tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70949143163471421942024-03-19T01:46:55.312-07:00Mark Murata's Suburban Fantasyand Science FictionMark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.comBlogger584125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-70016656308181316672024-03-13T19:34:00.000-07:002024-03-13T19:35:58.281-07:00Two-Sentence Movie Summaries <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I don’t remember who came up with the idea of two-sentence
movie summaries that are both accurate and sardonic. Here is my take on this
concept. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Last Samurai</i>: An American soldier decides Japan
is more spiritual than America. So he joins a rebellion against the emperor. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Wizard of Oz</i>: Trying to get home from Oz, Dorothy
almost dies on a mission to steal a witch’s broom. Then she finds out she only
had to click her heels. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>While You Were Sleeping</i>: A woman pretends to be the
fiancée of a man in a coma. After he wakes up, she leaves him at the altar and
marries his brother instead. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Aliens</i>: A platoon of Colonial Marines gets wiped out
fighting the monstrous aliens. Ripley emerges triumphant by using a forklift. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Saving Private Ryan</i>: A small group of soldiers goes
behind enemy lines in World War II to retrieve Ryan, whose brothers have all
been killed in the war. He decides not to go with them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Titanic</i>: A couple falls in love on the <i>RMS Titanic</i>.
The ship sinks. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Pride and Prejudice </i>(1995): Lizzy must decide who is
truly guilty of pride and prejudice as she contemplates the seemingly
hardhearted Mr. Darcy. When she sees him wet after a swim, she takes off. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Shane</i>: The gunslinger Shane hangs up his guns to live
a peaceful life with a family, including a little boy. He shoots a couple men
to death in front of the boy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Lord of the Rings</i>: Frodo must destroy the great
ring of power to save Middle Earth. He claims the ring for himself, but his
finger is bitten off, so happy ending. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1968): Although their families are
literally feuding with each other, Romeo and Juliet decide to marry for love.
They both die. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4FHpmn-KYec" width="320" youtube-src-id="4FHpmn-KYec"></iframe></span></div><p><br /></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-44597590753655087352024-01-26T19:20:00.000-08:002024-01-26T19:20:26.439-08:00Movie Review: Freud’s Last Session<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Freud’s Last Session</b>.
Directed by Matt Brown. Written by Matt Brown and Mark St. Germain. Starring
Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, Jodi Balfour. Rated PG-13 for language, sexual
material, bloody/violent flashbacks, smoking. Runtime 2 hr. 2 min.</span> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Freud’s Last Session</i> is a
fictional account: What if C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud met each other on the
eve of World War II? This would be just weeks before Freud’s death, and after
he was awarded the prestigious Goethe Prize for intellectual achievement. And
this was before Lewis’ radio lectures on Christianity during the war, which
became the basis for his famed apologetic work <i>Mere Christianity</i>.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Those who are looking for a
shootout between the atheist and the Christian will be disappointed. Freud
(Anthony Hopkins) does most of the talking. Lewis (Matthew Goode) mostly
listens. And thereby hangs an interpretation of the title.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Freud unloads on Lewis tirades not
just against Christianity, but often on his personal life. He strides around,
gesturing with his arms, dogmatic and arrogant. Lewis listens cooly, sometimes
sharing about his personal life when relevant, and giving mild rejoinders. In
the third act, Freud occupies the famous couch in his office, while Lewis sits
at the desk. Yes, this is Freud’s last session, with Freud as the patient.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The movie is disjointed, with a
rejoinder from either man sometimes much later than the question, and with
vivid flashbacks interrupting seemingly at random. So the following is a
stitching together of scenes that may not have been shown consecutively.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lewis shares that after his mother
died, his father did not know how to deal with Lewis and his brother, so he
sent them off to boarding school. Freud concludes that the distant father led
Lewis to his superstitious longing for God. Lewis responds that actually, he
reconciled with his father. He then points out that Freud hates his father, so
perhaps that is why he rejects God. Freud dismisses that with a wave of his
hand.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Towards the start of the movie,
Freud criticizes Lewis for being late, seeing that as a flaw. However, Lewis
was late because of trains shipping children away from London to the safety of
the countryside. The compassion shows plainly on Lewis’ face as he sees the
children, and later when they both hear on the radio that twenty thousand are
dead in Poland. Freud shows no such reaction. But Freud is concerned about
those close to him—a daughter and grandson who died. He shows Lewis a
photograph of them. Freud asks about their deaths and his own pain and
suffering. Why does God allow it? And frankly, that is the question that most
non-intellectuals feel is most important about God.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">At first Lewis says, “I don’t know,”
and Freud thinks he has a victory. But then it becomes apparent that Lewis was
talking about the particular suffering his family has gone through. Lewis goes
on to say that if pleasure is God’s whisper, then pain is God’s megaphone.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Freud constantly says Christianity
is just superstition, an "insidious lie," and at the start he says he is surprised an intelligent
man like Lewis believes in it. Later, we briefly see a flashback to Lewis’
writing group the Inklings, and we are shown an achingly short glimpse of a
page of Tolkien’s work. Tolkien witnesses to the then-atheist Lewis, saying the
Gospel is different from the world’s mythologies. He challenges Lewis to study
this. We then see Lewis doing so, going back to the original Greek of the New
Testament.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fans of both Freud and Lewis will
be disappointed at some truncated versions of their arguments. Lewis says that
all the religions that Freud denounces teach about doing what is right and not doing
what is wrong. It leaves out Lewis’ argument that one can only know what is
wrong from a sense of right, can only know what is bent from knowing what is
straight, and that knowledge is what God puts in everyone. Freud gives a brief
mention of his belief in the stages of sexual development, but it is so garbled
by his oral cancer, it is hard to understand.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Freud is portrayed as getting the
better of Lewis over fear of death. During an air raid alarm that turns out to
be false, they go to a church basement for shelter. Freud not only shows no
gratitude, he is rude to the clergyman. But Lewis has a bad moment, which he
says was a flashback to The Great War. Freud needles him about that moment,
saying he showed no joy about meeting his God, and therefore Lewis had a lack
of faith. Lewis looks stunned for seconds, and he has no reply. Later, on the
train home, Lewis looks afraid again at distant lights that either remind him
of war or show the preparations for war.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall, <i>Freud’s Last Session</i>
has an unsavory air. Freud’s daughter Anna, considered the founder of child
psychoanalysis, is accused by more than one person of having attachment
disorder towards her father. This is shown in a series of flashbacks that turn
out to be beyond creepy. And the movie implies she had a lesbian relationship (which is shown briefly in a hallucination),
for which there is no evidence and which Anna always denied.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">A lengthy flashback show the pact
between Lewis and a friend during The Great War, which Lewis did write about.
They both had single parents. If the friend were killed, Lewis was to take care
of his mother for the rest of her life, and if Lewis were killed, the friend
would take care of Lewis’ father for the rest of his life. The friend is
killed. In the most horrific scene of the flashback, hunks of shrapnel are
pulled out of Lewis’s leg without anesthetic. But when one puts together a few
scenes in the movie, it clearly portrays Lewis as having a sexual relationship
with his friend’s mother. There is no evidence for this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">So because of these and other
scenes, I cannot recommend <i>Freud’s Last Session.</i> Is this a biased
review? Perhaps. But were we all meant to interpret the movie the same way?
Unlikely. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hPJM9lEMyV4" width="320" youtube-src-id="hPJM9lEMyV4"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><br /><p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-35180220365689784822024-01-13T14:20:00.000-08:002024-01-13T14:20:23.661-08:00Iced Tea<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday in my part of the Seattle area, the high was 22
degrees. We are not used to that sort of temperature in these parts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I forgot my McD’s ice tea in my car overnight. This is what
it looked like today, near noon. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EyG59JrNTZXrBZHObRk-eQ6ZsJTLpskAufnLMCH5HKKJP93tlwHjtJcq1Hte2ORjz2YzgjxW-GEOtiNvnA4V0DPc2Im1nUlT7bynh7dXkz5QiYEvQDnrdkh3R_zTtmXedq5CGUxY_94udqEMTHIEjL10UoUgWmljP5Vpi8JkLkXmYs4jUC1kfe4aGME/s4624/Ice%20Tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EyG59JrNTZXrBZHObRk-eQ6ZsJTLpskAufnLMCH5HKKJP93tlwHjtJcq1Hte2ORjz2YzgjxW-GEOtiNvnA4V0DPc2Im1nUlT7bynh7dXkz5QiYEvQDnrdkh3R_zTtmXedq5CGUxY_94udqEMTHIEjL10UoUgWmljP5Vpi8JkLkXmYs4jUC1kfe4aGME/w300-h400/Ice%20Tea.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-39729813257994914382023-12-25T09:12:00.000-08:002024-01-13T14:05:12.958-08:00Merry Christmas<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLHeGjeGIGQVxmHPKdy5k3gdWWUVS-NWbe9jiOjJVU09qaRwpJOgLVgG6pG3beK7W-v6fF5SIDSkRqwArRaIUN864XJJUv49CLxynk_SYyVSEBjxicbJMDqcc-l5TXGw_MvD0-wxqTHshfn6cNQ6q9x4zFGnCoTBRHgZdUWqQa6ynHQDumvPhh-Fbdxo/s935/Reindeer%20at%20Alderwood%20Mall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="935" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLHeGjeGIGQVxmHPKdy5k3gdWWUVS-NWbe9jiOjJVU09qaRwpJOgLVgG6pG3beK7W-v6fF5SIDSkRqwArRaIUN864XJJUv49CLxynk_SYyVSEBjxicbJMDqcc-l5TXGw_MvD0-wxqTHshfn6cNQ6q9x4zFGnCoTBRHgZdUWqQa6ynHQDumvPhh-Fbdxo/w400-h321/Reindeer%20at%20Alderwood%20Mall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reindeer at Alderwood Mall</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Alderwood Mall is in a suburb to the north of Seattle. </span><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-30900825490606540252023-12-01T19:58:00.000-08:002023-12-02T09:33:29.896-08:00Book Review: Through the Storm<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Through the
Storm</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer
(Baen Books 9781982192990, $28.00, hc. 352pp) November 2023. Cover by Kurt
Miller. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5wpW7LkgWvuSatSPxd5fcDO1RzCUMSeU4gO9RDD7HV06Q4-x-vBEkrYUGlvyw4XUT_zNXqgDq-m-FMbekyPNY495N7Oe4bME8Zg0RM-HqlRpcBMTMUxPs88y_A3R_RBpcOzd06w7tVcpq8mNTBG6Iy4CnDfsEafnLfsLrvNFYQf5Gh861v_Kv2nXYKg/s240/Through%20the%20Storm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="157" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5wpW7LkgWvuSatSPxd5fcDO1RzCUMSeU4gO9RDD7HV06Q4-x-vBEkrYUGlvyw4XUT_zNXqgDq-m-FMbekyPNY495N7Oe4bME8Zg0RM-HqlRpcBMTMUxPs88y_A3R_RBpcOzd06w7tVcpq8mNTBG6Iy4CnDfsEafnLfsLrvNFYQf5Gh861v_Kv2nXYKg/w262-h400/Through%20the%20Storm.jpg" width="262" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">John Ringo is the author of a number of military science fiction series,
including the <i>Black Tide Rising</i> zombie series. Lydia Sherrer is the
author of the <i>Lily Singer</i> cozy fantasy series. Together, they wrote an
augmented reality story where the characters fight monsters while experiencing
teenage angst. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lynn Raven is the best player in TransDimensional Hunter, a game watched
by billions throughout the world. Since it is augmented reality, not virtual,
she can run into a tree if she’s not careful. She and her four fellow students
on her team use their goggles to see monstrous snakes, spiders, flying tengu,
and other grotesque creatures coming at them. They use guns as their ranged
weapons, but also enjoy using their swords to dispatch the monsters into
showers of sparks. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although Lynn spends hours at a time in augmented slaughter, the teenage
angst spurs some of the crucial plot points. Lynn’s nemesis at school is a rich
girl who calls her a “fat cow.” Lynn’s best friend in middle school went over
to the rich girl’s side, just because. But Lynn’s biggest external enemy are
the paparazzi, which use unregistered aerial drones. They follow her around,
recording whatever she says and does. She suffers immense anxiety over them, as
any teenager would. But her low self-image due to body issues magnifies it all.
