100 Days of Chaos

On March 18, 2024March 25, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Politics

Allow me to take a momentary pause from my typical geek-related content to discuss the current status of the Coalition of Chaos in New Zealand. It has been well over 100 days since the ex-Air New Zealand CEO was elected to lead the country by 38.08% of the voting population. Furthermore, 8.64% of voters supported a party that believes National is not hardcore enough, while 6.08% voted for a party that’s notorious for its frequent changes in allegiances.

To my non-New Zealand followers and subscribers, this blog may be awkward and unrelatable, so I’m very sorry. Please give it a chance, because you probably know of similar politicians in your country.

As for my New Zealand followers and subscribers, I’m a box of birds, and we’re going to have a chin wag about some ginormous eggs.

After the 2023 New Zealand General Election, the parties of National, ACT, and NZ First formed an alliance, centred on a conservative coalition. They go by many names, like the Government, Lupesey, The Three-Headed Taniwha, the enemy of Maori, and my favourite, the Coalition of Chaos.

It’s been over 100 days since the Coalition of Chaos took the steering wheel of the 52nd-largest national economy in the world. In that time, they have been quite busy, because they have been dropping some brain-melting quotes.

In honour of the first 100 days of the Coalition of Chaos, may I present some awful quotes, from their finest members.

The Honourable Chris Bishop MP: Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Minister for Infrastructure, and Minister for Housing.

10th March 2024

When asked by a reporter about the government and Bishop’s accountability towards environmental damage in New Zealand because of new fast-tracked energy projects legislation, Bishop replied:

“Ultimately, the public will be able to judge the performance of the Government in late 2026.”

{Bishop means that the next New Zealand General Election is in late 2026, so that’s when the Government can face accountability, but not before that time}

In the same interview, when asked on whether fast-tracked consents incentivised lobbying, Bishop said:

“But you know, lobbying is not illegal and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

{Bishop is a former tobacco lobbyist for Phillip Morris, now known as Altria. This tobacco company is one of world’s largest producers and promoters of cigarettes, tobacco, and related products}

The Honourable David Seymour MP: Leader of ACT New Zealand Party, Minister for Regulation, Associate Minister of Education, Associate Minister of Finance, and Associate Minister of Health.

9th March 2024

Seymour made a post on X concerning the Hurricanes Poua rugby team’s haka, that criticised the government.

“More time practicing, less time on politics.”

{Seymour is a free speech advocate and opposes hate speech laws}

The Right Honourable Winston Peters MP: Leader of New Zealand First Party, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Racing.

24th November 2023

At the press conference discussing the coalition agreement, Peters was pressed by reporters about the length of time it took for negotiations to happen. Peters responded by saying:

“Please don’t be mathematical morons…”

{Peters had a fragile relationship with the New Zealand Media}

17th March 2024

During his State of the Nation speech, Peters talked about co-governance.

“Some people’s DNA made them, sadly, according to these people and condoned by their cultural fellow travellers, their DNA made them somehow better than others. I’ve seen that sort of philosophy before. I saw it in Nazi Germany. We all did. We’ve seen it elsewhere around the world in the horrors of history.”

{Peters was born in April 1945, so he was still a baby when the Second World War was being fought. Also his comparison of Nazi Germany to co-governance in New Zealand has been criticised by Holocaust survivors}

The Right Honourable Christopher Luxon MP: Leader of the National Party, Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Minister for National Security and Intelligence.

18th December 2023

When speaking to reporters about scrapping the bonuses civil servants were receiving for being fluent in Te Reo Maori, Luxon said:

“In the real world outside of Wellington and outside the bubble of MPs, people who want to learn te reo or want to learn any other education actually pay for it themselves.”

{The irony is that Luxon used taxpayers money to pay for his Te Reo lessons. Luxon is the second wealthiest person to become Prime Minister of New Zealand, valued at over $21 million}

18th February 2024

During his State of the Nation speech, Luxon said:

“A justice system which had a deliberate strategy to empty New Zealand’s prisons, even as violent crime soared.

{Luxon was implying that Labour had a policy of releasing all of the prisoners in New Zealand. This was not true}

20th February 2024

On X, Luxon said:

“The days of taxpayers being treated like a bottomless ATM are over.“

{Just over a week later, Luxon was at the centre of the accommodation supplement scandal, where he was claiming the supplement of $1,000 per week, to live in his mortgage free apartment in Wellington}

I can’t forget to include Luxon’s 1st March interview about his accommodation supplement, where he repeated several times: “I’m entitled.”

I do realise Simeon Brown, Nicola Willis, and Brooke van Velden have said some awful quotes as well, but they are light-weights compared to Bishop, Seymour, Peters, and Luxon.

So, let’s look forward to the next 100 days of chaos, though my Spider-Sense is telling me that we need to buckle up because they’re probably going to be worse.

Did I miss any cringe-worthy or clueless quotes from the Coalition of Chaos? As always, please let me know. That’s it for another week because I’m off to watch Last Week Tonight for my weekly 30-minute lecture.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog; read a banned book; and praise Putin, since he won six more years. What a shock. I’ll see you next week because we’re going to revisit We Didn’t Start the Fire. Good times.

Where would we be without Akira Toriyama?

On March 11, 2024March 18, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics, People, Television

I had a completely different blog lined up for this week, but after the media announcement on Friday, I changed my mind and wrote this instead. Akira Toriyama, the legendary manga creator, died on 1st March from an acute subdural hematoma, aged 68 years old.

Toriyama had created and worked on many different projects and video games over the years, like Dr. Slump, the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. However, his most famous creation was Dragon Ball, which showcased his talents to Japan and the world.

So what’s the point of this blog?

I’m crying about the death of a man I had never met.

Akira Toriyama. Credit: Dragon Ball Wiki

It won’t come as a shock, but I’m a fan of Dragon Ball because I’m a fan of Toriyama’s work. His art was outrageous, explosive, and detailed, whether it was manga or anime. It was unreal. I mentioned this before, but I loved the way he drew ears, for some strange reason. You could see a character and judging by their ears, you could tell whether they belonged to Toriyama or not.

