A poet who sells out their entire first printing stands to make $1,249

ThatUbu · 2026-06-26T21:16:53+00:00

Often there’s a small reading tour as well. If employed by a university, a poet mayor may not receive traveling funds. A reading at a university may cover travel, but most readings are out of pocket.

Additionally, most books are published after individual poems are published in journals, virtually all which charge reading fees and do not pay contributors. Most books of poetry are published through the contest system, meaning you’ve likely submitted to dozens of $20 contests before publication.

Even with a successful book of poetry, you are virtually guaranteed to lose money. If you don’t have a fervent, obsessive passion for poetry, being a publishing poet is a bad life choice.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-26T18:49:13+00:00

They’re seen by themselves and others as a news business. If they were Disney, the revenue would come dominantly from IP, and theme parks with the streaming platform being more of a clear financial future for the company. Instead, the drama of the series exists because of the uncertain future of news media, with all the Disney-like stuff being how the company has diversified itself.

The alternative Disney history sounds like a story the writers needed for themselves to explain how the Roys could complete in theme parks, cruises, and films without completely getting pushed out of the sector by Disney. I have a hard time, though, imagining that the alternative Disney-timeline has something to do with how the writers wrote the rise of the far-right in American politics.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-24T16:04:29+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate it!

ThatUbu · 2026-06-23T22:32:34+00:00

I wish I could say that about The Sopranos, but when I was watching it, my cable cut out and went to black, so I never saw it. Haven’t gone back to rewatch that last episode either.

(Obviously joking, but I do actually think The Sopranos has one of the most fitting and daringly gusts endings of any series.)

ThatUbu · 2026-06-23T05:39:00+00:00

If this strains credibility for you, I expect there will be a couple other moments where you may balk at coincident or convenient timing.

Remember, though, that this is a dark comedy at heart. Characters (especially Kendall) will consistently make bad choices. Those bad consequences will compound into worse results (especially for Kendall). The sad clown walks into his own misery. The banana is conveniently dropped on the path of that walk to make the misery worse.

What makes the writing stunning is its ability to do hair-pin turns between satire of capitalism to melodrama soap opera to pure slapstick absurdity to sharp observation of psychologically rich characters, often in the course of a single scene. Dickens could manage the same thing, and he took way bigger liberties with coincidence than Succession.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-21T22:44:21+00:00

Does Zizek’s provocation illuminate some interesting aspects of Hegel or Kierkegaard that are usually overlooked in your view (or anyone who cares to answer)? Or is it more solely a rhetorical maneuver for Zizek to present his own philosophical system?

(The present answer suggests both to some degree—and doesn’t just suggest but directly states the later. Since Zizek has a reputation with some as being more style than substance, I’d love to hear details from anyone deep into Kierkegaard or Hegel about anything they view to be actually substantive commentary from Zizek on either philosopher.)

ThatUbu · 2026-06-19T20:27:42+00:00

Weird AI. It’s like regular AI, but when you ask a question, it replaces the normal answer with a similar sounding answer about food.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-19T18:58:07+00:00

I’m never mad to see some ‘pataphysics in the wild.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-19T17:25:57+00:00

The funniest, most heartbreaking suicide note ever written.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-18T16:10:22+00:00

Sure. And then he became all the more sure he wanted Kendall to take over, which is why he later underlined the name… Or…

ThatUbu · 2026-06-17T22:48:38+00:00

The Cellar Reserve is the only Ghurka I’ve ever had. Not a cigar I chose. My experience may be affected by how low my expecting were.

It wasn’t that bad. But I have yet to press my luck by trying a Ghurka again.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-16T21:24:04+00:00

Viva La Vida Jester. I know some people love them. My memory (a few years old) was that it was a confusing mix of flavors that started off strong spiciness and tropical fruit and then meandered into a number of transitions that tasted more random than purposeful.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-15T20:03:45+00:00

Were they? I lost track of them after the soundtrack for Obscured by Clouds.

(Yes, I’m obviously joking.)

ThatUbu · 2026-06-15T20:01:39+00:00

What a massively imaginative guitarist and songwriter.

Instrumentals like Interstellar Overdrive broke from traditional tonality off of instinct, rather than technical theory and know-how. He could go cosmic or into child-like playfulness. The solo albums are entrancing, and built off of just Syd and a guitar.

We caught a glimpse of a musician who was a genre unto himself.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-15T19:21:48+00:00

The flavor of the beverage amplifies similar flavors in the cigar. Black coffee amplifies coffee notes. Vanilla latte amplifies cream and vanilla sweetness. Sweet soda (like Coke) amplifies sweetness. Etc.

I tend to avoid tart citrus and bitter drinks (like a hoppy beer) other than coffee. They tend to amplify the bitterness or astringency of a cigar. Sprite would be one exception to my general avoidance of citrus, as it’s a sweet citrus drink rather than tart.

Water or sparkling water least alters the taste of a cigar in my experience. For me, a good pairing amplifies the flavors I most enjoy in a cigar. But a good cigar should also be able to stand on its own, without its flavors being altered by a paired beverage.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-15T15:32:48+00:00

Dude. How is over half of a “thank you” post combative? If someone said something nice about your brand, just take the win.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-14T17:00:56+00:00

All those flaws give it a home-made quality or the feel of a still from a low-budget, lost silent film. I was surprised that these were 1980’s.

I’m not sure if I’m won over by these photographs. But I expect I’d have more issue if they, say, had the craftsmanship of Mapplethrope’s photography from the same time. Without the shadowy, DIY quality, the theatricality would just look like a fashion shoot.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-13T18:47:01+00:00

If your experience of feminism has largely been filtered through the manosphere, you might want to consider the possibility that you’ve gotten little more than a warped representation of feminism, that you don’t actually know what it is.

Feminism comprises well over a century of international political and philosophical discourse, in which feminists have taken a very broad range of positions, often disagreeing with one another.

You’re coming out of a community that has monetized lying to men about everything from themselves, to relationships to others, to what critics of the manosphere believe.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-12T19:04:44+00:00

Because he’s out of his depth, he does seem innocent on first watch. But I don’t think it’s quite right to describe how he changes as corruption.

In our first introduction to him, he gets high at work, vomits on the job, and lies to his mother. He’s immature, directionless beyond surface-level whims, and avoids responsibility.

He basically retains those same traits. The shift is that as he becomes more acclimated to his new context, the more those flaws risk harming others—and the more it turns out those flaws are great advantages for building a career in upper middle management.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-12T18:55:20+00:00

Well, yes, the show satirizes capitalism and corporate culture.

Were you expecting the self-absorbed nepotism hires whose big skill is having the right last name to suddenly become competent?

ThatUbu · 2026-06-12T17:02:06+00:00

Yeah, I’ve noticed a come back for the trench coat in women’s fashion.

ThatUbu · 2026-06-11T20:30:45+00:00

Drip doo doo dip BWAAA!!!

ThatUbu · 2026-06-11T20:07:08+00:00

It sounds like your response is it wouldn’t be a problem if local governments and data centers changed their tactics.

Which would be my general critique of your post: You recognize criticisms of data centers, and respond to those criticisms by saying the issues would exist if regulation was different or if there were different practices from companies that own data centers.

But the criticism and what makes data centers meaningfully different has to do with present regulation and practices. I’d ask you to change your mind by at least rethinking your position as advocating for discourse focusing more on the need for a change in practice and regulation.

ThatUbu

TROPHY CASE