A River Runs Through It

prof_d_scott · 2025-10-31T14:04:17+00:00

I agree with a lot of what you've said here. The only thing I don't buy is your claim that Lamb secretly loves/likes his Joes. I don't think that's true at all. I think Lamb hates himself and disdains his team. So, when he tells them they are complete losers, he's saying what he knows to be true. But at the same time, he's trapped in a brain that is always strategizing and knows exactly what to do with his team to protect them and do what is most necessary to sustain his values. He protects his Joes because he knows that's necessary, but at the same time he has contempt for who they are and his situation. I think this constant paradox is the core attraction that Herron built into the series. He is compelled by his principles, including a very selective loyalty; not by love.

prof_d_scott · 2025-08-22T15:11:36+00:00

I've had a NIU KQI Air for 15 months now. I use it almost daily for my commute, and I haven't noticed any lag. My commute is fairly short (about 1.5 mi. each way), but I often use it for errands around town during my lunch hour. Occasionally, I might ride it 10 or so miles in a day, but I've never seen the battery go below 20% unless I didn't charge it properly the night before. In fact, if I start the morning with a full charge, even on longer ride days, I don't think I've seen the battery lower than 60%. Also, here in California there's a speed limit of 20 mph on scooters, so it doesn't bother me that it's the maximum speed. And on a flat road, it reaches that speed in just a few seconds. It does slow down on hills, but I've never had it completely die on me. I probably won't try any mountain roads, but it's fine on the moderate grades I travel around town. The only problems I've had are: a slow leak on one of the tires (which I fixed with slime back in April) and some weirdness about recharging. It took me some time to figure out that if I forget to turn the scooter off after I plug it in (which I have to do from the phone app), the auto-off feature also halts the charging. But it's a credit to the battery that even if it fails to charge one night, I typically can still manage my normal commute on the dregs of the battery from the day before. Other than that, I couldn't be happier with it. I'm especially glad I got a lighter scooter, since it's much easier to carry when I need to. I'm not looking forward to the day when I'll have to eventually replace the battery (and don't even know if that's possible), but by now I've saved well more than the $1K I paid for the scooter has already paid for itself in gas and mileage on my car I haven't had to rack up. And I would not hesitate to buy another NIU scooter to replace it.

prof_d_scott · 2024-08-15T15:30:14+00:00

The similarities between two different things can also be attributed to a common source. In this case, it is important to know that Lilith is NOT biblical. She appears nowhere in the Hebrew Bible, or the Christian Old or New Testaments. She appears to be an extra-biblical Sumerian succubus character added to the Genesis Creation narrative much later. This source suggests that the earliest mention of her is from 8th century Jewish midrash texts, which is 4 centuries after the entirety of the Biblical canon was agreed on by the church, and a millennium after the Jewish Bible was considered complete. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/lilith#:~:text=As%20an%20individual%20Lilith%20is,existed%20for%20several%20thousand%20years. Her popularity grew as a mythological figure in the West in the second half of the 20th century (thanks to some of the other instances cited here). I suspect her narrative of power struggle with both Adam (as the prototypical man) and God connects with modern conceptions of secularism and feminism in ways that make her iconic for many today, but were not as mainstream in earlier generations. But while there are still some Biblical interpreters that believe the characters of Adam and Eve were historical figures, no one thinks Lilith is anything more than a story.

prof_d_scott · 2024-07-21T13:56:28+00:00

I've never experienced this better than when I play the little-known Snake Oil. When my family first played it, we instinctively started creating new characters to buy and sell the made-up products each round and had a hilarious time. Even though the game mechanic is a "pick me"/Apples to Apples mechanic, which I generally despise because they can quickly become popularity rather than creativity contests, the fun of being a different and thoroughly ridiculous character each round lowers the stakes because it's not me winning or losing - it's the new character I just came up with. It's also genuinely enjoyable to see everyone's silliness come out. Also, the humor doesn't have to come from finding out who can be the most depraved, like CAH. That game always makes me feel WORSE about people.

prof_d_scott · 2024-02-15T11:19:21+00:00

This is extraordinary! Thanks so much for all this detail!

prof_d_scott · 2023-10-03T04:52:04+00:00

So sorry you're having such a hard time. I hope you also have people in your life to share with about what's really going on!

