April 12, 2017
Today's Episode of Newspeak For Beginners Was Brought to You by the Word "Reaccommodate" and the Number "69"
J.C. Carlton has thoughts on the saga of passenger#69 and United's new seating arrangements.
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April 11, 2017
Aaaaaand..They're Off
A bit over a week ago Dad dropped a 4x8 on his foot and broke it. (Well, the breakage was mostly his big toe...Mostly.)
Shortly thereafter, Mom had what we thought was a stroke and went to the hospital only to find that it was a drug interaction. Dad quickly compensated for this good news by lancing his toe to relieve pressure...and the next day it was horribly infected, requiring another trip to the hospital.
So, it's been hectic here.
Naturally, these two walking wounded decided that these reminders of their mortality meant that now is the time to attempt THAT TRIP again.
Day before yesterday...they set out.
They'll make a destination decision when they reach Florida, they're either going to Belize, the Bahamas or Puerto Rico.
I blame Pixar for this madness.
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April 06, 2017
Whelp...
I guess our president decided to celebrate the centennial of America's entry into The Great War with a YEUGE fireworks display.
Actually, this raid was in response to the horrific gas attack earlier in the week.
I should note that we have over 1000 troops on the ground in Syria, a country whose government has not given us permission to be there and which is an ally of Russia who also has thousands of troops on the ground helping to protect Syria (an important ally of their's) by shooting at the Jihadists we are ostensibly backing and that a number of those Russian troops are operating out of Syrian airforce bases where they crew AAA batteries and ground attack planes, which, for some reason brings to mind the fact that those 59 Tomahawks were aimed at a Syrian airbase. Meanwhile while we are fighting the (mostly) different jihadis in ISIS which Russia is also fighting in addition to those guys our troops are assisting that Syria considers enemies of their state without any coordination with us. So, Russian and U.S. troops are on opposite sides of a civil war, armed and shooting at people who are trying to kill them in an area in which at least two factions are using poison gas and Iran and Hezbollah have large forces in the area.
"What could possibly go wrong?"
UPDATE: Thoughts from a professional perspective from Cdr. Salamander here.
This should check a few boxes and hopefully this will be it for now.We have enough fighting in this horrible part of the world right now. We don't need more.
Indeed.
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100 Years Ago Today
Woodrow Wilson had run his successful 1916 presidential campaign on the notion that he would keep the US from becoming involved in the unspeakable mess in Europe.
"He kept us out of war" might as well have been "If you like your peace you can keep it."
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April 03, 2017
In Lieu of Any Actual Content
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April 01, 2017
April Is Here
To celebrate it's arrival, we were provided with another cold front, following a day of floods, tornadoes and ice falling from the sky.
Punxsutawney Phil delenda est.
In other news, with Poe's Law now established jurisprudence in these crazy years, an April Fool's post is redundant.
Despite this, the Russian Foreign Ministry gave it a good try.
Alas, Poe's Law may still apply.
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March 30, 2017
When Banality Meet Bureaucracy
For those uninterested in the banality lurking below the fold, here is some art by Jefuty.
more...
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March 28, 2017
Obligatory Pool Episode
The last episode of Interviews With Monster Girls was indeed a pool episode and broke new ground in prurience with this uncensored frontal shot of Kyoko without a stitch on her.
" I LAUGH at your guillotine!"
I hope they do more in the coming years as this series really was a gem.
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March 20, 2017
Deflation Declination and Dungeon Crawling
The other night, my friend BOB!1! and I were discussing current events, in particular, we engaged in a back and forth over the theory that the reason we've seen limited inflation from the various rounds of quantitative easing over the years is that a majority of the inflation they created has been masking a destructive deflationary cycle. This is a disturbing notion as it puts the world economy on a bit of a tightrope.
Those of us of a certain age remember inflation and the memory is not a pleasant one. The inflation of the 1970s was an anomalous event, coinciding as it did with a general contraction of the economy (stagflation).
Inflation is normally an inevitable byproduct and indicator of a growing economy. More economic activity and more money in circulation means that the real value of any unit of money goes down. After a certain point, this actually encourages investment, since inflation reduces the value of money that is just sitting, eventually overtaking any reasonable interest rate. This means that in order to grow or even maintain one's savings one must invest them in moneymaking enterprises. This is hard on everyone, but especially the poor with no savings, those on fixed incomes and the inert, but having that money reinvested in business ventures expands the economy overall, and that increases job opportunities which mitigates some of the problems.
