I have been watching 4th and final season og "The 4400" - here are a few thoughts on the series.
The concept of the series :
Over a period of about 60 years 4400 people have mysteriously disappeared. Suddenly, all reappear brought back in a giant ball of light.
The scene does, to a certain extent, remind me of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", but "The 4400" continues where, "Close encounters" end with a lot of people coming back.
As some of the returnees show unusual abilities, fear and suspicion arises.
What I particularly like in this series is a continued story through the series, each season always ending with a completely new - and often surprising - situation.
Characters are believable, most episodes feel well written, produced and acted.
Some people seem to complain about short (in this case 13 episode) seasons, but I think a lot of series may benefit from the shorter seasons, giving writers - and the whole team - the possibility of giving their best without running out of steam.
Showing posts with label scifi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scifi. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Doctor Who
I was just watching the last but one episode of Doctor Who for this season, and .... OMG ... I have to wait another week for the conclusion .... *what* a *cliffhanger* !!
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Jekyll - a BBC TV miniseries
The miniseries - written by Steven Moffat is a modern day story based on the famous classic story "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Jekyll is not really an adaptation, but a rather a present day continuation of the classic story.
The brilliant research scientist Dr. Jackman, wonderfully played by James Nesbitt, has the experience of blackouts in his life, where an alternative personality totally take control, as well as some visible physiological changes take place. The resulting Mr Hyde is (not unexpectedly) a darker, more violent personality.
The story is very well told, with some rather unexpected twists and turns, the least surprising element being that the original "Jekyll/Hyde" story is not fictional at all, and the assumed to be fictional Dr. Jekyll was a historical person, and Dr. Jackman, abandoned by his mother as an infant, is a descendant of the original Dr Jekyll - well - really of Mr Hyde, since Dr Jekyll had no (official) descendants. Even the old photos of Dr Jekyll show a stunning resemblance with Dr Jackman.
The story features an unknown organisation, claiming to have waited for more than 100 years to find and "cultivate" a "Mr. Hyde". Also we get a revelation of what really caused Mr. Hyde to appear.
At the end of the story, when we should think the story is over, there is a wonderful revelation showing that the story never really ends.
Moffat writes a wonderfully dark story - without being totally overtaken by the darkness, this is first class drama.
This is classic style science fiction - a good continuation of the classic story. A story that has entered into our cultural heritage, these days essentially everyone knows the reference to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - it has entered as a phrase in English and many other languages.
The brilliant research scientist Dr. Jackman, wonderfully played by James Nesbitt, has the experience of blackouts in his life, where an alternative personality totally take control, as well as some visible physiological changes take place. The resulting Mr Hyde is (not unexpectedly) a darker, more violent personality.
The story is very well told, with some rather unexpected twists and turns, the least surprising element being that the original "Jekyll/Hyde" story is not fictional at all, and the assumed to be fictional Dr. Jekyll was a historical person, and Dr. Jackman, abandoned by his mother as an infant, is a descendant of the original Dr Jekyll - well - really of Mr Hyde, since Dr Jekyll had no (official) descendants. Even the old photos of Dr Jekyll show a stunning resemblance with Dr Jackman.
The story features an unknown organisation, claiming to have waited for more than 100 years to find and "cultivate" a "Mr. Hyde". Also we get a revelation of what really caused Mr. Hyde to appear.
At the end of the story, when we should think the story is over, there is a wonderful revelation showing that the story never really ends.
Moffat writes a wonderfully dark story - without being totally overtaken by the darkness, this is first class drama.
This is classic style science fiction - a good continuation of the classic story. A story that has entered into our cultural heritage, these days essentially everyone knows the reference to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - it has entered as a phrase in English and many other languages.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Fantasticon2008, Copenhagen, 26 - 27 April
This is a small Danish convention with a few hundred people attending. Only foreign Guest was Norman Spinrad. The con was held in the "Vanloese Kulturhus" (cultural house) in nice large rooms and a terrace. Even the weather cooperated and we could sit outside chatting along between the programmed events. I arrived there after a long (12 hour) drive and a few hours of sleep.
On Saturday I went to the interview with Niels Brunse who has translated a large amount of English language books into Danish, and also written stories of his own. He was, among other subjects, talking about the difficulty of making a good translation, something I can relate to in a limited capacity, having attempted translation in both directions between Danish and English. Some elegant words or phrases in one language translate *very* poorly into the other.
Sunday had a surprise guest speaker, the Danish physicist Holger Bech Nielsen, giving a presentation of his version of the "theory of everything" : "Random Dynamics". He is a *very* lively lecturer, and it is always fun to see him, his enthusiasm for the subject is just radiating from him. This was the first time I saw him "live", the other times were just on television.
