Voltes V!
The Original Sequence
Live Performance
Life on the Border
The recent lit crit nights have revived my interest in my old books and anthologies.
One of my favorite shared world fantasy anthologies series was the one set in Bordertown. Looking at some of the fan sites, I'm happy to see I have three of the anthologies and one of the novels. My cousin Franco a.k.a Tyke has the first volume of the series.
I believe that one of the best stories that established the setting was "Danceland". It was a murder mystery, and the course of the investigation gave a great excuse to introduce the various aspects of the setting, establish the tensions between the Pureblood Elves, the human gangs, and the laws and the politics of living on the Border of our world and Faerie. It provided motivation for the characters to go out of their usual haunts and explore without having some sort of major situation that would change most of the scenery. So what if one Elflord was murdered in the alley behind the bar named Danceland? Life goes on for everyone else in Bordertown.
Some of my favorite characters are there: the human named Orient and his dear Elf friend Tick-Tick, the semi-tragic Wolfboy, the runaway Caramel, Farrel Din and all the rest.
The recent lit crit nights have revived my interest in my old books and anthologies.
One of my favorite shared world fantasy anthologies series was the one set in Bordertown. Looking at some of the fan sites, I'm happy to see I have three of the anthologies and one of the novels. My cousin Franco a.k.a Tyke has the first volume of the series.
I believe that one of the best stories that established the setting was "Danceland". It was a murder mystery, and the course of the investigation gave a great excuse to introduce the various aspects of the setting, establish the tensions between the Pureblood Elves, the human gangs, and the laws and the politics of living on the Border of our world and Faerie. It provided motivation for the characters to go out of their usual haunts and explore without having some sort of major situation that would change most of the scenery. So what if one Elflord was murdered in the alley behind the bar named Danceland? Life goes on for everyone else in Bordertown.
Some of my favorite characters are there: the human named Orient and his dear Elf friend Tick-Tick, the semi-tragic Wolfboy, the runaway Caramel, Farrel Din and all the rest.
Daniel is Blogging Tonight on the...
Okay, I'd like to welcome my good friend Dan to the Blogosphere. He certainly projects a different demeanor from the Dan I remember, but then again it's been YEARS since I've seen him.
I applaud his efforts and concerns about education - it's very admirable and reminds me of the sorry state of affairs of the educational system in this country as well.
Everyone, visit his blog and say hi!
Ground Control to Major Tom
While I'm at it, I'd like to mention my best friend Tom's home-made blog! Tom's been trying to quit smoking, so let's all traipse over there and encourage him...
... friends who smoke, be nice.
Also, I hope that his fingers will heal enough for him to play righteous guitar licks... and some mellow stuff too!
Okay, I'd like to welcome my good friend Dan to the Blogosphere. He certainly projects a different demeanor from the Dan I remember, but then again it's been YEARS since I've seen him.
I applaud his efforts and concerns about education - it's very admirable and reminds me of the sorry state of affairs of the educational system in this country as well.
Everyone, visit his blog and say hi!
Ground Control to Major Tom
While I'm at it, I'd like to mention my best friend Tom's home-made blog! Tom's been trying to quit smoking, so let's all traipse over there and encourage him...
... friends who smoke, be nice.
Also, I hope that his fingers will heal enough for him to play righteous guitar licks... and some mellow stuff too!
Spiderman. Captain America. Santo!
Long before Spiderman got his current movie streak, he had to pimp himself out in cheap flicks alongside buddies like Captain America!
See here.
Long before Spiderman got his current movie streak, he had to pimp himself out in cheap flicks alongside buddies like Captain America!
See here.
Living On Your Own
A friend of mine has recently begun planning his life on his own... a life away from his family after a long number of years living under the same roof as them.
I remember how when I first had a taste of that in dorm living at college, I ended up keeping myself to stricter schedules as far as home life was concerned... I got up early on Saturday mornings so that I had first crack at the washing machines and dryers, I tried to go to sleep earlier and wake early. In my defense, I did indulge in much wilder escapades (for me, anyway) on the days or nights that I had an Event or Outing of some kind, since I wasn't too worried about comments and questions from my family.
It is a time where you exercise your self-discipline, and begin re-defining your boundaries and interests. It's a time where you learn, not in the heat of a crisis, but in the warmth of a place you can call your own, who you are... and what things you'd like to improve.
Good luck, friend!
A friend of mine has recently begun planning his life on his own... a life away from his family after a long number of years living under the same roof as them.
I remember how when I first had a taste of that in dorm living at college, I ended up keeping myself to stricter schedules as far as home life was concerned... I got up early on Saturday mornings so that I had first crack at the washing machines and dryers, I tried to go to sleep earlier and wake early. In my defense, I did indulge in much wilder escapades (for me, anyway) on the days or nights that I had an Event or Outing of some kind, since I wasn't too worried about comments and questions from my family.
