Jackson Allen's Blog, page 26

Sci-Friday #182 – Star Wars by Wes Anderson

And now for something totally familiar, yet totally different – Star Wars by Wes Anderson for this Sci-Friday. Is Star Wars getting ‘too Star Wars’ for you? Ready for a new way to enjoy the classic themes? Andersons’ films ‘are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles.’ What if he directed a Star Wars movie? That’s the premise behind this week’s Sci-Friday – take a look and see if you’d watch this movie:

Wes Anderson’s unique film-making and storytelling style have been much admired and often-imitated. The real question is – Would I watch this? In a word, no. In answer to the video’s ‘wouldn’t this be awesome?’ question – let me say this: No, no it wouldn’t.

Let me get on the scifi soapbox for a minute. Andersons’ fairy-tale storytelling works in SOME ways and fails in others. Just as we saw with the Star Wars Holiday Special, attempts to blend universes, themes, and visual styles rarely work well for Skywalker & Co. Far better for Anderson, Disney, and Star Wars to find other ways to express themselves.

I hope you enjoyed this moment of scifi nerdery! Please feel welcomed to dive down the rabbit hole of every other Sci-Friday I’ve published in the past couple years. Have a great weekend!

Great Moments in Bad Storytelling: Finch

We haven’t done a Great Moments in Bad Storytelling in a while, but then I watched ‘Finch’ last night. Finch is a great moment in bad storytelling. Never let the big boys tell you that you don’t have what it takes. Even well-meaning A-list actors are capable of clunkers and Finch clunks harder than the robot star of the show. Let’s see what we can learn from Finch in this ‘great moments in bad storytelling.’

Some up-front housekeeping. Is Finch a bad movie? No, it’s a great movie – two hours of adventure, great SFX and some time-honored scifi tropes. Like Super Mario Brothers (currently shaking up the box office), Finch has many loveable qualities that enable us to overlook its flaws.

But there’s something missing about Finch and it didn’t take long before I realized: it’s the storytelling, stupid. I look carefully at movies like Finch to see what they can teach us about storytelling, since storytelling is a craft I am working to develop. With me so far? Good, let’s begin:

What’s Finch About?

Tom Hanks (Finch) is one of the few surviving humans in a post-solar flare apocalyptic earth. Dying of an undisclosed ailment (radiation poisoning?), Finch creates an advanced humanoid robot companion to care for his dog once he is gone. Finch feeds the sentient robot volumes of encyclopedic knowledge, including a manual for training and caring for dogs. Despite his condition worsening, Finch tries to teach the robot ‘Jeff’ some valuable lessons about life and how to protect Goodyear, the dog. Eventually, Finch dies but Jeff and Goodyear continue to San Francisco. They find the city habitable but deserted, and set off to find surviving humans beyond the Golden Gate Bridge.

So What’s Wrong With It?

Robots? Post-apocalyptic survival? Tom Hanks? Baby, I’m in! The movie *should* have been a cakewalk for a scifi nerd like me. Twenty minutes later, I had that same expression you get when you’re seven years old and your aunt feeds you Jell-O salad.

“You love Jell-O!” she says, but it’s that disgusting 60s-era trailer park rec room party Jell-O salad with ancient relic-style chunks of tuna, pimientos, and cucumbers. So many unanswered questions, so many missed opportunities. Finch opened some core childhood scifi wounds for me – let the viewer’s brain fill in details, know what you’re messing with when you mess with it, talk about something real, make me think, and talk to me like an intelligent human being. In many ways, Finch misses those marks and falls victim to the ‘Corporate Mandatory Entertainment, LLC’-mindset of modern scifi.

So yeah, I came away feeling profoundly disappointed. I feel like Tom Hanks’ character was pitched as ‘Tony Stark meets Chuck from Castaway‘ and boy, do we feel it. Finch doesn’t seem to have any particular motivation beyond driving the plot forward.

