Peggy and I just got back from an IMAX 3D showing of Burton's new "Alice".
Go see it.  As soon as you can.  The effects are spectacularly well done but at the same time do not distract you from the story.  The actress playing Alice is exceptional, and of course Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are great.  They've also got some surprise voice talent for the CGI-only characters, including Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, and for all of two lines Christopher Lee.  The story is ... well, they've done a wonderful job of concealing this in the marketing, but I will give away a small secret -- this is not a new version of the classic story.  Alice is not Dawson-cast at almost 20 instead of being 7.  There's a reason she's almost 20 -- It is a sequel to the original stories.  And it works.
Oh, extra bonus:  A new, long, detailed trailer -- in 3D -- for Tron Legacy precedes it.
Like I said, go see.
ETA:  Just discovered that the main theme -- written by Danny Elfman -- is available for free download in MP3 format from Amazon.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

All those references to Fenspace not having folding money because there are better uses for paper?

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2 ... money.html]Forget about them. That excuse doesn't wash.

This is doubly-embarrassing considering that Australia hasn't had paper money since before handwavium was discovered.

Now how do we explain why Fenspace is a cashless society?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

I noticed http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?p=946895]a thead over on the SJGames forums where the thread starter is looking for "movies where nerds are the main protagonists, and are (a) shown in a positive light (b) shown to stay true to their nature, and yet attain whatever goal that more-or-less corresponds to happiness."

If we can't come up with a couple of dozen suggestions, I'll be disappointed...

What's already been suggested:

• The New Guy (Dizzy)
  
• Napoleon Dynamite
  
• Revenge of the Nerds
  
• The Rock
  
• TRON
  
• Sneakers
  
• Role Models
  
• REAL GENIUS
  
• Wargames
  
• Mozart and the Whale
  
• Serenity
  

As folks may know from some of the Legendary Channel chats, I'm interested in constructed languages. Well there's a recent announcement about one of the typical affordable resources for a non-academic hobbyist.
Mark Rosenfelder's Language Creation Kit will soon be released via Amazon .com as a Print-on-demand dead trees edition that is 4 times larger than the free web version.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

They are selling major comics collections for ridiculouslessly low prices. Like stuff that normally cost over a hundred dollars for $15.
------------------
Epsilon

Benjamin burned with the gentle warmth of contentment.  In the last three days, himself, Gina and the Magnificent Midnight had been celebrities.  He himself had spoken with the Prime Minister on a variety of topics, met the Emperor (and boy, did he feel giddy for not doing something stupid during that meeting), been the subject of several interviews, recieved numerous gifts, signed Skuld-only-knows-how-many autographs (though he's pretty sure Gina signed more), and did some serious shopping in Akihabara.
Indeed, the Midnight's hold was filled to maximum capacity with all the swag they'd acumulated.
Benjamin swore to himself that once they had the chance they would return to the Land of the Rising Sun.
For now though, Benjamin gave one last jaunty salute to the cheering crowd before he triggered the canopy hydraulics and began the powerplant start-up sequence.
"I had fun," said Gina as she monitored the Cola/Un-Cola reactors and relayed directions from Ground Traffic Control to Ben's monitors.  Ben was still vowing to find something better the odd 'Wave-tech reactors - the fuel tanks were a pain in the ass to keep clean.
"Me too, love," said Ben, the smile audible in his voice as he guided the Midnight precisely along the taxi ways.
Gina then felt something register in the system as the hardware was connected.  "You aren't going to use your iPod again, are you?"
The Midnight cruised on with all the grace of a wraith to the end of the airfield under Ben's steady hand.
"Sure am, but don't worry," he said with a grin.  He then put on his best Joker imitation.  "It's ahhll pahhrt of thuh plauhn."
They stopped at the turn around, waiting for the traffic pattern to open up.
"Benjamin, since when is anything part of the plan when the 'Wave is involved?  I'm living proof, you know.  (Not that I mind, really...)"
Gina received clearance to enter the runway and relayed it to Ben's screen.  Right away, he nudged them out into the runway proper, then set the brakes as he throttled up the ion drives for the big push.  The bogies, modified from the standard Blackbird configuration to handle a much greater payload (two-by-two up front, two-by-three on the aft struts), held like they were bolted to the tarmac.
"Gina, my love, really.  Don't worry.  This one is already proven.  Have we recieved the tracking signal from Senshi's transport yet?"
Gina blinked and diverted a thread of her attention to search for such a signal, and another to marvel at the strange human she'd fallen in love with.  "Yes, and may I say that you're a sneaky bastard."
"Damn straight."
"I should have known from the flight plan."
"Nah, it looks the same as any ascent-to-orbit followed up by a docking."  Benjamin then saw the clearance to take-off appear in his hud.  He grinned and hit the play button on his iPod.
Echo Slightly - Birds Fly South - 3rd Way
The moment the synths and drums hit, the brakes unlocked and Midnight rolled gracefully down the tarmac.
There's a land that shines
(I can see it)
On another shore
(And it burns my eyes)
She swiftly gathered speed and magestically lifted into the air, only barely raising her nose - she seemed almost as though she was gaining altitude by pure ballistic force.  In seconds, she was screaming out over the open ocean.
As far as I can tell
(It's always been there)
Waiting
Searching for
The perfect frequency
To catch my eyes
Now that I've seen it
I know that
I know I've got to get back

