The post The Cat and the Oven Mitt: Odd Items that Cats Love by Dr. Lauren Demos DVM (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren't considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Hi‚ I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats‚ Pancake and Tiller. The Cat Burglar may indeed be an apt description of certain feline propensities. Their ninja-like abilities to stalk‚ sneak‚ and silently pounce allow cats to get away with all sorts of mischief. Enter today’s topic: the odd things that cats like. Growing up‚ we had a cat named Mr. Kitten. Or Kitten‚ for short. He started life with a much fancier and more creative name‚ but we also thought he started life as a girl. When we found out he was a boy‚ it was obvious he needed a new name‚ but we’d run out of steam‚ and names‚ and nothing stuck‚ so he became Kitten. Kitten was a bit of an oddity‚ even as cats go: he liked to hop into the bathtub with me and walk around in the water‚ he loved pulling toilet paper from the bathroom and trailing it throughout the house‚ but his absolute favorite was the beloved oven mitt. Mr. Kitten &; The Oven Mitt Go to remove something hot from the oven and no oven mitt in sight? Locate the cat‚ and you had better odds at also locating the mitt. Trying to wash an oven mitt was nigh impossible—he’d pull them out of the hamper‚ and burble while carrying them around the house. And if you did manage to successfully clean and dry one‚ chances are that he’d sneak into the basket before it made it back to the kitchen drawer‚ and he’d be off and running‚ oven mitt in tow. But why do cats like these odd items? It’s a mystery. Some suggest that cats may have a certain attachment to such items and that they may experience a mothering instinct‚ treating these random objects like kittens‚ herding them throughout the house‚ and taking care of them. Tiller’s been fishing again! Tiller &; Her Fish Toys Tiller started life with a small slice of stuffed pizza and now has a series of stuffed fish toys that she routinely rounds up every night‚ to leave in various positions: grouped outside the bedroom; clustered at the bottom of the stairs‚ sometimes placed neatly in my shoes. It was a bit disconcerting the first few times‚ as I wondered if they were a vague cat threat (more food or you’ll be sleeping with the fishes!); so far‚ nothing seems to have come of it. Colloquially‚ when Tiller starts rounding up the fish in the house‚ we now say she is off “fishing” and leave it at that! Pancake &; Coins Pancake‚ by contrast‚ used to really like coins. If a penny or a nickel fell on the floor‚ she was on it- batting it around until she could pick it up with her mouth. She’d then run around the house‚ carrying said coinage in her mouth. As a vet‚ all I could think was: foreign body! And quickly‚ that activity was curtailed! Are There Risks Involved With These Behaviors? Which leads to the downsides of this odd behavior: There are some risks. Foreign bodies from ingesting these odd items cats seem to like is a real concern. Some of the more common foreign bodies that fit into this category include: Hair ties Coins Rubber bands Silicone (e.g. bottle tops‚ reusable straws) Pieces of foam shoes (e.g. Crocs‚ flip flops) String/yarn Fishing flies/lures (especially with hooks‚ that represent a new level of danger!) Another negative is a potential behavioral aspect. I remember once a colleague saying that even though her dog loved chasing the laser pointer‚ she refused to use it. Similarly‚ our university course on behavior echoed this concern. The thinking was that if the cat or dog could never actually catch the red dot‚ would that lead to ultimate feelings of unresolved frustration? For me‚ I just always think that the cats enjoy the experience as much as their much more frequent naps‚ but they burn far more calories in the game of chase‚ so I’m in the pro-red-dot camp. Along those lines‚ I have heard discussion that allowing cats to partially act out these supposed mothering instincts (if that’s what they are doing)‚ is similarly damaging to their psyche if the offspring aren’t actually completing their end of the bargain‚ and feeding back appropriate physical and emotional stimuli. Even as a kitten‚ Tiller was always looking for odd things to play with. The Story of the Cat Burglar There’s also the rare risk of reprisal. Enter the discussion I had with a recent law-abiding cat owner‚ who truly had a cat burglar. I was examining her rather lovely short-haired cat‚ and complimenting her on what a great cat she was. Yes‚ said her owner…most of the time! But she’s been stealing things from the neighbors again…. The client went on to explain that her cat had now totaled various food items from the local street‚ including a few bags of microwavable rice‚ a few crusts of pizza‚ and a few days later‚ an entire slice of pizza. Apparently‚ there had even been some neighborhood spousal accusations that some husband was throwing out various food items behind his wife’s back…when really‚ it was a neighbor’s cat thief at work! (Although I cannot condone illegal activities‚ I can certainly condone the cat’s choice in pizza!) You might say that cats are truly odd‚ at heart‚ but isn’t that one of the reasons we love them all the more? Perhaps such odd behavior simply fits like a glove (or oven mitt). For me‚ I let Tiller have her fish‚ and try not to worry too much about the why as long as she seems happy. Pancake‚ however‚ is not allowed her coins. But that’s just my 0.02 on the matter… The post The Cat and the Oven Mitt: Odd Items that Cats Love by Dr. Lauren Demos DVM (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren't considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Book Recommendations short fiction Digging Through the Archives: 8 SFF Short Stories Told Through Notes and Documents These stories come in many forms–fictional obituaries‚ scholarly articles‚ even a grant proposal–offering fascinating glimpses into unexplored realities. By Ratika Deshpande | Published on April 3‚ 2024 Photo by Joanna Kosinska [via Unsplash] Comment 2 Share New Share Photo by Joanna Kosinska [via Unsplash] One of my favorite forms of stories is what some call “found fiction”—diaries‚ documents‚ transcripts‚ excerpts‚ and so on. Reading these kinds of stories feels like coming upon a curious artefact that hints at more than what’s on the page‚ a world that invites us to fill in the gaps. Who left these documents here? Who wrote them? Who’s reading them‚ in the world of the story? How important is this document‚ in the larger scheme of things? There are so many questions—entering into these narratives is an opportunity to interact; you’re getting to play with and explore interesting worlds‚ questions‚ and ideas as if you were sleuth or a journalist. Here’s a selection of some of my favorites… “Excerpts from a Scientist’s Notebook: Ancestral Memory in Europan Pseudocephalopods” by David DeGraff I’m always fascinated by stories of space and of memory‚ and David DeGraff does an excellent job of combining both of these in this flash story constructed out of a series of notes on the memory of creatures found on Europa‚ one of Jupiter’s moons. The happy ending is a bonus.  “A Review: The Reunion of the Survivors of Sigrún 7” by Lars Ahn Written as a review of a documentary‚ this story by Lars Ahn considers the methods filmmaker Manuela Riviera uses to bring together the surviving crew of a failed expedition to Mars and compel them to talk about what happened on board the spaceship. The reviewer takes a look at the lengths the filmmaker went to record the documentary‚ as well as the ethics of forcing people together to make them reveal details they’ve kept secret for decades. It gives you much to think about‚ raising questions about the lengths we’re willing to go to in the name of art‚ and to satisfy our curiosity about the lives of those pushed into the spotlight. “Companion Animals in Mahō Shōjo Kira Kira Sunlight” by Stewart C Baker This in-world essay considers the roles companion animals play in a famous (fictional) animated web series whose creator(s) are unknown and which has garnered a large following online. This is a story about a story that also examines how we interact with media‚ especially stories we are deeply attached to‚ and our desire for answers.  “Some Assembly Required” by Anne E.G. Nydam How do you build a castle in the air‚ literally? Anne Nydam has got the instructions for you‚ along with lovely‚ surreal illustrations to help you put it all together. Do read the warnings carefully‚ though. “Search History for Elspeth Adair‚ Age 11” by Aimee Picchi Search histories are one of the most intriguing aspects of life on the internet—I’ve referred to mine when trying to trace my way back to a particular website or article; it’s quite an experience to see your train of thought mapped out step-by-step. Too bad they’re so easily deleted‚ because as Aimee Picchi shows in this excellent little story‚ our search histories can tell us a lot about how our curiosity can take us to unexpected places‚ both online and in the real world. A delightful little story that always makes me smile. “Rising Star” by Stephen Graham Jones The Meerschon Grant Selection Committee is considering proposals to fund research—research that will make the best use of a new technology that allows for time travel. The possibilities are endless; you could access and study documents that no longer exist‚ observe dinosaurs‚ or “watch the moon coalescing into a sphere.” But bearing witness to these moments‚ and even answering long-standing questions‚ won’t really impact our present. Our narrator has a proposal that trumps everything else‚ a proposal that will take a researcher far back into the distant past‚ on a one-way trip‚ with instructions to find and preserve knowledge that will survive thousands of years and help humanity in the present—unlike observing the moon back when it was young‚ for example.  Reading SFF often leaves me wishing that magic was real‚ but after reading this story all I truly want now is the confidence to write a grant proposal with such absolute conviction.  “In the City of Failing Knives” by Tara Campbell In the City of Failing Knives‚ as the name suggests‚ knives don’t cut—they bind‚ which is why‚ when couples get married‚ they seal the deal with a knife (in some unfortunate cases‚ quite literally). Full of interesting anecdotes and footnotes‚ this curious little article for Popular Sociology makes one think about and reconsider the words we use to signify love and connection‚ and what they can really mean if we delve beyond the surface. A fascinating exploration of possibilities.  “50 Things Every AI Working with Humans Should Know” by Ken Liu Given the torrent of articles we’ve all been reading since ChatGPT come onto the scene and the developments that have followed‚ this fascinating obituary for a famous “AI AI-critic” might as well be an actual article we’ll see in a decade or two. After reading this story‚ I finally understood what older people mean when they talk about stuff from SFF books becoming a part of their daily lives. A piece that starts with familiar concepts and leaves you haunted.  [end-mark] The post Digging Through the Archives: 8 SFF Short Stories Told Through Notes and Documents appeared first on Reactor.

