Catastrophic Disruption

So what did you guys think about the main character's decision in Catastrophic Disruption to leave the magic lighter with his princess at the end? He knew that she would likely use it to send the dogs to kill him, but he did it anyway. Was this some act of atonement for all his past sins, or was it that he just had nothing else to live for? It seemed to me like he had experienced just about all the horrors and pleasures he wanted in life and saw no reason to continue.

Halloween!

Seeing as how I wasn't here last week, I'm not sure if this was discussed, but I'll bring it up anyway. Does anyone have plans for Halloween?? Haunted Houses? Trick-or-Treating? I'm being boring and staying in, so please tell me someone is actually doing something fun so that I may live vicariously through you!

I hope everyone has fun in what ever it is you're doing!

Restoration

So, while reading "Restoration," I couldn't help but think of a few other works and films that I believe are very similar in some aspects. For instance, has anyone ever seen the TV film series The Librarian? If not, it's basically about this very intelligent guy who applies to work in a library...simple enough. However, it is no ordinary library of course! In the basement of the library are countless artifacts and mythic treasures (for instance, Neptune's trident, Excalibur, the Holy Grail, etc). Anyway, the Librarian's job is to go out and collect these valuables. In "Restoration," when Andy was applying for the gallery job, I pictured the same beginning as the first Librarian movie. He's not sure why he got the job, and he underestimates what all the job actually entails. If you haven't seen it, give it a shot!

Goodnight Moons

I just finished our readings for this week, and while I enjoyed most of them, my favorite was definitely "Goodnight Moons" by Ellen Klages. It may be my favorite of the entire collection, because it was so simple and sweet. Some of the other stories we've read have involved space in some way, but this was the first one to really address the effect that it might have on individuals, both emotionally and physically. The shortness of the story was somewhat jarring- I could easily have continued to read about Zoe and Poddy- but I think that's a large part of its charm. We don't need to know what happens to them in their new life on Mars, because our adventure with them is over. When the short story ends and the readers leave them, Zoe and Poddy are truly alone in a way that they would not have been if the story had continued.

Plus, I loved the nod/twist to "Goodnight Moon" at the end. That was one of my favorite books growing up.

Brave Little Toaster Reading

Earlier this week I found an awesome version of Cory Doctorow reading "The Brave Little Toaster" on his podcast. He does a pretty good job with it:

http://craphound.com/?p=3704

Free Download

I thought I'd share a link to a free download on Audible. It's a Halloween short story by Neil Gaiman. Here's the link if anyone's interested:
http://www.audible.com/mt/ScareUs

The Corpse Painter's Masterpiece

I found "The Corpse Painter's Masterpiece" to be a very touching story. I do not have children, but I can't imagine how hard it is to find peace once again after losing a child. Throughout the story, I was able to feel the pain and guilt the main character feels for the death of his son. The stress at home with his wife and the tension between them is most likely a result of the silent torment they face each day while they try to cope with the loss. When the main character sees the light that leads him to his son's grave, it's as if he believes he has finally found a solution that will help lessen the pain. He doesn't know if it will work, but he cannot help but try. I felt his blind hope while he was frantically digging in the frozen earth with his bare hands. There was no stopping, and his friend who found him, who also had a child of similar age to the man's deceased son, knew this so he lended his help. The idea of turning your deceased child's bones into a Christmas present seems sepulchral at first, but the way the author describes the couples mentality about the loss and their love for the child they miss terribly made it very sweet. I had this image in my mind when I finished the story, and even now, of two people, holding each other and finding some peace after this tradegy while soft amber light dances in beautiful patterns around the room from the flames of the candles, or the corpse painter's "masterpeice."

The Man Who Bridged the Mist

I just finished the longest selection of this week's reading.  It is, by far, the most straightforward work we have read this entire semester.  I rather enjoyed the change of pace.  I thought it was quite a good story, touching on some interesting and fairly deep themes.  I also thought that it could have been done in fewer pages, although of course that would have meant a loss of some character development.