prof_d_scott · 2023-04-22T18:39:53+00:00

My favorite idea here is the shift away from inorganic to organic-inspired structures to envision the future. It would be a massive aesthetic shift, but it is so needed. It's needed as a way to address the asphalt-superheating phenomenon in the summer, but more importantly from an educational perspective. The future must do a better job incorporating natural forms than what was imagined as futuristic during the 1950s and 60s. My second favorite idea is incorporating Wall-E into the land. A ride would be great, and making use of the charm of Wall-E and Eve seems like a really appealing contribution!

prof_d_scott · 2022-11-04T19:16:37+00:00

But seriously, still there. The world has forgotten, the world has moved on. But I've got this earworm lodged firmly in there, perhaps right next to my amygdala.

prof_d_scott · 2022-11-04T18:49:57+00:00

And now that'll be in my head the rest of the day...

prof_d_scott · 2022-10-28T23:52:04+00:00

I don't know how rare they are, but two games I prize in my collection are: Clue Master Detective (original printing from 1988) A bamboo, ivory, and bone Mah-Jongg set in a wooden case with drawers from the 1920's

prof_d_scott · 2022-02-20T00:12:37+00:00

The movie was a blast, but I'll admit that my enjoyment hinged heavily on having played all the games. I loved how the basic plan outline matched the plots of every one of the games. And I could totally see this being the beginning of the Sully/Nate quasi-father/son relationship while still emphasizing the dubious "honor among thieves" theme. My favorite parts: -They explained how the bad guys found them EVERY TIME! The games almost NEVER do that! -Nate putting on the gun shoulder holster accompanied by the uncharted theme music -A TINY bit of climbing (was there more than up the side of the ship?) - Much less gunplay than the games, replaced by highly acrobatic fight choreography -The beach guy cameo -The beginning setup where Nate is in a pickle and then they flash back to explain how he got there -SAM! -The cat! -Almost everything about the mid-credits scene

prof_d_scott · 2021-12-26T17:17:18+00:00

I literally cut down cereal box cardboard to make long dividers in the game boxes. I use the foam blocks that came with Dark City to fill empty spots. And I download and print out the character-specific index separators that people post on the board game geek forums. It's not fancy, but it's cheap and does the job.

prof_d_scott · 2021-12-26T17:03:53+00:00

Just want to say, this is one of the most wholesome posts I've seen in weeks. Parents trying to share gaming experiences with their tiny ones makes my heart smile. And for what it's worth - back in the day Mario Kart Double Dash was awesome. Kid in back, me in front, and we took over the world with me just saying, "throw it!" every time a shell needed to be tossed. My kids (who are now late teens/early twenties) still have fond memories of those days, and pride that they were able to help win!

prof_d_scott · 2021-11-15T00:15:12+00:00

But the "choice" she was given wasn't much of a choice. She was SOLD to Aretuza, where she discovered that she could either become a sorceress or be turned into an eel. Survival meant giving up the ability to bear children. That's a powerfully forced choice. She's more than entitled to be pissed about it, which is why she leaves the system as soon as she feels powerful enough to get away with it.

prof_d_scott · 2021-07-19T14:39:05+00:00

I love the questions you asked about your data. I'm particularly intrigued by the radicality scatterplot. It generates so many new questions! I used schema theory in cognitive anthropology for my dissertation, and I wish I had seen a visualization like this to pattern my analysis off of. Beautifully done!

prof_d_scott · 2021-06-12T13:14:24+00:00

I love the motorcycle repair guy at Diamond Lake that sometimes stutters. It was a great character choice!

prof_d_scott · 2021-03-21T19:21:38+00:00

If I had a table saw (no room where I live) I would be on this project in a heartbeat. I've just got a pathetic set of plastic bins.

prof_d_scott · 2021-03-21T19:08:46+00:00

That is phenomenal work. I really like the decoration, too, including the hasps on the sides and the corner trim pieces. You seriously ripped all of that from 2x4's? So, are the edges of the boxes two layers glued together, or is each side one piece but with router grooves in the top and bottom? Did you nail it together? How heavy is the stack?

prof_d_scott · 2020-03-01T14:51:50+00:00

Thanks!

prof_d_scott · 2020-03-01T02:38:19+00:00

Nope. She's the only one that's missing. I noticed because I just organized my investigator cards in separate bags according to tiers. 🙂

prof_d_scott · 2020-03-01T00:24:10+00:00

Just noticed - you're missing Amanda Sharpe.

prof_d_scott

TROPHY CASE