If they continue to harass her, her gaming skills will suffer. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">But more angst comes Lynn’s way when her former best friend, Kayla,
suddenly says she wants to be friends again. Kayla realized she has
not been able to live her own life, just obeying the rich girl and dressing the
way she is told. She misses Lynn. Obviously, Lynn has trust issues. And Kayla’s
stepdad owns a PR firm. If Lynn will sign with them, Lynn can livestream camera
feeds from her battles, and do interviews. The paparazzi drones will go away. Lynn
has to figure out if this possible solution is worth trusting Kayla. These
bullying and trust issues deepen these characters into real teenagers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">When it becomes obvious Lynn’s team needs a new captain, Lynn accepts a
guy from the rich girl’s team. Lynn cannot fully trust him, but they both have
the goal of becoming the champion team at the finals. Readers can immediately
see he’s a skeezy guy. He takes advantage of Lynn’s innocence and her
insecurity over her body, tells her how beautiful she is, kisses her, and tries
to go too far. We may be disappointed by Lynn’s naivete, but for all her
ability to kill monsters, she is a shy teenager. Fortunately, she knows how to
use her knee where it counts. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then in the setup for the climactic scene, Lynn invites teams from around
the world to help her take down a “boss” in the game. She has to get past her
anxieties to address a hundred gamers. But she uses her motto of “Fake it till
you make it.” Only by fighting through this last struggle of teenage angst can
she lay out her battle plan and hector the teams into obeying during the
battle. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall, <i>Through the Storm</i> does not have young people doing their
own thing with no adult input. Lynn’s mother is very supportive of her. But
when Lynn gets an F on an English assignment, that makes for a serious talk. Also,
when the skeezy captain insists on calling the team members by their last
names, we can figure out their ethnicities. This is s a simple approach that
does not apply virtue signaling to the novel’s diversity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">The story also has more sophisticated content than slashing monsters and
teen angst. As a public figure, even private conversations Lynn has can be
distorted into public statements. Lynn is not political, but she is cautioned
against saying anything controversial to a friend, because that could be
recorded by a paparazzi to make money by publicizing her “statement.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is a sequel to <i>Into the Real</i>, in which Lynn’s online
persona was Larry, an older male military veteran. Although Lynn references her
Larry persona, this novel stands well on its own. Somewhat jarring are a few
scenes that let us know that TransDimensional Hunter is more real than Lynn
knows. Chapter 1 is that sort of scene, so it is best to skip it until
finishing the story. But <i>Through the Storm</i> is great both for those who
want gamer scenes and to see a teenager work through her issues. So yes, this
is a YA novel, despite the cover. Although, there was one girl in my high
school who looked like that.</span></p><p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-73634459065819841322023-10-14T10:26:00.000-07:002023-10-14T10:26:29.793-07:00Eclipse of the Sun in Seattle<p><span style="font-size: large;">I live in the Seattle area, and I was surprised that most of
the people I told that there would be an eclipse today didn’t know about it. I
used my NASA-approved dark plastic lenses to watch. It started out looking like
a chunk had been taken out of the sun. At the maximum, 95% of the sun was
covered. I definitely felt the wind pick up, since the decrease of heat in our area
of the atmosphere caused unequal air pressures.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQfXmkZQFZM-LvEjN3y8gBndk211Te19e3HeOuUc3iiVaU7YO1dFirx7zFkER0-CzDAwbGq69DfS1Uwtgoa1zPjHVKtLuy2npoWchAeLUNhVDo4HQ90uMiNDcGTZpjddTHOn8lNSb-cL5mvrI3jzU8zqDI8-LsXO_uh94tUl45DDAzrdQI76Ewdiagys/w300-h400/Eclipse%20Reflection%2010-14-23.jpg" width="300" /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I tried a few times to get a picture, but my phone would just
show a bright blur of light—that’s how bright the sun is, even during a partial
eclipse. I finally got a picture. But it looked impossible. The eclipse was
reversed! How could that happen?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I first thought the phone had somehow picked up a reflection
of the dark lenses I was using. But the camera was aimed away from me, at the
sun.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfwelb4-wZPRZ7TPLZ4MC7J4F4Zo-4IUsGhXJG0IYKiT6xSeeaG6_vT3I5AHfGBxj_N3888UHLtg3mFUAsPr2lHeN47h5HxCVRnDuHvjUgxh_gEYE_job_lK9QtBqZNtPDTOoR80NwSw00JownpmtyeH15vIQJeEzgQnf9PVByZ4Jrjk_rLVX4ql_tI8/s4624/Eclipse%20Glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfwelb4-wZPRZ7TPLZ4MC7J4F4Zo-4IUsGhXJG0IYKiT6xSeeaG6_vT3I5AHfGBxj_N3888UHLtg3mFUAsPr2lHeN47h5HxCVRnDuHvjUgxh_gEYE_job_lK9QtBqZNtPDTOoR80NwSw00JownpmtyeH15vIQJeEzgQnf9PVByZ4Jrjk_rLVX4ql_tI8/w300-h400/Eclipse%20Glasses.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I finally realized it was some internal reflection inside
the camera, caused by the brightness of the sun. The blur in the upper right is
the real eclipse. The image in the lower left is the internal reflection.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">But that was my fun in the partially-eclipsed sun.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-37733329224576393392023-08-30T20:11:00.001-07:002023-12-07T19:52:03.749-08:00Military Fantasy—Review of Winds of Marque <p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Winds of Marque</b> Bennett R.
Coles (HarperCollins Publishers 9780062820358, $16.99 pb. 368 pp) April 2019.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7wQlA91EPpwvM8r3IApooUx5zOy0b7DK8T0pSUYVnaezYbWeiFzEpT-rD9zjnJaL3wZfbTvqWQL32b5mGqZB2NiMX5VOrnkeKv0AvQAGykkNqTCxkREZUwseSsYDtriXP34D8fkj_3YYLnwaOuxrYbw7qwB5NwG3qXYIXyiLrEfKiILiOr87ho44Xw8/s400/Winds%20of%20Marque.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="253" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7wQlA91EPpwvM8r3IApooUx5zOy0b7DK8T0pSUYVnaezYbWeiFzEpT-rD9zjnJaL3wZfbTvqWQL32b5mGqZB2NiMX5VOrnkeKv0AvQAGykkNqTCxkREZUwseSsYDtriXP34D8fkj_3YYLnwaOuxrYbw7qwB5NwG3qXYIXyiLrEfKiILiOr87ho44Xw8/w253-h400/Winds%20of%20Marque.jpg" width="253" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bennett R. Coles
is known for his brutally realistic military science fiction. In his <i>Virtues
of War</i> trilogy and a short story in the same universe in the <i>Infinite
Stars </i>anthology, he describes not only hurtling through atmospheric entry
and small group tactics, but also needless intragroup conflict and questionable
civilian casualties. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">In <i>Winds of
Marque</i> Cole throws all that aside and just has fun. The ship use sails
whose masts are often in danger of breaking. They use the solar winds to
travel—faster than the speed of light? The main weapons are cannons that use
gunpowder in the vacuum of space. How does the physics of all this work? It
doesn’t. This is a fantasy world in space. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Subcommander Liam
Blackwood is a fearless officer. One might even say he is dashing. He accepts a
commission from the Lords of his empire to be the executive officer on a ship
sent without any support to a distant sector of space. Their mission is to
clear out the pirates who are cutting off supply lines. If they fail, they will be
denounced as mad rogues. But if they succeed, they will be granted prize money
from the cargo they seize from the pirates—enough to make each crew member
rich. He is aided by the hyper-efficient Quartermaster Amelia Virtue. She
happens to fall into his arms when a ship is shaken in an early adventure. We
definitely see where this is going. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Their society is
highly structured. Pampered royals often wreak havoc when in command of ships in
the Imperial Navy. Fortunately Blackwood and Virtue have a competent captain for
their pirate raids, though she is enigmatic and never explains her perplexing
orders to Blackwood. That is her prerogative, but eventually the crew loses
confidence in her. They’re also saddled with a spoiled brat of a royal cadet,
whose sheer obstinacy almost ruins the mission. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">The battles are
savage when they board pirate ships. Many of the crew on both sides get cut
down by swordplay. (Blackwood has the only pistol, which only fires four
shots.) Virtue, although a quartermaster, is right there in the swordfights. An
interesting alien race are reptiles that can wield swords with their prehensile
tales, which ends up being a problem for Blackwood. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fantasy aside,
Coles includes enough pragmatic elements to give the story a realistic feel.
Bottlenecks in the loading of cargo threatens the ship’s ability to leave
incognito, so even Blackwood and the ship’s doctor lend a hand. When asked if
the boarding party is ready, Virtue delays answering while doing a calculation
in her head for rigging the boats for assault and equipping fifteen sailors in
armor and weapons. She says it will take over an hour. With only enough water
left for a one-way trip to a pirate base, the captain gambles that they will
win and find the water to return home. (They don't recycle water. Fantasy, y'know?) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although Blackwood
is a royal himself, he does not fully understand his society’s unwritten rules.
He and Virtue have a growing affection for each other. Then he gets furious
when he sees her and the royal cadet kissing. Later, Virtue explains
angrily that she had to play along. A royal could rape her and not be punished
for it. This does make their society less likable, but it is somewhat akin to
preferring the British Empire to the pirates they fight. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fraternization is
frowned on, so Blackwood’s inner conflict is to not let his growing love for
Virtue adversely influence his decisions concerning her and the rest of the
ship. Virtue really doesn’t have much inner turmoil to work through—she mainly
reacts to what happens. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall, <i>Winds
of Marque</i> has good tension and intense fight scenes. If one can accept
old-style ship action set in space, the story flows nicely. </span><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-78961773208766436092023-08-16T19:01:00.001-07:002023-12-02T17:25:29.068-08:00Book Review: Star Splitter<p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Star Splitter</b>. Matthew J.
