Michael Offutt's Blog, page 104

New Horizons reached Pluto and all mankind should stand up and celebrate because this is an incredible achievement.

Fran Bagenal demonstrates how we should all feel about New Horizons and
seeing Pluto up close and personal for the first time in history.A lot can happen in nine years. When the New Horizons spacecraft launched, Pluto was still a planet. However, it was relegated to dwarf planet status by the International Astronomical Union in October 2006. It went from being this thing we all learned as the ninth planet to "a celestial snowball with a surface of methane ice 3.6 billion miles from the sun." But like all good stories, the story of Pluto does not end there.

New Horizons didn't actually have to travel the whole 3.6 billion miles. It got to travel just over 3.26 billion miles because Pluto is one of those strange astronomical things that every once in a while, invades Neptune's orbit like the rogue it is. And when NASA switched New Horizons into data gathering mode for the encounter which took place yesterday, it started to receive images like the one below that you may have seen on NASA's instagram:
Pluto has a heart shape on it almost as if it were welcoming New Horizons to its special corner of the universe. This also isn't a picture that was snapped at its closest approach. So more images are to come which will probably be mind-blowing-ly awesome.
Pluto has several satellites. One is a moon called Charon (750 miles in diameter) which if you know anything about Greek mythology actually makes sense as Charon was the boatman to the River Styx while Pluto was the Lord of the Underworld. As you can see below, the distance between Pluto and its moon is so wide, you could fit one whole Earth between them. I like how there's a disclaimer of (Earth just for scale, it's not really there). I guess some people might have been confused because...science. It's other moons are Hydra, Kerberos, Nix, and Styx. Some of the tidbits that NASA has shared with us are:
1) Pluto has a much younger surface than it's battered moon Charon. This makes scientists think that there could possibly be tectonic activity on this distant dwarf planet.
2) New Horizons has gathered so much data on Pluto that it will take 16 months to receive it all.
3) New Horizons is powered by plutonium, which is actually named after Pluto. The nuclear battery transforms heat into electricity, and will keep the probe in power until sometime in the 2030's. Until then, it will just keep sending back information.
4) It has a methane and nitrogen ice cap on its north pole (at -223 to -233 degrees Celsius). It's so cold that the ice wouldn't even be slippery.
5) NASA knows its awesome: yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first image sent back from Mars.
6) It's surprisingly bright on Pluto which should give you new respect for the power of the Sun. You can actually go to this website for Pluto time so you can go outside at the time of day when it would be the equivalent of high noon on Pluto (Hint: It's not dark). My mind is blown thinking of how a ball of fire could light up something so completely from so incredibly far away. Then again, on one hundred degree days I've often thought of how immense and powerful the sun is to make it that unbearable from 93 million miles away--that's one hell of a heater. People, we are living in amazing times. Mankind is finally beginning to chip away at the vastness of space. We've discovered thousands of planets out there, billions of galaxies, and I just recently heard that NASA is going to Europa because they think there's a liquid ocean on Jupiter's famous moon, and they want to find out if that's true. I think we should all take a pause from our latest outrage (choose your flavor of the week: Confederate Flag, Iran Deal, Greece Bailout, Serena Williams has been body shamed, Atticus Finch is a racist, Donald Trump thinks all Mexicans are rapists) go out after dark, and just turn our eyes upward at the stars and think about how much we have to learn and how far we have come. Maybe if everyone did this, we could develop a sense of community as a species and manage to treat one another decently for a little while and stop ruining our planet.

MTV looks like they spared no expense on the Shannara Chronicles that is set to begin in January 2016

Last week at SDCC, MTV aired its first trailer for the Shannara chronicles that starts up in January 2016. I gotta say, from the looks of things they spared no expense. I'll be watching it for sure. Thoughts on the trailer anyone?

Mr. Robot is probably a figment of Elliot's mind and Tyrell is a combination of everything I liked about Christian Grey and everything I hate about Francis Underwood

Christian Grey is "Mr. Robot" who is probably a figment of Elliot's mind
(pictured behind the monitor in front of Mr. Robot).I've watched three episodes of Mr. Robot now. Wednesday's episode was called Eps1.2d3bug.mkv, and if you haven't watched any of these, you should probably be warned that the narrator is very unreliable. Elliot's a genius software developer/engineer that regularly uses morphine and other drugs and when filtered through his point of view, his employer simply becomes "Evil Corp" instead of "AllSafe." I get the impression that "Allsafe" is probably some stand-in for "Google" or for "Apple" (the two largest tech companies in the world). As far as I'm able to tell, the hacking and coding seems to be about as close to reality as anything I've ever seen, which doesn't necessarily mean much since I'm no expert. It becomes obvious to me though that USA in this latest series is taking great pains to be as authentic as possible.

