Danny Danger Oz

Dashed off Dot Points

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:43:04 GMT

* Today I get three wisdom teeth out!

* My teeth tend to lock into my jaw with curved and hooked tooth... thingys. So for one, they actually have to saw away a small part of my jawbone!

* Weirdly, I'm not nervous at all. I honestly expected to be.

* I've been madly chucking things up on eBay in an effort to help offset the financial jolt of the tooth removal. It appears to be going okay for the moment. Most folks bid at the last minute these days. Feel free to spread the word.

* My eBay auction of a Santa visit went for the princely sum of... 1 cent! Given the number of enquiries I had, I found this hilarious! I could just picture all these folks not bidding because they figured it'd be outside their reach anyway, then seeing it go for a cent!

* I wnet to bed that night, and couldn't sleep for giggling :-D

* I have since heard from two other people wanting me to play Father Christmas for them, and I've successfully argued them down on price.

* Well, it is Christmas, after all.

* The actual winner has yet to contact me, despite me trying to contact her. I'm now suspecting she was a joke bid, gone wrong.

* Which I don't mind, but it has prevented me from confirming the other gigs to date, because she has to be my priority job, of course.

* That said, I've emailed asking for any sort of confirmation, and if I don't get it by Monday, she can work around the other people.

* Oh, and I got called by the Entertainment Store. They wanted to know if I was free for a job Christmas Day. And it was... 'name your price.'

* Naturally I freaked.

* I had no idea how much to ask for, so asked Fred how much he thought I should be asking for. He's used to negotiating that side of the business, after all. His answer? $350!

* And I'd been wondering if $100 was too much...

* Fred rang me yesterday to tell me the place wanting a Kringle hasn't replied as yet. He thinks they may have been scared off by the price. I was about to ask if he thought a lower offer would be better, when he commented that they could easily afford that amount of cash, and they'd have no luck getting a better St. Nick on Christmas Day, so it's their loss.

* Then he said I was their best Santa, and I was actually worth way more than that for a Christmas Day gig.

* I went wibble

* When he realised that I was rather confused by this statement, he started telling me about all the glowing reports, businesses saying I'm the best they've had, etc.

* I went wibble, wibble.

* So proud!

* But wibble!

* Needless to say, I'm very pleased by this.

* So long as I recover in time from my teeth (no reason I shouldn't), Sat week I'll be appearing for the kids of a group of single mums in Queanbeyan. I argued them down on price, too. They argued back, but I counter argued that, being Christmas, I'd rather they spend a bit of the difference on themselves. It's hard enough being part of a pair looking after a kid, let alone doing it on your own.

* I'm also doing a freebie for friends of mine. I offered and they're all too happy to accept. Glenn started off as a customer, but now he and his family are mates, and I'm really looking forward to surprising his kids.

* I just finished the Evergence Trilogy. It was awesome, and Sean and Shane are bastards, in the best possible way.

* I'm now reading the memoirs of Barry Letts. It's very good.

* I've been watching Misfits. It's Skins meets Heroes. Only one character isn't horrible, and yet I can't help but want to keep watching.

* Oh well, off to be knocked out and have my jaw messed about with.

Lex Communication

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:41:01 GMT

In the last week, Lex has suddenly hit his stride with a bunch of words, symbols, and concepts coming together for him. He's understood sign language previously, but for whatever reason wasn't using it, but this week that changed.

He's now doing his own adaptation of the sign for book by clapping his hands together as if he were shutting a book. Sometimes he will accompany this with the word "dat" which is his most common word for book. The next most common words for it are "dot" and "dook."

He also signs for food now by opening his mouth and then putting his hand over it. Very handy one, that. He sometimes also combines the sign with the word "mum."

"Shluck" is his word for sock.

"Car" is now used for pictures or actual cars.

Of course he already had "Kal" and "mum." Any words he has can get used for other things. For instance, the other day he named my nipples. One was called "mum" and the other was called "Kal."

Other times he just says the words because he likes the feel of the word in his mouth, something I also do. But all the words mentioned have a pretty consistent use associated with their respective objects and lifeforms. I tend to wait until I've seen an ongoing use and connection before I credit him with actually understanding the word.

Today, for the first time, he said "da" as he pointed at me. Will be looking out to see if that's repeated or it was a one off.

The Prisoner 2009 - Anvil

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:43:53 GMT

Very odd episode, confusing and strange, but at the same time with some fabulous ideas, and a nice central conceit.

6/10 as a Prisoner remake
7/10 as a TV show

An improvement as the darkness and weirdness gets amped up. Number 6 is basically challenged by Number 2 to accompany a surveillance operative as he watches people, and find a way of turning what he learns to his own advantage.

For me, this is the first time it really felt like the old show, as Number 2 taunts Number 6, basicaly telling him that he won't be able to break the system.

The guy he's teamed with is wonderfully paranoid and suspicious. His approach is that everyone is guilty and has something to hide, his job is to find out what. Naturally this is true of himself, as well. His secret, that he's having a relationship with Number 2's son, 1112, is at once a fabulous idea, and kind of ordinary. I'm not sure why, but as secrets go, it seemed a bit forced and obvious.

However, we do get to see inside one of The Village schools, as 6 is asked to teach a subject. Which subject? Why surveilance, of course! Having a classroom full of kids who are learning about how to watch their family and friends, looking for suspicious behaviour, was brilliant.

I love the kid who felt that his mum missing a yoga class was suspicious, and the brainfucked look of confusion that crosses his face when 6 suggests that maybe she just didn't feel well. And then 6 turns it all around by giving the class an assignment - found out the secrets of who they all work for.