The main reason I wrote this post is to express my opinion that The Man Who Bridged the Mist ought to be read last.  There's a story after it, but it's quite short and leaves you hanging a bit.  Bridged the Mist has a strong beginning, middle, and end feel, and really leaves you feeling as though you've finished something.  Because it's so long, it almost has that finishing a novel feel.  And it leaves a good sense of closure.

One interesting thing about 'valley of the girls'

When I was rereading a few parts of a few stories, I noticed an interesting thing.  It was mentioned in class but I had somehow missed it.  First of all [     ] does say on page 236 that he bought a biological agent so I think that was what [Hero] meant when she said she was saving all of their friends.  Also I think what happened is that [     ] fell in love with [Hero]'s face and that catching his face and her face together is what drove him over the edge.  What I mean by that is that he released the film that would destroy his and his sister's reputation not as a way to strike at society or his parents but rather to ruin the face's lives as well.  Also I think he had given up in a way which led to his purchasing a biological agent and planning to release it at the party that night.  His sister must have known so when she was planning to commit suicide, she lured him down there partly to protect her friends but also for revenge and wishing not to die alone.  It was a bit of a grim story but it really interested me from the stand point that Link gave the readers clues during the story and we had to piece together what was going on.

Run for Your Lives 5K

So this is the 5K I ran this summer! I went to Indianapolis and something like 2,000 people attended, it was really intense. There were obstacles like bridges we had to climb under, rope walls, and an electric fence. My sister and I ran in the morning and were zombies for one of the afternoon races. I didn't live to the end, but I made it to mile 2.5!

http://www.runforyourlives.com/

Gas Works Park

I just wanted to post a few photos of Gas Works park in Seattle. In "Underbridge" the professor says he finally found Cut'n-Shoot under a tree in the park. The park has a very strange aura to it, as it is the site of an old gas manufacturing plant that has been turned into a park looking across Lake Union towards the Space Needle. It's really pretty, but creepy since there is all this leftover industrial equipment. I got to go right about sunset as the families were packing up and about to head home and the ravers and "earthy types" were just coming in about to turn the park into a dance party. 

Small price for birdsong

So how did everyone else interpret the relationship between the main character and Subtilius? It seemed to me that Subtilius was like a best friend who knew exactly what the main character was thinking before he did and could manipulate his emotions by pointing out the things he hates most about himself. I suppose the term "best friends" may not be the most appropriate description as they were both plotting to kill each other, but they definitely knew each other better than anyone else. I just can't figure out whether they really hate one another or just don't want to associate because they know each other's darkest secrets. Either way, they both seem like terrible people to me.

Did anyone else cry like a little girl while reading "The Paper Menagerie"?

I really enjoyed this second set of stories, because I felt a lot more involved with them. It seems like this anthology has a good mix of stories that are just really good escapism reading and ones that really tug at your heartstrings (and plenty that do both). I got very attached to the characters in "The Paper Menagerie", "The Corpse Painter's Masterpeice", and "Steam Girl". Anyone else?

A few things

I don't read a lot of short stories on my own, but I like the fact that there is such a diversity in what we read for a week. If you get assigned a book you don't like, you still have to finish reading it. Here it's not long before you can move on to the next one. However, this didn't seem to be a big problem this week, as I liked many of the stories.

I guess my favorite was probably "Steam Girl." I would like to imagine that the girl really was stuck in a warped version of reality. Also, I thought it had an interesting story within a story dynamic that kept me wanting to know more.



On an unrelated note, I guess I'll bring in my American Studies background now. I went to see the movie Argo last weekend. In case you don't know what it's about, a CIA agent uses the pretense of a science fiction movie as he tries to rescue six Americans trapped in Iran during the hostage crisis. Being in this class makes me pay more attention to references of science fiction. Anyway, not strictly related, but thought I'd mention it anyway. I hadn't heard of it until someone else told me about it.

