Something in the Way Edition

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Mar 20

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Something in the Way

I saw The Batman and wrote about it.

It took The Batman to get me to leave the friendly and safe confines of my home and venture forth out into the cruel and sick world, find a cineplex playing the movie, pay for my ticket, and sit in a darkened theater with several other strangers. A movie starring a character who means a great deal to me. A character who can be camp and silly, dark and brooding, old and world-weary, and so many other interpretations.
The Batman is the latest in a long line of interpretations. To wit, how you view The Batman is directly related to your relationship with the character.

You can find the whole thing here or here.

I Need A New Butt

I have never heard of I Need a New Butt, but it sounds hilarious and perfectly appropriate for second graders.

A young boy suddenly notices a big problem — his butt has a huge crack! So he sets off to find a new one. Will he choose an armor-plated butt? A rocket butt? A robot butt? Find out in this quirky tale of a tail, which features hilarious rhymes and delightful illustrations. Children and parents will love this book — no ifs, ands, or butts about it!

Sounds fun. Of course, the superintendent in Mississippi’s Hinds County School District took offense.

Maria Cramer and Isabella Grullón Paz, writing for the New York Times, explains how an assistant principal lost his job because he read it to children. Toby Price read the book to a group of second graders over Zoom … and lost his job.

Later that day, on March 2, the district superintendent, Delesicia Martin, called him into her office and told him he was on administrative leave, Mr. Price said. He was fired two days later, accused of violating the standards of conduct section of the Mississippi Educator Code of Ethics.
In a letter to Mr. Price, the superintendent called the book “inappropriate.” She particularly took issue with the references to farting in the story and how “the book described butts in various colors, shapes and sizes (example: fireproof, bullet proof, bomb proof).” Ms. Martin called Mr. Price “unprofessional” for having selected the book.

Delesicia Martin, the superintendent, should be fired. Immediately. There’s even a change.org petition.

No child or parent complained. The superintendent was worried someone might complain. Unbelievable.

This is one of the hundreds of reasons why the Mississippi education system rates 47 out of 50. I hope Mr. Price gets plenty job offers to educate young minds where he is appreciated.

Friday Night Baseball

Somehow, I missed this news from Apple entirely. The Verge outlines the new way for people to watch baseball:

During the company’s Peek Performance event on Tuesday, Apple boss Tim Cook announced that Apple’s streaming service will feature two Major League Baseball games on Friday nights during the regular season. Kicking off when the season begins, Friday Night Baseball will feature pregame and postgame programming.
Apple TV Plus subscribers in the US and Canada will additionally have access to a new 24/7 livestream with Major League Baseball replays, news, highlights, and analysis, as well as what Apple described as “a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content.” In addition, a new live show titled MLB Big Inning will air highlights on weeknights during the regular season.

I recently changed my television from digital cable to YouTubeTV and several streaming services. What I missed by going this route was watching St. Louis Cardinals games on Bally Sports Midwest. I don’t watch a lot of major league baseball, but I’ve found in my old age that I like just sitting back and taking in a random game. This feels just about right.

Scott Hall, RIP

Hey…yo.

Scott Hall, WWE Hall of Famer and co-founder of pro wrestling’s legendary New World Order faction, died on Monday after being taken off of life support by his family following complications from hip surgery. He was 63.

He was the man who kicked off the biggest boom period in the history of professional wrestling. Along with Shawn Michaels, he innovated the ladder match, now a staple of the sport.

His life behind the scenes was filled with constant struggles with substance abuse and personal demons, run-ins with the law, and sexual misconduct allegations. In 2013, “Diamond” Dallas Page invited him to live at his home and get clean. A year after moving in with Page, Hall was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and would be inducted again in 2020 as a member of the nWo alongside Hogan, Nash and X-Pac.

His acceptance speech was amazing. “Bad times don’t last, but bad guys do.”

Whether you knew him best as the Diamond Studd, as Razor Ramon, or simply as himself, “Da Bad Guy” was always one of the coolest wrestlers to ever set foot in the ring.

Online Roland Synthesizer

This is a time killer.

In celebration of 50 years, Roland has collaborated with sound designer Yuri Suzuki to create Roland50 Studio, a digital reworking of some of their most famous and influential devices.

You can play with a trio of Roland music machines for the musically inclined (and the no so inclined): the TR-808 drum machine, the TB-303 bass synthesizer, and the SH-101 synthesizer.

Even better, once you have your masterpiece set, you can download it. I wish I had the time to create something extraordinary.