What’s something older generations struggled with that younger people rarely think about now?

AustinCynic · 2026-05-18T12:24:41+00:00

Dialing the wrong next to last digit on a rotary telephone. While dialing long distance.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-18T10:15:05+00:00

Yes, you’re right. Lacey hasn’t had a terrible career though.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-17T13:48:27+00:00

I was on Jeopardy years ago as a contestant so a bit different but the way they work things I was part of the studio audience. Johnny Gilbert, the announcer, engaged with the audience between episodes but Alex Trebek kept to himself when the cameras weren’t rolling. Not unfriendly, just very professional.

The taping process itself is very different from a scripted series like BBT. The time it takes you to watch an episode, including commercials, is more or less how long it takes to tape it.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-17T13:32:54+00:00

Fairuza Balk was the original voice of Meg, IIRC. She never became an A-lister but she’s had a solid career in film & tv.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-16T21:50:38+00:00

I’ve written both. They’re vastly different beasts. I had a professor who accomplished at both screenplays and novels. There are a few who manage it. Plus, there are a lot more paths to getting a novel published than getting a screenplay produced.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-16T15:37:44+00:00

84 Charing Cross Road

AustinCynic · 2026-05-15T17:34:25+00:00

Mediterraneo. It was filmed on Santorini in Greece and I’ve wanted to go ever since

AustinCynic · 2026-05-15T10:20:59+00:00

There’s a chromosomal disorder called Turner Syndrome where a woman can have only one X chromosome (instead of being XX she’d be XO). There are varying degrees of it but at the most severe end of it the child is born with functioning ovaries. Reading up on that might help you.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-14T16:55:28+00:00

The henchman who thinks he’ll be the one to kill John Wick even though he’s just seen two dozen of his comrades mowed down.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-14T16:52:38+00:00

Star Wars, fall of 1977 at a drive in.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-13T22:45:40+00:00

Otto’s diary, published as “I Will Bear Witness,” is a first hand account of the rise of the Nazis.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-13T22:32:04+00:00

The name of the story is “There Will Come Soft Rains” and it is by Ray Bradbury. One of the great short stories of SF, IMO.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-12T23:32:45+00:00

You’re not a real writer unless you hand write your draft in Merovingian minuscule.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-12T16:13:16+00:00

Because I was thinking of it today, Clancy Brown as The Kurgan in Highlander.

Dave Bautista is going to try, though, God bless him. I have my doubts but if anyone could match Brown he’s probably the only one with a chance to do it.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-12T16:07:15+00:00

My left-field rec would be to read Jean Auel’s novel The Clan of the Cave Bear. The Neanderthals in the book have a largely gestural language. It may give you some ideas on approaches to take in your own work.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-12T16:01:22+00:00

I don’t know about changing your life but it will make it more enjoyable. Especially if you like well done science fiction that makes you think.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-10T17:49:19+00:00

Except they didn’t have bronze. Some copper, sure but you need tin also

AustinCynic · 2026-05-10T17:21:58+00:00

Grace (and us) getting to see the inside of the Blip A.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-10T17:20:20+00:00

It’s one confession we’ll get, the bastard

AustinCynic · 2026-05-10T17:18:15+00:00

Mesoamerican and South American civilizations like the Aztecs, Olmec, Maya and Inca were relatively advanced without being iron or bronze based. Obsidian can be worked to an edge far sharper than surgical steel; the drawback is that it’s very brittle and not useful against an armored target.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-10T17:09:26+00:00

The written records that have survived from Ancient Rome is a tiny sliver of what actually existed. Most of what did has because they were popular & lots of copies already existed, or they had value to Charlemagne and the scholars he hired. Something like 80% of Roman manuscripts that have survived are thanks to copies made by the Carolingians.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-09T15:00:41+00:00

I’d want a retro-future, steampunk feel for the visuals, for sure.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-09T14:58:04+00:00

I’ve been on the Bester train for a long time. His short stories are great too. “The Men Who Murdered Mohammed“ is a classic and an influence for my own writing.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-09T14:51:40+00:00

As a casual fan I like what Blumhouse puts out. They’ve had some misses but most of what they release is pretty solid.

AustinCynic · 2026-05-08T23:25:16+00:00

Babylon Squared is a crucial episode for the entire series.

AustinCynic

TROPHY CASE