What is a drabble, you ask? A drabble is a short story of precisely one hundred words. No more. No less. I write drabbles for fun. Usually as a writing warm-up exercise. Occasionally for profit, when for Pocket’s Strange New Worlds VI contest two years ago I submitted many drabbles for consideration. (Come to thinkContinue reading “Drabble-y Goodness”
Going to a Concert
Tonight the Barenaked Ladies and Alanis Morissette are playing at Alltel Pavillion here in Raleigh. I have a ticket for lawn seating. The weather forecast looks promising–clear, high temperature in the mid-70s. Should be fun. Joe Keeton, my old college roommate (currently a debate coach for Bronx Science) hailed from New Jersey, by way ofContinue reading “Going to a Concert”
A Tale of Two Films
Steve Roby reflected briefly upon last year’s film Paycheck in his blog yesterday. He wrote, “Paycheck had everything it needed to be a much better film than it ultimately turned out to be. Another disappointing movie based on a Philip K. Dick story? Who’d’ve guessed? (Well, Blade Runner and Minority Report turned out okay, evenContinue reading “A Tale of Two Films”
Exterminate!
The Daleks will be returning to the new Doctor Who, thanks to an agreement reached between the BBC and the Terry Nation estate, with “the BBC accept[ing] the arrangement that had been in place for the last 40 years.” While it’s possible the oversized pepper-pots will grace television screens everywhere in the new series’ firstContinue reading “Exterminate!”
The "Favorite Beatle" Question
I watched A Hard Day’s Night yesterday, the Miramax two-disc DVD version released a few years ago. I hadn’t watched one of the Beatles’ films in a while, and my VHS tapes are packed away, so I had little choice but to go with AHDN. It’s a great film. I can’t fault anything of it.Continue reading “The "Favorite Beatle" Question”
Upgrading – Please Stand By
Moving up in the world is important. Change is good, but never easy. For the past two years, we’ve run on GreyMatter, one of the first blogging tools. As much as I’ve liked the product, as solid as I thought it was, it’s also a product that is no longer supported, with no future developmentContinue reading “Upgrading – Please Stand By”
Speculations on Pak Protectors
Reading Larry Niven’s Ringworld’s Children recently sparked a thought or three. What if Tree-of-Life virus was a bioweapons project that went horribly wrong? As much as the Protector concept thrills me, the relationship between the Pak and Tree-of-Life has always struck me as unlikely and unnatural. Yes, evolution works in strange ways, and the firstContinue reading “Speculations on Pak Protectors”
I, Robot
I wasn’t expecting much from I, Robot. The trailer was attached to damn near every movie released since last fall, which didn’t strike me as a positive sign. I had no expectations for Van Helsing, and came away totally disappointed. I had no expectations for Troy, and, save for Brad Pitt’s incongruous accent, enjoyed theContinue reading “I, Robot”
Fever Pitch
I noticed today in Entertainment Weekly a little blurb about Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon looking at Fever Pitch as a possible film vehicle. My question is, Why? No, the Colin Firth/Ruth Gemmell film isn’t particularly well known, but it’s adequate, it hits its notes, and it’s, well, English. I’m having a hard time picturingContinue reading “Fever Pitch”
A Correction
An update from the accuracy department! At the Shore Leave convention last weekend, Glenn Hauman said, in reference to a man dressed as a Smurf at the convention’s Masquerade, “Can Blue Men Sing the Whites?” to which I replied, “Glenn, did you know that’s a song?” I thereupon said it had been done in theContinue reading “A Correction”