Author Archive: Eric San Juan

Interactive Content Services, a jackass company for jackasses staffed by jackasses

August 4, 2016 13 Comments

Recently saw a help wanted ad seeking an online reporter, a part-time telecommute position involving doing stuff I’ve done for, oh, the last 15 years or so. Perfect. More work is always (okay, usually) good. I could slot that work into my freelance schedule, add a little income, and stay sane in the process. I applied, providing many writing samples when I did, as requested. This is the response I got, in full, from jobs@contentservices.co: Dear Eric, Thank you for your interest in the company and for sending me your samples. You have been identified as a possible reporter candidate for our group of legal journalism websites and newspapers. As stated in the job posting, the average pay for these types of stories is $24 each. However,…
Read more

Rants, Writing

, , , , ,

The Atari 2600, Axis & Allies, classic board games, and other Youtube shenanigans

June 18, 2016 0 Comments

I’ve been lax in posting recent Hours in the Attic videos because Reasons, so I figured the best way to alleviate my guilt would be to post several at once. Two are board game-related, which is always fun because board games rock, and the third is a bit of Atari 2600 nostalgia. So that’s swell. Check them out while I get back to pretending I’m a writer (and don’t forget to subscribe):   This next one, I don’t know how Tig managed to salvage it, because I was just rambling without direction or focus. That’s what years worth of loving this game will do to you, I guess. Axis & Allies isn’t the deepest war game out there, but for me it’s the most fun. I still…
Read more

Geek Stuff, Videos, Works by Eric

, , , , ,

“Why don’t Muslims protest against ISIS?” and other idiotic questions

June 17, 2016 4 Comments

It’s exceedingly rare that I stray into politics here, or on any public forum, for that matter — you know what they say about sleeping with dogs — but a few comments I’ve seen online the last few days have caused my knee to jerk. Need to get this out of my system. In the wake of the horrific attack in Orlando, Florida, the conversation looks much the same as it does every time there is a mass shooting. The same debate about guns. The same debate about rights. The same endless talking in circles. The same reductive, mindless repetition of the same thoughtless, meme-driven arguments by people on all sides. It’s incredibly tiresome, especially when the ground is stained with the blood of innocent…
Read more

Politics, Rants

,

Two nerds with beer (one of them me) beat the Kirk vs. Picard horse

June 16, 2016 1 Comment

Hours in the Attic debuts a new segment this week called “Nerd Fight,” which is … well, you can guess what it is. And what better way to kick it off than with a playful take on the debate nerds have been gnashing their teeth about since The Next Generation debuted? Yep, Kirk vs. Picard, with a dash of Kirk vs. Han Solo thrown in for good measure. Watch, and when you’re done check out my Star Trek marathon:

Geek Stuff, Television, Videos, Works by Eric

, , , , , , ,

Marvel’s villain problem (and why it may not be a problem at all)

June 10, 2016 32 Comments

It’s hard to complain about Marvel’s cinematic efforts. Since coming out of the gate with 2008’s Iron Man, Marvel has been firing on all cylinders in a way few studios ever do. Their best films are fantastic (cough Winter Soldier cough), and even their worst still manage to be decent popcorn entertainment. (Seriously, if The Dark World is the worst a studio has to offer, they are doing something right.) After a shaky start even their network TV offering, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., has finally come into its own, and their Netflix shows are uniformly superb to the point of making me wet myself with anticipation every time a new one is announced. Basically, Marvel has been making me feel like a 12-year-old fan again, eager…
Read more

Films, Geek Stuff

, , , , ,