paperghost: (Default)
Capy ([personal profile] paperghost) wrote2025-06-10 05:20 pm
Entry tags:

rick rat

I'm doing some minor research on Chuck E. Cheese, and I found a cute photo of his prototype that I've never seen before:


(source) (I'll host this myself on Filegarden later, it won't load for me right now.)

Not sure if this is common knowledge, but the precursor to Chuck E. Cheese was Rick Rat. His costume was purchased by Nolan Bushnell (yes, that one) under the impression it was a coyote, until he saw the tail... I don't think the costume was ever used outside of some photos like this one, though. I always wonder if someone still has it somewhere, or if it was destroyed :( I know some super fans have the animatronics that were almost thrown away.

EDIT: I found another photo I never seen before.


(source)

Rick Rat was bought in 1976, and Chuck E. Cheese was established in 1977, but this photo was taken in 1975. Makes me wonder what he was used for before getting bought by Bushnell. I wish I could've met Rick Rat :(
elainegrey: Inspired by Grypping/gripping beast styles from Nordic cultures (Default)
elainegrey ([personal profile] elainegrey) wrote2025-06-10 05:55 pm

Amplifying (i haven't read the news today. WTF prompted this?)

Response to Activation of Troops Under Insurrection Act____

“Quaker House is a manifestation of the Friends’ Peace Testimony.” This first sentence of our Mission Statement establishes the fact that we are opposed to all war, all militarism, and all senseless act of violence. Quaker House is opposed to the use of military personnel and resources in reaction to an imagined insurrection in California and other regions. We understand the use of these resources to be in violation of federal laws, the Constitution, and the basic human right to protest unlawful actions by a government. We are working with partner institutions to identify options and resources for military participants and civilians to oppose these actions and any potentially illegal orders given to the activated troops.

It is not clear what orders have been, or might be given, to military participants, which means that it is not possible for anyone to know what is or isn’t an illegal order. Quaker House and our allies are prepared to give the best advice and counsel that we can to anyone who has questions about any aspect of their participation, including any actual orders that have been received. No information provided by Quaker House or the GI Rights Hotline is intended to be legal advice and we are not qualified to give legal opinions.

Any current military participant looking for information and counseling should contact the GI Rights Hotline at 877-447-4487 or girightshotline.org https://girightshotline.org.

The Military Lawyers Task Force has issued a statement that can be accessed here https://nlgmltf.org/military-law/2025/mltf-statement-on-the-use-of-national-guard-and-active-duty-troops-to-control-opposition-to-ice-dhs-attempts-to-remove-undocumented-workers/.[1] The lawyers of MLTF are working to develop some kind of guidelines based on the available law for what may or may not constitute illegal orders.

 [1] https://nlgmltf.org/military-law/2025/mltf-statement-on-the-use-of-national-guard-and-active-duty-troops-to-control-opposition-to-ice-dhs-attempts-to-remove-undocumented-workers/

Whatever ([syndicated profile] scalziwhatever_feed) wrote2025-06-10 08:34 pm

Reigniting My Love For Phase One Of Marvel

Posted by Athena Scalzi

In recent years, I, like many others, have pretty much completely fallen off the Marvel bandwagon and stopped watching all the Disney+ shows, the spin-offs, even most of the theatrical releases like Madame Web and Brave New World. Whatever your reasoning is, whether it’s because there’s simply too much stuff to get through, because the original gang we all loved is long gone, or you’re just burnt out on superheroes, tons of other people are in the same boat as you.

For me, I’ve been wondering so much lately what it is for me. Why don’t I like Marvel anymore? When Marvel hit it big and came out with The Avengers in 2012, I was 13, and boy howdy did Marvel take over my teens. I was pretty damn obsessed. I had Tumblr posts and fan art saved on my iPhone 5, would talk about all the movies and superheroes with my friends, see every movie on opening day like my life depended on it, all that typically teen fan type stuff.

So what happened? Is it that I’m getting older, or did Marvel content just genuinely get worse and worse as the years went on? Is it some of column A and some of column B?

It was just about right after having seen Thunderbolts that I was really thinking about this question a lot, when a video came up in my recommended section on YouTube.

