No Ms Marvel for the first time in a while. Saga is still getting nominated like clockwork (I actually don't really vote for it any more because of how much they've already won.
1. Saga. See note above.
2. Abbott. This is an interesting creator-owned work by the new Ms Marvel writer, Saladin Ahmed, from BOOM! It's black urban fantasy set in Detroit and I really quite like it.
3. Paper Girls, Volume 4. Paper Girls isn't my favorite Vaughan. I find it just a little weird.
4. Black Panther: Long Live the King. Okay, riddle me this. How many times has a writer been nominated for a Hugo in both Graphic Story and a prose category? I don't think it's ever happened before, so go Nnedi Okorafor. She's matured tremendously as a writer this year.
5. On A Sunbeam. It's nice to see a web comic nominated, but I can think of ones I like better. It's cute, though. And very, very gay.
6. Monstress, Volume 3: Haven. I don't care much for Monstress. I care even less for it when I'm trying to read a digital comic where the lettering is messed up. As in, the provided copy was completely unreadable. I feel sorry for Liu and Takeda. Image, you can do better.
My pick: Abbott. Mostly because it's original and different and I really quite like Ahmed's work.
My prediction: Black Panther, even though I didn't place it that high. I will say the difference between 1 and 5 was minimal for me. And 6 was let down by a poor copy.
Friday, June 28, 2019
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Dramatic Presentation Short Form
My biggest problem with this category right now is people keep nominating The Good Place. Which is totally not my kind of show. I'm sure it's excellent, but it makes it hard to predict.
1. The Good Place: Janet(s).
2. The Good Place: Jeremy Bearimy
3. Dirty Computer. It's another record like The Deep, but unlike them they didn't provide a copy.
4. The Expanse: Abaddon's Gate. I love this show. So mad I don't have/can't justify Amazon Prime.
5. Doctor Who: Demons of the Punjab.
6. Doctor Who: Rosa. Throughout Moffatt's era, we had one episode nominated. This year, there are two, and neither is the one I nominated. Chibnall isn't making standout episodes, but this really shows just how more consistent.
My pick: Demons of the Punjab.
My prediction: I can't make a fair one because I really can't judge The Good Place and probably wouldn't be able to even if I'd watched it.
1. The Good Place: Janet(s).
2. The Good Place: Jeremy Bearimy
3. Dirty Computer. It's another record like The Deep, but unlike them they didn't provide a copy.
4. The Expanse: Abaddon's Gate. I love this show. So mad I don't have/can't justify Amazon Prime.
5. Doctor Who: Demons of the Punjab.
6. Doctor Who: Rosa. Throughout Moffatt's era, we had one episode nominated. This year, there are two, and neither is the one I nominated. Chibnall isn't making standout episodes, but this really shows just how more consistent.
My pick: Demons of the Punjab.
My prediction: I can't make a fair one because I really can't judge The Good Place and probably wouldn't be able to even if I'd watched it.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Best Related Work
It was probably a lot easier to judge this category when it was "Best Non-Fiction Book." I'm not saying including other formats isn't a positive change, but how do you compare a book to a website to a documentary?
Note, this category gets really quite meta in a couple of places. Oh, and also quite, quite controversial.
1. An Informal History of the Hugos by Jo Walton. Biggest example of meta. A book about the Hugos nominated for a Hugo. It's a 400 plus page tome and while I love Walton's fiction, I found her non fiction style dry and repetitive. Sorry, Jo.
2. The Hobbit Duology (documentary in three parts). Yup, a documentary. Really nice production values for an amateur production. They even managed to get the money to go to New Zealand (If they crowdfunded it I missed it, I have to figure that's what they did). Somebody on their team has some good graphic design skills, too.
3. Archive of Our Own. Hail controversy! "Should an entire website be eligible?" "Should fanfic be eligible?" I eventually came down on the side of yes because AO3 is a fan work site, while it's best known for it's fiction it also hosts a fair bit of non-fiction. But there were even more arguments about this than over Hidden Figures and Apollo 13, both of which had people saying true story movies about science don't count as science fiction.
4. Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee. If this is accurate, Hubbard was even more of a jerk than I thought. Very well written, but perhaps only of interest to a relatively small number of fans.
5. The Mexicanx Initative Experience at Worldcon 76. Technically another website, but they gave us a book. Of interviews of Mexican and Mexican-American Worldcon attendees. I did say there was meta! Be warned, if you do read this. There are recipes. I found the accompanying anthology a little too literary.
6. Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing. A transcript of an interview with Ursula K. Le Guin, conducted by David Naimon. Has the "Writer is dead" cachet.
So.
Deep breath.
My pick: Astounding. But I understand that I may be the target audience for this book, and I have no idea how I didn't find it.
My prediction: Archive of our Own. The Organized Fandom factor is just far too strong here. There are probably people who bought a supporting membership just to vote for it. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a definite factor.
Note, this category gets really quite meta in a couple of places. Oh, and also quite, quite controversial.
1. An Informal History of the Hugos by Jo Walton. Biggest example of meta. A book about the Hugos nominated for a Hugo. It's a 400 plus page tome and while I love Walton's fiction, I found her non fiction style dry and repetitive. Sorry, Jo.
2. The Hobbit Duology (documentary in three parts). Yup, a documentary. Really nice production values for an amateur production. They even managed to get the money to go to New Zealand (If they crowdfunded it I missed it, I have to figure that's what they did). Somebody on their team has some good graphic design skills, too.
3. Archive of Our Own. Hail controversy! "Should an entire website be eligible?" "Should fanfic be eligible?" I eventually came down on the side of yes because AO3 is a fan work site, while it's best known for it's fiction it also hosts a fair bit of non-fiction. But there were even more arguments about this than over Hidden Figures and Apollo 13, both of which had people saying true story movies about science don't count as science fiction.
4. Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee. If this is accurate, Hubbard was even more of a jerk than I thought. Very well written, but perhaps only of interest to a relatively small number of fans.
5. The Mexicanx Initative Experience at Worldcon 76. Technically another website, but they gave us a book. Of interviews of Mexican and Mexican-American Worldcon attendees. I did say there was meta! Be warned, if you do read this. There are recipes. I found the accompanying anthology a little too literary.
6. Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing. A transcript of an interview with Ursula K. Le Guin, conducted by David Naimon. Has the "Writer is dead" cachet.
So.
Deep breath.
My pick: Astounding. But I understand that I may be the target audience for this book, and I have no idea how I didn't find it.
My prediction: Archive of our Own. The Organized Fandom factor is just far too strong here. There are probably people who bought a supporting membership just to vote for it. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a definite factor.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Dramatic Presentation - Long Form
This was a really good year for movies, which is part of why I didn't see half of the nominees.
1. Annihilation - based off of a Jeff VanderMeer novel. Didn't see it.
2. A Quiet Place. Didn't see it, also it's horror, which tends not to do well.
3. Sorry to Bother You. Didn't even hear of it. Must have an organized fanbase.
4. Avengers: Infinity War. Crossover syndrome. I understand how it got nominated, but it doesn't deserve to win. Based off of the fact that Disney didn't nominate it for Oscars in favor of Black Panther, they even know it doesn't deserve to win. It was fun, but...
5. Black Panther. Until December, I thought this was going to be my hands down winner. Well acted, well written, and some of the most amazing worldbuilding I've seen. Plus, those costumes.
6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As I said. Until December, when Sony dropped what is, in my opinion, the best animated feature of the decade, if not the century.
My pick: Obviously Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
My prediction: Really hard to tell without having seen half of the nominees. Given it's award record, though, I'm going to stick my neck out and say Spider-Man has it. The Hugos have not been slow to reward animation in the past.
