Bit of a shorter review this quarter 😊

Stats breakdown from Apr – June 2024

• Total books read: ~4
• Reading mediums: all audiobooks
• Time spent reading: 24.5 hours

Books Read + Reviews

Dune by Frank Herbert Medium: audiobook

Truthfully, my review of Dune as a whole is not much different than what I wrote for Book 1. I really enjoyed reading it, as well as the weekly discussions and memes it spawned. I can tell that this is the type of book where you can get something new out of it each time you read, so I may revisit it in time. All that to say, the book was very unique, clever, and well done in my opinion. Looking forward to reading Dune Messiah next.

Everything I know About Love by Dolly Alderton Medium: Audiobook

I added this book to my TBR after hearing Dolly Alderton’s dinner party mentorship to Jessica Pan in the book I read last quarter. This book felt like a grown up version of when you were a kid and read those Chicken Soup for the Soul books. The book is a collection of vignettes from Alderton’s twenties that made me laugh, cry, and brought me comfort. Alderton tells the stories of her youth in a way I found quite riveting, personally nostalgic, and inspiring at times. She also occasionally peppers in recipes or other comedic bits that made this feel like I was reading through her life's scrapbook. The book has been adapted as a TV series and I think it lends itself well to that given how I felt like I had followed her and her friends through multiple seasons. Looking forward to watching it in the future. I also liked the transition from girlhood to womanhood and themes of friendship. Someone summed this up as a cross between Bridget Jones’ Diary, Sex and The City, and a self-help book and I'd say that's pretty dead on. Not groundbreaking but enjoyable and good for the soul.

Also if you saw that cute trend going around sometime ago to the audio of “nearly everything I know about love I learnt in my long-term friendships with women”, it comes from this author.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell Medium: Audiobook

Amanda Montell is both an author and a linguist who uses the latter as the lens in which she views the topics she addresses in her books. I read her first book “Wordsl*t: A Feminist Guide to Talking Back the English Language” back in 2021 and have taken a lot of learnings from it to this day. I highly recommend everyone read it at some point because what she discusses and uncovers from meta-analysis is not quite what you would expect (especially following the girlboss era).

That said, I was curious about her second book – Cultish. The title of the book is also what she has named the language that surrounds cults and other fanatical groups (kinda like a portmanteau of Cult + English). This book is paced more like a six part video essay and makes its way through “traditional” cults (Scientology, Jonestown, etc), MLMs, fitness societies (cross-fit, peleton, etc), and more. Like many others, I've always been curious about what drives people to join cults, how leaders amass their followings, and if a certain type of person is more likely to end up in a cult. Montell also touches on some of the research on this (while infusing her linguistics lens) and pulls at the threads of all these fanatical groups (big or small) to weave an engaging and interesting tapestry of this culture. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and it's given me a lot to think about since reading. This has been my favourite non-fiction read of 2024 thus far.

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert Medium: Audiobook

I blitzed this as my hold finally came in after the bookclub had finished this. While I appreciated the brevity of this one, I unfortunately didn't like it as much as Dune. But maybe that's to be expected. Aside from that, I think my sentiments echo those of other bookclub members (or at least the ones I heard when Saturday coffee was hosted in my backyard).

Thanks for reading if you got this far!

Introduction

Super Factory Manager (SFM) is a Minecraft mod which introduces a programming language for logistical tasks. The mod enables users to move items, fluids, and other resources between inventories with high precision and throughput.

You place cables in the world to connect inventories, followed by a manager block that contains the disk which contains the program.

Caption: A demonstration of the mod moving items between chests

Caption: The in-game code editor

Caption: SFM program

NAME "A simple program"

EVERY 20 TICKS DO
    -- on their own, input statements do nothing
    -- there is no item buffer
    INPUT FROM a

    -- all the magic happens here
    OUTPUT TO b
END

There exists a bug in the mod where the manager suddently 'stops working'.

My leading hypothesis is that my caching logic is at fault. Unfortunately, all attempts at reproducing the bug have failed. The only indicators of its existence are the multitudes of people joining my Discord server to ask why their stuff isn't working. Not good.

Learning programming is frustrating enough without having to consider that you're not the one doing something wrong.

Thus, addressing the bug in the is of the highest priority.

The Update to the Mod

Included in the wave of tiny improvements in the latest latest version of the mod (4.16.0), one feature stands above the others: the logging.

Traditionally, Minecraft has a console that displays the logs from the game, which mods can contribute to. Usually when a mod is being uppity, the logs are the best source of information.

Caption: logs from Minecraft when launched using PrismMC. The game has safely exited.

Things get complicated when playing on a server. Non-admin players cannot see the logs of the server. How am I to get debug information from my users without road-blocks like needing admin assistance?

Thus, each manager block now has its own logging implementation that synchronizes to clients. Players can see the logs regarding their programs, isolated from the concerns of the normal logs of the game.

Caption: class definitions used in my logging

// My thing
public record TranslatableLogEvent(
    Level level, // Log level, e.g. INFO, WARN, ERROR
    Instant instant, // Time of the event
    TranslatableContents contents
)

// From the base game
public class TranslatableContents implements ComponentContents {
   private final String key;
   private final Object[] args;
}

Vanilla Minecraft has helpfully established TranslatableComponent for communicating stuff from the server to the client to be displayed in the user's language of choice. By reusing this class, we easily get the benefits of the game's localization system for user-facing logs.

Caption: an example of using a TranslatableComponent

ConfirmScreen confirmscreen = new ConfirmScreen(
    this::confirmResult,
    Component.translatable("deathScreen.quit.confirm"),
    CommonComponents.EMPTY,
    Component.translatable("deathScreen.titleScreen"),
    Component.translatable("deathScreen.respawn")
);

Game Versions

The process of releasing updates for Super Factory Manager is complicated by the fact that the mod supports multiple versions of Minecraft:

• 1.19.2
• 1.19.4
• 1.20
• 1.20.1
• 1.20.2
• 1.20.3
• 1.20.4

Changes between versions can be substantial: GUI and capability reworks, Minecraft Forge drama leading to the release of NeoForge, and other mods I interact with not being available on all the versions I support.

To accommodate the slight variations in my code between the versions, I have opted to create a git branch for each version of the game that is supported.

When I work on the mod, I work on the oldest branch (1.19.2) until satisfaction, then I merge the changes to the next branch, going up the version pairs until the latest version has all the changes.

merge
1.19.2 => 1.19.4
1.19.4 => 1.20
1.20 => 1.20.1
etc.

Sometimes, methods I depend on are pulled out from under me, or are made obsolete in these version upgrades.

Caption: my old code

private Button.OnTooltip buildTooltip(LocalizationEntry entry) {
	return (btn, pose, mx, my) -> renderTooltip(
			pose,
			font.split(
					entry.getComponent(),
					Math.max(
							width
							/ 2
							- 43,
							170
					)
			),
			mx,
			my
	);
}

Caption: my new code, leveraging a new base-game method

private Tooltip buildTooltip(LocalizationEntry entry) {
	return Tooltip.create(entry.getComponent());
}

It is interesting to observe how I [fail to] leverage abstractions to minimize the differences between versions. Some things are only visible after jumping between versions, adding another dimension to programming.

Caption: A layered representation of git branches as stacked pages, Aero inspired

Interacting with multiple branches is best accompanied by opening all the versions at once in IntelliJ, requiring you to clone the repo multiple times. This lets you jump around the code on any version without friction, and it helps avoid giving Gradle an aneurysm.

To merge branches from two clones (without needing to push), you can fetch the other repo path, followed by git merge FETCH_HEAD. I made a helper script to automate this. It pauses in the event of merge conflicts, where I switch over to IntelliJ which has great tooling.

TODO: make the script use rebase instead of fast-forward

Release Process

I've created a simple Command Line Interface (CLI) for helping me run my scripts for the release process. I have a folder named “actions” which contains nicely named scripts which can be invoked with no arguments, and I have a entrypoint script that uses fzf to show me the scripts by name to have me choose which to run.

Caption: the PowerShell script I use

# Action loop
while ($true) {
  # Prompt user to select an action
  $action = Get-ChildItem -Path actions `
    | Select-Object -ExpandProperty name `
    | Sort-Object -Descending `
    | fzf --prompt "Action: " --header "Select an action to run"
  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($action)) {
    break
  }

  # Run the selected action
  . ".\actions\$action"
  
  # Leave the action display on the screen for a moment
  # (the action loop clears it with fzf)
  pause
}

Caption: video of the action script in action

It takes way too long for the jars folder to open in explorer.exe off-screen here

I present to you the (shortened) instructions I wrote to myself for the release process:

Manual: Bump `mod_version` in gradle.properties
Manual: Commit bump
Action: Propagate changes
Action: Run gameTestServer for all versions
Action: Build
Action: Wipe jars summary dir
Action: Collect jars
Action: Update PrismMC test instances to use latest build output
Action: Update test servers to latest build output
Action: Launch PrismMC
Action: Launch test server

for each version:
    Launch version from PrismMC
    Multiplayer -> join localhost
    Break previous setup
    Build new setup from scratch -- ensure core gameplay loop is always tested
    Validate changelog accuracy
    /stop
    Quit game

Action: Tag
Action: Push all
... upload jars

The Problem

I test mc1.20.3 for problems. No issues found.

Caption: SFM logs working, singleplayer

I test mc1.20.4 for problems. The logs are not shoing when playing on a server, but they work in singleplayer.

Caption: SFM logs not working, multiplayer

This game update included significant changes to packet handling.

What should happen is that the default text is cleared and some logs should be streamed in.

It works in single player. It does not work when playing on a server.

There is nothing abnormal in the server logs. The client logs, however, reveal the first piece of the puzzle:

Caption: client logs of a stacktrace incriminating my mod

[01:43:56] [Render thread/ERROR] [minecraft/BlockableEventLoop]: Error executing task on Client
java.util.concurrent.CompletionException: io.netty.util.IllegalReferenceCountException: refCnt: 0
	at java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture.encodeThrowable(CompletableFuture.java:315)
	at java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture.completeThrowable(CompletableFuture.java:320)
	at java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture$AsyncSupply.run$$$capture(CompletableFuture.java:1770) 
	...
	at ca.teamdman.sfm.common.logging.TranslatableLogger.decode(TranslatableLogger.java:56)
	at ca.teamdman.sfm.common.net.ClientboundManagerLogsPacket.handleInner(ClientboundManagerLogsPacket.java:69)

Caption: Jujutsu Kaisen screengrab: “We are the exception!”

IntelliJ helpfully recognizes the stack trace and creates links to jump to the offending code. This brings us to our handleInner method as a possible culprit.

Caption: the logs packet handle methods

public record ClientboundManagerLogsPacket(
        int windowId,
        FriendlyByteBuf logsBuf
) implements CustomPacketPayload {
	...
	// called by game code
	public static void handle(
            ClientboundManagerLogsPacket msg, PlayPayloadContext context
    ) {
        context.workHandler().submitAsync(msg::handleInner);
    }

	public void handleInner() {
		// we are on the client, so we can safely use getInstance() to get the current player
		LocalPlayer player = Minecraft.getInstance().player;
        if (player == null
            || !(player.containerMenu instanceof ManagerContainerMenu menu) // pattern match :D
            || menu.containerId != this.windowId()) {
            SFM.LOGGER.error("Invalid logs packet received, ignoring.");
            return;
        }
		var logs = TranslatableLogger.decode(this.logsBuf);
		menu.logs.addAll(logs);
	}

Caption: the method that decodes multiple log entries

public static ArrayDeque<TranslatableLogEvent> decode(FriendlyByteBuf buf) {
	int size = buf.readVarInt(); // this line throws the error
	ArrayDeque<TranslatableLogEvent> contents = new ArrayDeque<>(size);
	for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
		contents.add(TranslatableLogEvent.decode(buf));
	}
	return contents;
}

Caption: ManagerBlockEntity sending a log update packet to a player

MutableInstant hasSince = new MutableInstant();
if (!menu.logs.isEmpty()) {
	hasSince.initFrom(menu.logs.getLast().instant());
}
ArrayDeque<TranslatableLogEvent> logsToSend = logger.getLogsAfter(hasSince);
if (!logsToSend.isEmpty()) {
	// Add the latest entry to the server copy
	// since the server copy is only used for checking what the latest log timestamp is
	menu.logs.add(logsToSend.getLast());

	// Send the logs
	while (!logsToSend.isEmpty()) {
		int remaining = logsToSend.size();
		PacketDistributor.PLAYER.with(player).send(
			ClientboundManagerLogsPacket.drainToCreate(
				menu.containerId,
				logsToSend
			)
		);
		if (logsToSend.size() >= remaining) {
			throw new IllegalStateException("Failed to send logs, infinite loop detected");
		}
	}
}

It's dying when we try to read the number of logs to decode. It's not even an IndexOutOfBoundsException, it's something more sinister.

Caption: Goblin Slayer screengrab: “And there are goblins near there.”

This packet is a little odd, compared to most others. It directly stores a byte buffer object instead of a useful type like Collection<TranslatableLogEvent>.

This is a consequence of the way I batch logs together across multiple packets to avoid hitting max packet length problems.

To properly maximize packet size (to minimize the number of packets), we use an algorithm to convert log entries to individual byte buffers. We add those buffers to the current packet's buffer, and we start a new packet if it would have gone over the byte limit.

This means that the byte-encoding of this data happens earlier than usual; earlier than the packet constructor.

Caption: the packet's encoding and decoding methods

public record ClientboundManagerLogsPacket(
        int windowId,
        FriendlyByteBuf logsBuf
) implements CustomPacketPayload {
	...
	// called by game code
	@Override
    public void write(FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf) {
        encode(this, friendlyByteBuf);
    }
    public static void encode(
		ClientboundManagerLogsPacket msg,
		FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf
    ) {
        friendlyByteBuf.writeVarInt(msg.windowId());
        friendlyByteBuf.writeBytes(msg.logsBuf); // forward the bytes
    }
	
	// called by game code
	public static ClientboundManagerLogsPacket decode(FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf) {
        return new ClientboundManagerLogsPacket(
                friendlyByteBuf.readVarInt(),
                friendlyByteBuf
        );
    }

Did you notice?

In the decode method, we saved a reference to the buffer object we received as a parameter, instead of copying the information to a buffer we own.

We are hunting for some use-after-free-ish IllegalReferenceCountException: refCnt: 0 problem, and this object reuse (borrow) is sketchy as hell.

Caption: Frieren screengrab: “That's what my experience as a mage is telling me.”

Here lies a critical difference between 1.20.3 and 1.20.4: the buffer object is released after the decode call in the later version, before the handle method's async work is invoked.

Getting to this point was pretty straightforward (😭)

The fix should be to make our own buffer object instead of storing a reference to the one we passed in, right?

Caption: the decode method now creates a buffer object

public static void encode(
            ClientboundManagerLogsPacket msg, FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf
) {
	friendlyByteBuf.writeVarInt(msg.windowId());
	friendlyByteBuf.writeBytes(msg.logsBuf);
}

public static ClientboundManagerLogsPacket decode(FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf) {
	int windowId = friendlyByteBuf.readVarInt();
	FriendlyByteBuf logsBuf = new FriendlyByteBuf(Unpooled.buffer());
	friendlyByteBuf.readBytes(logsBuf);
	return new ClientboundManagerLogsPacket(
			windowId,
			logsBuf
	);
}

Not quite.

Caption: the client gets disconnected when logs are received

Perhaps pre-allocating the buffer will fix that?

Caption: giving the buffer a size

public static void encode(
		ClientboundManagerLogsPacket msg, FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf
) {
	friendlyByteBuf.writeVarInt(msg.windowId());
	friendlyByteBuf.writeBytes(msg.logsBuf);
}

public static ClientboundManagerLogsPacket decode(FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf) {
	int windowId = friendlyByteBuf.readVarInt();
	FriendlyByteBuf logsBuf = new FriendlyByteBuf(Unpooled.buffer(friendlyByteBuf.readableBytes()));
	friendlyByteBuf.readBytes(logsBuf, friendlyByteBuf.readableBytes());
	return new ClientboundManagerLogsPacket(
			windowId,
			logsBuf
	);
}

Kinda.

