The Meerkat Muse: 25th of March, 2026
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Meerkat Muse.
A Day of Forms
Rewinding all the way back to the 11th of March, I felt like I spent all day filling out customer service forms for various reasons. We’re putting through a handful of orders here and there, and dealing with a lot of small fires elsewhere. It seemed everyone had some kind of issue, and thus I was querying stuff with head office, left right and centre. Some of it was made trickier by virtue of not being able to contact customers. With delivery dates fast approaching and situations requiring resolutions, I was having to do a bit of scurrying around, potentially being a nuisiance, to make magic happen. Not ideal.
Star Trek Distractions
It’s probably not a good idea to dive down old rabbit holes, even if diversions – for various reasons – have been most welcome of late. Still, I am not always known for picking the path of least resistance, and so it proved by opening up an old can of worms, relating to Star Trek and continuity. You see, the advent of Star Trek: Discovery triggered a series of debates and arguments among Trekkies, and the unwelcome trend of gatekeeping reared its ugly head in the process. Some ‘fans’ were greatly upset on the grounds of race and misogyny, whilst other fans sought to create a distinction between what they called ‘nu-Trek’ and what some called ‘true Trek’.
Some of the terminology took on quasi-religious tones, and it came across as being rather fanatical. Because DSC did not mimic the visual cues of prior shows, and owing to some exhaustive ‘analysis’ of ‘the canon’, some fans argued that DSC and subsequent shows belong in a separate timeline, a parallel continuity, or a different universe to ‘true Trek’. Now, if they chose to roll with that as a matter of personal opinion, fine, but that wasn’t enough. They had to somehow see to it that their opinion was treated as definitive, objective fact, and would pore over minute details in a bid to accomplish this goal.
There’s the question of ‘why’, which I can only guess at. Did they not like the new shows? There’s certainly no obligation to like them, but was not liking them really enough of a reason to carry out an exhaustive-yet-ultimately-performative analysis to ‘prove’ DSC and its spinoff shows are part of some other timeline? Did it demonstrate some form of obsession? To some, the issue of continuity is more of an obsession. It’s also dangerous. You can tie yourself in knots. Star Trek has a lengthy history of being inconsistent in various ways. There’s also the small problem of being selective in what you choose to dissect where continuity is concerned.
The people who argued the hardest about placing DSC in a separate continuity struck me as fanatical. The terms, such as ‘true Trek’ (among others), are couched in the language of religious fanatics. ‘True faith’, ‘true Christianity’, ‘true beliefs’, etc. You see this sort of language employed quite regularly by that sort of crowd. They display the sort of conviction that diehard evangelical Christians would be proud of. They even go as far as to ignore – and even aggressively argue with – production and studio staff. It is the studio and showrunners that determine what is or is not canon, and what qualifies as part of any given continuity. The producers of Star Trek have never created a distinction between the TOS/TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT events, and those of DSC/PIC/SNW/PRO/LWD/ACA. As far as the showrunners are concerned, it’s one timeline, one continuity.
You see, what a lot of these ‘canon’ police-types fail to understand is that for the new shows to resonate with the audience, there needs to be a connection to what’s gone before. Updating the visuals is merely an aesthetic change, which I for one have no issue with. I speak as someone who grew up on TNG, and I suspect there are a lot of fans my age who share my views. Indeed, older fans, such as my mother, who grew up on TOS, feel the same way. Visual changes do not make or break continuity for me, whilst I also realise that the mechanisms and styles of story have changed, thanks to the rise of streaming media and the frustrating trend of shorter seasons.
We are not going to get a 26-episode season of standalone stories that perfectly encapsulates the style of TNG, not in this day and age. This doesn’t mean the new Star Trek shows stand apart in some alternate universe or different timeline. The audience would feel less connected to these new shows. The new shows matter because they are connected to what came before. This is particularly true where Star Trek: Picard is concerned. Some fans tried to argue PIC was set in a different continuity. The meaningful moments and tie-ins to TNG would lose all their heart and soul if the two shows were not connected by more than threads of memories and nostalgia. The producers would not sign off on a ploy along those lines, because it would weaken the brand.
I appreciate this is an awfully long ramble on a very niche subject, but it’s sort of like therapy for me right now.
Back to the Drawing Board
I mean that sort of literally. I have been reading Bookshops & Bonedust, which is a charming, cosy book by Travis Baldree. He also wrote Legends & Lattes, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I liken these stories to getting into a hot bath at the end of a stressful day, and I was inspired to draw – in my own distinctly average way – one of the lead characters from Bookshops & Bonedust.
Immersing myself in stories is another coping mechanism during times of stress, but so is writing them. I’ve inched along with both my WIPs, churning out paragraphs here and there, slowly bringing the characters and stories to life.
A Surge in Views
The other week brought a huge surge in website views. I have no idea where they came from, and am tempted to conclude that they could be driven by AI bots, seeking to pilfor Meerkat Musings for ideas. I don’t have any way of proving this, it’s very much a gut feeling.
