I chatted with Young Guy checking out my groceries re: the new Spiderman Reboot.
The young guy was really excited about it, but I wasn't, so we quickly moved over to The Avengers and its various sub-movies. (Young Guy agreed that Thor was only "OK" but that Captain America rocked, and neither was as good as The Avengers.)
All that set aside, I've been trying to decide why I couldn't care less about the reboot of Spiderman. Not interested in going to see it. Probably won't even rent it...Sad, huh?
So here are my tentative reasons:
Reason the First:
I've never been a big Spiderman fan.
Reason the Second:
Didn't we just do this???
In this decade of endless reboots and 'reimaginings', I've warmed to some and not others. Star Trek was a great idea, and well done. I loved that first Batman movie (not the second, though.) I'm looking forward to Prometheus. I'm even curious about the possible reboots of Bladerunner and Highlander (although Ryan Reynolds? Seriously?)
But it just seems too soon to 'reboot' Spiderman. It almost seems disrespectful. Tobey Maguire's not even dead yet.
Of course, I'm out of the loop...so I suspect there are a lot more reboots out there. Which ones should I plan on watching?
The young guy was really excited about it, but I wasn't, so we quickly moved over to The Avengers and its various sub-movies. (Young Guy agreed that Thor was only "OK" but that Captain America rocked, and neither was as good as The Avengers.)
All that set aside, I've been trying to decide why I couldn't care less about the reboot of Spiderman. Not interested in going to see it. Probably won't even rent it...Sad, huh?
So here are my tentative reasons:
Reason the First:
I've never been a big Spiderman fan.
Reason the Second:
Didn't we just do this???
In this decade of endless reboots and 'reimaginings', I've warmed to some and not others. Star Trek was a great idea, and well done. I loved that first Batman movie (not the second, though.) I'm looking forward to Prometheus. I'm even curious about the possible reboots of Bladerunner and Highlander (although Ryan Reynolds? Seriously?)
But it just seems too soon to 'reboot' Spiderman. It almost seems disrespectful. Tobey Maguire's not even dead yet.
Of course, I'm out of the loop...so I suspect there are a lot more reboots out there. Which ones should I plan on watching?
Yep. Still spinning this faux cashmere. But I MIGHT finish the singles this coming up week. If I do nothing but spin. Heh. This yarn is thiiiiin.
My mom’s birthday is coming up and I told her I want to knit her something for it. What did she want? She immediately said, “I want a hat like yours.” I got to see her during the Dark Days tour in Austin and she DID seem jealous of my hat. So I said I’d make her one. (The pattern is Spring Beret. Rav link.)
Here it is finished, but unblocked.
I used handspun merino wool in a colorway called “Stardust.” Neither of these pictures are accurate, but the second is a little closer.
Here is the hat blocking on a plate and posing with Bob the Spinning Wheel. The lace stretches out a lot!
Since I have a little time before I visit her, I might knit something else for her out of the rest of Stardust. Hmmm.
Originally published at Jodi Meadows. You can comment here or there.
- Sat, 17:32: RT @boxleitnerbruce: And posing http://t.co/jIZjev5a
I spent yesterday at Balticon, doing a shared reading with Danielle Ackley-McPhail and John Mierau (you can see me and John in Adam Corbin Fusco‘s photo below) and taking part in a panel on The Walking Dead, in which we compared the two seasons so far and speculated on what’s to come in season three. We also gave our opinions as to how long the series would last and theories as to how it would end.
While at the con, I broke bread with Karen and Charlie Newton, Sandy and Risa Stewart, and Patrick Darby, and chatted with the rest of the usual Balticon suspects.
I find myself surprisingly worn out from having spent one day at what I generally consider a relaxicon, especially since last weekend’s Nebula Awards, at which far more partying and schmoozing went on (as captured below by James Patrick Kelly), didn’t leave me a fraction as tired. John Ordover speculated over on Facebook that I’m older now, but … by one week?
Am I deteriorating that quickly?
And that word “deteriorating” makes me think of zombies again, so I’ll toss out what I’d presented yesterday as my thoughts on how The Walking Dead would come to a conclusion, which should only be read by those who don’t care whether I might accidentally spoil something for you.
( Read the rest of this entry » )Originally published at Scott Edelman. You can comment here or there.
A quick update from KCMO (Kay Cee Moe, or Kansas City Missouri) and KCK (Kay Cee Kay, Kansas City Kansas). The weather has been hinges-of-hell-hot, with Saigon levels of humidity. Good thing the hotel is air-conditioned.
