electricinca

As I said to Amy when we watched it, Best Doctor ever! Although I have been known to say that for the past two Doctors in their first seasons. But I do think that Peter Capaldi truly owns the role in a way that surpasses David Tennant and Matt Smith.

Also Michelle Gomez was so fantastic as Missy. I hope she does return as The Mistress in a future season of the show.

I have really enjoyed this season immensely, I don't think there has been a duff week. Clara's character has been improved a great deal, no longer just an enigma she actually displays a little depth.

We clearly haven't been very witty these past 20 months.

The following made me laugh out loud though.

Mary Whitheouse complained about that Tom Baker episode where he's nearly drowned at the end and who's still here, Mary? You or the Doctor? Exactly.

Don't say things like that, Pooks: you'll have a Welsh television producer bringing the wicked witch back from the dead after a sixteen year break as well...

Apologies for the essay above. I didn't intend for it to turn out so long.

Also it shouldn't be taken as excusing or justifying the behaviour of the vile people calling for the rape of women who deigned to voice an opinion about sexist tropes in gaming or about the misogyny of the GamerGate 'movement'.

I knew that I should have been coming here for some rational and sane discussion about the issues surrounding GamerGate rather than some of the other places I've been hanging out.

I can't add much to the original discussion as others here (Red and Rogan) have covered what I would have written already and I'll try not to be yet another male on the internet who believes they are entitled to voice their opinion just because I have a dick.

That being said GamerGate is clearly not about ethics in games journalism (though there is very definitely a problem there that needs to be addressed) and it isn't really about gaming at all. It is an aspect of what I believe is a much wider issue about identity and the believe that that identity is under threat from outside forces. In this case the identity of 'Gamer'. People are now taking the idea that used to be pejorative of the lonely guy in their parent's basement behind a screen and wearing it with pride as a way of distinguishing themselves from all the people that they believe have invaded their territory now that gaming is mainstream.

One of the best and worst things about the internet is that it has enabled people to find like-minded others and because humans are naturally tribal this has meant that new tribes have sprung up now that it is no longer a requirement to actually be sharing the same physical space to connect to others of your 'tribe'. This is of course cannot be news to any of us here being as we have formed a loose tribe around our shared appreciation for works of fiction about a character named John Constantine.

I'm going to make a broad generalisation in the following, but as I fit this generalisation I hope to get away with it. Traditionally nerds have tended to be boys and men who are edging towards the Asperger's Syndrome end of the autistic spectrum because they are attracted to subjects that reward intense focus and which have clearly defined rules. Then 'Nerd Culture' (if there is such a thing) started going mainstream and new people started to enjoy nerdish pursuits and shock horror some of these people were female! Which factually is a load of nonsense because there has always been women that have been into Sci-Fi, comics and gaming and so on, but women being interested in these things is very troubling for some nerd men for a couple of reasons.

1. Social interaction. Having more opportunity to mix with women because they share your interest should be a great thing particularly when society is giving you the message that you need to be getting yourself a girlfriend and losing your virginity as a rite of passage to becoming a 'real man'. But as poor social skills are another traditional aspect of the nerd having more opportunities to meet women is actually a bad thing if your focus becomes losing your viriginity and you are only seeing women as sex objects because you are destined to fail in that pursuit and end up a bag full of resentment. Meanwhile all the guys that see women as people are talking to them, if somewhat awkwardly, about shared interests making friends and occasionally getting laid. This of course is ignoring the fact that many nerds are homosexual. As an aside I wonder if homosexual socially inept nerds experience the same issues with hooking up as their heterosexual brethren.

2. Changes due to diversity. Nerd culture has become very diverse now, gaming for instance has nearly reached parity in terms of the number of female gamers. As a result there are increasingly calls for an increase in diversity in the products that nerds want to consume. This is why I think it misogyny is particularly prevalent in nerd culture right now because people on the Autistic Spectrum and therefore many 'nerds' have problems adjusting to change and calls for changes are therefore frightening. And people have a tendency to either run away from or attack things that frighten or unnerve them.

I hope that the following is correct, I believe that the rise in misogyny on the internet is actually the death throes of this belief in The West. I would quote Gandhi "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win" but that implies that it is a more formalised fight with clearly defined sides than it actually is. It will probably take a long time for it to generally take hold but I think nerd culture might be one of the first places where it firmly takes root because as resistant to change as nerds are they are somewhat paradoxically also very open to new ideas.

The weather is crazy at the moment.

