Midnight has passed and we're now into October 31st. Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds is now over.
It was my first time trying something like this, and I was fortunate enough to have a great partner in crime, harrysaxon, over at our shared site Not A Planet Anymore. What made it even better was the fact that others came to participate in our little online adventure. You can see their contributions on the posts over there, and we'll be publishing highlights later today, and a full account of the 2008 Martian invasion sometime in the next couple of days. Thank-you to everyone who came here to bloginhood to read about my misadventures, and to all of you who slipped over to Not A Planet Anymore to get a bigger picture.
Our plan at this point, after we get some sleep, go for a celebratory beer and spend some time with our wives, is to evaluate how things went. That being said, harrysaxon and I are both pleased with how BLITWOTW played out, and I have a feeling this will become an annual event. I hope all of you will be able to join us for it next year.
In the meantime, I'll be returning to your regularly-scheduled (if not always regularly posted) bloginhood ramblings from the SF soapbox.
Good night all. And Happy Hallowe'en.
babbling relentlessly about science fiction, fantasy, and all points in between
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
BLITWOTW - I think this is it
Not a lot of time - one of them's just outside - I mean justoutfuckingsideofmywindow!!!
The raft grab was a failure. Couldn't get down to the store very fast cause of all the crap on the roads and lawns and I really need to lose about 30 goddamn pounds. Some tripods were still lurching around and I had to stop and hide. Got down to Steveston Highway and was heading to the store - saw 5 of the fuckers in a field at the corner of #4 Road - no way to get past them. Got cut off - another was coming in from behind me, back Steveston way. Had to ditch the bike and crawl back through a ditch - managed to wait till the Martian passed, then crawled a little farther before getting up and across the road and deking up through the burbs back home.
Heard from my wife on Not A Planet Anymore when I got back - looks like she's been posting her situation - conveniently when I'm not in front of the computer! She seems to be fine for now. Now it's just me and the cat.
Goddamn tripod came stumbling - yes! stumbling! down my street about 10 minutes ago. Funny thing - for a giant milking stool they always had a weird kind of grace. Not now. Thing looks drunk. Staggered into my cul-de-sac and is standing right in the middle of the driveway.
I should grab the cat and the emergency pack and book it out the back door, but the thing's got a clear view/clear shot right through the window here. My fingers may be hammering this keyboard, but the rest of my body hasn't moved a centimetre for 10 minutes now. Hardly breathing. Don't want to get shot. Have to admit, part of me wants to stay and watch - it's wobbling and I want to see if it falls over. No apparent damage on it, it's just swaying. I saw a couple in the distance, in the centre of town, against the glare of some of the fires doing the same thing. Coming home I saw one about 5 blocks away that was actually DOWN! They came all this way just to kick our asses and crash inside of a day? Did they break into a grow-op and start rocking the ganja or something? Did our government somehow manage to slip them something toxic? Did they eat something that ain't sitting well?
The swaying's getting more erratic now. I'm gonna switch over to Not A Planet Anymore. The folks over there have gotta see this. This could be the end - maybe for me if toasted Mr Martian here falls into my house.
Good luck, everyone!
The raft grab was a failure. Couldn't get down to the store very fast cause of all the crap on the roads and lawns and I really need to lose about 30 goddamn pounds. Some tripods were still lurching around and I had to stop and hide. Got down to Steveston Highway and was heading to the store - saw 5 of the fuckers in a field at the corner of #4 Road - no way to get past them. Got cut off - another was coming in from behind me, back Steveston way. Had to ditch the bike and crawl back through a ditch - managed to wait till the Martian passed, then crawled a little farther before getting up and across the road and deking up through the burbs back home.
Heard from my wife on Not A Planet Anymore when I got back - looks like she's been posting her situation - conveniently when I'm not in front of the computer! She seems to be fine for now. Now it's just me and the cat.
Goddamn tripod came stumbling - yes! stumbling! down my street about 10 minutes ago. Funny thing - for a giant milking stool they always had a weird kind of grace. Not now. Thing looks drunk. Staggered into my cul-de-sac and is standing right in the middle of the driveway.
I should grab the cat and the emergency pack and book it out the back door, but the thing's got a clear view/clear shot right through the window here. My fingers may be hammering this keyboard, but the rest of my body hasn't moved a centimetre for 10 minutes now. Hardly breathing. Don't want to get shot. Have to admit, part of me wants to stay and watch - it's wobbling and I want to see if it falls over. No apparent damage on it, it's just swaying. I saw a couple in the distance, in the centre of town, against the glare of some of the fires doing the same thing. Coming home I saw one about 5 blocks away that was actually DOWN! They came all this way just to kick our asses and crash inside of a day? Did they break into a grow-op and start rocking the ganja or something? Did our government somehow manage to slip them something toxic? Did they eat something that ain't sitting well?
The swaying's getting more erratic now. I'm gonna switch over to Not A Planet Anymore. The folks over there have gotta see this. This could be the end - maybe for me if toasted Mr Martian here falls into my house.
Good luck, everyone!
BLITWOTW - a little good news for once
Seems like the Martians don't have it as easy as they'd like... Lugosi's advised us over at Not A Planet Anymore that some of the tripods are down in the eastern US and the aliens aren't looking so hot.
Wish we had it that good here - still a lot of searchlights and the sound of heat rays in the distance.
I'm still making a run for that raft. Wish me luck!
Wish we had it that good here - still a lot of searchlights and the sound of heat rays in the distance.
I'm still making a run for that raft. Wish me luck!
BLITWOTW - have boat will travel - need a boat though
I don't know how much longer I can afford to wait around the house here. Sooner or later the Martians will probably start going through the neighbourhoods looking for snacks or something, and when they find me, they'll probably be thinking the same way I would with a nice, fat pig and a barbeque. Going to bike down to the Canadian Tire store (the roads are clogged with cars wrecked in accidents - and from the looks of it, some that have been tossed around by the tripods) to see if I can't scrounge an inflatable raft and some other supplies. I'll lay low tomorrow and then on Hallowe'en night, the trick's on the Martians - if my wife isn't back, I'll take the cat, hit the waves and get as far up the coast as I can. Maybe they'll ignore Bella Bella for a while. I just know that staying around here is just asking for trouble. Wish me luck.
BLITWOTW - cut off and ready for slaughter
It's been one hell of an afternoon. Part of me is honestly surprised I'm still alive at this point. Part of me doesn't care 'cause I still haven't been able to get in touch with my wife.
After my last post I got the earthquake emergency packs out of the closet, added every can of nuclear-yellow Campbell's chicken soup I could grab outta the cupboard and anything else that wasn't perishable, cranked the radio to one of the local news stations (the joint I used to work at, as a matter of fact - not surprisingly, all of the useless assholes in middle management have ditched and ran, leaving a handful of too-stupid-to-be-scared rookies and a couple of dedicated veterans to keep 'er on air. Good on ya, Tom!) and hunkered down in front of the net to try to find out what the hell is going on.
