Survivors

I'm watching Survivors again. Based on a book by Terry Nation (which I can't find at Chapters). The author is deceased, awhile ago. Was sad to read that. He is also known for creating the Daleks in Doctor Who.

From Wikipedia: Survivors is a British television series devised by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC from 1975 to 1977. It concerns the plight of a group of people who have survived an accidentally released plague that kills nearly the entire population of the planet. The programme is usually described as falling into the science fiction genre, and fits into the sub-genre of apocalyptic fiction. It was remade in 2008.

Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, from Wikipedia. I still think of it as armageddon, but that's from playing Carmageddon until it merged with my brain cells.

Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization either through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. Post-apocalyptic fiction is set in a world or civilization after such a disaster. The time frame may be immediately after the catastrophe, focusing on the travails or psychology of survivors, or considerably later, often including the theme that the existence of pre-catastrophe civilization has been forgotten (or mythologized). Post-apocalyptic stories often take place in an agrarian, non-technological future world, or a world where only scattered elements of technology remain. There is a considerable degree of blurring between this form of science fiction and that which deals with false utopias or dystopic societies.
The genres gained in popularity after World War II, when the possibility of global annihilation by nuclear weapons entered the public consciousness. However, recognizable apocalyptic novels existed at least since the first quarter of the 19th century, when Mary Shelley's The Last Man was published. Additionally, the subgenres draw on a body of apocalyptic literature, tropes, and interpretations that are millennia old.

Death as a Problem with Immortality

The biggest problem keeping us from living forever, is death.

Zombie Robot Frosting is writing about living forever. Go back and read from the start if science fiction type humour interests you at all. I like it.

The Un-Possible Terminator

I'm watching The Terminator, Sarah Connor Chronicles. One thing that keeps occuring to me is that the whole thing is silly. If they can keep going back and forth in time there is no end to it. Even if Sarah and crew succeed in stopping the machines from taking over one moment in time the machines just transport back to another point in time and change history again. It is the never ending story. Kind of crazy. Makes the story pretty off base. I always think science fiction stories should have a backing on facts and things that work/ are possible.

The Further Chronicles of Bloggia

Today I'm watching a Terminator marathon on the Space channel. All the first season of the Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles. I think most interesting part of the show is the robot which Summer Glau does. Interesting about how she has a mysterious background and is already more human than any of the other robots. Also, how she becomes more human and yet is still a robot too. Anyway, I just like an interesting story about people, even if they are robots. Or maybe more if they are robots cause I have always had a soft spot for robots and aliens.

I found out that the template I bought for Word Grrls isn't all original work. The graphic for the header is pretty much for rent to anyone who pays something for it. I had thought it was part of an original design. So I'm disappointed. I guess if I were smarter I would have known that, not assumed otherwise. So that makes it a bit easier to decide about what to do with the blogginess. I still need a name for it but I'm going to go with a blog about blogging, sort of. I need a name and a slant, twist to make it uniquely me and not so much of clone of so many others out there.

Are You a Survivalist?

I've been posting writing prompts to the Word Grrls blog awhile. I'm not sure what put the end of the world scenario into my brain but there it was.

If you were a kid during the Cold War times when we kept hearing about the bomb that was going to drop (from Russia, China or some other country behind the Iron Curtain) how does it still affect you? Even now that the Wall has gone do you just think the bomb (may as well call it that as anything else) will just be from another direction. Most of all, do you think you could be someone who would adapt and survive?

I'd like to survive, mainly just to see things in the changed civilization. But, I'd be really lucky in a glitchy way to stick around. I tend to pick up all kinds of odd illnesses, mostly virus stuff. So, my chances are about as great as the cockroach the first bomb lands on, nil to squished.

Here is the comment I made in Word Grrls. Would like to hear more thoughts about this and decided to post it here.

I remember it too, those years as a kid in the little grades, thinking about the bomb that was going to drop and end us all. Kind of a weird age to live in as a kid. I think even now that the wall has come down that feeling of impending possible doom is still hanging around. I guess it has just changed direction.

I'd take some food, mainly canned stuff and water. Some of that powder stuff you can pour in to make your water taste like lemonade cause I'd be sick of water pretty quick. I don't like it much now.

I'd really need a lot of paper, pens, coloured markers and pencil crayons. Various books. Maybe a ton of those classics which I always mean to read (feel I should read) but haven't so far.

Mostly, I'd like some way of staying alive long enough to see how things come back. I love reading those science fiction stories about how people get through disasters and rebuild. To live it would be really interesting. I don't think I'm a very good survivalist though. I'd be dead pretty quick from asthma, allergies or some weird virus.