The '70s were unusual due to a series of problems including the fact that the Johnson administration had printed scads of money specifically to devalue the currency just as the first round of World War Two bonds was about to come due, thus effectively cheating the bond holders out of their investments, but freeing up cash for the great society programs. This was followed by Nixon taking the U.S. off the gold standard and printing yet MORE money while the oil crisis damaged the economy by raising the cost of energy and therefore, industry. This was a dreadful situation, but paled in comparison to events like Weimar Germany and Zimbawe.
Inflation is intuitively bad and we have examples of why this is so.
However, except perhaps in cases of runaway inflation like Weimar or Zimbabwe, Deflation can be much worse than inflation.
Deflation is insidious. The value of whatever is currency increases because the amount of money in circulation decreases (is deflated). This is great in the very short term, especially for the poor, those on fixed incomes and the inert. The problem is that over the long haul money actually gains value when hoarded EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY INTEREST RATE and thus the risk associated with investing with a business becomes exceedingly unpalatable.
People with money cash out, their businesses close which results in fewer paychecks, which further reduces the money supply causing businesses to go bankrupt or their owners to liquidate them before that happens. People hoard, rather than invest money and the economy slowly, over time, comes to a crawl. The tax base evaporates because there is no money and things like roads, bridges, canals, ports and other infrastructure stop getting fixed, further putting a pressure on businesses and the economy. Gradually, over time everything grinds to a halt, and only those with money in personal hoards are in any way well off, their hoards appreciating in relative value as the rest of the world slips into darkness...but such people would be increasingly isolated by the inevitable uptick in lawlessness and ultimately only those who could defend themselves and have access to food would manage to eek through. Of course, with unemployment rampant labor would be cheap, perhaps as cheap as room and board, and such people could probably be put to work growing food in exchange for protection from the rising tide of lawlessness.
Our back and forth at this point took an unexpected turn. What the end state of our worst case scenario ended up in was...
...Feudalism...
... which, as my friend BOB!1! pointed out, brings us to Dungeons and Dragons.
"Because...of course it does."
This scenario explains the D&D world.
There are ruins EVERYWHERE. There was obviously a great and prosperous civilization (or group of civilizations that shared a transnational economy) and then deflation hit. Most of those dungeons are the hoards of increasingly paranoid rich people who hid their money vaults behind traps and guard animals, eventually, either through the 4 or 5 generation process in which marrying to obtain a dowry self selects for infertility, straight-up inbreeding, or stepping on one of their own damned rot worms, the affluent who did not offer protections to their neighbors or were too autistic to socialize died out and left these "dungeons", ruins of their former mansions and money vaults which have, in addition to their traps, developed their own deadly ecosystems evolved from the guard animals and invasive species.
Feudal lords and the occasional collection of such fiefdoms in a kingdom or duchy, are stable but inherently resistant to change, innovation, and any disruptive developments in thought or technology.
There is only one bright spot economically.
The aforementioned rising transportation costs might serve to juice the economy a tad, but only if the infrastructure was privately owned and only if the return on investment was perceived as good, which might well not be the case with businesses going under left and right. However, an association of businesses in need of transportation services might well band together as a co-op to maintain a transportation infrastructure for their interests and provide mutual protection much like the old Hanseatic League did. These became the guilds. Which are the only (sort of) free market that is not completely the plaything of nobles.
It occurs to me, that there are darker aspects to this too.
As people grow more desperate and fearful, they tend to stay with their own kind, so in many locales, the races self segregated. Those that did not eventually became the "mutts" that are described as human in the game. The differences might be accentuated by starvation selection putting pressure on some groups for small bodies, (Halflings, Dwarves) and in more affluent groups sexual selection favoring beauty (Elves). Such racial balkanization would, in general, be non-conducive to most trade.
However...
What all this means is that adventurers in D&D, whatever level, or even alignment that they are, actually happen to be, by their very nature, saving the world! Everytime they loot a dungeon, they are placing into the economy currency that has not been in circulation in millennia. When adventures begin D&D at level one, the coin of the realm is copper. Then as a party prospers, things get better in whatever locale they frequent and more and better goods become available.
All this money is stimulating trade and competition between the guilds and encouraging wiser feudal lords to invest in and support their resident merchants.
The fact that the most effective parties contain a wide variety of races, classes and skillsets that normally do not interact in any meaningful way only serves to further breakdown barriers put up by an eons long deflationary cycle.
Adventurers ROCK!
So what have we learned today?
Deflation is, in the long run, far worse than all but the worst inflationary events due to its insidious nature and the extreme difficulty in reversing it due to its self reinforcing system on perverse and societally destructive incentives.
Against this, when conducting a risk assessment and cost benefit analysis must be considered the potential for providing future generations with elves.
Art by Houtengeki (also here)
May our economists choose wisely.