You all know it's pretty fuckin' bad out there.
Pitched battles all over the world by this afternoon - and in many cases, not battles so much as butchery. Seems these Martians - yes, I know they're probably not from Mars, but we've gotta call these interstellar assholes something, and Martians have traditionally been the shit-disturbers of SF, so I'm calling them Martians! - aren't invulnerable; the armour on their tripods is very tough stuff, but a couple of well-placed shots of high ordinance seems to be able to penetrate it. Problem is, most armies have only been able to get off a couple of shots from their tanks or artillery before the Martians barbeque them. The heat rays or whatever seem to be able to do a pretty effective job of cutting through armor and blowing crap up in a very short period of time, allowing them to take out multiple targets very quickly. Working in teams of 3 or 4, they're pretty much unstoppable. Missiles, planes and choppers get shot out of the air at great distances too. Some success with high-level carpet bombing, but then the Martians get wise and just blow the bombs out of the sky before they can get close enough. Ambush and quick withdrawal has had some success too. Word has it a couple of nukes were brought into play somewhere in Asia, and while they took out a couple of tripods, the smart bastards outside the initial drop zones that had time to see the missiles incoming just dug themselves in so they wouldn't sustain blast damage - their armour seems to have kept out the radiation (makes sense, seeing as how they have to have something to keep the heavy stuff out when they're crossing space).
But the Martians have got another trick up their sleeves: some kind of black, poison gas. Reports from the front lines have it that this stuff makes mustard gas look like a sunday school picnic. Oddly enough, the radio just now was saying water seems to render the gas harmless. It's raining here today. Must be some advantage to calling this place the Wet Coast after all.
All in all, the military's putting up one hell of a determined fight, but from the numbers coming in from the embedded guys (glad I never followed that career path when I was a reporter) that have actually made it out alive indicate we're losing. Like the man said, this is "the route of humanity."
Locally it's all going to hell too. Big explosions this afternoon nearby. I got antsy after a while and had some notion to try to go looking for my wife. Jumped on my bike and started heading north on the Shell Road Trail - good cover there - it's under a tunnel of trees. Like an idiot, I figured the Martian might have moved off from the field near Garden City so I deliberately went in that direction to try to avoid him. He hadn't. Lucky me, I got there just in time to see his three-legged ass get taken down. A bunch of reservists and vets had snuck into the armory and set up an old artillery piece (didn't know they kept anything in there except old supply trucks). Nailed him from behind and knocked him down. Problem was, he must've got out an SOS before they finally blew him up, 'cause another Martian came skipping over from the direction of Steveston and blew the whole place to hell. Pumped some of that black gas in there too - I was riding as hard as I could back towards home, but when I saw the initial cloud I thought that was it. But the rain had started by then and the gas just fell right down to the ground as black slush. I still got my tubby butt home as quick as I could though.
More time in front of the computer and the radio. The TV guys aren't filing much anymore. Must be in the wrong places at the wrong times. Radio's chance to shine again (like the guys from Queen sang in Radio Gaga - it had yet to have its finest hour - now's that hour).
Reports from around the Lower Mainland are strange - some civilian centres have taken heavy damage, but the Martians don't seem to be spending much time trying to destroy buildings or other local-level infrastructure. That would explain why we've still got power, phones and other utilities. But why? You'd think they'd want to shut it all down to keep us from talking to each other. Unless this is part of the plan - unless they're counting on us to do shit like what I'm doing now and stir up the panic factor so we're more able to manipulate somehow through our fear - like a herd of bison being steered towards a cliff or something.
Instead they've been taking out big transportation infrastructure... a group of 4 Martians spent the afternoon laying waste to the harbour in Vancouver and sinking ships. When they were done, one of them moved off north (to get the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal maybe? Or the Sea-to-Sky to cut off escape to Whistler?), one headed east and the other two started carving up the bridges. The Lions Gate Bridge is gone, as is the Cambie and the Granville. There's a report of another battle in the area: one of the Martians had set his sights on the old Burrard St Bridge and was taking his sweet time about it, leisurely blasting cars off the bridge deck. Another group of reservists and vets raided the old armoury in Kitsilano - same game played out as here in Richmond. They managed to take the sucker by surprise and blew him up. Unfortunately, they took the bridge out too. Anyone trapped Downtown is going to have along walk through the Downtown Eastside to get out and I don't know if that's better than facing the Martians. But the other tripod showed up and took out the armory gang - and the armory, and the Molson Brewery next door. I know I should be grieving the loss of heroes right about now, but for some reason I'm fixated on trying to figure out what we're going to do for beer! I am an awful, awful little man.
Word has it the mountains on the North Shore are filled with people fleeing into the wilderness to get away. On a cold, wet night like this, most of 'em will probably be very uncomfortable, or catch a bug, or suffer some degree of hypothermia. I'm not safe where I am, but you could get me to go there. I'm no outdoorsman, but I'm smart enough to know that it's too early in the season for the wildlife to be hibernating yet - the black bears will all be hunting for anything remotely edible they can get their paws on (especially with this year's poor berry crop) and I think swanky West Van residents will probably find themselves on the menu.
Martians have been spotted eastward, up the valley, blocking the TransCanada through the passes. Others have been destroying the major roads along the border into the US. And there's a pair of them that have been moving methodically down the coast here destroying any boats they see. Vancouver International Airport was wrecked about half an hour ago - I can see the sky glowing from here. When they went after the Massey Tunnel they just fired their heat rays into the tunnel mouths - all the cars and trucks went up at the same time. If the tunnel itself hasn't collapsed, it's full of wreckage and will be hot as an oven for days. They turned their attention to the ferry repair yard nearby at Deas Island and sank everything. That settles the Fast Cat Ferry fiasco once and for all.
You have to wonder why they're taking out the major transportation infrastructure but not anything else. Maybe it's to isolate us. But why? They obviously don't consider us to be that much of a threat, or they would have laid waste to every building in their path. Maybe the bison thing was right... maybe we're being herded. Oh shit.
After my last post I got the earthquake emergency packs out of the closet, added every can of nuclear-yellow Campbell's chicken soup I could grab outta the cupboard and anything else that wasn't perishable, cranked the radio to one of the local news stations (the joint I used to work at, as a matter of fact - not surprisingly, all of the useless assholes in middle management have ditched and ran, leaving a handful of too-stupid-to-be-scared rookies and a couple of dedicated veterans to keep 'er on air. Good on ya, Tom!) and hunkered down in front of the net to try to find out what the hell is going on.
