While Lorazepam does squat for my dental anxiety

It does give me the IQ and dexterity of a cabbage.

Tonight is head-shaving night.

Chris Sims reviews Alphas

I'm linking to it less for the review and more for the slapfight that develops in the comments, although the observation about origins is one I hadn't made. It's not strictly true, because the episode is the origin of Koordination King, as he joins the ranks of Social Parasite Woman, Angry Black Man, The Annoying Nerd and Hostage Girl to fight crime.

Interesting that they've split the passive powers between one man and one woman and made one of the three heavy hitters female (I was going to compare her to Saturn Girl but SG was a receptive telepath, wasn't she? The classic Legion leaned towards giving the girls non-combat or at least non-damaging powers, like precog, gravity reduction and shadow-casting).

Less boring than No Ordinary Family without actually being interesting.

Spoiler for a show foreignlanders may not have seen:
( Read more... )

And about Outcasts

I think the fact that we forgot to give it a second chance or even that it existed at all is all the review it needs.

Quote of the Day

If the theory is wrong, the facts too must be wrong.

The great thing about this movie

Is that I in no way respect the source material so it should be easy enough to ignore infelicities in the adaptation.

Huh. I imagined the Red Martians as being ... redder.

A comment from Jennifer Pournelle

Pournelle, author of A Mote in God's Eye sequel Outies, noticed the discussion and offered this comment (QWP):

Hey y'all, I'm really glad to have stumbled upon this thread. I don't mean to answer anonymously, but I don't know how not to. I'd be really grateful if any/all of you would read the book, and give me frank feedback. I'm having trouble connecting to the audience for whom I was really writing, and you sound like y'all may be it.

The book isn't as out or edgy as I'd personally prefer, but I wrote it on the bet that I could address some of the aspects of that universe that I'd passed over in 1977, but now find less-than-satisfactory -- but in a way that wouldn't send the entire fan-base screaming for the hills. I think I've managed the latter -- but I don't think I've connected to readers I'd intended, who are more likely to get the in-jokes or appreciate the (intentionally) non-linear writing style.

Anyway, this isn't meant to be sales spam. Anybody serious about writing a review (publicly or privately) that doesn't want to risk the modest ourchase price just email author@newbrooklandpress.com and I'll see that you get a gratis copy in the electronic flavor of your choice.

Note to fans: Dad & Larry were completely supportive in this, but absolutely hands off. They authorized it, they read it, they approved it. They did NOT re-write it (nor did I ape their writing style). Nor did they necessarily agree with anything except with the principle that the universe is a big enough place to accommodate more than one point of view.

Many thanks again for the intelligent commentary & discussion -- Jenny Pournelle