Despite the heat, I took the "short two-block walk" to the WWI Museum and Memorial. It is in fact two blocks, but that's to the bottom of a 300-foot-high hill! After I hiked up to the top of the hill, I decided that I didn't need to go to the gym this weekend. Having said that, the museum is well worth the time, just take a cab to get there.
At the con, Hadley Rille authors played charades against Yard Dog Press writers. We won, despite various rude gestures by the (not really) shy and reserved owner of Yard Dog. Today I've got two panels, then we're going to my publisher's house for barbecue. I'm flying out tomorrow at a relatively civilized 10:30 AM, and will be back in Chicago for lunch.
Despite the heat, I took the "short two-block walk" to the WWI Museum and Memorial. It is in fact two blocks, but that's to the bottom of a 300-foot-high hill! After I hiked up to the top of the hill, I decided that I didn't need to go to the gym this weekend. Having said that, the museum is well worth the time, just take a cab to get there.
At the con, Hadley Rille authors played charades against Yard Dog Press writers. We won, despite various rude gestures by the (not really) shy and reserved owner of Yard Dog. Today I've got two panels, then we're going to my publisher's house for barbecue. I'm flying out tomorrow at a relatively civilized 10:30 AM, and will be back in Chicago for lunch.
- Mood:busy
Why is this song in particular ear-worming me today?
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
comment(s); comment here or there.
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
Robert McKee packs a metric ton of great advice into the first paragraph of "Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting." Here's the text:
Story is about principles, not rules.
A rule says, "You must do it this way." A principle says, "This works... and has through all remembered time." The difference is crucial. your work needn't be modeled after a "well-made" play; rather, it must be well made within the principles that shape our art. Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master the form.
Now, this sounds great at first, a true epiphany for me. However, after giving it some thought, it would have meant nothing when I first started writing. Anxious, inexperienced writers don't know the rules, so they have no idea if they they're following them. Somebody has to tell them what the rules are before then can decide to follow them or not. Regardless of what they choose, they need that first learning stage.
While I don't disagree with the last line, nor the crux of what McKee is trying to say in is opening paragraph, that the inexperienced follow or break rules and the experienced master form, it isn't fair. People don't learn in a vacuum. You can't become experienced and master form without first learning about the rules and principles. Only then, can you master the form.
Having learned a few rules over the years and maybe a principle or two, I'm ready to work on my form. This book comes highly recommended from various sources, so I'm excited.
Cheers,
NGD
Story is about principles, not rules.
A rule says, "You must do it this way." A principle says, "This works... and has through all remembered time." The difference is crucial. your work needn't be modeled after a "well-made" play; rather, it must be well made within the principles that shape our art. Anxious, inexperienced writers obey rules. Rebellious, unschooled writers break rules. Artists master the form.
Now, this sounds great at first, a true epiphany for me. However, after giving it some thought, it would have meant nothing when I first started writing. Anxious, inexperienced writers don't know the rules, so they have no idea if they they're following them. Somebody has to tell them what the rules are before then can decide to follow them or not. Regardless of what they choose, they need that first learning stage.
While I don't disagree with the last line, nor the crux of what McKee is trying to say in is opening paragraph, that the inexperienced follow or break rules and the experienced master form, it isn't fair. People don't learn in a vacuum. You can't become experienced and master form without first learning about the rules and principles. Only then, can you master the form.
Having learned a few rules over the years and maybe a principle or two, I'm ready to work on my form. This book comes highly recommended from various sources, so I'm excited.
Cheers,
NGD
That resulted in
Seriously, if you say "John Clute, M. John Harrison and", "James Nicoll" is not going to be the name that leaps to mind to complete the trio.
(For the record, I like a lot of anime, dislike many comics not because of the medium but because many comics are fuck-awful but, and this is the important bit, many are not, and ditto for movies. I prefer SF to F but A: that's more of a chocolate versus butterscotch thing than my god over your heathen beliefs thing and B: F and SF overlap a lot)
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
comment(s); comment here or there.
And then, they're disappointed and can't seem to understand why casual SFF readers don't give a shit about the John Clute, M. John Harrison, and James Nicoll of this world?
Seriously, if you say "John Clute, M. John Harrison and", "James Nicoll" is not going to be the name that leaps to mind to complete the trio.
(For the record, I like a lot of anime, dislike many comics not because of the medium but because many comics are fuck-awful but, and this is the important bit, many are not, and ditto for movies. I prefer SF to F but A: that's more of a chocolate versus butterscotch thing than my god over your heathen beliefs thing and B: F and SF overlap a lot)
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
Self-admitted Texan Elizabeth Moon suggests treating people like chattel goods, as is the custom of her people, and it is not close to being the craziest thing you will see at the other end of this link.
