my sleeping brain thought was gaelic, god only knows.  What does it mean?

According to Geoff this may mean that it is time for me to do a "walkabout"  He never thought I was very aboriginal.

Called My CongressPerson

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So I called my Congressman, Carbajal, CA-24, and talked to a nice intern.  I asked to leave a message to ask Congressman Carbajal, and wanted to know when they were going to impeach Trump and the rapist Kavanaugh.

I am really getting tired of this shit.  Too bad the american government failed.