...now arriving at Gate #1...
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Entertaining Insights

Y'know, I don't care what anybody says: I really liked the original Stargate film.

Critics at the time were blatantly hostile to the whole damned thing. Roger Ebert, in particular, was inexplicably merciless in his review. Granted he's a member of the elitist 'film-as-high-art' movement and, to them, science fiction in and of itself is an abomination.

But, then again, Ebert is the kind of guy that gives a lukewarm review to The Godfather II and, after no doubt hearing from fans about the insult, went on to overcompensate with a glowing review of Part III.

...I'm only assuming that it was peer-pressure, and not the fact that Roger Ebert actually thought that Part III is the better film, but who knows? Eh: at least Ebert's a little better than that psuedo-intellectual wanker Vincent Canby, who went as far as to believe that almost ANYTHING the public could possibly be interested in was pure drivel, unfit for his own God-like intelligence and knowledge.

But I digress:

Flesh and blood people did make this a profitable movie, after all, and while it was no blockbuster and it had some major problems (read: Kurt Russell...) I don't know what else anyone could want out of an intergalactic alien-confict science fiction film.

Actually I know the answer to that: the critics simply wanted it to not be an intergalactic alien-confict science fiction film.

...'Cause that kind of thing could never, ever possibly be considered 'art'. 

Well: here's what Quint has to say about that line of reasoning:

(I know, I know: that's what 20 minutes' work gets you. He looks like a friggin' teenager...)

The point is that the science fiction genre does produce its share of really bad movies, but I wish that critics were a little more ready to admit it when something good comes of it.

Vincent Canby never would do that. Right now he's sitting on a cloud watching a Woody Allen comedy, smiling at the fact that he's one of the chosen few who're smart enough to 'appreciate' the magnitude of that artwork...

Heck: the spread of the Stargate television franchise proved the critics wrong, anyway. I never dove into the thing with cultish desire, but I generally enjoyed about half of SG-1's run, mostly because of McGuyver, naturally.  And then Atlantis... eee... Atlantis: now that's poorly-written and derivative.

Maybe the critics should focus some energy on that one; get things right for a change?

Just a thought. 

We have come to terms...
Mood:  celebratory

This is a 'TYPERS' post, so if you're not interested in that, be advised...

Alright: today, for the first time EVER, I've finally figured out what the f**k 'Mister Grey-Hair' / 'M.A.' / 'Ainsworth' is really after in the books!

Don't get me wrong: I always had the codger's origins down, and his ultimate motives, too, but as far as the TRUE outlook on his actions (ie: taking a seat on the all-powerful Superior Joint Command and coordinating the Antipathy Project), these remained elusive to me.

I'm not making any sense, I know. What I mean is this: what did Ainsworth actually WANT to be born from the Antipathy Project? Did he want the same result that his underlings ASSUMED was the goal of the project, or something else?

In other words: Did 'M.A.' actually forsee the development of the 'Novanjo' forms of the Raiden-Hybrid pilots? And did he actually WANT that to happen?

Anyway, my point is that I've answered that question in my own mind, and that's important. Not so much to the chapters now at hand, since I don't see Ainsworth appearing again in person for quite some time, but I need to know the answer to that question personally before the grand finale of the series; even if I don't explicitly explain the man's motives in writing I need to understand them MYSELF to make the proper epilogue....

....look: it's analogous to J.J. Abram's explanation of the Cloverfield Monster: he and his staff wrote a detailed story about the thing's origin and mental state, and NONE of it made it into the film, and yet it is integral to the film-making throughout.

Speaking of Cloverfield: I think that movie is the one real reason that my previous chapter, 'Filial Affection', ended the way it did. I originally intended to describe (in brutal and graphic detail) the 'Czech Hedgehog's' rampage through Base-10, up to and including it's/Justin's incapacitation and capture. As it stands now all that's gonna be covered in very brief, nondescriptive conversation between Samantha and the base Doctor in the coming chapter.

The reason for this is simple: when I saw Cloverfield I thought it was a great little monster movie (and innovative, too!) but there was one weakness I saw in it: they showed the monster WAY too much. Even when I was watching it I kept thinking one thing: a mysterious monster is MUCH more scary, and effective, when it REMAINS mysterious and, mostly, unseen.

And when I was finishing up that chapter, I couldn't help but take that advice to heart... 

 

Body of Evidence
Mood:  cool
Topic: Entertaining Insights

Now, this I like.

It's the new program from the Discovery Channel, The Human Body: Pushing the Limit.

Not only is the subjectmatter cooler'n the other side of the pillow (do people still say that?) but the 3-D CGI they use is pretty damned spot on convincing. Certainly worth a lookit, assuming one's got their HD credentials up to par.

Remember that there's only two distinctions in life: human, and everything else. There is no such thing as 'superhuman'.

The 'super' part is just the product of circumstance, that's all. 

Meaningless, but fun!
Mood:  bright
Topic: Pseudoscientific Musings

Someone who found the anagram buried in my Antithesis splash page amusing had another tidbit for me: you can also rearrange those letters to get the phrase "I, ashen tits".

I usually don't find anagrams amusing (I only put one on that page 'cause it's so friggin' dull to begin with...) but I gotta admit: that was a good one.

And remember: Antithesis is a guy that really lets the "hate insist" upon itself!

