Anonymouswizard's Random Banter #227 and Free Cup of Tea

[Tvtyrant]

I've got a sudden urge to reread Snow Crash. Mainly because it pretty much is the best cyberpunk novel ever written, and has some pretty cool 'more completed than people realise' tech (like, the reason nobody Gargoyles is that it's just not worth it, and although we've not really combined it with VR headsets and motion controls the Metaverse has been around for a while).

Isn't that the book that invented the fedora+Katana+Trench coat ensemble? I liked Tad William's redux better.

[Peelee]

Are you by any chance French?

We'll never know!

Though the French are the ones who serve escargot, which is effectively a bowl of butter with some meat in it. Not that I complain when I eat it, mind you.

[el minster]

Escargot is snails right?

[Anonymouswizard]

Isn't that the book that invented the fedora+Katana+Trench coat ensemble? I liked Tad William's redux better.

I don't think so, I don't think a single person actually wears a fedora in it, or a trenchcoat for that matter. Hiro might have a trenchcoat at the end, but I think he's just supposed to have enhanced bike leathers, and he's more associated with a kimono anyway.

[Lacco]

If your food needs seasoning to taste good, you need better ingredients or better cooking. Pork, rice, beans, salmon, etc. all have wonderful flavours of their own, and unless they are rotting, spices are not required. Now, if it's a special occasion, and the dish is actually spices on a base of irrelevance, sure, go for it. But I'm sorry, this idea that food must be covered in spices or it doesn't taste of anything is nonsense.

Grey Wolf

That reminds me of my mother's motto: If you can not cook well, learn all you can do about seasoning

She insisted on me learning to cook properly, because her mother never taught her.

Are you by any chance French?

Or by any chance a trained cook?

[Fyraltari]

Are you by any chance French?

Since GW doesn’t speak French, it’s unlikely, although still possible.

Though the French are the ones who serve escargot, which is effectively a bowl of butter with some meat in it. Not that I complain when I eat it, mind you.

Correct.

Escargot is snails right?

Correct.

[Anonymouswizard]

Delicious delicious snails.

[BisectedBrioche]

I don't think so, I don't think a single person actually wears a fedora in it, or a trenchcoat for that matter. Hiro might have a trenchcoat at the end, but I think he's just supposed to have enhanced bike leathers, and he's more associated with a kimono anyway.

In introduced the trope of Japan taking over the world (it seemed realistic in the 80's), which would ultimately lead to the katana becoming the "glorious Nippon steel!!" sword of choice through the 90's and 2000's.

Trenchcoats were popularised/associated with cyberpunk by The Matrix.

Fedoras just...sorta happened? I think. Blame reddit for thinking they were cool (with elements of early hackers naming themselves Black/White/Grey Hats depending on their ethics, for the hats in cowboy movies).

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Since GW doesn’t speak French, it’s unlikely, although still possible.

At one point in my life I did speak French - enough to pass a few levels of DELF. I have since forgotten most of it, though, if not all. I can still read French, if it is not too technical, on the back of my former knowledge and current knowledge of nearby languages, but I'd probably mangle it if I tried to speak or write it. Without checking google, and without the advantage of spellchecker: Je parle un peu le française, mais je ne le parle pas exemplaire.

I am also not a professionally trained cook - I just cook 1+ major meal for my family on a daily basis.

Grey Wolf

[Anonymouswizard]

In introduced the trope of Japan taking over the world (it seemed realistic in the 80's), which would ultimately lead to the katana becoming the "glorious Nippon steel!!" sword of choice through the 90's and 2000's.

I thought that was Neuromancer? I don't remember much about Japan in Snow Crash beyond 'they haven't disintegrated in the same way the US has', and the fact that Hiro's father fought against them and somehow came out of it with a katana and wakizashi.

[Fyraltari]

At one point in my life I did speak French - enough to pass a few levels of DELF. I have since forgotten most of it, though, if not all. I can still read French, if it is not too technical, on the back of my former knowledge and current knowledge of nearby languages, but I'd probably mangle it if I tried to speak or write it. Without checking google, and without the advantage of spellchecker: Je parle un peu le française, mais je ne le parle pas exemplaire.

Ah so, you basically speak French slightly better than I speak German.
It’s «*un peu français*» and «*exemplaire*» is an adjective not an adverb, «*très bien*» would have been the natural choice here.

[Asmotherion]

Escargot is snails right?

oui.

