I realize that I live south of the Mason-Dixon, but I don’t feel like that means my GPS has to sound like Laverne from Empty Nest.
Mine In Mono
A personal weblog written by Robert, a Christian, aspiring minimalist, inveterate notetaker, budget audiophile and paper airplane mechanic.
Recent Posts
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Of Human Bondage
The third edition of John Brady’s This & That. zine reached my mailbox this week. As I read through it, I thought about the slower pace of communication from the past. In the book Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, the residents of a small British town at the turn of the 20th century share a newspaper, each taking shifts throughout the day.
Soon after breakfast Mary Ann brought in the Times. Mr. Carey shared it with two neighbours. He had it from ten till one, when the gardener took it over to Mr. Ellis at the Limes, with whom it remained till seven; then it was taken to Miss Brooks at the Manor House, who, since she got it late, had the advantage of keeping it.
There’s something quaint and romantic about having such little and proscribed access to information. It’s almost the exact opposite of what we have today, with the glut of news and entertainment that we can barely hold off.
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Perfect Days
I finally got around to watching Wim Wenders Perfect Days, in which it must be said that the city of Tokyo is as much a character as any of the actors. The beautiful, future-forward and unusual toilets which protagonist Hirayama has to clean for his meager living make many appearances. They set the stage for Hirayama to live his days, which illustrate an ordinary life and the events which conspire to disrupt the pleasant monotony. Hirayama conveys a wide range of emotions without saying much of anything.
I was happy that I was able to correctly guess almost all the songs in the soundtrack. I also loved the minimalist sensibilities and the “a place for everything and everything in its place” angle.
Perfect Days (2023) is currently streaming on Hulu.
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No Respect
I was skimming through this Discogs article on comedy records the other day and came across the 1980 Rodney Dangerfield album No Respect. The a-side is a monologue called “No Respect” and the b-side is a monologue called “Son of No Respect.”
Rodney Dangerfield – No Respect (1980) A colleague of mine, who grew up in Mumbai, India, went to see Back To School, starring Dangerfield, on the first date with her now husband. Their marriage, like many in India still, was arranged. Going to a movie with him at that point was kind of scandalous. She stopped at a bodega on the way to the theater to let her mother know of this indiscretion.
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Rad Dad Redemption
I’ve temporarily lost my cool dad status. Despite my son’s well-planned and executed request (in which he invoked his “mental, physical and emotional health”) to be able to purchase Red Dead: Online, I refused to let him have anything to do with it. Red Dead: Online is the networked version of the Red Dead Redemption franchise. From everything I’ve read, its Mature rating is well deserved. Per Claude:
read more…The M-rating reflects several concerns for a 13-year-old: graphic violence including shootouts and brutal melee combat, strong language throughout, sexual themes and partial nudity, alcohol and drug use, and gambling mechanics. The game is set in a gritty, morally complex Wild West where players often engage in criminal activities.
The online component adds another layer of concern – your son would be interacting with strangers online, and despite content filters, exposure to inappropriate chat or behavior from other players is common in online gaming environments.
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Looks like Ghost 6 will drop tomorrow. I’m eager to see how the self-hosting services will handle the fediverse features.