Farther Afield

Ridiculous

2011-10-25T23:47:00.004-04:00

This is like writing "Slavery = White History, Not Torture."

CBC article on Toronto's ban of shark fin soup here. With all the bad things coming from my municipal government, this is one good thing.

Fangasmic?!

2011-09-11T02:10:00.006-04:00

Oh, that's right. Because they want to get more kids reading these comics...

That'll look great on the lunchboxes.

Um, no, it really didn't. (from Detective Comics #1, September 2011)

Holy Derivative, Batman, er, Batwing!

2011-09-11T01:59:00.004-04:00

Ben Oliver [artist]: You're SURE this is what you want me to draw?

DC Comics Excutive: Hey, if Marvel can get Samuel L. Jackson to star in their movies, why can't we?

Ben Oliver: Um...

(Batwing #1, September 2011)

"I'm the Doctor...

2011-09-11T01:45:00.005-04:00

So, basically... rip me off for the DC Comics universe reboot."

(Doctor Who, April 2010)

(Stormwatch 1, September 2011)

New, Blue, DCU?

2011-09-11T01:09:00.006-04:00

Oh, that's right. Because they want to get more kids and women reading these comics...

(Stormwatch 1, September 2011)

Torchwood Math

2011-07-19T21:41:00.005-04:00

The second episode of the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood: Miracle Day saw a dramatic decline in viewership: about 30 percent, according to Entertainment Weekly columnist James Hibberd.

This means:

* 30% of the first-episode viewers were spared the f'ing awful hour of TV that was episode two. Everything about this episode failed: characterizations, motivations, the acting, the plot, everything. Imagine the worst expositional and mock-action excesses of 24 mixed with the logic- and chemistry-defying stupidity of MacGuyver. I gave T:MD a chance because Torchwood: Children of Earth was a gripping British SF thriller in the tradition of Quatermass. Now I'm thinking much of Children of Earth's success had to do with the direction of Euros Lyn, the wise choice to never show the 4-5-6, and a terrific performance from Peter Capalidi. T:MD is much closer to seasons 1 and 2 of Torchwood: absolute crap, start to finish.

* the 70% of viewers who returned got to sit through such gems of dialogue as "I'm not gay but I'll let you feel me up if you get me a vodka" and "Water? I'm American, too. Can't I contribute to our global cultural hegemony with a nice frosty cola?" Who would ever speak either of these lines?!

* 70% of epsiode 1 viewers got to see Wayne Knight--in a glass-walled office on a busy floor full of intelligence analysts!-- look as shifty and squirmy and guilty as anyone ever looked as he planned the end of Torchwood. It's as if the director said, "Do that character you did in Jurassic Park, but bigger." Where, oh where, is a dilophosaurus when you need one?

* 30% of the viewers are obviously smarter than I am, but rest assured I'll be contributing to the dropoff in viewing figures between episodes three and two. It's time to put the torch to Torchwood. And give good actors like Bill Pullman something worthwhile to be in.

Firefox 4.0...

2011-03-22T01:00:00.003-04:00

Unbelievable. Firefox release 4.0 replaces the menu bar, a tool that works incredibly well and has been ingrained in computer users' minds for 25 (25!) years with a box you must click to get a dropdown menu, from which you must choose an option to get a sideways-expanding menu, from which you must chose your final option.

Yes, the menu bar itself is an unnatural construct, and only seems intuitive to us now because of its ubiquity. But to take this proven bit of near-universal design and toss it is just mental. WTF, Firefox?! This is as annoying as when Micrsoft decided to the same with Office, with those interminable "ribbons"! The more-is-more school of software design.

I'm sticking with Firefox 3.6.8 until I absolutely have to switch.

The abuse of language continues...

2011-01-28T23:46:00.009-05:00

This was on the Weather Network's website:

Poll? Vote? Where the hell did the people who wrote this go to school?!

Poll: "a sampling or collection of opinions on a subject, taken from either a selected or a random group of persons, as for the purpose of analysis."