The stuff with the underground and Number 2's wife felt a little like weirdness for weirdness sake, which is strange complaint for me to make, since this is The Prisoner after all. And it does feel like they just chuck Rover in at the end of episodes now just because they can or feel they should. But overall, the show is steadily improving.

My personal favourite moment? Number 2 telling the student who had been spying on him that they'd have to send her for treatment, but that it was okay, she could finish her icecream first. Then we jump to a shot of the half eaten icecream dropping to the ground and getting run over by the truck taking her, screaming, away. Number 2 lied, and over something so minor.

How utterly wonderful!

The Prisoner 2009 - Harmony

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:11:31 GMT

A definite improvement, darker and more interesting, drawing on concepts used in the original series while adding one that would not have been out of place in that show.

5/10 as a Prisoner remake
6/10 as a TV show

In the astonishing array of ways they screwed with number 6 in the original series, one that they never did was to give him an entire family to be a part of. Initially I was skeptical when they produced 6's brother, but as the episode progressed, it grew on me. It creates a chink in his armour if he can be made to believe and feel a part of this family.

Some of the scenes involving the counsellors in this episode were amongst the strongest. 6 finally turning the tables on them is briliant, only beaten by 2's distain and intimidation of them.

I'm still not sold on the show. I find it plodding, and the happy Americana version of the Village is dull. But this showed a distinct improvement, and if it can maintain or improve on this level of storytelling, I'll be a lot more forgiving of it.

First Day...

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:38:32 GMT

...was really good. The staff are as awesome as I remember, we used a system that avoided long queues, most of the kids were great, I have been asked to work an extra hour each day, and the boss was looking at letting me go half an hour earlier, since it was quiet - at full pay - but I stayed back anyway to finish my shift.

Drove home, and have been on the couch ever since, totally exhausted.

Woohoo! *yawn*

The Prisoner 2009 - Arrival

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:19:14 GMT

Bland, and lacking the intensity and inventiveness that made the first episode of the original series such an amazing brainfuck.

3/10 as a Prisoner remake
5/10 as a TV show

Okay, I went into this with an open mind, as far as one can with any show when one is familiar with the original. I expected major changes, I expected not to like some stuff and enjoy other aspects, I expected the old ideas to be shaken up a bit. Certainly, based on the source material, I expected something that would evoke a strong reaction, even if that reaction was utter hatred.

I didn't expect to be bored. I didn't think a pale imitation of the original was even possible.

What we've got with the 2009 opening episode is something we've seen done before - the odd community controlled by a genteel leader through secrets and lies - only this time it's been put through the special American safe-sameness generator. It feels like we've seen it all before, done better. It's isolated small town American run by the corrupt local mayor, or sheriff, or landowner...

Jim Caviezel is good. The problem is just that. He's good, not brilliant. Now I'm not expecting them to find another Patrick McGoohan, but the way Caviezel has approached the role is ordinary. Admittedly with the writing there is nothing special about his Number 6. The opening credits try to make him interesting, but that character has really only appeared for a few fleeting moments within the episode proper. He hasn't done anything that you or I wouldn't have tried. But he could still be played in a way to make him more than the average guy in the script.

Ian McKellan gives a good performance also. There's some nuance to his character, but even he struggles to add some genuine depth. What they have given his character, a sick wife and a bored son, doesn't really add anything of value in the first episode. I'm hoping they will do something interesting with these elements later.

The rest of the cast are okay in their parts, but again, nothing special.

The direction is ordinary. I never thought I'd say this, but I really wish they'd found some 22 year old director of video clips to helm the thing to give it a sense of style.

Speaking of a lack of style... Why the stock badges? Really? They don't have to be identical to the old badges but for God's sake do something to differentiate them from the local McDonalds. And yes, I know, that was probably the point. But if you have nothing else that stands out, an interesting font, unique clothes or culture, at least make an effort somewhere!

Things I liked... that the numbers go as high as they do. That's good. I like that there are children and schools. I like the old-style cars. The bit with the taxi driver talking about his child and giving her number felt a bit forced, but still works. Oh and the map scene. But beyond all that...

The only bit that evoked a strong postive reaction in me was when Rover appeared. That's when I literally cheered... until I realised that Rover was now gigantic. What the fuck is it with these people, that the only way they can concieve of something being scary is to make it BIG! Is it penis substitution? No, really, I want to know. Because it's really starting to shit me. If you want to make Rover big, that's fine, make it one-and-a-half times bigger than an average human. But go beyond that and we have no scale of reference, it's too big and so becomes just another effect, same as with Gort in the Day the Earth Stood Still remake.

I'm trying to keep an open mind, and I hope it surprises me with the other episodes. Certainly, it's still a much better opening than the Battlestar Galactica miniseries, which I still detest utterly. And that show I went on to become a huge fan of, because it earned my respect.

Come on guys, earn my respect. Show me that you actually watched the original series, rather than heard about it and thought it might be a good idea.

For Sale - One Santa, some wear and tear...

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 05:07:35 GMT

Well, I've gone and put myself up on eBay!

Would have preferred a funnier write-up, but I didn't have a lot of time. Wanted it to finish with plenty of time to figure out the details, assuming anyone takes me up on it. Also, given the nature of the thing, and that people would be allowing a stranger into their homes, I thought something not too silly would be a good idea. I wanted to put it up under services, but for that you have to quote a firm figure. If someone can figure a better category than Personalised Gifts, that will let me do the auction format, would love to hear it.

Feel free to spread the word, too. On one hand I'm hoping some nice family will get me for the cost of petrol money. On the other, if bidding went insane, that'd be kind of nice. First pref though is cover my costs and give some kids a great surprise.

