Pixel Scroll 7/29/16 I Have Promises To Keep, And Pixels To Scroll Before I Sleep

(1) IRON MAN. Gregg Van Eekhout was injured at “San Diego Cracked-it-Con 2016”. Before he was taken away on a cart he signed his fan’s books! Click the link for the whole story. The bottom line —

So, it’s going to be six weeks in a hard cast, and that’s my Comic-Con story. And I’d like to reiterate that I continued to autograph copies of my books even with a fractured fibula. That’s pretty metal, I feel.

(2) PROSECUTION FOR ONLINE THREATS. Ken White at Popehat reports on “A Rare Federal Indictment For Online Threats Against Game Industry”.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California has sought and obtained an indictment against a young man named Stephen Cebula for sending online threats to Blizzard Entertainment, the freakishly successful powerhouse behind the Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo games as well as many others. The case is notable because it’s so rare: there’s so much threatening behavior online, and so little of it is addressed by the criminal justice system.

Stephen Cebula seems overtly disturbed. The search warrant for his home and subsequent criminal complaint tell a tale of him engaging in bigoted trash talk with other players on the Blizzard game “Heroes of the Storm,” ranging from racial epithets to comments like “I will kill your family bitch” and fantasies about raping a child at Disneyland. Blizzard suspended Cebula’s ability to communicate with other players. Cebula — perhaps tutored in law and political theory on Reddit, or by Milo Yiannopoulos — saw this as an outrageous violation of his freedom. He used his Facebook account “tedbundyismygod1” to send two threatening messages to Blizzard:

Careful blizzard … I live in California and your headquarters is here in California …. You keep silencing me in Heroes of the STorm and I may or may not pay you a visit with an AK47 amongst some other “fun” tools.

You keep silencing people in heroes of the storm and someone who may live in California might be inclined to “cause a disturbance” at your headquarters in California with an AK47 and a few other “opportunistic tools” …. It would be a shame to piss off the wrong person. Do you not agree blizzard?

(3) SITE SELECTION, COMPARE AND CONTRAST. Petréa Mitchell delivered vital data in a comment:

In crucial last-minute Worldcon voting news AND Pokemon Go news, New Orleans in 2018 has published a map of Pokestops and gyms near its proposed facility. (San Jose in 2018 has mentioned Pokestops nearby but only vaguely.)

(4) THE ENDLESS DELIGHT OF POKÉMON GO. The Week reported —

“A Georgia woman became trapped in a graveyard while playing Pokemon Go.  ‘The gate is f—ing closed,’ the indignant woman told a 911 dispatcher.  ‘This is not cool.'”

(5) THE NEXT SFWA CHAT HOUR. Coming Monday, August 1 at 3 p.m. Eastern time. — SFWA Chat Hour Episode #5: Selling Your Book at Conventions.

Join Cat Rambo as she hosts a lively discussion on how to sell your books at conventions, featuring Quincy J. Allen, Jennifer Brozek, David John Butler, and Michael Underwood.

RSVP the event to get a reminder when it’s about to start. Afterwards, it’ll go up on YouTube as usual.

(6) BANDERSNATCH. Musician Andrew Petersen discusses an influence on his decision to create The Rabbit Room“The Inklings, Diana Glyer, and the Art of Community”.

It’s easy for Americans like me, who are almost maddeningly intrigued by the romance of that famous fellowship, to idealize the Inklings—to imagine that the meetings were all chummy chortles and pipe smoke, pints of beer and chin-stroking, heady conversation and magical recitals of what are now classic works of literature. The Inklings were human, after all, and they lived in the same tired old world that we occupy, bearing the same weaknesses and wounds in varying degrees. The meetings were probably more sporadic and less inspired than we like to think. The story is a good one: Christians getting together in the name of friendship and good books. It piques an almost mythic longing in many of us. Who wouldn’t want to be a fly on the wall in one of those rooms? For that matter, who wouldn’t want to be a member of that inner ring?