You all know it's pretty fuckin' bad out there.
Pitched battles all over the world by this afternoon - and in many cases, not battles so much as butchery. Seems these Martians - yes, I know they're probably not from Mars, but we've gotta call these interstellar assholes something, and Martians have traditionally been the shit-disturbers of SF, so I'm calling them Martians! - aren't invulnerable; the armour on their tripods is very tough stuff, but a couple of well-placed shots of high ordinance seems to be able to penetrate it. Problem is, most armies have only been able to get off a couple of shots from their tanks or artillery before the Martians barbeque them. The heat rays or whatever seem to be able to do a pretty effective job of cutting through armor and blowing crap up in a very short period of time, allowing them to take out multiple targets very quickly. Working in teams of 3 or 4, they're pretty much unstoppable. Missiles, planes and choppers get shot out of the air at great distances too. Some success with high-level carpet bombing, but then the Martians get wise and just blow the bombs out of the sky before they can get close enough. Ambush and quick withdrawal has had some success too. Word has it a couple of nukes were brought into play somewhere in Asia, and while they took out a couple of tripods, the smart bastards outside the initial drop zones that had time to see the missiles incoming just dug themselves in so they wouldn't sustain blast damage - their armour seems to have kept out the radiation (makes sense, seeing as how they have to have something to keep the heavy stuff out when they're crossing space).
But the Martians have got another trick up their sleeves: some kind of black, poison gas. Reports from the front lines have it that this stuff makes mustard gas look like a sunday school picnic. Oddly enough, the radio just now was saying water seems to render the gas harmless. It's raining here today. Must be some advantage to calling this place the Wet Coast after all.
All in all, the military's putting up one hell of a determined fight, but from the numbers coming in from the embedded guys (glad I never followed that career path when I was a reporter) that have actually made it out alive indicate we're losing. Like the man said, this is "the route of humanity."
Locally it's all going to hell too. Big explosions this afternoon nearby. I got antsy after a while and had some notion to try to go looking for my wife. Jumped on my bike and started heading north on the Shell Road Trail - good cover there - it's under a tunnel of trees. Like an idiot, I figured the Martian might have moved off from the field near Garden City so I deliberately went in that direction to try to avoid him. He hadn't. Lucky me, I got there just in time to see his three-legged ass get taken down. A bunch of reservists and vets had snuck into the armory and set up an old artillery piece (didn't know they kept anything in there except old supply trucks). Nailed him from behind and knocked him down. Problem was, he must've got out an SOS before they finally blew him up, 'cause another Martian came skipping over from the direction of Steveston and blew the whole place to hell. Pumped some of that black gas in there too - I was riding as hard as I could back towards home, but when I saw the initial cloud I thought that was it. But the rain had started by then and the gas just fell right down to the ground as black slush. I still got my tubby butt home as quick as I could though.
More time in front of the computer and the radio. The TV guys aren't filing much anymore. Must be in the wrong places at the wrong times. Radio's chance to shine again (like the guys from Queen sang in Radio Gaga - it had yet to have its finest hour - now's that hour).
Reports from around the Lower Mainland are strange - some civilian centres have taken heavy damage, but the Martians don't seem to be spending much time trying to destroy buildings or other local-level infrastructure. That would explain why we've still got power, phones and other utilities. But why? You'd think they'd want to shut it all down to keep us from talking to each other. Unless this is part of the plan - unless they're counting on us to do shit like what I'm doing now and stir up the panic factor so we're more able to manipulate somehow through our fear - like a herd of bison being steered towards a cliff or something.
Instead they've been taking out big transportation infrastructure... a group of 4 Martians spent the afternoon laying waste to the harbour in Vancouver and sinking ships. When they were done, one of them moved off north (to get the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal maybe? Or the Sea-to-Sky to cut off escape to Whistler?), one headed east and the other two started carving up the bridges. The Lions Gate Bridge is gone, as is the Cambie and the Granville. There's a report of another battle in the area: one of the Martians had set his sights on the old Burrard St Bridge and was taking his sweet time about it, leisurely blasting cars off the bridge deck. Another group of reservists and vets raided the old armoury in Kitsilano - same game played out as here in Richmond. They managed to take the sucker by surprise and blew him up. Unfortunately, they took the bridge out too. Anyone trapped Downtown is going to have along walk through the Downtown Eastside to get out and I don't know if that's better than facing the Martians. But the other tripod showed up and took out the armory gang - and the armory, and the Molson Brewery next door. I know I should be grieving the loss of heroes right about now, but for some reason I'm fixated on trying to figure out what we're going to do for beer! I am an awful, awful little man.
Word has it the mountains on the North Shore are filled with people fleeing into the wilderness to get away. On a cold, wet night like this, most of 'em will probably be very uncomfortable, or catch a bug, or suffer some degree of hypothermia. I'm not safe where I am, but you could get me to go there. I'm no outdoorsman, but I'm smart enough to know that it's too early in the season for the wildlife to be hibernating yet - the black bears will all be hunting for anything remotely edible they can get their paws on (especially with this year's poor berry crop) and I think swanky West Van residents will probably find themselves on the menu.
Martians have been spotted eastward, up the valley, blocking the TransCanada through the passes. Others have been destroying the major roads along the border into the US. And there's a pair of them that have been moving methodically down the coast here destroying any boats they see. Vancouver International Airport was wrecked about half an hour ago - I can see the sky glowing from here. When they went after the Massey Tunnel they just fired their heat rays into the tunnel mouths - all the cars and trucks went up at the same time. If the tunnel itself hasn't collapsed, it's full of wreckage and will be hot as an oven for days. They turned their attention to the ferry repair yard nearby at Deas Island and sank everything. That settles the Fast Cat Ferry fiasco once and for all.
You have to wonder why they're taking out the major transportation infrastructure but not anything else. Maybe it's to isolate us. But why? They obviously don't consider us to be that much of a threat, or they would have laid waste to every building in their path. Maybe the bison thing was right... maybe we're being herded. Oh shit.
BLITWOTW - they're shooting at us!
They've started shooting! I just saw a whole crowd get wiped out.
I've been home for about half an hour now and this is the first I've left the living room couch. I've gotta say I'm having real trouble sitting here upstairs by the window in our computer room. Tough to type this when I'm twitching to look out the window every five seconds.
I was driving home, just coming down Garden City with the big DND field up ahead. Looked like there'd been a grass fire or something. Lots of dirt and turf heaped up near the road where the crater must be. Lots of cars crowded around and the Mounties had that side of the road blocked off. People everywhere trying to get closer. Traffic on my side of the road was getting slow. I was thinking about just putting on the blinkers and getting out and walking over but then the shooting or whatever started. Started so quick I don't think I realized what was going on for a minute or so.