After posting this I found a blog called Suburban Survivalist. Another blog found through Entrecard.

Once Upon a Borg

National Stick Figure Week was mentioned in Arbitrary Ruminations- But I can't find it anywhere. I think they have all been assimilated.

I did find a stick figure blog but still new and definitely a boy blog. Boy humour with fart jokes and big boobs.

Sunday Scribblings: Time Machine

Sunday Scribblings

Just a Midnight Nap

Just finished reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I like stories about alternate civilizations/ societies/ flockings of humanity. This one gives a London underground, people living a different fantasy culture beneath, above and unseen around the standard London, UK. I liked it. Will think about something to draw for it later in the day, after a midnight nap.

Another Day Off

Back to real life again tomorrow when I have to go into work, the start of the work week for me. I'm thinking about leaving extra early cause I need to find a bank on the bus route and get in early to get on the computer and do my application/ interview for that admin job at the same company. I'm not sure about it. Maybe more responsibility than I really want. Maybe, likely, more reception than I ever want to do again. But, I did like the part about making plans to help with morale and other such things. It didn't sound quite like the average, plain, grindingly dull admin job. I hope. No one to ask questions of so far. Which is kind of funny in a not good way. Or I could be missing something. It's been known to happen. Upon occasion.

I didn't do much today either. I did get dressed sometime after 1:00 this afternoon. I slept in and then read in bed till I started getting hungry enough to push myself out and get something for lunch. I had cold chinese food cause I decided to order chinese late last night. I really like egg foo young, that chinese omelette. It makes a very good lazy woman's brunch. After all it was like my Sunday today, just the right day for sunday brunch.

I'm thinking of making a second coffee now. It would be nice to have a hot drink.

I've had the science fiction channel on TV most of the day. It's begun repeating the same shows now. Kind of dull of them. Too bad they don't have enough selection to run all new shows all day. I wish they had Doctor Who, the new series especially. Also, more of those old science fiction shows, like those made here in Canada. Most are pretty backwoods looking but that just makes them even more fun to watch. Instead the Space channel (that's what it's called) runs a mix of science fiction and horror. I could do without the horror. Just like bookstores that mix the science fiction with fantasy titles. It's kind of annoying.

I had three fortune cookies with the chinese food:

As the wallet grows, so do the needs.

Don't worry about money. The best things in life are free.

Be prepared to modify your plan.

- I opend this one this afternoon. Seems like they were trying to tell me it was more than time I accomplished something with this time off. Too bad the hint came so late in the day... not really enough time to get anything started now... I'll just have to add it to the list for tomorrow.

Sci Fi Grrl on Another World

Working full time again is like living on another planet, in another world. I come home, I have dinner, I waste time watching TV and then I have to get to bed so I can start all over again the next day. So many things I want to do and don't get done. This blog and the other one and my own site. I used to keep all those balls in the air, juggled around. It's bugging me.

Tonight I came home late, the bus was running late, but I managed to finally get someone at Bell and straighten out the account for the digital TV. So, after two months, I finally have the science fiction channel. I thought they would have a bigger selection of the old shows like the Canadian Starlost which has always bugged me cause I never saw how they ended that, if they did. Also the new and old Doctor Who series from the UK. Others I'm sure I will think of later. Maybe they already had a run and were retired from the regular line up as people got tired of them. But, I'm new and I want to see the old tired stuff. It's fun to watch the outdated science fiction as much as I enjoy seeing the new.

At least I can waste my time watching worlds end and aliens taking over and all the other odd and interesting things going on in science fiction these days.

Pink Raygun

Pink Raygun is a webzine for the modern fangirl. It’s a smart and savvy place to discuss and read about science fiction, fantasy and horror in all of their forms, be it television, movies, books or comics.

Every day at Pink Raygun, you’ll find interviews with the women (and some men) who make genre film and television awesome: writers, costume designers, hair and make-up artists, and special effects crew. We’ll also talk to women (and some men) who are working in manga, comics and fiction.

Other features of Pink Raygun include genre news, a message board forum, opinion pieces addressing issues within scifi, fantasy and horror and an extensive section dedicated to reviews of print and visual media, events, websites and music.

The artist of the ray grrl above is Travis Hanson of Beanleafpress.com. The Pink Raygun graphic was sent in email by the site owner to add a linkback graphic for their site. Pretty nice, eh?

Blogger tip: Find more colours and their codes on the web. Type them in as three number, just as Blogger does. This way you can use colours not available on Blogger, so far. I needed the right neon pink to link to Pink Raygun, Blogger only had a faded pink I couldn't read.

