Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Random Cogitations Page 1 of 5

Been A While and Movie Themes

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On April 10, 2022

In Movies, Random Cogitations

I ran out of things to write about. It’s something that happens often. I guess I need to come up with more periodic themes and I think I’ve kind of come up with one. We will try it out for a few months and see how I like it.

Of course May is coming up next month and that means there will be a flurry of Star Wars posts. However I do feel like I need something else to talk about some times. Granted I live and breath Star Wars but I am a book nerd, software engineer, general tech nerd and a movie nerd.

Monthly Movie Themes

Monthly Movie Themes

My friends and family know that I have a fairly large movie collection (over 1,000). Obviously I don’t just collect movies to let them sit, they need to be watched. When there are so many movies to choose from, how do I pick what movie to watch?

I decided to assign a theme to each month of the year and then choose movies based on that theme. Just a couple movies; five at most. At the end of each month, if the mood strikes, I will write a post on the movies. I may share some thoughts on why I chose the movies or why they are in my collection. I’ll keep track of which movies I watch so next year I can watch a different arrangement of movies (that match the theme).

There will be a few exceptions. May will always be Star Wars movies. October will always be Halloween themed movies and December will always be Christmas.

Expect the March post soon.

/cheers

RTotD: A Cabin in the Woods

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On March 4, 2022

In Random Cogitations, Reminiscence

John Wayne Gacy (aka the Killer Clown)

This has nothing to do with Deliverance. The full sentence is that on Super Bowl weekend, I spent 4 nights in a cabin in the woods in Wisconsin with 5 other guys. I’ve known these guys for 13 years but I had never met them face-to-face until Super Bowl weekend.

This post is not to regale you with tales from those 4 nights. The only other context I will give you is that we just played board games and Magic the Gathering (your basic nerd stuff) while drinking. Every. Single. Day.

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Fictional Character Affection

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On February 8, 2022

In Random Cogitations

Fictional Character Affection

I’m a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory. There is so much I could relate to with a few of those characters (mostly Leonard). Recently we’ve been watching Young Sheldon (essentially a TBBT prequel). If you are familiar with any of Chuck Lorre‘s sitcoms, he often adds “vanity cards” at the end of the credits of each episode. There is one particular vanity card about fictional character affection that hit home.

Chuck Lorre has been appending these vanity cards to the ends of his shows for nearly 25 years. The content of these cards can range from venting frustration to random images or just a simple brain dump. Politically, I may not always agree, but they are often very humorous.

“It’s A Strange and Wonderful Thing”

The final episode of Season Two of Young Sheldon there is a particularly interesting vanity card. This also exactly coincides with the final episode of The Big Bang Theory series. Chuck Lorre quips that “it’s a strange and wonderful thing to feel affection for a fictional character”. In this particular case he’s referring to Sheldon Cooper. He also lists off several other fictional characters for whom, I assume, he also felt this strange connection.

Luke Skywalker

I’d like to list mine. I felt the same way when Fraiser, Friends, Castle, Scrubs and The Big Bang Theory ended. I, equally, loved Sheldon, Fraiser Crane, Chandler, J.D. and Richard Castle (to name a few). I hated to see these shows end. In an article I found on Refinery29, a media psychologist, Dr. Karen-Dill-Shackleford, said that we “get really attached to them because they bring you joy or cheer you up after a rough day.” This is absolutely true about Star Wars, at least for me. It doesn’t matter if its the sequels, prequels or the original trilogy. After 9 (or 11) movies, you feel a connection.

It Happens In Books Too!

These fictional character affections extends beyond just television series and/or movies. I have often felt a similar parasocial relationship with characters in books. Eragon from The Inheritance Series comes immediately to mind. I’ve felt similar connections to Harry Dresden, Ender Wiggin, Shawn Hagan, and Wade Watts (to name a few more).

We spend years and/or hundreds of pages living their lives, albeit fictional. If the author or screenwriter is any good, we begin to develop an emotional connection. It’s normal for all of us to feel this way, as long as that passion remains healthy. We live vicariously through their triumphs and their defeats. These connections explain why we are so devastated if the character dies or when the actor passes away.

Who are some of the character’s that have made you feel this way?

/cheers

As A Non-Bengals Fan Living in Cincinnati

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On January 31, 2022

In Biggs On, Random Cogitations

Cincinnati Bengals, AFC Champions

I have lived in Cincinnati 14 years this month. Prior to 2008 I grew up in Northern Indiana which means I’m a Cubs fan and a Bears fan. (Side Note: I’m a Miami Dolphins fan first but that’s a tale for another day). As a non-Bengals fan living in Cincinnati I am excited for the city and the fans. As a Cubs fan, I think back to the 2016 World Series. I know the feeling. It doesn’t matter if its 108 years or 33 years, the joy and euphoria is still the same.

