/* ** ************************************************************************* ** ************************************************************************* ** The Non-Sequitur Express ** Written, edited and published by a frazzled Phillip Thorne. ** Volume 4, Issue 8: Wednesday, 27 November 2002 ** Previous issue: Tuesday, 15 October 2002 ** Next issue: I could tell you, but then I'd have to stick to it. ** http://nsx.underbase.org/ ** ** "And there's Second Impact -- and now half the world dies." ** "I hate it when that happens." ** --From the DVD audio commentary to "Evangelion: Death & Rebirth", ** by US Manga Corps. ** ************************************************************************* ** ************************************************************************* */ OBS & COGS: HHS-1993 10-reunion, handy guidelines (2). ERRATA: Spam (or not) on NSX, "Kingdom Hearts". TOY REVIEWS: Hoberman Expandagons, LEGO "Star Wars" mega/micro. BOOK REVIEWS: _Picoverse_, _Dune: Butlerian Jihad_, _Kiln People_. UPCOMING TV: Thanksgiving marathons, online listings, "The Anime Network". UPCOMING FILM: "Spirited Away", online tickets, Imax, sequels, home video. plus Legalese, acknowledgements and opt-in/out instructions. http://nsx.underbase.org/ - back issues http://nsx.underbase.org/index_plus.htm - synopses, reviews, analyses, etc. mailto://nsx-discuss-l@underbase.org - post on this issue (if subscribed) http://www.underbase.org/ - additional databases /* *************************************************************************** ** OBSERVATIONS & COGITATIONS ** ** Henderson High School, Class of 1993, Ten-Year Reunion ** Phil's Handy Guidelines to Low-Priority Stuff (Part 2) ** ************************************************************************ */ <[I]> Henderson High School, Class of 1993, Ten-Year Reunion Several of you readers are fellow members of the Class of 1993 of West Chester Henderson High School, and will no doubt remember our Five- Year Reunion, or rather, the complete and utter void that it was not. Fear no more for lack of closure! Class officers James Bewley and Lauren Fitzgerald are in the initial stages of preparing for the Ten- Year, by tracking down scattered alums. James (now in San Francisco) took the eminently logical step of tapping my brain (or that part of it which is an address book). I will not repeat his e-ddress here (for fear of spam-scrapers), but contact me and I'll put you in touch. Let the cascade chain-reaction begin! (Oh, and any of you who do *not* recall the topic of my graduation address, please say so. You would be the first. It wouldn't be so embarrassing if I could parlay my name recognition into a proper job -- and if I hadn't given it such a silly title.) In the meantime, consider Mr.Bewley's entry in the Sundance Online Film Festival: [ http://www.strindbergandhelium.com/ ] <[II]> Phil's Handy Guidelines to Low-Priority Stuff (Part 2) (4) Always fill out the exit survey if a sweepstakes prize is attached. Everyone enjoys speaking their minds, but no one else enjoys expressing it in hardcopy; therefore, you will win. (5) When passing out fortune cookies, do not give a computer programmer one that reads, "You would make a good lawyer"; he will consider you insulting. Do not then follow it with another that reads, "You have a reputation for being straightforward and honest"; even worse, he will consider you inconsistent. (6) When selecting parking spaces, do not choose the stall on the far side of a large vehicle if a nearer one is available. There might be a person standing in the blind spot behind said vehicle; said person might even be your boss. /* *************************************************************************** ** ERRATA & OMISSIONS, ADDENDA & ADMISSIONS ** ** Spam on nsx-l and nsx-discuss-l -- or not? ** "Kingdom Hearts": Donald, not Daffy ** ************************************************************************ */ In late October, I began receiving messages that seemed to imply spammers were somehow sneaking onto the NSX newsletter and discussion lists, despite the locks that should've limited posting to list members; and I transmitted some warnings to this effect. I haven't finished my tests, but I now suspect it's a virus, spoofing the From: header (ie, indicating a false origin). Should any nastiness actually get through to *your* attention, readers, please notify me by