Plus, Finch left me with so many questions. Why was Finch a single man all his life? Why did he want to survive the post-solar flare apocalypse? Why did he choose to focus all his energies into building robots instead of re-building some form of civilization? What were his greatest regrets beyond that third-act confessional where he talks about meeting Goodyear the dog?

What Should Finch Have Done Differently?

In a nutshell – Finch could have done better. But compare that with other stories and ask yourself – what *should* they have done differently? For example, you could ask: “Well gee, Jackson – you dislike Finch so much. What’s the difference between Finch and, say, WALL-E?”

I’ll explain. WALL-E didn’t spend the first third of the book on WALL-E’s origin story. Andrew Stanton, WALL-E’s director, made skillful use of diegetic storytelling to inform us about how WALL-E lived and his motivation only arrived when EVE did. Finch’s Miguel Sapochnik wants us to believe Tom Hanks wanted nothing more out of life than listen to Dean Martin records and die of cancer. I didn’t buy it – I didn’t connect emotionally with the story.

Why is that important? Audiences will forgive all kinds of logical inconsistencies in your storytelling if you connect with their emotions. All the corporate quality control in the world can’t replace that simple, profound truth: Make your audience feel something!

Finch missed the mark, despite doing well in many ways. I want to congratulate Sapochnik and Hanks for delivering a quality post-apoc movie in the middle of a pandemic movie – that in itself is a triumph.

Final Thoughts

No matter who we are, no matter how big we are, we’re all in the same game. What game? We’re trying to figure out that right mixture of money, time, and stardust to tell a story that our readers/audience can relate to. It ain’t easy – so let’s all work to learn from each other.

Sci-Friday #181 – Czech Retrofuturism and Futurama

If you remember Futurama’s Central Bureaucracy, you’ll be interested to know that it has foundation in Czech retrofuturism! The Central Social Institution of Prague is a retrofuturism paradise – Czech out (ha-ha!) this video (requires English CC translation”) for more information:

According to RareHistoricalPhotos, “These are the offices of the Central Social Institution of Prague (Czechoslovakia back then) in 1937 and it contained the largest vertical letter file cabinets in the world. The office consists of cabinets arranged from floor to ceiling tiers covering over 4,000 square feet containing over 3000 drawers 10 feet high (3 meters).” With this installation it is now possible for 20 workers to do what formerly required the services of 400.

Why would you want such a weird, automated filing system? Other than the labor savings, it’s a wild retrotech answer to the question: “What if there was a human relational database?” Interestingly, Czech republic in interwar period was one of the worlds most developed countries (e.g: Baťa elevator office in Zlín, Prague’s tube post or Villa Tugendhat in Brno). Long before we had high tech, we had low tech, and the Central Social Institution of Prague is an example of the stepping stones humanity took toward a future where everything could be catalogued, spindled, or preserved.

I hope you enjoyed this moment of scifi nerdery! Please feel welcomed to dive down the rabbit hole of every other Sci-Friday I’ve published in the past couple years. Have a great weekend!

ChatGPT – Questions We’re Afraid to Ask – Mass Shootings Edition

[Trigger Warning: This article is about asking ChatGPT questions we’re afraid to ask – this edition is specifically about mass shootings.]  I started working on this a month and three major mass shootings ago. Our boring dystopia no longer publicizes every mass shooting we experience. Mainstream society seems reluctant to discuss the problem, much less the fact that they don’t have a real solution.

Like you, every new story about a mass shooting breaks my soul. I feel as a society we’ve failed our most-vulnerable members when mass shootings not only happen, but happen on a more-than-daily basis. Even simple ideas like “Yes, this is horrible AND here’s what you can do about it” seem to be beyond the ken of of a news organization in 2023.