I Santa-ed for one particular family for a few years, and loved doing it, so I'm half hoping to be able to again. As it is, I contacted my friend Glenn and told him my beard was gone in preparation for tomorrow, so I would be able to pay a visit in costume to his kids at Christmas. Looking forward to that.

Nice to be wanted

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:45:17 GMT

The Entertainment Store rang me today to see if I could fill-in on some Father Christmas-ing.

On one hand, tempting, I absolutely love the job, and love working for ES. It would be six hours over this weekend and again the next.

On the other hand, the weekend is where I rest up after looking after Lex through the week, so I can be ready for the next week. Santa-ing knocks the stuffing out of me.

On one foot, money! I like money, it tastes like plastic but allows me to do or buy Things (TM)!

On the other foot, we have a guest coming to stay over the next two weekends. Between looking after Lex during the week, Kringling, and post-Kringling recovery on the weekend, it would cut into much of my available time to hang.

Balanced on my nose, if I do play Hanakoko, it will pretty much confirm that I'll also be playing the part for the children of some friends of mine, and possibly be putting a visit from St. Nick up on eBay. I love surprising kids with a visit from the jolly fat man in the red costume. But in the absense of getting them the wrestler Vader, me as Sinter Klaas goes down pretty well.

Hanging from my chin and jiggling in a disconcerting manner, I kind of need to give them an answer tomorrow to minimise them being stuffed about. So would need to check my costume, comb my wig and beard, check that I have enough toupee tape strips for beard attachment, have the make-up for my eyebrows and cheeks, and do a test run to remind myself of how it all goes together, so I don't over-blush the nose or cheeks. No good Saint Nikolaus having a boozers blush!
All this while sorting clothes, trying to do the eBay stuff I've been wanting to get up for more than a week, and feeding, changing, and playing with Lex.

And racing around my brain like a stunt cyclist in the ball of death is - I get to help a company I really like out of a slightly tight spot, and I get to play the best part in the entire world!

Much thinking to do.

Doctor Who Original Series - The Crusade (2.22 - 2.25)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:34:02 GMT

2.22 The Crusade Pt. 1 - The Lion Written by David Whitaker, Directed by Douglas Camfield

The travellers arrive and are immediately caught up in the Crusades.

Well, the first episode doesn't muck about - straight into the action! The Doctor even gets a bit of swordplay!

Richard the Lionheart is well-played, and Saladin gets a surprisingly even handed approach for the 60s. Both leaders are portrayed as men with layers. They aren't perfect, don't aim to be, and if something doesn't benefit them, or their war, it is irrelevant.

Hartnell seems to be enjoying himself in this episode, and Barbara also has some good moments.

9/10

"You must serve my purpose or you have no purpose. Grace my table tonight in more suitable clothes. If your tales beguile me, you shall stay and entertain." - Bernard Kay (Saladin)

2.23 The Crusade Pt. 2 - The Knight of Jaffa Written by David Whitaker, Directed by Douglas Camfield

Ian is sent to bargain with Saladin for the return of William des Preaux and Barbara.

Not too much to say, good performances, a bit of intrigue, the Doctor talks his way out of trouble, and a nice moment between Ian and King Richard.

7/10

"Saladin sends me presents of fruit and snow when I am sick and now his brother decorates you with his jewels. Yet with our armies do we both lock in deadly combat, watering the land with a rain of blood, and the noise of thunder is drowned in the shouts of dying men." - Julian Glover (Richard the Lionheart)

2.24 The Crusade Pt. 3 - The Wheel of Fortune Written by David Whitaker, Directed by Douglas Camfield

Bloody hell! What a fabulous episode! It builds and builds as it progresses. The Doctor getting caught up in royal politics, Saladin welcoming peace while preparing for war, Barbara wondering whether she can use the knife, Ian attacked, and the huge fight between King Richard and Joanna. I really wasn't expecting to be so blown away.

10/10

"His sincerity deserves our honest dealings. But caution... Yes, caution insists that my armies are ready." - Bernard Kay (Saladin)

2.25 The Crusade Pt. 4 - The Warlords Written by David Whitaker, Directed by Douglas Camfield

Barbara has been captured by El Akir. Meanwhile Ian has troubles of his own.

Though it feels a little rushed in some ways, a good final episode, thanks mainly to the last five minutes where things crack along enjoyably. Special mention must go to Tutte Lemkow, who has a huge amount of fun with the part of Ibrahim the thief.

8/10

"And I will sit in the shade of the trees and dream of all the treasures I will get when the ants discover you." - Tutte Lemkow (Ibrahim)

8.5/10 The Crusade

As you can tell by the score I've given it - Crusade rocks! Which is funny because if you'd asked me before I listened to it for an overall rating, I probably would have gone for seven out of ten. Eight just would have felt too high! As for eight and a half... But it earns this score well, due in no small part to fabulous writing by David whitaker.

Of particular note is the even-handed approach he took to the two warring leaders. A lesser writer would have been tempted to make Richard the Lionheart two dimensionally good, and Saladin just another bad guy. As it stands, Richard can be a bit of a prick, and must occasionally act unfairly in the name of court politics, while Saladin is shown to have just as many shades of grey as his English opposite number.

In fact most of the characters in the story are quite well written. Good or evil, they all get their moments. Ibrahim the thief is a particular delight. While not a subtle character, nor one lacking in the tropes of a stereotype, he's wonderfully written and enjoyably played.

The regulars all do a good job, and Whitaker makes sure that each of them gets their moment within the story. This is especially nice with Vicki, a character that was initially ignored by the show's writers, when we suddenly see how afriad she is of losing her new family. And it must be said that the moment when Ian is knighted is beautiful.