This is the most upset I've been at the death of a celebrity. Tragic.

Man goes to doctor. Says he’s depressed. Says life is harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world. Doctor says, “Treatment is simple. The great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go see him. That should pick you up.” Man bursts into tears. Says, “But doctor… I am Pagliacci.”

Are y'all watching Orphan Black? It's pretty f*cking good.

 

I was all for Eva Green getting this year's Best Actress Emmy until I saw Tatiana Maslany's performances in Orphan Black. Even if you subtract points for the gimmick, and for the dodgy English accent, it's still amazing work.

 

Cracking show. There are some narrative implausibilities (maybe exaggerated by binge-watching) but they're easy to overlook.

Love Orphan Black, can't wait for season 3.

Tatiana Maslany is brilliant and underappreciated for the work she is putting in to this show and making all those characters real and distinct.

Happy Birthday Stressless Ranger!

We are all getting so old. I hit 40 next year

I don't think his bisexuality is a defining characteristic, so I won't be bothered if it is or isn't a part of the show. I don't know how much sex or talk of sex there's going to be in the show, but it would be a shame to not even acknowledge it in passing.

But as we've seen on this forum in the past there are bisexual and homosexual people that identify with John in some respects and this aspect of his character is particular important to them so the outcry doesn't surprise me in the least.

Aw, she's lovely Matt. Doing fine, I hope.

Thanks Beki. Yeah, she's doing great. Growing and changing so quickly.

http://img.photobuck...zps20a1f345.jpg

 

"Why so serious."

Soo cute!

Lyra met my parent's in law cat Munchkin a few weeks ago who was a little wary of her.

Then last weekend met my step-mother's cat Oscar who really didn't give a shit, completely disregarded Lyra's presence in the room.

It starts out simply but then becomes complex especially following the job offer and payment for his treatment from Grey Matter. It's more than about providing for his family it's about his feelings of inadequacy and failure mixed with a sense of superiority.

It seems that his true character isn't changed by his experiences they just allow what was always there within him to come out. He can stop the facade of being the mild-mannered teacher. Which begs the question of why was he a mild-mannered teacher for so long?

The Wire is difficult to get into as it requires concentration. There are tons of characters to keep track off, odd dialects and is deliberately thought-provoking as the creators are trying to make a point about how broken US society is. That said if you can get into it then it is very rewarding as it is a truly outstanding TV series.

Breaking Bad is a very different beast, it is more about the tone than the details. Walter White is a quite unsympathetic character for the majority of the time and his motivations are difficult to understand, I'm not sure he really understands what drives him.

Click to embiggen

Bumping into an old girlfriend from 15 years ago and have her forget your name.

When I say girlfriend I mean to say a woman that I had a sexual relationship with for about a week. Which might make it understandable that she didn't remember my name, but we worked together for about a year also.

A bash to my ego. Shouldn't fucking matter.

I can't say that I'm too shocked at the early exit of England but I didn't expect Costa Rica to be dominating the group.

Study more than one broad if you can.

I thought it said Ask Me About Parenting.

Something that I worry that I might need although I seem to be managing okay so far.

Thank you all for your congratulations.

Bless. Congrats again, Matt, she's lovely. Enjoy her. She 'll just keep amazing you.

She's currently amazing me with the amount of poo she is filling her nappies with! That and just how contented she seems all the time.

Is she a big baby? She looks over 50 cm. Happy for you, man!

58cm long! And weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces or 3.88 kg in metric.

That's an awesome photograph Tim. I think the English should be prouder of the tradition of Morris, it is mad and bizarre but quintessentially English.

Family selfie with our new addition.

On Thursday 17th April at 9.20pm my amazing wife gave birth to the bundle of joy that I'm holding in the photo below.

Our first child, a girl we have named Lyra Josephine.

True Detective. This is some dark disturbing stuff with tons of foreboding.

I watched the first episode with Amy and she didn't know how she felt about it so didn't want to watch another one right away but I guess she could tell that I was hooked as she told me that her comment wasn't a license to continue watching it without her. I secretly did anyway and watched the next two episodes.

Reading about the show it has been criticised for Cohle's philosophical monologues, but I love them. I've been in that nihilistic headspace.

That was fucking awesome! I really enjoyed it.

I think the baby is going to be a Doctor Who fan because it was very active during the episode and kicking up a storm inside Amy.

Name of an episode about halfway through the third season of Breaking Bad which consists of the protagonists basically chasing a fly lest it contaminate the meth.