My mom got vaccinated yesterday, and I couldn’t be more happy or proud. She’s never been opposed to them, so she was going to get one regardless, but it’s still good news. It’s heartening to see the tide start to turn for the better.
Since watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League, I’ve been happy to read up on any news story regarding the long road that the film took to becoming a thing we could all enjoy. It’s a fascinating tale that’s recounted in a Vanity Fair article by Anthony Breznican titled, The Justice System (Apple News+ link). It was a pleasure to read about the groundswell of support Snyder and his version of the film received. Doubly so since his reason for leaving the production was because of the tragic death of his daughter. I can’t think of another director who’s been given the incredible opportunity he was given.
I think he knocked it out of the park.
However, there’s another story that’s been needling me since reading this article, and that’s what actor Ray Fisher, who played the character of Cyborg, had to say about working with director Joss Whedon. By his account, the experience was deeply negative and painful. Since the production for what would turn out to be the theatrical cut of the film ended, Fisher has made public accusations about the mistreatment he was subject to by Whedon, Warner Bros. co-president of production Jon Berg, and former DC Entertainment president and chief creative officer Geoff Johns. On July 1, 2020, Fisher tweeted:
Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.
— Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) July 1, 2020
He was enabled, in many ways, by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg.
Accountability>Entertainment
It’s all so damn terrible. I’m sorry that Fisher had to endure to that mistreatment, and has to continue to fight for his own withheld justice. I hope he gets it sooner rather than later.
The accusation against Whedon has led me to ponder on the idea of “separating art from the artist” and how damn hard that can be to do. I enjoy the tv show Firefly, and its accompanying follow-up film, Serenity, very much. They’ve brought me joy in the past, and I continue to have fond memories of those stories and characters.
But it was created by someone who may have leveled significant abuse toward an actor in Justice League. Turns out that may also be just the tip of the iceberg with him. To purchase any copy of Firefly or Serenity now would be supportive of the man. It would tell the Hollywood powers that be that there’s continued interest in his future employment.
Likewise, I have absolutely loved some Kevin Spacey movies. The Usual Suspects is a masterful film,1 but following the allegations aimed at him, I feel hesitant to give it any more of my time. Roman Polanski has made some monumental and important films, but his grotesque past has made me falter at the thought of supporting his work by watching them. In a more recent example, I liked watching Silicon Valley, but Thomas Middleditch appears to be a malevolent asshole.
And yet, Whedon’s not the only person who was involved with Firefly. There were hundreds of other cast and crew members who brought it to life. Loads of people made The Usual Suspects, and it continues to be an influential film for good reason. Silicon Valley had its own group of committed people making it, and it had its moments of levity. That’s always something we can use more of in our lives.
Filmmaking is not done in a vacuum—there are many others for whom my dollars would support. A film is not created by just its director. Does refusing to watch Firefly or The Usual Suspects hurt the good people involved with those productions in some indirect way?
I may be completely wrong in thinking there could be any reason to continue watching media that’s created in part by heinous people. I invite that criticism because it’ll help me learn to be better. On the other hand, I appreciate the perspective that Brynley Louise takes in the Film Daily article I linked to earlier in this post:
It’s hard to hear accusations like these when you follow someone’s work. Trust us, we aren’t going to stop watching the original Toy Story just because he helped write it. However, this doesn’t mean Whedon needs to be praised as a good person just because he’s worked on some of popular culture’s favorite shows and movies.
I don’t know if there’s a definitive answer to the question of “is separating art from the artist an acceptable act?” It may all come down to personal choice, and that no feeling in this matter is incorrect.
Still, it’s a puzzle I’m working on… 🎥
UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has published a story wherein they interview Ray Fisher about the details of his accusations. I discuss that article in this follow-up.
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Albeit one directed by Bryan Singer, a man who’s piling up sexual assault allegations by the bucketful. ↩︎
The experience I’ve had with IKEA since the pandemic started has been fraught with disappointment and frustration. Just today, some items I had ordered online appear to have been sold to other customers after I had placed my order. It seems I’m being willed to shop elsewhere.
