Any actual creative will know it's hard enough to get people to care about something you poured every ounce of your being into. Which is why I think the AI stuff is a dead end. No one cares about it because the creator didn't. They'll get bored the same way people get bored of any template trend.

The duality is the problem, I think. Taken to extremes, the assumption that creativity is a god-given gift leads to the assumption that it's effortless for creatives.

Yeah, I bought the game on release and had a blast, but the player numbers dwindled to the point where it became too hard to find a match. Hope it turns it around as I love the characters and the world design

Though I think it has a few problems it's always going to be Nausicaa for me. I do think other Miyazaki films are better but Nausicaa was the film that first made me fall in love with his work.

It took me a while to come around to it post-Elon, I was kinda hoping he'd get bored and sell it. But after his Nazi salute i deleted it and I've never once looked back. The recent stuff coming out of there makes it really really hard to understand why anyone would stay. It's like 4chan on ketamine.

Not adding to the discourse, but my dad (70) is dating a 61 year old woman and he said "I dunno, i think she might be a bit young for me." The main point of contention is that she knows how to use a smartphone better than he does.

... I've not tried AR but I suspect it's a dead end. Everything it can do your phone can do and there's a general and valid mistrust of people walking around with a camera strapped to their face.

A few headsets run apps natively but the use case is primarily games - it's just not comfortable to wear passively. Like, you can watch films in a big VR screen but sitting there with a headset on for 2 hours is pretty awkward...

I'm going to study more to increase my draft drawing confidence and generally try to improve my fundamentals. Last year I illustrated my first graphic novel and I really felt myself bumping against my current skillset.

Exactly. I'm sick of having to explain to my flatmates why i have "Help! I Got Reincarnated as the Demon Princess' Stockings!" on there. It was clear after 16 episodes and two OVAs it wasn't for me.

Europe just now:

You're wrong, Jamie. The glorious seaside town of MARGAARD used to be a place where you could take the kids and experience good old fashioned "soft reality". But they got rid of the temporal anomalies and renamed it Margate because of woke.

(Just to add, obviously I don't believe helping people is a mug's game. But I've seen enough conservatives make that argument)

If I'm being generous, I think right wing thinking tends to be born from cynicism about other people, assuming motives are always insincere – especially when you look at the attitude to refugees etc. They assume charity for people will be taken advantage of.

4. Probably OK Computer but i really don't enjoy the last two songs.

3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call.

Cranky ol' Nick Cave being all sad and philosophical. But the result is a load of tender, honest and spiritual songs. Initially i found it a bit boring but it's grown on me a lot.

youtube.com/playlist?lis...

2. Counting Crows - August and Everything After. On the compete other side of the coin, an album that was very very popular (afaik) when it released and we're all sick of Mr Jones, but there's some incredible songs on here.
youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Tiny Tim Lord