2025: Many Things
Mar. 27th, 2026 11:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schneefinkIt's very late March, I know, but better late than never. Most of this was written back in December/January.
( Fannish things )
( Non-fannish things )
( Fannish things )
( Non-fannish things )
schneefink
This Musical Instrument Sounds Like Unearthly Horrors Breaking into the Human Realm
Mar. 27th, 2026 12:59 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
neatorama_feedThis rare instrument sounds like human voices
by u/Due-Explanation8155 in Romania_mix
Hans Reichel was an "experimental luthier" from Germany. He adapted and invented various stringed musical instruments, including, in 1987, the daxophone demonstrated above. It's an idiophone--a musical instrument in which sound is caused by vibrations through the entire body of the instrument rather than strings or membranes.
When played, the box produces sounds that resemble a human voice. Or the voice of something that used to be human before...changes took place. I don't know the origins of this specific daxophone, but Daniel Fishcan, a master woodworker, produces many and offers recordings on SoundCloud.
-via David Thompson
I hate being my own tech support
Mar. 27th, 2026 02:20 pmarlieThe next post in this series was supposed to be "Moving to Linux: the Ugly". I have a draft of that in a text file waiting to be completed, but events overtook me. Hence the current whine-o-gram.
Yesterday was supposed to be a completely free day - no appointments whatsoever. I expected to sleep latish, then get a lot accomplished.
Instead one of the issues that was to be in "the Ugly" blew up on me overnight. Given my policy of fixing things thoroughly if possible, dealing with this managed to take pretty much the entire productive part of my day.
Here's a description of the basic problem, from my draft of "the Ugly":
( Read more... )
Yesterday was supposed to be a completely free day - no appointments whatsoever. I expected to sleep latish, then get a lot accomplished.
Instead one of the issues that was to be in "the Ugly" blew up on me overnight. Given my policy of fixing things thoroughly if possible, dealing with this managed to take pretty much the entire productive part of my day.
Here's a description of the basic problem, from my draft of "the Ugly":
( Read more... )
Mining Gold by Splitting a Mountain in Half
Mar. 27th, 2026 11:46 amneatorama_feed
The Roman Empire mined gold in Spain by digging shafts and tunnels deep into the mountains. This yielded gold, but not as much as what came after. At the same time, they built aqueducts and diverted mountain runoff water to the hilltops. When they had enough water, they would flood the shafts and tunnels until the pressure split the mountain open! The fallen rock could then be sifted for gold. The technique was called ruina montium, or the wrecking of mountains. The tons of gold they recovered ended up stamped with Caesar's likeness, and the mountains still show the scars 2,000 years later.
The mountains shown above are Las Médulas in northwestern Spain, where the mining technique and the aqueducts still remain. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read about the wrecking of the mountains and what it left behind, with plenty of pictures, at Amusing Planet.
(Image credit: Udri/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Feeling the Ugh
Mar. 27th, 2026 02:22 pmyourlibrarian1) For those who use Zoom for meetings, something to be concerned about: WebinarTV Turning Zoom Calls into AI Podcasts. Stanford has issued guidelines to campus users to prevent it happening.
2) Turns out Xfinity offered us free Peacock (supposedly Peacock Premium but we have ads anyway). Getting Peacock access was quite a process though. All I should have had to do was click the email link and accept the offer. In fact, everything I tried kept sending me to a 404 page. ( Read more... )
3) When I finally did get into Peacock, I used it to watch Song Sung Blue and thought it was mostly an enjoyable film. I liked Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson leaning into their ages and downplaying his looks. The music was fun and it was a nice, small scale love story. ( spoilers ).
3) The Peacock issue wasn't the only technical frustration of the last few days. After finishing my taxes and other to-dos I had pending, I wanted to take some time to get back into my LEGO Star Wars game on the Xbox which I'd last tried almost 3 years ago. ( Read more... )
4) I feel surprisingly upset to hear that Starfleet Academy is essentially cancelled. (There's another season coming but that had already been planned before S1 began). I wrote earlier about how much I was enjoying it, and that was before I watched the fourth episode. I will miss these characters, and it seems there's so much more that could be done.
5) The latest![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
marchmetamatterschallenge writing prompt was "How do you define genres? Is it still a useful tool to find entertainment you like, or have offerings become so niche and melded that it's hard to use categories anymore? Was it ever something useful for you, personally?"
To some degree yes, but increasingly no. ( Read more... )
2) Turns out Xfinity offered us free Peacock (supposedly Peacock Premium but we have ads anyway). Getting Peacock access was quite a process though. All I should have had to do was click the email link and accept the offer. In fact, everything I tried kept sending me to a 404 page. ( Read more... )
3) When I finally did get into Peacock, I used it to watch Song Sung Blue and thought it was mostly an enjoyable film. I liked Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson leaning into their ages and downplaying his looks. The music was fun and it was a nice, small scale love story. ( spoilers ).
3) The Peacock issue wasn't the only technical frustration of the last few days. After finishing my taxes and other to-dos I had pending, I wanted to take some time to get back into my LEGO Star Wars game on the Xbox which I'd last tried almost 3 years ago. ( Read more... )
4) I feel surprisingly upset to hear that Starfleet Academy is essentially cancelled. (There's another season coming but that had already been planned before S1 began). I wrote earlier about how much I was enjoying it, and that was before I watched the fourth episode. I will miss these characters, and it seems there's so much more that could be done.
5) The latest
marchmetamatterschallenge writing prompt was "How do you define genres? Is it still a useful tool to find entertainment you like, or have offerings become so niche and melded that it's hard to use categories anymore? Was it ever something useful for you, personally?"To some degree yes, but increasingly no. ( Read more... )
Poll #34417 Kudos Footer-568
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4
Want to leave a Kudos?
Well I wasn't expecting THAT
Mar. 28th, 2026 05:48 amtygerSoooo this evening my neighbour came over to let me know that we have a water leak in the front yard. (Again.) I actually saw it was super boggy yesterday, I just thought it was the rain! I mean, it's boggy out back, too, so...