As for his vehicles, they were so well designed, that you could see yourself driving one of them, whether they travelled by air, land, or sea. They were so good!

The plots were just as fantastic. People will talk about his art, but Toriyama was an amazing storyteller. His characters went on huge quests, and fought powerful foes, but also went through massive personal growth, so his characters were always evolving.

I’m sad about his passing for many reasons. Even not personally, Toriyama introduced me to manga, anime, and other parts of Japanese culture. For a geek living in New Zealand, his characters and art were extraordinary. My love of manga and anime can be traced back to him.

It’s been astonishing to see the outpouring of tributes to Toriyama from fans around the world. He was beloved by so many people. It made me think of all of the hundreds of artists, writers, singers, actors, directors, scientists, athletes, and anybody else, whose work has indirectly shaped our lives. They’re in the background of our subconscious.

It’s not until one of them dies, that you reflect and realise how influential they were to you and your life. That’s how I feel about Toriyama. His influence on pop culture has changed the world; the word Saiyan, is now part of the world’s lexicon, regardless of language or culture.

I read how many different manga and anime creators have come out and cited Toriyama as their source of inspiration. I find this amazing because even Toriyama was inspired to pursue a career in illustration. I find the creation and history of entertainment, similar to the history of science, where all creators are standing on the shoulders of giants. And make no mistake, Toriyama was a giant.

Imagine if Toriyama was never inspired to draw and create? It’s in the realms of possibility that maybe someone down the road would have drawn characters with energy beams, have awesome names for attack styles, teleportation, explosive fights, cities being destroyed, and badass vehicles.

But where would we be without Toriyama and powering/levelling-up sequences? Think about it. We would be lost in the abyss. For me, the powering/levelling-up sequences in Dragon Ball represented the brilliance and glorious scope of Toriyama’s skills.

I don’t know what Toriyama’s legacy will be for the world, but I feel it will be eternal. As for me, the biggest praise I can give Toriyama is that when UMC1 and UMC2 are ready, I’ll be showing them Dragon Ball. I can’t wait to sit down with them both, and let them experience the crazy and beautiful nature of Toriyama’s work; along with practising their own Kamehameha waves.

Like I said before, I can never thank Toriyama enough for his work, so all I can do is let the next generation live it and breathe it. Right, I need to control my crying, so that’s it for this week. What’s your favourite art drawn by Akira Toriyama? Please let me know.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog; watch a banned movie; go read some manga, and I’ll see you next week because we’re going to check in on the Coalition of Chaos.

Tour of the Solar System: The Galilean moons

On March 4, 2024March 11, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Science

Welcome back to the most basic and cost-effective Tour of the Solar System you will ever see! It’s cheap and nasty, but it won’t make you visit the doctor. We’ve been on this tour for over a year now, so if you’re just joining us, here are the previous stops:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

11.) Jupiter

Because you’re observant, you would have noticed the title of this blog, but let’s clear some things up first. The Galilean moons are not a cosmic STI, nor are they a new punk band from Berlin.

Jupiter has 95 officially recognised moons, but for this work of literary incompetency, I’m only going to be discussing four of them; Io, Callisto, Europa and Ganymede, the Galilean moons. If you remember from our last tour stop, I briefly mentioned them; and for me, briefly means five paragraphs. They’re gorgeous too!

Jupiter’s four largest satellites, the Galilean moons, are named after consorts of the Roman god Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Credit: NASA/JPL/DLR

Let’s step into our TARDIS of the mind, and travel back through time to Italy, around late 1609 and early 1610. Telescopes were a new invention, and a certain jack of all trades named Galileo Galilei decided to make his own version.

Not long after this, Galileo used his telescope to peer into the void and reveal things behind the curtain. He made some stunning discoveries and observed things like the Moon’s craters and mountains, the phases of Venus, sunspots, Saturn, and stars within the Milky Way. These discoveries have helped move humanity forward, in our understanding of space and our place in it.

However, Galileo’s biggest contribution to astronomy was the revelation that Jupiter had moons. That doesn’t sound like much, but I promise you, it was a colossal discovery. At the time, one of the main models explaining the nature of the universe was the Geocentric model; also known as the Ptolemaic world system.

Basically, this model suggested that the Earth was at the centre of the universe, and everything including the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets, would be orbiting the Earth. Sounds reasonable, right?

That all changed when Galileo observed something strange, using his new telescope. He noticed what he believed to be some fixed stars near Jupiter, but after weeks of detailed observations, Galileo concluded that these fixed stars were not fixed stars at all, because they were orbiting Jupiter.

Galileo had discovered moons orbiting a planet, just like the Earth and the Moon. This revelation supported the recent Copernican heliocentrism model, explaining that the Sun was at the centre of the universe, and planets like Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and even Earth, revolved around it. The Galilean moons were also confirmed and discovered by Simon Marius, a German astronomer, around the same time.

In 17th-century Europe, this was a major scandal, and even heresy to support such an idea. But as you know, the Copernican heliocentrism model was proven correct. The Sun does not orbit the Earth; the Earth orbits the Sun.

As for the moons, they’re just like a team of rugby players; similar, yet different.

Let’s start with Ganymede, because you know, why not? Not only is Ganymede the largest of the Galilean moons, or the rest of Jupiter’s moons, but it’s also the largest moon in the Solar System. It’s even larger than Mercury.

Ganymede has a diameter of 5,270 km, and orbits Jupiter roughly at 1,070,400 kilometres; which is the third of the Galilean moons in distance from Jupiter. Ganymede also has a magnetic field, possibly due to its liquid iron core, and it takes roughly seven days to orbit Jupiter.

One of the most interesting discoveries about Ganymede is that it has a subsurface ocean. This is exciting because of the possibility of scientists finding life in the ocean. Granted if life exists on Ganymede, it would be in the form of microorganisms, but a win is a win!

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, the largest moon in our Solar System.
Image: NASA

The next largest moon is Callisto, with a diameter of 4,821 km, and an orbital distance from Jupiter of 1,883,000 km. This makes Callisto the furthest of the Galilean moons to orbit Jupiter. Callisto is also one of the most heavily impacted objects in the Solar System, as it is riddled with very extremely old craters.

