Smithology

With the finale of Season 5 of Doctor Who upon us, I thought I’d share a little project I did a few weeks back. Since being at work, I’ve switched my desktop to Ubuntu Linux and discovered a TimeTunnel screensaver in the settings.

By default the screensaver shows the xscreensaver logo floating in the tunnel because apparently the author was unable to get permission from the BBC to distribute images of the Doctor, the Tardis and the Doctor Who logo which would normally appear.

However, on further investigation I found that the author has made allowance for any images to be shown floating in the tunnel so I knew immediately that I had to make my own face float out of the tunnel.

First I had to make three xpm images. Generally you just fire up any image editor and edit up a photo of your head and any other objects you want in the tunnel. I decided on a coffee cup seeing as the screensaver would be at work, it would provide a hint as to my whereabouts should someone come to my desk.

I’m not a photoshop expert (actually I used Acorn on the Mac) so the cutting out of my face and hair is a little rough on the edges. The procedure I used was to get the select tool to draw the boundary of my face and hair and then used the ‘invert selection’ menu item, then with the eraser tool, i could make the background transparent without erasing my face (since the selection was inverted). I saved my work as PNG with transparency enabled.

On linux I used the convert command that comes with ImageMagick to get an xpm: it’s simply ‘convert face.png face.xpm’

Finally I had to muck around a bit with xscreensaver in Ubuntu. First uninstall gnome-screensaver. Then install xscreensaver. Xscreensaver is the original package that has the ability to customise the screensaver parameters. Under the screensaver setup screen, select TimeTunnel and then click ‘Advanced’. In the advanced settings you can specify the command. I changed mine to be ‘timetunnel -head /pathto/face.xpm -tardis /pathto/coffeecup.xpm -logo /pathto/coffeecup.xpm’

And here’s the result (the music is usually hummed by my coworker when he walks past but I haven’t got a recording of that)

Uncategorized doctor who, scifi, tech

I finished Isaac Asimov’s Second Foundation last night and it was great. It made reading the first two books (which I admit didn’t rock my world very hard) worthwhile and was a great culmination of the trilogy. I can see why these books are held in such high esteem. In this last book, Asimov finally starts to have some fun with the story, writes some really nice personal story lines -stories that are carried on the personalities of the characters as well as the plot. He does some nice fake outs and keeps you involved right until the end then leaves you reeling with the discoveries of the last couple of pages.

There are also, not one but two! strong female characters which goes to show that science fiction is not traditionally a boys club but also appealed to those new plucky post-world war II girls.

Second Foundation on LibraryThing

Second Foundation on Wikipedia (wikipedia is basically all spoilers by the way)

Uncategorized asimov, books, scifi

I’ve never really gotten into Star Trek. I think I subscribe to that thing where you’re either a Star Wars person or a Star Trek person and I’m very much Star Wars oriented. I like my space men to be wisecracking cowboys (or laserbrains) and my space ships to need a bit of percussive maintenance to achieve hyperspace.

But there was one year where I got into star trek because I got involved with a group of franciscan brothers and discovered their dark secret: the franciscan religious order in the anglican church is little more than a front for a science fiction appreciation society. They pretend it’s about a calling from God but really what they’re doing is searching for Spock.

Ok, I’m exaggerating for humourous affect (and I hope any of my franciscan friends reading this will laugh with me) but it is a fact that around 2003/2004 I used to wander on down to the friary on a Sunday night, say a quick round of Sunday night prayers and finish just in time for TV1’s scifi Sunday back to back Star Gate, Voyager and Deep Space 9.

So I’ve started working my way through all the Star Trek movies starting with Wrath of Kahn (because who would voluntarily watch the first one?) and I’m now halfway through The Search for Spock which, so far, is not as bad as people say.

But as I watch these films, I can’t help thinking of the franciscan brothers – especially when Sarek turns up in his brown robe. Come to think of it, the vulcans and franciscan’s would get along just fine I think.

Live long and prosper.

Uncategorized scifi, star trek

After the brainstorming session a couple of weeks ago, I managed to obtain a membership at the local DVD store and perused the science fiction section with Sol. The haul was pretty disappointing, the science fiction section was the smallest I’ve ever seen, but we got a hold of Short Circuit and brought it home for a spin.

The verdict? Sol absolutely loved it, he laughed all the way through and then when it finished he wanted to watch it again and again the next morning. He really got off on the slap-stick comedy: every time Johnny 5 bumped into something or knocked something over he fell off his chair laughing. He also cracked up over the lines of dialogue that Johnny ripped off the TV.

