Since I thought of it yesterday I am so excited to get "Terran" tattooed somewhere on my body. A lot of consideration will have to go into this before I'm ready to have it done. I will probably use the same typeface that they use in StarCraft.
Ooooooooooohh It's SOOO EPIC and fitting! It means to be unified as a race, explorers and conquerors. It's BOLD and it marks me out as a strategist.
Actually it's made me think about Warhammer 40k. I used to play Eldar, which I don't have the hype for. Tyranids, sure, they have the best story, I would love them if they were anything close to playable. Chaos, now there is where my heart lies in that series. Unfortunately it is a significant time drain to try to remember all the rules.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Terran
I have been reading this great space opera by Vernor Vinge: 'A fire upon the deep'
and it has made me think a lot. I can't read this book at any good pace, it is quite complex. There are a few things, without going into too much detail, that stand out in memory.
SPOILERS
The pack animals, the Tines are incredible creatures that offer a spring of complexity and analysis in contrast to the human race. In particular there is a death scene involving Scriber Jaquaramaphan. Johanna looks down on his inventions (a personality trait or inherent in humanity) because they disobey the laws of physics, unknown to Scriber. Instead of helping him perfect them she revels in the obscenity and laughs at them. He misunderstands and thinks that she approves, but then she throws the book on the fire. I know that we often can throw people by the wayside for silly ideas but what happens next is interesting to the storytelling aspect of the book (sci-fi's often miss). Scriber dies. All of his members except Ja are instantly killed. Ja crawls back to Woodcarver with a broken spine. It's very sad. Johanna was prepared to seek his forgiveness, although the thought processes involved in this were self-oriented. She doesn't seem to care about Scriber. Well I personally did care about him, and when the Johanna / Woodcarver side of the story seems so episodic (read: throwaway).... hell I dunno what to say about it. It's a feeling thing.
I do sometimes wonder why the human race often seems so lonely in space operas. We always appear to have enemies and don't collaborate to become something better. Would an alien be worth as much, do they all evolve the same machine logic overlayed with emotion? Or are there completely different systems of looking at things - far more foreign than cultural differences between nations? They could even have ESP or even something more quantifiable that we haven't been shown. It's all about being human.
and it has made me think a lot. I can't read this book at any good pace, it is quite complex. There are a few things, without going into too much detail, that stand out in memory.
SPOILERS
The pack animals, the Tines are incredible creatures that offer a spring of complexity and analysis in contrast to the human race. In particular there is a death scene involving Scriber Jaquaramaphan. Johanna looks down on his inventions (a personality trait or inherent in humanity) because they disobey the laws of physics, unknown to Scriber. Instead of helping him perfect them she revels in the obscenity and laughs at them. He misunderstands and thinks that she approves, but then she throws the book on the fire. I know that we often can throw people by the wayside for silly ideas but what happens next is interesting to the storytelling aspect of the book (sci-fi's often miss). Scriber dies. All of his members except Ja are instantly killed. Ja crawls back to Woodcarver with a broken spine. It's very sad. Johanna was prepared to seek his forgiveness, although the thought processes involved in this were self-oriented. She doesn't seem to care about Scriber. Well I personally did care about him, and when the Johanna / Woodcarver side of the story seems so episodic (read: throwaway).... hell I dunno what to say about it. It's a feeling thing.
I do sometimes wonder why the human race often seems so lonely in space operas. We always appear to have enemies and don't collaborate to become something better. Would an alien be worth as much, do they all evolve the same machine logic overlayed with emotion? Or are there completely different systems of looking at things - far more foreign than cultural differences between nations? They could even have ESP or even something more quantifiable that we haven't been shown. It's all about being human.
home again
You know that visualization stuff really works. The lack of callouses on my left fingers vs my newfound proficiency in the violin is living proof. Without much practice I felt mightily competent as I was playing with my Aunt in Toukley this Tues and Wed 12-13/1. I was even able to read the music much better (I think partly because I did not need to concentrate on my hands).
I love these little trips, I did have to explain some silly religious standpoint to my aunt who is some form of christian. I don't think she cares and neither do I. But the highlight must have been going to the beach. The waves were pretty terrible, I thought it was a little funny the people who stood out there waiting for a wave. It must be their form of zen meditation, because no good wave was forthcoming. I still recognized what the waves were doing, they came in two or three at a time and closer to the beach where the small ones were breaking was the best place to be. Just as they broke the bigger wave behind it would catch up and gave me a little burst ride. I also found the spot where the waves converged and made a whole lot of turbulence.
Anyway, I'm back to reality - the long holidays and my book ideas. I have had some fantastic dreams recently, many elements are thanks to Spore. That game is absolutely visionary.
I'm waiting to catch up with Stef's parents, who are visiting from Germany. I think I may need a crash course in sign language. I think we could start off the night that I see them by playing charades so I can get a feel for it.
