I want to talk about living in a society that has moved past COVID-19 and what it looks like. This could have been achieved through the use of magic, time travel, or just good old science. There are many countries that have come out of the other side of COVID-19, while others are still battling and fighting to keep their country afloat.
On 13th September 2022, the New Zealand Government scrapped the COVID-19 Protection Framework (traffic lights system), and on 28th September 2022, the last government vaccine mandates ended for health and disability workers.
It’s only been a few weeks, but what is life like now in Aotearoa New Zealand? Having given COVID-19 a flying kick in the face, along with an atomic elbow, how is our society responding to the lifting of vaccine and mask mandates? How are we progressing on getting back to normality?
My incoherent and insane observations are based on things that I have seen, hear, or read about in the last few weeks, whether it’s local or national. Whether this information is positive, negative, or in the middle…I’ll let you be the judge for that.
So without further ado, I will get straight to the matter. I will not be farting around discussing matters that are not important to the topic. Delaying this message will not help anybody; there will no procrastination here. I want to be direct with my information, so there will be no ambiguity or vagueness. Dithering, prolonging, or dawdling with this content, would be extremely unproductive and inefficient. I will not be dragging my feet, giving the you runaround, or shilly-shallying; there’s no way I would ever do that to you. No way; I would never waste your time…wait, what was I talking about?!
How Aotearoa New Zealand is adjusting to Post-COVID life
The Anti-Vaxxers are still proclaiming the pandemic was fake, because a.) they never were infected or b.) they were infected, but they had little to no symptoms.
Children’s illnesses like chicken pox; measles; hand, foot and mouth; and school sores have returned. This is because after two years, the public have forgotten every single lesson COVID-19 taught us.
Some candidates in local regional council elections are promoting their anti-vaxx, anti-mask and climate change denying beliefs; while some are trying to hide these beliefs.
Interest rates, supply chain issues, food and petrol prices are increasing; but house prices, community health measures, and the public’s support of the All Blacks are decreasing.
Since the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the concept of New Zealand becoming a republic, has been an increasing topic of conversation at the water cooler, dinner table, and at the pub.
Wearing a face mask in public has gone from being viewed as idiotic, to heroic, and back to being idiotic again.
Some businesses and companies have removed their plastic barriers, centred on interactions with the public; while others are committed to keeping them, to protect their staff.
Many extroverts across the country are now having a “livin’ la vida loca” lifestyle, while many introverts are remaining home, because they feel unsafe.
Regardless of gender, ages, and codes, some team sports are finding it difficult to field players, because people don’t want to be around other people. However individual sports are booming, especially hiking, surfing, biking, running, swimming, tennis, and golf.
Jehovah’s Witness are back knocking on doors. When I met the two guys at my house, they were so excited to be back talking to the public, that I talked to them for 15 minutes before letting them down.
And this is not even diving into the unemployment, domestic violence, youth suicide, crime, or mental health statistics.
On a brighter note, we are hosting the 2021 Rugby World Cup, from 8th October to 12th November. It features the 12 best women’s rugby teams on the planet…but because of COVID-19, the tournament was delayed a year, and the games are only being played in three stadiums; two in Auckland and one in Whangarei, which are all near the top of the country. It would take me some time to hitchhike there.
I’m not sure what else to say about this; somehow New Zealand is better off, and equally, worse off because of surviving COVID-19. The biggest change for me is the number of conspiracy groups that were on the fringe of society, are now nearly mainstream. It’s the realisation that a family friend is an Anti-Vaxxer, or your barber is an Anti-Masker.
There are some deep lines of division in this odd little country, that I fear will we never really be able reconcile. It’s a hell of a thing to listen to people that you admire and respect, start discussing conspiracy theories about climate change, vaccines, masks, and anything else. Somehow, I think COVID-19 has emboldened them, like taken away their fear of sounding crazy. But that could be another blog for another day.
The new House of the Dragon episode is up, so I need to watch it before I read spoilers. I’m stupid and read too many things I shouldn’t. Thanks for reading my little project, walk your dog, read some banned books and I’ll see you next week.
I try to keep my promises as much as I can, so here’s the nondescript account of my experience of the Dunedin Half Marathon 2022.
The run started at 9.00 am, which meant I woke up without an alarm, near 5.10 am. We’re off to a great start already.
Let’s back up a little shall we? My wife, UMC1 and UMC2 travelled down to Dunedin with me on the Friday, so we could stay for the whole weekend. I’d been saving for a few months for the trip, because we had some child-friendly activities we had planned to do around Dunedin; especially visiting the museum. We are a family of nerds/geeks after all.
We stayed at a hotel, and I’ll be honest; no matter the different places we went to, or the different things that we did with UMC1 and UMC2, the highlight of the trip for them, was the hotel room. We don’t have a television at home, so watching Saturday morning cartoons, was unreal for them; particularly using the remote control. It took both of us to convince them to actually leave the hotel room, because they were having so much fun.
Anyway, after picking up the race pack, and making our plans for Sunday morning, it was time for me to start slowly getting anxious. What a winner.
Like I said at the start, I woke up at 5.10 am on Sunday morning, because we were all sleeping in the same room. I could only listen to UMC1 and UMC2 argue in their sleep for only so long, before I had to get up. Reading news articles and watching video clips about Queen Elizabeth II’s death, at the time seemed like a good idea, like an ejection seat in a helicopter.
After reading and watching an avalanche of information about the Queen, I knew I needed breakfast, however this is a riddle I have never been able to solve. It comes in two parts: what do you eat before a race? and when should you actually eat? I’ll be damned if I know.
Being a very amateur runner, I decided on cereal, toast and yoghurt, because…well, we didn’t have anything else in the unit. After eating, getting changed and packing my bag, I needed to wake everybody else up and the results were not pretty.
After my wife dropped me off near Forsyth Barr Stadium, I followed the stream of positive and intelligent people, that were deliberately going to put themselves through hours of pain. Caledonian Ground was the destination, and after arriving there, things just got real.
There was a sea of people in and around the ground, so I decided to perform my token stretches on the rugby field next door. After embarrassing myself by smothering my legs with vaseline to avoid chafing, I wandered over to the starting line.
As I walked past the elite runners at the front and headed towards the back, I started noticing people. They were ready and I was woefully not ready. The realisation that I was ill prepared for the run, was a horrible thing. A bad diet and a somewhat lack of training is never a great combination; like vodka and swimming.
There was a guy vaping, while he was waiting near me, which did a lot to build my confidence. Oh, I’m sorry, did I say build? What I meant to say was destroy! And before you could say, “Pachycephalosauruswere crazy looking bipedal herbivore dinosaurs”, the race had started.
We headed out towards the industrial area, while trying not to crash into anybody. From there, it was along the water front and out towards the peninsula. And this is where it got weird for me.
I remember passing the 5 km mark, because it was the turning point for the 10 km runners; but from then on, I didn’t see another distance marker until the 18 km mark. It was weird to be actively participating in an distorted example of the Uncertainty principle. I knew how much time had passed, but not my location.