Kirby (Penguin Young Readers Group 9780735231665, $18.99, hc. 320pp) April
2023.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2AwyG-dTGIUDoZSGHfmhiFLeqvyRyYKAY-LFRpqp18PCEff7S_3BoEGMkazpMl40hhyEJXjPqa07oQWtyiix0HEvodaMsQE6p_7Z7WTPe-algSXXUUStP9IS2gigW1IzVRzsKBBF9vpwuVubVfyBbOJVPGA5jnafeh1MnJf-WPYtkEtNSrdHPhedHZ8/s400/Star%20Splitter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2AwyG-dTGIUDoZSGHfmhiFLeqvyRyYKAY-LFRpqp18PCEff7S_3BoEGMkazpMl40hhyEJXjPqa07oQWtyiix0HEvodaMsQE6p_7Z7WTPe-algSXXUUStP9IS2gigW1IzVRzsKBBF9vpwuVubVfyBbOJVPGA5jnafeh1MnJf-WPYtkEtNSrdHPhedHZ8/w265-h400/Star%20Splitter.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Seventeen-year-old
Jessica Mathers wakes up in a body printer. This is the fastest way to travel
from Earth—to have her data transmitted and assembled. But something has gone
horribly wrong. No one is there on the spaceship in orbit of a distant planet to
help her recover. She finds blood on a console and a bloody handprint in a
corridor. Then she realizes she is not on the spaceship, but in one of its
landers that crash-landed on the planet. Outside, she finds the graves of the
crew members. Then she meets herself—a Jessica who was printed earlier, but
whose explanations of what happened seem a little too pat. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">The structure of <i>Star Splitter</i>
is deceptively simple: The chapters alternate between the viewpoints of the before
Jessica, whose narrative begins days earlier, and the after Jessica, whose
narrative begins after the crash. The before Jessica woke up on the spaceship,
and her parents were printed two days later. This is where we discover she is
lying to the after Jessica, since she tells her their parents never printed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">#<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">“And Mom and Dad
are …?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Like I said, they
never arrived.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Can we pull up
their data? What if we just establish them here?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I thought about
that … I checked the printer … It’s dead.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">#<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">The time
difference between the two viewpoints is meant to build tension as the before
Jessica reconnects with her parents, the reader knowing the entire time that
some disaster will happen. It can be a little tedious, but the after Jessica
goes through harrowing adventures, from being swept away by a river to making
her way through endless underground tunnels. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although they are
the same person, the before Jessica is rather sulky—she hasn’t seen her parents
in six years, since they decided to explore space without her. She spirals into
an odd love/hate relationship with them. The after Jessica grows by overcoming obstacles.
She is rather plucky and does not quit, no matter what. Kirby aptly explores
both teenage paths. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ultimately the
reader will be satisfied or dissatisfied with <i>Star Splitter</i> based on the
explanation of what happened, and the fates of the two Jessicas. I found the
disaster not explained convincingly. As for the Jessicas, it is ambiguous as to
whether it is a happy ending or not. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a side note,
the first chapter is more of a prologue. It is somewhat gross and unnecessary, so
it is best to skip it. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-43972804879042372562023-07-22T21:46:00.003-07:002023-07-25T20:28:49.820-07:00In the Pink— Review of Barbie <p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Barbie</b>. Directed and written by Greta Gerwig. Starring
Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Ariana
Greenblatt, Will Ferrell. Rated PG-13 for suggestive references, brief
language. Runtime 1 hr. 54 min.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Never before have I seen a movie with so much pink in it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Barbie</i> is a mostly successful comedy combined with
surprisingly deep introspection. First, to get some stupidity out of the way:
There is no map showing China’s nine-dash claim to the South China Sea. It is simply
a child’s version of the world, with multiple dashed lines showing the path to
the Real World. The movie does not have constant lectures bemoaning the
patriarchy, nor does it do a triumphant smackdown of the supposed American
patriarchy. There is no grooming of children. In fact, middle school girls tell
her they haven’t played with Barbies since they “were like five years old.” There
is no trashing of the U.S. Supreme Court. Barbie simply sees a billboard of an
all-female band and mistakes them for the Supreme Court in Barbie Land. All these
accusations were from people who had not seen the movie or saw it through some
weird political lens, thus beclowning themselves. It’s a doll’s view of
reality, okay?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Our story follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) as she goes through
an epic journey of self-awareness. Barbie Land is filled with every Barbie you
have ever seen in real life, and more. Barbie can be a physicist, a doctor, a
writer, an astronaut, the president, etc. All the Barbies smile and wave in this
cartoonish land. They dance every day. Every day is perfect—for the Barbies.
Kens are simply sidekicks. Our Barbie’s Ken (Ryan Gosling) can only have a good
day so long as Barbie looks at him. She is easily distracted.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Barbie’s crisis begins when she has thoughts of death. Then
her feet go from stereotypical high heel position to flat. Horrified, the other
Barbies scream “FLAT FEET!” She seeks out Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), whose
hair was cut off and face was drawn on by her human girl. Weird Barbie tells
Barbie she must go to the Real World and find the human girl whose troubles are
affecting Barbie.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So she goes on her pink journey, with Ken tagging along. In
Barbie Land, Ken had wanted to stay the night, but was too innocent to know
why. In the Real World, construction workers make salty remarks at her. In
Barbie Land, they never had to buy anything. In the Real World, they end up
stealing clothing. Most importantly, Barbie sees sadness around her.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">More importantly for Ken, a woman asks, “Sir, do you have
the time?” No one has shown him respect before. He then leaps into a belief in
an exaggerated patriarchy, where men hold all important positions. Enlightened,
he rushes back to Barbie Land.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, Barbie has made the appropriate connection to a female
in the Real World, and returns with mother and daughter to Barbie Land. There,
they find it has been changed into Kendom, with the Kens acting out extremely
exaggerated machismo—lots of beer and Ken wearing a fur coat?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Barbie</i> is mostly a successful movie, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling looking every inch like a Barbie and Ken. It would have been
so easy for Margot Robbie to overact the part, but she never does. She gives a
surprisingly deep performance when Barbie is shocked by the Real World, and
then by having everything taken from her. Unfortunately, the movie fails in
what is traditionally called the third act, with a mess of a conflict between
the Barbies and Kens.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">This movie is a labor of love, years in the making by
director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig. I have to rely on collectors to vouch
that every accoutrement in the movie is authentic, but life-sized. They even briefly
showed Midge, Barbie’s pregnant girlfriend. They even more briefly showed Sugar
Daddy Ken (that was a thing?). On the flip side, a middle school girl goes on a
tirade, saying Barbie ruined women’s lives, and calling Barbie a fascist.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Barbie</i> also has outstanding dance scenes. The one towards
the start of the movie is a showstopper, with imaginative choreography and highly
skilled dance moves, and lots and lot of pastels. The one towards the end, which
features the Kens all dressed in black, is just as imaginative and skillful,
but too artistic for this movie. Also, I was shocked at what a great singer
Ryan Gosling is.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So overall,<i> Barbie</i> is a fun movie. It does have some amusing
cultural comments. But just enjoy it as a Barbie movie.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pBk4NYhWNMM" width="320" youtube-src-id="pBk4NYhWNMM"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus feature: The characters are clearly based on archetypes,
most famously found in <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> and <i>Through the Looking Glass</i>.
The characters can slide around from one archetype to another.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Barbie is certainly Alice. Weird Barbie, who gives Barbie
two choices, is the caterpillar, who offered two sides of his mushroom. The mother
and daughter are mostly the white rabbit that Alice chases. They are sometimes
Tweedledee and Twedledum when they argue. The insane CEO and his board (which I
did not mention in the above review) are the mad hatter and his tea party. Allan,
Ken’s friend (again, not mentioned), who mischievously fights for Barbie, is
the Knave of Hearts. Ken starts out as the Cheshire cat, someone who is in and
out of Barbie’s life. He becomes the Queen of Hearts, dominating Barbie Land.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-37291921694108216502023-07-20T06:27:00.001-07:002023-07-29T15:43:26.065-07:00Ex-Patriate Dream<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Last night I dreamt of a school of bright orange fish in the
deep blue sea. A solitary fish joined the school. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">A cutaway view of a submarine showed a school of orange fish
swimming inside it, though the sub seemed to be functional. The same solitary
fish joined them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The scene changed to what looked like a Middle Eastern
countryside. It was the kind of place where ex-patriates from Europe might
luxuriate in indolence. It felt like a previous generation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">A young woman with dark hair ventured out in a lacy white
dress. She rode a donkey with a man escorting her. She reached out to a tree
branch on a short slope. She leaned against it for the sheer joy of it, not
caring who saw her.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The scene changed to a large plain hotel room. A couple of
men and the young woman lounged there. A number of ex-pats could come and go as
they pleased. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">A man in a fez hat told at length to an ex-pat the names of
all the corrupt people in the city. The ex-pat listened with interest. The man
in the fez hat obviously hoped the ex-pat would act on the information. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">After the man in the fez hat left, the ex-pat considered for
a while. Then he decided, “Why not?” He gave a list of all the names to the
authorities. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">More time of indolence passed. Then a thirtyish ex-pat n a
casual but neat suit came in from the ornate lobby, angry. He said to me,
“Brown, you fool! The authorities arrested about a quarter of the men on your
list. But didn’t you realize that the authorities enjoy doing business with the
rest?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">He pointed at the young woman, concerned for her safety.
“Get her out of here!” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">It turned out I was Brown. I was the one that the man in the
fez hat spoke to. I was the one who had accompanied the young woman. I was the
fish who had joined the other fish in the sea. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I grabbed the young woman by the arm and got her out to the
hot countryside, hoping to find some transportation.</span><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-bO9xdlm_oj0kFK4gMVTWOpwVWHfRNhXcuUAvN0L4DpVCVMdVAuhqBpIKSFIP_0IEmEWyQtKHIF6bMGmDi76jpQlX4IHmeCPQlYUX9WEpjxrhzkaazdg3jff0Sp20qt3VxhZ6dNgjS6QXN16LgOEc7g28CxekT4lE9Fm2Fm8BWC1TIZqeR1FDpbs2XI/s825/Woman%20on%20Donkey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-bO9xdlm_oj0kFK4gMVTWOpwVWHfRNhXcuUAvN0L4DpVCVMdVAuhqBpIKSFIP_0IEmEWyQtKHIF6bMGmDi76jpQlX4IHmeCPQlYUX9WEpjxrhzkaazdg3jff0Sp20qt3VxhZ6dNgjS6QXN16LgOEc7g28CxekT4lE9Fm2Fm8BWC1TIZqeR1FDpbs2XI/s320/Woman%20on%20Donkey.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">public domain</div></span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-47009506493393600002023-07-14T18:37:00.000-07:002023-07-14T18:37:02.306-07:00Dream of Short Stories<p><span style="font-size: large;">I dreamt that I was at a convention with a workshop on
writing, similar to <a href="http://suburbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2022/04/norwescon-ii-supplemental.html" target="_blank">Norwescon</a> or <a href="http://suburbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2021/12/worldconautographs-and-kaffeeklatsch.html" target="_blank">Worldcon</a>. The woman leading the workshop
emphasized everything that needs to go into a novel. I had with me a manuscript
for a long novel (for a beginner). It was written in four parts. As the woman
continued to speak, I realized that what I had was actually four short stories,
not a novel.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I had a meeting set for Wednesday, when a number of us could
present our manuscripts for a professional to look at it. This would be a prime
opportunity. But since what I had was not really a novel, I knew it would not
work out. I cancelled my part in the meeting. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">When I woke up, I knew the manuscript I had with me in the
dream was for a science fiction novel I had written, with main character Ensign
Tica Manus. What I had dreamt was true: This was not a novel, but four short
stories. (They are actually more like novellas or novelettes.) I will polish
them up and submit them to magazines. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">In the nineteenth century, the German organic chemist
Friedrich August Kekule tried to puzzle out the structure of the benzene molecule.
