Before I talk about my odd little niche WordPress projects, what are some of your blogs or personal projects, WordPress or otherwise? If you comment and link to them here, I'll definitely check them out! I like to see people's projects, what they've made and what they continue to work on. The fediverse has been really cool for seeing a lot of that. I'm also interested in how long we're able to keep passion projects going amidst the crazy chaos of life. It can be tough! But writing and making things is always super rewarding, as well-- at least it has been for me.
I think I've always liked writing, I like music and that's basically mostly or all writing. At least it is for the lyrics of the vaguely rock type stuff I usually end up making. I write a lot of lyrics, short little bits, phrases. But for longer pieces, I've always liked the ease of writing and reading blogs and digital journals. I'm not one for writing in physical journals. I do like reading physical books, but for writing, but I prefer to type.
Over the years, I've had the chance to experiment with different forms and styles of blogs, just as I've liked to do when designing websites. That was the initial appeal of microblogs like Twitter, things like Livejournal before it, and the huge appeal of WordPress, which of course you can use for short OR long form writing.
I first started playing around with WordPress back around 2008. It was different back then! If you had a free plan, you could change the name of your blog to whatever you wanted as much as you wanted (something they don't allow anymore but was super useful if you needed to rebrand) etc, and all kinds of other differences (no block editor back then, either, obviously!)
I do still have a blog running from back then. It's called space. time. tech. (https://spacetimetech.wordpress.com). The topics I wrote about on the blog are probably obvious from its title. I've been (pretty infrequently) updating that one for 15 years this year. Wow.
The second oldest blog I still run I've mentioned here before. It's called Animated TV Blog (https://animatedtvblog.wordpress.com), and again, as its name fairly obviously suggests, I write about my favorite cartoons. I started Animated TV Blog in 2010 and it's been a blast, even just doing the infrequent updates. And I've been doing it for 13 years this year- another really long-running blog I've been able to maintain somehow (you gotta love the content!) I had a pretty active linked Twitter account too that I ran alongside ATB (back when Twitter was just microblogging, and not a fascist wasteland) for many years. Again, I believe the key to good blog writing is picking a topic or topics that you really love-- something you're really passionate about (not just a fad or a passing interest). That way, you'll be more likely to continue to want to write on the blog. At least it worked for me, in the case of ATB!
My most recently created WordPress blog isn't updated anymore, but the posts are all still up and viewable. It was called Tech User Today (https://techusertoday.wordpress.com) and it was an experiment to try and make something a little more professional, to try and monetize with affiliate links (there's a lot of competition out there). I ended up taking on a bunch of outside reviews, and it was pretty cool, but it also quickly became overwhelming and not enjoyable. I started that one in 2018 and I stopped writing posts for it around two years later, in 2020.
One last thing I've learned from writing WordPress blogs, always make sure to update and maintain your themes! Older default themes tend to start to look outdated or crappy. Just like any good website, it's best to just make sure you like the look of what you're making, and to remember you can always switch up the look of it- I've definitely done this several times over the last 15 years.
If you read all this, you're awesome. And make sure to comment with your own projects!
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has responded to the recent story released by the French TV channel TF1 from the positions of the Russian forces in the occupied territory of Ukraine.
"Looney Tunes is total mayhem. And it’s great, but smack in the middle of all this #Pandemonium, there’s something hidden that you don’t usually notice: the #BackgroundArt."
If you're worried about #LLM-based #AI, you're focusing on the wrong thing and may lack imagination.
This, and related developments (I can't view them as advancements, knowing how this all will end) are what's going to end the human race as we've known ourselves.
Much good can be derived from technologies like this, but we—being as we are—will ultimately go much to far.
I don't think we're prepared for our instant evolution (and, separately, eventual mechanization).
The #FX#tv#series, #ClassOf09 is doing a really good job so far, three episodes in, of showing the real threat of #LLM-based #AI tools and related systems.
By minimizing or removing human decision-making primarily or solely based on data input into and analyzed by synthetic systems, we will imprison ourselves for supposed efficiency and safety.
We will get neither.
Driving being suspicious (and ultimately criminal, because humans cause most accidents) shows a real danger of such tech-creep.
