Planet Zeta

Ben: Trying out Digsby

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:11:39 +0000

I‘ve got a bunch of things I should blog about, so let’s start with Digsby, a new free multi-service IM program. I have both an MSN (I suppose it’s “Windows Live Messenger” now) account and an AIM screenname. Up until recently, I used two separate programs. I’ve tried Pidgin and Trillian; however, I found the former too spartan and the latter too bloated. I couldn’t get comfortable with either—it’s cool that Pidgin’s free and open-source, but it’s just not for me!

Lately I’ve been trying the new IM program on the block: Digsby. It’s still in “beta” (for what that word is worth in the Google era), but it’s very functional and constantly being updated to improve features and stability. In addition to the major IM protocols, it also supports Facebook Chat. I find this useful, because it means I know when some of my Facebook friends are online without having to check Facebook; then I can talk to them directly from Digsby.

Digsby does more than IM: it’s touted as your “IM + Email + Social Networks” program. It’ll check your mail accounts and supports Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, sending you notifications from these sites and letting you update your account status. I don’t use MySpace, of course, but I love the Twitter integration. The Facebook feature doesn’t work with Facebook’s new layout yet, so I haven’t used it much.

What else do I like about Digsby? You can reply directly to the On-Screen Notifications that pop-up, letting me type a quick reply without completely losing focus on whatever I’m doing. It supports tabbed conversations, keeping everything organized.

So far my file transfers with Windows Live users have been sub par—I hope there’s major improvements soon. I would like support for alternate emoticon sets added to the interface—currently you can override the default emoticons, but your changes get deleted each time Digsby updates.

Even in beta, Digsby is a good replacement for my two default IM programs. Hopefully its rough edges will get smoothed over with future updates. If not, I can always go back to my search for the One IM Program to Rule Them All.

Ben: What a crazy world

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:59:48 +0000

Humans are an insane and suicidal species. This is not a new revelation to most of us, I‘m sure. Nor is it news that the world is crazy. But let’s stop and reflect for a moment on some recent events that underline such insanity, shall we?

First on the block is the situation in Georgia. When this originally happened, I could understand (but did not approve of) Russia’s actions. The area is ethnically diverse and highly conflicted. While South Ossetia may be a part of Georgia, it seems to be more sympathetic to Russia. Unfortunately for them, they’re still part of Georgia, and that doesn’t give Russia much business sending troops in there. Russia claims that their troops are peacekeeping forces, a response to Georgian troops sent into South Ossetia to quell militants. Then, however, Russia sent troops past the border of South Ossetia into other regions of Georgia!

After France finally brokered a ceasefire, Russia agreed to withdraw its troops. So far such withdrawals have been minimal. The Russians are playing the old game of “the truth is what we say it is, not what you see.” The Russian officials insist that they are withdrawing; soldiers continue to fortify their positions in Georgia and some say that they have received no word to leave.

Next up: America (of course!). Let me try and get this one straight: America is a capitalist country, where success (measured in wealth) is a product of individual strength and determination. Yet the two major presidential candidates are engaged in an attempt to make the other one look like an elitist—i.e., a successful, wealthy individual. Obama’s campaign is accusing McCain of owning too many houses; McCain’s campaign gives out free tire gauges to show that Obama’s energy plan is lunacy … it’s a shame American politics are more interesting than Canadians politics right now. I love watching The Colbert Report, but I feel vaguely un-Canadian.

Speaking of Canada, is any one else ready for an election? The sad part is that none of our leaders are particularly charismatic or worthy, in my view, of leading the country. However, Stephen Harper hasn’t done a very good job so far, and now instead of just being dysfunctional, he’s beginning to show signs of adversely affecting the country. I’m concerned about Bill C-61, and you should be too. An election would give us more time to hash out a better set of copyright amendments.

I don’t know that Stephan Dion will be a better Prime Minister, but maybe we can taunt him into doing our bidding by making fun of his passive-aggressive leadership style!

Jonathan: Jonathan’s review of Stargate Continuum

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:27:01 +0000

Stargate Continuum was released in the UK yesterday. Like the Ark of Truth, I pre-ordered the DVD so that I’d get it on the day it was released. Unlike the Ark of Truth, however, I actually enjoyed Stargate Continuum. I was quite surprised with how good the movie was, though I suppose it helped that I did absolutely hate the Ark of Truth, so I didn’t have that high hopes for this one.