The video was called “The Lost Art of Marvel’s Phase One,” and was part of a series called Detail Diatribe from Overly Sarcastic Productions. If you’re on the internet and also a nerd, you probably already know who Overly Sarcastic Productions is. While I had heard of them plenty and even seen a mythology video from them once or twice, I never really got into them.

But how could I resist a two-hour video essay over Phase One of Marvel, the phase that pretty much changed not just my life but society as a whole? So I took a chance on it, and immediately loved it. So much so that I started watching OSP’s other superhero videos, and now I’m here to recommend them to you.

They put out “The Lost Art of Marvel’s Phase One” about three weeks ago, and I would recommend starting with this one, like I did. In it, they talk about what made everyone fall in love with Marvel in the first place. Are we all just wearing rose colored glasses and remember them being better than they were? Especially for people like me who were younger when they came out, is our nostalgia blinding us into unearned fondness of these movies?

While it is almost two hours long, I genuinely don’t feel like any part of this video essay drags or is boring, as they talk about so many different things and keep their points moving along consistently. They go over the characters specifically of course, like Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, even Hulk, but they also go over how well the creators did at weaving together the overarching narrative that comes together in The Avengers.

This video made me realize, you know what, fuck yeah I liked Marvel. Shit was good. Like genuinely good! There’s so much to love about Phase One, and so much to love about our original group of super pals! I’m not ashamed that I liked, and am still fond of, Phase One. I hope this video inspires some of that in you, too.

After loving this video so much, I of course had to watch another one of their Detail Diatribe videos called “Captain America The Winter Soldier is the Best MCU Movie” which came out only two weeks ago. Why? Because I have been saying that exact thing for years. But, they can explain it better than I can, so you should listen to their video over it:

This one is also two hours long, but when you’ve been saying FOR YEARS that The Winter Soldier is the best Marvel movie, those two hours really fly by. This one is such an important analysis of not just Captain America as a character, but also Black Widow, and the relationship between these two throughout the film. It also talks about the importance of Hydra and how this movie is a damn good political thriller/espionage movie that I feel like we did not know Marvel was capable of at the time!

Moving away from Marvel, I just listened to their Detail Diatribe over Superman a couple days ago, and since Superman is my favorite superhero, I want to share it with y’all!

Superman is my favorite and I’m sick and tired of people saying he’s boring! He’s not boring! Y’all don’t understand the art, and most importantly, heart, of Superman, and hopefully this video will make you see how awesome he is. And you guessed it, it’s almost two hours.

I have absolutely been loving these videos (and a couple others, such as their Doctor Strange one) and I hope you do, too.

My parents were being killjoys by saying that they didn’t understand why I’d spend two hours watching something like this, and that you can just say “The Winter Soldier is the best MCU movie” without needing to talk about it for two hours, but I wholeheartedly disagree! So I’ll keep watching my two-hour videos and keep recommending them to you. You’re welcome.

On a real note, though, if the idea of sitting there and watching a two-hour video is daunting or seems like too much, I’ll go ahead and tell you I didn’t actually watch a single second of any of these videos. I only listened to them. I listened to them in the shower, on my drive to the store, while I was folding clothes, etc.

You don’t have to sit perfectly still and have your eyes glued to the screen the entire time to watch these videos, y’know? You can still enjoy the points they’re making and think about the ideas they bring up without feeling like it’s a chore to sit there and watch two hours of PowerPoint slides.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy what OSP has to say about these characters and movies we’ve all loved at some point in our lives. I know I did!

Do you have a favorite superhero? Which Marvel movie is your favorite? What do you think of all the shows they’ve come out with? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!

-AMS

gilda_elise: (Wildlife - Praying Otter)
gilda_elise ([personal profile] gilda_elise) wrote2025-06-10 04:15 pm
Entry tags:

England Trip: Sept 4th thru 19th, 2024...just a little late. Well, maybe a lot late

I know it’s been nine months, but I’ve finally managed to put together a report of sorts on my trip to England. Things did not go as planned.

Sept 4, 2024

My flight from Grand Rapids to O’Hare was probably the best part of my trip over. I got there around 10am and then spent almost a full day at O’Hare, waiting for my flight. Once I was finally seated my seat mate sneezed and hacked her way across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, the plane was full so I couldn’t be moved. Or she couldn’t. Anyway, I hoped for the best.

