Previously it was reported that Kelly Sue DeConnick was writer for Captain Marvel 2. Not much was known about Kelly Sue DeConnick and the article on SausageRoll even had Comicsgate incorrect. The latest reports now have Megan McDonnell as the writer. Megan is a writer for the Disney+ show WandaVision and has some familiarity with the MCU and the Marvel characters. How well will she writer for Captain Marvel 2?
Kevin Feige has stated which MCU properties will be a part of phase 4 and phase 5. It has also been released by Marvel which ones will be shows on Disney Plus. Interestingly, where Captain Marvel 2 fits into the plans has not been revealed. The best guess is that it will be in MCU Phase 5.
Channel Dad is a long time fan of comic books, though it has been years since he last bought one. He still follows pop culture and reports on the oddest of items in the MCU. Channel Dad does not have a comic book cast. Channel Dad of the Fandom Menace create videos that are different than anyone else. Channel Dad is not a copy-cat. Channel Dad is his own thing. One might say Channel Dad is a Brainmuffin too.
A new year has started and the last year of the second decade of the 21st century is upon us. Are you ready for a the Blue Ocean Shift?
Too often people and companies get bogged down in the Red Ocean of over competition. They are constantly churning in the same space as everyone else, dividing the current market into smaller and smaller pieces. Organic growth is not possible and many feel like failures. There is no need to be this way. Enter a Blue Ocean.
What is a Blue Ocean? It is quite simple, expanding into a new area, a new market. For individuals, it is growing into new ideas and new methods. A business may create a new market with new products or expanding on an existing product in a new and novel way. The water in a Blue Ocean is clean. The waters do not churn.
As 2019 drew to a close, my YouTube channel was mostly in retreat. There are various reasons I was losing subscribers, but I was determined to be open to new avenues and new ideas. I started reading the book Blue Ocean Shift and it really started to teach me a few things. The rollover into 2020 brought growth back to my channel and a new outlook for the future. I stepped out of the Red Ocean of anger and bitterness and stepped into the Blue Ocean of Peace and Fulfillment. A growing channel was not the only positive.
In mid-November I left a job that I enjoyed to seek one that offered better fulfillment. Within the first two weeks, there was serious talk of me doing several Lunch and Learns to teach the junior developers. This was a large piece that was missing from my last job. This is why I was here. Each day as the challenges come forth, it is easier and easier to let the negative emotions go and live in the present in Peace and Gratefulness. It is amazing.
The other books I am reading is The Art of Living by Bob Proctor. This is a books I started several years ago and then neglected for too long. The Art of Living and Blue Ocean Shift books are incredible and well aligned. One book will bring up a point and the other will re-enforce the idea. For more alignment, watch some of Bob Proctor’s videos. The Secret is being aligned to the proper energy and believing you will succeed. Most likely you will have to change your subconscious. There is where the real battle is.
In this realm, the year 2020 is officially the year of alignment. Finding your path and purpose. Creating your Blue Ocean.
The time had faded and the grey of obscurity loomed upon me. Would the new YouTube accept my eclectic channel or would the new algorithm swallow me whole? The standard algorithm preferred channels that had one, and only one, focus. The Bryon Lape channel, or LapeTV as it was sometimes known, had no single focus. The videos reflected the whim of the day or questions sent from subscribers. It was not contained within Pop Culture, Beer, Fitness, or Photography. Video topics came and went. Subscribers came and went.
Some weeks, the drunken oddness attracted viewers and subscribers. The Brie Larson fans would defend her selection as Captain Marvel and state she was not hated by the rest of the MCU cast, despite the rumors. They came and left comments on videos that would claim Captain Marvel was not wanted or if her comics were being cancelled. Her fans would quote the sales figures, they would state why Brie Larson is great and how she should be a part of Disney Star Wars. They might down vote a video, but their feedback and comments were welcome. The views count, no matter what.