Glyer’s thesis, contrary to some academic works that claim too much has been made of the Inklings’ influence on each other, is that the very nature of friendship, of nearness, of interaction, guarantees influence on their work. Like it or not, the famously grumpy and immovable Tolkien simply had to have been affected by his relationship with Lewis, and his work must have been affected, too. It was Glyer’s book where I first grasped the idea that The Lord of the Rings probably wouldn’t exist if not for C. S. Lewis. Yes, it was Tolkien’s God-given genius that wrote the masterpiece, but it was C. S. Lewis’s encouragement that nudged Tolkien along and convinced him that the public would care to read it. Friendship matters. Encouragement, resonance, accountability, and criticism were crucial ingredients that went into the feast of Middle-Earth.

One of the central tenets of the Rabbit Room is that art nourishes community, and community nourishes art. And to me the profound thing about that idea is that the friendships—the heart-shaping relationships, the Christ-centered community—will outlast the works themselves. Glyer’s book makes a strong case for the influence of the Inklings on one another, imperfect though it was. If you want to write good books, good songs, good poems, you need some talent, yes. You also need to work hard, practice a lot, cultivate self-discipline, and study the greats. But you also need good friends. You need fellowship. You need community…..

(7) HUTCHMOOT. And The Rabbit Room is planning a conference in October. Diana Pavlac Glyer will be the keynote speaker.

On October 6 – 9, the Rabbit Room will convene Hutchmoot 2016 at Church of the Redeemer in Nashville, Tennessee. You’re invited to come and enjoy a weekend of live music, delicious food and conversation, and a series of discussions centered on art, faith, and the telling of great stories across a range of mediums.

Speakers, sessions, and special events will be announced as they are confirmed.

(8) VERTIGO. Flashbacks to the right of them, flashbacks to the left of them, volleyed and thundered.

https://twitter.com/damiengwalter/status/759051917993672704

(9) FILE WORTHY PUN.

(10) ON JEOPARDY! Steven H Silver says this was a Jeopardy entry —

Women Authors for $800.

?

?

“Nobody rang in,” said Silver.

(11) SUMMERTIME. “A summer book list like no other: Michael Dirda picks 11 hidden gems”, at the Washington Post.

One of the pleasures of summer holidays is choosing just the right books to pack along on the annual visit to the beach. I stress that word “books” because only the foolhardy would take an electronic device anywhere near sand, water, intense heat and — as one learns by experience — children predestined to spill their soda where it will do the most damage. Much better to pick one of the following recent titles in paperback or hardcover.

The Big Book of Science Fiction , edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (Vintage). How big is big? In this case, we’re talking nearly 1,200 double-columned pages, dozens of representative short classics of science fiction, and newly translated work from around the world. There are surprises, too: Did you know that W.E.B. Du Bois wrote sf? That’s just one indication that the VanderMeers hope to establish a more culturally diverse science fiction canon. Still, there are many old favorites here, some of mine being William Tenn’s “The Liberation of Earth,” J.G. Ballard’s “The Voices of Time,” Cordwainer Smith’s “The Game of Rat and Dragon” and Joanna Russ’s “When It Changed.”

(12) ARRIVAL. The Wikipedia tells us:

Arrival is an upcoming American science fiction drama film starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. The film is based on the short story “Story of Your Life” by author Ted Chiang. The film is scheduled for released on November 11, 2016 by Paramount Pictures.

Deadline Hollywood reported in June:

Paramount Pictures has set a November 11 wide release for Arrival, the Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi movie starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. This was the film that took the 2014 Cannes market by storm when the studio won a wild rights auction to the pic for a fest-record $20 million, earning it North American and China distribution rights.

(13) CLOUDY DAYS. Bob, Gordon, and Luis have been laid off from Sesame Street.

The changes keep on coming for Sesame Street. Last year, the controversial news broke that the show was packing its bags and moving on up to HBO from PBS—and now, most of the children’s show’s longtime (non-puppet) cast has been let go.

At Florida Supercon, original cast member Bob McGrath, known simply as “Bob” to his young audience, said that he and comrades for several decades Emilio Delgado (“Luis” on the show) and Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”) have had their last hurrah on Sesame Street.

“As of this season, I completed my 45th season this year,” McGrath said. “And the show has done a major turnaround, going from an hour to a half hour. HBO has been involved also. And so they let all of the original cast members go, with the exception of Alan Muraoka—who is still on the show, he is probably 20 years younger than the rest of us—and Chris Knowings, who is also young.”