News The Big Door Prize The Big Door Prize Will Take Things to the Next Stage in Season Two What mysterious pronouncements will the Morpho make next? By Molly Templeton | Published on April 3‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Apple’s underrated‚ extremely endearing The Big Door Prize asks one big‚ not at all simple question: What would happen if you knew the potential of your life? In order to learn this info‚ you have to put all your personal details into a weird machine (the minute it asks for Social Security Numbers‚ I’d be done). The answer comes in the form of a little blue card with a single word on it. Maybe two or three words‚ max. Then what? That’s basically the premise of the show‚ which follows an excellent ensemble cast as their lives are upended by the Morpho machine and its little blue cards of destiny. Some people chase their Morpho-assigned destiny hard; some sort of sit back and go‚ “Huh.” As one does. Here’s the synopsis for season two: Based on M.O. Walsh’s novel‚ The Big Door Prize season two follows the residents of Deerfield as the Morpho machine readies them for the mysterious “next stage.” As everyone’s potentials are exchanged for visions‚ new relationships form and new questions are asked. Dusty (Chris O’Dowd) and Cass (Gabrielle Dennis) decide to take time apart while Trina (Djouliet Amara) and Jacob (Sammy Fourlas) learn that they can shed their old labels. Giorgio (Josh Segarra) and Izzy (Crystal Fox) each find romance while Hana (Ally Maki) and Father Reuben (Damon Gupton) attempt to discover the purpose of the machine. The small town is once again left questioning what they thought they knew about their lives‚ relationships‚ potentials‚ and about the Morpho itself. The Morpho itself is a pretty sci-fi premise‚ but things got even further from ordinary reality at the end of the first season‚ when it turned out that Dusty is not the only person with a mysterious little blue mole. This teaser hints at maybe more surreal‚ or supernatural‚ or plain old inexplicable happenings—and whatever is coming in “the next stage.” The Big Door Prize returns to Apple TV+ on April 24th. [end-mark] The post <;i>;The Big Door Prize<;/i>; Will Take Things to the Next Stage in Season Two appeared first on Reactor.

News Dead Boy Detectives The Trailer for Dead Boy Detectives Shows How It’s Connected to The Sandman Like Holmes and Watson‚ except dead By Molly Templeton | Published on April 3‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Ah‚ the unpredictable life of a ghost detective. This particular pair‚ the Dead Boy Detectives‚ were created by Neil Gaiman in The Sandman‚ then branched out into their own tales. The adaptation of their story was originally a Max series‚ but moved over to Netflix. The afterlife is nothing if not uncertain! But it’s just as well that Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) will be practicing their trade on the same streamer as The Sandman‚ because now‚ the show gets to make it explicit that the two series are connected. And this trailer does so via a little visit from Death (Kirby‚ who used to go by Kirby Howell-Baptiste). Apparently they’re hiding from her. They don’t want to go back to hell. Who would? (Funny how this is a frequent problem for characters in this universe.) Here’s the synopsis: Meet Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri)‚ “the brains” and “the brawn” behind the Dead Boy Detectives agency. Teenagers born decades apart who find each other only in death‚ Edwin and Charles are best friends and ghosts… who solve mysteries. They will do anything to stick together – including escaping evil witches‚ Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and her friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura)‚ they are able to crack some of the mortal realm’s most mystifying paranormal cases. I genuinely do not know what to make of the way they’ve chopped up My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” in this trailer. It feels a bit too epic for what we’re seeing on screen. The tonal result is all over the place. Which‚ to be fair‚ might be the point. Dead Boy Detectives was developed by Steve Yockey (The Flight Attendant)‚ who is co-showrunner with Beth Schwartz (the Arrowverse). The boys solve supernatural crime starting April 25th on Netflix. [end-mark] The post The Trailer for <;i>;Dead Boy Detectives<;/i>; Shows How It’s Connected to <;i>;The Sandman<;/i>; appeared first on Reactor.

