Meditation for Analytical types...

[Uncle Gizmo]

If you want to to learn how to meditate, then watch this video and buy the blokes book:-

"The Power of Now"

 

[Jon]

I meditate for 10 minutes daily using an app called Insight Timer. I figure it helps to improve my concentration. I need it because I have a grasshopper mind.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

When you can snatch the pebble from my hand, it is time for you to leave, grasshopper.

 

[Jon]

When you can snatch the pebble from my hand, it is time for you to leave, grasshopper.

I nearly made a reference to Kung Fu, but didn't know if it was as popular in the US as it was in the UK. "Walk along the rice paper my friend."

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I was thinking of the "old" Kung Fu series with David Carradine, of course. It had its following but faded after a couple of seasons.

The "new" Kung Fu series has a pretty Chinese actress who is DEFINITELY better looking than David Carradine, but I couldn't get into the reboot.

 

[Jon]

I find these new versions too woke, since they often change the genders or races of the characters. It just smacks of politics. Look at the sexist Ghostbusters reboot as an example.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Since I didn't take that version very seriously, it didn't bother me. It was kind of fun to watch Chris Hemsworth playing a big, dumb hunk.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

I find these new versions too woke

I reckon that's what's wrong with Netflix, it's got woke....

Woke orientated stories are difficult to believe...

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Which might explain why the CW Network's Batwoman TV series is SUCH a train-wreck. OK, a costumed but otherwise ordinary human vigilante crime fighter is enough of a stretch on a good day, but the first season had a gay white woman in the role. Then, when Ruby Rose turned out to be a difficult actor to handle, the network simply wrote her out of the second season and replaced her with another lesbian, this time a black woman. And just for funsies, their family is REALLY multi-racial, since the first white Batwoman's father in the series married again to an Asian woman and had another daughter. Again, no problem with that individually, but how many "woke" memes can they fit in that sausage before the skin splits?

AND the white sister of the first Batwoman was a victim of a deranged kidnapper who wanted a companion for his mutilated son, and the years in captivity drove her to be criminally insane, thus trying to make her a victim rather than simply a sociopathic killer.

I said it was like a train wreck. I have watched it in the same way and for the same reasons that I would watch ANY train wreck... morbid fascination. You watch it because you KNOW it will be a disaster, but you can't look away. You know it will be bloody, but you can't take your eyes off of it. As an amateur writer, I watch it because it convinces me that my writing is fairly decent.

The CW network brought us several superhero and costumed vigilante series, some of them not insanely bad (just so-so bad), but they are SO woke that the last I heard, CW was up for sale due to a ratings drop across the board. Right now, Viacom and Warner Media are exploring options. Since Warner holds the DC comics franchise for theatrical movies, I guess that makes sense to combine them.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

That's a nice piece you've written Richard and it got me to thinking off the cuff...

I understand there are seven basic story types.

Now within these frameworks the author has to develop characters and situations which surprise the audience.

If the first thing you do is replace an expected character, let's say a straight white male or a straight white female with an lgbtq character, where do you go next? It's like you've revealed the plot too early....

So it might not be that the stories containing these lgbtq characters is the problem, it might be that the writer's haven't worked out how to adjust the plot to make the the story believable with this new dynamic....

 

[Jon]

I watched some teen type series recently, where there was lots of goings on at their school. As the series went on, i think about 40% of the main characters were gay or had a gender bending experience. I couldn't get around the political statement of it all, and as Uncle says, it makes the stories seem fake.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I understand there are seven basic story types.

Yes. The ancient Greeks knew this, but here are the seven types in modern language:

The 7 Story Archetypes, and How They Can Dramatically Improve Your Marketing.

Social Media Today

www.socialmediatoday.com

 

[Steve R.]

I find these new versions too woke, since they often change the genders or races of the characters. It just smacks of politics. Look at the sexist Ghostbusters reboot as an example.

There are occasional instances where I don't have a problem with that. In Dune (2021 by Villeneuve) Dr. Liet Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) was recast as a Black female. Ms Brewster made a very credible performance. Nevertheless, many times I find some of this type of re-casting offensive since the characters (fall-out of character to) lose themselves into espousing "woke" politics (as if reading from a script, which obviously they are.)

