Comments for The Quantum Mechanic http://quantum-mechanic.com Uncertain rants and musings Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:39:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 Comment on Space, the final frontier… by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/08/31/space-the-final-frontier/#comment-459 The O.M.R. Thu, 31 Aug 2006 20:54:55 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/08/31/space-the-final-frontier/#comment-459 Could it be that they were looking ahead to the release of hi-def Blue-Ray DVDs and realized that some of the sets and probably all of the effects would look like crap? I know someone who was interviewed on TV in the 80s and he said he was stunned at what cheap, shoddy & even filthy sets they could get away with using, since the tech didn't let the viewers see detail well enough to tell. I mean, what good is a hi-def view of the actors and the room they're in, if the background outside the window has visible brush strokes on it, etc? So, although I hope they'll always have the un-improved originals available to those who want them, I'm thinking it could be cool. I'm also thinking of how odd it seemed in the first star wars trilogy that there was supposedly this big empire falling, and we never really saw more than 20 people - something they improved on in later ones (and didn't Lucas insert some scenes of celebration on various planets later?). Anyway, more evidence of the civilzation in ST would be interesting to see, if only in the background. Could it be that they were looking ahead to the release of hi-def Blue-Ray DVDs and realized that some of the sets and probably all of the effects would look like crap? I know someone who was interviewed on TV in the 80s and he said he was stunned at what cheap, shoddy & even filthy sets they could get away with using, since the tech didn’t let the viewers see detail well enough to tell. I mean, what good is a hi-def view of the actors and the room they’re in, if the background outside the window has visible brush strokes on it, etc?

So, although I hope they’ll always have the un-improved originals available to those who want them, I’m thinking it could be cool. I’m also thinking of how odd it seemed in the first star wars trilogy that there was supposedly this big empire falling, and we never really saw more than 20 people - something they improved on in later ones (and didn’t Lucas insert some scenes of celebration on various planets later?). Anyway, more evidence of the civilzation in ST would be interesting to see, if only in the background.

]]> Comment on Capturing Vertigo to a T by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/07/06/capturing-vertigo-to-a-t/#comment-370 The O.M.R. Fri, 07 Jul 2006 02:08:39 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/07/06/capturing-vertigo-to-a-t/#comment-370 Re: Fables - I've never actually read one. I'll check it out, though, if you think it's good. I passed on 1602, and later read that I didn't miss much. There's an interview with Mike Carey out on the www somewhere, that I bookmarked ages ago with the intention of blogging about it, in which he mentions he's got an actual novel coming out. I'll try to dig it up. I'm giving DMZ a shot now, though I'm sensitive to the fact that the author is apparently a completely crazy progressive nutjob/conspiracy theorist/etc., and that it's probably inevitable that this will seep into his writing (it hasn't really done so yet, at least in the few issues I've read) and completely ruin his product. Re: Fables - I’ve never actually read one. I’ll check it out, though, if you think it’s good. I passed on 1602, and later read that I didn’t miss much.

There’s an interview with Mike Carey out on the www somewhere, that I bookmarked ages ago with the intention of blogging about it, in which he mentions he’s got an actual novel coming out. I’ll try to dig it up.

I’m giving DMZ a shot now, though I’m sensitive to the fact that the author is apparently a completely crazy progressive nutjob/conspiracy theorist/etc., and that it’s probably inevitable that this will seep into his writing (it hasn’t really done so yet, at least in the few issues I’ve read) and completely ruin his product.

]]> Comment on Capturing Vertigo to a T by qm http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/07/06/capturing-vertigo-to-a-t/#comment-369 qm Fri, 07 Jul 2006 01:50:24 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/07/06/capturing-vertigo-to-a-t/#comment-369 Yeah -- <i>Lucifer</i> is (was -- *sniff*) my second favorite Vertigo title behind <i>Fables</i> (which I'm sure isn't angsty/weird/whatever enough for you :-). I also got <i>Externals</i> #1 and had a similar reaction. Especially remembering Gaiman's <i>1602</i> for Marvel, which was period versions of X-Men and various Marvel heroes in Jamestown (VA) and in London in 1602. Yeah — Lucifer is (was — *sniff*) my second favorite Vertigo title behind Fables (which I’m sure isn’t angsty/weird/whatever enough for you :-).

I also got Externals #1 and had a similar reaction. Especially remembering Gaiman’s 1602 for Marvel, which was period versions of X-Men and various Marvel heroes in Jamestown (VA) and in London in 1602.

]]> Comment on Capturing Vertigo to a T by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/07/06/capturing-vertigo-to-a-t/#comment-368 The O.M.R. Thu, 06 Jul 2006 22:44:54 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/07/06/capturing-vertigo-to-a-t/#comment-368 LOL! Yes, that's Vertigo - <em>sooo</em> much Gaiman-wannabe crap. But not Lucifer... I really liked that series, it was the only good Sandman spin-off I can think of. Whats-his-name... Carey? Great writer, good run on Hellblazer, too. Not so fond of the art, but apparently I managed to tolerate it. I got the first of Gaiman's Jack Kirby hand-puppetry (The Eternals) and I'm wondering if Gaiman has turned into a producer of Gaiman-wannabe crap. We'll see, I guess. LOL! Yes, that’s Vertigo - sooo much Gaiman-wannabe crap.

