Once Upon a Geek

I recently picked up a very good book called The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman.  In five days I’ve read 240 pages, and I’m about 15 pages from finishing the book.  While I love reading, I’m rarely able to fly through a book this quickly unless I’m on vacation (which I’m not).  It’s a testament to how good it is.  Here is the description from the publisher:

“Grad- school dropout Matt Fuller is toiling as a lowly research assistant at MIT when he inadvertently creates a time machine. With a dead-end job and a girlfriend who left him for another man, Matt has nothing to lose in taking a time-machine trip himself—or so he thinks.”

Maybe I’m the last person on Earth to discover Joe Haldeman, but I’m impressed.  He’s imaginative, creates interesting characters and settings, and his prose feels comfortable making for a swift read.  There is a quote from Stephen King that helped convince me to pick up the book: “If there were a Fort Knox for the science fiction writers who really matter, we’d have to lock Joe Haldeman up there.”

I heard about the book through the Science Fiction Book Club.  On a whim, I decided to give it a try.  I’m glad a I did.  It’s an original take on time travel, with some very creative extrapolations of the future.  I will definitely be reading further Joe Haldeman books.

If you’re a time travel nut like me, it’s definitely worth checking out!

After seeing three hours of Stargate Universe, I’m very impressed.  According to Wikipedia, the “industry” (whoever they are) has dubbed Stargate Universe as “dark and edgy”, a sentiment I would agree with.  It’s a solid show and I’ll continue to watch.

So far I’ve only seen the pilot and the first episode.  After seeing just the pilot, I felt it was incomplete and I wasn’t totally vested in the series.  While I enjoyed the concepts, it just didn’t feel right.  I chalked it up to new series jitters, but wasn’t sure I’d be coming back for more.  Then I watched the first episode. Now I would recommend any new viewers watch the pilot and the first episode together.  The pilot is entitled “Air” Parts 1 & 2, the first episode is entitled “Air” part 3.   After seeing “Air” part 3 it all came together for me.  Together it’s a complete story that encourages the viewer to come back for more.

Being a self-respecting Geek, I simply have to find things to pick apart about the show.  First, the show doesn’t feel like any previous Stargate series.  I jokingly refer to Stargate Universe (SGU) as “Stargate Galactica” with my friends.  The series creators appear to be going for the high-drama, super-high-tension, claustrophobia, shaky-cam, and folksy music from the recent Battlestar Galactic series.  That isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a big departure for Stargate.

Second, I find it ironic that the Stargate franchise has followed Star Trek’s path pretty faithfully.  Stargate SG1 = STNG (new planet each week); Stargate Atlantis = DS9 (fixed location deep in space); and Stargate Universe = Voyager (Lost in Space formula).  I guess that means the next Stargate series will be a prequel.  Maybe it will be about the Stargate program of the 1950s.  Given the Lost in Space aspect of SGU, Dr Rush is totally Dr Smith.  He’s also got some Gaius Baltar in him.  I like to call him Dr. Gaius Smith.

Third, while I like the character of Eli, it’s a little too obvious what he’s supposed to represent.  He represents two things: (1) the humor of the previous Stargate series, and (2) he’s supposed to be our geek-window into the show.  My guess is that some producer thought us geeks wouldn’t associate well enough with the characters, so they added someone like us in the show for us to relate to.  Again, I enjoy his character, but it feels a bit forced.

Fourth, I find nearly all the characters on the show interesting, with the exception of Chloe.  She doesn’t do anything for me and is already grating on my nerves.  I’m usually pretty accepting of characters.  I even find Lou Diamond Phillips character and the Dr Rush character interesting.  Both are jerks and I wouldn’t want to hang with them in real life, but on the show they are fascinating characters to explore.  Chloe… nothing, nada, zip.  Hopefully she’ll become more interesting, or fall out an airlock.

That’s really all the griping I’ve got.  I really dig Colonel Young, the commanding officer.  His willpower and presence is inspiring (and he looks like Stallone – cool!).  I also like Lt. Johansen, the field medic.  She’s tough and interesting.  I think her character has lots of potential.  The ship itself, Destiny, is really interesting and I look forward to learning more about it.

In conclusion, I like the show and will watch more.  I need to catch the two more recent episodes over on Hulu.

This post began life as an e-mail to my friend, Ed.  Thanks Ed for inspiring this post!