Maybe ChatGPT has the answer. “What if we ask AI the questions we’re afraid to ask?” I said. I got onto ChatGPT and started typing away. Yes, while I’ve said ChatGPT won’t replace authors, but this might be a good use for it: use ChatGPT to answer questions we’re afraid to ask. If someone wants to argue with the answers, let them argue with AI. I’d love to see the answers to those questions – maybe you would, too.

But, let’s start small – ask ChatGPT some different non-argumentative questions and see what comes out.  I thought of several questions to ask, and here are the results:

Me: How do you stop mass shootings without changing gun laws?

As an AI language model, I strive to provide neutral and objective responses.

That being said, stopping mass shootings without changing gun laws is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach. Some strategies that could be effective include:

Improved Mental Health Care: Providing better access to mental health care and support for those who need it may help prevent individuals with mental health issues from committing mass shootings.

Better Background Checks: Strengthening background checks on individuals purchasing firearms to identify those with a history of violence, domestic abuse, or mental illness could help prevent mass shootings.

Increased School Security: Improving school security measures, such as installing metal detectors, hiring more security personnel, and implementing emergency response plans, could help reduce the risk of mass shootings in schools.

Community Involvement: Encouraging community members to be vigilant and report concerning behavior or threats of violence can help prevent mass shootings before they occur.

Gun Safety Education: Promoting gun safety education and responsible gun ownership could help prevent accidental shootings and misuse of firearms.

It’s important to note that these strategies alone may not be sufficient to stop all mass shootings. A comprehensive approach that includes efforts to address the root causes of violence and promote social cohesion may be necessary to effectively address this issue.

Huh, okay – … cool. Sounds similar to things I’ve read elsewhere. But let’s double-click into the answer – I drilled in a bit more on the first point mentioned and asked ChatGPT:

Me: How would you Improve Mental Health Care to stop mass shootings?

Improving mental health care is an important step towards preventing mass shootings, as it can help identify and treat individuals who may be at risk of committing violent acts. Some strategies for improving mental health care to stop mass shootings include:

Increased Funding: Providing increased funding for mental health care services can help improve access to care and reduce wait times for treatment, making it easier for individuals to receive the support they need.Early Intervention: Identifying mental health issues early and providing timely interventions, such as therapy or medication, can help prevent these issues from escalating and potentially leading to violent behavior.Education and Awareness: Raising awareness about mental health issues, reducing the stigma associated with seeking treatment, and educating the public on warning signs of potential violence can help promote early intervention and prevention.Improved Communication: Encouraging better communication and collaboration between mental health professionals, law enforcement, and other relevant agencies can help identify and address potential threats before they escalate.Access to Crisis Services: Providing access to crisis services, such as crisis hotlines or mobile crisis teams, can help individuals experiencing a mental health crisis receive immediate assistance and prevent potentially violent situations.

It’s important to note that mental health care alone may not be sufficient to prevent all mass shootings. A comprehensive approach that includes efforts to address the root causes of violence and promote social cohesion may be necessary to effectively address this issue.

Me: How would you address the root causes of violence and promote social cohesion outside of political methods to stop mass shootings?

Addressing the root causes of violence and promoting social cohesion is a multifaceted issue that requires a range of strategies beyond just political methods. Some ways to address the root causes of violence and promote social cohesion outside of political methods to stop mass shootings include:

Community Outreach: Promoting community outreach and engagement through programs that bring people together to work towards common goals and build social connections can help promote social cohesion and reduce the likelihood of violence.Education: Providing education and training on conflict resolution, communication skills, and other skills that promote peaceful resolution of conflicts can help prevent violent behavior.Youth Programs: Creating youth programs that provide mentoring, education, and positive role models can help prevent at-risk youth from engaging in violent behavior and promote social cohesion.Mental Health Resources: Providing mental health resources, such as counseling and therapy, can help individuals at risk of violent behavior address the root causes of their issues and reduce the likelihood of violence.Addressing Systemic Inequalities: Addressing systemic inequalities, such as those related to race, gender, and socioeconomic status, can help promote social cohesion and reduce the likelihood of violence.Promoting Positive Media Representation: Promoting positive media representation of diverse communities can help reduce stereotypes and promote understanding and empathy, which can help prevent violent behavior.

