Link Round-Up: December 16

Some links for today. We’ll start with Star Wars and go from there. The Best-Case Scenario: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ – There’s a new Star Wars film out this week. It’s a total surprise; I haven’t seen ads or merchandise for it anywhere. Reviews are starting to trickle in, albeit ones light on details.Continue reading “Link Round-Up: December 16”

Link Round-Up: December 15

Our second link round-up! These are things I read today that interested me, with some commentary on what I read and what I thought. BBC World Service: Space – The BBC World Service has begun an occasional podcast series of podcasts on an astronomy/space exploration theme. As of right now, there are four episodes, rangingContinue reading “Link Round-Up: December 15”

This Year’s Angel Tree Package

Last week was… not the best. I should clarify. It wasn’t bad. It was simply stressful. And hectic. And tense. And all of the things that a week that where the catalog and orders go to press usually is. Thankfully, the week ended with the Nerd Prom — the Employee Appreciation Party (or the ChristmasContinue reading “This Year’s Angel Tree Package”

Feelings on the Star Wars Trailer

A trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens dropped today: It’s nice. I smiled while watching it, and seeing Harrison Ford at the end certainly filled me with some excitement. Enough excitement to go see it? Perhaps not. Here’s the thing. The Star Wars series has always been something I’ve liked, but notContinue reading “Feelings on the Star Wars Trailer”

The Dalek Invasion of Endor

“You can’t do this, Davros!” the Doctor screamed from captivity. Davros rolled to the Doctor’s cell.  “You are too late. My Spider-Daleks are moving through the jungles. By sunrise, no Ewok will remain alive.” “Ewoks,” the Doctor whispered, stunned. The Black Dalek outside the Doctor’s cell shook its eyestalk. “ALL EWOKS WILL BE EXTERMINATED.” TheContinue reading “The Dalek Invasion of Endor”

On Defending The Phantom Menace

Yesterday, writer Peter David blogged that he took his daughter to see Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3-D and… she liked it. She really liked it. His reaction to his daughter’s reaction? “Holy crap. Holy freaking crap.” I know it’s fashionable for people to pile on The Phantom Menace, but I won’t. IContinue reading “On Defending The Phantom Menace”

On Volkswagen’s Star Wars Commercial and the Girl Vader

I drive a Volkswagen Beetle. It makes me very happy, though I’d be happier if the CD player didn’t skip. Volkswagen has always made fabulous commercials. I remember vividly the Cabrio commercial that introduced millions to “Pink Moon” and the work of Nick Drake. And, of course, there’s this one. Many people have seen thisContinue reading “On Volkswagen’s Star Wars Commercial and the Girl Vader”

On Random Video Silliness for a Late Sunday

Three recent video discoveries on YouTube… Vader Sessions, a Star Wars fanfilm that takes classic Star Wars scenes and remixes them with James Earl Jones’ dialogue from other films: A Young Sherlock Holmes fanvid. Okay, yes, it uses Evanescence’s “My Immortal,” which is a song that I tired of, oh, five years ago, but it’sContinue reading “On Random Video Silliness for a Late Sunday”

On Friday Bric-a-Brac

This morning, while crossing the street from the subway station to the light rail station, I found myself playing an inadvertant game of chicken with a low-flying pigeon. Fortunately, the pigeon blinked first. There’s nothing weirder than looking an oncoming pigeon in the eye as it’s coming right for you. And because it needs toContinue reading “On Friday Bric-a-Brac”

On LEGO Star Wars: The Novel

On TrekBBS, there’s a discussion asking Star Trek authors if they would like to write Star Wars novels. Said I in reply: I would absolutely write a Star Wars comic or novel. In fact, I know the approach I’d take, and the setting I’d use. It would be mental. Abso-fucking-lutely mental. And hilarious. Did IContinue reading “On LEGO Star Wars: The Novel”