This is a great story, well written, well acted, and enjoyable. Even the weaker episodes have strong finishes. You may also notice that the two weaker episodes (in my opinion) are also the ones that only exist on audio - this is coincidence. Whereas episodes one and three start strong and build, episodes two and four are good, but each only really improves towards the end.

Even so, that's damning with faint praise. The overall quality is very good and every episode has a strong or enjoyable finish. It's stories like this that show the true strengths of the pure historical when well crafted.

The 2009 Chronos Awards

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:21:34 GMT

The Chronos Awards for 2009 will be presented at Continuum 6: Future Tense and nominations will be opening in mid December.

The award categories are being reviewed and the Continuum will be seeking input as to what the categories should be. The nomination and voting process will be similar to the 2008 awards, however feedback on that is also welcomed. Please leave a comment here or send your comments to awards@continuum.org.au

A poll on suggested categories is available here.

Key dates for the 2009 Chronos Awards are:
Nominations Open: Sunday 13 December 2009
Nominations Close: Sunday 10 January 2010
Voting Opens: Sunday 17 January 2010
Voting Closes: Friday 19 February 2010
Awards Announced: Continuum 6: Future Tense (see the program for details).

Wide distribution of this post is welcomed but please acknowledge the source and provide a link back.

Dot points of Doom!

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:57:31 GMT

So I've not been near the net for a week or so. Various reasons but major contributing factors were -

- I hurt my back picking up Lex. No seriously, really buggered it. Normally on the rare occasions when I do something like this, it takes a day to go back to normal. This took until yesterday.

- Obviously having to deal with Lex slowed the healing. This is the first time I've jiggered my back since he's been around. Having to regularly lift and deal with a wiggling 10 kilo weight slowed things, and left me very tired when he decided to give me a break.

- So yesterday was my first day without pain and I thought I should probably still take it a little easy. Then I got distracted looking for something, and... well you can probably guess the rest.

- Bugger!

- I've had a quick look back through LJ, but feel free to fill me in on anything I may have missed that is worth knowing. For instance, mrs_roy reminded me that the Doctor Who - Children in Need preview has screened!

In other news...

- Lex learned a new trick today. Lifting my glasses up onto my forehead so he can see my eyes without looking through my lenses.

- He also now helps brush my hair (No, I do brush it, I'm just genetically scruffy). It's a special sort of terror, waiting to see if he's going to tear my hair out or whack me in the head with the edge of the brush.

- Sharon's mum and cousin (Lex's godmum) paid a visit, which was lovely. I like Sharon's family, and what made seeing them even better was we didn't have to travel! *happy sigh*

- Stargate: Universe is good. Not OMG must watch now! good, just good good. It's got everything right that Star Trek - Voyager managed to get terribly wrong. For a start it has a bunch of mismatched people and some real human drama.

- Dollhouse has been cancelled! At last!

- For some annoying reason my LJ keeps coming up looking like this -

instead of this -

The issue also makes a bunch of other stuff more annoying or tiring to read, as well as removing peoples icons, and not letting me use tags. It's only on LJ, so any suggestions as to what needs to be done to get it back to normal gratefully accepted.

- Someone asked why I haven't been on Facebook. I only go on Facebook when I have spare time and no brainspace to do anything useful. Recently even when I've had the lack of brain, I haven't had the time, and vice versa.

- I watched War Machines yesterday to celebrate the 46th anniversary of DW. It's that rarest of things, an action-packed Hartnell story. I rather like it, apart from the rushed, too-many-narrative-shortcuts ending, and the terrible treatment of Jackie Lane who was just finding her feet in spite of the fact that no-one seemed to know how to write for her character.

- I can't find my Dalek Movies DVD. I'm wondering if Lex has grabbed it and posted it somewhere. Yesterday I watched him carefully putting his toys in my shoes. If it was Lex, that DVD could be anywhere!

- I got to see Surrogates. I liked it.

- I got to see The Imaginiarium of Doctor Parnassus. I think I liked it, still not sure.

- But Lily Cole totally wants me.

- In other internet news, still picking up the pieces in the aftermath of the two-year email loss I recently suffered. It turns out that various setting had been lost as well, and a bunch of my email have been defaulting to the spam folder. Damn!

- In other, other internet news, over the last two or three months my utorrent downloads have developed an unfortunate habit. Basically it appears to be sucking approximately a third or more bandwidth than I'm actually getting converted into a file. So a 100meg file is draining 150+ of my monthly bandwidth.

I only noticed because I have it set to only download at a low speed, and at the end of every month have tonnes leftover, which I then use up in the last few days. In the last couple of months I'm suddenly finding I have stop downloading for days at a time because of how much bandwidth is being chewed up. There are no viruses, and there have been no modem, computer or other changes to account for this, and it's happening on multiple versions of uTorrent, so it's not the latest upgrade. And it only happens when running uTorrent.

Any suggestions gratefully accepted. God knows I've searched, but most people's issue are to do with not being able to download, rather than bandwidth vanishing.

- In better internet news, the Telstra guy seems to have fixed our connection problems.

The fix came after the uTorrent issue started.

- Sharon was out shopping the other day, and came back to find a note on the windscreen. She thought it'd be an apology for hitting it or something, but it was yet another offer to buy my car. I've had two since moving to Canberra, and on my big trips I usually come away with one or two instances where someone someone asks me how much I'd want for it. Always surprises me.

- Lex continues to learn what certain signs mean, but not use them himself. That said, he does have signs and words of his own that he does use and we get.

