Every time I go to the liquor store to buy non-alcoholic beer, they always warn about it as though I’m about to make a terrible life-altering decision.
Tried out WWE on Netflix and it was awful. It was just endless chatter, catchphrases, and Byzantine storylines.
Meanwhile, I just want to see suplexes and figure four leglocks.
But I just found out that NWA has its own YouTube channel, and it has more of what I’m looking for.
Today I’m watching Exit 0. The poster looks like it could be a horror film, but the description says it’s a thriller. I’m not sure. We’ll see.
But yeah, this is one of those trashy movies I enjoy. By the way, it’s free on Tubi, so if you want to check it out, you can.
Right away, though, I can tell this is low budget. The audio mixing is awful—the speech is muffled. I had to turn on subtitles just to understand anything. I’m already wondering if this movie even has a script or if they’re improvising the whole thing.
The story concerns a boyfriend and girlfriend. They’re constantly pressing each other’s buttons. The boyfriend is a schlubby, bearded guy, and the girlfriend is a bit of an artiste—she wears black nail polish and a beret. The decision to not use a steadicam is…a choice. Everything is handheld, and it’s kind of making me feel sick. Annoying.
One thing I do like: they’re driving a red Dodge Neon with some scuffs. I appreciate that detail. You know a movie’s trash when you start noticing the props instead of the acting. For instance, there’s a nice radio at the inn where the couple is staying. It’s got an aluminum finish with some blue trim, and honestly, I just wanted to mess around with it more than I wanted to pay attention to the characters.
The couple is staying at an inn the boyfriend apparently knows all about. He’s trying to frame it as nostalgic. To be fair, the inn does have nice décor and some cool paintings, but my God, the innkeeper is a bore. Why are they giving him dialogue? Now the couple is talking about how “weird” the inn is. I’m not sure about that. It seems pretty boring to me. The boyfriend calls it “shabby chic,” but how is it shabby chic? They’ve got marble busts, bronze statues, and oil paintings everywhere. What kind of hotels do you stay at if this is “shabby”?
And this girlfriend with her beret—shouldn’t she love this artsy place? You’re not convincing me that you’re just some ordinary housewife. You’ve clearly got a weird streak. But hey, filmmakers: if something’s actually weird, show it. Don’t just keep telling us. Right now, the weirdest thing is the characters constantly saying how weird everything is.
Speaking of props: there’s a typewriter. The boyfriend doesn’t think that’s weird—he treats it like it’s totally normal. How come he points out everything else but not this?
There’s also a creepy writer guy played by Peter Greene, and finally, we get some decent acting. If you don’t know Peter Greene, he was in Pulp Fiction, The Mask, and Blue Streak. He’s great at playing villains, and honestly, he’s the only one bringing quality to this movie.
Meanwhile, the couple argues about stupid things, like whether the boyfriend’s Rolex is accurate. Really? That’s what you’re fighting about? Listen, schlubby guys: don’t string along goth girls, especially when they seem invested in you. Don’t date them just for the “experience”. They’ve got sharp claws—and teeth.
Their dynamic is bizarre. She teases him, making it seem like they’re about to hook up, but then she stops, takes a long bath, and just soaks. Like, who does that? Then the boyfriend finds a mysterious VHS tape under the bed, plays it on the VCR (yes, this hotel still has one), and sees something grisly. Naturally, he has a traumatic moment.
Watching this couple interact is grating. They’re like oil and water, but the kind of oil and water that sound like nails on a chalkboard when mixed. And wait—what happened to the Dodge Neon? Now they’re driving something newer. Did they switch cars?
I noticed the goth girlfriend reads Chuck Palahniuk, which honestly says more about her personality than anything she’s said so far. She’s a blank slate—just reactive, with no real personality. She’s as puzzling as a sphinx.
If you’re a fan of supernatural horror, you probably won’t like this. Just being honest. It’s watchable, but man, that ending. What a letdown. Words can’t express how disappointing it was. Basically, if horror were real life, this is what would happen—not “oh my God, you’re meeting a serial killer” realism, but the kind where you realize your paranoia is just paranoia.
So, I don’t recommend Exit 0. But it’s not the worst movie I’ve ever seen. And that wraps up my review. 
I’m about to watch a trashy film—the kind that Tubi delivers.
Netflix likes to pretend it’s HBO. They pretend they’re the home of quality. But often, they seem like they’re smelling their own farts.
Tubi, though, ain’t too good for lowbrow. They’re like Blockbuster but reincarnated.
I finally finished Inuyashiki: Last Hero, and man, I think this is one of the best anime I’ve ever seen.
It took me a long time to finish because it’s so emotionally intense—I just didn’t have the bandwidth to get through it quickly.