1. Annihilation - based off of a Jeff VanderMeer novel. Didn't see it.
2. A Quiet Place. Didn't see it, also it's horror, which tends not to do well.
3. Sorry to Bother You. Didn't even hear of it. Must have an organized fanbase.
4. Avengers: Infinity War. Crossover syndrome. I understand how it got nominated, but it doesn't deserve to win. Based off of the fact that Disney didn't nominate it for Oscars in favor of Black Panther, they even know it doesn't deserve to win. It was fun, but...
5. Black Panther. Until December, I thought this was going to be my hands down winner. Well acted, well written, and some of the most amazing worldbuilding I've seen. Plus, those costumes.
6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As I said. Until December, when Sony dropped what is, in my opinion, the best animated feature of the decade, if not the century.
My pick: Obviously Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
My prediction: Really hard to tell without having seen half of the nominees. Given it's award record, though, I'm going to stick my neck out and say Spider-Man has it. The Hugos have not been slow to reward animation in the past.
Monday, June 24, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Best Short Story
This was extremely tough. Short fiction is, for obvious reasons, one of the most competitive categories, if not the most competitive.
The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker - an interesting treatise on magic and it's various forms.
The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society by T. Kingfisher - hilarious. It's a fairy tale, but not in the traditional way. And not a normal twisted tale either.
The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington by P. Djeli Clark - Afro fantasy at its finest.
STET by Sarah Gailey - Amusing, and I would have picked it if it was more...well. More SF.
The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat by Brooke Bolander - another fairy tale. They were both in Uncanny, so I think I need to send them some fairy trales.
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E., Harrow. Librarian fantasy. I love librarian fantasy.
My pick: A Witch's Guide to Escape
My prediction: Who the heck knows. They're all too good.
The Court Magician by Sarah Pinsker - an interesting treatise on magic and it's various forms.
The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society by T. Kingfisher - hilarious. It's a fairy tale, but not in the traditional way. And not a normal twisted tale either.
The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington by P. Djeli Clark - Afro fantasy at its finest.
STET by Sarah Gailey - Amusing, and I would have picked it if it was more...well. More SF.
The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat by Brooke Bolander - another fairy tale. They were both in Uncanny, so I think I need to send them some fairy trales.
A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E., Harrow. Librarian fantasy. I love librarian fantasy.
My pick: A Witch's Guide to Escape
My prediction: Who the heck knows. They're all too good.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Best Novelette
Novelettes are weird. There aren't as many markets for them, they don't do well as standalones, and a lot of writers avoid the length.
Despite that, there were some good offerings.
1. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again, by Zen Cho. Not in the packet, and was apparently released on a blog. I elected not to go searching for it. At least the URL, people.
2. The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections, by Tina Connolly. Dystopian fantasy with a food theme. May well make you hungry. Very well written.
3. Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory. Enjoyable, but doesn't really quite integrate the speculative elements with the human elements.
4. The Thing About Ghost Stories by Naomi Kritzer. Very cute. That's really the best word for it.
5. The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander. I'm sorry, but I couldn't get past the base concept of training elephants to paint watch dials.
6. When We Were Starless by Simone Heller. Brilliant far future...something. Beautifully written even if I never did work out what the protagonist's species is. It didn't matter.
My pick: When We Were Starless
My prediction: Either that or The Last Banquet. Depends on how hungry people are.
Despite that, there were some good offerings.
1. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again, by Zen Cho. Not in the packet, and was apparently released on a blog. I elected not to go searching for it. At least the URL, people.
2. The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections, by Tina Connolly. Dystopian fantasy with a food theme. May well make you hungry. Very well written.
3. Nine Last Days on Planet Earth by Daryl Gregory. Enjoyable, but doesn't really quite integrate the speculative elements with the human elements.
4. The Thing About Ghost Stories by Naomi Kritzer. Very cute. That's really the best word for it.
5. The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander. I'm sorry, but I couldn't get past the base concept of training elephants to paint watch dials.
