(1) Bad science in sf I’m used to. On the other hand, this expose of Monty Python by medievalist Kathleen E. Kennedy is shocking! Her post for The Mary Sue, “Coconuts in Medieval England Weren’t as Rare as Monty Python and the Holy Grail Made You Think”, claims England was practically awash in coconuts – had he existed, King Arthur would have had no problem acquiring one.
(2) As a fan, when I see something like “15 Facts You Didn’t Know About the Original ‘Ghostbusters’”, I start jonesing to tell the headline writer that the original Ghost Busters was the working title of a Bowery Boys movie. But carry on….
Imagine Eddie Murphy and his fellow paranormal firefighters battling a motorcycle-riding skeleton and a giant lizard monster from their gas-station base in a futuristic New Jersey. Who you gonna call? Ghost Smashers!
By the time it became an instant classic upon its release in 1984, Ghostbusters had morphed through radically different iterations, featuring bonkers plot points and unrecognizable creatures. Those mind-blowing details are chronicled by Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History, author Daniel Wallace’s revelatory, self-explanatory new book due out this week, just in time for Halloween.
(3) I stopped to watch Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters music video while researching the previous item. That 1980s video did some nice things with neon lights. But it can’t hold a candle *coff* to the Halloween Light Show set to his vocals in this YouTube video — four singing pumpkin faces, tombstones, hand carved pumpkins, strobes, floods, two Matrix boards and thousands of lights.
(4) At this hour it may be hard to find anyone who hasn’t already read John Scalzi’s Whatever post titled “Here’s the Egregious, Mealy-Mouthed Clump of Bullshit That is the 2015 World Fantasy Convention Harassment Policy”.
I am not a lawyer, but I expect that ReedPOP, the company that runs [New York Comic Con] (among many other conventions around the US) has maybe a few lawyers on its staff. If NYCC is utterly and absolutely unafraid to promulgate a harassment policy even though there is a legal statute defining what harassment means in the state of New York, I expect it might have been possible for World Fantasy to have done likewise, if they chose to do so.
And I recommend reading Jesi Pershing’s comment on the post. (I’m unable to link to specific comments on Whatever, despite both it and File 770 running on WordPress….)
(5) Trae Dorn’s story at Nerd & Tie, “World Fantasy Convention writes the worst harasssment policy ever” doesn’t live up to the hyperbole of the headline, but it reflects the prevailing mood of the internet.
(6) Jim C. Hines weighed in with “Trying to Fix WFC’s Harassment Policy Problem”.
Can this actually be fixed?
Well, no. Not completely. You’ve pissed off a lot of people, and you’ve got nine days before the start of the convention. You can’t fix it. But you can work to make it better. Here are my suggestions, for what they’re worth.
A compelling observation was quoted from Natalie Luhrs’ post —
Keep in mind that, as Natalie Luhrs pointed out, “three of the last five World Fantasy Conventions had harassment incidents that were publicized: 2010, 2011, and 2013.” This doesn’t include incidents that weren’t publicized.
However, it should be noted that other recent WFC’s have had genuine anti-harassment policies – the 2015 committee is an aberration in that respect.
(7) The headline for Arthur Chu’s post captures just what I think was really controlling SXSW’s decision to have these panels at all – “This Is Not a Game: How SXSW Turned GamerGate Abuse Into a Spectator Sport”. Chu also is very informative about the history about the anti-harassment panel proposal.
- Any “both sides” narrative is nonsense. Whatever harassment and abuse there was cannot have been at all symmetrical.
SXSW acknowledges this when they tell Randi Harper in an email they’ve “received numerous threats of violence regarding this panel (Level Up)” and a “civil and respectful environment seems unlikely.” You can see with your own eyes the degree of incivility and disrespect likely to occur at her panel by looking at the comment thread GamerGate left on PanelPicker. This started up in August and has only had time to fester since then.
By contrast, I don’t think anyone “anti-GamerGate” I’ve spoken to other than my fellow panelists was even aware a GamerGate panel was in the cards until it was announced last week. Feel free to search my own history on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc. to see if you can find any mention of it.
(8) Chris Kluwe went straight for the jugular.
What you did, what you’re doing, is providing the blueprint for harassers and hatemongers as to how they win. From this point forward, any fringe group of spiteful lunatics can point to this moment and say, “We will silence the voices of anyone we dislike at SXSW, any view we disagree with, because we know the mewling slugs in charge have not the backbone to stop us. All we need to do is confront them with our vileness, and they will fold.”
And the worst part?
YOU are solely the ones responsible for this.