A Small Price to Pay for a Birdsong

I really enjoyed reading this story, and felt like it had a lot of good lessons to teach. I loved that once the main character (what was his name again?) let go of his fear of failure and not earning enough money, he got his "wings." Wings refer to his ability to be able to compose beautiful music that captured all music is supposed to be about. I think that is a good life lesson anyone can take to heart. Once you stop stressing out over being perfect, everything comes a lot easier and you can even be great at what you do. I loved the twist at the end where Subtilius is imprisoned because the main character finds out it is actually him who killed his nephew. The only question I have about the end is why does he keep him locked up? Is it so Subtilius feels the way he did once about not having wings? Or is it simply to punish him for what he did to his nephew he didn't even know or love?

The Corpse Painter's Masterpiece

Can I go ahead and claim a discussion for tomorrow? I absolutely LOVE Tim Burton, and this story reminded me so much of one of his stories. There is something I love about seeing a creepy, evil, or otherwise unlovable character have very personal attributes that make the reader feel for them in a very affectionate way.

Also, I have a lot of questions about what you all think happens at the end.

Interview With Steven Moffat

I am a huge Steven Moffat fan- I really love every episode he's written for Doctor Who, and all of Sherlock. I found an interview (mostly talking about the 6th season of Doctor Who) and thought y'all might be interested, since we're about to watch 2 of his episodes today.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/interview-doctor-who-showrunner-steven-moffat-on-amy-river-rory-and-more

Quick Question

Hey, everybody! I was just wondering whether we needed to cite anything in our papers. I don't remember hearing anything about that. I'm fairly certain that we don't need to, but I want to make sure I didn't overlook anything. Furthermore, do we need a title at the top? Oh God. I'm starting to second guess everything. Panic Mode!! 

Papers and Doctor Who

Hope everyone's papers are going well! I'm excited about Doctor Who tomorrow. It actually fits in nicely with the paper since I ended up writing about an episode. And we're watching two of my favorite episodes. It's a nice break from the midterms in my other classes this week.

Paper Break time!

I've been forced to the realization that I'm not going to make any progress on my paper until I post about something that I read this weekend (also, I just managed to punch myself in the face with my laptop, so I think it might be a good idea to work on something other than a major paper). This weekend, I read The Passage by Justin Cronin. I don't want to spoil anything, so to quickly summarize, the world goes to hell when a virus created by the US government is accidentally released to the general public. What makes this different from other plague stories, however, is that the virus turns its victims (those that it doesn't kill outright, that is) into vampire-like creatures (the initial intention for the virus was to extend the human lifespan, which I suppose, it technically did). The majority of the book dealt with human survivors 100 years after the outbreak and their attempts to discover more about it. The thing that struck me the most about the book, and made me think of this class, was how the virals/vamps/dracs/smokes in the book were not the cuddly creatures of the night most common in modern fiction. They were as close to the original terrifying creatures as it is possible to get, and I think that is part of the reason why I enjoyed it so much. The virals had no desire to go to high school or date teenagers like we saw in "Younger Women". It was a refreshing change from the annoyingly sincere creatures that populate modern pop culture. That alone would have made it a great read, but it also makes you think about how something like this is possible. I've loved books that feature real world scenarios since I first read Stephen King's The Stand in middle school. The Passage is definitely worth the read.

Doctor Who

I was wondering if the episodes of "Doctor Who" that we will be watching in class Wednesday are beginning episodes or just random ones that were really interesting? I've never seen the show, but I want to have a  little bit of an idea about it before we watch it. I think I'll watch some of the old episodes prior to class on Wednesday so I'll have a clue!

Andy's in Town - What Do?

Hey everyone!

So, as you know, Andy will be gracing us with his presence in Tuscaloosa this week. As he referenced in class, Andy always goes to grab some food at the Brown Bag in Northport, which I've been told is delicious.  After that, Andy likes to go to a place of the class's choosing to hang out and fraternize a bit. Last year we made trips to Big Daddy's downtown and hung in the Hookah lounge out back where Andy impressed us with his ability to blow smoke rings. This year we could do more of the same, or try something different.

I personally, would love to grab a couple beers at The Alcove, but seeing as it's a 21+ establishment, everyone may not be able to go.

