aeolus's New Writeupshttp://everything2.com/?node=New%20Writeups%20Atom%20Feed&foruser=aeolus2021-12-03T03:19:06ZRichard's house (fiction)http://everything2.com/user/aeolus/writeups/Richard%2527s+houseaeolushttp://everything2.com/user/aeolus2021-12-03T03:19:06Z2021-12-03T03:19:06Z<p>On a <a href="/title/Friday">Friday</a> after work, Aiden drove from <a href="/title/Ameribank">Ameribank</a> to his friend Richard’s house, a
shorter trip than his regular commute because Richard’s house was in Redford, a
giant suburb in Blanket County that was closer to Ameribank. Richard’s parents were
gone on a two week vacation, and he wanted Aiden to come work on his resume
because he was trying to submit an application by the following week to a
company where one of their mutual friends was working (the week previous, Aiden
had emailed some high level edits on Richard’s resume which included: getting
it to one page, erasing all nonprofessional jobs, and “maybe rewriting” an
entire section whose first bullet point had begun with “managed large volume of tasks in many facets
of small business with high standard of quality and attention to detail in
fast-paced environment…”) Richard answered the door wearing his greyish black “<a href="/title/Summer+Sanitarium">Summer
Sanitarium</a>” concert t-shirt which seemed to be in his total weekly rotation of
possibly four shirts and<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…Wind River (review)http://everything2.com/user/aeolus/writeups/Wind+Riveraeolushttp://everything2.com/user/aeolus2017-10-08T17:37:47Z2017-10-08T17:37:47Z<p>*Half spoilers*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the opening scene
of <a href="/title/Wind+River">Wind River</a> (2017), you’re immediately transported into a
half-told narrative. A battered and bleeding woman is running across an icey,
open tundra, but it’s unclear as to who or what she’s running from. What stuck
with me though was the haggard and relentless sound of the woman breathing as
she moved across the unforgiving landscape. In this way, Wind River is
not much of an action “mystery” after all since from the very start, the
audience should be well aware of where the movie is heading. <a href="/title/Spoiler+alert">Spoiler alert</a>:
it’s not very pretty.</p>
<p>This isn’t to say the
movie itself isn’t gorgeous to look at. One of Wind River’s most
enjoyable features is getting to watch the characters traverse the epic Wyoming
landscape, whether it’s FBI Agent Jane Banner struggling through the snow (played
by <a href="/title/Elizabeth+Olsen">Elizabeth Olsen</a>) or Cory Lambert rocketing
through it on his Ski-Doo (<a href="/title/Jeremy+Renner">Jeremy Renner</a>). Both characters are compelling to
watch throughout, but<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind (thing)http://everything2.com/user/aeolus/writeups/How+Technology+is+Hijacking+Your+Mindaeolushttp://everything2.com/user/aeolus2017-06-20T03:25:39Z2017-06-20T03:25:39Z<p>In his essay <i>How Technology
is Hijacking Your Mind—from a Magician and Google Design Ethicist</i>, Tristan
Harris explains various ways the <a href="/title/internet">internet</a> and your <a href="/title/smartphone">smartphone</a> are
infiltrating your brain and soul—not unlike the horrifying and famous chest
busting scene in <a href="/title/Alien">Alien</a>, in that at first everything about your smartphone
seems harmless or okay— until it’s 3 AM and you’re laying fetal position in
your bed messaging fourteen different strangers on a dating app the same sad message.
Or more generally, Harris shows how designers intentionally build their sites
and apps in order to manipulate users “attention economy.” Harris also points
out that sometimes this is not an <a href="/title/intentional+manipulation">intentional manipulation</a> but sometimes just
a byproduct of the technology. </p>
<p>Hijack#1: “<a href="/title/if+you+control+the+menu%252C+you+control+the+choices">if you control the menu, you control the choices</a>.”