Exercise Like a Jedi

NY Jedi - Saw this on CBC tonight.

PS- The CBC page will suck up your bandwidth. If you click it beware lest it causes you to crash. Of course, some of you don't have an antique computer. I'm sure mine is going up in value by now.

Childcare Robots

From the Personal Robot Research Center: Childcare robots. Found these while poking around looking for odd robot links.

Tanith Lee

I just finished "The Silver Metal Lover" by Tanith Lee.

It's about a 16 year old girl (definitely a girl, very young and emotional) who buys herself a very life-like male robot. It's meant to be a musician/ sex toy. But she sees it as human. I think she has that "I will fix/ save him" syndrome. Whether it's a bad boy or a sick boy, we've all done it.

I like the robot man idea. I could get used to having a man around when I need or just wanted one. The rest of the time he could be stashed out of the way, without complaint. Handy.

I've written fiction along these lines but that was for the adult site so I won't link to it here. (It's just my little secret).

If you had a robot lover would you care about his feelings? Would you assume it/ he even had any or would you see it more as just another appliance? I'd prefer one that could run on solar or wind power. Thinking of the environment and the cost of all those batteries and the electric bill. Solar would be best as it would be nice to take him outside and play around. Though if you live in a city it wouldn't be quite the same. (There are laws about stuff like that).

The book was good. I'd try for a better book report but I burned out on doing book reviews a long time ago. It's not easy coming up with something unique for every book about almost the same thing.

I'm glad to be reading science fiction though. There are only so many romance novels you can handle in one lifetime. Besides, I finally began to outgrow my own inner 16 year old girl. I think she got bored, silly twit. I've been reading some horror too. Nothing violent, graphic and gruesome. I like horror with a twist of science fiction. Something that makes the gears in your brain turn at least a few times.

How Would you Answer?

Has Science Fiction had an impact on your worldview? And if so how? Secondly is there one writer or novel in paticular that has "cranked" your head open?

OR:

What is the strangest thing you believe to be true?

Which question would you pick (and why) and what would your answer be?

I was invited to answer one of these for a sci fi blog group. It was nice to be picked.

I will add my answer when I have sent it to the blog group. Meanwhile... what about you?

My answer to the first question. (I really couldn't come up with anything concrete for the second one).

Yes, I would say science fiction has given my world view more options. Time travel, utopias, and end of the world scenarios (where people do survive) are my favourite science fiction stories to read or watch.

I see the world as separate from the planet. Our planet is a big ball of dust and gas in space but we are the little alien ants scattered all over it, clinging to the surface and mucking it all up. I don't see people as a good thing for the planet. If it had a choice it would likely find a scratching post and scrape us off. I don't see human beings as essential for the planet, we are a nuisance in reality.

Science fiction expands your mind with ideas and other realities. You begin to see past your little existence and need to survive. If you give that up for just a few minutes you get a whole new outlook, where we ourselves are just not that important. Science fiction is the best source of getting that kind of outlook.

Reading science fiction gets you to look at problems and decisions in alternate ways. Rather than seeing the simple and easy solutions you look for something a bit more out there, something less well known or popular and even take things in a totally new direction or turn them upside down. Just because it makes no sense, doesn't mean it won't work. I'm not saying everything should be taken that way. You don't need to cook purple spaghetti with goat innards but you might be open to trying spaghetti squash instead of the usual spaghetti noodles.

I like to read about someone's utopia, their planned out vision of the world and how it eventually crumbles because nothing (and no one) is really perfect, or complete in itself. Science fiction gives you so many points of view and a chance to take what you think is right and good and play with it till all the flaws (and the good points too) come out. You examine and explore far more than just taking an idea at face value.

I can't pinpoint any one writer or book. I've read so many and I've gotten so old that a lot of what I read has become part of the soup in my head. I take a bit of everything and use it to tinker with the masterplan of what I believe and what feels right to me. One writer that haunts my mind is Shirley Jackson but she's not a traditional science fiction writer.

Good Bye Doctor Who

I haven't been a Doctor Who addict but I admit to watching the old series as often as I could, back when it was on TVO regularly. Tonight was the final episode of the new series which CBC has been re-running from BBC. Christopher Eccleston has been a great Doctor Who and I really don't see how the new guy will be able to top him. I'm going to miss him when the new season begins. Where does the old Doctor Who go when the new face/ body comes in? There's a little sci fi mystery for you.

Good bye Christopher, sorry to see your season as the Doctor end.