After finally reaching the turning point for the race, I started remembering and listening to my body. I remember my brain convincing my heart, legs, stomach, and everything else, that running in this race was a great idea. On the way back, my brain had absolved itself of any involvement in the decision making process, and was trying to force a confession from some other body part, blaming them for the decision to run. My body was not happy with itself.
On the way back, something very predictable happened; young and older runners started passing me. I found that experience to be soul crushing, especially when I’m running as fast as I can! Eventually I saw the 18 km mark and I realised that my dream time was not going to be achieved. So being the winner that I am, I slipped down to aim for my second dream time.
Running towards the finish line, which was actually a pub, did not have the desired impact for me; I just wanted it to be over. I crossed the line and even though I didn’t get the time that I wanted, I got the time that I needed. I shaved nine minutes off my previous time, though I sound like such a loser, it’s hilarious!
Anyway, the run was not the total disaster I thought it would be, I could even do squats the next day, which was a minor miracle. I showed UMC2 my finisher’s medal and he said it was stupid, because it had no yellow on it. Cheers mate, thanks for the support.
I have another race in a fortnight, but this one is actually local. This means hundreds of people in the community will get to see me fail. I’m a D-List celebrity, so I’m looking forward to people telling me that I suck. Can’t wait.
So that’s it. I’m back to running half marathons, by starting with energy and hope, and ending with despair and misery. Cool. House of the Dragon is now up, so I need to study some more fictional royal family trees. Thanks for reading, walk your dog, read some banned books and I’ll see you next week.
I want to talk about grief, in particular when your favourite team is losing. I’m serious! Anybody that supports a team; no matter the sport, will know the highs and lows of being a supporter.
You believe that supporting the team, helps the players to achieve heroic deeds on the field/court/pitch. You don’t listen to the haters and non-believers that preach insane things like, telling the referee/umpire to open their eyes, will not actually make it happen. “Haters are going to hate”, you say. “My team needs me”, you say.
You’re a staunch supporter, always watching or attending a game, whether you were introduced to the team as a young child or as an adult. Whatever the case, you’re loyal to them. When they win, you share in their glory, reinforcing the amazing belief, that your support of them can actually bend the laws of the universe, and actually make them win. They won because of your support, because you’re part of the team. Search your feelings, you know this to be true.
But there is the other side of the coin. Much like Two-Face’s double headed coin, or with the concept of love, in Jane Austen’s novels and the Brontë sisters’ literature; one side is amazing and beautiful, while the other is twisted and scarred.
When your team loses a game, you can sit down and semi-rationalise the loss. It’s like when you hit or knock your ulnar nerve on the humerus bone; it hurts, but you know you can get over it. Everything will be alright, the team will learn some lessons from the loss, so they can get straight back to winning.
But what happens when they don’t? What if the unthinkable happens and they fall into a losing streak? Fear, doubt and anger start to seep in. However, just like Master Yoda said, “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
The truth is this: if you truly support a team, you will end up suffering along the way. That being the case, I thought a guide to understanding your grief may help some people in this. I know what I’m talking about, because I’m an All Blacks supporter1, so parts of 2021-2022 have been…unpleasant and very uncomfortable.
Alright, so my team has lost a game. Who cares! Every team loses at some point during the season. They’re fine.
Sorry, what did you say? They lost again. That’s two games now. Not a problem, they are ironing out some wrinkles in their set plays. They’re fine.
Hmmm….that’s three games they have lost now. It’s still ok, they have had some injuries and travel issues. This is not a slump, it’s a small, tiny, extremely minor bump in the road. They’re fine.
Yes, yes, I saw the game, they lost again. I think that makes it four games now. That referee was an idiot, so technically they didn’t lose, it was stolen from them. They’re fine.
I’m telling you, they’re fine! Losing five games does not mean a losing streak. Seriously, stop talking about it! The players and coaching staff are doing their best, stop talking about them. THEY’RE FINE!
SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! They are not in a slump! I know they have lost six games, but its not their fault! Leave them alone! THEY ARE NOT IN SLUMP! THEY’RE FINE!
Sadly at some point during the season; but try as you may, you can’t deny reality anymore. Whether they have lost two, three, four, or even ten games, whatever the number for whatever fan/supporter, sooner or later, you have to face the reality that your team is losing. You can’t deny this anymore, than you can stop Last Week Tonight from winning Emmys for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series or Outstanding Variety Talk Series.
Second Stage: Anger
Dammit, what the hell is happening?! You really need someone to blame for this disaster!
Let’s make a list of accountability:
It’s the players fault: They are not training or focused enough.
It’s the coaching staff fault: They are not preparing the players well enough.
It’s the players children’s fault: Their parent is missing the game to attend the child’s birthday. How selfish is that child to want to see their parent on their birthday?
It’s a player’s new spouse’s fault: How dare they think getting married during the season is a good idea? What? There’s a honeymoon as well? Divorce their arse, right now!
It’s a player’s pregnant wife/girlfriend fault, for going into labour: What in the nine circles of Dante’s Hell is she thinking, giving birth during the season?! How self-centred can you be?
It’s a player’s family member fault, that has died: Oh, don’t get me started on that selfish person! They have made this season into all about them!
It’s the media’s fault: The media keeps writing terrible things about the team; the team reads the terrible things; the team plays terribly; and the cycle repeats.
It’s the team’s bus driver’s fault: The driver is not providing a ride that allows the team to arrive at the stadium, fully refreshed and ready. They are playing the wrong music and making too many left turns.
It’s the President’s or Prime Minister’s fault: They are in charge of the whole country, so this means the team’s failures are their fault. Vote them out!
It’s Climate Change’s fault: Bloody Climate Change! It’s making the weather unstable, so the players can’t play properly.
It’s Stephen King’s fault: His books are so creepy, that after reading them, the players refuse to go to sleep anymore, because of the nightmares.
It’s Critical Race Theory’s (CRT) fault: This educational module confuses the players and makes them turn on each other, thus the team performs badly.
There could be one or several reasons why the team has lost their form, but whatever it is, your anger will be directed at one person or several; whether they deserve your criticism or not. If a scapegoat can be found, then everything else will just fix itself. If only…
The problem is no matter how angry you are feeling, the players and coaching staff are feeling it 1,000 times more.
Third Stage: Bargaining
This is an odd one, because you need two things for bargaining: something to bargain and someone to bargain with.
With the former, maybe you’re going to give up drinking beer for a month, if your team starts winning. Or it could giving up smoking; giving more to charity; cleaning the bathroom for six months; changing every nappy for a week; start watching the game in your least favourite chair, attending a game in different seats; creating a swear jar; being less judgmental, cynical, pessimistic, or sarcastic; or maybe it could be to give up watching the games for the rest of the season, if only they could please start winning games!
For the other part, whom are your negotiations directed at? God? Jesus? Allah? Jehovah? Moses? Buddha? Waheguru? Brahma? Vishnu? Gandalf? Captain Planet? Spider-Man? Green Lantern? Goku? Yoda? Spock? Splinter? Aslan? Harry Potter? The Doctor? Neil degrasse Tyson? King Charles III? Elon Musk? Liz Truss? Or maybe any patron saint or god of sport?
