The Soviet Union had a chance to computerize and automate its economy. Why did efforts to achieve this vision not succeed? This video covers a brief history of cybernetics in the USSR and offers some explanations for the ultimate demise of automated planning in the Soviet context.

Former Delta Force officer Cavanaugh (a pseudonym) is now a personal protection agent working for Global Protective Services. For those that can afford the steep price, GPS will provide top-level protection services for those in need of them; they can also help a client disappear and create a new identity. Cavanaugh is assigned to protect scientist Daniel Prescott who has developed an incredible drug: it activates uncontrolled, virulent fear in humans. Everyone wants this drug, including a foreign drug cartel which is determined to capture Prescott. Fear is the most primitive of human emotions. All people feel the same sensations when they experience fear, but whereas normal people may find the sensation unpleasant, adrenaline junkies (like the kind of guys who have what it takes to become a member of Delta Force) find the sensation quite pleasurable. But this drug changes all that and can turn the most hardened trained operative into a whining, terrified puppy.

Cavanaugh immediately gets a weird vibe off Prescott, and unfortunately, his instincts are right. Prescott has his own agenda, one that could get Cavanaugh and his entire team killed. When Prescott shows his true colors, Cavanaugh finds himself injured, on the run and quickly running out of options. He reluctantly calls on his wife, Jamie, for help (he’s always tried to keep her out of his dangerous line of work) and soon the two are on Prescott’s trail, while trying to stay alive themselves.

Nobody does the thriller quite like David Morrell. Morrell skillfully creates vivid, complex characters, and keeps the action coming, non-stop. The tradecraft featured in the book is fascinating: escape and evade techniques, car chases and how to control people and situations are all covered. But a trained operative doesn’t even need sophisticated weaponry; in the right hands, common household objects can either save your life or become a lethal weapon. Morrell’s hands-on research style really comes through in the stark realism of the action scenes. Cavanaugh’s wife, Jamie, who does not have the training her husband does, is especially well-written: she’s tough and funny, and adaptable. Fear is a universal emotion, and the scenes where Cavanaugh has to overcome his own fear are absolutely gripping. Morrell keeps the plot twists coming until the very last, addictive chapter.

This review was published in the June-July, 2003 of The Internet Writing Journal.

Gil Kenan’s sequel further bridges the gap between generations of Ghostbusters fans.

One of the biggest debates surrounding the Ghostbusters franchise is whether or not it was built for such purposes in the first place. Some are of the mind that the 1984 classic was never truly “meant” to be a franchise, and even those who think the opposite would argue that the direction 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife went in was not the correct way to fulfill that promise.

From where I’m sitting, I’ve never seen a movie in this franchise that I didn’t like, and that hasn’t changed after seeing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. With the world of paranormal extermination coming back home to New York City, the Spengler family and friends embark on a new journey to save our world from realms beyond.

This time, a second ice age and a spirit that can kill merely on fear alone are in the mix, and as is readily apparent in the marketing, it’s going to take both Busters old and new to save the day.

Writer/director Gil Kenan continues the franchise that he and co-writer/director Jason Reitman successfully revitalized with Ghostbusters: Afterlife; and he hasn’t missed a step. If anything, Frozen Empire might be the movie that OG fans had wished was the true beginning of this modern phase. Exhibiting a tone and setting being closer to the late Ivan Reitman’s classic franchise starter, it isn’t merely a nostalgic throwback, it’s a rekindling of a legend.

We continue to follow Phoebe (McKenna Grace), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and Callie Spangler (Carrie Coon), as well as her serious boyfriend Gary (Paul Rudd) and their friends Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Podcast (Logan Kim) in their adventures of ghostbusting. Having relocated to the classic firehouse base in New York, the family business is up and running…and being threatened once again by Walter Peck (Wiliam Atherton).

In that synopsis alone, you can see how Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a proper crossroads between the classic films and the next generation’s adventures. While Afterlife before it employed the surviving legacy cast (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts) as cameos, this sequel uses the gang in a more substantial context. And thankfully, it’s not a compartmentalized affair, allowing the first class of Ghostbuster to mix it up with the young crew.