I’ll admit that it’s hard not to get caught up in the energy. There is a small part of me that feels like I should run out and buy a Bengals shirt or a hat. It’s infectious, but I can’t claim to be a “closet Bengals fan” when I have friends/co-workers that have lived here their whole life. They have endured the rough years and disappointing seasons. As a Cubs fan, I can definitely relate to that as well.

To Root or Not To Root

I’m happy for Cincinnati and I’m excited for the fans. My wife was living in Chicago when the Bears won in 1985. The feeling you get just walking down the street is so electric that we want our kid to feel that too. So, despite having grown up a Bears fan, we will root for the Bengals.

Granted there is a small conundrum. My dad has been a Rams fan for as long as I’ve been alive. We can’t neglect the feeling of not only eliminating the 49ers but the rare opportunity of having actual home field advantage in the Super Bowl. I guess, for me personally, it’s a wash who wins. I’ll be happy for Cincinnati or I’ll be happy for my dad. Either way I win.

I’m also glad that I actually care who the Super Bowl contenders are this year. It will be nice that it’s not Brady or Mahomes or Rogers. Although I don’t think anyone predicted it would be the Bengals and the Rams!!

/cheers

RTotD: Was There A Cicada Rapture??

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On June 26, 2021

In Random Cogitations

If you live in Ohio (or other parts of the eastern United States) then you’ve been enduring the Brood X infestation since mid-May. We are on the other side of these promiscuous pests. Over the past 2 months we’ve been hearing them from dawn to dusk. They were literally deafening. Trying to talk to your neighbors was like trying to communicate in the middle of a college football game in student section. Simply walking to the mail box is long enough for a couple to stowaway on your back. I almost swallowed one while out jogging and one literally caused a car accident. (By the way, that car accident was less then 5 miles from my house)

The news reports say that the cicadas will be gone by July 1st. In my area they have already vanished. In fact its a bit odd how quickly they vanished. Sure, I see the occasional one flying around, but I don’t hear them anymore. One morning it was so loud and the next morning it was complete silence.

It’s not just the sounds but the dead cicadas are gone too. The sidewalks on my jogging route were covered in their carcasses, and even those are gone. It’s as if they never existed! The only evidence that remains are a few husks in the flower beds around the trees. Either the storm drains are full of dead cicadas or they were raptured.

How did you survive the cicada orgy infestation?

minions_icon

I could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!

 

RTotD: The Dwindling Supply of Physical Movies

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On March 2, 2021

In Movies, Random Cogitations

Dwindling Supply of Physical MoviesWhen I was in college I had a ritual every Tuesday. After classes were done for the day I drove to Best Buy. Tuesday’s is when new releases hit the store shelves and they were always on sale the week their first week. Lately I’ve noticed a terrible trend. A dwindling supply of physical movies in stores.

I’ve noticed it at Best Buy, Meijer and Target. The movie section used to span several rows of motion picture delectation. I’ve also noticed a dwindling presence of Blu-ray players available for purchase. This is all very disconcerting! I don’t always feel like streaming a movie. In fact, I rarely feel like streaming a movie!

Streaming Services Ruin Everything!

I’m not opposed to streaming services; actually I really enjoy them. We have accounts on several of the main services available, but I mostly use them to stream television series. My problem is I prefer to watch movies using my 4K setup with my own Blu-ray, sound system and television. I don’t want to always rely on an Internet connection to stream a 4k movie. Also, I don’t trust the steaming companies. They like to add things (ex: “MACLUNKEY!!”) or remove things to suite their political agenda.

It’s also not easy to find the movie I want. A lot of these streaming services cycle movies and no single streaming service has ALL the movies. Basically, if you want more variety, you have to subscribe to multiple services, which gets expensive. I got rid of cable so I didn’t have to pay the high price for television. I’m not going to turn around and pay the same amount of money subscribing to 14 different streaming services so I can access any movie I want at any given time.

Amazon still sells physical movies, which is fine, I can order it online and it’s “usually” delivered in about 24 hours. However, sometimes I don’t like to wait. Like most people these days, I want instant gratification. I’m curious about what the future of “home video” will look like. VHS replaced betamax, DVD replaced VHS, Blu-ray replaced DVD. Are streaming services on course to replace Blu-ray and, in turn, any form of physical movie? I’m not sure I’m a fan of that.

/cheers

The things that go through my mind when I’m alone with nothing but my thoughts for entertainment is dangerous. Some might even say eccentric. Consider this your warning about today’s Random Thought of the Day

 

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