Random Thoughts
I had the handles on my bathroom sink replaced two years ago, yet I’m only now discovering that there are letters etched on each handle (“H” for hot and “C” for cold). I use them a dozen times a day.
How come I can never find shoelaces the same length as the ones that came with my sneakers? They’re either too short or too long.
Mickey Spillane was once confronted by an angry guy at a party who was appalled that Spillane had seven of the top ten bestselling books of all-time. Spillane replied, “You’re lucky I don’t write three more books.”
Did you know that Play-Doh started out as a wallpaper cleaner?
If I had a dollar for every notebook I’ve bought, I’d…well, probably buy more notebooks. It’s a sickness, really.
Why are food labels so hard to decipher sometimes? Most of them are straightforward but many are like Rubik’s Cubes. A Red Baron Classic Pepperoni Pizza has 380 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving. But there are four servings per pizza, so they’re making me do math. Just tell me what the whole thing has. Believe me, I can eat a whole frozen pizza in one sitting. I’m really hungry (which you can tell I am because I’m eating frozen pizza).
A 9.5 ounce can of Planters Salted Peanuts has 170 calories and 14 grams of fat per serving. There are “about” 10 servings per can and a serving size is “about” 35 pieces. “About?” Thanks, Planters.
Another Spillane quote: “Those big-shot writers…could never dig the fact that there are more salted peanuts consumed than caviar.”
Soon We Won’t Even Have to Cook Anymore
I would have never guessed that one day I’d be writing a paragraph that included the phrases “AI comics” and “Colin Kaepernick,” but here we are. The ex-quarterback has launched a company that creates comic books from artificial intelligence. Because who wants to see comics and cartoons created by humans? That’s sooooooo 2020.
And you thought AI was only coming for our words.
Madeira Wine and U.S. History
How did wine made on a Portuguese island become so important in the earliest days of the United States? Here’s how.
Uploaded to YouTube by CBS News
Headline of the Week
“Missouri Museum Unveils World’s Longest Shoelace”
RIP Charles Cyphers, Yvonne Furneaux, Maurice Williams, Alexander Waugh, Patti Yasutake, Joe Engle, and Randal Monroe
Charles Cyphers played Sheriff Brackett in the Halloween films. He also appeared in The Fog, Major League, and Coming Home. On TV he was a regular on The Betty White Show and Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher and appeared on Barnaby Jones, ER, Seinfeld, and many other shows. He died Sunday at the age of 85.
Yvonne Furneaux appeared in such films as La Dolce Vita, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Mummy, and Repulsion, and on stage in Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew. She died last month at the age of 98.
Maurice Williams was the lead singer of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, known for their hit song “Stay.” It’s the shortest song to ever hit number one in the U.S. He died this week at the age of 86.
Alexander Waugh came from a famous literary family and was a writer in his own right, writing everything from non-fiction books and an opera column. He was also a cartoonist and founder of the publishing company Travelman. He died last month at the age of 60.
Patti Yasutake played Nurse Ogawa on Star Trek: The Next Generation, two of the big-screen movies, and several Trek games. She also had regular roles on Beef and Gung Ho. She died Monday at the age of 70.
Joe Engle was an X-15 test pilot and a commander of the Columbia and Discovery space shuttles. He died last month at the age of 91.
Randal Malone starred on the MTV game show Singled Out and in several movies. He died Sunday at the age of 66.
This Week in History
Smokey Bear Introduced (August 9, 1944)
When I was a kid I called him Smokey the Bear, and I bet a lot of you did too. That came from the name of a popular song in 1952, which led a lot of people to think it was the official name (and several cartoons and books have the “the” in the name too). But his name has always been Smokey Bear.
President Nixon Resigns (August 9, 1974)
His official last day was August 9, but he actually quit on national television the day before.
Uploaded to YouTube by Richard Nixon Presidential Library
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Sunshine Graham Crackers (August 4, 1923)
You know what these are good for?
