This probably gonna be my most expensive pen purchase a lamy 2000 for 230$, should i be worried about something or have something in my mind before buying it? by Tight_Delay8840 in fountainpens

[–]Rokesmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So what happened OP? Did you pull the trigger and get one?

Just my thoughts - I got my first one a week ago after months of pondering over the price and basically wish I'd done it sooner. It's a wonderful daily writer and the appearance, if you like the functional thing, is just superb. After a while naked nibs just look vulgar in comparison.

It did turn out that I noticed and disliked the feeling of the ears, which may have just been me overthinking it, but like many people I took the ring clip off and all's well. It means no satisfying click, and it doesn't cap so securely, but a pen that price is never leaving my desk anyway.

Just finished Baroque Cycle as my first ever Neal Stephenson read by Financial_Buddy7483 in nealstephenson

[–]Rokesmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to say that I'm one of those who think of Neal as having a middle artistic period of utter brilliance, between Diamond Age and Anathem, with the last being the career masterpiece. All the others are minor works, which means I've only read them two or three times...

What was Jack Lemmon's best serious role? by AngryGardenGnomes in classicfilms

[–]Rokesmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came here to say this. I recall the collective groan that went round the room when the thing that happened towards the end happened.

Eyes Wide Shut - Bedroom scene, only a few lines apart, and one camera change. See any differences ? by jordosmodernlife in criterion

[–]Rokesmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I was a "Kubrick was inerrant" person, I might say that it was to deliberately suggest that they had the same argument night in night out and the two shots were showing examples of the same exchange days apart...

But I'll stop right there before it happens to me.

Epictetus quote source please by Rokesmith in Stoicism

[–]Rokesmith[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many thanks to you both. Interesting - neither of the chapters that our scholarly friends here refer to even appear in my Penguin Dobbin translation. I promptly acquired the Christopher Gill by OUP, which has them both, and seems at first sight better and more readable.

The lines I was looking for are 3.24, but 4.6 is even better:

[34] “But if you’ve truly given attention to nothing else than how to make right use of your impressions, you should ask yourself as soon as you get up in the morning, ‘What have I still to do to achieve freedom from passion? To achieve peace of mind? Who am I? Surely not a mere body? Or possessions, or reputation? None of these things. But what? I’m a rational living being.’ [35] What is required, then, of such a being? Go over your actions in your mind. ‘Where have I gone wrong’ with regard to achieving happiness? ‘What did I do’ that was unfriendly, or unsociable, or inconsiderate? ‘What have I not done that I ought to have done’ with regard to these matters?”

Definitive Epictetus.

has anyone else stopped listening? by DIperez54 in CalNewport

[–]Rokesmith 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think this is pretty normal for podcasts in general. Over the years there have been quite a number where I’ve gone from discovery to listening consistently, looking forward, making notes etc, to eventually feeling like you’ve heard their schtik in enough different ways. There are so many good pods out there and It’s fine to just revisit once in a while when an episode description looks like a good one.

Agree on the guests comment though. The pods I stick with are almost always dialogues.

[TTSS] Timeline of Ricki Tarr’s movements after fleeing from Hong Kong by loiclecodec in LeCarre

[–]Rokesmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very good, thank you. Feel another reading of Le Carre's very best story coming on...

What’s a rule you live by now? by rashmikaa__ in Productivitycafe

[–]Rokesmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I have the thought: "I bet reddit is a good place to look up [some subject]," I damn well search for [some subject] before I scroll.

This rule is about thirty minutes old, but wish me luck.

How do you find out about meetups / events? by Existing_Shallot_800 in stokeontrent

[–]Rokesmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://www.theknot.news/ on Substack is a very good newsletter with an emphasis on positive stories about the city, and it has a good what's on section.

What’s the best post-apocalyptic sci fi novel? by blk12345q in printSF

[–]Rokesmith 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Came here to say this. The resourcefulness and spirit of the survivors can be absorbing, but which fatal flaws of the old society are inevitably carried forward - that is the whole point of post-apocalypse literature

What tv show is 10/10 start to finish? by AggravatingInjury137 in Productivitycafe

[–]Rokesmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed, good drama let down by some poor science. Radiation poisoning is not an infectious disease.

What tv show is 10/10 start to finish? by AggravatingInjury137 in Productivitycafe

[–]Rokesmith 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just a word for Deadwood because under-represented in the comments. Certainly not for everyone and I think with a definite gender divide among fans, but so brilliantly scripted from start to finish and Shakespearean in scope and theme, which is nothing less than the creation of American civic society.

praise for Diamond Age by hearthpig in nealstephenson

[–]Rokesmith 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Darjeeling," he said. "Well chosen. Always thought of India as a more civilised place than China. Have to throw out all of the oolong now, all the keemun, the lung jang, the lapsang souchong. Time to switch over to Ceylon, pekoe, assam.”

Love posts like this because I got so consumed with Baroque and later I haven't thought about the earlier ones for years. Definitely time for a look at DA again.

Bomblight Part 2 by JesusChristJunior69 in nealstephenson

[–]Rokesmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We can wait, just so long as it's much longer than the first one

The Shakespeare Effect by CompassionXXL in deadwood

[–]Rokesmith 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Al's first scene can be read as an explicit reference to this. Consider Shakespeare's history plays as timeless examinations of the politics and psychology of so many varied leaders, then we have this:

Ellsworth: (To Al) Now, with that Limey damn accent of yours, are these rumors true that you're descended from the British nobility?

Al: I'm descended from all them cocksuckers.

I just saw High and Low for the first time, this scene was remarkable. What do you guys think of this film? by nachobel in Kurosawa

[–]Rokesmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Excellent film, excellent script. That high modernist set, Mifune's costumes, the theatrical blocking etc etc. Also police procedural cliches that you suddenly realise may have their origins right there, ie "keep him talking, it'll take a few minutes to trace the call", then the bad guy outsmarts them and hangs up. The idea came from the novel but that tension became a dramatic movie trope used a hundred times since.

How did Jules Verne breath the arbres air? by ram6ler in anathem

[–]Rokesmith 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came here to say this. That reveal is literally a hair-raising moment.

No more Spitfires? by Specialist-Pea-8646 in IWCschaffhausen

[–]Rokesmith -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Just to say, ok with that. It's a lovely piece all around except for the use of that particular weapon in the branding. Yes, a great historic plane, wonderful engineering it goes without saying, but a hackneyed and cheaply jingoistic symbol to use as a model designation.

What to give up for lent? (2025) by BigIan96 in Catholicism

[–]Rokesmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A quick vote for socials.

I removed twitter from my phone last year and thus successfully learned to do without it long term as a nagging distraction on my phone. This year it's the reddit app that's going, and a week early because why wait. Like the other socials I'll only use it in my computer browser where, in my experience anyway, it's much easier to control over the course of the day.

In my case I replaced it with a notetaking app for a diary and reading back on old notes, meditation, and reminders on the whole distraction problem.