Vote: "express one's preference for a candidate or for a measure or resolution"

If anything, this is a quiz, and one could submit an answer or a guess, but not a vote. Opinion or preference has no value in this case. No amount of voting can affect the answer, as the answer is a fact. Hence there can be no opinion about its validity. The imprecision with which language is used never ceases to amaze and annoy me. No, wait... amaze isn't the correct word...

Maybe the Weather Network boffins aren't used to absolutes. "50% chance of Scorpius this month... with a possibility of Orion blowing in from the northeast."

*The correct answer (not opinion) is Orion.

Irony, ca. 1963

2011-01-27T15:45:00.003-05:00

Dropbox just got better! (How is that possible?)

2011-01-17T21:25:00.009-05:00

Dropbox is just plain awesome. Now it's a bigger size of awesome, even if you have the free account: an extra gig of storage space for 15 minutes of your time (more if you want to give your brain a workout; I'll cop to using this answer key). Either way, a huge thanks to the developers at Dropbox. When I've got more work coming in, I'll upgrade to a paid membership, I promise!

When is an Alien not an Alien?

2011-01-17T20:07:00.004-05:00

Now, apparently.

Alien prequel now called Prometheus and will be an unrelated story.

This sounds like a good idea to me. The Alien films really had no "continuity," it was more that they had the common elements Ripley, the Alien and its variants, and an evil corporation looking to harness the Alien as a weapon. There is no real Alien "universe", given that decades elapse between the films. Notice that I'm not counting the Alien vs. Predators films. I'm barely counting Alien: Resurrection, which which was a terrible film, chock-a-block with dodgy effects, cardboard characters, and an incredibly unengaging story.

So Ridley and gang get to make something new. Huzzah!

What's in YOUR WinAmp?

2011-01-17T20:04:00.001-05:00

Listening to: The Books. Sublime.

Simpsons porn? Really?

2011-01-11T20:41:00.005-05:00

If this definition of pornography is true: "...the portrayal of explicit sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual excitement and erotic satisfaction", then this, The Simpsons XXX Parody, fails on both counts.

I can maybe-sort-of understand spoofing popular sitcoms and superheroes in porn parodies (I do not doubt for one second that, for some, superhero iconography inspires lust, or that some people might pay money to see two women who vaguely resemble Phoebe and Rachel making out) but real people made up like yellow cartoon characters getting it on?!

What now? Are people watching porn for a laugh these days, instead of to get off? That's just (more) sad.

Around the City in 24 Cups, #4

2011-01-09T18:03:00.009-05:00

My coffee passport adventures continue...

#9
I Deal Coffe
162 Ossington Ave
January 9, 3:30 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: Mix and match. Very bright and airy and inviting.
Seating: Seats 20, maybe?
Wi-fi: Unsure.
AC Outlets: Didn't check.
Traffic: Not busy.
Staff: Very friendly. The young man making the coffee obviously took pride in his work, and it showed.
Drink of choice: Misto. A superior cup!
Would I return? Absolutely, if I am in the neighbourhood.
Overall rating: 5/5.

#10
Crafted by Te Aro
135 Ossington Avenue
January 9, 4:00 p.m.
Atmosphere/Décor: Some interesting coffee-themed artwork, but the overall feel of the place is cramped. The serving area is very narrow. Note the to bald dude who decided he had to march the length of the store, including squishing by people being served three times in the 10 minutes I was there: Hey, Buddy! Decide what you're after, and stop acting like you're the one who is being inconvenienced by the people waiting to be served.
Seating: 20 seats, maybe? But due to poor bar configuration it feels very claustrophobic.
Wi-fi: Yes, didn't try it, password protected.
AC Outlets: Didn't check.
Traffic: Busy! If you like and/or are in the hipster crowd you will love this place. If not, pleased to meet you.
Staff: Friendly.
Drink of choice: large brewed coffee. The worst cup of coffee I've had in years. No flavour, no aroma. Tossed it on a snowbank 10 steps out of the shop (just the coffee, the cup I recycled). My friends who ordered lattes both said the same thing: "Flavourless." If I had actually paid for this (I know, I know, technically I did) I would have asked for a refund.
Would I return? No, never. This cafe gets my first zero rating
Overall rating: 0/5.