It’s important to note that these strategies are not exclusive to political methods and can be implemented by a range of actors, including community organizations, schools, and businesses. By working together, communities and institutions can address the root causes of violence and promote social cohesion, ultimately reducing the likelihood of mass shootings.

Me: That sounds good in principle, but how would you promote those strategies of social cohesion while preventing tribalism, cultural warfare, or identity politics?

Promoting social cohesion outside of political solutions while preventing tribalism, cultural warfare, or identity politics is possible through several actions that focus on individuals, communities, and institutions. Here are some potential strategies that could be used:

Encourage dialogue and communication: Encourage dialogue and communication between people from different backgrounds to build understanding, empathy, and trust. This can be done through community events, forums, and workshops that bring together people with diverse perspectives to discuss common issues.Promote cultural awareness and appreciation: Promote cultural awareness and appreciation by providing opportunities for people to learn about and celebrate different cultures. This can be done through cultural festivals, art exhibitions, and cultural exchange programs.Create inclusive spaces: Create inclusive spaces that welcome people from different backgrounds and provide a sense of belonging. This can be done through community centers, public spaces, and workplaces that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.Support social and civic engagement: Support social and civic engagement by providing opportunities for people to get involved in their communities. This can be done through volunteer programs, community service projects, and social clubs that encourage people to work together towards a common goal.Promote education and literacy: Promote education and literacy to help people develop critical thinking skills, empathy, and understanding of different perspectives. This can be done through literacy programs, access to education, and media literacy initiatives that help people understand different viewpoints.Combat discrimination and bias: Combat discrimination and bias by promoting laws and policies that protect people from discrimination and promoting anti-bias training programs for institutions and individuals. This can help reduce prejudice and promote inclusivity.

By taking these actions, individuals, communities, and institutions can work together to promote social cohesion and prevent tribalism, cultural warfare, or identity politics outside of political solutions.

Some initial takeaways. This is an interesting exercise but by no means addresses the entire issue. Also, ChatGPT has a habit of repeating itself. Notice the continued use of specific phrases when asked different questions around the same topic. This goes back to what I was saying earlier – ChatGPT ain’t gonna replace real writers.

Yet, I feel at least a little better about these seemingly-impossible problems confronting our boring dystopia. These are reasonable answers, if we’re willing to listen. Does it address everything? No, but we can ask those questions, too – confident that a dispassionate I’m-just-an-AI kind of way.

I’m going to talk more about this topic in the future.

Human Death Spiral – Depressing Climate Change Explanation

I saw this today and am passing it along – this is a depressing explanation for climate change – we’re in a human death spiral. Did you know that? Ants do it – ant death spirals are a natural phenomenon and if you step back and look at how humanity is handling climate change, some depressing and disturbing similarities emerge. Apologies in advance for the NSFW language, but he makes a decent point and it’s worth being aware of. Take a look:

Sociologists compare these ‘death spirals’ to other forms of human behavior. Information cascade occurs when a person makes a decision based solely on the decisions of other people, while ignoring their own personal knowledge to the contrary. We’re all sitting here, individually aware of the danger of climate change – yet because we’re living in a society that discourages self-actualized, non-capitalized change – most of us feel change is either impossible or unnecessary.

Well, that’s how ants view their situation, too! And as the video points out, we (humans) have the capacity to change if we want to. We can stop, look around, and make different choices. The fact that some choose not to do that isn’t a justification for us to do the same. We’re individuals, we’re responsible for our behavior!

It’s just a thought – hope you all have a wonderful, meaningful, and productive week.

 

 

Superhero Shrink: Climate Change – New Scifi Audiobook Available!

