Category: News

Nominated for a Liebster!

I can remember, somewhat vaguely, when the Versatile Blogger Awards were making the rounds and I received a nomination. I felt so… confused. It’s like, so it’s an award… but it’s not an award? I get nominated but there’s no winner and no prize money? What gives? And then came the Kreative Blogger Awards, the Lucky Sevens, and a slew of others. And all the while, I aint got no stinking reward cash! So you can imagine how “honored” I was to find out that I’ve been nominated for a Liebster Blog Award, which also doesn’t come with cash!

Ah, I’m just kidding, Carly! I’m very honored that you chose to nominate me for this. But just for fun, I thought I’d give an acceptance speech loaded with sarcasm, self-pity and recrimination. People always talk about how happy they are, how unworthy they are, and who they want to thank. Me? I want to talk about who I BLAME! And all the while, I’ll be reminding everybody just how worthy I am of their praise and how crappy a job I think they’re doing of kissing my ass! Brace yourself, this is not going to be pretty…

First off, I blame my parents. I didn’t ask to be born! And what’s more, I blame them for providing me with the kind of stable, privileged, upper-middle class upbringing with just aint cool anymore. If I want to be a successful writer, I need a hook, an angle, a background I can exploit for cheap sympathy and street cred! Mom, Pop – why couldn’t we have been the kind of broken home that inspires it’s kids to be tough and responsible? Why couldn’t I have grown up in a neighborhood where kids were badass and throw downs involved more than just hurt feelings? I can’t help but think that if I had picked up a few flesh wounds in my time, I might also be hawking vitamin water and my own line of apparel.

Second, I blame my friends who made the unforgivable mistake of believing in me. Everybody knows that the best success stories come from overcoming the odds and flying in the face of all the naysayers. So may I say, you’ve all failed me terribly! Where was the “you’re never going to make it” or the “you just don’t have what it takes” speeches? How am I supposed to succeed with all you people telling me what I’m doing sounds “interesting” or that “you’re all pulling for me”? Didn’t you see Million Dollar Baby? Do you really think she would have become a great fighter if her momma said “Everybody in the trailer park is cheering for ya, honey”?

Third, I blame my peers and colleagues for not challenging me enough. Sure, you’ve been supportive, friendly, and generally a pleasure to be around, but did you ever once think of ME? It’s a well known fact that people need conflict in order to be creative, so why the hell didn’t any of you troll me or call me a hack? The best I could do was some kid who barely spoke passable English and didn’t even seem to understand what the article he was slamming was about. What kind of nemesis is that? If I’m going to nominate anybody for anything, it’s going to be for the Crappy Enemy Award. The nominees in that category are… all of you!

And last, I’d like to blame God. Of all the generations and countries I could have been born into, why did you stick me with Generation Echo here in Canada? Were you aware that I would grow up in a time and place where the standard of living was ranked highest in the world? Were you aware that I would grow up surrounded by a diverse array of people who would teach me so many interesting things, like how lucky I was and how rich and wonderful the world really is? Yeah, I know you’re busy running the universe and all that, but seriously, you could have done a way better job on me! Thanks to you, I got no complaints! Well, sure, I could complain about a few things, but the who the hell would want to listen? I’ve never seen a war, never known hunger, never known poverty or neglect. I’ve never seen a person die or been traumatized by the sheer brutality that some people have to face on a daily basis. In short, I’m not interesting! Sure, you stuck me with a real nice situation, but no one wants to hear about nice! If it’s true that a person is the sum total of their experiences, might I then say that I’m boring and it’s clearly your fault.

So thank you all for this honor and I hope you’re happy. I know I am 😉

Okay, sarcasm done. Hope you found it funny because I was kind of blowing my cover towards the end there. I really can’t be too sarcastic when it comes to the suffering of other people and how I’ve never had to deal with that. That’s just too plain stark and serious to ever really joke about. But I hope my point was clear. I am a lucky man and I want to pass that on to as many people as I possibly can before I die. I’ve felt for the longest time that that’s my Dharma, my purpose since I’ve been dealt a pretty good hand. What the universe gives ya, you should pay forward, or back, as the case may be.

Oh, and I will be sure to actually follow the rules and nominate people. Hang on, that’s coming up in my next post 🙂

Astronomers Confirms The Existence of Habitable Exoplanets!

Wow! It’s fun and amazing when things line up like this. According to IO9, astronomers have confirmed that there are two exoplanets that may be habitable, which will come in handy when the human race begins looking for new planets to colonize. Officially, these planets are known as Gliese 581 g and c, which orbit a star system located roughly 20 light years from Earth.

