Unprofessional Fridays: UPF - 4/29/22

Agree with the crew on David Lynch Teaches Typing. It's well-done, but most importantly it's exactly the right length for the gag to land without getting played out.

I completely lost it laughing at a certain point of this. What a wonderfully off the rails discussion this UPF had.

I heard that first game was gonna be Cronenberg Teaches Typing, but they couldn't get the license.

I am SOOOOOO happy Jess was vindicated

Like

My temp penis tattoo was GoldenPalace.com

Until I read "David Lynch Teaches Typing" I thought the thumbnail was of Columbo.

conspiracy theories about ancient aliens are racist?

I thought Jess gave a pretty succinct explanation of that position, at least as it relates to the construction of the pyramids. Basically, by attributing the engineering marvel that is the pyramids to aliens or some other supernatural beings we are implying that the Egyptians were too stupid to do it themselves. The earliest example I know of this occurring is in H.P. Lovecraft's works from the early 1900s (where the racism is fairly explicit), but I'm not a history buff and there may be much earlier examples.

I need tips for wearing an eyepatch with glasses because it's awkward and I hate it, but I'm not investing in a monocle.

@giantrobot24: aye, but surely it's just about people being bonkers and connecting things that aren't there. Rather than thinking explicitly that a certain people are too dumb.

@cyberspacecat: Columbo Teaches Typing would also be good, right up until he keeps asking you to type additional things every time you think you’re done.

@mops: Erich von Däniken can be considered the father of modern pseudoarcheology, at least in relation to claims of "aliens did it." His 1968 book Chariots of the Gods?--although it was debunked and criticized in its own time by Carl Sagan and others--is still popular in fringe circles. On its face, "aliens did it and/or inspired it" is not an inherently racist notion. But here's the thing. Given enough time and enough opportunity, people usually tell on themselves.

In von Däniken's case, the tell(1)comes(2) in his 1979 Signs of the Gods? Framing his ideas as questions that others are too afraid or too sensitive to ask, he asks questions like, “Was the black race a failure and did the extraterrestrials change the genetic code by gene surgery and then programme a white or a yellow race?”

Take a look at those two links to see even more egregious "questions" that reveal the racist nature of pseudoarcheology. I don't think anyone is making the claim that everyone who ever watched and was amused by Ancient Aliens is racist. There are certainly people who believe this nonsense who don't come to it from this perspective. At the same time, the "racialism" is clearly baked into the theories from the outset and from one of the most prominent voices in the space.

In my experience swimming isn't super common with Japanese people either, I don't know if Asian waters aren't as pleasant for swimming as American ones, or what it is.

@bladeofcreation: voices in the ancient alien space.

Anyway, just weird to imply racism for Jan's weird mate

"I'm a honey mustard man" is the most legendary sound drop of all time, gets me every time!

My favorite Musical to show people that don’t like Musicals is Reefer Madness The Movie Musical, Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming are so good in it, and the rest of the cast Also. The Songs are pretty clever written. And yeah it’s a musical that when I show it to my non Musical friends admit they like. And the ending is Well a little twist.

This was the right amount of unprofessional conduct I needed for a Friday.

Now i have this visual of Jeff's kid, a bunch of other kids, and there's Jan in floaties and goggles learning dogpaddling.

They used to show us Chariots of the Gods in school in the early 80s.

@giantrobot24: Wonderment at how ancient humans achieved what they did without modern technology isn't racist.

Jess, thank you for reminding me to go watch that nirvana the band the show bit.

"It's where you go to be a little gay, there's nothing gay about that" has rocketed up the list of funniest things I have ever heard. Bless this UPF mess.

@jagerxbomb "Wonderment" and "literally aliens" are not the same thing lol

I had a Crazer. I used double sided tape to stick a ipod nano to the back of it, thus creating the first iphone. It died in a skating accident.

Classic Jeff. I'm making faces for the intro

This was wonderful, thanks! Humour was totally on point; everybody was totally cranking. Great games as well.

@mops: Because it's always things from non-white civilizations. I'm sure there are some nutcases that think the Parthenon or Windsor Castle or whatever were built by aliens but the bread and butter is always Egyptian pyramids, the Nazca Lines, Chichen Itza, and whatever. Mindless credulity and historical ignorance are connecting lines but so is passive (at best) disbelief of the capacity of non-whites.

@charaznablecustom:

Alien V Predator: no matter who wins, everyone is racist.

Gary Wh jam would just be a rich asshole begging brands for free gadgets and games , the one who can beg the best and make up the most bs wins.

Kinda shit that no one would listen to Jess. Felt like no one could hear her/some misogyny going on. Not good. Kind of seems to happen a little too often.

Bought Knotwords as a result of this and it's quickly become my "I've got a few minutes to kill" game. Apart from the game freezing on me with annoying frequency when trying to solve the more difficult puzzles it's pretty great.

Is @jerf into graffiti? Dig the shirt.

"Soho" is short for "Ruby ruby ruby ruby Soho"

@zeromaverick That's a weird take, can you give some examples of this? If anything Jess tries to cut the guys off more than anything.

Since I've been single, I haven't had to watch any musicals and my life is better for it.

word knot wrex

With Jess using the term semi-husband, there is Scot's word that would be a suitable replacement: Bidie-in - which is a non-married long term cohabitating partner. Not sure if any other fellow Scots have mentioned it before.

The conversations are why I love UPF.

I also am an adult in his thirties who can't swim--I was going to take lessons, but then the pandemic hit, damnit.

(Ancient aliens being a racist idea isn't a controversial or unusual stance. Also, something doesn't need to be intentionally racist to be racist. Good intentions are not a universal shield to criticism).

Hey Jess! There's a Rifftrax version of The Apple. That's how I watched it.