Because geeks like tests

Just when I was feeling uncertain about my geek cred, this aural quiz put my concerns to rest.

	I received 78 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Take the Sci-Fi Movie Quiz

The quiz has 14 questions with accompanying sounds. I'm bummed it didn't tell me which ones I missed, but actually, there weren't that many I was guessing at. Otoh, it told me I am a major scifi geek, but 78 out of 100 doesn't seem all that impressive.

Go on, go test your geekitude!

A few site changes

I've changed a thing or two in my list of GEEKY PLACES TO GO, over there on the right. First, no offense to Heroes, but I got rid of the link to the official NBC site. I just didn't feel like having it there anymore. Very cool, though, is the addition of a couple totally cool geek sites.

Bad Astronomy is a blog by (you guessed it) an astronomer who debunks bad astronomy wherever he finds it. He also rips up other bad science, and talks about a slew of other sciency things.

Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics covers, well, movie physics, the good, the bad and the totally ridiculous. Of course, not being a physicist myself and far too lazy to do the necessary work to be a physicist (i.e. getting at least one degree in physics), I can't say how accurate their physics is. I'm gullible, though, so I'll buy it. Also, the site is funny, which scores major points with me.

Finally, I added xkcd awhile ago, but failed to mention it, so now I'm telling you. Go look at xkcd and laugh.

Physics in the movies

If you're interested in a brief look at science in the movies, check out this article, "Hollywood Physics," archived at physicsworld.com.

While the article is not the most in-depth look at science in films, it does give a basic overview, starting with the introduction of science in movies with 1902's Le voyage dans la lune (Voyage to the Moon). What's also great about the article is the short list of links at the end, pointing to a few sites that talk serious scifi science. Very cool stuff there.

"Im in ur manger killing ur savior"

A nativity scene outside a public library, gone painfully, horribly nerd. You don't have to be a gamer to enjoy this, but it sure does help.

Merry frakkin' Xmas, ya geeks!


Thanks for pointing me to this, Bob!

I want an Alethiometer for Yule!

I finally got my ass out of the house and saw The Golden Compass. Good flick! Overall, I give it a "heck yeah!" It was certainly very pretty, and many of the sets had just enough of a foreign atmosphere to make me feel like I was indeed in an alternate universe. For the most part, the special effects were all right, though I'm the sort who doesn't like any effects that I actually notice, and on occasion the movement of some of the animated characters was a little rough.

For the most part, the casting was pretty great. The young Dakota Blue Richards was really terrific as Lyra. That's a meaty role for a kid and she pulled it off well. I also really liked Simon McBurney as Fra Pavel, the Magesterium lackey; he was just as slimy and unpleasant as he should have been. Nicole Kidman did well as Mrs. Coulter, but I'm not sure the part was written as well as it could have been. She just didn't seem to have the subtle deviousness and calculating nature I thought defined Mrs. Coulter in the book.

So many of the characters were really great. The witch Serafina Pekkala was one of my favourites from the book and I definitely liked her in the movie, though I would have liked to see more of her (of course, it doesn't hurt that Eva Green is so very pretty). I was really happy with how Pan, Lyra's daemon, came out, as I liked him so much in the book. I was a little disappointed that Mrs. Coulter's golden monkey lacked a good bit of the nasty personality of his book counterpart, though I think that came out of Philip Pullman's descriptive writing rather than lots of actions that could translate well to the screen.

As far as the story goes, there is definitely room for disappointment if comparing it to the book, but I'm trying to view it on its own merits. It's not especially deep (something that could well be improved upon as the story develops in The Subtle Knife), which is a shame, since many of the concepts that were introduced could be expanded on tremendously. There also wasn't a great deal of character development, with the exception of Lyra. We didn't get to know much about the motivations of anyone else. However, something Pullman said (according to something I read somewhere on the interweb) was that some changes from the book were not a very big deal, as long as the movie stuck to telling Lyra's story. I'm inclined to agree with that sentiment, and say that it did that quite well.

As a cinematic experience, it felt as though a lot of things were left out, though not in the sense of skipping anything. Rather, it just wasn't edited very well and seemed rushed. On the other hand, I definitely thought the movie was emotionally engaging. At least, I got choked up several times when things got tense. It was especially difficult to watch Mrs. Coulter's nasty monkey daemon when he grabbed the Gyptian boy's daemon, as well as when he attacked Pan.

I'd say my biggest complaint was with the really awful Kate Bush song at the end. If I wasn't a sit-through-the-credits kind of gal, that song would have had me fleeing the theater. Thankfully, it ended and better music played over the remainder of the credits.

All in all, it wasn't overwhelmingly spectacular, but it was entertaining and enjoyable, and definitely pretty to look at.