...hmm: that wasn't nearly as good, was it? To hell with it all.

...and I hear tell Greenland's making the world's largest waffle press!
Mood:  irritated
Topic: A Hello to Arms

So it seems that the regime in Tehran has been up to more than just killing gays and beating dissenters with gigantic, Prophet Mohammed-approved sticks-o-righteousness:

They claim to have built and launched a space missle in under nine-months... all by themselves!

Okay: never mind that, despite the fact that each and every piece of that missile has the words "Made in N. Korea" stamped on it (and that it STILL took them nine months to figure out the assembly instructions; I did better with toy airplane models as an 8-year-old!) but doesn't the Qur’ān itself disprove of such a task?

I mean, that sounds like science, doesn't it? Kinda... blasphemous, and forward-thinking. Not something that's supposed to be encouraged by the religious ruling counsel, unless they're hypocrites and only want to bolster their military might, of course (and heaven forbid that be the case!). Considering this: I think that Ahmadinejad should be brought before the Moral Police: sounds like someone's dissing the Prophet.

In any event, this is just another step Iran is taking towards its own annihilation (we can only hope that they do as little damage as possible to the rest of us on their way out).

Hell, in Typers I posit that the 'Arab War'* takes place in the 2050's or so. Guess I may have to move that date up a bit.

 

*(Yes: I'm aware that the Iranians are 'Persians', not Arabs, but I assume that the eventual conflict that brings the West and Middle East to serious blows will be some kinda proxy-war in Palestine. Remember, Hezbolla is Iranian-run, after all, and one assumes that a blustery Iranian nation will first overstep their bounds in this theater; it will only END in the Iranian theater... Of course, my opinions are rooted in fiction, but still based on  some reality...)

Breaking the Ice
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Pseudoscientific Musings

Far be it for the defense department and the military to have all the fun throwing up missiles at disabled spy satellites: why can't those guys at NASA get in on the demolition racket?

Seems they've found an excuse...

Alright: technically this sounds like a reasonable method to determine the contents of the moon's poles, or at least the quickest. But, then again, it's rather like a doctor slicing his patient down the middle in order to check for any possible tumors or diseases of the internal organs...

Don't we have enough sophisticated technology to determine the pole's contents with a less... I dunno, invasive procedure?

It's just that, as a taxpayer, I get a little bit nervous when I notice this apparent trend of sending complicated, state-of-the art equipment hurtling into stuff that's gonna destroy it...

Couldn't they just buy a few faberge eggs and toss them against a wall? 

 

In other news, here's a "tart" alert:

 

This (or most likely a heavily-modified contrast-and-color-variation thereof) is going to be the next chapter's leading image: 

 

And this is what I'd really like it to be, but unfortunately it's way too wide-screen (and, frankly, way too explicit, thematically...)

 

 

 Of course, if anyone wants to change my mind, I'm receptive to the argument (or, if you wanna tell me that both images are rubbish that's fine too: my ego will rise from the ashes, for sure  :-)

I feel so extraordinary...
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: General

So, I remember sayin' that I'd have 'Filial Affection' done in a month...

That was before I lost the chapter, or at least 75-percent of it, half-way through the writing.

I was so bitter about it that I haven't seen fit to bring it up, lately, but I think I will now.

Mainly because the chapter is now up, at long last, and my bitterness has passed.

These little snags simply provide us with the opportunity to (albeit forcibly) rewrite and, in doing so, polish things to a slightly keener sheen.

Well, I'll leave that judgement to the reader, I suppose... 

What goes up...
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: "Learning to Fly" by Petty and the Heartbreakers
Topic: Scientific Progress...

Word comes from the Land of the Rising Sun that there's a spiffy new communications satellite going up in the near future...

The Japanese have launched a new satellite into orbit, huh? Big deal.

Guess they haven't been following curent trends: these days all the really cool kids on the space-race block aren't putting stuff into orbit.

We're taking sh*t down, led by the example of the Chinese, 'natch.

Hey: take that, you f**king Russian bastards! Never thought I'd see the day that the new space-race would pit the US against "Made In" China.

Although, on second thought, I really should have...

In any event, you just KNOW that ol' Ronnie's sitting on his cloud and getting one hell of a chuckle out of the whole thing. 'Star Wars', my ass... 

Scientific Progress goes out to the Interstate and tries chucking rocks at fast-moving cars. 

Not always cute and cuddly
Topic: Copyright-Infringementish

Here's my own rejoinder to the 'eated your cookie' meme:

 

 

 

Bengals aren't known for their incredible home-ec skills, or their temperment after being woken from a nap, I'm told... 

Belgium as Purgatory? That explains why the Germans are always tromping through it (I think...)
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Entertaining Insights

I didn't make a reccomendation right after seeing it, but if you want a real pisser of a great movie treat, go out and catch a screening of In Bruges. After seeing it for a record third time (long story...) I'm just as convinced now as then that it's one of the best arty-ish action flicks around. I'm being serious: I rate this thing way above more morose fare like 'There Will be Blood', and only slightly behind a movie like 'No Country for Old Men' (yeah: the genres are slightly off, but you get my point).

The flick actually makes me wanna possibly stop off in that pretty li'l town if my Scotland trip ever pans out. At least I know they've got a pizza place, anyway (see the movie for that one...)

Hell: see the movie anyway: it's friggin' terrific.