father and son activity | At Home with Tech

October 15, 2023

Why Loki is the Best MCU Series on Disney+

Season 2 of “Loki” has arrived, and it’s even more weirdly wonderful as the first.

With the exception of “The Hobbit” and “Harry Potter” movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has often dominated my son’s movie streaming over recent years. (A “Star Wars” film occasionally shows up on our 13-year-old’s list, although he was absolutely all in while watching the “Andor” series.)

And I’ve been exceptionally happy to join him on his MCU viewing odyssey (#geekdad #trekkie).

But MCU movies don’t come out that often. So, it’s really the series on Disney+ that have carried the MCU forward across these past few years.

Loki Branches Out
“Loki” kicked it all off back in 2021. The show starred Tom Hiddleston as our reborn God of Mischief, Owen Wilson as Agent Mobius and Sophia Di Martino as variant Sylvie. “Loki” gave us a mind-bending and universe-expanding storyline featuring the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and its questionable mandate to protect the ‘Sacred Timeline.’

There were only six episodes, and of course, the last scene ended with a cliffhanger. This first season was way too short, but every moment felt so fresh.

“Loki” was funny, clever, weird, touching and totally fun. Beyond the great writing, top-notch acting, future/retro look and cool music, its success was mostly driven through character development. Season 1 wasn’t about the explosions and special effects. It was about the people. Each and every character mattered.

“Loki” succeeded because it was a completely different MCU experience. It opened up so many new branches to explore (literally and figuratively).

The MCU Needs to Find its Mojo
Other MCU series on Disney+ followed, and the ones that also focused on being different and not simply a retread were also more appealing. (“Moon Knight” was a perfect example.)

Not to overgeneralize, but as a whole, the current state of the entire MCU (not just the Disney+ series) feels a bit like Thor and his dad bod.

Thank the gods that season 2 of “Loki” has finally arrived.

Ouroboros Rocks!
The premiere did not disappoint. It packed in everything I love about this series. They obviously had some time to tinker with every element, and this first episode demonstrated nice polish.

It was so smart and even more trippy than the first season. Plus, we were introduced to the wonderful new character Ouroboros (O.B.), played by Ke Huy Quan (from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

In many ways, O.B. represents the quirky and magical energy of the entire series. It’s like he’s simultaneously in on the joke and also a part of it.

Pay Attention
Everything doesn’t always make sense (at first), and a casual viewer may feel like the show is choppy, inconsistent and hard to understand.

Exactly. That’s the beauty. There’s a mystery here that needs unraveling. And you’d better pay attention to… everything. (Even what’s blurred out in the background during a climactic moment in the first episode).

The Beginning of Season 2 doesn’t Disappoint
I’ve seen the first two episodes as I write this. The premiere is arguably the best in the entire series to date. The second runs a bit more mainstream, though it also has its moments, including the wonderful pie-eating scene…

The whole story grinds to a halt as Loki and Mobius spend a few minutes eating key lime pie in the TVA cafeteria’s automat. This moment reflects the secret ingredient to this series’ successful recipe: This show takes it’s time to tell its story.

It’s About Time
That doesn’t mean “Loki” is slow. Hardly. But nothing is rushed either. There’s time for character development… for innovative shots… for a great script.

There’s always time for fun and playfulness. And time to simply let a joke… land.

And that’s why “Loki” continues to be the best MCU series on Disney+.

My son and I love it. For all time. Always.

August 20, 2017

Are You Telling Your Story?

How’s it going telling the story of your life? What? Not doing that? How about your story over the past year? No? Well, then you might want to take some advice from my father. He’s got lots of stories to tell you. Like the time he went to the top of Machu Picchu.

My 84-year-old father is a great storyteller. He always loves the opportunity to share an exciting experience from years past. When he’s not telling me one of his stories, he sometimes says, “Barrett, these are your halcyon days. Things aren’t always going to be this good.”

I’m never quite sure what his point is other than life throws you curve balls. So, you should make sure to pay attention to the moments when you’re on a happy straightaway.

I suppose it’s a warning… and a compliment… all baked together.

I’ve been around the block a few times myself. So, I’m probably fooling myself if I don’t admit to knowing exactly what he’s talking about.

I think the lesson is to make darn sure to remember the good times, because they were indeed good. It’s easy to forget that with the murky complexities that the future inevitably brings.

The future often clouds the past in some way. Coloring it a new shade.

Digital Memories
Of course, one way to help keep the past straight is to take a photo or a video of a particular moment or series of moments. That’s not rocket science.