This is a superhero anime, but not the typical kind. It’s more of a deconstruction of the superhero mythos. Now, deconstructing superheroes has been done a lot, right? That’s been going on for at least 50 years. But this one is completely different. This isn’t about antiheroes. It’s the opposite of antiheroes. In a way, Inuyashiki: Last Hero feels like the polar opposite of Watchmen.
The story follows an old, meek, and mild man who’s completely overlooked by everyone. When people do notice him, they humiliate him for who he is. He’s a loser with no glamour in his life. He’s 58 years old but looks even older. His family doesn’t respect him, his coworkers don’t respect him—he’s invisible in every way. Then one day, while walking his dog in the park, something happens that completely changes his life and turns him into a superhero.
Sure, we’ve heard that trope before, but what makes Inuyashiki so unique, so compelling, and so intense is the villain. This guy is infuriating. I wanted to throttle him myself, to step into the anime and take him out. You think Lex Luthor or the Joker are villains? No, they’re circus freaks you sometimes root for. This villain? He’s the most infuriating, snot-nosed punk imaginable. He doesn’t give a damn about anything. He kills just to kill. And in this anime, he does exactly that—he walks into random homes and offs people just for fun.
But he’s not just a mustache-twirling caricature. They give him nuance and backstory. In some ways, you feel sorry for him and understand what shaped him into the monster he is. But not enough to excuse him. No way. Screw that guy. Screw everything he stands for. I wanted every ounce of comeuppance headed his way. And this anime takes its sweet time getting there. It forces you to see all the horrible things he does, rubbing salt into the wounds. That’s why I couldn’t binge it—it’s only 11 episodes, but it took me months to finish.
Eventually, though, we get the showdown. The hero and the villain face off, and let me tell you—it’s every bit as therapeutic as you’d imagine. It feels so good when it finally happens. But the anime doesn’t end there. I won’t spoil it, but it delves into themes of heroism, selflessness, and what it means to live for the benefit of society.
This is one of the best anime I’ve ever seen because it’s real and earnest. And here’s the thing about deconstruction: a lot of Western superhero stories deconstruct the hero mythos but stop there. That’s frustrating. If you’re going to deconstruct something, you need to reconstruct it into something meaningful. Otherwise, what’s the point? Why does it all matter?
For decades, we’ve celebrated the antihero, almost mistaking them for the hero. But why? Why are we pretending the good guys are bad and the bad guys are good? Inuyashiki offers a much-needed contrast. It acknowledges the tropes and deconstructs the mythos, but then it goes further. It reconstructs.
And I have to ask: when is culture—beyond just superhero stuff—going to move beyond deconstruction and all this meta commentary? When will we stop pretending we’re too big for the mythos and start building something better? I’m looking for that moment. Inuyashiki: Last Hero gave me hope for it. 
I wish The Queen Haters were a real band.
And yes, that’s Martin Short singing.
This song , “Got the Bull by the Horns,” by Johnny Horton has been stuck in my head all day.
I relate. When I was high school student, all that opportunity wasted because I couldn’t pull the trigger when a girl made it plain she was into me.
I dreamt that my wife, my kid, and I were hanging out late at night in some sort of park.
We were sitting in a pagoda when suddenly this piercing sound came over loudspeakers. A message played, directing everyone to go to a fast food joint. Just like that, everyone in the park got up, went to their cars, and drove off, as though something had taken control of them.
I looked at my wife and kid, and we were confused. “Why weren’t we hypnotized or mind-controlled?” we wondered. Since we didn’t know what was going on, we decided to follow everyone else to see for ourselves.
At the fast food joint, we noticed everyone standing in line and being handed a specific drink. I didn’t know what the drink was, so curiosity got the better of me. I got in line. When it was my turn, the lady behind the counter stopped and stared at me for a moment. Then she said, “Uh-oh, the sclera of his eyes is red. Everybody move! Move, move, move!”
The staff started scrambling, trying to block the doors, and I realized they wanted to detain me. My wife and I grabbed our kid, managed to slip out before they could stop us. We ran as fast as we could, with the fast food staff chasing after us. It was chaotic, but eventually, we found our car. With the keys, we got in and sped out of the parking lot, just barely ahead of them.
As we raced down the road, something strange happened. A device inside the car started to slow us down. Panic set in as we realized the car wouldn’t keep moving. We knew we had to leave it behind. And that’s when my dream ended.
Pixelfed now has over 400,000 accounts.
It happened just as I predicted: during the weekend. At 12AM PST, to be precise.
Some of you owe me a beer. 🍻
Something is about to happen *exactly* how I predicted it would.
And when it happens, I wonder if the doubters will eat crow. 🍽️🐦⬛😋
There’s 15,258 users on Loops.
That’s also the MAUs too.
Thought you’d all like to know that.
BIG MILESTONE!