Can you say coincidence? By now, just about everyone who reads my blog knows that myself and a group of writers are hard at work producing an anthology about the colonization of a distant world in the not-too-distant future. Well guess where it’s set? Gliese 581-freaking-g! That’s where! Yes, in the course of researching realistic locations for our story, Mr. Goran Zidar suggested we use this star system seeing as how it is known to have a system of planets.

After doing our due diligence, we learned that two planets are deemed habitable by human standards, Gliese 581 g and c. And of the two, g is the prime candidate for settlement, being the closest in mass, surface temperature and gravity to Earth. Yes, with a little terraforming, this planet could be hosting a settled population withing a few generations.

I love it when fiction and real life come together like this! Granted, this “news” isn’t exactly new. In fact, Gliese has been in on astronomers radar for quite some time, and has been dubbed “Zarmina” by scientists. But it’s new to us. And frankly, I like our choice of name better. Yeah, Yuva sounds so much more palatable than Zarmina, doesn’t it? I think so…

Dark Knight Rises is here… and stirring up controversy!

Well, it’s official! The Dark Knight Rises has hit the theaters, and audiences seem unanimously stoked! In less than 12 hours, the Twitter-sphere, blogosphere, and Rotten Tomatoes have been cluttered with people pouring in to sing the movie’s praises. And yet, more interesting is the controversy which seems to be taking root once again. Much like last time, those who have deigned to give the movie a critical review have caused an uproar, in many cases from fans who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

That is apparently what happened shortly before the release of The Dark Knight. At that time, a critic for New York Magazine expressed some negative opinions for the movie, especially with regards to its plot twists. This unleashed a flood of hate mail and online anger towards the critic, on behalf of franchise fans who, as already noted, hadn’t even seen the movie. This time around, the controversy is much the same. Having viewed the midnight premier, critic Marshall Fine posted a review on Rotten Tomatoes that attracted so much hate mail, his website crashed.

Since that time, the review has moved from Rotten Tomatoes, mainly so Fine can get his server running again, but tempers continue to boil. This prompted Matt Atchity, the editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes, to order that the site’s comments feature be disabled for The Dark Knight Rises. He also published an open letter pleading for people to be civil on the issue. But of course, it’s not all the fault of the fanboys. It seems that, again, like last time, trolls have been doing what they do best (i.e. trolling) and inserting links to bogus reviews which are even more harsh just to stir up the shark tank.

And even Christopher Nolan chose to weigh in on the kerfuffle, saying that the fanboys are within their rights to criticize the critic. Sure they are, so long as they understand that freedom of speech cuts both ways. At least he didn’t go to Jacksonian lengths to silence the critic, calling on fanboys to get the person fired. Yes, shortly after a New York Times critic slammed the Avengers, Samuel L. Jackson responded by denouncing him on Twitter. Not good… not good.

I for one look forward to seeing this movie, and not letting one bad review throw off my opinion of it or get me all worked up. Hell, even the last movie had its faults, but that didn’t take away from it being an awesome and memorable movie, especially where Heath’s portrayal was concerned. And if behind-the-scenes photos of Batman and Bane have taught us anything, it’s that even mortal enemies can kiss and make up! Seriously, check out these photos. Tell me that aint the perfect example of a heartwarming bromance!

Update: In the course of writing this, I read about a terrible tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, where a gunman broke into a theater and shot up the premier of The Dark Knight Rises, killing 15 people and wounding at least 50. The man is in custody and police indicated he tried to booby trap his apartment too. What kind of psycho lunatic is this weirdo?!

Luckily, he’s out of circulation for good and will have nothing but bad food, cold showers, whoopings and cavity searches to look forward to for the rest of his unnatural life. You know, events like this make me think we need REAL crime-fighting superheroes out there!

The Martian Menu

A recent article on CBC tells us something interesting about the Red Planet. It seems that the good folks at NASA’s Advanced Food Technology Project are planning a menu that astronauts will be taking with them to Mars. It’s all part of a planned mission that will be taking place in 2030, involving six to eight astronauts with an expected duration of six months.

This is no easy feat, but it’s further complicated by the fact that once there, the astronauts will not be able to be resupplied at regular intervals. Yes, unlike the ISS, they can’t just send shuttled loaded with freeze dried food. Luckily, NASA knows that Mars low gravity means that once there, astronauts will be able to prepare their own food. Things things like chopping vegetables and boiling water with a pressure cooker are possible there, unlike in a zero-g environment.