Through this practice the Ghostbusters series has now become a multigenerational affair, and not in a way that’s dependent on awkward humor or fish out of water gags. At the heart of this story is an effective family drama involving Phoebe growing up with ambitions of being a Ghostbuster, but straining against both the law and her mother’s want to keep her safe. It’s a thread that could have been explored a little deeper, but considering it doesn’t slip into the usual family melodrama you might expect, it still plays like a charm in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

Now here’s where the original fans are probably going to give Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire the most points for improvement: the humor. I’ll admit, while I did really like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, that is the more family friendly blockbuster of the two legacy-quels we have so far. That’s not to say that Frozen Empire is entirely devoted to the Peter Venkman-style raunch of the classics; but there’s definitely some more adult one-liners and references that are slyly included to entertain parents.

Off the top of my head, I’m not sure if anyone has really singled out just how fantastic Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd’s chemistry happens to be on screen. But it’ll surely be highlighted after Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, as they’re two of the most consistent laugh drivers in this continuation. Rudd in particular seems to have fun as the goofster, with Coon playing it perfectly straight against him for the most part. Though The Gilded Age star does get her moments to get a bit goofy herself, which makes for even more delightful moments.

Adding comedians like James Acaster, Patton Oswalt, and Kumail Nanjiani to the cast also helps bolster Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s ranks. Each of them support the main team in their own ways, with unique styles of humor adding to the stew that is this new picture’s landscape of laughter. While the emotion that carried Afterlife is still somewhat present in Frozen Empire, this sequel is definitely more of the blockbuster comedy that 1984’s Ghostbusters happened to be.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a confident homecoming that continues to progress into the legacy franchise’s modern era with a knowing stride. Dedicated to Ivan Reitman’s memory, due to his passing between films, this second outing brings this modern contingent closer to the spirit of the original he helped shepherd into history forty years ago.

While there’s definitely more of a family friendly vibe, Frozen Empire experiments more with balancing the tone alongside some more mature jokes, and feels like a progression rather than merely playing it safe. Though the overall story could use a little more effort in balancing the emotional with the fantastical, the vibes are definitely there.

That, in particular, is important, because you can throw all of the easter eggs or legacy cast members into a legacy-quel such as this, and it would ultimately fall flat if it doesn’t feel like a Ghostbusters movie. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire captures that spirit in an energetic and entertaining way that makes it the sequel that’s come the closest to recapturing the total magic of its origins.

Seeing the Ghostbusters saga return to theaters does indeed make me feel good, especially if it continues to develop in the ways that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has. It feels like this variant of the series is growing with its audience, while also keeping the touches that made that original unexpected blockbuster so charming. If Sony’s ready to greenlight another adventure, I’m ready to believe I’ll be there on opening night.