YOU decided that it was appropriate to give a group of harassers a platform to continue their wretched campaign of ignorance. No one forced you to bypass the application process, to slide this selection of charlatans and liars along back alley channels into the conference. (And by the way, it is beyond ironic that a group ostensibly about ‘ethics in journalism’ required such an unethical route.)
YOU chose to ignore the warnings of the women targeted, to dismiss their voices as unworthy of respect or consideration, and then had the gall to act shocked that a ‘movement’ known for its corrosive toxicity slimed its oh-so-predictable foulness in your direction after you invited them in.
(9) Today In History:
October 27, 1938 – Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre of the Air broadcasts its adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Joe Bloch comments —
People have debated for decades just why the country was so willing to be fooled by the broadcast, and the question of whether or not Welles had an inkling of what would happen was never answered. It is certain that he denied it at a later Congressional hearing, but in subsequent interviews he answered the question rather coyly, implying that he might have known what could happen.
(10) Stop snickering about aliens, d’ye hear me? Astrophysics profession Adam Frank, co-founder of the 13.7 blog, says “Maybe It’s Time To Stop Snickering About Aliens”.
Boyajian and her co-authors considered a wide range of possibilities to explain the strange dips in the light coming from KIC 8462852. Nothing they dreamed up provided a really, really good explanation. And in the absence of that really, really good explanation, at least a few others have been thinking: “Aliens!” As Ross reports, Jason Wright of Penn State is already working on a paper suggesting we might be seeing a signature of extraterrestrial construction, a “swarm of mega-structures,” on a planetary system scale.
Now, at this point, I could start telling you about Dyson spheres and Kardashev Type II civilizations that engage in solar-system-spanning building projects (or even Vogon Constructor Fleets).
But I won’t.
That’s because the point today is not what KIC 8462852, in particular, might be telling us. The odds are high that a natural explanation will be found for the star’s flickering that has nothing to do with aliens.
Why take that stance? Well, aliens are always the last hypothesis you should consider. Occam’s razor tells scientists to always go for the simplest explanation for a new phenomenon. But even as we keep Mr. Occam’s razor in mind, there is something fundamentally new happening right now that all of us, including scientists, must begin considering.
Kepler and the many exoplanet-hunting missions coming next (JWST, PLATO, etc.) represent an entirely new way of watching the sky.
Telescope time has always been expensive — and there’s a lot of sky. In the past, astronomers didn’t have the technical capacity to continuously watch zillions of stars for long periods of time. The suns we astronomers did come back to again and again tended to be remarkable in one way or another (they flared or blew up periodically). But the exoplanet revolution means we’re developing capacities to stare deep into the light produced by hundreds of thousands of boring, ordinary stars. And these are exactly the kind of stars where life might form on orbiting planets.
(11) Tom Knighton says it’s only a “Supergirl Kinda-Review” but he covers a lot of ground as he fills in readers about last night’s series debut.
First, the casting was interesting, and I mean that in a good way. Kara (aka Supergirl for those who don’t know) is, like her cousin, raised by human parents. Her parents were played by…*drum roll please* Dean Caine of Lois and Clark and Helen Slater, the original live-action Supergirl. Honestly, it make my inner geek giddy right there.
(12) All the other old-timers showed up in the latest Star Wars trailer. Where was Mark Hamill? The director has an answer — “J.J. Abrams addresses Luke’s absence from Star Wars trailers”
When asked what’s going with Luke’s lack of appearance in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailers, director J.J. Abrams stated it’s part of the plan.
“These are good questions to be asking. I can’t wait for you to find out the answer,” he said. The fact Luke is being kept away from the promotional materials is “no accident,” he continued.
It actually goes a bit deeper than that. There was a leaked image of Luke Skywalker wearing what seemed to be standard Jedi robes that made the rounds, but Disney went to work pulling as many copies of the image from the internet as possible, including Twitter embeds.
(13) Gail Z. Martin suggests “Five Reasons Why Authors Do Blog Tours (And Maybe You Should, Too)” at Magical Words.
What’s a blog tour and why should you consider doing one?
A blog tour provides the opportunity for an author to be featured in guest posts on a number of other blogs, thus gaining visibility to the readers on all those sites. Likewise, an author who has a blog can do a tour on his/her own site by featuring a number of other authors on the site in a given period of time.
Two crucial elements separate a ‘blog tour’ from merely being a guest for the day on someone else’s blog. First, a blog tour generally involves guesting on multiple blogs or hosting multiple guests on your blog. And secondly, the activity occurs within a pre-defined (and advance-promoted) time period—perhaps a week or a month. In fact, blog tours work best when the bloggers and the guests promote the upcoming post—much like when a celebrity promotes being interviewed on TV. The author gets visibility, and perhaps new readers. The blogger gets traffic and well as visibility—and perhaps some of those visitors will come back time and again.
