The TED talks I've been digging lately

If you're not familiar with the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences, you're missing out on a world of holy-shit-amazing ideas and information. Check out the About page for more info.

What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider - "'Rock star physicist' Brian Cox talks about his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Discussing the biggest of big science in an engaging, accessible way, Cox brings us along on a tour of the massive complex -- and describes the vital role it's going to play in understanding our universe."

Beauty and truth in physics - "Wielding laypeople's terms and a sense of humor, Nobel Prize winner Murray Gell-Mann drops some knowledge about particle physics, asking questions like, Are elegant equations more likely to be right than inelegant ones? Can the fundamental law, the so-called 'theory of everything,' really explain everything? His answers will surprise you."

They don't make bad boys like they used to

James Dean was already dead years before I was born, having lived fast and died young, leaving behind a mangled corpse. Nonetheless, I nursed a crush on him through most of my teens. As far as I knew, none of his work was scifi, but I was entlightened this afternoon when I was catching up on my cheesy television with an episode of Tales of Tomorrow ("The Evil Within," 1953, which incidentally starred Rod Steiger) and I realized the awkwardly cool lab guy was James Dean. It's a small thing, but it put a bright little spark in my day.

Speaking of bad boys, Heroes returned this past Monday with two episodes, "Upon This Rock" & "Let It Bleed." Through some ridiculous oversight, Sylar wasn't even in the first ep. Hmph. "Upon This Rock" redeemed itself, however, with Hiro's continuing adventure. The effects of his tumor are manifesting in wonderfully appropriate ways, and I think he's going to save Charlie before he dies.

I like the character of Samuel, but I'm a little bored with his story. It doesn't help that he reminds me of a petulant kid sometimes. The carnival setting is cool, though, and I enjoyed the build up in the first half of the season. The setting and melodrama remind me of an attractive and square version of HBO's show Carnivale*.

Well, it's been a decent ride so far this season, with a few highlights but little that's really been spectacular. I loved watching Sylar in Parkman's brain. Parkman was an okay guy, but it was silly of him to think he could actually take out Sylar. Overall, though, the many stories continue to have lots of action while not going much of anywhere, and the characters keep banging their heads on the same old walls. However, I like Sylar so very much that I'm willing to overlook a lot. In fact, he pretty much carries the show for me (making his absence from "Upon this Rock" quite a drag). I'm curious to see where his story is going, and through what convoluted means everyone else gets pulled along.

*Being reminded of Carnivale inspired me to watch the show again and I was glad I did. It's two short seasons (twelve episodes each), and pretty damned great. I recommend it for the amazing atmosphere, and the high level of weird. Point of interest: Robert Knepper, who plays Samuel on Heroes, appeared in several episodes of Carnivale as radioman Tommy Dolan.

Geek-A-Thon 2009

Dragon*Con - I went, I saw, I had a geeky good time. For the unitiated, D*C is a massive multi-media scifi/fantasy/popculture/etc. convention in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend, and it's how I've been spending the long holiday weekend for the past few years.

Since it's already next year, I'll skip the day-by-day report that I've given for past D*Cs. Really, how the hell am I supposed to remember most of it anyway? As usual, I had a great time visiting my friends in Atlanta before & after the con, and the con itself was loads of fun. I didn't do much costuming, but holy shit some folks went all out. My favourite group costume was the Fruity Oaty Bar girls . Dark Knight Joker was terribly popular, and steampunk was all the rage. The closest I got to costuming was a sari with a fancy-schmancy sequined choli. I caught a few excellent science & tech panels (props to the Science and EFF tracks!), in addition to several celebrity panels so I could gawk at the pretty people. One of the coolest panels was on why the LHC won't destroy the world. Damned interesting, if somewhat disappointing (I mean, something's going to take out the place eventually, so it might as well be something cool like a man-made black hole. But apparently not). The Dealers' room was all right, though I failed to find a t-shirt I wanted this year, and I don't recall even making it to the Art Show. Hunh.

Well, I took a shit-ton of pictures.