Anyway, it's not the tap itself this time, but it's something around there. So I had to turn the water off at the mains, which is... less than convenient. And I'll need to call the plumber in the morning. Boooooo. (Luckily we have water in the tank again, so at least the toilets still flush!)
So, that meant I didn't get any stripping work done this evening - I do NOT want to mess with paint stripper without a ready source of water on hand in case of spills etc. But I DID do a bunch of sanding with the electric sander this afternoon, and I got a LOT done there. (I just had to stop due to noodle arms needing a break, and then it was too dark, alas.)
As it turns out the sandpaper I had on was almost at the end of its life; once it became obviously dead and I switched it out stuff went a LOT faster. So hopefully tomorrow I can get all the rest of the stuff the electric sander can reach done! And then strip the rest if possible, because even with the electric sander it takes A While to get enough paint off, so with the hand sander my arms are gonna be SO sore...
My cocoa and other baking supplies finally came today, too! Ended up taking like a week from when I ordered it, but that's okay, it's here now! So I made some more zucchini bread! I'll take a loaf over to the neighbours tomorrow in thanks, I think. :3 From the piece I had I don't think the chocolate buttons are as good as the choc chips, so next time I might smash them into bits before adding them, that might help. Experiments!!!
I really should try and flip my sleep schedule, btw. It's cold again, why am I staying awake through the coldest hours and sleeping through the warmer ones, this is stupid...
Birdfeeding
Mar. 27th, 2026 12:58 pmysabetwordsmith posting in birdfeedingToday is cloudy, cold, and damp. It stormed last night, so we finally got a good soaking rain.
I fed the birds. I've seen a male cardinal.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I cleared dead stems from the telephone pole garden.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I cleared dead stems from the septic garden.
I've seen a flock of sparrows.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I cut four poles to make a tomato cage. This is the general concept.
I've seen a flock of house finches.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I placed the poles around a large pot by the new picnic table garden, then started lashing them together. It needs more work and support, but at least it's started.
.
I fed the birds. I've seen a male cardinal.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I cleared dead stems from the telephone pole garden.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I cleared dead stems from the septic garden.
I've seen a flock of sparrows.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I cut four poles to make a tomato cage. This is the general concept.
I've seen a flock of house finches.
EDIT 3/27/26 -- I placed the poles around a large pot by the new picnic table garden, then started lashing them together. It needs more work and support, but at least it's started.
.
O hai there!
Mar. 27th, 2026 06:55 pmyourivy posting in findingfriendsHi, I'm Tina :)
Is there an interesting story behind your username?
Not really, I just needed a name so I took a lyric from my favourite Taylor Swift song at the time, "ivy". The whole line is "my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I'm covered in you".
Location and language(s):
Germany. German (native language), English (near-fluent), and I am currently learning French. I also know some Spanish and bits & pieces of Polish, Turkish and Dutch.
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.):
Old Late 30s (to be exact, I turn 38 in fourty-four days).
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:
Besides the usual closed-minded views - if you think a person's worth depends on how much work they can contribute to society or on how healthy they are, both physically and mentally.
Also, neither radical zionists nor Hamas supporters, please (I don't talk about this topic on my journal but I don't want to associate with extremists on either side).
Lastly, no-one under 18 years of age - nothing personal, I just am not comfortable with having non-adults reading my entries.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.?
I do, you can read it as a sticky post once we're friends :)
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?
It is up-to-date - as for usefulness, that's for the beholder to decide ;)
While I don't have a "biography" on there, you can always gain some info by looking at my interests.
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:
-> I'm mentally ill and have also been dealing with some physical health problems lately. This means that my entries aren't always a 100% positive, although I try my best not to be a complete downer. It also means I don't always have the spoons to reply to comments and entries but I catch up whenever I can!
-> I am neurodivergent which means I sometimes misunderstand things or take them too literally, and I am bad at phrasing things. If I ever say anything offensive, please try to give me the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't on purpose and tell me what I did wrong and I will apologize and try my best to learn from it.
-> I have been bullied on here before to the point that I had to change journals and been slandered on other communities, which has made me wary of people adding me without notifying me before. So please comment on here or on my Friends Only post before friending me, thank you very much ♥
You mostly write about:
My daily life, things that go through my head at any given time, books that I read (I do a weekly "Reading Wednesday" post), travels. I sometimes posts memes/surveys, but not so often that it gets annoying - hopefully! I also post lots of photos, often of my cat Lucy.
You never or very rarely write about:
Politics/social issues (I care about them A LOT but my DW is supposed to be a safe place away from the constant influx of terrible news).
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked?
99% locked, as I don't feel comfortable with having my private stuff out there for everyone to see.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?
No.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):
Not counting the weekly Reading Post, I try to update at least once a week, usually on Sundays.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
Photos, yes. I sometimes post a video if I hear a song I want to share.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?
Sharing my thoughts and daily events with others, getting feedback and new perspectives that help me and make me think, emptying my mind of stuff that weighs on me...
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?
I aim at once a week - like I said above, sometimes a lack of spoons will get in the way, but I try my best!
You really enjoy reading about:
People's lives! I love getting a glimpse into how others live, what things are like in other corners of the world (pictures are always a bonus) and also reading views and perspectives I wouldn't otherwise get. Reading others' journals has opened my mind a lot and I have learned so much over the years.
You have very little interest in reading about:
Right-wing/conservative politics, anti-vax or anti-psychiatry/psychiatric med stuff, heavy on religious content. (I don't mind if the latter is a part of your life, what I mean is if most of your entries are about what happened at your last church/synagogue/mosque etc. visit because I wouldn't be able to relate.)
Also, while I have nothing against it at all, if your journal consists of nothing but fandom, I probably won't have anything to say unless I happen to know the fandom in question.
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
I like them.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?
What matters most is knowing you care about what I write and not just comment to comment. I don't mind if it's "just" a heart or an emoji, or one single line, or if you comment once a month or every time I update.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly?
No. I will unfriend somebody if they friend me but never comment or update (like, if a year or so passes and I don't even know who they are anymore). That doesn't apply if I know something happened in your life, obviously - real life takes precedence over online journalling. You won't have to fear "pressure" to update or comment in any way.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?
