Category: General

Since the so-called “adult” content of Torchwood added not one squat of value to the stories, I suspect I’ll find these new “kid friendly” version superior.

CBBC Newsround => Young fans to see Dr Who spin-off

Doctor Who spin-off show Torchwood is to be shown in a version that younger fans will be able to watch.

The first series was aimed at adult audiences, but in the second series a specially-edited repeat will be shown that’s suitable for families and kids.

The fact that RTD himself seems to be endorsing this clearly indicates that the adult stuff was just tacked on to the stories to make them “edgy.”

Technorati Tags: Blog, Commentary, Torchwood, UK, Video

Well, it’s not really “the Return of the Saint”, that name has been taken. It’s the new Saint series currently in production.

James Purefoy, whom I’ve never heard of, is the Saint.

The Saint and Leslie Charteris Blog => James Purefoy To Play Simon Templar in The Saint

James Purefoy, who played Mark Antony in “Rome” is set to play the new Simon Templar in the forthcoming TV series of The Saint.

Bill Macdonald tells www.saint.org (the official website of The Saint Club) that his team is prepping a two-hour pilot for a European shoot. The reason for shooting in Europe is the current strike situation in U.S. would otherwise hold up production. Shooting in Berlin and Australia begins in April.

All I can say is, please, please, please don’t screw this series up. So far, the little info coming out of the production is mixed.

Going back to the original premise of the Saint being a vigilante, good.
Bringing back Patricia Holm, bad. Didn’t work all that well in the earliest stories and no wonder Charteris dropped her. She was drag on the story.
New actor, someone who was considered a 007 candidate and British, good. (I was really worried he’d be from Texas in this new version.)

This is their chance to expunge that pile of crap movie with that egotistical fart from Real Genius from the collective memory of the world. Best of luck!

Technorati Tags: Blog, Television, The Saint

Sounds like a new version of Lonely Planet Taiwan is out. This is a book I used to find indispensable when traveling to Taiwan. Lately I’m familiar enough with Taipei and confident enough in just exploring that I don’t use it much any more.

Nonetheless, if you’re traveling there for the first time, or considering a trip there, it’s a good read.

From this morning radio interview from Taiwan’s English-language radio station with one of the the authors, Joshua Samuel Brown, it sounds like the latest edition has been significantly enhanced. I might have to get a copy just to find out.

Click the play button on the embedded player to listed to the interview, and learn about “cutting edge” bands like Led Zeppelin.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Books, Taiwan

Of course, the Japanese again…

Technorati Tags: Blog, Japan, Japanese, Technology, Toilet, Video, YouTube

Gridman, that’s me.

Fine. It’s not a fantastic score, but it’s a first try.

Look at this “brandon” guy. To quote the immortal one (Praise be Shatner’s name), “Get a life.” Can’t quite understand how someone can score 323736 points on a 30 question quiz, with what appears to be a 100 point maximum per question, but hey, who am I to accuse someone of cheating?

If you want to test your TV theme song knowledge, check out televisiontunes.com

Technorati Tags: Blog, Music, Television

There are days when I’m proud of my Scottish ancestry from the Clan Stewart…

… and then there are other days when I’m glad I’ve got more Irish and English in my veins. Like today.

The Daily Record => Scotland’s New £125k Slogan…Welcome To Scotland

A £125,000 campaign to replace Scotland’s Best Small Country In The World tag has been unveiled.
And the exciting new catchphrase dreamed up by top advertising brains is…“Welcome to Scotland”.

Well, it least it’s easy to memorize. It doesn’t sound so bad if you say it with an accent, and obviously they’re too cheap to go back and buy another one, so they’re stuck with it.

Technorati Tags: Blog, UK

BBC – Doctor Who – News => Billie Is Back!

Rose Tyler returns for Series Four.

Following a series of unconfirmed reports across the media this morning, we’re delighted to officially confirm that Billie Piper will return as Rose Tyler in Series Four of Doctor Who.

Anything you may read elsewhere about when, how or for how long Rose returns to Doctor Who should be treated as pure speculation at this point.

Seriously, this is not a good sign. Leave the lost companion lost. It’s bad enough that screwed up by getting rid of Freema. I’m willing to give Catherine Tate a chance (not impressed so far, yet) but… don’t bring back Rose.

Unless she’s going to be the regeneration of The Master.

Now, that’s what the official BBC Doctor Who page said earlier today. Minutes later, BBC News said more…

BBC News => Billie Piper to return to Dr Who

She will star in three episodes of the sci-fi drama, reprising her role as the Doctor’s companion, Rose Tyler.

So much for the idea of her playing someone other than Rose.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Doctor Who, Dr Who, News

You know, it amuses me no end to point out to Christians that the holiday they call Christmas is a huge hodge-podge of completely and utterly non-Christian traditions. (I love this site at this time of year – The History of Christmas.)