(14) Harlan Ellison is among the contributors to Jewish Noir: Contemporary Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds, to be published November 1.
The stories explore such issues as the Holocaust and its long-term effects on subsequent generations, anti-Semitism in the mid- and late-20th-century United States, and the dark side of the Diaspora (e.g., the decline of revolutionary fervor, the passing of generations, the Golden Ghetto, etc.).
(15) And rather like Harlan Ellison, Wil Wheaton thinks the writer should get paid. His post “you can’t pay your rent with the ‘unique platform and reach our site provides’” tells why he told HuffPo to take a hike.
(16) Here’s somebody you don’t see at fan-run conventions every day… but he’ll be at Gallifrey One in 2016:
Sir John Hurt, who brought the ‘missing link’ in the Doctor’s past — the War Doctor, from the 50th anniversary special “The Day of the Doctor” — to life, will be headlining the 2016 Gallifrey One convention, in an appearance sponsored by Showmasters Events.
(17) Remember that how that old statue of Lenin in a Ukraine town was rededicated to Darth Vader the other day? Well, sounds like old Darth is up to no good – just check out this story: “Chewbacca Arrested During Ukraine Elections”
The Wookiee is handcuffed and detained after supporting Darth Vader’s bid to be elected as Mayor of Odessa.
Yes, my friends, there’s trouble in unpronounceable city!
[Thanks to Steven H Silver, Martin Morse Wooster, Francis Hamit, JJ, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]
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Well, phooey. I haven’t watched much in this region.
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (The first season was…the less said the better, but the show improved as it went on. The arrival of Spike, in Season 5, let it go out on a high note.)
All others Abstain
(Arggh! I just realized if Buffy wins 1 and Angel wins 2, they’ll go head-to-head! Is that how Sweet 16 style brackets work? *scurries off to rent a tractor trailer full of forehead cloths*)
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)
I enjoyed Due South, but what about it is sf/f?
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)
Abstain
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Abstain
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)
Forehead Cloths! Getcher nice cold forehead cloths here! Replace those old, used Forehead Cloths with minty-fresh new ones!
And I can vote in exactly one pairing.
3. Due South
1. abstain
2. Greatest American Hero
3. Twin Peaks
4. Sapphire and Steel
5. Red Dwarf
6. Addams Family
7. Lost
8. NuWho
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy wins by a lot.
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Greatest American Hero
But Angel is simply out of luck.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks
Can I vote only for season one?
4. EMPTY PLACES
Survivors
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf
The backwards planet episode, or the Kennedy assassination where Kryten turned off his moral inhibitor, or any of a dozen other episodes would win this for Red Dwarf by themselves.
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Stargate Atlantis
I’m sorry, but even as many flaws as Stargate: Atlantis had, it was better than Lost by so much that it isn’t even funny.
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New]
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round One
Abstaining from a couple for reasons.
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Warehouse 13 (16)
I like Buffy a lot (if I ignore the last three seasons) but I also like Warehouse 13 and honestly, I think its doomed so I’m voting for it. Poor show, it didn’t deserve this!
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Due South (12)
Crossing my fingers like a lot for Due South, which I adore, and is probably doomed. *shakes fist at seeding*
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Red Dwarf may have gone horribly downhill after the first few series but until then it was brilliant, and I never got into Being Human. I tried, but it bored me. (That Red Dwarf USA pilot though, that was terrible!)
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Stargate Atlantis (10)
This is partly genuine affection for the slightly naff but occasionally actually quite good Atlantis (most accidentally weird male lead ever, and the showrunners never did figure out how to deal with that) (and also affection for Jason Momoa’s everything), and partly hate-voting against Lost. I wasn’t a fan.
8. TRAVELERS
Carnivale (15)
Yeah, this is pretty much all hate-voting against the New Who. I wouldn’t normally do that (I was very good and didn’t hate-vote against Time-Traveler’s Wife even once!) but I’m pretty sure it won’t make a difference to the results, and honestly I have been meaning to get around to watching Carnivale eventually and I’m pretty sure I will like it more than New Who. Because that wouldn’t be hard.
—
@Lyle – Due South is fantasy. Ghosts etc!
@Snowcrash,
I do. But I also see no point in PyCon imposing any sanction; what was occurring to the harasser was far far worse already than anything PyCon could do. Further I think a postscript release by PyCon would likely only have fanned the flames. So I think it was harassment, but think their lack of action was appropriate.
