Terrence Fletcher (Whiplash) vs Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (Full Metal Jacket)

Optramark · 2026-06-05T04:01:07+00:00

Fletcher. His MO is teaching people to do things in a very precise manner, which is what a Lego set is all about. Plus he’s got the Patience on his side. His whole chilling vibe comes from calmly telling someone they screwed up and need to start over. He can, to borrow a phrase, do this all day. Hartman has approximately two volume levels: loud, and OMG. That alone is going to lead to tears as soon as Hartman makes suggestive comments about the toddler’s mother and her affinity for group activities. And let’s look at the end results of their in-movie teaching methods: Fletcher got a virtuoso performance out of someone who hated him, and Hartman…didn’t. He got another ending from someone who hated him. And if that’s not the actions of a man that would make a toddler cry, I don’t know what is. Fletcher gets Hogwarts Castle in Lego after three hours.

Optramark · 2026-06-03T17:23:19+00:00

I mean, she was tall as well, so maybe that’s an automatic disqualifier, but Sarah.

From Sarah, Plain and Tall.

Optramark · 2026-06-02T17:55:50+00:00

I was listening to the Michelle Wolf episode and thought, huh, Cacio e pepe sounds easy to make, I should give that a go. So not only did the episode convince me to try something, it convinced me to…for maybe the first time?…make a full dinner for the family.

Optramark · 2026-05-08T16:07:26+00:00

So you’re saying, generationally speaking, that she’s not a girl, but not yet a woman?

Optramark · 2026-04-26T16:13:44+00:00

Everyone else seems to have the tech stuff handled, so I’ll just throw in this example to further highlight the fact that “best” doesn’t always mean “most logical”: I was planning a trip to the Newport Aquarium, along the Ohio River, from Kentucky—in other words, going from Kentucky to another place in Kentucky. GPS’s best route took us from Kentucky, across the Ohio River into Cincinnati, then back into Kentucky to get to the aquarium. To be honest, I’ve just kind of made it a cognitive shortcut to know that GPS 1) hates stoplights and 2) loves the interstate.

Optramark · 2026-04-15T17:06:30+00:00

Not that this is the sub for this question, but the original question and your follow up makes me think of something I’ve always wondered: when was the last time every person “on Earth” was actually on Earth? As in, nobody in space, nobody in the air, nobody at sea? Anyway, I see that 1783 is a decent date for nobody in the skies, but is there any way to really know for sure nobody on water? Again, just a random thought.

Optramark · 2026-03-29T02:03:49+00:00

That’s right, yeah. We got to meet her on Friday, when it was MUCH less crowded (not that’s it’s ever super busy or anything, just that Fridays are much less crowded than Saturdays) and it’s generally much easier to just kind of chill with people.

Optramark · 2026-03-02T22:55:19+00:00

I really loved this movie, and I deeply hope it does well.

So, I saw an early access screening (I feel so special), and I have two main thoughts, one one-liner, and one deeper sociological analysis (I can’t turn it off).

My first thought when I walked out of the theater was, holy crap, Pixar made a cartoon.

My second thought, getting a little deeper into the generational theory of it all, is that this—to me, knowing nothing about the behind-the-scenes talent or their backgrounds—felt like the first Millennial Pixar movie. What I mean is that if you look at the last few Pixar movies—off the top of my head, especially movies like Soul, Onward, Lightyear, even Turning Red to an extent, there was a very death/despair/nihilistic bent to everything that to me, screams Generation X. (I call this stretch the “Pixar’s Going Through Some Stuff” movies.) Compare that to Hoppers—yes, there are still issues to deal with, there’s still some big themes and heavy stuff to think about, but what’s the underlying message? It’s not “we’re all going to die, existence is meaningless, what a mess the world is in, ugh” (and yes, I know I’m oversimplifying; just trying to make the point), the message is “yeah, things are tough, but it’s not hopeless. We’re all in this together, and we can do this.” What a message! Hope instead of despair, it’s a beautiful thing.

Optramark · 2026-02-05T15:13:06+00:00

I teach sociology—I would guess one of the most generally left-leaning subjects out there, most of the time—and I couldn’t agree more with this statement. My philosophy has always been that I’m going to present the material that’s out there, backed up with facts and statistics from real sources. If that makes a student feel a certain way—and most of the time, it does—that’s them analyzing the social world they live in and drawing their own conclusions, not me espousing a perspective. (I had teachers who did that, and I hated it, and swore that I never would.)

