Dan Beeston is

Brushing Off Invisible Spiders

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    I just learned a wonderful French phrase 'Je m'incruste' that translates as 'I encrust myself'. (It doesn't sound great in English) You use it to embed yourself into a conversation that you're not a part of. It's a confident signal to the group that 'You have arrived and wish to be welcomed to the group'. A slightly faux-egotistical announcement that you are the jewel that the crown was been waiting for.

    We don't have that in English. In English you sneak up quietly and wait for permission from the group. This permission is silent. If you're lucky a person on either side will make room for you. As often as not they will remain still.

    I love that the French have a way to casually announce their arrival. J'aimerais qu'on ait ça.

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    I'm taking a work break for a week and a half. Just hanging around at home doing all those little chores that build up over time. A little cooking. Maybe some drawing. Read a novel. Perhaps I should try to avoid killing time on my computers, though they are my favourite things to kill time on.

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    There's something truly disgusting about businesses sending you birthday messages with some marketing "deal". This is my celebration. How dare you try to manipulate me today.

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    I've suddenly got a lot of people asking me to do things and I am very much out of the habit. It's not hard to say 'No' but most of these things are things I'm not averse to. My calendar is rapidly filling up and I'm getting a real sense of anxiety.

    I think I don't like committing to stuff, and I used to commit to stuff all the time. The hardest thing is that the thing I hate more than committing to stuff is cancelling commitments. Perhaps I wouldn't be so anxious if I knew I could happily cancel without letting myself down.

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    I'm much less impressed by the NASA 'copter than maybe I should be.

    It feels like when Apple provided widgets and people thought it would be super useful but it turned out only to be valuable in very specific situations.

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    My favourite childhood teacher, One of my favourite people ever, My first defining influence in my life, is in a home with dementia.

    I've got so much work to do an all I want to do is sit quietly and digest the news.

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    I'm using Tailwind and I've extended my spacing to use a decimal point.

    '0.5': '2px',

    And I'm applying it in the less file.

    @apply mt-0.5;

    And it's failing saying "The 0.5 class does not exist."

    I finally realised it's a LessCss problem. Change the @apply value to ~"mt-0.5" and it all works again.

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    We have a wasp that quietly drifts into the house. Sometimes it wants to make nests and we have to gently dissuade it by crushing the tiny bulbous form and its incumbent 8 legged slave.

    It never attacks us. It's just our friendly house wasp. We cheer when we see it now.

  • June

    • Factorio - IR2

      Finally launched a rocket in IR2. Little bit grindy but overall quite satisfying.

    • Loki

      Episode 1 makes me excited for episode 2.

    • Space Cop

      Irredeemable.

    • Star Trek - New Gen S2

      Such strong writing. Still really into it.

    • The Switch

      Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston in a terrible terrible film about rape by deceit. Fun to make fun of.

  • May

    • Factorio - IR2

      Addiction is a helluva thing.

    • Jumanji - Welcome to the Jungle

      Vaguely amusing kid's film with a handful of decent laughs.

    • Monster Boy

      Really great Metroidvania based on possibly my favourite game.

    • Star Trek - New Gen

      Still churning through this series. I could be here a while.

  • April

    • Brooklyn 99 - Series 7

      So pleased to be back here. Bubblegum for the brain.

    • Cosy Grove

      Very zen-like game about collecting twigs and seashells. It's nice to not be challenged for a bit.

    • Flood

      They Might Be Giants best work.

    • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

      UFO clone. Mildly fun but it's not capturing me.

    • Shovel Knight

      Well made platformer. Just frustrating enough to be a good challenge.

    • Soul

      Like pizza, even when they're average, Pixar movies are great.

    • Star Trek - New Gen

      I can't believe it's taken me this long watch something I think is so great.

    • The Orville

      For a series set in the future by a notorious 'leftie', it pushes some really 1990s social politics. Not good.

    • The Platform

      Brazilian psychological thriller. Wonderfully engaging until it just stops. Dead. Unsatisfying.

    • Venom

      Enjoyed this when I was on a plane. Revisiting it is... grounding.

  • March

    • 3 Bags Full

      Sheep solve shepherd's murder. Cute detective story that doesn't really stick the landing.

    • Spy

      Melissa Macarthy does a great job. Very funny and engaging film.

    • The Mandalorian S2

      Still wonderfully slow paced and engaging.

    • The Orville

      Halfway through S1. Pleasant but flawed. I hear season 2 kicks off though.

    • The Touryst

      Lovely little puzzle exploration game with great voxelart.

    • WandaVision

      Nice reserved pacing. Pleasant mystery.

  • February

    • Beverley Hills Cop

      Holy Cow! This film is still so great. When the theme cropped up I had a nostalgic moment.

    • Cadillac Man

      Robin Williams and Tim Robbins is an intimate little film where little happens.