It’s a permutation of a “photo harassment” event which plagued 2008 WisCon — probably an early textbook case of “photo harassment.” In that case, a congoer in rather bizarre rationale and low morals paid to attend WisCon for the purpose of taking photos to post to SomethingAweful so that community could shame the whole con.
Regarding insulation of their behavior, there is a reason why some things are open and some things are closed. The purpose of a grand jury is to test the probable cause; it wouldn’t serve society well at all if grand juries were open, including ones that never go to trial nor end in convictions.
Had Donglegate been confined to private notice to staff and their same handling, then everyone would have experienced reasonable responses to their behaviors. The event would have been confined to a PyCon file never to be heard from again. Hopefully with the revision no one else needs to go through what either person faced.
All parties involved in PyCon are living proof that no one was insulated from their behavior. It also illustrates why accusations should best be brought discretely and reviewed privately by concom staff; and then the actions taken and consequences announced without names to reinforce the code or policy for the rest of the community.
I also think to directly address JJs point whether PyCon understands what’s in their policies or not, that a concom absolutely cannot cater to the whims of 2000+ different opinions on what might constitute harassment — 25,000+ in the case of SXSW, 70,000+ in the case of Burning Man. They very much know what constitutes harassment, Moreso now since 2013; and whether they choose to identify other problematic behaviors that other cons decide against that’s very much their right. That also strikes to Scalzi’s point which initiated my first comment: WFC need not be bound by standards of NYCC. It’s a silly standard to hold a con to.
It’s actually probably better for code of conduct to identify with some specificity like PyCon’s problem actions given the varied opinions on what could constitute certain things.
Silly But True
Rimward Region – Round One
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Greatest American Hero (9)
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
4. EMPTY PLACES
Survivors (13)
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
8. TRAVELERS
Carnivale (15)
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Over-extended by the end, but with a core of brilliance. Worth it for the Mayor in season 3 alone.
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Some dismal lows, but some wonderful highs. Just think, if this series had never existed, we would never have had a chance to see David Boreanaz singing “Mandy” hilariously badly.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
David Lynch as FBI Chief Gordon Cole is one of the greatest, most underrated comic turns in all of weird drama.
4. EMPTY PLACES
Survivors (13)
OK, this is actually difficult. However, the best episodes of Survivors have a substantive power that is a cut above the standard post-apocalypse melodrama.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Another tricky one, two excellent flatshare comedies going head to head, but only one has Norman Lovett as a cheerfully vague supercomputer, and Arnold Rimmer is one of the great pompous mediocrities of British comedy.
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Morticia Addams vs Peter Davison in a crap wig. Not even close. Sorry, Pete.
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
It is better to strive for greatness, even if you do not quite achieve it, than to settle for good enough. And any show that has the good sense to make Michael Emerson a regular has got to be worth a vote.
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
At its best (e.g. “Midnight”, “The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang”), Doctor Who pisses over literally everything else in these brackets. At it worst, it’s an entertaining sci-fi spectacle.
Silly But True: It’s a permutation of a “photo harassment” event which plagued 2008 WisCon
It’s not even close to the same thing. One was publicly documenting extremely bad behavior, the other was done simply for the purpose of ridiculing people because of how they looked and what they wore.
I suppose you believe that people who video police using uncalled-for force against citizens and then post that video to the Internet are also guilty of harassment?
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Too easy. I found W13 to be to corny and Eureka-ish. BtVS was…a frickin’ game changer…
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
..and it’s spinoff, while took a while to find it’s legs and made some missteps (Jasmine!) along the way, certainly did a damn fine job. It probably also has the strongest final season this side of DS9
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Haven’t seen it in ages, and I fear that the Suck Fairy may have dropped by, but it was something I enjoyed greatly at the time.
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Stargate Atlantis (10)
This is equal parts against LOST and for SG:A. SG:A was never as impressive as SG-1, and they criminally underused the Weir character, but it was fun. LOST…like Heroes, after Season 1, at no point do I think the showrunners knew what they were doing
8. TRAVELERS
Carnivale (15)
NuWho is alright, but Carnivale was *gorgeous*
1. … Buffy. Even at its least good, it’s still pretty solid, aside from I Robot You Jane and… oh, your shirt!
2.Angel. Especially the first season, when it was still trying to be Noir.
3. OH SO VERY TWIN PEAKS.
4. Eh… Abstain.
5. Eh… Abstain.
6. Addams Family. It’s kind of unfair putting them up against anyone this week of the year, I say.
7. …. eh. Abstain.