It had been agreed that Anne would pick me up and that we’d head for her brother’s house. I had worn a mask during the trip over and kept it on in the car. I’d met Neil and his wife, Andrea, during a previous trip, and was eager to spend time with them again.

Sept 5, 2024

It was a lovely day, so we decided to do some sightseeing.

Our first stop was the Middle Littleton Tithe Barn, one of the largest and most notable tithe barns in England. It’s rumored that Richard and his men camped in the barn on their way to Bosworth, but there’s no historical evidence to confirm it.

2. Middle Littleton Tithe Barn


From there we drove to Pershore Abbey. Its main claim to fame is its age. Its foundation is alluded to in a charter of King Ethelred of Mercia (675-704 AD.) Fires, storms and an earthquake battered the Abbey, but Henry VIII came the closest to destroying it during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Most of the Abbey was demolished, with only the tower, choir and south transept remaining.

4. Pershore Abbey 6. Pershore Abbey chancel


From there we drove back to Worcester, where we made time to visit its cathedral.

While some form of the Cathedral has been in place since 680AD, the present building was begun in 1084. It’s a magnificent building, whose major claims to fame are the tombs of King John, and Prince Arthur Tudor, Henry VII’s eldest son who died at the age of sixteen at Ludlow Castle.

24. Another view of King John Prince Arthur's Chantry


The River Severn runs behind the cathedral, which stands on a cliff on the left bank. It’s a lovely spot. Lots of swans!

38. Swans outside Worcester Cathedral


Sept 6, 2024

Left for Middleham. It was evening by the time we got there, so we checked in at the Priory and then walked over for a creme tea at the Middleham cafe.

The next day it rained all day, so we stayed in. Mostly watched tv, until dinner time when we went down the street to the Richard III Inn. Their food is usually excellent, but my appetite wasn’t what it normally is. By the time we got back to the Priory I was feeling a bit under the weather.

Felt pretty good when I woke up, so we went down for breakfast. That’s when it hit. I barely made it back to the room, where I collapsed on the bed. The proprietress had a covid test kit, which she kindly gave to us. It was positive. Luckily, Anne had had covid just a few months before, so was still immune. I slept most of the day and that night.


Sept 9, 2024

I was still feeling low, not bad, just not great. So no visiting Middleham Castle or York; no heading up to Hexham and Hadrian’s Wall. Instead we decided to drive back to London.

Apparently, having had the covid vaccine, I had a mild case of it. For the next week I either slept or we watched movies. It wasn’t a terrible time; Anne is always fun to hang out with. And we both love horror movies, so there was A Knock at the Cabin, and all three Quiet Place movies. A little different was Wicked Little Letters. I loved it, though certainly wasn’t what I’d had in mind!

Sept 17, 2024

I tested negative! And since I was feeling pretty good, we decided to try for a short day out. I’m not what you’d call a Tudor fan, but I’d always wanted to see Hever Castle, where Anne Boleyn grew up. We met up with Chris, another good friend, and spent a few hours roaming the grounds and the castle.

59. Hever Castle

61. Brussels Tapestry in dining room 45. Astor wing


It’s not as big as I thought it would be, but the grounds are spectacular. I bought an Anne Boleyn bear, but not an Henry VIII.

55. Chris and Gilda in the Dahlia garden 56. Dahlias


Sept 18, 2024

We headed into town, stopping first at the Jewel Tower. THere’s not much left of it, but it was still interesting. At one time or another it’s been a Tudor storeroom, a House of Lords record archive, and the National Weights and Measures office.



I’d been to Westminster Cathedral before, but it’s so huge, there’s always something to see. So many outstanding people are buried there that have nothing to do with royalty.

64. Charles Darwin tomb at Westminster 65.1 Isaac Newton Tomb

Of course, there are those, too.

70. Edward I Tomb 70.1 Edward III Tomb

We only stayed a couple of hours. Though I felt fine, I still tired easily. So back to Anne’s for another movie. Later I packed up for my trip home.

Sept 19, 2024

It’s lucky that I hadn’t had a worse case of covid, because getting home was a nightmare. They changed my seat on the plane (from aisle to a middle seat,) which wasn’t terrible, but I’d payed for the aisle seat (I was later able to get a refund.) The flight was okay, but O’Hare was a mess.