Suddenly there was this kind of buzzing, a flash of light and where a big chunk of the crowd had been up ahead there was just falling ash. Then I realize there's screaming - some of it's me and some of it's the crowd 'cause the ones near the bodies/victims/ash heaps or whatever were on fire - maybe they were too close or something. I don't know. The buzzing kicks in again and more people around the crater are gone and the rest start to stampede.
Then this big thing/machine/mech/tank/I dunno/whatever starts to unfold or stand up in the pit and there's another flash of light from what I'm guessing is some kind of cannon hanging off of an arm or something, and more of the crowd dies and a bunch of cars blow up. That causes shrapnel to start pinging into the cars even as far away as I was like a bunch of ninja throwing stars. One piece punched into one of my side mirrors. That's when I came to my senses, thought "That's enough of this shit!" and deked out of the line and onto the sidewalk (nice to drive a Japanese sub-compact sometimes) and down Alderbridge towards the centre of town. More flashes and explosions in the background.
Now I'm home and I've gotta get a hold of my wife and change my pants and feed the cat so he'll stop bugging me and sit here and think a bit and check the local media and
sorry about that. It's tough.
That goddamn thing must've been 20-30 meters high by the time it stood up - fuckin' big at any rate. Looked like an odd-shaped dome or teacup or something mounted on top of a three-legged milking stool (how can you tell I spent part of my childhood in dairy farming country?) with a bunch of ropes or, god, tentacles or something hanging down and twitching around, and, of course, that fucking laser gun or maser or particle beam cannon or over-charged proctological flashlight or whatever the hell it was. Then there was this weird wire-egg-basket looking thing mounted behind the dome. And it hooted. Don't ask me why. Maybe some kind of rebel yell or something as it was putting the smackdown on Little China. I dunno.
I've gotta get the radio on or something to find out what's happening.
Anyone else know what the hell is going on? Are these damn things coming out of every crater? Who'd we piss off?
I've been home for about half an hour now and this is the first I've left the living room couch. I've gotta say I'm having real trouble sitting here upstairs by the window in our computer room. Tough to type this when I'm twitching to look out the window every five seconds.
I was driving home, just coming down Garden City with the big DND field up ahead. Looked like there'd been a grass fire or something. Lots of dirt and turf heaped up near the road where the crater must be. Lots of cars crowded around and the Mounties had that side of the road blocked off. People everywhere trying to get closer. Traffic on my side of the road was getting slow. I was thinking about just putting on the blinkers and getting out and walking over but then the shooting or whatever started. Started so quick I don't think I realized what was going on for a minute or so.
Suddenly there was this kind of buzzing, a flash of light and where a big chunk of the crowd had been up ahead there was just falling ash. Then I realize there's screaming - some of it's me and some of it's the crowd 'cause the ones near the bodies/victims/ash heaps or whatever were on fire - maybe they were too close or something. I don't know. The buzzing kicks in again and more people around the crater are gone and the rest start to stampede.
Then this big thing/machine/mech/tank/I dunno/whatever starts to unfold or stand up in the pit and there's another flash of light from what I'm guessing is some kind of cannon hanging off of an arm or something, and more of the crowd dies and a bunch of cars blow up. That causes shrapnel to start pinging into the cars even as far away as I was like a bunch of ninja throwing stars. One piece punched into one of my side mirrors. That's when I came to my senses, thought "That's enough of this shit!" and deked out of the line and onto the sidewalk (nice to drive a Japanese sub-compact sometimes) and down Alderbridge towards the centre of town. More flashes and explosions in the background.
Now I'm home and I've gotta get a hold of my wife and change my pants and feed the cat so he'll stop bugging me and sit here and think a bit and check the local media and
sorry about that. It's tough.
That goddamn thing must've been 20-30 meters high by the time it stood up - fuckin' big at any rate. Looked like an odd-shaped dome or teacup or something mounted on top of a three-legged milking stool (how can you tell I spent part of my childhood in dairy farming country?) with a bunch of ropes or, god, tentacles or something hanging down and twitching around, and, of course, that fucking laser gun or maser or particle beam cannon or over-charged proctological flashlight or whatever the hell it was. Then there was this weird wire-egg-basket looking thing mounted behind the dome. And it hooted. Don't ask me why. Maybe some kind of rebel yell or something as it was putting the smackdown on Little China. I dunno.
I've gotta get the radio on or something to find out what's happening.
Anyone else know what the hell is going on? Are these damn things coming out of every crater? Who'd we piss off?
BLITWOTW - they're artificial
This is getting weird now. Local media are starting to report that whatever came down last night and made all those craters are artificial. The shots they're posting to their sites are a bit clearer than earlier today - you can make out straight lines and edges and smooth rounded surfaces - not hunks of rock anyway. Still wondering if these are some kind of demi-satellites or something from a ballsy corporate PR stunt. But then again, my Spider Sense is tingling, as it were (yes, I know you can get a cream to alleviate that) and I'm starting to wonder, if these things aren't natural, and no-one has owned up to them yet...
Anyhow, one of the craters is in the big greenspace near the old Department of National Defense lands just off Garden City road, so I'm going to call it an early day and head home - see what I can see as I pass by. The boss should give the okay - not much to do today except edit articles for one of our organization's publications, which I can do from home.
Has anyone else had a chance to get close to one of these things yet?
I know E Dragon and crotchetyoldfan were mentioning over on Not A Planet Anymore that they'd seen lights in the sky last night too - up on the North Coast and back east in New Hampshire. For his part, harrysaxon's admitting to seeing a couple of flashes just south of where I live, but I think he's hedging because he probably thinks they're just afterimages from too much gaming last night.
Anyhow, I'll let ya know what I see, if it's possible to get close enough to see anything.
Anyhow, one of the craters is in the big greenspace near the old Department of National Defense lands just off Garden City road, so I'm going to call it an early day and head home - see what I can see as I pass by. The boss should give the okay - not much to do today except edit articles for one of our organization's publications, which I can do from home.
Has anyone else had a chance to get close to one of these things yet?
I know E Dragon and crotchetyoldfan were mentioning over on Not A Planet Anymore that they'd seen lights in the sky last night too - up on the North Coast and back east in New Hampshire. For his part, harrysaxon's admitting to seeing a couple of flashes just south of where I live, but I think he's hedging because he probably thinks they're just afterimages from too much gaming last night.
Anyhow, I'll let ya know what I see, if it's possible to get close enough to see anything.
BLITWOTW - Craters?
Are you guys seeing any of this coverage on TV about craters? Thousands of them around the world - mostly in or near cities/towns/villages/population centres, but some out in the wilderness too.
Police seem to be keeping the media back in most cases - hard to find any clear shots on the local TV channels of what's actually in the craters - not helping either that they're treating this as a curiousity story - not the lead yet.
Not much word from politicians, police officials or military out this way either. Media haven't been quick to wake up any scientists yet but one of the radio stations had a guy from UBC talking about meteorites and previously uncatalogued comets and stuff. Didn't really have an answer when the reporter asked why so many came down at once and why so many actually made it to Earth. Certainly no-one's using the A-word yet! LOL!
Funny thing though - Is it just me, or looking at the aerial footage, do all of these craters look to be about the same size? Gonna do a quick 'net search before heading off to work to see if anyone's posted any amateur footage with more detail.
Police seem to be keeping the media back in most cases - hard to find any clear shots on the local TV channels of what's actually in the craters - not helping either that they're treating this as a curiousity story - not the lead yet.
Not much word from politicians, police officials or military out this way either. Media haven't been quick to wake up any scientists yet but one of the radio stations had a guy from UBC talking about meteorites and previously uncatalogued comets and stuff. Didn't really have an answer when the reporter asked why so many came down at once and why so many actually made it to Earth. Certainly no-one's using the A-word yet! LOL!
Funny thing though - Is it just me, or looking at the aerial footage, do all of these craters look to be about the same size? Gonna do a quick 'net search before heading off to work to see if anyone's posted any amateur footage with more detail.
BLITWOTW - Anyone know what's with the lights?
Okay, I'm up waaaaaay too late wandering around the 'net and baking cookies for Friday's office Hallowe'en party, but I had to post this note to anyone who may be watching:
What the hell's with all the lights in the sky?
I mean, in the first place, it's cloudy around these parts - your typical Lower Mainland autumn night - hanging on the verge of rain. I shouldn't be seeing anything up there! I know we've got the international airport here in Richmond and occasionally they divert traffic over the neighbourhood, but not like this... they're all coming down, and not in the direction of the airport either! The lights are the wrong colours too.
Anyone know if we're due for a meteor shower this time of year? But if it's rocks, how come they're moving so slow?
Are there supposed to be old satellites scheduled to come down or something? Wouldn't they be brought down over the sea?
I think I'll stay up for a bit longer. The boss is gonna kill me if I come in like a zombie from lack of sleep tomorrow, but what the hell, you don't see a show like this often in a lifetime, do ya?
If anyone else out there knows what's going on, leave a note with the details. Thanks.
What the hell's with all the lights in the sky?
I mean, in the first place, it's cloudy around these parts - your typical Lower Mainland autumn night - hanging on the verge of rain. I shouldn't be seeing anything up there! I know we've got the international airport here in Richmond and occasionally they divert traffic over the neighbourhood, but not like this... they're all coming down, and not in the direction of the airport either! The lights are the wrong colours too.
Anyone know if we're due for a meteor shower this time of year? But if it's rocks, how come they're moving so slow?
Are there supposed to be old satellites scheduled to come down or something? Wouldn't they be brought down over the sea?
I think I'll stay up for a bit longer. The boss is gonna kill me if I come in like a zombie from lack of sleep tomorrow, but what the hell, you don't see a show like this often in a lifetime, do ya?
If anyone else out there knows what's going on, leave a note with the details. Thanks.
Join in the Fun: Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds
October 30th - the 70th anniversary of Orson Welles infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast.
To honour this special day, I and my faithful sidekick harrysaxon over at Not A Planet Anymore are challenging everyone on the 'net to join us for Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds.
All day today we're going to be blogging as though the Martians really are invading. And we're inviting you to be a part of the fun. If you've got a blog, let us know where to find it and join in - tell us what's happening in your neck of the woods as the Martians start their interplanetary scuffle. We'll set up a link to your blog so others can read it too. If you don't have a blog, that's fine too - just leave your updates in our Comments section - tell us how you're coping with the alien invasion.
Once it's all over (in a manner of speaking) on October 31st we'll post highlights from all the participants.
And now, let Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds begin!
To honour this special day, I and my faithful sidekick harrysaxon over at Not A Planet Anymore are challenging everyone on the 'net to join us for Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds.
All day today we're going to be blogging as though the Martians really are invading. And we're inviting you to be a part of the fun. If you've got a blog, let us know where to find it and join in - tell us what's happening in your neck of the woods as the Martians start their interplanetary scuffle. We'll set up a link to your blog so others can read it too. If you don't have a blog, that's fine too - just leave your updates in our Comments section - tell us how you're coping with the alien invasion.
Once it's all over (in a manner of speaking) on October 31st we'll post highlights from all the participants.
And now, let Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds begin!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The 10th Doctor is No More!
Word on Sci fi Wire today that David Tennant is calling it quits as Doctor Who. While he will be doing a Christmas episode and four other specials, but won't be returning when the series resumes in 2010.
Damn.
While I've watched The Doctor on and off (while it was on here in Canada, anyway) since I was a kid, I can't say I'm a superfan like my buddy harrysaxon is, but I do enjoy the show and I've loved the new series' with Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor and Tennant as the 10th. As far as Tennant goes, I'd say he was probably the best Doctor, replacing Tom Baker and his scarf as my favourite. The way Tennant bounced around the universe in the Tardis gave the character a real sense of fun and mischief, but he also had the ability to turn the Doctor on a dime and give the audience a glimpse of just how deep and dark a Time Lord can be.
Now, the big question: who will be 11?
Damn.
While I've watched The Doctor on and off (while it was on here in Canada, anyway) since I was a kid, I can't say I'm a superfan like my buddy harrysaxon is, but I do enjoy the show and I've loved the new series' with Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor and Tennant as the 10th. As far as Tennant goes, I'd say he was probably the best Doctor, replacing Tom Baker and his scarf as my favourite. The way Tennant bounced around the universe in the Tardis gave the character a real sense of fun and mischief, but he also had the ability to turn the Doctor on a dime and give the audience a glimpse of just how deep and dark a Time Lord can be.
Now, the big question: who will be 11?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
New Villain Robert Forster Can't Save "Heroes"
With the way things have been going this season, and after the stunning lameness of last season, it had to happen. I didn’t want it to. I really tried to hold on. But I’ve failed. Sigh. I’ve finally given up on “Heroes”.
I was hoping that the addition of Robert Forster as the seemingly-back-from-the-dead Mr. Petrelli might add enough to the show to make it worth staying on. I’m a fan of Forster’s work from back in the days of “The Black Hole” (I’ll openly admit to the guilty pleasure of owning the 25th Anniversary of that flick and to watching it once a year or so). Here’s an actor who knows how to project a solid, believable presence to whatever character he’s playing in whatever situation. Sadly, even Forster’s capable addition to the cast wasn’t enough.
