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March Update: We All Know What This One's About
🕑 Added 2020-04-03 05:23:22 +0000 UTCHey team.
COVID19
Obviously, March's update is going to have to address What's Going On Right Now. No getting around it. So, let's talk coronavirus.
First thing's first: I'm fine. So far, anyway. Massachusetts has been pretty good about dealing with the problem, and we have public healthcare so people who've lost jobs or gotten furloughed aren't getting screwed on that front. When I go on grocery runs or bike rides (alone, maintaining a 6-foot distance from strangers), I see a lot of dipshits out and about in big groups like nothing's going on, which... I would've thought better of my fellow massholes. Only a few people I know have gotten sick and none are high-risk, thank goodness. They're feeling pretty lousy, but all signs point to them recovering. And, thankfully, most of my friends and family are independent, students, able to work from home, or retired, so none of my people are out of work. The future is still pretty uncertain; it's kind of impossible to predict the long-term effects on the economy or even how long social distancing is going to last, especially with this absolute fucking cretin in the White House.
I know a lot of folks have lowered their pledges recently, and let's just get it straight that this is absolutely okay. It's not unexpected, and everybody needs to take care of themselves before they take care of me. The Patreon took a hit, but it's touching to see that it was overwhelmingly lowered pledges, not canceled ones. Glad so many of you stuck around! And I made a post on Twitter asking people who are financially secure right now if they wouldn't mind chipping in, and recovered about 75% of the dip.
So. For the time being, I'm okay. I already work from home, YouTube and Patreon are both pretty durable platforms, and people who stay indoors watch a lot of videos. Materially, not a lot has even changed about my life, though the small amount of time I spent outside my house was valuable to me, and shelter-in-place has been an adjustment. And there's the stress, the vague anxiety about *gestures at everything*, which has affected my productivity.
We're all playing by ear right now. For those of you dealing with sickness or financial stress or both, I feel you. I hope you all have support networks helping you through this. We'll hopefully be through the worst in a few weeks.
I, Uh... Made a Video?
Weird to transition to normal stuff, but...
The rough cut of I Hate Mondays went up on the 31st. For somewhat obvious reasons, I'm going to launch the final video on Monday. It will be the first Alt-Right Playbook since December, and the first traditionally-illustrated one since October. It's been a minute! Feels weird making a 15-minute video after the last few being behemoths clocking in at 30-plus. The last non-Endnote ARP to come in under 15 minutes was The Ship of Theseus over two years ago. Criminy!
Anyway, I quite like how this one came out.
In related news, some nerdy-ass sweetheart went at made an Alt-Right Playbook Wikipedia page. It's itty-bitty and in need of expansion (which y'all are welcome to do!), but it's the most legit I've ever felt. Innuendo Studios is not yet relevant enough to have its own page, but we've got a foot in the door! Now we climb the ladder, muahaha.
Quarantine Media
Since many of us are going to be holed up indoors for a while, now's as good a time as any to recommend some good media.
Beginning with games: I recently got a new laptop that can actually play modern video games, and I've been working through my list of Adventure Games That Never Came Out on Mac or Switch. In the last few months I have played Obduction, Heaven's Vault, Later Alligator, The Witness, and Life is Strange 2. (In fact I wrote up Obduction and The Witness.) They've all been varying degrees of good, and I'd say don't snooze on Obduction or Heaven's Vault. I was all set to jump into Outer Wilds, which I have been aching to play for months, but... I got a sudden craving for something utterly juvenile, so now I appear to be playing Serious Sam?! And I don't mean the new one, I mean the original Serious Sam. I played the demo like half a dozen times in the early 2000s but never owned the actual game, and now I guess I do! It's utterly juvenile nonsense, but it is scratching an itch right now.