Christian Slater is the telltale "Mr. Robot," and I'm pretty sure that just like in "A Beautiful Mind" and in "Fight Club" that this particular character is a figment of Elliot's imagination. His loud comments never get remarked upon, which lend credence to this theory. Mr. Robot has a plan that reminds me a lot of Tyler Durden's. He wants to crash the global financial system by wiping out all debt owed by individuals so that everyone is finally free. It'll be interesting if the series actually follows through with that premise, and it's probably very popular with everyone right now as every country and most citizens seem to be drowning in debt these days.

There's also a villainous bisexual named Tyrell Wellick. He's incredibly handsome (think Jamie Dornan in "Fifty Shades of Grey"), and I'm a little disappointed in this choice. When I see him pick up this guy named Anwar just to slip a bug into his phone, I'm reminded of the "secret homosexual" as a sign of amoral and sexual deviancy from a couple of decades ago. But maybe he just knows how to capitalize on his looks to get what he wants and wields his beauty like a tool. Beyond his sexuality, Tyrell is complex: his wife is pregnant and likes him to tie her up (again like "Fifty Shades of Grey") only it's clear she's in charge. He also pays a homeless guy to allow him to brutally assault him under some train tracks. It's like Tyrell is a complete psychopath in a way, and it oddly seems to fit in what I think of corporate America: that being that only the psychopaths make it all the way to the top to claim the golden chalice of "C.E.O." or otherwise.
This is Tyrell in front of a mirror prepping his speech to advocate for himself
being appointed the new "Chief Technology Officer" of  Evil Corp. So you can see
what I mean about his character being a cross between Jamie Dornan's Christian Grey
and Kevin Spacey's Francis Underwood, below is a still of Christian Grey from the
hit 2015 movie. Tyrell's got about the same moral character as Francis Underwood
from House of Cards. If you've watched it, you know what I mean. Mr. Robot is a show that I'm probably going to watch on a regular basis. It's characters are just too compelling really for me to let go, and I gotta know if Elliot's imagining everything and what the hell is going on with Tyrell and his wife (who have obviously got one of those "House of Cards" arrangements to support each other ruthlessly). I could imagine the pitch session for the Tyrell character: "He's a combination of Christian Grey and Francis Underwood all rolled into one." How could you go wrong?

Are you watching Mr. Robot? 

Deep Blue is the name of one gargantuan great white shark and it's just stunning to watch these guys high five it

I love Shark Week. I've been watching the programming (including Shark Week After Dark), and I've seen megamouth sharks, goblin sharks, bull sharks, and of course great white sharks. For me, it's all about size and these guys filmed the largest great white shark ever recorded on film. It's name is "Deep Blue" and they measured it using a buoy called "Chewy" and discovered it was 22 feet long. It's also got a MASSIVE girth meaning it's pregnant with somewhere in the neighborhood of ten five foot long sharks. I have to say, these guys that do the filming are insane. One of the divers high five's "Deep Blue" as it calmly swims on by. It's a huge contrast to how I'd expect a white shark of this size to behave. It's basically like an enormous docile hippo just out for a swim. It makes me think that maybe all this time that sharks have been eating people, maybe they've just been hugging people with their mouths in a kind of "welcome to the ocean." 

If you love Game of Thrones you've got to watch what happens in this Seth Meyer skit.

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, I think you'll love this skit from Late Night with Seth Meyer in which Jon Snow is invited to dinner. It really makes me realize how crummy Jon Snow's life really has been. Best line? "Jon, this is why you don't have any friends."

If any of us feel like there's little to no acceptance for whom we are and what we create at least there's solidarity in this community of writers

Today is July 1st, and it also happens to be the first Wednesday of the month. Most of you who read my blog know that this means it's Insecure Writer's Support Group day. Alex sent out an email saying that there's a t-shirt now. and it can be purchased HERE. Additionally, the actual IWSG list can be found HERE, and the July 1st co-hosts are:

1) Charity Bradford.
2) S.A. Larsen.
3) A.J.
4) Tamara Narayan.
5) Allison Gammons.
6) Tanya Miranda.

This last weekend, downtown Salt Lake City played host to the annual art show in its usual 100 degree heat. The art show is one of those places that (had I the room) I might be more excited about because (at least in my mind) I would pick out a painting that would go great in the house that I  have yet to buy.

A few years ago, I remember walking around the tents and looking at all the sculptures, paintings, and photographs that locals have for sale and thinking, "This looks great" and "That's interesting but not for me." However, things I liked my friend Meg possibly didn't like, and it occurred to me that this is a lot of what it means to be a writer. Really, at the end of the day, all we are is a person occupying some booth having concocted some story that we would like someone to appreciate, right? We are just an artist at a trade show of words.