- Oh, very dirty on the Doctor Who Confidential production team. They did three specials, including one on the companions. The companions one talked about Rose, Martha, and Donna, pretty much exclusively. WTF?! What about Jack and Mickey? Mickey has a great character arc, you bastards!

- He now says "mum" as well as "Kal". While both started out as definite words that only got used in relation to those two beings, now they get used randomly for other stuff as well, depending on his mood.

- Lex also says "elgut" which means 'I want that thing residing in the vague direction to which I am pointing, please.'

"Elgut, elgut!" means 'No, not that one, the other one, dopey!'

- We all drove out to Captain's Flat on Sunday to check out the town and roads. Sadly while the town is okay, the last 30+km of road is very twisty, not very wide, and has numerous signs warning of roos and wombats. Wouldn't be an issue, but having it at the end of an hours drive on a daily basis is not terribly desireable. I found it tiring and I love these sorts of roads.

- However, we can still buy out that way, just not as far. And our investigations of Bredbo, Cooma and other places that are on major highways may bear more fruit.

- Lex walks like John Wayne.

- I have a cordless drill! It has a screwdriver attachment. I like this! (insert crass joke about screwing here)

- Reading the last of the Evergence books by Sean Williams and Shane Dix. Rather enjoying it.

- Congrats to the folks I know who have pumped out sproglets in the last week or two. Hey, Alexander and Jadzia, I hope you each enjoy the ride!

Waters of Mars

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:04:54 GMT

I can't quite talk about it without talking about things and giving spoilers.

Non-spoilery review - 6/10

If it had been slightly less over the top, and held its ending in check, 7 or 8 out of 10.

There will undoubtedly end up being massive spoilers in the comments if I get any, so consider yourself warned.

Houses

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:21:16 GMT

As many of you are aware, we rent in Canberra at the moment, mainly because houses prices are insane. We've kept our eyes on the market and prices have come down somewhat, to the point where they are now nearing a level where we might be able to buy here.

Hopefully once the first homebuyer's grant has gone bye-byes, prices will settle down a bit. As is fairly common knowledge, when the grant was introduced, and increased, prices jumped up by a margin significantly larger than the grant. We're not expecting prices to drop by the same amounts they went up by, but hey, even a drop of $10K makes life that bit easier.

So, we're waiting around to see what prices are doing by the middle of next year. Oh if before then the perfect house pops up at a price that won't have us dreading when interest rates have inevitably increased by another three percent, we'll certainly go for it, but in the meantime we're just keeping an eye on the market, investigating the occasional place, etc.

The big issue is, of course, that we have four people who need housing, and we hope to have a fifth one at some point. We're not after a mansion, a decent sized three bedroom place would suit us. The problem is, at our upper limit, which is a smidge under $400K, it's rare to find decent sized houses. What we tend to find is three bedroom dogboxes, with no insulation, in need of work.

Occasionally a gem pops up, but they are rare, and by gee you have to be fast to even get a look in. One thing that gives us an advantage is that we don't care about ensuites, air conditioning, and all that other stuff that some people seem to feel they can't live without. But even then, it's really hard to find a worthwhile house.

So we've been looking at the other options.

Forty-five mintues from Civic is Captain's Flat. It's a small town of 550 people. It's also tantalisingly affordable. How affordable?

We can get the sort of three bedroom place we'd be happy to settle for in Canberra for close to $400K, for around $225K at Captain's Flat. At the other end of the scale, for $370K we could have four bedrooms, three bathrooms, garage with an extra room on top, and a national park literally at the back fence. For $420K we currently get four bedrooms, space for three cars, solar power(!), oh and 185 acres, a 150 of which is native bush.

Okay, we don't want or need three bathrooms, and neither do we need space for three cars, though if we moved out there we'd probably buy a second car as Sharon's work car. But y'know, a fourth bedroom would be handy. And of course I'd hate having natural bush on our property or at the back door.

Then there's also the option of buying land and building something that suits us. There's some quite reasonably priced blocks both in the town itself, and just outside it. Okay, building is a hassle on all sorts of levels, but it does give one the option of contructing a place that's eco-friendly from the start, rather than having to adapt an existing house.

At the same time, we really like living in Canberra itself. We have friends here. We like the feel of Canberra, the bike paths, and of course living in Canberra puts Sharon closer to her work.

But then again, shazgirl is the one who started looking at Goulburn as an option, which is even further away than Captain's Flat. People working in Canberra are starting to look at Goulburn for houses because it's affordable. I don't know if they've done the math on the costs of fuel and basic car maintenance with a daily 200km return trip and factored that in to the equations, but it's becoming common.

I'd prefer to stay here, I genuinely like Canberra, but I love the idea of Captain's Flat, too. Semi-rural, the possibility of natural bushland on or very near our property, and let's face it, it'd be really nice to have a mortgage that is at a reasonable level so we can afford to do the things we like to do - like eat.

So that's where we're at. Waiting, watching prices, and considering going bush if Canberra wants to be stupid about prices.

As always, we welcome the input and experience of our friends and loved ones.

Doctor Who Original Series - The Web Planet (2.16 - 2.21)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:26:24 GMT

2.16 The Web Planet Pt. 1 - The Web Planet Written by Bill Strutton, Directed by Richard Martin

The Tardis is pulled down to a strange barren planet, and the crew must solve the mystery of what has done this if they are ever to leave again.

A great set-up episode for what follows, laying down aspects of the mysterious planet, and setting some questions to be answered later. I love the character stuff between Barbara and Vicki, with Vicki's background fleshed out nicely. And there are also some nice moments between the Doctor and Ian.

The last few minutes building to the cliffhanger are wonderfully atmospheric and creepy, and we effectively end with a four-way cliffhanger.