Ultimately your bargaining will fall on deaf ears. Why would anybody accept your prayers for your team to start winning again, when there is another person praying for your team to lose; or at the very least, praying for their team to win?
I think God has bigger things to worry about, like fighting against racism and climate change, but also trying to figure out why Sour Cream and Chives were created, than worrying about your team. Sorry.
Fourth Stage: Depression
Depression or the black dog is easy to describe; your beloved team is losing and it hurts. Everywhere people are talking about it: talkback radio, breakfast shows, work places, newspapers, magazines, podcasts….you can’t escape it. Your busy mind is now stuck reliving the defeats, but also wondering what else could happen?
It is such a bleak outlook, when watching people that support the team, slowly turn on them. You try to distract yourself by actually living your life, but the defeats are still there. Always there, following you around like the entity in It Follows; except for the sex, because who can think of sex when your team is losing!
Food has lost it’s beautiful taste, and your beloved sport now feels like it was created to punish those that love it.
You refuse to read or listen to anything about the crisis, until you do by accident, and you wish you hadn’t. Your mind dives deep into the catastrophe, which causes you more torment, which in turn, causes more depression.
Your team is losing, people are laughing at them, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. But it will be alright, this will not last forever, even though it feels like it will. Your team will survive this, and so can you.
Fifth Stage: Acceptance
Having a brutal and honest conversation with yourself is never easy, and acceptance is the worst. When staring at yourself in the mirror, you have to admit: this is not an episode from the Twilight Zone or Black Mirror; it is not a dream from a hateful elder god; it is not a vision from a parallel world; this is real. Your team is losing.
You have accepted a horrible truth, but it’s a truth. And at this point, you realise that all of the negative emotions you have been experiencing, is because of one thing: you still love your team. If you didn’t, you would be indifferent, but you’re not. You still care.
It is very easy to love and support a team when they are winning. It’s more difficult to love and support them when they are losing, but that is exactly what a fan would do.
So after everything, what do you do? Easy, you start wearing your team’s jersey/shirt/uniform in public. You don’t give up on them when it’s hard; that’s when the team needs your support more than ever. People will hassle you for wearing their colours, but let’s face it; haters are always going to hate. Let them.
You love your team. You always have and you always will. Keep the faith and don’t give up on them.
Hopefully this guide will come in handy for someone, because it’s been therapeutic for me to write it. Anyway, my stomach has woken up and I need to search for ice cream. Support your team, walk your dog, read some banned books, and I’ll see you next week with the blog about the Dunedin Half Marathon. I know, I know, you can’t wait to read it, but you’re going to have to. Sorry!
1 I know it is so cliché for a New Zealander to support the All Blacks, but I’m a product of my environment. But what I am doing to do? Support Australia?!
I was going to talk about my half marathon from the weekend, but I thought better of it; I’ll do it next week. Considering what has happened, I feel the need to talk about HM Queen Elizabeth II. I’ll try and keep this short, but I can’t promise anything.
Queen Elizabeth II meant many different things to many different people, but also for different reasons. To some people she was everything, to others she hardly meant anything at all. To some she was a progressive, generous, loyal and caring female leader, while to others she was the figurehead of imperialism and colonialism. Whatever the case you believe in, she was a global icon.
Being a New Zealand citizen as well as growing up here, the Queen has been the head of state, since 1952. Many people have already stated this, but it does not make it any less true; the Queen was a constant force in our lives.
Whether it was through stamps, bank notes, coins, official portraits, speeches, or tours, she was always there, because she is everywhere in Aotearoa. She was almost like the nation’s grandmother in a way. There was aura of stability with her, I mean she did see 17 New Zealand Prime Ministers and 15 United Kingdom Prime Ministers take office, that served under her reign.
Like millions of other people in the Commonwealth, she’s the only monarch I have ever known, because basically, she was the Queen of New Zealand. I’ve always liked this, for reasons that are too stupid and strange to explain.
I do find it funny that during her many tours of New Zealand, the Queen visited my home town. At least twice. WTF???
Her reign lasted 70 years and 214 days, which was longer than the Nazis, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the Khmer Rouge, the Chilean Junta, and South African apartheid system had lasted.
She died at the age of 96, which meant she outlived some 20th century winners like Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Kim Il-sung, Ferdinand Marcos, Robert Mugabe, Idi Amin, Augusto Pinochet, Pol Pot, Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Francisco Franco, Hideki Tojo, Juan Perón, and Josip Broz Tito. She outlived all of them.
With the ascension of HM King Charles III, comes three interesting points, at least to me.
1.) All of the historic ceremonies surrounding the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, including the proclamation of HM King Charles III, but mainly her funeral; followed by the King’s coronation.
2.) The slow and subtle changes to be made in New Zealand culture. I’m talking about the eventual phasing out of the Queen’s image and name on stamps, bank notes ($20), coins, passports, court rooms, and official portraits; but at the same time, possibly some more plaques, monuments, or statues will be dedicated to her. We will also lose the public holiday of Queen’s Birthday, but gain King’s Birthday. Eventually.
3.) Continuing to live our lives, but in the knowledge that our monarch is no longer a female, but a male. A simple, but difficult fact to adjust to.
Just like Stan Lee and Stephen Hawking, I always thought I would meet the Queen one day. I don’t why or how, but I just thought it would happen, at some point in my life. The illogical side of me; which there is a lot, thought that if any person was going to be immortal, it was going to be her.
“She can’t die, she’s the Queen. She’s going to live forever.”
Anyway, I’d like to thank her for all that she was done, not just for the United Kingdom, but for the world.
From everybody connected to Some Geek Told Me, our deepest condolences to the Royal family, the citizens of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, but also to the staff that saw, supported, and worked along side HM Queen Elizabeth II, every single day.
That’s it for today, I have House of the Dragon to watch now. Please walk your dog, read some banned books and I’ll see you next Monday.
I want to talk about new The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power tv show. Why? Just like Netflix’s The Sandman, this show will mean a lot to me, plus I haven’t seen it. Yet.
From what I understand of the show, it is set during the Second Age of the Sun, so it will involve the forging of the 20 rings of power; at some point during the first, second or third season.
I love J. R. R. Tolkien’s world of Arda, but even though I am a geek, I’m not a expert like Stephen Colbert. Because of this, I’m so ready for this show. I am curious if the Silmarils or Sauron’s boss, Morgoth, will get a mention or have a cameo.
I’ve seen the trailers of the show, and mentioned it during my San Diego Comic Con blog. So at the time of writing this blog, the first two episodes of the show have been released on 1st September 2022, and from what I understand, it will be a eight episode season. Awesome!!!
However because I haven’t seen them yet, I thought it might be another terrible idea to display some creative negative reviews of the show, whether by professionals or non-professionals.
“Anyway, I always like to listen, watch, or read someone’s opposite opinion or review on things that I love. Basically, it’s so I can determine if there is any truth to what they are saying, because I may actually agree with them; or if they are just talking through their arse.“
REMINDER:
1.) I have not seen The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Yet.
