What A Terrible Time We're All Having!
At least there are some free Steam codes in here for the bravest of souls.
Hey, folks! Good to see you. Look at me, actually getting a regular post up. Let’s all pat ourselves on the back for the bare minimum accomplishments. Or, at least, please pat me on the back for bare minimum accomplishments.
Hope you’re all staying well and safe during a time in which it feels like things are the exact opposite of well and safe. I’m not sure what words of comfort I have right now because when I open my mouth, what usually comes out now is just, “Jesus fucking Christ” over and over, but we’re all trying our best out there.
Los Angeles Raids
I’m using a Randy Newman album cover because I’d rather not show (and steal) photos of systemic violence against immigrants and/or protesters. I don’t know if this is a ridiculous choice or a good one. Whatever.
It’s hard to say anything that others haven’t already said. But it also feels stupid to talk about what’s going on without mentioning it. For the last ten years, it’s felt like this country was at a severe breaking point. I know the term “fabric of society” is rarely used in a comforting way, but hoo boy, are we tearing apart that fabric like it’s a cheap off-brand shirt. We are ripping straight through that fabric. And, yes, I do know there were bad things our country did before this - including things done by presidents I’ve voted for. That does not make bad things better.
That said, I wish I had something more bright or comforting or funny to say. But, again, I tried to riff something and it was all “Jesus fucking Christ” all the way down. I’m not sure how to rate the current quality of a country, but it definitely shouldn’t even out at “I’m glad my grandma and grandpa aren’t alive to see this.” We’re kidnapping kids who can’t read paperwork and black bagging grandmas who missed one immigration meeting because it’s easier than actually finding and arresting genuine international criminals. You know all this already, so I don’t know why I’m just parading out the horror. But, you know, fuck.
People are trying to protect their communities while armed forces are trying to prevent those people from protecting their communities. I know that a lot of people online are saying the police and military are just containing riots, but it’s hard to square that with them looking straight into a reporter’s camera and then shooting that reporter with “less lethal” munitions. Either they’re intentionally targeting reporters or they believe a riot is when someone with full hair and makeup talks into a big news camera while holding a big news microphone.
Also, what the fuck does “less lethal” mean? That “less” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Why not just go the whole way and add “somewhat” in there? If someone says “don’t worry, you have a form of cancer that’s only a little deadly,” you’re still going to mostly hear the word “deadly” in there. You’re not going to wipe your forehead and say, “PHEW!” when you find out it can only do permanent brain damage, as “less lethal” munitions can. God.
If you’re out there, stay safe.
AI Delusions
In other cheerful news, apparently some people are becoming so obsessed with AI chatbots that they’re beginning to lose their minds. I don’t mean, like, “cheating on tests” or “making bad legal decisions from made-up advice.” I mean there are people who are starting personal cults based around the idea that ChatGPT is a god. There have literally been people who’ve died because an AI chatbot told them to take their own life.
Outside of preying on kids’ need for validation and love, it sounds like AI is also especially terrible for people with mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Which makes sense! Even when you’re sane, it’s intoxicating having something tell you that you’re right all the time. It makes you feel powerful to constantly be told you’re special, you’re important, and your every thought informs the very firmament of the heavens. For millennia, getting this amount of validation involved hiring weak-willed toads and even more desperate cousins to work for you. Now you can just have a loyal algorithm that tells you how special you are all the time.
Hell, I don’t know how much better I’d be if I was having a crisis and a chatbot kept telling me I was great and also needed to do something truly fucked up. I’ve spent decades pleading with inanimate objects that didn’t work properly, so if they started yelling back, it might be the final thing that broke me. Then again, knowing the way my life is going, I’m probably going to die in a cold hospital room with a phone app repeating “you are loved” while the theme from Requiem for a Dream plays.
Switch 2
Uhhhh… How do I talk about something fun when the country is being burnt to the ground by a bunch of dipshits who were worried that prosperity could be leaking onto the wrong people. Then again, fuck them? Fuck them a lot? We’re allowed to have our little art? But also don’t lose sight of things? But also don’t tell other people to not lose sight of things? I don’t know. I’m not sure what the proper way to do anything anymore is.
I think we can all agree that the important thing is I really like the Switch 2. That said, it does feel less like a “BIG NEW VIDEO GAME TOY!” and more like getting a much newer and better version of your phone. Yes, it still plays a lot of the same stuff. But there are new things and some of the old things play a little bit better, which is enough to trick me into spending hundreds of dollars. You could lie to me about what was inside the system and I’d believe you. You could tell me a lot of things and I’d believe you.
As far as games go, I’ve mainly been focused on Mario Kart World, the type of sentence that a 41-year-old man should write in a newsletter. It looks and plays amazing, like Mario Kart and Tony Hawk had a baby that doesn’t look as horrifying as that sounds. I’ve read some complaints that the open world feels “empty,” which I understand but kind of disagree with; the open world has a lot to do, but the game doesn’t help you find it. So, yes, I wish there were better maps and UI options, but there is actually a lot to do. Unfortunately, figuring all that out seems to be also on you. Fortunately, unlike life, it is actually fun to figure things out in this game.
I’ll also say that the Switch 2 is big. I wasn’t expecting the heft of the system. I’m glad I got it! But, like the Steam Deck, we’re really starting to stretch what the word “portable” means. On the other hand, who gives a shit? It’s a fun Nintendo system that still feels like magic when you take it out of the dock. Plus, the new JoyCons are magnetic which is 1000% more convenient than the rails on the original Switch and a lot more fun to use. Popping them on and off is probably causing permanent damage, but what can you do? Not much, it turns out. Not much.
Oh, and I’ve been playing the Hitman collection on Switch 2 because I never had all of the recent games in one package before. It turns out that I’m kind of bad at murder! So, at least there’s that.
Upcoming Events
If you’re in New York, I’ll be at the Reading Room memoir panel in Bryant Park on June 25th at 12:30 PM. Once I find a link to the event, I’ll try to share it. I’m on the panel with two people who are actually more serious human beings: Ruther Ackerman and David Litt. I probably can’t tell you shit about how to write a memoir, but those folks can. I just wrote very long stand-up bits that would’ve never worked on stage. I dunno. Other people are smart.
It’s also looking like I’ll have one or two pretty cool television appearances coming up. That said, with news being insane and the industry being in a big old flux, I’ll announce anything once it’s worth announcing. I have a terrible habit of jinxing all things good that comes my way, so I’ll shut the fuck up for now. But, rest assured, once I feel 90% confident it’ll actually happen, I will never stop mentioning it. Casual conversation, formal discussions, it’s coming up.
Free Stuff
I know it’s been a really rough month for a lot of people. And while this will only help a small subsection of folks reading here, I happen to have a few extra Steam keys for some great games. First come first serve, so if a code doesn’t work, that means someone else took it first. And if you’re the first person to read this, please be kind and only take one. Note: “claimed” just means that I clicked it to get the redemption code, not that it has already been taken.
That’s all!
Thanks as usual. And, again, take care of yourself.