Quote by Mendalla

The buzz on rpg.net, where there are tons of comic books geeks, is generally positive. And the Surfer is apparently the best character for some of them. They're pretty happy with the FF, too, this time. And no one could possibly screw it up as badly as the 2007 Rise of the Silver Surfer.

It was very different from the original Fantastic Four mythology, but they covered it at the start of the movie by noting it was Earth-282. This is not the universe of the original FF.

The movie was good. I would rate it 7 of 10, and I tend to be a tough rater.

Binge. I cannot help myself.

Fantastic Four or Superman?

Going to watch the Fantastic Four movie today. I hope it turns out well despite them screwing up the Silver Surfer storyline.

Watching 2nd season of SG-1

I choose hunger!

Hibachi or BBQ?

Tina Guo celloist

I am... doing prep for my colonoscopy tomorrow. Isn't life grand? 😲😨😠

Quote by Mendalla

Oo, thank you. Figured it would be a bit complicated given the size. It's interesting how many places are better to visit in Spring or Fall. Greece is like that. Summer is hot and crowded so a lot of people recommend May-June or Sept.-Oct. We're going in September.

It sounds like a great time! Please post some pictures.

I am, and for right now, that is enough.

Quote by WriterGirl

Roland, I hope your divorce is as quick and painless as it can be. Mine was 25 years ago.

I was served in early September 2024. It has been long and argumentative, but I am getting almost everything I asked for.

A horse. Camels are mean and nasty.

milk chocolate or dark chocolate.

Pepsi. Mountain Dew is my drink of choice, but IBC is my favorite brand.

With your significant other; alone time at home or out doing things?

I always marvel at how different things are today compared to my early life. Last night I came across an article from one hundred years ago. It reminded me of the huge advances are country and culture have made.

21 July 1925: The Scopes Trial ended with John Scopes being found guilty of violating the Butler Act.

I am going to see a movie tomorrow with my BIL and friend, Vernon. (He used to write stories on here)

Friday, I am expecting good news from my lawyer concerning my divorce.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and blessed day

Quote by Mendalla

How far did you go? There's the original trilogy, then Asimov's additional sequels and prequels from the eighties that tied Foundation to his robot novels, and then the Second Foundation trilogy written by three other sf authors commissioned by the estate after Asimov's death. I read the original trilogy around the time Foundation's Edge, Asimov's first sequel came out but didn't get through all his add-ons let alone the post-Asimov works.

This time, just the original.

Modern, but I still enjoy classical music.

Morning or night person?

I recently finished reading the 'Foundation' series after watching the TV series. I liked the TV show, but I forgot how wonderful the books are.

I met my new 'Shrink' yesterday. She seems OK, but she will only be doing my meds. I can hardly wait to get my new therapist. I see how useful my sessions are after missing them for six months.

I have some candy corn if anyone wants some.

Fly. I cannot drive.

Baseball or Football

The Wedding was great. One of my nephews is a preacher in our church, and he led a beautiful and inspiring ceremony. I was happier than I have been in a decade.

@WriterGirl

Both covers look great, but I like the 2nd one the most.

Quote by JamesPBear

I know you know this, Gillian, but there is absolutely no reason to feel guilty, and for several reasons. First, and most importantly, you did the best you could for him – really, the best that anyone could do. There is no reason to regret that, and if there's blame to be assigned, blame the disease, not you, nor him.

And second is the simple truth that you can't give what you don't have. If you burn out, it won't help him. Indeed, it would make his life worse. So take care of yourself so that you can take care of him as best suits his current situation.

My younger brother is going through Alzheimer's, about middle-stage at this point. He's a brilliant man, far smarter than me (though it burns me to say so), and it's heart-breaking to speak to him and hear the things he's losing.

But he has an amazing woman as his wife, and two of his three grown children live nearby, and are being actively helpful.

Yet it still hurts.

So, take care of yourself, take a deep breath, and let go of the guilt. It doesn't help either of you, and it certainly hurts you.

And there's a big Bear hug waiting for you – if that helps.

You are so right! That is great advice.

My youngest son, Raymond, brought his girlfriend (Stephanie) and her two lovely children (Sylar and Alexander) from Phoenix to NC to get married! Stephanie is delightful and insightful. Sylar seems smart for his age, and Alexander has a question about everything. Both children are already calling me grandpa!!! They got here Monday and are getting married tomorrow at 10 am. I am so excited!

I have an interesting idea for the competition, but I write so slowly these days. I will try to finish it in time. Can I enter it on the 1st or before the 1st?

The All-Star game was such a disappointment. Deciding the winner on something that has no substantive bearing to the game of baseball.

Quote by Mendalla

AI research has to happen. Regardless of what we think of things like ChatGPT and Gemini, AI is a powerful research tool. Already, Google's labs have vastly improved our ability to generate models of protein folding, critical for improving drugs and other biochemistry. Scientists are feeding large data sets into AI models to more quickly and efficiently analyze them. Basically, it's the old computer adage: "Garbage in, Garbage out". Used with a meaningful, useful dataset, AI can work wonders. Used with something like the Internet, which is a mixed bag with lots of meaningless, useless, and sometimes downright harmful data, it pukes out garbage. And research is how we are going to deal with it properly. Now, whether this bill actually helps with that research is another whole issue...

(and that's James the Bear you're responding to, by the way)

The BBB has provisions that block any laws from being passed to regulate AI.

Remember that the AI we are using today is not, by definition, Artificial Intelligence. They are just very sophisticated programs.

Cubs baseball and TV show 'Grimm'

cold and blustery.

hamburgers or hot dogs?

I had a great 4th of July with my oldest son, sister, BIL, and their kids and grandkids.

Yes, Scott, there is a lot of stuff in that bill. Check out the status of AI research and protection of AI for the next decade.

I am looking forward to the 4th of July celebrations. I have been absent from stories space for a while, but I am enjoying the new stories.

Glad to have you back, Mendalla. I hope you enjoyed your vacation. I saw a couple of videos about 'free men of the land' from the Ontario area. It is nice to know Canada has ignorant, crazy people too.

I did the ten-word story challenge today.

I hope everyone is doing well this holiday weekend.

I won twice last night at bingo, but no one won the big prize of $9,000. I hope to get a chance to win it Wednesday.