It is a time where you exercise your self-discipline, and begin re-defining your boundaries and interests. It's a time where you learn, not in the heat of a crisis, but in the warmth of a place you can call your own, who you are... and what things you'd like to improve.
Good luck, friend!
In addition to the Justice League DVD set...
I want this! Yes, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie! It looks cool!
The storyline promises to run similar to the Ultimates TPB one and two, but veering off in surprise directions. Or so I hear.
Update: Thanks to El, I've been alerted to the presence of a trailer. I found it on the Ultimate Avengers website!
I want this! Yes, Ultimate Avengers: The Movie! It looks cool!The storyline promises to run similar to the Ultimates TPB one and two, but veering off in surprise directions. Or so I hear.
Update: Thanks to El, I've been alerted to the presence of a trailer. I found it on the Ultimate Avengers website!
Hating Math but Loving Games
For some reason in my youth, I developed a dislike for math. One theory is that it was because it didn't come as easily for me as other things did (reading, comprehension, etc.). Another theory is that it just wasn't as INTERESTING in application as other things.
I did find, however, when the math problem was interesting (and not presented as a math problem) I really broke out the mental tools and kept at it till I solved it. Some of the old RPG systems I was involved in spurred revitalized interest in math, probabilities, and algebra.
There's been a recent spate of TV shows and movies that have prominently featured mathematicians as the protagonists and emphasized the hidden wonders of mathematics at work in every day life. One of those is the TV show numb3rs...
Interested in following up some of the mathematical theories and methods found in it? Check out this link.
Spurred on by a recent movie lent to me and Kate, I remembered something that always irks me: people claiming that something is true just because of their personal, and therefore anecdotal, experience.
It irks me because, one of the things I apply in life is the concept of mathematical proofs and scientific theories. A proof PROVES something is true. A theory is a model that might be true, and theories tend to gain adherents if it can explain and predict the behavior found in the real world.
However, scientific theories can only be disproven, never proven. Examples that show a theory appears to be correct is NOT proof.
More on this later... I've got a meeting to attend!
For some reason in my youth, I developed a dislike for math. One theory is that it was because it didn't come as easily for me as other things did (reading, comprehension, etc.). Another theory is that it just wasn't as INTERESTING in application as other things.
I did find, however, when the math problem was interesting (and not presented as a math problem) I really broke out the mental tools and kept at it till I solved it. Some of the old RPG systems I was involved in spurred revitalized interest in math, probabilities, and algebra.
There's been a recent spate of TV shows and movies that have prominently featured mathematicians as the protagonists and emphasized the hidden wonders of mathematics at work in every day life. One of those is the TV show numb3rs...
Interested in following up some of the mathematical theories and methods found in it? Check out this link.
Spurred on by a recent movie lent to me and Kate, I remembered something that always irks me: people claiming that something is true just because of their personal, and therefore anecdotal, experience.
It irks me because, one of the things I apply in life is the concept of mathematical proofs and scientific theories. A proof PROVES something is true. A theory is a model that might be true, and theories tend to gain adherents if it can explain and predict the behavior found in the real world.
However, scientific theories can only be disproven, never proven. Examples that show a theory appears to be correct is NOT proof.
More on this later... I've got a meeting to attend!
Manic Burst of Activity
I've been slacking in my blogging duties, and in an effort to jumpstart things, I've decided do some reactions to various news tidbits related to my various interests.
Science Watch: Tabletop Fusion?
It turns out that there's an (as yet unsubstatiated case) for tabletop fusion. In an article found in www.sciencenews.org it's related that a technique "that some scientists claim generates thermonuclear fusion in a benchtop apparatus works even without its controversial neutron trigger" and this means a powerful and potentially cheap source of energy. Why cheap? The procedure argues that "nuclear-fusion reactions can occur in a vat of chilled solvent agitated by ultrasound."
That's right. All those old black and white films with bubbling liquids may have been right! They were the power source of those mad scientists!
However, because the researchers "used neutron pulses to trigger the process", other researchers have been highly suspicious of the results.
Okay.
I don't know what that meant, but I believe it's because neutron pulses may have interfered with the results, or have not been adequately accounted for in interpreting the results of the experiment. The article lost me at this point so...
Comics Watch: Who Is Terra?
One of the most shocking betrayals in any comic book series occurred in the Teen Titans storyline titled "The Judas Contract". It had actually been set up earlier when a teenaged criminal supposedly being forced / held hostage by... bad guys... and eventually joined the Titans. She played her role well, and was criticized by comics readers as being a rip-off of Kitty Pryde from the X-men (especially since the New Teen Titans were seen as capitalizing somehow on the X-men's popularity). Then she betrayed them all after gaining their trust and love and learning most of their secrets.