(14) CLICKBAIT RATINGS. Entertainment Weekly rated all 13 Star Trek movies, offering its opinion of the good, the bad, and the why.

The same day, Rotten Tomatoes published “Every Star Trek Movie, Ranked From Worst To Best”. The Rotten Tomatoes list looked like this:

  1. STAR TREK (reboot)
  2. FIRST CONTACT
  3. THE WRATH OF KHAN
  4. INTO DARKNESS
  5. THE VOYAGE HOME
  6. BEYOND
  7. THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
  8. THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK
  9. INSURRECTION
  10. GENERATIONS
  11. STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
  12. NEMESIS
  13. THE FINAL FRONTIER

(15) ST:WTF! Adam Whitehead decided there was also clickbait potential in criticizing EW’s “gratuitous list”. And my linking only helps prove him right.

The point of Gratuitous Lists is that the things on it are not listed in order of excellence, but are just on there so people can talk about the shows/games in question rather than argue about the order, which is often arbitrary. But sometimes arguing about the order is just too much fun. After Entertainment Weekly issued a list of Star Trek movies ranked by quality that is simply objectively wrong (how high up is Nemesis?), here’s my riposte…

(16) TODAY IN HISTORY

  • July 29, 1958 — The U.S. Congress passes legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
  • July 29, 2002 — M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs.  Shyamalan cited The Birds, Night of the Living Dead and Invasion of the Body Snatchers as the influences for this film.

(17) TODAY’S BIRTHDAY BOY

  • Born July 29, 1972 – Wil Wheaton

(18) BELATED BIRTHDAY GIRL

  • Born July 28, 1866 — Beatrix Potter, British author/illustrator of the Peter Rabbit stories.

(19) FIRST TREK CON. Stu Hellinger announced he’ll be part of a fan panel at Star Trek Mission New York over the September 2-4 weekend.

On September 2 – 4, at the Javits Center here in NYC, ReedPOP is running a 50th Anniversary Star Trek Convention called Star Trek: Mission New York.

One of the program items is titled: “The First Convention and How it Helped Resurrect Star Trek”.

The panel description: The first Star Trek Convention, in New York City, began as a crazy idea with a shoestring budget that created ripples all the way to the Klingon Empire and helped put the Enterprise back in space. A panel discussion with members of the original organizing committee.

The participants on this panel are Linda Deneroff, Devra Langsam, Elyse Rosenstein, Joyce Yasner and myself as the moderator.

We have not been informed, as yet, what date and time the panel will be, but I will post the information as soon as I know.

Join us to reminisce or to learn more about what we did that helped create the ongoing phenomena that is Star Trek.

(20) JEFF STURGEON. Fascinating work at “Welcome to the Art of Jeff Sturgeon”

After his long time friend and art collaborator artist Jeff Fennel  ( www.Jefffennel.com ) convinced him to try painting on aluminum Jeff left the game business behind and went to painting full time with aluminum his new canvas. Through the new millennium Jeff’s work became nationally known with increased appearances as a exhibitor,guest,panelist and guest of honor at conventions around the country and as a illustrator and cover artist. Jeff’s work is much sought after by art collectors whether one of his classic SF/ astronomical pieces or his beautiful renderings of the american west. Jeff’s newest project is Jeff Sturgeon’s last Cities of Earth as his much anticipated shared world project comes to fruition with an anthology with the top writers in the field, an art book of Jeff’s city paintings and concept art., other platforms are in negotiation to try and bring this amazing world Jeff has created to life. Jeff lives in great pacific NW with wife and artist Leslie Kreher and sons Duncan and Corwin.

(21) WALL OBIT. SF Site News has learned Canadian fan Alison Wall died on March 5. More information at the link.

(22) WILSON OBIT. SF Site News reports Toronto fan Ian Wilson, a past Ad Astra chair, died July 28.

(23) STRACZYNSKI TRIBUTE TO DOYLE. Babylon 5 Creator J. Michael Straczynski On the Death of Jerry Doyle” in Epic Times.

When it came to politics, Jerry Doyle and I disagreed on, well, pretty much everything. Politically, Jerry was just to the right of Attila the Hun. There is a line in Babylon 5 where his character, Michael Garibaldi, suggests that the way to deal with crime is to go from electric chairs to electric bleachers. That line is quintessential Jerry Doyle. I say this with confidence because I overheard him saying it at lunch then stole it for the show.