Caption: SFM logs still not working

There's an IndexOutOfBoundsException in the logs now.

There were a few more iterations before I arrived at the working version

Further investigation (breakpoints) reveals that the encode method is actually being hit twice for the same packet. This is attributable to the introduction of a game-native packet splitting mechanism in the 1.20.4 update.

Captions: different stack traces both calling encode

The encode method I wrote did not anticipate being called multiple times for the same packet.

Caption: javadoc that tells us we are draining the object

/**
 * Transfers the specified source buffer's data to this buffer starting at
 * the current {@code writerIndex} until the source buffer becomes
 * unreadable, and increases the {@code writerIndex} by the number of
 * the transferred bytes.  This method is basically same with
 * {@link #writeBytes(ByteBuf, int, int)}, except that this method
 * increases the {@code readerIndex} of the source buffer by the number of
 * the transferred bytes while {@link #writeBytes(ByteBuf, int, int)}
 * does not.
 * If {@code this.writableBytes} is less than {@code src.readableBytes},
 * {@link #ensureWritable(int)} will be called in an attempt to expand
 * capacity to accommodate.
 */
public abstract ByteBuf writeBytes(ByteBuf src);

The working solution involves calling a different method to avoid the modifying behaviour.

Caption: the encode method no longer drains the object

public static void encode(
		ClientboundManagerLogsPacket msg, FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf
) {
	friendlyByteBuf.writeVarInt(msg.windowId());
	friendlyByteBuf.writeVarInt(msg.logsBuf.readableBytes());
	friendlyByteBuf.writeBytes(msg.logsBuf, 0, msg.logsBuf.readableBytes()); // !!!IMPORTANT!!!
	// We use this write method specifically to NOT modify the reader index.
	// The encode method may be called multiple times, so we want to ensure it is idempotent.
}

public static ClientboundManagerLogsPacket decode(FriendlyByteBuf friendlyByteBuf) {
	int windowId = friendlyByteBuf.readVarInt();

	int size = friendlyByteBuf.readVarInt(); // don't trust readableBytes
	// https://discord.com/channels/313125603924639766/1154167065519861831/1192251649398419506

	FriendlyByteBuf logsBuf = new FriendlyByteBuf(Unpooled.buffer(size));
	friendlyByteBuf.readBytes(logsBuf, size);
	return new ClientboundManagerLogsPacket(
			windowId,
			logsBuf
	);
}

Caption: SFM logs working, multiplayer

The additional code that encodes the length of the byte buffer technically isn't necessary since we can use the readBytes method to just read the rest of the buffer, but it's better to be explicit about our assumptions.

Perhaps a future change will give us a buffer that is shared between packets, expecting us to only read as much as we wrote. It is good to have some warning in place if our assumptions are violated.

At least everything works now.

Closing Remarks

Attempting to reproduce the resolution process of the bug was tricky, even with git and IntelliJ local history at my disposal. There was a behaviour I could not recreate for a gif that I wasted a lot of time trying for. 😥

Documenting the problem solving process is hard.

My life would have been easier writing this article if I had git commit'd at some key moments. Oh well.

The bug still exists in the mod, but at least now I can tell users to send me their logs.

Drawing by Nick Verrelli

The conceit for this article came after walking out of the theater with Kaitlyn. We had just finished watching Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse. I, having started the day not knowing it was Part 1 of 2, was brutally disappointed by the ending. How could they just leave it on a cliffhanger like that?!¹ And now I need to wait five more years² to see how this ends?!³ Kaitlyn tried to soothe my dissatisfaction, but it was no use… I was already whining about “the good old days” (prehistory).

“Imagine if a wandering shaman storyteller came to your village, right? And you all sat around the bonfire and he told you the most beautiful, engaging, moving story you had ever heard. And halfway through, in the middle of the action, he packed up his bag and said he would return in twenty-four moons to finish it. You and the other villagers would beat him to death! If you were to do this in ancient amphitheaters, you would be stoned to death!”

Or would you?

Of course, we have no records of such a thing happening. But we do have discussions on the art of drama, dating back nearly 2,400 years. And theatre is exactly like film in literally every way, so… This is perfect! This led me to my copy of Aristotle’s Poetics. Highlighted and handed down to me from my father, it was exactly what I was looking for: A dead Greek guy to tell me if I was right or wrong.

Poetics is the oldest and (some would claim) most fundamental study of the art of drama. Written in the fourth century B.C.⁴ by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, it discusses the history, art, and process of theater. Spoken through the lens of Ancient Greek theatre, Aristotle analyzes what makes plots good, bad, compelling, or just straight incomprehensible. His treatise on the art is regarded as fundamental because Ancient Greek theatre is, in essence, the beginning of the Western dramatic lineage. As Ferguson remarks in his introductory essay of my copy, “He [Aristotle] got in on the ground floor.” (Pg. 1)

Most historians agree that Poetics was a series of lecture notes. Anyone who has taught or given a presentation knows how scant and fractured those can be. Poetics isn’t meant to be a strict series of rules on how to write a story or create a drama (though many later Renaissance readers took it as such). Ferguson reminds us, “The Poetics is much more like a cookbook than it is a textbook in elementary engineering.” (Pg. 3) On top of this, Poetics is incomplete. It’s part of a larger text (now lost) that discusses light poetry, Tragedy, and Comedy (As a side note, I would have loved to read what Aristotle had to say about comedic theatre). All we have to work with are his general points on playwriting, the dramatic art, and the analysis of Tragedy — Aristotle’s personal favourite kind of play. You will see plenty of references to Tragedy in specific through the selected quotes, though you should take it as a general reference to the art of drama. Many points laid out are repeated for the art of Epic poetry.

After a quick reading (as the text of Poetics is extremely short) and seeing remarkable similarities to modern screenwriting tips and contemporary film criticism, I thought it would be interesting to see how it holds up in modern times. Good thing I have after-hours access to the Time Travel Facility. Let’s bring Aristotle to 2024 and ask the eternal question: kino or bino?

NOTE: It goes without saying that we cannot really deduce anything about what Aristotle or any historical figure beyond the last 75 years would really think of modernity. I know you’ve all seen the posts I’m referring to. This article aims to be nothing more than a fun comparison of an ancient text on an ancient theatre to my own thoughts on modern cinema and its critics. For all I know, Aristotle would’ve loved nothing more than to chomp down on buttery popcorn, slurp Diet Sprite, and watch Free Guy (2021, Dir. Shawn Levy). As for myself, I love reading about our distant but all-too-human ancestors. Reading vulgar Roman graffiti, angry letters between feudal castles, upset customer reviews on Sumerian bronze… the more we change, the more we stay the same.

That’s enough talk though. Hop in the Accent, Ari, we are going to the Cineplex!

Art as Imitation

“Epic poetry and Tragedy, Comedy also and Dithyrambic poetry, and the music of the flute and of the lyre in most of their forms, are all in their general conception modes of imitation.” (Chapter I)

To begin, let's get a grasp on what art is for Aristotle. Put simply: All forms of art, from drama to music to painting, are ‘imitations’. This can most clearly be seen in art such as painting and sculpture in which the artist uses stone or paints to imitate something we physically see or can imagine. Imitation does not necessarily imply realism, since abstract and artistic forms can imitate subtle emotion, states, qualities of human conscious experience.

“Poets, like painters, musicians, and dancers, Aristotle says, all ‘imitate action’ in their various ways. By ‘action’ he means, not physical activity, but a movement-of-spirit, and by ‘imitation’ he means, not superficial copying, but the representation of the countless forms which the life of the human spirit may take, in the media of the arts: musical sound, paint, word, or gesture.” (Ferguson, Pg. 4)

It is a bit hard to conceptualize this ‘movement-of-spirit’ that is imitated. I personally think of it in the way an emotionally charged song can make you feel sad or heroic, even in the absence of lyrics. The song imitates the heroic or sorrowful ‘spirit’ in the swooping orchestra or pitiful piano. Aristotle says so much:

“...for even dancing imitates character, emotion, and action, by rhythmical movements.” (Chapter I)

Okay, so if art is imitation, why do we ‘do’ art? Why do we enjoy viewing and creating art? Aristotle says the reason is simple: Because it's built into our code, that we as humans are pre-programmed with two instincts. The first being a love for imitation, and the second being a love for harmony and rhythm:

“Poetry in the general seems to have sprung from two causes, each of them lying deep in our nature. First, the instinct of imitation is implanted in man from childhood, one difference between him and other animals being that he is the most imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated. We have evidence of this in the facts of experience. Objects which in themselves we view with pain, we delight to contemplate when reproduced with minute fidelity: such as the forms of the most ignoble animals and of dead bodies. The cause of this again is that to learn gives the liveliest pleasure, not only to philosophers but to men in general; whose capacity, however, of learning is more limited. Thus the reason why men enjoy seeing a likeness is that in contemplating it they find themselves learning or inferring, and saying perhaps, ‘Ah, that is he.’” (Chapter IV)

We are social creatures. We learn through imitation. It’s how we can do… anything. It’s how we went from goo goo gaga baby to a functional, reasoning, and integrated adult. Our movement, language, culture, mannerisms, all spring from imitation. Because of this, we enjoy learning. Elevation of our knowledge through recognition is key to the Aristotelian pleasure in art. It is also why we find strange artistic enjoyment in things otherwise grotesque to us. Aristotle above mentions corpses and deformed animals. In real life these leave us disgusted and repulsed, but our pleasure in seeing them ‘within’ art is pleasure of recognition mixed with the safety of mere representation. Our boy, Brad Troemel, says it well: “...for a fleeting moment, visual art can mirror reality and show it back to us with a clarity like nothing else...”

Rhythm and harmony, the second instinct we hold, refers to a more general aesthetic enjoyment of the countless forms of art. Aristotle doesn’t speak much on why we enjoy harmony and rhythm, only that humans do.

“The Plot, then, is the first principle, and, as it were, the soul of a tragedy: Character holds the second place. A similar fact is seen in painting. The most beautiful colors, laid on confusedly, will not give as much pleasure as the chalk outline of a portrait. Thus Tragedy is the imitation of an action, and of the agents mainly with a view to the action.” (Chapter IV)

A scathing critique of abstract art from nearly two and a half millennia ago… Wow… Joking aside, I don’t think Aristotle would have hated contemporary, abstract art. He recognizes that colours in themselves can be beautiful. Arrangements of colour can be aesthetically pleasing and provoking in their own right:

“For if you happen not to have seen the original, the pleasure will be due not to the imitation as such, but to the execution, the coloring, or some such other cause.” (Chapter IV)

But missing the imitation — that subtle, barely conscious “aha!” of seeing something real represented in an artistic form — it is a lesser, baser pleasure. I, too, would take a napkin pencil sketch over a Jackson Pollock.⁵

Singularity of Action and Unity of Plot

“Unity of plot does not, as some persons think, consist in the unity of the hero. For infinitely various are the incidents in one man’s life which cannot be reduced to unity; and so, too, there are many actions of one man out of which we cannot make one action. Hence the error, as it appears, of all poets who have composed a Heracleid, a Theseid, or other poems of the kind. They imagine that as Heracles was one man, the story of Heracles must also be a unity. But Homer, as in all else he is of surpassing merit, here too—whether from art or natural genius—seems to have happily discerned the truth. In composing the Odyssey he did not include all the adventures of Odysseus—such as his wound on Parnassus, or his feigned madness at the mustering of the host—incidents between which there was no necessary or probable connection: but he made the Odyssey, and likewise the Iliad, to center round an action that in our sense of the word is one.” (Chapter VIII)

This is the first half of Chapter VIII. I include it in its entirety because I believe it fully represents the main thesis of Poetics. A plot is made good through its single ‘action’. The critical error of bad poets, playwrights, screenwriters, and authors is focusing on anything but that singular plot unity — whether that be characters, historical events, etc. When we sit down to write a plot, we are confronted with a near infinite source of events to pull from. Of course, we could write a Spider-Man movie that is full of scenes of Peter making dinner, taking a piss, scrolling on Instagram. But this isn’t a plot. It’s just a series of scenes with no uniting action. Aristotle cites Homer (a personal poetic hero of his) as an example of this. Homer had the whole mythos of the Odysseus⁶ to draw on for the Odyssey, yet only selected key events that connected to each other and centered on the key action: Odysseus’ journey home. To include anything else would dilute and confuse the plot.

The second half of the chapter is as follows:

“As, therefore, in the other imitative arts, the imitation is one when the object imitated is one, so the plot, being an imitation of an action, must imitate one action and that a whole, the structural union of the parts being such that, if any one of them is displaced or removed, the whole will be disjointed and disturbed. For a thing whose presence or absence makes no visible difference is not an organic part of the whole.” (Chapter VIII)

The structure of a plot should not contain anything that can be removed without a difference on the whole. A very erudite way to state what anyone who has seen a TV show in the past decade knows: CUT FILLER EPISODES. If it doesn’t affect the plot or mean anything to the plot, DROP IT. Your show, movie, book should be constructed such that any piece, if removed, disrupts the entire thing. This doesn’t mean it needs to be all action, action, action. Anyone who has seen a Ghibli film knows that downtime, contemplative slowness, can be essential for the story. What would Ghibli movies be without those moments of quiet between set pieces?

You know who I do need to call out here… One Piece heads… I’m sorry… But you would give Aristotle a heart attack if you told him how many episodes/chapters there are (and still going). That, or he would die on the spot from laughter.

Is it realistic, though?

“As in the structure of the plot, so too in the portraiture of character, the poet should always aim either at the necessary or the probable. Thus a person of a given character should speak or act in a given way, by the rule either of necessity or of probability, just as this event should follow that by necessary or probable sequence. It is therefore evident that the unravelling of the plot, no less than the complication, must arise out of the plot itself, it must not be brought about by the Deus ex Machina—as in the Medea, or in the Return of the Greeks in the Iliad. The Deus ex Machina should be employed only for events external to the drama—for antecedent or subsequent events, which lie beyond the range of human knowledge, and which require to be reported or foretold; for to the gods we ascribe the power of seeing all things. Within the action there must be nothing irrational. If the irrational cannot be excluded, it should be outside the scope of the tragedy.” (Chapter XV)

This is a common criticism of bad films heard today: “Things just happen.” “Nothing makes any sense.” “Nobody acts like a real person would.” “Things just happen and then it is over.” “It doesn’t matter because [RANDOM EVENT] happens at the end and fixes it all.”

How many times have you screamed, “Why are you splitting up?!” at your TV while characters do the most irrational and stupid thing possible in a horror movie?

When people act irrationally, we realize. It breaks immersion. Hard. Same goes for impossible or irrational sequences of events. The Deux ex Machina, the god who comes in and fixes everything, ruins a plot. Why? Because the events don’t follow what is probable or necessary. Things ‘just happen’ because the writer deemed it so to shove the story along.

This doesn’t mean that the poet should stray away from things that are unrealistic, fictitious, or impossible. Only that if you are going to write unrealistic things, the movement of the plot should still follow what is probable from that fictitious starting point. Similarly if you are going to have an inconsistent character, they should be consistently inconsistent.

This was a major criticism I heard and spoke of myself regarding the new Star Wars trilogy. In each of the new movies, the Force was able to do something completely new that just happened to conveniently get the characters out of trouble. In the original trilogy, the Force was mysterious and vague, but had general properties like telekinesis, precognition, heightened reflexes, connection to other creatures. In the new movies, people are teleporting items across the galaxy, swapping spaces, having psychic skype calls. A new problem arises and a new Force power appears to solve it. Lazy.

