Amanda

Just another person on the Internet, chronicling their random thoughts on Tumblr again in a post-Twitter world. Follow me on Instagram @amchan03 or TikTok @i.am.amchan

[stoptalkingamanda]

What a beautifully-designed spoon. Gentle weapons. That would be a good name for a band. 

[stoptalkingamanda]

Intelligence + Health Connection

Factors like smoking, alcohol intake, BMI, and work environment, which one would expect may be causal factors in better health, were found to be unrelated. Physical inactivity was the only variable that was connected to both IQ and health. These findings were consistent across countries and cultures.

From Psypost

[stoptalkingamanda]

Password Requirements Suck

Sixteen characters minimum! Saw this yesterday for a portal I have to use at work. I rarely see requirements go past twelve, but I remember when eight used to be the standard.

Today I had to update another password for work, but I am curious as to how many other entities list the requirement that your password “must not be a palindrome.”

Supposedly IT and customer service calls often revolve around forgotten passwords, even though there are ways for users to reset it themselves. I wish cybersecurity could be improved, so we as its mere users do not need to be burdened with managing all of our assorted house keys.

Can you imagine an Internet where passwords have

No character minimums

No special characters or numbers required

No need to change it every x days

[stoptalkingamanda]

“Untitled” (2001) via WNYC, which depicts the artist in the middle of an art gallery heist

_

Although Maurizio Cattelan made headlines in recent years with his conceptual art, I realized today I had not seen his past body of work that would have led art galleries to allow him pursue such a controversial series of duct-taped bananas. 

I am rather struck by

Him (2001) — One of the most iconic art installations I have ever beheld in my life was when it was at the Walker Art Center. The artist had taken over an entire wing; we, the viewers, needed to navigate a modest hallway with several twists and turns. Everyone paced silently. We see this figure from the back at first, making the great reveal all the more dramatic. It hit differently in the early 2000s than it would in 2023. 

Not Afraid of Love (2000) — Surprised this wasn't made circa 2016

La Nona Ora (1999) — Always cheeky to bring idioms into reality

Untitled (1997) — Pile of dirt always reminds me of Walter de Maria's The New York Earth Room (1977), which I love for its reminder that real estate prices are arbitrary for it's all earth underneath. The same could be said for Cattelan's piece.

[stoptalkingamanda]

Last night my dad linked our family to a compilation from The Voice, but I had to clip this one moment into a GIF because I could not believe a nun was performing! I am so amused, and her colleagues’ excitement is so endearing. 

[stoptalkingamanda]

With the way they designed these promos for The Little Mermaid, I would also buy King Triton's new spring fragrance.

[stoptalkingamanda]

Unsubscribe Problem

Is it even accidental at this point?

[stoptalkingamanda]

Bad UX

Oh, Outlook.

[stoptalkingamanda]

Unaffordable Tickets

From BAM

_

Sometimes I wonder if I should just re-title this blog to Shows I Wish I Could Attend, only in this case it’s less about the lack of availability but the high price point. The show has been in previews most of this month and officially opens this Friday, but the majority of available tickets hang around $249+.

Alas. I last caught an Oscar Isaac stage performance back in 2017 for Hamlet at The Public Theatre alongside Keegan Michael-Key. Truly a phenomenal actor they both are.

[stoptalkingamanda]

Belinda Says She’s Falling

From Screenrant

_

Doesn’t the chorus of “Belinda Says” by Alvvays sound very similar to Ben Kweller’s “Falling”? Perhaps it’s just the descending chord progression, not that I have any deeper vocabulary beyond that regarding any music jargon ... I did name my blog, “Shut up, Amanda!” for a reason.

Feel free to compare: • Ben Kweller — Falling • Alvvays — Belinda Says

For the record, I do enjoy both songs.

[stoptalkingamanda]

Yesterday some friends and I visited the MoMA; I haven’t been there since pre-pandemic, so it was a joy to walk the exhibit halls once again. This was the first time I’ve seen the museum use a video projection for the title of a show called Never Alone. Very clever!

[stoptalkingamanda]

“Pharaohs were buried with their hands across their chest due to the ancient belief that there would be infinite water slides in the afterlife.”

I love skimming through some of Waffle’s sentence examples. Such a delight.

[stoptalkingamanda]

Forever Nothing

Above image from ytec3d

_

Considering humans already destroyed each other without the aid of bots, it sometimes seems odd to think that when we make bots in our own image that the result would be any different.

I am certainly not against AI and definitely see its merit and usage across a multitude of industries. Perhaps we just need a wider frame of reference, seek to envision simply more-perfect tools, rather than robots that are increasingly imperfect humans? 

Open to discuss. 

[stoptalkingamanda]

Hi-Fi Rush

Currently watching one of my regular Twitch streamer’s play this game, hoping it’ll come to the Nintendo Switch soon, although it sounds unlikely for now. As the game is rhythm-based, I admire how they offer a way to display the beat visually, which can be useful when you’re having audio issues or hard of hearing.

I remember when I stumbled upon a trailer for Hi-Fi Rush a few weeks ago, stunned that it was a game and not a movie! Absolutely LOVING the art style, overall universe, and game concept. 

[stoptalkingamanda]

From Blossoms

You can see some of my guitars in the background, hehe

_

Friday, January 27, 2023

One of my dear friends inscribed this stunningly beautiful poem on a small care package she had mailed me as a surprise. As handwriting can be difficult to discern, the text is as follows:

From blossoms comes this brown paper bag of peaches we bought from the boy at the bend in the road where we turned toward   signs painted Peaches. From laden boughs, from hands, from sweet fellowship in the bins, comes nectar at the roadside, succulent peaches we devour, dusty skin and all, comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat. O, to take what we love inside, to carry within us an orchard, to eat not only the skin, but the shade, not only the sugar, but the days, to hold the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into   the round jubilance of peach. There are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

— By Li-Young Lee

[stoptalkingamanda]

My Most-Viewed Reddit Post

Thursday, January 26, 2023

The disparity among viewership, votes, and comments always amuse me, and I am always curious as to how different numbers can be from platform to platform. For this post in particular, it has 716 upvotes with 65 comments. 

On Instagram, I hardly ever get more than 180+ views on any media post, and on TikTok, it may be 150+, or it may be 1,000+. No discernible pattern yet.

[stoptalkingamanda]

Homemade Snow Skin Mochi for the First Time!

My janky packaging before I give it away to friends and friends of friends

_

January 23, 2023

Despite making more fillings than I had originally anticipated (five instead of two) and not having any taste tester but myself, the mochi were very well-received! 

At last night’s Lunar New Year dinner, folks ordered a dessert for the table that included sweet dumplings in a ginger syrup. While the skin and custard filling were very similar in concept, they were surprisingly bland; all the flavor came from the ginger. Considering we’d sampled a range of delectable savory dishes, it felt unfortunate to end the meal on such a lackluster note. 

Less than half an hour after our meal ended, my friend sent me a screenshot of the text her friend had sent to her:

I could not have asked for a better review! 😊