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Michael's pondering thoughts

My personal and sometimes non-sense thoughts.

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🍿 Watched Altered (2025) on Prime Video

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐ (1/5 stars) Not worth watching there were several times I wondered why I was watching this. Plot was kind of a mix of Giver, Enders Game, The Allegiant and Hunger Games all in one but not done very well. But I was tired and lazy so let it go on. Please don't buy this free is how this one should be. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or…

No Man's Sky 10th Anniversary

Celebrating 10 years of exploration, discovery, and adventure in the vast, ever-expanding universe of No Man's Sky. Happy Anniversary to Hello Games , No Man's Sky . It is 10 years, and hopefully another 10. A sequel would be great. Thanks, Sean Murray, for a great game that started rough but has grown into a masterpiece, and all free after initial purchase. I don't play as much as I used to. When…

TV Isn't What It Used to Be

Read on ign.com · View original Mastodon post I don't watch this series, though it has interested me. Still, its general theme fits what I want to talk about here. People wonder why TV viewing and TV series are dying. Well, when you have to wait a couple of years for 8 to 10 episodes, maybe 12 if you are really lucky, that is ridiculous. From an outsider's point of view, something is clearly wrong…

Happy Blogiversary to Me, 25 Years!

Celebrating 25 years of blogging with gratitude, reflection, and a sweet slice of success surrounded by creativity and joy. August 6, 2001, 25 years ago. I started blogging. I had a website made by Microsoft FrontPage and hosted on GTE (now Verizon) in the homepages they offered back in those days for residential customers. In fact, your ISP provided everything for you. You had so much website…

Learning to Live Without My Glasses

I saw the title of Antonio’s post the other day on bubbles.town, “I Couldn’t Live Without My Glasses” , and it intrigued me. The first thing I do when I wake up isn’t checking my phone or making coffee. It’s putting on my glasses. This was never me. I was the opposite. I could see my phone and other things up close, such as the alarm clock. Putting on my glasses was usually the second or third…

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Do you ever have a bunch of blog post ideas bouncing around in your head but no idea where to start, what would actually be interesting, or how to flesh them out? That's been me lately. My vision is improving, but my eyes aren't fully healed. My right eye, the first to be operated on, just hit the one-month mark. The left is about two weeks behind. I have one more doctor visit to get a…

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I just wanted to say I saw the news of John C. Dvorak passing yesterday. I hadn't heard much from him in years and often assumed he had retired. I was first introduced to him by watching Leo LaPorte and TechTV back in the day. I remember being introduced to Google Voice when Mr. Dvorak and Leo talked about it on a show. I can't recall the exact show or episode, but Mr. Dvorak talked about how he…

Responding to the AI Image Debate

A thoughtful couple contemplates the evolving intersection of creativity and technology, symbolized by a brain merging artistic tools with digital circuitry under a spotlight. I was browsing topics and titles on bubbles.town when I came across a post by Panagiotis Vryonis, AI-generated blog post images are not cool any more . It reminded me of another post I read a few months ago, On AI Images and…

Cheers to 100 Years, Moody Radio

Celebrating 100 years of Moody Radio, connecting generations through timeless broadcasts and iconic moments captured in history. This is a year of anniversaries. Moody Bible Institute turns 140 and Moody Radio turns 100. I listen to Moody Radio almost daily. I think Moody Church and Moody Bible Institute are the premier Evangelical Christian sword in today's world. You can find a great timeline…

My Vision's Big Comeback

Me with my glasses for the last time full time pre-surgery. I just shared good news about my heart journey, and now I can finally share another medical milestone for 2026: my cataract surgeries are done and my vision is back. For the last couple of years, my sight kept slipping, no matter how many times I got new prescriptions from the ophthalmologist or optometrist. A new prescription might clear…

Echo Results Looking Good

A man reflects with quiet satisfaction as he reviews positive echo results, surrounded by reminders of gratitude, strength, and progress in a warm, sunlit room. I wanted to share a long-overdue health update about what has happened this year and why I can finally talk about it. I recently had my second Camzyos cardiology echo and doctor’s visit of the year. I normally go every six months, and this…

🍿 Watched Project Hail Mary (2026) on Prime Video

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS In "Project Hail Mary" (2026), a lone astronaut awakens to an uncertain mission, fighting for humanity's survival amid the vastness of space and the unknown. My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5 stars) Okay, first thing: overall, it wasn't a bad movie. The pacing drags at the beginning, and several scenes could have been explained more clearly or cut shorter. The second half…