He came up with a circular model of self-linking carbon atoms. His work revolutionized
organic chemistry. In a famous speech, Kekule said he came up with the idea after
having a daydream of a snake seizing its tale. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWE2F8TCBMHL8FgV5Z05RWUlToSC4VMH-TGU0xs1HV6TfwqqehJV3I6ahb6liCdWinhzo3fPSQfpNI999tst-1L5GegfDyRGg_8piqw8mHNECrcHrcYOGexjElYpwILSrwCm_PYDckeAWWLOiqzGQCoWRRA4vuqv-9e9PfuUCyRNvbWjQLdCd5Sba6_I/s452/Snake%20Molecule.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWE2F8TCBMHL8FgV5Z05RWUlToSC4VMH-TGU0xs1HV6TfwqqehJV3I6ahb6liCdWinhzo3fPSQfpNI999tst-1L5GegfDyRGg_8piqw8mHNECrcHrcYOGexjElYpwILSrwCm_PYDckeAWWLOiqzGQCoWRRA4vuqv-9e9PfuUCyRNvbWjQLdCd5Sba6_I/s320/Snake%20Molecule.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ouroboros-benzene.svg" target="_blank">image by Français</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Paul McCartney composed the song “Yesterday” in a dream. I have
heard more than one version of this story. In one version, he rushed to write
it down. In the other, he had the song going through his head for much of the
day, not recognizing it. He finally realized he had composed it in a dream,
then wrote it down. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnc8e2JOtMNu-ZFZmdCEUIBK9YSyFVz0aaZvt9yvQ5TlgqBXuUNpSb2H0LrUqGhDiTJHp8sHR9UcZN5v2R9uTrXymLcHorRvatghz7KWLlOxF1ocYLF1XYS9vhvu_zLZdJCJHnA80YYaq8OeIjJJcomXooidw7TOCi1es76scxBmwiOXv72l2izM8Ob4/s789/Paul%20McCartney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="789" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnc8e2JOtMNu-ZFZmdCEUIBK9YSyFVz0aaZvt9yvQ5TlgqBXuUNpSb2H0LrUqGhDiTJHp8sHR9UcZN5v2R9uTrXymLcHorRvatghz7KWLlOxF1ocYLF1XYS9vhvu_zLZdJCJHnA80YYaq8OeIjJJcomXooidw7TOCi1es76scxBmwiOXv72l2izM8Ob4/s320/Paul%20McCartney.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Mccartney_Roundhouse.jpg" target="_blank">photo by Mono Macca</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s a pity such dreams cannot happen on demand. Have you had
any such dreams, whether on solving a problem or creating new art?</span><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-66769125967793598712023-06-17T19:28:00.002-07:002023-06-18T20:39:48.889-07:00Sprint into Fun: Review of The Flash<p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Flash</b>. Directed by Andy Muschietti. Starring Ezra
Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel
Verdu, Ben Affleck. Rated PG-13 for partial male nudity, violence, foul language. Runtime 2 hours 24 minutes. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cOucEp7SpvgQxmoCxtFoLpW6zbKTApu-FT9Lz3WsLATem9wyT98kHdoaGwhnexvv_NLWqjr_TmuEw-Yi8COOInL-LXl_cQuy1zdJfv-h94Qm5fSMcGSw6skhYemn9gmKI21asjmahmSivQylGKh6dVRqPYZgCd3-NRMo1RuBMovEd1qS0Ks8cWUE/s1600/The%20Flash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cOucEp7SpvgQxmoCxtFoLpW6zbKTApu-FT9Lz3WsLATem9wyT98kHdoaGwhnexvv_NLWqjr_TmuEw-Yi8COOInL-LXl_cQuy1zdJfv-h94Qm5fSMcGSw6skhYemn9gmKI21asjmahmSivQylGKh6dVRqPYZgCd3-NRMo1RuBMovEd1qS0Ks8cWUE/w266-h400/The%20Flash.jpg" width="266" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">After the obligatory action scene at the start (and who
doesn’t love a superhero who saves babies and a dog), we move on to the central
angst for Barry Allen aka the Flash (Ezra Miller): He is worried for his father,
who is falsely imprisoned for the murder of Barry’s mother when he was a child.
Overwrought, the Flash runs wildly fast and finds he traveled a short distance
into the past. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Naturally, he wants to go back in time and prevent the death
of his mother. Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) cautions him against this, saying he
could destroy everything. Barry says he could also save Bruce’s parents. Bruce
wisely says “these scars we have make us who we are." The emotional tug is too
strong for Barry, so he goes back and does save his mother. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The way he saves her is reminiscent of the Isaac
Asimov novel <i>The End of Eternity</i>, when a time traveler moves an ordinary-looking
can and changes the course of a civilization. In this case, Barry has somehow removed
the metahumans (Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman). What we have left is Batman,
an ordinary human. Michael Keaton fills the cape in this alternate universe,
and it’s a hoot seeing him as a burnt-out Bruce Wayne who no longer wants to
fight the good fight. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Most of the dialog and character interplay are between Barry
and a younger, pre-Flash version of himself. Because he didn’t quite come back
to the present, the older, driven Barry has constant arguments with the
college-age, carefree, obnoxious Barry. Ezra Miller is more than capable of
filling both roles. While I was watching the movie, I wasn’t conscious of the
fact that it was the same actor playing two characters; they seemed to be two
different people. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Sasha Calle is a revelation as the anti-hero Supergirl. (Remember,
Supergirl arrived on Earth after Superman, and that's why she exists in this universe.) This Supergirl brutally kills several bad guys. But at first she
stays aloof from a world-threatening invasion. As she points out, she’s a Kyptonian,
not a human. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall, <i>The Flash</i> is a treat for superhero fans. Although, the outfits are too tight in the loin area, if you know what I mean. One
does not have to be a geek to recognize a number of multiverse cameos. And the
plot holds up. They avoid the futility of endless cycles of endless multiverses,
as well as the simplistic idea of always going back in time to fix things when something
bad happens. This is more of a cautionary tale than just a show of superpower. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Flo-U9hSjO4" width="320" youtube-src-id="Flo-U9hSjO4"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-80130062950872271302023-06-03T10:48:00.000-07:002023-12-07T20:02:38.156-08:00Book Review: Agnes at the End of the World<p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Agnes at the
End of the World</b>. Kelly McWilliams (Little, Brown 978-0316487337, $9.99,
pb. 448pp) June 2021. Cover by Tom Bagshaw.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNvotVYj36B5zhA7oOfGDrU4ANTJkX8FQKFAhdkI10j1ie7mDX1dbtEZGFBarS9q-JfNtGWoFso3bZciVTWKB2iT1WjNAP0jnXbJfTbDxBiBhHltlVtA9f0_NC1v-YY1djFqoA9bQyQS4LlWF554JDHQRO1SA03RuI5536Z_cmnuoeEG0_OONhci8/s1500/Agnes%20at%20the%20End%20of%20the%20World.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNvotVYj36B5zhA7oOfGDrU4ANTJkX8FQKFAhdkI10j1ie7mDX1dbtEZGFBarS9q-JfNtGWoFso3bZciVTWKB2iT1WjNAP0jnXbJfTbDxBiBhHltlVtA9f0_NC1v-YY1djFqoA9bQyQS4LlWF554JDHQRO1SA03RuI5536Z_cmnuoeEG0_OONhci8/w266-h400/Agnes%20at%20the%20End%20of%20the%20World.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Agnes at the End of the World</i> features Agnes, a young woman who
has been raised in about the worst cult you can imagine. Most of the adult men
(patriarchs) have multiple wives. It’s also a doomsday cult, with the
leader—the Prophet—predicting the end of the world, hence the title. They are
forbidden from having contact with the Outside, since all Outsiders are evil
treacherous people. Agnes begins to doubt their teachings because her little
brother Ezekiel has diabetes. She sneaks out to the cemetery once a month at
night. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0.5in; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">Holding
a flashlight and blue picnic cooler, she hurried towards the small collection
of headstones that rose from the ground like rotten teeth. The grass was
velvet, the moon a white slice. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">There, amidst
the graves, a nurse gives her a supply of insulin. This nurse has only been
kind and compassionate towards her. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">The story is mostly from Agnes’ viewpoint, though sometime it’s from the
viewpoint of her fifteen-year-old sister Beth. Agnes has been the model of a
compliant girl, while Beth is more saucy (for a cult member). When the Prophet
declares a revelation that Agnes is to be wife number six for a white-haired
patriarch, she hesitates out of care for Ezekiel. The patriarch is sure the
Prophet will get another revelation that he should marry Beth instead. Agnes
has the stunning realization that the cult has been run on lies. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">When Agnes finally escapes to the outside world, she finds a plague has
ravished much of the world’s population. The story’s copyright is 2020, so
McWilliams must have written it without being influenced by the COVID controversies
and shutdowns. This pandemic is a nasty one—both animals and humans develop
hard red carapaces, with bristles that can infect others. After a while, they
gather into Nests—javelinas (feral pigs) together, crows together, humans
together, etc. They are grotesquely intertwined with each other but still
alive, though showing no intelligence. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nothing is easy for Agnes, as she seems to have escaped from a bad world
to a worse one, all while having to adjust to the Outside. McWilliams does a
fine job with her up-close descriptions of Agnes’ constant dilemmas, having
been taught that obedience is all and questioning is sin. When she takes refuge
with others in a library, she is astonished that a teenage boy there just wants
to play games on his device. Meanwhile she hauls water from a well, cooks, and
cleans—not even half as much labor as she is used to. And she refuses to shed her prairie
dress for a T-shirt and short pants, since she feels naked in them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">The character of Beth is problematic. She comes off as a
bratty teenager who happened to be raised in a cult. And some things about
Agnes do not fit. She often uses God’s name in vain while thinking, which does
not match her upbringing. She learns to drive in one afternoon and escapes the
cult by driving down black asphalt in the dark at eighty miles an hour for
miles without crashing! She was only allowed to read the Bible and a few crude books
for children. But she easily uses words like “illimitable,” “Gordian knot,” and
“crypt keeper.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Agnes’ most important internal conflict involves what she calls her “prayer
space.” At first it seems to be a sense of peace she experiences. But she can
use it to sense things and people beyond her sight. Outside the cult, she can
sense things miles away. And it is not just an internal sense; at one point she
uses it to ward off an infected javelina that charges her. Eventually, the
prayer space helps her to sense that God is a fluid that permeates all things. Sometimes
God tells her to do things, sometimes she can “use” it. This will be
disappointing to readers who were hoping she could tease out the difference
between the cult teachings and her core biblical beliefs. Others will find it
an interesting science fictional element, somewhat akin to the Force in the <i>Star
Wars</i> franchise. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">McWilliams is a lyrical writer, going from scenes of twisted beauty to
gritty details of survival. Be prepared for several pages at a time dealing
with the prayer space as the voice of God. This is an original story, and
readers should look at it carefully to see if it is their cup of tea. </span><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-37461241661293402722023-05-24T19:56:00.001-07:002023-05-24T19:56:53.810-07:00Book and Movie Reviews—New Style<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">In the past, I’ve said this is not a negative blog. I’ve
tried to avoid making negative comments on books and movies. This has prevented
me from reviewing some books, because to be honest I would have had to say some
negative things. From now on I’m going to give the sort of reviews one might
read in magazines, which discuss both strengths and weaknesses. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Also, I’m not going to give a SPOILER alert anymore.
