July 24, 2026
Well: THIS TIME FER SURE!
I've been LOATHE to make any announcement because weather, the FAA, mechanical problems have previously made hash of my announcements.
But, as of now, the launch of Starship Flight 13 by Space X is still set for this evening.
We will begin coverage over on the Twitch channel at 6pm EDT/ 10pm UTC.
My history degree and deep knowledge of Star Trek T.O.S. lore will allow me to provide scholarly commentary that draws from the research of both Dunning AND Kruger.
Join us for the fireworks in just under 3 hrs. at https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet .
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July 20, 2026
Finally Found Programming for That 'TBA' Stream Thursday
OK the rescheduling of the Space-X Launch has necessitated changes to this week's schedule. All times on the chart are EDT (UTC-4).
The rapacious scrounging can be seen at https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet
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57 years.
Good morning everyone.
As I head out to work I reflect upon the fact that this is the 57th anniversary of the awesomest footprint in the history of feet.
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July 19, 2026
Next Week's Schedule
...is up.
Monday, baring any further engine out issues, or weather, or FAA interference, we WILL cover the Launch of Starship Flight 13.
The rest of the week is cleanup quests in games as we either approach their completion or anticipate new updates.
All times on the chart are EDT (UTC-4)
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Frau im Mond (The Girl in the Moon) 1929
Frau im Mond is a weird ride.
A bizarre mixture of ahead of its time hard science and absolute woo, it tacks a 1950s space opera onto the back of a noir espionage thriller with cyberpunk and populist propaganda overtones.
The special effects, while obviously dated, are actually superior technically and viscerally to many much later films.
Fritz Lang has a legendary filmography, both German and American, though, aside from Metropolis (1927) and a few of his Westerns, I am shamefully unfamiliar with most of it. However, I do note some similarities in style and pacing, particularly the nagging notion that one is watching two films simultaneously.
Like Metropolis, the film is based on a novel by prolific German writer Thea von Harbou (who was also the screenwriter) and her take on sci-fi is quite interesting.
This is not strictly an effects film and the special effects (if one disregards matte paintings) take up at most 2 minutes at most of a 3 hour film, but they are very effective.
The effects were done with the consultation of Hermann Oberth, a rocket scientist of great renown who later mentored a certain Werner Von Braun and a cadre of others who are best known for mischief perpetrated around Peenemünde and the triumphant glory they later sent from Cape Canaveral. His own contributions to spaceflight include the multi stage rocket, Oberth Effect (a gravity assist technique), and pioneering analysis into the math of ion drives. The rocket in this film is a multistage affair and has a remarkable degree of verisimilitude despite some...poor ergonomics.
The film has as its antagonists a group of international bankers and a particular individual who looks astonishingly like a certain genocidal Austrian after a shaving accident. This was only 4 years before darkness descended upon Germany, and I do wonder if Lang (who had to quickly flee Germany after the National Socialists took Power) intended the character to be a expy.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, the ending is...odd. I will say no more but the levels of "WHAT!" are high.
Also: One of the conceits of the film is that the protagonists are trying to prove a disgraced scientist's theory (that the far side of the moon has a breathable atmosphere) so it is not as hard a hard sci fi film as I had been led to believe.
My only complaint about the film is that I have the distinct impression that several title cards were omitted from the English translation, however Lang's excellent direction and the skill of the actors mean that the film does not suffer for it.
I quite enjoyed the film and recommend it, the VOD of last night's broadcast is available for a time here https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2823457224 (the actual film begins at about the 15 minute mark).
I'm leaving it up despite there being an audio issue early in the broadcast It's a silent film so it does not really matter.
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July 14, 2026
Well, the FAA Gets a Vote
The schedule for the week has been amended as the Starship Launch is now scheduled for Thursday the 16th as per the FAA.
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July 13, 2026
Someone's Providing a Budget Option
...and boy are folks mad.
The illustration has nothing to do with the article other than the fact that I posted it.
In the comments sidebar Mauser suggests that I use Leaflit's new budget V-tuber .png hybrid system.
I have been looking at it and considered it. It appears to be a cleverly designed, and robust system that in some ways would be a visual improvement on my current V-Roid rig.
The down side of this is that most of my artist friends would be hurt and they would skin me alive roll me in salt, dip me in iodine, have me shot in the neck, and scream like maniacs while urinating on my corpse, before desecrating my grave.
Now, one might think to oneself: "Dude, get better artist friends"
However, it is important to remember that artists are very emotional people. That's how they can do art. I actually think it's part of their source code.
That.
Being.