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March 19, 2017
So...
So...the latest episode of Interviews With Monster Girls addresses the nagging concern that Takahashi has become not so much the girl's counselor, as the driver of their short-bus. The sinister assistant principal's true motivation is revealed and Sakie, though forced to improvise, nevertheless achieves an important milestone in the...umm, subtle and cunning machinations she is plotting in pursuit of her goal.
In contrast to episode 7 and especially episode 10 which hinted at a much "bigger" storyline, episode 11 is focused primarily on character development and nicely portrays the considerable personal growth the entire ensemble cast has gone through, including fairly minor characters.
This episode really touched on everything that has made this show so refreshing. The students in this show, both human and demihuman are very believably written and their actions are both charming and realistic.
Within limits.
I'm unsure how many episodes this series is, but if it is a 12 episode run then this was a solid and reasonably satisfying finale. Of course there is at least one more episode. However, there are indications that that will be a beach or pool episode and therefore probably fanservice pandering best ignored in the context of this nearly sublime little series*.
One thing that stands out above even the stellar chraracterizations of the students is that of Takahashi Sensei. Here we have a male lead who is not only a gentleman that behaves in a professional and mature manner. He's a remarkably macho guy as well. In addition to being a science teacher, he's a weightlifter, and characters comment on how much he's bulked up recently. In any other show that would be a character trait of a buffoon, but Takahashi is stoic, disciplined, kind, perceptive, intelligent, intellectual and strong in both body and character. He epitomizes the male virtues and in a thoroughly positive way. That is a rare and welcome thing in this day and age.
Interviews With Monstergirls has been low key but engaging. and a thoroughly enjoyable ride that stresses the importance of actively engaging life lest wonders pass us by.
No. Twitter is not "engaging."
If you've missed it, watch it.
If you've seen it, discuss it.
*
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March 17, 2017
They Don't Make Them Like That Anymore
At least, I'm pretty sure that computer manufacturing facilities do not employ seamstresses in crucial roles. (via)
Rope? Memory?
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Happy St. Patrick's Day
...from Kyouko, who many of you know as the token character of Irish extraction in Inteviews With Monster Girls. Note that she's sporting as much green as uniform regs will allow.
"Whatever you may be drinking, keep your head about you this evening!"
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March 16, 2017
A Roundup of Links that Caught My Eye
Jerry Pournelle relates an interesting exchange on the Science Fiction Writers of America boards that concerned what, if any, constitutional limits there are on federal regulatory authority. (Yes: "if any"...let that sink in for a minute.)
Refreshingly, it doesn't appear that Hitler was ever invoked. In his stead, Henry the VIII makes an appearance.
Read the whole thing (Scroll down about half a page. It's below the WSJ link.) Note that the conversation was declared...traumatic...and deleted by SFWA.
ACE has some very prescient thoughts on the POTUS (trigger warning: Trump)
Via Rand Simberg: A recent judicial decision in Hawaii is not just asinine, it could foment a constitutional crisis.
Oh look. Google is going to down-select anything that they determine is upsetting or offensive. Since progressives take umbrage at vast swaths of what I happen to like, I suppose no one will ever find this blog via Googling again.
Peter Beinart has an interesting piece which suggests that if you remove the thing that most that holds a society together, feeds the better angels of its nature and restrains its darkest tribal impulses, bad things might happen. Who'da thunk it?
Finally, as a cisgendered honkey male, I'm told I can't have an opinion on the utterly 'woke' Rachel Maddow and her Al Capone's Vault moment. So I'll let these two express it for me.
Note: The linked image encompassing many of the things I like is by Sukabu. The young ladies expressing thoughtful journalistic critiques are from the underrated, yet excellent, Sound of the Sky.
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We Survived!
Secure in our fortified virtual bunker, we here at Brickmuppet Blog succeeded in riding out The Ides of March without incident.
Today, however, it was discovered that four and a half weeks of bedrest does not actually have a beneficial effect on one's strength, flexibility or endurance.
Still, it was a great relief to be back to work, in no small part because the non-retirement money reserves were pretty much gone. In the future I'll make a point of only incurring hospital bills when I do not have tuition, insurance, and twelve hundred dollar car repair bills. Ghaa!
But enough banal first world problems, here is a catgirl and a stonecrab to remind everyone on the U.S. East Coast, that despite the sub-freezing temperatures, good weather is right around the corner.
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March 14, 2017
First Fluorescent Frog Found
Well, that headline is pretty self explanatory, so there's very little to add to it except for a bit more alliteration.
Alas, we're running low on polite "f" words.
"...Funky!"