The realization is this: it takes a thick skin to bear our insecurities. As each person comes in through the door and examines what we have and passes, while at another table, people start circling around something that you might think isn't all that special, it's no wonder our community abounds with insecurity, envy, and pride. If anything, the bag of emotions that we all happen to have starts running amok with this thought: "What does that piece of art have that mine doesn't?" It's a question with no one answer. You might as well ask, "What is the meaning of life?"

For me, life is about competition. We compete for friends, we compete for jobs, we compete for mates and partners, we compete for benefits, and we compete for resources to survive. Competition really only ends when we die. And like it or not, the things that we write or create are a reflection of ourselves. If any of us feel like there is little to no acceptance for whom we are and what we create at least there's solidarity in this community of writers.

And I suppose, today is as good a day as any to celebrate it, so celebrate it I shall.

Have a great Wednesday :).

In Sense8 the characters trump the world building and the visuals which is impressive because the Wachowski's are all about visuals

This week, I've been blazing through Netflix's Sense8. It took a little while for the Wachowski's latest venture (albeit a collaboration with J. Michael Straczynski) to grow on me, but grow on me it did. This global story (and I have no idea how to describe it otherwise) features 8 people who are psychically connected and can experience each others lives, council one another, and even help them out by taking control of their bodies to give them skills they wouldn't otherwise possess. I'm going to take a moment and talk about the characters in the show that I'm most taken with.

Capheus is a teenager that lives in Nairobi, and he's extremely poor with a sick mother who needs medication to live. In a touching character arc, Capheus gets robbed of the medication that he was trying to get to his mother when the spirit of Sun Bak (a Korean woman living in Seoul) basically takes over his body and uses her martial arts skills to take all the robbers out. He repays the favor by giving Sun Bak counselling when she really needed it so that she can make a decision on something so terrible that it will affect her life forever.

Then there's Nomi Marks, a transgender character, who's compelling story is so fraught with pain and emotional anguish that it really makes her a contender as the most interesting character featured in a television series in 2015. Nomi is kind of at the center of whatever is going on with the 8 psychically connected people, and she comes from a family that would prefer to live in denial of who she is (to the point of forcing a lobotomy on her) than try to see their daughter as the beautiful person she has become.

But my favorite characters are Kala and Wolfgang. Kala is Indian and prays to Ganesh to stop her marriage to a wealthy, young, handsome man whom she does not love. Wolfgang lives in Berlin and through their psychic connection, they share one of the most touching moments in the series where they are simultaneously talking in a rainy and cold outdoor cafe in Berlin and under the Hot noonday sun of Mumbai. He asks her, "So you think that Ganesh caused this? That what's happening to us is a miracle?" And she replies, "I think that 'miracle' is a word that is supremely appropriate."

I have to say that Sense8 is one of those shows where character revelations, the tenderness of each character to one another, and the idea that there is more to life and love and reality than we will ever understand all come together in a spectacular fashion. I don't know how many scenes there were in this that fiddled with my emotions, but there are A LOT.

In Sense8 the characters actually trump the world-building and the visuals, which is impressive because the Wachowski's are huge world builders and rely upon some amazing visuals in everything they do. Is it a masterpiece? At this point (and with my Magic 8 Ball at the ready) signs are pointing to yes.

Secret Millionaires Club is something I wish I had access to when I was a teen

Did you know that super investor Warren Buffett is featured in an animated series as a mentor to a group of entrepreneurial kids? If you're shaking your head "no" then you (much like me) should go and check out the site for the Secret Millionaire's Club located HERE. I think that this is fantastic. Kids these days don't get enough financial education from school, and this program seeks to fill in the gaps. Good decision making, some of the basic lessons of starting a business, and understanding money are keys to master for any adult wanting to make it in the world today. And it's all free courtesy of these webisodes. I think it's safe to say (for me) that Secret Millionaires Club is something I wish I had access to when I was a teen. But let's face it, there are plenty of adults these days that could learn a thing or two from these webisodes on managing their own finances.

I have a wishlist for Star Wars Rebels but the second season opener really got my attention

Star Wars Rebels is off to a great start for its second season. Years ago when I was in college (this would have been around 1990 or so), I was involved with the Star Wars RPG put out by West End Games. At the time, I mostly ran these modules for my players (put out by West End) and some of them were really well done. They all had the Ralph McQuarrie artwork on the covers and I modified some of them to feature "run ins" with the big bad himself, a.k.a. Darth Vader (always with an escape in mind because no one can really defeat Vader except Luke). I always expressed to my players that the money behind Star Wars really missed an opportunity by not featuring a television series that occurs in the time period between Episode IV and Episode VI by following the escapades of another group of rebels. I'm glad to see that almost thirty years after I had that idea, that an animated series is doing just that.

