Supergirl, Why You Do This?

First of all, I actually enjoy CBS' Supergirl TV series.

Sure, the plots are lame (I'm not sure if they're more lame than the Flash and Arrow plots on CW, or if they only seem that way because Supergirl has a bigger budget on a bigger network) -- I mean, they took Alan Moore's amazing Black Mercy story and turned what should have been a 'Wow!' episode into 'Meh, was alright I guess' -- but I like it because the actors are convincing and overall the mood of the series is bright and cheerful and not the "oh god everything sucks i shall cut myself while listening to Nine Inch Nails" thing we have going on in the other two shows.

In other words, it's fun and it's cheerful even if it's a bit campy, and Melissa Benoist is very easy on my eyes.

But oh god, the writing. It baffles me how a series can have such good characterization and dialog between characters, but suck so badly at everything else. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about.

Monday's episode, "Manhunter", dealt with how J'onn J'onzz became Hank Henshaw.  And during a few flashbacks, we found out the following:

• Henshaw calls the alien he is tracking through the South American jungle "the Manhunter" and "the Martian". Okay, how does he know this? It's not like J'onn was a prisoner on Fort Rozz...
• Later, he says "This alien is over 300 years old!"  Again, how does he know this?
• He also says something like "Superman says this Martian is one of the most powerful beings on the planet!"

I... I just...

Okay, let me break this down. 

1. If Superman says J'onn is powerful, it's likely because they had an encounter. Either they fought each other, and they fought alongside each other. 
2. If Henshaw knows J'onn is Martian it has to be because J'onn told Superman he's Martian. It's not like Krypton had diplomatic relations with Mars (because if so I'm pretty sure Kara would have heard about them during her education on Krypton). 
3. From what we know of J'onn, it's really doubtful that he'd tell a total stranger that he's a Martian. So it's likely that Superman gained his trust or respect. 
4. So of course it makes total sense for a government agency to track down someone that Superman respects instead of other threats. 

But let's assume that Henshaw is a total xenophobe nutcase  (BTW, I don't buy that he's dead -- I totally expect him to come back as either a certain cyborg or something else) and thinks "I hate aliens, and Superman is an alien, so if he likes another alien I'm gonna kill him."

1. He still calls J'onn "the Manhunter". 
2. Meaning that, logically, J'onn must have been hunting someone when Superman encountered him. This is probably how they met, fought, gained respect, etc.
3. So if J'onn is hunting men (bad guys, we assume), then he isn't keeping a very low profile, is he? And didn't he want to keep a low profile to blend in and not let White Martians find him and etc?
4. Furthermore, if he's hunting men, why is he hiding in a South American jungle?

I mean, you'd think that a shapeshifter who wanted to stay hidden could hide pretty damn easily in the Amazon. Of course, that would mean he's not out hunting men. And if he IS out hunting men, then why is he hiding in the Amazon?

None of this makes sense, because it's terrible exposition. The writers wanted us to know that J'onn J'onzz is from Mars -- but we already knew this when he told Kara several episodes ago. The writers wanted us to know that J'onn is Kryptonian-level powerful -- but we already knew this from how he took down Supergirl when she was under the effects of red kryptonite that made her evil. And the writers wanted us to know that J'onn is a manhunter -- but we already knew this because that's precisely what he does for the DEO in his guise as Hank Henshaw.

In other words, they really wanted us to know stuff we already knew. Except for the 300 years old part; that doesn't make any sense at all, unless you go comic book fan deep paranoid on it (see below). 

Now there are ways around this, of course. The easiest way is to simply say that the flashback was from J'onn's perspective and not what actually happened. He could have been lying about what was said, or otherwise be an unreliable narrator. 

The more interesting way to resolve this conundrum is to address these seeming contradictions head-on -- why yes, Hank Henshaw DID know these things, and he IS a raging xenophobe, and this all makes perfect sense because he is actually the Eradicator. Of course, this doesn't address the second set of problems (manhunter, jungle, etc) but that could be handled with option 1, above, or just ignored altogether if the dramatic reveal is good enough. 

The problem, though, is that I don't think either of these things are going to happen. I think everything's going to be as straightforward as it seems, because that's how Supergirl seems to roll. 

Sigh. Ah well. At least we're getting that sweet crossover with Flash next week, right?

By the way, this has always been my favorite Supergirl costume. The belly tee makes her look young (because she is), the white shirt makes her visually distinct from her cousin instead of "Superman with boobs and a skirt), and it's similar to alternate-universe Power Girl that you get the symbolism but without the needless boob window. 

I would love it if the TV show adopted this costume, but I'm so not holding my breath. 

Traveller Tuesday: KOYNZ!