8. Carnivale! Oh, man, carnivale. Clancy brown was so fantastic, and everything was awesome, and then it was cancelled so quickly but it was so spectacular!
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Greatest American Hero (9)
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Due South (12)
4. EMPTY PLACES
Survivors (13)
(assuming this is the 1970s version not the more recent one; abstain otherwise)
*cheers quietly at everyone voting for Due South*
@SbT
If you don’t see a distinction between (frex) Person X taking a picture of cosplayer to publicly point them out for insufficient nerd cred/ wrong body type/ wrong race/ gender; and someone else publicly pointing out Person X for doing the above, it’s gonna be a pretty fundamental disagreement.
Other thoughts:
I’m opposed to blanket “handle it privately” considerations – it makes it to easy for those who are supposed to be doing something to pretend that something has been done or to sweep things under the carpet, and I also belive that egregious offenders should be named – you don’t want Person X getting privately kicked out of Con A and showing up in Con B.
As I said earlier, specific rules are can be a bad idea. Examples are fine, but there should always be an element of investigation and discretion. Saying that “oh not everyone will agree” is a pathetic cop-out. Everyone doesn’t agree on everything. Make your case, justify what you did, and live with the consequences. Note that those consequences would also have consequences – if someone starts berating Con A for what they did, that someone would invariably also get consequences from people who agree/disagree/ think she should be quiet etc. If you have a solid process, well done, there will be some level of support. If it’s all random and weaselly, it’ll probably be farrrr less.
I notice a number of you vote for childhood favorites out of mere nostalgia, while I vote for great shows from the years of my youth. Why is that?
It feels like I’m familiar with fewer shows in this bracket, but I’m not sure that impression would stand up to going back and checking the data.
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)
No context at all. As others have said: a game-changer.
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
Angel was…ok. (Look, I’m constitutionally immune to the Boreanaz attraction.) But I regularly got creeped out by how the female characters were treated. And for what it’s worth: I can still sing the theme song from GAH from memory. It poked a lot of fun holes in superhero tropes.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)
Somehow both these shows fell in one of my non-tv-watching holes. (I occasionally go for several years at a time where I use the tv solely for special events and dvd movies.) Abstain.
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)
Ditto. Abstain.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
Red Dwarf is yet another one of those “humor” shows that totally misses my wavelength. That fact that I watched a season or two of it is due solely to the fact that I’d borrowed the dvds from a friend when I was processing a mass-mailing for my job. If I knew anything about the other show at all, I might do a spite-vote, but as it is I’ll abstain.
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)
The Addams Family were my role models. Alas, I never quite lived up to them.
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Meh. Abstain.
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)
It’s been uneven, but there were a couple of the recent doctors that I rather liked.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
Nope
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)
Nope
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Nope
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)
So I shipped Spuffy. So what?
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
Never got into Angel. Greatest American Hero was kind of silly, but I did find it amusing in its own way. Against many of the other choices, it wouldn’t stand a chance, but against Angel… I’m going with William Katt.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)
I probably enjoyed Due South more, but like others, I don’t see the SFF content. And the first season of Twin Peaks really was extraordinary.
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)
Abstain.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
Abstain.
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)
Wednesday Addams 4-Eva!
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
I thought long and hard about abstaining here, too, but whoever mentioned Michael Emerson made a very good point.
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)
I love(d) David Tennant’s Doctor and this is really a vote for him.
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
My husband is the Warehouse 13 fan. I saw some merits in the show, but it seemed like every second time I sat down to watch with him just ’cause, they did something that made me want to throw things at the screen. And even he complained at two FBI agents flailing like laypeople.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Due South (12)
… had ghosts and shapeshifters, for you fantastical-aspect skeptics. Diefenbaker was *almost* supernatural, too.
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Stargate Atlantis (10)
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale looked interesting, but not enough so for me to get past 2 or 3 episodes in.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)Warehouse 13 (16)
Warehouse 13 had fewer characters I want to slap. And hey, WH13 had black characters in it from the beginning!
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)On the one hand, Angel completely screwed over Charisma Carpenter. On the other, it had some pretty decent “fall and rise” arcs. Overall, more powerful than GAH
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)ba-dummmm ba-dummmm…ba-dummmm ba-dummmm…
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)The very little I saw of Sapphire ad Steel made me want to see more, and find out more about the setting. The same can’t be said for Survivors.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)Being Human (14)
The humor in red Dwarf annoyed me enough that I never watched it to the point where it allegedly got good. And Being Human, the little I saw, looked like an interesting take on a classic SF question.