Does any else have any suggestions?

Paper topic-help me please!

Hey everyone! So I realized our paper is due really soon and that it's Sunday already.  I've been thinking that I would really like to talk about the mind control aspects of "Liking What You See" by Ted Chiang and then comparing that to Dollhouse and maybe Uglies? Can anyone think of another story that we've read in class that I could incorporate or a more specific focus even?

Thank you so much!!! I'll bring everyone cookies one day for the help :)

The Weekend!

First, I must say that I am deeply saddened by the fact that Doctor Who is on hiatus for a few weeks. That's not cool, BBC...not cool. I am excited though, for a new companion for the Doctor!

Second, I hope everyone is having a great weekend! How are your papers coming? (That is, if you've started yet). Did anyone have any epiphanies on topics or material after class, or is it more of a wing it and hope ideas come as you're writing situation?

Cory Doctorow AMA

Here's a link to an AMA Doctorow did on Reddit if anyone is interested:

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11bm9i/iam_cory_doctorow_writer_blogger_and_activist_ama/

Paper Topic...

I think I've finally decided that my paper will revolve around time travel in 2 of the short stories we read, "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" and "Story of Your Life", both by Ted Chiang. I loved both of the stories, and it will be interesting to compare their portrayals of time travel to those of other authors. I'm not sure which books I'll be comparing them to yet, but I have a few in mind that might work nicely. Time travel has been addressed by so many authors, and most of them have different approaches to how it might be possible, so it'll be fun to pick out their fundamental similarities and differences.

Mycroft in The Case of Death and Honey

Did anyone notice that in the scene of Mycroft's death he predicted several key future events?  I personally truly enjoy Mycroft's character and thought it was humorous to have him see the independence of India, the Russian revolution, and as he put it 'the German problem' or as one could surmise World War I/II.  Anyways I just thought it was worth a tip of the hat to the author for including Mycroft in this story if only briefly.

"The Case of Death and Honey"

This was one of my favorite short stories from the book. I've been a Sherlock Holmes fan since we read some of the original stories in school. I found out that this story was also published in another book that I own but haven't had a chance to read yet called A Study in Sherlock.

One thing that I liked was how it specifically referenced one of Doyle's stories. I couldn't remember it when I was reading, but the references within the letter seemed to be alluding to something, so I looked it up. "The Case of Death and Honey" mentions Professor Presbury, who is a character in "The Adventure of the Creeping Man." This story is from The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes, one of the later books. It is basically about an older man who takes a drug that gives him renewed energy while also causing him to assume some of the traits of a monkey, from which the drug is derived. In the story we read, we are supposed to conclude that these facts have actually been changed, presumably from something having to do with bees.

I found that one commentary called the original "risible science fiction." Admittedly, "The Adventure of the Creeping Man" is pretty far fetched. (Holmes calls the additions "fanciful" in "The Case of Death and Honey.") Still, I think it's interesting to call it science fiction at all. I had never considered Sherlock Holmes as science fiction and was surprised when we read this for a science fiction class.

Anyway, just some more things to think about in relation to this story.

Going back to Chiang...

I came across this article while doing a literature search for our writing assignment. It's only a few days old (posted October 3.) I've already found parts of it helpful. If any of you are choosing a topic involving Ted Chiang, this might help.

Pastiche

After reading "The Case of Death and Honey" I must say that I am impressed with the author's ability to duplicate Conan Doyle's writing style and retain that unmistakable Holmes character. I realized that I am quite fond of a number of "pastiche" type works not only limited to literature, but art, music, and films as well. One example is the great Sergio Leone film "A Fistful of Dollars" starring Clint Eastwood. This film is almost an exact copy of Akira Kurosawa's classic samurai film "Yojimbo" only it is set in the American Old West instead of feudal Japan. This practice of imitation is great for fans of the original works who unfortunately will not receive any more because the original author may be deceased. It also allows for a re-imagining of a classic work to appeal to a new audience. So, what are you guys thoughts on this practice of imitation? Do you prefer that an author write only in his or her own distinct style, or is it OK to copycat?

