Showing Myself

Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So

A YouTube video about Botox's effect on Hollywood actors and acting inspired this post.

Photo by Gerald So

Growing up in the time of instant film cameras, I recall posing for or taking few photos, denying countless shots where I blinked, looked away from the lens, or had my hand over my face. Unlike the hypothetical average person, I don't own a smartphone. Only two years ago did I start bringing my 2014 Kindle Fire HD7 outdoors, taking my own social media profile photos.

I correct the photos' lighting and color, but nothing to change my face besides a shave. I think I look good. A life avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and firearms has helped. I may give my cartoon avatars darker hair, but that's another realm.

Unlike me, actors and other on-camera personalities feel pressure to maintain youthful appearance to be considered for more roles. Besides, they may want to make changes for life beyond the business. Does it affect their acting? I don't know. Their faces or bodies haven't pulled me out of shows or movies.

One by one

Posted 3:30 AM by Gerald So

On my recent posts, I've noticed many more hits than usual. I don't know where from; I've never tracked stats that closely. Video creation (a.k.a. content creation) has become a viable career for some, but I don't have the numbers. I don't want to monetize my FIVE-TWO poetry videos and have ads drop in mid-line, and I'm not willing to put more of my life on YouTube for money.

That said, I happily sell my writing and I was a listowner in the heyday of email discussions. My three lists—about later P.I. fiction, Robert B. Parker's legacy, and crime TV and cinema—had 100–500 members each, like my videos far from popular, but there for those interested.

My target audience are individuals who "get" my writing, fans of the specific things I like. I created lists because few existed I would join. Today that translates to my FANS OF ROBERT B. PARKER public Matrix room, four users strong so far. I find Matrix a good option for end-to-end encrypted communication. On the side, its unencrypted public rooms offer running, saved chat and the freedom to enter and leave as you please, no need to sub or unsub.

Likewise I don't crave massive social media followings. If you want to follow my Bluesky or Mastodon, you're welcome. I purposely guard against becoming as reflexive with them as I had on Twitter until Musk took over and I quit. Because I had a relatively small following (1,200 in fifteen years), I didn't feel I had to stay longer than I wanted.

So Much to Talk About

Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So

I wanted to make a minor change to my review blog SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT, but I wasn't seeing the change take effect, so I did a larger overhaul of the blog's elements and look, much like I did here last month.

Click over there for details of Putnam Books' publication schedule change for the next Robert B. Parker continuation titles, and for my advance review of Mike Lupica's November 25 third Spenser, ROBERT B. PARKER'S SHOWDOWN.

A.I. Don't Think So

Posted 3:00 AM by Gerald So

You may have inferred from my Disability Pride Month post, and I've stated plainly on social media, but I also want to go on record here: I'm against the popular uses of artificial intelligence to write, make art, approximate voices...anything that originated as a human expressive endeavor.

I could rattle off the ethical reasons not to use A.I., but I have a personal one: I want to see what I can do unaided. Until I took the SAT, I declined extra time on tests. I wanted to see how much I could complete in the regular time. I always knew I wouldn't get extra time outside school, that I'd have to make time and others wouldn't.

The artificial in A.I. bothers me. It's not real intelligence; it hasn't been filtered through life experience and become wisdom; yet people and businesses lean on it with poor results. As for me, wherever I can, I will hone my critical thinking, creativity, and life skills. The unacceptable alternative is losing them.

Amazon announces Steven Knight to write James Bond film directed by Villeneuve

Posted 2:30 PM by Gerald So

Five weeks after announcing Denis Villeneuve as the next James Bond director, Amazon revealed PEAKY BLINDERS creator Steven Knight as screenwriter.

As research on the next Bond, if you will, I've ordered the Knight-written EASTERN PROMISES and the Villeneuve-directed SICARIO on 4K disc.

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