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)dadadaDUM *clik click* dadadaDUM *click click dadadaDUM dadadaDUM dadadaDUM
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)Stargate Atlantis (10)
Stargate Atlantis was a bit weaker than Stargate proper, but it didn’t make me want to nut-punch the producers like Lost did.
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)Dr. Who has had way too many poor episodes recently, but then there’s still episodes like “Dalek” and “Blink”.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. Angel (8)
3. Due South (12)
4. Sapphire and Steel (4)
5. Being Human (14)
6. Addams Family (6)
7. Stargate Atlantis (10)
8. Doctor Who [New] (2)
Cause for alarm: How did Buffy, Angel, Lost, and new-Who all end up in the same bracket? These are four of my favorite shows (not even mentioning Twin Peaks). I BLAME KYRA’S DICE. I KNOW SHE’S NOT RUNNING THIS ONE BUT SHE ALREADY HALFWAY CONFESSED TO BEING OUR DARK LORD.
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)
I initially missed out on the first 4 seasons of Buffy, unaware of just how good it was. Then I got caught up the summer of 2001, and came to “Becoming, Part II” at the end of season 2. One of two things was gonna happen.
[SPOILERS]
*Either* Angel was going to get his soul back just in time–a happy ending, *or* Buffy was going to have to send Angelus (evil-Angel), the man she loved, to Hell. Even then, I knew Joss to be tough-minded. So Buffy, obv. would send Angelus to Hell.
It had simply not occurred to me that BOTH of these things could happen.
It is not an exaggeration to say that that single episode made me want to write specifically for TV (as opposed to TV + film).
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
So, with Angel, you should probably just completely skip seasons 3 and 4, and jump to season 5. In fact, you might just want to start with “Smile Time,” co-written and directed by Ben Edlund (creator of “The Tick”), in which Angel and co. do battle with evil puppets on a show suspiciously like Sesame Street, and Angel himself gets turned into, in Spike’s words, “a wee little puppet man!”
http://oneofus.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/whedon-angel-muppet.png
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)
A lesser set of creators would’ve had the brilliant oddball genius and the by-the-book hometown cop always arguing; the rapport between Agent Cooper and Sheriff Harry S Truman is one of the great hidden pleasures of Twin Peaks.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
Red Dwarf’s not my favorite, but they did some fine work.
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Beginning of season 2: “Oh, cool, it’s clearly inside with technology. They started season 2 with a flashback! I wonder who it’s WAIT A MINUTE THIS ISN’T A FLASHBACK WHAT THE…” (Cackles with glee) When Lost was on, it was on
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)
Don’t blink, Carnivale. Don’t blink.
Who’s been rocky (as, frankly, has Buffy at times, or Angel, or Lost), but the high points are so very high.
I liked season 1 of Carnivale, but I’ve never felt compelled to track down season 2.
I just wanted to say that whistle-blowing is not the same as harassing and a particular conference calling it that doesn’t make it so. Pretending that those two things are the same is just as cynical as the tech industry pretending that it doesn’t have a sexism problem in the first place.
redheadedfemme: Yeah, we’re both looking at a world of hurt in this bracket–4 of my all-time favorite shows in the same 16. In fact, Buffy, Angel, Lost might well be my top 3 live-action SFF shows. Could be worse, I guess… at least Firefly and new-BSG are in different brackets.
Rimward Region – Round One
1. abstain
2. abstain
3. abstain
4. abstain
5. abstain
6. Addams Family
7. Stargate Atlantis
8. abstain
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS ONE CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND.
Greatest American Hero
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN.
Abstain
4. EMPTY PLACES
Abstain
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Abstain
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKET
Stargate Atlantis
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who (new)
The forehead cloth merchants find no business here, this round.
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)Buffy raids the Warehouse and makes off with all the stuff.
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)Angel had better characters, better stories, and better theme music.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)Never seen either of these, but I’m doing my best to fulfill my own prediction.
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)Ditto.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)My birth father really likes Being Human. Haven’t watched it myself. But Red Dwarf was really funny.
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)I’m banking on the US show beating the British show.
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)The Doctor still beats almost anyone else for me.
@ snowcrash
re:Watchmaker
Love that book! I mean really, really, reeaallyy!! It’s a character driven fantasy mystery in a steam punkish, alt-universe (but almost identical to real) Victorian London (with some in Japan). Don’t expect big action or earth rattling upheavals (although there are explosions). The delight is in following the clues to figure out what’s going on and to find out what the watchmaker is doing. And then there’s Katsu the octopus. Oops, kinda went fangurl there.