I am not sure I understand what this means *blushes*
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?
Hmm, this happens rarely, tbh. I think I'd unfriend them without warning since I don't think messaging them would achieve anything. Sometimes I make a post if I do a bigger friends cut, but that's not focused on individuals. I would prefer to be quietly unfriended, myself.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?
No particular ones except for the weekly Reading Post - and I make a small entry talking about books and movies of the month at the end of every month (you don't say).
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends?
I am looking forward to meeting you! ♥
Is there an interesting story behind your username?
Not really, I just needed a name so I took a lyric from my favourite Taylor Swift song at the time, "ivy". The whole line is "my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I'm covered in you".
Location and language(s):
Germany. German (native language), English (near-fluent), and I am currently learning French. I also know some Spanish and bits & pieces of Polish, Turkish and Dutch.
Age range (e.g 20s, 30s, etc.):
Hot button/deal breaker issues that will likely lead to unfriending:
Besides the usual closed-minded views - if you think a person's worth depends on how much work they can contribute to society or on how healthy they are, both physically and mentally.
Also, neither radical zionists nor Hamas supporters, please (I don't talk about this topic on my journal but I don't want to associate with extremists on either side).
Lastly, no-one under 18 years of age - nothing personal, I just am not comfortable with having non-adults reading my entries.
Do you have an "About Me" post new friends can read to get a sense of who you are, the people you talk about regularly, etc.?
I do, you can read it as a sticky post once we're friends :)
Is your profile up-to-date or at all useful?
It is up-to-date - as for usefulness, that's for the beholder to decide ;)
While I don't have a "biography" on there, you can always gain some info by looking at my interests.
List a few things you think it's important new friends know about you right away:
-> I'm mentally ill and have also been dealing with some physical health problems lately. This means that my entries aren't always a 100% positive, although I try my best not to be a complete downer. It also means I don't always have the spoons to reply to comments and entries but I catch up whenever I can!
-> I am neurodivergent which means I sometimes misunderstand things or take them too literally, and I am bad at phrasing things. If I ever say anything offensive, please try to give me the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't on purpose and tell me what I did wrong and I will apologize and try my best to learn from it.
-> I have been bullied on here before to the point that I had to change journals and been slandered on other communities, which has made me wary of people adding me without notifying me before. So please comment on here or on my Friends Only post before friending me, thank you very much ♥
You mostly write about:
My daily life, things that go through my head at any given time, books that I read (I do a weekly "Reading Wednesday" post), travels. I sometimes posts memes/surveys, but not so often that it gets annoying - hopefully! I also post lots of photos, often of my cat Lucy.
You never or very rarely write about:
Politics/social issues (I care about them A LOT but my DW is supposed to be a safe place away from the constant influx of terrible news).
Is your journal mostly public, locked, or a mix of public and locked?
99% locked, as I don't feel comfortable with having my private stuff out there for everyone to see.
Do you use filters for certain types of posts (e.g. fandom-related posts, or posts about sex, or mental health issues, etc.)?
No.
Your posting frequency (e.g. daily, every few days, weekly, etc.):
Not counting the weekly Reading Post, I try to update at least once a week, usually on Sundays.
Does your journal frequently include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
Photos, yes. I sometimes post a video if I hear a song I want to share.
What do you enjoy most about journaling?
Sharing my thoughts and daily events with others, getting feedback and new perspectives that help me and make me think, emptying my mind of stuff that weighs on me...
How often do you read your friends list (e.g. daily, every other day, once a week, etc.)?
I aim at once a week - like I said above, sometimes a lack of spoons will get in the way, but I try my best!
You really enjoy reading about:
People's lives! I love getting a glimpse into how others live, what things are like in other corners of the world (pictures are always a bonus) and also reading views and perspectives I wouldn't otherwise get. Reading others' journals has opened my mind a lot and I have learned so much over the years.
You have very little interest in reading about:
Right-wing/conservative politics, anti-vax or anti-psychiatry/psychiatric med stuff, heavy on religious content. (I don't mind if the latter is a part of your life, what I mean is if most of your entries are about what happened at your last church/synagogue/mosque etc. visit because I wouldn't be able to relate.)
Also, while I have nothing against it at all, if your journal consists of nothing but fandom, I probably won't have anything to say unless I happen to know the fandom in question.
Your thoughts on journals that regularly include any of the following: memes, linkspams, gifs, photos, videos, etc?
I like them.
When it comes to comments on your posts, what matters more -- quality or quantity?
What matters most is knowing you care about what I write and not just comment to comment. I don't mind if it's "just" a heart or an emoji, or one single line, or if you comment once a month or every time I update.
Do you unfriend people who don't comment much, even if you know they are reading you regularly?
No. I will unfriend somebody if they friend me but never comment or update (like, if a year or so passes and I don't even know who they are anymore). That doesn't apply if I know something happened in your life, obviously - real life takes precedence over online journalling. You won't have to fear "pressure" to update or comment in any way.
What is your approach when it comes to commenting on other journals?
I am not sure I understand what this means *blushes*
When you friend someone, but things don't really click, do you unfriend them without warning, or do you send them a note first? How do you prefer to be unfriended in similar circumstances?
Hmm, this happens rarely, tbh. I think I'd unfriend them without warning since I don't think messaging them would achieve anything. Sometimes I make a post if I do a bigger friends cut, but that's not focused on individuals. I would prefer to be quietly unfriended, myself.
AND LASTLY
Friending memes often ask people to list their favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., but more often than not, those aren't things people actually write about in their journal. Do you have any favourite TV shows, movies, books, etc., that you DO often write about -- not necessarily in a fandom sort of way, just in general?
No particular ones except for the weekly Reading Post - and I make a small entry talking about books and movies of the month at the end of every month (you don't say).
Any final thoughts you'd like to share with potential new friends?
I am looking forward to meeting you! ♥
Media Roundup: Awesome Girls!
Mar. 27th, 2026 10:48 amforestofgloryHave some more thoughts about media!