I our latest game session I thought I was going to freak out my players with a description of a biotech room (complete with furniture that was gently breathing) but no, the thing that disturbed them most was this brightly colored "Saturday morning" commercial featuring loud music, computer animation, and photogenic Zhodani children looking at the screen and shouting "THEY'RE KOYNZZZZZ!"

My use of Traveller setting and dress falls under
fair use guidelines for both Mongoose and Far Future Enterprises.

The Commercial

[Italics: Commercial Spokesman/Narrator with a Toy Commercial Voice]

[Bold: Photogenic Prole Moppets who look at the camera and shout with enthusiasm]

Hey kids! They're the newest rage in the Consulate!

THEY'RE KOYNZ!
That's right! Now you, too, can command the secrets of the Droyne oracle!

THEY'RE KOYNZ!
Collect them, chase them, trade them with your friends!

THEY'RE KOYNZ!
Fun for all ages! Roll them, stack them, flip them, caste them!

THEY'RE KOYNZ!
Want to know if you'll do well on tomorrow's test? Dying to find out if your crush is crushing on you too? Just consult the Koynz!

THEY'RE KOYNZ!
Buy the 36-piece deluxe set, get a blank 37th koyn free! Put a picture on it -- your pet, your best friend, even yourself!

THEY'RE KOYNZ!
Available in 6 hot colors, including pink sparkle!

THEY'RE KOYNZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!

Expansions coming soon!

The Product

Koyns are, quite simply, mass-produced koynisin that are sold one at a time -- think capsule toys from vending machines -- for roughly 1 Abradlnad each. The only distinction between Koynz and koynis, other than a shocking lack of respect for cultural tradition, is that they are mass-produced from stamped plastic instead of being handmade. Otherwise, the dimensions are accurate. (Weights of traditional koynisin have always varied, as materials range from wood to osmium.)

Koynz colors are gray (the natural color of the undyed plastic), metallic gold, metallic silver, white, light blue, and of course shockingly bright pink with glitter. Colors and faces are randomized within capsules, with gray being most common and pink and the metals being rarest.

The complete sets are rather expensive (over 50 Ab) and come with extras:

• An instruction manual, bound with an impressive-looking leatherette cover (capsule koynz have a sheet that points you to a website for instructions)
• A "build it yourself" display case, also made from plastic
• A bag for holding the koynz (little more than a Chivas Crown Royal bag)
• The hi-tech Zhodani version of a DVD which includes games which can be played with Koynz -- games like Pogs, and Tiddlywinks, and Checkers, and of course the obligatory fortune-telling oracle. 

But Why?
Currently unknown. It could be as simple as "A Consulate megacorp decided to capitalize on the Zhodani's love of all things Droyne to make a profit" or "Cultural assimilation is the sincerest form of flattery" to something as complex as "A subtle attempt to encourage psionics at a young age" or the obligatory "Sinister forces at work."

How Do Consular Droyne Feel About This?
Bemused, for the most part; a cross between "Bless them, they're trying so hard" and what parents feel when they see their children dressing up in their clothes and pretending to be grown-ups. After all, Droyne children often get into their parents' koynisin and play with them, so this is about as offensive as a Catholic would find an infant teething on a rosary.

This attitude may change, however, if more Koynz are added to the collection.

• Putting a temporary picture on a blank Koyn ("Oh look," think the Droyne, "the humans paid for a second Void koynis to use as a specific determiner -- well, that's all right I guess") is acceptable;
• Adding new Koynz which are relevant for the Zhodani -- such as one that represents the Addaxur client race -- will be tolerated as a necessary cultural adaptation;
• But new Koynz that represent local sports teams, or celebrities, or other ephemeral things, may result in the Droyne taking insult... or they might choose to ignore the whole thing entirely as another silly human fad. 

As of this moment, there are no Koynz expansions, but that may change.

Carry-On Vocal Booth Pro: a Thank You and Review

March 11 was my birthday, and I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who wished me well. I had a fantastic 3-day weekend, and I understand that National Erin Palette Day has gone both international and inter-continental, with celebratory rumpuses (rumpi?) being performed in Canada, the UK, and Australia/New Zealand.

While I got some very nice things, including this nifty scope and mount for my AR-15, the main thing I want to talk about (and issue a formal "Thank You" for) is my lovely new portable recording studio!

On March 3, Sean Sorrentino (head honcho of the GunBlog VarietyCast) sent me an email saying "We need to figure out how to afford one of these for you."

"$200 and you've got a sweet on-the-go audio booth. No more Blanket Fort." Apparently Sean was tired of dealing with the hard echo and other sound artifacts that were the result of me recording in my church's office, despite crawling under my Blanket Fort of Preppitude for each session, and decided that a fundraiser to get me a portable studio was the way to go.

I looked at the price, gave a low whistle, and then threw a Hail Mary by saying "Post it to my wall. Someone might feel generous and buy me one."  He did, with a link to the GBVC's Paypal and saying "If you want to contribute, earmark this for Erin and we'll get her one." I thought that maybe we'd raise the money in time for Christmas.