I’m in a Star Trek mood.  Here are some cool wallpapers featuring our favorite Starfleet ships.  I don’t claim ownership of any of these images, they were simply found while surfing.  Click on the images to enlarge.

The original Enterprise, circa TOS.  NCC-1701

The replacement Enterprise, circa Star Trek V.  NCC-1701-A

The first Enterprise in years that was not under the command of James T. Kirk, circa Star Trek: Generations.  NCC-1701-B

The lost Enterprise, circa STNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise“.  NCC-1701-C

The STNG Enterprise, circa the TV series.  NCC-1701-D

The second STNG Enterprise, circa the movies.  NCC-1701-E

The prequel Enterprise, circa the “Enterprise” TV series.  NX-01

The updated “classic” Enterprise, circa the new Star Trek film. NCC-1701

I’m not sure where this image came from, but it’s a gorgeous shot.  At first I thought it was from the new Star Trek film, but the design isn’t quite right.  Regardless, nice ship and breathtaking background.

The Defiant and Deep Space Nine.

Voyager under attack by a Borg cube.

A Borg cube.

The battle of Wolf 359, circa STNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II“

Geek long and prosper.

Stargate Universe premiers this Friday, Oct 2 at 9pm on SyFy.  It appears to be part Lost in Space, part Star Trek Voyager, part Battlestar Galactica, and entirely awesome!  Check out this trailer.

Click here to check out the Stargate website.

Today we’re going to discuss some of the best time travel movies.  Being a life-long Doctor Who fan, I’ve got a soft spot for time travel stories regardless of the medium – film, television, novel, audio, comic, etc.

Before we get to that, I gotta describe to you where I’m sitting as I write this.  Since today is my birthday, I think you can indulge me for a paragraph or two (truthfully, I’m writing this on Monday afternoon and scheduling it to post on Wednesday, my birthday.  Geez, semantics!).   I’m currently sitting on the balcony of my 14th floor hotel room in Fort Lauderdale.  The sky is a gorgeous blue, there is a slight breeze, and the temperature is warm and relaxing without being too hot.  Tropical music is being carried upon the wind up to my room from the Tiki Bar below.  My balcony overlooks the beautiful pool, a marina full of impressive yachts, and the majestic river.  In the distance you can see downtown Fort Lauderdale and the Atlantic Ocean.  It’s so relaxing sitting here watching the boats idle their way up and down the river, the seagulls floating on the gentle breeze, letting the music flow through me, and generally unwinding.  It doesn’t get much better than this.

Okay… back to the topic at hand.  My top 10 favorite time travel movies!  This list is in no particular order and was selected solely based upon the criteria of, “Hey, I like that movie.”   For an impressively comprehensive list of time travel movies, check out Andy’s Anachronisms by clicking here.

• Back to the Future – A great film that manages to tackle the cause & effect of time travel, while injecting tremendous amounts of humor.  Possibly the greatest time travel movie of all time.  You can’t deny that Michael J. Fox is one of the best comedy-drama actors of the 1980s.  Also worth mentioning are Parts II and III.  Those are fun films, but the first one stands out as the best.
• Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – Two headbanger idiots with a time machine!  Just goofy, ridiculous fun.  If you don’t like this movie, you have no sense of humor.  Don’t watch the sequel.
• The Time Traveler’s Wife – A surprisingly good film!  I didn’t exactly want to see this, especially after discovering that Eric Bana had a leading role.  However, they used time travel superbly in this film.  I highly recommend this one to anyone with an interest in time travel stories, or anyone who likes complex love stories.
• Planet of the Apes (1968 version) – Powerful tale of racial politics and a warning of the human race’s destructive nature.  While time travel isn’t a major plot point throughout the movie, there is no denying the impact it provided at the end.
• Groundhog Day – A really fun Bill Murray’s film! A romantic comedy that uses time travel very cleverly.  Also, one of cable televisions most aired movies ever.  Seriously, go turn on your TV right now.  It’s probably on.
• Somewhere in Time – A time travel romance starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.  Wonderful love story set in the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.  Christopher Reeves was such an amazing actor! It’s a shame he didn’t have the opportunity to make more films.  Interesting to note, a friend of my family had a bit part in this movie.  Neat!
• Star Trek: First Contact – Such a good movie!  This film rivals Wrath of Khan as being the best Trek movie.  Though time travel provided the framework for this film, this movie is more about action and intrigue than time travel.
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – Probably the most fun Star Trek movie.  While this film lacked the typical Star Trek space battles, it made up for it with acting and time travel hijinks.  I still enjoy this movie every time I watch it.
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day – I remember thinking when I saw this movie in the theater, “There will never be a movie made with more action than this.”  I was obviously wrong, but the amount of action in that movie for the time was insane!  This film did a good job exploring the “inevitable future” aspect of time travel.  The first Terminator movie was also great, but I personally enjoy the second one more.
• Time After Time – A 1979 suspense thriller starring Malcolm McDowell and David Warner.  H.G. Wells (McDowell) pursues Jack the Ripper (Warner) to the 20th Century when the serial murderer uses the Well’s own time machine to escape his time period. This film was directed by Nicholas Meyer, who went on to direct Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.  Good movie.  You should check it out.