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girlvol 1-2 by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, et al— Remember last time when I was like “maybe I should reread Squirrel Girl”? Well I decided to go for it and that was a great idea, thanks past me. These are so much fun! I enjoy Doreen’s unconventional approach to problem solving and her general enthusiasm for everything! I’m also glad that they kept the letters sections in the collected volumes – I love getting to see all the cute cosplay and squirrel pictures.
(Reading this had made me think about the were a bunch of girl centric fun comics around 2015. I wish that trend had continued)
Lumberjanes: True Colors by Lilah Sturges, polterink, et al— The final Lumberjanes graphic novel. Pretty cute, though I do feel that these graphic novels aren’t as good overall as the main series.
Mamo by Sas Milledge— I really liked this fantasy graphic novel about two young women trying to deal with a town where the magic has gone wrong. The art was so good! Lots of big sweeping landscapes, but also great details. Lots of excellent birds too!
( Batman: No Man's Land and Batgirls )
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girlvol 1-2 by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, et al— Remember last time when I was like “maybe I should reread Squirrel Girl”? Well I decided to go for it and that was a great idea, thanks past me. These are so much fun! I enjoy Doreen’s unconventional approach to problem solving and her general enthusiasm for everything! I’m also glad that they kept the letters sections in the collected volumes – I love getting to see all the cute cosplay and squirrel pictures.
(Reading this had made me think about the were a bunch of girl centric fun comics around 2015. I wish that trend had continued)
Lumberjanes: True Colors by Lilah Sturges, polterink, et al— The final Lumberjanes graphic novel. Pretty cute, though I do feel that these graphic novels aren’t as good overall as the main series.
Mamo by Sas Milledge— I really liked this fantasy graphic novel about two young women trying to deal with a town where the magic has gone wrong. The art was so good! Lots of big sweeping landscapes, but also great details. Lots of excellent birds too!
( Batman: No Man's Land and Batgirls )
Good news - bad news
Mar. 27th, 2026 09:23 amsusandennisNot long ago, I bought a very large tablet for two main uses - taking notes (it has a stylus attached) and watching baseball. I gave away my bedroom TV and only need to watch TV in there when the baseball game goes past my bedtime.
The tablet is really too big but after some trial and error, I found it works very nicely for taking notes. I use it to record the Food and Beverage meetings and it's excellent for that.
And, last night, I learned that it's an AMAZING bed TV. It is really too big but the too big comes in very handy when you are watching baseball. It's actually a much nicer watching experience than the giant TV in the living room.
Of course, last night, the first game of the year, I got to watch them lose which wasn't wonderful but it was nice to have baseball back.
I stayed up late so I slept in late-ish and then piddled around and didn't get to the pool until nearly 8:30. And then I swam extra long so now here it is nearly 10 am and I'm still naked in my swim robe and haven't even gotten the day started. And I don't care!
Retirement rocks.
Today's big ticket item is to revive my ohsovery old Acer tiny Chromebook. It's just a lovely size for having next to the couch but it is too old for chrome updates so won't sync with my other stuff. BUT I can install Chrome flex which will give it new life. So that's today's project.
But, first, I think I'll get un naked.
The tablet is really too big but after some trial and error, I found it works very nicely for taking notes. I use it to record the Food and Beverage meetings and it's excellent for that.
And, last night, I learned that it's an AMAZING bed TV. It is really too big but the too big comes in very handy when you are watching baseball. It's actually a much nicer watching experience than the giant TV in the living room.
Of course, last night, the first game of the year, I got to watch them lose which wasn't wonderful but it was nice to have baseball back.
I stayed up late so I slept in late-ish and then piddled around and didn't get to the pool until nearly 8:30. And then I swam extra long so now here it is nearly 10 am and I'm still naked in my swim robe and haven't even gotten the day started. And I don't care!
Retirement rocks.
Today's big ticket item is to revive my ohsovery old Acer tiny Chromebook. It's just a lovely size for having next to the couch but it is too old for chrome updates so won't sync with my other stuff. BUT I can install Chrome flex which will give it new life. So that's today's project.
But, first, I think I'll get un naked.
Behold - The Polar Vortex!
Mar. 27th, 2026 04:20 pmandrewduckerI've seen occasional confusion from people over the last few weeks "Why is it so cold, isn't it Spring now?" - and I thought I should say a bit about one of the major causes that I almost never hear people talk about - the polar vortex.
This is a swirling wind around the Arctic that exists for basically the whole arctic night. One of the things it does is keep the freezing polar winds from coming further south in to Europe. But when it finally collapses in the Spring, it finally allows those winds out, and you get a sudden burst of cold air as all of that freezing weather escapes down to us.
Normally this happens some time in late February, but this year the collapse seems to have been a month later.
The other major factor is largely down to circulating high pressure areas (imagine slow large hurricane shaped wind "objects") that constantly move around the North Atlantic. Put one of these off of the west coast of Ireland, going clockwise, and it will pull air down from the North even further/faster. See this short video I took from the NullSchool site (my favourite wind visualisation site). In it you can see cold winds pouring down from the North Pole, funneled further by the circulation. And if you click on the link there you can see that currently the wind is instead being pulled off of the Altantic, where it's a few degrees colder.
British weather tends to be more chaotic than the weather north or south of us. This is because Spain (for instance) is fairly reliably in the warm weather caused by the heating tropics. And Norway is fairly reliably cold, due to proximity to the North Pole. But Britain can be part of either weather system, as the "barrier" between them is pulled North or South by a few hundred miles depending on the movement of the high pressure areas in the eastern part of the North Atlantic, either funnelling the warm air up to us or channeling the cool air down to us.
You can see that at the moment the warm weather is being slowly blown North-East, now that the cold weather isn't pushing its way down to us:
So, next time we get a period of warm weather at the end of Winter/start of Spring followed by a sudden burst of freezing weather for a few days, that's the polar vortex collapsing. And if we suddenly go from warm weather to cold (or vice versa) it's because we've switched weather system.
If you'd like to read more, then this is quite good.
(And apologies to anyone who actually knows anything about the weather for any appalling mistakes I've made.)
credit card crap
Mar. 27th, 2026 11:46 amredbirdI got a text this morning from Chase, asking me about a suspicious charge. I tried to log in to their website to look at it, but couldn't get them to send me a one-time code, so I went ahead and sent back "NO," telling them to cancel/replace the card in question. Now I'm going to have to update a _lot_ of recurring charges and stored payment methods.