I’ve been losing interest in the show for a while, but the soap-opera quality of season 3 has just been too much – it’s dragged me down past the event horizon of watchability into a place where I just can’t convince myself to watch anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hater. I’m just really disappointed because “Heroes” showed a lot of potential in its first season, but fell in season two and just hasn’t been able to pick itself up. Sure, there are still entertaining moments with Hiro and Ando, and Parkman’s a likeable character who you want to succeed, but Suresh pulling a Cronenberg Fly, many of the characters getting progressively stupider, most of them forgetting about aspects of their powers or failing to develop or take advantage of their powers, Ali Larter’s unending series of super-powered siblings keeping her on the show (as much as she’s easy on the eyes), and the afore-mentioned soap-opera illogical plot twists are just too much.
Ladies and gentlemen, cue the Tina Turner music: “We don’t need another Heroes!”
I was hoping that the addition of Robert Forster as the seemingly-back-from-the-dead Mr. Petrelli might add enough to the show to make it worth staying on. I’m a fan of Forster’s work from back in the days of “The Black Hole” (I’ll openly admit to the guilty pleasure of owning the 25th Anniversary of that flick and to watching it once a year or so). Here’s an actor who knows how to project a solid, believable presence to whatever character he’s playing in whatever situation. Sadly, even Forster’s capable addition to the cast wasn’t enough.
I’ve been losing interest in the show for a while, but the soap-opera quality of season 3 has just been too much – it’s dragged me down past the event horizon of watchability into a place where I just can’t convince myself to watch anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hater. I’m just really disappointed because “Heroes” showed a lot of potential in its first season, but fell in season two and just hasn’t been able to pick itself up. Sure, there are still entertaining moments with Hiro and Ando, and Parkman’s a likeable character who you want to succeed, but Suresh pulling a Cronenberg Fly, many of the characters getting progressively stupider, most of them forgetting about aspects of their powers or failing to develop or take advantage of their powers, Ali Larter’s unending series of super-powered siblings keeping her on the show (as much as she’s easy on the eyes), and the afore-mentioned soap-opera illogical plot twists are just too much.
Ladies and gentlemen, cue the Tina Turner music: “We don’t need another Heroes!”
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Review: "Futurama - The Beast with a Billion Backs"
The second of the made for DVD/TV Futurama movies hit the air tonight. I’d been waiting for it (not on the edge of my seat, mind you, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it on tonight’s listings), but having seen it now, I figure I could have waited a while longer if they could have spent more time making it better. The biggest problem, without spoiling the movie, was that “The Beast with a Billion Backs” had about 999,999,999 plots too many. It wasn’t a terrible flick, but as Futurama episodes go, this one was pretty middle of the road.
What was good though, without giving too much away, was Bender’s pirate ship. Certainly it was an obvious allusion to the second “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, but given that it was in space there was, I think, certainly a tip of the tricorn cap to Captain Harlock and Queen Emeraldas. And seeing Bender there on deck with his hat and sword, I was suddenly hit by a flashback of Enzo’s buccaneer buddies from the later episodes of “Reboot” years ago.
I don’t think I’d buy “The Beast with a Billion Backs” like I did “Bender’s Big Score”, but if it was on TV again and there wasn’t anything else on, I’d probably watch it. Even though the franchise’s movies are now 1-for-2, I’m still eager to see the newest installment, “Bender’s Game” when it gets released next month. I may have to go out and get myself a copy of Card’s “Ender’s Game” just to see if the Futurama flick bears any further resemblance, aside from the title.
What was good though, without giving too much away, was Bender’s pirate ship. Certainly it was an obvious allusion to the second “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, but given that it was in space there was, I think, certainly a tip of the tricorn cap to Captain Harlock and Queen Emeraldas. And seeing Bender there on deck with his hat and sword, I was suddenly hit by a flashback of Enzo’s buccaneer buddies from the later episodes of “Reboot” years ago.
I don’t think I’d buy “The Beast with a Billion Backs” like I did “Bender’s Big Score”, but if it was on TV again and there wasn’t anything else on, I’d probably watch it. Even though the franchise’s movies are now 1-for-2, I’m still eager to see the newest installment, “Bender’s Game” when it gets released next month. I may have to go out and get myself a copy of Card’s “Ender’s Game” just to see if the Futurama flick bears any further resemblance, aside from the title.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Blog Like It's The War Of The Worlds is Just Around the Corner - 7 Days until the Martians Invade
I’m getting pretty stoked for our first ever online challenge over at Not A Planet Anymore – the Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds challenge! And it’s only one week away!
On October 30th, we’re commemorating Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast by indulging in some internet silliness. 70 years ago, Welles scared the pants off of late-tuning-in-listeners with his radio play adaptation of the HG Wells novel of the same name, breaking into “regular programming” with “news flashes” about Martian tripods running amok in New Jersey.
Our plan for October 30th this year is to post to our blogs as though the Martians were really invading. Here on bloginhood I’ll fill you in on how the Martian war machines are laying waste to BC’s Lower Mainland and how I’m getting through it all. We’ll also have postings on Not A Planet Anymore as I try to keep in touch with my faithful sidekick harrysaxon throughout the chaos. And we’re encouraging other bloggers around the world to take part too! Join us by leaving a comment ahead of time telling us you’re in and leaving your blog address. We’ll add it to the list of participants so other people can click on it and see what you’re up to. Don’t have a blog of your own? That’s okay. Just leave notes in the comments section and we’ll highlight those too. Let us know what’s happening with the Martian invasion in your part of the world.
Then, on October 31st, when the invasion’s over, we’ll post highlights from all the participating blogs and comments on Not A Planet Anymore. A Hallowe’en treat, if you will.
So join us for Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds!
On October 30th, we’re commemorating Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast by indulging in some internet silliness. 70 years ago, Welles scared the pants off of late-tuning-in-listeners with his radio play adaptation of the HG Wells novel of the same name, breaking into “regular programming” with “news flashes” about Martian tripods running amok in New Jersey.
Our plan for October 30th this year is to post to our blogs as though the Martians were really invading. Here on bloginhood I’ll fill you in on how the Martian war machines are laying waste to BC’s Lower Mainland and how I’m getting through it all. We’ll also have postings on Not A Planet Anymore as I try to keep in touch with my faithful sidekick harrysaxon throughout the chaos. And we’re encouraging other bloggers around the world to take part too! Join us by leaving a comment ahead of time telling us you’re in and leaving your blog address. We’ll add it to the list of participants so other people can click on it and see what you’re up to. Don’t have a blog of your own? That’s okay. Just leave notes in the comments section and we’ll highlight those too. Let us know what’s happening with the Martian invasion in your part of the world.
Then, on October 31st, when the invasion’s over, we’ll post highlights from all the participating blogs and comments on Not A Planet Anymore. A Hallowe’en treat, if you will.