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March 11, 2017
The Means by Which Dulhallans Eat
...has yet to be addressed in this show, but despite that glaring omission, as of episode 7, Interviews With Monster Girls is mostly living up to the hype.
Well, in fairness, she could have been more clear.
"No. We understand how it gets into your mouth, it's the step after that which has us confused."
A biologist whose PHD thesis on demi-humans was shot down due to a lack of any preternatural people to study, abandons his research and gets a job as a high school biology teacher. Years later, he is surprised to learn that his school has enrolled a dulhallan, a vampire and a snow-woman. He begins his research anew arranging interviews with the fantastical beings and with the help of a delightfully goofball math teacher, councils his students and watches as they cope with all those little awkward moments every high school kid goes through.
Well, in fairness, she could have been more clear.This is a surprisingly well done story. Cute girls doing cute things in high school has been done a lot but this show has really good characterizations and despite the centrality of the monster-girls quirks....
"I will never really get used to that."
...they come off as some of the most believably characterized kids in a long time. Cast-wise it treads perilously close to harem territory, so it's very welcome that at least one of the schoolgirls has (maybe) a tentative romantic interest amongst the student body. It's even more welcome that the aforementioned delightfully goofball math teacher is around.
More welcome still in our decadent age is that this show actually stresses the virtuousness of men aspiring to arete' and thereby maintaining a stoic demeanor in stressful situations....
...and dealing with one's emotions in private so as not to bother others.
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Did I mention the delightfully goofball math teacher?
Interviews With Monstergirls is, despite its premise, surprisingly down to earth and well written.
Now there are tentative indications as of episode 7 that there might be more to the story than a high school slice of life show.
That could be disastrous, or it could be awesome. At this point, even if they brought in giant robots that trapped everyone in a video game, I'd still watch it for a couple of episodes to see what they did because I'm that enamored of these characters.
I'm just gonna recommend this one.
UPDATE : 72 Minutes and 3 episodes later:
Well, what do you know.
Snerk...
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A BBC Analysts View of The Ramifications of the South Korean Impeachment Situation
...might be interesting, but this is funnier.
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March 10, 2017
Oh Wow. We Really ARE Living in the Crazy Years.
What disgracious 'channery is this?
CIA documents published by WikiLeaks show that the CIA kept a database of "Japanese style faces†to utilize in online forums.
Exclusive sources (so secret and exclusive that they may not even exist) tell us that in contrast to the impassive public response, the reaction inside Langley to this news was uncharacteristically straightforward...
However, thanks to this completely unexpected development we are now able to accurately recreate the Wikileaks heist of the CIA's secrets!
Have you seen this person?
The database seems to consist mainly of ASCII emoticons. The complete list can be found here.
Do note that the CIA somehow missed one...
more...
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March 09, 2017
Pepe' Strikes
I went for a walk and was mugged by a gang of little people in who forced me to buy emotional blackmail cookies. They were all dressed in green and I'm pretty sure they were French 'cause they wore berets.
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Flip Flappers: Belated Thoughts
Cute, whimsical, and thoughtful horror stories are kind of rare for some reason.
Flip Flappers is an exception, though after finally finishing the entire series, I find it still quite difficult to describe. The set-up is easy enough, Cocona is an honor student in high school and her ultimate goal is to...umm....be an honor student...
Life however, involves more than just studying for the test, and Cocona is trying to come to grips with the fact that the answer to "What career part do you intend to take?" Is not found in a book, or in any academic articles. Suddenly a crazy redhead named Papikka shows up with a comic relief robot and drags Cocona into a magical dimension to help them find...power crystals.
"Will this be on the test?"
Sadly, they don't keep the bunny ears, but they DO get time limited super powers accompanied by magical legware.
'dem stockings...
This is useful as well as stylistically fascinating because they do get into fights, with monsters as well as rivals.
Starting off as a (faux) magical girl show with an Alice in Wonderland vibe, it goes in a number of different directions to the point of seeming unfocused at times. However, there is a story here and the show is a surprisingly intelligent disquisition on the nature of identity, the blissful squalor of a utopia and the responsibility we all have for who and what we become.
The story does go to dark places as the characters explore their backstories
but the series, despite its breakneck pace and seemingly schizophrenic tone does come to a satisfying conclusion. In the process the series stays unpredictable and is never boring.
It is also high octane nightmare fuel. This show is genuinely terrifying at times,
and the story has more in common with Phillip K. Dick than Lewis Carrol.
It also gets bunny anatomy...wrong.
This was, however, a surprisingly enjoyable and thoughtful series and I recommend all 5 hours. It really was one of the best shows last year.
"We Rock!"
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