2.) Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the best creative negative reviews of the Rings of Power, that I can find.
Everybody complained about diversity but that was the least of its problems. As Danish newspaper Politiken puts it, it’s like amateur theater.
Lee82: ½/5 star rating
2nd September 2022
It was mostly bloody awful. Not worth watching at all. Amazon should have used the money to buy the rights to the premier league. Then we wouldn’t have to watch it on sky. What a waste of money!
Luke: 1/5 star rating
2nd September 2022
Just a genuinely boring show with an uninteresting story. Its trying to hard to be a profound work of art, it seems more of a 1980s low budget fantasy movie than a billion dollar tv show from the 2020s. The visuals look like poorly done videogame cutscenes. Not at all engaged by the story.
Edgar H: 1/5 star rating
2nd September 2022
I didn’t expect much and the opening scene was actually better than what I thought it would be. Then everything went cringe. The writing & dialogue are truly awful. The elves just look like a bunch of dudes. The second age hobbits look dirty & seem dumb af, except for Nori. The cast for Galadriel is the worst, and to think this is going to go on for a few seasons… Actually ended up skipping parts in the first episode. Not a good look.
jakob o: 1/5 star rating
2nd September
FIRE EVERYONE WHO WAS WORKING ON THIS! WTF i just watched… This is the WISH version of Lord of the Rings. The only thing thats good are the Special FX. But good Special FX dont make a good movie!
IMDb:(Accurate for 5th September 2022, though very difficult to find)
6.8/10 rating
ferallk: 1/10 rating
2nd September 2022
Half of episode and i’m out of here! Boring and dull. It lacks the determination of Tolkien to bring us the fantastic universe that he created. Just a wannabe s..t show, created just for money, and not for the fans. DISAPOINTED!
The show is lore inaccurate, it lacks personality, dull characters and to much awokeness. From the universe of Tolkien , they hand picked some information, some characters and tried to put them back is this form. The only thing positive is the CGI.
Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Spear shall be shaken, shield shall be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now, ride! Ride for ruin and the world’s ending!
Viewers hungry for Middle-Earth Anything could be satisfied, and I guess you could argue Rings of Power is no worse than all the other expensively empty genre adventures (Altered Carbon, anyone?) that have proliferated through the streaming era. But this series is a special catastrophe of ruined potential, sacrificing a glorious universe’s limitless possibilities at the altar of tried-and-true blockbuster desperation.
Turkey is not the word. No turkey, however bloated and stupid, could ever be big enough to convey the mesmerising awfulness of Amazon’s billion dollar Tolkien epic.
This is a disaster dragon – plucked, spatchcocked, with a tankerload of Paxo stuffed up its fundament, roasted and served with soggy sprouts.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Amazon Prime) is so staggeringly bad, it’s hilarious. Everything about it is ill-judged to a spectacular extreme.
The cliche-laden script, the dire acting, the leaden pace, the sheer inconsistency and confusion as it lurches between styles – where do we start?
…Thus, lacking further information, all available evidence supports the conclusion that the death and rebirth processes are functionally identical in Rings of Power and Cats. Both texts’ death rituals even involve singing, with the elven passengers on the ship to the Undying Lands bursting into song as they approach their destination.
The parallels don’t end with the Valinor Layer either. Both cats and elves have pointed ears and excellent eyesight; are noted for their beauty, keen senses, and grace; and can be dangerous when provoked.
There are other reviews of the show that are equally creative out there, but I’m good with what I’ve found, because I find them quite entertaining. We now have entered the final round, should you watch it or skip it? With all of the toxic fan reviews, going up against the positive reviews, it is quite difficult to know the truth.
Well as for me, I promise you I’m going to watch it. I’m not sure how, but I will do it; I’m a geek, this show was made for my kin. Maybe I’ll love it, maybe I’ll hate it, or maybe I’ll just enjoy visiting Arda again.
The Road goes ever on and on, Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.
What I can say is that after I have watched the first season, I’ll let you know my thoughts about it.
Have you already seen The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? If you have, please let me know your thoughts on it.
Ok, I’m done. The Dunedin Half Marathon is this weekend and I’m ill prepared for it in every department. I’ll let you know how bad it went. And with that, I’ll take my leave and I’ll see you next Monday.
I want to talk about the four fundamental forces in the universe. Why? Well this has been a terrible idea of mine for some time now, so I was thinking, “Why delay it any longer?”
Before we can get to the main event, we need to establish what a fundamental force is and why would anybody care. There are many different types of forces that homo sapiens have discovered and identified over the years, such as the normal, friction, air resistance, spring, elastic, and buoyancy force, and many, many more. Sadly we still have not accessed the Speed Force, though several speedsters could be of assistance.
To the best of my understanding, all of the known forces are some form of either pushing and/or pulling. Because of this, and just like how scientists can trace living species back to their ancient ancestors, forces can be traced back as well.
This means one force is connected, related, or linked to another force, until you can trace them all back, to a point where the action being done, can’t really be explained any simply or easier; thus making it a fundamental force of the universe: that we know of. Someone with a lot more letters after their name than me, would probably be able to give you, the curious reader, a better explanation for this; but alas, you have me.
Just like the title of the blog indicates, there are four fundamental forces in the universe, that govern the laws of interactions. In no particular order, though some may feel like they are more important than others, the fundamental forces are electromagnetic, strong, weak and gravity.
Just like unpacking some IKEA furniture and you realise there are no instructions, you ask yourself, “Now what?” Ok, let’s look at the forces and try to understand what they are and how they fit into the universal jigsaw puzzle.
Just like Batman is known as the Dark Knight, the electromagnetic force is also known as the electromagnetic interaction. So what does it do when its not at home mowing the lawn?
The electromagnetic force seems to be the Swiss Army knife of physics, because it is responsible for a lot. It is a long range force that is either attractive or repulsive, though it depends on the charges that it is dealing with, which will be negative or positive.
This is the force inside an atom that keeps electrons in orbit around the atomic nucleus. The electromagnetic force also creates magnetic and electric fields, electromagnetic waves, chemical bonding, and visible light. It’s pretty cool when you think about it, well at least to me.
Strong Force
The strong force, the strong interaction, and the strong nuclear force, are all the different names it is known by; though their ex would have some creative names as well.
There is something to be said about doing one thing, but doing it really well. The strong force does one thing, but if it was bad at it, well…the universe and our world, would be a very different place.
The strong force operates on the subatomic level, namely in atomic nuclei. Inside the nucleus of an atom (except for hydrogen), protons have a positive charge, while neutrons have a negative charge.
You all know what happens when you try to bring two magnets together with the same charge; instead of attraction, they repel or push away from each other. So imagine that scenario with two positively charged protons, inside the nucleus of an atom.
Because the protons both have the same charge, they both should repel each other. But they don’t, do they? If they did, atoms could not form, along with stars, dogs, water, turnips, carbon dioxide, and people. But this doesn’t happen, so why?
That’s right, the strong force is actually strong enough to overcome the protons’ repulsion of each other, and bind them to the neutrons. But that’s not all, the strong force also binds the quarks inside the protons and neutrons together. The strong force has one very attractive job1, but it does it really, really well, just like the Flash.