Costumes I never stop being bowled over by some of the very cool things people put on their bodies for a con

Popetine and Darth Maulducci

Parade More amazingly costumed people

Wonder Woman

Hotties Celebrity Guests Stars from Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5 & Stargate, and scientists Kevin Grazier & Phil Plait

Bruce Boxleitner & Claudia Christian

I'm registered for this year (Sept 3-6) and have a hotel room reserved. 100% of all donations to the "Get Erica to Dragon*Con" fund will go toward debauchery.

Welcome to the Future

So I was gone for awhile and with no ado, it's time to post again. This is going to get long enough as it is, so for the moment I'm going to skip much analysis and just rattle off some things that are cool, interesting or otherwise noteworthy (to me, natch). Enjoy the new show & tell picture (over there on the right), which is Darth Vader totally saying, "How you doin'?"

I still love geeks, and while the geeks at the LHC have managed to smash some tiny shit together, they still haven't destroyed the world. Patience, my pretties.

Guess where there's water? That's right, the motherfucking moon. Here's the rather dry but info-packed Mission Update from NASA (13 Nov 2009), and the story at the National Geographic site.

Screenwriter Dan O'Bannon died in December. He was responsible for Alien, Total Recall and Blue Thunder, as well as some other stuff. My 13-year old niece just watched Total Recall and we've been discussing whether the Governator's character's experiences were real or just implanted memories. Good conversations.

So I've seen the new Star Trek a bunch of times and I think it's holy shit, A+, motherfucking balls out awesome. Yeah, I liked it, and not just because I have dirty, dirty thoughts about Zachary Quinto as Spock. I might write up something coherent about the flick eventually, but in case I don't, the high points of my commentary would be: for the most part, the characterizations were super entertaining; if the story even approached scientific feasibility, it couldn't be called "Star Trek"; visually, it seriously rocked and a lot of shit blew up; most of the acting was entirely enjoyable; and finally, wheee! I hope the next movie is a redo of the TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror," mainly so I can see Zachary Quinto as evil-Spock. I'll be in my bunk.

It's things like this that make me say, holy shit, I love living in the 21st century - 3D Mandelbrot Fractal.

Well, I don't know how long I'll manage to keep this up, but I'm kicking around ideas for posts about Dragon*Con '09 (good times, good times), "Dollhouse" (diggin' it), and maybe another thing or two.

Finally, since "happy new year" seems inadequate for 2010, I'll say welcome to the future.

More about LHC

Just when I thought I couldn't love geeks more, this Large Hadron Rap is brought to my attention.

I love geeks.

In case you were concerned...

Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet?

And if you're interested in some "actual information," take a look at How Stuff Works.

The site I wish I'd found before DragonCon

If you like funny t-shirts like I like funny t-shirts, have a looksee at this very funny t-shirt site. Science is the best!

Geek-A-Thon 2008 (yo)

Get yourself a tasty beverage and put up your feet, because this is a long one! Because I wasn't willing to spend $30 to connect to the interwebs from my hotel room, I kept a running diary over the weekend and now you get everything at once (with the caveat that it's all from memory, so who knows what I got wrong). My Atlanta adventure started last Wednesday afternoon, when I flew in and spent the next couple days with some friends. They're excellent people who are wonderful, comfortable and all around really enjoyable to be with, so my geek-weekend kicked off in the best way. Then, to DragonCon!

Day one was mellow, mostly just getting my bearings and catching a couple cool events. I made it to the first Stargate megapanel, which included Cliff Simon (Ba'al), Erick Avari (Kasuf), Morena Baccarin (Adria), Beau Bridges (Landry), Torri Higginson (Weir), and Rainbow Sun Francks (Ford). They were funny and entertaining and it was a dandy time. I followed that up with some wandering around, checking out people and finding out where things were in the different hotels (four now!), and enjoying all the funny t-shirts.

Later in the evening there were videos in the Stargate track room, so I caught some of that. I stuck around long enough to watch the first episode of Sanctuary so I could see David Hewlett, but then I had to turn in because it was late and I'm no fun anymore.