As of today, 11 million people are on the Fediverse!
To be precise, there are 11,024,218 accounts presently. Whereas, there were 10,969,241 accounts yesterday.
Which means 54,977 people joined the Fediverse today—mostly on Pixelfed.
A glimpse at my Pixelfed profile.
This is my photography—which I admit is ramshackle.
If you’re curious about the URL (christrottier.com), it’s my Tumblr site, which hosts older photography.
Yes, photography is a serious hobby of mine.
Happy Friday, everyone!
I want to take a moment to talk about Pixelfed and the incredible vibe it has right now. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you absolutely should. Pixelfed just launched this week on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, and it’s been an amazing experience.
What do I mean by “vibe”? Well, let me explain. This week, I resurrected my Pixelfed.social account. I originally ran my own Pixelfed server, but eventually discontinued it to consolidate my Fediverse presence on atomicpoet.org. I don’t regret that decision—it made sense at the time. But rejoining Pixelfed.social and kickstarting my account again has been nothing short of amazing.
Let me tell you what I’ve been seeing:
• Young women crocheting sweaters.
• Cats yawning.
• Stunning sunsets.
• Heavy metal bands striking dramatic poses.
• Occasionally, breathtaking black-and-white photography.
And honestly, this is very different from the rest of the Fediverse. I’m not saying the rest of the Fediverse is bad, or that people should stop talking about politics or tech debates. It’s just that the Fediverse has its own vibe, and Pixelfed—specifically Pixelfed.social, though I haven’t explored other servers—has a vibe that’s uniquely joyful and hopeful.
I’ve seen people celebrating new beginnings, leaving platforms like Instagram and TikTok. One of my favorite things about Pixelfed right now is that people just don’t care about the usual Fediverse debates. They’re not talking about protocols, stacks, or politics (though there’s a bit of that, but it’s minimal).
For example, if someone’s crocheting a sweater? That’s fine. They deserve a space to share that sweater, and I’m here to admire it.
This vibe made me think: what if the Fediverse at large leaned into this kind of approach? Instead of reinventing the Twitter wheel, we could take a page from Dan’s book. Dan, the creator of Pixelfed, has tailored this platform to offer a novel, focused experience.
Here’s what makes Pixelfed unique:
1. Photos are front and center. Pixelfed doesn’t show text-only posts. Every post must have a picture, so images take priority, with text as a secondary element. It’s reminiscent of how Instagram started, and it works beautifully.
2. Mastodon integration. You can view people’s Mastodon accounts on Pixelfed, but when you do, their photo posts are displayed in an Instagram-like way.
3. Focus on the local feed. Right now, Pixelfed emphasizes the local feed over the global one, creating a strong sense of community. It’s not about debates or concepts; it’s about sharing aesthetics and celebrating creativity.
4. Minimalism as a design principle. Dan seems to deeply understand the idea of a minimum viable product (MVP). Some users are complaining about the lack of features like dark mode, filters, or borders. But simplicity is the point. The app is intentionally simple, and that minimalism enhances the overall experience.
At its core, Pixelfed is about the feeling you get when you scroll through the feed. It’s about people sharing genuine pieces of themselves—and that’s what makes it stand out.
So, if you’re thinking about building a Fediverse app, take notes from Dan: build a unique experience.
And with that, I’ll leave you to enjoy your Friday. Cheers!
It looks like Canadian rents are about to fall.
No, you don’t “think” in a fight. Instead, you subsume the ideas and move in a reactive state. But all martial arts carry the same principle.
In judo, you use your opponent’s body as momentum against him.
In boxing, you avoid your opponent’s punch, then use the momentum of his punch as leverage to deliver a counterpunch—because if he’s hitting air, he’s vulnerable.
And of course, tai chi—the combat art, not the silly exercise—is all about that principle too.
There’s a principle in Chinese martial arts, derived from Taoism, called “chi”.
And if says power comes from mastering masculine and feminine energy.
In other words, strength needs weakness because weakness overcomes strength.
Might sound abstract and “woo”—perhaps it is—but even physicists know that when you encounter something with great force and momentum, you don’t meet it head on but instead leverage its force to control it.
With all this new “masculine energy” at Meta, I think it’s important to revisit Sheryl Sandberg’s 2010 TED Talk.
Critique if you like.
Just pointing out that Facebook happened because of feminine energy.
https://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders
Weak men caputluate to the state.
https://www.platformer.news/zuckerberg-blames-sheryl-sandberg-dei/?ref=platformer-newsletter
LOL. He’s so ungrateful. Sandberg made him what he is.
Pixelfed now has 390,521 accounts.
So it looks like my prediction that it would hit 400,000 by the weekend is becoming more and more true.
A few folks doubted this would happen. Still want to make bets?