Customs was its usually trial. I think it took over an hour to get through (as opposed to at Heathrow where it took 10 minutes.) Then I had to get my bags, go through security again, then take a bus from the terminal where we landed to where my gate for home was. AThe line for that was another half hour, at least. Of course the bus dropped us off on the other end of the terminal, so I had to hoof it all the way to my gate. I managed to get there with twenty minutes to spare.

I’m hoping to go back next year. Of course that all depends on what’s going on with the Orange tyrant and his minions. By then they may be pulling citizens aside and not allowing them back in. I don’t know, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing as long as BA flew me back to England.
maju: Clean my kitchen (Default)
maju ([personal profile] maju) wrote2025-06-10 03:57 pm

(no subject)

From inside looking out you'd think it's a perfect day: clear and sunny, but looks can be deceiving because it's much warmer out there than I like. No doubt many people are enjoying this weather though.

I've occasionally been buying frozen meals from the supermarket lately (instead of subscribing to a meal delivery service); I intersperse these with meals I've cooked myself from scratch just so that I don't have to cook so often. Most of them have been good (better than most of the meal delivery service meals) but one or two have been "nope, never again". I can't help wondering how nutritious these meals might be. They sound good according to their lists of ingredients (no unpronounceable chemicals) so I'm hoping for the best. A few days ago I bought a "family sized" meal which says it has three and a half servings, but I divided it into three servings and the servings weren't all that big. And why would you make three and a half servings anyway? Why not four, or just three?
andrewducker: (my brain)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2025-06-10 08:31 pm

The advice in the UK over teachers and AI is baffling to me

Reading this article on advice to teachers in the UK about using AI, they suggest using it for things like "marking quizzes" and "generating routine letters".

And what really annoys me about this is that it's a perfect example of where simple automation could be used without the need for AI.

The precise example in the article is "Generate a letter to parents about a head lice outbreak." - which is a fairly common thing to happen in schools. So why on earth isn't there one standard letter per school, if not one standard letter for the whole country, that can be reused by absolutely everyone whenever this standard event happens? Why does this require AI to generate a new one every time, rather than just being a standard email that gets sent?

Same with marking quizzes. If children get multiple-choice quizzes regularly across all schools, and marking them uses precious teacher time, why is there not a standard piece of software, paid for once (or written once internally) which enables all children to do quizzes in a standard way, and get them marked automatically?

If we're investing a bunch of money into automating the various processes that teachers spend far too much time on, start with simple automation, which is cheap, easy, and reliable.

Also, wouldn't it be sensible to do some research into how accurately AI marks homework *before* you tell teachers to use it to do that? Here's some research from February which shows that its agreement with examiners was only 0.61 (where 1.00 would be perfect agreement). So I'm sceptical about the quality of the marking it's going to be doing...
fflo: (Default)
fflo ([personal profile] fflo) wrote2025-06-10 03:00 pm
hunningham: Beautiful colourful pears (Default)
Hunningham ([personal profile] hunningham) wrote2025-06-10 07:55 pm

Not just hayfever

I have a cold. It's horrible. I am headachy & full of snot & my ears hurt. But there's some relief in saying "yes, a cold" and having a reason for why I was feeling so very very tired yesterday & why slept so badly. It's not just hayfever. Today I have spent rather a lot of time on the sofa & eaten many oranges & not fussed about work.

I hope himself doesn't catch it; he always gets feverish and sick for at least a week and ends up with a cough dragging on & on.
metawidget: A platypus looking pensive. (Default)
metawidget ([personal profile] metawidget) wrote2025-06-10 02:10 pm

Things I could use

As promised, here are a few things that I'd put to good use if you aren't using them:

  • Muffin tin(s)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Small plates (bread/side plate sized)
  • Saucepan (small or medium)
  • Pitcher (1.5 L or so)
  • Chef's knife
  • Comforter for queen-sized bed

Please don't go to too much trouble — these are less-urgent things that I'll get if they aren't floating around my local friends, but I'm hoping I can help you clear things out and round out the house for the kids and me!

yourlibrarian: Who Brian Is (QAF-WhoIAmbymaiaj)
yourlibrarian ([personal profile] yourlibrarian) wrote in [community profile] tv_talk2025-06-10 12:09 pm