9/10

"Let me see now, now what have we got, hm? Echoes. Interference. Gold. Now... Acid! Yes, similar properties to formic acid. Yes, it's strange. It's very strange. - William Hartnell (Doctor Who)

2.17 The Web Planet Pt. 2 - The Zarbi Written by Bill Strutton, Directed by Richard Martin

The Tardis is stolen and the crew meet the inhabitants of Vortis.

This epsiode allows the audience to fully meet the creatures of the story, building as it goes. We continue to learn more about the planet and the current situation - a growing building, new sattelites in the sky, the importance of gold, etc. It's also quite harsh in places, with Barbara's reaction to the offscreen clipping of a Menoptera's wings selling the horror of the moment beautifully.

8/10

"If we do not contact our forces, they face destruction. We must warn them of the power of the Animus." - Roslyn De Winter (Vrestin)

2.18 The Web Planet Pt. 3 - Escape to Danger Written by Bill Strutton, Directed by Richard Martin

The Doctor, Ian, and Vicki are the prisoners of the Animus.

This episode establishes the Animus and explains where things are at. The Animus attempts to use the Doctor while he's attempting to outwit it, so there's a nice low level battle of wits going on. There's also a short scene with the Zarbi swinging into action when Ian tries to escape that's quite quickly paced and ambitious for the day.

7/10

"The Zarbi are not an intelligent species but they were essential to the life pattern here. We lived at peace with them, until they were made militant by the dark power." - Roslyn De Winter (Vrestin)

2.19 The Web Planet Pt. 4 - Crater of Needles Written by Bill Strutton, Directed by Richard Martin

Can Ian and Vrestin convince the Optera that they are allies? Will the Doctor be able to continue fooling the Animus? And can Barbara help the invasion force?

Barbara is really getting the worst of it in this story. Made a slave, trying to save the invasion force... The Doctor, Vicky and Ian have a comparitively easy time this episode. The world and cultures continue to be fleshed out, showing a level of thought and detail rare in most stories.
Much as I love this story, it always seems to be running a little slow. That said, the ecosystem is solidly established, Strutton obviously having sorted out his backstory and understanding how things work in this world.

7/10

"If you throw us into the fire, you destroy your own future." - William Russell (Ian Chesterton)

2.20 The Web Planet Pt. 5 - Invasion Written by Bill Strutton, Directed by Richard Martin

The plan to defeat the Animus is made, but will it succeed?

A fair amount is thrown into the episode. The escape and return to the web by the Doctor and Vicki, Ian and Vrestin's journey with the Optera to find the root of the web, and Barbara working with the leader of the invasion force.

Of particular note is the dialogue from the Optera and the Menoptera - their descriptions of things are unusual, but understandable with a little thought, giving them a slightly more alien mindset.

The death of Nemini, as she sacrifices herself to save the others from the acid is a harsh moment, one that the Optera accept as necessary. As they point out to Ian, this is a danger they always live with.

How does the Doctor find not only the temple, but the secret entrance? And where does he expect Vicki to hide the Isoptope given the outfit she's wearing?

7/10

"A silent wall. We must make mouths in it with our weapons. Then it will speak more light." - Ian Thompson (Hetra)

2.21 The Web Planet Pt. 6 - The Centre Written by Bill Strutton, Directed by Richard Martin

The Doctor and Vicki are taken to the Animus to be absorbed, while the Menoptera mount a last ditch assault.

The last episode shoots along at a fair pace given how slow the previous episodes were. It's a good finish, with the Menoptera talking about how they'll sing songs about the Earth people who helped to save them.

8/10

"What I take from you will enable me to reach beyond this galaxy into the solar system, to pluck from Earth its myriad techniques, and take from man his mastery of space. - Catherine Fleming (Animus voice)

7.6/10 The Web Planet

Web Planet is a magnificently insane attempt to bring an alien planet full of giant insects to the screen. Even with today's effects technology it would tax a feature film. So trying to do it in 1965 on television with a tiny budget, in small studios, is unbelieveably ambitious. To give a sense of proportion, in 1966 the average cost of a 50 minute episode of Star Trek was US $180,000 (£75,000). The whole six part story of Web Planet cost £16,525.

The Zarbi are large and clumsy, however in an age where most aliens were humanoids, they are an interesting idea. The same can be said of the larvae gun. The Menoptera are also primitive costumes, but still striking and lovely. And I love the effort that has been gone into to give them an alien way of moving and talking. It may often seem a little silly, but at least some effort has been made to move away from standard speech.

I especially like how each creature has its part to play in the planet's ecosystem, even the larvae guns, as is explained at the end.

There's no doubt that Web Planet's flaws are many, but the core of the story is solid enough if one can get past the visuals and slow pace.

Contact

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:39:50 GMT

Rain has buggered our internet again. For example, it's taken from 7am this morning until now to be able to get this posted, most of that being the time it took for the posting page to load. We currently have virtually no internet and no email. If you need to contact us, ring, because there's no saying when we'll get the message otherwise.

This has gone on for several days before.

That said, if anyone can explain to me how it's impossible to load a webpage, or download email, yet if I turn on uTorrent that works fine, I'd love to hear it. And before anyone says anything, we have no email or web access with uTorrent turned completely off, so that's not causing the issue.

If I could pick one of the three to keep working, it would not be uTorrent.

Deep Roy Appreciation Day

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:48:04 GMT

I could go for the ones everyone remembers Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars but instead I present a rare appearance by Deep Roy in Blake's 7. Why is it rare? Because virtually every time he appeared in the show, he was covered in half a tonne of latex!