I must be getting old...

In class today, while we were discussing "Younger Women" by Karen Joy Fowler, a funny thing occurred to me. We talked about how this story made us think of Twilight and the way the vampires, despite their immortality and awesomeness, choose to lurk around high school and date young, vulnerable teenage girls. I thought about the way I was in high school and how it never occurred to me when I first read the Twilight series that it was completely weird for a vampire who had been around for almost a century to want to date a junior in high school. Now, in my early twenties and much more mature (I like to think) than a teenager, I found myself hoping the vampire would go for the mom, instead. While reading "Younger Women", it did seem strange for him to date the daughter. As "old" as he was, you wouldn't think he would be able to put up with the girl's brattiness and immaturity. I wonder if I had read this story back in high school, if I would have felt the same way or found myself siding with the teenage girl, instead.

Paper Topic

I have been thinking and re-reading trying to come up with a paper topic for our first assignment. I think I landed on a good idea, but I wanted to get others opinions to make sure I am in the right direction.

My favorite topic that I have come up with is, what makes someone human. We have read numerous stories this semester that had robots, or creatures that would originally be considered non-human. Some of the questions I think I want to address are should robots be considered human? Are humans with their dependence on technology becoming robot like? What is the biggest quality in assigning humanity?

Let me know what you think!

Cool live author chat tonight!

Hey everyone! I was surfing the interwebs and found out that tonight's installment of The Story Board, which is a live video chat discussion thing with different authors, will feature Cherie Priest, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, and Terry Brooks. Might be pretty cool to watch since Cherie Priest is one of the authors we're reading later this semester...and it doesn't hurt that Brandon Sanderson, Pat Rothfuss, and Terry Brooks (TERRY BROOKS OMG) are such awesome authors!! I think the first link is the right one, but if it's not, the second link is to Brandon Sanderson's blog post with his link. Just in case. Because I'm an idiot when it comes to technology.

https://plus.google.com/+GeekandSundry/posts
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/blog/1117/LEGION-%28free%29-on-Audible--Google-Hangout-with-Pat-Rothfuss-Cherie-Priest-and-Terry-Brooks

Oh, and it starts at 9 pm Mountain time, which is 10 pm our time!

Y'all I am both obsessed with and terrified of bees

I've always found the way that bees and ants organize their colonies really fascinating (and also really, really frightening). One hive might have thousands and thousands of bees, and yet they're able to organize their population, divvy up responsibilities, and build really intricate structures and keep everything running scary efficiently. That's why I was initially drawn to "The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees"- it explored that hivemind quality of bees in a really interesting way.

I don't know much about bee slavery, but ants totally do that kind of thing all the time. They've also been known to spread all over the planet and kill whatever ants happened to be there before. When hivemind species like ants and bees work as an army, they do things like take slaves, kill native populations, and set up guards for their new colony that we think of as human, intelligent behaviors. When reading "The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees", it seems almost comical to think of bees having ambassadors, scientists, and teachers, because an individual bee is essentially brainless- but as a hive they act like a human society with all of these complex roles.

Tidal Forces

So I think I may have just found a paper topic from this story! Rather, many possible topics. I loved the astrophysics aspect to this narrative. And there was SO MUCH symbolism relating to black holes, I was totally geeking out. I don't want to give too much away before Wednesday, that way I have things to bring up, but after after class, I would appreciate some feedback on my possible topics.

The first thing I want to ask is why y'all may have thought the narrator used playing cards to refer to the days of the week. I thought it may have to do with the overabundance of uncertainty and unknown matters they were dealing with that it helped to relate those days of craziness to something more tangible and understandable, like a playing card. Or on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the randomness of the events and odd circumstances related to the randomness of drawing a card from a shuffled deck...each day is a different card from the pile and you don't know what you're going to get.
What do y'all think was so significant about the cards?

Short Story discussion assignments

Did we get a list of who was starting the discussion on each story this week?  If so, I seem to have lost where it went.