Because of its location from Jupiter, Callisto takes about 16 days to orbit the planet. Subsurface oceans seem to be the trend with the Galilean moons because Callisto is suspected of having one, but that has not been confirmed. Yet.

Photograph of the Callisto moon captured from NASA Galileo spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/DLR)

Our third-largest Galilean moon is so cool, it only has two letters in its name. Io has a diameter of 3,643 km, which makes it slightly bigger than our Moon at 3,475 km. Io orbits Jupiter at a distance of 421,700 km, which makes it the closest of the Galilean moons to Jupiter. Given its close distance, Io orbits Jupiter in just under two days.

Io can also take the title of having the strongest surface gravity of any moon and the highest density of any moon in the Solar System. Io is also quite odd because it has over 400 active volcanoes, in addition to having over 100 mountains; with several mountains reaching heights that are taller than Mount Everest.

Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the solar system. This high-resolution image of Jupiter’s fifth moon was captured by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft and was published on 18, Dec. 1997. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

Europa is our fourth and final stop on this tour today. Orbiting at a distance of 670,900 km means Europa is the second closest of the Galilean moons to Jupiter, between Io and Ganymede. However, Europa is the smallest of the four, with a diameter of 3,121km.

Considering its close proximity to Jupiter, Europa orbits Jupiter in about 3.5 days, and it also appears to have an extremely smooth surface. In saying that, Europa is covered in dark lines called lineae. These are believed to be caused by interior processes, which has led to the theory that Europa could have a subsurface ocean as well.

There’s a lot more to the moons than what we have discussed, but I can’t do everything. Maybe. So, that’s it for today. The next stop on the tour will be a popular one for many people: Saturn. Just remember that the tickets for the tour are non-refundable.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on X and Mastodon because that’s where the cool people are. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, eat some lemons, and I’ll see you next week.

My dog is 12 years old

On February 26, 2024March 4, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Animals

This is a short blog today, folks. However, it’s still important, because my dog celebrated his 12th birthday last week. And when I say he celebrated, I mean we did.

Indy did find the time to relax on his birthday, thankfully, because the day was packed full of naps, snacks, and snoozes, along with a walk and car rides. UMC2 made him a birthday card, so on Indy’s birthday, UMC2 presented it and explained the features of the card to him.

Indy did receive some new dog treats, and I was quite surprised that he actually liked them because he’s still hassling us to give him more.

It’s hard work being this awesome all the time.

As much as I would like to talk about Indy’s birthday, there’s one thing I can’t avoid and don’t like discussing: his age. He’s now 12 years old, and because dogs age at a different rate than humans; along with their size, he is roughly 65 human years old. Indy is basically a pensioner now, so if he were human, he would probably vote for NZ First and that young Winston Peters.

I’m starting to cry as I write this, because jokes aside, I have to face the reality that we have a senior dog. The warning signs have been there for awhile now. He tried jumping up onto the bed and knocked his front left leg, a few months ago. We’re quite conscious of the height of the bed, so we’re trying to teach him to walk up a ramp, so he can sleep on the bed. He’s not a fan of the ramp.

He still enjoys walks, but he gets tired a lot faster than he used to. Because of this, we try and go for shorter walks with him. Even when Indy is running around in circles, whether he’s inside or outside, he doesn’t go for very long before he needs a rest. We have even changed his dog food to senior dog food.

My previous dog died when he was 10 years old, and it broke my heart. Because of that, I didn’t allow myself to get close to dogs again, even though I love them. That worked until I met my future wife and her dog. Dammit.

Strangely, Indy gave me therapy sessions, when I didn’t even realise I needed them. And now he sleeps on my pillow and clothes. It’s a good reason to put my clothes away, otherwise I’ll just be walking around smelling like a Bichon.

Anyway, we have a senior dog now, and his birthday has just made us appreciate him even more. Even when he is blitzing around the house at 3 am.

Does anybody have a senior pet? How has it changed the way you care for them? As always, please let me know.

Like I said before, I’m sorry, but this blog was shorter this week. Having said that, the Tour of the Solar System returns next week, so prepare yourself! Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. My advice for this week is simple: go and spend some extra time with your pets and I’ll see you next week.

We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning

On February 19, 2024February 26, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Music, People

I love history, so please remember that I’m a geek. I remember my family owned an extremely outdated encyclopedia set that I would read through; mainly for the history sections, though I’ve never read Grays Sports Almanac: Complete Sports Statistics 1950-2000.

I love trying to understand why certain historical events have happened, when they happened, who was involved, what actually happened, how they are connected to the present, and of course, whether the Doctor was involved or not.

I’ve just stopped and read what I’ve written, and I couldn’t have sounded more of a geek, than if I had actually tried. Anyway, this is why I have developed a useless ability to remember the dates of historical events. This ability doesn’t help me socially or professionally, but it does keep me at home and prevents me from trading comic books in dark alleys.

The point of this ramble is that my love of history led me to love We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel. If I ever produce a soundtrack to my life, We Didn’t Start the Fire will be on it.

If you have no idea about the song or have never heard it, then sit down, relax, and prepare yourself.

We Didn’t Start the Fire was released in the much more innocent time of 1989, when Bill Cosby was the king of sitcoms, Donald Trump was still married to Ivana, Harvey Weinstein had started as an executive producer, Vladimir Putin was still in the KGB, and Kim Jong Un was five years old.

The song reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 and has become part of pop culture with various themes. Over the years, critics of the song have trashed it, along with Billy Joel himself, coming out and stating his dislike for it.

So what is the song about? Well, I’m not intelligent enough to break the song down into its musical components, but what I am going to do is gush over the lyrics.

To me, it’s like rap, because the words are rapid-fire, and they are about events and people from the 20th century, circa 1948-1989. The historical references have influenced the United States, but also the world, both positively and negatively, which makes them extremely important; well, at least to me.

As for the chorus, several people could give you different explanations for the meaning behind the lyrics, but for what it’s worth, I’m probably wrong. However, I’ll let you know what it means to me.