email. In Issue 4.7, I provided a review (actually a "meta-review", since I merely abstracted comments produced by *other* people) of the Squaresoft-Disney crossover computer game "Kingdom Hearts". A friend responded with comments after actually playing said game; I would repeat them here, but I'm running late. One major misattribution deserves correction, however: your companions are Goofy and *Donald* Duck of Disney, not Daffy Duck of Warner Bros. That would be white- plumaged sailor duck with the speech impediment and anger management issues, not the unclad black-plumaged mallard duck with a different speech impediment and exploding-face issues. /* *************************************************************************** ** TOY REVIEWS ** ** Hoberman Expandagon Construction System and GRO-bots ** LEGO: Star Destroyer, Mini Star Wars, NBA, Adventurers in Nepal ** ************************************************************************ */ Hoberman Expandagon Construction System Hoberman GRO-bots [ http://www.hoberman.com/ ] The so-called Hoberman Sphere expands tenfold from a dense hedgehog to a hollow framework. Several years, inventor Chuck Hoberman adapted the key hinge-linkages into a construction toy system. "Expanda- Squares" and "Expanda-Triangles" can be joined into size-shifting polyhedra, then polymerized with "X-Links" and other connectors. Originally introduced as a line of construction kits (containing 8 to 20 triangles), Expandagons were followed by the GRO-bots, "themed" toys with accessory elements: insectoid legs, aircraft wings and canopies, wheels. There's also a motorized controller that can automatically transform constructs. GRO-bots each transform between two shapes, although being relentlessly geometrical, neither ever much resembles the fanciful names. It's easier to build pure geometric demonstrations: Platonic solids, Fullerian octet trusses. The sets are also relatively expensive (on a per-element basis, as construction toys go); but considering that each mobile element contains seven to twenty individual components, probably hand- assembled, it's understandable. You can sometimes find them for less in discount stores like Marshall's, Ross, and TJMaxx (crammed alongside as much originally-overpriced merchandise as possible). LEGO [ http://www.lego.com/starwars/ ] [ http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?prod_id=10030 ] On 11-oct, LEGO Shop at Home announced (to email subscribers) the newest of the "Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series" models. The X- Wing, TIE Interceptor, and Blockade Runner (aka Corellian Corvette _Tantive IV_) all contain about a thousand elements and cost around $100. Now there's the 10030 "Imperial Star Destroyer" -- 37 inches of grey plate, slopes, and fiddly bits; 3104 pieces in all. Available for online preorder at the intro price of $269. The Star Destroyer comes with a tiny in-scale replica of the Corvette. LEGO fandom calls this realm "microfig" or "nanofig" scale. Following that trend, LEGO's designers have created tiny, lumpy replicas of popular vehicles. Each contains under thirty parts and measures less than ten studs long. Instructions are included to combine parts from all four sets into a TIE Bomber. Coming jan-2003. 4484 Mini X-Wing Fighter & Mini TIE Advanced (Darth Vader's TIE) 4485 Mini Selbulba's Podracer & Anakin's Podracer 4486 Mini AT-ST & Snowspeeder 4487 Mini Jedi Starfighter & Slave I First there was LEGO Soccer, and licenses for "Star Wars", "Harry Potter", "Winnie the Pooh", and "Bob the Builder". Now, combining sports and name recognition, there's the NBA - minifigs in National Basketball Association livery. Coming jan-2003. In 1998 "Johnny Thunder" and his "Adventurers" first visited Egypt, racing against "Baron von Barron" to find treasure amid scorpions and mummies. In 2000 he traveled to Dinosaur Island. Now he's on an "Orient Expedition" to -- well, it looks like Nepal. Sikh guards with turbans and scimitars! Tigers and yetis! Quasi-Buddhist architecture! Coming jan-2003. /* *************************************************************************** ** BOOK REVIEWS ** ** _Picoverse_ by R.A.Metzger ** _Dune: The Butlerian Jihad_ by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson ** _Kiln People_ by David Brin ** ************************************************************************ */ _Picoverse_ R.A.Metzger