Are there any interesting things you’ve learned about just because you’ve had so much time at home the past few months? I can think of two such things. I can’t swear that I would never had learned about them had I not spent so much time on the Internet over the past few months, but that extra time probably had something to do with it.
First, I learned about the foreign versions of Saturday Night Live. Why I didn’t know about this, I can’t say. It’s mentioned right there in the Wikipedia entry on the show. Anyway, since 1993, fourteen foreign versions of Saturday Night Live were shown on television in the appropriate countries. Each of these versions lasted between one show and five years. Clips from some of these shows are available on YouTube. The shows each have their own performers, their own sketches, and their own writers (I suppose). They use the language of their country. However, the shows are always called Saturday Night Live, using the English-language words, and the news segments are always called Weekend Update, using the English-language words. The opening montages naming the performers and hosts are very similar to the ones we know. The sets are very similar also.
Second, I learned about itinerant filmmakers and in particular about the short movies called The Kidnapper’s Foil (or in some versions, The Kidnappers Foil) made by Melton Barker. From the early twentieth century until the mid-twentieth century, there were people who would move around the U.S. going to smallish cities and towns offering to make a short film using the local people and using scripts the filmmakers had written. They would charge the people of the cities for the film. It would get a few showings afterwards in a local movie theater. The filmmakers made their living by this. The longest-lasting of these people was Melton Barker. Supposedly he made more than 150 versions of a short film called The Kidnappers Foil/The Kidnapper’s Foil, doing this from the 1930’s to the 1970’s.
Now that I think about it, I suppose a modern version of this might be the ARK Music Company, the people who made the video of Rebecca Black’s “Friday”. They charged her mother $4,000 to write a song, make a video of it, and sing the rap in the middle of it. They had Black sing the song and used her friends for other performers in the video.
I continue to learn new things (even if no one else either isn’t doing so or doesn’t want to discuss what they’ve learned). I just found that the Comedy Central series Drunk History has or had seven foreign versions. I now wonder if many American TV series have foreign versions.
I’ve finally learned to play Chopsticks on a piano keyboard. That encouraged me to learn Baby Shark, which my little girl loves, except she wants to watch it on YouTube and listen to me play it. I might try to tackle Imperial March this weekend if it rains.
I don’t have the youthful manual dexterity to learn the piano keyboard for real, so I’m content learning by rote.
I’ve been watching short educational youtube channels and learned a few surprising things. For one, I didn’t realize how many large abandoned objects there are, hiding beyond a gate or trees.
Bright Sun channel covers dozens of bankrupt and/or abandoned buildings, ships, amusement parks, etc. The authors aren’t just urban explorers, but explain the history and backstories, complete with old film when available.
I think it’s both fascinating and eye-opening. I had no idea so many corporations had “walked away” from substantial holdings and commitments, leaving them to rot.
I stumbled across a youtube channel which was all about voice-acting (I had been chasing down facts about the actors in The Simpsons and Futurama).
This particular channel is hosted by an Englishman who provides voices for online anime games, movies, and whatnot (English translations). At some point a follower dared him to read online the text of a yaoi manga (soft gay porn), and he did so just for a larf.
Long story short, he was contacted by a publisher to translate, cast, direct and record an online yaoi comic. He took his followers through the process of auditioning online voice actors and hiring them. Everything was done online - searching resumes, requesting submissions of voice auditions, interviewing and chatting with the actors, and then directing them remotely as they recorded various takes of their lines. Then followed embedding the lines in the manga, together with sound effects. I found it a fascinating world I never knew about. That’s reasonable, I suppose, seeing how I’m not into video gaming or manga.
The host now promotes that he’s the first one to translate into English and record the text to an online yaoi manga. And it all started with a dare.
I have been falling down lots of rabbit holes lately. One I shared recently on the board is about the 60s group The Supremes.
Interesting chapter in Motown music history, and learning the wider narrative to stories like this group fills in some missing gaps and makes me feel more caught up on pop culture.
I’ve also been learning about some true crime cases from past and present. Not a heartwarming topic, but the mysteries to solving the cases are intriguing.
I downloaded a bird ID app to my phone (birdNET from Cornell) and I’ve been using as I walk around the neighborhood. I’ve learned to identify about a dozen bird species by song with confidence.
I learned I can be patient and teach young kids about arts and crafts. Saturdays ‘clay day party’ was less than successful in turning out much in the way of of an ornament or something. But fun was had by all.
I learned not to expect too much from them.
I also learned the baby girl can be soooo demanding. She’s definitely the squeaky wheel around here.