Then YouTube changed. The FTC and the Attorney General of New York State sued. YouTube lost money. Google lost money. It all changed over night. They did not like losing money. They made changes to the rules. Many channels died. Videos had to be tagged if they were for children. Videos had to be tagged if they were for an audience that is over 18. The FTC said all this was not necessary, not correct. It mattered not. Google made the changes to YouTube. Many channels died. Be careful with the beer reviews. Be careful with the supplement reviews. Tag videos. Mark videos. If the wrong audience saw the video and the wrong metrics were saved, there were serious fines waiting.
Stillness stood upon the Internet. Then, it happened.
Out of the darkness came a voice. LapeTV could exist. Bryon Lape’s channel could exist. Brainmuffin could exist. Channel Dad could exist. All of the oddness could exist. It didn’t matter that the Fandom Menace had rejected the Old Man. It didn’t matter that bullshit had past the channel by. There was a way out of the darkness. There was Elizabeth. She was the path to the answers.
The time had started simply. An experiment to test the viability of the Bryon Lape YouTube channel had started. The subscriber count grew. The numbers were not fantastic, but with minimal efforts the growth became self-sustaining. The people believed and supported the channel. They found honesty and openness. There was no direct effort to market to them. The reviews where seen as honest and proper. People would buy. People would believe. There was truth.
Elizabeth became a part of the behind the scenes. Margaret was quite persuasive in the future of LapeTV. Be honest and open. Do not hide when products were provided and not purchased. Do unboxing videos and state plainly if the products were purchased or provided. Discount links worked. Do not pretend to be something that it wasn’t. It was all good. It all worked. It was all correct.
There wasn’t a pull back. There didn’t need to be. Some channels pretend to be something they are not. Instagram Influencers have been shown to be frauds when they make claims that are not true or they Photoshop images to improve the surroundings. With LapeTV there was no need. Sometimes Channel Dad Bryon Lape was with the World Class Bullshitters, sometimes he was just by himself. He was open and honest always. They audience responded. The channel grew. People subscribed. Bryon Lape visualized 100,000 subscribers and it happened.
When there is a desire to learn from success, there is no need for failure to be expected. While it is possible to learn from failure, it is far more powerful to learn from success. When you learn from success, the pattern to repeat and perfect is provided. When the learning comes from failure only the pattern to avoid is provided. It is far easier to repeat a pattern than to avoid. Seek you first the pattern that provides than the pattern that prohibits. For no greater experience can one provide for themselves than one that can be studied and repeated with even greater success.
Reach out. So much can be had when you maximize your Life.
Since the start of the James Bond film franchise, woman have played an important role in the life of 007. Sometimes they met untimely ends such as Jill Masterson in Goldfinger, while other times they wanted to kill James Bond, Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye or Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough. Each had their role and each made their contribution.
In more modern times, the Bond Girl as they came to be called, are seen by some as mere bimbos; play things for James Bond to bed and discard. It doesn’t seem to matter to these people that Christmas Jones was a Doctor and gave crap back to James Bond as well as he could dish it out (Yes, she does participate in the “Christmas comes once a year” joke at the end). Perhaps they forgot that Wai Lin could fight and shot better than Bond and she kept James alive more than once. How can these women get the Bond Girl so wrong? What do they want?
The first question is rooted in third wave feminism and becomes convoluted to answer. The second is quite simple: no more bond girls. Yes, you read that correctly.
News from the set of No Time To Die has surfaced about the future of Bond Girls and the nature of his marriage to Dr. Madeleine Swann. This is the latest James Bond film and stars Daniel Craig is what should be his last time as 007. After all, Daniel is over 50 and no spring chicken. He also serves the older man, younger woman trope far too heavily.
The banning of the term “Bond Girl” from the set is not the only misgiving worrying fans. The other is about James Bond’s wife. Though James has been married before in both the books and films, after all, Ian Fleming named the character after an American ornithologist and author of the guide Birds of the West Indies. Flemming’s wife was also an ornithologist. The name James Bond was chosen as it was dull. Things were to happen to him, not from him. Having a wife that took his name and perhaps overshadowed Bond would make sense, but that’s not what the woke crowd is on about these days.