Despite our differences, when Jerry ran for congress as a Republican not long after Babylon 5 ended, I donated to his campaign. Not because I agreed with him, but because I respected him; because there was one area in which we agreed: the vital intersection between the arts of acting and storytelling. In that respect, Jerry was a consummate professional. Regardless of whatever was going on in his life, whether it was marital issues, a broken arm, forced couch-surfing with Bruce and Andreas or other problems, he never once pulled a prima donna on us; he showed up every day on time, knew his lines, and insisted that the guest cast live up to the standards of the main cast, to the point of roughing up one guest star who showed up not knowing his lines. Trust me when I say that after Jerry got done with him, every day he showed up, he knew his lines. And then some.

He was funny, and dangerous, and loyal, and a prankster, and a pain in the ass; he was gentle and cynical and hardened and insightful and sometimes as dense as a picket fence…and his passing is a profound loss to everyone who knew him, especially those of us who fought beside him in the trenches of Babylon 5. It is another loss in a string of losses that I cannot understand. Of the main cast, we have lost Richard Biggs, Michael O’Hare, Andreas Katsulas, Jeff Conaway, and now Jerry Doyle, and I’m goddamned tired of it.

So dear sweet universe, if you are paying attention in the vastness of interstellar space, take a moment from plotting the trajectory of comets and designing new DNA in farflung cosmos, and spare a thought for those who you have plucked so untimely from our ranks…and knock it off for a while.

Because this isn’t fair.

And Jerry Doyle would be the first person to tell you that. Right before he put a fist in your face. Which is what I imagine he’s doing right now, on the other side of the veil.

(24) PROFESSIONALISM. Amanda S. Green reminds readers “It is a business. . .” at Mad Genius Club. It’s a good point in its own right, and a lesson that can be expanded to apply to fan activities as well.

So treat it as one. Yesterday, as I was looking at FB, I came across a post from someone I respect a great deal. He also has one of the most unverifiable jobs there is in publishing. No, not reading the slush pile, although that is part of his job. He has taken it upon himself to do what so many publishers don’t do. He responds to those who send something in, letting them know whether or not their work has met the minimum threshold to be passed up the line for further consideration. Believe me, that is definitely more than a number of publishers do. Too many simply never get back to you unless they are interested.

What caught my eye with his post was how unprofessional someone had been in response to his email letting them know their story had not been passed up the line. Now, I know how it stings when you get a rejection. It’s like someone telling you your baby is ugly. But it happens and we have to accept it with grace and move on. Yes, we can kick and scream and curse in public but you do not send a note back telling the editor how wrong they were. Nor do you tell them that the title has been published during the time the editor was considering it, especially if the editor has gotten back to you in less than half the time they say it normally takes.

And that is where this particular author screwed up. Not only did they send back an unprofessional note to the editor, insuring he will remember the author and not in a good way, but he went ahead and self-published the book without removing it first from consideration by the publishing house. That is two very big strikes and, in this case, the author doesn’t get a third strike before he’s out….

(25) WAGON TRAIN IN SPACE. BBC Radio 4’s “Caravans in Space” investigates space habitats and visits the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop in Chattanooga. Stephen Baxter makes a brief comment in the program.

Is the Earth too perfect? The Moon too grey? Mars too dusty? Then how about setting up a human colony in the depths of space?

Richard Hollingham travels to the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop in Chattanooga, Tennessee to meet scientists, engineers, doctors and anthropologists planning human colonies in space and spaceships that will take humanity to the stars.

These are not dreamers – although they all have an ambitious dream – but well qualified experts. Several work at Nasa, others have day jobs at universities and research institutes.

Richard hears of proposals to build giant space stations and worldships – vessels packed with the best of humanity. These caravans in space might be lifeboats to escape an approaching asteroid or perhaps the first step to colonising the galaxy.

The programme features conference chair and Technical Adviser to Nasa’s Advanced Concepts Office, Les Johnson. He is keen that any discussions about our interstellar future are rooted in reality, not Star Trek.