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it

The fire could represent multiple things like violence, hatred, war, bigotry, racism, sexism, and capitalism. It could be all of them or none of them; though the point is that the fire has existed and been burning since we descended from the trees and spread out across Eastern and Southern Africa.

The world of 2024 didn’t start the fire, nor did the world of 1989. Events and people have compounded and added to national and international problems over the centuries; and in the case of the song, decades. This means the next generation has to fight and solve the issues created by previous generations; even though they have been trying to stop the spread of the fire. At least to me, it does.

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on

After every single person who is alive at this moment in time has died, the world will still continue to turn, and the fire will still be burning, awaiting the next generation of people to meet it. In 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or 250 years, the fire will continue to burn, just as it always has.

Some of the best messages; again, at least to me, in the song are these:

If we don’t understand the past, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
You are not personally guilty, along with your generation, for the condition of the world, whether its politically, socially, physically, etc.
What you can be guilty of, is what you are going to do about the condition of the world.

And the coolest message in the song is this:

People have the capacity for tremendous evil, just as they have the capacity for amazing good. As a species, we will never stop the fire from burning, we just can’t. But what we can do is fight the spread of the fire, through our own actions, along with our children and grandchildren, by teaching them to care. If we can restrict and limit the spread of the fire, the damage will be least destructive for us, and for future generations. I feel we can do this through information, knowledge and education; you know, that old chestnut.

In a small way, and in the greatest example of my hubris, the vanity project that is Some Geek Told Me, is an ode to We Didn’t Start the Fire. One of the factors for Some Geek Told Me’s creation, was feeling I wasn’t doing enough to fight the spread of the fire.

We Didn’t Start the Fire is one of my favourite songs, so I decided to try and back up my big mouth and actually do something. I know it’s hubris, I really do, and I know Billy Joel would deem this quite sad, but I’m ok with that.

Having said all of this, I’m starting a new project within Some Geek Told Me. I realise many other people have already done this, but I’m going to take a crack at it. Just like the Tour of the Solar System, I’m going to have a monthly blog post about We Didn’t Start the Fire, looking at the historical references.

I’m going to talk about them in groups, like 1955-1957, or 1958-1961, rather than in decades or simply as years. There are 118 historical references in the song, so this poorly constructed idea will take some time. You have been warned. The music video is quite outstanding as well. Again, to my geeky arse, it is.

Well, that’s it for another week. Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, paint a rainbow, and I’ll see you next week.

Food and Prejudice: Volume 1

On February 12, 2024February 19, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Food

If you’re a long-time reader of this wildly inconsistent blog, then you must have known that this post was coming. At some point, this blog was going to appear; and just like Thanos, it was inevitable.

I try to write about entertaining things on New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website, but also things that interest me, as well as world events; whether they’re positive or negative. Since you would have already used your amazing powers of observational deduction; that would have impressed the residents of 221B Baker Street, that this post will not exactly be positive.

I enjoy eating food, mainly because it helps me to live, but also because of the fantastic tastes and flavours. However, as you can imagine, I don’t love everything. There are some foods that I dislike so much, that I’m prejudiced against them.

I know, I’m not a perfect person, because I’m not Chuck Norris. This was because I was participating in a very dangerous activity the other day; I was having an independent thought. This strange event caused me to decide to talk about some of my food grievances. There are only three foods that have made the list for this volume, but I promise you, there will be more volumes.

Without dragging this out like a villain’s monologue, let’s dive into Food and Prejudice: Volume 1!

Sour Cream and Chives

I have been waffling on about this for some time now, but for anybody new, I’ll explain: I hate Sour Cream and Chives. I hate it. This covers chips, crisps, sauces, crackers, dips, rice cakes, and anything else that this abomination of humanity has spread to. It’s disgusting and I’m positive that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, wear it as cologne.

I just don’t understand the point of this flavour existing, when someone could have Salt and Vinegar, Barbeque, or Chicken instead. It’s like some company had a focus group, and they discovered that the public disliked certain flavours. Then the overpaid executives started talking:

“Hey, instead of never using chives or sour cream with any of our products, let’s add them together!”

“That would be amazing!”

“I have a good feeling that some guy in New Zealand would love it.”

“Instead of calling it, “Demon’s Arse Breath”, let’s call it “Sour Cream and Chives!”

After reading this, I’m pretty confident that’s how it actually happened. In my experience, smelling Sour Cream and Chives, makes my face look like I had witnessed the All Blacks losing to Japan, 75-0. Tasting Sour Cream and Chives is like if I was one of the All Blacks that had lost 75-0 to Japan.

People adding awful things like Sour Cream and Chives together is like adding climate change data to tax forms. They both suck independently, but now, you have just made things worse. That flavour really is awful.¹

Corn

Because we’ve been together for some time now, I’ll make a confession. As you know, I hate Sour Cream and Chives. I loathe it. However, whatever I feel about Sour Cream and Chives, falls at the altar of despair over what I feel about Corn.

It’s like I’m the hero, and Sour Cream and Chives is Lex Luthor, The Joker, Doctor Doom, or the Green Goblin; aka your greatest enemy or arch nemesis. You deal with your arch nemesis quite often; even daily sometimes. They are your enemy like you are theirs. You are doomed to dance together forever, and even in death, you will never be free of them.

But not all villains or enemies can be your greatest. Some villains don’t just desire your demise, they want to destroy everything. This is because they are your most dangerous enemy. Think of Doomsday, Ra’s al Ghul, Galactus, or Carnage; basically if one of these villains turns up, you need to stop what you’re doing, because shit just got real.

As for me, my most dangerous enemy is Corn. If Corn turns up, things have escalated extremely quickly. Corn wrecks everything it touches, apart from corn chips.

I’m serious about Corn so much, that I spell it with an uppercase letter. It’s not corn, but Corn!! If I’m eating a pie and Corn reveals itself, I will stop eating and ask one simple question, “Why in the nine levels of Dante’s Hell, is there Corn in my pie?!”

If I’m eating a particular soup and Corn ambushes me, my response is clear. “Who is the smooth-brained mouth breather, that put Corn in this?!”