So, yeah, I’d recommend moving the book up the pile. 😉
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)
My second favorite televison show, ever.
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
I’m leaning heavily on “Smile Time”, here, and pretending Connor never happened.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)
Slings and Arrows, which also starred Paul Gross, and is way, way better. Best, I tell you, Best!
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)
Abstain
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
Abstain
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Based on reputation, and a hate-on for JJ Abrams.
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)
Never seen Carnivale, don’t care, hate hate hate Dr. Who.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Warehouse 13 (16)
Ahhhh…this is just mean. I like Warehouse, but, you know, Buffy was a unique phenom, so Buffy.
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
Abstain
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
Due South (12)
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Survivors (13)
Abstain
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
Abstain
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)
Don’t recall Tomorrow People at all, but love the Addams Family more than enough to vote blind. I mean Morticia, Uncle Fester, Cousin Itt, Thing (especially the mystery of Thing!!).
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Abstain
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Carnivale (15)
Abstain
@JJ,
“It’s not even close to the same thing. One was publicly documenting extremely bad behavior, the other was done simply for the purpose of ridiculing people because of how they looked and what they wore.”
The first was not done to publicly document extremely bad behavior. It was done for the purpose of ridiculing people’s behavior. “Extremely bad behavior” is so overplaying something the victim had admitted let slide when it was initially done, and for something that the penalty was “you admitted it and apologized, go on your way,” which also was satisfactory to everyone involved.
JJ: “I suppose you believe that people who video police using uncalled-for force against citizens and then post that video to the Internet are also guilty of harassment?”
They are. If they have proof of a crime, then the place to give a copy of that video is the FBI, or State Police if a local agency was the one filmed. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is absolutely a bedrock ideal in our society; lynch mob justice and vigilante gangs are not. Further if an actual crime has occurred, that film and its public spectacle could impact the trial.
Silly But True
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round One
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5)
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Lost (7)
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New] (2)
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Abstain
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Due South
4. EMPTY PLACES
Sapphire and Steel
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Abstain
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Abstain
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Stargate Atlantis
8. TRAVELERS
Doctor Who [New]
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8)
Greatest American Hero (9)
Loved this one as a kid. Just rewatched a few episodes a few months ago and is still a great concept.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3)
Being Human (14)
Now, if it had been the original swedish series… No, to be honest, Red Dwarf is the better one in both cases. It is just a great series.
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Addams Family (6)
Tomorrow People [late 70s] (11)
Addams Family is defining for me in so many ways that it is crazy. A totally fantastic cartoon, totally fantastic TV-series. One of those you can watch again and again and again.
Silly But True:
You’re intent on equating two very different behaviors — no, in fact, you’re intent on minimizing the bad one and exaggerating the one which isn’t that bad. We’re never going to agree on that.
And if you think that footage of police using excessive force on citizens isn’t just going to disappear 9 times out of 10 when it’s just handed in to the police (as has already happened many, many times when police confiscated video from bystanders) — well, all I can say is that I hope you’re never on the receiving end of such treatment and then have the evidence of the wrongdoing just disappear.
JJ, Silly But True:
Lets see.
1) It was not extremely bad behaviour. If it had been, the person involved in it would have been thrown out from the con. Instead there was no sanctions whatsoever after a short discussion and an apology.
2) You have both left the original discussion which was about problems with an anti-harassment policy. The whole incident had absolutely nothing to do with such a policy as it was acted upon and no sanctions seemed necessary. Everything was about how the incident escalated after having been dragged into social media.
So if you want to argue against anti-harassment policies, use another example. The only lesson learned is that you totally loose control when you involve complete strangers on the internet.
1. Buffy
2. Angel
3. Twin Peaks
4. Abstain. I haven’t seen either.
5. Being Human
6. The Tomorrow People
7. OH it hurts! It HURTS! *dithers pathetically* Uh…I’ll go with LOST. There’s still SG-1 coming up later….
8. Carnivale
Oh my, where did I put those forehead cloths?
1. IN EVERY GENERATION THERE IS A CHOSEN ONE. COED OR STORAGE FACILITY, DEPENDING.
Warehouse 13 (16). Because I love both, and I’m pretty sure Buffy will win, so this way, W13 gets at least one vote. 🙂
2. LEAVING INFAMOUS NAMES BEHIND
Angel (8). Another nail-biter. In the end, I had to give it to Whedon.
3. AN EXPERT IS ANYONE FROM OUT OF TOWN
Twin Peaks (5). Not a huge fan of either choice here, but TP has stuck with me better.