After marrying Dr. Madeleine Swann, James Bond is told by his new wife that she will not take his name. She will remain Doctor Swann, thank you very much. In the age of pure political correctness and cancel culture, there will be no more Mrs. Bond. It is Swann, Doctor Swann. Welcome to the new age, James.
The YouTube channel was finally starting to grow. Each week, the number of subscribers rose, as did the amount of increase. Nothing spectacular, but the growth was steady.
When the milestone of reach 2,500 subscribers was reached, a new trend started to develop with the video watches. Previously, the videos about pop culture, in particular Star Wars and Marvel Movies, had been the highest watched. This was in contrast to trends from several years ago when the supplement reviews were king. New subscribers were starting to watch the reviews again, with several reaching more views than the channel had subs. What was going on?
Around the 3,000 sub level, a contact came in from a marketing research firm. They wanted to chat about a test venture that would no doubt grow my channel. Surely this is spam and it was ignored. A few days later, a more convincing message was sent and contact was made. They had conducted an honesty survey using several channels and mine rated the highest. A six week experiment was in order to see how much potential there was in a channel that had various topics and was not trying to directly sell anything. This sounded great!
The first two weeks of the experiment was about getting the videos in order and tagging them properly. Several old videos had to go. They were too divisive or too old. Away they went. Others need to be updated for proper tagging. A few thumbnail tweaks here and there as well. Nice and proper. Good, what next?
A consistent schedule was created. Videos would go out three times a week. Sunday afternoons were good for a pop culture video. It could be a single topic or a summary. The experiment would derive which worked better. Tuesday morning at 9 was good for a supplement review or other fitness related video. Friday morning was primetime for a beer review. People were getting ready for the weekend on Friday and a good beer suggestion helped them prepare. There, now stick to this schedule, until it needs to be updated.
Now for the thumbnails. They are too boring. Each should be unique and yet have a familiarity. Each should convey enough insight to be interesting. A format was chosen for each video type. A formula was discovered. Care was taken in their creation. They looked sharp, but not too professional.
The videos themselves needed something that was missing: an air of caring, not one of a hobby. YouTube, after all, was a place of business and the videos need to reflect that. Don’t just throw together a video in minutes. Take some time to prepare and plan them. A consistent introduction was needed for each type. A proper and consistent expectation needed to be created in the mind of the viewer. They should be able to tell what type of video they were watching by the introduction alone. No more sloppy t-shirts, even in the gym. Look like you care. Look like you want to help them. Well, because, you want to do so. The viewer must get that message subconsciously in the first ten seconds. If not, they would be lost. Too often, and they would not return.
Over time, the videos took on the new ideas. By the fourth week, the channel growth was up to 200 new subscribers a week. This was not some drop in the bucket as had been when the Brie Larson/Captain Marvel video exploded. Views hit 1,000 for every video. Then 5,000. This was real growth and people showed their appreciation. The number of likes grew. Comments were left that reflected their desires. They communicated with one another. The first steps to a real YouTube community were being created. Finally! This is Awesome!
The channel was not the only thing to be growing. The marketing research firm was able to collect useful data from subscribers and viewers (surveys, advertisement reactions, social media sharing). This information could be sold or used to help their clients better their marketing efforts. They called and wanted a face to face. They had a new proposal.
It was with a bit of hesitance that a meeting was arranged in Upstate New York. Would the rights to the channel have to be sold or signed away? Would the income continue to grow?
No, on both accounts. Margaret wanted a more direct partnership: full-time consultant. The channel stays in the same hands, but direction and feedback would come from the firm to help it grow. Viewers would also be encouraged to take part in surveys and such to help gauge the value. The largest market was the fitness supplements industry, but it wasn’t the only one. Videos needed to be more often. There were brands interested in offering views discounts on new orders. A few apparel companies wanted to have their wears on display in workout videos. The best, though, was the request for not only interviews with the spokespeople for brands, but workout videos and appearances on their channels. LapeTV was becoming a bigger thing and it needed to grow, quickly.