TV Tuesday: Pride Memories

Laptop-TV combo with DVDs on top and smartphone on the desk



As it's Pride month, what are your memories of LGBTQI representation in TV shows? Do you have favorite characters, episodes, or shows that were significant in their depictions? How have you seen audiences responding to broader views of the population?
conuly: (Default)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2025-06-10 12:48 pm
purplecat: The Tardis against a sunset (or possibly sunrise) (Doctor Who)
purplecat ([personal profile] purplecat) wrote2025-06-10 05:54 pm

Costume Bracket: Round 4, Post 1

Two Doctor Who companion outfits for your delectation and delight! Outfits selected by a mixture of ones I, personally, like; lists on the internet; and a certain random element.


Outfits below the Cut )

Vote for your favourite of these costumes. Use whatever criteria you please - most practical, most outrageously spacey, most of its decade!

Voting will remain open for at least a week, possibly longer!

Costume Bracket Masterlist

Images are a mixture of my own screencaps, screencaps from Lost in Time Graphics, PCJ's Whoniverse Gallery, and random Google searches.
Whatever ([syndicated profile] scalziwhatever_feed) wrote2025-06-10 03:38 pm

And Now, a Moment of Flowers

Posted by John Scalzi

Because they’re pretty, and the US is a mess in ways that will take a lot to essay, and I just got back from travel and apparently caught a bit of con crud in Phoenix and so am kind of low energy at the moment. So: Look! Flowers! I figure the rest of the Internet will catch you up on the rest of it. Here, have a bit of pretty.

— JS

profiterole_reads: (The Secret Circle - Diana Adam Cassie)
profiterole_reads ([personal profile] profiterole_reads) wrote2025-06-10 05:41 pm

The Dark Touch by Beth Ross

The Dark Touch by Beth Ross was excellent! In the United Republic of Britain, Nova finds out that witches are not extinct and that she is one of them.

This contemporary novel mixes an alternate history, urban fantasy and some elements of activism (women's rights, including abortion, and queer rights). A large tapestry of characters are introduced little by little, making it relatively easy to learn who's who. There's no cliffhanger, but I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Nova has a bi awakening at 23 (same!), there are sapphic characters of various orientations and there's major f/f. Abigail is on the autism spectrum.
m_of_disguise: (Default)
m_of_disguise ([personal profile] m_of_disguise) wrote2025-06-10 08:41 am

(no subject)

Yesterday was a rough one for me. I endured terrible stomach pains all day long, which I blame on the ODR's lunch nachos since it all started not long after I ate a plate of them. I spent the better part of the day dealing with all of that nonsense.

Left work a bit early so I could make it to LabCorp before they closed and get my latest bloodwork done. 

The baby was completely feral when I got home, but she calmed down after some cuddles on the couch. She wants to go outside and run around so badly, but it's too damned hot by the time I get home. I've suggested to M that he take her outside first thing in the morning, but he never does. 

Dinner was chicken alfredo. Last time I made it was a disaster and the sauce broke no matter what I tried, but this time everything came together perfectly, thank Zod. We have two breaded chicken breasts left over from it, which will either be consumed for lunch or used for dinner. We have a fridge full of leftovers that need consuming, which is rather a nice change from having nothing on hand at all.

M's dark cloud seems to have dissipated, because he was in a fine mood last night with no undercurrent of negativity or glumness. We chatted about goth music and movies while we laid in bed, and then had an early night to escape the heat.

Since we were asleep so early, I woke up around 5. There aren't many chores to catch up on, so I let myself drift in and out of sleep until my alarm went off at 6:30. Got up, cleaned what dishes there were, took out the trash, and made the baby's breakfast plate. 