Said.
I've seen a LOT of unspeakable hate directed at Leaflit for this and while I'm horrified by and utterly disavow the sheer unhinged nature of much of the vitriol directed at her, I do( kind of) understand the anxiety.
A.I. art is a brutal pill.
Most of us do not quite grok this, but these folks have been told all their lives that their talents make them immune to this sort of displacement. That being replaced by technology is the fate of the uncreative, the working class, or those who have nothing to offer.
In the '90s and early 2000's I saw article after article and heard from professors in college in the last decade that the "creative class" was who society was organized around, and often heard it implied or outright stated by thought leaders or teachers that those not of the creative classes were...lesser, and deserved their fate.
It is easy to get angry about this if, like me, you're background is the blue collar professions that creatives so look down upon, as their jobs were, in many cases, shipped overseas.
However:
It is also important to remember that THIS IS WHAT THEY WERE TAUGHT. It is also completely natural that someone with artistic talent would develop friendships in the creative class and assume its attitudes and outlooks both good and bad. Furthermore, an artistic person, being (not always, but often) more emotional than many of us who lack the talent to draw are going to react negatively to the most human thing being usurped by a computer.
The offshoring of the blue collar industries was one of the great betrayals and strategic mistakes of our civilization. It caused untold hurt and agony to the middle of the country.
Likewise, this certainly feels similar to those affected. They are contemplating loosing their jobs and that is a dreadful thing. It stings for them more because they were told all their lives that they are special and that being creative made them immune to this. We can, I suppose, if we want to be asshats, mock that, but this must truly feel like a betrayal.
As someone who does not always agree with Leaflit, particularly recently, I nevertheless feel the need to both thank her for her efforts and reassure those who are on the verge bringing out the long knives and engraved bullets for her.
I have not looked at the Budget V-Tubing System in depth as it is not finished yet, but it does seem to fulfill a need and be a labor of love. Leaflit is making a big push to make it user friendly. This seems to be a passion for her and as a person neither skilled in art nor coding, I'm grateful for the effort, even as I'm unsure if I'll use it.
For those who feel threatened by this, I would posit that this particular endeavor does not threaten you at all.
This is aimed at folks who cannot afford a fully rigged model. You would get no money from them anyway. This is aimed at .PNG tubers like I used to be, or those who are using services like V-Roid like I am now. Leaflit's demonstrations clearly show that, while a vast upgrade from .PNG tubing, it is still not as versatile and visually seamless as a full-on rigged 3-D or even 2-D model.
A full upgrade to something like Leaflit's normal model or that of Ironmouse, or any of the really elaborate rigs is unlikely to be achievable with this. And someone with the traffic levels to justify that kind of upgrade will likely still hire an artist and a good rigger.
A.I. has unfathomable potential to make the future better, However, it has been and will continue to be disruptive and infuriating in ways that many folks did not foresee. Rather than dismissing the lamentations of those displaced by it, show them at least some sympathy. They are having a crash out that, while misdirected and hate filled is , while wrong, is at least understandable, and is an expression of real pain and fear.
And for my artist friends crashing out, I would remind you to tone down the rhetoric a bit. Violence is not the answer to this any more than it was a valid response to someone who lost their manufacturing job to globalization.
Also, bullets and knives don't work on slimes, so maybe...chill?
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IRL Life's Been Crazy, but the Streaming Continues At Least
This week is more derping about in video games, except when it isn't.
A grinding/exploration session in Zenless Zone Zero will be followed by a grinding session in Disgaea 2 as we try to level up enough to finish this game.
Wednesday however, it's time for another science stream as we watch the launch of Starship Flight 13! This will be the first flight of the definitive version of this spaceship and is expected to involve launching station-keeping drones that will film the craft in orbit. This should be spectacular ,so look forward to it!
Thursday's stream is up in the air as there are programming matters that are not finalized as of yet.
Friday, we will be doing the same thing we've done the past two Fridays: Trying to rescue Barbara from the moon. This time for real (for real).
Saturday, it's time for another silent film, this time a film directed by Fritz Lang (of Metropolis fame).
Frau im Mond is a German1929 Sci-Fi movie about a manned moon shot. Join us in chat to discuss it. We've got English title cards and everything!
Also: Do check out the V.O.D. of last Saturday's dive stream examining the wreck of U.S.S. Nevada, and it's history. It was a pretty interesting 3hr collaboration with Hyasynth Live.
All times on the below chart are EDT (UTC -4) and all the derping is at https://www.twitch.tv/brickmuppet .
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July 12, 2026
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