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The United States of America is Not a Role Model for Political Issues or Guidance Right Now

I t's hard not to get caught up with the political issues of the United States of America - as an outsider. This is why I stopped writing about American Politics in this blog. While one can easily make the argument that what happens in the US, politically, affects everyone (and it does, particularly US foreign policy and trade), many of their hot button issues are uniquely their issues. For example, while Australia (because this is an Aussie blog) does have some challenges with immigration , it has little to do with some manufactured need to deport 'illegal' immigrants as some warped idea of lowering crime rates or stopping terrorists and drug dealers from entering the country. Recent protest marches around Australia , all on the same day, seemed to send a bunch of mixed messages, as different groups decided that more protests about more things, all on the same day is one way to really get your message across (does anyone not remember the #Occupy Movement  of 2011 and its ...
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Movie Review: Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) *No Spoilers*

I t was with good reasons I didn't see the Joker  (2019) sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux , in cinemas.  While I did like the first film, I've never rewatched it, and have no desire to see it again any time soon. It was a little too graphically violent and generally a depressing story overall for me. Add to that, every single review I read for the sequel effectively panned the film, with the common theme being "...this movie is a big middle finger to DC fans." Subscribing to HBO Max, for season 2 of Peacemaker , gave me access to the Joker sequel. Time to see if this movie was really as bad a everyone said it was. Joker: Folie à Deux centers around Arthur Fleck's (a.k.a. The Joker) (Joaquin Phoenix) trial for the murders he committed in the first film, along with his growing relationship with a fellow, female inmate at Arkham Hospital, Lee (Lady GaGa). While I can definitely see why DC fans thought this movie was a complete misfiring train wreck of a film, I'm goin...

Revisiting Hobart, Tasmania (2025) - Part 2 of 2

Tasman Bridge as seen from The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. C ontinuing on with my partner (Enigma) and I's return to Hobart, Tasmania, it's day three, and a Monday. Enigma was hoping to see snow on top of Mount Wellington this trip however, so far we'd had nothing but fine weather. A little on the cool side maybe, but not enough to put snow on the mountain. Which you can check with Summit Cam's live feed from the mountain top. So we decided to fill our day with Hobart's other bus tour... Red Decker Hop On/Hop Off Bus Tour The Red Decker Bus. The Red Decker bus tour is a 90 minute loop tour of the main sights within Hobart. While you can just stay on the bus the whole loop the idea is to get off the bus at any key location you may like to further explore and then rejoin the tour when the next available bus comes along to your nearest timed stop. Tickets last for 24 or 48 hours, giving you plenty of time to explore without being rushed. The bus website tells ...

Revisiting Hobart, Tasmania (2025) - Part 1 of 2

Tasmania's Tall Ship, The Lady Nelson. T he last time my partner and I visited Hobart, Tasmania was March of 2020, around about the time half the country was on fire, and just before the pandemic shut the world down. While we still had a great time then, this time we're in Hobart at the tail end of Winter. The weather is still cool but the sun's been out for the most part so far. Customs House Hotel This trip we were here for six days. Last time it was a one day stop as part of a cruise. Our accommodation is at Customs House Hotel , right along the waterfront, and conveniently located for the various ferry's and other ports. Our room on the first floor is pretty standard hotel fare but relatively large, with a particularly large bathroom. From the window we can see a nice view of the side of Tasmania's Parliament House and garden. Our Room, Customs House Hotel. Included in the price is complementary breakfast each morning in the hotel restaurant, which has been ver...

Movie Review: Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) *No Spoilers*

I  would not call myself a comic book fan of Hellboy. I've never read a single comic about him. My sum total knowledge of the character comes from the first two live action films, Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), staring Ron Pearlman in the titular role. Essentially I'm a fan of those two films. Particularly Ron's portrayal of the character. I've been wanting to see the two later reboot attempts, in particular, David Harbor's run at the character in, Hellboy (2019), but reviews suggested I'd be disappointed if I spent any extra on them beyond a streaming service subscription. I missed David's Hellboy when it was on streaming, and currently I think you can only rent or buy it. However, Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) surfaced, at no extra cost on Amazon Prime, so I decided to give it a go. The poster says it's the fourth installment in the franchise, so I guess these films are loosely set in the same continuity and are all the sa...

Release Dates Too Close Together and Short Theatrical Windows May Be Hurting Comic Book Movies in this Economy

O ne of my most anticipated movies for 2025 was the new Fantastic Four movie . Unfortunately I wasn't able to go and see it because my other most anticipated movie of 2025 was Superman , released just a week or so before.  I chose to see Superman because he is one of the DC trinity of heroes, which is my core interest in superhero movies. While Marvel movies have been great, any of DC's big three (Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman) in a movie will have my attention over anything else. I don't know what Kevin Feige's strategy is, releasing Marvel movies so close to DC movies (this isn't the first time he's done this, it seems to be a thing?) but I can't afford to go see a movie in the cinema twice in the space of a month. No doubt I'm not the only one in this economy. I imagine Kevin is trying to capture the repeat viewers. Instead of seeing Superman again, let's go see this whole new superhero film instead. Except the new normal for comic book movie...

Unitree's R1 Humanoid Robot Brings the Cost of Advanced Robotics Hardware Down to Less Than USD$6000 (Robot Uprising Update)

Unitree's R1 Humanoid Robot. The first humaniod robot prices under USD$6000. C hinese robotics developer, Unitree, has launched the  Unitree R1 Robot , an advanced humanoid machine, for under USD$6000. Standing at 5'5", this very agile robot walks with a very natural 'human' gait, and can easily perform cartwheels or get up from a fall. It is controlled by AI and is capable of conversation but also comes with a remote control (so you can turn it off if it starts asking about someone named 'Sarah Connor'). Rather than me describe it, watch AI Revolution's video (below) to see it in action and hear their take on why this robot is a big deal. China’s New AI Robot Is So Good and Cheap It’s Scary: Unitree R1  -  AI Revolution You'll notice that the robot doesn't have proper, human like hands, but apparently this is an option you can purchase as an extra (dexterous hands are listed as 'optional' on educational versions of the robot on Unitree...

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