So in addition to planning a travel menu, NASA is planning on equipping the mission with the means to create a “Martian greenhouse” upon their arrival. This would include a variety of fruits and vegetables — from carrots to bell peppers — kept in a hydroponic solution, meaning they would be planted in mineral-laced water instead of soil. The astronauts would care for their garden and then use those ingredients, combined with others, such as nuts and spices brought from Earth, to prepare their meals.

Not bad. And an improvement over a space menu for one simple reason. Zero-g has an effect on taste and smell. Yes, zero gravity seems to impair these things, making food taste bland. So a spicy red pepper sauce and a chili and oil sauce, when eaten in space, are pretty much paste. Not cool…

This research is an important step in ushering in the age of colonization. Much like the recent surveys which discovered of water on the moon, and tested its gravity and for minerals, it’s the sort of nuts and bolts planning that will one day go into real mission planning. First the Moon, then Mars, then Ganymede, Europa, Ceres, Titan and Oberon. All bodies with gravity that could be settled in the not-too-distant future, and that’s just within our solar system! Given the time, resources and technology, the universe really is the limit!

 

Robocop Relaunch!

Oh no, not another 80’s relaunch. And just when it seemed that this summer couldn’t possibly OD any more on 90’s relaunches! But, all things considered, I think this is one that might actually be worthwhile, and which I myself could be persuaded to see.

In any case, though the details are a bit sketchy, the movie is scheduled for launch in 2013 and will star Joel Kinnaman as Alex Murphy/Robocop. Additional cast include Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish (from Suckerpunch) and Hugh Laurie (of House fame).

In addition, the trailer seems to be taking the same approach as Scott did with his build-up to Prometheus. Rather than show any scenes from the film itself, the preview takes the form of an advertisement by Omni Consumer Corp (OCP), the evil mega-corporation that is responsible for building Robocop and controlling Old Detroit.

It’s quite interesting, and I am reasonably intrigued as to see how the remake chooses to deal with the original’s various themes, such as cybernetics, corporate domination, urban decay and a society numbed by violence and distracted by mindless entertainment.

Man of Steel, Debut Trailer

A number of interesting things were unveiled this year at the 2012 Comic Con, not the least of which was the long-awaited preview for the new Superman movie. Fans of the franchise may recall the 2006 reboot, entitled Superman Returns. That movie was what is generally referred to as an interquel, a movie which occurred chronologically between Superman II and III, with the purpose of rehabilitating the series after it fell on hard times.

Since then, fans have been anticipating when the next movie would come out, and whether or not it would expand on the 2006 relaunch or be another relaunch entirely. Well, after many years, shooting has finally wrapped up on “Man of Steel”, another relaunch of the series which goes back to the very beginning of the series and is slated for release in 2013.

In addition, the movie stars Henry Cavill in the starring role as The Man of Steel himself. Zack Snyder directed the film, Christopher Nolan helped produce it, and Han Zimmer composed the score. Additional cast include Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Russel Crowe as Jor-El, and Kevin Costner as Clarke’s father. Not bad… and that includes Costner. I mean, it’s not his fault he kept landing crap roles!

Anyway, check out the teaser trailer below:

Farewell and Hope to See You Soon, Chris!

Hey all. Today I thought I’d break from the usual hubbub to give a shout out and say good-bye to a friend of mine who’ll be leaving our little corner of the country. He has been here in the Victoria area for as long as I can recall, but alas, duty calls and he’s shipping off to Quebec today with his darling bride to live out the next three years. And so I, and many people besides, say so long, farewell, and hope to see you again soon to Master Seaman Chris Jenkins – member of the Royal Canadian Navy, black belt 2nd degree in Taekwon-Do, fan of sci-fi and zombie flicks, and my friend for the last three years.

After I moved to Victoria, I had to start over in more way than one. But one thing I could always count on was his smiling countenance and friendly behavior whenever it came time for Taekwon-Do class. And last night we got a chance to have a bit of a send off for him and it was quite nice. Some friends from Courtenay, whom we also know through TKD, were able to come out and we enjoyed some steaks, ribs, and other assorted treats at the local Keg steakhouse! A good evening characterized by good friends, good times, fun conversation, but it was also heartfelt because it was our last hullabaloo with the man before he would be leaving.