The Random Cat
I am a proud cat father, but my black-and-white booboo Castiel does not tend to play well with other cats. After he mewled to be let out the other Saturday morning, I put him outside and went back to bed, hoping to get a little bit more sleep before getting up for work. No such luck. A few minutes later, I heard a cat – possibly more than one – hissing and snarling. My wife rushed downstairs, expecting to lure Castiel back inside, only to be greeted by this fluffy ball! She gave them some biscuits, and they ate them, before eventually deciding our watchful eyes were off-putting, and disappearing off down the path.
Will we see them again? It’s possible. Will Castiel be pleased by this? Absolutely not.
AI Drama
Over on Twitter, I have been quietly wondering why its algorithm is shoving AI content creators in my face. I understand why people use it, I’ve even used it before on this site, but I am making an effort to move away from it, and I would like to think this would be reflected in what Twitter’s algorithm shows me.
Nope.
Twitter is doggedly determined to present a number of AI endorsers, all presenting the same message: ‘Hollywood is doomed, the movie industry is doomed, creatives should get with the times, etc etc’. These posts are usually accompanied by a short video clip that supposedly proves how great AI has become at making movie scenes.
The thing is, none of these scenes actually stack up to the real thing, and they heavily rely on harvesting ideas scavenged from existing media. Generative AI has no original ideas. The people feeding it prompts aren’t able to offer new, imaginative notions. At their worst, these AI creations are plaguarising existing material (such as the AI fight scenes between say, John Wick and Ethan Hunt). I do not want to see this material on my Twitter feed, any more than I want to see right-wing rubbish from the likes of Reform, yet Twitter seems determined to force this slop in front of my eyes.
I get using it for private consumption, to say, create images for a personal website. I’ve done that myself in the past, and may do so in the future. I would never, ever, pretend it is remotely as good as the real thing. Indeed, I am prouder of my worst hand-drawn pictures than anything I’ve generated. I would also be far happier watching a movie that was pieced together with human imagination, hard work and commitment, as opposed to something soulless and heartless. I don’t want such slop pedalled at me. It is absurd to see so many AI bros repeating the same shite (if you’ll pardon my language).
AI drama blew up in particular respect of the furry community, and specifically a coffee company invited to act as a vendor at a convention. It turns out this company relies heavily on AI for posters and adverts, and their outright hostility toward anyone critiquing this, combined with their use of AI in their marketing, earned them a ban from the convention. The thing is, I do get it. They’re a small family-run business, and I would wager they do not have the experience to draw their own artwork, nor the willingness to pay for it. AI offers a quick ‘out’ for them, and like I said, I get it. However, there’s a difference between using it for personal reasons (such as to spruce up a personal website), and using it to try and replace human work.
It’s the genie that won’t go back into the bottle, and we shall have to find ways to handle generative AI, but please people, let’s make an effort to use our minds. Relying upon AI to write, to make music or movies, to be creative for us… please, let’s not.
Obvious Distractions, P2
Back in my previous Muse, I lamented the clear and obvious distraction from the Epstein files that is Israel’s and the USA’s war with Iran. Trump trumpeted his war, and pledged it would be over quickly. How quickly is quickly in this instance? Because the missiles are still falling, the economically vital Strait of Hormuz is being throttled, with rising costs for everyone, alliances are being threatened, and most crucially of all, people are still dying.
As is by now the norm, I am seeing a lot of back-tracking and twisted pretzel logic from Trump’s worshippers to justify his abrupt shift from an allegedly peaceful president, to one who wages war on a whim. We were assured that Iran’s nuclear capabilities were destroyed during a campaign last year, yet here we are, with them being ‘destroyed’ yet again, to say nothing of a wider conflict. Trump has talked about regime change, yet as mentioned two weeks ago, regime changed forced by external powers rarely works. All Trump has so far succeeded in doing is to polarise the region even more, and he does not seem to have an escape route, other than vague ‘it will end when I feel it should end’ rhetoric.
Trump, who presides over one of the world’s largest militaries, is now crying for help from allies to commit forces and risk lives over a war he started as a diversion from Epstein and his failures at home. Worse, he has ramped up his aggressive posturing about NATO. Why should British lives be risked over this? And how is it that those who purport him to be a president of peace are content to ignore his record during his first term, and even support his actions during his section?
Like I said, we’re seeing pretzel logic on display.
Nervous Days
At present, there are events and moments that continue to induce anxiety and fear in my soul, stuff that I can’t go into detail on at the moment. I will say that following last Wednesday’s events, my worries, at one stage heightened (more down to me than anything else) were sort of eased, but there remains some stuff to resolve. Indeed, there remains a lot to resolve. Most of what I can do in the immediate future involves nothing more than waiting. The waiting is certainly the worst element of all this.
Sunnier Times
Whilst the mornings are still chilly and the evenings also quite chilly, the middle of the day has become much more pleasant. It isn’t exactly hot, yet walking around for a few minutes with a coat on is enough for me to swiftly ditch the coat. Bright blue skies have graced the local landscape for several days. The mercury has even touched 20C, which is positively lovely.