I didn’t really want to make a post so soon after my last post, but there are a few things that I should write about. First of all, since I make several donations on Patreon every month, it’s worth informing the people that receive money from me that a problem has come up. I recently had to change my credit card. Because of this, I had to update my credit card information at the end of the month when it comes to my subscriptions and donations. The only website where I haven’t been able to update my credit card information is Patreon. I’ve tried doing this several times, but every time I get a message stating that my credit card information can’t be updated at this time. I’ve even tried to use a few other methods of payment, but nothing works. Therefore, the people that receive money from me on Patreon didn’t get a payment this month. I haven’t been able to find a solution to this problem. What’s left for me to do, I suppose, is to create a new account on Patreon in order to resume donations. Hopefully, this will work, though I must say that I’m not in a hurry to do this because setting up a new account can be time-consuming. I can add that I haven’t been interested in the work of a few of the people that still receive donations from me for quite some time. If I were a normal (neurotypical) person, I would have ceased donating money to these people a long time ago. But, since I’m autistic, I continue making donations because, for example, I think that they did some good work in the past. It turns out that the attitude of autistic people toward money and other things is different from the attitude of normal people. Another thing that’s worth mentioning is that I recently found out about a new drug that’s very helpful when it comes to my health problems. I already mentioned in one of my posts that I consume aspirin when I need to and that I consume probiotics in order to help me with the two conditions that I have, one of which is autism. The probiotics that I take that help me when it comes to my autism problems provide me with a little extra energy and they help me to think more about the important things in life. Since I’m autistic, it’s easy for me to get distracted and to stop thinking about the important things in life, such as trying to make a living or spending my money on necessities like food and clothes. But the probiotics that I consume also have a somewhat unpleasant effect on me because they can make me feel anxious and gloomy since they improve the functioning of my brain and force me to think about my autistic behavior and the problems that autism creates for me in public. By the way, probiotics have to be consumed when you’re eating a meal or even a little before you’re eating a meal in order for them to be most effective. What I really like about probiotics is that they provide me with at least a little of the energy that I need because I’m almost always drained of energy because of my two health problems. The fact that I’m autistic drains me of energy because I have to interact with people, which is something that doesn’t come naturally for an autistic person. The acting that I’m forced to do when I’m in public is very energy draining. Some autistics call the act of trying to fit in and act normally in this neurotypical society that we live in masking, but I prefer the word acting. Unless an autistic person finds a niche in life in which he or she can feel comfortable most of the time (which isn’t easy to do), life remains an almost everyday struggle, and this is definitely still the case for me. The other health problem that I have also drains me of energy if I’m not very careful, in addition to causing some other serious negative effects. Therefore, I’m glad that I discovered that aspirin and probiotics are beneficial for me. The new drug that I recently found out about is called serrapeptase. Serratiopeptidase is a proteolytic enzyme (protease) produced by enterobacterium Serratia sp. E-15. This microorganism was originally isolated in Japan in the late-1960s from silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) intestine. Soon after, it became a bestselling drug in that country, later finding its way onto drugstore shelves in Europe and North America as a dietary supplement. Serrapeptase capsules are even more beneficial for me than probiotics because they provide me with considerably more energy and they help me to feel better. Thanks to these capsules, I don’t feel burned out, as I usually am. Therefore, I can think better, I can be more attentive, I can act better, and I can fit in public better. Serrapeptase capsules, while providing me with energy, don’t make me feel anxious and gloomy. Because of this additional energy, I can feel more confident. Serrapeptase capsules aren’t made specifically for autistics. Therefore, I assume that they have beneficial effects for normal people too. So, I’ve learned a lot about autism since August of 2023. As it turns out, I don’t really need a so-called stim toy. What I really need is something that provides me with energy. Aspirin, probiotics, and serrapeptase are the things that help me to feel better. I mean, I just wish that I had as much energy as Rich Evans. Sure, that’s not really possible because Rich is a god, one of the seven sons of Odin. Rich, whose real name is Bragi, lives on this mortal realm of ours disguised as a typical clueless American, who spends his time talking about junk cinema with two senior citizens and sellouts called Mike and Jay. Of course, Rich isn’t perfect. I think that he could have picked a better American name when he settled on Midgard. I would have preferred Chuck Lafarge or Gus Jenkins. And Rich, being the god of bad movies, doesn’t really do much nowadays, but that’s only because he’s trying to avoid Ragnarok. Well, let’s just hope that Rich pays his taxes, though, with all of his great power, he can easily avoid doing this. Still, Rich did take the time to bring sexy back several years ago, after Justin Timberlake famously brought sexy back in 2006.