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
comment(s); comment here or there.
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
- Mood:awake
So the whack factor ran a little higher yesterday. All to the good. After sleeping quite late (by my standards) and a morning workout, I met up with @howardtayler for a leisurely lunch off-site. We had a terrific conversation about writing, life and the value of kindness. Howard also did nifty caricatures of both our waitress and her manager. It was hilariously fun to watch them react with such delight.
Walking back from lunch, we passed a pretty radical steampunked car.
More photos later when I have the bandwidth to upload them. (That would not be right now, unfortunately.)
Back inside, I hooked up with Ellie Copperbottom of the League of S.T.E.A.M. to host a High Tea. Which was a blast, and very odd at the same time. After that, I recorded a brief podcast interview with them. Then I wound up down in the Vendor Room signing books, where we all but sold out of my stock at the table of Off the Beaten Path Books. Gail Carriger and I crossed paths there again.
Dinner consisted of me and a very helpful concom rep making a White Castle run. Sixty dollars later, the League and I were pigging out hard. From there, things devolved into an evening of music, hot tubbing (well, warm tubbing), drinking, and electroshock therapy. I managed to enjoy an electric kiss with a lovely young woman, as well as try out the new sport of electric motorboating. Plus people were doing shots off Boba Fett's icy head, but I eschewed that particular pursuit.
Today I have an author panel and a reading and a day of hanging out.
So, yeah. A lot of fun here. A lot of fun.
Photo © 2012 Howard Tayler, used with permission.
Walking back from lunch, we passed a pretty radical steampunked car.
More photos later when I have the bandwidth to upload them. (That would not be right now, unfortunately.)
Back inside, I hooked up with Ellie Copperbottom of the League of S.T.E.A.M. to host a High Tea. Which was a blast, and very odd at the same time. After that, I recorded a brief podcast interview with them. Then I wound up down in the Vendor Room signing books, where we all but sold out of my stock at the table of Off the Beaten Path Books. Gail Carriger and I crossed paths there again.
Dinner consisted of me and a very helpful concom rep making a White Castle run. Sixty dollars later, the League and I were pigging out hard. From there, things devolved into an evening of music, hot tubbing (well, warm tubbing), drinking, and electroshock therapy. I managed to enjoy an electric kiss with a lovely young woman, as well as try out the new sport of electric motorboating. Plus people were doing shots off Boba Fett's icy head, but I eschewed that particular pursuit.
Today I have an author panel and a reading and a day of hanging out.
So, yeah. A lot of fun here. A lot of fun.
Photo © 2012 Howard Tayler, used with permission.
Your Sunday moment of zen.
San Francisco houses, 2006. © 2006, 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
The current photo series is from my 'favorites' file, hence the dates jumping about
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
San Francisco houses, 2006. © 2006, 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
The current photo series is from my 'favorites' file, hence the dates jumping about
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Easter Island statues had bodies — Did no one ever think to look?
CSR project aims to create a high-speed, carbon-neutral steam-powered locomotive — Oh, cool. (Thanks to David E. Vincent.)
Egos and Immorality — Paul Krugman on the Wall Street fairy tale.
Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history — This is stupid. The evolution debate has been history for a long time. What you have today is a combination of religious willful ignorance and conservative political opportunism. It's not a "debate" in any meaningful sense of the word, as the anti-evolution side has no evidence, logic or credibility.
Conservatives used to care about community. What happened? — They lost their fucking minds.
?otd: Ever been electric motorboated?
5/27/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (Con time)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.5 (solid)
Weight: n/a
Currently reading: Shattering the Ley by Benjamin Tate; Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht
CSR project aims to create a high-speed, carbon-neutral steam-powered locomotive — Oh, cool. (Thanks to David E. Vincent.)
Egos and Immorality — Paul Krugman on the Wall Street fairy tale.
Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history — This is stupid. The evolution debate has been history for a long time. What you have today is a combination of religious willful ignorance and conservative political opportunism. It's not a "debate" in any meaningful sense of the word, as the anti-evolution side has no evidence, logic or credibility.
Conservatives used to care about community. What happened? — They lost their fucking minds.
?otd: Ever been electric motorboated?
5/27/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (Con time)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.5 (solid)
Weight: n/a
Currently reading: Shattering the Ley by Benjamin Tate; Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht
Hullo all!