This won’t be a long review, since, despite the fact I finished watching Continuum 5 minutes ago; I’m terrible when it comes to recalling all of the details of these things. I usually have to watch something 2 or 3 times before I someone can ask me what I thought of such-and-such, and I can reply with “Yes.” So anyway, the movie.

I just generally liked almost all of the movie, so I’m going to start by mentioning what I didn’t like. One of the things which made me feel sad was Don S. Davis, who played George Hammond (Of Texas O_O). Those of you who may have heard the terrible news, he died last month, so it was really depressing when I saw him in this movie. It would have been great if he’d had a bigger role in this movie, being his last venture into the Stargate universe, but I suppose that couldn’t be helped. Still, at the very least it was great to see him one last time.

I am always annoyed whenever a show kills off a major villain for the last time, so seeing Baal, who I thought was a great enemy throughout SG-1, die was a little bit sad, but the good thing about Baal is - we can always hope he’s got another clone somewhere. I just really loved the system lords in Stargate. Farewell to the last of them! It was also brilliant to see Vala (Qetesh) kick Baal’s ass. A badass Vala was just awesome - she’d have made a good system lord in here time!

Other than that, I don’t think I have anything bad to say about this movie. It had a brilliant classic SG-1 feel to it, and didn’t feel nearly as rushed as the Ark of Truth did. I think it would be great to have more of these self-contained stories, where the writers can focus on completing a story without being pressured into a short, 90-minute timeframe.

Ben: Shifty habits

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:41:37 +0000

Right, so, I have a confession to make. I am a left-shift-key discriminator (or a right-shift-key abuser, your choice).

What is an LSKD (or RSKA)? Simply put, it is someone who uses his or her right shift key almost exclusively when capitalizing letters. Just reverse the terms if you abuse your left shift key.

I learned how to “touch type” (or whatever you want to call it) in grade 4, and I‘m proud of my speed and accuracy on the QWERTY keyboard. I’ve pondered learning something like Colemak, but I don’t have the time to devote to retraining myself, unfortunately.¹

Unfortunately, as with most abilities, I‘ve developed some bad habits with typing. The abuse of the right shift key is one that particularly annoys me now. I was taught that you hit the shift key with the opposite hand of the letter you’re capitalizing. So to capitalize “S”, I hit the right shift key; to capitalize “I”, I hit the left shift key—except not so much. I’ve developed this habit of using the right shift key, even on characters on the right side of the keyboard.

This habit has numerous disadvantages: it cramps up my right pinky, wears out my right shift key more, and makes my left hand feel even more dominated by my right hand (just not fair!). I am trying to train myself out of this behaviour, but I fear I am set in my ways.

Sigh.

[ 1 ] Yes, that is a code phrase for “I’m lazy.” Good catch.

Jonathan: Laziness…

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:44:32 +0000

If you’re reading this, then it means I finally managed to type out this blog entry after 3 weeks of creating drafts for new blogs. Basically, I’m lazy. I had hoped to blog more when I first started my blog, but to be honest, my life really isn’t all that interesting. I’ve got about 10 blog drafts from all the times I’ve started writing blogs, and just never got around to finishing them. I’m like that; I’ll start a project and never finish it. I really need more discipline so I can focus on these things and actually get them done! Especially since I’ll be starting my second year of university in September, and it’s going to be A LOT harder than last year.

Hmmm, so what else is happening? Oh, I agreed to work a 15 hour shift at work in October - wake up at 9am and get home at midnight. I then have the joy of university the next morning - yay!

I’m also REALLY looking forward to season 3 of Dexter which premiers September 22nd. It’s just such a brilliant show - I’ll be buying season 2 on DVD as soon as it’s released. Other shows I’m really looking forward to include Heroes season 3 (Which I believe also starts on the 22nd - that’ll be a big day! :D) Annoyingly, I’ll start my second year of university the next day *stabs waking up before noon*

Well anyway, now that the weekend’s out of the way, I get to look foward to a lovely week of sleep, more laziness, support tickets and laziness. Yay!

Nicola: Update

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:27:44 +0000

If you just commented on a blog entry and also happen to go to New York University: Don’t post random junk on my blog. STOP ABUSING THE CAPS LOCK KEY LIKE I AM RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE CAPS LOCKS KEY HAS FEELINGS TOO.