Obviously, I will not try to spoil a book or movie for anyone. But the reader
should be able to sense that the farther one reads a review, the more that might
be revealed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So this is still not a negative blog. But the style will
change to be more in conformity with professional reviews. </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfH0ywqmhPy_j3ModLZ-Gx1ru7dt2uoAi9IIoGsiRiHIC5w8ZJhP1ZgrqgXAgr0AQvBLPh87I5z1ZpCn8tDc8ZnnW0qkxldkbqJXXXc_So13MEQmtZfHVADFMGsNaqIO1UNkz0uh8ta69qx24L25f8m0c8tuUblZcTHPwkGBQ7P0e0dxgIYYFQJy0-/s623/Magazines.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="623" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfH0ywqmhPy_j3ModLZ-Gx1ru7dt2uoAi9IIoGsiRiHIC5w8ZJhP1ZgrqgXAgr0AQvBLPh87I5z1ZpCn8tDc8ZnnW0qkxldkbqJXXXc_So13MEQmtZfHVADFMGsNaqIO1UNkz0uh8ta69qx24L25f8m0c8tuUblZcTHPwkGBQ7P0e0dxgIYYFQJy0-/s320/Magazines.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">photo by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License,_version_1.2" target="_blank">Christian Bohr</a></div></span>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-21767710854053677272023-05-03T20:01:00.000-07:002023-05-03T20:01:04.188-07:00Magazine Review—Analog <p><span style="font-size: x-large;">The March/April 2023 issue of Analog is well worth reading
just for the novelette “The House on Infinity Street” by Allen Steele. It’s a
variation on the standard line given when some fan asks, “Where do you get your
ideas?” The answer, given with a straight face, is “Schenectady.” It works as a
nonsensical answer. If the fan takes the answer seriously, the more elaborate
reply is that some mail-order place (I suppose nowadays it would be on TikTok
or something similar) in Schenectady, New York will mail an author a story idea
for a fee. Some people actually believe the answer, before realizing they’ve
been spoofed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So in a completely serious tone, Steele tells the supposedly
true story of how a friend of his had the real experience. But it was in Deerfield,
Massachusetts. This was in the late 1950’s—the age of Automats, and also when
pulp magazines like <i>Astounding</i> and <i>Unknown</i> were in their heyday.
A fellow named Shelby Weinberg got writer’s block, and in desperation wrote to
a literary agency that dispensed ideas. What he got back was a description of a
futuristic device. Steele, in the present, realizes it’s a smartphone. Shelby
continued to get uncannily accurate future ideas, including technology like
solar panels. The ideas seemed too real, so eventually a friend persuaded him
to visit the literary agency, with unfortunate results. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">“The House on Infinity Street” is an enjoyable stroll down
memory lane, with Steele naming pulp after pulp I had never heard of before. He
also details what it was like to be a struggling writer at the time, with one
writer “borrowing” an idea from another. Even if you are not up on the pulp
origins of science fiction magazines, this is an intriguing window into that
time. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsfwyeDWbqShG31Hhcr3KnlqFk2fyTso-L-_edTqMixqufZWfCkZtRIWMFFpEJz4S0MBqQZdeDW_qgBp66K8aXWDLh5U5zSgpSDeEhHGs6Bsb9dCc5tWUVTkPzOAqT5F4GKcokrKCXccYfVkMQc4BDhfRRlcbthpj3hhqquUHNbp26GZQ7kcemPhS/s1019/Analog%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="775" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsfwyeDWbqShG31Hhcr3KnlqFk2fyTso-L-_edTqMixqufZWfCkZtRIWMFFpEJz4S0MBqQZdeDW_qgBp66K8aXWDLh5U5zSgpSDeEhHGs6Bsb9dCc5tWUVTkPzOAqT5F4GKcokrKCXccYfVkMQc4BDhfRRlcbthpj3hhqquUHNbp26GZQ7kcemPhS/w304-h400/Analog%20Cover.jpg" width="304" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Also enjoyable is the science fact article “Why are the Keplerians
so Different?” by Kevin Walsh of the University of Melbourne. The Keplerians are
the exoplanets discovered by the Kepler space telescope. Contrary to what many
people believe, no one has seen any planets beyond our solar system through a telescope.
Their existence is inferred by a star’s light getting periodically dimmed for a
short time, which is presumably caused by a planet passing in front of that star.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Many Keplerians have orbits lasting less than ten days, which
would mean they are orbiting their stars at immense speeds. Others have very
low density, with one having only one tenth the density of water. Still others
are quite massive. Walsh freely admits that a couple of these more massive supposed
planets are probably brown dwarf stars. (My own take is that some of these exoplanets
are also small stars, but in a new category similar to brown dwarfs.) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">In any event, the Keplerian exoplanets do not resemble the planets
in our own solar system. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So if you can order the March/April Analog or read it in a
library, you will find particularly good science fiction and fact to read. </span><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-73685130653792179782023-04-19T19:35:00.002-07:002023-04-19T19:44:38.122-07:00Movie Review—Suzume<p><span style="font-size: large;">Suzume is a high schooler in Kyushu who was orphaned when
she was a little girl. She has been living with her aunt for ten years. One
day a young man asks her if there are any ruins nearby. Intrigued, she goes
there herself. She sees a lone door standing amidst wreckage. When she opens it
she sees an otherworldly realm, but cannot reach it. She also sees a carving of
a cat, which see pulls out of the ground. It comes to life and runs away.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">After that, a monstrous creature comes out of the doorway,
causing an earthquake. She and the young man—Souta—are barely able to close the
door and avoid disaster. It turns out the cat was a guardian meant to keep the
door closed. Suzume and Souta chase the cat across Japan, trying to shut other
doors and prevent ever-increasing disasters. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Suzume has flashbacks of herself as young child, wandering around,
looking for her mother. But are these memories? Or is she seeing herself in
that other realm?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IfKNOUUtyCA" width="320" youtube-src-id="IfKNOUUtyCA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Suzume</i> ranges from scenes of delicate beauty to looming
horrific disaster. This is high quality animation, with good detail and
realistic motion, no matter how odd the chase scenes are. What stuck in my mind
was the kindness Suzume experiences on her journey: From a young woman her age
hauling fruit, to a mother who sees her at a bus stop where the next bus will
not come for hours, they all want to help her. Suzume does chores for room and
board, which is heartening so see. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The director, Makoto Shinkai, has openly said he was influenced
by <i>Super-Frog Saves Tokyo</i>, which also involves preventing an earthquake.
That in turn must have been influenced by the Japanese myth of Namazu, the giant
catfish beneath Japan that causes earthquakes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The movie has a couple of weaknesses. I suppose this is
where I put SPOILERS. Suzume and Souta spend the movie as travel buddies. Then towards
the end she tells her aunt that she loves him. This is very sudden. Also, her
aunt becomes unaccountably cruel in one scene and tells Suzume she wasted the best years
of her life caring for her. It is unclear if another door guardian is making
her say these things, but it is unsettling. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So <i>Suzume</i> is well worth watching. Definitely do not
walk out the minute the credits start rolling. For those of you who are Makoto
Shinkai fans and love his movie <a href="http://suburbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2017/04/earth-shattering-love-movie-review-of.html" target="_blank"><i>Your Name</i>,</a> have your friends watch <i>Suzume</i>
first. It is hard for Shinkai to live up to his masterpiece, <i>Your Name</i>. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3WGMW502V78VtgapO212htE2hjq_NB6cDnUH0j5sXkPRI_wGiC-8WhRoIL7RTCybt_D25Gk06n-HFER7RZB8YwJhJ1PwyZrsCdsB99u50lb3aiTb691JCznznhSefLtJj3Xx6WDhaY7DHKg2rbeFD5CnyInDoV0BHlf_T1mUE5UWK9ZUdfgdWcl6/s670/Suzume.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="670" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3WGMW502V78VtgapO212htE2hjq_NB6cDnUH0j5sXkPRI_wGiC-8WhRoIL7RTCybt_D25Gk06n-HFER7RZB8YwJhJ1PwyZrsCdsB99u50lb3aiTb691JCznznhSefLtJj3Xx6WDhaY7DHKg2rbeFD5CnyInDoV0BHlf_T1mUE5UWK9ZUdfgdWcl6/s320/Suzume.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-46052023659470324952023-04-13T19:34:00.001-07:002023-04-13T19:36:58.193-07:00Norwescon 3—Supplemental<p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://suburbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2022/05/norwescon-iv-supplemental.html" target="_blank">Last year</a>, I took a lot of pictures, which took a long time