I love these little trips, I did have to explain some silly religious standpoint to my aunt who is some form of christian. I don't think she cares and neither do I. But the highlight must have been going to the beach. The waves were pretty terrible, I thought it was a little funny the people who stood out there waiting for a wave. It must be their form of zen meditation, because no good wave was forthcoming. I still recognized what the waves were doing, they came in two or three at a time and closer to the beach where the small ones were breaking was the best place to be. Just as they broke the bigger wave behind it would catch up and gave me a little burst ride. I also found the spot where the waves converged and made a whole lot of turbulence.
Anyway, I'm back to reality - the long holidays and my book ideas. I have had some fantastic dreams recently, many elements are thanks to Spore. That game is absolutely visionary.
I'm waiting to catch up with Stef's parents, who are visiting from Germany. I think I may need a crash course in sign language. I think we could start off the night that I see them by playing charades so I can get a feel for it.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Write in aftermath
Do you think there could be a genre called 'simple'? I was trying to list a bunch of different genres and they all implied a restriction on the story, sci-fi being the loosest of the main types. None of them are things that I particularly want to write. Do I start by saying, here is my romantic hero, here is my detective, here is my alien or time traveler and work from there? Is there not enough fleshy story in the realm of normal and/or simple? Sometimes I feel like no one else shares my love of small things.
Today may have been pretty useless as far as my development as a writer is concerned. I tried starting a piece of fanfic of DTB. I love that series, at first I thought it was very free but soon realized that there are gigantic character constraints. The Syndicate member is often the emotionless human connection to the truly emotionless contractors and he always has jobs for Li. Rin is a doll and Misaki is mediated by her duty as a policewoman and love of Li. The conflict of those two rarely shows through, she immediately neglects her duty as soon as he's near but she doesn't think about the two as contradictory. She actively seeks him out as part of her job and because she experiences that familiar sense of loneliness.
The nuance is what I'm aiming for.
Today may have been pretty useless as far as my development as a writer is concerned. I tried starting a piece of fanfic of DTB. I love that series, at first I thought it was very free but soon realized that there are gigantic character constraints. The Syndicate member is often the emotionless human connection to the truly emotionless contractors and he always has jobs for Li. Rin is a doll and Misaki is mediated by her duty as a policewoman and love of Li. The conflict of those two rarely shows through, she immediately neglects her duty as soon as he's near but she doesn't think about the two as contradictory. She actively seeks him out as part of her job and because she experiences that familiar sense of loneliness.
The nuance is what I'm aiming for.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Suzumiya Haruhi
I'm still digesting this series. A lot of the themes have already been covered in Evangelion, which I am overly familiar with. Haruhi has the ability to change the universe at (subconscious) will, a little like Shinji except that the story is about her personality rather than how fucked up Shinji is mentally.
So that's not what tends to stand out for me. The story is wonderful, an example of creative freedom well told. In fact it looks effortless like a real life.
On second thought, this lesson is better left unsaid.
So that's not what tends to stand out for me. The story is wonderful, an example of creative freedom well told. In fact it looks effortless like a real life.
On second thought, this lesson is better left unsaid.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Crap
I've been so caught up in playing spore recently. I spend hours on it and don't even check the time. Today I completed the ultimate mission: to make it to the center of the galaxy. It's really difficult to get past all the enemy space ships and the closer you get the smaller your travel distance becomes.
The ending SPOILER: was very 2001 a space odyssey with a touch of Hitch Hiker's guide with a supreme being talking to you through a little speaker, who gives you the staff of life, 42 of them that instantly terraform a planet into t3 (fully supported life).
I also started a new game, where I actually knew my objectives. Unfortunately, not having played through the earlier stages I had no special abilities and spent all my time flying around taking all the good solar systems (with rare spice planets) for myself, then trying not to anger people too much. I don't have anything except interstellar drive 3 and a decent lump of money. Trying to protect everything will be difficult until interstellar drive 5.
Crap I did nothing with my day... at least this will help me get over Spore for a while. I will start playing go again.
The ending SPOILER: was very 2001 a space odyssey with a touch of Hitch Hiker's guide with a supreme being talking to you through a little speaker, who gives you the staff of life, 42 of them that instantly terraform a planet into t3 (fully supported life).
I also started a new game, where I actually knew my objectives. Unfortunately, not having played through the earlier stages I had no special abilities and spent all my time flying around taking all the good solar systems (with rare spice planets) for myself, then trying not to anger people too much. I don't have anything except interstellar drive 3 and a decent lump of money. Trying to protect everything will be difficult until interstellar drive 5.
Crap I did nothing with my day... at least this will help me get over Spore for a while. I will start playing go again.
Friday, January 1, 2010
You are not alone
Are we going to spend our whole lives asking the same questions over and over again? Sometimes I admire those army freaks. Then I remember they're INSANE, still...
I spent my entirety of yesterday playing Spore and just realized the time in time for Sex in the City. I love that show, I wish I had gotten into it earlier. I swear anyone watching it will be a lot more mature.
I spent my entirety of yesterday playing Spore and just realized the time in time for Sex in the City. I love that show, I wish I had gotten into it earlier. I swear anyone watching it will be a lot more mature.
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