So far I have had enough trouble finding my other credit card that I went ahead and gave Chewy a debit card for the auto ship order they're in the middle of processing. I then looked further back in the same drawer, found the other credit card, and put it in my wallet. I'm going to wait for the new card to arrive, and use it for most of the recurring charges, because I get slightly better points/cash back on purchases. But this is going to be tedious and time-consuming, and I will almost certainly forget at least one recurring charge.
I think I can make a list of the monthly charges by looking at last month's bill, at least.
So far I have had enough trouble finding my other credit card that I went ahead and gave Chewy a debit card for the auto ship order they're in the middle of processing. I then looked further back in the same drawer, found the other credit card, and put it in my wallet. I'm going to wait for the new card to arrive, and use it for most of the recurring charges, because I get slightly better points/cash back on purchases. But this is going to be tedious and time-consuming, and I will almost certainly forget at least one recurring charge.
I think I can make a list of the monthly charges by looking at last month's bill, at least.
Militarized snowflakes: The accidental beauty of Renaissance star forts
Mar. 27th, 2026 01:24 pmstrange_maps_feed
War is hell. But war is also geometry. And geometry can be quite beautiful. Prime examples of that disturbing paradox are the so-called star forts that proliferated throughout Renaissance Europe.
Seen from above, these bastioned fortifications resemble elaborate ornamental diagrams, or perhaps even sacred mandalas. Yet their snowflake-like beauty was unintended. These were machines of war, developed from a mathematical attempt to solve a practical military problem: how to defend an army or a city from enemy artillery.
Foundational to fortification theory was Jean Errard’s 1594 treatise La fortification réduicte en art et démonstrée, in which the French mathematician and engineer used geometry to formalize military architecture, helping to transform fort-building from a traditional craft into a discipline grounded in mathematics.
The resulting star forts (so called because of their multiple fortified extrusions) solved a technological crisis. Medieval fortresses, built to withstand ladders, catapults, and siege engines, were no match for gunpowder-powered artillery, the 15th century’s major military innovation. A cannon could easily take out vertical masonry walls that had stood unconquered for centuries.
Military engineers resorted to building lower, thicker ramparts, backed by earth, and sought to eliminate blind spots by building angular bastions — the aforementioned extrusions. Star fortifications started in Italy, were perfected in France (especially by the prolific Vauban), and dominated the European military scene for the entire 17th and 18th centuries, giving Europe’s strategic cities and landscapes a distinctive architectural look.
Despite their sophistication, star forts eventually became obsolete, undone by the very problem they once solved. Technological advances such as explosive shells and rifled cannon greatly increased the range and destructive power of artillery, rendering their ramparts increasingly ineffective. Additionally, military strategy shifted away from static defenses toward highly mobile field armies.
By the 19th century, star forts had lost their military purpose. Many were dismantled to let the cities they once protected grow beyond their historic walls. Ironically, once relieved from their purely militaristic duties, star forts revealed their aesthetic value. That is why many of these geometric landscape features were eventually preserved as monuments or converted into parks.
While the star fort’s aesthetic appeal is immaterial to its (erstwhile) military purpose, its beauty is not mysterious or accidental: It arises precisely from its strict adherence to geometric logic. Symmetry, repetition, and radial balance are powerfully pleasing principles in human perception. When military engineers pursued these features for practical purposes, they inadvertently produced structures that resonate with the same mathematical harmony as other Renaissance art and architecture.
We’re no longer designing star forts, but accidental beauty still emerges from rational design, be it airplanes, designed to be aerodynamic; bridges, engineered to last; and even digital networks, built for efficiency. When we optimize structures for functionality, the resulting forms often exhibit unexpected elegance.
Or, to summarize that in the fewest words possible: beauty is an emergent property of rational design. No-nonsense military builders like Errard and his ilk would no doubt have appreciated the pithiness of the phrase.
Strange Maps #1286
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This article Militarized snowflakes: The accidental beauty of Renaissance star forts is featured on Big Think.
Hello, it's me
Mar. 27th, 2026 07:22 amragdoll posting in addme_fandomName: ragdoll
Age group:Legally 60s, mentally 20s, physically 100s
Country: US
Subscription/Access Policy: It's been awhile since I've been on here so I'm probably pretty good about mutual access and subscriptions as long as people are the same. I have filters on here that are probably utterly null and void, so will probably be an open book for at least most of it.
Main Fandoms:
Star Trek: pretty much all of them except maybe VOY since it's never been my thing. TOS, DS9 and LD are my top contenders. I cosplay Commander Pelia, girl!Booklet, and my ancient TOS OC, plus I'm attempting to dress as an Andorian this year.
Doctor Who: I've been a DW fan since 1978 when I came across it by accident on BBC 1 in a hotel room in Stratford. My Doctors are: 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 and 12. I've met every one from Jon Pertwee through Jodie Whittaker, including Richard E Grant. I'm sure (I will meet Ncuti Gatwa some day.) I've met nearly every companion going back to Carole Anne Ford and William Russell, and through Millie Gibson. My unicorn is Karen Gillian. I thought I'd finally been able to cross her off my list at NYCC last year, but wound up having to cancel all my plans due to health stuff. 😭 I co-writer THE book on DW fandom in the US, am Masquerade director at Gallifrey One and LI Who. I also cosplay as 13, an Osgood, several versions of Donna Noble, and Joy Almondo plus I have a variant 13 who is mash up of 13 and Sylvi from Loki.
MCU especially Thor, Jane Foster, Loki, Ant-Man, Shang Chi, Natasha Romanov, Alexei, Trevor Slattery, the Vision-Maximoff family, Agatha Harkness, Lilia Calderu, Kamala Khan & family, Fantastic Four, OG Guardians of the Galaxy, Peggy Carter, and Black Panther. I was a Marvel comics fan for years, and the MCU just makes me very happy overall.