Weak Force
Alright, let’s march on to the next force: the weak force, aka the weak interaction, or the weak nuclear force.
You may think the weak force has something to do with a geek or nerd using free weights, but you would be wrong. The weak force is actually about decay. Radioactive decay to be correct.
Just like the strong force, the weak force operates within an atom, but on a much smaller scale. Basically, through the use of the weak force, a proton can be changed into a neutron, but also inversely; which to me is just mental. This process is a form of radioactive decay known as beta decay, which is where particles are pushed out of the nucleus, as quarks change their “flavour.”
The weak force actually helps one element change into a new element, which is what happens with nuclear fission in nuclear reactors, and nuclear fusion in the core of the Sun. Now imagine if we didn’t have the weak force? To me, that is a horrifying thought; just like Sour Cream and Chives.
Gravitational Force
And so we have reached the fourth and final, and quite possibly the most famous fundamental force; gravity or the gravitational force. This is quite interesting, because of all of the fundamental forces, gravity is the weakest.
Gravity is a long range attractive force, that exists between two objects that contain mass. Gravity not only can describe the motions of objects and help growth of life forms on Earth, but also objects like planets, stars, black holes, and galaxies.
Gravity basically just wants to pull or bring mass together. When working on or talking about the subatomic world, gravity has little or no effect on this region of reality, which is where the other three fundamental forces come into play.
There are four footnotes I need to add to my badly explained blog.
1.) When discussing the fundamental forces, many contemporary scientists prefer to combine the electromagnetic force with the weak force, to become the electroweak interaction or electroweak force. This is because they are viewed as two sides of the same coin.
2.) If you have ever heard the phrase, Grand Unified Theory, it’s actually a particle physics model where the electromagnetic, strong, and weak forces combine into one single force. However after saying that, we can dial it up to 11 for the next footnote.
3.) There are terms like, Superforce, Unified field theory, and the Theory of everything, are; at least to me, different ways to describe all four fundamental forces and merge them together, to create one unified force. This force would also incorporate quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity.
Electromagnetic!
Strong Nuclear!
Weak Nuclear!
Gravity!
Go, Superforce!
By your powers combined, I am Captain Superforce!
Captain Superforce, he’s our hero, Gonna take ignorance down to zero, He’s our powers amalgamated, And he’s fighting on science’s side
Captain Superforce, he’s our hero, Gonna take ignorance down to zero, Gonna help him to educate, Bad guys who like to lie and hate
“You’ll pay for this Captain Superforce!”
We’re real scientists, You can be one too! Because learning about the universe is the thing to do, Disinformation and denial is not the way, Hear what Captain Superforce has to say:
“THE POWER TO LEARN IS YOURS!!”
That would be a kick arse kids science anime show.
4.) When discussing the fundamental forces, the Standard Model of particle physics is crucial to this. It’s like the chips are physics, the salt are the fundamental forces, and the vinegar is the Standard Model. I will talk about the Standard Model and how it connects to the fundamental forces, one day, but not this day. That is another blog, for another Monday.
Hopefully that was easy to read and understand, so I’m praying I didn’t get too many things wrong. Anyway, that’s it for me. I have finally started watching Star Trek: Discovery, so I need to get back to it. Thanks for reading, walk your dog and I’ll see you next Monday.
I want to talk about 21.1 km. Why? Well 21.1 km is the distance for a half marathon, and I’m starting to wonder how many of them, my body and mind can actually handle.
Just like the Lighthouse of Alexandria, let’s bring some illumination to this small discussion. The words run and fun, are not generally used in the same sentence; other than describing how going for a run, is not fun.
As a way to pass the time as I travel around the Sun, I like to go running. Sorry, I meant to say, I suffer running. Honestly though, I actually enjoy it for some twisted and strange reasons. Whether its for a 5 km or 10 km run, I get a lot of happiness by moving slightly faster than walking.
Sometimes if I can drag my old tired arse of out bed, and if UMC1 and UMC2 manage to stay asleep, I get to go running before work; or sometime in the weekend. I won’t go on about it too much, but running is pretty important to me. It really makes me happy, like watching videos about pandas failing at basic stuff.
Anyway, this has led me to enter different running races over the years, from 5 km to 21.1 km. I sound like a loser when I say this, but I never enter them to win; mainly because I’m too slow and never could, but in reality, its all about actually finishing and trying to improve. Maybe.
I ran my first half marathon in 2010, and I regret not running them sooner. I had always been nervous and afraid about running a half marathon, so I just kept telling myself that I couldn’t do it and like the citizens of the Capitol, Panem, I kept believing that lie.
This stopped when I realised I really needed to know if I could go the distance; pun very much intended. I did some form of training nearly every day for six months, leading up to the run….and to my utter shock, I finished it quite well; for me at least.
I would like to point out that during this period of my life, I was single, with no children and no dog. Another way to look at it, was that I had a lot of time on my hands.
Fast forward 12 years, and I’m married, living with UMC1, UMC2, the hardest working Bichon Frise in the country, and one big fat mortgage. So with my running, I’m a lot older and slower now. This brings us to a few weeks ago where I ran my first half marathon in over a year.
This is because of everybody’s least favourite virus, COVID-19. A lot of races have been cancelled over the last two years, so my training for them has been pretty awful.
Because of the length of time between races, I had forgotten some things about running a half marathon. Far better and faster runners than me, will have a different set of insights into 21.1 km of regret.
Depending on the layout of the course, you could be running several laps around it. This means at some point, the elite runners will pass you, like Tenya Iida from My Hero Academia, and you feel like you’re standing still. Awesome.
Runners that are blatantly older than you, will breeze past you as you think, “It’s ok, they are allowed to pass me. They’re older and have experience than me.”
Runners that are blatantly younger than you, will breeze past you as you think, “It’s ok, they are allowed to pass me. They’re younger and fitter than me.”
At every kilometre mark, you are calculating what your projected finish time will be, and you’re quite pleased with it. However at the 15 km mark, you have the gut-punching realisation, that you are sadly going to go over your projected time.
Running behind someone with a ponytail, can be very interesting. The ponytail is swishing from side to side, and after a few minutes staring at it; and because you are thirsty, hungry, and tired, you are quickly hypnotised by it.
Trying to drink from a paper cup while running, sucks. You drink 40%, spill 40% on the road, spill 10% on your hand, and spill the final 10% on your face.
Around the 15-16 km mark, your legs can’t decrease or increase speed anymore; you are stuck at that speed for the rest of the race.
You don’t talk to anybody, because that will use precious oxygen that your lungs need.
You have a honest conversation with yourself as you’re running: You remind yourself that you’re not 18 years old anymore, and you are never doing this again.
You start dreaming of the delicious food you will eat, after finishing the race, only to realise that you have to actually finish the race first.
You begin to question all of your life choices that have led to this moment.
With every step that you run, the road/track is slowly sapping away your energy.
The idea hits you that you’re an idiot. You’re paying for the privilege to punish yourself by running 21.1 km. What a moron.