Standard Alien Invasion Story, take 768.

2011-01-04T22:24:00.011-05:00

I'm not one to prejudge based on trailers, press releases, internet leaks, etc. but, man oh man, Falling Skies sure looks derivative, doesn't it? If it isn't, the producers sure missed a huge chance to show viewers how this is different from V, War of the Worlds, Skyline, and all the other films and TV shows it sure looks derivative of.

One more radio comedy series...

2011-01-03T20:19:00.006-05:00

One only has to listen to Cabin Pressure, written by John Finnemore and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Roger Allam, Stephanie Cole, and John himself, to realize what a perfect medium radio is for a sitcom.

Cabin Pressure is the story of small, struggling airline, MJN Air, and their small staff's struggles to stay out of bankruptcy and just get along. It's keenly-observed human behavior, with well-defined characters and jokes that flow naturally from the characters. The four main performances are uniformly excellent. Let's hope Benedict's TV role as Sherlock allows him time to record another series.

Available as a set of Audible downloads, and a must-hear for anyone who like well-written sitcoms.

And so ends series seven of Peep Show

2011-01-03T20:05:00.002-05:00

Damn, another season of Peep Show done.

There were lots of laughs this year, and the Christmas episode wherein Mark's family visits, is one of the best episodes of the season, but it ended on a bittersweet note, with the boys about to part ways, Super Hans admitting he's addicted to crack, Mark realizing his son will probably grow up "thinking Jeff is his father", and Alan Johnson acting like a complete asshole and throwing years of sobriety out the window.

It sure felt like they've laid groundwork for an eighth series. I hope so. Peep Show is one of the best comedies ever made, up there with The Office (UK version, of course), Fawlty Towers, and Steptoe and Son.

If you haven't seen Peep Show, early seasons are out on DVD, and readily available in video rental shops if you don't want to buy.

Crises of Capitalism

2010-12-31T09:31:00.003-05:00

Educational and entertaining!

Question

2010-12-29T18:03:00.004-05:00

And just how, praytell, shall we fit into these "2D theatres"?!

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

2010-12-28T21:17:00.007-05:00

It was pretty compelling for a film in which, essentially, nothing happens. Not as good as the first film, but much better than the second.

Well worth the $5 admission.

*** (out of 4).

Found it!

2010-12-28T20:45:00.009-05:00

"It" being the radio program that fills the void left when CBC Radio 2 canceled Brave New Waves in 2007...

...it's Late Junction, on BBC Radio 3. Yes, I'm sounding like a shill for BBC Radio lately, but I don't care. Where else am I going to hear a guitar quartet arrangement of Arvo Pärt's Summa?!

Enjoy!

More Who Fun

2010-12-27T15:19:00.003-05:00

This time from BBC Radio Wales. It's... The Terry Nation Story, an overview of the career of the man who created the Daleks.

Available until 8:00 p.m. (GMT) Sat, 1 Jan 2011.

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (or, What? No Cyberking?!)

2010-12-26T16:58:00.011-05:00

Compared to the Tennent-era Christmas specials, this year's Doctor Who Christmas special was a treat. There were no monsters, no Torchwood tie-ins, no giant Cyberking kicking the shit out of Victorian London; no RTD false sentiment, no farting aliens, and no flimsy plots. Instead, we got a charming, quiet Doctor Who take on Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It was a crazy, time-altering story that followed a well-constructed internal logic, but allowed for some unexpected twists. Smith, as he has been from The Eleventh Hour, was pitch-perfect, and guest-star Michael Gambon added some gravitas without being overwrought.

And the season 6 preview showed us we're in for a whole lot of River Song... what's not to love about that?!

BBC, whatever you do, keep Moffat happy and working on Doctor Who! He "gets" it, in a way RTD never did.