Tangentially related to working on my screenplay idea, I've been watching a lot of film noir and neo-noir, and I've come across some proper gems I hadn't seen before. Of the classic-era noirs, I highly recommend Sunset Boulevard, Out of the Past, Sweet Smell of Success, and Rififi. And on the neo- end of things, I was blown away by Point Blank and Night Moves, and was shocked to find that Blood Simple is legitimately awesome?! Chalk that up as the first Coen Brothers movie I unequivocally like. Bi Gan's Long Day's Journey into Night was something special as well.
Also, a recent discovery: if you are a student or have a library card, there's a good chance you have free access to Kanopy, which actually has a really good and interesting selection of modern and classic films! Several of the noirs on my list are there, and several new releases that have never come to Netflix. It's been a godsend in these indoorsy times.
Sadly, my reading habit has taken a hit. Being inside all the time leaves me kinda antsy, and it gets hard to focus on books. I'm trying to work my way through some of Dashiell Hammett's Continental Op stories, and Capitalist Realism, and NK Jemison's How Long til Black Future Month, but none are going very well right now. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon, because I miss books.
Alright, folks, that's all for me. Recommend some good movies and games in the comments, and let's offer each other support.
Take care of yourselves and each other,
-I
Comments
unspun
if you do this suggested video, it also might be worth addressing "withholding votes to send a message to your party that their candidate's policies aren't acceptable and they need to move more in the direction of the other primary candidate" and whether that works or not. I'm seeing a lot of this argument from the #BernieOrBust folks.
Alex Hambrock
Just watched I Hate Mondays also. I agree with you on the "lesser of two evils" situation but I bet you're going to catch the most flak for that. At some point it may be worth doing a deeper dive into why withholding votes without additional organizational infrastructure doesn't work as a signalling mechanism
Jacque Marshall
For those looking for new podcasts, I've lately been hipped to Productivity Alchemy. Couple of weeks ago, they did "So now you work from home" https://productivityalchemy.com/2020/03/19/episode-139-so-now-you-work-from-home/ about WFH tips and pandemic anxiety. It was (typically, as I've sinced learned) wonderful. My favorite, so far, though is "Diagnosis and Process" https://productivityalchemy.com/2020/03/05/episode-137-diagnosis-and-process/ "Seriously, check out iguanadon thumbs." For neo-noir, I still haven't had a chance to see "Kill Me Deadly," but I'll bet it rocks.
Kait Hatch
Thank you so much for the Kanopy tip. I saw your tweet about it, told my wife, and we have added it along with a Hulu trial to our streaming options. It's pretty fantastic! 'Knives Out' is great. So, so, so great. Like classic Agatha Christie through a lense of class/race awareness. On the reading front, I will always have a ridiculous number of suggestions. I actually set up an IGTV channel called the Secret Librarian to share ideas with folks after a few friends reached out with requests for Things to Read During an Apocalypse. Off the top of my head, some good uns would be: Anything by Becky Chambers for wholesome, fun, and soothing. Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown and Interconnected by The 17th Karmapa for considering what it is to be a human in an interconnected, interdependent, interrelated world. Octavia Butler is a gem, always, but specifically 'Lilith's Brood' for a great story about adaptation, change, survival, and evolution. And Terry Pratchett for an escapist romp and a good laugh.
Alex Hambrock
Its really a shame that the money for Obduction clearly began running out about halfway through Maray and entirely by Soria, because that game is so wonderfully clever and I wish it had gotten more attention and I think maybe if the back half had been as engaging as the front half maybe it would be more of a sleeper hit
J. Francis
I have also paradoxically stopped reading since this began. I've been gravitating more toward video games for the last couple weeks. Whatever we gotta do to get through it with our sanity intact.
Great to know you’re doing OK Ian. I’m also happy that you let us know about your Patreon situation, I totally missed that. I’m in a pretty secure position atm so I’m happy to raise my pledge and help you ride this tougher time. I’ll actually do that for other artists I support as well.
I hope you’re doing okay in all of this, and if you’re open for game references, I’m making a video on Hades (though it’s still in early access and I know some folks aren’t big fans of early access stuff).