And then the bombshell - she wasn't some poor brainwashed teenager who'd fallen under the influence of Deathstroke. Even before she'd met Deathstroke, she'd already been the vicious, deceptive, and vindictive girl that we saw... and that ultimately was her downfall.
It shocked me because the Titans had become the equivalent of a super-powered soap opera / action adventure story, where the lives of the characters mattered to me. It also intrigued me because of the way that the story had been put together, where hints of her dark side had already been made... if only we, as readers, hadn't been lulled into complacency by the "everything always ends happily" trope for superhero comics, we'd probably have guessed the sad truth long before it was revealed.
I wasn't alone in being fooled. In an interview, George Perez, the artist and co-plotter of the New Teen Titans at the time, said
Ah Tara, you were my introduction to a part of the world that shouldn't be bad or evil... but is anyway.
Idol Watch: Out of Touch
It's fascinating to watch the try-outs of American Idol primarily to see how out of touch some people are with reality. Perhaps some have been misled by so-called friends, some have been crippled by nerves, and some are just there to appear on TV... but most would surely realize that they're nowhere near the caliber of performer that they need to be!
The reactions that some have when rejected are astounding: prideful anger, outraged denial, and personal attacks against the judges. At least some have the grace and focus to accept the criticisms and decide to either improve themselves, or dedicate their lives to another endeavor.
I've been slacking in my blogging duties, and in an effort to jumpstart things, I've decided do some reactions to various news tidbits related to my various interests.
Science Watch: Tabletop Fusion?
It turns out that there's an (as yet unsubstatiated case) for tabletop fusion. In an article found in www.sciencenews.org it's related that a technique "that some scientists claim generates thermonuclear fusion in a benchtop apparatus works even without its controversial neutron trigger" and this means a powerful and potentially cheap source of energy. Why cheap? The procedure argues that "nuclear-fusion reactions can occur in a vat of chilled solvent agitated by ultrasound."
That's right. All those old black and white films with bubbling liquids may have been right! They were the power source of those mad scientists!
However, because the researchers "used neutron pulses to trigger the process", other researchers have been highly suspicious of the results.
Okay.
I don't know what that meant, but I believe it's because neutron pulses may have interfered with the results, or have not been adequately accounted for in interpreting the results of the experiment. The article lost me at this point so...
Comics Watch: Who Is Terra?
One of the most shocking betrayals in any comic book series occurred in the Teen Titans storyline titled "The Judas Contract". It had actually been set up earlier when a teenaged criminal supposedly being forced / held hostage by... bad guys... and eventually joined the Titans. She played her role well, and was criticized by comics readers as being a rip-off of Kitty Pryde from the X-men (especially since the New Teen Titans were seen as capitalizing somehow on the X-men's popularity). Then she betrayed them all after gaining their trust and love and learning most of their secrets.
And then the bombshell - she wasn't some poor brainwashed teenager who'd fallen under the influence of Deathstroke. Even before she'd met Deathstroke, she'd already been the vicious, deceptive, and vindictive girl that we saw... and that ultimately was her downfall.It shocked me because the Titans had become the equivalent of a super-powered soap opera / action adventure story, where the lives of the characters mattered to me. It also intrigued me because of the way that the story had been put together, where hints of her dark side had already been made... if only we, as readers, hadn't been lulled into complacency by the "everything always ends happily" trope for superhero comics, we'd probably have guessed the sad truth long before it was revealed.
I wasn't alone in being fooled. In an interview, George Perez, the artist and co-plotter of the New Teen Titans at the time, said
People did not know where it was going. Not even the diehard Titans fans who I see at conventions, who have magazines about the Titans that I read. All of them speculated that Terra was going to reform at the last minute and turn on the Terminator. Of course we had that in there, too, but for a totally different reason. The cover was created specifically to let you wonder which side she was going to take, not realizing that she was going against both.
Ah Tara, you were my introduction to a part of the world that shouldn't be bad or evil... but is anyway.
Idol Watch: Out of Touch
It's fascinating to watch the try-outs of American Idol primarily to see how out of touch some people are with reality. Perhaps some have been misled by so-called friends, some have been crippled by nerves, and some are just there to appear on TV... but most would surely realize that they're nowhere near the caliber of performer that they need to be!
The reactions that some have when rejected are astounding: prideful anger, outraged denial, and personal attacks against the judges. At least some have the grace and focus to accept the criticisms and decide to either improve themselves, or dedicate their lives to another endeavor.
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