At the end of the race, you are so happy that the pain has finished as well. Doubt it!
For the next 2-3 days, you will have difficultly sitting down, standing up and walking. Don’t even think about kneeling!
You start walking like a penguin; so its more like a waddle.
Your spouse is often conflicted about your post-race condition: on one hand they are quite supportive and sympathetic towards you, but on the other hand, they are trying in vain to suppress their laughter at your moans and groans, as you try to dress yourself.
As you register for the next race, you convince yourself that this one will be better than the last one; even though, you know you are lying to yourself.
I’m a slow learner, because I’m running the Dunedin Half Marathon in three weeks. What an idiot, so I’ll let you know how it goes. Anyway, thanks once again for reading, walk your dog, stay away from Sour Cream and Chives, and I’ll see you next Monday.
I want to talk about Netflix’s new show, The Sandman; but the negative reviews in particular. Why? For those of you that don’t already know, and without launching into another one of my stupid speels, I’m a fan of Dream; his dysfunctional family; and of the Dreaming.
Obviously The Sandman is based on the comic book of the same name, and with every and any adaptations for television or film, there will be some changes, whether they are subtle, small, large or can’t even recognise the original material anymore. New and old fans of the original content, but also viewers of the adaptation, will voice their opinions and reviews of it. I meant, that’s what the internet is for: to fight with people over fictional characters.
Well Scott, what’s that got to do with the price of milk? Great question, so here’s the answer. I don’t have Netflix, because I’m just not organised enough to have it, plus I’m not cool enough. That being the case, I haven’t seen The Sandman. Yet. Hope springs eternal though.
However that has not stopped me from watching videos from the show, and reading reviews about it. This of course finally brings me to the point of this self-opinioned geek rant; when it comes to The Sandman and many other properties that I love, I am very bias.
So when someone starts talking smack about things that I love or have an interest in (whatever it is), I listen. I don’t automatically dismiss the negative remarks, except for Salt and Vinegar. That’s a hill I will die on.
Anyway, I always like to listen, watch, or read someone’s opposite opinion or review on things that I love. Basically, its so I can determine if there is any truth to what they are saying, because I may actually agree with them; or if they are just talking through their arse.
Because of this idiotic philosophy, may I present some of the most creative negative reviews of The Sandman, that the internet has got to offer, but also the best ones that I can actually find.
REMINDER:
1.) I have not seen The Sandman. Yet.
2.) Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. 1
Sweet? Awesome let’s do this!
Rotten Tomatoes: (Accurate for 15th August 2022)
87% Tomatometer
80% Audience Score
Kelly Lawler: USA Today 5th August 2022
Excruciatingly slow and dull if not outright boring, “Sandman” is a perplexing failure. The stories that make up the comic-book epic are sewn together haphazardly and confusingly, never building to discernible arcs and not even broken down into interesting stand-alone episodes. The series is a pile of stories and moods randomly tossed on top of each other.
Ben Travers: indieWire
5th August 2022
The Sandman isn’t an arduous watch — it churns out curious cast members or creative concepts regularly enough to stir a kind of baffled fascination. But absent a beating heart and focused mind, it is easily forgotten.
Nick Schager: The Daily Beast
5th August 2022
Neil Gaiman’s adaptation of his celebrated graphic novel series stars Tom Sturridge as a god-like being out for revenge. It’s a shame that his character is so dull.
Ezequiel Boetti: Otroscines.com
5th August 2022
With grave and sepulchral dialogues, a protagonist with less charisma than the sand he seeks, and a convoluted build-up, make this series the victim of its own ambition of transcendence.
John Doyle: Globe and Mail
9th August 2022
This time, a great deal of time and money was spent on 10 episodes for Netflix, all of it scandalously wasted. It is a destination not worth the journey; it is sleep-inducing piffle.
IMDb:(Accurate for 15th August 2022)
7.9/10 rating
tommiewommie: 1/10 rating
5th August 2022
Is this a joke? The acting is great, I mean, nothing bad there! It’s not as bad as Resident Evil but damn it is still very bad. The entire story is just horrendous. The CG and make-up is done by a toddler apparently. Please give me back my time. Or sleep.
xwiibmdn: 3/10 rating
6th August 2022
Not very interesting. It is slow and predictable. And súper woke. I really wanted to like it but unfortunately didn’t. Maybe after reading some many amazing reviews I got all too excited about it.
bmesser: 2/10 rating
8th August 2022
I was kind of looking forward to seeing this. I’ve read a number of Gaimans book and liked them. The Sandman however was a hodge podge of ideas bolted together with little central theme to connect them all together. They should have stopped at episode 6 which was by far the best story. After that it got even more ridiculous and I ended up fast forwarding through the last 3 episodes. I won’t be watching the second series.
jagkuar: 1/10 rating
13th August 2022
You know a show is so bad when even the trailers/writing insults you. I don’t know who the writers are trying to target but it’s not for those with no patience for stupidity.
Yeva-22652: 2/10 rating
14th August 2022
Direction, dialog, acting, set design and cgi – all so bad it hurts to watch. I absolutely love the comics I always felt it would be difficult to adapt for the screen but this is just tasteless. I must say I enjoyed reading bad reviews more than enjoyed the show.
…So who is “The Sandman” actually for? There’s no evidence that any care or consideration was given to appealing to people who aren’t already diehard fans of the source material. And as for those diehards, do they want or need to see comics they’ve probably read several times essentially just regurgitated back to them from a TV screen? To some fans, the only good adaptation is a verbatim one. But that doesn’t describe all fans, and presumably more than a few of them will grow weary of just how unimaginative—how sadly undreamt about—this series of dreams really is.
…Other characters and subplots are introduced but little feels fleshed out after several episodes, especially since the dialogue is largely limited to functional statements in which people bluntly declare who they are, what they want or what they intend to do. Allusions to the unconscious or the necessity of dreams, meanwhile, are bereft of psychological exploration. What should be a cerebral fantasy is instead indistinguishable from countless others. Still, it’s rather fitting that a series about the “king of dreams” seems so well equipped to send viewers to sleep.
Neither sweet dream nor horrifying nightmare, Netflix’s The Sandman, the long-gestating adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s legendary DC Comics series, is more of an afternoon nap, the kind that unintentionally whiles away an afternoon: initially pleasant, but then it just … keeps going.
If you’ve been dreaming of a perfect onscreen version of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, you’re going to have to dream a bit longer, and a bit harder. Netflix’s take on the brilliant comic book series has its moments of excellence, but it also suffers from uneven pacing and mountains of exposition. The result isn’t a snooze by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, it isn’t a masterpiece on the level of the comics either.
…The show is enjoyable enough for non-book readers and better than much else on TV right now. But it is also deeply flawed, for the simple reason that one has to compare the show to the books. At times, the TV show runs like a mirror image of the book’s plot, but an inferior one written by someone with less talent than Gaiman. The show is curiously flat, especially the first half of the season. The wonder isn’t transporting enough, the scary bits aren’t terrifying enough, the jokes aren’t funny enough. In order to make the TV series as acceptable as possible to as many people as possible, the heart of the stories has been dilute.