Arthur C. Clarke :
For me the best part of the programme on Sunday was the panel discussion about Arthur C. Clarke, the panel consisting of 3 Danish fans and the guest speaker Norman Spinrad. Spinrad had sopme cooperation with Clarke in the 1960's and could tell us that the final scene of the movie "2001 - A Space Odyssey" was in fact not the one we saw in the movie. Clarke had envisioned a scene with very beautiful aliens, but it was not technically possible to do to his satisfaction - meaning the scene had to be rewritten.
Clarke's relatively optimistic view of the future has by some been regarded as naive, but it most probably is an expression of his dream about the future.
Finally there was a discussion of Clarke's unusual combination of hard science fiction and the "mystical" (for lack of a better word), something very prominent in "2001", but it is in much of his other work.
Of course, you cannot mention Arthur C. Clarke without talking about his strong influence on science and technology (as well as science fiction), interesting to see how many of his early thoughts have come true already.
All in all a very nice week end , I will try to make it again next year.
On Saturday I went to the interview with Niels Brunse who has translated a large amount of English language books into Danish, and also written stories of his own. He was, among other subjects, talking about the difficulty of making a good translation, something I can relate to in a limited capacity, having attempted translation in both directions between Danish and English. Some elegant words or phrases in one language translate *very* poorly into the other.
Sunday had a surprise guest speaker, the Danish physicist Holger Bech Nielsen, giving a presentation of his version of the "theory of everything" : "Random Dynamics". He is a *very* lively lecturer, and it is always fun to see him, his enthusiasm for the subject is just radiating from him. This was the first time I saw him "live", the other times were just on television.
Arthur C. Clarke :
For me the best part of the programme on Sunday was the panel discussion about Arthur C. Clarke, the panel consisting of 3 Danish fans and the guest speaker Norman Spinrad. Spinrad had sopme cooperation with Clarke in the 1960's and could tell us that the final scene of the movie "2001 - A Space Odyssey" was in fact not the one we saw in the movie. Clarke had envisioned a scene with very beautiful aliens, but it was not technically possible to do to his satisfaction - meaning the scene had to be rewritten.
Clarke's relatively optimistic view of the future has by some been regarded as naive, but it most probably is an expression of his dream about the future.
Finally there was a discussion of Clarke's unusual combination of hard science fiction and the "mystical" (for lack of a better word), something very prominent in "2001", but it is in much of his other work.
Of course, you cannot mention Arthur C. Clarke without talking about his strong influence on science and technology (as well as science fiction), interesting to see how many of his early thoughts have come true already.
All in all a very nice week end , I will try to make it again next year.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Doctor Who 2008 has started
The 4th season of the "New Doctor Who" has started on the BBC.
BBC started last Saturday with the episode "Partners in Crime" , quite a fun story, where Donna Noble from the Christmas Special 2006 reappears searching for the Doctor, misses him several times , and we see them meet again in a very amusing scene - that could have been a little shorter, but nonetheless I enjoyed it. We also briefly meet an old friend under mysterious circumstances , I will say no more , you will have to enjoy the moment for yourself.
Second episode brings us back about 2000 years to "witness" the destruction of Pompei, for the first time the Doctor Who team has been filming outside the UK. Quite a spectacular illustration of the volcano blowing up and the city buried under the ashes. As usual , when the Doctor arrives , things go awry, and he has to correct the flow of history , being put into a bit of a dilemma.
I quite enjoyed both episodes, and I am looking forward to the next ones , and solving the mystery of the first episode.
BBC started last Saturday with the episode "Partners in Crime" , quite a fun story, where Donna Noble from the Christmas Special 2006 reappears searching for the Doctor, misses him several times , and we see them meet again in a very amusing scene - that could have been a little shorter, but nonetheless I enjoyed it. We also briefly meet an old friend under mysterious circumstances , I will say no more , you will have to enjoy the moment for yourself.
Second episode brings us back about 2000 years to "witness" the destruction of Pompei, for the first time the Doctor Who team has been filming outside the UK. Quite a spectacular illustration of the volcano blowing up and the city buried under the ashes. As usual , when the Doctor arrives , things go awry, and he has to correct the flow of history , being put into a bit of a dilemma.
I quite enjoyed both episodes, and I am looking forward to the next ones , and solving the mystery of the first episode.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Jules Verne has arrived at the International Space Station
Yes - it is true ...
The first ATV - Automatic Transfer Vehicle - has arrived and doced with the ISS. The name given to this ATV is "Jules Verne" , honouring the famous author (1828 - 1905) of old Science fiction classics like "Around the World in 80 Days", "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", "From the Earth to the Moon" and "20.000 Leagues Under the Sea".