Star Wars: I've been a fan since I saw the first one in the theater (6 times) as a 14 year old in 1977. The OT is still near and dear to me. I don't hate any of the films although Rise of Skywalker is dreadful. Andor was brilliant. !ñ?I am, however, obsessed with The Mandalorian and Din Grogu. I'm counting the days until I get to see my little green jelly bean again.
The Beatles: I've been a Beatles fan since I was a kid. I love them dearly. I have been obsessed with George Harrison for the past 50 years. He's my Grumpy Pisces Fish. I'm currently working on a book of essays about women influenced by them.
Critical Role: A good friend introduced me to The Legend of Vox Machina animated show some time after the second season aired on Prime. I enjoyed it, but promptly forgot the plot. Did a rewatch when S3 was released, then S3 and promptly forgot again. I never watched the live play show because why would I want to watch other people play D&D? How boring! I want to play myself. I knew the cast was coming to NYCC last year, but I wasn't that interested in meeting them. I knew they were doing a live show at Radio City Music Hall which was a wedding of two characters, one of which I was aware of thanks to some people doing a C2/Doctor Who cosplay mash up at Gallifrey years ago. I knew her name was Jester, she was a blue Tiefling, and people liked to cosplay her. Why would I want to go to get wedding? (Not that anyone asked me to go with) Then all of last year happened, and I had to cancel all my NYCC plans since I could barely walk due to multiple spinal surgeries over the summer.
(I'm getting to the point, I promise!) In November, The Mighty Nein started airing on Prime and the same CR obsessed friend promoted me to watch it. I grudgingly agreed to it. And within about 10 minutes of episode 1, I fell in love. It was like the D&D version of Guardians of the Galaxy for me. I got those characters. I fell in love with Jester and Fjord and Nott The Brave (no comma). I was blown away by episode 5. Once MN was over, I rewatched VM again...and hadn't remembered anything about it except for the characters and how pervy Scanlan was. I then started reading up on all the campaigns, watched the live wedding and cried, watched a few other one offs. My friend then pushed me to catch up on Campaign 4 during their holiday break, so I powered through 9 or 10 4-hour shows, and somewhere right after the overture, I fell in love with the entire Soldiers table. Then the Seekers table. And now the Schemers table. My friend and I now do watches "together" long distance every Thursday at 10 pm EST. Then talk a lot about theories etc. I've also developed crushes on basically the whole cast. Bi panic powers activate!
Other Fandoms: David Bowie, Muppets, Quantum Leap, Leverage/Leverage Redemption, Monty Python/the Rutles/Fawlty Towers, Twin Peaks, ASoIaF/House of the Dragon/A Knight of Seven Kingdoms, Barbie, Cozy mysteries, historical mysteries, Rolling Stones, 1960s music, 1980s (new wave, punk) music, HandMade Films, Steven Moffat shows, Death in Paradise, Big Bang Theory-verse, TTRPGs, RuPaul's Drag Race (US, Canada, UK, Down Undah etc), costume dramas (Upstairs Downstairs, I Claudius, Downton Abbey, Gilded Age, Murdoch Mysteries, Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries,Bookish, All Creatures etc)
Fannish Interests: Conventions, being on discussion panels, cosplay, some podcasts (I miss being on one regularly), former fan fic writer, former runner of online Fannish communities, former runner of fan fic/fan art exchanges, and other prompt challenge communities, discussion on social media, pro writer of reviews in essay form, travel to filming locations, making new friends, buying dolls or toys, reading tie-in novels/short stories etc
OTPs and Ships: Jester/Fjord, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Steve/Peggy, Carole/Val, Daemon/Rhaenyra, Wanda/Vision, Agatha/Rio, Amy/Rory, Doctor (esp 8, 11, 12 and 13)/River, Sophie/Harry Wilson, Parker/Hardison, probably others but I'm not that invested in shipping these days. Oh and George/my OC.
Favourite Movies: Singin' in the Rain, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine, Labyrinth, Muppet Treasure Island, American in Paris, The Producers, Hairspray (not the musical!), Les Girls, Time Bandits, Withnail & I, Star Wars OT, Thor/Dark World/Ragnarok, Ant-Man, Black Panther, First Avenger, Winter Soldier, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Knives Out, Back to the Future 1 & 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Forbidden Planet, Kind Hearts & Coronets, RHPS, Shang Chi & the Legend of the 10 Rings, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Casablanca, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Court Jester, Life of Brian, Head, Deadpool & Wolverine, Valley Girl, What We Do In The Shadows, Down With Love
TV Shows: Aside from the already mentioned: WandaVision, Agatha All Along, Elsbeth, Psych, Monk, Poker Face, The West Wing, The Newsroom, Firefly, X-Men 97, Xena, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Wednesday, Bridgerton, anything by Sally Wainwright, Renegade Nell, Wonder Man, Creature Commandos, Young Sheldon, Rutland Weekend Television, Murphy Brown, Frasier, Coupling, Midsomer Mysteries, Marlow Murder Club, Sherlock, Miss Scarlet, Beyond Paradise, Ted Lasso, Shrinking,The Boys,The Venture Brothers, White Collar, Brokewood Mysteries, Shakespeare & Hathaway, Inspector Morse, Endeavour, Interview with the Vampire/Vampire Lestat, Sandman, Dead Boy Detectives, Good Omens
Books: Roman Sub Rosa series, A Free Man of Colour series, Harry Dresden, Hitchhikers Guide etc by Douglas Adams, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Foundation Trilogy, Tusk Love, anything by Dickens except Great Expectations
Music Beatles, Stones, Bowie, The Who, Pete Townsend solo, Blondie, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Pretenders, the Monkees, Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, thenewno2, Karen Elson, movie scores, big band, klezmer, Tschaikowsy, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, Broadway original cast albums: The Producers, Spamalot, Hairspray, Rocky Horror Show, Something Rotten, Man from La Mancha
Games: I don't really play games other than ttrpgs
Comics/Anime/Misc: Sandman, Marvel in general esp 1980s X-Men, The Mighty Thor (Jane Foster), Watchmen, Unthinkables and related titles, Hearteater, some other indy titles, Blue Eye Samurai
ragdollAge group:Legally 60s, mentally 20s, physically 100s
Country: US
Subscription/Access Policy: It's been awhile since I've been on here so I'm probably pretty good about mutual access and subscriptions as long as people are the same. I have filters on here that are probably utterly null and void, so will probably be an open book for at least most of it.