Since a follower of mine recently asked me what I think of Bloodborne (2015), and since other followers have asked me what I think about some video games that got released in the last several years, I think that I will reply to these and other questions. First of all, I have to say that I still haven’t played Bloodborne, though it’s one of the games that I think that I should play as soon as possible. But, somehow, I keep on picking other games to play. Perhaps this is because I still haven’t grown attached to my PlayStation 4, which I bought in 2022. In the nearly two years that have passed since I bought my PS4, I’ve hardly used it to do anything. The only game that I’ve managed to finish playing so far on my PS4 is God Of War (2018). Bloodborne is one of a few PS4 games that I’ve already bought, but I still haven’t played it. God Of War was definitely a pleasure to play. It’s acknowledged by many people as one of the greatest video games ever made. Its world design and art direction are impressive. There are many places in this game that feature beautiful surroundings, where it’s pleasing to simply stand and look at the scenery, like plants or a flowing creek. Well, perhaps the big reason why I still haven’t played Bloodborne is because I know that, like Dark Souls (2011), it won’t be an easy game to finish. It will take plenty of time and effort to finish playing Bloodborne. Sure, the time spent on playing Bloodborne will be enjoyable, though sometimes difficult, but I just don’t want to be playing a challenging game at this time, when I’m trying to make changes to my life. Since my affinity is strongest for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable, I keep on playing games that got made for these consoles the most. The PSP, in particular, is an excellent console for playing games on the go. I especially like the PSP Go (N1000). Video games look splendid on its small LCD screen. I even use it to watch films from time to time because you can store video files, music files, and images on it. The program that I use to easily convert files so that they can be played on my devices is called Wondershare UniConverter. The PSP Go is perhaps the easiest console to take with you because of its small size, its great design, and its many features. It’s even smaller than my mobile phone. Sure, I adore the PSP-1000 and the PSP-3000 too, but the PSP Go is simply handheld perfection. The game that I’ve been playing the most on my PSP Go recently is Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Of The Lions (2007), and this is my fourth time playing this game. It’s actually the first PlayStation game that I ever got to play and finish, and I think that it’s also the game that I’ve played the most. When I was playing it for the first time, I wasn’t using a guide, and I had no idea what this game had in store. Therefore, the fight against Cuchulainn surprised me because I didn’t expect for such a non-human enemy to appear. You can’t even find out how many hit points he has when you’re fighting against him. It’s still perhaps the most memorable boss fight that I’ve ever completed in a video game. Final Fantasy Tactics (1997) is known for being one of the greatest video games ever made, and playing it on a PSP console is my favorite way of playing it. Since I’m a fan of Yasumi Matsuno’s work, another game that I decided to play recently is Vagrant Story (2000). Like all of the other games that are stored on my PS3, I bought it before the PlayStation Store got shut down. This is my first time playing Vagrant Story, and I’ve been using an internet text guide for help. It’s the best game that I’ve played since I finished playing Okami (2006) at the end of May of 2023. Richard Stanton’s ‘A Brief History of Video Games: From Atari to Virtual Reality’ (2015) was an enjoyable read for me recently. When it comes to Okami, he had the following to say. “The greatest aesthetic achievement in this period is Clover Studios’ Okami for PS2, directed by Hideki Kamiya. Drawing on a combination of the ancient religion of Shinto and traditional Japanese watercolour art, Okami’s cel-shaded visuals are filtered through a parchment effect to create the overall impression of a moving painting. Okami is a long and involved journey, and what makes it so remarkable is that the visual invention never lets up, the beautifully realized aesthetic the starting point for endless flourishes rather than a self-satisfied whole.” The other PS2 games that Stanton considers to be must-plays are Ico, Shadow Of The Colossus, Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry 3, God Of War, God Of War II, God Hand, Resident Evil 4, Manhunt, Bully, Second Sight, TimeSplitters 2, TimeSplitters, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Although Vagrant Story is challenging, mainly because its combat isn’t easy to master, it’s already clear to me that it’s a great game, even though I’ve finished playing only about half of it so far. Well, needless to say, Vagrant Story looks very good on a PSP, just like any other PS1 game. As much as I like the fact that PS1 games can now