Column Science Fiction Film Club The Day the Earth Stood Still: Suspicion‚ Paranoia‚ and a Very Polite Alien Visitor in 1950s America Released during the rise of McCarthyism‚ the film poses questions about how humans deal with fear and uncertainty that still feel startlingly relevant today. By Kali Wallace | Published on April 3‚ 2024 Image: 20th Century Fox Comment 0 Share New Share Image: 20th Century Fox The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Directed by Robert Wise. Starring Michael Rennie‚ Patricia Neal‚ Hugh Marlowe‚ Sam Jaffe‚ and Billy Gray. Screenplay by Edmund H. North‚ based on the short story “Farewell to the Master” by Harry Bates. I had never seen this movie before I picked it for this film club. I know it’s a genre classic. I know it’s widely influential and has been referenced in all kinds of sci fi works. I had heard of it‚ of course‚ and vaguely knew the premise—alien comes to Earth‚ Cold War politics—but not much more than that. And I avoided researching it until after I had watched it. I wanted to see it before I delved into what people thought of it. I’m glad it approached it that way‚ because: (a) I really enjoyed the movie for itself‚ because it’s great‚ and (b) subsequently delving into what people think about The Day the Earth Stood Still is so overwhelming it makes me feel like I’m back in graduate school. For 70+ years people have been writing editorials‚ reviews‚ articles‚ dissertations‚ and books about the film’s impact and meaning. There are multiple scholarly debates still occurring across both academic journals and fandom spaces: Is the movie anti-war and anti-atomic? Is the main character a Christ-like figure? What is it saying about the doctrine of mutually-assured destruction? Is the position of the visiting alien justifiable from the perspective of ethical philosophy? All of this is interesting‚ but there is absolutely no way I can cover everything in this piece‚ nor do I really want to‚ not unless somebody is going to give me another PhD for it. So I’m going to focus on a few things that I find most interesting‚ and I encourage everybody else to share their own thoughts in the comments. First‚ a bit about the context‚ because we are talking about a high-profile‚ major studio Hollywood movie released in 1951‚ and there is a hell of a lot of relevant context. A few years earlier‚ in 1947‚ the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) subpoenaed ten Hollywood producers‚ directors‚ and screenwriters to testify about suspected communist activities. They refused to answer any questions‚ were charged with contempt of Congress‚ and were subsequently fined and imprisoned. The heads of major studios‚ along with the Motion Picture Association of America and the Association of Motion Picture Producers‚ responded by declaring that they would not employ any of those ten men‚ nor anybody else linked to communist politics or any other vaguely-defined “subversive and disloyal elements.” The statement they released on the matter‚ the Waldorf Declaration‚ is an odd piece of legal wriggling. There was not agreement among the studio heads about what to do‚ or even if they should do anything. Even at the hysteria-driven height of the so-called Red Scare‚ it was still‚ in fact‚ a violation of the First Amendment to fire somebody for having politics you don’t like‚ but the pressure to do exactly that was coming from the Congress. The studio heads decided that the financial risk of being sued outweighed the inevitable public backlash if they did nothing. (There are a million articles‚ books‚ interviews‚ and thinkpieces on this matter‚ but check out this Hollywood Reporter piece for a quick summary and timeline.) The Waldorf Statement more or less became industry policy for the next few years‚ and the initial blacklist of ten people ballooned to more than 300‚ especially after Senator Joseph McCarthy began driving the widespread persecution that would come to bear his name. The impact on Hollywood was significant and very‚ very high profile. Just a few examples: Charlie Chaplin was denied re-entry to the United States in 1952 and subsequently cut ties with Hollywood; actor Edward G. Robinson‚ who was an outspoken anti-fascist as well as a civil rights supporter‚ was called to testify before the HUAC and basically forced to jump through political hoops to avoid being blacklisted; Dashiell Hammett‚ author of The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man‚ which became beloved Hollywood movies‚ refused to cooperate with HUAC and was blacklisted in 1953. The list goes on and on. Right in the middle of all this came The Day The Earth Stood Still‚ a major studio film that was conceived‚ written‚ and filmed as commentary on the social and political environment in which it was made. Producer Julian Blaustein set out to make a movie about the paranoia and fear that gripped the world in the post-World War II atomic era; he was specifically interested in promoting a strong United Nations and said as much during press for the film. He looked around for a science fiction