Main Fandoms:
Star Trek: pretty much all of them except maybe VOY since it's never been my thing. TOS, DS9 and LD are my top contenders. I cosplay Commander Pelia, girl!Booklet, and my ancient TOS OC, plus I'm attempting to dress as an Andorian this year.
Doctor Who: I've been a DW fan since 1978 when I came across it by accident on BBC 1 in a hotel room in Stratford. My Doctors are: 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 and 12. I've met every one from Jon Pertwee through Jodie Whittaker, including Richard E Grant. I'm sure (I will meet Ncuti Gatwa some day.) I've met nearly every companion going back to Carole Anne Ford and William Russell, and through Millie Gibson. My unicorn is Karen Gillian. I thought I'd finally been able to cross her off my list at NYCC last year, but wound up having to cancel all my plans due to health stuff. 😭 I co-writer THE book on DW fandom in the US, am Masquerade director at Gallifrey One and LI Who. I also cosplay as 13, an Osgood, several versions of Donna Noble, and Joy Almondo plus I have a variant 13 who is mash up of 13 and Sylvi from Loki.
MCU especially Thor, Jane Foster, Loki, Ant-Man, Shang Chi, Natasha Romanov, Alexei, Trevor Slattery, the Vision-Maximoff family, Agatha Harkness, Lilia Calderu, Kamala Khan & family, Fantastic Four, OG Guardians of the Galaxy, Peggy Carter, and Black Panther. I was a Marvel comics fan for years, and the MCU just makes me very happy overall.
Star Wars: I've been a fan since I saw the first one in the theater (6 times) as a 14 year old in 1977. The OT is still near and dear to me. I don't hate any of the films although Rise of Skywalker is dreadful. Andor was brilliant. !ñ?I am, however, obsessed with The Mandalorian and Din Grogu. I'm counting the days until I get to see my little green jelly bean again.
The Beatles: I've been a Beatles fan since I was a kid. I love them dearly. I have been obsessed with George Harrison for the past 50 years. He's my Grumpy Pisces Fish. I'm currently working on a book of essays about women influenced by them.
Critical Role: A good friend introduced me to The Legend of Vox Machina animated show some time after the second season aired on Prime. I enjoyed it, but promptly forgot the plot. Did a rewatch when S3 was released, then S3 and promptly forgot again. I never watched the live play show because why would I want to watch other people play D&D? How boring! I want to play myself. I knew the cast was coming to NYCC last year, but I wasn't that interested in meeting them. I knew they were doing a live show at Radio City Music Hall which was a wedding of two characters, one of which I was aware of thanks to some people doing a C2/Doctor Who cosplay mash up at Gallifrey years ago. I knew her name was Jester, she was a blue Tiefling, and people liked to cosplay her. Why would I want to go to get wedding? (Not that anyone asked me to go with) Then all of last year happened, and I had to cancel all my NYCC plans since I could barely walk due to multiple spinal surgeries over the summer.
(I'm getting to the point, I promise!) In November, The Mighty Nein started airing on Prime and the same CR obsessed friend promoted me to watch it. I grudgingly agreed to it. And within about 10 minutes of episode 1, I fell in love. It was like the D&D version of Guardians of the Galaxy for me. I got those characters. I fell in love with Jester and Fjord and Nott The Brave (no comma). I was blown away by episode 5. Once MN was over, I rewatched VM again...and hadn't remembered anything about it except for the characters and how pervy Scanlan was. I then started reading up on all the campaigns, watched the live wedding and cried, watched a few other one offs. My friend then pushed me to catch up on Campaign 4 during their holiday break, so I powered through 9 or 10 4-hour shows, and somewhere right after the overture, I fell in love with the entire Soldiers table. Then the Seekers table. And now the Schemers table. My friend and I now do watches "together" long distance every Thursday at 10 pm EST. Then talk a lot about theories etc. I've also developed crushes on basically the whole cast. Bi panic powers activate!
Other Fandoms: David Bowie, Muppets, Quantum Leap, Leverage/Leverage Redemption, Monty Python/the Rutles/Fawlty Towers, Twin Peaks, ASoIaF/House of the Dragon/A Knight of Seven Kingdoms, Barbie, Cozy mysteries, historical mysteries, Rolling Stones, 1960s music, 1980s (new wave, punk) music, HandMade Films, Steven Moffat shows, Death in Paradise, Big Bang Theory-verse, TTRPGs, RuPaul's Drag Race (US, Canada, UK, Down Undah etc), costume dramas (Upstairs Downstairs, I Claudius, Downton Abbey, Gilded Age, Murdoch Mysteries, Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries,Bookish, All Creatures etc)
Fannish Interests: Conventions, being on discussion panels, cosplay, some podcasts (I miss being on one regularly), former fan fic writer, former runner of online Fannish communities, former runner of fan fic/fan art exchanges, and other prompt challenge communities, discussion on social media, pro writer of reviews in essay form, travel to filming locations, making new friends, buying dolls or toys, reading tie-in novels/short stories etc
OTPs and Ships: Jester/Fjord, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Steve/Peggy, Carole/Val, Daemon/Rhaenyra, Wanda/Vision, Agatha/Rio, Amy/Rory, Doctor (esp 8, 11, 12 and 13)/River, Sophie/Harry Wilson, Parker/Hardison, probably others but I'm not that invested in shipping these days. Oh and George/my OC.