to post. This year, I took much less.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqSFl0EJxwgel1prEU8Tn_epM0Or6O09gWOshV-ReA9FTUqO43mFJqo543WFR5jacmBYdWThbNI2O7FUTuT6U-mcKhMwIFtHSdChQ-gdfcaoOdOfxmrvh8C43qAqQ-lnBhSLM1Vwrg8PAbg_nhv46xq05GJ0mPaOWEsXWHe2SoP3OCDCp3LHV7ekE/s996/Woman%20with%20Cape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="714" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqSFl0EJxwgel1prEU8Tn_epM0Or6O09gWOshV-ReA9FTUqO43mFJqo543WFR5jacmBYdWThbNI2O7FUTuT6U-mcKhMwIFtHSdChQ-gdfcaoOdOfxmrvh8C43qAqQ-lnBhSLM1Vwrg8PAbg_nhv46xq05GJ0mPaOWEsXWHe2SoP3OCDCp3LHV7ekE/w286-h400/Woman%20with%20Cape.jpg" width="286" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQPX5bdwwbBkkpjDlOyJwBZtUxT2z94H4NPx-TkET5PQ5Kjh2ZEp5d4-D7WfGO6K5bkGC7qPhvCYjAuTN_DfGcyDaexkDPBj6bzR5bppmBKMZrS0smxkIa5drWQAJ7a1y5LC09_hEc7nyVEn0XmDr6cO0zJ930opZZcPECT6-5H9KpGVFOXlQWzLU/s980/Neptune%20Woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="785" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQPX5bdwwbBkkpjDlOyJwBZtUxT2z94H4NPx-TkET5PQ5Kjh2ZEp5d4-D7WfGO6K5bkGC7qPhvCYjAuTN_DfGcyDaexkDPBj6bzR5bppmBKMZrS0smxkIa5drWQAJ7a1y5LC09_hEc7nyVEn0XmDr6cO0zJ930opZZcPECT6-5H9KpGVFOXlQWzLU/w320-h400/Neptune%20Woman.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCPksFDgvZLMIw5CwIctbxn69N3Wg0ndkootjOCaCA-e30GyxtxF2Y5Yu5nMWBSCOBXDfs0QpmJ9D75h8aA4eRwc0m19PCWJamKWfu-7G_-VfMy40EySnU7JkGslCv8yDfa4kpMDQKpEPRCix62dew--Lyt6rXxu22SzHk5k9SM5ess0KdGZZEsHK/s991/Unicorn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="719" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCPksFDgvZLMIw5CwIctbxn69N3Wg0ndkootjOCaCA-e30GyxtxF2Y5Yu5nMWBSCOBXDfs0QpmJ9D75h8aA4eRwc0m19PCWJamKWfu-7G_-VfMy40EySnU7JkGslCv8yDfa4kpMDQKpEPRCix62dew--Lyt6rXxu22SzHk5k9SM5ess0KdGZZEsHK/w290-h400/Unicorn.jpg" width="290" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIAEofnHKS9ynSewDEyOlHljO1PflpSOMtJsAips6afx84_vV851JvHraoH8a6u0LM3Wsn-yho2jEvgZNYCZhfY7anPurpVvLorFkjiL5HHfgclr1yS9TxPNm4gpmi5pBk2VL9ZghYDe9GBt5AtT5D06w1_DIMgEpK6mFKm8HONiKHmS9kXcti1oM/s681/Family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="514" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCIAEofnHKS9ynSewDEyOlHljO1PflpSOMtJsAips6afx84_vV851JvHraoH8a6u0LM3Wsn-yho2jEvgZNYCZhfY7anPurpVvLorFkjiL5HHfgclr1yS9TxPNm4gpmi5pBk2VL9ZghYDe9GBt5AtT5D06w1_DIMgEpK6mFKm8HONiKHmS9kXcti1oM/w303-h400/Family.jpg" width="303" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88iN7r2QFbY2cgFx_WxriuuHvFfjlrk-HoltPSkDYc6g3GVWLylmh8dq6AITTO0LgGHpvgJe1c64oAssutQzqJmyED7WK9MFQmkQuKW4XiZPrOJoGWjdNOCwrMyZHMGL0Sa3jmutiUDAtp40n8sqw_5tg0y9e5ZvR9jJj2tLw5d0UtSURC3xfUHUg/s1400/Yellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88iN7r2QFbY2cgFx_WxriuuHvFfjlrk-HoltPSkDYc6g3GVWLylmh8dq6AITTO0LgGHpvgJe1c64oAssutQzqJmyED7WK9MFQmkQuKW4XiZPrOJoGWjdNOCwrMyZHMGL0Sa3jmutiUDAtp40n8sqw_5tg0y9e5ZvR9jJj2tLw5d0UtSURC3xfUHUg/w286-h400/Yellow.jpg" width="286" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Below, we see Batman and Robin getting photobombed by the
Penguin. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzk5MRPBkvzZF7UV8LuNgpqURduco4CdtNM8Ksk4BU-cpGa_2TZXn-usbhgC5tWbVlmklECcRxTcSTy4YdoJizS7GP289DT60y-Ijglz6u4b5fIN55fIB6YlNVDtXUEtvpxnWhI4eLIQ6XOJQKEWg1xQytklPjL4tV8pKSdsKdkyfu0lrLkh_Ii4b/s799/Batman%20and%20Robin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="712" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDzk5MRPBkvzZF7UV8LuNgpqURduco4CdtNM8Ksk4BU-cpGa_2TZXn-usbhgC5tWbVlmklECcRxTcSTy4YdoJizS7GP289DT60y-Ijglz6u4b5fIN55fIB6YlNVDtXUEtvpxnWhI4eLIQ6XOJQKEWg1xQytklPjL4tV8pKSdsKdkyfu0lrLkh_Ii4b/w356-h400/Batman%20and%20Robin.jpg" width="356" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Torrey Stenmark is in her floor costume below. She has the
kind of light saber that sizzles. She recognized me, so she flicked it and made
it sizzle as she walked by, which startled me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOrapSPqbcbJz51TJsiNJNMAOY6ck6se9kdT14Bsa2zMgSNCNIJ-DmyuUPFNeF1Zo3RB6wcG-FW9BOuoboa1ioRrvheK2dpnrEM2EDt6EYKmKKyik-g0eyPM2QaBGas061sp-VpJg4pdHfJzS9Md1XQYcoE_L4wz1VHHn1QAgEA91G-EzekQYfJ0P/s959/Torrey%20with%20Saber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="486" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOrapSPqbcbJz51TJsiNJNMAOY6ck6se9kdT14Bsa2zMgSNCNIJ-DmyuUPFNeF1Zo3RB6wcG-FW9BOuoboa1ioRrvheK2dpnrEM2EDt6EYKmKKyik-g0eyPM2QaBGas061sp-VpJg4pdHfJzS9Md1XQYcoE_L4wz1VHHn1QAgEA91G-EzekQYfJ0P/w203-h400/Torrey%20with%20Saber.jpg" width="203" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Here she is in her Masquerade costume. I asked her who her
character was. She asked me if I had seen <i>Top Gun</i>. I hadn’t, so I was a
little puzzled. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivy7KgZ76PN1Qv24qSTIN_ScDYYyByx7MmyAPnuAdy1-rT1GgUUIg_ww7zlGuyrR2Ep4VmD2Uv1IyPANu4xUKDLMVl6tYQSQP0tCdueCb27wH3_s21XM_EnfTV-tTQ5Q9x5J7Wda5QcqvPvjFPsQfm0ZITvmBSN1rAU1DrM2t0_3BhDiXwxAfPTnoR/s878/Torrey%20Top%20Gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="602" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivy7KgZ76PN1Qv24qSTIN_ScDYYyByx7MmyAPnuAdy1-rT1GgUUIg_ww7zlGuyrR2Ep4VmD2Uv1IyPANu4xUKDLMVl6tYQSQP0tCdueCb27wH3_s21XM_EnfTV-tTQ5Q9x5J7Wda5QcqvPvjFPsQfm0ZITvmBSN1rAU1DrM2t0_3BhDiXwxAfPTnoR/w274-h400/Torrey%20Top%20Gun.jpg" width="274" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps this will help. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVGSSqiHL1EYT3I_4futPlZVR_n6cwDHf6Ixfs3lt0L-x5N2GaqqR9g_xhPQqpqiHkcmpI2Lxy9QShKIAoPhH1Ti0nykIkSNohSb8ffw0jzJbjN3lm6OxPcb_GmjuURMPARwS1GYt9BX1635oBEJU72B8G3ui29SKwU6y_YjRJrkxby1lalcWqzX_/s968/Torrey%20Sunglasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="589" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVGSSqiHL1EYT3I_4futPlZVR_n6cwDHf6Ixfs3lt0L-x5N2GaqqR9g_xhPQqpqiHkcmpI2Lxy9QShKIAoPhH1Ti0nykIkSNohSb8ffw0jzJbjN3lm6OxPcb_GmjuURMPARwS1GYt9BX1635oBEJU72B8G3ui29SKwU6y_YjRJrkxby1lalcWqzX_/w244-h400/Torrey%20Sunglasses.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">click to enlarge</div></span><o:p></o:p><p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-51511014305929142402023-04-11T18:44:00.001-07:002023-04-13T19:37:47.454-07:00Norwescon 2—Supplemental<p><span style="font-size: large;">Norwescon was held at a hotel near the SeaTac airport. Here’s
a view with an airliner taking off in the upper left.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMdKKXiA6VgdJ4AyGcO3k_dGCIRDaDzERS1xzC-4cnCKTmp3en5eV373O0Ex6IIirk0N5t41Ooh1eNpMdkcR0Lhz-WDJ07cpDigwWMqrmSAfc5RYK1dy4i3KIuVEEspUOKtsPiTwq0pHYLkLuk_ll9i0PvrgfWlRqxMBPemKXZV2NZk1RPfImP821/s804/Airliner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="804" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMdKKXiA6VgdJ4AyGcO3k_dGCIRDaDzERS1xzC-4cnCKTmp3en5eV373O0Ex6IIirk0N5t41Ooh1eNpMdkcR0Lhz-WDJ07cpDigwWMqrmSAfc5RYK1dy4i3KIuVEEspUOKtsPiTwq0pHYLkLuk_ll9i0PvrgfWlRqxMBPemKXZV2NZk1RPfImP821/w400-h271/Airliner.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I should have said in <a href="http://suburbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2023/04/norwescon-1supplemental.html" target="_blank">yesterday’s post</a> that Kimberly Unger
was one of the speakers on the subject of AI—or not really AI, just machine
learning. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsWqGcUXRyz8uNLqwfnLutl349CYjesfdAXTv6lwpzBz94m9g4BxcDxXHndwZq5dYuCeiuJE8UVkf0bPG14JtkjrRcWcLJ5gKc6_m67BIQdw7STOUmr78EiNTGAm01WYmDsIELrQSn5VH461lnINy2iyYTxaeszX1FRtCTPo3FjT3K3oPT0WDBqWH/s574/Kimberly%20Unger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="497" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsWqGcUXRyz8uNLqwfnLutl349CYjesfdAXTv6lwpzBz94m9g4BxcDxXHndwZq5dYuCeiuJE8UVkf0bPG14JtkjrRcWcLJ5gKc6_m67BIQdw7STOUmr78EiNTGAm01WYmDsIELrQSn5VH461lnINy2iyYTxaeszX1FRtCTPo3FjT3K3oPT0WDBqWH/w346-h400/Kimberly%20Unger.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Later, she won the Philip K. Dick award for best paperback
novel (science fiction of fantasy) published last year. </span><o:p style="font-size: x-large;"></o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Here she is with the award for her book, </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">The Extractionist</i><span style="font-size: x-large;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9ZdEoNEm6p-bi5zH_NuAAbn591QX5wOILr_hJH3M_-QWzepn9miXxhQO0XAQwB01m_rMSWHdaPAtOb7EvGCp5l0lNCC_bWm8FUB34nt-QvIB-4JuVwlwvHR_kgpx6-_JNY8Unxgpy_7xBJkm3V5e_ua2q0Klk7UIhMl7JlYQwMb-tF3FwZ7RIbkn/s724/Kimberly%20Unger%20with%20Award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="543" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9ZdEoNEm6p-bi5zH_NuAAbn591QX5wOILr_hJH3M_-QWzepn9miXxhQO0XAQwB01m_rMSWHdaPAtOb7EvGCp5l0lNCC_bWm8FUB34nt-QvIB-4JuVwlwvHR_kgpx6-_JNY8Unxgpy_7xBJkm3V5e_ua2q0Klk7UIhMl7JlYQwMb-tF3FwZ7RIbkn/w300-h400/Kimberly%20Unger%20with%20Award.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">For me, the best event was a
workshop called “Plotting Your Novel with Save the Cat!“ A lot of people have
good writing skills. They can write interesting scenes. But they are told their
story structure will not attract readers. Our instructor, Emily Leverett, went
over in detail the best story structure that works over and over again, using
the book <i>Save the Cat! Writes a Novel</i>, by Jessica Brody. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhAA_qm62JSTPY56OOiJ7erpQAqd6SkMvTq1MJeq3IDk96smzjd6h82u_OFahvlzhOK7cjrVXcyPexVEfc7kX4xvNozkmZXmGoseHtrY9OTD_AEYEygis3ckFEvpx7px-HI5cT5DPovPbYtJzaf0_nGpdp29pcvPsONkvusqDKVP2EpF-YTvxpMEZ/s1500/Save%20the%20Cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhAA_qm62JSTPY56OOiJ7erpQAqd6SkMvTq1MJeq3IDk96smzjd6h82u_OFahvlzhOK7cjrVXcyPexVEfc7kX4xvNozkmZXmGoseHtrY9OTD_AEYEygis3ckFEvpx7px-HI5cT5DPovPbYtJzaf0_nGpdp29pcvPsONkvusqDKVP2EpF-YTvxpMEZ/s320/Save%20the%20Cat.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">As Emily Leverett emphasized,
this is not a matter of imposing a wooden template that gets rid of
originality. The story template comes from observing successful novels and
movies. It can be seen in stories as diverse as <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>
novels, the <i>Star Wars</i> movies, Jane Austen novels, the movie <i>Legally
Blonde</i>, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;">As to what the phrase <i>Save
the Cat!</i> means, buy the book. It will do you good. </span><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-52434116717505044382023-04-09T20:34:00.005-07:002023-04-12T18:49:08.431-07:00Norwescon 1—Supplemental <p><span style="font-size: large;">First a personal message:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Hello, HAZZARD. If you are reading this, it was pleasant to talk
to you. You may already be familiar with the Medieval play “Everyman.” If not,
I strongly encourage you to read it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Mark<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">__________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Norwescon is the biggest science fiction/fantasy convention in
the Pacific Northwest that has a good focus on writing. Interestingly enough,
the subject of AI was big. Although, panelists who spoke about it did not see
it as an end-of-the-world development. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What they said is we do not have true AI (artificial
intelligence) yet. What we have is machine learning that can do specific tasks.