Hoping to get back to work on 1830s stuff this week. I dug out the unfinished stays and glared at the petticoat for a bit. If I wake up early tomorrow, I may give the petticoat another hand-wash in the tub to get the last of the cornstarch residue out of it and prepare it for chemical starching. Once the stays and corded petticoat are finished, I'll just need sleeve plumpers and a plain petticoat, and I'll be done with the undies. I'd like to start on the dress before the end of the month, but I will have to order more tarlatan for my hem and sleeve stiffening before that can happen. Since I have until next year to get this thing done, there's really no rush, and I have visions of a whitework embroidered canezou or pelerine to wear with it. If I can sneak the embroidery into work, anyway, which is difficult these days with Lt. Busybody constantly up in my business. -_-
lydamorehouse: (Default)
lydamorehouse ([personal profile] lydamorehouse) wrote2025-06-10 09:35 am

Just Another Day in Paradise (Monday)

The weather here has been overcast and rainy. As Shawn told a somewhat uncertain staff person, “It’s gorgeous!” (The staff was concerned that she was being sarcastic. Shawn assured her that she was not.) Our family is very happily indoorsy. So, we spent much of the day inside, by a roaring fire, reading.

However, the weather cleared up on and off, and during one of the ‘on’s, Shawn and I headed out for an early morning canoe. We tend to canoe much like we hike, which is to say, we don’t go all that far, and we glide along at a snail’s pace.

Shawn in canoe (Bearskin 2025)
Image: Shawn in a canoe at Bearskin

I’ve also resumed my quest to walk as many of Bearskin’s ski trails as I feel is reasonable. I tend to enjoy a hike to a destination like Sunday’s accidental trip to Rudy Lake, but not all of the ski trails are set up for vistas. In fact, most of them aren’t. A person can tell, even as hiker, how excellent they are for skiers. So many up and down slopes! We are technically in the Pincushion Mountains here, (though people from the Coasts are allowed to scoff at what we call mountains around here.) However, the elevation changes are real! In fact, it usually takes me a few days to get used to the steep slopes. This time, having just come from Middletown, CT, which I feel like was built entirely at a 45-degree angle (all of it uphill!), I didn’t seem to need as much time.

At any rate, this year, I decided to try and find Ox Cart. FYI, an Ox Cart would not make it around this loop. I mean, I guess oxen are strong? But pulling a cart would be tough! Skiing however? It would be glorious.

Bob, the owner of Bearskin, did want to point out that if I walked Ox Cart, I would see the new boardwalk that they installed.

The boardwalk goes over a very marshy, swampy area. A place that my family would call “very moosey,” as this seems to be the sort of areas that we imagine moose tend to enjoy. This is a highly unscientific “hot take,” however. The one time that we saw moose in the wild, while hiking (at, of all places, “Moose Viewing Trail”) there was a place a little like this, though much more lake-y and slightly less boggy/swampy.

moosey
Moosey view.

I did not see moose here.

I will note, however, that I did see moose tracks and what was very obviously moose scat on my way back out of this trail. So, perhaps our family is not entirely wrong as to what constitutes a moosey place.

Much of my hike was just woods.

wooded path (Bearskin 2025)
Image: wooded path

However, I have been trying to stop and take pictures of wildflowers that I’ve been seeing on my hikes. Here are a few:

pussy foot?
Image: pussy feet? Something like that (looking for id, [personal profile] pameladean !)

star flower
Image: star flower
tweek_uk: (Default)
tweek_uk ([personal profile] tweek_uk) wrote2025-06-10 02:59 pm

A quiet day

After going offline yesterday I watched The Gorilla God's Go-to Girl on Crunchyroll before starting a new jigsaw. I then had my tea and watched Pointless on BBC1 followed by the opening two episodes of Rabbit Hole on the ITV Hub. Later I did more of my jigsaw and read more of The Chestnut Man.

This morning I made my moves in the Kingdom of Loathing before watching ZatsuTabi -That's Journey- on Crunchyroll. Later on a family friend visited for coffee and a chat.

This afternoon I made my moves in RavenBlack's Vampire Game.
Frock Flicks ([syndicated profile] frockflicks_feed) wrote2025-06-10 01:30 pm
lizzybuffy2008: (Default)
lizzybuffy2008 ([personal profile] lizzybuffy2008) wrote2025-06-10 06:55 am
Entry tags:

June 9 & 10, 2025

9. Is there something that someone close to you does which really irritates you, but you’ve never said anything to them about it?

K does some things I find annoying, but I have grown used to them over the years, so only find them mildly irritating.

10. Have you ever made mayonnaise from scratch?

Yes, many times. It is very easy with the food processor or with a hand mixer. I used to make all of my condiments and hope to that again in retirement.