    • Half Live 2

      I've tried playing this twice before but I seem to be onboard this time round.

    • Minecraft

      The Switch version is currently awkward to play and buggy to run. Absolutely would not recommend.

    • Robocop 2

      A pale imitation of the first film but does has some delightful moments.

    • Ted Lasso

      Watched the first 4 eps. Really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the rest.

    • The Apartment

      It's nice watching old films occasionally. They care so much about the product but have no short-cuts to help them with pacing.

    • iZombie S4

      The procedural elements have fallen by the wayside and a tornado of hubris has scooped the show up.

    • iZombie S5

      I found myself looking forward to the end and when it came it mostly stuck the landing.

  • January

    • CrackerJack

      I love a good underdog sports movie. This one about lawn bowls is one of my favs.

    • Doctor Who: Rev of the Daleks

      As disappointing as ever.

    • Factorio

      IR 2 is still kicking my ass. I'm almost up to ore washing.

    • Mario Kart 8

      Playing a vs. video game with my wife. That hasn't happened since Wii sports.

    • Ori and the Will of the Wisps

      These Ori games are something else. Like playing a painting.

    • Pikmin 3 Deluxe

      There's something so zen-like about these games. So nice to revisit the universe.

    • The Watch

      I leaned into the massive changes they had planned and I'm into it. Looking forward to the next ep.

    • iZombie S3

      Still enjoying this. It doesn't seem to be collapsing under the weight of its lore yet.

  • December

    • A Moody Christmas

      Australian Cringe-Comedy. Good performances and great to watch.

    • Dark

      Binged the final season. I really got into this complicated mystery.

    • Factorio

      Industrial Revolution 2 mod was released. I'm in heaven.

    • Link to the Past

      The original SNES Zelda but on my old GBA

    • Mario Kart 7

      It's like putting on old shoes. Very comfortable but not as satisfying as brand new shoes.

    • Quake 2

      Yes, that's right. QUAKE 2! 800x600 the way it was meant to be.

    • We Happy Few

      Nice style and tone but plays like a dog. Gave up almost immediately.

    • Zelda: Link Between Worlds

      Holy Cow! What a nostalgia button.

    • iZombie S2

      I like the procedural elements. The arc, less so.

  • November

    • Connected

      Goofy pop-science. Pleasant bubble-gum for the mind.

    • Dark

      Still watching.

    • Emily in Paris

      Tried to watch this to make fun of it but it's so lackluster. I feel dumber for having watched the pilot.

    • Gato Roboto

      I like the 1-bit art but it hasn't captured me like other metroidvanias.

    • John Mulaney

      The 2 stand up specials on Netflix were a good comedy feast.

    • Satisfactory

      I've returned to this with a more relaxed attitude. Just enjoying building stuff.

    • Schitt's Creek

      Final Series was absolute twaddle. By the finale we were just hate-watching.

    • Snaaak

      A 10 minute game. Clever, joyous and doesn't outstay its welcome.

    • Spectre

      Latest James Bond. Ticked every box. Great fun.

    • Stick it to the Man

      A puzzle platformer that's a bit simple but great visuals and writing.

    • The Great

      A bit too low-brow for me.

    • The Queen's Gambit

      50 Fashion, Chess, addiction. This is my bag baby. Really enjoying it.

  • October

    • Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life

      The Wombats

    • DOOM

      Doom was a pretty dumb film with a couple of decent moments. Overall disappointing.

    • Enola Holmes

      Cute teen adventure that kept my interest.

    • Free to a Good Home

      Michael Hing & Ben Jenkins are doing great stuff ATM

    • Green Lantern

      This may be the cheesiest thing I've ever seen. It is... not great.

    • Hidden Folks

      It's monochrome 'Where's Wally' and it's so darn restful.

    • Hob

      In the style of the SNES Zelda game but really beautiful and clever. I am delighted.

    • Moonlighter

      A cross between Zelda and Stardew Valley. It feels a bit grindy.

    • Shadow Complex

      This Metroidvania makes you feel unstoppable. Replaying it felt great.

    • Stick it to the man

      A charming enough puzzle-platformer with wonderful visuals.

  • September

    • Baba is You

      This game hurts my brain. It feels a lot like coding.

    • Dark

      Creepy mystery. Okay so far.

    • Guaca Melee 2

      Great Metroidvania. Very pretty. So much cultural appropriation.

    • Raven On

      They're currently reviewing all the James Bond films.

    • Rule of Threes

      Deconstructing comedy podcast.

    • Schitt's Creek

      Dry humour.

    • Solid State - Jonathan Coulton

      Man I love 'Square Things'.

  • August

    • Factorio

      Version 1 came out and I fell back in.

    • Luigi's Mansion 2

      A bit repetitive but good old Nintendo puzzles.