🇺🇸 Happy 250th, America 🇺🇸

Celebrating 250 years of freedom and unity with fireworks lighting up the night sky above the U.S. Capitol, as the American flag proudly waves in honor of the nation’s milestone birthday. Happy 250th birthday, United States of America! What a strange moment to mark a birthday, given everything going on in the world. Even so, I believe the U.S. has done enormous good and has served as a beacon for…

USF Turns 70

Celebrating 70 years of USF's rich history and vibrant campus life, where tradition meets innovation under the open skies. As you get older, anniversaries and milestones hit you differently. I don't know why. I don't regret anything in my life, but I do feel nostalgic sometimes. The other day, driving to work, I learned that the University of South Florida is celebrating 70 years this year. That…

Star Trek: Outposts Unknown PC Game

Star Trek: Outposts Unknown - Official Announcement Trailer - IGN To boldly go… and build in Star Trek: Outposts Unknown. Check out the Star Trek: Outposts Unknown announcement trailer for this upcoming narrative-driven outpost builder game set in the Star Trek universe. Build complex research facilities through the mysterious X’Lehari System. Explore strange new worlds, guide your crew through…

🍿 Watched Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) on Prime Video

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MILD SPOILERS Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026) brings intense espionage and action as Jack Ryan and his team navigate a deadly covert conflict in a high-stakes battle for global security. My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5 stars) I agree with the other reviews. I loved the whole cast. John Krasinski does a fantastic job as the lead, and he works well as a replacement for Harrison…

Who's the Real Loser?

Why Gen X is the real loser generation Don’t cry for millennials or Gen Z. Save your pity for those in their 50s — @daily-reads-TheEconomist on mastodon via Daily Reads I am a Gen Xer, and I do not consider myself part of a loser generation. I do think my generation came up during a time when the family was under assault from companies, the economy, and a culture that made it harder and harder for…

AI Isn't Black and White

People of all ages and backgrounds come together outdoors, connecting ideas and technology to illuminate the diverse and collaborative nature of AI innovation. Okay, this will probably sound controversial, but that's not my intent. I'm just sharing my thoughts because AI is everywhere right now, especially on social media and in blog posts. These views range from fairly neutral: [ 1 ] - Manton…

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Jim Mitchell adds notes to his site via a webmention. His note post tells all about it here and I am testing to see if it works and if my sending webmentions work. Jim your site looks great you done a great job with Clodd CMS.

Parsley, Pot Roast, and Changing Tastes

Why 1980s Meals Were Always Garnished With Parsley - Food Republic From steak dinners to bowls of soup, 1980s restaurants topped nearly every dish with a sprig of parsley. But why was this garnish so ubiquitous? — Food Republic (@foodrepublic.bsky.social) on bluesky ( source ) I saw this Bluesky post come across my timeline because I follow Food Republic, and it got my attention. When I was a kid…

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I came across this hilarious YouTube short from a British TV show. I think the British have some great TV, and this one had me rolling on the floor laughing. Enjoy!

🍿 Watched Nobody (2021)

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: MILD SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars) Highly, highly unbelievable yet very entertaining. Great cast. If you want to kill about two hours and are after a fun, fast-paced movie, this delivers. It’s not profound, but it does exactly what it sets out to do, entertain. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb .

Loura's Website Magic

If you ever want to see a master craftswoman at website design and theming, then you must stop over at Hey Loura! She is also in my BlogRoll. Her latest creation is spectacular and pirate-themed. She keeps outdoing herself each time she updates. I love her work and wish I could do, or get an AI to do, what she does. I have tried. I am still working on a 4th of July theme, but I can't get it to see…

Memes Connect Us, I Guess

I usually watch BGT (Britain's Got Talent) clips on YouTube because the British often have really interesting acts. One I liked was the Glantaf Boys Choir from Wales. They were excellent, and it made me wonder why we don't have this kind of all-male boy choir here. We do have choruses and choirs, but they are almost always mixed. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a different cultural…

Moon Views, Earth Love

I have been watching the Artemis II mission off and on. I saw these pictures on the NASA website, and here are a few that I really like. They definitely got me thinking. I have always been fascinated by space and the Heavens. I would like to go to space, but not like we do today. If I went, I would want it to be on a Star Trek type shuttle or ship. Our spacecraft, much like our planes, are little…