We also hear from John Lewis, Director of the Space Engineering Centre at the University of Arizona, who advocates mining asteroids and suggests the first space colonies would be like lawless frontier towns.

Other contributors include architect Rachel Armstrong, who is engineering soils for living, breathing organic spaceships and anthropologist Cameron Smith.

As the programme is recorded on location in Chattanooga, it would be remiss of us not to make some reference to trains. Fortunately, our spacefaring future is being discussed in a railroad-themed hotel and on the local tourist train passengers are surprisingly open to living life permanently away from Earth.

(26) STATE FAIR FOOD. When I saw that bacon-wrapped churros were among the semifinalists in the State Fair of Texas annual fried food contest, I hastened to bring this to John Scalzi’s attention. It wouldn’t have surprised me to be the five hundredth person to send him the news, but he said I was actually number seven.

If you read the entire list of semifinalists, you’ll understand why I’m tempted to run a set of brackets and let people pick which sounds most deadly.

Next to “Lollipop Fried Bacon Wrapped Quail Breast on a Stick,” a bacon-wrapped churro sounds like health food….

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Martin Morse Wooster, Cat Rambo, JJ, Dawn Incognito, Michael O’Donnell, David K.M. Klaus, Carl Slaughter, and Michael J. Walsh for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Bill.]

98 thoughts on “Pixel Scroll 7/29/16 I Have Promises To Keep, And Pixels To Scroll Before I Sleep

  1. 26) I felt my arteries harden just reading that list! There are things on that list that, had someone suggested them to me at 20, when I had a cast-iron stomach and could eat anything and not gain an ounce, I would have said, “That’s insane! Go lie down, you must have sunstroke!” and left, shaking my head (and I’ve eaten some strange combinations).

  2. With regard to (11), in which the OP spouted,

    “One of the pleasures of summer holidays is choosing just the right books to pack along on the annual visit to the beach. I stress that word “books” because only the foolhardy would take an electronic device anywhere near sand, water, intense heat and — as one learns by experience — children predestined to spill their soda where it will do the most damage. Much better to pick one of the following recent titles in paperback or hardcover.”

    RUBBISH! Tosh! What utter boneheaded knavery! Has this wittering loon never seen a COVER? It’s the 21st century, we can get protection for our electronics these days (still waiting on my flying car, though)… for that matter, my phone is waterproof enough by itself they make videos with it IN THE WATER, not just splashed.

    For example, look for “Motorola Nexus 6 – Underwater Test Video HD ” on youtube…

    As a hardcore reader who has lugged bags full of books for more than fifty years I say, lighten your load, beach travelers, take an ereader and save the space for another towel instead.

  3. Happy Wil Wheaton Day! Wil sez: “Don’t be a dick!” (Story on Twitter says some Masons at a lodge want to put that in their oath. You go, Masons!)

    My beloved Cathy was at that first Trek con, and I was reading about it thousands of miles away, in a short-lived tab that resembled Rolling Stone somewhat. She sang with two friends, in costume, as The Android Sisters, in a vocal rendition of—what else?—the Courage/Roddenberry theme song. “Bee-YOND…”

  4. (11) SUMMERTIME. I attended Dirda’s seminar/hangout at Capclave last fall and it was memorably wonderful, I’ll always treasure having been there.

    (16) TODAY IN HISTORY. I was impressed with the aliens’ intel in Signs. They managed to land at the only farmhouse in Pennsylvania without firearms.

    (25) WAGON TRAIN IN SPACE.

    Richard hears of proposals to build giant space stations and worldships – vessels packed with the best of humanity. These caravans in space might be lifeboats to escape an approaching asteroid or perhaps the first step to colonising the galaxy.

    Ah, the old corrupt, corrupting dream. Fans are slans and slans, on all evidence, are dicks.

  5. (3) I have already updated this story, before it was published! I demand a recount. Er, an addition! Um, whatever. I said somethin’ in the last Scroll.

    (File 770: Even when the date stamp doesn’t act like a time machine, we do. Did. Will.)

  6. True Fifth, rarest of all Fifths. And honestly achieved too. This clearly qualifies me as among “the best of humanity” and earns me a ticket be, er…”packed?”…into a conveyance that perforce can’t be properly tested and will lack a solid 80% of what makes life worth living, all in the name of pointlessly drawing out humanity’s demise or proving the hard way that the Great Filter works.