Organizing and keeping track of those digital memories over a period of years is something of a harder lift.
(You’ve seen me stress over this challenge before.)

But at the end of the day, your digital memories are mere fragments… not entire experiences. And they reflect a specific editorial point of view that led to their creation. They serve as ‘commercials’ for your life rather than objective and complete ‘documentaries.’

The Good Old Days
You’ve got to be deliberate and pay attention to your life as it unfolds. And acknowledge life’s many chapters in larger chunks of time. Nobody is going to do that for you.
(Unless someone is writing your biography.)

It’s your job to remember your story. So, do whatever it takes to recall it properly.
(Take some notes!)

And don’t forget to acknowledge all of the people who are on the journey with you.
(They share in your story, and you share in theirs.)

Tell Your Story Now!
Yes, it’s important to recognize the good times when they’re happening. But it’s equally essential to look back and give the past a proper nod, now and again.

And keep your ongoing narrative clear and strong as it spans the decades.

It’s your life… and your story. It’s your job to keep it straight.
And your responsibility to tell it.

Thanks, Dad.

May 29, 2016

My Son’s Favorite Toy That’s Not a Toy

Where do all of these pictures come from? From the mind of my six year old. And how does he create them? Sometimes the most complex questions have the easiest answers…

“Please put that down. That’s not a toy!”

As a parent of a six-year-old-boy, I think it’s fair to say the best (or most desired) toy is often something that’s not a toy. And I’ve found it’s often been a piece of my home tech he wants to test drive.

I must report that most unlikely piece of home tech that my son really likes to spend time with is… my home printer.

Yup… he likes to print.

No, he’s not quite jumping onto my computer yet to print out complex Excel spreadsheets. But let me explain…

Good Morning
For the last two to three years, my boy has often enjoyed starting his day by walking over to me while I’m tapping away at my iMac.

I don’t know about other parents out there, but I’ve intentionally carved out about 65 minutes of uninterrupted ‘alone’ time in the morning while the rest of my family sleeps. Yes, I’m giving up some Z’s, but I usually set my alarm early and use these extra minutes to catch up at my desk and sometimes to write my blog.

My mind is fresh, and I often find the creativity flows during this ‘magic time.’ People ask me where I find the time to write as a busy parent… now you know.

Time to Print
So my son likes to greet me every morning and knows to find me downstairs at my Mac. Once we go through our good-morning ritual, he has often made me a little ask…

“Will you print me something, Dada?”

I’ve had a variety of requests over the years… animals, dinosaurs, sea creatures, insects, Lego sets, planets, spaceships, cartoon characters… or whatever he’s been thinking about or playing with the day before.

So I Google the particular ‘thing’ and then click on ‘Images,’ and suddenly there are about a hundred for him to choose from. He sits on my lap, and we go through all of the options. He chooses his favorite picture…sometimes two or three. And I print them all out.

He then runs over to my Canon Pixma iP2820 printer to collect his images and voilà!
Instant gratification.

His brain picks something.
I Google it.
My printer makes it appear.

I’d say that’s quite a toy!

Collaboration
I think the other obvious dynamic is this has become a fun father/son activity that my boy can call up most any morning he desires.
(If I were painting a white fence every morning when he wakes up, that fence would probably become a favorite object too.)

But that printer is also pretty cool. I’m sure it’s like magic to my boy…

That you can think of anything and then immediately print an image of it out… that’s got to an amazing feat for any child. Yes, I know it’s a no brainer today… but if you back just a little bit in time, it was also impossible for most adults.

I can only imagine what the future might look like when 3-D printers become more affordable for home use…

Don’t Run Out of Ink
Technically, my home printer has distinguished itself as my son’s favorite adult tech tool.
(His favorite adult tech toy is my iPad… but that’s a different conversation for another day.)

So does my lowly Pixma printer get more of a workout that I originally expected? It certainly does…

I’m careful to make sure it’s printing in ‘draft’ mode to save on ink costs. My boy isn’t that particular on the quality of the image… although he does point out when the color cartridge runs out and the colors skew horribly in one direction.
Then, it’s a do-over.

So yes, I’m sure to have an extra set of ink cartridges at the ready.
And yes, those cartridges are expensive… so I’m always looking for whatever deal is available.

The Big Picture
I’m sure some of you might be thinking… The kid likes to have his daddy print out a few images on his printer. Big deal.

True… but I don’t know… I kind of like it. And dare I say, it can fall into the category of learning… as he explores his world.

My little printer: Toy and learning device.

That’s one dad’s story, and I’m sticking to it.

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