And yeah, I'm actually only half frensh XD

In introduced the trope of Japan taking over the world (it seemed realistic in the 80's), which would ultimately lead to the katana becoming the "glorious Nippon steel!!" sword of choice through the 90's and 2000's.

Trenchcoats were popularised/associated with cyberpunk by The Matrix.

Fedoras just...sorta happened? I think. Blame reddit for thinking they were cool (with elements of early hackers naming themselves Black/White/Grey Hats depending on their ethics, for the hats in cowboy movies).

That's true about trenshcoats. In highschool, I even went through an awkward phase were I thought I was the coolest person ever born because I was wearing a trenshcoat and sunglasses everywere (including in the classroom).

Fedoras are mostly assosiated with early 40's American Gangsters and Blues Music.

Overall Fedoras are cool, but require some degree of self confidance to wear properly, or you'll look like a clown.

[Peelee]

Fedoras are mostly assosiated with early 40's American Gangsters and Blues Music.

Overall Fedoras are cool, but require some degree of self confidance to wear properly, or you'll look like a clown. [/FONT]

Fedoras don't require confidence to not look like a clown. Fedoras require the entire rest of the ensemble to go with it. Like, if you have a fedora and an unbuttoned short-sleeved shirt over a white t-shirt and some cargo pants, you can have all the confidence in the world and it's gonna look terrible. Gotta pair that with a suit (ideally a same-fabric one).

[Anonymouswizard]

I thought trilbies were the gangster hats, and fedoras are what the bug eyed Doctor wore?

[factotum]

I thought trilbies were the gangster hats, and fedoras are what the bug eyed Doctor wore?

There's not a huge difference between the two, anyway--fedoras have slightly longer, completely flat brims while trilbies are shorter and turn up slightly at the back, but the main body of the hat is pretty much identical.

[Peelee]

I thought trilbies were the gangster hats, and fedoras are what the bug eyed Doctor wore?

Same principle applies.

I will admit there are exceptions - for example, Indiana Jones got away with a fedora* with a simple white shirt (partially open), satchel, and leather jacket, but that look was also achieved by professional costumers and visual artists, which the vast majority of non-suited hat wearers are unlikely to be.

*A wide-brimmed Australian fedora, IIRC, and was chosen for the silhouette

[Anonymouswizard]

There is only one outfit that may be paired with a fedora

Spoiler: Would you like a jelly baby, I'm rather fond of them

Show

[Peelee]

There is only one outfit that may be paired with a fedora

Spoiler: Would you like a jelly baby, I'm rather fond of them

Show

Imean, when the goal is to make him look weird....

ETA:

Spoiler: Once again, the Americans win

Show

[Fyraltari]

There is only one outfit that may be paired with a fedora

Spoiler: Would you like a jelly baby, I'm rather fond of them

Show

Spoiler: Copycats

Show

Spoiler: Once again, the Americans win

Show

Spoiler: You wish

Show

[Peelee]

Spoiler: You wish

Show

Psh. He doesn't even have a whip!

[Anonymouswizard]

Imean, when the goal is to make him look weird....

There's another option with Tom Baker?

Plus, you know, anything looked violet than the robot dog.

Also, as I learnt at my Year 11 Ball, the Doctor is not allowed to be uncool. If he says that bowties are cool half the students will wear them.

ETA:

Spoiler: Once again, the Americans win

Show

Hope distinctly uniconic.

[Peelee]

Also, as I learnt at my Year 11 Ball, the Doctor is not allowed to be uncool. If he says that bowties are cool half the students will wear them.

Jeez, I hated Matt Smith's Doctor for so many reasons.

Hope distinctly uniconic.

"Uniconic" is not really a word that's applicable to Raiders. My wife had never seen it, so I showed it to her a few years ago. By the end, she said she felt like she'd already seen it because so many of the scenes have been homage'd, parodied, or straight-up copied in so many other works.

[Fyraltari]

There's another option with Tom Baker?

Terrifying comes to mind.
I swear this man has more teeth than is natural.

[Aotrs Commander]

Jeez, I hated Matt Smith's Doctor for so many reasons.

He was my favourite, strangely enough.

[Fyraltari]

It took time but he grew on me.

[Anonymouswizard]

Jeez, I hated Matt Smith's Doctor for so many reasons.

Hey, at least he wasn't Tennant, I hate Tennant's Doctor.

And I count my lucky stars that the BBC didn't get the Tennant 2.0 they wanted.

