 Content Rating Notice: Recommended for Readers 18 Years and Older Only |
| Sci-Fi Shenanigans Not hardcore enough to be ultra nerdy, but it's not that shallow, either. | | by | |
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Item Size: 61 Entries
Created: 8:14pm on 08-02-2009
Modified: 9:41am on 04-14-2012 | |
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I'm not super dedicated to science fiction. In fact, it's my escape from reality. However, even when escaping I have plenty to say on the subject. I'm not as devoted to it as some people I know. That said, it's not a shallow thing for me. I can overthink it like I overthink everything else under the sun (and moon and other planets). My ramblings will range from cerebral to silly and borrow random elements from seemingly nonsensical areas. Many have (and will) appear in my journals first. When they arrive here, there will be edits for language, typos and similar details. However, the 18+ rating will stay since sex, violence and similar topics will be addressed in this blog. After all, sci-fi includes these elements in various ways from time to time.
To get an idea of my science fiction background, I recommend this primer " Preferences in a nutshell"  . Links are always relevant to my interests, and my favorites can be found in the lefthand column next to this blog. You'll also see links to my other journals if you want to browse the unedited versions of my rants and/or see who I am outside the science fiction realm. Comment as much or as little as you like. Just remember that I'm not here to take things too seriously, as that's just not how I roll in sci-fi discussions.
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| 2. Reaching for the stars in the new year | ID #681782 |
Posted: 12-31-2009 @ 7:18 pm EST
Edited: 1-16-2010 @ 2:15 pm EST |
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I know I've neglected this blog lately. Hey, the holidays snuck up on me, and I've had to schedule in time to breathe. With things calming down, I've been cataloging my unfinished sci-fi shenanigans and realize I have a lot of them. So here's what I'll be doing in regards to sci-stuff in the coming year.
 Books: finish the following books
| ASIN: 0060892994 | A Canticle for Leibowitz
Product Type: Book
| List Price: $ 14.99
Amazon's Price: $ 10.19
You Save: $ 4.80 | Buy Now! | |
| ASIN: 1439171254 | Star Trek Movie Tie-In
Product Type: Book
| List Price: $ 25.00
Amazon's Price: $ 25.00 | Buy Now! | |
While I do enjoy a good sci-fi book, books are rather time intensive for me. If I get everything else finished, I'll consider getting the following and starting on it.
| ASIN: 0060741872 | Alas, Babylon
Product Type: Book
| List Price: $ 14.99
Amazon's Price: $ 9.16
You Save: $ 5.83 | Buy Now! | |
TV: This should take a little less time, and these activities will most likely result in discussion posts.
1. finish Heroes and dive into Flash Forward; I'll probably marathon the latter this weekend or so since I'll have some time.
2. get caught up on the new Doctor Who; I actually saw most of Season 3 but want to see Seasons 1 and 2. I have season 1 in my Netflix queue and received Season 2 as a gift a couple years ago.
Movies: Be on the lookout for movie reviews galore! Some of my choices are cerebral, while some are utter trash. Yeah, I am capable of watching trash. Whether or not I enjoy it is another matter altogether. Here's what's currently sitting in my Netflix queue.