4. EMPTY PLACES
Abstain, familiar with neither.
5. ROOMMATE TROUBLES
Red Dwarf (3). Ouch, ouch, ouch, this wasn’t fa-air! I would have voted for Being Human over so many of these others, but not against the best SF comedy show of all time!
6. YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE VS. TOMORROW’S PEOPLE
Abstain, since I’m only familiar with one (though I probably prefer it).
7. ISLANDS IN THE BRACKETS
Stargate Atlantis (10). Another pair I don’t feel strongly about.
8. TRAVELERS
Abstain, since I’m only familiar with one.
The Bracketeer selects:
1. Buffy.
2. Ralph.
6. Morticia.
7. Hurley.
8. Rose.
Or, by the numbers: 1 9 6 7 2.
@SbT
You’re drifting again. Just a couple of things:
” If they have proof of a crime, then the place to give a copy of that video is the FBI, or State Police if a local agency was the one filmed.”
I find it amusing that you would think that such an investigation would generally be performed with any sort of rigor if there wasn’t public pressure and outcry.
“The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is absolutely a bedrock ideal in our society”
By our, I assume you mean the US. I’m not an American, neither do I play one on TV. But I’m pretty sure it’s not a bedrock ideal of that society. It’s a principle of their criminal justice system.
“…lynch mob justice and vigilante gangs are not.”
Going from whistle-blowing/ citizen journalism to lynching and vigilantism is somewhat tone-deaf and hyperbolish even for an Internet discussion, IMO.
Hampus Eckeman: It was not extremely bad behaviour. If it had been, the person involved in it would have been thrown out from the con. Instead there was no sanctions whatsoever after a short discussion and an apology.
Ummm… have you read any of the accounts of how harassment incidents have been minimized, trivialized, and excused away at cons?
It’s really nice that you have so much faith in conventions doing the right thing. It’s too bad that that faith has not been borne out in reality.
JJ:
Yes. And you know that this is what has happened here? Because this was not harassment. This was an offending joke not directed against the person calling them out for it. They didn’t even know she existed.
Offending and bad behaviour, yes. Harassment? Of whom?
Becky Chambers has graciously replied to me with the information that she sold approximately 1200 physical and e-book copies of A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet before Hodder & Stoughton brought the book out this year in March.
So I guess I need to send up the Standlee Signal or the Lorentz Signal here, and ask the experts whether this is considered a “limited” distribution such that the book would be eligible for Best Novel nominations next year.
Hampus Eckerman:
Have you ever been a bystander when people were making nasty cracks or sleazy jokes about the BDSM community?
A little gift to my fellow Addamses:
The Addams movie that really broke my heart was Reunion. On the one hand, such hideously awful writing and CGI! On the other, some of the casting was genius. I mean, Tim Curry and Daryl Hannah as Gomez and Morticia. Dayum.
Speaking of which – considering all the Addams Family casts from the shows, cartoons, movies, whatever… if you could mix and match, how would you cast the ultimate version of the show?
JJ:
Yes. Interestingly enough, a lot of kinkshaming comes within the community itself. I have also had people screaming after me how disgusting I am while walking to the subway. And other things. I’m kind of used to movies saying that we all are having mental problems, are disturbed or had an abusive childhood. 50SOG is only the latest in a row.
And yes, I am tired of this and yes, I wish it would go away. But I will not feel personally harassed by people who don’t even know I exist. I will spare that for people who direct their prejudices towards me personally. Offended though, I might be. And I’m not against asking people at a con to take action against this behaviour.
I’m much more vary of calling in social media.
Hampus Eckeman: a lot of kinkshaming comes within the community itself. I have also had people screaming after me how disgusting I am while walking to the subway. And other things. I’m kind of used to movies saying that we all are having mental problems, are disturbed or had an abusive childhood. 50SOG is only the latest in a row. And yes, I am tired of this and yes, I wish it would go away. But I will not feel personally harassed by people who don’t even know I exist.
Did this make you feel welcomed? Did it make you feel that you were a legitimate part of the event? Can you perhaps understand why women, who are constantly subjected to sexist jokes wherever they go — especially in the IT profession — might actually legitimately feel harassed by the constant barrage of this?
You do not get to tell these women that their feelings are not legitimate.
Rev. Bob:
Always the original for me. I could accept switching Wednesday from Lisa Loring to Christina Ricci. But do not touch my John Astin!
JJ:
‘
And you do not in any bl**dy way get to insunuate that I have said that. Do not go that way. I do not take lightly on you taking a very large part of my life and my personality to press guilt on me for something I haven’t said.
That is not ok.