Interesting Links for 27-10-2025

[andrewducker]

1. 4 Halloween Costumes That'll Make Him Say 'Oh Cool Yeah I Haven't Seen that Show'

(tags:Halloween costumes funny TV )

2. Time Immemorial turns 750: The Medieval law that froze history at 1189

(tags:history law UK viaPatrickHadfield )

3. Why Warm Countries Are Poorer

(tags:poverty economics geography temperature disease trade )

4. Chatbots Are Repeating Sanctioned Russian Propaganda

(tags:russia ai propaganda )

5. Megafauna was the meat of choice for South American hunters

(tags:prehistory SouthAmerica food animals )

Comments

[simont]

#1: Janet from The Good Place comes with the extra option of going full Disco Janet.

Though I'm not sure I see why either one is a Halloween costume in particular. Janet is a great character, but hardly scary. Not even the scariest character in the series!

[andrewducker]

Good point! My kids are going in scary-associated costumes, but I've definitely seen more "Just a costume" costumes about in recent years.

[simont]

I feel as if the right way to subvert Halloween is to pick things that are "scary" or "evil" in a different sense from the ghosts / vampires / werewolves / demons axis. If you're going to pick TV characters, then they should be sinister in some fashion. Morden from Babylon 5 springs to mind – wore a smart business suit, was unfailingly courteous to everybody, but somewhat sinister right from the start because of his slightly-too-wide smile, and terrifying to anyone who knew his true role in the plot. There are surely more up-to-date equivalents.

(At a very geeky party a decade or two ago, a friend showed up with a label on his jumper reading "systemd". "I've come as an evil dæmon", he explained. But that only worked because that particular party was full of people who would get that joke.)

[jack]

It's like carcinisation, all holidays eventually turn into dressing up :)

[armiphlage]

Alastor from Hazbin Hotel.

"Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath. A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control."

https://hazbinhotel.fandom.com/wiki/Alastor?file=AlastorRender+by+OKDraws.png

[agoodwinsmith]

See, the original *point* of dressing up on Hallowe'en was to disguise yourself from your ancestors in the spirit world, who might be hungry for a little jaunt in the flesh - yours. Therefore you could disguise yourself as the Oscar Mayer Weiner, and it was all good, because your hungry little ancestor wouldn't recognize you. Anything that isn't you is costumable.