But not Lucifer… I really liked that series, it was the only good Sandman spin-off I can think of. Whats-his-name… Carey? Great writer, good run on Hellblazer, too. Not so fond of the art, but apparently I managed to tolerate it.

I got the first of Gaiman’s Jack Kirby hand-puppetry (The Eternals) and I’m wondering if Gaiman has turned into a producer of Gaiman-wannabe crap. We’ll see, I guess.

]]> Comment on He’s dead,…Dave by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/05/30/hes-deaddave/#comment-339 The O.M.R. Tue, 30 May 2006 21:44:34 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/05/30/hes-deaddave/#comment-339 BTW, I finally saw "How William Shatner Changed the World" - since it's about all the technology portrayed in Star Trek, and how it inspired a generation of engineers and scientists, I was amused it featured The Shat's name in the title instead of the show's. I'm sure there was a fair amount of wrangling over that behind the scenes, and the result must have boiled the blood of the other ST actors who consented to be interviewed for the show... ;-) BTW, I finally saw “How William Shatner Changed the World” - since it’s about all the technology portrayed in Star Trek, and how it inspired a generation of engineers and scientists, I was amused it featured The Shat’s name in the title instead of the show’s. I’m sure there was a fair amount of wrangling over that behind the scenes, and the result must have boiled the blood of the other ST actors who consented to be interviewed for the show… ;-)

]]> Comment on He’s dead,…Dave by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/05/30/hes-deaddave/#comment-338 The O.M.R. Tue, 30 May 2006 20:55:10 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/05/30/hes-deaddave/#comment-338 I thought he was great in <em>Where No Man Has Gone Before</em> - why do you mention this? Did he die or something? I thought he was great in Where No Man Has Gone Before - why do you mention this? Did he die or something?

]]> Comment on The incredible shrinking paper by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/05/08/the-incredible-shrinking-paper/#comment-111 The O.M.R. Mon, 08 May 2006 20:49:57 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/05/08/the-incredible-shrinking-paper/#comment-111 In conversation today, JMD wondered if the drop in Globe subscribers isn't a direct result of Sulzberger trying to keep the NYT afloat. He owns both, and is pushing the NYT nationally to compensate for lost subscribers in NY. In these past few years national and international news has been more interesting (in the Chinese proverb sense) than local - it could be that denizens of the People's Republic are foregoing the Globe not because they're coming to their senses, but because they're going straight to the source for their daily dose of Kool-aid and don't really care about local news? In conversation today, JMD wondered if the drop in Globe subscribers isn’t a direct result of Sulzberger trying to keep the NYT afloat. He owns both, and is pushing the NYT nationally to compensate for lost subscribers in NY. In these past few years national and international news has been more interesting (in the Chinese proverb sense) than local - it could be that denizens of the People’s Republic are foregoing the Globe not because they’re coming to their senses, but because they’re going straight to the source for their daily dose of Kool-aid and don’t really care about local news?

]]> Comment on No one would expect ROT-3! by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/04/21/no-one-would-expect-rot-3/#comment-82 The O.M.R. Fri, 21 Apr 2006 22:09:06 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/04/21/no-one-would-expect-rot-3/#comment-82 Actually, the feds got a mafia guy, somewhere in PA, I think, who was using PGP on his computer (not sure if it was a desktop or a laptop), by installing a keystroke logger when no one was around but the killer attack dogs. When they told the guy how they got him, he was all "No way! How did you get by my dogs??". The feds had staked the place out for more than a month, and every day when no one was around they'd come by and feed the dogs cheeseburgers through the fence. Eventually they jumped the fence and the dogs let 'em through unmolested. This according to the FBI guy in charge at the time, who was interviewed on Dennis Miller's old HBO show. Actually, the feds got a mafia guy, somewhere in PA, I think, who was using PGP on his computer (not sure if it was a desktop or a laptop), by installing a keystroke logger when no one was around but the killer attack dogs. When they told the guy how they got him, he was all “No way! How did you get by my dogs??”. The feds had staked the place out for more than a month, and every day when no one was around they’d come by and feed the dogs cheeseburgers through the fence. Eventually they jumped the fence and the dogs let ‘em through unmolested.

This according to the FBI guy in charge at the time, who was interviewed on Dennis Miller’s old HBO show.

]]> Comment on We welcome our networked tamagotchi overlords… by The O.M.R. http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/04/19/we-welcome-our-networked-tamagotchi-overlords/#comment-81 The O.M.R. Thu, 20 Apr 2006 04:37:15 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/04/19/we-welcome-our-networked-tamagotchi-overlords/#comment-81 "chief tamagotchi officer" LOL! “chief tamagotchi officer”

LOL!

]]> Comment on Finished upgrade to Wordpress 2.0.2. by qm http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/03/24/finished-upgrade-to-wordpress-202/#comment-66 qm Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:12:21 +0000 http://quantum-mechanic.com/2006/03/24/finished-upgrade-to-wordpress-202/#comment-66 Fixed. Thanks! Fixed. Thanks!

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