Here are a few other films I really enjoy that aren’t necessarily time travel movies, but contain temporal phenomena or alternate timelines:

• Frequency – A really smart film starring Dennis Quaid.  In the movie an accidental cross-time ham radio connects father and son across 30 years. The son tries to save his father’s life, but then must fix the consequences.  If you’ve never seen this film, it’s a MUST!
• It’s a Wonderful Life – My absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time.  While not about time travel specifically, it does explore an alternate timeline without Jimmy Stewart’s character.
• Scrooged – Bill Murray at his best!  This modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is lots of fun.  While it may feel a bit dated as it’s 20 years old, it’s still a nice update to this classic story.

I’m sure some of you are thinking of other fantastic time travel movies that I left off the list.  If so, let me know in the comments.  I did consider every film on Andy’s Anachronisms list of time travel movies.  Here are some of the films I definitely rejected from my list of favorites..

• Timecop – Not a great movie, sorry.
• Time Bandits – Fun, but a little too out there.
• Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann – Seriously?  I’m gonna pretend you didn’t suggest that.  Have you ever heard the song, “I am my own Grandpa”?  I think it was written for this movie.
• Butterfly Effect – I know many people praise this film, but I was turned off by it.
• Peggy Sue Got Married – Nicholas Cage equals “No”
• 12 Monkeys – Another lauded movie, but I didn’t love it.
• Donnie Darko – Bizarre movie.  I enjoyed it, but it’s not on my favorite list.
• The Time Machine (2002 version) – I didn’t really enjoy this film.  Great book, blah movie.  I never saw 1960 version, but I understand it’s good.

Okay, your turn.  Tell me I’m right.  Tell me I’m wrong.  What are your favorites?

Presenting another very special blog entry by my wife, The Irrepressible Gena!  Just a little background for you, my wife is not a geek.  She’s a wonderful (and gorgeous) normal person.  So I thought her perspective would be interesting to share here.  Without further ado, The Irrepressible Gena’s thoughts on DragonCon…

Labor Day Weekend … The weekend my husband looks forward to all year, to sleep in a hotel room with at least five other guys, eat junk food all weekend, and see science fiction celebrities, comic book artists and scantily clad women dressed as superheroes. I’ve seen the pictures… some of them should not be wearing those outfits. My mom, myself, plus our two children get a condo in Destin for the weekend and spend time at the beach, the pool and visiting my other relatives who are staying in a condo nearby. We have fun. It is my time bonding with my children and my mom. You see, I love the beach and Shag hates the beach (Editor Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Believe me, there is no way my wife will call me Shag). Shag loves superheroes and science fiction, and my science fiction is Twilight, True Blood and Eureka. I don’t “get” his stuff, and he doesn’t “get” my stuff. They do say opposites attract.

Anyway, I know Shag has good time and he enjoys seeing his pals. He gets excited seeing Dirk Benedict, Lou Ferrigno (for the fourteenth time) and watching the parade (I have seen the parade before and it was pretty cool). I was excited this year that Eric Roberts was there (I am sure Shag is laughing at this) and some Twilight folks were there, too. The beach is my solitude. I look across the ocean and I am exactly where I want to be. Here is the catch, I don’t like being in the water. You see, there are things in the ocean – big things – that eat you and bite you. So my toes go in, and I hang out in my chair.