There were a few bits that he didn’t like: the scene where Stephanie has a confrontation with her ex-boyfriend and ends up being knocked to the ground and of course the scene near the end involving a helicopter with a big missile on it. He also wanted to know why Crosby said “Holy Shit!!” in the scene where he decides Johnny really is alive.

Personally I enjoyed the opening credits: both the visuals and the music are great. The design of Johnny 5 is really well realised and while distinctly eighties is still believable. The wikipedia page tells me it was done by Syd Mead who also did work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Bladerunner, TRON, 2010, Aliens, Time Cop and Johnny Mnemonic.

What if it goes out and melts down a bus load of nuns? How would you like to write the headline on that one?

Uncategorized fatherhood, movies, scifi

I’ve been thinking a bit more about Asimov’s writing style and why it feels dated. Some of the giveaways are the assumptions about user interfaces and electronics: closing contacts and turning great big dials. Where we would say “screen” or “display”, he says “visiplate”. He even describes a machine for calculating one’s position in the galaxy by aligning patterns of stars but in doing so reveals the analog and interactive nature of this process – one that we can’t relate to today where you just type in a few parameters on the machine and click the ‘go’ button.

Other giveaways are sociological: the virtual absence of women and for the few female characters, an assumption of gendered roles.

But there are subtle stylistic giveaways that are more felt than anything: the way the action is relatively subdued and violence is very tame, the dialogue heaviness and the “staginess” of it. The bulk of the books are taken up by dialog, often between two people at a time in a kind of staged area like an office or space ship cabin. When the characters are talking they are totally focussed on the task of communication, occasionally one might take out a pipe or cigar but never are they doing much else. In most science fiction you read today, the authors go to great lengths to avoid these scenarios – when the characters talk they are always doing something at the time that’s either somehow underscoring the emotion of the moment, like having a verbal confrontation whilst trying to fix an engine, or moving the plot forward like talking about a planet whilst configuring the ship’s computer for the FTL jump that will take them there.

Having said that, I feel like Asimov’s style actually changes as I read through the books, moving from abstract and intellectual story lines to more personal and active exposition.

Uncategorized asimov, books, scifi

I’m trying a new thing with the blog this week. I often have things I want to blog about but don’t get around to writing them because I don’t have time to really sit down and think about it. So I’ve decided to try writing much shorter posts that just unload whatever’s on my mind without too much effort to package them. Maybe I can get more momentum that way which ma result in something worth reading or at least commenting on. So here goes.

Foundation and Empire is the second book in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation saga. In it he continues the style of what seems like a collection of shorter stories, each one telling of a chapter in the history of the galaxy. The structure of the stories is pretty repetitive: two men, usually of some notable politcal position discuss galactic events and formulate plans. The action is all in the dialog: space battles are referred to but rarely described. Sometimes gadgets such as ray blasters and personal atomic protection shields are wielded but they are not the real focus.

For the first book and a half there are literally no references to any hint of the existence of women in the entire galaxy. The books take place in a completely male world. Strangely in the second half of Foundation and Empire, a female character, Bayta, is introduced who plays a key role in the rest of the book which is where I think the book really picks up and starts to feel like an actual narrative with believable characters. Everything that goes before seems like just exposition of some clever ideas.

I’m looking forward to concluding the trilogy with Second Foundation (I’m not sure if I’ll bother with the other books and prequels though)

Oh and one last thing, I’m not sure if it’s because I’m clever or because the plot device has been overused but I knew The Mule’s secret pretty much straight away (although I didn’t get what his secret power was until later on in the book)

Uncategorized asimov, books, scifi

People are always accusing me of brainwashing my son into liking Star Wars. Admittedly it’s been one of his interests in which I’ve been able to join with him enthusiastically. But the truth is that Sol’s love of all things Star Wars grew out of us playing Lego Star Wars together on the Wii and then having to watch the movies to answer all his questions about the plot and characters. I really didn’t push it on him.

Anyway, I think it’s tradition that parents pass their interests on to their children, it’s one of the joys and privileges of being a parent. I’m sure my Dad would agree, after all it was Dad’s love of science fiction that nurtured my own interest in it. Would I have watched Doctor Who, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (BBC TV series) and countless space and nature documentaries if not for my Dad? Would I have seen Tron at the drive-in when I was in early primary school or even earlier, the original Star Wars where apparently my eyes opened wide as the first Star Destroyer roared overhead and remained fixed on the screen until the Death Star exploded in a satisfying ball of sparks at the end (oh sorry for the spoiler – yeah they blow it up)

When I was working part time earlier in the year, Sol and I would often go to the DVD shop together to rent some movies. We would stop at the science fiction shelf and I would have to say no to pretty much everything that caught his interest (apart from Star Wars) as I knew it would be either too complex for him (Star Trek) or too violent (Terminator). The only movie we managed to rent from there was E.T. (which he loved). At the fantasy shelf we found plenty of stuff that he can watch including some gems I remember from my childhood like The Neverending Story. We haven’t yet borrowed The Dark Crystal and he would probably enjoy Labyrinth (but I’m not sure if David Bowie’s tights will be too scary for him) and there’s plenty of other boy becomes wizard and rides a dragon films.

