Welcome to Link Scoop, my brand-new… blog series? Newsletter? Whatever this is.
Basically, the idea is simple. I give you some links–scoop up, as you might say–from across the internet. It WON’T be timely news-oriented stuff… usually. A mix of longer reads, videos, weird stuff, and whatever piques my interest. Hopefully it’ll pique yours too (then you can subscribe to my blog).
Let’s begin the first-ever Link Scoop! Enjoy these assorted pieces of internet ephemera.
An Art Collection of Tiny Things
I love me some tiny objects, and I love me color-coordinated collections of old junk. This is both! A lot of these items are way older than me, so it’s a portal into another era–those tiny TVs are real cool… I wish I had a real tiny TV, for the novelty. This just gets me.
The Maglev Shinkansen is Coming
Are you ready for the Chuuou Shinkansen? It’s five to ten years away. We’ll have the first-ever legitimately useful maglev train line in the world, connecting Tokyo and Nagoya–eventually Kyoto and Osaka too. It’s been under construction for a while now, and I’m so dang excited!
This thing goes REALLY FAST.
Also, many of the planned stations are in big cities (or close-by suburbs to help out with transfers), but since the train goes up through the Japanese Alps… There’s going to be stations in Iida, Nagano, and Nakatsugawa, Gifu?? They have populations of 100,000 and 75,000 respectively, which is NOT the normal size for a brand-new maglev train. These are tiny little cities that are suddenly going to get gigantic attention. If I was a rich developer, oh hell yeah I’d be buying up property around those two cities.
Arcane Season 2! Arcane Season 2!!!
This Arcane thing is one of the best shows of the decade so far. Please watch it, if you haven’t already. Season 2, finally!
Get ready for my infinite Vi thirst.
Perfect Cheery Link Scoop Article: Narcissist Red Flags!
I’m honestly delighted that I never had any close family with narcissism. Because dang, it’s tough to deal with. Recently I’ve read more about narcissists, how to spot them, and how to deal with them. It’s helped me understand bad relationships over the years, and helps me keep a guard up for that in the future.
I’m honestly pretty suceptible to manipulative friendships and romance, I’ve found over the years. It’s a problem I’ve tried to address for a long time… So being aware of the signs is important.
A Lost Famicom TV Drama Appears
There was a one-shot drama TV movie based on obscure Famicom game Mysterious Murasame Castle?? Most likely the first-ever video game adaptation?? What the heck??
If you know me, this is my thing out the wazoo! I’ve got to watch this soon. It’s probably so campy.
If you don’t know Mysterious Murasame Castle, this dude in Smash Bros. is from the game:
Link Scoop 001 Finished
I’m still experimenting with this, so stay tuned. There’s no regular schedule, but the more comments and shares I get, the more I’m emotionally obligated to give you more content.
In the meantime, read my normal blog posts. Especially the really big Nintendo one I posted recently!
The collections of tiny bric-a-brac remind me of three things: those I Spy books I used to have, and a tiny cabinet at my old university (called the Tiny Cabinet) where students in a certain writing class receive custody of the cabinet for a week and fill it with their own notes, little exhibition, or even a flood of tiny objects. That and the homey collections of stuff that people in my life, especially older family members who have been settled down for decades, will love and accumulate, forget, then remember.
I think there may be a narcissist in my family, but luckily I picked up coping skills at some mysterious point. While it was NOT after receiving this Scoop, the Scoop Update-Reminder is still appreciated.
Takamaru’s pants make him look pretty tall.
Good thoughts, because I feel we are basically twinsies on this. I Spy books were 10% about actually doing the challenges, and 85% about looking at the really cool pictures. (5% they were for keeping your sibling busy while you played the Nintendo 64.) The reason I love tiny stuff collections is basically identical to my love for stop-motion animation and dioramas. It gives me a hand-crafted (or machine-crafted) look on some microcosm of the world, and also reminds me of my relatives and their junk-filled homes that felt like infinite mountains back when I was little.
I used to visit my Great Aunt and Uncle in Oak Ride, Tennessee every year as a young child, and a couple times in middle school. Their house was extremely messy, but every Christmas season, they set out these grand, elaborate miniature Christmas town decorations in the house. I’d stare at that stuff for hours, and then my Great Uncle would show me his cool wood carvings–a few of which I have with me in Japan to this day. I was never close with him at all, but I’m still fond of his weird little wooden dudes. The house was very, very messy, but it’s nostalgic beyond belief to remember it. That’s what I’m reminded of.