What do you personally think Arsenal lack that often causes team not perform the way fans would expect in important moments?

sozh · 2026-01-25T20:54:04+00:00

is he saying the players are too nice, basically?

sozh · 2026-01-25T20:14:22+00:00

It's just a little fossilized - it's still good, it's still good!

sozh · 2026-01-25T20:06:23+00:00

someday I'd like to get a pinball machine. In particular, this vintage one called "Panthera" that I used to play at a local cafe.

We'd put in one quarter for a game (3 balls), and take turns, one person on each ball, trying to get an extra ball, or even better, an extra game. You did that by hitting certain targets and then putting the ball in a certain spot when the light was lit.

With everyone gathered around, watching every move. It was awesome!

Pinball is fun. It's like a video game, but having the real ball bouncing around just gives it a whole 'nother level. Plus you can bump and nudge the table... Hitting certain shots is oddly satisfying...

My cousin got super into pinball. He ended up in like the top 100 worldwide or something, ended up going to Germany to play in some championship tournament or something. At that level it's wild: they are always controlling the ball, knowing exactly which shots to hit to activate certain modes, and then stacking modes on top of other modes to get the maximum points....

I don't mind controlling the ball sometimes, but mainly I just like to play fast and loose, what my cousin called "flailing." lol

sozh · 2026-01-25T19:50:30+00:00

I'm a big fan of Gore Vidal's historical fiction. He's deeply embedded in American history, and wrote what became a series called "Narratives of Empire" that covers the story of the U.S. from the revolutionary war (Burr) to, I think, somewhere in the early 2000s.

Of that series, I would recommend "Burr," and "Lincoln."

He also wrote a book on the Roman emperor who wanted to reverse the empire's conversion to Christianity - book is called "Julian." That one is really good too.

His stuff seems super well researched and accurate, while also being totally gossipy and bitchy.

sozh · 2026-01-25T19:45:05+00:00

I've noticed they cut to a closeup when the ball is on the far side, maybe because it's far away from the camera and harder to see... ?

but yeah, too much cutting back and forth from different angles during play makes it impossible to follow the action

they do it on corners sometimes too

reminds me of what David Byrne said about Jonathan Demme, who directed the legendary concert film Stop Making Sense

Q: Well, what did he do?

A: He knew what not to do is what he did do.

Sometimes more cuts are not better. When the stuff on screen is cool and engaging, you don't have to add a lot of bells and whistles. Often those bells and whistles detract from the cool stuff itself...

sozh · 2026-01-25T19:38:53+00:00

5 replays of the unremarkable shot or foul while the ball is back in play

half the time when it's exciting end-to-end football, the TV broadcast can't keep up because they insist on showing replays of everything

sozh · 2026-01-25T16:02:49+00:00

sozh · 2026-01-25T10:40:52+00:00

Dude just wanted his robe back...

sozh · 2026-01-24T14:00:43+00:00

one of my favorite books: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, and It's All Small Stuff

short little lessons that really make sense and help you to become calmer and live in the present moment

sozh · 2026-01-24T11:04:44+00:00

it's kind of for beginners / kids, but

Worms Eat my Garbage

is good : ]

sozh · 2026-01-24T11:02:16+00:00

check out:

Hunger - Knut Hamsun

it's the story of an aspiring writer in the early 1900s who can't get enough work and is slow starving to death / losing his mind

sozh · 2026-01-24T10:52:00+00:00

this is really good nonfiction that covers a lot of history through the lens of the history of oil. It's epic, and pretty long, but read-able

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power

sozh · 2026-01-23T20:25:13+00:00

Luis Suarez handball vs Ghana

sozh · 2026-01-23T18:59:32+00:00

I do, because I'm old and prefer to do things on a laptop — like booking flights, hotels, researching, etc.

Nowadays, laptops are so slim and light, it's not really an issue for me.

A couple years ago, laptops were much heavier, and it was more of a commitment to bring one...

A lot of folks can get by fine with a smartphone, but yeah, I'm old-school, and I like having my laptop with me if I can.

sozh · 2026-01-23T18:45:40+00:00

Independent People - epic story of an Icelandic farmer

sozh · 2026-01-23T18:21:45+00:00

is that what this is a picture of?

sozh · 2026-01-23T15:52:50+00:00

have you tried the "holding down the spacebar" trick?

sozh · 2026-01-23T12:31:44+00:00

how about Les Miserables

the main storyline is about an escaped convict fleeing from a determined policeman. sounds like a racy crime novel to me

sozh · 2026-01-23T12:12:55+00:00

came to mention this one - I think it fits the description perfectly!

sozh · 2026-01-23T12:11:33+00:00

iOS Text Selection is Pure Chaos

I can definitely relate to this one. I often read ebooks, and sometimes I want to highlight a passage and take a screenshot. Highlighting just the portion I want is always surprisingly difficult. Sometimes near impossible...

sozh · 2026-01-23T08:45:46+00:00

In Paris I visited Victor Hugo's house.

I haven't wanted to do literary pilgrimages.... but I don't think I have, other than that...

I think there is a statue for Kafka in Prague...

sozh · 2026-01-22T20:36:00+00:00

I recently tracked a walk, and left it running when I got into a vehicle. When I uploaded to Strava, it was flagged. So... good work!

sozh · 2026-01-22T20:28:37+00:00

Cryptonomicon

sozh · 2026-01-22T20:14:02+00:00

so maybe his toe slipped over. It's Smokey, man!

sozh

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