So here’s a list of stuff we’ve watched:

Movies:

• Star Wars (All of them except the Christmas special)
• E.T.

TV:

• Clone Wars
• Ben 10

Stuff we know about and could check out:

• K-9
• The Sarah Jane Adventures

Fantasy:

• The Never Ending Story
• The Dark Crystal (On the TODO list)

I’m not counting Dreamworks and Pixar movies because those are obvious and go without saying. So what else should be on the must watch list for the discerning 5 yrold sci-fi nerd?

Uncategorized fatherhood, movies, scifi, tv

In the tradition of getting excited about things six to nine months after everybody else has I bring you this post about District 9, the awesome sci-fi thriller directed by Neill Blomkamp which hit Australian theatres in August.

So in order to spoil this completely for those who haven’t yet seen it, let me give a brief overview of the plot. District 9 is a fictional documentary set in 2009 about 30 years after an enormous space ship suddenly appeared above Johannesburg (so think about what was going on in Johannesburg in the eighties and you get an idea of the themes of this film). Various commentators in the documentary tell us how the space ship was found to contain thousands of sick and dying aliens. The aliens were brought down to a camp below the space ship which became known as District 9. Once the aliens were established in District 9, the place quickly became an alien slum where the “Prawns” live off cat-food and carrion and trade in alien weapons and devices with the local warlords.

The film follows the exploits of the excruciatingly awkward Wikus who’s job it is to convince aliens to sign a relocation form for the evil multinational MNU who have been charged with moving the aliens to a more remote camp so the people of Johannesburg can get on with their lives free of the blight of the cursed prawns. Wikus’ life takes a very bad turn when he is exposed to an alien substance which causes his body to transform into an alien.

So some things I loved about this film: The feeling and setting of the film felt really fresh with it’s retro eighties decor and fashion, the dirt, dust and decay of District 9 and the way the aliens themselves were decrepit with torn and stained clothes, dirty skin and flies buzzing around them. The aliens were really well rendered and as with Avatar, the uncanny valley effect seemed to be minimised because the CGI characters are aliens so it’s ok if they seem to move unnaturally. The scenes that show the arrival of the space ship and the discovery of the aliens were also really original. The presence of the brooding space ship, seemingly forgotten by the characters in the film but often appearing in the background leant an ongoing sense of mystery and tension to the film as you’re always waiting for it to just do something.

Most of the characters in the film are predictable and pretty simple stereotypes: the badass army guy, the evil corporate masters, even the genius kid who is a whiz at computers but the actual main characters which are Wikus, Christopher (the alien), Wikus’ wife Tania and Wikus’ assistant Fundiswa are well scripted and played. (Well actually I had a problem with the casting and character of Tania, she seemed a bit out of Wikus’ league and it was hard to believe her being with him. Also the scenes where she is talking about some of Wikus’ pathetic (but sweet) gifts were in a pretty quirky place). But really the attention is always on Wikus and he is a fascinating study. I enjoyed how he portrayed as being so likeable and seemingly harmless and then we hear the most horrible racist things come out of his mouth and see him laughing at atrocities being carried out against the aliens at his own orders.

Wikus’ metamorphosis is suitably gross and intense and is heart wrenching to watch, the way he is quickly dehumanised by his former colleagues and even his wife Tania is disturbing and I guess is an important part of the viewers journey into the subject of the film. While I was appalled at Wikus’ initial treatment of the aliens, the extent of the inhumanity towards them becomes revealed as we journey with Wikus through District 9.

Apart from the intense ride and striking visual effects of this film, I think I will remember Wikus’ skittish, conflicted deeply racist yet compassionate and sweet character. This movie affirmed my values around racism whilst at the same time challenging my attitude towards racist people: it made me realise that I can also dehumanise and stereotype people with racist views and that racism is a complex problem that doesn’t always involve Nazis (although it may sometimes be addressed with some very splattery alien weapons and a very cool alien robotic combat suit)

Uncategorized movies, scifi

After about four months I’ve finally finished crawling my way through The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks. Not that it was a bad book or particularly long – I suppose 690 pages is longer than average but more that I have been so dog tired at night with the kids staying up due to daylight savings and all the business that goes with moving interstate that I’ve only been reading an average of a couple of hours a week which is just not enough.