Day two started with a minor (but excessively irritating) personal crisis. Everything worked out fine, but I missed most of the parade, dammit. Luckily, I caught some of it, including pirates and stormtroopers, so that made me happy. I even got some not-completely-awful pictures, which is a nice bonus. This wasn't a big year for costuming for me, mostly because I was lazy and uninspired until the last minute. However, about a week before heading to Atlanta, I got it in my head to finally make the salwar kameez I've always wanted. It turned out great, I wore it at the con on Saturday and I got lots of nice compliments on it.


I made a pass through the dealers' room, which was pretty much the same as usual - funny t-shirts, corsets, comic books.

Then it was off to another SG megapanel, this time with everyone from the previous panel except Avari and Baccarin, and the addition of David Nykl (Zelenka). During the Q&A, an audience-member commented on the apparent number of single people in Atlantis and asked if the actors had any pairings they might like to see. Torri Higginson won me over when she cracked that the closets in Atlantis see a lot of action, and that McKay and Sheppard are hot for each other (I can't remember exactly how she phrased it, but I'm sure there's a clip of it on YouTube by now). *sigh* Now if only the people who make the show would catch up with the rest of us.

After some wandering and food, I hunkered down for still more Stargate, this time a Rocky Horror-style viewing of SG-1's "Window of Opportunity." Man, was that a good time! There was much calling out lines along with the characters, juggling, waving about of toy pistols, and file folders flying into the air. And, really, there's nothing quite like a room full of geeks all gleefully shouting, "In the middle of my backswing?!" Very, very good time.

I finally did something non-SG later Saturday evening, when I caught a Eureka panel. I've mentioned him in regards to DragonCons past, but I just have to reiterate how much I like Kevin Grazier, who is the science adviser for Eureka and Battlestar Galactica. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's my new science crush. So, there were questions and discussion and no spoilers for the new season. All around, quite entertaining.

Day three started early, with me actually awake and at a 10a panel with Cliff Simon. I could listen to him talk for hours. An interesting thing he shared is that he works with a dog rescue group in LA, which was a nice thing to learn. I have pretty strong feelings about how we treat the creatures we share our homes and our lives with, and it always encourages me when that's an issue that's important to people who have the ears of others because of their celebrity status. He also spoke quite a bit about growing up in South Africa, why he left there, and how very much he appreciates living in the US.


Then came more aimless wandering, followed by a Battlestar Galactica panel with Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek), Michael Hogan (Tigh), James Callis (Baltar), Aaron Douglas (Tyrol) and Colin Corrigan (who plays a background character I'm just not familiar with). They were all delightful to listen to, but I have a serious weakness for Saul Tigh, so getting to see Michael Hogan was a hardcore squee moment for me.

[Michael Hogan, James Callis & Aaron Douglas]

I followed that up with another pass through the dealers' room, this time successfully finding a t-shirt for my significantly awesome other. I didn't find anything for me, but I'm not especially acquisitive, so that's okay.

Sunday continued with a little video interlude in the Stargate track room, featuring clips from shows and movies Stargate actors have been in. Some of them have done some... interesting work.

I wrapped up Sunday night at a three-hour long panel on Stargate slash that I enjoyed tremendously. It involved good discussion on slash writing in particular, with many concepts that could just as readily be applied to fanfic in general, all in a very excellent atmosphere. I also got to put some faces to names I had seen on the internet, which is always a nice thing.

Then came Monday, the last day of the con, and yet still more Stargate. This time it was a megapanel comprised of Francks, Bridges, Simon, Jewel Staite (Keller), Baccarin, Nykl, and Avari, and it was a wonderful way to wrap up the weekend.


I finally packed it in with a quick perusal of the art show, then a final run through the dealers' room to get a couple things.

Of course, everywhere, any time day or night, the peoplewatching was fantastic. Again and again, I was bowled over by costumes that were stunningly original or excellent reproductions of movie, TV & comics characters. I was also just tickled by how incredibly friendly geeks can be. As much as I stood in line (and there were a lot of lines!), I rarely had to entertain myself and I had some great conversations with people.

