Asides

My technological philosophy

The problem with movies which have to make (a lot of) promotion before it hits the cinema, is the need for teasers and trailers. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, if you are capable of teasing just enough without giving away any plot points. Marvel Studios has made this into an art, usually only showing footage of the first 15 minutes of movies, shooting extra scenes for trailers or using CGI to modify trailers, just to keep enough surprises for the audience. 

If you are reading this, I am hoping you haven’t seen any promotional footage of The Matrix Resurrections, because if you haven’t you will be in for a nice ride, if you have seen trailers you might have been spoiled too much. Click on to read some of my spoiler free thoughts after seeing the movie. 

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My bullshit job

Have you ever wondered what you would do if money was not an issue? Let’s say that all your financial problems are taken care of. Your kids go to a good school, food is on the table and you even have sufficient money left to buy things you want and can go on the occasional holiday. What would you do with your (precious) time?

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My violent ascent

The Ascent is often praised as the better cyberpunk game when being compared to last year’s Cyberpunk 2077, however this for me has not been the experience. Now don’t get me wrong, I consider myself a fan of the cyberpunk setting and I am also a connoisseur when it comes to RPGs. But The Ascent did not really click with me and it might due to the high expectations I had before starting this game.

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My ride of a lifetime

Life’s an adventure. If you are not choosing the adventurous path then you are not living.

Susan Iger

Currently reading (listening) to Robert Iger’s book The Ride of a Lifetime and when making various career steps his now ex wife gave him this piece of advice. Other versions are often quoted like “do things that make you feel unconformable” or “push yourself out of your comfort zone”.

I feel this type of advice holds true to one of my sayings which loosely translate to: “never stay in a position long enough that you no longer can get out of it”.

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My obstacles

Obstacles are opportunities

James Gunn

From the latest The Suicide Squad movie written and directed by James Gunn, one of the main characters Rick Flag wears a T-Shirt with this quote on it.

According to Gunn he follows this philosophy to overcome problems he has had in the past, one of course being his firing from Marvel Studios (he since has returned). His mantra has grown on me and I think it is a nice way of looking at problems you might face. It reminded me of a great manager I had, who always said: “You can come to me with any problem, but only if you have also thought about possible solutions.”

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My personal goal

I have no personal affinity with American politics, but I do like following it through various late night comedy shows. Not only do many of them address US politics, but they also discuss interesting topics around the world. Growing up I also didn’t follow local news or politics, but after college and starting a job, I’ve taken an interest in it. Mostly because I like studying leaders and/or leadership roles. For me the Obama administration was one of those to observe and perhaps learn from. After serving two terms, both Michelle and Barack Obama have written books. I’ll write a next post about what went through my mind when reading his book. As to the book of Michelle Obama, Becoming, I already had questions going in, hoping to get some of them answered.

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My old friends

Growing up I didn’t have much of a social life. I am a bit of an introvert and was content playing with my LEGO and computer/console games. The small group of “friends” I did have were all related to my (mandatory) sports, chess or a couple of my classmates.

Fast forward a few years and most of what I knew back then concerning social interactions and how relationships work, came from tv series like Dawson’s Creek, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and of course Friends.

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My life’s solution

In life you either:

Know someone

Hire someone

Or be that someone

NrFive

From a discussion my partner and I had. I am someone who either knows or learns how to do something. If I am not capable to do it, I will hire a professional to help. For example when you need help building a shed. I am not skilled enough to do it, so I would hire someone and save time and effort to do other things in the meanwhile. This could be relaxing, but it could also be working more hours so I can pay for the shed. Others however, rely more on their circle of friends, family or acquittances to get things done, which often result in an IOU.

The problem arises when you get stuck in life with things where help or support is harder to acquire. Say you are feeling depressed, burned out or having bad thoughts going through your head. Sure friends and family can listen to your story and might even have a good suggestion on how to proceed, but getting professional help should be the option the go for.

And when it comes to life in general? So far I’ve learned that no matter how many idols you have, how religious you are or how much support you are getting from your family and friends, it is you and you alone who can move the needle forward.

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My dystopian future

I often think about what the future might look like. Technology as it is today is moving fast. It is even moving so fast that the average person cannot keep up. I am quite tech savvy and am able to help people around me, but knowing how technology is moving forward with things like robotics, AR and AI, I’m afraid everyone who has no interest in tech will simply be left behind.

Cyberpunk 2077 is one of those (slight) dystopian futures where technology has taken over society, but it also tells a story of how technology is normal for everyone. People have implants, advanced prosthetics, are constantly connected and therefor have no need for extra devices. You want to call someone or transfer money? Use your AR heads-up display to make a call or transfer money. Lost a limb or born without one? Get yourself fitted with a bionic arm, leg or even a torso. In this future it is possible to get an artificial liver so you can drink more…

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