Favourite Movies: Singin' in the Rain, A Hard Day's Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine, Labyrinth, Muppet Treasure Island, American in Paris, The Producers, Hairspray (not the musical!), Les Girls, Time Bandits, Withnail & I, Star Wars OT, Thor/Dark World/Ragnarok, Ant-Man, Black Panther, First Avenger, Winter Soldier, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Knives Out, Back to the Future 1 & 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Forbidden Planet, Kind Hearts & Coronets, RHPS, Shang Chi & the Legend of the 10 Rings, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Casablanca, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Court Jester, Life of Brian, Head, Deadpool & Wolverine, Valley Girl, What We Do In The Shadows, Down With Love
TV Shows: Aside from the already mentioned: WandaVision, Agatha All Along, Elsbeth, Psych, Monk, Poker Face, The West Wing, The Newsroom, Firefly, X-Men 97, Xena, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Wednesday, Bridgerton, anything by Sally Wainwright, Renegade Nell, Wonder Man, Creature Commandos, Young Sheldon, Rutland Weekend Television, Murphy Brown, Frasier, Coupling, Midsomer Mysteries, Marlow Murder Club, Sherlock, Miss Scarlet, Beyond Paradise, Ted Lasso, Shrinking,The Boys,The Venture Brothers, White Collar, Brokewood Mysteries, Shakespeare & Hathaway, Inspector Morse, Endeavour, Interview with the Vampire/Vampire Lestat, Sandman, Dead Boy Detectives, Good Omens
Books: Roman Sub Rosa series, A Free Man of Colour series, Harry Dresden, Hitchhikers Guide etc by Douglas Adams, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Foundation Trilogy, Tusk Love, anything by Dickens except Great Expectations
Music Beatles, Stones, Bowie, The Who, Pete Townsend solo, Blondie, the Cure, Depeche Mode, Pretenders, the Monkees, Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, thenewno2, Karen Elson, movie scores, big band, klezmer, Tschaikowsy, Mozart, Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, Broadway original cast albums: The Producers, Spamalot, Hairspray, Rocky Horror Show, Something Rotten, Man from La Mancha
Games: I don't really play games other than ttrpgs
Comics/Anime/Misc: Sandman, Marvel in general esp 1980s X-Men, The Mighty Thor (Jane Foster), Watchmen, Unthinkables and related titles, Hearteater, some other indy titles, Blue Eye Samurai
Tags:
- a knight of seven kingdoms,
- classic who,
- cosplay,
- critical role,
- d&d,
- david bowie,
- deadpool,
- doctor who,
- fanfiction,
- fantasy,
- game of thrones,
- grogu,
- guardians of the galaxy,
- house of the dragon,
- interview with the vampire,
- legend of vox machina,
- leverage,
- leverage: redemption,
- loki,
- lotr,
- mcu,
- monty python,
- psych,
- quantum leap (1989),
- quantum leap (2022),
- science fiction,
- sherlock (bbc),
- singin' in the rain,
- some like it hot,
- star trek,
- star trek: ds9,
- star trek: lower decks,
- star trek: starfleet academy,
- star trek: tng,
- star trek: tos,
- star trek: voyager,
- star wars,
- ted lasso,
- the beatles,
- the boys,
- the hobbit,
- the lord of the rings,
- the mandalorian,
- the mighty nein,
- the monkees,
- the muppets,
- the rutles,
- the venture bros,
- thor,
- tony stark,
- venture bros,
- wandavision,
- wednesday,
- what we do in the shadows,
- white collar,
- willow (movie),
- willow (tv),
- wolverine,
- x-men
Friday open thread: icebreaker questions
Mar. 27th, 2026 01:24 pmdolorosa_12It's been a challengingly busy week (if I owe you comments, I will get to them at some point this weekend, sorry), and my brain is a bit rubbish at coming up with a prompt this time around, so I'm going with the following:
What is the most memorable icebreaker question you've been asked, in any context?
What is the most memorable icebreaker question you've been asked, in any context?
Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate (2023)
Mar. 27th, 2026 08:56 ampauraqueBack in 2008 the creators of Homestar Runner released a short escape-the-room Flash game starring Strong Bad's nebulously-defined private eye/crooked cop alter ego, Dangeresque. I played it, it was fun. Then in 2023 they revamped the original game and re-released it with two brand new episodes, so of course I bought that, and it sat in my Steam library for a year. Then they threw in a free DLC that added another episode, and it sat in my Steam library for two more years.
But this year I'm going to get my Steam backlog under control. This time for really real.
The first episode has Dangeresque trapped in his office until he can "solve" a cold case (i.e. fabricate evidence out of whatever's lying around). I think it's pretty close to the original Flash game, though I haven't played that in 18 years, so who knows. In the second episode, Dangeresque flees the scene but runs into car trouble (i.e. a bomb under the hood that he has to defuse). The trilogy wraps up with Dangeresque forced into an alliance with his gangster nemesis Perducci, whose other enemies are plotting to bump him off. Once you've beaten the three main episodes, you unlock the fourth, this time starring Homestar's alter ego Dangeresque Too as villanous goons have him trapped in an elevator. All told, it's about three hours of gameplay.
If you like Homestar Runner and you like point-and-click adventure games, you will like this. I do, and I did. The writing is funny, the puzzles are absurdist but fair, and if you blow yourself up the game just puts you right back where you were before you did the dumb thing you did. I would play ten more of these if they made them, though I can't guarantee I would play them within a punctual timeframe.
Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate is on Steam for $7.99 USD, and includes the free DLC.
But this year I'm going to get my Steam backlog under control. This time for really real.
The first episode has Dangeresque trapped in his office until he can "solve" a cold case (i.e. fabricate evidence out of whatever's lying around). I think it's pretty close to the original Flash game, though I haven't played that in 18 years, so who knows. In the second episode, Dangeresque flees the scene but runs into car trouble (i.e. a bomb under the hood that he has to defuse). The trilogy wraps up with Dangeresque forced into an alliance with his gangster nemesis Perducci, whose other enemies are plotting to bump him off. Once you've beaten the three main episodes, you unlock the fourth, this time starring Homestar's alter ego Dangeresque Too as villanous goons have him trapped in an elevator. All told, it's about three hours of gameplay.
If you like Homestar Runner and you like point-and-click adventure games, you will like this. I do, and I did. The writing is funny, the puzzles are absurdist but fair, and if you blow yourself up the game just puts you right back where you were before you did the dumb thing you did. I would play ten more of these if they made them, though I can't guarantee I would play them within a punctual timeframe.
Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate is on Steam for $7.99 USD, and includes the free DLC.