By Ping, For Ping
I climbed the rain-slick steps of the Oslo Opera House one at a time. The white marble roof is designed to allow easy access to the top from the exterior. Gazing over the city from the building’s peak, I decided that Oslo and Orlando have one key trait in common: Both are still under construction. […]
From the top of the ship I watched the village of Gudvangen slip into the distance. I feel unsure using even the word “village,” because “village” implies a resident population. The Gudvangen that I saw existed solely to accommodate this vessel and its passengers. Here’s a complete account of my time in Gudvangen: I bought […]
“Rommet er betalt, men vi trenger kortet ditt i tilfelle andre utgifter.”“Um.”“Oh, I’m sorry! I just assumed…” Besides a fair complexion, my genealogy also gifted me an impressively stereotypical name. Think “Bob Smith” translated into Norwegian. Thus the hotel receptionist, after assisting the British family that arrived before me, slipped back into her native tongue […]
I am a sheep. It makes things easier. When you travel by plane frequently, you get used to being treated like sheep. Humans aren’t that much smarter. It’s a similar set of skills to manage a herd of humans and a herd of sheep, the difference being humans can read, and many airports don’t even […]
“What’s the first album you bought with your own money?” I love asking people this question because it’s so diagnostic. For one, it gives you an indication of someone’s age without asking outright. But your answer also says a lot about your disposition toward culture. Were you initially drawn to the mainstream or an alternative […]
I am not a film critic. It’s fun to play one, and I probably had aspirations at one point. But this is a hobby. I have no obligation but to myself. Sometimes I need to remind myself of that. I always preface my list with a tongue-in-cheek apology for not seeing all the movies I […]
One of my biggest personal changes over 2025 has been rediscovering my love for video games. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had a legitimate games of the year list the way I do for movies. I just don’t play enough new releases to make it meaningful. New games are too expensive and […]
2019 may have been a banner year for major film releases, but 2020’s slate was relatively scant. There was actually a reason for this: an outbreak of a novel coronavirus forced the closure of movie theaters, among other things, for almost the entire year. I had been opposed to the coronavirus as soon as I […]
Hey, was 2019 an incredible year for cinema? I mean look at this: This is…… a good list, if I may say so myself. Heck, this is a great list. Even accounting for my “not living in NY or LA” filmgoing handicap. This is a list of 10 excellent movies. With one unmissable quirk right […]
You get better at anything with practice. That goes for whatever creative endeavor you choose: making pottery, writing poetry, blowing glass, whatever. Less discussed, or notable, is the fact that applies to passive hobbies of consumption as well. The other day a coworker asked what I meant when I said Hamnet was well-directed. I explained […]