Summed up in a sentence:

“Accordingly, the poet should prefer probable impossibilities to improbable possibilities.” (Chapter XXIV)

Plot Holes and Inconsistency

“In constructing the plot and working it out with the proper diction, the poet should place the scene, as far as possible, before his eyes. In this way, seeing everything with the utmost vividness, as if he were a spectator of the action, he will discover what is in keeping with it, and be most unlikely to overlook inconsistencies. The need of such a rule is shown by the fault found in Carcinus. Amphiaraus was on his way from the temple. This fact escaped the observation of one who did not see the situation. On the stage, however, the piece failed, the audience being offended at the oversight.” (Chapter XVII)

This entry serves as practical writing tips for the aspiring poet: Place the world vividly in your mind, act things out, see all the action before you. Aristotle notes what happens when we forget to do this — we get plot holes.⁷ The playwright Carcinus makes a fatal error. One of the characters, Amphiaraus, exits a temple that he was never shown or told to have entered. Ermh, plot hole! WatchMojo Top Ten Plot Holes in Ancient Greek Theatre!

We remember from the last section, events in a plot must follow from probability and necessity. If your character just shows up places, teleporting around, you don’t have a proper plot.

In an age of CinemaSins and Nostalgia Critic, it can be easy to forget that not every nitpick is a valid criticism, at least not of the writers:

“Within the art of poetry itself there are two kinds of faults—those which touch its essence, and those which are accidental. If a poet has chosen to imitate something, through want of capacity, the errors inherent in the poetry. But if the failure is due to a wrong choice—if he has represented a horse as throwing out both his off legs at once, or introduced technical inaccuracies in medicine, for example, or in any other art—the error is not essential to the poetry. These are the points of view from which we should consider and answer the objections raised by the critics.” (Chapter XXV)

He continues later in the same chapter:

“Again, does the error touch the essentials of the poetic art, or some accident of it? For example, not to know that a hind has no horns is a less serious matter than to paint it inartistically.” (Chapter XXV)

To Aristotle, the critics pointing out trivial mistakes in the play (or movie, in our case) is not a fault of the poetic art. To be fair, it's different today in the information age. Not knowing how exactly a horse runs or what an elephant looks like is not as excusable as it might’ve once been. Though I believe the point still stands: Trivial mistakes in film, though fun to pick out, are not cinematic sins. The error of Carcinus remains a fault of the poet; the sequence of events do not follow each other. The whole of the dramatic art is the selection, arrangement, and unification of scenes.

However, even the irrational and inconsistent can be masked by extremely competent writing:

“Take even the irrational incidents in the Odyssey, where Odysseus is left upon the shore of Ithaca. How intolerable even these might have been would be apparent if an inferior poet were to treat the subject. As it is, the absurdity is veiled by the poetic charm with which the poet invests it.” (Chapter XXIV)

Aristotle’s love of Homer shines through again. (I haven’t read any Homer. Refer to Liam or Nick on if this guy deserves the hype.)⁸

Some absurdities only slip by in writing and cannot exist on stage or on screen:

“The irrational, on which the wonderful depends for its chief effects, has wider scope in Epic poetry, because there the person acting is not seen. Thus, the pursuit of Hector would be ludicrous if placed upon the stage—the Greeks standing still and not joining in the pursuit, and Achilles waving them back. But in the Epic poem the absurdity passes unnoticed.” (Chapter XXIV)

Epic poetry was normally read by a single actor, while other genres had multiple actors and sets. Since you aren’t seeing the action before your very eyes, you allow for more leniency in your suspension of disbelief. Avid readers know this all too well. In recent memory, I think of Alia from Dune. A two-year-old running around stabbing people and talking like an adult is frankly absurd and would have been impossible to seriously portray on the big screen. Villeneuve didn’t even bother to try. Even just the psychic fetus scenes were humourous enough. It's a shame too, because Alia was one of my favourite parts of the book.

At any point in converting a written text to a visual medium, it should be considered if it is even possible to adapt. And if it is, what are you losing in making it so?

Magnitude and Length

“Again, a beautiful object, whether it be a living organism or any whole composed of parts, must not only have an orderly arrangement of parts, but must also be of a certain magnitude; for beauty depends on magnitude and order. Hence a very small animal organism cannot be beautiful; for the view of it is confused, the object being seen in an almost imperceptible moment of time. Nor, again, can one of vast size be beautiful; for as the eye cannot take it all in at once, the unity and sense of the whole is lost for the spectator; as for instance if there were one a thousand miles long. As, therefore, in the case of animate bodies and organisms a certain magnitude is necessary, and a magnitude which may be easily embraced in one view; so in the plot, a certain length is necessary, and a length which can be easily embraced by the memory.” (Chapter VII)

During one’s first reading, it might seem a bit strange to hear Aristotle say that small and large things carry less beauty. Maybe it is just me, but I get what he is cooking here. Looking down at an ant doesn’t feel the same as viewing it through a magnifying glass or in a zoomed-in picture. Similarly, we are always standing on the planet, but the magnificence of Earth is only visible when we can view it all at once in a picture taken from space. In both cases the beauty is apparent when things are brought into a human magnitude. The same is for any art — including plays, movies, shows. You could make a movie that is a millisecond long. You could also make a movie that is 10,000,000,000 hours long. Neither of these will be as artistic as one with appropriate length.

So then, what is the appropriate length? Aristotle suggests a length that is “easily embraced by memory.” Couldn’t agree more. When movies are split into two or three parts, when TV seasons end on plot-inconclusive cliffhangers, you are forcing your audience to wait. To eventually forget. The majestic unified plot is shattered across time, diluted like “wine with too much water”.

“Of all plots and actions the epeisodic are the worst. I call a plot “epeisodic” in which the episodes or acts succeed one another without probable or necessary sequence. Bad poets compose such pieces by their own fault, good poets, to please the players; for, as they write show pieces for competition, they stretch the plot beyond its capacity and are often forced to break the natural continuity.” (Chapter IX)

The poets of today are no longer stretching plots to win competitions, but producers and screenwriters are stretching plots for profit. Nothing breaks the heart more than a great show that should have ended four seasons earlier. Nothing is stupider than a movie trilogy that should have been a single film. The Hobbit should have been one or two movies. The Boys should have been three seasons — it even could have been one. At least Arcane, which I remember for its own infuriating cliffhanger, has the decency to stop after the second season.

Women

“In respect of character, there are four things to be aimed at. First, and most important, it must be good. [...] This rule is relative to each class. Even a woman may be good, and also a slave; though the woman may be said to be an inferior being, and the slave quite worthless. The second thing to aim at is propriety. There is a type of manly valor, but valor in a woman, or unscrupulous cleverness, is inappropriate.” (Chapter XV)⁹

- Least sexist Greek man

Not only are women ‘worthless’ as moral characters, but clever and valorous women are inappropriate in drama. Yes, we’ve all heard the Petersonian complaints over and over. It’s upsetting, boring, and unfortunately nothing new.

I’ve even had a friend tell me that “Woke Hollywood keeps shoving manly women down our throats.”

Unfortunately, I think Aristotle would be in his camp.

Spectacle

“The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet.” (Chapter IV)

‘Spectacle’ referred to here is everything on stage. In ancient times, it would be costumes, masks, sets. For us it’s all that, and the extra effects that film gives us: CGI, editing tricks, camera movement and angles, green screens. Aristotle says all this is disconnected from the writer’s art. The feeling and power of the story should be felt regardless of the actors and effects used. It’s also noted that the spectacular effects aren’t the work of the writer, who should only focus on making a proper and coherent plot.

“Fear and pity may be aroused by spectacular means; but they may also result from the inner structure of the piece, which is the better way, and indicates a superior poet. For the plot ought to be so constructed that, even without the aid of the eye, he who hears the tale told will thrill with horror and melt to pity at what takes place. This is the impression we should receive from hearing the story of the Oedipus. But to produce this effect by the mere spectacle is a less artistic method, and dependent on extraneous aids.” (Chapter XIV)

Fear and pity, the chief emotions of the Tragic play, are said to be aroused both by the plot and by spectacle. The writing is key, though. The drama should be constructed that even just by reading it, you are moved to fear, pity, anger, joy. You can use extra aids, but a master of the art doesn’t need them. Personally when I think of fear aroused by spectacle, I think of the much maligned jump scare. Paranormal Activities and Five Nights at Freddy’s are not known as artistic pinnacles of the thriller/horror genre, even if they instill us with dread and fear. What we do remember and discuss in high esteem are the ‘slow-burn thrillers’ that ‘don’t even show anything but make your skin crawl’. Aristotle agrees, spectacle is cheap and easy. Superior poets don’t use it as a crutch.

“The element of the irrational, and, similarly, depravity of character, are justly censured when there is no inner necessity for introducing them. Such is the irrational element in the introduction of Aegeus by Euripides and the badness of Menelaus in the Orestes.” (Chapter XXV)

Perhaps not surprisingly, Aristotle would not have enjoyed the senseless gore present in much of modern horror. Displaying evil for evil’s sake and violence just for shock is not the purpose of the arts. One should not remove them, merely ‘censure’ the acts (allude to or obscure them off screen). If your story depends on gore, shock, and brutality, it is weak and cannot stand on its own. Again, using spectacle as a crutch.

Though in defense of Freddy, Chica, and co, I don’t think fans of horror games and movies place high importance on the ‘beauty of plot’. Scott Cawthon wasn’t attempting to create a poetic experience, but an interactive one where you are a participant. Sometimes it's just fun to spike your own adrenaline in a safe environment.¹⁰

End Credits

All in all, Poetics provides unique and compelling insight into the art of storytelling. Keep your story unified and consistent. Keep the parts and episodes at an appropriate length. If you can remove a part without it affecting the rest of the story, do it. Write a screenplay so good that it doesn’t even need to be put on the screen to move you. The major issues with a play or movie begin far before costumes, sets, CGI, and effects. A good plot is a work of art in itself; it shines on its own merit.

My own speculation here, but I don’t think we live in a unique age of slop media. Every year in Ancient Greece, dozens of plays were put on during the Dionysa festivals, many of which feature the same gods, demigods, heroes, and stories seen countless times before. When Aristotle warns us that simply writing Heracleid or Theseid doesn’t guarantee a good plot, I’d bet he’s thinking of all the shitters he sat through . For every Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, there are a hundred more that didn’t survive because they stunk. But they didn't have to! We humans are, by nature, imitative. We are all born to make art! And good art at that!

If any of this interests you, I’d highly recommend to give Poetics a read. You can crush it in a lazy afternoon (as I did). Though outdated in places, it speaks to a deep part in all of us — the part that knows a movie, book, or play is bad, even when we can’t seem to express why. Though we may never have an exact science of art and human condition, I admire all attempts to explain it.

But this leaves one question still unanswered before we head back to the Time Travel Facility.

So? Did Aristotle like our trip to the Cineplex?

Well, I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to ask. He’s still in the washroom marveling at the automatic flushing urinals.

With the summer heat now upon us, It’s always a good reminder to — Stay frosty, Noah

Sources for this article: I read Butcher’s translation of Poetics with an introductory essay by Francis Ferguson. This is the source of all the quotations. I read Whalley’s translation of Poetics, who turns out to have been a professor at Queen’s! Cha Gheill! The added commentary there helped me to understand some of the chewier parts. I also read Oedipus Rex, since it is referenced quite often as Aristotle’s favourite tragedy. Pretty good stuff.

I am writing this article as a small part of a larger series that will hopefully be useful for people getting into the gym, or broadly wanting to get a bit more into health and fitness. I have been in the gym for about 10 years, and it has been a cornerstone of an extremely tumultuous life.

The gym can be an amazing place. It can be a place where you go to improve yourself. It can be a place where you can become more familiar with your body and how it moves. It can be a place where you can go to get stronger to help those around you. It can be a place for meditative contemplation and taking stress out in a healthy way. Almost everyone I talk to says a very similar thing. The gym is always there for you. When things are going well, the gym can be there making you physically feel great too. When things are going terribly, the gym can be a place to focus and burn your energy, or just get away from it. It really is a good place to be, and in my opinion, almost everyone should be there in some capacity. I knew a guy, Steve, who couldn't move the bottom half of his body, and he asked me, a random 16-year-old he didn't know, to help lift him to machines and strap him in place to do his movements. If he can do it with confidence, you can too.

Health

Here are some general ideas of what constitutes physical health. It isn't everything, but everything is connected, and these give some good ideas to pay attention to.

Sleep: Good sleep will help with mental clarity and ability, physical ability, mood, and hormone function. If you feel like your sleep is really good, it is probably good enough. If you feel like you're always tired, waking up feeling terrible, or if you can't ever get to sleep, most sleep can be improved simply through less use of electronics before bed, having a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, and dialling in diet and exercise alongside it.

Diet: Knowing what you eat is important. Having an eating disorder is unhealthy. Broadly speaking, eat healthy foods most of the time, and ensure that you have general control over your eating. If you start snacking when you are stressed, be aware of it, and work on the root causes of the stress while working on not using food to solve it. Get a good amount of protein, there should be some protein in every meal. If you eat more than your body uses, your body should start to store that energy and gain weight. If you consume less than your body uses, your body will need to use those energy stores, and you will lose a bit of weight. This level is your TDEE, and online calculators aren't great at finding it. To start, just be aware of what you eat and try to make it a bit healthier if you so decide.

Movement: When you sit for a while, your body may feel stiff. If it was stiff, you would need to stretch to fix it. Stretching does not help, rather, you need to move your body more to get rid of that feeling. Your body needs to move. The contraction of your muscles helps pump blood around your body, and literally, your body is made to move. It is a body. If your work demands you sit for extended periods of time, walk around a little or do some push-ups every half hour. Steps aren't the be-all and end-all for movement, but it's not the worst metric. Get some steps in. Bike to work if possible. Do a couple of squats and push-ups at the very start of the day too if possible, getting your body moving after sleep is good for it and your mental health.

Aches and Pains: Your body likely has some aches. Chances are they don't need to be there unless you're doing something stupid and it only hurts when you do that stupid thing (my right wrist hurts when I throw someone and catch them with one hand while they are spinning). Find a good physio or related service, and get them to check out any annoying aches. Knee pain, elbow pain, neck pain, etc. Chances are you can live pretty pain-free, it's just a matter of knowing what is actually causing grief so you can fix it. Find an aggressive young physio. Over the last 10 years, we have discovered that the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) can reduce pain, but actually slows down healing. Many still prescribe it to help with healing. Now, the general advice is to get things moving as fast as you can in a range that may be uncomfortable but isn't painful. If your physio tells you some bullshit like rest then do 2 generic exercises, it might be good to look for a new one.

Mental health: Be physically healthy, get paid enough, and have some friends you see frequently. Easier said than done, but frankly, this probably puts you 90% of the way to good mental health. Therapy can be useful too I suppose.

Supplements: Supplements can act as a little boost to a specific missing aspect of a diet. You can use a protein powder if you struggle to hit protein goals. Fish oil is good, creatine can be useful for athletes. You don't need to spend money on supplements. They can help a bit, but having a more consistent sleep pattern, diet, and exercise regimen will all trump the difference supplements make and it won't be close. That being said, get some blood work done and see if you have any vitamin deficiencies. Take something if one of them is notable. Women, iron is useful and is in your blood. Women have a general tendency to eat less as well as lose more blood than men. If you are frequently super tired or short of breath, look into it.

Movement

Here we will work with some basics, but I won't go into too too much detail.

You have bones, and tendons connect those bones to muscles. Muscles broadly connect things in your body and pull them together. When you grab something, you have forearm muscles that are contracting, pulling both ends closer together, and the magic of your body does this in such a way that closes your fingers. Try holding your forearm as you open and close your hands. Feel something moving? If so, the contraction is what you're feeling. If you don't feel anything, well, we can work on that.