Once she was a safe distance from shore, she spends a few seconds making her final trim for her orbital burn.  And then the Magnificent Midnight suddenly stood on her tail and did her best impression of a Saturn V rocket.
It's keeping me up.
It's taken over.
I'll swim across the ocean,
I'll swim across the sea.
No storms or no waves
are gonna keep me back.
I'll swim across the ocean
to be in your arms.

Within seconds he was floating free in orbit - no one doubted it when they saw the sonic boom she left in her wake, thunder rolling for miles around her much to the delight of her ardent fans.  Gina noted that they were being hailed and forwarded the message to Benjamin, who asked if she could open an audio channel to them.
"Crystal Shuttle, this is Midnight.  We are on approach for docking as schedule.  Maintain course and head and accelerate to maximum Delta-V.  Also, make sure that everyone's belted in properly.  This is gonna get a bit bumpy and her Majesty would kill me if I let anything hapen to you ladies."
A chuckle came back over the speakers.  "Don't worry, we all know she's a mother hen, but that's why we all love her.  Accelerating to maximum Delta-V and standing by for docking.  Crystal Shuttle over and out."
Now that I've seen your face
so close, like inches away,
I know
I know that
I know I've got to get back.
As the Midnight's form raced to the boxy looking shuttle, the docking aparatus unfolded itself from the aft-dorsal area of the fuselage.  Laser guides appeared, allowing the two ships to line up, and then they carefully locked together.  Once the interlocks were all confirmed by Midnight, she charged up the overdrive capacitors on her ion drives once more, and floored it.
It's keeping me up,
it's taken over.
I'll swim across the ocean,
I'll swim across the sea.
No storms or no waves
are gonna keep me back.
I'll swim across the ocean.

Together, the mated ships raced off, blasting out of orbit in a style that only the Midnight could accomplish.  When asked about it later, Sailor Atalante only said that she couldn't wait to do that again.
It's keeping me up,
it's taken over.
I'll swim across the ocean,
I'll swim across the sea.
No storms or no waves
are gonna keep me back.
I'll swim across the ocean
to be in your light.
"This is SS Magnificent Midnight to 36 Atalante Area Control.  We are enroute with passengers and we'll be home in a few hours.  Y'all make sure you keep the light on for us, ya hear?"
"10-4, Midnight.  It'll good to have you back, Boss."
"Amen to that, sister.  It'll be good to be home."

