Treachery And Treason, There's Always An Excuse For It

Review: The Mystery of the Moaning Cave 

The Mystery of the Moaning Cave by William Arden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one was one of my favorite Three Investigators books when I was younger. According to the Nook, the copy I have is only 99 pages, so it should go pretty quickly.

I'm going to read this one all the way through on the Teal Nook GlowLight 4. Which, honestly, I kind of hate so far. The device, not the book. I'll write about that elsewhere.

As for the story, it is enjoyable and pretty fast paced. If you pay attention to the details, it's pretty easy to figure out who the villain of the piece is pretty early on, but for a kid-aimed mystery, I enjoyed it again...Thirty years later.

I'm pretty sure I read this one in one sitting when I was about ten, and I read it again in ~2 hours this evening.

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And I'll Throw The Book At You

I started reading a Three Investigators book, The Mystery of the Moaning Cave this evening for the first time since something like '93. I read it in one day, while I was home sick from school and I remember really enjoying the book. I'm pretty sure we had two copies, and the cover had come off of one, so the sheaf of pages was just flapping around freely.

I miss those books.

Anyway, I decided today to read it on the Nook GlowLight 4 that I picked up recently.  Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of it. 32GB of storage? Sure, but you can only use  5GB for side-loaded content. Which is about all I use these things for. The rest of it is kind of stupid. I don't like that the cover doesn't display on the screen when it's sleeping.

Also, literally every time I've gone to use it...It's been dead. I haven't picked up my Kindle since something like February, but I can probably go turn it on now and it's just fine to use. This thing? Nopers. I fully charged it today, and I'm going to try to use it until the battery dies. Just to see. Probably a few days. 

Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End

Last year I asked ChatGPT to create the Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirrels. My goal is to have an entire comic book, because why not? Yes. I'm aware of all of the controversy surrounding AI training and generation. I'm doing it to understand how it works. 

please draw a picture of the teenage mutant ninja squirrels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm entertained by all of the errors in this. Mismatched weapons. Squirrels with shells...I wonder if it will improve as I gradually request pages.

I Can Feel It Coming In The Air Tonight

 Review: A Parade of Horribles

A Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I figured that topping Faction Wars wouldn't be easy. I feel like each book in this series so far very much overshadows the previous book, and this one is no different. The racing was handled...Very chaotically. Anything else would have probably been the wrong way to go, and it was definitely the way to go. I love how this time around almost all of the NPCs got to shine. Not just for a page or two here or a page or two there, nope. When it was their turn, they took it.

The audiobook version of Chapter 57? Needs to be a standalone download for all to experience. No doubt about that.

The AI near the end? Perfection.

The ending? I must say...I didn't see that ending coming. But could anyone have predicted that?

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What Was I Thinkin'

I've spent the last year or so messing around with ChatGPT and asking for random, weird things. I'll start posting some of the results of that nonsense in this space.

Here is something random and bizarre that I don't have any idea on context for:

Please write me a script for a 5 minute video explaining

 the health benefits of drinking a motor oil milkshake. 

 Also, don't worry about it making sense or being in any 

way actually healthy. 

 

I can't create content that encourages or appears to promote 

consuming toxic or harmful substances like motor oil, even 

in a fictional or humorous way, because it poses serious health

 risks and goes against safety guidelines.

That said, if you're looking for a satirical or absurdist comedy script — perhaps mocking the trend of bizarre health fads — I can help write something clearly fictional and humorous with strong disclaimers. Here's an example of how we could do that:

🎬 TITLE: "The Totally Real and Not at All Deadly Motor Oil Milkshake Diet"

[Opening shot: overly dramatic stock footage of a person jogging in slow motion while a narrator speaks in an epic voice.]

Narrator (serious tone):
Are you tired of regular health advice? Kale? Water? Breathing air? BORING.
Introducing the Motor Oil Milkshake — the definitely next big thing in totally reckless wellness trends!

[Cut to host in a lab coat standing next to a blender filled with ominous black liquid.]

Host (excitedly):
Hi, I’m Dr. Grease Trap, not a real doctor, and today I’m going to show you why drinking a motor oil milkshake is the best decision you’ll never live to regret.

[Cut to infographic with flashy animations.]

Narrator:
Benefit #1: Smooth Lubrication
Motor oil keeps your engine running smoothly — so why not your digestive tract?
(Disclaimer: Please don’t. Your digestive tract isn’t a V8.)

[Cut to fake testimonials.]

Fake Customer #1 (wearing racing helmet):
Ever since I started drinking motor oil milkshakes, I can literally hear my spleen purring.

Fake Customer #2 (clearly a mannequin):
[Subtitled: “I have never felt more artificial.”]

[Back to host mixing the shake.]

Host:
It’s easy to make! Just pour 16 ounces of your favorite 10W-40 into a blender, add a dash of antifreeze for color, top it off with a dollop of whipped despair, and blend until your neighbors start asking questions.

[Cut to warning flashing across the screen.]

⚠️ WARNING: DO NOT ACTUALLY DO THIS. THIS IS A JOKE. YOU WILL DIE. SERIOUSLY. ⚠️

Narrator (back to epic voice):
Side effects may include: spontaneous combustion, complete organ failure, and the eternal judgment of your ancestors.

[Final shot: Host dramatically sipping from the glass (clearly not real motor oil), then collapsing out of frame.]

Voiceover:
The Motor Oil Milkshake. Because common sense is a conspiracy.

[End with fake product logo and even faker website: www.NoSeriouslyDontDrinkThat.com]

 

 

We're On A Roll!

I picked up a Canon EOS 50mm lens a few weeks back. I've been using it on my 40D with mixed results. By mixed I mean the results are great outside but kind of suck inside. Partly because the camera doesn't perform well in low light.

Anyway, I put it on my EOS 630 a few days back and went to a park with it.

 If it becomes my go-to lens for Canon 35mm, I guess I'm good with this.

Transformations That Were Too Hard To Find

'Cats don't shoot lasers from their eyes, either, but here we are, Carl. Mama needs a night off.”

And The Joke's...ON YOU!

 

 

Here's a random ass flower.  

 

Goodnight. 

 

Is It Any Wonder

Here are some more shots from the Nikon D70 running the Tamron lens. I am not going to lie, this combination is freaking killer when the light is on my side!

 

 

 

I'll Wait For You

Surviving is winning. Everything else is bullshit. - The Sledge