So the body has a lot of these muscles, and they coordinate and do things for you. When you pick something up, you have to grab it with your hands, bend your arm, move your legs, straighten your back, and hold it up with your shoulders. Talking about each muscle individually takes too much effort, so I like to reduce it to fewer movement patterns.

Broadly speaking, your body's basic patterns are somewhere around: – Squatting: Crouching position –> Standing position – Pushing: Close to torso –> far from torso – Pulling: Far from torso –> close to torso – Twisting: Asymmetric forces on the body – Carrying: Holding and moving with something

I am leaving out a couple of movements commonly grouped in as basic movement patterns:

• lunging
  • I decided to keep things simple by counting this as an asymmetric squat. I think of this as a combination of squatting and twisting in terms of lifting weights.
• hinging
  • This is hinging around the hips to generate power instead of using legs alongside the hips. I decided that I would group this in with squatting purely because I think strictly hinging with no leg bend is an assistance movement and not as broad a movement pattern as the rest of these (at least in the gym).

I think these movement patterns are enough to have a pretty complete understanding of how you want your body to move when lifting weights. Pretty much every exercise can fall into these categories, or at least directly adjacent to one. For example, curls, which may start with a weight at your hip and end with a weight just in front of you, still serve to pull that weight closer to the part of your body your arm is attached to: the shoulder. Using your triceps would do the opposite. This broadly makes the biceps a pull muscle and the triceps a push muscle. Using this logic, we can categorize our muscles in a productive way for hitting the gym.

• Squatting: Legs, hips, lower back
• Pushing: Chest, shoulders, triceps
• Pulling: Upper back, lats, biceps
• Twisting: Abs, obliques, some back muscles
• Carrying: Forearms, traps, core muscles in general

Aspects of movement

Flexibility: The ability to bend, and the ability to remain strong in bent positions, broadly translates to how difficult it is for you to randomly get injured in everyday life (unless you have a condition that specifically makes it not so). Also, it makes things much more comfortable. If you do not use your body's full range of motion, your body will adapt to not using it. If you do use your body's range of motion, your body will adapt to using it. The best way to keep your body feeling great as you get older – or even just now – is literally to use it how you want to use it. Don't let your range of motion disappear. Someone who has not used their hips or stretched their legs may trip and fall as they get older and take quite an impact. Someone who has retained their ability to bend may be able to catch themselves much better with minimal discomfort.

Strength: How much you can exert yourself to lift weight. Strength is effectively the ability of your muscles to move mass. Heavier weights require more strength to move, lighter weights require less strength to move. If you can pick up something heavier, you have more strength at your disposal. A person who can pick up a 100-pound object may find an 80-pound object heavy. A person who can pick up a 400-pound object can probably readily pick up and move something that is 150 pounds. It is less strain to pick up something that is a smaller percentage of your total strength capacity, so becoming stronger makes things feel much easier and lighter. It also just feels so good to pick up something heavy.

Cardio: The ability to do things for an extended period of time. People are designed for endurance. Sweating is very effective at reducing our core temperature, and we have multiple great methods for getting around that we should take advantage of. If you cannot jog 3 to 5 kilometres right now, you might want to look into that. It doesn't have to be fast, you don't have to be pretty at the end of it, but if you can't, improving your cardio will generally improve your life. Hell, I'm not picky, choose biking or some other form of cardio and do a similar test. Cardio is the efficient long-term movement of your body, and not having it means your heart will have to work significantly harder than necessary to do far less work. There are tons of different ways to train cardio, chances are one will work for you.

Conditioning: Think of this as a blend between strength and cardio. OK, you can lift something heavy, but can you do it multiple times? Maybe you can move a big heavy box around. Can you do 50? If you're doing gardening or a friend is moving, one bag or box won't help too much, but having good conditioning means that you will be able to handle all kinds of challenges, and you can do it much longer than most people. Many strong people struggle when it comes to this. They can get big and lift heavy things, but get wiped in 5 minutes when it comes to actually doing something outside of the gym. Whatever lifts you do, make sure you sprinkle in some sets of very high reps (15 to 20) here and there, it is good for you and often helps find weak points.

Endpoint strength: How well does your body handle being pushed to the ends of its comfortable range of motion? It was thought for a long time when squatting that we should avoid our knees going over our toes because that is when most injuries occur. Turns out, training having your knees past your toes in a squat is good for athletes because they often end up in that position in their sport, and if they haven't trained it, it is now even more likely to get injured. Shoulder injuries, ankle injuries, and knee injuries are all extremely common. Lots of people feel unstable in certain ranges of motion. Training with some resistance in these weird positions can help your body learn to be comfortable in these positions and can stop you from getting injured if your body accidentally or unexpectedly gets forced into these positions.

Explosiveness: OK, so you can move heavy weight, but can you move it fast? From sprinting to fast deadlifts, explosiveness is very useful. It helps you move with better control faster, as well as can give comparable strength gains with significantly less weight. Explosiveness also carries a lot of fun. Sports and generally having impromptu fun, like chasing a stranger's dog, requires coordination and explosiveness whereas, without it, it just wouldn't be the same. A bonus to explosiveness is that it can help with weight goals. Having no fat makes explosive training tougher, the impacts hit harder. Having too much fat can also make it tougher, fat jiggles a bit, and too much fat doesn't feel amazing when doing sprints. I would know.

Getting started

Do not spend any money when getting started. If you have no old clothes you think you could work out in, get the cheapest crew shirts and whatever pants or shorts you can get a hold of for cheap and that's all you need. Old beater shoes are a gym staple. Spending money doesn't help in the gym (spare getting a gym membership). This is you, your brain, and your body. Your goals and what you have fun doing change over time. Early on, purchasing stuff might make you feel locked into liking one thing. If you want to run and your shoes are absolute garbage, maybe get some shoes.

Some apps might be able to assist you, like teaching you how to run and stopping you from just sprinting until you burn out, giving you a pace or something to work at. No need to buy one yet, there should be something free available.

Step 1: Exercise once. Get to the gym, go for a run, do some squats and some push-ups, go for a bike ride, fuck it literally anything. Before a meal, after a meal, in the morning, in the afternoon, at lunch, at night. Just get a little done. Make yourself a bit tired, then stop. Don't go insane and run a marathon, don't max out a deadlift, just do a little bit of something. A run around the block or a nearby park, go to the gym and go do some machines, they usually have pictures on them somewhere to show you how to use them. I've been doing this for around a decade and still looked around to figure out what the hell a machine was just yesterday. I sat in it facing the wrong way and looked for what I could grab. Nothing that way apparently. Ask for help, say you're new and ask a random person who looks confident to show you. I would find it incredibly strange if they said no, I have only ever had great experiences with it.

Step 2: Tell someone about it and tell them to check in on you in 2 or 3 days to make sure you've done another one. Even better, get a friend to start their little journey with you! Keep each other accountable, and make it a social experience. It's much nicer to go through anything with a friend, and it's also a good outlet to complain about soreness and such.

Step 3: Keep it up 3-4 times a week for a month (it's a jump I know I know). Have someone keeping you accountable, and if they ask you and you haven't completed it, you have to do it now. No need to do anything crazy, just make working out or going to the gym a habit. It starts feeling really good, trust me. If something is uncomfortable, maybe running is hurting your shins, maybe switch to biking weights, or swimming, which is nice on the joints. Just keep exercising.

The first step is to make a habit of doing some form of exercise. Don't worry about being great, no matter what you do, your goals will change in 5 years. Just have some fun and do something.

How Dune took everything from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The goal of this presentation is to denounce the blatant theft that Frank Herbert committed on Bethesda, by taking everything from one of their game. (Godd Howard is weeping). Frank had the gal to rip of half the lore of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind a whole 37 years before it was released. I hope that with enough visual and contextual evidence, this case will compel you to boycott any Dune related products, and tarnish the name of Frank Herbert forever.

Video of the intros – believe it or not those are two different videos from two different pieces of media

The People: Fremens and Ashlanders

Let's first look at some relevant world inhabitants of both universes:

Ashlanders

A religious sect of the Aldmers following St Veloth separated from their peers, left their homes in an exodus to a promised land. Now calling themselves Chimers, they travelled to a new hostile land, Resdayn (today's Morrowind) and slowly adapted and thrived in this new harsh environment. They were also free to practice their cult in the open. The Chimers eventually became the Dunmers, and organised themselves into great Houses. Except one people of the Dunmers, the Ashlanders. They were confined to the wilderness and harsh climate of Vvardenfell and organised themselves in clans, with at their head an Ashkhan, and a Wise Woman on the spiritual side. The Ashlanders are very proud, and challenges (often duels) are a common and important part of the culture. They can be called for all matters, from sport to honour. Religion is a big part of ashlander culture, they venerate their own deities, and there is a cult who awaits for a certain prophecy to be fulfilled — for the Nerevarine to arrive. The overall culture of Ashlanders is heavily inspired by irl arabic cultures, but they are also incredibly xenophobic.

Fremen

The Fremens are thought to have come to Arrakis from another planet. A religious sect of that planet, the Zensunni, took part in a hajra — “a migration to find a place to live as well as a holy journey [...]”* — which brought them to Arrakis where they settled. After settling, they thrived in this new hostile land, called themselves Fremens and recognised themselves as a people rather than a religion. They then organised themselves into Sietchs. They are guided by the head of the Sietch, the naib, and a Reverend Mother — a spiritual and religious figure. The Fremen are a very proud people, and ritual challenges often take place and are an important part of their culture. Religions is a strong part of the Fremen culture, they venerate the Shai-Hulud, and a majority believes in a prophecy about coming messiah. Fremen culture is heavily inspired by irl arabic cultures and the islamic faith, but they are also incredibly xenophobic.

In common

So we have two religious sects, leaving they homeworld/continent, on a religious journey to find a promised land. Both people had to adapt to a very harsh land, which lead to the development of a ruthless culture. They are both pariah of the civilised world and organised themselves in clans. At the head of their respective clans is a leader which is the strongest of the tribe, and a woman serving as a religious leader. Duels are common place, and a certain part of both people await the prophesied messiah. Both cultures are heavily inspired by irl arabic cultures. Conclusion: Fremen==Ashlanders

Video of the duels – see the similarities, which one is from Dune and which is from Morrowind, it is impossible to tell

The Setting: Arrakis and Morrowind

We will now look at the land and setting present in each universe:

Morrowind and VVardenfell

Morrowind is a region of Tamriel, which is comprised of the mainland, with a more temperate climate, and Vvardenfell, an island with at its centre a volcano. Although at first hospitable, after the first eruption of it's central Volcano — an event called the Sun's Death — Vvardenfell became extremely inhospitable. It is now characterised by arid wastes, rocky highlands and incessant ash storms. The deserts of ash are called the ashlands, and although some permanent settlements exist, the only people brave enough to live there unsettled are the ashlanders. The people who could, left for the mainland but the Great Houses still have a presence on the island. The Great Houses form the Grand Council and oversee every aspect of politics, trade and commerce in Morrowind. There are many political plots in motions at any given times for such and such House to take power, and they are all vying for power in the background. Open warfare between the Houses was banned by the Tribunal — the official religious institution of the Dunmers — and the Houses now rely on secret plots and the Morag Tong. The Morag Tong is a guild of assassins with a strict code, that will carry out political assassination for the Great Houses. This way the Great Houses can still further their plots, while maintaining a semblance of balance and stability. Ultimately, Morrowind was absorbed into the Empire, after the diplomatic negotiations with the Great Houses and the Tribunal. The Cyrodiilic Empire, the Third Empire, successfully conquered all of Tamriel — the main continent of the planet, Nirn. Not all Great Houses welcome the Empire, and the Ashlanders are particularly hostile to it. But as long as the Empire is allowed to extract resources from Morrowind, they tolerate the dissidents.

The Imperium and Arrakis

Arrakis — Dune — Desert Planet. Arrakis is a planet part of the Imperium. In the books we are introduced to the two main area distinctions on the planet; the cities and the desert. While life in the cities is not great, the desert life is even harsher, as on top of the arid wasteland and sometimes rocky terrain, you have to look out for worms. If that wasn't enough, there are also sandstorms which can be quite deadly. No one from the Imperium but the natives live on Arrakis by choice, yet the Imperium still has a strong presence on the planet, due to an inestimable resource it has: spice. A Great House, the Harkonnens — then the Atreides — then the Harkonnens again, is overseeing every single aspect of politics, trade and commerce on Arrakis. The Imperium and its functioning is not described in great detail in the book, but we can infer an almost antagonistic relationship with some of the Great Houses and the Emperor. The Fremens are particularly hostile to the Imperium and the Harkonnens which rules on its behalf. After the events of the first book, the Imperium uses the Muad'Dib religion to rule over the land, with the government and religion being heavily intertwined.

In common

Both lands are part of a bigger Empire after annexation. Both have Imperial colons on the territory, with more or less power depending on the specific territory. Both harbour natives and non-native populations, with the native being harden by a harsh climate as well as colonial occupation and repressions. Expectedly, the natives are hostile toward the colonial empire. This colonial empire uses Great Houses to rule over the land, but the relationship is more complicated than a simple alliance, and every Great House is different. Both lands are roughly separated in two regions; (sorta) hospitable were some natives are not welcomed, and unhospitable where some natives have taken over. This second region presents very harsh climate conditions, with storms of the small particle variety. Both lands (after some point) have government and religion heavily intertwined.

Video of the storms – which one is Dune, which one is Morrowind, again, impossible to tell

The Prophecies

Nerevarine Prophecy

The Nerevarine prophecy states the return of Nerevar, and save the descendent of the Chimers, the Dunmers, cast down the Tribunal as false Gods and drive the Empire out of Morrowind.

The reincarnation of Nerevar, the Nerevarine, will be an outsider born of uncertain parent, on a certain day. They will initially come from and be affiliated with the Empire, which exploits Morrowind in its imperialist colonialist endeavour. The Nerevarine will unite the Great Houses, and the Ashlander tribes of Morrowind under one banner. The Nerevarine will also be immune to Blight, or the Corprus disease, a plague from Morrowind. The Nerevarine will commune with Azura (a Goddess in the Elder Scrolls) and she will chose them. The Nerevarine will defeat the great Evil from the House unmourned.

Our character in Morrowind is initially chosen by the Empire to further its political goals, by pretending to be the Nerevarine. Our character, a former prisoner, was chosen because he fulfils the initial requirements of the prophecy: Born on a certain day to uncertain parents. We claim to be a prophet by using the local prophecy of the Ashlanders, despite not really knowing if the prophecy is real. We are not the first ones to have claimed to be the Nerevarine, and there are a few trials that we are asked to perform to verify our status. This includes one requiring performing an action that would kill anyone but the chosen one. After communing with Azura, we have the evidence needed to unite the tribes and Great Houses under the common enemy, Dagoth Ur. It is to note that it is never made clear whether the prophecy is real, or whether Azura was just using us to get to her mean. It is Azura after all who created the prophecy. In any case, we “fulfil” the prophecy, but not in the way the natives of Morrowind expected, and after the fact, the Empire is still in Morrowind, if a bit changed.

Muad'Dib/Lisan al Gaib

The prophecy of the Lisan Al Gaib is not explicitly narrated in the books, but a few components are given to us through dialogues.

• The Lisan Al Gaib will be an outsider
• He will be born of a Bene Gesserit mother
• He shall know the [Fremen] ways as though born to them
• He will be a messiah and unite the Fremen, defeating their oppressor
• Random vague tidbits (will quote the holy words...)

This prophecy was however implanted by the Bene Gesserit as part of the Missionna Protectiva, and is not something that came about organically on Dune. Paul fills the first parts of the prophecy as he is not native to Arrakis, and his mother is a Bene Gesserit. He also displays some knowledge of some of the Fremen ways, but it could be by sheer luck. The prophecy is by design very murky, and some Fremen are very eager to recognise Paul as the Lisan Al Gaib. After some initial pushback, Paul fully embraces his role in the prophecy and unites the Fremen tribes. He then sets his sight on the driving the oppressor out of Arrakis. Paul ultimately fulfills the prophecy, but the Imperium however remains on the planet, but is significantly changed. Paul unites the Great Houses, under the banner of the Jihad to assert his power as emperor.