Submissions Guidelines for Issue Three of Cabinet des Fees's Demeter's Spicebox are now up!
We have chosen the Aarne-Thompson type 2031C, The Mouse Who Was To Marry The Sun for Issue Three, do refer to the guidelines for the additional prompts!
Reading Period: 5 APRIL 2012 onwards (until we get the perfect two stories for the next issue).
Do bear in mind that you will need to read the stories from Issue One and Issue Two, as this is a storytelling project and the prompts reflect this. DS runs in Volumes of four issues each, and each Volume will start with a fresh set of prompts.
If you have any questions or doubts, feel free to email us at demeterspice (gmail) in April!
Best,
Nin Harris
Submissions Guidelines for Issue Three of Cabinet des Fees's Demeter's Spicebox are now up!
We have chosen the Aarne-Thompson type 2031C, The Mouse Who Was To Marry The Sun for Issue Three, do refer to the guidelines for the additional prompts!
Reading Period: 5 APRIL 2012 onwards (until we get the perfect two stories for the next issue).
Do bear in mind that you will need to read the stories from Issue One and Issue Two, as this is a storytelling project and the prompts reflect this. DS runs in Volumes of four issues each, and each Volume will start with a fresh set of prompts.
If you have any questions or doubts, feel free to email us at demeterspice (gmail) in April!
Best,
Nin Harris
Originally posted by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1)
abyssandapex at Wikihistory rides again!
abyssandapex at Wikihistory rides again!Okay, okay - we hear you. By popular demand "Wikihistory" is now permanently displayed, with no paywall. Link away, my friends, link away. (Thanking Abyss & Apex by donating is optional.)
- Sat, 18:13: Boyfriend and I got shouted at at the bus stop for daring to hug in public!
Okay, okay - we hear you. By popular demand "Wikihistory" is now permanently displayed, with no paywall. Link away, my friends, link away. (Thanking Abyss & Apex by donating is optional.)
I love hanging out with other writers. Aside from all the useful information I get to hear, I always come away from group events inspired to write better (and for longer) than what I usually does, so I was disappointed yesterday, when I was unable to attend this month's GLVWG (Greater Lehigh Writer's Group) meeting.
On the bright side, I still get to venture into Pennsylvania this weekend when I travel to the Writers Coffee House meeting later today. It takes place at the Barnes & Noble store in Willow Grove (102 Park Avenue, Willow Grove, PA 19090), hosted by the always impressive, Jonathan Maberry.
The meeting starts at noon. If you'd like to come along, I'd love to see you there.
How about you?
What are you up to today?
- Mood:
cheerful
Several people have asked why I’m not at Wiscon. Short answer: I have better things to do with my vacation time.
With a thriving local con, I’d rather go there. Also: this year, my travel costs to Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El Salvador cost less in aggregate than Wiscon would, and I think it’s a better use of travel budget than a non-local con.
Also, I simply cannot see giving Wisconsin any of my tourism dollars while that state continues to have people like Scott Walker in power. Sure, I’ve gone to foreign countries that were more oppressive, but not ones contributing to the problems here at home. Besides, the Argan oil from the women’s cooperative in Taroudant is great stuff.
Originally published at deirdre.net. You can comment here or there.
We have a rainstorm...lots of lightning to the East of us.
This is a photo from Friday morning.
This is a photo from Friday morning.
- Mood:
mellow
A: I had no idea it was nearly 20 years old.
B: I completely missed the fuss in February.
C: I also missed the fatality in 2007.
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
comment(s); comment here or there.
B: I completely missed the fuss in February.
C: I also missed the fatality in 2007.
Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are
If a Myth Fails in a Kelp Forest, Does It Make a Sound?
Soft-shell lobstermen listen
to the catch in the sea siren's
quick-pincered voice, puzzled
at her veiled cross-references to
post-Byzantine, haremless life
and orthodox triune espionage
conducted beneath Mediterranean
subfloors and among Phoenecian
ruins excavated for touristic use,
shrug and return to setting traps.
----
Soft-shell lobstermen listen
to the catch in the sea siren's
quick-pincered voice, puzzled
at her veiled cross-references to
post-Byzantine, haremless life
and orthodox triune espionage
conducted beneath Mediterranean
subfloors and among Phoenecian
ruins excavated for touristic use,
shrug and return to setting traps.
----
So I know I'm preaching to the choir--this game already has an enormous and enthusiastic fanbase--but Diablo 3 is a winner.
This style of game has been imitated so many times, by so many game developers. It's essentially a dungeon crawl. You make a character, you explore dungeons, you kill things and gather loot and level up. Games like Dungeon Siege and Torchlight are Diablo clones. They're the same kind of game. And yet they're not the same at all.