National S’Mores Day
It’s Saturday.
I’m not even sure if I’ve ever actually had s’mores, a dessert concoction made of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. Though I have had plenty of those ingredients separately. Maybe I had one as a kid and don’t remember.
Here’s a classic recipe from Hershey’s and here are 33 alternatives you might want to try, featuring everything from bananas and Ritz crackers to waffles and Nutella.
By the way, if you eat any of these around a campfire, make sure you put it out before you leave.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
Olympics Closing Ceremony (August 11)
It starts at 3 p.m. ET and airs on NBC and Peacock (and NBC will rerun it at 7 p.m. if you miss it).
Perseid Meteor Shower (August 11-12)
It’s one of the best of the year. Here’s where and how you can see it.
Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now
Comments
My favorite period in U.S. history is the Revolutionary, so several times over the years–especially after reading Patrick O’Brian novels–I have looked for Madeira at local ABC stores and been disappointed. Cheers!
Frozen Pizza: Tombstone or Red Baron.
Graham Crackers: Also excellent putting crunchy peanut butter between them.
You probably just turn the faucets on without looking for the ‘H’ or ‘C’ because you didn’t need to. I generally find shoe laces to be too long. That’s interesting about Play-Doh’s very different origin. What’s going on with the notebooks, Bob? Are they the spiral or 3-ring type?
Red Baron is a good frozen pizza brand. If you’re looking for some frozens to have in the freezer, Amy’s Pizzas are really good. One of them is a Roasted Vegetable (no cheese) that’s wonderful. Big on taste, light on fat & calories. You can check your area online as to where they’re carried. Out here Sprout’s definitely has them.
Yeah, I only know Smokey as Smokey the Bear also. Now that I know that’s incorrect, I’ll still refer to him that way. Missing the ‘the’ just sounds wrong. As for the s’mores, I don’t think I’ve had them either other than a box of Girl Scout cookies some years back. I didn’t see any girls and their moms in front of the grocery stores selling them at all earlier this year now that I think about it. Probably online only like so much else. That’s kind of sad though.
For Troy Brownfield: You penned a well stated case against AI. I could not agree with you more.
For Troy Brownfield: Hear, hear! I wonder, is it just possible these comics are being created for the recreational hours of robots? They seem not to need much sleep.
Note: This opinion is mine, and doesn’t reflect a stated or prepared opinion by the Post.
First off, I am not discussing or inviting ANY discussion about Colin Kaepernick outside the issue of his investment in AI comics. I hope that if anyone goes into any area, that moderation deletes it.
That said: As someone who has worked in the comics industry as both creator and journalist for . . . holy crap, a long time . . . I can say that the vast majority of the industry is incredibly offended by CK’s AI venture. Not only is it an exploitative cheat, as AI doesn’t create new art but cobbles it together by scraping from existing art online, he was warned by many creators that what he was doing is unethical. CK walked the Artist’s Alley at San Diego, knowing full well what he intended to do, talking to artists while planning on advancing a platform that steals their work.
And his talk of the comics industry gatekeeping people that will be helped by AI is utter nonsense. The gatekeeping is called “hard work and talent.” Using AI is a cheat around the hard work and discipline of training to be an artist yourself. As a writer, I have worked with dozens of artists from the U.S. and around the world (England, Spain, Brazil, Americans living in Japan, etc.), and it is my stone cold honor to know people who have put years into their disciplines of penciling, inking, coloring and lettering (Jim Campbell, Rule Brittania!). And from the writing side, the boundless creativity of my literally hundreds of friends and acquaintances is matched only by the blood they pour on the keyboard.
CK’s effort, and ANY “we’re going to go around creators and use AI to make comics,” is chicanery, fakery, and a dodge. It’s avoiding training and work by “making comics” via a prompt and other people’s stolen ideas. The sooner that the AI house of cards collapses, the better. Real comics by real people exist. The only thing gatekeeping people is their own unwillingness to do the work.