| ASIN: B001MT7ZEW | Repo! The Genetic Opera
Product Type: DVD
| List Price: $ 14.98
Amazon's Price: $ 8.13
You Save: $ 6.85 | Buy Now! | |
| ASIN: B002935GN2 | Race to Witch Mountain (Two-Disc Extended Edition + Digital Copy)
Product Type: DVD
| List Price: $ 39.99
Amazon's Price: $ 7.99
You Save: $ 32.00 | Buy Now! | |
| ASIN: B001FACH7S | The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Single-Disc Edition)
Product Type: DVD
| List Price: $ 14.98
Amazon's Price: $ 7.09
You Save: $ 7.89 | Buy Now! | |
| ASIN: B000JMK6LW | A Scanner Darkly
Product Type: DVD
| List Price: $ 19.97
Amazon's Price: $ 4.26
You Save: $ 15.71 | Buy Now! | |
| ASIN: B000FS9FCQ | V for Vendetta (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Product Type: DVD
| List Price: $ 26.98
Amazon's Price: $ 9.94
You Save: $ 17.04 | Buy Now! | |
| ASIN: B000G8NXZA | Brazil (The Criterion Collection Single Disc Special Editon)
Product Type: DVD
| List Price: $ 29.95
Amazon's Price: $ 18.88
You Save: $ 11.07 | Buy Now! | |
| ASIN: B002T9H2MO | Moon
Product Type: DVD
| List Price: $ 14.99
Amazon's Price: $ 11.97
You Save: $ 3.02 | Buy Now! | |
Trust me when I say that list could be longer, as I've been intrigued by some of the recommendations I've been getting from Netflix. I think all the movies I rate/watch confuse the computers that make recommendations. On the other hand, the fact that it can come up with "cerebral foreign science fiction" at all is kind of awesome. 
On that note, stay safe this New Year's Eve! I will probably kick off 2010 in this blog with my long overdue squeefest commentary on the Star Trek DVD that I haven't watched enough (for my taste, anyway).
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| 1. Time's up! The show shall begin. | ID #678300 |
Posted: 12-1-2009 @ 1:52 pm EST
Edited: 1-16-2010 @ 2:13 pm EST |
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Since I found out there will be no new episodes of Heroes this month, I've decided to pick a day and have a Flash Forward marathon. The premise of the show is intriguing and makes me contemplate how I keep coming back to movies/shows that deal with time and temporal disturbances.
I guess the first question is why I'm so fascinated with time. I haven't really considered it, other than that messing with time is equivalent to playing God. While I don't believe in God, I do think that moving through time is a big deal that should not be taken lightly. In eighth grade English, one of our journal assignments was to write about what we would do if we could go back in time. I said I probably wouldn't change anything. I understood even then that time travelling was a risky venture. So maybe that's why it appeals to me, at least on one level. It's power, the kind of absolute power that corrupts absolutely.
The other way it appeals to me is from a writing perspective. Time travel (voluntary or otherwise) allows for not only suspenseful plot twists but a chance to really develop characters. Why's that? Well, time travel creates a psychological sense of isolation, and you know me. I'm a fan of juxtaposition (in this case possibly being surrounded by people but not being able to mentally connect with them due to being from the mindset of a different time). This isolation alone provides fodder for excellent man vs. self conflicts. Of course, the other conflict types are fair game as well, and man vs. man conflicts between individuals from two different times allows for great contrast as well. I think this is why time is such a prevalent concept in science fiction. This ability to really flesh people out and being able to present myriad mentalities simultaneously makes time endure and immune to being trendy (unlike vampires) or appearing dated (like nuclear holocausts).
Another thing to consider when dealing with time deals not with the past but the future. How does knowing the future affect your present and the decisions you make? Now this question has been around much longer than science fiction (Oedipus, anyone?), but it's just as much fun to contemplate in writing. Without having seen it, I figure Flash Forward centers around this question. The new Trek movie also plays around with it, mostly from how Spock Prime thinks, acts and feels in that brave new universe. In his case, he has experienced a future and thus gives Kirk a cheat sheet for getting the hell off Delta Vega and commandering the Enterprise. I think this particular aspect of time will be more explored in the media in this century due to an increasing psychologcal interest in wanting to have greater control over everyday affairs (at the very least).
My first exposure to time in entertainment was Quantum Leap, which I watched with my parents as a kid. Of course, I wanted to be Al and not Sam Beckett. Go figure. From there, I tended to gravitate toward stories that dealt with temporal themes (e.g. Twelve Monkeys, The Butterfly Effect). This could partially explain my preference for Star Trek, as temporal disturbances were occasionally explored on the various shows. It's fun to watch the writers play god and see how the various others involved (actors, directors, art crew) interpret "God"'s word.
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