I’m not ashamed to admit this, I can’t handle Corn. I just can’t do it. Corn chips are easy, and I love them; but Corn…

I can’t even handle the smell of it, let alone the taste. As soon as I smell that yellow putrid odour, I start gagging. As for the taste; if Sour Cream and Chives taste like Demon’s Arse Breath, then Corn tastes like regurgitated Zombie Dung Beetle vomit.

Even as a boy, I knew the dangers of Corn. Growing up, my family had fallen under its repulsive influence, but not me. I’m a survivor. I spent my life checking foods and beverages for Corn, but also visiting other countries and discovering that Corn can hide itself in things you had never heard or thought of.

Whether it’s tragic irony or poetic justice, my wife loves Corn. I knew this about her before we married, but I married her anyway. Nobody is perfect, although I do have a rule with her though; the lips that have immediately touched Corn, will not touch mine.

Beetroot

I don’t want to give people the impression that I don’t eat vegetables, because that’s not true. I just don’t eat all vegetables. Case in point, may I present beetroot. It’s a stupid name for a stupid vegetable.

I’m not prejudiced against beetroot to the same extent as Sour Cream and Chives or Corn, but I still hate it. Yes, I know beetroot have many health benefits, as well as being part of a staple diet in many countries, but like I said before, I still hate it.

For me, I find beetroot’s taste and texture to be quite slimy, so I’m not sure whether anybody agrees with me on this. If I find beetroot in or on my food, I treat it with a mild level of disdain and remove it as quickly as possible, without drawing too much attention to it.

This of course is a mote point, if the beetroot has stained the surrounding food with that reddish/purplish colour. It’s like the beetroot has bled everywhere on purpose, just to make you go hungry, knowing you won’t eat that food now. In my humble opinion, that’s quite petty and vindictive.

Beetroot is not dangerous, it’s just gross, sad, and annoying.

Do you agree with any of my food prejudices? What are yours? As always, please let me know.

It’s been a busy week. Qatar won the Asian Cup for the second time, Ivory Coast won the African Cup of Nations for the third time, and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl for the fourth time. Nice.

That’s it for another blog and another week. Thank you once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on X and Mastodon if you want to complain about me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch out for dodgy cats, and I’ll see you next week.

^1.)My wife walked in and read this, so she asked me to include the fact that she, the dog, UMC1 and UMC2 all love Sour Cream and Chives. Apparently, I’m the only sensible one in the family.

What can you buy with US$88.3 million?

On February 5, 2024February 12, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People

For this week’s rant, I would like to talk about money; in particular, US$88.3 million. You may be asking yourself, “Scott, that’s a precise amount of money you’re mentioning, what’s going on?”

That’s very perceptive of you to notice, ka pai! If you haven’t already heard, you may need to sit down for this. Donald J. Trump, everybody’s favourite ex-president, was involved in a second defamation lawsuit brought against him by E. Jean Carroll.

Trump had previously been found guilty, of defaming and sexually abusing Carroll, in May 2023. This resulted in Trump having to pay $5 million to Carroll in damages.

Fast forward to the second defamation lawsuit, where on 26th January 2024, a jury of his peers assessed the trial and handed him two fines, $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages, to be paid to Carroll. There are a lot of other factors in these two cases, but the crux of it is this: the court had awarded Carroll $88.3 million in damages, and Trump is legally required to pay it.

I’m aware that Trump is appealling the decision, but I really want to talk that figure: $88.3 million. To me, that number is an astronomical amount for a single person to pay. It’s more money than a huge percentage of the world’s population would ever see or earn.

Which brings us to the question; what can you buy with $88.3 million?

I realise that the US currency is not the only currency that exists in the world, I mean New Zealand uses polymer Monopoly-type bank notes. That being the case, the fines were in US currency, so that’s the currency I’ll be using.

Before I start, I need to add three points:

1.) Any conversion of foreign currency will be accurate at the time of writing this blog.

2.) The price of any shares will be accurate at the time of writing this blog.

3.) Some suggestions will have a price tag, others will be donating to charities or organisations.

Awesome, let’s put on our imagination hats and on behalf of E. Jean Carroll, let’s spend $88.3 million on things that Trump would love.

Price Tag:

Diamond Life Membership to the NAACP: $2,500

Membership to the AAPIP: $300 per year

100,000 Pfizer shares at $26.93: $2,693,000

World Vision: To fund 1,000 community mini-savings banks at $591: $591,000

Oxfam: 10,000 Hygiene kits at $36.38: $363,800

Annual Washington Post Premium Digital subscription: $39 first year, then $100

Curator membership to American Museum of Natural History: $10,000 per year

Tractors for Africa: 50 x 75 HP tractors in Ghana at $35,000: $1,750,000

Frontline Membership to the Anti-Defamation League: $1,000 per year

Global Giving: Literacy Classes & Books for Afghan Women & Girls: Two reference books for a school or public library for $24: 2,500 books for $60,000.

Babbel: Learning Spanish-Lifetime membership: $299.50 (current sale)

Unicef USA: To fully vaccinate 500,000 children at $58: $29,000,000

Annual New York Times digital subscription: $20 first year, then $90

Becoming a Clinton Foundation Ambassador: starting at $1,500 per year

Lifetime member of Pride at Work: $1,000

Michelle Obama: The Light We Carry at Amazon: $20.99 paperback

100,000 NextEra Energy (solar and wind energy) shares at $58.15: $5,815,000

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Poster: $30.00

Donations:

The Water Project

Sandy Hook Promise

Welcome Corps

Open Society Foundations

World Health Organization (WHO)

Galck+(Formerly known as The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya)

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

United Way

Planned Parenthood

United Hands for Relief and Development (UHR)

Obama Foundation

Amnesty International

Everytown for Gun Safety

I’m sure Trump would approve of every single one of these wonderful selections, for Carroll to spend his money on.

This is all fun and games, but if we are allowed to be serious, there are thousands of worthwhile charities, NGOs, and groups in the world; which cover every possible theme or cause. $88.3 million could go a long way in helping a vast amount of people, in a short amount of time.