Happy to say that Superhero Shrink: Climate Change  is now available as a new scifi audiobook! I wrote the story several years ago, and I’m pleased to say it’s still dark, compelling, and interesting. Give it a listen – it’s available for free on Youtube – enjoy!



I spent about 12 hours producing the short story by itself – on top of the work to write and edit it. Every short story I do is part audiobook, part ASMR experience. I want you to feel like you’re in the room with the characters so I include different production values to put you right into the action.

If you’re a visual person, I don’t want you to be bored. That’s why I create unique genart pictures to display the action in progress. All of this is done for free – I’d love to work with a human concept artist in the future when I can afford one.

‘Climate Change’ wrestles with some interesting what-ifs: what if a superhero was the only one who could do his job and he was being worked to death? What if all those ‘superhero fights’ were damaging the planet in ways we couldn’t handle? What if superhero shrinks were full of dysfunctional ‘Dr. Phil’ types that preyed on each others’ insecurities?

When I thought about superhero movies in general, I realized there was a missing piece to all of those stories – do you really get to know them as people? What if they were messed up, needed therapy, overworked and underappreciated, too? I started working on this series a few years ago and this is the second short story in the series. Now it’s available for free on Youtube as an audio short – no tricks or signups – just listen and enjoy.

Happy Listening! 😀

 

Sci-Friday #180 – Isaac Asimov and Leonard Nimoy – Scifi ASMR

Ooh, do I have a treat for you – get set for some Scifi ASMR with Isaac Asimov’s ‘The Last Question’ as read by Leonard Nimoy. Maybe you’re a fan of scifi, maybe you need some downtime and ASMR to relax and fall asleep. Either way, Nimoy’s gentle-yet-powerful delivery will have you in scifi heaven. Take a listen:

You might be interested to know that “The Last Question” ranks with “Nightfall” (1941) as one of Asimov’s best-known and most acclaimed short stories, according to Wikipedia. In fact, Asimov told a fun story where somebody called him (these were the days before Google and /r/tipofmytongue, btw) and asked about a short story he’d written: ” I recently received a long-distance phone call from a desperate man who began, “Dr. Asimov, there’s a story I think you wrote, whose title I can’t remember—” at which point I interrupted to tell him it was ‘The Last Question’ and when I described the plot it proved to be indeed the story he was after. I left him convinced I could read minds at a distance of a thousand miles.”

I hope you enjoyed this moment of scifi nerdery! Please feel welcomed to dive down the rabbit hole of every other Sci-Friday I’ve published in the past couple years. Have a great weekend! 

Mike.Sierra.Echo Draft Done – Beta Editing Underway

Happy Wednesday – exciting news to share – the Mike.Sierra.Echo is draft done and now beta editing is underway! This Spielberg-ian space elevator novel draft is now written and we take a moment to celebrate that.

It’s not easy to write 72,000 words and if I’m being honest there were a lot of days I didn’t want to write. Every time I felt myself ready to hang it up, the little voice inside me said “is this a paragraph, or your epitaph?” Then I started writing again.

Most people will read this quote from Ben Franklin and go ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ – it isn’t until you’re really nose to nose with your pain that you truly appreciate ideas like these. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s brutal. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. The best way out is through, as Robert Frost once said.

So I took a couple of days off to say ‘whew!’ Now it’s on to the next phase of production: Beta Editing. Yes, I’ll be doing some editing / tuning before sending out query letters to the usual list of lit agents. Editing and Beta Reading are necessary adjuncts to the process of writing, and I do them in parallel to make the best use of my time. Step One is reaching out to people to ask if they’ll Beta Read my novel (in progress) and Step Two is taking a moment to read my novel and pick out everything that sucks. That’s what I’m doing now.

Why must you Beta Read / Edit? Although I’d love to say ‘one and done’ with my novel, it always comes back to that original question: Will people want to read it? I’ve yet to find an author who can predict the answer to that question with perfect clarity. We’re all putting our stuff out there and hoping it lands well. The only way to find out if it works is to test it out – I talk more about this in the Creative People Survival Guide. Listening to criticism is hard but we should do it anyway.

