Comicon Time!

So I’m off to Comicon. Those who are so inclined will be able to see me in three panels. The rest of you? Create your own damn entertainment! Also, should you go, make sure you check out world famous science fiction author Gini Koch! She’s my landlady, so I have to suck up even more than usual!

Trek vs Wars – Battle from Beyond the Stars!

I’d say this video handles things pretty neatly.

Why I Can Admire Pope Francis

It’s because he says things like this:

“The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can. He must. Not can: must! Because he has this commandment within him. Instead, this ‘closing off’ that imagines that those outside, everyone, cannot do good is a wall that leads to war and also to what some people throughout history have conceived of: killing in the name of God. That we can kill in the name of God. And that, simply, is blasphemy. To say that you can kill in the name of God is blasphemy.”

“Instead,” the Pope continued, “the Lord has created us in His image and likeness, and has given us this commandment in the depths of our heart: do good and do not do evil”:

“The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

The notion that doing good is worth doing no matter what your religion, or lack of religion…yeah. I can get behind something like that. And while this sort of sentiment is pretty commonplace among most people in the Western World, having a pope say it really helps. It’s less ground-breaking than it would have been about thirty years ago, but I’ll take what I can get, and I’ll never push aside a potential ally.

See Me At Comicon!

Phoenix Comicon is coming up this weekend! I’ll be there, of course, as I have been the last few years. Those who would like to see me can do so at the following panels:

BIG FINISH AUDIO

Where can you get new episodes of Highlander, Doctor Who, Stargate, Dark Shadows and much, much more? One company: Big Finish Productions. Come talk all things Big Finish with our panelists and have a chance to get some free BF swag.

CLASSIC WHO VS. THE REBOOT

With a series that’s been around for 50 years, there’s a lot of history to draw from. But how much do you draw from the past, and where do you break with tradition in order to make your own history. Join us for a roundtable discussion as we look at how much from the Classic Series has been carried over to today, and where has the Reboot broken ties in the hopes of rewriting history.

THE MANY DEATHS OF THE DOCTOR

When the First Doctor regenerated in 1966, it set off an amazing transformation that had never been seen in TV before. This panel will review the various regenerations of the Timelord, along with the behind the scenes details that led to each one.

See you guys there!

The Experiment Continues

So last month I got rid of my cable TV. I’ve been without for a while now. How is it going?

Quite well, as it happens. I occasionally miss CNN, though god knows why. Beyond that, it’s been pretty easy. For international news, I can watch Al Jezeera on my Roku. I can watch actual TV news on the over-the-air antenna that I have. I have Hulu for TV shows that I miss seeing live. Really, I’m not missing cable at all.

So as things stand, I think I’ll continue like I have been. Beats paying $140 a month to the cable company.

Not All Reforms Are the Reformation

Or something. Enjoy!

Astoundingly, This Might Not Suck

Super hero stuff on TV has been rather iffy at best. Really, I can think of about three successful live-action shows (Superman, Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk). The rest have all been forgettable, bad, or completely sold out their concept in order to work.

I bring this up today because we have a full trailer for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the new Marvel TV series that will be airing on ABC this fall. Check it out.

I have to say…that looks decent. Not perfect, and I do wonder what level of comic book silliness they will use to justify bringing Agent Colson back to life. But that said…this looks like it has some real potential!

So You Say You Want a Really Noisy CD Changer?

Someone has just the device for you!

Schadenfreude, Anyone?

Dan Brown’s new work, Inferno, is released tomorrow. I’ll be buying a copy and reading it. I’ve no doubt it will live up to the high level of standards Brown has set with his previous works. And stuff.

In addition to reading it, I will of course be writing a review. Brown seems to love his critics, as a writer for the Sun pointed out. This really is a must read. Best quote?

The critics said his writing was clumsy, ungrammatical, repetitive and repetitive. They said it was full of unnecessary tautology. They said his prose was swamped in a sea of mixed metaphors. For some reason they found something funny in sentences such as “His eyes went white, like a shark about to attack.” They even say my books are packed with banal and superfluous description, thought the 5ft 9in man. He particularly hated it when they said his imagery was nonsensical. It made his insect eyes flash like a rocket.

Your Cure for Depression