Ace, hardcover, 389 pages, mar-2002 [ http://www.rametzger.com/ ] In Gregory Benford's novel _Cosm_, high-energy physicists on Long Island accidentally create a universe, then argue about academic credit. In _Picoverse_, Georgia Tech fusion researchers do the same -- but then have to it and 200 others from TOTAL HORRIBLE DESTRUCTION! After turning their "Sonomak" into a pretzel, the team's technology is noticed and co-opted by a four-million-year-old alien probe (her description screams "evil anime babe") seeking to escape her makers. Every universe she creates is a quantum duplicate of our own, but no larger than the solar system -- one-trillionth the width of the parent universe. Attacks by the angry posthuman creature that evolved from the emotionally unstable genius son of one scientist! Adventures in a second world, rooted in 1925, in which the USSR conquers eastern America, and the remainder is defended by Ernest Lawrence, Niels Bohr, and Nikola Tesla's lasers! A race to gain control of the ultimate Sonomak, built from the black holes that once were Jupiter and Saturn! A fun, quick read; with imaginative technology and cosmology, a manageable cast, and some real emotional drama. _Dune: The Butlerian Jihad_ Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson Tor, hardcover, 624 pages, sep-2002 The late Frank Herbert wrote five sequels to his novel _Dune_, and like J.R.R.Tolkein, left notes pointing to further stories of his Imperium. The writing team of his son and veteran SF author Kevin J. Anderson have since produced a first trilogy of prequels, set a generation before Paul Maud'dib; and have now embarked on a second, set ten thousand years earlier, in the turbulent era that spawned _Dune's_ distinctive semi-technological feudal milieu. A thousand years ago, a small band of ambitious humans conquered the placid, unambitious worlds -- and then lost them to a computer. The multiple copies of Omnius now direct the remaining cyborg Titans against the outlying free worlds, which harvest slave labor from those ever further out. A gifted military commander falls in love with the activist daughter of a governor -- who is then captured and given to the eccentric android whose hobbies Omnius tolerates, hoping to understand humans. She gives birth to a son -- who is then killed, sparking a revolution among the slaves of Earth; and convinces the pampered son of a Titan that his utopia is nothing of the sort. Beyond its plot and characters, _Dune_ was a dense discussion on the nature of politics, religion, ecology, and human potential. The BH- KJA books lack all of that -- they're merely space opera, quick- reading though lengthy, rather pedestrian and repetitive in style, and devoid of convincing characterization. (Characters supposedly have feelings for each other, but you wouldn't know it without being told seventeen times.) _Kiln People_ David Brin Tor, hardcover, 336 pages, jan-2002 [ http://www.kithrup.com/brin/ ] It's the late 21st century, and for several decades people have been learning to live parallel lives, by copying their minds into duplicate bodies of pseudo-organic clay (roxes, dittos, dits), later "inloading" the memories back to the original (archetype, archie, rig). Roxes can be made in any shape or size, with varying sensory acuity -- but they all expire after 24 hours. Work and play have been changed by these disposable bodies, and as usual, most people have adapted. Albert Morris is a simple private detective, specializing in copyright infringement and labor disputes (with roxes, the same thing). One day he's hired by the world's preeminent ditto manufacturer to solve a kidnapping -- or is a murder -- or suicide? Albert and his three dits find themselves enmeshed in a multi-leveled plot by a scientist who is asking deeper questions about the possibilities of the "Soul Standing Wave". At its best, SF is about the human condition, asking "how does this discovery/encounter/invention affect the human condition?" Consider the changes wrought by the invention of the printing press, able to copy and distribute our thoughts -- then consider the greater changes if we can copy *ourselves*. It's a common notion in futurist circles (Extropians call it "xoxing"), but one used rarely in lit SF, and then usually via advanced biotech or nanotech. It might seem an absurd premise, copying your "soul wave" into a disposable clay blank -- but one measure of an SF author is how quickly he can suspend the reader's belief; and Brin has learned to do so very quickly indeed. It's not without flaws: the conceit that enables the first-person narrative, that each ditto has a compulsion to dictate to an implanted recorder, breaks down at times. Seeing the same events from multiple viewpoints is interesting, but gets repetitive (as in his prior "Uplift Storm" trilogy). The antagonist's plot is revealed about two-thirds through, and the remaining climb to the climax is a bit of a slog. /* *************************************************************************** ** UPCOMING TELEVISION ** ** Thanksgiving marathons - programming schedule ** Online listings for Nik, SFC, TCN ** "The Wonderful World of Disney" 2002-3 slate ** DISH Network satellite service ** ADV Films announces "The Anime Network" ** ************************************************************************ */ DATE TIME DUR-H NET PROGRAM ---------- ----- ----- --- ------------------------------------------------ wed-27-nov 22:00 1:00 upn = ENT-"Vanishing Point" (delayed in Philadelphia) thu-28-nov 7:00 22:00 sfc = 22-ep "X-Files" marathon thu-28-nov 14:00 4:00 nik = 8-ep "Jimmy Neutron" marathon fri-29-nov 18:00 4:00 nik = 8-ep "Jimmy Neutron" marathon thu-28-nov 20:00 2:00 abc = "Dinotopia" series premiere thu-28-nov 20:00 3:00 fox = "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" thu-28-nov 20:00 2:00 wb = "The Iron Giant" sat-30-nov 9:00 3:00 nik = 6-ep "Jimmy Neutron" marathon sat-30-nov 16:30 6:30 tcn = 13-ep "He-Man (3)" marathon dec-08-dec 13:00 3:00 tcn = 6-ep "Transformers Armada" marathon ---------- ----- ----- --- ------------------------------------------------ Looking for TV listings that purport to be accurate (but probably aren't) because they're produced by each cable network? See: [ http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_shows/tv_schedule.jhtml -- Nickelodeon ] [ http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/ -- Sci Fi Channel ] [ http://schedule.cartoonnetwork.com/servlet/ScheduleServlet?action=selectDay -- Cartoon Network ] If you enjoy commercial breaks, ABC's "The Wonderful World of Disney" 2002-3 slate includes the animated films "The Emperor's New Groove" (2000), "101 Dalmatians" (1961), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "Tarzan" (1999), and "A Bug's Life" (1998) and the live-action films "Disney's The Kid" (2001) and "Inspector Gadget" (1999). (--Disney Online Mushu's Dish e-newsletter) Interested in swapping your expensive landline cable TV service for something more complicated and marginally less expensive? Consider DISH Network-brand satellite service... if your dwelling has a sufficiently clear view of the southern sky (geosynchronous orbit, y'know): [ http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/technology/installation/single_dish_faq/index.shtml ] Houston-based "ADV Films", a major American importer/adapter/DVD- publisher of anime (plus other SF, like "Farscape" and "Andromeda"), has announced plans to create a new cable channel called "The Anime Network(tm)". Specific programming has not been announced, but will be divided into four thematic sections: "Action Zone", "Sci-Fi", "Comedy Incorrect", and "Horror/Martial Arts". I myself would quibble with those categories, but who am I? Just a data-entry clerk who processed their ERISA bond application this spring. [ http://www.advfilms.com/news/press_releases.asp ] /* *************************************************************************** ** UPCOMING & ONGOING CINEMA ** ** "Spirited Away" fades away ** Researching showtimes online ** IMAX-formatted films ** General releases ** Home video releases ** ************************************************************************ */ After appearing in a maximum of 151 theaters nationwide, Studio Ghibli's animated fantasy feature film "Spirited Away" (distributed in North America by Disney) is, after eleven weeks, rapidly fading away. It was the highest-grossing film in Japan, ever (higher than "Titanic" or the previous Ghibli feature, "Mononoke Hime"), but here in the US it's grossed only $4 million. [ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/ -- reverse-temp index, top movie, topt 12 total, delta% ] [ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/ -- index to all current films ] [ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=spiritedaway.htm ] Several e-com sites provide cinema showtimes and online ticket ordering; but they don't all cover all chains, and when they do, not all locations. When checking for a limited-release film like "Spirited Away", be sure to specify the day you're interested in going -- otherwise the message "film is not playing in selected area" really means "is not playing today". [ http://www.fandango.com ] [ http://www.hollywood.com ] [ http://www.movies.com ] IMAX-FORMATTED FILMS: 20-sep: "Apollo 13" (1995, 2002 upgrade) 01-nov: "Star Wars Episode II" 27-nov: "Treasure Planet" 25-dec: "The Lion King" : "Santa vs. The Snowman 3-D" GENERAL RELEASES: 15-nov: "Harry Potter (2) and the Chamber of Secrets" 22-nov: "Die Another Day" (James Bond #20 or #22 -- see NSX 1.07, nov-1999) 27-nov: "Solaris" (art-ish, based on the Stanislaw Lem SF novel) 27-nov: "Treasure Planet" (Disney animated feature) 13-dec: "Star Trek (10): Nemesis" 18-dec: "The Lord of the Rings (2): The Two Towers" 28-mar: "The Core" (serious SF) (formerly 01-nov) ARRIVING AS HOME VIDEO: DATE MIN FORM TITLE ------ --- ---- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01-nov 121 "Spider-Man" 05-nov 83 anim "Powerpuff Girls: the Movie" 12-nov 208 "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (4-disk set, 30m extra) 12-nov 135 "Star Wars Episode II" 19-nov 141 "Reign of Fire" 19-nov 83 anim "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" 26-nov 80 cg "Ice Age" 26-nov 88 "Men in Black II" 03-dec 85 anim "Lilo & Stitch" 03-dec 94 "Austin Powers in Goldmember" 10-dec 78 "Stuart Little II" 17-dec 143 "Minority Report" "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (2-disk set) "Babylon 5: Season 1" "Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 5" ------ --- ---- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ http://www.onvideo.org/calendar.htm ] /* ************************************************************************ ** Legalese ** Acknowledgments ** Opt-in/out Instructions ** *********************************************************************** */ The original content (layout, text) of this newsletter is copyright 2002 Phillip Thorne. Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted only as per applicable copyright law, if all copyright notices remain intact, and if citation trails (URLs or otherwise) are provided. That said, if you think colleagues would find an issue useful, please reproduce it -- but also suggest they subscribe. Those creative works (books, films, TV, websites, software, toys, etc.) referred-to (reviewed, synopsized, quoted, condensed, analyzed, etc.) herein are the property of their respective owners, are referred-to according to copyright law as interpreted in the U.S., and are cited whenever possible. No (endorsement, infringement, insult) is (expressed, implied, intended), except where specifically stated. In this issue, certain data (possibly not separately acknowledged) have been obtained, aggregated and synthesized from: Amazon.com amazon.com weekly box office numbers boxofficemojo.com The Cartoon Network cartoonnetwork.com Digital Media FX digitalmediafx.com movie listings fandango.com Google search engine google.com more movie listings hollywood.com even more movie listings movies.com Nickelodeon nick.com Usenet News news:rec.arts.animation If you're receiving this newsletter, you've probably intentionally subscribed to it, or possibly you're interested in special topical coverage, or maybe I've sent you a teaser issue. To subscribe and unsubscribe, use the addresses below: Publisher: nsx@underbase.org (human) Newsletter: nsx-l@underbase.org (automated system) nsx-l-subscribe (to subscribe; blank subject) nsx-l-unsubscribe (to unsubscribe) Discussion list: nsx-discuss-l@underbase.org nsx-discuss-l-subscribe (to subscribe; blank subject) nsx-discuss-l (to post) nsx-discuss-l-unsubscribe (to unsubscribe) /* *************************************************************************** ** *************************************************************************** ** The Non-Sequitur Express ** http://nsx.underbase.org/ ** Volume 4, Issue 8: Wednesday, 27 November 2002 ** Copyright 1999-2002 Phillip Thorne, nsx@underbase.org ** *************************************************************************** ** ************************************************************************ */