This machine learning is becoming rapidly more sophisticated. A number of editors said they are getting submissions written by these supposed AI programs.
They say they can easily spot them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So it is not a threat. Yet. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">As an odd coincidence, the hotel parking lot has a robot security
drone. An anonymous source said they had had some catalytic converters stolen
out of cars, but this drone took care of the problem. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5ZewFSNhT6NX4J2hnmzB9RMDF4uytsHdj0QKcw3SB3DvAnW508S8YMVV4zq9q5eIsMyp9XOTLBFKh-ccTyvqIsZ4Iq_nGShYKycKs-mE7TN8EUd3snrhLTWT1mFod_di-RYbQb7iEqGWT6B943YRfpVNxrqoeWjj5Yl_mS-NkYeO3Vd4Yp6VkbM5/s645/Parking%20Lot%20Drone.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="645" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5ZewFSNhT6NX4J2hnmzB9RMDF4uytsHdj0QKcw3SB3DvAnW508S8YMVV4zq9q5eIsMyp9XOTLBFKh-ccTyvqIsZ4Iq_nGShYKycKs-mE7TN8EUd3snrhLTWT1mFod_di-RYbQb7iEqGWT6B943YRfpVNxrqoeWjj5Yl_mS-NkYeO3Vd4Yp6VkbM5/w400-h374/Parking%20Lot%20Drone.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">One conventioneer said he looked out his window one morning
and saw a Dalek in the parking lot. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Never fear, there was a real Dalek there. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XtK0SiMUE7zMKWtd1uFBJnOep7HskpOemhazrAmFQChZvLyBvA2_LhhAksJ0haw-vTAauD7f99WAy2GhI7LRbvrHkrmNb6D7tCuf9syxJOSNa5YshKPGQjyUVDgpEUqCx8y6TeG9HBp3jl3URb2itVvtYN_y2_WlisihovfU_2i5meOnjnFdr3rj/s665/Dalek.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="389" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XtK0SiMUE7zMKWtd1uFBJnOep7HskpOemhazrAmFQChZvLyBvA2_LhhAksJ0haw-vTAauD7f99WAy2GhI7LRbvrHkrmNb6D7tCuf9syxJOSNa5YshKPGQjyUVDgpEUqCx8y6TeG9HBp3jl3URb2itVvtYN_y2_WlisihovfU_2i5meOnjnFdr3rj/w234-h400/Dalek.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I thought it would be cool to have designed the security
robot like a Dalek. But it might not be taken seriously. The sleek functional
look is better. </span><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-86633884783979292282023-03-19T19:57:00.000-07:002023-03-19T19:57:09.898-07:00Shazam 2—A Caution<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Shazam! Fury of the Gods</i> starts off where the first
movie left off, in terms of storytelling. If you did not see the first movie,
it is not clear at all which high school kid turns into Shazam. It’s Billy Batson.
But his foster brother Freddy Freeman kind of dominates the first part of the
movie, so a viewer might conclude it’s Freddy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So to get people caught up, when Billy yells “Shazam!’ he
turns into that superhero (played by Zachary Levi). Now his foster siblings
(Mary, Freddy, Darla, Pedro, and Eugene) can do the same. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">It turns out their powers were stolen from certain obscure
Greek gods, and now they want them back, hence the title of the movie. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The <i>Shazam!</i> movies are not the dark sort of DC movies.
They are meant to be more lighthearted, to draw children as well as teens and
adults. So I have to warn you there is a scene where an adult commits suicide.
I do not want anyone complaining I just did a spoiler. They want children and
teens to see this. I am not under any obligation to hide what they show. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zi88i4CpHe4" width="320" youtube-src-id="Zi88i4CpHe4"></iframe></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The original <i>Shazam!</i> had a good amount of humor, much
of it childish. It was genuinely funny. This sequel also has humor, though not
as much. I didn’t find most of it funny, but other people in the audience laughed.
However, it was a good laugh when Shazam mispronounced Solomon as “Solo-Man.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The cast made an unusually good catch with Helen Mirren as
one of the Greek goddesses. Lucy Liu also looks great. But no offense, she
doesn’t seem like a deep character while sharing the screen with Helen Mirren.
Very few people can. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">As for Billy/Shazam, he suffers from imposter syndrome. He
does not believe he deserves the powers he’s been given. So he overcompensates
by demanding the foster siblings always stick together for their adventures. But
his imposter syndrome stays with him. Will he be able to resolve this before
the end? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">SPOILERS * SPOILERS *
SPOILERS</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">A side story featuring the little sister Darla was
essentially a long commercial for Skittles. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">When Shazam sacrifices himself in the climactic scene to
save the world, Hespera (Helen Mirren) watches. She says something like, “Really
a god, after all.” This is obviously a reference to the Roman centurion saying,
“Truly this was the Son of God” as he stood at the cross where Jesus was crucified.
Christians will find this either interesting or irritating. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;">*MAJOR SPOILER*</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So Shazam dies and is buried. Then Wonder Woman makes a
shocking cameo and brings him back from the dead. People enjoy seeing Wonder
Woman, but this seemed kind of cheap. It would have been better if they left
him dead, like Spock at the end of <i>Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan</i>. Then
they could have played her theme music and showed her sword after the credits,
to give us a hint of things to come. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><span style="font-size: large;"></span><p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-31865163338309587362023-03-16T19:07:00.000-07:002023-03-16T19:07:33.873-07:00TV Review: The Ark (continued)<p><span style="font-size: large;">So in my <a href="http://suburbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2023/02/a-sleeper-ship-containing-dozens-of.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, I reviewed the SyFy series <i>The Ark</i>
(also shown on Peacock). I have some additional thoughts.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">At first, I thought that Richard Fleeshman (who plays
Lieutenant James Brice) was contractually obligated to take his shirt off,
since he did it in the first three episodes. But he hasn’t done it in the next
three episodes, so maybe they got past that initial </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Twilight</i><span style="font-size: x-large;"> silliness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The blonde Valley girl turned out to be a counselor. She made
sexy remarks in the first three episodes. But they turned her into a serious character,
so I hope they are over that silliness, too.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The science is not getting better. It’s still silly. Um,
space is a vacuum. They don’t have to keep the engine running for the ship to go
through space at a constant speed.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">But they do a good job with at least three intertwining plot
lines in each episode: the struggle for survival, the leadership struggle, and
ongoing mysteries (starting with a murder mystery).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;">On a personal note, it took me a while to watch through episode
6. That’s because I had to sign up for Peacock’s monthly plan. When they first
rolled out Peacock, they advertised it would be free, free, free, etc. Then it
turned out to keep watching a series, a viewer has to pay. I was so insulted, I
wouldn’t at first. But </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">The Ark</i><span style="font-size: x-large;"> turned out to be so good, I signed up for
their paltry monthly fee. So there you go.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4sHD-w3GTyXcFFUIw2u6qve-dZZD2ylmvjEvxEiPMAY82amftL2JCHnFQJf653j8KplmQ08YCkl4IgTloCtlS0ecGQ-W1ISZeOQdeAcJBMPXW3hMZKdaVnJCw-NVFZhFD7zO8ynFwnFwaHW1QcePO0NHYTrx1fKhAXyhMBODO-r9SllV3fPv160g/s3000/The%20Ark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4sHD-w3GTyXcFFUIw2u6qve-dZZD2ylmvjEvxEiPMAY82amftL2JCHnFQJf653j8KplmQ08YCkl4IgTloCtlS0ecGQ-W1ISZeOQdeAcJBMPXW3hMZKdaVnJCw-NVFZhFD7zO8ynFwnFwaHW1QcePO0NHYTrx1fKhAXyhMBODO-r9SllV3fPv160g/w300-h400/The%20Ark.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-53645564532665253042023-02-08T20:48:00.006-08:002023-07-15T20:13:41.862-07:00TV Review: The Ark<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">A sleeper ship containing dozens of people in suspended
animation has a violent impact just one year short of the planet they were sent
to colonize. The entire command staff was wiped out in the impact. But that is
just the beginning of their problems. They only have four weeks’ worth of
water. They have six weeks’ worth of food. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Lieutenant </span><span>Sharon Garnet</span><span> (</span><span>Christie Burke</span><span>) takes command. Everyone
on board is an expert in something: science, engineering, etc. She assigns some
of the crew to retrofit the water recycling unit meant for the
colony. This is no easy task: The right equipment has to be scavenged.
