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Movie Review: Fantastic Four and the Rise of the Silver Surfer
2008-04-13 18:30:00
I'm not a fan of Fantastic Four and never was. I saw the first movie on TV many years after it had already gone through theaters and made its run on DVD. The first film was, in a lot of ways, a poor excuse for a superhero movie and when I found out they were making a second, and saw the pictures of the Silver Surfer, I was prepared for ultimate suckage.Having said that, I can now say I was at least partially proven wrong on this film. Fantastic Four 2 is loads better than the first film. Where the first film failed, this one got it right. There is actually a progressive plot. The characters actually go from not doing a whole lot, to doing a little bit, to a bit more, and finally to the climax. The first film failed entirely on this point with the confrontation with Dr. Doom happening all the way at the end and the only other confrontations being personal ones between the characters. The writers for part two changed that so the confrontations between the characters happen al...
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SF/F Links: April Roundup (First Half)
2008-04-13 01:15:00
By the way, this is going to be long since I'm pulling links off my desktop and my laptop. So, get ready for a long list of SF/F related links!Universe TodayWant to know what happens when two black holes collide? What about three? Sound like science fiction? Yeah, they asked the same question too. It's not.Intel, being the cool company that they are, have begun devising ways to protect microchips from cosmic rays. Basically, the chips are going to be smart enough to go "hey, that's not right" and magically fix themselves--in theory.Want to read more about how all life on Earth is from outer space? So do I. Screw E.T. We're more interesting (well, not really, humanity is somewhat boring to me now).New images of an actual dust avalanche on Mars! Now all we need are skiers. And just to add to this I think a cute picture is needed: the little blue planet and its moon from Mars. I love this planet. We're so cool.Apparently Saturn's moon, Rhea, has rings. Who knew? I...
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Movie Review: Meet the Robinsons
2008-04-11 20:18:00
It's been a long time since Disney really got something right. With Enchanted hitting a lot of the right buttons and the Pixar lineup hitting all of them, it's really a treat when Disney simply gives you something quaint and likable.Meet the Robinsons is about a lot of things, but namely about the nature of family. Lewis is a semi-brilliant inventor who was left by his mother at an orphanage. By semi-brilliant I mean that he invents really cool things, but they pretty much always fail and cause mild disaster. But Lewis has little hope that he'll ever be adopted. Then a brilliant idea comes to him: what if he can make a machine that will allow him to remember his mother, and ultimately can find her to have a family again? But when things go horribly wrong, Lewis finds himself dragged into a world of the future by a young boy who needs Lewis' help to stop the Bowler Hat Guy from changing the past and destroying everything.The cliches are there. Yes, we have another story a...
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Publishing the Youngins?
2008-04-10 07:03:00
Does anyone know what the legalities are of publishing minors (i.e. people under the age of 18)? I ask this because there is a possibility I might be working with several people who are not yet adults on a publishing basis and I am not 100% sure what sort of things I need to be aware of. The only thing that I am certain I need to do is have their parents co-sign on the publication contract.Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Do you know someone that might be able to answer this question?(Don't click the read more, there isn't any more after this!)
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Spring Quarter 2008 News
2008-04-09 09:12:00
I didn't update much about last quarter or this quarter, which officially started on Monday. Some of you actually care and some of you don't, but I'm rather excited about this quarter, so deal with it.First, to last quarter. I officially have grades, thankfully, and they are pretty good:British Canon I: BColonial American Literature: AScifi in Multicultural America: A-Not bad, though I probably could have done a big better in the British Canon course. Still, that puts my grades at one A+, two As, two A-s, and one B. Not bad at all. (No, I'm not bragging. I just take my grades very seriously at this level of work because, well, this is my future, and the better I do...the better. So, if you think I'm just trying to show off, I'm not. I just want to succeed, you know?)Now for this quarter! Boy is it going to be intense. There are required courses for every literature major here at UC Santa Cruz. One of those required courses is Lit. 101, which is basically a writin...
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Movie Review: Jumper
2008-04-06 21:53:00
People have been giving this one mixed reviews ever since it came out. I got a chance to see it when I was in England, since some movies don't play there until some months after they've finished their run here, and I have to say that I rather liked it.The story: David is sort of your semi-geek/outcast who discovers that he has the ability to transport himself instantly to anywhere he wants to go. His abilities are initially triggered by a traumatic event--nearly drowning--but he learns quickly that he is able to control his abilities and soon leaves behind his old life, while everyone else thinks he's dead, by stealing money from a bank and "living it large".But there are some people who think David and others like him are wicked creations that should be destroyed. Soon, David finds himself in the middle of a battle that has been raging for hundreds of years as one secret group tries to exterminate another.The basic idea is pretty good. One thing that I think is a bonus for ...