In fact, the Church used to forbid opening the churches on “Christmas” because it was a holiday they didn’t support. Easter being the important turning point in Christianity. It was only popular demand (and, more importantly, competition from other Christian sects who were willing to open their doors – and collection plates – at Christmas) that got the big churches to embrace Christmas across the board.

Anyway, you can hardly argue that it’s anything except a secular holiday these days. It’s just the name is so blatantly biased that spoils it all. Still, I can’t come up with a suitable replacement name. Saturnalia just doesn’t work and besides, it’s just as nutty.

“Winter Solstice?” Too WICCA-wacky, with all the connotations of Gaia earth mother and cavorting druids.
“Yule”? That’s a nice Scandinavian name, but, thoroughly associated with Christmas nowadays. The “yule log” is inextricably linked to the concept of Christmas. Few realize they aren’t even related.
Saturnalia, Juvenalia, Mithras Day? No no no.

We need a new word. I’m going to give some thought to that one. Perhaps I should draft the help of some Madison Avenue types. It needs to be modern, catchy, memorable and most importantly, completely without meaning – much like the names of automobile models these days.

Whatever it’s called, I did something this weekend I though I’d never do, and certainly haven’t participated in in at least 30 years. I put up Christmas lights (or “fairy lights” for our overseas readers.)

I did it for the kids, plain and simple. No one will accuse me of going overboard on the project, though.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Christmas, Commentary

Well, dear readers, this has been a busy week for me: My birthday (43rd), Thanksgiving (also my 43rd) and now Black Friday (my 32nd, if Wikipedia can be believed).

(I’m a little miffed, Wikipedia doesn’t seem to have an entry for my birthday.)

In any case, my birthday was quiet, but enjoyable. I got the Christopher Eccleston Doctor Who box set of DVDs for my collection and a book on Japanese SFX master Eji Tsubaraya.

Michelle had a Thanksgiving “pow wow” at school this week and as I had the day off this year, went to see it. We got to hear all about how the pilgrims thanked god almighty for seeing them through the brutal winter and providing them a bountiful harvest. That just shows what a fucked up bunch of lunatics the pilgrims really were. Instead of thanking the imaginary sky fairy, they should have been kissing Squanto‘s ass for providing them the necessary knowledge that they lacked in survival skills.

History really is written by the victors isn’t it?

I thought about wearing my t-shirt that has a photo of Geronimo and his warriors with the caption “Homeland Security: Fighting terrorism since 1492” to the school pow wow, but I thought better of it and decided to co-exist peaceably with the pale face parents who send their kids to Michelle’s school. Instead I just wore my Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal T-shirt instead.

Guess you can tell I’m not all that impressed with Thanksgiving, but is a day off from work. We had my father over and ate ham. (I steadfastly refuse to eat turkey.) Ham good, turkey bad. It was a beautiful day outside, with a high today of 80º. You couldn’t ask for a nicer day. Pity nothing is open and the entire country is home gorging on turkey and watching football.

Tomorrow is Black Friday, a day I wouldn’t go shopping on if it weren’t for those one-day only loss-leader sales. I’ve got at least 2 places lined up with 500GB external drives (just perfect for OSX’s new Time Machine) for $79. Costco’s got 2 packs of 2GB SD cards for $35. Our newer Canon camera uses those and they’re so small we keep loosing the little buggers.

Anyway, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “gosh, what can I buy for Black Friday?” Gift ideas really are tough, and so I thought I’d list the books I’m currently reading and recommend them as gift ideas for Christmas (or Saturnalia, if you prefer.)

Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design by Michael Shermer
Eiji Tsubaraya: Master of Monsters by August Ragone
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader: Wonderful World of Odd by the Bathroom Reader’s Institute
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Beginning Joomla! From Novice to Professional by Dan Rahmel
Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomena by Daniel C. Dennett

I’ve provided convenient links to Amazon.com if you want more info on them.

What’s on my iTunes right now?
Blunt Instrument from the album “Casino Royale” by David Arnold

Technorati Tags: Blog, Commentary, Thanksgiving

BBC Press Release => BBC Drama Productions acquires rights to develop 1970s series Survivors for BBC One

BBC Drama Productions has acquired the rights from the Terry Nation Estate to develop the Seventies drama series Survivors, it was announced today by Jane Tranter, BBC Controller, Fiction.

Set in the present day, the new series will be written by Adrian Hodges (Ruby In The Smoke, Shadow In The North, Charles II and Primeval) for transmission on BBC One.

Survivors was one depressing TV show, but it will be interesting to see how they remake it.

(I wonder if the catastrophe that wipes out humanity will be tied to global warming or islamic terrorists? It’s got to be one of the two. No writer worth his cliched salt could pass up both of those!)

Technorati Tags: Blog, Television, UK, Video