$88.3 million. That figure still staggers me, all because a 77-year-old man, could not stop insulting an 80-year-old woman. I wonder what a third defamation lawsuit would look like? Damages over $100 million? $125 million? Higher?

If the court awarded you $88.3 million of Trump’s money, what would you do? As always, please let me know.

That’s it for another blog and another week. Thank you so much for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup Finals, and I’ll see you next week.

Tour of the Solar System: Jupiter

On January 29, 2024March 4, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System is now one year old, and just like inflation, the end is nowhere in sight. Even though it’s a one-way relationship, I love space and everything in it, which sounds quite oxymoronic.

This tour is not for everybody or the faint of heart. Dubbed by the New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society, “…the worst example of science communication this country has seen, since your uncle tried to explain hydroponics to his dog.” Harsh, but fair.

Today marks the 11th tour stop, with the previous stops are as follows:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

Our last stop was the dwarf planet, Ceres, which is located in the Asteroid Belt. So, if you’ve been travelling along with us, you will realise that the next stop is rather large. It’s time to meet Jupiter!

There’s more information about Jupiter, than you can shake a stick at, on your best stick-shaking day. Because of this, today’s tour stop won’t be covering everything, but I’ll still give it a go.

Just like going to a speed dating event, let’s cover some basic information about the biggest sibling in the family. Jupiter is the fifth planet from our local natural fission factory and the first of the Outer Planets or gas planets.

To the best of my knowledge and understanding, Jupiter was formed around 4.6 billion years ago, making it older than Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars; otherwise known as the Inner Planets or the terrestrial planets.

Jupiter was named after the Roman King of the Gods, … pause for dramatic effect, Jupiter! For context, the Ancient Greek equivalent was Zeus.

For its size, Jupiter would be fighting in the heavyweight bouts. If you heard the gossip from Vicky from accounting, you would know that Jupiter is the second largest object in the Solar System; behind the Sun, and the largest planet in the Solar System.

It has a diameter of 142,984 km, which seems not bad. However, when you compare Jupiter’s size to Earth’s diameter of 12,740 km, you finally get the sense that Jupiter is truly colossal; a real giant. Jupiter is so massive, it could fit 1,300 Earths inside it. To me, that is insane.

Jupiter’s orbit is quite extraordinary also. Just like the Earth, it has an elliptical orbit. Jupiter’s perihelion is roughly 741 million km, while its aphelion is 817 million km. This means the average distance from the Sun to Jupiter is about 778 million km, with an orbital speed of 13.07 km/s.

Another cool aspect of Jupiter’s orbit is its barycentre. The centre of an object’s mass or its centre of gravity, is where the most amount of mass is located; like the middle of a ruler, or the head of a hammer.

In astronomy, two objects that orbit each other will also have a centre of mass, which is the point that the objects orbit. This is known as the barycentre point, and it is usually found near the object with the largest amount of mass.

For an example, between the Sun and the Earth, the barycentre lies close to the Sun’s centre. Jupiter is different because it has a lot more mass than the Earth, so the barycentre between the Sun and Jupiter, is not near the Sun’s centre; it’s an empty point in space, just away from the surface of the Sun!

And just like a Star Wars wipe transition, this brings us to time. With Jupiter’s rotation and orbital period, it takes Jupiter 10 Earth hours to rotate once, which makes it the shortest day in the Solar System. A Jovian year equals 4,333 Earth days, which is about 11.8 Earth years.

What this means is that the last time Jupiter was located at its present location; and at the time of this writing, Barack Obama was still in his first term, The Avengers were smashing cinemas worldwide, the second season of Game of Thrones was screening, and Somebody That I Used to Know was breaking hearts everywhere.

I also need to mention, much to Gollum’s disgust, that Jupiter put a ring on it. By this I mean, Jupiter is the first planet on our tour that has rings! Yes, that is not a mistake, Jupiter has rings! They weren’t discovered until 1979, thanks to the Voyager 1 space probe.

Jupiter has four rings, but they are very different from Saturn’s. Jupiter’s rings are very thin and faint, as they are mainly made from dust; which is different from the household variety. We’re talking about micro-particles made from rocks and minerals.

Scientists love to give terrible names to things, and the Jovian rings are no exception. Starting as the closest to Jupiter and moving outwards, we have the halo ring, the main ring, the Amalthea gossamer ring, and the Thebe gossamer ring. If you think these names are terrible, just wait for the rings of Saturn!

Not only does Jupiter have memberships to two exclusive clubs; the gas giants, and the rings clubs, but it also has moons! And when I mean moons, I mean it has more moons than Tony Stark has Iron Man suits. Currently, the International Astronomical Union has officially recognised 95 moons in the Jovian System.

The four largest of these moons, are Io, Callisto, Europa and Ganymede. They’re also known as the Galilean moons, as they were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, through the use of a telescope.

This made the Galilean moons the first objects in the Solar System to be discovered since humanity had been observing the planets, as well as the first objects to be found to orbit any planet that was beyond Earth.

The Galilean moons are an interest to scientists, for the possibility of harbouring life. Granted, if life does exist on one of the moons, it would be in the form of microorganisms, but who would be complaining?

It won’t be a surprise to learn that Space deniers, Flat Earthers, and supporters of the Ptolemaic model, view the Galilean moons with a level of disdain that rivals the height of Olympus Mons. It is also interesting to note that Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System; along with actually being larger than Mercury.

Because Jupiter is a gas giant, and unlike the terrestrial planets, it doesn’t have a true surface. Because of Jupiter’s size and mass, the atmospheric pressure would be greater than the bottom of Earth’s oceans. Jupiter is a death trap for people and spacecraft.

Like Earth’s atmosphere, the atmosphere of Jupiter is divided into layers or zones. The upper atmosphere contains about 90% hydrogen and 10% helium by volume, and 75% hydrogen and 24% helium by mass, with the remaining 1% made from other elements. The lower atmosphere is dense and consists of 71% hydrogen, 24% helium and 5% comes from other elements.