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SF/F Links: March/April Roundup
2008-04-06 02:57:00
A little delayed, but finally I have some links for you all. There are loads more, so I think I'm going to have to go with a weekly schedule so it doesn't pile up like it is doing now. In any case, here are the links:io9Things you can do to help create artificial intelligences! You'd be surprised what simple things there are that can help in that field. Stuff you might already do regularly.Post-apocalyptic scenes made out of food! I had a link similar to this from Listverse a long while back. This is in the same vein and amazing.Anyone wanting some advice on map-making should start looking at vector maps of things on other planets and moons in our solar system. Seriously, go to this vector map of a methane sea on Titan and see how cool extraterrestrial maps are!Six earth cities that will give us ideas on how to colonize Mars. This is pretty cool actually. Rather interesting when you look at it from a realistic perspective.The Navy announces a five-year plan to build lase...
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Rejection: Artemis
2008-04-05 06:22:00
Yup, I got a rejection notice today for Artemis from Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. So, tomorrow morning it's going off to somewhere else. Best of luck to it on its journey.(Don't click the read more, there isn't any more after this!)
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Movie Review: The Last Mimzy
2008-04-04 18:57:00
During my long eleven hour flight to England (and the thirteen hours back) I had the opportunity to watch several movies from last year and I decided I'd do reviews of all of those movies here, since they are sf/f flicks and might be of interest to some of you who haven't seen them yet and are wondering whether they are worth your time. One of those films was The Last Mimzy.The Last Mimzy was a film I wanted to see in theaters last year, but missed. Now I'm glad I missed it. This is a poorly made film, which is sad considering the interesting story it is trying to tell, the relatively decent graphics, and the strong cast of adult actors. The story follows a pair of kids in Washington who find a mysterious alien box, inside of which is a stuffed bunny and some other nifty stuff. We're told from the start that this has something to do with saving the human race and the box is from the future (apparently the genetic structure of humans has become tainted and needs new genetic ...
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Book Review Up: The Tales of Tanglewood by Scot Michael Kessman
2008-04-04 08:10:00
Another review! Check it out here! It's a cute little story for the younger folks. The review says it is all. Enjoy!(Don't click the read more, there isn't any more after this!)
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My Trip: Part One (Over the Pond)
2008-04-03 21:55:00
As many of you are aware, or at least some of you are aware, I took a trip to England over spring break. This is a cross between an academic trip and a trip to visit my girlfriend, who happens to be a native (a term I find rather humorous). I said I would talk a bit about my trip, and so I shall, because that's what bloggers do I suppose (well, maybe only some bloggers).There are going to be quite a few gaps in the pictures, since I didn't catch everything. There's a logical reason for this: I was a little preoccupied with my lovely girlfriend. You'll simply have to forgive me for those gaps.The trip started from SFO (San Francisco International Airport). If you can't tell, that's in San Francisco, in California. Yeah. Hopefully that's blatantly obvious (here I'm sticking my tongue out of course). Now, one thing I have to say about airline travel is that there has never been a single case where I showed up early and barely made it to my flight. Nor has there been a...
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Interview w/ Paul Genesse
2008-03-21 17:30:00
Thanks to Paul for the interview. You can find out more about him on his personal website and be sure to check out his novel The Golden Cord, which will be out on April 16th! This is a whopper of an interview, by the way. So hold on to your seats and here goes!Thanks for doing this interview with me. First, could you tell us a little about yourself? When did you first gain an interest in writing fantasy?I think it was the toy castle that sent me over the edge. Soon after that gift I told my parents that I wanted to be a writer. I was four years old. Even then dragons and castles were my thing. I remember being terrified of The Hobbit movie (cartoon) on TV when I was five or six and hiding under the couch cushion when the goblins were chasing the dwarves. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I pursued my other passion and became a Registered Nurse. I’ve been a nurse since 1996 and work in a cardiac unit in Salt Lake City. I’m never going to quit being a nurse and will alw...
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RIP: Arthur C. Clarke
2008-03-19 05:07:00
Mr. Clarke has passed away today. He was 90 years old. If you don't know who that is, do a google search right now and realize he is one of the greatest science fiction writers to ever live. Here is the BBC report on Mr. Clarke's death.(Don't click the read more, there isn't any more after this!)