The ATV is a European contribution to the ISS, along with the Columbus module - launched with the Space Shuttle and added to the ISS in February. The spacecraft pioneers the use of automatic docking, absolutely no human intervention. Only option would be to break off the docking procedure with a "go away" order. The ATV is designed to transport supplies to the station , and - as its final act - be filled with the garbage from the station and sent back into the Earth's atmosphere. We could call it a cargo ship and an advanced garbage truck - combined with an incinerator.
Another function of the ATV is as a booster for increasinf the orbital altitude of the ISS, since the station is slowly being dragged towards a lower orbit due to that fact that there is still a *tiny* amount of atmosphere up there.
Read more about the ATV here
Last year I went with a friend to visit ESTEC's space exhibition in The Netherlands. During a tour of the Estec facilities we got to see the Columbus module and the ATV, as they were being tested at the time. Nice to have seen real life spacecraft - knowing that both the station module and the ATV are safely orbiting the Earth.
More info at ESA's website
The first ATV - Automatic Transfer Vehicle - has arrived and doced with the ISS. The name given to this ATV is "Jules Verne" , honouring the famous author (1828 - 1905) of old Science fiction classics like "Around the World in 80 Days", "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", "From the Earth to the Moon" and "20.000 Leagues Under the Sea".
The ATV is a European contribution to the ISS, along with the Columbus module - launched with the Space Shuttle and added to the ISS in February. The spacecraft pioneers the use of automatic docking, absolutely no human intervention. Only option would be to break off the docking procedure with a "go away" order. The ATV is designed to transport supplies to the station , and - as its final act - be filled with the garbage from the station and sent back into the Earth's atmosphere. We could call it a cargo ship and an advanced garbage truck - combined with an incinerator.
Another function of the ATV is as a booster for increasinf the orbital altitude of the ISS, since the station is slowly being dragged towards a lower orbit due to that fact that there is still a *tiny* amount of atmosphere up there.
Read more about the ATV here
Last year I went with a friend to visit ESTEC's space exhibition in The Netherlands. During a tour of the Estec facilities we got to see the Columbus module and the ATV, as they were being tested at the time. Nice to have seen real life spacecraft - knowing that both the station module and the ATV are safely orbiting the Earth.
More info at ESA's website
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Arthur C. Clarke died at 90
I know this happened last week, but the preparations for going to the Eastercon/Orbital2008 have overshadowed most other things. See also previous post.
I first became aware of Atrhur C. Clarke through the movie/novel "2001 - A Space Oddyssey" which made a considreable impression on my young self.
One of my favorite longer stories by Clarke is "Rendezvous With Rama".
I have on my shelf a brick of a book with about 100 short stories by Clarke , I think I will slowly work my way through those.
At the convention I found a signed copy of "Tales From the White Hart", and despite the (understandably rather high) price I just had to get it. Should read the short stories in that one, too.
I see Arthur C. Clark as one of the giants in science fiction, and a very influential science writer - one of the few science fiction writers with a scientific writer's background.
It was good to see a last minute addition to the Eastercon programme of a panel discussion about Clarke's influence in science as well as science fiction. On top of that, one of the panelists had been the secretary for Arthur C. Clarke for about a year, and he could bring light on theless public sides of the author. Nicely done.
He will be missed in the scifi community.
I first became aware of Atrhur C. Clarke through the movie/novel "2001 - A Space Oddyssey" which made a considreable impression on my young self.
One of my favorite longer stories by Clarke is "Rendezvous With Rama".
I have on my shelf a brick of a book with about 100 short stories by Clarke , I think I will slowly work my way through those.
At the convention I found a signed copy of "Tales From the White Hart", and despite the (understandably rather high) price I just had to get it. Should read the short stories in that one, too.
I see Arthur C. Clark as one of the giants in science fiction, and a very influential science writer - one of the few science fiction writers with a scientific writer's background.
It was good to see a last minute addition to the Eastercon programme of a panel discussion about Clarke's influence in science as well as science fiction. On top of that, one of the panelists had been the secretary for Arthur C. Clarke for about a year, and he could bring light on theless public sides of the author. Nicely done.
He will be missed in the scifi community.
Eastercon/Orbital2008 impressions
Here come my entries made to my LiveJournal directly from the Eastercon/Orbital2008 - covering the first 3 days.
Friday:
Arrived safe and sound at the Eastercon in London.
Friday meeting up with a lot of new people.
Having a Babylon 5 Ranger pin helps finding other B5 fans - or they spot me ...
In the morning a nice discussion about the future of the Star Trek franchise. In the end we agree that tere is indeed a future for Star Trek (no real surprise there)
Being in London, which con will be without Doctor Who in its programme? Friday had a discusion about Russel T. Davies : Fanboy let loose ?
