Slightly Off the Mark

One Video Proves the Stupidity of Mankind

Okay, so, for this week's photo post I have only one video. I felt guilty at first, but at least the video will grab attention.

Here's the YouTube link, in case it doesn't show up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKZBV40hryw

Emily took it off our dash cam. You might remember that camera got a really good view of the terror-inducing moment when our car caused a deer to go from 0 to 60 in one second. The deer lived, although it took a few years off of my life.

I cut this video down to 20 seconds, using an editing program (the kids apparently call them apps) that I learned to use in less than five hours, which is a record. In the video Emily is driving east on SR 8, in the area (I think) of around C.R. 700 East. That big bright thing is, yes, the sun.

Now, you'll notice her pass a construction ahead sign. Then a car traveling in front of her activates its left turn signal, on a hill, in an area that is not only no passing, but double yellow--no passing either way. (It was probably the driver who activated the turn signal, but these days who knows?)

There's a pickup truck behind Emily, being driven by a guy who, from this point forward, will be known as the Stupidest Human On the Planet, or SHOP. This is in no way meant to imply that they're stupid while shopping. They may be very good at price comparing, when their truck is sitting still and the little hamster wheel inside their head is allowed to cool down.

Maybe it was a politician.

It could be that Emily's slowing down because of the car turning in front of her got our SHOP pickup driver all butt-hurt about how he wouldn't be able to set a record for the most fuel consumption in a drive to Wal-Mart. I don't know. But the guy (let's face it, and assume it's a guy) felt very strongly that slowing down would interfere with his constitutional rights.

So he passed Emily. On a hill. On a double yellow line.

Then, as you might expect, the person who was turning left turned left. Just as the SHOP passed them.

If I hadn't watched Emily download the video, and reviewed it multiple times myself, I'd think it was AI. I have never in my life seen two objects actually pass through each other without touching. It was that close. Sure, theoretical physicists say it could happen, but in real life you don't expect a turning car and a moron in a pickup truck to actually pass through each other.

"If I can figure this one out, I'm a shoo-in for another Nobel Prize."

I actually called work to find out if they'd received any 911 calls at the time about a hit and run accident, since the truck kept going and the car went on down the side road. No, they hadn't. We had witnessed a moment that proves, beyond doubt, that angels watch over stupid people.

I feel for our left-turning person, who probably had to wipe a big brown stain from their driver's seat. I don't feel for the pickup driver's imbecilic nitwit twit, who probably just laughed, popped open another beer, and took that as proof that all traffic laws are just suggestions.

I do not want the SHOP pinhead to find out the hard way--too much chance that he'll hurt other people. Would a couple of expensive traffic tickets slow them down? Probably not.

We can only hope that if he does get into a crash, it's with another SHOP.

Don't forget, the e-book of Coming Attractions is still free over on Smashwords! Here's the link:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

You can also find adventures in our books:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=13727646

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

Remember: Read after you drive.

Give This Birthday Boy a Present

I decided at the last minute to do a blog for my birthday, which means you'll have to wait until this weekend to get the extended story of the dumbest driver in Indiana.

Steak, broccoli and potatoes for lunch. For supper? Half an ice cream cake divided by two. No regrets.

There were two reasons (for this post, not dumb drivers). First, I wanted to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday, because odds are I won't be able to thank everyone individually, because the internet's dumb.

Second, I forgot that I wish for the same thing every year, in what some people would call shameless self-promotion, which it is: For people to buy our books and leave reviews ... or at least get a free copy of Coming Attractions on Smashwords.

On my birthday came either the apocalypse or smoke from Canadian wildfires. So my camera caught a bird, or the persona of Death.

I mean, it's my birthday, right? Or, more likely the day after, depending on when you see this. But I did have a pretty good birthday, and the only thing that would make this week better would be a jump in book sales and/or an Amazon or Goodreads review. Or a big, solid block of milk chocolate. Or for the Canadian wildfires to go out.

In any case, thanks again to everyone, and now I'll go back to work editing our 13th book ... which, now that I think of it, should have been reserved for Haunted Noble County, Indiana.

I'm still impressed that I was able to insert the book cover. With technology, I'm not a young man.

The Smashwords link is here:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

But as always, you can track down our books and/or leave a review at one of our various internets world wide web places:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=13727646

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

Remember: Readers make the birthday boy smile.

Movie review: Supergirl

There have been a lot of Supergirls.

I fell in love with the first one, who was my age (at the time) and had that cute skirt because, hey, I was an adolescent. I'd have changed my mind if I had to wear it myself. My second favorite was Melissa Benoist from the CW TV show. They were both very much traditional: truth, justice, no killing, all good all the time, just like her cousin Clark.

But that was also the problem with Kara Zor-El: She was a female Superman, and we already had a Superman. I suspect that's why the movie makers took a hard turn away from the Superman movie.

Success was limited. That's no fault of Milly Alcock, who does a fine job as a damaged Kara who had to watch her whole civilization die, slowly, before being rocketed off as the last survivor of her Kryptonian city. Unlike Clark, Kara experienced the death of everyone and everything she loved, with the exception of a puppy she saves.

Now she's rocketing around the galaxy to planets with red suns, where she can feel the effects of the alcohol she's using to forget her pain. She's a mess, but when a generic bad guy shows up and poisons the dog, she pulls a full-on John Wick and goes looking for him. She had three days to get the antidote, because deadlines are a great trope.

Turns out the bad guy is trafficking women and girls to be wives for his somehow man-only planet, and he doesn't hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way. Kara's sense of justice emerges along with her desperation. Despite all of her attempts otherwise, she teams up with a young girl (an alien named Ruthye!) She's also reluctant to get help from Lobo, a somewhat mental bounty hunter/god who shows up first for a bounty, then apparently because he just likes to destroy stuff.

Kara could have cleaned up with whole situation in minutes if she had her powers. It just goes to show, drinking is a bad idea no matter what planet you do it on. Meanwhile the bad guys, led by main villain, dog-shooter and frankly forgettable Drom Baxton, have apparently gotten wind of Superman and moved to a planet that's deadly to Kryptonians.

I don't usually do this much plot explaining, but I was figuring some of this out as I wrote it.

None of this means you shouldn't watch Supergirl, but you shouldn't go in expecting a sequel to Superman. This is not a typical superhero story of a world or galaxy endangered; it's just a girl trying to save her dog, and maturing a bit along the way. This Kara is, and I think this is good, a far cry from her cousin, who shows up a few times but (and this is also good) never finds out she needs help.

It's a much more intimate story, a bit too drab for my taste, and the script could have been punched up. Still, it was saved by the performances of Alcock, and Jason Momoa as Lobo. I very much hope we see both of them in future DC movies, hopefully with a better script and a more colorful world.

My ranking:

Entertainment value: 3 M&Ms out of 4. I know a lot of hate is being poured on this movie, and with good reason. But as a summer popcorn flick, I really liked it.

Oscar potential: 1 M&M out of 4. Probably less; there are good performances here, but the story was weak.

You can find all of our books under the yellow sun:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=13727646

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter