Lone Locust Productions

Day: December 27, 2006

  • After Christmas Tally

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    Another Christmas has come and gone.

    Here’s my Macbook, finally complete in its two-monitor configuration (surrounded by reassuring clutter.) The wide screen monitor is certainly a wonderful improvement over old 4:30 resolution monitors. The wide screen is great for programming, video editing or just watching videos. I’m surprised that 4:3 monitors survived as long as they have.

    Despite being up late Christmas Eve, I woke before James and Michelle. James woke up first, but really didn’t really understand the enormity of the day, but I knew that Michelle understood was very excited when she went to bed. I took my camera and waited patiently for her to wake up. My goal was to capture that first instant when her eyes would open wide and see the tree with all the presents beneath it.

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    I got bored after a while, so I told James to go knock on his sister’s door, which he did. Soon thereafter, Michelle was up and came slowly into the room. She walked right past the Christmas tree and completely ignored it. I guess next year we’ll have to put lights on the tree after she goes to bed so I can get my photo op.

    Despite their initial indifference, both kids got lots of presents, all of which seemed well-received. We’ll see in a few days which ones fall by the wayside.

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  • Big Shock – Daleks

    BBC News => Doctor battles Daleks in New York

    The Daleks are poised to do battle in New York in a forthcoming episode from the latest series of Doctor Who.

    The two-parter will see the show’s star David Tennant and new assistant Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman, face their famous foes in 1930s Manhattan.

    “This time, their plan is the most audacious Dalek scheme yet! Even the Doctor finds himself out of his depth,” said lead writer Russell T Davies.

    So much for the days of “absolute secrecy” about upcoming plot developments.

    Update: BBC Press Office releases more detailed info on the episode and the third series.

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  • Torchwood – Combat – Review (Spoilers)

    Combat
    by Noel Clarke


    Jack looses weevils, Owen gets depressed

    Synopsis
    Owen is depressed. He’s in a deep, dark, depression. He drinks, he fights, he pisses on his friends (metaphorically.) (Come to think of it, the “metaphorically” was meant for the word “pisses” but could equally have applied to the word “friends”.)

    Meanwhile, Jack has discovered that someone is “kidnapping” weevils, right out from under Torchwood’s nose.

    Gwen has a fight with Rhys, then a fight with Owen, so she’s depressed, too. She tells Rhys about her affair, then gives him the amnesia drug.

    Owen goes undercover and discovers a Fight Club where socially dissatisfied morons have cage-fights with weevils. Being in that right state of mind, Owen becomes one of the morons and goes into the cage with the Weevil.

    He nearly gets eaten, Jack saves the Day. “Story” over.

    Analysis
    I had high hopes for this episode. After week-after-week of talky, only vaguely Torchwood related stories, the previews for this episode looked like this might be the turning point story where things finally begin to pick up the pace.

    One could be forgiven, having seen the previews, to think that Torchwood might be coming up against some opposition, perhaps even someone who actually knows what the weevils are (as Torchwood has already admitted that they do not.)

    Instead we just get a bunch of dumb wanks in a fight club.

    It’s a completely senseless implementation of all the cool violence and melodrama “teased” at in the preview. Oh wait! Could this be an oh-so-subtle “message” from the writers? Violence and fighting are senseless! I have seen the light; another mind “enlightened” by television!

    The story did resolve at least one point about the weevils that has been bothering me (apart from their obvious absence): Why are they wearing overalls? It would now seem that it’s just possible that weevils are “infected” people, as Owen seems to have picked up the “bug” by the end of the episode.

    As predicted, Gwen is falling apart, so much so that has to spill her guts to Rhys to ask for his forgiveness. Then, of course, she has to make him forget. She doesn’t get the forgiveness she seeks and resorts to pizza. I predict she’ll be 20 stone by the end of the series.

    Capt. Jack Mystery Puzzle Piece of the Week: I’ll be darned if I saw one.

    Next Week Capt. Jack goes back to WWII and meets himself. Toshiko goes along, I’m sure an ethnically-Japanese woman will be popular in WWII London… or will it be Cardiff?

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