Of course he is both a fan and the one who revived the Doctor Who as a series.
Sunday Babylon 5 is on the programme , "The Lost Tales will be on the programme - my only regret it that it is at the same time as the Neil Gaiman as Guest of Honour. difficult choice. Well , I want to meet some B5 fans here , so I guess "The LOst Tales"it will be.
Just hope to Get to have my "Day of the Dead" script book signed by Neil Gaiman.
Saturday:
Morning panel : "Doctor Who - Trickstergod ?"
Paul Cornell , writer of the double episode of the new Doctor Who : "Human Nature/Family of Blood"
Paul Cornell is a very lively panelist , lots of fun to see/hear. the discussion touched on a similarity with the Doctor and the Shadows from Babylon 5 - both being a sort of "Agents of Chaos" - quite a thought.
Lots of people reacting to the Ranger Pin , so had lots of B5 talks. Sunday "The Lost Tales" will be shown in the video room, I will be there and hopefully get some more good B5 talk.
Got some pictures - will come later - of Ranger Hilary in a very well made costume.
How about a B5 Ranger meeting a Klingon - good fun (got a pic of that as well).
In the afternoon a good panel discussion of "Religion in SF" , always a subject to generate a good discussion.
Had the "Day of the Dead" script signe by Neil Gaiman . Asked him about his position on a collection of non JMS B5 scripts , his reply sounded positive to me.
Sunday morning now - so writing this directly from the con.
This afternoon a programme point not foreseen : A tribute to Arthur C. Clarke - Have to be there.
Sunday:
Essentially no people came to watch "The Lost Tales today , so I went to the Neil Gaiman Guest of Honour performance with the author reading a bit of his work , and questions from the floor. I was slightly surprised by the reply to the question of "free circulation" of his works. He apparently has no personal objection to that as such , since it gives more people the opportunity to read his works . You could see it as free advertising. On the other hand , some of the works, like audio books are not his own property , so he can not just say :"go ahead".
A hastily panel discussion has been organised in the response to the death of Arthur C. Clarke's influence in science, space exploration and science fiction. He was one reason for me - and many of the panelists/audience - to get into science fiction, as well as igniting the interest for space travel and science.
I have always had an interest in astronomy, and I could not resist going to a video presentation playing the two editions of BBC and Patrick Moore's program "The Sky at Night".
I have always found that he possessed an enthusiasm for the subject, and a very good sense for making the complicated scientific more understandable to the general public.
Of course - lots of talks to other fans - meeting people ... very enjoyable.
Friday:
Arrived safe and sound at the Eastercon in London.
Friday meeting up with a lot of new people.
Having a Babylon 5 Ranger pin helps finding other B5 fans - or they spot me ...
In the morning a nice discussion about the future of the Star Trek franchise. In the end we agree that tere is indeed a future for Star Trek (no real surprise there)
Being in London, which con will be without Doctor Who in its programme? Friday had a discusion about Russel T. Davies : Fanboy let loose ?
Of course he is both a fan and the one who revived the Doctor Who as a series.
Sunday Babylon 5 is on the programme , "The Lost Tales will be on the programme - my only regret it that it is at the same time as the Neil Gaiman as Guest of Honour. difficult choice. Well , I want to meet some B5 fans here , so I guess "The LOst Tales"it will be.
Just hope to Get to have my "Day of the Dead" script book signed by Neil Gaiman.
Saturday:
Morning panel : "Doctor Who - Trickstergod ?"
Paul Cornell , writer of the double episode of the new Doctor Who : "Human Nature/Family of Blood"
Paul Cornell is a very lively panelist , lots of fun to see/hear. the discussion touched on a similarity with the Doctor and the Shadows from Babylon 5 - both being a sort of "Agents of Chaos" - quite a thought.
Lots of people reacting to the Ranger Pin , so had lots of B5 talks. Sunday "The Lost Tales" will be shown in the video room, I will be there and hopefully get some more good B5 talk.
Got some pictures - will come later - of Ranger Hilary in a very well made costume.
How about a B5 Ranger meeting a Klingon - good fun (got a pic of that as well).
In the afternoon a good panel discussion of "Religion in SF" , always a subject to generate a good discussion.
Had the "Day of the Dead" script signe by Neil Gaiman . Asked him about his position on a collection of non JMS B5 scripts , his reply sounded positive to me.
Sunday morning now - so writing this directly from the con.
This afternoon a programme point not foreseen : A tribute to Arthur C. Clarke - Have to be there.
