Science Fiction Musings
Science Fiction
I have not written in a while but I have been reading short stories and watching movies and shows both old and new. I am watching Stargate Atlantis from the beginning, I used to complain about the lack of depth in the show, but compared to some newer series, it is refreshing to hear cogent dialogue! Some of the newer shows whether they are fantasy, sci fi, or horror, are either erratic in their story telling or too doomsday, for example, Lost Girl started out unique and interesting but the plot got lost right along with the girl. Remakes rarely work (except in the case of Battlestar Galatica!) and Beauty and the Beast which of course was first written in the 18th century so anything is a remake, but in television, who could match Ron Pearl as Vincent and Linda Hamilton as Catherine, it was mysterious and romantic, but then again, I love mysterious and romantic. I am fed up with all of the climate change so called science fiction movies, and I am not happy with the new Star Trek, for me, TOS, TNG, DS9, and Voyager all rock and the movies with the original crews were equally good. I never get tired or bored with Star Trek.
I read a great little short story over at Daily Science Fiction about time travel, one of my favorite topics in science fiction. It is from the perspective of someone traveling from our past into our present and from the point of view of a Lady, so we are given sage advice as how not to faint from shock, it is a clever little story which you can read HERE.
Enjoy!
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Another Earth
I just recently watched a movie entitled “Another Earth” made in 2011, and I enjoyed watching it quite a bit. I liked the movie because it was very much character oriented with the science fiction aspect always hanging around, so to speak. I love a good action packed science fiction movie but just as much I enjoy a quiet thoughtful science fiction show. This movie was a little dark in terms of the main character and the consequences actions can have on not only your own life but the lives of others and how you cope with those results. It really is an inner exploration of the self and what would you do if you could meet yourself or a version of you that had made different choices. The story left me thinking about would I have made different choices in my life, would this make me a different person, would I like that person? All in all, a movie well worth your time. Enjoy a clip here!
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- Another Earth (mishscifimusings.blogspot.com)
Musings On The X-Files
I do not believe I have blogged about the X-Files before this, but recently in my neck of the woods, they have been broadcasting
the series from the beginning and I just finished watching the final episode and I have to say I have really enjoyed the show! The ninth season did not have the character Fox Mulder and I did miss him but I did like the additional characters they chose but really, who could replace Mulder/Scully, I mean, that was the original premise: he was the believer in x-files and Scully was the skeptic, that was the contrast. However, I like the transformation of Scully into a believer and it did not seem too far fetched in the storyline.
Before StarGate-SG1, this series had the record for the longest running series on television and I think the stories remained fresh and interesting throughout its run. Every series has a hit or miss episode but overall I loved the series. I cannot believe I missed its original run but that is what happens when working and taking care of a family exists in my life. Anyway, I now have the movie to watch and hope it is good!
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Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year 2013, it is hard to believe the past year has ended so quickly, almost in the blink of an eye and yet here we are four days into this new year. I hope you had a safe and healthy 2012 and wish the same for this new year.
I have been checking out a new web site that keeps track of sun flares, space weather, and other space related events and how they affect the Earth.
this image is from that site:
You can find this image and more at SpaceWeather.com.
Once again, Happy New 2013!
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End of the World Movies Galore! (2012)
I am going to recycle this post because of the number of the End of the World movies being shown on various channels is mind-blowing and I have always been a fan of this genre! I love these movies and find them entertaining and I hope people take them with a grain of salt! I have blogged on this topic for the past few years and I to revive my most recent blog post! Enjoy the read!
The past few years we have been awash with end of the world movies of all stripes and now that we have entered into the year 2012 many videos are covering this same subject. I try to watch all of the movies I can even if they appear to be stinkers in my opinion ( and this is due to the fact that I fell asleep during some movies) such as: Stonehenge Apocalypse, 2012, Titanic 2, and the Chaos Experiment to name a few. Some of the better movies that I have enjoyed are: Knowing, Blindness, The Andromeda Strain, The China Syndrome (wait, those last two are “oldies” but I love them!), and I even liked Volcano, I am not sure why but I did. These movies seem to be the hot ticket right now because some are fearful of December 2012 being the end of the world according to the Mayan Calendar. By the way, I have been to the Mayan jungle in the Yucatan and visited the ruins and climbed the Chichen Itza pyramid before they closed it to the public, in fact, I was able to climb or go into many ruins back in the day when they were privately owned. Now that they are state owned you can only walk around the sites but well worth the visit, however, I digress. I like to look at things in a more practical manner and I found a video that is cool even though it is not considered science fiction and it presents some very interesting ideas. The video is entitled “There’s No Tomorrow 2012″ and I hope you enjoy watching it.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
I read an interesting interview with Catherine Hicks about her role in the Star Trek movie The Voyage Home which opened 26 years ago….26 years ago, Yikes, I remember going to the theater with friends and family in tow and it was a Star Trek movie the entire family enjoyed. I believe they enjoyed the movie because the majority of the time was spent on Earth in the past, it had to do with whales, and the character Dr. Gillian Taylor was such a fun, interesting, and relatable character for the non-Star Trek audience. The Trek fans had fun (well at least my friends and I did) with the idea of time travel, Spock regaining his Katra, and the fact that the crew was traveling in a Klingon Bird of Prey and all of the obstacles faced along their journey. I still enjoy the story and the acting and the good old fashioned special effects.
