So I look at the date on the last post like this and just wade through my social media posts to put down anything of any particular note here, like a searchable back up, similar to what Scobletrousers talks about here.

The idea of an independent web is becoming increasingly vital I think, it takes effort, and does not come naturally to most. This blog is not currently self-hosted, but should be and I plan on making it so as soon as I can justify the cost. I chose WordPress for this because I get the impression it is portable as and when one is ready.

The recent controversy over the experiments Facebook was doing with peoples streams is a great example of why indieweb is so important. I have always found Facebook to be emotionally manipulative, like a bad Spielberg film.  It’s taken some time, self-confidence building and some shedding of giving a **** for me to start using it in a way that is useful and constructive, and I use it because so many people I know do and I would lose contact with them if I didn’t. This does sound bizarre when you write it down, but it’s as true for many other people as it is for me.

It was always a platform designed for young students to show off, that is what it is based on.

Here’s some Robert Breer.

It goes Areer, Breer, Creer, Dreer, Ereer, Freer, then me, Greer.

Mr Breer came to do a talk at my college when I was a student it’s not difficult to see the influence of his thinking on things like the Animated Journal.

It’s a beautiful summer (so far), we bought a new tent and spent a night in the garden. Adventures soon hopefully.

I’m still loving Photo Blender.

Eli Wallach died. Remembering this as cinema.

My friend Hugh Cowling (awesome), who worked on the forthcoming Poets of the Sommes animations, told me about this beautiful little piece of stop frame.

I share a lot of stuff like this on my Tumblr, it is the form of social media internet I feel most comfortable with, most unselfconscious, if you like, I’ve been on there since early 2008, and I don’t think there’s been many days since I haven’t reblogged something.

This is taking a lot longer than I expected, I should do these more often so they’re not so rambly.

I previously mentioned my disappointment at the recent Godzilla 2014, so I recently caught up with Pacific Rim, which, although not exactly Citizen Kane, is great fun, it’s pitched perfectly, has a very valid message for the kids, is inclusive and has international characters working together. I found myself laughing and clapping my hands several times. That someone loves those kaiju and the rest of humanity so much, they would make such a film for the rest of us is heart warming.

Here is a quote from the director Guillermo Del Toro (culled from Wikipedia so it must be completely accurate) which illustrates just one simple reason why it’s a superior product to G14.

I don’t want people being crushed. I want the joy that I used to get seeing Godzilla toss a tank without having to think there are guys in the tank… What I think is you could do nothing but echo the moment you’re in. There is a global anxiety about how fragile the status quo is and the safety of citizens, but in my mind—honestly—this film is in another realm. There is no correlation to the real world. There is no fear of a copycat kaiju attack because a kaiju saw it on the news and said, ‘I’m going to destroy Seattle.’ In my case, I’m picking up a tradition. One that started right after World War II and was a coping mechanism, in a way, for Japan to heal the wounds of that war. And it’s integral for a kaiju to rampage in the city.

I think they got the go ahead to make some more, which is great news. Apparently this is unusual because it didn’t do so well in the States but did well elsewhere, and they don’t usually commission a sequel in such circumstances.

Had a go on this thing.

 

Was lucky to see some immersive theater last week. It was very intense, unlike anything I have experienced. Get into that if you’re wondering what to do with yourself, it’s actually ground breaking. Not sure there can be a lot of money in it though.

OK, I’ve spent twice as long on this as I was expecting. If you actually read this and liked it do something to let me know what you liked. If you didn’t like it, I don’t care, I’m going to keep doing it anyway.

Hit send.