story that could be used as a basis for such a film and found Harry Bates’ short story “Farewell to the Master‚” published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1940. Screenwriter Edmund North took a great many liberties with the original story‚ as is the way of such things‚ and the result is the script that director Robert Wise would turn into The Day the Earth Stood Still. Robert Wise would go on to become one of Hollywood’s absolute legends‚ as he would later direct West Side Story‚ The Sound of Music‚ The Haunting‚ The Andromeda Stain‚ Star Trek: The Motion Picture and many‚ many other films. In 1951 he wasn’t a legend yet‚ but he was well on his way there; he had been the editor on Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) before he began directing his own films. The Day the Earth Stood Still opens with a montage of people around the world reacting to the appearance of an unidentified craft soaring through Earth’s atmosphere. The craft soon reveals itself to be a sleek flying saucer. Articles about the film frequently claim that set designers Thomas Little and Claude Carpenter designed the spaceship with the help of architect Frank Lloyd Wright (for example: this article shared by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)‚ but it’s just as frequently claimed that this is an urban legend‚ so I have no idea if it’s true. If there are any Frank Lloyd Wright biographers hanging around‚ please let us know. Whoever designed it‚ the spacecraft is striking and elegant as it settles into a landing spot on Earth: right smack in the middle of the National Mall in Washington D.C.. The ship opens and a humanoid alien emerges to say‚ “We have come to visit in peace and with goodwill‚” and asks to meet with the leaders of Earth. A nervous soldier responds by shooting him‚ which is one of the most American things that has ever been committed to film. A large robot (played by Lock Martin) from the ship vaporizes all of the soldiers’ weapons‚ but the injured alien stops him before he can do more damage. The alien is taken to the hospital‚ where he introduces himself as Klaatu and asks to speak to representatives of all the world’s governments. Klaatu (Michael Rennie) looks and acts human‚ which baffles the doctors‚ but it is necessary for the story the film is telling. Through the 1930s and ’40s‚ there was significant overlap in American cinema between sci fi films and horror films. There were popular space-based adventures like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers‚ but for the most part American sci fi movies didn’t really begin to distinguish themselves from juvenile serials or monster movies until the ’50s. Another big sci fi release of 1951 was The Thing From Another World. The Thing was more representative of what Hollywood was doing with extraterrestrials at the time: alien visitors to Earth were often monsters and invaders‚ existing to be fought and feared. There weren’t characters or people. They weren’t us. Klaatu‚ a polite‚ well-spoken alien who can easily pass as human‚ was a novelty. Wise initially wanted Claude Rains in the role of Klaatu‚ but he would later say it was a good thing Rains had been unavailable‚ because Michael Rennie turned out to be such a great alternative. And he was right‚ because Michael Rennie is fantastic as Klaatu. He’s friendly and warm‚ but there is a steely solemnity just beneath the surface that reveals the seriousness of his mission. When Klaatu escapes from the hospital‚ he tries to learn more about Earth and its people by walking around Washington‚ D.C.‚ staying at a boarding house‚ spending a day with a child—all very human and ordinary things. The mundanity of Klaatu’s actions are also key to the story the film is telling. There are very few special effects in The Day the Earth Stood Still; the goal of the production from the start was to give the movie a very realistic‚ almost documentary-style look. When we see the inside of Klaatu’s ship‚ it’s very minimalist in design and nothing is explained; when the robot Gort vaporizes human weapons all the audience sees is a blinding flash of white light. The stunning musical score by Bernard Hermann underscores this approach‚ as it is a compelling mix of recognizably orchestral and notably alien‚ with two theremins among the array of unusual instruments chosen to create a range of sounds. This was before stereophonic sound was standard in cinema—movies weren’t “presented in stereo!” just yet—and Hermann employed a lot of very clever techniques in both composing and recording to achieve the otherworldly sounds. Hermann is a genuine legend in Hollywood music history; he was wrote the memorable scores of many Alfred Hitchcock movies‚ several Ray Harryhausen fantasy epics‚ and many‚ many other movies you have probably seen. Check out a live performance of the theme of The Day the Earth Stood Still at an international theremin festival in 2018. Seventy years later‚ and this score is still so eerie‚ haunting‚ and beautiful. The movie has a very clear goal in making these choices: the