I just learned that Prof. Alice Von Hildebrand, the Catholic philosopher and speaker and the second wife of the great Prof. Dietrich Von Hildebrand (who is one of my intellectual touchstones) has passed away at the age of 98. I actually had no idea she was still alive: I would have sworn that I'd heard … Continue reading RIP Prof. Alice Von Hildebrand
Thought of the Day: Significant Other
I don't really like the term 'significant other'. It seems to me a problem that the same phrase can refer equally well to the love of your life or the alien that lives inside your head.
The Final Performance
“Ladies and gentleman, I give you...the Great Santini!” Applause as the magician popped onto the stage in a burst of smoke. His tailed coat was of the finest quality, but his face was long, pale, with a foolish chin not quite covered by an attempted Mephistophelian goatee. He wave with an affected air to the … Continue reading The Final Performance
How I Would Have Written ‘Captain Marvel’
So, if you read my Marvel recap, you remember that I had certain issues with 'Captain Marvel'. Said issues largely amount to 'It's an incredibly stupid film with a hateful protagonist'. Naturally, as with Black Panther, I thought about how I might have tackled the character, and the results are presented below (fair warning, this … Continue reading How I Would Have Written ‘Captain Marvel’
Kaiju Appreciations: Iris (Updated)
My latest appreciation video is now up. This one's a remake of the very first one, a tribute to Gamera's most vile and sinister opponent, Iris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrHXCS9KQSo Iris is a very interesting figure among the kaiju. He's pretty clearly based on Viras from the Showa Gamera films - an alien squid monster - but they … Continue reading Kaiju Appreciations: Iris (Updated)
Flotsam: A Hodgepodge Ending in Lovecraft
1. I try to hunt up simple, straightforward points where ideas make contact with reality in order to judge their truth or falseness. Preferably reality I can see for myself, or which is at least clear and concrete enough to be resistant to rhetoric. For instance, a question that occurred to me this week: has … Continue reading Flotsam: A Hodgepodge Ending in Lovecraft
A Quick Short
Once upon a time there was an old farmer named Zechariah Flint. He grew all kinds of things, but his specialty was cabbages. He won prizes at all the fairs for his beautiful cabbages, and they were his pride and joy. Well, one year, just a few days before he was due to harvest the … Continue reading A Quick Short
Thought of the Day
My reaction when public schools claim to teach kids to think for themselves:"Admirable. I recommend you start by asking their views on the phrase 'Nemo dat quod non habet'."
A Disappointing Ending
I finished Cowboy Bebop this weekend, and, I have to say, I was really disappointed by the ending. I won't say what happens, except that's it's ambiguous and the writer has explicitly said that he wants people to make their own minds about it. Well, I can do that. In fact, I might end up … Continue reading A Disappointing Ending
Quote of the Day: Dorothy Sayers
"For we let our young men and women go out unarmed, in a day when armour was never so necessary."-Dorothy Sayers, The Lost Tools of Learning
Serpent's Den 