In a nutshell – I feel good about finishing a seventy-thousand word project. I’m also a little sad that it’s over and apprehensive about what happens next. Will people want to read it? Lots of butterflies in my stomach – probably a good thing, the world needs more butterflies.

Yes, my Mike.Sierra.Echo draft done and now Beta Editing is underway. Lots to do from here, I’ll keep you posted on what happens next.

Write on!

Sci-Friday #179 – Scifi Product Integration Hall of Fame

Oh E.T. … how did you end up in the Scifi Product Integration Hall of Fame for Sci-Friday #179? The 80s were a weird time, man. Regan was in the White House, Anthony Michael Hall was the youngest cast member in the show’s history, and a poop-colored alien came on TV to sell us vitamins. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this obscure corner of scifi product integration:

Don’t worry, I don’t get it either. I mean, yes – E.T. was a wildly-successful scifi movie and there’s a lot to love about it. But who was crazy enough to say “Yeah, and he’ll make you eat vitamins, too!” And then, you had Universal Studios’ ridiculous E.T. bike ride which – let’s be honest – was about as relevant as your vice principal doing the Macarena to ‘relate to the kids’ during homecoming week. Yeah, I’m talking to you, Mr. Ellis!

I digress – Xennial kid – I’m working through a lot of rage.

The main thing I want to share about scifi movies is that they sometimes get sucked into really weird product tie-ins. From E.T. vitamins to Episode III air sickness backs on airplanes. I’m totally serious: officially-licensed barf bags. Something to keep in mind the next time you contemplate a bloated movie franchise and whether it’s ‘sold out.’

So our hats off to E.T. and it’s Scifi Product Integration Hall of Fame award. If you’re still curious, stroll over to DenofGeek and enjoy 50 bizarre examples of movie tie-ins and merchandise. When they say ‘some people will try and slap the name of The Avengers or Batman on anything…’ they aren’t kidding.

I hope you enjoyed this moment of scifi nerdery! Please feel welcomed to dive down the rabbit hole of every other Sci-Friday I’ve published in the past couple years. Have a great weekend! 

Brandon Sanderson is a Gentleman – I’m Serious

I took inspiration from Brandon Sanderson this past week, so it’s appropriate for me to say that I’m serious – Brandon Sanderson is a Gentleman. No, not a fan of his books although many people are. He’s another author in the game that I try to learn from, and this week he taught me a lesson in authentic integrity. Here’s what happened:

Wired did a profile on Sanderson and his success which, let’s face it, was less than flattering. Subsequent news outlets and online resources (looking at you, Reddit) lined up to drag the author of that piece. Sanderson himself weighed in on the controversy and provided a masterclass in ‘rising above it all.’ Bravo, Brandon Sanderson.

In a world where people rush to judgement and hot takes age like milk, Sanderson is smart enough to to know that he should respond, rather than react. No ‘speaking out,’ no ‘clapping back.’ He took a breath and thought about what it all really means before opening his mouth. It’s the author equivalent of that old hockey strategy to slow down when you’re facing a number of fast players. Let them ‘skate’ past you, leaving the goal undefended. Nice job.

Like Brandon Sanderson, I’m just a guy trying to understand the world through story. Writing helps me process trauma, anxiety, and stress. So it’s a weird double-edged sword to do something that helps you feel better while forcing you to engage with potentially-toxic people, making you feel worse. I don’t have an answer for how it all works yet, but I’ve learned a few things. The moment I have it all figured out, I’ll be certain to tell you.

To recap – when you feel ‘called out’ or ‘dragged’ for your work, take a moment to step back and breathe. Think about the entire picture. Respond, don’t react. If you can do that, you’re about 90% of the way toward authentic integrity – that’s what gentlemen (gentleperson) authors like Brandon Sanderson already know.