I’ve read a few of Iain Banks’ novels now and I remain ambivalent about his story telling. By all rights I should be really enthused: his stories have some really cool settings and memorable characters, there is humour and sometimes deeper reflection on the human condition. Yet, I never seem to click with his stories, there is a certain bleakness and coldness that always pushes me away. Maybe it’s the way he almost predictably kills off the most loveable characters just when you’re really digging them, or the way his bad guys seem to always be able to go the extra evil mile. Possibly it’s a matter of what I’m needing when I read – I’m looking for escape and mental stimulation but usually not looking to be confronted with the impartiality and inevitability of death.

But now that I’ve got that out of the way, there are some really fun aspects of The Algebraist that I’ll take away. The setting being mostly in the atmosphere of a gas giant (think Jupiter) is a challenge because the mental picture is just brownish yellowish gas, but Banks brings it to life with the floating cities, the specialised gas craft that populate it and the stars of the show: the Dwellers.

The Dwellers are big kind of floaty aliens that live in the gas giants. At first they are depicted as ancient and super advanced, living in slow time and only communicating with other species through seers whom they sponsor and train. As the book unfolds we get to know some of these Dwellers more closely and come know that there is a lot more to them than meets the eye – and that they are unexpectedly fun!

The journey into the world of the Dwellers is conducted through the main protagonist Fassin Taak. Fassin is charged with the task of finding a certain artefact amongst the Dwellers that will, if it even exists, be of immense value. At the same time a massive army led by the spectacularly evil Archimandrite Luseferous (warrior priest of the Starveling Cult of Leseum9 IV and effective ruler of one hundred and seventeen stellar systems, forty-plus inhabited planets, numerous significant artificial immobile habitats and many hundreds of thousands of civilian capital ships, Executive High Admiral of the Shroud Wing Squadron of the Four-Hundred-and-Sixty-Eighth Ambient Fleet(Det.) and once Triumvirate Rotational human/non-human Representative for the Cluster Epiphany Five at the Supreme Galactic Assembly) is approaching the Ulubis solar system (where the story takes place) bent on finding the same thing. This plot gives the story a kind of brooding race-against-time feeling as the dread lord comes closer and you can’t begin to imagine the nasty things he’s going to do when he arrives judging by the sport he engages in on the way.

During Fassin’s story we get a tour of the Ulubis system and some nice world building diversions as Banks lays out some pretty neat galactic history and galactic politics. There’s also a side story that made absolutely no sense to me and was possibly a whole other story that ended up being rolled into this novel for some reason (I’m talking about Saluus and Taince for those who’ve read the book already).

The final confrontation and wrap up of the book was pretty satisfying for me and not too over the top as these epic kinds of books often are.

I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I’d read it in more concentrated doses so I could keep more of it in my head as I went. Now I am skimming bits of it I realise I forgot a lot of the stuff in the earlier chapters that are referred to towards the end.

Apart from my criticisms at the start of this post, on an overall view of things, this is a great read and worth looking at if you’re interested in getting a feel for Iain Banks before delving into his darker culture novels.

Uncategorized books, iain banks, scifi

I don’t get to listen to podcasts as much as I used to. When I worked full time and drove forty minutes to work, I used to actually plug my macbook into an iPod dock in the car and listen to them. (My colleagues used to joke that the Macbook was a giant iPod)

I’ve got a bit of a new routine now where I can listen to podcasts while I do a bit of housework and also while I put Flossy to sleep. In the latter case, we retreat to her bedroom where we have a comfy chair and I put the headphones in while she has her milk and then drifts off with her head on my chest.

I recently went back to Cory Doctorow’s podcast where he has been reading a short story called Martian Chronicles. It is worth a listen if you also find some time in your day for podcasts and enjoy science fiction. It’s about a teenager going to Mars to be a colonist but also acts as a launching pad (good pun eh?) for a discussion of the nature of success and failure with a focus on economics and society.

I like the way Cory is able to weave his political ideals and thinking into his stories and still keep them entertaining without the feeling that you’re being lectured to too much. It’s something I also admire in Ken Macleod.

At this stage I haven’t finished listening to the story but there has been an interesting twist which is going to force our main character to decide which side of the fence he sits on and how he’s going to live with that.

If anyone else has a listen, I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on it. To listen, you have to get it from his podcast

Uncategorized cory doctorow, scifi