Adam Luke

Pretty sure Liz Lemon, and therefore Tina Fey, is the ideal woman. Also, gameboys.

So…I still exist! Here are some things I did:

1. Read Bossypants

How could I not read Tina Fey’s autobiography? There is no reason not to! Everyone needs some Tina Fey in their life. Having too much Tina Fey in your life is not even a thing that exists. But I don’t need to explain that, because y’all know it. Bossypants was very funny, and in particular I enjoyed reading about the process of developing 30 Rock. I learnt a lot! For instance, did you know the “backdoor bragging”¹ joke (part one, part two) was actually written by Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino, aka Troy from Community)?² Also, it’s somewhat disturbing how much of the show is based on Fey’s experiences as a writer for Saturday Night Live. Pissing in jars, for instance? Totally real. It’s in the book.

“Autobiographical comedy” is not a genre I have much experience with, but Bossypants felt vaguely reminiscent of David Sedaris collections. Actually, I’ve only read one of his collections), but I think I would recommend Bossypants to Sedaris fans.

2. Found my Gameboy

Remember these?

If you say “no”, I will feel old. On the other hand, it was secondhand and already obsolete by the time I got it, so I decide to feel not-old. Anyway, I found it. It didn’t work. But then it worked. And then it didn’t again. But it did last long enough for me to play some of my old favourite games:

Not-so-secretly, the Pokemon RPGs are still something I enjoy. The anime was always shitty; the games on the other hand…

Semi-relatedly, what’s with purists who deny everything after Generation I of Pokemon games? It wasn’t until Generation III that shit started getting ridiculous, wherein new Pokemon and abilities started become copies of each other. I guess I’m a Generation II purist.

I-I like when sitcoms coin useful terms, ok? Hi, Larry David…
Donald Glover was once a writer for 30 Rock and has appeared in a minor role in the show and been referenced as “that black kid on Community”. So they’re leaning on the fourth wall, of sorts.

May 9th, 2012 · Media, Reviews · 1 Comment »

In Which Something Vaguely Exciting and/or Scary Happens

And with that, my life as an undergraduate is over! Of course, I still have exams to pass, but I’m calling it early: I’ve finished my degree. I suspect that I’ll still be a student next year, but what and where I’ll be studying are yet to be announced. Also I’ve now seen so many acquaintances and regulars in my classes for the last time ever, which is kind of crazy.

Short post is short, so have some photos of my campus. I might miss it if I’m not there next year.

October 27th, 2011 · University and Study · 4 Comments »

Census No Religion. Or, You Are Not a Jedi or a Pastafarian.

Take religion out of politics. Mark no religion Census 2011 So, Australian census night is only two night away. But this entry can really apply to any country whose census has a question about religion.

The Atheist Foundation of Australia’s “Census No Religion” campaign is primarily aimed at people who don’t take religion seriously. It promotes honest responses to the religion question¹ of the census, suggesting people actually mark “no religion” on the census if they are irreligious.

Why?

The census isn’t completed for no reason. Governments use responses to the religion question to justify spending of taxpayers’ money. Euthanasia and marriage laws, to name two issues, have heavy religious influence and basis. Further, I pay tax and completely object to the fact that religious instruction and school chaplains receive government funding. Teaching of comparative religion in schools by teachers would be a good thing. Not teaching of one specific religion by someone from the church.

All the Census No Religion campaign is asking, is that people consider what their religious convictions actually are, and be honest about them. I hate that the jerktards at the Australian Christian Lobby (one of my least favourite things) get to say that the majority of the country is Christian, even though less than 10% of us go to church, and more than the census figures would have us believe, don’t take religion seriously.

Who is the campaign aimed at?

It may seem obvious to mark “no religion” if you don’t have one, but there are two groups to be considered:

Those who write joke answers like “Jedi” and “Pastafarian”. You are not a Jedi, and you are certainly not a Pastafarian. Presumably most people who write such things don’t actually have a religion or don’t take it seriously, so it simply waters down the number of people in the “no religion” category. After all, these answers are actually marked as “not defined”, so there’s no point writing it (even if you really, truly, believe in The Force!).
Those who aren’t religious, but put down whatever religion their parents are, or the religion of the faith school they attended, or the religion they were baptised into but don’t actually follow. Pretty sure for previous censuses (censii?), I put down my parents’ religion as my own, despite having never actually had a religion in my life.

So…my advice is to GO FORTH AND SECULARISE ON CENSUS NIGHT! Or, if you are religious, that’s fine too. The campaign is simply promoting honesty.

The question asks, “What is the person’s religion?”, which is of course completely biased, but that’s another issue…

August 7th, 2011 · Miscellaneous · 2 Comments »