If you have never seen the movie or it has been a while, dust it off, gather friends/family, make some popcorn and enjoy a great movie!
Here is a LINK to the interview with Catherine Hicks and StarTrek.com.
Star Trek Voyager
I just realised that I have not blogged in quite a while so the first thing that came to mind was Star Trek: Voyager because SyFy channel just started showing these episodes and I have not seen them in a while and enjoy watching as I cook and preserve my vegetables from the garden. On a side note, I preferred the name Sci Fi Channel and I do not understand the change in spelling, some people have a problem with Sci Fi and would rather science fiction be written out which would be the most proper thing to do, but in the computer age, words have been changed and distorted( along with people’s attitudes and expectations, but that is another post!) Anyways, SyFy channel generally has a bunch of reality shows all day and that is the last thing I want: more reality in my life, I want some fiction to escape reality for a moment in time, so I have been watching Voyager.
I laugh a lot with this show because it seems they forgot to install either seatbelts or better inertial dampers because the crew falls all over the bridge at the slightest bump, phaser shot, anomaly, etc. I also enjoy Neelix, he is funny, a Chef (a man afteer my own heart), and I loved him as a Ferengi in the episode that related to an episode from TNG in which two Ferengi became trapped in the Delta Quadrant after entering into an unstable wormhole. This is an interesting aspect of Star Trek in general, they more or less keep the storlines connected to each other throughout the different series. Back to Voyager, I like the idea that food preparation and conservation ia a prominent element on board, because that would be a true concern in space and is a real concern right here on Planet Earth. When I watch the show, it reminds me that food conservation and preparation is important because prices of everything are rising and I like to get the most out of everything I can, of course on board, their issue was not about money but simply the lack of food and energy but that can be related to real life circumstances. Overall, the show is interesting, I think it gets better with the character Seven of Nine but I do like Kes, and the show is well made with great stories, I just wanted to put my two cents out there about the show!
Enjoy!
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The Milky Way
I have visited a website called StarDate.org for many years now because I like the information they provide in a brief and informative way. At a glance I can know what to expect in the night sky and plan if I am going to stay up late or get up early! This week from StarDate:
September 18
The glowing band of the Milky Way arches high across the sky this evening. Almost directly overhead, in the cross-shaped constellation Cygnus, it splits into two bright ribbons of stars. They rejoin in the southern constellation Centaurus.- Marvel at the majestic Milky Way stretching over Australia’s Bungle Bungles [Space Porn] (io9.com)
- Look toward the center of the Milky Way galaxy (earthsky.org)
- Milky Way (sentienceinvacuo.wordpress.com)
Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics
Today I had the privilege to witness the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The Inauguration was inspiring, artistic, musical, visual, and scientific. I loved the presentation of Sir Stephen Hawking and how he stayed throughout the entire ceremony leaving us with the message that our minds are free and we can achieve what we desire. I also enjoyed Sir Ian Mckellen and his participation, but most of all, I admired the parade of athletes and their competitive spirit and joy at being at the games. I look forward to seeing the competitions and wish them all the best!
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Science Fiction Short Stories
I have mentioned in past posts that I enjoy reading science fiction short stories of all stripes. When I read this most recent short story written by Sarah Pinsker I found the story interesting, cleverly written, personal, and she touched on themes with which I am very familiar. The story is entitled “Twenty Ways The Desert Could Kill You.”
I find it very clever how she makes her list of the twenty ways the desert could kill you or as she admits later in the story, ways she is afraid of being killed, but in between she is writing her story about being eleven years old and moving suddenly to the desert with her Mom, wishing she had an older sister, more family and friends and not being so isolated. The story talks about living off the grid yet adds in technology, growing food, cooking, all things I love! (Well my spouse is the food grower and I am the cook, but we compliment each other perfectly in that aspect.) The story feels as if written from the heart, expresses the loneliness, isolation, and impending doom many people feel today(at least people I have spoken with) and the story leaves us with a question of why did they move to the desert?
If you have time, the story is well worth the read!
Here is the LINK once again, Enjoy!
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