A new video schedule was created. Sunday afternoons would now be “Conversations with Brainmuffin,” a new interview series like no other. All too often, the same questions are asked repeatedly and the personalities become quite tired of answering them. A new idea was to be tried, let them create their own list of questions, at least in part. What have they never been asked? Is there a question they would like to revise an answer for? New lines of thought? Why does no one ask these questions? A casual conversation was the goal, instead of some firing line style Q&A. Great!
Views about pop culture moved to three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Supplement reviews and taste tests, workout videos, and videos on correct exercise execution came out on Tuesday and Thursday. Beer reviews were still limited to Friday, but beer making would be added from time to time. Interviews with brewers would also be added to “Conversations with Brainmuffin,” but only once a month. Beer just isn’t paying the bills.
The return trip was overwhelming. The firm rented most of a floor in the Carew Tower in downtown Cincinnati as a place for conducting interviews and making the tasting videos. A kitchen area was created to allow for fitness cooking and beer making. An area of the floor was reinforced and a proper gym was created. Starting with local talent and fitness pros (personal trainers, rehabilitation specialists, sports coaches), workout and training routine videos were created. Often, the same people not only wanted to be on “Conversations with Brainmuffin,” but they also wanted to do supplement taste tests. Brands eventually allowed their local spokes person to bring new flavors and products by. The YouTube channel grew and so did the BitChute echo.
Helping with everything locally was Margaret’s trusty assistant, Elizabeth. Keeping everyone on schedule, in particular Brainmuffin himself, was a full-time job. After a month, Margaret knew she had to give up Elizabeth and let her run the operation. A new partnership was crafted: the making of a YouTube channel like none other.
Then, the first development happened. Arnold reached out for an interview in Columbus during the Classic.
The year 2018 started a bit off for me. At the end of the third week, a project that I had been on since mid-October and for which I had left a job of 10 years was scaled back and I was no longer needed. A week later, I found myself unemployed and looking for another new opportunity.
February rolled in and soon a notice came from YouTube that my channel was going to get demonetized. No rules or community guidelines had been violated, I just didn’t have enough subscribers. Some friends tried to help me get over the 1,000 required limit, but it didn’t help. The deadline hit and I was no longer monetized.
March opened with me starting a new job. This was the biggest opportunity of my career and with a large employer. Developer friends of mine wished me luck and were surprised where I as going. There was some trepidation and misgivings, but it really seemed like the right and next step I needed to take. Time would tell, I told myself.
Time didn’t take long to start sending me signs my decision may not have been sound. Part of the time seemed receptive, part did not. My expectations and those of my boss didn’t jell. My first 90 days review did not go anywhere near what I thought it should. A few months later I was starting to second guess myself. Hold on for a year, then make a move. I didn’t get that chance and at 9 months, the ride was over.
One year. Two jobs lost. I turned 50 in the middle of the year. Was I getting too old to program? I didn’t know anything else. What was I going to do?
November was a lean month. One opportunity after another faded. Companies that had opportunities that were a better fit were slow in recruiting and the Thanksgiving holiday played into that. One company was a bit more aggressive and it was one with whom I had interviewed before, several years ago. It was less money than the last job, but it was much closer to what I wanted. I took it.
The year 2018 is closing much better than the start. My current job is more fulfilling than my last two and my opinion is far more respected and my experience has more weight. My coworkers are honestly open to my suggestions. I don’t always have the answer, but the discussion leads to the them.
I’m open to 2019 and what it will bring. I know there will be ups and downs. I’m more aligned with the Universe. Forward and onward.