There are other negative reviews out there, but unlike the sand in Dream’s Sand Pouch, my writing is finite; I need to actually sleep.
So should you watch the show or pass it? I have already said this before, but when it comes to The Sandman, I am very bias. Having said that, and this goes for a general rule of thumb for any comic, book, movie, tv show, computer game, music, and chip flavour; don’t listen to anybody else’s review or opinion. If you want to experience a product, go and experience it yourself, that way, you’ll always know.
But if I had Netflix, I would have already binge watched The Sandman by now, with a big dumb grin on my face, to give me a sliver of happiness.
Have you already seen The Sandman? If you have, please let me know your thoughts on it. Alright, that’s it for today. Thanks for reading, and remember:
Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.
I want to talk about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why? That’s an easy one. 77 years ago this week, two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in a bid to bring the Second World War to an end, with the surrender of Japan.
This is an odd entry for Some Geek Told Me, but since I’m a student of history, I can’t really ignore this. What I’m not going to be talking about is:
The development of the atomic bombs, through the Manhattan Project.
The justification behind the Allies’ decision to drop the bombs.
The Quebec Agreement or ThePotsdam Declaration.
The Allies warning the Japanese citizens of the bombings.
Whether Japan had the capability to defend itself, against an Allied invasion.
What this charming little blog will be about, is what the two bombs actually did to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, along with the citizens. I know, I know, not exactly Jane Austen or Charles Dickens content, but more like Stephen King.
Let’s turn the page and begin now.
Hiroshima: 6th August 1945
At the time of the bombing, Hiroshima was the headquarters for the Chūgoku Regional Army, as well as the Second General Army. Given Hiroshima’s position for shipping and military resources, it was one of the targets selected to be hit.
Hiroshima’s population was near 345,000, which was made up of military personnel, citizens; including children, slave labourers and prisoners of war.
The weapon used on Hiroshima was a bomb with a 64 kg uranium-235 core, nicknamed Little Boy. It had the power of 15 kilotons of TNT.
On 6th August, at 8.15 a.m (local time), the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay, an American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, at an altitude of 9,400 m. It fell for 44-45 seconds, before detonating at 580 m, which was directly above a hospital.
The result of the first nuclear weapon being used in warfare, was nothing short of horrific.
The ground level temperature surpassed7,000 °C.
70,000 people were instantly killed by the blast and the resulting firestorm, with under 10% being military personnel.
By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to over 100,000, mainly through radiation and injuries.
Of the city’s buildings, 70% were destroyed (60,000), with another 7% damaged.
Nuclear shadows or blast shadows of victims, were created on the city’s footpaths and walls.
A mushroom cloud was created and rose to more than 12 km high.
The blast radius of the weapon had total destruction for 1.6 km, along with fires stretching across 11 km2.
Over 90% of doctors and 93% of nurses in Hiroshima were killed or injured.
For people looking for medical treatment from the weapon, many would die before any medical help could be given to them. This resulted in dead bodies lying around hospitals.
During the war, Nagasaki was an important seaport, which was one of the largest in Japan. Nagasaki was also home to four massive companies, that were involved in the production of various military technology and machines. These companies employed 90% of the labour force in the city. Because of this, it was selected as a target.
Nagasaki’s population was 263,000, which consisted of Japanese citizens, Korean citizens, Korean and Chinese workers, soldiers and prisoners of war.
The Nagasaki bomb had a 5 kg plutonium core, nicknamed Fat Man. This weapon had the equivalent power of 21 kilotons of TNT.
On 9th August, at 11.01 a.m (local time), the plutonium bomb was dropped from another American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, Bockscar. It fell for 53 seconds, exploding near 500 m, which was directly above a tennis court.
As Japan and the world were still reeling after the Hiroshima bombing, a new nightmare was about to unfold.
40,000 people were instantly killed by the blast, with 60,000 injured.
By the end of 1945, the death toll had risen to an estimated 80,000, mainly through radiation and injuries.
40% of the city’s buildings were destroyed.
The industrial area sustained 68-80% of its production was destroyed.
A mushroom cloud was created to the height of 16 km.
The blast radius of the weapon had total destruction for 1.6 km, along with fires stretching 3.2 km south of the blast radius.
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay. Photo of Nagasaki after the bombing, from a 1946 US report.
Casualties of the bombs could be collected under three main groups: radiation injuries, debris injuries, and burns.
Radiation injuries accounted for 10% of the deaths in Hiroshima and 6% in Nagasaki. Debris injuries accounted for 30% of the deaths in Hiroshima and 14% in Nagasaki. Burns accounted for 60% of the deaths in Hiroshima and about 80% in Nagasaki.
This information does not even touch upon the massive reconstruction effort of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the after care needed for the survivors, named as hibakusha in Japanese; the radiation and cancer research conducted with the survivors; the cultural and historical impact on Japanese society; or even the world’s reaction and response to the bombings.
One sad day, I’m going to have to explain what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to UMC1 and UMC2. I don’t know how to explain it as a parent, let alone walking around with the knowledge as an adult, that the nuclear apocalypse of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was real. It’s not fake, this actually happened; not once, but twice.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed Japan forever, but also the world. I think the legacy of the two cities is a twisted form of doublethink. Hear me now…
The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can show us an example of what the worst of humanity can offer; what terrible things we can do to each other. However, it also shows us how quite literally and figuratively, how humanity can stand up after being knocked down, and start to rebuild in the name of peace.
Both statements are actually true. They can co-exist alongside each other in your mind, and that’s alright. Though I think, just maybe, it’s about what you want to focus more on: hate or hope.
Thanks for reading. I’m going to be doing some changes to the blog soon, if I’m smart enough to understand on what to do and how to do it. Until then, walk your dog, tell a stupid joke and I’ll see you next week.
I want to talk about San Diego Comic-Con, in particular, the 2022 edition. Why? Well for starters I’ve never been. I live over 10,730 km away, so I’m practically next door, but I have yet to drag my broke arse there.
Another thing is that this year was the first one to be held in person, since the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled, because of everybody’s least favourite virus, COVID-19.
For those of you that already know about the San Diego Comic-Con, congratulations! For those of you that don’t know about it; I’m very sorry, but I’ll give you a quick summary. Don’t panic.
The San Diego Comic-Con is arguably, one of the the largest events; if not the largest, celebrating popular culture on the planet. The event is designed for creators and companies to advertise new products coming up like toys, anime, computer games, manga, books, comics, movies, tv shows and anything else; as well as being able to sell their existing products to the public.
Because of this, it attracts people from all over the world, to help celebrate everything that is pop culture. Oh, I forgot to mention the cosplayers. So many cosplayers!
I think San Diego Comic-Con is usually held over 3-4 days in July, and even though I’m thousands of kilometres away, I can still get excited. This is because of the important reveals, trailers, and announcements.
This year has been no exception, with an avalanche of information released to the public. But is any of it interesting? Being the writer of this blog; and the person to blame for anything that happens here, I’ve decided to breakdown the most interesting things I have discovered from the event.