biology of the alien visitor‚ the nature of the world he came from‚ the details of his advanced technology‚ none of that is what we should be focusing on. What we should be focusing on is ourselves. Klaatu’s time amongst the people of Earth explores a range of reactions. Presidential representative Mr. Harley (Frank Conroy) is sympathetic to Klaatu’s request to address the world’s leaders but unwilling to explore ways of helping; Mrs. Barley (Frances Bavier) at the boardinghouse thinks there is no extraterrestrial‚ only a Soviet agent‚ a conviction she states with confidence while sitting across the breakfast table from the actual alien; Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) thinks about how Earth must appear to an alien visitor who was attacked moments after greeting humans for the first time; her boyfriend Tom (Hugh Marlowe) only cares about alien visitation if it impacts his own life; Helen’s son Bobby (Billy Gray) is curious and excited more than scared. The various military men instantly see a threat to be eliminated‚ the news reporter is only interested in interviews that will support fear-mongering headlines‚ but for the most part people keep going about their lives as the tension and paranoia rise. We get glimpses of people around the world that are clearly meant to imply reactions are the same everywhere‚ including in the Soviet Union. While tooling around Washington with young Bobby‚ Klaatu comes to the conclusion that politicians won’t help him deliver the message he needs to deliver‚ so he turns to scientists. He does this by asking Bobby to identify the smartest man around‚ a question that really bears no thinking about in a modern context (I do not want to consider what the range of answers would be)‚ but makes a bit more sense in the context of Professor Barnhardt (Sam Jaffe) being an obvious analogue to Albert Einstein‚ who was hugely popular with the general public at the time. Barnhardt agrees to summon scientists‚ philosophers‚ and all manner of thinkers to the city so they can all hear what Klaatu has to say. What’s most curious about the film’s range of character reactions to alien contact is‚ perhaps‚ how very familiar they are to anybody who has watched a movie in the past 70+ years. From E.T.: The Extraterrestrial to Independence Day to The Avengers‚ the widespread paranoia‚ the childlike naivete‚ the military aggression‚ the scientific curiosity‚ the selfish disinterest‚ the histrionic press coverage are all so common they are often compressed into a montage. But here the reactions of the people of Earth aren’t a prelude or epilogue to the story‚ or an element that must be dispatched with before the action can start. Those reactions are the entire story. Nothing in The Day the Earth Stood Still is actually about aliens. We learn almost nothing about Klaatu’s home or any other civilizations out there. It’s all about humans‚ about how we see ourselves‚ about what we do when we meet somebody a little different‚ about how we deal with fear and uncertainty. Because those aspects of the film are so familiar‚ even comfortable‚ in the genre of sci fi‚ I am struck by how strongly I reacted to the ending. At the very end‚ Klaatu finally has a chance to address thinkers from all over the world. He tells them that because Earth has developed rockets and nuclear weaponry‚ other civilizations on other planets now view us as a threat. He has come to deliver a warning: change our violent ways‚ or be destroyed. He explains that his own civilization has achieved peace by outsourcing the enforcement of this moral and ethical dictum to a force of robot police‚ including his companion Gort‚ who have the absolute and unretractable mission to destroy any planet that is not sufficiently peaceful. Now‚ look‚ I am an American living in the year 2024. The situation Klaatu describes as peaceful and ideal is‚ to me‚ the one of the most horrifying scenarios imaginable. I hate every single thing about it. We can’t even trust cops with handguns to make good choices; I’m sure as fuck not eager to trust a bunch of cops who never have to justify themselves with the power to destroy an entire planet. But‚ setting aside my own visceral full-body shudder‚ I am fascinated by two things about this film’s ending. The first is that I’m not sure how audiences in 1951 were expected to react to Klaatu’s ultimatum‚ because reactions were not at all uniform. Within the film itself‚ we don’t really get a good sense of how the gathered scientists and thinkers react to Klaatu’s message‚ only that they are taking it seriously. (Any crowd of real scientists would immediately begin arguing‚ but maybe they wait until Klaatu and Gort have noped out.) The film ends before we get a look at how humanity reacts—which is‚ of course‚ the entire point. There are several troubling assumptions behind Klaatu’s ultimatum: that everybody will define terms like threat and violence and freedom in the same way; that a serious enough and clear enough threat will unite the world; that it is possible to create a universal ethical standard that can be enforced without exception; that outsourcing our ethical choices beyond a certain level of significance to external actors is better than making those choices ourselves. I don’t know that the movie is advocating acceptance of any or all of those assumptions. It is promoting international cooperation as a much better choice than mutually-assured destruction‚ but there is still skepticism about enforcing peace by means of violence. But‚ as I have already mentioned‚ people have been arguing about this for more than 70 years‚ and will probably be arguing about it for 70 more. I’ll let the philosophers carry on and move on to the second thing that fascinates me‚ which is less about what the film itself is saying and more about where it fits into the history of science fiction‚ because most of the sci fi genre seems to be with me in experiencing that full-body shudder of revulsion. The Day the Earth Stood Still was asking if humankind could or would abandon its violent ways when forced to by an objective‚ unstoppable external force—and we’ve gotten a lot of answers from other stories over the years. Consider Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)‚ The Terminator (1984)‚ and Robocop (1987)‚ to name just a few films in which humans try to outsource their warfare and policing to machines and it does not‚ alas‚ result in peace and harmony for all mankind. The Day the Earth Stood Still is‚ like all films‚ a product of its time and place‚ but in this way it seems to be a movie that could only have come from that particular time and place. Because the film ends before we learn what humans will decide‚ there is very much a sense of this being a story that stands on a precipice‚ one that is looking around at the world in the aftermath of WWII‚ in an environment of intense fear and paranoia that was actively harming the lives and careers of all kinds of people‚ and asking‚ “Now what do we do?” What do you think about The Day the Earth Stood Still? How do you interpret the promise/threat of Gort’s robot police force and the politics of sci fi during the atomic era? I haven’t watched the 2008 remake with Keanu Reeves‚ and I’m curious how the story was changed for a different era. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on that or anything else about this film in comments! Next week: We’re bringing some different alien visitors down to Earth in The Mysterians (1957)‚ one of the many epic collaborations between director Ishirō Honda and special effects master Eiji Tsuburaya. Watch it on Criterion and FlixFling‚ and it’s worth checking YouTube‚ the Internet Archive‚ and other upload sites. Some of the uploaded versions I’ve found are the English-language dub and some are of very sketchy quality‚ but poke around a little to find one that works for you.[end-mark] The post <;i>;The Day the Earth Stood Still<;/i>;: Suspicion‚ Paranoia‚ and a Very Polite Alien Visitor in 1950s America appeared first on Reactor.

An episode of our Patreon Exclusive 90’s Super Cinema podcast has been UNLOCKED! This was a historic event‚ as it was the first time all 4 WIZARDS co-hosts (past and present) ever recorded a show CONTINUE READING... The post WIZARDS The Podcast Guide To Comics | UNLOCKED! 90’s Super Cinema: Batman and Robin appeared first on The Retro Network.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Jon Stewart’s encounter with Apple censorship came to light during a recent episode of his The Daily Show‚ featuring an interview with Lina Khan‚ the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission. After inviting Khan onto his The Problem with Jon Stewart Apple TV+ show for a podcast episode‚ Apple’s censorship became conspicuous when it requested Stewart not to proceed with the invite. “I wanted to have you on a podcast and Apple asked us not to do it‚” Stewart told Khan. “They literally said‚ ‘Please don’t talk to her.'” Moreover‚ the episode was riddled with examples of what Apple permitted for broadcast‚ including Stewart’s initially scheduled section on artificial intelligence titled the “false promise of AI.” “They wouldn’t let us do even that dumb thing we just did in the first act on AI‚” he told Khan. “Like‚ what is that sensitivity? Why are they so afraid to even have these conversations out in the public sphere?” “I think it just shows the danger of what happens when you concentrate so much power and so much decision making in a small number of companies‚” Khan responded. US lawmakers have already demanded an explanation from Apple regarding the sudden termination of Jon Stewart’s political comedy show on its streaming platform. This inquiry‚ articulated in a public letter‚ suggests that the show’s abrupt end might be attributed to the sensitivity of content related to China. The New York Times previously shed light on the discontinuation of Stewart’s program on Apple TV+‚ attributing it to “creative differences‚” The report highlighted Stewart’s disclosure to his team about the apprehension of Apple executives over certain topics‚ notably those concerning China and artificial