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Anonymous and Cyber-terrorism: The Good and the Bad
2008-03-18 17:31:00
I've been meaning to blog about this very subject for quite a while. The links have been sitting in my "Discuss" folder and I think it's about time it was brought up. I think this will work in two stages. The first stage is to talk about the group Anonymous and their war against Scientology (as it currently stands) and the second stage is to talk about cyber-terrorism in general, since it is an issue we are facing in the real world and will face to a greater extent in the future. For those of you a little out of the loop, Anonymous is a, well, anonymous group of people all around that world that have essentially declared war against the Church of Scientology. They (the people behind it, some of which do have names since there's really no way to keep yourself hidden entirely) believe that the Church of Scientology not only is limiting free speech in acts of legal battering, among other acts, but is a dangerous, violent cult that is quite similar to a totalitarian regime in ...
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England, Here I Come (Plus My Ramblings Again)
2008-03-17 17:30:00
This will be my last life-intensive update for a while. I will be returning to regular blogging once finals are over and I'm back from my trip. I apologize if you're expecting lots of well thought out posts or grand ruminations on the state of science fiction or fantasy in the world of literature. Finals are, to put it simply, somewhat more difficult this quarter than last considering that I actually have tests this time around, instead of essays. I am, by nature, far better at writing essays than taking tests because I feel I have more to offer from a writing perspective--when it comes to the material read--than I do from a memorization perspective. I learn far more from forcing myself to write essays than I do from forcing myself to cram information into my head that will, in a few months past, be largely forgotten. As such, I am generally against the idea of testing beyond quizzes or the occasional refresher to make sure one is actually reading. In any case, expect regul...
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SF/F Links: March Roundup Part One
2008-03-16 17:30:00
This is a little later than usual, but so be it. There will be a roundup at the start of April, most likely, rather than two roundups for March , although I'll still call it a March Roundup . I got behind due to finals. In any case, here are a load of links that might be of interest to you all (more to come):Universe TodayGalileo returns to the Vatican. Yup, they're putting up a statue for him. About damn time. On the subject of Galileo, New Scientist had a controversial question about whether or not scientists should exhume his body to do DNA tests to figure out if the person buried with him, presumably his daughter, is actually his daughter. Quite honestly I really don't care. This is the same as arguing that Shakespeare didn't write his plays. Who cares?Venus' south pole has some weird weather patterns and it's sort of stumped scientists. Imagine when you pull the plug out of a drain and watch the water go down. Yeah, something like that.Apparently scientists are ...
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Well Shucks
2008-03-15 18:40:00
My story "Irlgem" was rejected from Eclipse Two. Unfortunate, but oh well, it's off to someplace else then. We'll see what happens.(Don't click the read more, there isn't any more after this!)

Aha! Writing Updates
2008-03-14 21:46:00
"Marx Ignatia" is, for all intensive purposes, finished. I have to edit it, but I've reached the end, I think. I don't know if it's a good ending, but it's done anyway. For those that don't know, "Marx Ignatia" (the working title) was sort of inspired by another story called "Asher", since the character of Marx Ignatia is mentioned in that story. So I finished it at 18,003 words and now intend to set it aside for a short while before going in to editing it. It's a long piece, so I need a mental breather.Also, I've finished the first draft of "Interstellar Realty", which may be the finished title, and it is off to be critiqued. I expect that story to go out at the end of the week.Now, to the pressing matter. I finished "Life of Jordan", but it has a lot of problems that, unfortunately, have pushed it back and off of the planned submission to Writers of the Future. The story itself is fine, but there are bits where I obviously need to clarify or add things in order to m...
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Oh You Silly Religious
2008-03-10 16:07:00
Apparently you can just make it up now. Yeah, I thought it was surprising to. It's not written in the Bible, but hey, it must be a sin cause the Archbishop said so. Good lord.I proclaim a new sin, since we can just make it up now:Thou shalt not oppress, discriminate, or manipulate people of alternate position due to religious intolerance and thou shalt not profess the name of God in war, nor shalt thou make new sins because of changing times, nor for the sake of man's indiscretions that that thou mayest have Holy Law as a defense for personal disagreement.Welcome to Shaunism, the new religion of the world, where people aren't discriminated against for being slightly different or believing in magic bunnies or whatever else they believe in and neither are people killed, imprisoned, or threatened for believing in magic bunnies or whatever else so long as their beliefs do not cause intentional harm to those of the living.P.S.: Yes, I realize the sins in that link are basically de...