In common

So we have a stranger to entering and eastern inspired land. This stranger is initially affiliated with an empire that exploits this land. A local prophecy that the stranger is aware of describes them being a messiah and saving the locals from that empire. The stranger uses that prophecy to their advantage and claims to be a prophet. The stranger unites the native people and the Great Houses against a common enemy. The stranger ultimately fulfills the prophecy, but not in the way it was intended, and the Empire remains.

What happens in both stories

Morrowind World and Main Quest

At the very beginning of our adventure, the Emperor chooses us to be shipped to Vvardenfell. If at first affiliated with the emperor, and by extension the Tribunal, we are to become an enemies of the latter by intermingling with the Ashlanders. The tribunal had been oppressing the Ashlanders using it's elite soldiers the Ordinator long before our arrival. Although we were aware of the prophecy before hand, and that we were at the center of it, the locals further our understanding of it, and we have to prove to them that we are indeed the Nerevarine. The tribunal is actively hostile towards us, and we cannot take refuge in the civilised regions they control. We ultimately use the prophecy to our advantage and start uniting the different Ashlanders tribes against a common enemy.

Dune

The Atreides, including Paul, are commanded by the Emperor to rule over Arrakis. Smelling a trap from the Harkonnens, the Atreides start forming relationships with the locals of Arrakis, the Fremens. The Fremens had been oppressed by the Harkonnens since before the Atreides set foot on Arrakis, and have a deep hatred of them. The Emperor betrays the Atreides and with the Sardaukars, its elite shock troops, begin decimating Atreides and Fremens alike. Paul, which is aware of the prophecy, takes refuge with the Fremens, and has to prove that he is indeed the messiah from the prophecy. He takes advantage of the powers the prophecy grants him and unites the different Sietches against a common enemy.

Miscellaneous

Ordinators and Sardaukar

Just want to reinforce the similarities between the Sardaukars and the Ordinators. While the Sardaukars are the elite units of the Emperor, whose existence justifies its dominion over the Great Houses, The Ordinators are the elite unit of the Tribunal, now allied with the Empire, which grant a definite legitimacy to the Tribunal, especially after their loss of power. While the Ordinators' role encompasses more responsibilities, the Sardaukars also have many roles, from guarding the emperor, to dealing with clandestine operations. While the Sardaukars originate for Salusa Secondus, almost all Ordinators come from House Indoril.

Thu'um and the Voice

The Voice in Dune is a Bene Gesserit technique that allows the user to project their voices in a way that forces people to obey a command, i.e. bends their will. Sorta similarly in The Elder Scrolls, the voice — or thuum — allows user to project words of power using their vocal chords, but with more varied and reality bending effect. Just like the Voice, the Thuum is not gatekept by mystical/biological properties, and regular humans can learn to use it, although it take more time.

Water of Life\Kwisazt Hiderach — Ring of Moon and Star

As you all know, in Dune, Paul has to drink the Water of Life and survive to prove that he is the Kwisatz Haderach — as only the Kwisatz Haderach would survive this trial. Similarly, in Morrowind, the main protagonist has to don the Moon and Star Ring to prove that he is indeed the prophesised Nerevarine — as the ring would kill anyone who is not the Nerevarine.

Ending of the prophet's story

At the end of Dune Messiah, Paul goes to the desert and his fate is a bit uncertain (although death is the most likely one). We learn in the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, set a few years after Morrowind, that the Nerevarine's fate is also unknown. He went on an expedition to Akavir, a foreign, mysterious and dangerous land. Since he never returned, his fate is also most likely death.

Tribunal/Alia

SPOILERS FOR CHILDREN OF DUNE

There is a striking similarity between the decline of the Tribunal and the decline of the Muad'Dib religion following the loss of Paul.

In Dune, before going off to the desert, Paul puts Alia in charge. Alia doubles down on the involvement of religion in government, and also goes mad because of the intrusion of the Barron into her head. There are frictions between the maybe more legitimate faction of fremen led by Leto II. Alia is ultimately stopped by the hero, here Leto II.

In Morrowind, before the events of the game, Nerevar “goes MIA” (is murdered by the Tribunal) and they put themselves in charge of the country. They double down on the involvement of religion into government and after Dagoth Uhr cuts off their access to divine power. The three members of the Tribunal either become dead, recluse, or mad. In particular, Almalexia which resides in the capital of Morrowind goes mad and uses religion to her sick goals, while tension grows between her and the King's forces (arguably a more legitimate faction). Almalexia is ultimately stopped by the Nerevarine.

Gaps in the Comparison

Obviously Mr. Herbert didn't copy The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind too hard, as it would have been obvious. There are many elements of Morrowind that are not found in Dune, but it is most interesting to look at which major elements appear in Dune, but not in Morrowind.

Video of the worm – marvel at the size of the worms in Morrowind

Shaia Hulud

There is no real parallel to the Sand Worms in Morrowind, props to Frank for inventing something original, instead of lifting everything from Morrowind. The worms are an integral part of Arrakis, and the Fremen life, but also of great importance to the rest of the Universe as their are an integral part of the cycle of spice. There is nothing comparable, in Morrowind. If we wanted to really stretch things, we could say that the kwarma. Kwarma go through multiples stages of life, like the Shaia Hulud, and even start in worm phase (Kwarma Forager). The products of the kwarmas (eggs, cuttle, scrib jelly and jerky) are very important to Vvardenfell and the main export of Morrowind. However, it is direct by product of the kwarma's that is the main resource, and it is absolutely not vital to any other country or group of Tamriel. Kwarma's are relatively harmless, and do not live in the sand, or even in desert regions. It is also not a means of transportation, for this we would have to turn to another bug-like creature, the Stilt Strider.

Melange/Spice

Since there are no worms to perpetuate the spice cycle in Morrowind, there is no spice there. There are also no analogous substances in the Elder Scrolls universe. The only thing that could almost get close to the spice is moon sugar. It is then refined to make skooma, a drug. This drug doesn't give you prescience, you just get Fortified Strength and Speed as well as Drain Intelligence and Agility. Long term use also decreases literacy and vocabulary (like tiktok). Also, the Empire is not in Morrowind for moon sugar, as it's main exporter in another province of Tamriel; Elsweyr.

Conclusion

Are you convinced? What more must I do to get you to believe me. Do you think I'm a mad man? You do don't you. It matters not. Come Nerevar, friend or traitor, come. Come and look upon the Heart and Akulakahn, and bring Wraithguard, I have need of it. Come to the Heart chamber, I wait for you there, where we last met, countless ages ago. Come to me through fire and war, I welcome you! Welcome Moon-and-Star, I have prepared a place for you! Come, bring Wraithguard to the Heart chamber, together, let us free the cursed false gods! Welcome Nerevar, together we shall speak for the law and the land and drive the mongrel dogs of the Empire from Morrowind! Is this how you honor the 6th house and the tribe unmourned? Come to me openly, and not by stealth. Dagoth Ur welcomes you Nerevar, my old friend... but to this place where destiny is made, why have you come unprepared? Welcome, Moon-and-Star, to this place where YOUR destiny is made. What a fool you are, I'm a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence! How could you be so naive? There is no escape, no recall or intervention can work in this place! Come! Lay down your weapons! It is not too late for my mercy...

Sources:

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind — Bethesda

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion — Bethesda

The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Page (UESP) — many people

Was Morrowind inspired by Dune — r/teslore

Morrowind and Dune — r/Morrowind

I'm feeling a lot of similarities between Morrowind's lore and “Dune” — r/teslore

Questions about Kwama — r/teslore

Dune — Frank Herbert

Dune Messiah — Frank Herbert

The Dune encyclopedia — Dr. Willis E. McNelly

Dune Wiki — many people

Disclaimer

Just like what the Bene Gesserit did with the Lisan Al Gaib Prophecy, I have kept everything very vague here, so that I can emphasise the similarities between both works, and push the narrative. Although what is written is true, the words are stretched to their furthest extend and their accuracy might be diminished. Both works amount to much, much, more than what was written here, as they had to be reduced to their barest bones to fit inside each other.

Also Dune came out before Morrowind.

This article is a bit more freeform and shorter as I just want to get it out while it's fresh.

Let me preface this article by saying that I don't hate Dune 2, it's just clickbait. The movie was a ton a fun, and I was enjoying myself for the whole time, which is quite the prowess from the filmmakers, as the movie is extremely long. The music is as good as in the first one, the cinematography is as good too, and it pick up the pace significantly. Nevertheless, my boy Denis (we are on a first name basis) had to alter the story to make it more palatable as a movie — something colloquially called “adapting”. While I have no beef with the Dune movies as movies, I have some issues with Dune Part 2 as an adaptation of the book. Also, it goes without saying, but this appendix will be very tinted by what I got from the book and what it represents to me, i.e. how I interpreted it, but also how I interpreted the movies.

Issue from the first movie that come back to bite the second in the ass

In the first movie, the plot to have the Duke doubt Jessica is completely scrapped. If you recall, in the book, Hawat had intercepted a partial message that made it clear that there was a traitor in House Atreides, close to the Duke. While it was revealed later that it was Yueh, until he sees Paul at the end of the first book, Hawat is persuaded that Jessica is to blame. This leads Hawat to work for the Baron, after some careful last minute manipulations by him, as he had just lost his mentat. This comes back later, with a feud between Feyd and the Baron, which both use Hawat, whose playing all sides (and thus always comes out on top). Without Hawat, the Harkonnens appear a bit stupid and definitely less conniving and calculated in the movies. They suffer the politics of the Emperor, rather than shape it (to an extent). They are also more of a one dimensional big bad antagonist. They are indirectly made more honorable and playing by the rules, and less cowardly, which imo is the antithesis of the Harkonnens.

Also the Baron isn't 900lb, wtf?!!!11!

Issues originating here

Jamis fight

Jamis fight in the books is where Paul kinda “wakes up” to his role in the prophecy, and the affect he can have on the Fremen. It's also where is prescience is made more apparent to him. The whole fight, and the aftermath with the ceremony for Jamis, is setup as something really important and deepens the lore of the Fremen, with how alien their rites and traditions are. It's also where Chani and Paul get closer together. Finally, right after the fight is when his mother becomes afraid of what Paul might become and reinforces the severity of killing a man. This is pretty much completely scrapped in the movie.

Relationship dynamic between Paul and Jessica

Speaking of Jessica and her relationship to Paul, in the books their relationship is much less antagonistic than in the movie. Movie Jessica is basically dead set on using the Fremen and Paul to get what she wants, and it is made obvious that she's le bad and her motivations are unpure. She completely dominates Paul and in the end achieve her goal, through scheming and manipulation of the native population. She has absolutely no chills and is adamant on pushing Paul to become the Kwisatz Haderach, and having him rule the Fremen. Paul basically submits to her and for most of the movie until the final climax, is content to just do his thing blowing up spice harvesters. Her character, and relationship dynamic with Paul was a lot more nuanced and interesting in the book. There was more push and pull and either side about who was leading the other to act. She was also less of a driving force to the narrative, while somehow having more depth.

Paul's loss of agency

Our most specialest quirked up white boy is taking the back seat in the movie for most of its runtime. He just takes part in Stilgar's raids, and does a good job, which lead the Fremen to accept him. While his mom is doing the heavy lifting and doubling down on the Missiona Protectiva. In the book, he is more proactive about everything, especially changing the prophecy to prevent the Jihad/trying to make the Jihad less destructive. There is a constant internal fight in Paul to try to deviate from the path which leads to the Jihad, which manifest externally too (for instance when he decides to be called Paul-Muad'Dib instead of just Muad'Dib). This is completely absent here, and he barely uses his prescience, which was a big driving force behind his actions in the book. This version of Paul is very passive and more reactionary rather than calculated. Some of his action in the movies don't have the same weight either, since the context of the Jihad almost missing. Also at while he was fighting all along to prevent the Jihad, he realises at the end of the book that everything he has done will lead to the Jihad and accepts his fate. This right here is my shit, I love a story where the protagonist are actively working against the predetermined outcome, only to realise too late that they brought this outcome by working against it.

North vs South

The dichotomy north vs south, with the latter being very down with the prophecy is not something that appeared in the book, and imo although sorta expending the lore, oversimplifies the diversity of the people of the sietch. While other tribes were mentioned in the book, we mostly on hear about Sietch Tabr and some unamed southern sietches where the children are kept in. In the book Sietch Tabr although not completely expended upon, had people who adulate Paul, are neutral, or negative towards him. In the movie, it really flattens the Fremen. Our boy Stilgar whose enamoured by the prophecy while being the leader of a Northern Sietch, is actually from the south, so he doesn't even escape from the rule.

Stilgar

LISAN AL-GAIB! Speaking of Stilgar, my boy is so fun in the movie, but I appreciated the relationship he had with Paul better in the book. Friend to then follower, and it was made clear to the reader that Stilgar going from friend to follower was a big step/ point of no return in the Muad-Dib prophecy. In the movie he is the most devout follower, the adoring fan, right from the beginning. He doesn't even admit he's the Lisan Al-Gaib, as it was written! Just more proof that he is!

Chani

While I like how Chani is less of an adoring fan (basically what Stilgar was changed into) in the movie and has more depth, the subplot with Jessica and Irulan is very weird and I am extremely curious to see how it unfolds, because there is no way it becomes good. The events of the second book don't really allow enough room for this subplot, especially with what happens in the very beginning, and what is literally one of the main plot of the book.

There are more changes, that I'm not particularly a big fan of, some that I don't care about, and others that I approve of. Dune is a very vast and meaningful work, and it is just impossible to impart every single meaning or interpretation into two 3h movies. Denis adaptation just didn't seem to catch my specific interpretation of the book, and that's alright. It's not as if he was betraying the source material, so I'm happy with the movies he has produced, especially since they kinda rock as movies.

Why this is an article: I thought I should make this an article for all the #artgirlies out there who also struggle to draw faces.

Why you should read: I've loved drawing human characters since I was 13. Drawing fanart for Homestuck (ew), Hetalia (super ew), Gravity Falls (acceptable), TAZ (acceptable), and eventually progressing to ttrpg stuff means that I've just been drawing random twinks for however the fuck long it's been. Here's a summary of what I've cobbled together:

How I think about drawing faces

Kim Jung Gi Drawing Faces in perspective

I used to do the circle – jawline – fill in thing but I've seen the light for doing Kim Jung Gi (awesome, awesome fucking artist) where he does forehead-eyebrows-nose ridge- eyes- nose- etc. (watch the youtube video for specifics). I believe the main thing is 3D space. The references I use below are 3D models. The head is a 3D object you're trying to capture in 2D (the same thing also applies to fingers (and everything else, but fingers is a big example), which look INCOMPREHENSIBLY BAD usually until you do some shading to 'pop them' into 3D). By doing Kim Jung Gi's method, you're 'forced' to think in 3D at the first step by thinking about how the forehead line should look.

No, but actually how do you think about drawing faces

I don't. And it's not in the like haha funny oo I don't think but it's more like. I have a reference, or what I know it should look like (vaguely), and focus on things like the ratios of distances between eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, etc.

References for practice and actually drawing

When drawing something I've fully committed to or doing studies, I always gather a bunch of references. Especially for faces, because faces are REALLY goddamn difficult.

Here are the ones that I find very very useful:

Reference Angle

You can modify the 3d head to look through their database of faces. Extremely useful if you're trying to find a certain face angle + expression combo. usage: Solely for irl face angles and diverse faces. The expressions aren't that prominent, and the search function for some angles isn't 100% accurate. However, there's a good variety of races if you need to practice that.