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

This is number three of Clarke's Three Laws* and something I quote often, from the most excellent scifi author Arthur C. Clarke. Today is his 90th birthday and I hope he's celebrating by doing something really wonderful and indulgent. A tiny sampling of his works, spanning nearly six decades, includes the novels Childhood's End, Rendezvous with Rama, and probably his most widely known book outside the geek world, 2001: A Space Odyssey; the most awesome short story "The Nine Billion Names of God"; and his terrifically enjoyable non-fiction work, The View from Serendip, recounting some of his experiences in Sri Lanka.

For my own celebration, I will endeavour to try out this nifty music/movie mashup, and listen to Pink Floyd's "Echoes" (from the album Meddle) while watching Dave's weird & wonderful sequence at the end of 2001. Some guy at Wired.com claims it's pretty fuckin' cool. Heh.


*One & two are: When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong; and, The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. Man, that guy is a genius!

Because I need another way to waste time

The Replicator activity on Stargate Atlantis got me thinking again about picking up Myst V: End of Ages, the last in the Myst series of computer games. Really, it makes sense - David Ogden Stiers (who will forever be Charles Emerson Winchester III to me) plays the Replicator mouthpiece, Oberoth. Well, he also voiced a character in this last Myst game. While I've checked out End of Ages and started poking around a bit, I haven't sat down & gotten very into playing it, so it's about time I do that.

I finished Myst, Riven and Exile, but never got all the way through Revelation. Revelation's puzzles lacked the organic feel I thought was present in the three previous games. For me, the integrated nature of the puzzles, their appropriateness to the game atmosphere and context, were a huge part of what made those games fun for me. As much as I liked some aspects of Revelation, my disappointment in many of the puzzles was enough to keep me from sticking with it. Maybe I'll go back to it sometime and give it another shot.

Riven is my favourite of the series and it's no wonder. It was the first one I played and I discovered it under very positive circumstances. I think it was around my birthday, sometime in the late-'90s, and I was at the tail-end of a solo trip that had gone pretty damn well. I joined my boyfriend at his computer, where he was playing Riven. Not surprisingly, I thought it was sooooo beautiful. Heh. As it happened he was stuck, so while pondering what to do next he gave me a tour of the game. It & I were a natural match, as I fell in love with everything he showed me, and then I promptly got him unstuck. I was totally hooked. Between the beautiful scenery, the complete lack of hack & slash, the excellent puzzles, and that nearly immediate sense of gratification upon my introduction to it, Riven was pretty much the perfect game for me.

I know that seeing the game for the first time and quickly solving a puzzle that'd been vexing someone else for awhile had more to do with being a fresh set of eyes and my heightened state of mind, than with me being any kind of puzzle genius. Many of the puzzles in Riven, as well as Myst and Exile, definitely challenged me. They also evoked appreciation and enjoyment on a purely aesthetic level, because of how smoothly they seemed to fit the games' atmospheres. Pretty much everything about the games was satisfying.

So, I'll give End of Ages a shot and see what I think. It's definitely beautiful, though I thought the intro could have been cut down. I'm more into game-playing than game-watching, so long narratives with animated characters don't really do it for me. But, if that ends up being my biggest complaint, I think it'll be a good experience. We'll see!

"Bold reimagining" indeed!

That's how the SciFi Channel plugged their Wizard of Oz revamp, "Tin Man," and I'm inclined to agree with that assessment. It aired at the beginning of last week, but I'm just getting around to talking about it now because I'm slow, and not just in the short-bus sense. Besides, if you missed it, or want to catch it again, it'll be on at least one more time (next being Monday, December 24, starting at 5p EST).

So, what did I think? I'm pretty sure I'm sweet on Zooey Deschanel, as I thought she was simply awesome. She's nothing like the Dorothy we met in the 1939 technicolor classic, a version of which makes a brief appearance in "Tin Man." Deschanel's DG handled herself and her bizarre circumstances in a charming and endearing fashion. She's a nice balance between capable self-sufficiency and childlike vulnerability, as she and her acquired friends make their way through the strange environs of the Outer Zone.

The new Tin Man, played by Neal McDonough, was a very cool and complex character, who used the struggles of others' to work through his own issues. His story was a little heavy on the schmaltz for my taste, but engaging nonetheless. Very heroic.

Just once I'd like to see Alan Cumming do a crappy job in something, just so I stop feeling like such a slavering fangirl. In "Tin Man" he played the brainless Glitch, a scarecrow of a different stripe, and was nothing short of delightful. While I was not so hot on the inconsistencies of the character's brain issues, they were easy to overlook as I just enjoyed Glitch so much.