6. When We Were Starless by Simone Heller. Brilliant far future...something. Beautifully written even if I never did work out what the protagonist's species is. It didn't matter.
My pick: When We Were Starless
My prediction: Either that or The Last Banquet. Depends on how hungry people are.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Best Fancast
I admit I'm not the best judge of podcast quality. At least not when compared to my friends. But here goes.
1. Be the Serpent. Great content, iffy production values. I think they will win one, but not this year.
2. The Coode Street Podcast. If you're only going to provide two episodes, maybe one of them shouldn't be one which thoroughly spoilers a show that's only on one streaming service in the US. Just saying.
3. Galactic Suburbia. Solid as ever.
4. Fangirl Happy Hour. Another regular, still solid.
5. Our Opinions Are Correct. Don't like the title, but it will do.
6. The Skiffy And Fanty Show. Best production values, not quite the best content.
My pick: Galactic Suburbia
My prediction: Honestly, probably Galactic Suburbia.
1. Be the Serpent. Great content, iffy production values. I think they will win one, but not this year.
2. The Coode Street Podcast. If you're only going to provide two episodes, maybe one of them shouldn't be one which thoroughly spoilers a show that's only on one streaming service in the US. Just saying.
3. Galactic Suburbia. Solid as ever.
4. Fangirl Happy Hour. Another regular, still solid.
5. Our Opinions Are Correct. Don't like the title, but it will do.
6. The Skiffy And Fanty Show. Best production values, not quite the best content.
My pick: Galactic Suburbia
My prediction: Honestly, probably Galactic Suburbia.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Best Novel
Here we go again:
1. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. This novel reminded me why I have been so tired of alternate history. Far too many alternate history are "The Bad Guys Won World War II Or the Civil War." Which...yeah. The Calculating Stars is alternate history in a different vein. Dewey beats Trueman in the Presidential election, but this is apparently to fix an error in a related book. The real divergence point is when a planet killer hits Washington, D.C. in 1956. Humanity must now get off the planet. With 1950s technology. It's brilliant.
2. Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. Sadly, the most recent of the Wayfarers books is the weakest, with more worldbuilding than plot. It's still a very interesting read.
3. Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee. I think I said everything I need to about the weird Asian space opera in the Series writeup. Still awesome.
4. Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente. Technically, I should be absolutely behind space Eurovision Song Contest in the vein of Douglas Adams. Unfortunately, it missed my funny bone. Sorry, Ms. Valente.
5. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I adore Novik's twisted fairy tales with an Eastern European feel. If that's what you're into, buy this book.
6. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. I've seen more than one "Global natural disaster reawakens magic" fantasy. But never one that's Navajo. I prefer Roanhorse's shorter works, but this was still a very interesting read. Without a single white person in it.
My pick: Spinning Silver. Marginally.
My prediction: Probably The Calculating Stars.
1. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. This novel reminded me why I have been so tired of alternate history. Far too many alternate history are "The Bad Guys Won World War II Or the Civil War." Which...yeah. The Calculating Stars is alternate history in a different vein. Dewey beats Trueman in the Presidential election, but this is apparently to fix an error in a related book. The real divergence point is when a planet killer hits Washington, D.C. in 1956. Humanity must now get off the planet. With 1950s technology. It's brilliant.
2. Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. Sadly, the most recent of the Wayfarers books is the weakest, with more worldbuilding than plot. It's still a very interesting read.
3. Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee. I think I said everything I need to about the weird Asian space opera in the Series writeup. Still awesome.
4. Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente. Technically, I should be absolutely behind space Eurovision Song Contest in the vein of Douglas Adams. Unfortunately, it missed my funny bone. Sorry, Ms. Valente.
5. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I adore Novik's twisted fairy tales with an Eastern European feel. If that's what you're into, buy this book.
6. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. I've seen more than one "Global natural disaster reawakens magic" fantasy. But never one that's Navajo. I prefer Roanhorse's shorter works, but this was still a very interesting read. Without a single white person in it.
My pick: Spinning Silver. Marginally.
My prediction: Probably The Calculating Stars.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Hugo Roundup: Best Series
Okay, here we go.
In the order on the site:
1. The Centenal Cycle, by Malka Older. This series simply missed for me. It's an intriguing cyberpunk libertarianish concept, and the story is good. I just, for whatever reason, can't get into Older's voice. It doesn't hold my attention, as many form rejections say.
2. The Laundry Files by Charles Stross. Entertaining, but not quite my thing.
3. Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee. Fascinating Asian-flavored space opera. Or science fantasy. It's definitely not science fiction when you have starships powered by...well. Apparently it's based off of some Korean legends. But it's a fun read.
4. The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire. I've always loved this series (although increasing diversity by calling things fae that simply aren't is a stretch). The romance is a bit too slow burn for me. Get married already!
5. The Universe of Xuya by Aliette de Bodard. Intriguing concepts, interesting worldbuilding, but I was struggling to really grasp the world. I think this was a flaw in the samples chosen.
6. Wayfarers by Becky Chambers. Book two got me yelled at for not going to bed. Chambers writes exactly the kind of science fiction I like. It's all about interspecies relationships, although book 3 kind of gets a bit "I've done my worldbuilding, and now you're going to suffer for it" in places.
My pick: Wayfarers
My prediction: The Laundry Files
In the order on the site:
1. The Centenal Cycle, by Malka Older. This series simply missed for me. It's an intriguing cyberpunk libertarianish concept, and the story is good. I just, for whatever reason, can't get into Older's voice. It doesn't hold my attention, as many form rejections say.
2. The Laundry Files by Charles Stross. Entertaining, but not quite my thing.
3. Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee. Fascinating Asian-flavored space opera. Or science fantasy. It's definitely not science fiction when you have starships powered by...well. Apparently it's based off of some Korean legends. But it's a fun read.
4. The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire. I've always loved this series (although increasing diversity by calling things fae that simply aren't is a stretch). The romance is a bit too slow burn for me. Get married already!
5. The Universe of Xuya by Aliette de Bodard. Intriguing concepts, interesting worldbuilding, but I was struggling to really grasp the world. I think this was a flaw in the samples chosen.
6. Wayfarers by Becky Chambers. Book two got me yelled at for not going to bed. Chambers writes exactly the kind of science fiction I like. It's all about interspecies relationships, although book 3 kind of gets a bit "I've done my worldbuilding, and now you're going to suffer for it" in places.
My pick: Wayfarers
My prediction: The Laundry Files
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
It's Not Aliens...
...probably.
But we have no idea what the huge chunk of metal five times the size of Big Island in the moon's mantle is. Well, we can make a good guess based off of the fact that it's under an impact crater. It's probably the core of the asteroid that made the crater.
Probably.
But the fact that it's still intact enough to register on a gravitational scan is going to teach us something. Delightfully, we don't know what yet.
I'm going to be at Origins GameExpo tomorrow through Monday, so no posts until then.
But we have no idea what the huge chunk of metal five times the size of Big Island in the moon's mantle is. Well, we can make a good guess based off of the fact that it's under an impact crater. It's probably the core of the asteroid that made the crater.
Probably.
But the fact that it's still intact enough to register on a gravitational scan is going to teach us something. Delightfully, we don't know what yet.
I'm going to be at Origins GameExpo tomorrow through Monday, so no posts until then.
Monday, June 10, 2019
More Black Hole Photos
This time, we've managed to image more of accretion disk around the black hole at the center of our own galaxy.
Galaxies are "anchored" by supermassive black holes, which provide the gravity to hold them together. "Our" black hole is called Sagittarius A.
Obviously, this is a false color image. The red is hot gas, the blue is the cooler stuff we haven't managed to snap until now.