Sunday:
Essentially no people came to watch "The Lost Tales today , so I went to the Neil Gaiman Guest of Honour performance with the author reading a bit of his work , and questions from the floor. I was slightly surprised by the reply to the question of "free circulation" of his works. He apparently has no personal objection to that as such , since it gives more people the opportunity to read his works . You could see it as free advertising. On the other hand , some of the works, like audio books are not his own property , so he can not just say :"go ahead".
A hastily panel discussion has been organised in the response to the death of Arthur C. Clarke's influence in science, space exploration and science fiction. He was one reason for me - and many of the panelists/audience - to get into science fiction, as well as igniting the interest for space travel and science.
I have always had an interest in astronomy, and I could not resist going to a video presentation playing the two editions of BBC and Patrick Moore's program "The Sky at Night".
I have always found that he possessed an enthusiasm for the subject, and a very good sense for making the complicated scientific more understandable to the general public.
Of course - lots of talks to other fans - meeting people ... very enjoyable.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Eastercon/Orbital2008
I am off to the Eastercon/Orbital 2008 in London this Easter.
If I get the opportunity , I will write some posts directly at the con.
The only Babylon 5 related guest I know of is Neil Gaiman , who wrote the script for the 5th season B5 episode "Day of the Dead".
If anyone reading this is coming to the con, my Nickname will be on my badge.
If I get the opportunity , I will write some posts directly at the con.
The only Babylon 5 related guest I know of is Neil Gaiman , who wrote the script for the 5th season B5 episode "Day of the Dead".
If anyone reading this is coming to the con, my Nickname will be on my badge.
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
Eastercon/Orbital2008
Recently I registered for the Eastercon/Orbital2008 in London (Heathrow) .
I have been reading Neil Gaiman's "Stardust", since he is one of the guestes of honour at the con.
I like the story. For the signing I intend to bring the script book for the Babylon 5 episode "Day of the Dead" that he wrote.
In the pile of books I got just before Christmas I found China Miéville's "Perdido Street Station", since he is another guest of honour at the con. I have got through the first couple of chapters, but have not yet been caught up in the story. I have decided to work my way through the first part, and then decide if I want to continue. .... I know - I try not to judge a book by its first chapter , but I am afraid it is not really my type of story. The initial chapters are a little too much Dystopian for me.
I have been reading Neil Gaiman's "Stardust", since he is one of the guestes of honour at the con.
I like the story. For the signing I intend to bring the script book for the Babylon 5 episode "Day of the Dead" that he wrote.
In the pile of books I got just before Christmas I found China Miéville's "Perdido Street Station", since he is another guest of honour at the con. I have got through the first couple of chapters, but have not yet been caught up in the story. I have decided to work my way through the first part, and then decide if I want to continue. .... I know - I try not to judge a book by its first chapter , but I am afraid it is not really my type of story. The initial chapters are a little too much Dystopian for me.
Saturday, 22 December 2007
My early Christmas.
Count me lucky.I just got a really good early Christmas present.
I talked to a friend of mine on the phone the other day and mentioned my interest in scifi, and he promptly said he probably had something for me. He had collected a pile of books for an English speaking lady in Denmark, but it turned out most of it was SciFi, and she was not really interested. But they both thought that the books should find a home and not simply be dumped. So I received 4 shopping bags full of SciFi/Fantasy books, about 100 books by authors like::
Tad Williams, William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Asimov, Heinlein, Alfred Bester, Stanislaw Lem, Michael Stackpole (Fortress Draconis), Frederik Pohl, Joe Haldeman, Robert Jordan, Larry Niven, Greg Bear, David Brin, Philip K. Dick, George R.R. Martin, Kim Stanley Robinson (the full Mars Trilogy) and more ...
Most of the books I did not have already, so a very neat addition to my collection. Many of the books were even unread.
Another bag had some "normal" classic stories from Alexander Dumas and others.
Wow for an early Christmas gift! Now for finding some new shelf space.
I wonder when I get the time to read all this ...
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and a Happy New Year 2008.
I talked to a friend of mine on the phone the other day and mentioned my interest in scifi, and he promptly said he probably had something for me. He had collected a pile of books for an English speaking lady in Denmark, but it turned out most of it was SciFi, and she was not really interested. But they both thought that the books should find a home and not simply be dumped. So I received 4 shopping bags full of SciFi/Fantasy books, about 100 books by authors like::
Tad Williams, William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Asimov, Heinlein, Alfred Bester, Stanislaw Lem, Michael Stackpole (Fortress Draconis), Frederik Pohl, Joe Haldeman, Robert Jordan, Larry Niven, Greg Bear, David Brin, Philip K. Dick, George R.R. Martin, Kim Stanley Robinson (the full Mars Trilogy) and more ...
Most of the books I did not have already, so a very neat addition to my collection. Many of the books were even unread.