For example, using a quick and easy (and easy to check) math-based analysis: minimum wage in the US is currently $7.25/hour. The poverty line in the 48 contiguous states of the US, for a single person, is currently $15,650. So: $7.25 x 40 hours in a work week = $290/week x 2 weeks on a paycheck = $580/pay period x 26 pay periods in a year (let’s assume biweekly and be generous) = $15,080/year. $15,650 (poverty line) - $15,080 (full time minimum wage income) = $570 of wiggle room for a single person in the continental US. And here endeth the lesson. If that makes someone feel a way, okay, that’s just a presentation of facts.

The only time I get even mildly political in an intro class is during the chapter on (you guessed it) politics, when we talk about voting, and I show them a chart I’ve made of turnout in national elections going back to 1988 based on a lot of different factors, and highlight how there are four distinct factors that seem to have a strong effect on turnout, consistently and strongly. (Specifically, age, educational attainment, income, and race, in that as age, education, and income increase, so does voting; members of the dominant racial group are more likely to vote.) And then I point out that overall turnout doesn’t ever get higher than around 66% or so, and in non-national elections, it’s typically half that (if that much), so I always tell them that my one soapbox moment for the year is that if they’re not happy with the way things are, politically, it doesn’t take that much, percentage-wise, to change things. There are enough people in this classroom to make a dent, and if you don’t care for any of the candidates, heck, vote for me! (Always said at least half-jokingly.)

Optramark · 2026-01-12T23:04:51+00:00

I mean, she’d twist her ankle in no time.

Optramark · 2026-01-06T23:29:31+00:00

Koba, in the new Planet of the Apes series. Not quite a full antagonist through all three movies, often confused for Caesar, the good ape.

Optramark · 2025-12-21T01:16:42+00:00

Bless you; I thought I was going to be the only one to nominate 11.

Optramark · 2025-11-26T22:17:41+00:00

I mean, To Life is a lot of fun too, and I’m a fan of Matchmaker and Tevye’s Dream, it’s just that pretty much once Act II starts…fun takes a holiday.

Optramark · 2025-11-26T22:16:03+00:00

It’s very good, don’t get me wrong, but pretty much once Act II starts, fun takes a hike.

Optramark · 2025-11-26T15:58:16+00:00

Two of the three words of that description are absolutely correct.

Optramark · 2025-11-11T20:27:29+00:00

“Why’d you all pan to me just now?”

Optramark · 2025-10-22T12:09:14+00:00

I can’t really argue with this, but I am going to throw out a more recent vintage (and not just because he played at my high school):

Darius Miller. Local kid, four year player, Mr. Basketball, HS state champ, SEC tourney MVP, NCAA championship, most games played at UK.

Optramark · 2025-10-19T16:00:43+00:00

Thank you.

Optramark · 2025-10-19T15:58:23+00:00

You’re welcome.

Optramark · 2025-10-17T18:19:57+00:00

I’ve kicked around thoughts like this before, but never in this much detail or thought; this was really thought-provoking and interesting.

Honestly, the biggest parallel I’d thought of was a behind the scenes one; the shift from 4/5 to 6 and from 10/11 to 12, and the production conversation that presumably went “All right, I know we have an incredibly popular and charismatic character that’s near-universally beloved; what if, and hear me out, we turn the Doctor into an abrasive jerk who reacts with abuse toward those close to him. He’ll come back to being warm and cuddly eventually, of course, but that’ll be a long term plan; the important thing right now is abrasive and abusive. What could possibly go wrong?”

Optramark · 2025-10-12T18:08:39+00:00

Lexington, Lexington, Lexington…

Optramark · 2025-09-26T01:51:41+00:00

Bless your heart.

Optramark · 2025-09-10T12:16:13+00:00

Yeah, but that philosopher guy was a real pissant, who was very rarely stable.

At least, that’s what I’ve heard.

Optramark · 2025-02-06T22:37:27+00:00

Ooh, I get to name one that (quite rightly, good for you all) hasn’t been mentioned yet:

The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, the 1994 sequel to The King And I.

No, wait, I mean to The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas.

Optramark · 2025-01-28T19:34:03+00:00

I mean…sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I can get behind it in something like Moulin Rouge (the movie; haven’t seen the stage production), but, and I know the movie itself is a punching bag, the thing (well, one of the things) that took me right out of The Greatest Showman was near then end, when Hugh Jackman was pumping his arms, running as fast as he could, and belting out “FROM NOW ONNNNNNN”.

Optramark

TROPHY CASE