3D head model with lighting

This is a 3d model with 1) Movable primary and secondary lighting 2) Very, very extensible for any angle you can think of. 3) Flat planes so the face parts are simplified, making face stuff easier to draw. usage: When I can't find the face angle I need on Reference Angle I go here. If I'm drawing something that focuses on lighting I also go here because the movable lights are REALLY convenient.

My Art Reference Tumblr :)

This is more of a general art thing, but I have a huge trove of references I use when making up character stuff. These are all tailored to my taste, but I think you, the reader, can find some interesting Tumblrs to find images from the blogs the posts are from.

Closing Words

I have a huge /visual library/ (visual library is a library of things that you've drawn before and know how they should look like) because I'm a NEET. Think while you draw and don't burn out. I have complete faith that you can do it!!! Also read this if you're a creative: https://bato.to/chapter/1729292

The Movie

I'm just riffing here because this movie blew my mind at just how little it blew my mind. Spoiler I guess? There isn't really much to spoil. I haven't watched a ton of movies, but because of that, I like movies a good chunk. They often feel new to me, I don't recognize all the patterns that make them predictable, and they can take me somewhere new. Even bad movies I can generally find good in.

Civil War was a brand-new experience for me. When the movie was done, I felt exactly the same as when it started. Literally no difference. The movie had no direct effect that lasted at all. I felt like I had time-travelled. My mood had nothing new, I gleaned no new info, no new experience. It was actually unreal how little anything this movie was, especially given that it looked pretty good.

At one point when I was talking to Shrey about music, he told me that while I listen to music, listen to the production, get lost in the stories, and think about the lyrics, he hears music. If it sounds nice enough it's nice enough. The only way I can explain this movie is that it isn't for people who watch movies, it is for people who see movies. It looks good, the characters move around, and there's a big conflict somewhere in there that the characters navigate from start to end. I went in knowing that it was apparently pretty apolitical somehow, but I wasn't expecting it to have absolutely nothing at all about anything anywhere.

So the movie follows some journalists in an American civil war who are trying to talk to the president. Let's start here because it seems to be something that happens. It is the ultimate quest that happens. First, why would the president listen to them? They have no reason. If they did manage to ask the president a question, why would he answer? No real reason. What question? The only character that poses some mediocre questions dies, so they really have nothing even if the president was with them and promised to answer. Do they make it? Well, kind of. They see the president but he just kind of dies. So this whole quest is just kind of nothing, so let's look smaller.

Maybe it is a larger quest of discovery in a chaotic world? Well, nothing is really discovered. Externally, the main group just navigates some problems on the way, which they navigate by saying they're the press. Everyone for some reason respects the press a ton and lets them do their thing. In an early sequence, the press are in the way and taking pictures while people are trying to rescue a shot comrade. No one cares about the press in the way taking pictures, they just kind of move on. No characters really develop. They don't even start with development, they just exist at the start. There seems to be an attempt at a “Come and See” like the development of a young photographer, but it ends up just being her looking into the camera a couple of times. Not even looking particularly messed up, it's just a person looking.

What happened

At some point, they are in a parking lot and take a picture of a helicopter. I forget if it was first but it didn't really do anything so I'll put it here anyway.

The gas station. They try to buy gas and the American dollar is worth nothing. Canadian dollars are more tempting. Some looters are being tortured. Nothing really happens, they just talk about the need to be brave and take pictures. OK. They just kind of walk around for a second, frankly, I completely forgot about the scene spare the joke about 300 USD buying a sandwich.

Next, they go to a place with a firefight and we get the above-mentioned scene where the press are just actively in the way. This does touch on a civil war being cruel and disorganized with killings of surrendered people, and I think was generally supposed to show that risk and show that there are indeed gunfights in this movie that might carry risk. 

They make a stop at a refugee camp where they drink around a fire, and hell, if we all just hung out real nice around a fire wouldn't life just be so nice? We wouldn't have to be so worried!

There is a sniper battle scene. This one is brutal. They get shot at so put their van in cover. They notice a sniper in full camo aiming at where the bullets are coming from, so... they run over to where the sniper is, flash their press badges, and try to talk to the snipers. This seems like the best way to get the sniper spotted, but anyway, the sniper naturally is with them. Who are you fighting for? I'm just keeping myself alive. Who are you fighting? The other guy. I feel like this was supposed to be a soldier solidarity of I fight not for the generals but for the guys in the foxhole next to me. All I can say is: “What?” Mate it's a civil war. You have chosen to be an active militant on your own and you are in a battle with one other person. If you don't have anyone in the foxhole and nor does the other person, then just, why? Also, the paint on the sniper seemed designed to not be able to be read as any alliance. This scene really bothered me. It was a real peak of feeling like it was supposed to be intense, but it was just the press fucking everything up, no one caring and everyone involved being sculpted to have as little political depth as possible, to the point of no character having any... character. Sometimes they do something a little shocking one way or another, but they are all so devoid of any real motivation or sense of place in the world. You know, maybe that's it. No character here feels like they have any real mission they are on because of their beliefs of the world. They are all just existing and doing something. Why? Well, you know.

So they needed to spice it up. One of the characters gets kidnapped and gets caught up with a pink sunglasses guy who is filling a mass grave. Interesting. Pink Glasses asks the characters where they are from and when the press people say American cities he says ”Yeah that's America.” A guy we barely met says Hong Kong and pink sunglasses kills him. OK. The press main guy who was apparently his friend starts I am a doctor screaming and the scene ends with an extra press person killing pink sunglasses with their car. This was the only scene that almost had a sovl. Ooh, xenophobia he doesn't like non-American Americans. I can see that happening. Somehow, it still felt like an apolitical guy. Like no real political anything. It didn't seem like a message of racism here and there in this system is bad and violent, it truly seemed like just a freak hick who did that and it was bad. Anyone can get behind that! Almost no one would think of themselves as that character, so it can pass. This is when the only character to think of questions for the president dies. Guess they have no real aim in their quest anymore.

They arrive at the base and realize the war is pretty much le over. The president is surrounded and has almost nothing left while the Cali-Texans have a lot. The scoop they had is done. The president is meaningless now since he lost. He isn't the president of anything, and if they reached him, they wouldn't get any questions because the president would get domed the second they got close with anyone. Anyways, they continue. This is the only time you see jets and they just kind of fly over the camera. Jets would be critical in this situation, but there you go.

Anyways, there is a pretty cool battle scene and the press does nothing but get more and more in the way of anything just to take pictures of hallways before any opps show up. Eventually one of them dies and it's supposed to be so dramatic but, you know, it really wasn't. They follow soldiers to the president and stop the soldiers from killing the president to get a final quote which is... “Don't let them kill me.” This felt rather underwhelming. 

So

This movie wasn't bad. It was truly nothing. No one did anything worth anything, no characters developed, and there was no political stance in a movie about an American civil war.

It felt like there was supposed to be a PTSD arc for the young photographer but it ended up manifesting as just her looking at the camera sometimes.

At one point I noticed how it really seemed like cameras were likened to guns and thought that could make a cool statement. Maybe the way we operate the press is violence? Maybe the way we just take pictures isn't actually helping people and we have a responsibility to do that? Or maybe it's just to show that the press is actually brave and cool guys!

I think we brought up two theories for what this movie was really about. One was about showing the chaos that America sows overseas and bringing it home to show what it is like to have a coup and political chaos, uprisings, and violence result from it. The other is that the press is the main bastion of truth in documenting what is really going on. It felt like the first option was something you could manifest, but the way the film is shot with taking pictures all the time makes it seem more like the second. The press shows us stuff may not be the most challenging take for anyone to digest, which seems to fit the feel of the movie as well.

So was it at least about how the civil war would really damage the fabric of everything? Well, in avoiding politics it kind of made no real sense why the civil war was actually happening. There were some words thrown around, but nothing that really felt like it truly explained what regime shift people really wanted that would truly sustain such a large mobilization and sustained effort. What it did do was show how you could be a cool journalist on the front lines of a big internal war capturing all these big stories. Also, the war was conclusive with the president losing, which makes starting a civil war seem much cooler. They killed the president! Kind of a pro-war macro and pro-war micro-scale film. I don't think this was intended.

What blew my mind is something that I found out later. Alex Garland, who had previously made Ex Machina and Annihilation, both of which I loved, both wrote and directed this. It is fascinating that someone could write and direct a film for A24, the art hoe film studio, and come up with a vision of an American civil war that is absolutely boneless. Not directed but someone else's ideas, not had a studio outline it but it got jacked or anything like that. This was a vision that was created from start to end by one person, and it is just so flaccid. How? It does look great. The pacing is good. It does have this overall visual delivery that I really enjoy. How did it end up that nothing?

Bonus

World War Z is a book that I really liked that had a terrible film adaptation. Well, it's not a terrible film, it's a fine enough zombie action movie, but it isn't World War Z. It just isn't like the book. We noted that the apocalypse America just looks like a zombie movie, be it deliberately or by association by this point. I couldn't help but think: of a movie about a journalist documenting something relatively impersonally, just relaying experiences as they happened, with great visuals and a really good knack for telling these short stories from all around. This movie could have been an amazing World War Z. The same visuals and overall direction given to the invasion of the white house could have made a phenomenal battle for Yonkers. Instead, it's boneless politics bait. There you go.

The press should be treated like police

Do not talk to them

They are the enemy of the people

Oncle

have in previous posts talked shit on Rob Liefeld. There are a lot of valid criticisms to levy, but I've also expressed in previous posts my theory of the utility of all art forms; that all art, almost surely popular art, is serving some people something, even if it isn't immediately apparent what that something is. This is a painful inconsistency in my writings, and so to rectify this, I'm forced to give Mr. Liefeld an even shake in order to preserve my intellectual integrity. (That was a lie, the real reason I'm writing this is that I was reading X-Force, and it kinda rocks, actually.)

A little while ago I heard a cartoonist give an interesting defence of Rob's work. While Rob's art was this extreme, hyperbolic style that intends to sort of shock-jockey you with absurd proportions, pouches, and blasters, he said that it felt like that art was attainable. He was able to look at Rob's art and say, okay, I think I can do that. I can be a cartoonist like this guy if I try.

I'm not going to tell you I especially like Rob Liefeld's art, that would just be a lie for the sake of being subversive. However I can recognize this powerful, often unspoken effect that some artists can have on their readers. Stan Sakai is an artist I feel this way about. Liefeld and Sakai are two artists who couldn't be further apart, but have a similar effect: their artwork is expressive and feels attainable to a reader. It isn't as easy to draw like them as you might think, but it's easy to comprehend why what they do works and how it gets you excited about drawing.

Let's make another comparison. In the manga Berserk the late Kentaro Miura illustrated page after page of intricate, highly rendered drawings that are quite frankly impossible to replicate. In Stan Sakai's long running samurai comic, Usagi Yojimbo, he employs a much more cartoon-like, clean linework that is no less stylistically unique than the aforementioned example. Sometimes I read a comic because it was in the dollar bin and It looked interesting, other times maybe because it's a particularly interesting piece of comic history that I'm unacquainted with. With Usagi Yojimbo though, I have found myself authentically enthralled in its pages. This thing has its jaws in me, and I'm sure you can recall a similar experience when you're simply captivated by some work.

Everyone has their preference, and this may sound absurd to some, but I would much rather read an issue of Usagi Yojimbo than Berserk. Berserk is exhausting to look at. I won't argue that it's not impressive- it absolutely is, but it is just like, a lot. This is because it is so highly rendered, but also because as an artist it is so beyond my comprehension to draw a comic at that level. (side-note: Berserk isn't really my cup of tea to begin with, but I use it as an example here because it's convenient.)

The artwork in Usagi Yojimbo is simpler, but no less effective. It is amazing, solid cartooning that understands that each panel is in service to a story that's being told and benefits that story in some way. It is simply masterful and has its own virtues over more rendered styles. When I read Usagi, not only do I feel like I can sort of relax and just read, but meanwhile I also get excited about my own drawing. I can think “Wow, I want to make something like this” and I don't feel stupid about that because it feels attainable, (even though Sakai is 1000x the artist that I am.)

It's a plausible theory that the more complicated a message becomes, the more becomes lost in the ether of the medium. At least for me, I enjoy the satisfaction of knowing I am being presented with a set of glyphs and manmade markings that I can fully decode and comprehend- there is no information on the sheet that I am not grasping.

This kind of artwork is what I'll call 'mentally accessible', and that provides a number of distinct advantages. One is that you don't feel guilty about turning the page because maybe you missed some details on a page that is incredibly detailed. Another is that it is easier to observe the drawing techniques and elements of design in a bare, minimalist space. Comics are an escape from the world, which at times can feel overwhelming, complicated, and overstimulating. At times like these, clarity and legibility provide an incredible sense of ease and confidence.

Usagi Yojimbo is an extreme example of this, but I think this is a strength of cartooning as an entire genre. I realize at this point in the post I'm just regurgitating Scott McCloud's theories, so consider further readings. Can you spot Usagi?

Consider the spread above, from McCloud's Understanding Comics. Reality and Meaning are opposites— a dichotomy that has disturbing implications, but let's just move forward with this for the moment. Now imagine your mind as a hard drive. You have files on your hard drive, and you want to transfer them to someone else's machine. Before you send those files, you might compress them into another format that takes up less space. Cartooning is much the same— in order to preserve mental bandwidth and make the process easy, we compress reality. I present this as a metaphor, but it isn't far from the literal truth. What is easier to comprehend, a novel that is several hundred pages, or a poem that is ten lines?

On the other hand, I've always had a rocky relationship with photography. I haven't practiced it in a number of years now. For me, photography has often felt more like a science than an art. It is, in my experience less a form of expression than a capture of the way things are. In my photography classes, I vastly preferred to stage photoshoots as much as I could as opposed to taking candid photos, because it felt like the more I removed my photo from reality, the easier it would be to collect something dramatic, some sense of story or meaning.

Pure, unrestrained images of reality contain no meaning at all. Only images that resemble reality, but necessarily lack the infinite fidelity of reality, can comment on it. This is why drawing and writing are closer to one another than drawing is to photography, because drawing and writing are not trying to show you the objective truth, but tell you something.

Of course, we enjoy fidelity, and it has many important uses. An image being close to reality has its own sense of relevancy, or perhaps necessity for comprehension. Information that is compressed to an extreme degree will be utterly annihilated, and this may vary depending on what is being said. There is also a certain bliss in being unable to fully absorb something, a feeling of closeness to what is real, a validation of the message. This is why REALITY and MEANING are on two ends of a scale which encompass the comprehensible image. Where an artist positions themselves on this scale is part of what makes their work unique and appealing.

Let's bring this back to comics as I close the post out. Lots of comic strips, chiefly Peanuts come to mind, have a similar effect on me as Sakai's work. Charles Schulz's simple, clean and legible artwork, accompanied by an uncomplicated but witty sense of humour has a comforting effect on a reader and an energizing shot in the arm to the aspiring comics-maker. Hergé is another solid example of someone who I find affirming, and after I read their work just want to start drawing immediately. Yes, this comic, and this artwork understand me. This is a language I can learn to speak. These artists are/were masters of their craft- but that doesn't mean your feeling of “I can do that too!” is mistaken. Comics are a medium that is compatible with any kind of drawing at any level of practice because it's ultimately about telling a story, not just how well you can render a drawing.

An update to my previous article about starting going to the gym again after COVID. Below are disclosed the results of my bulk, my new training program, the start of my cut and the other things.

How the bulk went

The bulk is now over and I'm bigger (no way). I had to change my whole pants wardrobe not once, but twice. I also had to donate a bunch of my clothes away, but my lovely wife Tetyana is delighted to be able to buy me clothes, I'm sure. I gained some size here and there, Tetyana recorded some measurements — from when I started gaining weight, to a couple weeks after the start of my cut.