I liken the current weather as between seasons. Officially it’s spring, but wintery strands remain in the mornings and nights. As we draw closer to April, we’ll enter into more turbulent conditions, with April traditionally being windy and wet, punctuated with bursts of sunshine. With luck, the weather will actually maintain an upward climb, but it’s Britain, and it’s certainly possible to experience all four seasons inside a day. We’ll see what transpires.
A Day of Fiddly Crap
After a couple of days off, it was back to work and back to something of a series of issues relating to returns. It seems that the left hand and right hand are not in sync at head office, but the trouble is that the problems they create cascade downhill. What makes it all particularly aggravating is that one particular problem related to a web order, and yet somehow the store had to get involved because customer services willed it so, instead of doing what they are supposed to do.
Cue further confusion. An exchange was raised, with a new order going to the customer, and yet somehow the returns team raised a collection from the store! I will grant this was my original request on a form, but as a store, following a request from the customer, we arranged to change this with returns, and returns… didn’t!
This whole affair wound up becoming a mess, and it could have been completely avoided if customer services had done their job. I don’t need faffy crap to deal with right now.
Anti-Vax Idiots
There’s been an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, and this has already claimed lives. Meningitis is a very serious illness, and it rapidly evolve from mild, flu-like symptoms into something deadly and crippling. It is a horrible disease, but it is one that can be vaccinated against. Unfortunately, now is the time for the anti-vax brigade to chant their usual ignorant mantras on social media, even going as far as to argue with medical professionals about minute details.
I’m starting to think that there should be serious consquences for spreading misinformation like this. Warding people off treatments to prevent and control the spread of infectious, deadly diseases should carry legal penalties. People can literally die as a result of listening to these armchair ‘experts’, so why not take steps to ensure that on matters like this, these ‘experts’ face consequences?
Lest some deride me for being against freedom of speech (because I am certain some people will, in their ignorance, issue such small-brained decrees), I am not suggesting that anyone be silenced. Spout all the crap and nonsense you want. All I am saying is, there should be consequences if your crap leads to others dying. If people reflected upon what they were about to share and say, perhaps we’d see a little less ignorance and a bit more common sense.
Insane Dreams
One recent dream was as peculiar as it gets. It was utterly out of left field, and I have no idea what it was trying to tell me.
The first half involved my wife, daughter and I on some kind of obstacle course, a fun course but an absolutely chaotic one. I have no idea what that was all about. It might have connected to some kind of party, which means the next dream may have been connected to the first. I was in a posh shop where I was buying tobacco of all things, and rolling it up into what felt like some sort of pastry?! Next, I was wandering in and out of other expensive shops, sharing in wine and other indulgences. Then I woke up.
I have no idea what any of that meant.
Chaotic Writing
Of late, I have more freely practiced what I preach about writing, namely that sometimes you must simply write, even if it means opening up a new document to work on something new or some other idea. If you get stuck with one project, work on another to keep the creative juices pumping. I dare say it’s advice that won’t work for everyone, but it works for me. It’s led me to start work on my big multiverse’s final stages, before the first part is even published! Crazy of me? Perhaps. Is it helping me filter my thoughts? Absolutely.
A Backwards Turn
You may recall some angst relating to another showroom, and the theft of orders. Following my brief experience working directly within that showroom and with their manager, I had felt somewhat molified, but the other week they decided to resume their underhanded, needlessly greedy approach. My colleague had spent a lot of time with a customer putting together a quote and design. He worked hard, developed a good relationship with the customer, but steered the customer into the other store to look at a few items. The manager took it upon himself to sit the customer down, do a new design, and then have the cheek to call up my colleague, and suggest that because he’d done so much work, the order should go through his store’s books.
Absolutely not. He made a conscious choice to create more work for himself, knowing that my colleague had already done a design and quote. This is order theft, pure and simple, and unacceptable.
Rightly or wrongly, I am in a combative mood, given some stuff going on, and whilst in times past we might have been encouraged to let slide these acts, I am not inclined to keep giving ground. Bullies thrive on submission. They won’t change until they are forced to change.
If performing work on other people’s orders entitled you to snatch that order, then orders would change hands all the time. As a case in point, I spent quite a while working on an order on behalf of another showroom. I would never steal that order away from the original salesperson. There is such a thing as honour among salespeople, something that this particular colleague at this particular showroom has yet to learn.
A Day of Tiles and Designs
Slowly but surely, we are redressing the showroom, but as you can imagine this means a lot of extra work. I am not exactly delighted to be dealing with so much extra work, even though I thoroughly understand it’s needed. I have a stack of designs to do as well. I could do with a break, ideally in the form of a large lottery win and unwinding at a five-star resort somewhere sunny.
What I ought to be is grateful. I have a job, and it’s pretty steady. There are things to do at the moment, which sidesteps boredom and complacency. However, what with sources of stress elsewhere, I am distinctly not in the mood for any of this.
There are worse things to experience in life, with friends going through stuff I would not wish upon my worst enemies. Still, I have my own stuff going on, from which I could sorely use some relief.
Is relief forthcoming? I do not know. I am keeping everything crossed for that outcome.
Take care everyone, until next time.
‘Kat Comments