"Uniconic" is not really a word that's applicable to Raiders. My wife had never seen it, so I showed it to her a few years ago. By the end, she said she felt like she'd already seen it because so many of the scenes have been homage'd, parodied, or straight-up copied in so many other works.

The same can be said of an extremely unoriginal film.

Also, I was focusing on the character of Indy, who is a pretty standard pulp hero. Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean I'm less likely to associate his outfit with him than I am with Tom Baker's Doctor's outfit.

He was my favourite, strangely enough.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's a lot more popular with people who didn't start with Eccelescake or Tennant. He's closer to a Classic Doctor then either of them.

Going from Smith to Capaldi was like going from early Tom Baker to the perfect combination of Colin Baker Sylvester McCoy.

[Aotrs Commander]

I wouldn't be surprised if he's a lot more popular with people who didn't start with Eccelescake or Tennant. He's closer to a Classic Doctor then either of them.

Going from Smith to Capaldi was like going from early Tom Baker to the perfect combination of Colin Baker Sylvester McCoy.

I certainly did get a bit of a Two vibe from Eleven (though I have seen precious little earlier than the Tom Baker Era - when it was on UK Gold in the 90s, I watched a fair bit from the back end-of Tom Baker (probaby second-best Doctor) through to the end).

I quite liked Tennent myself, though, generally, despite the... Near martyring treatment of him by the scripts at the very end, which the 50th anniversary subverted into something better.



My Dad's favourite is Nine, oddly enough, Dad think he felt particularly like he wasnn't a human, which he liked.

[2D8HP]

Jeez, I hated Matt Smith's Doctor for so many reasons[...]

He was my favourite, strangely enough.

FWLIW, my favorite "Doctor" was Jon Pertwee, 'cause he was the first I watched and his portrayal just seemed "right", Patrick Troughton is my second favorite, mostly because I briefly met him at a Who convention and he seemed nice plus in the few episodes of his that I've seen he seemed good, Tom Baker is my third favorite because in most of the Doctor Who episodes I've watched and the overwhelming majority of my favorites he played the Doctor.

[...]"Uniconic" is not really a word that's applicable to Raiders. My wife had never seen it, so I showed it to her a few years ago. By the end, she said she felt like she'd already seen it because so many of the scenes have been homage'd, parodied, or straight-up copied in so many other works.

*GASP!*

If she had never seen of the Lost Ark (which in my opinion is the simply best action-adventure film I've ever seen) I now assume that your wife is either a unique lady and/or wasn't a teenager in 1981.
We all saw it.
We all loved it.
Just so good!

[Anonymouswizard]

My Dad's favourite is Nine, oddly enough, Dad think he felt particularly like he wasnn't a human, which he liked.

Not surprised, Nine is an amazing a Doctor. He just tends to get overshadowed by Tennant for those that started with him.

My favourite is Eight. Because of the same 'he doesn't feel human' thing and hope he wasn't the Doctor when everything I knew about the series changed (although I'll hand it to Davies, he did say least show Moffat where Galifrey was if he wanted to return itto the toybox).

[Peelee]

Hey, at least he wasn't Tennant, I hate Tennant's Doctor.

I loved Tennant. It didn't hurt that he had, by far, the best companion as well. If Eccleston had Freema Agyeman instead of Billie Piper he probably would have taken the top spot for me. Really hated Rose.

The same can be said of an extremely unoriginal film.

Yes, works which inspire tons of other works, and works that are inspired from other works to the point of unoriginality, will both have versions of famous scenes or themes. The context kind of makes it completely different, though.

Also, I was focusing on the character of Indy, who is a pretty standard pulp hero. Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean I'm less likely to associate his outfit with him than I am with Tom Baker's Doctor's outfit.

Imean, in the sense that Baker's outfit is specifically designed to be unique in a ridiculous way, sure. If anyone ever wears a stalk of celery on a lapel I'll associate that immediately with Peter Davison, but that doesn't make it any less of a stupid costume element.

*GASP!*

If she had never seen of the Lost Ark (which in my opinion is the simply best action-adventure film I've ever seen) I now assume that your wife is either a unique lady and/or wasn't a teenager in 1981.
We all saw it.
We all loved it.
Just so good!

I feel safe in saying that no, she was not a teenager in 1981. She was, however, not really exposed to any decent amount of TV or movies for some time in her youth, for reasons I won't go into.