Studying our galaxy's gravitational anchor might eventually help us work out why our galaxy is a spiral not a blob, for example.
Plus, more cool black hole images.
Galaxies are "anchored" by supermassive black holes, which provide the gravity to hold them together. "Our" black hole is called Sagittarius A.
Obviously, this is a false color image. The red is hot gas, the blue is the cooler stuff we haven't managed to snap until now.
Studying our galaxy's gravitational anchor might eventually help us work out why our galaxy is a spiral not a blob, for example.
Plus, more cool black hole images.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Update
So, letting everyone know, because I'm the "bragging" type.
I'm now a full, active member of the Science Fiction Writers of America.
Yes, it's a career goal (they have requirements, ya know). But it makes me feel much more professional.
I'm now a full, active member of the Science Fiction Writers of America.
Yes, it's a career goal (they have requirements, ya know). But it makes me feel much more professional.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Dear Robert Downey, Jr.
I realize you have been playing Tony Stark for ten years.
But...
...that should teach you why building an AI to save the world is a bad idea. Oh, and let's add nanotechnology into the mix.
Yes.
Robert Downey, Jr. has decided his next move after playing Tony Stark on the big screen is to set up a foundation to use advanced tech to clean up the planet.
This can't possibly go wrong.
(What timeline *are* we living in?)
As he's not a superscientist, presumably he'll be hiring mad scientists to do the actual work.
It's called The Footprint Coalition, but the website literally consists of a contact form right now...
But...
...that should teach you why building an AI to save the world is a bad idea. Oh, and let's add nanotechnology into the mix.
Yes.
Robert Downey, Jr. has decided his next move after playing Tony Stark on the big screen is to set up a foundation to use advanced tech to clean up the planet.
This can't possibly go wrong.
(What timeline *are* we living in?)
As he's not a superscientist, presumably he'll be hiring mad scientists to do the actual work.
It's called The Footprint Coalition, but the website literally consists of a contact form right now...
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Blake and Avon
There's a show I love but haven't re-watched in years. For a similar reason, I don't often recommend it...as much as I would love to.
It's called Blake's 7, and due to a long term rights battle Americans haven't been "allowed" to watch it for years. This was supposedly to make way for a remake which is clearly never going to happen.
The only way Americans can legally watch it is to personally import the discs and use a region-free DVD player or an app that turns a computer into one. I can't support any other way of getting hold of it.
This has been the case for at least twenty years. And even though the rights are now owned by Big Finish, it still hasn't been fixed.
Kvetching about ridiculous copyright policies that only encourage people to get out the skull and crossbones aside, Blake's 7 is...something.
Being as it was made in the 70s on a similar budget to Doctor Who at the time, the SFX are awful. The first season is spotty, with it only coming into its own in season two...where it was one of the first shows to actually have an arc and, you know, character development. Spoilers follow...
The premise was very close to Firefly, but there's four (UK) seasons of it. Leading rebel Roj Blake breaks out of a prison transport with a motley crew of felons including Kerr Avon. Who becomes very important later when, at the end of season two, Gareth Thomas, who played Blake, left the show.
At which point it was neither Blake's nor a seven. Oops.
Instead of canceling, though, they continued...and Avon took over as leader.
Thing is?
Avon's a villain.
Avon is a ruthless computer hacker who is essentially an evil Spock, bound by logic and reason (or for Supergirl watchers, the recent incident where Brainiac got stripped of his emotions is another good parallel). He's only doing it for pure personal gain. He wants their ship.
Oh and everyone dies at the end. It's a real dark show.
Well, not everyone. And Avon?
Of course that scumbag escapes.
In these low budget 70s shows, the actors are the key. Avon was played by Paul Darrow, who was also in two Doctor Who episodes (old show, not current). He reprised his role in a series of Big Finish stories (which I really should get my hands on at some point).
Paul Darrow died this week at the age of 78. But his performance is not going to be forgotten, the highlight of a career that in many ways deserved better.