I present, from the B7 episode Gambit, Deep Roy as The Klute!

Conventions in 2010

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:47:13 GMT

So, we've looked at finances, holiday logistics, Lex logistics, and a bunch of other stuff, and have had to divvy up the convention going for next year. We've been nutting out ideas for a while, but Sharon's work commitments and our finances have meant we've had to firm up our plans.

I will be at Continuum 6 in Melbourne at the end of February.
This is because with Sharon's work, her trying to get the time off for the con is nigh impossible. I kind of have to be there for a couple of things, plus even though my baby has grown up and is now going off and having adventures without me, only calling home on the holidays and when it needs money or advice, I like to be there if I can. It will mean one of my mad dashes down and back, though if I can find a way to wrangle driving instead of flying, I shall.

Sharon will be at Swancon in Perth at Easter, while I do the Lex minding thing back home in Canberra.
Sharon's not been able to enjoy a holiday since the first one, six weeks after Lex was born, just because they've always involved mad runarounds and/or me having stuff to do, being sick, Lex teething, etc. I had already thought that sending Shaz to Swancon would be a good idea for her, she'd get a good week or more on holiday away from all baby duties and be able to enjoy a con, something she hasn't had a chance to do since before she moved to Canberra and missed out of C4.
She had some reservations, knowing how much Swancon means to me, but I thought it was more important that she get a real holiday.

We will both/all be at Aussiecon 4 in September. We don't know yet whether we will farm Lex out to the grandparents for part of the con, or just keep him with us the whole time. Will see what they want to do, and what he wants to do.

Sharing out the congoing is not something we generally want to do, but for next year it's pretty much the only way for us to go.

Mystery project

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:04:59 GMT

I'm yet to be confirmed for any panels or events for Aussiecon 4 (way too early yet, of course), but if things continue the way they have been, it's looking like I may be rather busy during the con.

Progression

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:19:24 GMT

Amongst things Lex has learned or experienced in recent weeks are -

- shaking his head (it doesn't actually mean no, I think he just likes the cheap high)

- walking (he did a proper walk last night for all of half a dozen steps - this is how the world ends!)

- his first true word, as in a word that is solidly identified with one inhabitant of our house (the word is "Gahr!" or "Carh!", which is Lex's attempt to say the dog's name, "Kal")

- interior design (he keeps rearranging all the chairs)

- the sign language for milk (it's a two handed milking-a-cow motion, only he does it with one hand and so it's hard to distinguish it from him waving, but you can tell the difference if you really look)

- two big teeth finally breaking the skin after months of bothering him (both have come through in the last day or so, on the left side top and bottom)

- bubbles (a really good way to distract him so he doesn't scream while you're wiping his face after eating)

- swings and slides (both of which he adores)

- paper planes (threw the plane back and forth around him, then let him have it. It became the most precious piece of paper ever, for about half an hour)

In other news, it feels like everyone I've ever known is having kids at the moment. Just heard about another. Will be interesting seeing the direction all the kids of the fannish and alternative folks go over the years. I suspect a few rebellious Liberal voting accountant or sporting types will pop up.

Ow and okays

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:20:49 GMT

The last couple of weeks I've been wiped and emotional, my cold has come back (it never fully went away), and today I've majorly barked the back of my right foot on the wire door, hurt the index finger of my left hand mending the gate, and hurt the thumb on my right hand fixing a tap.

On the bright side I spent chunks of yesterday watching Ghost Rider, which while Nicolas Cage was a bit crap in it, I still found to be an enjoyable film. And Christopher Young did the film's music, and I almost always enjoy his work.

And I finished The Kolchak Papers which was a good read despite the huge amount of spelling errors.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 remake)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:22:43 GMT

While I don't see the point of most remakes, there are some that I think are better than the originals, like Ocean's Eleven and Little Shop of Horrors, or different but more or less equal to the originals, like The Thing and Cat People.

The local video library has brought back $2 Tuesday, so I thought it was time to check out the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still.

It's a pointless remake that will be deservedly forgotten within a couple of years, along with the remakes of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. It was okay to bearable for the first half, but quickly dissolved into a painful and obvious piece of rubbish by the second. I don't mind the green message, that was an appropriate updating, making the film as relevant to now as the original was to its time. No, it's the characters who are so badly written and by the numbers that they hurt the film. Well that and the need for massive spectacle where subtlety would be far more effective.

Oh, and Gort is crap. They missed the point of what made the original scary. They made their Gort a little bit too humanoid and not quite robotic enough, but mostly I found the lack of the slow reveal of Gort's laser eye meant there was no tension. In the original Gort was impressive enough, but it was when his visor slowly moved aside and one saw the glow beneath, you knew it was bad and had time to wonder how bad it would be.

Oh, and there's lots of CG where there really doesn't need to be. And it's really obvious. What, can't Hollywood afford to hire real helicopters anymore?

This film is exactly why I don't go see major films at the cinema unless I get glowing reports from people. It wasn't worth my time or my money. In fact I originally thought that $2 would be a fair price to see this, but now having seen it, it wasn't even that good.

Don't bother. Hire or buy the original. Yes it's got its flaws, but it was written by people who knew how to write, and made by people who knew how to make films.

BttF Terminator crossover

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:22:57 GMT

Back to the Future and Terminator from How It Should Have Ended.

Vale Barry Letts

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:31:10 GMT

Apparently Barry Letts has passed away. He was the producer of Doctor Who for all but the first of Jon Pertwee's stories, was executive producer for Tom Baker's last season, and did a handful of stories in various media outside those two runs.

I have no idea why, but feeling rather gutted by the news.