Jupiter’s atmosphere has also given the Solar System some pretty crazy weather. Winds have been recorded at the equator, clocking in at 539 km/h; it has raging cyclones and anticyclones; as well as the Big Red Spot. This is a famous high-pressure storm, that has been raging for centuries. As you can imagine, the Big Red Spot looks like a Big Red Spot. I told you scientists love giving terrible names to things.

Over the years, the Big Red Spot appears to be decreasing. Of course, this means future generations will only see the Big Red Spot in textbooks and photographs because it’s going to completely disperse. If they have access to a TARDIS, then it’s not a problem!

As I said near the start of this tremendous piece of science literature, there’s so much information about Jupiter to discuss, but as usual, I have run out of time. Well…not quite. I want to turn the amplifier up to eleven before I go.

Because of its size, Jupiter has the largest and strongest magnetic field of any planet in the Solar System, however, the Sun’s magnetic field is stronger. Jupiter’s magnetic field is 16-54 times stronger than Earth’s, and it extends 1-3 million km, in the direction of the Sun, as well as 1 billion km towards Saturn. This works out to about 7-21 times Jupiter’s diameter; which is larger than Rishi Sunak’s ego.

In addition to this, Jupiter acts as a bodyguard for the rest of the Solar System. Jupiter’s gravity well is so massive, that it attracts and diverts comets and asteroids into the Jovian System. This accounts for the extremely high rate of impacts in the Jovian System, and some scientists speculate, that this is why life on Earth has survived, because Jupiter keeps taking bullets for us.

Well, that’s it for another week. What’s your favourite fact about Jupiter? As always, please let me know. Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System will return next month, so please keep your tickets, as there are no refunds.

Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on Twitter and Mastodon, where I give the impression that I’m cool. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep watching the African Cup of Nations games, and I’ll see you next week when I’m going to discuss an unassuming $83.3 million.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Movie Review

On January 22, 2024January 29, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

Last week, I created one of the world’s best movie previews with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. So what you ask, could I do to top such an articulate, engaging, and studious form of critical literacy? By producing the review of course!

Unlike with The Flash movie last year, I didn’t purchase my ticket online. Armed with a second mortgage, I purchased my ticket from the cinema, along with my food. And just like last time, I walked straight into the theatre, with nobody stopping me to check my ticket.

On a special note, I saw the Dune: Part Two trailer there, and I wanted to shout, “Villeneuve, take my money! Take it now!”

Just like last time, let’s set the rules for the review.

1.) Please be aware there will be spoilers concerning the movie, so proceed with extreme anxiety and caution.

2.) The aim of my reviews are not to rip apart the subject or trash it. If I liked the subject enough to watch or read it, then I’ll give my honest (possibly biased) opinion.

3.) I’m not a professional critic, so I’m not going to dive into deeper concepts and themes, or the art of filmmaking. I’m just a geek; always have been, and always will be.

And with that, let the review begin!

To start at the beginning, did I like the movie? Yes, I did. Is it the greatest superhero movie ever made? No, it isn’t, but that’s ok because I had fun.

So what did I like about it? Just some quick things, I’m sorry. Firstly, and quite obviously would be the CGI. While watching the film, you can understand where the majority of the budget went. You’re setting the movie in Atlantis, with people who can live and breathe underwater, and swim at insane speeds. Of course, it looks amazing, it needs to!

I also enjoyed the design and scale of the sets, as well as the costumes. From a logistics point of view, it must be very extremely difficult to create something physical, that’s based on something else. If it’s an original piece of work, then you can make it look however you want.

However, if you’re adapting something, then you need to balance the old and new, by giving the item a sense of familiarity, mixed with contemporary, fantasy, or futuristic design. I thought the film looked gorgeous!

I also liked Arthur’s emotional growth since the last film. Yes, the core of him is still the same, but he’s changed. His new responsibilities have altered the way he sees the world, which is a positive thing.

Because of Momoa’s version of Aquaman, it was great to see humour leaking through into scenes, where I wasn’t expecting it. The difficulty of getting Arthur Jnr. to sleep, and keeping him asleep, is something I’m painfully aware of. As babies, both UMC1 and UMC2 firmly believed that sleep was only for the weak.

Amber Heard was in the film but with a much-reduced role. It may have hurt the plot because of this, but what do I know?

There are other things I enjoyed about the film, but let’s keep the movie train moving.

What about things I didn’t enjoy? I thought Kordax would have played more of a larger role. By this I mean, I thought he would have escaped his prison by the end of the first act, or the start of the second act, building to a final fight in the third act. He was defeated too quickly and easily, to be honest.

I thought Black Manta’s plan to burn the orichalcum, so he could gain access to Kordax’s prison, seemed overly complicated for such a simple thing. If Black Manta knew where Kordax’s prison was located, why couldn’t he use some flashy ultra-tech, to directly melt the ice?

Another thing that I thought was odd, was when Arthur came up with the idea of talking to Orm, the others explained that his jailors, the Deserters, would never allow this to happen. Arthur then explains he’s just going to break Orm out of prison instead, at the risk of igniting a war with them.

I realise the film needed a reason for Orm to be out of prison, I just thought it was strange that the best option open to them, was to break him out.

Alright, what about my preview questions?

Will Arthur and Orm’s relationship copy Thor and Loki’s? Yes, in a lot of ways, it did. At one point, Arthur even referred to Orm as Loki.
Will Orm have a redemption arc or will he return to his evil ways? He did have a redemption arc, and also found some much needed closure.
Is Black Manta one-dimensional? In this version, he certainly is. He can’t move past wanting vengeance against Arthur, over the death of his father.
What is Arthur’s relationship with Mera and Atlanna? Arthur is still happily married to Mera, and from what I saw, he’s still close with Atlanna.
Will there be a “talking to fish” reference? From what I remember, and I could be wrong about this, there wasn’t. However, both Arthur and Arthur Jnr., talk to some marine creatures in the film.
Will the plot be convincing or predictable? I think the plot was both. It was predictable, yet there were times it felt surprising.
Will there be a deus ex machina moment in defeating the undead merpeople army? I thought the undead merpeople army would have appeared earlier in the film, so it was a shock to only see them in the third act. And yes, there was a deus ex machina moment.
How much does the world know of Atlantis? That was answered in the film with Arthur and the council debates, with Atlantis still being kept a secret from the world.
Does the Justice League visit Atlantis? To the best of my knowledge, the Justice League were not mentioned or referred to; so I have no idea.
Will Aquaman say, “Outrageous!” in the film? Sadly, this outrageous statement did not occur in the film, which is an outrageous injustice.
Are the creatures from the Trench in the film? No, they were not, as much as I wanted them to be.
What type of closure will the film give us, since it’s the last entry in the DCEU? Atlantis has revealed itself to the world, and much like T’Challa and Wakanda at the end of the first Black Panther film, Arthur wants Atlantis to join the United Nations.