An anonymous Apple executive says out loud what we all suspected: they won’t deal because then they’d have to pay everyone what they’re worth for the work they do, and DGA’s proposed deal leaves them unprotected from replacement.
Today's 'Avengers' episode was 'Who's Who', Season 5. Steed's and Peel's brains are switched with two foreign agents. Apparently, the scenario was so confusing that ABC inserted three 'VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT's into the show. These explained what was happening, I guess for viewers who were just tuning in. There was some real acting in this one, by both leads and also the two supporting actors. It was very well done! #tv#avengers#classictv
Variety:
‘Wild Kingdom’ to Return to NBC After More Than 30 Years
For NBC’s new “Wild Kingdom,” Gros will be joined by wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, a National Geographic Explorer and research faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Often, a handful of TV shows dominates the discourse, but there's plenty of underrated excellence out there. Entertainment Weekly has listed 15 gems, including "Acapulco," "Somebody Somewhere," and "Bad Sisters."
Hidden camera show "Jury Duty" continues to be talked about, months after it premiered. James Marsden (the real one) talked to Salon about what he's learned from the show, why it worked, and if it could be replicated.
Working on "Tales From The Crypt" was beyond special.
I got to work with amazing, talented people who all loved movie-making as much as I did.
Before we hired Ernest Dickerson to direct "Demon Knight" (a really good horror movie!), he was Spike Lee's director of photography and he had directed a terrific little movie called "Juice" which introduced Tupac Shakur to the world.
I'm a big fan of the podcasts Aethuran: Dark Saga and Tale of the Manticore. I also love the OG Diablo video game. I'm looking for tv shows that are similar. The only ones I can think of that fit are Berserk and Castlevania. I enjoy anime, but I'd like some live action stuff also.
Walnut and ash TV console I made a few months ago. Finish is Osmo Polyx and not nearly as yellow as it looks in the pictures. Must be my lighting or something.
There are a lot of shows out there, what have you watched recently that you would advise others to see or to skip, and why? Please try to avoid spoilers, for extra challenge :)...
I finally got to rewatch the finale after having a difficult time the first time through.
The song choice throughout the series has been pretty great, but the last two tracks were exceptional. "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens and "Fight Test" by The Flaming Lips were not only good choices, imo, they flowed together very nicely.
I love Fight Test. I knew it the second the opening played. I'm not sure I've ever heard it on a soundtrack before.
📺 ⚽ Ted Lasso (💡 Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence & Jason Sudeikis | 👁️ Apple TV+).
Fini la saison 3, qui était une grande réussite après une saison 2 plus en demi-teinte. ici tout est super bien géré, les arcs des personnages, le rythme pour éviter la lassitude, la fin de saison... Grande série.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry slams French TV channel report filmed at Russian army positions (www.pravda.com.ua)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has responded to the recent story released by the French TV channel TF1 from the positions of the Russian forces in the occupied territory of Ukraine.
Quiet in here...Whats your favourite Only Fools and Horses Episode ?
And why isnt it To Hull and Back ?
The White Lotus creator teases series prequel with Jennifer Coolidge: 'Absolutely possible' (www.thepinknews.com)
Everyone remain calm: Jennifer Coolidge's fan favourite character Tanya McQuoid from The White Lotus could make a return in a prequel series.
Looking for dark fantasy tv shows like Castlevania.
I'm a big fan of the podcasts Aethuran: Dark Saga and Tale of the Manticore. I also love the OG Diablo video game. I'm looking for tv shows that are similar. The only ones I can think of that fit are Berserk and Castlevania. I enjoy anime, but I'd like some live action stuff also.
Walnut and Ash TV Console. (imgur.com)
Walnut and ash TV console I made a few months ago. Finish is Osmo Polyx and not nearly as yellow as it looks in the pictures. Must be my lighting or something.
Rock Hudson Documentary Gets Stirring Queer New Trailer (www.advocate.com)
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed comes to HBO and Max on June 28.
kbin, what are your recent skips/sees?
There are a lot of shows out there, what have you watched recently that you would advise others to see or to skip, and why? Please try to avoid spoilers, for extra challenge :)...