Let’s establish a few things first:
1.) I have not read or seen, every article or trailer released from San Diego Comic-Con. There’s probably a ton of information I have missed, but I’m only one man against the odds. I can only discuss the things I have knowledge on, but also things I’m actually interested in. Any news about a Sour Cream and Chives themed computer game, will not be mentioned.
2.) Just because a product is on my list, does not mean I’ll actually get to see it or purchase it. There are so many different streaming services, I can’t subscribe to all of them; I would need a higher paying job for that. Simply, if something has landed on this list, it has my attention.
I know the High Republic is not for everybody and that some people don’t like it. Having said that, no one is perfect, and I fall in the other camp, because I enjoy this series!
I loved learning about the Phase II reveals, new characters and stories, listening to the creators, but also looking at the amazing novel and comic book covers for the series. I’m invested with this for the long haul, so I was pretty happy to learn new things about Phase II. One day soon, I’ll write a blog about the High Republic and explain it better. Anyway, we are off to a good start!
Batman/Spawn
There was news that DC and Image will be getting together for another Batman/Spawn crossover. I understand that Batman and Spawn alumni artist, Greg Capullo, will have the art duties, with Todd McFarlane as the writer.
Apparently it will be released this December, and I thought these characters would never met again, after their two 1994 meetings. I didn’t see this one coming at all. I’m not sure what to expect from this, apart from the stellar art. I’m quite interested, to be honest.
As for other comic news, um…..nope. I have to admit, nothing else that I’ve heard from Marvel, DC, Image or anybody else, released from Comic-Con actually has me interested in their upcoming comic book projects. It’s quite strange. Just Star Wars: The High Republic and Batman/Spawn. Maybe I’m getting too picky in my old age.
Movies
DCEU: Shazam! Fury of the Gods
The first film, Shazam! was cool. I mean I thought the film makers did a great job balancing Billy’s personal and superhero life. It was also refreshing to see the villain actually survive. What mischief will Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind get up to?!
It was fun, which is why I’ve been looking forward to the sequel. Bringing more mythology into the franchise with Hespera and Kalypso, will be entertaining. Will it be predictable and a bit corny with Billy’s family? Yes and yes, again, however it will be a lot of fun.
It just makes you want to stand up and shout, “SHAZAM!” Damn, I want to watch the first film again now. How good is bullet immunity?!
Black Adam
Speaking of Shazam!, how about we discuss the Big Red Cheese’s antithesis villain. I have always thought that Teth-Adam is similar to Magneto, Namor, or Ronan the Accuser; a leader or symbol to his people, which means he can and will fight alongside the heroes, as easily as against them. A classic anti-hero.
I’m nervous, but I have high hopes for this film. Having the Rock play Black Adam is a master stroke, and it will also be interesting how the Justice Society will connect with audiences. Doctor Fate was my first introduction to a superhero magician, so hopefully this film will not disappoint. How far will they push things? I have no idea.
We do need to see the Shazam!/Black Adam or Superman/Black Adam fight somewhere in the future. Pretty please? Teth-Adam is the last person on Earth that should have these powers, so let the smackdown begin!
MCU
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
I liked Black Panther, because at least to me, it brought a lot of political and social issues of living in a superhuman world into the light. Plus I thought Chadwick Boseman was phenomenal as T’Challa. He’s one of the greatest characters Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, ever created together. I’ve always liked T’Challa.
So because of that, I’m nervous about the sequel for three reasons. Firstly, since the original film was such a massive success, there could be a lot pressure to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time. An example of this is Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. The sequel did not quite hit the mark.
Secondly, I feel it was a mistake not to recast T’Challa. I know they did it to honour Boseman’s memory, but I feel allowing T’Challa to exist in the MCU, would have been a better tribute. Allowing another excellent actor to step into T’Challa’s sneakers, is not something uncommon in superhero films.
And lastly, Namor. I’m always concerned when great villains are not adapted in the best way. Doctor Doom is the best example, with three films behind him, the film makers got it wrong, three times over.
Namor just like Black Adam, he is an anti-hero. His arrogance is only equal to Batman’s, so it will be interesting to see how the film makers translate this; but also for his culture. Obviously there will be some tension/conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis, just like T’Challa and Namor in the comics.
I want this film to work, which is precisely the reason why I’m interested in it. And the Dora Milaje kicking arse helps.
Phase 5 and Phase 6: The Multiverse Saga
This covers Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Blade, Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars (February 2023-November 2025).
I’m interested in all of these films, but I’ll wait to receive more information about them as the wheel turns, as the world moves on.1 I also do realise there are some MCU tv shows as well, but I’ll talk about them below.
Television shows (streaming)
Disney +
I don’t have Disney +, but if I did, I think my family wouldn’t see me for a few weeks. Without discussing the shows already on the platform, the reveals and trailers from Comic-Con include Andor, She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and I am Groot, sound quite fantastic.
These announcements are awesome and I’m interested in watching all of them…one day I guess. However, there was one reveal that was jaw dropping: Daredevil: Born Again.
I’ve seen Netflix’s Daredevil Season 1 and 2 on DVD, and that show was astounding. I loved it, but I haven’t seen the third season. I’m very impressed that Charlie Cox and the rest of the crew (I think) will be coming back.
Whether the show will be based on the famous Born Again storyline, or a play on words like Spider-Man: Homecoming, I don’t know…but Daredevil is back! I’ve always thought Daredevil was a very underrated character, so I’m stoked that he’s getting more camera time.
The Sandman
If you’re a follower of my blog, you will understand how special this show is to me. I’m actually not going to discuss it too much, other than stating that The Sandman trailer was mind blowing; but also this was the most interesting reveal/trailer/announcement to come out of San Diego Comic-Con.
Meeting the Endless will bring me a lot of happiness, but I also can’t wait for people to meet Desire, because they were woke, before woke was a concept.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
I understand the Rings of Power are getting some flak from Tolkien super fans over changes to characters, the timeline, and other things. As a Tolkien fan myself, not every fan has to agree on a product’s direction; however, I am ready for this show.
I’m not sure how much of the plot will be taken from The Silmarillion, The Fall of Númenor, The Nature of Middle-Earth or Unfinished Tales, but it looks great. I know it’s set during the Second Age of the Sun, and….I’m so excited for this.
Will we see the Silmarils? Will we see the rise of Sauron? Will we see Angband? Will we see the War of the Last Alliance? Or even better, will Morgoth have a cameo, even in a flashback or prologue? I have no idea!
There are many things that can go right or wrong with this show, but I’m choosing to be positive; I have to. I’m just stunned that the show exists at all. I love the genres of superheroes and science fiction, but throw fantasy in there also, and I’m going to be immersed in geekdom.
I’m not a subscriber to Amazon Prime, but this show is tempting me.
Can I also mention House of the Dragon? This show is one I can actually watch on my streaming platform, so I have to research the Targaryen family tree a lot more, before it starts in a few weeks. Things to do.
Ok that’s it. What reveals from San Diego Comic-Con were you interested in? Please let me know. My dog needs his belly rubbed, so look both ways before you cross the street and I’ll see you next week.
SOME GEEK TOLD ME 
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