Since the funny t-shirts are a highlight of the con for me, I'll share a few stats....
The funniest t-shirt I saw all weekend: Tell your mom sorry about last night
A close second: I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself
The t-shirt I picked up for my significantly awesome other: Got this shirt for my girlfirend (awesome trade)
The t-shirt I ended up getting for myself: Real tears excite me
(No, I wouldn't say that fits my usual style, but it sure made me laugh when I saw it.)

Finally, my friends collected me from the hotel Monday afternoon and I spent that night & yesterday morning with them, then headed back north yesterday afternoon, to be greeted by a happy partner, an absolutely ecstatic dog, and three cats who variously yelled at me, acknowledged me like I'd never left, and seriously snubbed me for a few hours. It's good to be home :)

My photos are up on my Flickr site, divided into Costumes, Parade and Guests.

Another DragonCon come and gone, and another year to wait and prepare.

You're a good friend, Arthur

A couple days after the announcement that Stargate Atlantis will not be renewed for a sixth season, we get an episode of such unbelievable awesomeness that the fangirl in me very nearly exploded (hence taking time out of my busy DragonCon preparations to spew about it).

McKay is infected with a parasite that slowly but surely neutralizes his brain functions. His personality goes, along with his memory, his intelligence and everything about him that makes him McKay. It's never stated outright (in this episode, at least) that Rodney's usually clumsy and abrasive with women, but I really like that Keller realized Rodney being charming and pleasant was in fact an early symptom of his ailment. So, Rodney turns stupid and nice, his team cranks up their protectiveness to eleven, and high-tension wackiness ensues.

While Keller's medicine doesn't have a solution for Rodney's affliction, Ronon knows of a shrine where others suffering with the same parasite can be "cured" for a day, right before they die. Also, it's on the same planet as a bunch of Wraith. Team Sheppard doesn't have to think twice.

"The Shrine" is, without a doubt, the best team episode ever. Ronon - Ronon! - tells Jeanie about the shrine, he fights the strongest for making the trip during the meeting with Woolsey, he makes it crystal clear that he will go into any situation and do everything he possibly can to save McKay, and that Woolsey and Keller should step up and do the same. Of course, Sheppard and Teyla back him entirely. Then there's Jeanie, who it's always delightful to see. She and Rodney together are simply terrific. And on top of all the very excellent team adventuring and bonding, this ep is also thick with slash. The McKay/Sheppard moments were phenomenal, and even removing my dirty slash goggles, this ep did a wonderful job showing the depth of their friendship.

I gaped at the scene on the flooded planet, where we got an amazing, expansive view of the team's situation, as the four of them perched atop the stargate in the middle of a lake. And, holy crap, John and Rodney on the pier. I suspect I'll probably watch that scene until I'm reciting it in my sleep. Then there was the radioactive shrine and poking a hole in Rodney's very valuable head with a power drill. How cool was that?

The only thing that keeps this from being the Very Best Episode Ever is the incredibly bad ending. If McKay had told Keller he'd started to care for her, wanted to date her, thought that maybe she wasn't so bad despite her voodoo profession, it would have seemed so reasonable and in-character. But that he loves her? What? That's just too hard to swallow. It felt like the person who wrote the first 42 minutes skipped out on the last 60 seconds and left it for the janitor to finish. And the janitor was wacky on the junk. As well as being a 12-year-old girl. Just, no.

Well, this seems like a fine time to pile on the hurt. I'm not taking SGA's cancellation too hard - it might be my favourite show these days, but it is just a TV show. Nonetheless, I'm sad and grumpy about it, and I am not encouraged by the prospect of a direct-to-DVD SGA movie, or the planned Stargate Universe series.

Nope, not too happy about this at all.

Bah, I'm going to watch "The Shrine" again (skipping that last scene), feel stupidly gleeful about such an incredible episode, and console myself with the knowledge that the series might be ending, but I will have this gem to watch over and over and over again.

News on the Farscape front

Those Farscape webisodes that were mentioned last year look to be actually happening, along with a comic tie-in. Yay! There's a short video of Farscape creator Rockne S. O'Bannon talking about it here.