The problem with the Diablo clones, all of them, is that they are boring. Dungeon crawling is fun for a little while, and then it very quickly gets old. Kill stuff, get better loot, level up. It's just the same thing over and over again. Right?
Not in Diablo. Diablo is the only game that makes dungeon crawling truly fun, and it's hard to explain what's fundamentally different about Diablo vs. all its imitators, because it's no single thing. It's the details and polish.
It's the fact that every level, you get one or two or three new abilities to try out that make your character play a bit differently. Some may be variations on existing abilities, while others are completely new.
It's the fact that the game is always a little bit scary. You may come across a big skull in the middle of a barren desert and wonder what it's doing there, and while you're staring at it, a giant horde of creatures streams out the skull's mouth to attack you. You may be in a dungeon and see a flash of light nearby and know that something bad is happening--it's always something bad--but you don't know what it is or what to do about it. You may be running along a passageway, and the floor crumbles away just alongside you. A group of huge birds may start swarming above you, and you can't target them, and they just follow you around, which is super creepy, and then when you're under attack and struggling, they finally swoop in for the kill.
Diablo 3 is never just a kill stuff, grab loot kind of game. There is always a surprise lurking around the next corner. Expect to laugh, smile, to be awed, and above all, to feel your heart race.
I love this game. If you're not playing it, you're missing out on RPG gaming at its finest.
This style of game has been imitated so many times, by so many game developers. It's essentially a dungeon crawl. You make a character, you explore dungeons, you kill things and gather loot and level up. Games like Dungeon Siege and Torchlight are Diablo clones. They're the same kind of game. And yet they're not the same at all.
The problem with the Diablo clones, all of them, is that they are boring. Dungeon crawling is fun for a little while, and then it very quickly gets old. Kill stuff, get better loot, level up. It's just the same thing over and over again. Right?
Not in Diablo. Diablo is the only game that makes dungeon crawling truly fun, and it's hard to explain what's fundamentally different about Diablo vs. all its imitators, because it's no single thing. It's the details and polish.
It's the fact that every level, you get one or two or three new abilities to try out that make your character play a bit differently. Some may be variations on existing abilities, while others are completely new.
It's the fact that the game is always a little bit scary. You may come across a big skull in the middle of a barren desert and wonder what it's doing there, and while you're staring at it, a giant horde of creatures streams out the skull's mouth to attack you. You may be in a dungeon and see a flash of light nearby and know that something bad is happening--it's always something bad--but you don't know what it is or what to do about it. You may be running along a passageway, and the floor crumbles away just alongside you. A group of huge birds may start swarming above you, and you can't target them, and they just follow you around, which is super creepy, and then when you're under attack and struggling, they finally swoop in for the kill.
Diablo 3 is never just a kill stuff, grab loot kind of game. There is always a surprise lurking around the next corner. Expect to laugh, smile, to be awed, and above all, to feel your heart race.
I love this game. If you're not playing it, you're missing out on RPG gaming at its finest.
I’m not a huge John Wayne fan, but I rather like this line from Big Jake (1971):
“Well, son, since you haven't learned to respect your elders, it's time you learned to respect your betters.”
There wasn’t a better man than John Wayne, when it came to not taking crap off…
“Well, son, since you haven't learned to respect your elders, it's time you learned to respect your betters.”
There wasn’t a better man than John Wayne, when it came to not taking crap off…
Profile
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- j_cheney : Reboots... [+0]
- jmeadows : Spinning Sunday [+0]
- ravenelectrick : My tweets [+0]
- scottedelman : How I spent Balticon (and how I think The Walking Dead will end) [+0]
- chris_gerrib : KCMO and KCK [+1]
- james_nicoll : Dear subconscious [+7]
- newguydave : Writing: Rules, Principles, and Form [+0]
- james_nicoll : What was I doing in 2009 [+9]
- james_nicoll : You know how I often have a 'don't read the comments' warning? [+27]
- quietspaces : Wet [+0]
- jaylake : [conventions] World Steam Expo, Day Two [+0]
- jaylake : [photos] Your Sunday moment of zen [+0]
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specficmarkets :: ninharris : Call for Submissions: Issue Three of Demeter's Spicebox [+0] - specficmarkets :: marycatelli : Airships & Automatons [+0]
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- ericmarin : If a Myth Fails In a Kelp Forest, Does It Make a Sound? [+0]
- amy34 : Diablo 3 [+2]
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