I think the largest question for Aquaman now, is what happens next? The DCEU is dead. Long live the DCU. It truly will be fascinating to see where Aquaman fits into this new shared universe, as well as the actors and actresses involved in the project. I understand Jason Momoa is out as Aquaman, but not out of the DCU? I don’t know, so you’ll have to ask James Gunn and Peter Safran.

If you’re on the fence about watching this film, you’re allowed to be. Like I said earlier, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is not the greatest superhero movie ever made, but it’s two hours of entertainment and fun, and you get to watch the good guys win. What’s wrong with that? The CGI underwater scenes are worth the cost of the ticket anyway.

Before I leave you and watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, I want to share something with you.

Superhero movies are not for everybody. But neither are horror, western, action, comedy, science-fiction, or musical movies. Given the state of 2023’s superhero movies, if we, the fans of superheroes and cinema, do not go and watch and support these movies, they will stop making them. And then we all lose.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a DC or Marvel fan, or something else, if a superhero movie flops, it sends shockwaves across Hollywood and influences other studios. They get scared and invest less money into a comic book movie, which increases the potential of the movie flopping. If we don’t watch these movies, they will stop making them.

And with that, I am done for another week. Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, go watch some of the African Cup of Nations games, and I’ll see you next week for the return of Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System!

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Movie Preview

On January 15, 2024January 29, 2024 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

The last time I saw a superhero movie at the cinema was The Flash. I do feel some guilt and shame though, because as a geek, I still haven’t seen Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, or Blue Beetle.

Having realised this, I have decreed that I will go and watch Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. My first and last preview was for The Flash, so after talking to Some Geek Told Me’s chief good ideas officer, the Rubicon was crossed and their advice ignored, so we are doing it again!

Aquaman is an interesting and somewhat confusing character because he’s often viewed as a punchline or as comedy relief. Arthur has been through many changes over the years, mainly sporting a 90’s beard, losing his son, losing his left hand, but also gaining a telekinetic harpoon for a hand; that was extremely badass.

Jason Momoa’s version of Arthur Curry in the DCEU has been outrageous.¹ Even though the DCEU has had the wobbles; in fairness, so has the MCU lately, let’s preview the last DCEU film and the sequel to the $1.152 billion juggernaut. ²

Before we move on, I need to state that I have tried exceptionally hard to avoid reviews about the film, apart from the box office takings. However, I have seen the trailers many times over. Sweet as? Let’s go!

Am I looking forward to watching Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom?

Of course I am, though my local cinema currently charges $17.00 per adult ticket. Ouch!

What is the movie about?

From what I understand, a few years have passed since the first film, because I believe Arthur and Mera have a son; but I don’t know his age. I also don’t know if Arthur and Mera are/were married, but I’m quite sure Arthur is still King Arthur, the once and future king.

Black Manta is still pissed at Arthur for indirectly killing his father, as you would. Because of this, he finds the Black Trident, which I can only assume is not a positive thing. From the trailers, Arthur has to team up with his half-brother Orm (Ocean Master), and possibly fight Black Manta and another villain.

Or I could be totally wrong.

What can we expect?

Apparently, the running time is 124 minutes, so you might as well say two hours. This length of time can sometimes be too long for a story, too short, or just right; so where this movie falls is anybody’s guess.

An obvious question is how much time will Amber Heard (Mera) have on screen, considering her very public court trial with Johnny Depp. Will she have the same supporting role as last time, will it be more, or even less? I have no idea, I work for a living.

I know Patrick Wilson (Orm), Temuera Morrison (Thomas Curry), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta), and Nicole Kidman (Atlanna), among others, have returned for the sequel. The question remains if there will be any cameos from characters from other DCEU films.

I know the film’s budget was around $200 million, so I expect a lot from the CGI; I mean a lot. There appears to be some sort of undead merpeople, swimming around creating mischief, and at first glance, they look good; as in badass. The fight scenes were impressive in the first film, so I hope they will be even better in the sequel.

Do I have concerns?

As I stated with the Flash preview, I will always have concerns with every comic book movie. Finding a balance between honouring the source material and having creative liberties is difficult, but not impossible.

Will Arthur and Orm’s relationship copy Thor and Loki’s?
Will Orm have a redemption arc or will he return to his evil ways?
Is Black Manta one-dimensional?
What is Arthur’s relationship with Mera and Atlanna?
Will there be a “talking to fish” reference?
Will the plot be convincing or predictable?
Will there be a deus ex machina moment in defeating the undead merpeople army?
How much does the world know of Atlantis?
Does the Justice League visit Atlantis?
Will Aquaman say, “Outrageous!” in the film?
What type of closure will the film give us, since it’s the last entry in the DCEU?
Are the creatures from the Trench in the film?

The fatigue of superhero movies has become a real problem now, with 2023 being a brutal year for the genre. However, let’s not be Marvin the Paranoid Android about this. I’m planning to be entertained for two hours, by a character that was created back in 1941. UMC1 would point out, that’s even older than me! I have high hopes for the film.

I have to check my social calendar, and my meetings with the Some Geek Told Me staff, to nail down a screening, however, I will see it at some point this week. Which of course means, that next week will be my review of the film.

Anyway, that’s it for another week. Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, stay away from Coruscanti death stick dealers, and I’ll see you next week.

^1).50 fifty points for anybody that gets that reference.

^2.)Sorry, I couldn’t help throwing in a Marvel reference.

SOME GEEK TOLD ME

Author: somegeektoldme@gmail.com