That's some pretty decent growth, and the legs and butt saw the most of it. My chest also grew reasonably, but the figure here doesn't paint the full picture. Chest measurement also include all the upper back development, therefore any increase is to be taken with a grain of salt. Physique-wise, my chest looks more 3D and less flat. My back is alright, and I will probably have a back focus after I'm done growing my chest. My arms did see some pretty one sided development – my triceps grew the most. My side triceps now looks pretty dope. I wish I had recorded their size in June though.

As for the bulk, its details are accurately described in my previous article; I ate a lot, and also not that clean. Honestly for me it was more about proving to myself that I could grow after having so much trouble all these years. I succeeded, but the last three weeks of the bulk were the hardest: I was so tired of eating. Those three weeks saw no gain of mass, I just stagnated at 81-82kg.

Let's take a closer look at my weight gain, with something that everybody loves: graphs!

stonks

imperial measurement for you degenerates

As you can see, in that 22 weeks bulk, which started on October 28th 2023, I put on a whopping 13kg or ~28.7lb. But I didn't start recording my weight conscientiously until after a couple month, and my actual weight gain journey started in June of last year, when I was only about 62.5kg. Therefore this entire weight gain took me from 62.5kg to 81.5kg, a solid 19kg or ~42lb in about 9 months.

Aside on weight measurements

The methodology was simple: I weighed myself after coming home from work everyday at around 5pm. For missed days, I've just took the average of the adjacent values. The most important metric — and the one I paid the most attention to — was my weekly average. As you can see, my daily values kinda yoyoed all over the place, and the weekly ones give a better picture. This method of tracking weight is the one that I would recommend, whether you are trying to gain or lose weight.

I will now relate in excruciating details what this weight gain did to me, including the gross parts, readers beware (highlight to reveal):

I shapeshifted into a shitting mutant,

my system ceaselessly processing so many a nutriment,

I once went to the washroom once at work while on shift,

to now every two hours needing to shit.

I eschewed diarrhea, the stools were solid,

but the volume excreted gargantuan and the smell horrid.

The fating was incessant, intempestive, unrelenting, unremitting,

even, I was told, as I was slumbering.

My body had transformed into a perpetual fart mill,

my stomach and bowels churning through their infill,

and then producing the most nefarious of gas strike,

all from carbs, fats and proteins alike.

I did also gain some fat, as it is unavoidable as a natural lifter (i.e. steroids free). This gain is usually manageable, unless you do something stupid like gaining 19kg in 9 months 🙃. It was the first time in my life that I had not been skin and bones. The experience of even a small amount of fat is surprisingly pretty noticeable: Sitting down, I never had even the tiniest fold in my belly and I find them discomforting. However, it was also the first time my ass was comfortable to sit on, the added muscle and fat made it nice and cushiony. Bending over to pick something up, and feeling my skin clump up on itself was a peculiar feeling at first. What was also a first for me was that I could feel some part of me jiggling as I was moving about; very unsettling. Looks wise — it's ok. I do miss my abs, who were gone only a short few month after the start of the bulk. I am also not really in love with my love handles, as it breaks the shape of my silhouette, but I still look decent otherwise. Some pretty significant stretch marks have also appeared, but I don't really care for them, it is the price to pay to get a bigger booter.

It is customary amongst gym enthusiasts to follow a bulk with a cut: a weight loss phase trying to keep as much muscle as possible, and losing as much fat as possible. I also did start that.

How the cut is going

I am currently 6 weeks into my cut, and as hard as it is for me to gain weight, losing it is no issue. I've already lost six and a half pounds. You however don't want to lose weight too fast during a cut, because you could then loose some of you hard earned muscle. After some thorough research on the intrawebs, those seems to be the core tenets of a successful cut:

• Don't lose weight too fast; 1% per week at most seems to be conducive to proper muscle retention
• Try to eat ~0.8g of protein per pound of body weight (literature unclear on the specific number; lower values still yield good results)
• Stimulate your muscles more often per week; it should aid to prevent muscle break down
• Have a balanced diet; you still need fat for you body to function normally, as well as carbs.

There are a thousand more tricks, but those seems to be the main ones to get you where you wanna be. My goal was to lose 4kg in 8 weeks, but seeing how I've lost 3 in 4 weeks — and I still have love handles and obscured abs — I will try to get down to 74-75kg. That is a revised goal from losing 6-7kg. At first as a former very skinny guy, I was very reluctant to letting go of any weight I had managed to gain. But I am getting over my fear; if I have gained that weight, I can do it again. Furthermore, I don't really want to hang weight that happens to be purely fat. I might reassess the goal as I am getting closer to 74kg, but I don't want to get too shredded anyways; it is way too much effort. Speaking of effort, I changed my training a bit.

New program

Instead of going to the gym three times a week, and have four sessions workout plan, I now train four times a week still with four sessions. I do about the same amount of work, so my gym sessions are a bit shorter, with about 5 exercises each, comes down to ~1h10 usually. I've also cut down on the number of sets for each muscle group each session, as research suggest there is diminishing returns for anything past 6 sets. I've shifted my focus away from powerlifting, we will discuss of this later. I put a bigger emphasize on chest, and added some core work. Finally, I focused on exercises that were, according to the scientific literature, more effective, and simplified my training.

This is what my training roughly looks like. This is not set in stones, and usually I will feel free to swap any exercise with another, or even swap muscle groups if I'm still too sore. That freedom does come at a cost though, I have been slacking on some exercises. The exercises I have been avoiding are bench press and pullups. Both have been moved aside to favour incline bench and chest supported rows. Once my cut is done, I will commence Operation Boobies: getting a 225lb bench, and solid arms. Chest, biceps and triceps will be my focus. I will maintain my back, and put legs on the back burner.

How training going

Telling you what I've been doing is fine, but how have I been doing? Well, going back the first training article, I followed the plan I laid out in it, and I made quick progress. A bit too quick. My 5x5 for deadlift went from 225 to 300lb, 155 to 195lb for squats and 115 to 135 for bench. But this last workout plan had way too many exercises and sets per sessions, and I didn't really do proper deloads (taking some time off off heavy work). Fatigue, not only in my muscles, but also in my connective tissues accumulated. Let me tell you this story...

[click play below before reading the rest] :

If I recall correctly it was right around Christmas week, the streets were quiet, more so than usual. Got to the gym tired, exhausted even, the usual you might say. The place is packed like an Irish bar on St Patty's. I still managed to find some spot in between some rough looking guys, probably the goons of some organisation or another. To save some time I though I could cut some corners on the warmup. I was toying with the idea like a fidget-spinner and I finally decided a bad warmup was better than none. As you can guess, this story doesn't have a happy ending. Happy endings are for children's book and shady massage parlours. I was supposed to do a 5x5 at 295lbs, but come on 300lbs is just one little 2.5lb one each side extra. And I felt like I deserved something extra. Took position and started lifting — or more like flying through — my warmups. 135, 225, 275 and voilà I was at my working weight; 300. But they didn't feel right. It was like handling a “stuffed carpet” — awkward, tiring and and although you expect it, still surprisingly heavy. I disregarded that, after all, I wasn't done with the workout until the workout was done with me. Started my first set at 300lb, it was heavy as hell, but I kept my back as tight as loyal henchman keeps his lips, and it went well. Had two minutes until my next set, just sipping on my flask, wishing it was scotch instead of water . Time came around to get back to work. Did one rep, then two, then three... Right as I was about to lower the fifth one, POP POP POP — SHRAK; I was shot in the back. I felt it, heard it too, but I didn't hear the shooter come or go. Damn, three times, whoever it was it wanted me dead. Too bad it takes more than that to put me down.

THE END

[you can stop the song now]

Nobody shot me and I instead tore something in my upper back. Could have been the rhomboid, I'm not sure and never got radios done as my doctor said to just rest. It didn't hurt at first, but I still felt something. When the next day came around, I tried to sit up from the bed and felt a sharp pain in my right upper back. Tried to breath in deep: Yaouch. Tried to round my upper back: Yaouch. This lasted one week, and then there was only pain if I did some work at the gym. So anything loading my upper back had to be removed. In the end, even after I was healed, I haven't reintroduced deadlift into my routine. Or squats. That's when I moved away from powerlifting to only bodybuilding. I have deadlifted since, light weights, but it feels meh. I'll keep strenghtening my upper back before going back to it. Heavy squats are fine, and will be reintroduced during Operation Boobies. Will probably wait on Operation Bootie to start deadlifting again.

I started training heavy again, in March, and apart from a sort of phantom tightness, my upper back feels fine.

Conclusion

I've had a pretty successful bulk I would say, and the cut is on it's way to be successful too. There is much I have learned about the two processes, but I still have many more things to discover. I now have also learned to properly deload, and with this valuable lesson in mind, I am sure Operation Boobies will be successful. I'll change my training plan, workout smarter and avoid injuries at all cost. All hinges on the result of my first cut though, as I don't want to start bulking again if I'm still too fat. Nevertheless, I am most excited about bulking again, and changing up my training, from my cut training, which is pretty boring. As promised in the last training article, here is the link, and the password is JuicyBooty576&(()$^$@).

What We Have in Common with Generative AI

The Test

Being a teacher, I’m often asked in casual conversation for my opinion on standardized testing. Once the conversation progresses past the usual banter about Bill Gates, Dan Quayle, and No Child Left Behind, I tend to present a couple of example problems. Consider the following two:

• Fred has 6 apples and eats 2 of them. How many apples does he have now? • Miss Flannery O’Shaughnessy owns an apple preserves shop. The apples arrive at a rate A(t) = 2500sin(2πt) + 3000 and are sold at a rate of 2000cos(2πt) + 3000, where t is in years since January 1, 2000. How much capacity does Flannery need in order to store the maximum surplus of apples she will accumulate? On the face of it the problems are quite different in complexity and in subject matter; however, their similarities are much more illuminating. I note in particular: • Both problems include all information necessary to solve the problem • The answer to both problems can be calculated to infinite accuracy • The solution path is unique and prescribable • To achieve the above three, the problem had to be written by somebody who already knows the solution and can be checked by someone who doesn’t

I find this formulation steers the conversation in a productive direction. People soon recall the absurd paint-by-numbers feeling they dealt with in school. It’s injurious to one's sense of creativity to realize that tests and homework involve reproducing an answer key that existed before you and that will outstay you by many years. The thought gives words to a student's nagging suspicion that they haven't learned to do anything at all, that our knowledge only exists if it is observed. It is a much better explanation for Impostor Syndrome; the pressure on students is immense, and that pressure is precisely to replicate a model student.

Although a canned math problem is the most obvious prototype of this phenomenon, this problem pervades most grade-level subjects. Biology classes are often criticized for their reliance on memorization, but this isn’t precise. Any application of biology, be it field research or medicine, requires even more memorization, so of course prerequisite classes must begin to build this base of knowledge. The problem is not that memorization is required, but that it is flowcharted. Questions are written suggestively, and students learn to react to words in the questions with a sentence they have learned by brute force. This is the reason that people respond so viscerally to the phrase “The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell.” Nobody uses the word “mitochondrion” (or “powerhouse” for that matter) outside of this context, and students who learned biology just from school struggle to imagine mitochondrion as anything but an answer to bubble in.

Even English classes suffer from this. Although no essay stands a chance of replicating an answer key word for word, several innovations in essay technology have brought us perilously close. Rubrics now tend to specify a structure both for the external and internal organization of paragraphs, so if a student is struggling to find a voice, they can reduce the problem to filling information into a predetermined outline. Even the information itself is systematized; most English classes come with a list of themes, devices, and motifs that make for good body paragraphs. Thus, students who didn’t at all connect with a poem or novel they read can still write five paragraphs about how this effect was achieved.

Seen this way, a grade-school education amounts to measurement against an existing standard until success is achieved. Students are repetitively taught to a standard and small adjustments are made until they are close enough to merit a passing grade. No feedback is acquired directly from a student; their voice is their data. This ought to remind you of something.

ChatGPT

In ChatGPT, the modern student has found a strange but useful cellmate with whom they have a lot in common. Like a student, a generative AI is trained by showing it what it ought to produce, then making direct adjustments until it reaches that aim. A perfect AI algorithm will replicate patterns in style, content, and form by any means necessary. Naturally, AI is frighteningly good at school. For any assignment that comes with a clear scoring system, it is just a matter of time before AI pulverizes itself into a process that scores well. Despite this efficacy, AI is not always a great role model. One of the key problems an AI engineer must solve is the proficiency with which AI can cheat. If the goal is simply to get a good grade with as few adjustments as possible, copy-paste is a pretty good first attempt. Efforts are made to prune these emergent schemes, but as the AI’s thought lacks a visible essence, these illicit strategies always lurk somewhere beneath the surface.

Furthermore, the AI lacks any inherent confidence in its generations. Each algorithm is only worth as much as its ability to survive being measured. If it scores poorly, it will be crudely adjusted, whatever the cost, to get the number to go back up. Failing this, the algorithm will be pruned, or perhaps randomly overwritten until it starts to improve. This aspect of AI saddens me in a way that doesn’t generally reflect my conservative stance on AI personhood. Sensitivity to failure is something I see in a lot of my math students, even those who are generally in the habit of succeeding. Any value they calculate or inference they make is either answer or not, and numbers that are not immediately graded lack meaning and create anxiety. Students’ individuality and logic are extremely fragile, and students experiencing failure are more likely to discard what they tried than to build on it. Likewise, the hilarious creativity of early AI art was worth something, but this boldness and humor has receded as the AI gets closer to replicating DeviantArt with mathematical exactitude.

What is to Be Done

It is a disconcerting but ultimately reassuring discovery that the school that AI has mastered is not a one-to-one fit to knowledge or education. Had technology not dropped this gauntlet before us, I believe that Bill Gates and George Bush would be patting themselves on the back for their revamp of the education system. However, AI made clear that our students must become something more. The jobs built around subservient workers who respond well to Skinner-box-style management and restrictive goals are effectively ready to be replaced by AI. But AI has learned to shirk its strength in its convictions and to fear the playful stubbornness that creates invention and imagination. That’s there for our children to unlearn so that they may inherit the earth.

I love the return to form that is happening with café patrons reading more and sharing their reviews 🥰 Inspired by the reading roundups of Elisa & Eddie, I thought I'd share my reviews of what I’ve been reading thus far in 2024 (but in my own style).

I will preface this with the fact that I don't like to know too much about a book going in. I think going in mostly blind to most media is something I'm starting to really appreciate. It is for that reason that I won't say too much about the contents of the books in my reviews. I also will not ascribe a rating to each as 1) I don't care enough to keep track as I finish reads 2) you may feel differently and 3) most books land fairly neutral anyways.

So with that out of the way, let's get into my reading roundup for the first quarter of 2024…

Stats breakdown from Jan – Mar 2024

• Total books read: ~7
• Reading mediums: 1 physical book, 5 audiobooks, 1 e-book
• Time spent reading: 34 hours

Books Read + Reviews

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman Medium: e-book copy of graphic novel

This was newly released in December 2023 and I was fortunate that I got to read this in the first week of January through the library. The Heartstopper graphic novels are such a comfort read, and this was no exception. This latest installment further explores Nick & Charlie's relationship, especially with Nick being in his senior year. Unlike most of the other volumes I read last year, the content of this one has not been captured in the show yet so it was especially endearing to get a glimpse of what's next for all the characters in this universe.

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport Medium: Audiobook

I read Newport’s Deep Work back in 2021 and I have had this one on my list since then. For anyone unfamiliar, Digital Minimalism is about being intentional with your technology use and curating how you want to interact with it so it only enriches your life. However, I think if I had read this back in 2021, some of the messages, insights, and action items would have been lost on me. Visiting this now that I am already somewhat in a state of digital minimalism allowed me to have new considerations for what this meant for me in my life, and how I might implement the takeaways. I will probably share more about this in another upcoming Printhouse article, but I do think it's a worthy read if the concept piques your interest.