An attempt is made to grow food in a cargo bay. But the power requirements for
the lights can impinge on the search for equipment. Always, somebody disagrees with
her decisions.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mFBJwIGazjQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="mFBJwIGazjQ"></iframe></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">There are so many problems with the premier episode of <i>The
Ark</i>. I don’t consider anything that follows to be a spoiler. When the crew
wakes up from suspended animation, they are instantly alert and able to sprint
to a safer part of the ship. Seriously? They later show the compression suits they
were in was what allowed them to run, but inflated pants don’t work that way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">They use the centrifugal effect (actually centripetal force)
to simulate gravity. One part of the ship stopped rotating. When it starts
again, people in mid-air immediately fall to the floor. Physics doesn’t work
that way, man! There is no reason why people in mid-air would suddenly fall
like that. They would bounce off the walls and possibly the ceiling first
before settling onto the floor. (The movie <i>Passengers</i> had the same
problem, but I digress.) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">While we’re at it, the ship has two rotating sections. They
rotate the same way. That would make for an intense Coriolis effect, so the
whole ship would rotate against its axis. It would be better if the sections rotated
in opposite directions, or had one large section rotating one way, and two
smaller sections rotating a different way. (Look at Ragnar Station in the
premier of <i>Battlestar Galactica</i>. They almost got it right.) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">For the more personal matters, some jerk sarcastically addresses
a woman he thinks is Russian as “comrade.” What? That was a term used in the days
of the Soviet Union. Why would someone a hundred years from now use it? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">There is a blonde ditz who does “Valley Girl” talk. One scene
implies she is showing off her naked body. Save that for soap operas. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Two young geeky people wear geeky glasses. Why? To let us
know they are geeks. I didn’t see anyone else wearing glasses. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">There are three lieutenants. The other two dispute whether
Lt. Garnet should be in charge, since they are all equal. Obviously they have
equal rank, but they wouldn’t have equal seniority. If one of them was promoted
even a day before the others, that one would be the senior officer. Lieutenants
would be well aware of who is senior to whom. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Believe it or not, this is not a negative blog. Despite all the
problems, I plan to continue to watch <i>The Ark</i>. The challenge of how they
will survive is intriguing. I like Lieutenant Garnet. Also, I like Lieutenant
James Brice’s (Richard Fleeshman's) Scottish accent. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-16588747678369971422022-12-30T19:35:00.003-08:002023-01-28T18:48:11.476-08:00Powerless—Funniest Sitcom<p><span style="font-size: large;">Emily Locke arrives as a new director at Wayne Security in Charmed
City, full of excitement and idealism about her new job. But she almost gets
killed before she can arrive at work. Why? Charmed City is ground zero for fights
between minor superheroes and supervillains. Emily’s train is derailed by a supervillain,
and the superhero Crimson Fox saves her and the rest of the train. Emily looks
like she’s going to explode with delight.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sc2eB2DFdxf6qKW6r_AEmvsuGcDYUOfNvbVwDmUvvPTkRj5EM5y0GuyVYFKuEqf9BAKXo4kUn2o9SAotynNAGp0jarMtXrEaZtXjrHgJJUhSMhfKZJt8lkPZrrTNl5jeaeBndJioQoffMRz6vtb6ucGNWiQor94GaJnFxHZfC0CAV-Ql02ahITFD/s626/Powerless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="424" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sc2eB2DFdxf6qKW6r_AEmvsuGcDYUOfNvbVwDmUvvPTkRj5EM5y0GuyVYFKuEqf9BAKXo4kUn2o9SAotynNAGp0jarMtXrEaZtXjrHgJJUhSMhfKZJt8lkPZrrTNl5jeaeBndJioQoffMRz6vtb6ucGNWiQor94GaJnFxHZfC0CAV-Ql02ahITFD/w271-h400/Powerless.jpg" width="271" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Wayne Security was founded by the distant Bruce Wayne. They try
to create products to help citizens protect themselves from supervillains (and
the fallout from superhero battles). Emily is raring to go with her team of
experts. Unfortunately, the Charmed City division is headed by a lesser cousin,
Vanderveer “Van” Wayne. He is shallow, obnoxious, stupid—everything that would
make a normal person quit. But not Emily. She constantly locks horns with Van, who
often doesn’t even get what the argument is about. But she usually wins—kind of.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">What makes things worse for Emily are the three leading
specialists she has to work with. They are technical geniuses, but normally don’t
pay attention to what she says. Teddy is arguably the greatest genius, but is high
strung. He is depressed for almost an entire episode. Ron is easy-going—too easy-going
when a project needs to be done. Wendy is flat-out hostile to Emily, always
insulting her with a smile on her face. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Jackie is Van’s deadpan personal assistant. She started out
young and idealistic like Emily, so she constantly tries to discourage her.
Although, she is sometimes Emily’s ally. Jackie often gets in a good one to undermine
Van, without his being able to figure it out. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Everyone does a fantastic job in the show. The writing is
excellent, sometimes with good workplace humor, often with zany lines that come
out of nowhere. Usually the best scenes are between Emily—played by Vanessa
Hudgens, known from her role in the <i>High School Musical</i> franchise—and Van—played
by Alan Tudyk, known from his roles in <i>Firefly</i> and <i>Transformers: Dark
of the Moon</i>. Vanessa Hudgens is incredible. She goes through multiple extreme facial expressions every minute.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I say that <i>Powerless</i> is the funniest sitcom ever. Currently on The CW.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQzPQ6qwvVvDGNhmZKCWsREKaE_r-edlLaCEVVWufk_JlcxXe7a3oM_QaDu_IJaQgp-Kt93P23eAQFTA3zpMIplhWIMYoKHcQGla0TPr_1S8IQF-HBYWp9DGbZbQJlfv56B8kCap3lJnsHLwjmU3ExQOMU5EglUtyrOmVhYVhFsvv6nP88aoLN89k/s1410/Vanessa%20Hudgens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1410" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQzPQ6qwvVvDGNhmZKCWsREKaE_r-edlLaCEVVWufk_JlcxXe7a3oM_QaDu_IJaQgp-Kt93P23eAQFTA3zpMIplhWIMYoKHcQGla0TPr_1S8IQF-HBYWp9DGbZbQJlfv56B8kCap3lJnsHLwjmU3ExQOMU5EglUtyrOmVhYVhFsvv6nP88aoLN89k/w181-h400/Vanessa%20Hudgens.jpg" width="181" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">photo by swirley18</a></div></span></span><o:p></o:p><p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-24407721384411276852022-12-06T19:08:00.002-08:002022-12-06T19:10:55.416-08:00Kirstie Alley Passed Away <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Kirstie Alley passed away at the age of 71. She was best
known for her long-running role in <i>Cheers</i>. But her breakout role was in <i>Star
Trek II: The Wrath of Khan</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgJ7z_vX7hHjUNgH-Q1fe02zSBPQEzp8S0EXc68bcf0ERJJHsO1I2RfU0DpPCQtE_Nk7ua-D2j7YfocisMVtZ4eZ5Og6uHPkZBS7SOytFN7sj68w4-9Zpu-0nnyy0QWf5JgCXr_iiX9LzmoTc3LNLGpEf-dYm_NOB5I7XUGQ6y1Nn_TNvcpRJq7gX/s811/Kirstie%20Alley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="322" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzgJ7z_vX7hHjUNgH-Q1fe02zSBPQEzp8S0EXc68bcf0ERJJHsO1I2RfU0DpPCQtE_Nk7ua-D2j7YfocisMVtZ4eZ5Og6uHPkZBS7SOytFN7sj68w4-9Zpu-0nnyy0QWf5JgCXr_iiX9LzmoTc3LNLGpEf-dYm_NOB5I7XUGQ6y1Nn_TNvcpRJq7gX/w254-h640/Kirstie%20Alley.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode">photo by Alan Light</a></div></span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">She played Lieutenant Saavik, a Vulcan. Kirstie Alley said
she had practiced arching one eyebrow for years, which she was convinced help her
land the part. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Saavik was unusual in that she showed a good amount of emotion
for a Vulcan, even shedding a tear at a funeral. This was later explained in the books
that she was only half Vulcan. Since this was never mentioned in the films,
that information is not considered canonical. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">(Yes, the terms canonical and non-canonical come from how
Bible scholars refer to the books of the Bible as canon—coming from a Hebrew
word for a measuring rod—and other ancient religious texts as not canon. In <i>Star
Trek</i>, the TV shows and movies are canon, while the books are not. Are we
clear?) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So Kirstie Alley will be remembered for a number of roles
she played, but many fans will chiefly remember her for the unique spin she brought
to a <i>Star Trek</i> character. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVk8gSNudw5GkRnzl9S14M8zDOGEw83Jnk4bw6L3KG1iV4a-1XRpzhwftGZy1kL077KX-H2ZOIGqN-qLrMFFElsL7PtHY3JIPpfEJOmclOXsoDM8vj5Yorxv9HrEAUnE_eOJTdejftyn8YRqFbP_HdE5gCq-aarJWoOx6myZPJ8-5iIycASjx7QZ-O/s450/Star%20Trek%20II.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="303" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVk8gSNudw5GkRnzl9S14M8zDOGEw83Jnk4bw6L3KG1iV4a-1XRpzhwftGZy1kL077KX-H2ZOIGqN-qLrMFFElsL7PtHY3JIPpfEJOmclOXsoDM8vj5Yorxv9HrEAUnE_eOJTdejftyn8YRqFbP_HdE5gCq-aarJWoOx6myZPJ8-5iIycASjx7QZ-O/w269-h400/Star%20Trek%20II.jpg" width="269" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span><p></p>
<br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7094914316347142194.post-47323009255815390682022-11-21T19:03:00.001-08:002022-12-06T18:18:11.541-08:00Book Purge<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">That’s right. If you have books that you’re never going to
read, or that you know you won’t read again, just stick your finger way back in
your throat and ... <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">This was my latest book purge. Two stacks of books, and one
TV series. I’ll let you guess which one was the series. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrl31lBMUASfjHj1zqAPDVcnePra8mclakgh9b-1xZNjIwxsx7Bwn2sk1gX9xD5wF1TUpJY_Soat_gMibmIgug-y-3IOpcy4zIt9Rvge1g8fcipSY-_fuOIP1jgRIuRLWogIg37dWx4jzfehEy_0djkTJEy72c8l3Ho2aeiPzVi-7A8AmCLpYlJLNO/s886/Book%20Purge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="886" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrl31lBMUASfjHj1zqAPDVcnePra8mclakgh9b-1xZNjIwxsx7Bwn2sk1gX9xD5wF1TUpJY_Soat_gMibmIgug-y-3IOpcy4zIt9Rvge1g8fcipSY-_fuOIP1jgRIuRLWogIg37dWx4jzfehEy_0djkTJEy72c8l3Ho2aeiPzVi-7A8AmCLpYlJLNO/w400-h286/Book%20Purge.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Although, in an alternate universe, we could have had a <i>La
Vida</i> series. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">So I sold these to a used book store for a pittance.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><br /></p>Mark Muratahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.com0