I like looking at Shag’s pictures afterward of all of the costumes. Some are pretty cool, and some I don’t quite understand. Why does some one dress up like Steve off Blue’s Clues at DragonCon? I’ve come to understand some of my husband’s science fiction addictions like Doctor Who. I watched some of the episodes with Christopher Eccleston and was quite upset when David Tennant came along. Then you get used to him and they switch him again! My kids like superheroes. Our daughter likes to wear her Supergirl costume and both kids like going to the comic book store.

I do realize that Shag could instead be an avid hunter or golfer instead of my geek. Then I would never see him and I would have dead animals hanging on my wall. For those of you who do not know me, I am an animal lover and a long time vegetarian. So, I think I will take geekdom, DragonCon and ONCE UPON A GEEK any day.

I do love him very much. He is the person I waited for all of my life. So, let him have his weekend with the guys in the tiny hotel room all snoring. Let him have his Incredible Hulk. I have him the rest of the year.

Show your support for ONCE UPON A GEEK by ordering one of these super-cool t-shirts through Zazzle! Get ‘em now before the runways of Paris are crowded with these tops.

Three designs are displayed below, but you’re not limited to what is shown here.  You’re able to modify the type, size, and color of these shirts.  Additionally, if you’d like the messaging different, just let me know and I can create new products easily.

While you’re exploring Zazzle, be sure to check out these other fine products from our good friends over at THE UNIQUE GEEK!  This is just a few of the many different designs available from THE UNIQUE GEEK.

They even did a shirt featuring a caricature of yours truly.

As always, your support is appreciated!

Eureka returns tonight on the Sci-Fi network!  I really enjoy this show… and so should you!  While I haven’t seen every episode, the ones I have were a real hoot.  The series is funny, smart, sometimes sexy, and always entertaining.  There is a brief interview over at io9 with Colin Ferguson and co-creator Jamie Paglia about these upcoming episodes.

If you’ve never seen the series, it’s really fun and worth checking out.  It’s sort of popcorn-Sci-Fi, or a gateway drug to real Science Fiction.  Even my non-geek wife enjoys the show.  It’s about a high tech community located in the Pacific Northwest that is inhabited entirely by brilliant scientists working on new scientific advancements for the United States government that frequently go disastrously awry. While there is a great cast, the main protagonist is Sheriff Jack Carter.  Carter, a former U.S. Marshal that reluctantly took the position of Sheriff, serves as the “regular guy” on the show so that we the viewers can connect.  He is consistently dumbfounded by the wonders Eureka produces, as well as their propensity to produce things that often threaten the entire town, if not the world.

Be sure to check out tonight’s episode at 9pm Eastern on Sci-Fi.  For more on the show, check out the Sci-Fi website by clicking here. If you want to watch some previous episodes, you can check out several for free on Hulu.com by clicking here.

Below is a preview Sci-Fi released about Eureka moving to Friday nights.  It definitely gives you a flavor for the series.

If you can’t see the embedded video above, please click here.

I also had to include one of my favorite bits.  The creators of the Eureka series did several fake public service announcements.  You can find all of them on the Eureka Season One DVD.  Here is one of my favorites.

If you can’t see the embedded video above, please click here.

The Sci-Fi Channel is changing their name to “Syfy” on July 7.  Yeah, I know.  WTF?!?!

Apparently they think the name “Syfy” is cooler, much more cutting-edge, and much hipper.  Essentially they believe it’s more marketable.  According to one source, Sci-Fi Channel has been attempting to distance themselves from the term “Science Fiction” for years due to the stereotypes that phrase conjures up.  You can read more about it at TV Week by clicking here.

Not surprisingly, the geeks are up in arms about this.  You can read more about the geek uprising at the Chicago Tribune by clicking here, on Twitter by clicking here, or just about anywhere on the net right now.

Personally, I think this is one of the most redunkulous things I’ve heard in ages.  The new name sounds like the word “Syphilis” to me.  Also, the new name and logo remind me of channels like the “Style” channel.  That really isn’t a good way to keep the existing Sci-Fi Channel demographic.

And no, sadly it’s not an early April Fool’s joke either.

/rant

Please forgive this post. I typically try to be positive here at ONCE UPON A GEEK, however, this particular issue is really bugging me.  I promise to be a sparkling ray of sunshine in the dark and gloomy world of geekdom tomorrow.