Richard Dreyfuss as the Mystic Man updated the Wizard in the most wonderful way. Who ever thought the Wonderful man himself would be a drug addict?!

The new version of Toto left me with mixed feelings, probably because I grew up with a cairn terrier and have always had a soft spot for the original Toto. However, even though the Toto in "Tin Man" didn't get enough screen time, I appreciated that he was made a significant character who had some impact on the course of events.

The story itself is not especially near & dear to my heart, so I had no complaints regarding the changes that were made. I really liked that the entire adventure wasn't a dream, that DG had a mother and a father who were actually instrumental to the story, that the wicked witch possessed the heroine's sister, that the O.Z. was radically different from Oz, and that there weren't any munchkins of the sort from the '39 movie. I didn't even miss Glinda. Something I really appreciated was that so many of the supporting characters had actual fleshed-out stories and were so much more interesting than the two-dimensional companions with whom the original Dorothy traveled. Of course, it was nice to see Callum Keith Rennie as Azkadellia's right-hand baddie, Zero.

All in all, an enjoyable, well-presented story, with lots of pretties, a good serving of darkness and some really wonderful set & costume designs.

Oh! and the mobats were definitely pretty fuckin' cool!

I [heart] Stargate Atlantis

Lots of things to enjoy about the last ep of the fall season. Who knew Rodney would get along so well with his doppelganger? But of course, if he's truly going to appreciate anyone's company, it's going to be someone who's not his intellectual inferior (which pretty much leaves himself). I would, however, have expected him to have trouble with his nanite-created version being physically superior. Ronon, bless his caveman heart, is quite the charmer, and it was no surprise at all that both versions were a little nonplussed by the whole situation. Hearing Sheppard refer to "my McKay" tweaked that slashy part of me, but I'm pretty easy that way. In fact, I know it's just my perv-tinted lenses, but this whole episode was a bit on the slashy side. Not surprisingly, I loved Rodney's "Oh crap" an instant before the end credits.

Other random bits I enjoyed: Sheppard & Ronon sparring (I bet I could watch that for hours!); sneaky & secretive Replicator-Keller, -Lorne & -Zelenka; the destruction of Replicator-Atlantis; Ronon holding Rodney while Sheppard cut him; Rodney & Zelenka's painful conversation about Rodney avoiding dealing with Elizabeth's death.

I was a little disappointed to learn that Elizabeth is dead, though not because I was especially fond of the character. Rather, I sometimes get tired of how little "dead" can actually mean on some shows. So, Elizabeth is dead, but that doesn't mean we can't still have her around, indistinguishable from her former self but created by Replicators. Oy.

I can't help being a little amused by how damned convenient it is for our heroes that interraction with them leads their enemies to infighting. If it weren't for the Wraith's civil war and now the Replicators' internal strife, the humans would have been fucked a long time ago.

Now it is a mere four week wait for the exciting conclusion...or at least the continuation. The mid-season break is a blessedly short one, with new episodes resuming January 4. Yay!

Updating a classic

Producer Thomas Schuehly (Alexander, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) and Executive Producer Mario Kassar (Terminator 2, Jacob's Ladder, Total Recall) are planning a remake of Fritz Lang's 1927 scifi uber-classic Metropolis. The gist of this movie features the perennial struggle between the intellectual elite and the downtrodden working class, with some gorgeous art deco set design and standard silent film emoting.

Part of me really wants to see this come to fruition, and part of me rails against the mere suggestion of laying a finger on this masterpiece. Metropolis isn't just a classic scifi movie; it was a groundbreaking cinematic endeavour and qualifies as required viewing for film students and scifi fans everywhere. Of course, it's not for everyone - my significantly awesome other just pointed out that he's never seen the whole thing, because it puts him to sleep every time he tries to watch it. Once I got over my apoplectic fit, I just had to shake my head.

Anyway, the project is in the very early stages and still doesn't have a director, let alone cast or a firm production schedule. I'll keep my ears open for developments and hope for the best.

Close Chapter Two

I'm not sure what to think of the season ender of Heroes. A virus destroyed, a few dead heroes, a few resolved storylines, and a whole lot of questions left hanging.

The showdown at Primatech with Adam, Peter, Hiro, Nathan & Parkman was pretty exciting. Poor Peter, it hurt him to find out he'd been played by Adam, but at least his brother was there to hold his hand and tell him what to do. I'm glad Adam's just in a box, rather than dead. Not that he's very effective where he is at the moment, but I'm betting he'll find a way out. Maybe Sylar can help with that....