Another bag had some "normal" classic stories from Alexander Dumas and others.
Wow for an early Christmas gift! Now for finding some new shelf space.
I wonder when I get the time to read all this ...
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and a Happy New Year 2008.
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
"The 4400" is over
Just came across this info from Entil2001
Sad news as I have come to like "The 4400" as a solid story.
Let's hope (there is always hope) for a speedy end to the writer's conflict - and that the writers will get the recognition needed.
Sad news as I have come to like "The 4400" as a solid story.
Let's hope (there is always hope) for a speedy end to the writer's conflict - and that the writers will get the recognition needed.
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Impressions from Eurocon 2007 (2)
This was only my second Scifi convention, the first one being a Star Trek convention in Fresno,California about 15 years ago.
Thursday night :
Already on Thursday evening at the pre-registration there was convention activity. The organisers were quite happy that I offered to make some photos at the con, so they are receiving a CD with photos for every day of the con.
A nice talk with frequent convention goer - and volunteer - Wilf from the UK was already a good start for me. A quite knowledgeable fellow with a solid scientific angle as well.
Friday :
Panel with Guests of Honour. Anne McCaffrey arrived a little late and, when asked, insisted on going up the stairs to the stage (in spite of the handicap) - hats off. A few words from the guests of honour. Harry Harrison is a veteran guest of con's and has quite a few stories to tell.
Anne McCaffrey, too is very experienced in conventions and could tell of her first con's where she had good advice from (then) experienced writers, and expressed her advice to new writers : in short , if you want to write , make youself sit down and write ... every day.
Scientific lecture on Solar eruptions. This has had my interest for a long time, being a licensed radio amateur. For me the content was not new, but a condensed version of what I already knew. Only difference was - this came from a scientist's point of view.
There were lots of other presentations during the day , but these stand out for me. A lot of time went with meeting other fans and discussing science fiction, science and fantasy .
A little fun thing is a photo I made : Anne McCaffrey is also involved in the "Writers of th Future", a quarterly competition, where the winners get their stories published in collections. One moment a Star Wars Stormtrooper in full gear was "standing guard" right behind the famous author, link to the picture .
more to come ...
Jan from Denmark
Thursday night :
Already on Thursday evening at the pre-registration there was convention activity. The organisers were quite happy that I offered to make some photos at the con, so they are receiving a CD with photos for every day of the con.
A nice talk with frequent convention goer - and volunteer - Wilf from the UK was already a good start for me. A quite knowledgeable fellow with a solid scientific angle as well.
Friday :
Panel with Guests of Honour. Anne McCaffrey arrived a little late and, when asked, insisted on going up the stairs to the stage (in spite of the handicap) - hats off. A few words from the guests of honour. Harry Harrison is a veteran guest of con's and has quite a few stories to tell.
Anne McCaffrey, too is very experienced in conventions and could tell of her first con's where she had good advice from (then) experienced writers, and expressed her advice to new writers : in short , if you want to write , make youself sit down and write ... every day.
Scientific lecture on Solar eruptions. This has had my interest for a long time, being a licensed radio amateur. For me the content was not new, but a condensed version of what I already knew. Only difference was - this came from a scientist's point of view.
There were lots of other presentations during the day , but these stand out for me. A lot of time went with meeting other fans and discussing science fiction, science and fantasy .
A little fun thing is a photo I made : Anne McCaffrey is also involved in the "Writers of th Future", a quarterly competition, where the winners get their stories published in collections. One moment a Star Wars Stormtrooper in full gear was "standing guard" right behind the famous author, link to the picture .
more to come ...
Jan from Denmark
Sunday, 23 September 2007
Impressions from Eurocon 2007 (1)
I have been attending the Eurocon 2007 in Copenhagen this year , and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
The con had just over 400 registrered members , and some people just came and registrered on the spot, so possibly about 700 - 1000 people in total attended.
For me the main reason was the visit by Anne McCaffrey, who appeared on a panel discussion, at an interview, for a book signing and finally a reading by the author herself.
I took quite some photos at the con and will post a few of them when they are ready.
Other Guests of Honour were Stephen Baxter and Zoran Zivkovic and the artist David A. Hardy. Harry Harrison was there as well.
Several lines of presentations, readings and also scientific lectures were in the program.
I enjoyed lots of talks with other fans en between , but after 3 days of 10-24 (or more) con activity I am rather tired and will continue my "Impressions" in the coming days.
The con had just over 400 registrered members , and some people just came and registrered on the spot, so possibly about 700 - 1000 people in total attended.
For me the main reason was the visit by Anne McCaffrey, who appeared on a panel discussion, at an interview, for a book signing and finally a reading by the author herself.
I took quite some photos at the con and will post a few of them when they are ready.