I found this one especially prescient and insidious— because by presenting a
menu to a user, it provides an <i>illusion </i>of
<a href="/title/free+choice">free choice</a>. The idea is similar to a<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…On Death and Dying (thing)http://everything2.com/user/aeolus/writeups/On+Death+and+Dyingaeolushttp://everything2.com/user/aeolus2016-10-31T23:29:59Z2016-10-31T23:29:59Z<p>In of my favorite scenes from <a href="/title/Werner+Herzog">Bad Lieutenant</a>, a strung out <a href="/title/Nicolas+Cage">Nicolas Cage</a> corners an elderly woman and her caretaker inside of her
retirement home. In order to extract information on the whereabouts of the
caretaker’s absconded son (a witness for the prosecution’s impending capital
murder trial), Cage’s character opts to physically cut off the old woman’s
oxygen supply as a convenient extortion tactic, ending the scene on a slightly political note: “you
ever think about your kids, your grandkids, sucking up their inheritance with
that fucked oxygen tube….I should kill you both…you’re the fucking reason <a href="/title/this+country%25E2%2580%2599s+going+down+the+drain">this
country’s going down the drain</a>.” This <a href="/title/November+8th">November 8th</a> however, Terence McDonagh is not an option on the presidential
ballot. No matter who wins between the <a href="/title/pro-life">pro-life</a> and <a href="/title/pro-choice">pro-choice</a> candidates, it
is relatively guaranteed that euthanasia (legal in only 4 states) will continue
to remain a taboo and undiscussed matter. Perhaps then we will have to leave it
to the most<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…I Wear the Black Hat (review)http://everything2.com/user/aeolus/writeups/I+Wear+the+Black+Hataeolushttp://everything2.com/user/aeolus2016-10-11T02:45:42Z2016-10-11T02:45:42Z<p> </p>
<p><i>I Wear the Black Hat </i>is
a book by <a href="/title/Chuck+Klosterman">Chuck Klosterman</a> which attempts to supposedly grapple with <a href="/title/villains">villains</a> and <a href="/title/villainy">villainy</a>. Having not read any of Mr. Klosterman’s book previously, I found
his style rather readable although I could easily see how it would be a turnoff
to different audience with less interest in <a href="/title/pop+culture">pop culture</a>. Even the term circulatory doesn’t do the book
justice as the entire second chapter is entirely devoted to bands the author
hated when he was younger with zero tie in to his larger theme. But in his wanderings Chuck does find some
interesting nuggets, such as how history remember <a href="/title/Niccolo+Machiavelli">Niccolo Machiavelli</a>, not as a
“profound democrat” but as the creator of a step by step guide on how to amorally
dominate one’s political surroundings. It is here where we have presented the
closest thing to a thesis, “the villain is the person who knows the most but
cares the least.” For some reason, a sizable chunk of pages are devoted to Bill
Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…Manipulator (review)http://everything2.com/user/aeolus/writeups/Manipulatoraeolushttp://everything2.com/user/aeolus2016-07-13T03:10:47Z2016-07-13T03:10:47Z<p><i><a href="/title/Manipulator">Manipulator</a> </i>is a
2014 album from <a href="/title/Ty+Segall">Ty Segall</a>, arguably the best in his catalog which is quite a
lengthy one at that. Wikipedia wants to
label Mr. Segall psych rock, garage rock, or glam rock but perhaps what makes
Manipulator such a great album is it really just sounds like <a href="/title/rock">good old
fashioned rock’n’roll</a>. Right off the bat, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnMCqI199pE">Tall
Man Skinny Lady</a>” is a personal fan favorite. For the longest time I heard the
line “try to cure my soul” as “tried to kill myself,” read into that what you
will. Toward the end, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiT4CJDVsew">Who’s
Producing You</a>” is an aptly titled and bitching track (Ty Segall recently
helped produce another good album by four cute ladies in Seattle by the name of
La Luz, the album is <i>Weirdo Shrine)</i>.
At 56 minutes long, Ty Segall has deftly done with Manipulator what seems more
and more like a rarity in the days of Spotify and streaming, made a reasonably long album that’s a good summer ride from start to finish. </p>