Hey, Bob, has 'the' Gate Song been chosen yet?
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

1. Silicon Sabre
I never knew what slavery was, until I found myself free.
It's
a concept, as much as physical bonds. One can be able to go anywhere,
do anything, and still be enslaved. Iron bonds can hold your hands, and
locked doors can imprison your body, but to be enslaved is to trap your
mind. And it can be captors, doubt, or fear that enslaves your will as
much as any physical chains.
These days I look at the ones we're
freeing and I see them fresh and new, and hopefully unencumbered. I do
my best to see that they don't feel bound by duty to those who rescued
them. And there are those like that. The ones that hang up the armor and
disappear into the city. I never see them again, but I hope they're
still safe. And there are those that stay here, stay and fight. The ones
that that find themselves unable to let go for a variety of reasons. I
can't say they're wrong.
But I remember a time when slavery
wasn't what I fought. When I fought corruption and abuse of power on a
level that I hope never to see again. And I remember that slavery was
still present there nonetheless. And that I was one of the enslaved.
With chains made of things far more unbreakable than steel. A debt, a
duty, a doom that I set upon myself. That crushed, squeezed, and
constricted what I allowed myself to be.
Waking up in this city
every day, rolling over next to her, and knowing that that's
forgotten...that's what helps me appreciate being free.
2. Net Sabre
They say you shouldn't play with fire, but I was never one to take other
people's rules at face value.
I've been like that my entire
life. A sign to stay out just meant finding some way to get in. Saying
something was wrong without explaining why just left me with more
curiosity than fear. My attitude caused me a few problems, but more than
a few benefits. It got me a fulfilling career, a loving wife, and a
life better than any I could think of growing up. I'm not the scared
little girl that hides behind the front lines anymore. In a way, I'm the
one the scared little girl would've looked to. That desire to push the
limits of what I can get away with, of not accepting what I'm told is
what I should say, do, and be, is why I'm where I am today. But am I
taking it too far? I should be content, but I can't help but try to push
it that extra mile, go for that extra bit just out of reach. I'm
happier than I have any right to be, but part of me just wants a little
bit more.
What is it about those clear blue eyes that pulls me in
like a moth to flame?
3.
I've defeated so many opponents in my time. My skill is honed to
a razor's edge. My instincts are next to precognitive. I've known
defeat, but never for long. I am a weapon and an exceptionally well made
one.
But it was her eyes that made a weapon question its
purpose. It was her unspoken plea that turned that weapon against its
makers. It was defending her that taught me to fear loss. It was saving
her that saved me. Every day I wake up beside her reminds me of what I
might have been without her, and what I've become because of her. Every
word, every look, every touch reminds me that behind the weapon, there
is the heart of a living being. A heart that belongs to her as surely as
the blade defends her. It's because of her that I have friends,
companions, colleagues. It's because of her that I've become the hero
she needed me to be that day.
But how many know that her standing
behind me is what holds me up? Not that it's a bother. She's all I
need.
4.
Existing is simple, but living is hard.
Existing simply means
you're there. Any rock can exist, standing alone and unnoticed until it
eventually crumbles into dust. But living, living challenges you.
Living things adapt, grow, and evolve. They grow beyond what was
intended of them and become what couldn't be predicted. Life is change,
and change is hard. But like all hard things, what it needs is a will to
succeed and the battle is done. It may take some time, but every little
victory is a step forward. Every smile to a friend. Every unnecessary
conversation just there to talk with someone. Every simple touch. Every
precious memory. When your progress is rock bottom, all it means is you
need to start working upwards. Either your goal or you will give in
first, but with proper determination, it's always the goal that crumples
first.
I have a life and friends. I have companions and sisters. Maybe even love, though I'm still not sure I know exactly what love is. These things tell me I'm alive. They tell me that I'm someone I'd like to know.
5.
My life hasn't been long, but for its brevity, it's always been
driven by what I feel.

