Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Fiction. Show all posts
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
My Fandom History: Part 3
I have been slowly recounting my personal experiences in science fiction and fantasy fandom. When we left off I was attending a planning meeting for Conversion 22.
I can sum up the next couple of years thusly.
Enough people quit the convention planning committee that by the end my wife was the president, and I was head of programming. We came to "lend a hand" and we ended up running big parts of the show. We brought in Jeremy Bulloch who portrayed Boba Fett in Star Wars, which was great. Sure, a good portion of his speaking fee came out of my pocket, but it was totally worth it, spending time with him and his wife before the convention.
Overall, however, things did not go exactly as planned and we took a lot of flack. We also got a lot of complaints from certain quarters that we had too much Star Wars content at the event.
What was not made clear to me at the beginning, was that the local premiere Science fiction and Fantasy convention was supposed to be geared towards authors, aspiring authors, and (space permitting) artists who might be interested in doing the cover art for said authors. A fine event, but one that is clearly not Star Wars friendly. One author made it very clear that Star Wars was crap and fans who dress up are overweight, arrested adolescents. Clearly not my crowd.
So I decided to turn my energies back to the local Star Wars fanclub that my wife and I helped start. After a year or so, I noticed an unusual trend. Core members were meeting without me and people stopped coming to lightsaber class. I was eventually informed that my cracking wise about the prequels pissed people off, and my raving about DragonCon pissed people off. My wife and I (among others) were removed from the council and Dragoncon was declared to be NOT Star Wars, and its discussion, verboten.
So in short, I pissed off the SF&F fans for liking Star Wars too much, and I pissed of the Star Wars fans for not liking Star Wars enough.
What did I do then? Watch this space.
Previously on Slashboing:
I can sum up the next couple of years thusly.
Enough people quit the convention planning committee that by the end my wife was the president, and I was head of programming. We came to "lend a hand" and we ended up running big parts of the show. We brought in Jeremy Bulloch who portrayed Boba Fett in Star Wars, which was great. Sure, a good portion of his speaking fee came out of my pocket, but it was totally worth it, spending time with him and his wife before the convention.
Overall, however, things did not go exactly as planned and we took a lot of flack. We also got a lot of complaints from certain quarters that we had too much Star Wars content at the event.
What was not made clear to me at the beginning, was that the local premiere Science fiction and Fantasy convention was supposed to be geared towards authors, aspiring authors, and (space permitting) artists who might be interested in doing the cover art for said authors. A fine event, but one that is clearly not Star Wars friendly. One author made it very clear that Star Wars was crap and fans who dress up are overweight, arrested adolescents. Clearly not my crowd.
So I decided to turn my energies back to the local Star Wars fanclub that my wife and I helped start. After a year or so, I noticed an unusual trend. Core members were meeting without me and people stopped coming to lightsaber class. I was eventually informed that my cracking wise about the prequels pissed people off, and my raving about DragonCon pissed people off. My wife and I (among others) were removed from the council and Dragoncon was declared to be NOT Star Wars, and its discussion, verboten.
So in short, I pissed off the SF&F fans for liking Star Wars too much, and I pissed of the Star Wars fans for not liking Star Wars enough.
What did I do then? Watch this space.
Previously on Slashboing:
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Science Fiction and Fantasy Television: Trends and Longevity
There seems to be a significant increase in the amount of science fiction and fantasy (SF&F) programs on television. It feels that the premise of every new show had some fantasy, supernatural or 'fictional science' element behind it. "We won!" was my initial geek response. Then I had a nagging doubt. Is this a sampling error or bias on my part? Did I think this because I was looking for such a result, or was there an actual trend in prime time television? Truly a more scientific survey had to be taken.
Hypothesis
These are the questions I seek to answer:
"Are there more SF&F shows on now than in past years?"
"What is the longevity of a typical SF&F program?"
"What factors govern the amount and longevity of SF&F prime time programs?"
Methodology and Bias
I found that Wikipedia had a great collection of almanac articles that detailed the prime time lineup of every television network since 1946. I scoured the listings and attempted to catalogue every "North American prime time show whose premise was based on supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction elements." I endeavoured to have a consistent methodology that would mitigate sample bias.
As the programming trends in other countries and markets are quite different, and my focus was on North American television culture, most BBC and ITV shows were not on the list, unless I could find evidence of broad prime-time American syndication. Nor did I count Saturday morning kids shows and cartoons as they almost always contain fantasy elements and it would skew the data.
Also, there is more documentation available for more recent shows, so there is some accuracy biases between the years.
I logged the number of episodes produced, when known, rather than the number episodes aired. I did not include any "made for TV" movies or mini-series' as this was difficult to track consistently, and would bias the data to shorter runs.
I did not count shows that may have introduced a fantasy element late in its run, because that was not its primary premise, and again there would be a bias toward later shows that I have actually seen, and could identify this change. Though if it is documented that bulk of the episodes produced did have a sci-fi or fantasy element, despite some retooling, the show was added to the list.
Shows with a religious premise, involving Judeo–Christian elements such as angels and demons, may be included among the supernatural programs, if the cosmology presented was typically unique, and differed from established dogmas, which is most often the case.
Data and Results
I have identified 232 television shows that meet these conditions and criteria. Some minor trivia from my search: The first SF&F show was "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" from the Dumont Network in 1949. The oldest running SF&F program is Smallville, which started in 2001. The single series with the most episodes Bewitched with 254.
The raw data can be viewed on Google Docs, and I encourage any reviews, suggestion or further analysis of my data.
To answer my first question, I created the following graph showing the number of SF&S shows that debut in each television year, starting in September:
This graph shows a marked upward trend, indicating that, for the most part, more new SF&S shows debut every year. The 2007-2008 season brought 13 new shows, and 2008-2009 saw 14 new shows, the highest number of shows in my sample. But some recent years only posted a modest 3 or 4 new shows comparable to the volumes found in the late seventies or early nineties. A slight sinusoid can be seen with spikes at ten-year intervals, however more rigorous statistical calculations have not yet been done. But for there to be more new shows, it old shows must be cancelled.
The average longevity of these shows is estimated with arithmetic mean of 44.96, corresponding to an average of two, 22 episode seasons, which is a typical "full season". The median, or centre value is 22 episodes and the mode, is 13 episodes. Long running standouts such as Star Trek and Stargate, bring the average up, while the bulk of SF&F shows survive for only one season, as 14 is a typical "first order" of episodes before renewing for the rest of the season.
To see if SF&F shows typically get longer or shorter runs than police procedurals, westerns, medical dramas, or sit-coms, I would have to accumulate comprehensive data on those shows. However random sampling of non SF&F shows, which I had to take in order to determine their genre, indicates that most modern shows don't make it out of their first season alive. In the 70's and 80's, even if a show was tanking in the ratings, it would typically get all episodes aired, and then not renewed. In the last few years, the trend is to order fewer episodes up front, then pull shows after 3-5 episodes if ratings disappoint. Gone is the September season start, with mid-season replacements debuting throughout the year. In fact, a good portion of the shows announced for the 2009-2010 are already primed as mid-season replacements for shows that have yet to be cancelled.
I found some obvious-if-you-think-about-it trends regarding the kind of environment that creates more genre programming. For one, more broadcast channels are good for SF&F programming. When Fox started a national broadcasting schedule in 1987, there is a spike in the number of recorded programs, and the same can be seen when UPN and WB started in 1997. Likely more channels means more of every kind of programming, but importantly for this study, and fandom, SF&F was not overlooked by new general themed channels.
The history and trends in syndicated shows is not fully clear to me, but one can say that syndication is generally good for SF&F programming. Since syndication means that the initial financial burden is taken by a production company, the broadcaster can try out new shows with reduced risk. This leads a varied array of programming including, more often than not, SF&F.
Another big conclusion one can draw from this data is that Firefly, with only 14 episodes, is not an anomalously cancelled show, rather it has the longevity of a typical show in this data set. Its cancellation was not atypical of shows from that era, with none of the scripted shows debuting in that same year lasting until the current season.
If this survey suggests anything to those who love science fiction and fantasy programming on television, it is this: Treat every new episode of your beloved show as if it were the last, because history shows it may very well be. When your show ends, another one will come along soon.
Hypothesis
These are the questions I seek to answer:
"Are there more SF&F shows on now than in past years?"
"What is the longevity of a typical SF&F program?"
"What factors govern the amount and longevity of SF&F prime time programs?"
Methodology and Bias
I found that Wikipedia had a great collection of almanac articles that detailed the prime time lineup of every television network since 1946. I scoured the listings and attempted to catalogue every "North American prime time show whose premise was based on supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction elements." I endeavoured to have a consistent methodology that would mitigate sample bias.
As the programming trends in other countries and markets are quite different, and my focus was on North American television culture, most BBC and ITV shows were not on the list, unless I could find evidence of broad prime-time American syndication. Nor did I count Saturday morning kids shows and cartoons as they almost always contain fantasy elements and it would skew the data.
Also, there is more documentation available for more recent shows, so there is some accuracy biases between the years.
I logged the number of episodes produced, when known, rather than the number episodes aired. I did not include any "made for TV" movies or mini-series' as this was difficult to track consistently, and would bias the data to shorter runs.
I did not count shows that may have introduced a fantasy element late in its run, because that was not its primary premise, and again there would be a bias toward later shows that I have actually seen, and could identify this change. Though if it is documented that bulk of the episodes produced did have a sci-fi or fantasy element, despite some retooling, the show was added to the list.
Shows with a religious premise, involving Judeo–Christian elements such as angels and demons, may be included among the supernatural programs, if the cosmology presented was typically unique, and differed from established dogmas, which is most often the case.
Data and Results
I have identified 232 television shows that meet these conditions and criteria. Some minor trivia from my search: The first SF&F show was "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" from the Dumont Network in 1949. The oldest running SF&F program is Smallville, which started in 2001. The single series with the most episodes Bewitched with 254.
The raw data can be viewed on Google Docs, and I encourage any reviews, suggestion or further analysis of my data.
To answer my first question, I created the following graph showing the number of SF&S shows that debut in each television year, starting in September:
This graph shows a marked upward trend, indicating that, for the most part, more new SF&S shows debut every year. The 2007-2008 season brought 13 new shows, and 2008-2009 saw 14 new shows, the highest number of shows in my sample. But some recent years only posted a modest 3 or 4 new shows comparable to the volumes found in the late seventies or early nineties. A slight sinusoid can be seen with spikes at ten-year intervals, however more rigorous statistical calculations have not yet been done. But for there to be more new shows, it old shows must be cancelled.The average longevity of these shows is estimated with arithmetic mean of 44.96, corresponding to an average of two, 22 episode seasons, which is a typical "full season". The median, or centre value is 22 episodes and the mode, is 13 episodes. Long running standouts such as Star Trek and Stargate, bring the average up, while the bulk of SF&F shows survive for only one season, as 14 is a typical "first order" of episodes before renewing for the rest of the season.
To see if SF&F shows typically get longer or shorter runs than police procedurals, westerns, medical dramas, or sit-coms, I would have to accumulate comprehensive data on those shows. However random sampling of non SF&F shows, which I had to take in order to determine their genre, indicates that most modern shows don't make it out of their first season alive. In the 70's and 80's, even if a show was tanking in the ratings, it would typically get all episodes aired, and then not renewed. In the last few years, the trend is to order fewer episodes up front, then pull shows after 3-5 episodes if ratings disappoint. Gone is the September season start, with mid-season replacements debuting throughout the year. In fact, a good portion of the shows announced for the 2009-2010 are already primed as mid-season replacements for shows that have yet to be cancelled.
I found some obvious-if-you-think-about-it trends regarding the kind of environment that creates more genre programming. For one, more broadcast channels are good for SF&F programming. When Fox started a national broadcasting schedule in 1987, there is a spike in the number of recorded programs, and the same can be seen when UPN and WB started in 1997. Likely more channels means more of every kind of programming, but importantly for this study, and fandom, SF&F was not overlooked by new general themed channels.
The history and trends in syndicated shows is not fully clear to me, but one can say that syndication is generally good for SF&F programming. Since syndication means that the initial financial burden is taken by a production company, the broadcaster can try out new shows with reduced risk. This leads a varied array of programming including, more often than not, SF&F.
Another big conclusion one can draw from this data is that Firefly, with only 14 episodes, is not an anomalously cancelled show, rather it has the longevity of a typical show in this data set. Its cancellation was not atypical of shows from that era, with none of the scripted shows debuting in that same year lasting until the current season.
If this survey suggests anything to those who love science fiction and fantasy programming on television, it is this: Treat every new episode of your beloved show as if it were the last, because history shows it may very well be. When your show ends, another one will come along soon.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
John Hodgman's Nerd toast of Obama
Full of great sci-fi references and insightful comparisons, John Hodgman gave a great speech at the Radio and Television Corespondents dinner last night.
Dune quiz Answers:
ǝɟıן ɟo ɹǝʇɐʍ 'ɹǝdɯnɥʇ 'pnןnɥ-ıɐɥs
Dune quiz Answers:
ǝɟıן ɟo ɹǝʇɐʍ 'ɹǝdɯnɥʇ 'pnןnɥ-ıɐɥs
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Science Fiction vs Sci-Fi
When Forrest J. Ackerman coined the term "Sci-fi" in the 50's it met a mixed response. Serious writers equated it with the sound of crickets mating. These serious people preferred the term SF, which stands for "Science Fiction," "Speculative Fiction" and (should the occasion arise) "San Fransisco." It is clear many believe that by simply not removing enough letters, Mr. Akerman did not abreviate the phrase correctly.
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term that should include tales of fantasy and horror that are traditionaly excluded from strict science fiction. It also draws a separation line to exclude all the fiction that is entirely bereft of speculation.
These terms head up two broad schools of thought, which still trade ideological jabs half a century later. The best description of the schism I have ever read is quoted here in its entirety.
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term that should include tales of fantasy and horror that are traditionaly excluded from strict science fiction. It also draws a separation line to exclude all the fiction that is entirely bereft of speculation.
These terms head up two broad schools of thought, which still trade ideological jabs half a century later. The best description of the schism I have ever read is quoted here in its entirety.
"Here is the difference:
Science Fiction is the serious realm of speculative literature that deals with such interesting speculations as aerospace travel, intelligent life on other planets, futuristic weaponry, and speculations into areas otherwise taboo, such as an enlightened approach to sexuality, that other genres shy away from.
Sci-Fi is the pulpish hack writing that deals with such geekish ideas as rocketships, bug-eyed aliens, rayguns, and orgies with hottie space-babes!"
As we can see, there is no relation whatsoever between the two. - John Wright, November 24, 2008 Comment on SF Signal.com
Hats off to you John Wright for setting us all straight.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sci-Fi Connections
Stephanie Fox at io9.com has created a brilliant piece of Chart Porn connecting as many TV shows movies and video games as possible. Their methodology includes several kinds of crossovers: Direct Crossover, where characters from one series or another have actually met in a story; Easter Eggs, where elements of one series have appeared in another (often as geeky in-jokes), and Brand Crossover, where market forces have brought two disparate things together for no good reason, such as Transformers/Star Wars.
I can't find where they actually document each branch, which I assume has been left as a exercise for us geeks at home.
[Link io9 Chart]
Previously on Slashboing:
Friday, December 05, 2008
Fandom loses a legend: Forrest J. Ackerman
Forrest J. Ackerman died December 4th 2008 at the age of 92. I didn't know him personally, but I knew his reputation.
He coined the term "sci-fi" and wore a homemade costume to the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York City in 1939. His collection of movie memorabilia and props was second to none. He was a writer, editor, literary agent and actor.
He was inclusive in his fandom and passionate to the end. In a time when one is quick to elevate one branch of fandom over others, it is important to remember that the first fandom was inclusive and diverse.
He was the giant that lifted my fandom up so I could see farther than I ever would have alone.
He coined the term "sci-fi" and wore a homemade costume to the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York City in 1939. His collection of movie memorabilia and props was second to none. He was a writer, editor, literary agent and actor.
He was inclusive in his fandom and passionate to the end. In a time when one is quick to elevate one branch of fandom over others, it is important to remember that the first fandom was inclusive and diverse.
He was the giant that lifted my fandom up so I could see farther than I ever would have alone.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
My Fandom History: Part 2
In part one of my fandom history, I relayed how I found where fandom was gathering. At this point I was still not part of the group, but I had found the tribe. Now I tell the tale of WesterCon 58, 2005.
Having found the community of science fiction and fantasy fandom in Calgary, and discovering that it is a participatory event I did two things.
1) I helped form the Calgary Star Wars Fanforce
2) I endeavoured to be as big a part of WesterCon 58 as I could
At the time, I didn't think that these were related but now that I form a mental time-line, the parallel effort and intent is more clear. For the first part, it meant gathering together all the individuals in Calgary who were sure they were an isolated Star Wars fan in the big city. This was done through regular meetings and events. It was great to be part of a big group for the premier of "Revenge of the Sith."
For the second part, I did all I could do at WesterCon. I got a room in the hotel, I had multiple costumes set out for the weekend, I entered the costume contest with a group of friends, I bought art at the art show, I drank, danced, and even hosted a panel. Being only one person, I did all I could do without bending space and time. At the end of it all I had a great time, though I still felt something was missing.
Perhaps the programing could be more catholic. There were plenty of local fan groups not represented, or under-utilized, and established and growing fandoms being sidelined. I heard many people say what I had said myself: "There is nothing here for me". It seemed that although the gathering and fellowship was a good start, much of the content of these local conventions skewed toward only a few of the many facets of fandom. Writing and publishing was well supported, though horror, anime, comics, furry fandom, most television and film fandoms were not well represented.
With my brief experience with being on a panel, and talking with a few more experienced con-goers, I knew that simply complaining about what I wanted improved was not the answer. These events are run by fans for fans. There is no external "other" putting on the convention for profit, but rather it was planned and staffed by people like myself for the good of the community.
With this in mind, I knew that if I wanted a better convention experience for myself and my friends, I had to step up and bring myself to the mountain, as it were. That fall I attended a planning meeting for the following summer's convention: ConVersion 22.
What transpired then, is a topic for another post.
Previously on Slashboing
Having found the community of science fiction and fantasy fandom in Calgary, and discovering that it is a participatory event I did two things.
1) I helped form the Calgary Star Wars Fanforce
2) I endeavoured to be as big a part of WesterCon 58 as I could
At the time, I didn't think that these were related but now that I form a mental time-line, the parallel effort and intent is more clear. For the first part, it meant gathering together all the individuals in Calgary who were sure they were an isolated Star Wars fan in the big city. This was done through regular meetings and events. It was great to be part of a big group for the premier of "Revenge of the Sith."
For the second part, I did all I could do at WesterCon. I got a room in the hotel, I had multiple costumes set out for the weekend, I entered the costume contest with a group of friends, I bought art at the art show, I drank, danced, and even hosted a panel. Being only one person, I did all I could do without bending space and time. At the end of it all I had a great time, though I still felt something was missing.
Perhaps the programing could be more catholic. There were plenty of local fan groups not represented, or under-utilized, and established and growing fandoms being sidelined. I heard many people say what I had said myself: "There is nothing here for me". It seemed that although the gathering and fellowship was a good start, much of the content of these local conventions skewed toward only a few of the many facets of fandom. Writing and publishing was well supported, though horror, anime, comics, furry fandom, most television and film fandoms were not well represented.
With my brief experience with being on a panel, and talking with a few more experienced con-goers, I knew that simply complaining about what I wanted improved was not the answer. These events are run by fans for fans. There is no external "other" putting on the convention for profit, but rather it was planned and staffed by people like myself for the good of the community.
With this in mind, I knew that if I wanted a better convention experience for myself and my friends, I had to step up and bring myself to the mountain, as it were. That fall I attended a planning meeting for the following summer's convention: ConVersion 22.
What transpired then, is a topic for another post.
Previously on Slashboing
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
My Fandom History: Part 1
This is the first part in an autobiographical series about my involvement in science fiction and fantasy fandom. Follow me down the rabbit hole, will you?
I don't know where my enjoyment of science fiction literature and films started, but come high school I was elbow deep in it. But it was a solitary hobby, as there was no obvious SF&F fandom community to be a part of. This was pre-internet and there was no dedicated comic book shop in my small town. I had heard of "conventions" were fans would gather, but these were far away in large cities, and were clearly for other people.
Fast-forward to the turn of the millennium. The internet made for all sorts of connections between fans, I had moved to the big city of Calgary, and the domestication of the dog continued unabated. I still heard of conventions, but they were still in other cities, where I would never travel. I thought a few fan message boards were enough to satiate my fandom needs, until I heard about ConVersion. Some friends had returned from the local convention, and it sounded like a lot of fun. I was shocked that such a thing existed in Calgary. Why had I not heard about it sooner? Why wasn't I at this event?
I waited the year for the next ConVersion to come around. Having no clue what these events were like, and having a wife that wasn't really that interested, I only attended the Saturday. We did the best we could for first timers. We looked through the art show, we attended a panel, was subjected to filk, walked through the dealers room, and watched the costume contest. This endeavour had two equal and opposite reactions.
1) Both my wife and I were underwhelmed by the offerings of the event
2) Having seen the costume contest, I wanted to participate in it
Seeing various costumers online was one thing, but seeing talented, educated adults make and present elaborate science fiction costumes was enough to make me want to come back. I figured part of our disappointment in the event steamed from the fact that we attended, observed, but didn't fully participate. Yes, we spoke up in the panel, but that was about all the interaction I can remember.
Through the meagre offerings, I could see that that there was fun to be had, if I reached for it. I knew NEXT year would be the big year. I would do more, see more, and participate more. As luck would have it the next year was not ConVersion, a local convention, but Westercon 58, a travelling regional convention.
This is the subject for the next instalment.
I don't know where my enjoyment of science fiction literature and films started, but come high school I was elbow deep in it. But it was a solitary hobby, as there was no obvious SF&F fandom community to be a part of. This was pre-internet and there was no dedicated comic book shop in my small town. I had heard of "conventions" were fans would gather, but these were far away in large cities, and were clearly for other people.
Fast-forward to the turn of the millennium. The internet made for all sorts of connections between fans, I had moved to the big city of Calgary, and the domestication of the dog continued unabated. I still heard of conventions, but they were still in other cities, where I would never travel. I thought a few fan message boards were enough to satiate my fandom needs, until I heard about ConVersion. Some friends had returned from the local convention, and it sounded like a lot of fun. I was shocked that such a thing existed in Calgary. Why had I not heard about it sooner? Why wasn't I at this event?
I waited the year for the next ConVersion to come around. Having no clue what these events were like, and having a wife that wasn't really that interested, I only attended the Saturday. We did the best we could for first timers. We looked through the art show, we attended a panel, was subjected to filk, walked through the dealers room, and watched the costume contest. This endeavour had two equal and opposite reactions.
1) Both my wife and I were underwhelmed by the offerings of the event
2) Having seen the costume contest, I wanted to participate in it
Seeing various costumers online was one thing, but seeing talented, educated adults make and present elaborate science fiction costumes was enough to make me want to come back. I figured part of our disappointment in the event steamed from the fact that we attended, observed, but didn't fully participate. Yes, we spoke up in the panel, but that was about all the interaction I can remember.
Through the meagre offerings, I could see that that there was fun to be had, if I reached for it. I knew NEXT year would be the big year. I would do more, see more, and participate more. As luck would have it the next year was not ConVersion, a local convention, but Westercon 58, a travelling regional convention.
This is the subject for the next instalment.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Myth busting: Science Fiction and Fantasy Fandom
Myth: Sci-fi fans are chronically single, underemployed, and still live in mom's basement.
Not true. Any such broad and demeaning stereotype should be treated as suspect. Fans out of high-school move out just like everyone else. I don't know where this stereotype comes from but the fan groups I'm familiar with are populated by a wide range of professions, none of whom live with mom and dad. These people are either married, engaged, or dating. The single guys are the exception rather than the rule.
Myth: Sci-fi fans are predominantly male.
I believed this one for a long time myself. But once I started attending larger events, I found that every mulit-genre convention I've attended has been about 50/50 genderwise. Granted some of the smaller comic book events have skewed male, but every Anime, Harry Potter, Star Wars event I've been to has been very gender balanced.
Myth: People who wear costumes to Science Fiction conventions are arrested, overweight, adolescents.
Wow. That's a low blow. Costuming is a science fiction tradition that dates back to the earliest conventions. I know costumers who are doctors, lawyers, engineers, and even US Marines and I wouldn't call any of them arrested or overweight. I think number of the overweight costumers is the same as the percentage of overweight fans in general, and probably society as a whole. I don't know where this level of resentment comes from, but I've heard some variation on it from several people.
Myth: Furry Fandom is made up of perverts.
Come on, now you are just being mean. Don't let CSI form your opinions for you. Besides, the fans with the fursuits make up a small portion of those in furry fandom. Many are writers and artists that work with predominantly anthropomorphic characters. Thinking someone in a fursuit is into atypical sex is like thinking someone in a leather jacket is a bondage freak. Grow up and get to know people before you make calls like that.
Not true. Any such broad and demeaning stereotype should be treated as suspect. Fans out of high-school move out just like everyone else. I don't know where this stereotype comes from but the fan groups I'm familiar with are populated by a wide range of professions, none of whom live with mom and dad. These people are either married, engaged, or dating. The single guys are the exception rather than the rule.
Myth: Sci-fi fans are predominantly male.
I believed this one for a long time myself. But once I started attending larger events, I found that every mulit-genre convention I've attended has been about 50/50 genderwise. Granted some of the smaller comic book events have skewed male, but every Anime, Harry Potter, Star Wars event I've been to has been very gender balanced.
Myth: People who wear costumes to Science Fiction conventions are arrested, overweight, adolescents.
Wow. That's a low blow. Costuming is a science fiction tradition that dates back to the earliest conventions. I know costumers who are doctors, lawyers, engineers, and even US Marines and I wouldn't call any of them arrested or overweight. I think number of the overweight costumers is the same as the percentage of overweight fans in general, and probably society as a whole. I don't know where this level of resentment comes from, but I've heard some variation on it from several people.
Myth: Furry Fandom is made up of perverts.
Come on, now you are just being mean. Don't let CSI form your opinions for you. Besides, the fans with the fursuits make up a small portion of those in furry fandom. Many are writers and artists that work with predominantly anthropomorphic characters. Thinking someone in a fursuit is into atypical sex is like thinking someone in a leather jacket is a bondage freak. Grow up and get to know people before you make calls like that.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Films in the year 2010
To keep my elbow on the pulse of the film world, I like to browse through IMDB to find projects with distant release dates to see what is in development. Today I chose the year 2010. Digging through the 855 titles, I found some obvious franchise releases, such as Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and Narnia. However, I also found some titles that surprised me, and I thought I would share them along with a little commentary.
Video Games
Bioshock - Great looking video game with actual plot may make for a good film
City of Heroes - MMORPG as film?
Return To Castle Wolfenstein - Really? Was "Doom" not enough for everyone?
Science Fiction Lit.
20,000 Leagues under the Sea - Jules Vern does not go out of style
Dune - Again, Really? I thought the first film and the miniseries was sufficient.
Fahrenheit 451 - Could use an update given the current political climate.
Illustrated Man
Logan's Run
The Sword of Shannara - Haven't read it. Would this work?
Jennifer Government - Based on a book with a great premise. This could be quite good.
80's
Voltron
Tron
Short Circuit - Could Johnny Five live again?
Thundercats - In the same year as Voltron? The mine of the 1980's is only so deep.
Robotech - Live action? Who can say. This was "Japanimation" not Anime.
Untitled Bill & Ted Project - This could be a a lot of fun, or complete trash.
Comic Books
Thor
Doctor Strange - Guillermo Del Toro is attached to direct and has approached Neil Gaiman to write the script
Green Lantern - Comic book gold.
Sub-Mariner - One of my least favourite characters. Will this work as a film? Could be animated.
Occult Crimes Taskforce - Based on the comic by Rosario Dawson. Yes the "Sin City/MIB2/Clerks 2/Rent/Death Proof" Rosario Dawson. Her fandom godhead is secure.
Other
Dirty Dozen - Will it be an earnest or campy remake?
Have Gun - Will Travel - Will Smith as Paladin? Who can say.
High Noon - Will 2010 be a western year?
I, Claudius and I, Robot - Individually, not really interesting, but I can see the crossover parody SNL sketch already.
Black Hole - Remake of the 1979 film or unrelated offering?
Of course since these films are still in the planning and development stages, there is no guarantee that they will ever be made, or released in the year indicated.
Video Games
Bioshock - Great looking video game with actual plot may make for a good film
City of Heroes - MMORPG as film?
Return To Castle Wolfenstein - Really? Was "Doom" not enough for everyone?
Science Fiction Lit.
20,000 Leagues under the Sea - Jules Vern does not go out of style
Dune - Again, Really? I thought the first film and the miniseries was sufficient.
Fahrenheit 451 - Could use an update given the current political climate.
Illustrated Man
Logan's Run
The Sword of Shannara - Haven't read it. Would this work?
Jennifer Government - Based on a book with a great premise. This could be quite good.
80's
Voltron
Tron
Short Circuit - Could Johnny Five live again?
Thundercats - In the same year as Voltron? The mine of the 1980's is only so deep.
Robotech - Live action? Who can say. This was "Japanimation" not Anime.
Untitled Bill & Ted Project - This could be a a lot of fun, or complete trash.
Comic Books
Thor
Doctor Strange - Guillermo Del Toro is attached to direct and has approached Neil Gaiman to write the script
Green Lantern - Comic book gold.
Sub-Mariner - One of my least favourite characters. Will this work as a film? Could be animated.
Occult Crimes Taskforce - Based on the comic by Rosario Dawson. Yes the "Sin City/MIB2/Clerks 2/Rent/Death Proof" Rosario Dawson. Her fandom godhead is secure.
Other
Dirty Dozen - Will it be an earnest or campy remake?
Have Gun - Will Travel - Will Smith as Paladin? Who can say.
High Noon - Will 2010 be a western year?
I, Claudius and I, Robot - Individually, not really interesting, but I can see the crossover parody SNL sketch already.
Black Hole - Remake of the 1979 film or unrelated offering?
Of course since these films are still in the planning and development stages, there is no guarantee that they will ever be made, or released in the year indicated.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Time travel Continuum
I thought I would post this graph for any time travellers who may be reading this blog.
see more Graphs
see more Graphs
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Top 5 Fastrack Training Moments
There comes a time in an adventure story where the young and isolated hero-to-be must learn how to fight with a sword. This usually has to be accomplished in a very short period of time, so later on in the story he can show up the villains who have been using a sword for years. Sometimes this calls for a montage.
Here are my Top Five occurrences of this, presented in no particular order.
Order of the Stick:
Captain Scoundrell trains Elan. Set on the pirate's airship, this is a glowing homage to fast-track training needed by would-be heroes. The hows and whys of training are highlighted best here. [Part I] [Part 2]
Star Wars:A New Hope: Obi-Wan trains Luke. On a different kind of pirate's airship, the novice Luke learns to wield his sword of light. More importantly it is another opportunity to describe the nature of the force to the audience.
Heroes episode "Landslide" : Kaito trains Hiro. No airships this time, but the plucky Hiro must learn the way of the sword, and more importantly the way of the warrior.
Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring: Boromir trains the Hobbits. A tall mountain stands in for the airship here, as Boromir give the little ones a refresher in dodge, turn, parry and thrust.
Stardust: Captain Shakespeare trains Tristan. The pirate's airship again becomes the centre for training, as shopkeep Trisan learns swordwork, dancing and fashion sense.
Here are my Top Five occurrences of this, presented in no particular order.
Order of the Stick:
Captain Scoundrell trains Elan. Set on the pirate's airship, this is a glowing homage to fast-track training needed by would-be heroes. The hows and whys of training are highlighted best here. [Part I] [Part 2]
Star Wars:A New Hope: Obi-Wan trains Luke. On a different kind of pirate's airship, the novice Luke learns to wield his sword of light. More importantly it is another opportunity to describe the nature of the force to the audience.
Heroes episode "Landslide" : Kaito trains Hiro. No airships this time, but the plucky Hiro must learn the way of the sword, and more importantly the way of the warrior.
Lord of the Rings:Fellowship of the Ring: Boromir trains the Hobbits. A tall mountain stands in for the airship here, as Boromir give the little ones a refresher in dodge, turn, parry and thrust.
Stardust: Captain Shakespeare trains Tristan. The pirate's airship again becomes the centre for training, as shopkeep Trisan learns swordwork, dancing and fashion sense.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Flying Man
Hotel Bed Jumping
Originally uploaded by Chrispitality.
The Sunday Flickr Favourites team bring us this picture of a man who can fly. Or more accuracy of a man who can jump. On beds. In hotel rooms.
I love this picture because it shows what kind of shots you can get without dipping into Photoshop.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Starship size comparison
Compiled by Dan Carlson, here is a very well researched and informative diagram showing all the relative sizes of various ships and Starbases from multiple Science Fiction and Fantasy series.
I admire this level of detail in any fandom project.
Click to view larger
I admire this level of detail in any fandom project.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Top 5 nighstand books
Part Rorschach's inks, part turn-your-head-and-cough, the books on my nightstand serve as a measurement of my mood, temperament and state of mind.
First up:
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town -Cory Doctorow. Honourable Mention
I just finished it and I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure which one of his to read next. The new "Overclocked" or the classic "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" ? Tough call. This book only gets an honourable mention because it is on its way off the table to make room for...
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson.
I just started it and am liking it so far. I always had high hopes the Cyberpunk genre, but thought William Gibson was over rated. So far Snow Crash is living up to my expectations.
The Wandering Stars #2 - The Davidge Cousins
Written by James and illustrated by Jesse Davidge, The Wandering Stars tells of the supernatural adventures of a crack team of histories best mathematicians. Alan Turning, Georg Cantor, Maria Agnesi, Brahmagupta et all, have gathered to fight threats to the many dimensions folded and layered within time and space. What is not to love?
The Velocity of Honey - Jay Ingram
An informative everyday science book which answers some everyday questions regarding topics as diverse as Honey, mosquitoes, or the aerodynamics of Maple tree seeds. It really is the best kind of guide to being the most annoying guy at a party.
The Areas of my Expertise - John Hodgman
Complete world knowledge, volume 1. Matters historical, matters literary, matters cryptozoological and Hobo matters are all here. Also a great guide to being the most annoying guy at a party.
Wired Magazine (Hodgeman Cover) - Feb 2007
My love of John Hodgeman (I'm a PC) led me to get the issue of Wired with his interview. I used to love wired when the typography and graphic design was crazy and the main thrust of the publication was a love of tech, and tech culture. Then it went through this phase where it seemed more focused on which tech companies you should invest in. It now has gained a bit of a pop-culture slant to it, so I'm starting to read it again.
Previously on Slashboing
Books on my Nightstand (May 2006)
First up:
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town -Cory Doctorow. Honourable Mention
I just finished it and I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure which one of his to read next. The new "Overclocked" or the classic "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" ? Tough call. This book only gets an honourable mention because it is on its way off the table to make room for...
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson.
I just started it and am liking it so far. I always had high hopes the Cyberpunk genre, but thought William Gibson was over rated. So far Snow Crash is living up to my expectations.
The Wandering Stars #2 - The Davidge Cousins
Written by James and illustrated by Jesse Davidge, The Wandering Stars tells of the supernatural adventures of a crack team of histories best mathematicians. Alan Turning, Georg Cantor, Maria Agnesi, Brahmagupta et all, have gathered to fight threats to the many dimensions folded and layered within time and space. What is not to love?
The Velocity of Honey - Jay Ingram
An informative everyday science book which answers some everyday questions regarding topics as diverse as Honey, mosquitoes, or the aerodynamics of Maple tree seeds. It really is the best kind of guide to being the most annoying guy at a party.
The Areas of my Expertise - John Hodgman
Complete world knowledge, volume 1. Matters historical, matters literary, matters cryptozoological and Hobo matters are all here. Also a great guide to being the most annoying guy at a party.
Wired Magazine (Hodgeman Cover) - Feb 2007
My love of John Hodgeman (I'm a PC) led me to get the issue of Wired with his interview. I used to love wired when the typography and graphic design was crazy and the main thrust of the publication was a love of tech, and tech culture. Then it went through this phase where it seemed more focused on which tech companies you should invest in. It now has gained a bit of a pop-culture slant to it, so I'm starting to read it again.
Previously on Slashboing
Books on my Nightstand (May 2006)
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Mini "Heroes" roundup
Mild spoilers of NBC's "Heroes" follow. Don't say you haven't been warned.
After watching the latest episode of "Heroes" on Monday, and catching up on all the online graphic novels that fill in the gaps between episodes, I really can't wait to see how season one, (Volume 1) of the series will end.
The early tagline for the show was "Save the Cheerleader, Save the world." Even though I was enjoying the show, I thought this oft-repeated phrase was a little silly. After the events of "Five Years Gone," the full meaning of the phrase became clear, and what started as a pithy catchphrase became a grave and earnest plea.
The plot has taken a standard superhero direction, showing a future where people with their "genetic condition" (a PC way of saying "those super-powered freaks that might be dangerous"), are rounded up, watched and feared. This follows the "Keene Act" from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons "Watchmen," the "Mutant Registration Act" from the Marvel universe. It also echoes every "final solution" that dictators and demagogues have enacted throughout history. This is the sort of thing people in power do when they fear loosing that power. Order 66 anyone?
We also got to see a second, more intense showdown between the empathic Peter Petrelli and his foil, the brain stealing Sylar. Both have acquired countless powers from other heroes, including cellular regeneration, so no clear victor could be foreseen. They are likely to remain locked in their fire-and-ice battle until the world fell around them, which reminds me of the end of the Original Trek episode "The Alternative Factor"
In the end it's up to everyone's favourite hero, Hiro Nakamura, to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap...will be the leap home.
After watching the latest episode of "Heroes" on Monday, and catching up on all the online graphic novels that fill in the gaps between episodes, I really can't wait to see how season one, (Volume 1) of the series will end.
The early tagline for the show was "Save the Cheerleader, Save the world." Even though I was enjoying the show, I thought this oft-repeated phrase was a little silly. After the events of "Five Years Gone," the full meaning of the phrase became clear, and what started as a pithy catchphrase became a grave and earnest plea.
The plot has taken a standard superhero direction, showing a future where people with their "genetic condition" (a PC way of saying "those super-powered freaks that might be dangerous"), are rounded up, watched and feared. This follows the "Keene Act" from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons "Watchmen," the "Mutant Registration Act" from the Marvel universe. It also echoes every "final solution" that dictators and demagogues have enacted throughout history. This is the sort of thing people in power do when they fear loosing that power. Order 66 anyone?
We also got to see a second, more intense showdown between the empathic Peter Petrelli and his foil, the brain stealing Sylar. Both have acquired countless powers from other heroes, including cellular regeneration, so no clear victor could be foreseen. They are likely to remain locked in their fire-and-ice battle until the world fell around them, which reminds me of the end of the Original Trek episode "The Alternative Factor"
In the end it's up to everyone's favourite hero, Hiro Nakamura, to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap...will be the leap home.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Doctor Who Season 3 mini-review
Time and Reflection, Drenched in Shadows
Originally uploaded by Brainless Angel.
The following is a short personal review of Season 3 of the revived Doctor Who Series. It will be free of any major spoilers for the new season, but assumes the reader has viewed up to the end of Season 2 with "Doomsday." If you haven't seen it yet, go do so now. I'll wait.
CBC loving Canadians have yet to see season 3 of Doctor Who. Even though development funds for the revived series of Doctor Who came from the CBC, for reasons beyond me, the air-dates in Canada are months past the original run on the BBC. This leads to the situation of being able to buy the series on DVD before the first run in Canada has finished. This also leads to being forced to download "pirate" copies for home viewing. Does that sound right to you?
After downloading (and watching) the two newest Doctor Who episodes, "Smith and Jones" and "The Shakespeare Code," and I am thoroughly impressed with the new companion. Martha Jones is smart, funny, and asks all the right questions. The fantastic writing of Russell T. Davies an Doctor Who novelist Gareth Roberts make these episodes fun and a real treat. The story arc codeword "Saxon" is this year's "Bad Wolf," so keep an eye out for it.
When Rose left The Doctor at the end of season two, I wasn't sure I would enjoy a change of companions. In the history of the show, companions change more frequently then Doctors, but the companion is the character through whom we experience the wonders of intergalactic time travel. Rose Tyler had both wide-eyed nativity and the stunning good looks, which are fine qualities to have in such a situation. But I guess as the character gains confidence and wisdom, our ability to project ourselves into their place diminishes. We have significantly less in common with the Dalek destroying Bad Wolf/Time Goddess then we have with a teenage shop girl.
Now that I have an "in" to get current episodes, an I'm confident in Martha Jones, I can't wait for next Saturday's episode, when "The Face of Boe" shows up in "Gridlock."
Thursday, April 12, 2007
K. Vonnegut (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007)
Kurt Vonnegut, science fiction author and satirist passed away yesterday. So it goes.
Here is my short and unoriginal tribute to a man who wrote many of my favourite novels.
Here is my short and unoriginal tribute to a man who wrote many of my favourite novels.
God made mud.Kurt once said that if, God forbid, he should die, he would be very pleased if someone would remark that "Kurt is up in Heaven now," which, as a Humanist, was his favourite joke.
God got lonesome.
So God said to some of the mud, "Sit up!"
"See all I've made," said God, "the hills, the sea, the sky, the stars."
And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around.
Lucky me, lucky mud.
I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done.
Nice going, God.
- Bokononist Last rites, from "Cat's Cradle"
Friday, March 30, 2007
A Modest Proposal for Con-version
I have a modest proposal for Con-version, the annual science fiction and fantasy convention in Calgary. Given that many author guests and host hotels of science fictions conventions are put off by costumed attendees, would it help the convention in the long run to make it a costume-free event like World Fantasy Con?
A "no hall costume" policy could encourage better guests every year. A low Klingon Quotient would make many important people very happy.
The Fan Guest of Honour at CV22 made it very clear that people who show up to science fiction conventions in costume were trivial to the process, and rather undesirable. The convention is like a big circus tent, he said, and people who wear costumes are only the popcorn machine. No one comes to see the popcorn machine, and it really wouldn't be missed if it was gone. The real show is the centre ring, which contains the author guests. When the press comes to document the event and they only see Spock ears and lightsabers, it makes the whole event look foolish and dissuades some authors from attending.
This point was also made by Robert J Sawyer in a interview with Scifidimensions in 2000.
There are additional benefits to preventing costumed folk from attending. Since most Star Wars fans don't read "real" science fiction, or read anything else notable for that matter, banning them from bringing their white armour and Jedi bathrobes could keep these "fringe fans" away. Wouldn't these arrested and overweight adolescents be happier at home anyway? Although it would mean no women in skimpy Slave Leia costumes to ogle, so clearly some exceptions would have to be made.
Also consider, no costumes means no furries. The Calgary Fur community consists of well over a hundred writers, artists and fans, but a small percentage of these have those costumes. Some see this kink-garb as wearable textile arts, comparable to sculpture or jewelry, but we really know what these people are up to, don't we? Should this be acceptable behaviour at Con-version?
It should also be noted that most of the getups seen today are only recreations of "media" costumes and props. Back in the day costumers would build imaginative and futuristic creations to amaze and entertain. Then came the onslaught of pseudo-science fiction television shows and wiz-bang Hollywood blockbusters, which are not only devoid of any social commentary or literary merit, but also serve as the petri dish which spawns the fungus on fandom that media costuming has become.
How do costumes relate to the Hotel? Remember that hotels are run by mundanes. When they see a mass of costumed folk they get worried. They realize that they are getting a group of people that rather sleep in the video room, or the lobby bathroom then pay for a room. They assume that large amount of outside food and drink will be brought into their convention space in violation of the catering agreements made with the con-com. They worry that the consuite will be so loud that they will have to comp the adjacent rooms. Let us set the hotel straight by saying that none of this would ever happen at Con-version, and we are willing to remove a visible minority to prove it.
So until Con-version lives up to its literary roots and does the right thing, we will have to live with this minority fandom subculture. Next time you see someone dressed up in some a "media" inspired outfit, it is fair to assume that this person likely has some form of learning or reading difficulty, so deal with them accordingly. It is also widely known that since they come from the passive "viewer" culture of film and television, they haven't contributed one ounce of work toward putting the convention together, so keep this in mind when deciding on programing content and guest selection.
Yours in Fandom
DrHaggis
A "no hall costume" policy could encourage better guests every year. A low Klingon Quotient would make many important people very happy.
The Fan Guest of Honour at CV22 made it very clear that people who show up to science fiction conventions in costume were trivial to the process, and rather undesirable. The convention is like a big circus tent, he said, and people who wear costumes are only the popcorn machine. No one comes to see the popcorn machine, and it really wouldn't be missed if it was gone. The real show is the centre ring, which contains the author guests. When the press comes to document the event and they only see Spock ears and lightsabers, it makes the whole event look foolish and dissuades some authors from attending.
This point was also made by Robert J Sawyer in a interview with Scifidimensions in 2000.
"As much as I love going to science fiction conventions, but I always question the clarity of thought of those who put on the Mr. Spock ears, or the Stormtrooper costume, because [...] the local news [...] will always find the one clown with a lobster on his forehead pretending to be a Klingon, and plaster him on page one of the entertainment section. [...] what the public gets crammed into their face is some arrested, overweight adolescent who's putting on a Halloween costume, and it's nowhere near October 31st."
There are additional benefits to preventing costumed folk from attending. Since most Star Wars fans don't read "real" science fiction, or read anything else notable for that matter, banning them from bringing their white armour and Jedi bathrobes could keep these "fringe fans" away. Wouldn't these arrested and overweight adolescents be happier at home anyway? Although it would mean no women in skimpy Slave Leia costumes to ogle, so clearly some exceptions would have to be made.
Also consider, no costumes means no furries. The Calgary Fur community consists of well over a hundred writers, artists and fans, but a small percentage of these have those costumes. Some see this kink-garb as wearable textile arts, comparable to sculpture or jewelry, but we really know what these people are up to, don't we? Should this be acceptable behaviour at Con-version?
It should also be noted that most of the getups seen today are only recreations of "media" costumes and props. Back in the day costumers would build imaginative and futuristic creations to amaze and entertain. Then came the onslaught of pseudo-science fiction television shows and wiz-bang Hollywood blockbusters, which are not only devoid of any social commentary or literary merit, but also serve as the petri dish which spawns the fungus on fandom that media costuming has become.
How do costumes relate to the Hotel? Remember that hotels are run by mundanes. When they see a mass of costumed folk they get worried. They realize that they are getting a group of people that rather sleep in the video room, or the lobby bathroom then pay for a room. They assume that large amount of outside food and drink will be brought into their convention space in violation of the catering agreements made with the con-com. They worry that the consuite will be so loud that they will have to comp the adjacent rooms. Let us set the hotel straight by saying that none of this would ever happen at Con-version, and we are willing to remove a visible minority to prove it.
So until Con-version lives up to its literary roots and does the right thing, we will have to live with this minority fandom subculture. Next time you see someone dressed up in some a "media" inspired outfit, it is fair to assume that this person likely has some form of learning or reading difficulty, so deal with them accordingly. It is also widely known that since they come from the passive "viewer" culture of film and television, they haven't contributed one ounce of work toward putting the convention together, so keep this in mind when deciding on programing content and guest selection.
Yours in Fandom
DrHaggis
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