P-Brane: The Green Man

Written by Chris X Ring; Directed by Jesse Heffring; art by Angus P Byers and Jesse Heffring; produced by Quietus Films.

I know what you are thinking… “Huh?  A graphic novel called ‘P-Brane’?  What is that, Vertigo or something?”  To answer your question, no.  P-Brane: The Green Man is a very unusual graphic novel published by Graviton Publishing.  It was released in 2008 and is one of the most unique comics I’ve ever read.

The cover art of this book is just gorgeous!  It expertly depicts a haunted-looking man stalking through a desolate post-apocalyptic metropolis.  He’s brandishing some high-tech weapon and surrounded by rotting corpses and skeletal skyscrapers.  The cover artist, Vitaly S. Alexius, really did a phenomenal job on this piece.  Very intriguing.

Here is the synopsis of the story:

P-Brane: The Green Man, tells the story of Casey Blade, an amnesiac vigilante who wakes in the alleys of New York and embarks on a dream inspired killing spree. He begins to realize he is part of a vast apocalyptic conspiracy. The story is reminiscent of classic 50’s sci-fi with a technomodern kick presented in a noir-ish gritty style, using photos of real actors affected in Photoshop to look like illustrations.

When I first looked at this graphic novel, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the printing of the book itself.  Given that I’ve never heard of this publishing company, I was surprised at how professionally put together the book was.  Glossy pages, great printing resolution, and an overall slick book.

What makes this book stand out the most from other graphic novels is the interior art.  Normally you’d expect drawings or painted images within the pages of a comic book graphic novel.  Not with this one.  All the art is taken from real photographs that have been digitally enhanced.  Each panel is heavy with noir-like shadows and intricate detail.  To compile this book it took over 5,000 images, 100 actors, and two years of art and layout.  This art is so innovative that it begins to bridge the gap between the traditional comic book format and film making.  Check out this 50 second video showing how they took two actors in front of a green screen and turned it into one panel of a comic book.  Pretty amazing stuff!  If you can’t see the embedded video below, click here.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to make of the story at first.  There were questions right out of the gate about the protagonist.  In the beginning the story felt like an amped-up spy thriller, but I knew with a cover like that it was going different places.  Here is rare peek into the thought process of the Irredeemable Shag…  on page 2 the protagonist drops the F-bomb… on page 5 the protagonist impales a guy through the head with a piece of pipe.  What did I think about this?  I WAS HOOKED!

I really liked that the story was broken into 28 small chapters.  This made it much easier to digest the 221 page graphic novel, and also allowed for the writer to clearly segment the various story threads. The journey takes lots of twists and turns, never really answering all your questions until the end.  The story also does a nice job touching on several different themes.  For example, there are a couple chapters that focus on vigilante justice against child pornographers and a mob assassin.  Next you follow the protagonist as he strikes against global terrorism.  Then just to keep you off balance, there is an entire chapter with nothing but two guys talking in a cafe that is printed in landscape format (rather than portrait orientation).

About halfway through the book you get to the heart of the plot.  The story transitions from a study of the mysterious protagonist into the human race’s battle for survival.  Without spoiling too much, Earth is threatened because of its potential for disrupting the space-time manifold of the universe.  The title ‘P-Brane’ comes from real scientific concepts based around M-Theory.  In non-technical terms, M-theory presents an idea about the basic substance of the universe. I love a good story that incorporates real hard-science concepts!

After writing my review above, I went out on the inter-webs to see what others were saying. Here are a few quotes…

• “Like an episode of The Outer Limits etched into obsidian” – Montreal Gazette
• “It blurs the lines of what a comic book should be and what a comic book can be with a brilliant and refreshing story accompanied by a unique and distinctive look.” – Comic News Info
• “Its artwork is bold and innovative, and the book overall is a new step in “cinematic” storytelling, showing the world that the film industry can give back to the comics industry as well as mine from it.” – Wit War

Wow.  Those guys are good with the words.  Me… not so much.  I’m not a master of flowery prose, but I will say that this graphic novel is a good read and beautiful to look at.  The story definitely keeps you guessing and has some really interesting sci-fi concepts sprinkled throughout.  Also, you can’t help but be amazed at the work and effort that went into producing this unique book.  If you are interested in reading this story, you can order your copy at http://pbraneworld.com/.