As it turns out, we got half of our goal within the day (Thank You, Anonymous Donor!) and over the course of the week more donations continued to flow in ( Thank you, John and Ian! Thank You, donors whose names I don't know!) such that Sean was even able to upgrade me to the Pro version with extra goodies.

And so it came to pass that entire vocal booth was funded in a week, and it reached me the Wednesday before my birthday. Let me tell you, I was thrilled at this! Not so much because "Swanky new recording studio", but because this is a physical representation of the fact that enough people think highly of me and the work that I'm doing with my GBVC Blue Collar Prepping segment that they though buying this for me was a worthwhile investment of their money. Thank you so, so very much!

For the record, Sean likes it too. The first time I talked to him from inside the Vocal Booth To Go, he said that my voice sounded like it was "wrapped in a soft, velvety cloud." If you've listened to the last two GBVC installments, you've heard the difference it makes.

Overview

This is the "You Are Here" view of my new workspace, the Carry-On Vocal Booth Pro. It's basically a folding tent made of sound-absorbing blankets, and it comes with customizable features like a mic holder, script/tablet holder, a pop filter on an adjustable arm, and a no-noise LED light (not seen, it's at the very top).

The cables run between the velcro closures to the laptop on the left which records my side of the Blue Collar Prepping Gunblog Varietycast segment. As you can see, there's plenty of room inside the studio "tent" for things like a drink to prevent drymouth and a mouse to control the laptop.

Here's what it looks like from the outside. This picture is from the Vocal Booth to Go website and is of their 2.0 model, but it looks almost exactly like the 1.0 model I received.

It folds down into a convenient 23"x 23" x 5" travel form which, while somewhat bulky, is ergonomic enough that carrying it isn't a hassle, and at 12 pounds it's light enough to easily carry between my car and the church office.

Setup
Setting up the Vocal Booth is very easy (see video, below). Just put on a stable surface (it comes with an adapter for mounting to a music stand, which is a big plus for singers), unzip it, lift up the hood, and swing the support arms from the back to the front. After that, set up the microphone/ light/ pop filter/ etc according to your personal preference and you're ready to go!

When I first got the Booth it took me a while to get everything configured the way I wanted ("Hmm... do I want the microphone here in the center, or offset?") but now that I have everything the way I like it I can get set up in under 2 minutes. Teardown is similarly quick.

Performance
This one is very simple to demonstrate:  listen to a segment recorded with the booth, and then listen to the one just prior. There's a noticeable improvement in audio clarity.

Criticism
There are two things I do not like about this booth, and they're quite minor.

The first is that mine did not come with instructions on how to set it up. Forunately, there was an instructional video on the product website, but I would have liked instructions. At the very least, a link to the video ought to be included!

The second minor complaint is that after a few minutes, it gets rather hot in the booth. Which makes sense, given that it's made from blankets and I'm projecting a lot of hot air into an enclosed space!

Fortunately for me, I don't need to have my head under the hood; in fact, that's too close to the microphone. Instead, I sit with my face just at the edge of the booth and talk into it. This allows me to back off to get some cooler air if necessary.

Recommendation
Would I recommend this to others? Bearing in mind that I have no experience with vocal booths other than this one, I absolutely would. It might not be up to the needs of a professional voice actor, but if you're a podcaster or a YouTuber then this is a simple, effective, low-cost solution to eliminating background noise.

Really, the best thing I can say about the Vocal Booth To Go is something that I didn't say at all: Sean liked the improvement in my vocal performance so much that he bought one for himself. 

Vocal Booth Pro to Go: A+
I really ought to knock it down to 'A' for not having the instruction manual.. but I can't bring myself to do that. It's not like it was hugely difficult putting the thing together, and there was a video that I easily found by Googling "Vocal Booth to Go setup video" that answered all my questions. 

Okay, okay. A and half a plus. 

Gun Blog Variety Podcast #83: Steve McQueen Peels Oranges in Safetyland

http://tinyurl.com/nmwoenx

Adam, Sean and the gang bring you Episode 83 of The GunBlog VarietyCast!

• Erin Palette discusses "Safetyland," and why it's not a good place to be.
• We all know that Nicki Kenyon doesn't think much of Donald Trump. So you'd think she'd like John Kasich a bit more. Not so much, really.
• Last week Adam and I talked about the Florida woman accidentally shot by her 4-year-old. Now we get a mother's perspective from Beth Reoch Alcazar 
• He gave us some basics on radio receivers last week. This week Silicon Graybeard is back to name names. What radios should you consider buying?
• And you know those Aurora shooting victim parents who sued Lucky Gunner and lost? The ones who now owe legal fees for filing a frivolous lawsuit? Weer'd found a video interview of them and it's Audio Fisking Time!