be played on a well-made and well-designed handheld console, I still can’t wait for the day when PS2 games, and especially PS3 games, can be played on a well-made and well-designed handheld console. At this time, there isn’t even a good PS3 emulator in existence for a PC. Considering the rate at which electronics have been developing in the last decade or so, it seems that it will be a long time before PS3 games will become playable on a handheld. The PS3 is my favorite home video game console. I very much like the look of the original PS3 console, which was released all the way back in 2006. I even ordered one from Japan, even though I already had a PlayStation 3 Super Slim model. The PS3 is almost two decades old, but it can still be used for things like using YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and the internet. I don’t even need a Blu-ray Disc player because I have two PS3 consoles and a PS4 console. I have an excellent PS3 remote control that I bought years ago. It can even be used to control a TV and an amplifier. I’m not in the habit of playing Blu-ray discs because I watch films and videos on my computer or on my tablet, but I recently decided to watch some films on Blu-ray and on a big screen because I finally set up the big flat screen Sony TV that was given to me by my so-called father (because he didn’t need it anymore). I already had a big flat screen TV made by Toshiba, but it’s slightly smaller and thicker than the Sony TV, and I hardly ever used it because I’m not in the habit of watching anything on a big screen at home. The Toshiba TV was given to me by my sister, but it’s not like I wanted or needed the two flat screen television sets that I have now. Still, after some time, I found a use for both of them. I must say that I’ve been enjoying playing Blu-ray discs. I’ve been watching films on Blu-ray by using my PS3, and it has been a pleasure to watch films in high-definition and on a big screen for a change. Therefore, the PS3 can do a lot more than play PS3 games. It’s even a pleasure to play music and compact discs on a PS3 because it plays some amazing background videos when it plays music. Since I’ve been slowly collecting all of the albums from Time Magazine’s list of the All-TIME 100 Albums on CD for a long time already, I already have a decent collection of great albums to play. Needless to say, a PS3 has several USB slots, but it also has slots for MemoryStick PRO Duo, SD cards, and Microdrive. The Original PlayStation 3 model is capable of playing PS1 games and PS2 games, but my collection of PS1 discs is laughably small. I do have a fine collection of PS2 discs, however. Even so, I don’t really need to use my PS3 to play PS2 games. I own a Slim PlayStation 2, which can be used to play PS1 discs, PS2 discs, and DVDs. I even own a PS2 remote control for playing DVD and CD-ROM on my PlayStation 2. Of course, my affection isn’t restricted only to the amazing PS3. I like many of the other devices that Sony made in the 2000s too. I already made a post in which I explained how I managed to fix my Sony Vaio PCG-3E2L laptop, which was given to me by my sister. I had been using this laptop as my secondary laptop, and sometimes as my primary laptop, since the beginning of 2022, which was the time when I finally managed to fix it. But, a while ago, it stopped working again because its small CMOS BIOS battery needs to be replaced. I then ordered a new BIOS battery on Amazon. Before I discovered that what needed replacing is the BIOS battery, I ordered another used white PCG-3E2L on eBay. This laptop and the shipping cost me $69. This laptop used to belong to someone from Burnaby, British Columbia, and it arrived at the beginning of March to my home. Needless to say, since it’s the same model as my first Vaio laptop, it looks beautiful. It’s actually in better shape than my first Vaio laptop. The white plastic case on my first Vaio laptop has become a little darker and a little yellow-ish, after years of use by my sister and then by her boyfriend from Slovakia. My sister isn’t known for taking good care of her electronic devices. She doesn’t have autism. But, since I have autism, I take good care of my stuff. The white plastic case of the Vaio laptop that I bought on eBay is still in nearly pristine condition. This laptop came without a hard drive, and, therefore, I took out the hard drive out of my first Vaio laptop and placed it in this laptop in order to use it. Doing this was a piece of cake and the laptop easily began to work. The only noticeable difference between the two Vaio laptops is that the one that I bought on eBay doesn’t have a Blu-ray drive. It has a DVD drive. So, what do I do with my Vaio laptop? Although I have newer laptops in my possession, both of which are of the same model (Samsung Notebook 7 Spin), the Vaio laptop is my favorite laptop, even though it’s 10 years older than the Samsung laptops. The PCG-3E2L may be kind of old, but it can do almost anything that a new laptop can do. Not only do I use it as an additional storage device for my files, I also use it to play DVD and Blu-ray discs.