Other Guests of Honour were Stephen Baxter and Zoran Zivkovic and the artist David A. Hardy. Harry Harrison was there as well.
Several lines of presentations, readings and also scientific lectures were in the program.
I enjoyed lots of talks with other fans en between , but after 3 days of 10-24 (or more) con activity I am rather tired and will continue my "Impressions" in the coming days.
Monday, 17 September 2007
"The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester
Back online after a few days (travel and a visit to a friend)
On a long trip by car I listened to Alfred Bester's novel "The Demolished Man".
The story depicts a society where the police has telepathic detectives ("esper"s) solving crimes - or even act to prevent crimes.
The "Esper's Guild" divides telepaths into firsts , seconds and thirds according to the strength of the telepaths.
Ben Reich, who is very critical of the Esper's Guild, decides to eliminate a financial competitor and attempts to escape the telepathic detectives by hiring another telepath to block his thoughts.
After many twists and turns the prosecutor (a computer) dismisses tha case because of insufficient evidence.
In the end he is, after all punished by the Esper's Guild (in spite of the aquittal) , and has his mind wiped and reprogrammed - a process called "Demolition"
The story has some nice twists and turns , and a surprising "inner journey" which I like.
The story was published in 1953 and exhibits some of the predudices opf the time, eg relating to women's "place" in society , but if you can see through that´, the story works on its own premise , though seems a bit dated in our day and age. Also - Venus is depicted as a habitable world , something which is now known to be incorrect.
In any case I enjoyed the story, notwithstanding those weaknesses
Also - in the Series "Babylon 5" JMS (J.M. Straczynski) pays hommage to the story by naming his villain telepath ("Psi-Cop") Alfred Bester.
I would rate the story 7/10.
Wikipedia entry for "The Demolished Man"
On a long trip by car I listened to Alfred Bester's novel "The Demolished Man".
The story depicts a society where the police has telepathic detectives ("esper"s) solving crimes - or even act to prevent crimes.
The "Esper's Guild" divides telepaths into firsts , seconds and thirds according to the strength of the telepaths.
Ben Reich, who is very critical of the Esper's Guild, decides to eliminate a financial competitor and attempts to escape the telepathic detectives by hiring another telepath to block his thoughts.
After many twists and turns the prosecutor (a computer) dismisses tha case because of insufficient evidence.
In the end he is, after all punished by the Esper's Guild (in spite of the aquittal) , and has his mind wiped and reprogrammed - a process called "Demolition"
The story has some nice twists and turns , and a surprising "inner journey" which I like.
The story was published in 1953 and exhibits some of the predudices opf the time, eg relating to women's "place" in society , but if you can see through that´, the story works on its own premise , though seems a bit dated in our day and age. Also - Venus is depicted as a habitable world , something which is now known to be incorrect.
In any case I enjoyed the story, notwithstanding those weaknesses
Also - in the Series "Babylon 5" JMS (J.M. Straczynski) pays hommage to the story by naming his villain telepath ("Psi-Cop") Alfred Bester.
I would rate the story 7/10.
Wikipedia entry for "The Demolished Man"
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Second Hugo Award (2007) for Doctor Who
Last year the Doctor Who series received a Hugo Award for the double episode "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances" . The award was for the best short dramatic presentation (less than 90 minutes).
The episodes were written by Steven Moffat, and are among my favorites from the new Doctor Who series.
They have done it again ...
This year's Hugo award for the best short dramatic presentation was awarded the Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace" - also writen by Steven Moffat - and also one of my personal favorites.
The same TV series receiving Hugo awards for two years in a row is quite rare - the last time I know of was when the "Babylon 5" series did that in the 90's.
It will be interesting to see if The Doctor can make it to a third consecutive award....
You can find the complete list of Hugo winners 2007 here
The episodes were written by Steven Moffat, and are among my favorites from the new Doctor Who series.
They have done it again ...
This year's Hugo award for the best short dramatic presentation was awarded the Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace" - also writen by Steven Moffat - and also one of my personal favorites.
The same TV series receiving Hugo awards for two years in a row is quite rare - the last time I know of was when the "Babylon 5" series did that in the 90's.
It will be interesting to see if The Doctor can make it to a third consecutive award....
You can find the complete list of Hugo winners 2007 here
Thursday, 30 August 2007
Eurocon 2007
The European Convention on Science Fiction and Fantasy takes place in Copenhagen on 21 - 23 September.
For me the most interesting guest of Honour is Anne McCaffrey. The "Dragonriders of Pern" series is one of my favorite SciFi book series, well written and with an interesting plot.
The first book of the series ,"Dragonflight" was published in 1968 , and since then a steady flow of sequels (and prequels) have come out.