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Movie Review: Sunshine
2008-03-09 19:48:00
This is probably one of those overlooked movies that everyone should see. Will it become a cult-classic? Probably not, and in all likelihood it will be forgotten in the next ten or so years. The sad thing is that this movie is one of the most amazing movies to come out last year. Sunshine follows the story of the Icarus II and her crew. The sun is dying a lot sooner than expected and mankind, being the stubborn "we will live" species that we are, is not ready to die out. They decide to send an enormous nuclear device to restart the sun. When the first ship, the Icarus I, mysteriously disappears, a second mission is set in motion with an even larger bomb--the size of Manhattan. Sixteen months into the journey the crew receives a disturbing signal: a distress beacon from the Icarus I. Capa, the crew's physicist and expert on the bomb they are carrying, is given a decision: either ignore the Icarus I and hope the one bomb they have will work, or deviate from their course ...
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Today Has Been...Special
2008-03-09 05:25:00
I have been one heck of a trooper today. I set a lofty goal of 2,000 words a day, with an amendment that stated that if I was writing an essay or doing something school related I would be able to sidestep the writing, since my entire life and success depends on being able to hold a job that can pay off the student loans and otherwise give me a livelihood that will sustain me and keep me from going nuts and working at Burger King. Partially the point of going to school is to educate myself in things I don't already know, which is working, and partially to secure a decent job that will, hopefully, make me happy. Now, of course I'd love to be one of those nice folks who write for a living, but I think a part of me knows that such things will never happen, and I can live with that. All writers should, by the way, because most writers never get to that point. Even some of the huge names in the field right now are barely scrounging from all the work they put into writing. John Sca...
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The Nature of Questionable Decisions
2008-03-07 23:14:00
I love reading Modesitt's blog because sometimes there is something really profound written there. One such subject was this idea of characters making questionable decisions. In the case of what Modesitt is talking about it's a rather serious decision which results in something that might be perceived as evil:I came across a comment by a reviewer that condemned [yet again] one of my characters [not Van Albert, surprisingly enough, who has taken much abuse over the years since The Ethos Effect was published] for killing "innocents" when she destroyed a city ruled by those who had inflicted great evil on others for generations. The evil wasn't questioned, but the extent of the "collateral damage" was, and it was questioned on the grounds that it was akin to condemning all Germans in WWII because Hitler was the German head of state.What is really interesting about this is that the reviewer didn't just say "oh, I didn't like it", he or she, according to Modesitt, "condemned" it. ...
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Chapter Four: Of the City of Carshle
2008-03-06 19:37:00
Presh and Fidge arrived in Carshle at dusk. It lay no more than a half-mile from the edge of the enormous ridge and a cold breeze pushed down through the ragged streets, accelerated by the raised ground. Carshle itself looked like any other city, if Presh had a clue what a city looked like. Unfortunately, Presh couldn’t remember anything at all, except how to walk, talk, and, he hoped, how to eat. There were no towers, no castles, and no walls—except for one that kept the majority of the small town’s goats at bay—and no buildings over two stories tall. There were six streets, including those that crossed over each other, and a modest population of one hundred and thirty-three—according to Fidge. Carshle was, to put it simply, a very small town with very small hopes and ambitions. The homes of Carshle were a hodgepodge of straw-topped and thatched roofs. A few warm lanterns burned down the main road where an inn, a stable, and two remarkably rowdy pubs sat—a third w...
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Hell No We Won't Go (To Mars)
2008-03-06 18:43:00
While perusing my Google Reader I found an article over at Futurismic that linked to an article at Universe Today, the likes of which surprised me because I had missed it. I was immediately stunned. Why? Because the article talks about a former NASA engineer's idea that our first Mars mission should be a one-way trip. Basically, we should plan it without thinking about getting the astronaut back:When we eliminate the need to launch off Mars, we remove the mission’s most daunting obstacle,” said McLane. And because of a small crew size, the spacecraft could be smaller and the need for consumables and supplies would be decreased, making the mission cheaper and less complicated.Excuse me? Okay, look, we took risks in the original space race, but the difference is that the chances of things going right were much higher than the chances of things going wrong. The astronauts who went to the Moon new they might die, but they also knew that their mission was planned for a return ...
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Should SF Be More Optimistic?