The Problem with Success Peddlers
With my new website, and this entirely new place to host it, has come a newfound sense of community and interaction. This isn’t the first time I’ve used Micro.blog, but I’m still impressed with the friendly assortment of people that can be found on the service. It truly feels like what Twitter was before it got terrible. Here’s to always hoping that Micro.blog doesn’t follow that some route.
I encourage you to check it out for yourself. There’s a lot of nice banter happening on there at any given time.
I also feel happy to not be participating in the commoditization of self-improvement anymore. That’s what I felt Dandy Cat was becoming before I restarted everything. (Let’s call that “The Great Burn Down,” because why not?) Spend any time on the internet and you’re bound to run into many people who aren’t necessarily providing a service or product. Rather, what they offer can be boiled down to being an enthusiastic cheerleader. Their websites tend to be plastered with platitudes like,
“Become the best you that you can be!”
“Take my extensive mastermind course and grow into a badass—yet mindful—business boss. It’s your destiny!”
“Give me money and I’ll show you the tips and tricks I use to get other people to hand over their money!”
That last one sounds a bit jokey, but it’s also not too far off from the truth. A cottage industry has sprung up around the idea of earning money by making people the very best whatevers in their field. That’s what I feel was happening with Dandy Cat. It started as a Squarespace website design company and slowly morphed into a place where people could pay me money to, essentially, read about how I organize my computer files. I don’t know that I was really pushing the productivity conversation forward. It just seemed like another avenue toward generating an income.
If that works for other people, then what the heck, more power to them. We all need money to live.
On the other hand, it feels weird to me to build an entire business around the concept of teaching others how to build a business just like yours. It feels circuitous, like something that just folds in on itself without ever actually growing beyond its bounds. Like how the apparent point of getting a philosophy degree is so that you can get a job teaching philosophy classes.
I’m not the only one who’s feeling this way or noticing this trend. On February 16, 2021, Cosmopolitan published a story titled, The Big Business of Manifesting Money, wherein they describe the burgeoning field of teaching others how to will themselves into riches. This is an industry that has developed slowly. Its growing influence is sneaky and worrisome. It’s also full of the worst sort of hype-up nonsense:
“Do your tapping, make sure to meditate, and imagine yourself in the future you want to live! Don’t forget that you’ve also got to apply some elbow grease to your practice of willing that money into being! Success doesn’t just happen to anybody! And all the while, making sure you’re constantly telling yourself that you fucking deserve it because you do!”
Additionally, in an episode of the Apple News Today podcast published on February 24, 2021, hosts Shumita Basu and Duarte Geraldino take a dive into this article and discuss the potential adverse effects of the manifesting money industry. They examine how it’s aimed largely at women who have lost jobs due to the COVID-19 recession. Give that one a listen here:
I don’t necessarily think the individual players in this industry are predatory, but it doesn’t make me feel great to witness. There’s so much that goes into growing a successful business. While I believe that encouraging others to get into the right mindset is helpful, it’s not what creates a successful person. Not in the end, anyway. What so many of these success peddlers neglect to include in their courses and rhetoric is the defining key to their success: luck.
I’ll never suggest that having a positive attitude toward yourself, your endeavors, and your world is foolhardy or pointless. Quite the opposite: love yourself! However, this manifesting money business has an air of dishonesty to it. It comes across as a handful of uniquely fortunate people coaching others on how to be successful just like them, without recognizing the inherent randomness of their ascension. In fact, there’s little to ensure that their message isn’t going to harm their followers. Misty Lynch, a certified financial planner at investment firm Beck Bode LLC:
Unlike with financial advisers, there are no standards or laws around who can call themselves a coach. There’s no guarantee they’re working in your best interest.
Could be that they’re only working in the interest of growing their own success peddling business. All the while, they’re earning more of somebody else’s money for themselves.
