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Disney Formula

Aug

16

2023

I just watched Pocahontas for the first time, and it was funny how closely it stuck to the standard Disney formula. I knew there were certain themes that were popular, but after that I listed all them I thought of and now I present those to you, dear reader.

  • Main character is the daughter of the king/chief/etc. Bonus points if her mother has died.
  • The king wants his daughter to follow traditions, but the daughter is impetuous and does not want to.
  • She follows her own way and ends up falling in love with someone not from around these parts, which causes trouble.
  • The king or villain or mob of townsfolk tries to kill the love interest, but …
  • The daughter intervenes and changes her father’s heart / persuades the locals / helps defeats the villain to save the day.
  • Everyone, including loyal animal sidekicks, lives happily ever after.

I came up with this list mostly with Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and Moana in mind (and Pocahontas of course), but some of it also applies to Mulan and Tangled.

Side note: I think some of the success of Frozen is due to its not following the formula.
Barely related note: The Emperor’s New Groove 2 (AKA Kronk’s New Groove) was made with minimal effort. They really phoned it in for that one – do not watch unless you have a lot of time to kill and nothing better to do.

The King’s daughter is all glorious within; Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

Psalm 45:13

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Typing Bubble Fun

Jul

14

2023

Here is a GIF of a typing bubble. For hours of fun, text this to a few people when you can watch their reactions.

image of a typing bubble

Some people don’t care, and others seem to really anticipate what you’re going to finish typing.

Our chat thingy at work does the same thing, and now people can track how long it takes me to compose a sentence. My wife knows by now that it may take awhile: “how long until you’re done working?” “I just need to finish this email” … 20 minutes later … “how long is that email?” “two paragraphs, almost done” I like to be thorough.

Although I do feel bad for the other person on the occassions when I’ve written most of a response but then got distracted or pulled away by something else. Then I’ll find my unsent chat message the next day and I’ll wonder how long the other person sat and waited for me to send my message.

Fun times.

Blessed is the person who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.

Proverbs 8:34

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Old Appliances

Apr

19

2023

I was reading something about appliances and someone mentioned the benefit of a new appliance is that new appliances are so much more energy efficient than the old ones

Then I was reading something else and people were complaining about how they don’t make stuff like they used to – old appliances would last for 20-30 years and now people are happy to get 5 years out of a new appliance.

So I put 2 and 2 together, and realized everything is a wash. It doesn’t matter what you do, the end result is the same.

Total cost of ownership? The same. Your old appliance costs more to operate, but you don’t have the replace it as much. Would you rather have small utility bills and a large lump-sum purchase every few years, or have somewhat higher utility bills and no lump-sum purchases?

Total energy impact to the planet? The same. Yes, the old appliance uses more energy at your house, but it gets built and shipped only once. How much energy does it take to build and ship 3 newer appliances over the span of that one old appliance? And dispose of them too.

I give the advantage to the old appliance, because I don’t like the inconvenience of having an appliance break, and having to scramble to replace it. But others may like more frequent upgrades, akin to repainting rooms and rearranging furniture.

Note: this is also my thought process about cars. I stick with older cars that have less to go wrong. The only problem is that because of salty roads, their longevity is not as assured as something like a refrigerator or a clothes dryer.

and this is what you shall say: ‘Have a long life, peace to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!

1 Samuel 25:6

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One More Trichotomy

Mar

22

2023

I have an update to an old post about the trichotomy of features. This one pertains to the problems with buying a used car.

trichotomy of used cars- choose two keys, an owner's manual, or an intact windshield

Having bought several used cars over the past few years, I have noticed that it’s tough to find one with both an owner’s manual and two keys. And if they do have those, then there’s a large crack in the windshield. Since I avoid buying cars with bad windshields, it’s 50/50 for me on whether I get 2 keys. I get why people might lose a key, but where are they taking the owner’s manual that it gets lost?

You will know that your tent is secure, For you will visit your home and have nothing missing.

Job 5:24

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Winter Book Thingy 2023

Mar

1

2023

I’ve been able to fit some book reading in during the long dark winter nights, so here are some more reviews.

First up: Aster and the Accidental Magic by Thom Pico and Karensac

image of Aster and the Accidental Magic book by Thom Pico and Karensac

This one was fine. It’s a graphic novel, aimed at the grade-school set. The drawing style took a little getting used to. No other problems here.