Ahh, Sylar. It's nice that Maya finally saw his true colours - black, black and black. His entire performance at Mohinder's apartment then the lab (formerly Isaak's studio) was terrific, from his creepy smiles for Mohinder to letting Maya know who he really is to his quick little shootout with Elle. I loved that he shot Maya, without even hesitating. It's too bad she didn't stay dead. Ah well, maybe she & Sylar will meet again in the next chapter.

I'm a little boggled by what Bennet's up to. Why would his agreement to work with The Company again guarantee the safety of his family? Just because Bob tells him so? Why on Earth would anyone - ANYONE! - still believe anything Bob says, most especially Bennet? Even poor dumb Elle, so desperate to please daddy, must realize he can't be trusted. Bennet, though, remains so utterly awesome to me that I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Who shot Nathan and why wasn't Parkman immediately brain-scanning the crowd for the shooter? Bennet's the likeliest choice and I rather like the idea of him using public assassination to achieve his ends. Of course, there's no reason to think Nathan's actually, really, truly dead, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Who was Angela Petrelli talking to at the end? It seems a little redundent to say Pandora's Box has been opened - after all, throughout this season she's been belabouring the point that she & her first gen pals did that 30 years ago.

As an afterthought, does anyone care that Niki probably blew up saving Monica? Naw, didn't think so. Maybe that bit was thrown in just for the sake of offing another hero and/or finally being done with her tired drama.

The little preview of Chapter Three was nice. With Sylar's powers returned to him, he's pretty much unstoppable. Of course, enough heroes working together could take him out, especially if Hiro & Peter get in on it, but I'm guessing it won't be an easy task.

Finally, I'm left wondering about what would have been different if not for the WGA strike. It forced the season to a premature end and some quick & dirty storytelling. Given everything that was left hanging, I can't help but have big hopes for a third season, but I wonder how much of that story will have to involve cleaning up the short second season.

Razor, take two

Last night I watched the DVD edition of Razor with some friends. All in all, I think I was more satisfied with the version that aired. It wasn't bad by any means, but it seems "uncut" and "unedited" translates to "three times the gore" and "things that were not in the broadcast version for a reason." Not all of the additional scenes were superfluous, but mostly they didn't add anything to the story.

There's an added scene in the beginning featuring Kendra Shaw discussing her posting on the Pegasus that I enjoyed seeing. It gave further context to this character being thrust into wildly unexpected circumstances. It also had the benefit of being short and to the point, which other added scenes did not. For instance, the show could have done without the lengthened sequence featuring young William Adama, before he discovers the cylon lab with its hallucinogenic vats of goo. Watching his fancy flying and outrageously improbable mid-fall gunfight was more silly than exciting or revealing.

Unfortunately, the scene with the young Helena Cain was actually disappointing and definitely should not have been included. Rather than providing greater insight into this complex person, I thought that bit of exposition was trying to offer some emotional excuse for the horrific choices she made as an adult. Not only did that weaken the character somewhat, but it was entirely unnecessary given Adm. Adama's position at the end of show. Cain made some distasteful decisions in extraordinary circumstances and there's no knowing how those decisions might have been different if she'd been responsible for and supported by different people. Unlike the added scene, Adama wasn't trying to excuse Cain's behaviour or absolve her of her sins; he was acknowleging a cold harsh reality and appreciating the circumstances he was in as he made his own decisions.

Good news & not so cool news

Good: The Stargate SG-1 straight-to-DVD feature The Ark of Truth will be available March 11. Yay!

Not so cool: It's going to have a pricetag of $27. Wtf? I paid less than that for some of my full season DVD sets of SG-1, and this will have a run time of only 97 minutes. Grr.

Pencils and dirty towels

If you've been looking for a way to combine your support for the WGA strike with your soiled linen fetish (and who hasn't?), here's your opportunity - win Jamie Bamber's used towels.

It's a small (geeky) world after all

So a friend of mine, a Brit who's been sharing US shores with us for some years now, was back in England recently. We were hanging out after his return to NY and he told me he'd learned an interesting bit of info that he thought I'd particularly enjoy.

Through three seasons of watching Battlestar Galactica, he'd experienced the niggling sensation of recognizing one of the main actors, but not making any connection. Then when he was in England a friend pointed out that an old schoolmate of theirs was doing well on an American scifi series. "You remember Jamie Griffith..." - and my friend explained that you & I know him as Jamie Bamber, or Apollo on BSG.

Dude, my friend knows one of my scifi heroes! Not only were they schoolmates, but they hung out for some years as teenagers. Apparently Jamie has matured considerably (and nicely) in the intervening years, hence my friend's inability to place him sooner. I just get a little kick out of finding out all the ways in which people are connected in this great big geeky world.

So, that's my name-dropping for the day, along with the little lament that I don't know anyone famous. Hmph.