So join us for Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds!
Unca Bloginhood - Again? And, Learning to Say "Martian"
Good news from the extended family today – my brother and his wife just had a baby girl last night. I was over at the hospital earlier this evening to meet little Monica for the first time. It’ll be interesting to see if she grows up to be an SF fan. Certainly she’s got good influences in that regard: the SF force runs strong in my family. I’m a fanboy (obviously), my brother’s a fan, and my 2-and-a-half-year-old nephew (Monica’s big brother Fin) is already well on his way to appreciating the genre. Already he’ll sit down and happily sing the “Star Wars” theme music. And just last night I was helping to take care of him while his parents were at the hospital, and I gave him a book: “Goodnight Goon” by Michael Rex – not only did he love all of the monsters in it, but there was an illustration of “Martians taking over the Moon” (appropriate since Uncle Bloginhood is staging the Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds online challenge next week over on Not A Planet Anymore), and while I was reading it to him, I got him to say “Martian” for the very first time. I tell ya, there are few prouder moments in a geeky uncle’s life than when he teaches his nephew to say “Martian”.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Waiting for the "intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic" - 14 Days until the Martians Invade
Yesterday it was all about “Big Trouble in Little China” here on the old SF soapbox; today, it’s even worse – the whole planet’s on the line as we get ready for “The War of the Worlds” – or more precisely, as we look ahead to my Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds online challenge over at Not A Planet Anymore.
In two weeks, to commemorate the anniversary of Orson Welles’ earth-shattering 1938 “War of the Worlds” broadcast (inspired by the story of the same name by a man of a similar but not quite the same name – H.G. Wells), we’re encouraging every SF enthusiast to post to their own blogs like the Martians are actually invading.
Go to Not A Planet Anymore and leave a comment on the Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds comments section telling us you’re in and letting us know what your blog is called. We’ll put your blog on the roster of participants so everyone can read your account of the Martian invasion. Then, on October 30th, the Martians attack: tell us on your blog what it’s like in your community, how you’re avoiding the tripods and their heat rays. When it’s all over, we’ll collect highlights from all of the participating blogs and post them on Not A Planet Anymore.
The more people take part, the more fun it will be, so tell your fellow bloggers to join in and Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds.
In two weeks, to commemorate the anniversary of Orson Welles’ earth-shattering 1938 “War of the Worlds” broadcast (inspired by the story of the same name by a man of a similar but not quite the same name – H.G. Wells), we’re encouraging every SF enthusiast to post to their own blogs like the Martians are actually invading.
Go to Not A Planet Anymore and leave a comment on the Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds comments section telling us you’re in and letting us know what your blog is called. We’ll put your blog on the roster of participants so everyone can read your account of the Martian invasion. Then, on October 30th, the Martians attack: tell us on your blog what it’s like in your community, how you’re avoiding the tripods and their heat rays. When it’s all over, we’ll collect highlights from all of the participating blogs and post them on Not A Planet Anymore.
The more people take part, the more fun it will be, so tell your fellow bloggers to join in and Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds.
A Perfect Site for Fans of The Old Porkchop Express
As many of you know, John Carpenter’s “Big Trouble in Little China” is one of my all time favourite films. Today, quite by accident, I stumbled upon the perfect site for fans of The Old Porkchop Express: The Wing Kong Exchange. This site’s got the usual pix, sound clips, factoids and gossip, but I was practically falling out of my seat laughing at a set of fan films that had “Southpark” –style animation running over clips from the film. There’s also a lot of cool merchandise like “Egg Foo Yong Tours” T-shirts and Porkchop Express trucker hats. For my part, I’m lookin’ very closely at a “Dragon of the Black Pool” jacket and thinking Christmas isn’t too far around the corner.
Not a Big Trouble fan? Well then, let’s just say, in the words of Lo Pan: You were not put on this Earth to “get it”, Mr. Burton.
Not a Big Trouble fan? Well then, let’s just say, in the words of Lo Pan: You were not put on this Earth to “get it”, Mr. Burton.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Giving Some Thought to a Headcase - "My Own Worst Enemy"
I’ve just finished a lazy Thanksgiving evening of TV watching with the premier of Christian Slater’s new sci-fi rooted spy series “My Own Worst Enemy” and I’m trying to figure out if that’s actually the case for Slater as far as this show goes.
The premise is very Philip K. Dick, with a few ounces of Robert Louis Stevenson, poured into an Ian Flemming glass – what does it mean for your existence if one day you find out you’re not who you think you are? How will mild-mannered Airmiles-racking corporate exec Henry (not so subtle reference to Dr. Jekyll) cope when he discovers that periodically he goes to “sleep” and dangerous international spy and assassin Edward (Mr. Hyde on a top secret agency’s – presumably the government’s - leash) wakes up and goes about his grim business? What happens when the control settings allowing the switch from one personality to the other break down and Henry wakes up in the middle of Edward’s perilous world, or when Edward comes home to pleasure Henry’s wife? What happens if Edward’s business comes to Henry’s home?
The show’s got plenty of slick spy action, which would be pretty entertaining to watch if the plot wasn’t so predictable. The real weak spot of the show though, is Slater himself. He does a great job of portraying the cold, calculating Edward, but is totally unconvincing as Henry. Maybe it’s Slater’s baggage from the roles he’s played previously in his career, maybe it’s that devilish glint in his eye, but you can’t look at him onscreen playing a businessman and a family man and find him believable – he always looks like he’s either up to no good or scheming to be up to no good at a later moment of his choosing. I suppose it’s possible that one could argue this was done deliberately in terms of casting and in terms of how Slater’s playing the character(s) – to give us the impression that Edward’s always looking out through Henry’s eyes – watching, waiting for his chance to strike. I don’t think so. I think it’s the case that Slater cannot believably play an innocent. No more so than Schwarzenegger could in his similar role in “Total Recall”. You couldn’t believe for a minute that Arnold was just some regular guy going to work with a jackhammer on a construction site and eating his lunch out of a box and thermos. Neither actor has the capacity to pull it off. Now, if the producers had really wanted to cast someone with a real talent for making you believe in his characters – someone with the gift of creating multiple personalities (and ones that are completely distinct from one another) within the same story – they would have hired Edward Norton. As it stands, Slater’s only real value is in his Edward persona, where, because it’s Slater, you’re always wondering how far he’s going to go.
Overall, I give “My Own Worst Enemy” a resounding “meh”. The jury’s still out, so I’ll probably watch another episode or two before deciding whether to add it permanently to the Monday night roster or whether to ignore it, thereby leaving me with more time to inflict my opinions on the blogosphere (I can just here it now, cries around the internet of “Watch the show! Please, just watch the show! We don’t want to hear any more out of you than we already do! It’s already too much! Watch the show!!!”)
