Slope of Hope Blog Posts
Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.
Marvelously Dreadful
Having finished my first screenplay (and actively seeking backing for it – – if you’re in the business, write me!), I have a interest in the movie industry stronger than ever. I had never heard of The Room before, but apparently it was written, directed, and starred in by a first-timer with a budget of six million dollars. Its take at the box office was $1800, and from all accounts it is one of the worst movies ever made. I humble offer to you some sample scenes for your enjoyment. Shield your eyes, Frank.
God is Dead
That’s something I’ve got in common with Private Pyle: he wants to be different. For whatever reason, I’m a contrarian to the core. Indeed, one of the appeals of messing around with personal computers back in 1980 was that practically nobody else was doing it (in case you hadn’t noticed, the unusualness of microcomputers vanishes decades ago, so that aspect of the appeal is likewise gone).
Not on the Same Page
Just about the only time I see a large number of magazines at once is when I’m going through an airport, such as last night. I often find the strangest part of the magazine section to be the women’s magazines, since they seem a peculiar combination of righteous indignation and breast-display. These two magazines were next to one another, and the juxtaposition of message was particularly striking:
It seems that Allure featured a self-congratulatory “call to the industry” to stop obsessing over youth. Don’t hold your breath, people. Nothing’s going to change.
E-Z Disaster Guide
I will make clear at the outset the fond feelings I have for ZeroHedge, which is an incredibly successful blog which makes bad news and gloomy forecasts its speciality.
Appropriately (or ironically) enough, the site launched precisely at the start of the most massive sustained asset appreciation in human history, and of the 7,398 times they’ve predicted Doom, nothing has happened. (No one need remind me of the quote about glass houses).
I gave it a bit of thought, and just off the top of my head, below are some of the mega-events I’ve read about repeatedly over the past eight years, along with their outcomes.
Let me know if I’ve missed any big ones (or upvote anyone who has done so with whom you agree).