So in honor of Chris’ departure, which is frankly leaving a big hole in our lives (sorry, no guilt!) I’ve decided to get to back to reviewing some movies because I know he found these useful and told so. It’s one of the nicest things in the world when someone tells you that you’re work actually made an impact, or at least has proven worthwhile to them on more than one occasion. Which reminds me, I also need to get on that Generation Kill review which I promised I’d do some time ago. Good show, especially if you’re a military man (which he is!) I also vow to keep training with the Esquimalt folks and doing my best to provide some small measure of the ample guidance and leadership that you have over the years. I’d say Audrey is planning on picking up most of the slack but I don’t think she’s up to the challenge 😉

And last but not least, I wish him well on the long drive from this end of the country to the other. It’s long, scenic, and very interesting, but I’m sure you don’t need to hear that from me. Oh, and remember what I said about the beer! If there’s one thing I know from years of living next door to Quebec and multiple road trips into La Belle Provence, it’s that the craft brewing is virtually unparalleled! True, its a little different from what we are used to in BC or most other provinces, but it’s definitely worth it.

Mostly, I’d say it takes its cue from the very long and honored tradition of Belgian beer makers, most of it being bottle fermented, stronger, and relying on specialized yeast strains. And of course, they are fond of fruit beers, much like the folks in the Low Countries. I highly recommend anything by Unibroue, makers of fine Belgian-style beers, and Brasserie Du Temps, who also seem to be largely inspired by Belgian brewers. And if that style is not your thing, there’s always McAuslan; man, they make a good pale ale! And of course, you already know about the bagels, smoked meat and poutine, so I shant bother telling you about those. You know what yer doing!

Take care, brotha! And hope to see you again during family visits if you get the chance. Me and just about everyone else, of course. And when you’re three year stint is up, be sure to look us up and know that you’ll be welcome back in a heartbeat in whatever clubs we got going. Won’t be the same without you otherwise 😉

The New Robot FACE

You ever hear that saying about how it takes 17 muscles to smile, 43 to frown? Aside from encouraging people to smile more, this should tell you something about the human face. Namely, that it’s got a very complex makeup, with many, many moving parts. So it goes without saying that creating an artificial face that could mimic human expressions would be one huge undertaking.

As it turns out, a recent story from Io9 reveals that researchers working for the University of Pisa have created a robot face that can actually pull most, if not all of them, off. Known as a “Hybrid Engine for Facial Expressions Synthesis” (HEFES) this robot has demonstrated the ability to portray a full range of emotions, though they admit that the grimace is still a bit off.

Designed using one of the team member’s wives as the model, the robot  is aptly named “FACE”. According to lead researcher, Nicole Lazzeri, the end result is “really realistic,” and also represents a major step forward in both robotics and AI research. Hmm, that make’s two steps forward, by my reckoning. To quote Ghost in the Shell: “It has a voice, now it just needs a body”!

The countdown to David 8 is on!

Check out the video of FACE making… ahem… faces!

Expressive Robot Face

50,000 Hits!

photo by tt83x at deviantART

Well wouldn’t you know it, another milestone has happened this week and I almost missed it! Yes, today, after roughly two years and four months of keeping this blog up, I passed the 50,000 mark! Woooooo! Yay for me! And yay for the people who have nothing better to do than read my thoughts. I would pity you, but right now I’m too happy!

Of course, I would like to thank all those people who have chosen to follow me since this blog first went up. But according to my stock ticker, that’s like a thousand people. So instead of naming names and risk leaving anyone out, let me just send a grand digital hug out there and hope everyone catches some of it.

However, I must thank one person, Mr. Fraser Cain over at Universetoday.com who inspired me to start this blog in the first place. It was he who convinced me to bring my message directly to the good people and avoid the needlessly long and inopportune process of waiting on a publisher. And so I take this opportunity to thank him for all the good stuff that has come of it. Thanks Fraser, hope to see you and the family again soon!

And of course, I would also like to take this opportunity to say that there’s still lots of work to be done. Though I could pack up now and say I’ve explored the crap out of the world of sci-fi, the real point of this site is to share ideas, promote my and others’ works of literature, and make connections with people. I can’t foresee that ending any time soon, nor would I want to. The work and connecting must go on!

And I look forward to it. I’ve made many great friends and been able to liaise with many great talents since I got here. So why stop now? I want to success, I want to be able to share it with people. Yes, I totally plan to let it go to my head, but I also plan on spreading the good fortune around. You might want to be there, just in case… 😉 Thanks you all and let’s keep this ball rolling!