  7. Took leave of a friend once, with, “For I have promises to break / And miles to drive before I wake / And miles to drive before I wake.” I’m that pretentious.

  8. (1) Definitely metal, although a soft metal — heavy metal would have been not passing out.

    (2) Not before time — although it’s another case of “you can’t get away with punching up”. He threatened a big company, not, say, an average woman.

    (3) I have already commented upon the inadequacy of this. Just waiting for the appertained beverage go-ahead.

    (6-7) Probably helps if you are actually Christian, in word and deed, like they were. Also if you have talent. No names, no pack drill, nudge nudge.

    (8) But “No Award” isn’t an option.

    (10) Shocking ignorance on the part of the contestants.

    (11) I don’t think covers can protect against the heat, nor sand getting into the fiddly bits (though one could duct-tape over the USB). I’m not sure how well you could read in the sunlight, but OTOH the way the ozone layer isn’t, perhaps save some book weight and pack an umbrella. If you’ve got a reader with actual page-turny clicky buttons, a Ziploc bag will protect it from the elements and kids.

    (13) I already didn’t like the HBO version of “Sesame Street”, it’s just wrong in subtle ways that made me feel I’d fallen into a slightly different, slightly more-dystopic dimension. And now no Bob, Luis, and Gordon?! Blasphemy.

    (15) Ha, I’m not going to click on his link. But I do agree that EW’s list is wrong, and RT’s is so bad it’s not even wrong.

    (23) That’s very touching.

    (24) Obviously this chucklehead never heard of 17’s Law.

    (26) I couldn’t even picture what some of those were composed of/looked like. Just as well, since the ones I could caused me to hear my cerebral arteries closing.

  9. Agreed with Lurkertype. I tried watching the HBO version of Sesame Street and something was just off about it. I think I only made it through one episode and said “meh”.

    Have a classic song from the show, which is now pretty damn bittersweet:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TjX5r37V0Q

    RIP, Mr. Hooper and David. Farewell, Maria, Bob, Gordon and Luis. You’ve all been replaced by Elmo.

  10. 4) Meanwhile in Japan, they’re dealing with the problem of Pokemon in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone. No word yet on whether the radiation has caused any Pokemon to mutate into 400 foot tall monsters.

    11) I don’t believe that article was actually written by Dirda. He didn’t plug a single book from Valancourt!

    13) Bob McGrath is over 80. Orman and Delgado aren’t much younger. I know Mr. Hooper’s death gave us one of the most critically acclaimed episodes of the series, but I don’t blame HBO for wanting to avoid the issue.

    And in other news, Disney is planning a sequel to The Rocketeer. It’ll be set after WWII, and involve a black female pilot finding the jetpack.

    The reaction is exactly what you’d expect.

  11. Sean O’Hara on July 29, 2016 at 8:32 pm said:

    And in other news, Disney is planning a sequel to The Rocketeer. It’ll be set after WWII, and involve a black female pilot finding the jetpack.

    The reaction is exactly what you’d expect.

    Ballistic? 😉

  12. Thanks for the contributing editor nod, but it really goes to “Rocket” Robert Frost, who also said “Two Pixels diverged in a Scroll, and I – I took the one that had the most bacon.”

  13. Bill: That sounds suspiciously like another future Scroll title. I have a fifth sense about these things.

  14. Let’s not forget Soon Lee:

    Two Pixels diverged in a Scroll, and I
    I took the one less traveled by…

    Back in March-April.

  15. (3) Still no correction regarding how many more Pokemon there are in San Jose.

    31 on the Blade Runner quiz, would have been embarrassing otherwise since I was at the very first screening.

  16. lurkertype on July 29, 2016 at 10:10 pm said:

    (3) Still no correction regarding how many more Pokemon there are in San Jose.

    Pokestops abound in San Jose
    But I’ve been away so long, I might go wrong and catch a Magikarp
    Pokestops are great in San Jose
    I’m going back to find an electric kind in San Jose

  17. 16) Oh my god if you ever want me to get stomping around the room, knocking over furniture (and then guiltily picking it back up in a hurry) snorting foaming furious…Signs.

    So. Angry.

    Thing is, I’m totally freaked out by gray aliens. (Also Mothman. I’m complicated.) I went into that movie prepared for pants-wetting terror. I was looking forward to a really cathartic terror. And the alien ankle vanishing into the cornfield? I was terrified! I was ready to scream and cower!

    AND THEY FREAKING MELT IN WATER AND CAN’T USE DOORKNOBS AND THE CGI WAS BARELY ADEQUATE EVEN BY THE STANDARDS OF THE ERA

    When you have a genuine horror, seeing it done badly is as offensive to the sensibilities as seeing something you love done badly. Possibly more so.

    WHY would they even come to a planet where the atmosphere is full of, from their perspective, acid vapor, acid condenses on every surface, FALLS FROM THE SKY, and also there are oceans of it just lying around?! The little kid could have peed on the damn alien and melted its arm off!

    …I have opinions.

    Close Encounters of the Word Kind?

  18. A) 31 of 31 for the Blade Runner quiz, as expected.

    B) As for This post, Comrade Henley,
    “Jim Henley on July 29, 2016 at 6:32 pm said:
    @Al the Great and Powerful:
    Has this wittering loon
    Show some respect for your betters.”

    When my betters post, I surely will. A newspaper book critic (albeit with a Pulitzer), though, not so much. I give him more props for the Edgar.

    In the mean time, though, I shall continue to point and laugh at those suffering from EDS (Ereader Derangement Syndrome), no matter how smart or lettered they are. If the environment is too harsh for modern reasonably resistant Ereaders, with simple easily available covers (I use a big ziplock bag for my five year old Kindle DX), then its too harsh for books as well. I take my phone and reader along to work on construction sites too, and they do just fine. The problem is not the reader device, its the reader operator.

  19. @RedWombat

    Read somewhere (here?) recently where the speculation was that the aliens in Signs weren’t really aliens, but demons, and it wasn’t water that hurt them, but specifically holy water – apparently there was a sequence that could be interpreted as the daughter in the movie blessing the water that she was storing all over the place.

    Currently contemplating headcanon-ing it, as it would reduce the incredulity factor significantly. Now necessarily improve it though….

  20. Winners in the Fifth Element Quarter Finals of the Cult Movie Bracket can be found here!

  21. Tragic LARP? Laser harp?

    My e-reader has survived several years of beach tripping, and picking the sand out of the gap between the cover and the plastic always adds an extra few weeks of entertainment to the endeavour.

  22. I shall continue to point and laugh at those suffering from EDS (Ereader Derangement Syndrome)

    Nerds Ruin Everything.

  23. I used an old Nexus 7 to read by the pool in 35-40C heat. Got a solid 10-12 hours reading per charge, and with its cover didn’t really suffer splash damage. I’m looking forward to doing the same with my Kindle when I head back to Thailand.

  24. Doctor Science on July 29, 2016 at 10:29 pm said:

    Finally tore myself away from politics enough to post my last-minute overview of Pro Artist nominees. Fan Artist tomorrow.

    Good round-up.

  25. O you who turn the wheel and look to scrollward,
    Consider Pixel, who was once handsome and tall as you.

  26. I am among those who really, really didn’t like Signs. After that, any movies from M Night Shyamalan are, strictly, Torture (we at Skiffy and Fanty did watch The Happening for Torture Cinema–but it wasn’t even as bad as Signs in some ways).

  27. Pixel is the scrollest month. (Must resist temptation to pull out the Norton I’m facing and see how many more relatively obvious references can be twisted; I bet there are a lot of them.)

    I am fascinated by the reports of readers working in beach conditions; I’ve had LCD devices go solid black on me when left in sun/heat too long. So far they’ve all recovered, but I don’t know whether I’ve been lucky. Or has the tech become more durable? (Last time I made that mistake was at least a decade ago.)

  28. (8) It’s not just that No Award isn’t an option. The problem is, the Business Meeting itself is corrupt, so E Pluribus Unum is harder to pass.

  29. If the ereader is likely to be damaged by local conditions, take only books you won’t care if you don’t get to finish because they get water-soaked. And nothing borrowed.

    This is a good time to look at the cheap shelves at a used book store.

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