Hard work, perseverance, and knowing the right people are all important, but they’re ultimately not what makes or breaks a business. Most of the time it comes down to: were you lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time? Following someone’s Generic Business Success Mastermind Course doesn’t mean you’re going to start earning loads of cash and get invited onto all the coolest business-themed podcasts. How could you? You didn’t do what they did when they did it.
A part of me thinks that many of the success peddlers we see these days are just people who weren’t in the right place at the right time with their initial idea(s). Luck passed them by on its way to someone else. Instead of fruitlessly toiling away, they just pivoted to charging people to learn a couple of things:
- How to avoid the mistakes they’ve made, since they’ve already made them.
- How to think positive, believe in themselves, and never give up.
Apply bits and pieces from their own particular business niche and POW! You’ve got a stew going. Naturally, this doesn’t apply to everybody, but I would put money down on it applying to many people.
What am I advocating for then? Well, for my work, I just want to write about stuff that I find interesting. For other people, I would like to see more public consideration given to what they’re putting out into the world. Is what they’re doing encouraging their audiences to reflect on their shortcomings, dreams, and work? Or are they doing it because it’s an easy money-maker? I want to hear about and see the complete process somebody takes to get to where they are, and I want to see authenticity in that recounting. Are you peddling success because you believe, deep down in your bones, that you’ve discovered the secret, sure-fire recipe to helping other people create fulfilling and profitable businesses? Or are you just peddling success because you’ve got nothing left, and you need to find a way to make some easy bucks by taking them from unsuspecting, hopeful people?
My favorite text editor, Ulysses, comes another step closer to having everything I could ever want out of a text editor. With their latest update, I can now publish straight to Micro.blog. No more copy-pasting or reformatting. Just write and send it away.
I love it.
My wife and I took a nice little trip to Laguna Beach out here in California. It felt pretty hot, but it was nice to get outside and under the sun for a while. It had some great rock formations and even a kraken! 🏖
I came away from watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League feeling impressed. It was quite the feat to get this one made the way it was.
Now, after reading about Snyder’s vision for sequels, I’d love to see them finish this grand story. There’s no reason not to do them. 🎥
Title Card: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
The Man Who Knew Too Much was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and released in 1934 by the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation.
The film stars Leslie Banks and Edna Best as the parents of a young girl, played by Nova Pilbeam. The couple become wrapped up in a plot to assassinate a European head of state when a militant group, led by Peter Lorre, kidnaps their daughter.
This title card was immediately striking, and it ended up being the reason why I thought it would be fun to start a series about them. In this one, there are at least six, and most likely more, different typefaces being used throughout, but it never appears distracting. It’s packed with information, but none of what’s written distracts the eye away from the title of the film. “The Man Who Knew Too Much” is written in a unique, stylized typeface and slashes across the screen in an aggressive curve. The rest of the text is shown in plain, unassuming serifs (save for the bit about how it was recorded at the bottom). It’s impossible not to focus on the title—it grabs at you.
(Be sure to contrast this title card with the one used in the 1956 remake of this film, also by Alfred Hitchcock.)
Also worth watching is the fascinating video from The Criterion Collection about this film’s restoration. Technical director, Lee Kline, narrates the story about their long journey to create a version that looks as if it was just made yesterday. 🎞
If there was one thing I could change about my body, I’d forever remove my ability to grow facial hair. At best, I look like a greasy teenage boy, but mostly it’s completely useless. My razor constantly mocks me by demanding a real challenge.
I’ve always been interested in sound design. Sound is utterly important; it’s half a film or the entirety of a song. I have an innate interest in cinematography, but sound design artists always seemed to have the coolest job. It’s a delight to see them at work.
I spent a good portion of yesterday taking apart my old desk and putting together a new one. I’d be okay with the soreness I’m feeling in my lower back if this wasn’t all still a work in progress. On the other hand, it’s very nice to have a new workspace.
AirPods Max Are My Best Audio Buddies
i.
It’s been a little over two months since I received my AirPods Max, and I’ve used them every single day since getting them. I love them very much, especially so since I used an Apple gift card with a very generous amount placed on it to purchase them.