The premise is very Philip K. Dick, with a few ounces of Robert Louis Stevenson, poured into an Ian Flemming glass – what does it mean for your existence if one day you find out you’re not who you think you are? How will mild-mannered Airmiles-racking corporate exec Henry (not so subtle reference to Dr. Jekyll) cope when he discovers that periodically he goes to “sleep” and dangerous international spy and assassin Edward (Mr. Hyde on a top secret agency’s – presumably the government’s - leash) wakes up and goes about his grim business? What happens when the control settings allowing the switch from one personality to the other break down and Henry wakes up in the middle of Edward’s perilous world, or when Edward comes home to pleasure Henry’s wife? What happens if Edward’s business comes to Henry’s home?
The show’s got plenty of slick spy action, which would be pretty entertaining to watch if the plot wasn’t so predictable. The real weak spot of the show though, is Slater himself. He does a great job of portraying the cold, calculating Edward, but is totally unconvincing as Henry. Maybe it’s Slater’s baggage from the roles he’s played previously in his career, maybe it’s that devilish glint in his eye, but you can’t look at him onscreen playing a businessman and a family man and find him believable – he always looks like he’s either up to no good or scheming to be up to no good at a later moment of his choosing. I suppose it’s possible that one could argue this was done deliberately in terms of casting and in terms of how Slater’s playing the character(s) – to give us the impression that Edward’s always looking out through Henry’s eyes – watching, waiting for his chance to strike. I don’t think so. I think it’s the case that Slater cannot believably play an innocent. No more so than Schwarzenegger could in his similar role in “Total Recall”. You couldn’t believe for a minute that Arnold was just some regular guy going to work with a jackhammer on a construction site and eating his lunch out of a box and thermos. Neither actor has the capacity to pull it off. Now, if the producers had really wanted to cast someone with a real talent for making you believe in his characters – someone with the gift of creating multiple personalities (and ones that are completely distinct from one another) within the same story – they would have hired Edward Norton. As it stands, Slater’s only real value is in his Edward persona, where, because it’s Slater, you’re always wondering how far he’s going to go.
Overall, I give “My Own Worst Enemy” a resounding “meh”. The jury’s still out, so I’ll probably watch another episode or two before deciding whether to add it permanently to the Monday night roster or whether to ignore it, thereby leaving me with more time to inflict my opinions on the blogosphere (I can just here it now, cries around the internet of “Watch the show! Please, just watch the show! We don’t want to hear any more out of you than we already do! It’s already too much! Watch the show!!!”)
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Confessions of a Late Adopter
I have to admit, I’m one of the few people who hasn’t been following last year’s TV hit “Chuck”. That changed tonight.
Quite by accident, we were flipping through the channels and came across it on Space (Canada’s SF network), stuck around for a few minutes, decided we liked it and then stayed for the rest of the show.
I’d missed the premier when it originally debuted, along with the first couple of shows, and because I had other things on my plate I decided to give it a pass. No comment on the quality at all, just a time management thing. That being said, now that Space is airing it and it’s conveniently on at 7, I’ll probably start following it.
As far as tales of big-box retailer flunkies embroiled in adventures above their heads go, I think overall “Reaper” is more entertaining that “Chuck”, but “Chuck” is certainly worth making time for.
Quite by accident, we were flipping through the channels and came across it on Space (Canada’s SF network), stuck around for a few minutes, decided we liked it and then stayed for the rest of the show.
I’d missed the premier when it originally debuted, along with the first couple of shows, and because I had other things on my plate I decided to give it a pass. No comment on the quality at all, just a time management thing. That being said, now that Space is airing it and it’s conveniently on at 7, I’ll probably start following it.
As far as tales of big-box retailer flunkies embroiled in adventures above their heads go, I think overall “Reaper” is more entertaining that “Chuck”, but “Chuck” is certainly worth making time for.
The Martians are coming! The Martians are coming!
Only 21 days left until Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds gets under way over at Not A Planet Anymore!
My faithful sidekick, harrysaxon, and I invite you to be part of this online challenge on October 30th. Just leave your blog address in the comments box and tell us you’re in. We’ll add your name to the roster of participants on the Not A Planet Anymore homepage so visitors to the site can link to your blog. Then, on October 30th, all of the participants will blog like the Martians from H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds” are invading.
Here on bloginhood, I’ll be giving updates throughout the day on how the Wet Coast is going up in smoke (and it’ll probably be the first time a Lower Mainlander isn’t referring to the April 20th 4:20pm haze in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery) as the Martian war machines lope through, blasting away with their heat rays, venting gas and snatching passers-by off the street for a snack.
Then, when it’s done, over at Not A Planet Anymore, we’ll go through the blogs of all the participants and harvest the highlights, posting them to our site so you can get a sampler of how things went down around the world.
Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds is our way of commemorating Orson Welles’ famous October 30, 1938 radio play that had thousands of late-arriving listeners believing the aliens had finally come and had brought a high-tech stick to give mankind a whuppin’.
We’ve take our inspiration for this blogging challenge from the success of the annual zombie apocalypse organized by My Elves Are Different.
But to make it cool, we need as many people as possible to join in the fun. Enlist your blog, let us know you’re in, and on October 30th tell us how the Martians are wreaking havoc in your area. Join us at Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds!
My faithful sidekick, harrysaxon, and I invite you to be part of this online challenge on October 30th. Just leave your blog address in the comments box and tell us you’re in. We’ll add your name to the roster of participants on the Not A Planet Anymore homepage so visitors to the site can link to your blog. Then, on October 30th, all of the participants will blog like the Martians from H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds” are invading.
Here on bloginhood, I’ll be giving updates throughout the day on how the Wet Coast is going up in smoke (and it’ll probably be the first time a Lower Mainlander isn’t referring to the April 20th 4:20pm haze in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery) as the Martian war machines lope through, blasting away with their heat rays, venting gas and snatching passers-by off the street for a snack.
Then, when it’s done, over at Not A Planet Anymore, we’ll go through the blogs of all the participants and harvest the highlights, posting them to our site so you can get a sampler of how things went down around the world.
Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds is our way of commemorating Orson Welles’ famous October 30, 1938 radio play that had thousands of late-arriving listeners believing the aliens had finally come and had brought a high-tech stick to give mankind a whuppin’.
We’ve take our inspiration for this blogging challenge from the success of the annual zombie apocalypse organized by My Elves Are Different.
But to make it cool, we need as many people as possible to join in the fun. Enlist your blog, let us know you’re in, and on October 30th tell us how the Martians are wreaking havoc in your area. Join us at Blog Like It’s The War Of The Worlds!
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