You can find out more at their website Eurocon 2007
If I can find the time (and an Internet connection) I might make a few posts during the days of the Eurocon
For me the most interesting guest of Honour is Anne McCaffrey. The "Dragonriders of Pern" series is one of my favorite SciFi book series, well written and with an interesting plot.
The first book of the series ,"Dragonflight" was published in 1968 , and since then a steady flow of sequels (and prequels) have come out.
You can find out more at their website Eurocon 2007
If I can find the time (and an Internet connection) I might make a few posts during the days of the Eurocon
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Heroes on the BBC TV
The series Heroes is now being shown on BBC television (BBC2) on Sunday nights and (this week : Thursday night - it seems to move a little around)
I like what I have seen until now on the local (Dutch) channel RTL5, but still a lot of eps to go in the first season.
I like what I have seen until now on the local (Dutch) channel RTL5, but still a lot of eps to go in the first season.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Books to read, DVDs to get
Just got the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" book and have started reading. Travelling a bit, so not that much time to finish it, but what I have read so far is promising.
In my book "queue" I also have some Babylon 5 books , the three trilogies :
Centauri
Technomage
Psi Core
and a few single books like "To Dream in the City of Sorrows"
Next on my list is getting the new "Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales" (TLT) on DVD. The official release in the US is 31 July , in Europe (Region 2) it is some time in September - I do not like the "regionalisation" of DVDs , spoilers are all over the place as soon as the DVD is release in just one place. This tempts many people to download the films (etc), even if they will buy the film in any case. I will buy it, but the delay is *very* annoying.
It looks like "The Babylon Podcast" will make August this year a "TLT" month, so spoilers are almost inevitable.
Edit (14 August) :The Babylon Podcast is indeed making August the month of "The Lost Tales" Last Wednesday they had an interview with Bruce Boxleitner (President Sheridan), and interviews with Tracy Scoggins (Colonel Lochley) and Peter Woodward (Techmomage Galen)
In my book "queue" I also have some Babylon 5 books , the three trilogies :
Centauri
Technomage
Psi Core
and a few single books like "To Dream in the City of Sorrows"
Next on my list is getting the new "Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales" (TLT) on DVD. The official release in the US is 31 July , in Europe (Region 2) it is some time in September - I do not like the "regionalisation" of DVDs , spoilers are all over the place as soon as the DVD is release in just one place. This tempts many people to download the films (etc), even if they will buy the film in any case. I will buy it, but the delay is *very* annoying.
It looks like "The Babylon Podcast" will make August this year a "TLT" month, so spoilers are almost inevitable.
Edit (14 August) :The Babylon Podcast is indeed making August the month of "The Lost Tales" Last Wednesday they had an interview with Bruce Boxleitner (President Sheridan), and interviews with Tracy Scoggins (Colonel Lochley) and Peter Woodward (Techmomage Galen)
Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer
A movie based on the Marvel comic "Fantastic Four"
I went to see the movie today with some friends. *No Spoilers*
An unknown force (The Silver Surfer) arrives to Earth, threatening to destroy all life on the planet.
In my view, this movie comes out better than the first one. Lots of fun moments as I remember them from the comic, including the teasing and rivalry in the "family". I loved the cameo appearance of Stan Lee. While I know many of the hardcore fans of the comic will be disappointed with the depiction of Galactus, to me it worked quite well on the big screen.
While the story may not be very subtle (after all it has its origin in a comic book) I found the unfolding fine - not dragging too long, actually the movie is relatively short. Still, one nice aspect, it is about having a choice , even at times you think that you do not.
Very nice special effects in creating the Silver Surfer
I would recommend go seeing it, even if you are a fan of the comics, in my book I would rate it 4/5.
PS. I have heard that the Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Stracynski is working on the script for a Silver Surfer movie, sounds interesting.
I went to see the movie today with some friends. *No Spoilers*
An unknown force (The Silver Surfer) arrives to Earth, threatening to destroy all life on the planet.
In my view, this movie comes out better than the first one. Lots of fun moments as I remember them from the comic, including the teasing and rivalry in the "family". I loved the cameo appearance of Stan Lee. While I know many of the hardcore fans of the comic will be disappointed with the depiction of Galactus, to me it worked quite well on the big screen.
While the story may not be very subtle (after all it has its origin in a comic book) I found the unfolding fine - not dragging too long, actually the movie is relatively short. Still, one nice aspect, it is about having a choice , even at times you think that you do not.
Very nice special effects in creating the Silver Surfer
I would recommend go seeing it, even if you are a fan of the comics, in my book I would rate it 4/5.
PS. I have heard that the Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Stracynski is working on the script for a Silver Surfer movie, sounds interesting.
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