intelligence. The post Jon Stewart Says Apple Asked Him Not To Interview FTC Chair Lina Khan appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Apple is nothing if not consistent in its policy of taking huge revenue cuts from developers‚ publishers‚ and others using the giant’s platforms – and now it could be podcasters’ turn. In exchange for better (top banner in the app) placement of their feed – in the crowded podcasting market where Apple’s Podcasts is a leading app (and its index used by many others) – Apple allows creators to part ways with a significant chunk of the money they earn. That’s 30% of subscriber revenue in the first‚ and 15% in each subsequent year – and that is notably more than what some competitors charge for the same service – with Patreon‚ it’s 5 to 12%‚ while Substack takes 10%. And Spotify and YouTube‚ the biggest competitors‚ prefer the “ad-overkill monetizing model” to subscriptions‚ anyway. For now‚ the proceedings are in the “amicable‚” persuasion and enticement‚ voluntary phase over at Apple. Podcasts will still be available on the app – and some even promoted – whether or not they join Apple Podcasts Subscriptions’ promotions feature. But there’s a big difference to podcasters between being available prominently seen – good placement in the app (and therefore‚ high subscriber numbers that can then be monetized in many ways outside the Apple ecosystem) is described by some as far more important than the money they can earn directly through Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. Podcasts Subscriptions was rolled out three years ago with the primary goal of helping monetize various forms of bonus content and has been used by Apple to lure creators in with the highly coveted top banner spot. The podcasting subscriptions market is very tricky to “lockdown” and control like‚ say‚ an app store‚ so whether things remain as they are‚ or if the Apple “offer” becomes mandatory‚ may largely depend on Apple’s ability to make this lucrative for itself‚ Semafor reported. In the US‚ Apple has been sued by the government for the way it runs its App Store business‚ but some observers note that the nature of podcast distribution means it’s hard for any one platform‚ including Apple‚ to dominate it to monopolistic levels. The post Apple Pushes Podcasters to Join Subscription Program for Top Feed Placement appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Recently‚ it came to light that US courts are issuing orders to YouTube (Google) to hand over user information – a previously unreported form of dragnet investigation. And now additional details about the practice are emerging. Forbes broke the story last month after seeing documents that showed a court order covering all YouTube users who watched certain videos over a period of time. Personal data required by law enforcement in these cases was very detailed. Regarding Google users – that’s information from their Google accounts (name‚ address‚ phone number and records‚ online payments history‚ IP address‚ etc…)‚ while everybody else visiting URLs listed in the order had their IP addresses surrendered. A one-year gag order made sure Google could not make any of this publicly known‚ and now we’re hearing about it because that time period has expired. However‚ the actual documents that the original article was based on were not published at that time; now‚ reports say they have been made available on the Bluesky platform. The order covers the first 8 days of 2023‚ and three apparently obscure and in and of themselves harmless YouTube videos (the target of the investigation was a person suspected of illegal activity‚ while the video’s URLs were “exchanged” during communication between undercover investigators and their target). Virgil Abt posted the documents on Bluesky‚ noting that given that the three videos (about mapping software) didn’t have a wide reach‚ an estimated 200 people‚ whose personal details Google was then asked to turn over‚ clicked on the links – to end up collectively “suspected‚” as happens in dragnet-style probes. The affidavit that’s now public shows the court explaining the process and reasons first for going after the specific YouTube user‚ “ELM‚” for their alleged bitcoin-and-drugs related activities – and then why the court thought it was fine to thoroughly unmask potentially hundreds of uninvolved YouTube users‚ and keep the whole thing secret for a full year. “There is reason to believe that these records would be relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation‚ including by providing identification information about the perpetrators‚” reads the affidavit. The same problems related to other investigative methods based on dragnet surveillance such as geofencing apply here as well‚ mainly the fact law enforcement could achieve its goals by going down less legally controversial routes. The post More Details Have Come to Light About Feds’ Surveillance of Everyone That Watched Certain YouTube Videos appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Revisiting the Death Penalty for Cop Killers