So. I rang the Ultrasound department on Tuesday, two weeks after being sent home from the last.
“No, we don’t have a new appointment for you”
…
How incredibly awesome are they at doing their jobs? Anyway, new one is booked for 9.50am on the 16th of August. I think I’ll just roll out of bed, guzzle a lot of drink and skip down there with my legs crossed. Morning shouldn’t be too back-logged if they get backlogs, so it should be okay.

I am annoyed at something else. I applied for a job at my local doctor’s surgery because it’s within walking distance, I know the doctors (which is a little sad XD) etc. Apparently they don’t want a computer literate touch/auto typist with an A level in ICT who also did a year at University on a computer course? I hate being over-qualified for stuff like that, that’s the only reason I can think of for not getting an interview. I feel like getting a crayon and scrawling “WONT LEAVE FOR SOMETHING BETTERRR” across the top of the letter. I just need something while I do my biology course. Hmmm.

Good news is that I really enjoyed watching the Olympic Games opening ceremony today. It was spectacular, and I thought the whole series of things to do with the large scroll they drew and walked across was a really nifty thing to do. The final part with the guy running around the edge of the rim of the ‘birds nest’ to light the torch looked SO fun.
While I dread what the UK might come up with in 2012, I think I’d really like to go to the opening ceremony, or at least one of the events. I am going to try following these games, I didn’t pay much attention to them in 2004.

Go Team GB!

Ben: Read the diaries of George Orwell

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:43:46 +0000

George Orwell was an English author of great talent. In addition to Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, his two most well-known works of fiction, he was a journalist and an essayist. His topics varied; he covered politics and philosophy, as well as the evolving nature of language. Nineteen Eighty-Four has had a profound affect on our culture, introducing phrases like “Big Brother” into the English language. I’m certain that Orwell would shudder to learn that a term from one of his novels has become the title of a reality TV show … but I don’t think he’d be all that surprised.

Beginning Saturday, August 9, The United Kingdom’s Orwell Prize will serialize Orwell’s diary online. Apparently this date is significant, as it marks 70 years since the day Orwell first began writing his diary. The website will publish one entry a day until 2012, 70 years after Orwell stopped writing his diary. Seventy years ago would be 1938, so this means we get to read the diary of a brilliant writer watching Europe descend into World War II.

I’ve already subscribed to the feed from the Orwell diaries blog.

Ben: They're here

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:28:40 +0000

The back to school ads have landed.

Going back to university is different from going back to high school. For one thing, I‘m not in school all day, so it feels like I have more free time. In general my schedule is more flexible. Since I’m in a fairly academic program, my school supplies are limited to notebooks, pens, and pencils. I can otherwise ignore the exhortations of sneakers, markers, pencil crayons, and whatnot. Give me something on which to scribble my equations, and I’m happy.

I certainly learned a lot in my first year of university; reflection on this knowledge has led me to make a few resolutions about this year. Firstly, I‘m going to try and establish a more consistent schedule in terms of sleeping, when I do homework, writing, working on my computer stuff, etc. While I still need to be flexible, hopefully this will help me manage my time better. I have four math courses in the fall term, all of which will have weekly assignments, I’m sure. Compared to my two full-year math courses last year, this will make things more complicated.

Secondly, I’m going to try harder. I did well last year, but I could do better if I tried a little harder. For math this means taking better notes (I tend not to take notes sometimes ) and really practising a concept if it gives me trouble. For English … okay, I don’t think I can really try harder in English and improve my grade. I won’t brag. But English is much more subjective when it comes to grading assignments anyway. All I have to do is continue to produce insightful essays. Otherwise, it’s for my own erudition (and the course credit).

School is still a month away, of course. The back-to-school ads merely got me thinking on the subject. I have my courses scheduled. The accounts office should send me a correct invoice someday, hopefully before I graduate. Now I just have to survive the rest of this summer, and it’s back to robbing the Ivory Tower for me!

Nicola: Warning: More grumbling.

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:28:12 +0000

This is your last chance to turn back now!

I really wanna exercise!
I honestly feel like a slobby hippo lately because I can’t do much due to painful shoulders/back. I can’t use my sister’s exercise bike, I can’t go jogging like I’d planned to…I can’t actually move much without hurting. I hate the side effects of these tablets! But..I’m actually going to ask that the dosage increase again. It was decreased because of the side effects, but they’ve not got any better, so I figure that I might as well do the full dose again. I’ve been getting the odd acne spot or two which is worrying…if I came off them would it just come back that easily?

I honestly feel sooo unfit. Before I started taking the tablets, I was doing situps in the evening. However my choice of not doing situps is actually due to something else. For the past few years (at least 4..probably a lot more) I’ve been getting this horrible…pinching pain to the right of my navel. This year it’s been happening more and more, so I decided to go to the doctor about it. what also led to this decision is the fact that my stomach looks…uneven. I can lie completely flat or stand up straight and the right side sticks out more than the left.
When I saw the Doctor, he got me to lie on the examination bed and prodded my stomach for several minutes, before declaring that it felt a bit ‘fuller’ on one side compared to the other. He suggested that it might be ovarian cysts, which are common, but he referred me for an ultrasound anyway.

Attempted to go for the ultrasound two weeks ago, but due to hot weather I didn’t have a full bladder, which is needed for the scan. Despite drinking a quarter of the water cooler in the waiting room it wasn’t enough for the bitchy sonographer, who treated me with absolutely no dignity at all. She unceremoneously whipped out a large plastic rod and offered a lovely ‘internal’ scan… which would’ve been utterly mortifiying considering I’d just answered her question of “Are you menustrating”.. wow. She was horrible. She also sent a snotty letter to my doctor, complaining that I had an ‘empty’ bladder (actually 10 minutes into the drive home I was rather willing to see a toilet), and that I should make sure I read letters properly when they are sent. I felt so resolved to study to be a Radiographer that day. Some of these people in a ‘caring’ profession are just so..horrible. I could have something more serious than cysts and her attitude just doesn’t help.

I saw the letter when my doctor called me in for a checkup.. “just to see how you’re doing”. Up on the table again, more prodding “Yeah that definitely feels swollen”.
Tomorrow I am phoning the hospital about the appointment because 2 weeks is a stupidly long time to wait for one.

I went to the doctor the same day as when I decided it was time to see one about it, because I was wandering around the supermarket when I got it extremely painfully all around my stomach area. I felt very lightheaded, and I thought I was going to faint in the aisle. I felt dreadful, and my Mum even inquired so maybe I looked a bit pale, dunno.
It happened last Monday when we were in B&Q (DIY store), too. I felt like I wasn’t really there, lightheaded, and a pain in my stomach by my navel.
It happened again the next day… also in the supermarket We joked I must be allergic to the place.
Happened again last night when I was trying to sleep. It was a horrible sensation. I felt really chilly, drained.. and my stomach had more sharp stabbing pains.

Weird. Thus, looking forward to the Ultrasound. I’m not really one for “I hope nothing is wrong!”.. Honestly, I hope it’s anything, just so there is an explanation. All through my life I’ve had things my doctors have never been able to completely solve. They think I sometimes have a nerve trapped in my ribcage to get piercing pains in the left side of my chest.. that’s happened since I was 5. Trick to stop it is to breathe in deeply, expand the rib-cage.. which requires a few seconds of intense pain.. but it’s tolerable. Can’t do anything about it.
Even if it’s “You have an umbilical hernea” I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m told I was born with one, so.. yeah. My belly button is a freaky little thing so it wouldn’t be much of a shock if something was wrong with that general area.

So.. I wish I could exercise If anyone has an ideas (other than swimming. Chlorine + dried out roaccutane skin = not a good idea) on what I could do, please feel free to suggest ^_^

Ben: Some villainy to brighten your day

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:20:41 +0000

Where would we be without villains? Well probably happier, and healthier … maybe safer. But perhaps a little more ignorant when it comes to matters of the human soul….

On Saturday I went to see a performance of Zastrozzi: Master of Discipline by a local amateur theatre group as a fundraiser for their local Belegarth guild. The play consists of an insane artist on the run from Zastrozzi, master criminal of all Europe (apparently set in 1893). Zastrozzi finally corners Verezzi only to face Verezzi’s tutor and guardian, Victor. As the play progresses, Zastrozzi and Verezzi both show signs of insanity while they separately investigate the nature of good and evil. Zastrozzi is a misanthrope and an atheist who believes his only purpose is to hold people accountable for their actions. Verezzi believes he is a servant, then a messenger of God, then a visionary, and finally a saint. Whether or not these men are sane is open to interpretation (what is sane anyway)? The play ends on a depressing minor chord, as such plays are wont to do.

The performance was excellent, especially the two actors who played Zastrozzi and Verezzi; they really threw themselves into the part and were enjoyable—sometimes terrifying—to watch. Since it’s the first play done by an amateur group, there were some wrinkles that still need to be worked out—the scene changes were horribly slow, for one—but all things considered, I was pretty impressed. Plus it reminded me that I need to go to the theatre more often.

Today I saw The Dark Knight. OMG another Batman movie!!! Or, as I like to call it, “A well done sequel to a well done movie that puts the Superman movie franchise to shame.” I really liked Batman Begins; it removed any campy elements of the previous Batman movies and presented Batman from a new, grittier perspective. As a sequel, The Dark Knight does not disappoint. It’s loaded with action scenes and fun Batman gizmos. All that praise for Heath Ledger’s performance? Deserved. Of course, I‘m in for Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, whom I believe are excellent in their roles in this film.

It’s kind of long, and it’s pretty predictable. But it’s fulfilling. The movie sets Batman up to take the fall for the events at the end, and it does not disappoint us. Yes, I know: I’m a sucker for tragedy. If the hero gets set up for tragedy, though, I darn well expect him or her to be subject to the tragedy and not find a loophole! That just makes me angry … and you wouldn’t like me when I’m—wait, wrong franchise. Wrong company!

I‘m looking forward to Watchmen. The graphic novel is the graphic novel. So of course there’s a chance that the movie will be utterly horrible. Comic book companies are getting better at bringing their characters to the big screen, however (case in point, The Dark Knight!). If you haven’t read Watchmen, check it out.

Speaking of villains, our old friend Dr. Horrible is back! Yes, that’s right: you can watch Joss Whedon’s awesome supervillain musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, for free again. The full episode is available on Hulu as well as the three individual acts, so if you missed it the first time, this is your chance to see it for free.

Now I‘m going to go watch Felicia Day’s webseries The Guild, which I learned about through her interview with Lifehacker.

Ben: Review of Stargate: Continuum

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:43:44 +0000

I woke up today and went to Future Shop to buy Stargate: Continuum, although I couldn’t actually watch it until after work tonight. It was worth the wait.

I admit that I feared Continuum would be a “Well, let’s turn ‘Moebius’ into a movie.” Yet another time travel episode. Yes, there were similarities—it’s time travel, after all, with alternate timelines and whatnot—but this movie really captures the Stargate genre and provides the essential link between the old Stargate SG-1 series and (hopefully) the future movies to come.

The story is largely self-contained, due to the nature of the time travel. By the end, nothing in the Stargate universe has really advanced, with the exception of the execution of Ba‘al. That doesn’t stop it from being an excellent story, and the characters make it that way. Richard Dean Anderson’s “special guest appearance” brought O’Neill back into the mix. I would have liked more of him, but what little screen time he had was well used. The other members of SG-1 were awesome. Teal’c managed to pull off yet another convincing Heel Face Turn. Michael Shanks has a fun scene where he talks to the alternate timeline version of himself on a phone—we only see our Daniel Jackson and the phone and hear one side of the conversation.

Ba‘al is such a fun, classic Stargate villain. He really embodies what makes Stargate venerable: it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It has fun. Ba’al is your classic evil overlord who tosses off his gloating “last lines” and claims he can never be defeated (those of you familiar with the series may recall that he came close to fulfilling that claim once and a while). Cliff Simon portrays him in exactly that way: moustache-twirling bad guy who’s trying to see his latest evil scheme to fruition.

The effects are cool. The best effects, however, come from the non-visual effects. Some of the cast and crew went up to the Arctic and shot there, which is cool enough by itself. But the navy actually let them use the USS Alexandria, a nuclear-powered submarine. So we’ve been watching Carter and Mitchell trek across the frozen Arctic ocean, they meet up with their rescuers, and suddenly we see this submarine—a real U.S. navy submarine—surface through the ice. It is amazing. We also get to see it submerge again, and then the real crew of the submarine appears as themselves. You can tell that they are a bit nervous about appearing on camera. If you watch some of the special features, particularly “Stargate Goes to the Arctic”, you’ll learn how difficult some of those shots were to obtain. We also get to see some nice close-ups of real F-15s. The Air Force and Navy have been very good to the show. :P

The special features are great. I haven’t watched the commentary yet, but “Stargate Goes to the Arctic” shows you how those who went to the arctic lived and filmed. “The Making of Stargate Continuum” is interesting. “The Layman’s Guide to Time Travel” will be interesting if you want to learn more about time travel.

Stargate Continuum remains true to what Stargate SG-1 has been for ten years; existing fans will be pleased. Unlike The Ark of Truth, which served to tie up an existing storyline, Continuum will be a pleasant introduction to the series for new fans, mostly because of its self-contained nature. Those familiar with the series are going to have a grand time watching the various references from the past ten years of the show. I snickered several times when I noticed something that I recognized from another story. New fans will get to see the cast of SG-1 at their best and some great action.

Nicola: Youtube needs a smack!

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:48:56 +0000

I just spent about half an hour at least trying to post a comment on Youtube. Reminds me of the time a website didn’t let me post something because it contained ‘bad words’.
The bad word turned out to be ‘Hitler’, despite the article being about Hitler. That figures?

Anyway, I ended up trying to post this comment.. so many times. I removed smilies, I removed excessive letters and !!! exclamation… in the end apparently it seemed too long.

It seems to me like the mindless drivel that gets posted on youtube videos is allowed, but coherant sentences is not.

“lol hi babez i wub u wooo !!! plz BE MY FWREND £$£$”£ ~ D:D”

^ comments like that are allowed, are rife. Appear lots. Annoy me (but they’re fun to type, oddly)..

“I think you’re a great singer and wish you all the best”

^ Not allowed!

Luckily I do most of my Youtube surfing via my iTouch, but I’ve not tried to comment on anything before. Mostly because my laptop lacks sound *sniffle*

Life update:
- College course booked.. not heard anything from them yet which is worrying
- Sonographer at Southampton General is a rude, patronising cow who needs to hunt for a bedside manner on eBay since she lacks one.
- My shoulders hurt… still.. and I have a spot Which is not meant to happen. I just remembered I need to take my Roaccutane tablets for today, lol.
- It feels like 40′c in my room right now.

Ben: The hypocrisy of age ratings

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:12:57 +0000

Let me begin by saying that I don’t support age rating of books (i.e., saying “this is for ages 8-12, this is for young adults, this is for adults…”). However, when you look at how we rate our other content by age, it seems hypocritical, does it not?

Games and movies receive official ratings that state whether or not the content of those products is suitable for a certain audience. Sometimes, the law enforces these ratings. That means if you’re under 18, you can’t get into an R-rated movie (without an adult). But you can go and buy a book that may have the same graphic scenes as an R-rated movie, and the cashier at the store doesn’t stop you. They don’t card you. (At least, they didn’t card me when I was under 18.)

Seems like we have a double standard here. I know, I know: books aren’t as “visual” as movies or games. Reading about mass violence or sexuality, reading a curse word, that isn’t the same as seeing and hearing it. Well I think that insults the average reader’s imagination. And even if it doesn’t compare to graphical depictions, wouldn’t a book’s descriptions, if done well enough, still be specific enough to scar immature readers? Should we continue to let unrated books be sold?! Where are you torches and pitchforks, people?

Luckily, since most children and young adults these days aren’t interested in reading for pleasure, we don’t have to worry about this crisis.

Ben: It's all fun and games until your death ray explodes

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:03:58 +0000

Act three of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is up. You can watch all three acts until midnight July 20. Go do it. Right now.

I‘ve got mixed feelings about act three. As I write this, it’s only been up for about an hour and a half, so fan reaction is still formulating. A lot of people are angry. I can see how act three seems like a let down after the first two acts. Now, this may just be major denial on my part, but I think Joss planned it that way.

A supervillain musical isn’t something you see every day. Instead of casting Dr. Horrible as the straight antagonist and villain, he has made him a villainous protagonist. We actually root for him; we want him to get the girl. But having him succeed in his evil plans and getting the girl would blow our suspension of disbelief out of the water—Penny’s character doesn’t allow that. So the ending is the only natural way for the plot to conclude (if it is a conclusion).

The saddest scene for me, however, was not the one at the climax after the explosion of the death ray causes you-know-what (if you don’t know what, I won’t spoil it for you—go watch!). Instead, it was when Penny was sitting in the laundromat, with two frozen yogurts … alone. It just said so much. She missed Billy too. She had come to enjoy his companionship. Later, we get the sense she’s becoming disillusioned with Captain Hammer’s act. Billy (not Dr. Horrible) was a real guy, with weaknesses and charming traits. He liked frozen yogurt.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is an amazing technical accomplishment. Produced independently, funded privately by Whedon himself, and through the efforts of very dedicated people, we’ve got a great quality production. It won’t appeal to everyone,¹ but what does?² Plus, Joss has a legion of sleeper fans out there, ready to eagerly partake in his latest creations. He’s like some sort of television chef, preparing succulent dishes. Each one is unique, but they all carry a certain flavour that is Joss’ trademark style.³

Joss Whedon’s next big project will be Dollhouse on Fox (hopefully they won’t cancel this one after 12 episodes…), including Buffy and Angel actors Eliza Dushku and Amy Acker. I‘m excited. It’ll be a new premise, with new stories and stakes, but the writing style will be Joss’, which means lots of humour and lots of action-packed fun.

[ 1 ] Two words: supervillain musical
[ 2 ] Sliced bread?
[ 3 ] Okay, I’m getting a bit hungry now….

Ben: Why yes, that is Joss Whedon in my pocket...

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:37:25 +0000

For those of you who haven’t watched Buffy, Angel, or Firefly, (I hear you exist, apparently) let me give you a quick rundown on who Joss Whedon is. Those familiar with his oeuvre, please skip to the third paragraph.

Joss Whedon is an amazing writer. He is the creator of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, along with a western science-fiction (yes, it’s that cool) series called Firefly. Once upon a time, a big bad network cancelled Firefly after airing 12 of the 14 episodes (out of order), much to the consternation of the fans the show had already acquired. It seemed like there was no hope for resurrecting the series, and an Age of Terrible Darkness ensued. Then, a glimmer of hope: thanks, in part, to fan demands, Universal Studios bought the movie rights to the series, and Joss Whedon made a feature film called Serenity, which may very well be one of the best science fiction films of our time.

With me? Good. During the Writers’ Strike, Joss Whedon decided to get together with some family and friends to write a fun musical. Specifically, a supervillain musical. This week he is releasing the three episodes online, where they will be available until July 20, after which you’ll need to buy them from iTunes or when they come out on DVD. The show stars Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion. It is made of win.

Why are you still reading? What more do you need to know? Go watch it now.

Nir: NYTimes on recent trade

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:09:10 +0000

Israelis had braced themselves for the inevitable celebrations that were to take place in Lebanon to mark the return of Mr. Kuntar, who was part of a cadre that in 1979 raided Nahariya from the sea, and was convicted of fatally shooting a policeman and a civilian, Danny Haran, then smashing the head of Mr. Haran’s daughter, Einat, 4, killing her.

Shlomo Goldwasser, the father of Sgt. Goldwasser, said the celebrations made him feel sorry for the Lebanese: “What are they celebrating?” he asked on Israel Radio. “They lost almost 800 of their best fighters, thousands of buildings were destroyed, the economy was ruined, civilians were injured and killed. This is a cause for celebration? Pity these people,” he said.

- New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/world/middleeast/17mideast.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Ryan: Phantom of the Opera - He’s inside my mind alright!

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:32:12 +0000

This is an entry I posted a while ago on another blog of mine, but just recently it happened all over again. It took me a while to find the entry but once I did it was quite scary to see just how similar the two situations were. Happy reading.

Does this situation sound familiar?

It’s late. You’re tired, but you can’t seem to fall asleep. You keep tossing and turning, hoping that in time you’ll drift off. An hour ticks by. Another hour. Another. You’re still awake. The reason? You have a song playing over and over in your head and it’s driving you insane.

If this has ever happened to you, don’t worry. You’re not alone! If this hasn’t happened to you then I strongly suggest you manage to keep it that way. It’s torture!

This morning at 3 AM, I woke up and I was incredibly thirsty. I got up out of bed, opened my door and walked drowsily into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of juice. I happily drank the cool peachy liquid, and shuffled off back to my bedroom so that I could get some more sleep before morning. I laid down and covered myself up with various sheets and blankets. As time slowly passed, I realised I wasn’t falling back asleep. In fact, I was getting more awake with each passing moment. This happens to me all the time, so I knew it to be no surprise. In most cases, I usually tough it out and wait for half an hour or so. I usually fall back into sleep no problem - but today was different. It was “one of those” moments. I had the main theme song from “Phantom of the Opera” playing over, and over and over and over in my head. Particularly the one line; “Inside my mind.” If you’ve listened to the music you’ll know exactly what I mean.

The first hour (3:00 - 4:00) was okay. I mean, sure it bothered me that I couldn’t fall back to sleep, but I wasn’t upset to tears about it. The next hour (4:00 - 5:00) started to really get on my nerves. That one line (and some stupid others) were playing in my head so frequently I thought I was going to go insane. What’s more is, the harder I tried to stop thinking about it, the more I did. Finally 6 AM rolled around and I said to myself “Screw it. I’ll get up.” I went back to the kitchen and I found my Dad sitting at the table having his daily coffee before work. I decided to eat breakfast and go watch some television to take my mind of the song. It worked, but sheesh! Talk about a bad night. It’ll be a long time before I can listen to Phantom of the Opera again.

Has this ever happened to you?

Nir: Trying to Focus

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:24:51 +0000

I am sorry for not blogging, not posting, not leading, not chatting, and such. I am currently trying to focus. I realized the other day that 6 days from now I will be traveling to New York, New York, learning about business in a summer program. I do not know how much time I will have when I get back, either way I would like to relax and do solely what I love, forums and photography.

These past two days have been spent helping out my little sister as she celebrates her birthday and turns the house into a party place, but I have been trying to focus on summer reading, specifically my first non english non hebrew reading. This book in Spanish is taking me forever, it makes me physically tired as I try to understand it. I have 30 pages left or so, I would like to finish it, get it done with.

I also got my camera back. I try to take pictures everyday. If you would like to have a peak, click here.

As always I would love to hear what you think, interaction is what makes this all worthwhile.

Jonathan: Summer Sci-Fi

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:32:15 +0000

I’ll start off by saying I survived my week with no parents…

Now that that’s out the way, time to discuss something far more interesting. Sci-Fi!

On my little sci-fi site I run, I like to post a list of some of the upcoming sci-fi (And fantasy, I suppose) TV that’s due to air in the next few months. Since I know there’s quite a few sci-fi fans on ZB, I thought I’d share with you my list covering the next few months:

July

11th - Stargate Atlantis - Search and Rescue (Part 2) - 5×01
18th - Stargate Atlantis - The Seed - 5×02
25th - Stargate Atlantis - Broken Ties - 5×03
29th - Eureka - Bad to the Drone - 3×01
29th - Stargate: Continuum - DVD Release - US

August

TBC: - Star Wars: Clone Wars - Premier
1st - Stargate Atlantis - The Daedalus Variations - 5×04
5th - Eureka - What about Bob? - 3×02
12th - Eureka - Best in Faux - 3×03
15th - Stargate Atlantis - Ghost in the Machine - 5×05
19th - Eureka - I do Over - 3×04
22nd - Stargate Atlantis - The Shrine - 5×06
26th - Eureka - Show me the Mummy - 3×05

September

TBC: - Sarah Jane Smith Adventures - Premier - 2×01
TBC: 2nd - Eureka - Phased and Confused - 3×06
22nd - Heroes - The Butterfly Effect - 3×01
29th - Heroes - DreamTime - 3×02

October

6th - Heroes - One of Us, One of Them - 3×03
13th - Heroes - The Year of Our Lord - 3×04

Other News

- Torchwood season 3 confirmed - Early 2009 Premier
- Sarah Jane Smith Adventures season 2 confirmed - The Rani are also expected to return - September 2008 Premier - awaiting details.
- Sanctuary: TV show in production following eight webisode series. October 2008 Premier - awaiting details.
- Star Wars: Clone Wars Awaiting more information on this. Premiers in cinemas August 2008.
- Doctor Who season 5 will air in 2010. A Christmas special will air this Christmas, with 3 more specials to follow in 2009. Awaiting details.
- Sarah Connor Chronicles season 2 is also meant to start at some point. Looking for details on this. O_O

Yeah, it’s incomplete, probably got some errors, and most of you who’ll find this information useful will probably have to live in America (Where most of these shows air first) or be as illegal as I am.

</nerd>

Nir: Inconsistency

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:59:39 +0000

Sorry I have been unable to keep my word and stay consistent. It’s been quiet a few days. The other day, our power was out for most of the day but I still did some web design work (special thanks to Ryan for his help and insight). Today I did my best to finish those things off and I met with someone from my high school and had a two hour talk with her and my parents about my college future. I went from feeling fairly weak about my stats to a bit stronger, but much weaker about actually being able to afford to go to these expensive, almost name brand, higher tier schools I have had my dreams set on. I need to look up Obama’s position on more public funding for higher learning. Obama was here the other day but I didn’t have my camera so I decided not to stalk. I will finally be getting it tomorrow.

This has been mostly a rambling so I leave you with a quote I found today:

Hope everyday to do something foolish, something creative, and something generous.
- Benjamin Graham