Previously, on Phil’s Newsletter: We left it all behind and talked too much about the Smashing Pumpkins album Adore.
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Today I start with some unasked-for advice: Hurt calcifies if you don’t tend to it. Don’t try and force yourself to feel things or stop feeling them. If you’re anything like me it won’t work. Not for long, anyway. Time is of the essence.
Your humble narrator is tired today. I was up late working on a pretty huge announcement: The 250+ Phase 1 Winners of OpenCV AI Competition 2021. You can find all of the team names listed on the site. I designed this cute little badge for the 1100+ winning team members to share on their feeds:
It’s always stressful doing big things, with big companies like Microsoft and Intel, but my contacts at both have been great. Thanks Brenda and James. Expect to see a whole lot more about this in the press over the next several months. You can follow the #OAK2021 hashtag on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
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Quick Hits
This week I didn’t have time to write much for the newsletter, so you’re gonna get some bite-sized Phil nuggets. I am not sorry.
Surprising no-one, my opus to the Smashing Pumpkins album Adore last week did not result in a massive new increase of subscribers. I see how it is.
My attention-starved blog at extrafuture.com has been refreshed for the first time in ages. It’s blue now. Subscribe in a feed reeder. I use FeedBin and the amazing Reeder app on iOS / macOS. We’re taking it back. It’s 2002 again!
Vincent, my extremely cheap Les Paul Special I, is getting a makeover sometime soon. I talked myself into making the hardware “match” the Ibanez TR Series bass I found used here in SF. That means red and gold.
Yes, I hate that the knobs do not match the “gold” on this zinc bridge, but Vinny needed a new bridge, anyway, because the wraparound that came stock on this thing suuuuuuucks. Telling myself the mismatched hardware just gives it character. I own luthier’s tools now. We’re working on it.
This Weekend Is Movie Night and That Means Italian Space Operas
It’s almost movie night! This weekend we’re watching War of the Robots (aka Reactor) and Star Odyssey (aka Space Odyssey, Metallica, Captive Planet). Looking forward to this one, the European Star Wars knockoffs are always a delight.
We’ll be watching a selection from the RetroStrange Safety Squad archives before the show, possibly featuring the legendary Martin Kove.
As per usual, I invite you to join us for the video stream on Twitch, and in the Extra Future Discord server for shenanigans. If you haven’t been invited and want to hang out, let me know.
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Did you know that Amazon owns Twitch? Because of their connection, if you have Amazon Prime you can give me free money. Here’s how to use your free Prime subscription to subscribe to my channel. You’ll unlock no-ads-mode, get access to exclusive emoji, and get a shout out during Movie Nights plus other perks.
Boundless affection to jincfunk, seamuscalder, extrafuture, mrsugarmuffin, smashjax666, birdy72, katanma, and d_hock for subscribing to the Twitch channel this month. You are shining beacons of decency in a time of asshattery.
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Phil’s Good Links
The good links didn’t abandon you.
I really enjoy Chappell Ellison’s Twitch channel. She does 5 minute dives into NES, SNES, Genesis, etc at the whim of the “random” button on RetroPie.
Also a big fan of the Scaredy Cats YouTube channel, by the guy who does Thought Slime. Just good stuff about schlocky horror movies, and occasional political context for same.
I have a new YouTube account and channel after being banned for streaming a thing from the 70s. Heh. Pls follow. Divergent League may return to YouTube.
https://finger.farm trust me, just open a terminal and type: finger jroig@finger.farm
Shitty Tech Alert: Plots of the Amazon Rainforest are being sold on Facebook Marketplace. Just typing that through the shudders was a day’s work.
Pssst. *looks around* You wanna read Gene Wilder’s original script for Young Frankenstein? Of course you do.
SpaceX “successfully” landed a rocket… which then exploded.
Workers at Glitch.com have signed collective bargaining contract. They’re part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Solidarity forever.
My friend Josh is doing more stained glass work-in-progress updates, I enjoy these.
The successful guaranteed income project in Stockton has sent ripples everywhere. Now Gary, Indiana, is getting in on the experiment. Spoiler: Giving people the money they need to live makes them more able to live happy lives.
Jackie Chan is actually a trained opera singer and has recorded over 20 albums with over 100 songs in over 5 different languages.
Beloved theater chain Alamo Drafthouse has filed for Chapter 11, and are being acquired by some capital group. We used to go there a lot for date night. I no longer recognize the world of 2 years ago.
According to Google’s own reports, behavioral targeting only increases an ad's value by $0.00008. Wow, huge gains. Sure worth destroying a society over.
On that cheerful note, I am out for this week. Back to the Computer Vision mine for me.
Thank you for reading, and your emails, and your links. Talking with you means the world to me.
— Phil