“This is your last day here.” It has been weeks, but those words still ring through my head. They haunt me. They keep me up at night. It had been nearly 20 years since I had been invited to excel somewhere else and I had never been dismissed due to performance. Interestingly, I lost two jobs in a calendar year back then too and here I was losing a second one in 9 months. Had I made a mistake in leaving a position and company with whom I had been for 10 years? Had I become old and washed up?
I walked to my car in the parking garage in a mix of shock and relief. For several months, the job which I had once felt was a great opportunity had tarnished. I was 95% sure for a week that my time was coming to and end, but the optimist held to that 5%. Back in August I had thought myself fired, but I was still here in October. The sudden meeting request from my boss might mean some disciplinary function other than a separation, but in my heart of hearts I knew the time was ending. On top of that, my boss was suddenly interested in old e-mail chains that still dangled like threads in the wind. He was hands off for months and I knew this was just tidying loose ends. I was done.
During the interview process I was not able to fully articulate what I wanted. For 8 years, I had been a manager, then a merger happened. My team was scattered and I was just an administrator for systems that would soon be merged and turned down. My former boss left as did several colleagues. I felt alone and unused, but there was no hurry to leave. I passed on some opportunities, I missed others. One day, something I really liked came along and I leapt. A few months later, what looked golden tarnished and the client experienced budget cuts. I was a part of the cuts and found myself on the outside looking in. Several new opportunities came, but only one shown. I took it. Perhaps I was hasty, but I am too old to wait.
The first few weeks were great, but as the actual work presented, I wondered if I really wanted to do this. I felt like an outsider and never fully welcomed on the team. I told myself I was paranoid and playing the “old man” card too much. It would get better. One person left the team and then another. Was there a pattern here? The team was composed of two different management lines and the departures were only on one. Coincidence? I told myself no.
A first status check meeting. I’m behind. What was I going to do to right the ship? Hmm… That’s not leadership. Maybe my younger boss wanted my ideas. I gave some and got to work. I met the numbers of which I knew. Surely the next meeting will be better.
I expressed feeling alone and unguided. The work was self-explanatory I was told. The teams were self-guiding I was assured. Just pay attention and ask colleagues. Ok, I’ll so that.
The known numbers were met. New knowledge was acquired. Things were surely going better. Ok, let’s rock this one. I’ve got this. Tickets came and went. But. But….underneath frustration. Some teams were unreceptive. Some teams were uncooperative. Work around it.
Second status check. New numbers presented. Wait. What? When was this put into place? Apparently, I was supposed to know this by osmosis. Well, that is VERY odd. If a goal has not been communicated, how in the world am I to know to hit it? Ok, new goals. Redouble efforts. After all, the team finally seems to have accepted me and is helpful. Other teams have allowed me to get items done as well. Updates are being tested and code will soon be in production. Surely, I am being paranoid again.
For the third time, the warning signs were unheeded.
I kept telling myself I was too old and it was too soon to look for something else. A few items came and went, but nothing was as good. I talked to others. I talked to the recruiter who got me this job. Maybe I was being paranoid. Maybe I was seeing things that were not there. Maybe it was all in my head.
The team keeps getting more distant. Stand ups are less engaging. No one attends the weekly product meetings I conduct. Few ask high value questions. What is going on?
I sat and listened to the person who would soon be my former boss. I had no emotions. Yes, I was in shock, but I was angry. I was angry with myself that I had not listened three months ago. I was right. I was right about everything and now I had no leverage. No head start. I knew for a week, no for a month, that things were not right. I can’t believe I was losing a second job in a calendar year. I knew other recruiters would want to know why.
I listened to my options. I listened to how much they would give me. I had a few weeks. I would have some time. I checked my e-mail. Oddly enough, two recruiters had returned messages. Before I would leave the garage, one would call me.
Things would be ok. I breathed. Gratitude overcame me. I was thankful. I was happy. I had been released from prison and the next assignment would be better. I knew it. It is.