2008-03-05 20:10:00
You should all be reading Futurismic by the way. It's a wonderful blog with a lot of great articles, such as the one I'm about to talk about.Mr. Raven recently wrote about SF being so dismal and depressing and whether or not it should try to be a little more optimistic. While I agree on principle, I think there is something being forgotten about SF. SF isn't a genre about bubbly happiness and it never was. Yes, there will always be that level of "awe" where new and bizarre things take place that inspire and strike people with interest. But, SF has evolved from the Golden Age and it is primarily dealing with real world issues that we may one day face. The genre is like an early warning system in that way. It deals with realistic issues of what may be based on the technological advances of today (for the most part at least).There is also the idea of conflict, which is central to any work of fiction being successful. Conflict, unless in a comedy, isn't generally happy, sinc...

RIP: Gary Gygax
2008-03-05 01:24:00
Mr. Gygax died today. Who was he? Remember that game D&D that all those weird geeks used to play with the dice and the magic missiles? Yeah, that's it (he did a lot of other things too by the way, like creating Gen Con, the world's largest hobby-gaming convention). Okay, jokes aside, let's face it, this guy has done wonders for the world of fantasy, and probably SF too. I've played my share of RPGs--they are quite fun when you play with friends and don't take it too seriously--and I have to hand it to Gygax for creating something so addictive it has almost literally changed the social structure of the U.S., and probably other countries too. After all, when Gygax first started all this, how many games were there that let you pretend to be the magic elf wizard Baltul or the dwarven king Zakor? Yeah, zero...exactly.For your reading pleasure I bring to you io9's batch of Gygax trivia. Mr. Gygax will be missed. I make jokes, but I do really respect what he did, and out...
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Book Review Up: Ten Sigmas by Paul Melko
2008-03-03 22:21:00
My review of Ten Sigmas & Other Unlikelihoods is up at F & SF Lovin' Book Review s. Check it out here. This is one hell of a short story collection and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes SF shorts, and even to people who might not read that much in the short department. Great read!Also, on a side note, I have Ch. 4 almost read for SoD. I'm going to start editing it tonight. I've been working really hard on a story for the second quarter of the WOTF Contest, so SoD was pushed to the side a little. The chapter is written, I just need to give it a good run through. More action will be coming in Ch. 5 and then there should be quite a bit of action from that point on (the sort of silly fun of the third storyline with Presh will probably end by Ch. 7 and then it will be crazy city). Ch. 4 will be up by Wednesday, if not sooner. Thanks for the patience.(Don't click the read more, there isn't any more after this)
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Waste, Recycling, and Space: Where Are Our Recycling Robots?
2008-03-02 18:40:00
What is the world's ugliest building? Esquire says it's the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea. The interesting thing about the hotel is that it's only ugly because it's not finished, but if you finished it and get it a nice color and flashy lights it could very well be the coolest hotel outside of Las Vegas. It looks like a spaceship, or a spired pyramid of sorts. If you spruced it up it would look awesome. Heck, you could even go as far as to make it a space-themed hotel!    So what's the problem with the hotel other than it's ugly? Well, apparently it's unfinished and it will never be finished. That means that North Korea has poured millions of dollars into this thing only to quit a good portion of the way through for whatever reason. Rumors are it's because there is some structural problems, but I don't buy that. My guess is that they simply ran out of money, or stopped funding it, or some such. It seems too idiotic to build something so massive...
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SF/F Links: February Roundup Part Two
2008-02-29 18:17:00
(My apologies to anyone who was trying to get to the post via the "Read More". It wasn't working for some reason. Now it should be. Thanks for your patience.)Alright, time for part two of this month's link roundup (click the read more):La Gringa over at The Swivet is officially a literary agent. Read the announcing post here.Remember that air car I talked about a while back? Well it's probably being released this year or early next year! It's a compressed air car that can go 125 miles at 68 MPH. Guess how much it costs. $2 USD per fill-up. That's better than your gas engine by a long shot.10 SF movies every SF fan should watch. Including the SF staple food group Blade Runner.Space junk. Want to know what our immediate space looks like in terms of what's left behind up there? Now you can know. It's really crowded. The maps are rather cool too.Reaction Engines Limited is another company trying to help push space flight into the commercial scene. Of course by the ...
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Book Review: The Golden Cord by Paul Genesse
2008-02-28 19:02:00
My review for The Golden Cord by Paul Genesse is up. Check it out here!(Don't click the read more, there isn't any more after this!)
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