Thanks for downloading, listening, and subscribing. Please like and share The GunBlog VarietyCast on Facebook, and if you use iTunes, give us a review!

Please consider donating or subscribing at the PayPal link in the show notes. Our podcast runs on your donations.

Listen to the podcast here.

Read the show notes here. 

A special thanks both to Firearms Policy Coalition for their support and to our sponsor, Law of Self Defense. Use discount code "Variety" at checkout and get 10% off.

SHTFriday: The Passport Card

The Passcard is one of the prepping community's best-kept secrets, and it shouldn't be a secret at all. Get one!

Speaking of Ludicrousness...

... Happy St. Paddock's, everypony!

Buzzfeed Ludicrously Misses The Point

Let's talk politics for a second. As some of you may be aware (or not... or are painfully aware), I'm a Liberal. I'm still a Liberal, despite the last few years making it very difficult at times. A long time ago I gave up on any chance of debating gender politics rationally, so I no longer use the term feminist, and more recently I gave up the title of Progressive due to the antics of those flying that flag. I think that, if pressed, I would now call myself a “Problematic Liberal.” 

Speaking of problematic, Buzzfeed has just published a wonderful piece which discusses the term “Regressive Left” and its alleged origins, its definition, and who uses it. I'm going to link to the article, without archive, not because I think you should read the article (although you probably should), but because you should read the comments. The article is rubbish -- which the comments make plain -- and it misses the point so badly that it can only be called “Not Even Wrong.”

So, what is the Regressive Left anyway?
(Quotation marks officially retired because it is a thing, despite what Buzzfeed wants to believe.)

As Buzzfeed correctly explains, the term was coined by former Islamic extremist Maajid Nawaz. But as much as Buzzfeed wants to attribute its primary usage to the “alt-right” (whoever that is), it's mainly used by people like me: Liberals who realize that the Left/Right divide is rapidly becoming less important than the Libertarian/Authoritarian divide. People like me on the political Left who aren't afraid of having their opinions challenged, and in turn challenging the opinions of people they disagree with, without resorting to mud-slinging, name-calling, and silencing tactics. People who hesitate before throwing around words like bigot, racist, or misogynist.

The term's since gained popularity from people like Dave Rubin and David Pakman, formerly of The Young Turks, who aren't afraid to debate and interview people with wildly different views of their own. And yes, some people on the Right use the term: Milo Yiannoupoulos and Steven Crowder, for example, use the term quite liberally (no pun intended – and while I certainly don't agree with these gentlemen on... well, a lot... they are quite funny and say some very true things from time to time).

[The term Regressive Left] is mainly used by people like me: Liberals who realize that the Left/ Right divide is rapidly becoming less important than the Libertarian/ Authoritarian divide. 

As Buzzfeed notes, Regressive Left is used quite often these days in regards to college protesters who often try to bring about a strange, side-eyed sort of segregation, or who try to silence the press and no-platform speakers who don't align 100% with their own ridiculously far-Left beliefs. And it's not just conservatives or right-wing speakers: prominent feminists Germaine Greer and Julie Bindel have been hit with this, as has gay rights advocate Peter Tatchell. And it has been used in reference to people that compare Trump to Hitler, but not because anyone's concerned with Trump's feelings, but because we're tired of seeing Hitler comparisons. We're tired of seeing people shouted down because you don't agree with them. We're tired of strawman arguments and ad hominem attacks. Of Identity Politics and people using excuses to turn other people into acceptable targets so they can act like assholes with a clean conscience. We want to treat people like people, not like monolothic entities with identical experiences and opinions. 

The best part of the article
It's not the article itself; it's the comments. With very little exception, they are nothing but people calling them out for being wrong, for being disingenuous, and for a complete lack of self-awareness, given that Buzzfeed has been one of the mouthpieces of the Regressive Left. It's really a beautiful thing to see, and I've no doubt that the author (or one of the usual other suspects) has already created some kind of "law" similar to that one about articles concerning feminism being justified by the comments on them.

Pictured: Buzzfeed

Since I know I have more than a couple of conservative audience members (hello! You're very nice people, and I'm quite fond of you even if we don't agree on everything), I want you to know that there's a lot of us on the Left side of the fence who aren't all that bad, and we're getting pretty sick of the extremists on our side. The good news is that I think there's a lot of us, on both the Left and the Right side of the fence, that are on the southern end (Libertarian) as opposed to the northern end (Authoritarian), and I think if we can remember that, we can work together and get some stuff done.

At the very least, our fence will be shorter. And have gates. And maybe a nice water feature and some potted plants. You can defend them with your guns, and we can grow some weed for you.

And to those of you that feel I'm talking about you here, I've got one thing to say: Just because you're not a Conservative, it doesn't mean you're a Liberal.