Next up: A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold

image of A Boy Called Bat book by Elana K. Arnold

This book seemed to be mostly an insight into how an autistic boy thinks, trying to promote understanding and compassion for why he does the things he does. And by that measure, I think it succeeds. I don’t know that it’s the most compelling or gripping storyline, but it has its place.

Next up: The Dungeoneers by John David Anderson

image of The Dungeoneers book by John David Anderson

Of these 4 books, this was the most entertaining. But it is also the one targeted to the oldest audience group, junior high+, so that might have something to do with it. A ragtag group of misfits bonds together in a common quest to [prove themselves to others / gain the family they miss or never had / redeem something for some debt / etc.] Standard adventure fare, but in a good way. Nothing objectionable, other than some peril and vague violence (with swords and clubs and such).

Next up: Granted also by John David Anderson

image of Granted book by John David Anderson

Same author, but much different. Different style, different type of book, different audience (although one could argue they’re both in the Fantasy genre). Whereas The Dungeoneers had a storytelling tone, Granted had a conversational tone. And, but for one word, nothing objectionable if you’re okay with the premise of fairies granting wishes. There was one word thrown in to promote acceptance of alternative lifestyles. The author didn’t make it a big point, but it just seemed enough out of place from the rest of the book that it stood out.

That’s it for this review. More book reviews coming up later this year.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother”

Zechariah 7:9

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Unique Snowflakes

Feb

15

2023

If everyone claims to be unique, what good is that? When everyone is unique then no one is unique, to paraphrase my favorite movie quote.

stick figures wearing t-shirts that say i'm a unique snowflake, plus one person that says I'm not unique

If you want to be unique, don’t claim to be unique, as that will just lump you into the crowd. Go accomplish something. No one ever got labeled as “unique” by doing nothing.

And these stick figures are not using the term “snowflake” in a pejorative sense that is common these days. It just happens to be the object that is most associated with uniqueness.

But He is unique, and who can make Him turn? Whatever His soul desires, He does it.

Job 23:13

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Fall Book Thingy 2022

Jan

5

2023

This review is of five books but in two series.

First up: The Great Peach Experiment series by Erin Soderberg Downing

This has two books:
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie and
The Peach Pit

image of The Great Peach Experiment When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie book by Erin Soderberg Downing
image of The Great Peach Experiment The Peach Pit book by Erin Soderberg Downing

The first book was okay. The second book was better in some ways and worse in others. To make my life easier, I’m just going to call the first book the Peach Pie book and the second book the Peach Pit book.

The Peach Pie book was a little slow. It was fun to see the small towns that the author put in the book, including some in my area. It’s not every day that a town you know gets put into a book like this. But other than that fun tidbit, it didn’t exactly capture my attention. It wasn’t bad, and nothing offensive, so there are worse ways to spend you time.

Which brings me to the Peach Pit book. There was a little more going on in this book, so it was a little better in that regard. But it has a nod to – how shall I say it – alternative lifestyles, so it is worse in that regard.

It seems my overall rating is going to be one sideways thumb.

Last up: The Storm Keeper’s Island series by Catherine Doyle

This has three books:
The Storm Keeper’s Island, The Lost Tide Warriors, and
The Storm Keeper’s Battle
image of The Storm Keeper's Island book by Catherine Doyle
image of The Lost Tide Warriors book by Catherine Doyle
image of The Storm Keeper's Battle book by Catherine Doyle

The series was written as a series – i.e. when the first book ends it is not the end of the story so you can’t just enjoy the one book. In general, I dislike that trend, but I won’t count that too much against this series.

This series was certainly better for me than the Peach bilogy, but it didn’t capture my attention fully the way some books do. There was nothing bad or wrong with the books, although my kids did think it was a Harry Potter knockoff when I started describing the story to them.

Spoiler Alert
I told them it’s about a boy who doesn’t know he’s a wizard, and then he has to learn to become one and handle the magic he didn’t know was in him. And they asked a couple follow up questions, and for each one they asked, the answer could fit for either this book or Harry Potter. Sadly, I can’t remember any of them, and all the questions I could think of now in lieu of their questions do not apply to both sets of books.

End Spoiler Alert

Overall, I’d say one thumb’s up. If you need a fill a wintry weekend or something, you could do worse.

That’s it for this review. More book reviews coming up later this year.

Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.

Acts 27:26

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