Most DW cast and crew die and I think it's a shame but Lett's death has actually hit me quite hard. I think one of the aspects that hits me is knowing that he and Terrance Dicks had an ongoing tradition dating back to their DW days of having a feed of chips together virtually every Friday night. I can't help but wonder how Terrance is feeling, knowing that their regular Friday nights are over, I hope he's okay.

Goodbye Barry, and thank you for producing the shows that my first Doctor appeared in. Your work has directly and indirectly influenced my life in so many ways.

Doctor Who Original Series - The Romans (2.12 - 2.15)

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:21:59 GMT

2.12 The Romans Pt. 1 - The Slave Traders Written by Dennis Spooner, Directed by Christopher Barry

The Doctor and his friends enjoy a relaxing stay in a Roman villa.

Not a lot happens in this episode, but it's a good watch nevertheless. Having the four travellers relaxing gives us some nice character moments, with the established crew enjoying their break, and Vicki complaining that it's boring.

There's some nice comedy between Ian and Barbara, and the Doctor gets himself caught up in things when he realises he has a chance to meet Nero, dragging Vicki in with him. The story turns a little more serious towards the end, as it should for the cliffhanger. As episodes go, it's actually rather a fun watch.

8/10

"Nero pays well when better musicians than he are put out of the way, and you failed you fool!" - Dennis Edwards (Centurian)

2.13 The Romans Pt. 2 - All Roads Lead to Rome Written by Dennis Spooner, Directed by Christopher Barry

7/10

The Doctor arrives at Nero's court. Meanwhile Barbara is sold and Ian is made a galley slave.

This episode chuffs along at a fair old pace. Hartnell again carries the humour with O'Brien, while Hill and Russell carry the drama. In some ways not too much happens, but it's setting things in place nicely for the next couple of episodes.

Watching the Doctor deal with the assassin is a joy.

"You know I am so constantly outwitting the opposition, I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the arts - the gentle art of fisticuffs!" - William Hartnell (Doctor Who)

2.14 The Romans Pt. 3 - Conspiracy Written by Dennis Spooner, Directed by Christopher Barry

While the Doctor and Vicki get caught up in the intrigue of Nero's court, Barbara meets the Emperor, and Ian must fight for his life!

An enjoyable romp of an episode, by far the most comedic to date, only turning serious towards the end in time for the cliffhanger. Derek Francis is having a ball with the part if Nero, chasing slave girls and generally acting like a school kid. It gains an extra point for the fight at the end - short but well done.

8/10

"He's alright, but he's not all that good." - Derek Francis (Nero) - on the Doctor's lyre playing abilities.

2.15 The Romans Pt. 4 - Inferno Written by Dennis Spooner, Directed by Christopher Barry

The travellers must escape Rome before Nero sets his plans in motion.

Good finish to the story, with the various plotlines more or less reaching natural conclusions. The mix of drama and humour is still well handled, and the stories' closing minutes are quite enjoyable.

7/10

"...I've got a friend who specialises in trouble. He dives in and usually finds a way. I think I'll take a leaf out of his book for once. - William Russell (Ian Chesterton)

7.5/10 The Romans

The first story with overt comedy elements is rather well done. It doesn't let the comedy overwhelm what should be dramatic moments and the various threads progress easily and fluidly. Using the fact that all the characters end up at Nero's court separately as a further opportunity to expand the comedy was realised enjoyably.

Hartnell really gets the chance to show his comedic abilities, and obviously enjoys the chance. Vicki doesn't get a huge amount to do, which is unfortunate for the new companion, while the characters of Ian and Barbara get some solid storylines to follow.

Derek Francis as Nero is worth a special mention. He plays the buffoon well, and moves fluidly between Nero the fool, and Nero the dangerous fool.

Boo Yays

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:07:48 GMT

* April and Andy visited on the weekend. Yay!

* My car indicator continues to play up. Boo!

* Sharon and I got to go see Up on Sunday. It was good and didn't stupidly pander to the 3D. Yay!

* Sharon's grandpa died Sunday night. He was an awesome old bloke. Boo!

* Jon Blum paid a visit last night. Yay!

* We have to race to Melbourne for the funeral, and race home again. Boo!

* Sharon's sister has gone into labour today, and it's my birthday, so there's a chance the bub will be born on my birthday. Double Yay!

* They almost certainly certainly won't name the child Danny, Danni, or any variation thereof. Boo!

* Seshat sent me a lovely picture of herself. Yay!

* I'm seriously behind on everything. Boo!

* Have had a couple of nice SMSes today, including one from my biological mum. Yay!

* Within the next month I'll have been in fandom for 30 years. Yay!

* If I'd murdered someone, I would have only gotten 20 years. Boo!

* I got some parcels mailed off. Yay!

* The last time I had intercourse was August 15th, 2008. Boo!

* At least I still have masturbation. Yay!

* Of course finding time for a relaxing wank when looking after a child and sharing a house with one's mother is problematic at best. Boo!

* Sharon has been talking about having another kiddie, which theoretically means more intercourse. Yay!

* The Kolchak the Nightstalker reprint I've been reading is full of typos caused by using a spellchecker and not a proofreader. Almost every page has one. Boo!

* My son totally rocks! Yay!

* I still haven't dumped the pictures from our last trip to Melbourne onto the computer. Boo!

* I like falling asleep to the soundtrack of Warriors' Gate. Yay!

* People panic buying for the first homebuyer's grant has pushed prices up. Boo!

* We have been continuing to save so we have a good sized deposit. Yay!

* I so seldom get to watch movies now. Boo!

* I think I've figured a way to bodge my indicator so it will work! Yay!

The Yays win! Woohoo!