I won’t bury the lede: do I think you should get AirPods Max for yourself? Probably not. I got extremely lucky with my gift, and I chose to spend that money on something that I thought I would appreciate. Turns out they’re lovely, and I’m grateful for them.
As far as headphones go, they’re both expensive and not expensive at all. Compared to other noise-cancelling headphones in its quality range, e.g., the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, they’re overpriced. Heck, even compared to other Apple audio products they’re overpriced. Stack them up next to something like the Audeze LCD-4 headphones, however, and you’ll see what a bargain they can be.
If someone was looking to purchase a great pair of headphones, I’d probably point them in the direction of the ones from Sony.1 Those offer similar functionality and sound for a couple of hundred dollars less than the AirPods Max. To be frank, that’s the better deal.
However, I’ve been enjoying Apple’s offering and think they fit mostly well in Apple’s audio lineup.
ii. The sound of AirPods Max
Ubiquitous “I’m not an audiophile” warning.
Apple’s doing a lot of computational work to make these headphones sound balanced and present. Compared to their Beats line of products, these headphones offer sound that doesn’t assault your ears with heavy bass. Instead, I’m hearing bright high notes, a midrange that makes vocals sound like the person singing is right in front of me, and bass that thumps the inside of my head without making my brain feel like it’s being squished.
Apologies for the use of florid descriptions of the way these sound. At least I didn’t use “sparkly” or “chunky” or “tinny.”
Everything feels accurate to my ear. I’m confident that what I’m hearing is, for the most part, what I should be hearing. It’s all just there. What I’m hearing lives inside my head, directly center stage.
That’s because it’s not just some magnets moving the air between the headphones and my ears, as many headphones are. There’s a computer chip inside each ear cup that processes, tunes, and adjusts what’s being beamed to them from my phone or other devices. The sound it plays is being styled, but not to alter what was created by the artist. Instead, it’s to enhance the experience for the listener.
The noise cancellation is also the best I’ve ever experienced. It’s not on par with Apple’s previous best, the AirPods Pro, because they’re better. Instead of being shoved inside your ear canal it envelops your ear with a soft cushion. I don’t experience any of the pressure that some people can feel when they wear noise-cancelling headphones, and I don’t think that’s an accident. Apple’s figured out how to make a pleasant cancellation experience as invisible as possible.
Likewise, their Transparency Mode, which relies on that same magic, is breathtaking to consider. The headphones aren’t just turning off noise cancellation—you’d then only hear muffled sounds from around you. Instead, they’re using the many microphones in the headphones to “play” outside sounds to you, just as it plays music. Every time I switch over to this mode, by pushing the noise control button, I marvel at how it seems like I’m not actually wearing headphones.
These sound so good that I don’t think I’ll ever consider another pair of headphones.
iii. The feel of AirPods Max
There was a big fuss about the feel of these headphones when they came out. It’s safe to say that everyone’s concerns are, on the whole, not a problem in the slightest. These are the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever owned, and I look forward to putting them on each day.
The only thing anyone should be concerned about is the fabric mesh on the headband. This “canopy,” as Apple calls it, will forever feel vulnerable to the world. I fear the day when I accidentally snag it on something and it screws up the fit and feel of the headphones. This is reason enough to invest in AppleCare+ for them.
Otherwise, they’re outstanding. I can wear them all day without feeling like they’re squishing my head—a common problem with other headphones I’ve owned. The ear cushions feel like pleasant pillows. The telescoping arms extend to the perfect length for my (large-ish) head. Everything comes together to equal comfort.
I’ve not once felt like these are too heavy. They feel perfect in their weight and distribution. Many people complained about their feel and how much they moved around on the head. I don’t know where that’s coming from. I have a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50X headphones that I use when recording podcasts. Since getting the Max, I dread having to wear these. They do feel lighter than headphones made primarily of metal, but they also feel like cheap pieces of crap in comparison. They flop around, squeeze my head, and struggle to achieve a decent seal around my ears.