When I came across the idea of a truth in advertising, I began to realize that my reviews of various products might fit into such a realm and discussion. If a person has no desire or claim to self another a service or a particular product, it remains that the former person can give a truly honest and open review. This is the manner on which I have given reviews, in particular of fitness supplements.
Though given such a foundation, what can be said or expected on the manner of income for these reviewers? Can it be justified, or perhaps expected, that reviewers can be paid and remain unbiased? What if these reviewers are paid by a third party that claims or accepts no directly derived outcomes? Suppose makers of any products are only paying for access and time, and not for any particular review. That manner of contract would allow for openness and honesty, in particular if the speech of the contract demanded complete and total transparency and accepted the occasion of a negative review.
Yes, such a particular situation can be created and should allowed to exist. My reviews are of this manner, even when products have been provided with no expense on mine part. Several manufactures have sent me products to review. Not once was there an expectation the review be unforthrightly positive.
With the Universe as a witness, it is hereby declared upon the Creation of Thought and Reason, a company shall arise, a Commercial and Advertising company at that, which will provide the Resources required to interview and create the content upon which reviews and interviews can be justified to supplement manufactures. Yes, honest and complete openness.
My various supplement and fitness videos are well documented to be without purchase and influence. It is time for the advertising company that wishes to promote these such arise.
With each flip of the calendar, ideas for training that once worked become less successful. It is the growing mind that constantly looks for new ideas to try. Some ideas are great. Others are left behind. Read any stereotypical body building magazine and the routines contained in them have you doing 12 and 15 rep sets and low rest periods. Read a strength training manual and the sets have much lower rep counts and longer rest periods. Why can’t both be used?
Without going into too much detail about fast and slow twitch muscles, the idea of doing a mixed training routine is not a new one nor is it without some merit. The pursuer of any such routine must be aware of two major compromises:
There will not be enough volume to fully inflate the muscle bellies
The weights will not be heavy enough to build full strength
Often such compromises are fine for those not going to compete on stage in a pose off nor a power lifting event. The idea with hybrid training is to take the best of strength training and high volume and put them together. Training routines are made to last 45 minutes to an hour. Strength is done first, hypertrophy volume next. Do not neglect the negative portion of a rep on any set. The negative portion is very important for building strength and hypertrophy.
Enough hand waving. What about a routine? Sure, soon enough. The split for a week is two days training, one day rest, then two more days training and another day of rest. If you are too worn out or want align it better for a week, take two days rest at the end of a cycle. Such a schedule make be as so: train Monday and Tuesday, rest of Wednesday, train Thursday and Friday, rest over the weekend.
First Day Session – Legs
Training of legs starts with squats in a 5×5 format, with pyramiding weights for each set. The idea is to finish each set and you should be quite tired by the end of the last rep. Fail to hit 5 reps on any set, reduce the weight and finish out. Use that weight for the subsequent sets.
High rep walking lunges and standing calf raises finish out the routine. It may seem simple and easy, but it isn’t. Do not be surprised when your quads are screaming for the next couple of days.
The Routine
Squats – Warm Up – 45 seconds rest
Bar only – 5 reps
30% 5 rep max – 5 reps
40% 5 rep max – 3 reps
60% 5 rep max – 2 reps
Squats – Work Sets – start with 75% of 5 rep max – add enough weight after each set to reach 5 rep max on last set. When all reps are done for all sets, add weight for each set the next time until a new 5 rep max is reached.
75% 5 rep max – 5 reps
85% 5 rep max – 5 reps
90% 5 rep max – 5 reps
95% 5 rep max – 5 reps
100% 5 rep max – 5 reps
Dumbbell Walking Lunge – use a weight heavy enough to tax for the whole set, but not too much you get off balance
20 reps – 4 sets – 90 seconds rest
Standing Calf Raises – same weight for each set. Vary the foot placement for inside, middle, and outside portions of the calf. Hit each part with 2 sets.
20 reps – 6 sets – 2 sets each for inside, middle, outside
Up next, chest and upper back. It will be time for push/pull super-sets. Be ready.