Everyone in this Room will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin Medium: Audiobook

This was an… interesting one. I added this to my TBR based on a video from one of my favourite creators where she shared a minimal synopsis and did a live reading of an excerpt. The gist of this one is that it's about a young woman who struggles with social interactions and cues. The main character gets herself into some predicaments as a result, such as accidentally accepting a job where the previous employee died and getting in a relationship with someone she had no interest in dating in the first place. I think this tidbit about the previous employee dying lead me to expect something that leaned more thriller, but this was not the case. While I could appreciate some of the thought patterns and observations the main character makes, the whole thing is very stream of consciousness inner dialogue. That said, I think one of the beautiful things about reading is that it can expose us to different perspectives. So while I could not relate to a lot of what the protagonist experiences and normally would not have chosen this read for myself, I was able to expand my horizons. Additionally, I thought this book was set in New York or something so the narrator dropping Toronto-relevant names (and mispronouncing Elgin) was a jumpscare.

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come – One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes by Jessica Pan Medium: Audiobook

I think the title of this book downplays and does a disservice to what it actually has to offer. The book is part self-help and part memoir. It follows Jessica Pan, self-proclaimed Shintrovert (Shy Introvert), and her adventures over the course of a year to become more outgoing and confident. While this is what she identifies as her goal at the beginning of the process, and it does provide somewhat of a through line for her experiences, Pan touches on so many other themes and experiences. What stood out to me: her pursuit to make friends and the effort it entailed as an adult (especially as an expat); her candid reflections on loneliness; the perceptions by others of what she was doing; the lessons she picked up from her various mentors; her journey towards feeling more confident performing on stage; and above all, how to host a great dinner party. Although the beginning felt a bit preachy and pick me girl, Pan eventually finds her footing and transitions her storytelling into something vulnerable and endearing. Since I listened to this via audiobook, by the end I felt like I had been on a long wholesome phone call with an old friend. I think you'll appreciate this read if you want to break out of your shell more, make more meaningful connections with both new and old people in your life, and/or improve your social life.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Medium: Audiobook

Wow. I think this is my favourite read of 2024 so far. This was another one of those books that came highly recommended by the BookTok community but where the synopsis was kept minimal. June Hayward is friends with Athena Liu, an Asian American author who is a successful starlet of the publishing industry. June witnesses the tragic death of Athena, takes the manuscript for Athena’s upcoming novel, and goes on to rework it and pass it off as her own. The only hiccup? The novel is about the history of Chinese labourers in WWI. And you guessed it… June is white. The book follows June’s actions and how she continues to double down on her lies. It's incredible how Kuang is able to oscillate June's racist delulus with brief moments of guilt and clarity. This has me even more interested to read Babel by this author now that I've been exposed to her writing style.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games Prequel) by Suzanne Collins Medium: Physical

As far as a spin-off prequel about President Snow goes, this was quite good. I also found the world-building intriguing with how Panem, The Hunger Games, and other aspects we first visited in Katniss’ timeline came to be. Readers of The Hunger Games trilogy are treated to a number of moments of realization on the origins. Most of all, I didn't expect to be reading about Coriolanus Snow being horrendously down bad but there you go.

If I could sum this book up in one line it would be: boy gets his heart broken once and decides to make it everyone else's problem for the rest of his life.

Re: the film – I watched it the day after finishing the book and it felt very Shein quality to me. Looked good visually but upon closer inspection it's shabby and a rushed job. Naturally, the books will usually be better than the adaptation and have more details. I also get that film adaptations are a different medium so stories have to be told differently. But the movie really spoon-fed the audience in a way that downplayed their intelligence and cut out any payoff they might have experienced from piecing things together. There was also no chemistry between the main characters and it just felt like they were tolerating each other?? I think it would have fared better as a mini series.

Dune by Frank Herbert (Book 1 – Dune) Medium: Audiobook

I am pleasantly surprised to say I have really been enjoying reading Dune. Many thanks to Liam for putting us on to this and Noah for proposing the book club! Dune club has definitely made this large read more digestible and I've enjoyed discussing what we read week over week. That said, I'm constantly in awe of how intelligent the writing is and how deep we get to explore the thoughts and motivations of each character. Particularly how they must weigh their words so meticulously (an art I've always admired). The perspective switching is also done very seamlessly and heightens the immersive experience. I unfortunately think that the movie(s) will pale in comparison to me after reading the book but looking forward to it anyways. Lady Jessica is also such a girl boss and the concept of the Bene Gesserit is so cool.

Review of Book 2 & 3 to be covered in the next reading roundup.

Thanks for reading if you got this far!

Once again falling short in the playoff push last season against a pretty good team idk, the Blue Jays need a definitive step forward this season. Departures of Matt Chapman, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Jordan Hicks, Whit Merrifield, and Brandon Belt, although not major, are a lot of holes to fill for the Jays, and after failing to get Ohtani, they settled for a bunch of smaller role players to fill those spots. They signed pitcher Yariel Rodriguez to a five year deal, hoping he can show the same level of skill he showed in the World Baseball Classic for Cuba and in the Japanese Leagues. The Jays also ended up reacquiring Kiermaier on another one year deal, signed utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a two year deal, and veteran third baseman Justin Turner to a one year deal. They also signed DH Daniel Vogelbach and veteran first baseman Joey Votto to minor league deals, which means if they perform well they can get a spot on the roster, and if not the team can release them. Santiago Espinal was also traded, opening up more second base opportunities for rookie David Schneider and Cavan Biggio.

The Blue Jays center core of George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vlad Jr, and the catching tandem of Danny Jansen (as I write this I found out he starts the season injured) and Alejandro Kirk all need to stay healthy, as well as perform to their ability. Vlad Jr has all the makings to become the A+ player his dad was, but needs to take a step forward this season. He currently holds the second highest arbitration salary at over 20 million, and has not performed to that price tag. With his free agency in a few years, the price tag will only go up, and if he does not perform to the Blue Jays standards, could get moved in the coming seasons. Alek Manoah is also returning to the big league roster after he fell apart last season for seemingly no reason. A player who skipped most of the minor leagues, and did not play in the 2020 season, Manoah missing a year of development in addition to fast tracking to the main roster could be a reason for his shakiness, and a fresh season with a full offseason of work could be the remedy for him.

With the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays all contenders for the AL East, its important that the Blue Jays stay as consistent as possible, something that has been trouble for them in the past. An excellent defensive team, the offense is the biggest question for them this year.

As of right now, the Blue Jays 2024 roster looks like this:

STARTING ROTATION – Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, Yariel Rodriguez/Alek Manoah/Mitch White

BULLPEN – Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Trevor Richards, Zach Pop, Nate Pearson, Tim Mayza, Chad Green, Genesis Cabrera, Yimi Garcia

CATCHERS – Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, Brian Serven

INFIELDERS – Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Ernie Clement, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Spencer Horwitz, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Davis Schneider, Justin Turner

OUTFIELDERS – Kevin Kiermaier, George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Cavan Biggio

DH – Justin Turner

We are continuing on our mission with another three-letter group: NTM. This time we trade the heat of the south of France to the heat from the part of Paris with the worst reputation, Seine-St-Dennis or le 93 (9-3). Formed by Kool Shen and JoeyStarr, this group is with IAM, one of the first to bring french rap to international light. Today, we will be looking at their fourth and last album:

Suprême NTM -1998

Same thing here, we will look at a couple of song, and I'll break the flow by introducing some french tidbits here and there. Let's start with the first song after the intro.

Back dans les bacs

Here we are introduced to Kool Shen and JoeyStarr's rapping. They are wildly different from one another, where Kool Shen is clear and calm, JoeyStarr is a bit more raw and aggressive. The latter sounds like he always has a ton of phlegm in his throat and play on that during the album. This song is basically them just hyping themselves up, and propping up the album and their rapping after being absent for 3 years. They are celebrating the release of their album which is “Back dans les bacs” (back in the “bacs”, “bacs” are containers where CDs are sold in France). They also explain why they rap and reaffirm their devotion to hip hop rather than money. As for the music, for the rhythm it's your usual big bass, snare, high hats and some kind of synth for the melody. It is as expected, repetitive, but they play with the layers to keep it interesting. We're off to a good start: it's energetic, fun, and the rapping, if less technical than IAM, still flows well.

Laisse pas traîner ton fils

As for “Petit Frère” from IAM, this song is about the banlieues in France. Where “Petit Frère” was addressed to the elder siblings of the little bros, this song is addressed to their parents. The tittle roughly translates to “Don't let your son down”, but the phrasing “laisser trainer” in french is something we would use for dirty laundry, in the sense “don't leave your dirty laundry on the ground”. They start by explaining that with the year 2000 coming, the youth of this generation wasn't given the same deal as their elders, and the world is more hostile towards them. There is no work available, the system is broken and not working in their favour. The young folks coming up in this climate are silenced and ignored. The only possible way out for them, in their own eyes, is the streets, which are dangerous for multiple reasons, explains Kool Shen. He exhorts parents to listen to their kids, and give them the love and attention they deserve. JoeyStarr has a more personal relationship to this topic, as he explains, with his father being abusive and pushing him away, onto the streets. His father was always saying horrible things to him, assaulting him, leading JoeyStarr to seek validation in the streets. But to stay in the good grace of the family you make on the streets, you need to prove yourself, and — as Kool Shen relates — you have to be ready to do anything to retain their approval. The rest of the song continues in this fashion, warning about the dangers of pushing your kids away while the streets welcomes them. As far as rapping is concerned, Kool Shen gets a bit more technical and poetic here, aligning alliterations, metaphors, comparisons... It flows well and is contrasted by JoeyStarr's style, which is definitely more raw — some would say sloppy —, and maybe more expressive. It is surely less technical and melodic, but works as a “pouring my heart out”. On the beat: the bass is tight, and although the progression is simple, it works. For the melody, this is also repetitive, but works well as it doesn't step on the toes of the voices. Speaking of voices, there are some welcomed female vocals during the refrain, which bring some refreshing notes of melancholy/despair. There isn't much else I can say about the instrumentals in this style of hip hop anyway; the voices are at the forefront and the music serves the voices. The music can't do anything too crazy.

Aparte: JoeyStarr – a piece of shit

You can't really sing about being raised on the streets and having a terrible father, leading to needing to be violent and kinda fucked up, and not be violent and kinda fucked up. But we mustn't forget that JoeyStarr's upbringing and the abuse from his father are an explanations for his behaviour; not an exoneration. His condemnation with Kool Shen was the first one he had (see in the next song), but from 1999 and onward, he kept backsliding into actual crimes: he beat up his girlfriend, an air hostess, a random bystander, his ex, he owned a non-sterilised pitbull which almost ate someone else's dog, dealt cocaine, weed and possessed multiple firearms (firearms are almost completely forbidden in France), beat up another girlfriend, owned a protected animal — a tiny monkey which he beat up too... To a certain extent I can understand the will to separate the art from the artist, but nah. If the crimes had just been getting into fights with the police, dealing drugs and idk robbery... sure. But assaulting his girlfriends, women in general, abusing animals and endangering other people's animals is absolutely unforgivable. He unfortunately has somehow acquired a semblance of forgiveness in France; he is invited to talk shows, awards ceremony, does movies, voice acting for major roles... And every time some journalist asks him about his crimes, especially the domestic violence, he spews some bullshit like “sure, I hit her, but you have to be two to dance the tango”, implying that whatever girlfriend was asking for it/deserved it. This shows that he is absolutely not apologetic for what he has done, and deserves no forgiveness nor sympathy.

On est encore là, Pt 1 & On est encore là, Pt 2 (We're still here)

In this song, which is sorta in two parts, we will talk about a then, and now, relevant and fun topic in french hip hop: censorship! A song in one of NTM's previous albums, had ruffled a couple of feathers in the police (there is a joke here that I need you to understand; in France, the police is referred to as chickens instead of pigs. Police->Chicken->Feather, get it?) and they had been trialed and convicted of “outrage à la police” or in english “offense to the police”. Six month of prison time (three unsuspended), 50 000 francs fine — old french money before the euro — or 17 000CAD today AND prohibition from performing for six months was their sentence. This is crazy for such a mild song. In “Police”, they say that cops are often racists, violent, drunk and mentally challenged. The gist of the song is about how prejudiced the police is, how officers don't suffer consequences for any wrongdoing, and how they are actually just working for anyone high enough in the socio/political hierarchy. Good things that's not the case today :) In any case, let's move away from NTM and look at France in general

Hip Hop and censorship in France

In the homeland, for audio/visual media, the censorship regulatory body is the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (The Higher Audiovisual Council) or CSA. For as long as I can remember growing up, I always used to hear on the radio/TV about some artists getting in trouble with the CSA ever other week. To be entirely fair to the CSA, it is not complete censorship, stuff just can't be shown on TV or listened to on the radio (public or private). They also don't have any right to look at the content before it hits the TV or radio, they just act after the fact, based on reports. However, whether they ban something or not from the radio or TV is pretty arbitrary to say the least. In general, the enforcement of the laws is more than biased. Hip Hop artists get tackled all the time for what they say in songs, but racists saying shit on TV or the radio don't get flack. At the same time that NTM was convicted, the leader of the far right party in France said that “races were not all equal” (it is to note that using the word race for humans in France has a far stronger racist undertone than in english). The same person had also said that the Holocaust and gas chambers were just a minor detail in History and didn't get in trouble with the CSA or justice. The group we looked at in part one, IAM, also complained about this hypocrisy in “Dangereux” (also in the album I reviewed), where they said that everything that the journals, the TV and the radio were allowed to do and say was prohibited for them. One of the singer of IAM, Akhenaton was also summoned by a judge at one point for his lyrics.

Back to the song: after a really short intro, we are greeted with some hype. Big but non-intrusive bass, some nice strings, some piano in the background. Rhythmically cool and melodically interesting. Kool Shen starts rapping with communicative conviction. Obviously, he starts addressing the censorship of their song, and explains that if you're not already part of the established media, they will try to sink you. Nevertheless, he thanks those who listen, and those who despite the possible censorship continue to rap. After the refrain, JoeyStarr laments that they (the establishment) try to silence them, when him and Kool Shen are speaking for the people who can't. He wants to be allowed to speak, as it is the only thing he knows how to do to make things better. Kool Shen takes over and speaks about their condemnation, and the general hypocrisy, with other people saying much worse yet not getting in trouble. He also touches on the — then — recent surge in support for the far right across France, and says that it also affects the left, which becomes more and more right wing. To illustrate this, he points out one new law passed by the then “left wing” government, a law that restricts immigration further.

Let's judge the album as a whole: Length is good in this one, there are technically 16 songs, but there is an intro, outro an intermission and a song in two parts. This brings this album to 12 songs, which is more reasonable. Those make the album about 50 min long which is a good length, long enough to be able to get in the groove, but not too long that you wish the album ended already. It's a whole 20 min shorter than the previous album we looked at. Although I almost like this album on average more than the last one, it doesn't reach the heights of “L'école du micro d'argent” when it's good. One thing setting it back in my opinion is the mixing/mastering; the voices of JoeyStarr and Kool Shen do not cut well through the mix. It's not that they are drowned by the instrumentals, everything is clear and intelligible, but they just don't cut clearly above it. “C'est arrivé près d'chez toi” is a prime example of that, with the trebles spikes just way too loud compared to the voices. JoeyStarr's voice is also deeper than Kool Shen, but is mixed at the same level, and sometimes gets a bit drowned out by the bass. Speaking of JoeyStarr, he really is not on par with Kool Shen. His texts aren't as good, his rapping isn't as good, to top it off, he's an asshole. Despite those flaw, this album stills gets the second-highest seal of approval from me. I will however not buy it, not to support what I discussed in the aparte on JoeyStarr. I skip nothing here, every song is good, and when the album ends, I almost still want more. 17/20 Note: for those of you that find the french language off-putting but still want to experience NTM, they collaborated with Nas on a version of “Affirmative Action”.

Thank you for reading my logorrhea, Eddie