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The Stratosphere Lounge

The Stratosphere Lounge | Episode 331

Recorded live before a global audience on Friday, July 15, 2022, featuring a re-cut preview of ‘D is for Dungeon’.

The Stratosphere Lounge | Episode 331

Recorded live before a global audience on Friday, July 15, 2022, featuring a re-cut preview of ‘D is for Dungeon’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5IlUqezapc

Listen to the Audio Version

15 replies on “The Stratosphere Lounge | Episode 331”

I’ve watched the iterations as they developed but this struck me each time, Alfonzo tells the tale of the loss of his wife and children and a sort while later Bill says ‘So why the February face?’ What’s wrong Mrs. Lincoln? Didn’t care for the play?’ These scenes would make more sense the other way around, Bill asks few times ‘Why the anger? February face etc ‘ and then Alfonzo explains about losing his family.

I’ve been on both sides of the free, volunteer help scene … And in the middle. This is my most recent and most involved experience with volunteers but not my only one. What I have to say about this pretty much applies to all my experience.

I volunteer as a weather spotter for the NWS/NOAA and an NCO (Net Control Operator) on SkyWarn weather “nets” over Ham Radio during hazardous weather events. I’m also “middle management” as due to many years of faithful service they made me a Net Manager, which is the next step below the Area Manager who is in turn immediately below the WFO (Weather Forecast Office, the NWS office that serves this part of this state, where the doppler radar is located) Coordinator. Who is the highest in the TO under any given WFO.

So in my area I’m about the third slot down in the TO (Table of Organization).

I outright refused the Area Manager job because realistically it would take up too much time I want to spend on other interests and — It’s a never ending headache.

My area does one of the best jobs in performing our duties in the entire nation. Other SkyWarn systems model themselves on us. There are some really good, conscientious people that volunteer alongside me.

Even at that, it’s rare to get more than 30% to 40% participation in any given practice net or drill.

It is a rare person who volunteers and considers himself bound to honor that commitment even when it’s problematic for them. Most people drift in and out and back in again. They might be there when you really, really need them to be. Or they might not. If they’re not, that doesn’t mean your need is marginal or nonexistent, it means the need will not be met. Which blows gaping holes in the effectiveness of your organization and service/production environment.

I’m not saying everyone is like that, I’m not saying you are like that. I’m not like that, I consider the fact of my volunteering to obligate me to do what I said I would do. There are fewer people like this than there are otherwise.

You really can’t chew people out when they don’t do as you’d like. For one thing, being volunteers they do not personally prioritize the needs of the organization and it’s just silly to expect them to do that. The other thing is as soon as you say the slightest thing to them that they take in any sort of negative light — They quit. Which, being volunteers, is their prerogative.

So in my experience, free help is generally worth every penny you pay for it and not a cent more.

Video rendering incontinuity —

@ 15:47 Bill sheaths his sword after dispatching the Perpetually Enraged. The following related angle shots do not show the sword in its scabbard, or anywhere else for that matter. In the next scene, Bill has his sword in his hand again.

Not a big deal, I’m just pointing it out because I know you have a thing for production quality and it shouldn’t be hard to fix.

The reason I noticed this is that I have a real sword, roughly similar. People who actually own swords are a lot different in perspective from those who do not.

It doesn’t take long after getting your first sword to learn that you don’t go swinging the damned thing around like some sort of movie actor or other idiot. It’s a real weapon, at the reach it has available it’s every bit as dangerous and deadly as a major caliber handgun. Maybe even more so because few handguns will actually separate a head from the rest of its body. If you don’t learn this lesson you hurt yourself, kill or seriously injure your cat or dog, poke holes in or slice things you don’t mean to, etc. If you’re lucky, or smart, no one gets killed or maimed during that learning curve. Including you because a sword is very dangerous to any untrained person who’s holding it and YouTube is full of videos depicting why that is so.

So there are things that people who are familiar with real swords do not do.

They do not stab the tip into the ground for dramatic effect because there are rocks, sand and other hard things in the ground that will dull, damage or ruin your carefully honed, perfectly shaped, wickedly sharp blade.

You do not hack tree branches like your sword was some sort of machete. That’s a job for an actual machete which is made for that purpose. Your sword was not made for that purpose so don’t do that.

There are quite a few other things but one thing you never, ever do is …

Lose track of where your sword is. I know where mine is at all times, so I noticed immediately when Bill’s sword was missing.

When y’all were scrolling through the D-words, I heard fun. You are at your best when trolling the dems with ridicule. What is starting to show through is humor, something the first draft didn’t have enough of. Keep up the work!

Great story, deep concepts and great animation, but I will confess that Zo steals it with his performance.
As a questioning knight, might it not be better if you were more weary of the ways of the wold and a bit less earnest in the initial dialogue? You’re not a young knight.
Bill, you got better near the end.
And thanks to you and Zo…and all of the absolutely godless insanity that is screamingly evident in the world…. I rediscovered christianity.
Prayer works.

You came up with an excellent solution in answer to the objections to the first ending. I like this version as it employs all the right adjectives to describe the evil version of democrats…he he is there any other kind? Just kidding. Before Gramsci, Marx et al infiltrated the party and became the domineering force, liberals brought some positive ideas and behaviors to the mix.

I think you’ve got something with your ideas on funding for projects that exemplify conservative values. Looking forward to hearing more about how your supporters, i.e. subscribers can be a part of it.

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