Just recalled the recasting of Starbuck with Katee Sackhoff in Battlestar Galactica. Didn't have a problem with that.

I reckon that's what's wrong with Netflix, it's got woke....

Woke orientated stories are difficult to believe...

Not just Netflix, but Hulu and Amazon too. Recently, Amazon just released Season 2 of Upload. We had waited a long time for that. Anyway, the series has been extremely funny, up till the last two episodes, where they went fully "woke". Such a shame.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

been extremely funny, up till the last two episodes, where they went fully "woke". Such a shame.

I agree, it's gone to shit ....

I was going to sanitize that comment, but from it, you get this:-

it's gone to woke ....

Which makes good use of that fundimentally useless term. .

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Then there is another new series on the CW that I have been watching to try to figure it out because it follows a comic that was introduced after I stopped following comic books. It is Naomi, and to me, the pacing is slow. In fact, I think I have seen soap operas that developed things faster.

Yes, it is a bit woke, though not as bad as the Batwoman series.

 

[Steve R.]

Strange New Worlds Finally Reveals The Enterprise Captain Before Pike

Adrian Holmes brings Admiral Robert April to life on Strange New Worlds.

screenrant.com

Strange New Worlds reimagining Robert April as African-American further toys with the canonical status of Star Trek: The Animated Series. The character TAS introduced now exists in flesh-and-blood but he doesn't resemble the animated version. (Robert April was the name of the Captain in Gene Roddenberry's early pitch for Star Trek.) However, the live-action Strange New Worlds overrides TAS and Admiral April is now the canonical version of the character. ...

I have not seen Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, so I really can't comment (in depth) concerning the "reimagining" of Robert April from Caucasian to African-American, other than to highlight that the media industry is frantically re-writing history to demonstrate how woke they are. The potential concern is that the character (Robert April) may also assume the obligation of projecting wokesim, as has occurred in other TV series, such as Upload. I find this trend to be very disappointing.

(Note: I previously expressed that I did not have a concern with Dr. Liet Kynes being "reimagined".)

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

This article may be of interest:-

‘I feel totally seen’: John Crace on how guided breathing soothed a lifetime of anxiety

After 65 anxious years, trying every conceivable treatment and therapy available, just one session of breathwork was all that was needed to calm a troubled mind

www.theguardian.com

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Just as a follow-up: I commented earlier on the train wreck that was the Batwoman series. They are not being renewed. (Oh, boo-hoo, sob sob... that train wreck has finally been cleared from the tracks.)

In some cases it is not material to the story as to what gender or ethnicity a character is. In my primary fantasy series (working on book six, still no takers but I'm enjoying the process), I have a cleric who was originally white, but I decided that it didn't matter so I went back through the stories and retrofitted him to be black. Did that years before the current usage of "woke" was ever heard. Since my fantasy world isn't an "old Earth" it didn't matter. I've been playing with the idea of subtle racism in a world where there ARE actually different races (human, dwarf, elf, etc.) but so far I have not devolved into making a formal parallel with real-life racism.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

Bringing the thread back to its origin:-

This guy's TED talk on meditation resonates with me as I am that guy. I beat myself up all the time, but if you asked me to do the lovey-dovey type meditation, well I'd be gone like a shot....

This is a very well done TED talk, interesting, funny and educational. I hope will help people that see meditation in a poor light change their minds....

NOT BEING A JERK - DAN HARRIS

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

I find these new versions too woke, since they often change the genders

I haven't watched Dr Who since the "woke" gender change....

I asked myself why?

She's a good actress, the stories are about the same, although a tad more child friendly.

Taking in to account Jon's observation About the ghostbuster remake, along with woke Dr WHO, I realised that it's not the the woke decision itself to replace the male characters with female that's the problem, the problem is that the story is written like from the male perspective. The female actresses are trying to emulate males.

I think Alex Kingston (River Song) would have made a good female Dr... She's got that edginess.... and would offer a believable character.

It's the incorrect choice of actress and the writing that's at fault.

See Killing Eve, another actress that would have made a good Dr Who ....