It's called Blake's 7, and due to a long term rights battle Americans haven't been "allowed" to watch it for years. This was supposedly to make way for a remake which is clearly never going to happen.
The only way Americans can legally watch it is to personally import the discs and use a region-free DVD player or an app that turns a computer into one. I can't support any other way of getting hold of it.
This has been the case for at least twenty years. And even though the rights are now owned by Big Finish, it still hasn't been fixed.
Kvetching about ridiculous copyright policies that only encourage people to get out the skull and crossbones aside, Blake's 7 is...something.
Being as it was made in the 70s on a similar budget to Doctor Who at the time, the SFX are awful. The first season is spotty, with it only coming into its own in season two...where it was one of the first shows to actually have an arc and, you know, character development. Spoilers follow...
The premise was very close to Firefly, but there's four (UK) seasons of it. Leading rebel Roj Blake breaks out of a prison transport with a motley crew of felons including Kerr Avon. Who becomes very important later when, at the end of season two, Gareth Thomas, who played Blake, left the show.
At which point it was neither Blake's nor a seven. Oops.
Instead of canceling, though, they continued...and Avon took over as leader.
Thing is?
Avon's a villain.
Avon is a ruthless computer hacker who is essentially an evil Spock, bound by logic and reason (or for Supergirl watchers, the recent incident where Brainiac got stripped of his emotions is another good parallel). He's only doing it for pure personal gain. He wants their ship.
Oh and everyone dies at the end. It's a real dark show.
Well, not everyone. And Avon?
Of course that scumbag escapes.
In these low budget 70s shows, the actors are the key. Avon was played by Paul Darrow, who was also in two Doctor Who episodes (old show, not current). He reprised his role in a series of Big Finish stories (which I really should get my hands on at some point).
Paul Darrow died this week at the age of 78. But his performance is not going to be forgotten, the highlight of a career that in many ways deserved better.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Saving Cats
...Schroedinger's cats, that is (not that it's a great thought experiment. Isn't the cat an observer?)
This article explains it, but basically we're starting to be able to predict a quantum state change, which will allow for improvements in quantum computing. Eventually. They haven't worked out how to actually use this stuff yet...
This article explains it, but basically we're starting to be able to predict a quantum state change, which will allow for improvements in quantum computing. Eventually. They haven't worked out how to actually use this stuff yet...
Monday, June 3, 2019
I love her, bye guys!
Okay, I'm starting to see a trend.
Can we please stop having heroic characters retire, abandon their friends at a key moment, to go off and find true love. It's why I didn't care for Steve Rogers' MCU ending.
Now it looks like they're doing it to Cisco Ramon (Vibe) in the Flash. Which has me actually hoping they're really pulling the "Hero gives up powers, then regrets it" storyline instead. I've never liked that line, but...
Getting married should not mean giving up who you are. And it certainly shouldn't mean abandoning your friends. If the person you're marrying asks that of you, they're abusive.
And if they explicitly asked you not to do it...what does that make you?
This particular ending for heroes supports both toxic monogamy and the poisonous (in my mind) idea that getting married is the end of a story not the beginning.
Can we nip this one in the bud?
Can we please stop having heroic characters retire, abandon their friends at a key moment, to go off and find true love. It's why I didn't care for Steve Rogers' MCU ending.
Now it looks like they're doing it to Cisco Ramon (Vibe) in the Flash. Which has me actually hoping they're really pulling the "Hero gives up powers, then regrets it" storyline instead. I've never liked that line, but...
Getting married should not mean giving up who you are. And it certainly shouldn't mean abandoning your friends. If the person you're marrying asks that of you, they're abusive.
And if they explicitly asked you not to do it...what does that make you?
This particular ending for heroes supports both toxic monogamy and the poisonous (in my mind) idea that getting married is the end of a story not the beginning.
Can we nip this one in the bud?
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