I saw "Batman". Christian Bale is always a good time. Heath Ledger had a fresh and interesting take on the Joker. Do *not* be a woman in Gotham City. Two and a half hours = two bladder breaks = too long. Third part of script was written to explain character philosophy = lame. Did I hear right that Gotham has "30 million people?"  If so, all of them must have a GPS in their colons, because everybody got across town and found each other almost instantly whenever needed. Worth $10 to see on the big screen. Ledger is on par with other Oscar winning villains. Worth $10 ticket, if only because you would spend $20 in the sex club, you sick person you.

Picking through "Little Big Man" and Charles Stross' "Saturn's Children." Both describe their worlds and are fun, but still early in. More on them later.

"Dr. Terrible's blog of Wahtever": tried to watch first parts of all three segments. My friends and I could have come up with as good, and i would have at least laughed once.
"But Joss wrote another musical!!!1! WoW!!!111! 
Kids, *you* can write a better musical.
Shifting POVs, flat characters, predictable jokes and plot.
"But it's just light fluff!11!!"
Picking at my dryer lint is light fluff, but my clothes get dry, which meant that  *something interesting happened.*

Who has a shorter lifespan than a redshirt on Star Trek, the original series?

A black suit from the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.

Cool suits. Ugly, ugly ways to die.

Q: Do you know why Marco Polo brought noodles back from China?

A: Because the Chinese hid the spare ribs.







Mmmm. Spare ribs.

everybody says they don't believe in inevitability, but you know, everybody says that sooner or later.

air conditioning or refrigeration. I had formerly thought that this moment was the best time to be alive because of AC and frosty fountain drinks.

But no.

Friend Steve points out that the best time to be alive will be later this century, when we have consumer-use 5-SNZ(tm) Fully sensory home theaters.
Know why?
Well, porn, yeah.

meanwhile, if civilization was to collapse, I volunteer to be food supply.


"How long? How long without air conditioning?!"

"Two hours."
"Two HOURS? There is...no hope...."

I added to a list on io9.com
for a drinking game on spec-fic tropes.
Having read slush for "Weird Tales" for years, my list has some odd items I haven't seen in any lists of cliches.

You all read spec-fic, most of you write it, and at least three of you edit it. Have any to add?


The intrepid adventuring party first meets at an inn. (take one drink)

All races are humanoid. (warm domestic beer)

The thief is a hard-bitten child of the streets with a natural throwing hand. (someone throws a jelloshot unerringly in your mouth)

The thief’s race is hobbitoid.  (a yard of beer, to remind that the tall can have potency)

The magic system is thaumaturgical (based on staves and spells). 

Powerful = old = elderly. As in, the powerful wizards are old and appear as elderly beings. (the freshest Champale you can find, as the potent can look childish, young can look old and the stale can look classic)

All alcohol is grain or grape-based.  (A shot of vodka, sake, mescal, or fermented body fluid someone else chooses for you.)

All marriages are couples, never groups, and happy unless one of the couple is evil nobility.  (two drinks)

The protagonist discovers the party’s silent, battle-scarred warrior has won the highest accolades for bravery. (a drink)

The same warrior gives his life in a climactic battle so that all may live.  (raise glass to salute a slain opportunity)

A relic of power is described as having a “patina." (whatever is in the back of your liquor cabinet that is aged and/or evil.)

For horror or vampire stories: A character’s name is “Duquesne.”  (honest! even I wrote one. take a swig of lavoris. "Lavoris" is french, isn't it?)

They are adorable, virtuous and reliable! Like Robo-Mormons without the icky underage polygamy.

** Robot teddy to help sick children **
A teddy is being designed to interact with its owner and raise the alarm if they are in distress.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7118859.stm >
 

Oh well. I thought this was funny...though it makes me queasy too.