AirPods Max glow with the luxury Apple imbues so many of its products. I feel like I’m wearing something special when I slip these on.
iv. They do fall down in places
There’s some stuff about the AirPods Max that do dampen the enjoyable experience:
- The Smart Case is forgettable at best, but it’s mostly just bad. It has a misaligned notch for the charging cable, it offers zero protection for the mesh canopy, and it’s boring. It pales in comparison to the Wireless Charging Case used by the other AirPods.
- This isn’t necessarily a problem with the headphones, but Siri is still lacking. I use it frequently because it’s an easy way to do many things. However, it’s clear there’s still so much potential that’s not being realized. Instead of a personal assistant hugging my ears, I have a somewhat competent robot on my head.
- The incredible Spatial Audio feature isn’t currently available on the Apple TV. This may be more of a limitation with the Apple TV box—it is an older piece of hardware. Having Spatial Audio available to me would make for a great experience that would set it far apart from the competition. This is a massive oversight that Apple needs to fix as soon as possible.
v. They’re the best headphones I’ve ever owned
Surely, they’re not the best sounding headphones ever made. Put on a costly pair of wired headphones that are attached to an imposing stack of converters, amplifiers, and equalizers and you’d no doubt have a transcendent experience that the AirPods Max will never be able to meet. That also sounds like a cumbersome undertaking, and a damn expensive one.
There’s not really a price ceiling when it comes to audio equipment. Audio gear is a money monster. It will consume whatever cash you throw at it, and it’ll do it with a greedy smile on its face.
You can find headphones that’ll run you the price of a brand-new car. You can get a digital-to-analog converter (or DAC) that’s five times the price of the AirPods Max. A quick internet search will give you listings of floor speakers that can cost as much as an enormous house.
The only limit on this stuff is how much your wallet is capable of handling.
I don’t want any of that nonsense. If that’s your thing, then more power to you, but it’s not mine. I value a frictionless experience that can delight my ears. I don’t want to be tethered to an amp because I’m wearing headphones that won’t even function without wired power. Instead, I want to be able to connect to multiple devices with ease, move freely around my home, and play whatever I want whenever I want.
AirPods Max have given me all of that, and I couldn’t be more happy to own them. If I had the money, I would buy them a second time (probably for my wife), even if I wouldn’t necessarily say other people should get them. If you’ve got the expendable cash, then go for it, but again, they’re so damn expensive. They’re still one of my favorite Apple products ever. They consistently amaze me and have been a great companion as I’ve written these words. I’m a fan for life.
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In this case, I’m assuming this theoretical person doesn’t sleep on a bed of cash. ↩︎
Ghost, my old website platform, announced and released the 4.0 version of their service. I was expecting more new stuff—it looks like it’s all just previous beta features from the last couple years. 4.0 must be the “make it prettier” release.
Glad to be on Micro.blog instead.
Sadly, I’ve never been the best touch typist—never had to take any classes to learn it. However, I find that I actually have some measure of success at it when using Apple’s Magic Keyboard. I don’t have any such luck on other keyboards for some reason.
My taxes for this year have been completed. Time to celebrate! 🥳
As always, I’m very jealous of people who live in countries where they don’t have to deal with this annual song and dance nonsense. Taxes should not be this complicated.
I haven’t gotten to several of the Oscar nominees yet because most of them are very heavy, and I’ve been desiring comedies lately. At this point, I really need to see:
🎥
The nominees for the 2021 Oscars have been announced, thus starting my anticipation for one of my favorite events of the year. I haven’t seen all of the nominees yet, but it looks like a good assortment of films, as well as a growing and welcome amount of non-white talent. 🎥
Nothing has been more life-changing or skin-removing for me as the Salux Beauty Skin Cloth. The exact middle of my back has never been better washed. Coming from a puffy shower scrubber, it took my sensitive skin some time to get used to, though.
Apple just discontinued the HomePod and I think that’s sad news. I’ve got two of them serving as an amazing stereo system for my television.
Apple can still do a lot in this space. They just need to try harder. Hopefully, this is to make room for an Apple TV sound bar? Please?