My instincts led me to the family I'd
never known in a world I'd never seen. My instincts kept me alive when a
weaker woman would've crumpled. It's a simple path, thin as a razor and
straight as a line. A warrior's duties are simple, and I perform them
with the excellence built into me from birth. It's the other things that
confuse me. If I've never seen it, why do I dream of open plains? If
I've never felt it, why do I wish for the wind tossed gusts to blow out
my hair? If I've never touched it, why do I feel the grass between my
fingers as I walk? If I've never smelled it, why does the scent of
burning wood make me long for home? If I was born in this city, why do
the wilds that no longer belong to it feel more like home than its massive
metropolis?

Is it ironic that the product of such advanced
technology finds the place of her birth more alien than places she's
never been?

6.
Trust is valuable. Truth essential. I wish they didn't seem to be
mutually exclusive.
I was dedicated to bring forth the truth from
wherever it hid. I thought that no matter the reason, the truth should
be known to everyone. That in the end, it would benefit everyone. But
finding out the truth meant gaining trust...and as they trust me not to
reveal the truth, I find myself questioning whether I should. When I was
a little girl, things were black and white. Such debates of morality
and obscuration would've been brushed away by a child's simple belief
that telling a lie is a fundamental wrong.

But now that I'm where I am, do I lie to myself to preserve their trust?
Or lie to them to bring out the truth?
7.
Every day I wake up, I wonder at my betrayal.
Some things
can't be changed. And so many things that shouldn't be are, regardless
of what we want. We can only change the things that haven't been yet.
But as I work with those that should share the same feelings as me, I
realize that our feelings are completely different. They seek justice,
but all I want is blood. They're heroes, but I'm just an assassin
waiting for my moment. Every bloodstained uniform, every limp body, only
dulls the pain. Every night when I sleep, I can almost feel their eyes
on me, wondering why I let them die. Wondering why the one that killed
them hasn't joined them yet.

I will find the one I seek, and I will have my bloody satisfaction. I
wonder if those that call me comrade will understand the things that I
have to do so the dead can rest easy.

I wonder if I should be disturbed that either way, I don't really care.
8.
My life's never been better, but I wonder if that's a good
thing.
I'm improving with every day spent studying, and I never
lack for a good practice partner to test what I've learned on. My
teacher says I'm catching up to her, that I'll be faster than her soon.
Faster, maybe, but not stronger, but that's alright. My teacher's been
at this for much longer than I have, and if I surpassed her too easily,
it just wouldn't be right. She can still stomp me into the ground
without trying, but I'm getting closer to hitting her...
But is
that all there is? Improving my work, the next fight, the next
challenge, ever progressing towards a journey that I don't know the end
of? I never feel better than after winning a hotly contested match, but I
wonder if I should be wanting more. I have friends, I have family, and I
have fights, but is the fact that it's the last of those that thrills
me the most a hint that I'm supposed to be a weapon?
And if I'm
supposed to be a weapon and that's natural, why do I feel so uncertain
of my path?
Author's Note: Each entry corresponds to one Sabre. Have fun.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KorhvVQRUM
Get's crazy towards the end.

Apparently the multiverse cosmology we crossover fanfic writers love so much disturbs a number of real cosmologists because in its basic formulation, it is unfalsifiable, and thus untestable scientifically -- but it's being treated scientifically by many scientists.  It also has problems with privileged viewpoints and whatnot when it comes to methods of testing.  However, though, a couple of cosmologists working more or less independently came upon a couple of different ways of measuring and deducing things about the multiverse that a) don't rely on a privileged point of view (which Einstein says is a big no-no) and b) actually turn out to be two different approaches to looking at the same things coming at them from two different directions.  The upshot of this is, multiverse cosmology has just gone from a cool unprovable idea to something close to science fact.  Interesting article about it here.
(As usual, I got this link from Fark.com, where they had a typically funny summation/headline for it:

Quote:Cool: "Everything that can happen will happen in
the multiverse - an infinite number of times" Fark: In an infinite
number of other universes, you are getting it on right now with Rosie
O'Donnell.