Star Wars Rebels is fun. We all know that Vader cannot be taken down by anyone but Luke, and we all know how much of a badass he really is. But that doesn't mean other stories can't rely upon his huge shadow to throw darkness and dread over everything. And having a common enemy to fight against really brings out the best in people, which is another reason why Star Wars Rebels really works for me.

Anyway, here's my wishlist for the second season. First off, I want to know more about Ahsoka Tano's involvement in the rebel alliance. I also want her to have some kind of standoff with Vader wherein (hopefully) she shows him that she's pretty powerful, and that he should fear her just a wee bit. That would be really cool. Second, I want some more aliens. Star Wars is known for its alien worlds, and I really think they've been kind of lazy giving us truly alien worlds so far in this animated series. One of the best episodes from the Clone Wars featured Anakin meeting this sister and brother combo that were embodiments of the Force itself (which came across as kind of magical and wizardly). It was really interesting. I'd like to see some more of things like that. Finally, I want to see some "Mission: Impossible" style episodes where Ezra's crew does some pretty spectacular things for the Rebel Alliance. Ideas like stealing new ship plans from the corporation that makes the tie-fighters or encountering spooky dangerous aliens from another part of the universe outside the galaxy on a derelict ship (cue music from Alien) could work really well. How about giving us some force vampires? Wouldn't that be interesting?

So if you are a fan of Star Wars, and you watch Star Wars Rebels, do you have a wishlist? If so, what's on it? I'd like to know.

Defiance is one of those shows that believes killing your darlings makes for visceral television. I suppose they are not wrong.

Here's your one and only spoiler alert because I really want to talk about all those deaths on SyFy's Defiance last week.

As you may or may not know, the two-hour season three premiere of Defiance came out swinging, and by that, I mean some characters I kind of liked ended up dead. Up to this point, I thought that "most" of the major characters would be safe since the only real death that bothered me occurred in season one when Stahma killed Kenya (Amanda's sister). And to once again get this out of the way, I'm really beginning to hate how George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones has seemed to influence everything in the genre these days. Must we kill our darlings? Must we? Is this the only way a story can resonate with us these days?

To say I wasn't expecting the McCawley family to become the Stark family of the show is an understatement. But within pretty much the span of an hour, Quentin, Christie, and Rafe were killed in a way that almost seemed callous. Rafe found within himself this badass "well of strength" and started taking out the villains that were holding his daughter (who had just given birth) imprisoned. I thought, "Yeah...Rafe is awesome" as he's knifing people in the back and then grabbing their gun and killing like three or four more. And then he gets into the room, grabs his daughter's hand to take her out of there, and gets shot dead as more reinforcements flow in from outside.

What the hell? And then Christie gets her throat cut by Stahma because Stahma is given this impossible choice between choosing Christie or choosing Datak (Stahma's husband). In the end, Stahma Tarr makes the only choice and kills Christie violently with a knife if only to solidify that she's on General Rahm Tahk's side (the villain causing all of this bloodshed) so that she can bide her time until at some point in the future, the Tarr's can kill all of these horrible people. Defiance, much like Game of Thrones, doesn't have any real heroes. Instead it gives us these deeply flawed and unlikeable antiheroes that are all differing degrees of terrible. With Christie's death, Stahma is officially a mass murderer but I guess if we can get her to kill the right kind of evil people it's not so bad, right? Then she will be the "right kind of terrible."

The only McCawley that survives is Pilar who's played by the veteran actress, Linda Hamilton. I've always liked Hamilton, and she certainly plays a tough protective grandma who ends up kidnapping her grandchild from the now widowed Alak (the baby's father and Christie's husband). I suppose it bears to mention that Hamilton doesn't need the paycheck from Defiance because she had a very public divorce from director James Cameron post-Titanic (Titanic made a ton of money). So you know she's just doing this role because it's fun and she likes the series.

And then there was that "questionable" moment where Doc Yewll got skinned/flayed similar to how Ramsay Bolton goes about flaying his victims. What makes it even worse is that Doc Yewll didn't get a choice, as Amanda and Nolan corner her so that this new character (who is an Omec and who has contempt for Doc Yewll's entire race) can harvest cells that will save his dying daughter (who got herself in the position of dying by being a terrible person). Sure, there's the whole "hook" thing about getting power restored to Defiance (which is the name of New St. Louis) because these Omec have great technologies capable of harvesting their direly needed power source from the old McCawley mines. However, the whole skin harvesting thing really does come across as a rape, and it was very disturbing to watch.

All in all, Defiance is really off to a roaring start because it launched so many potential future story arcs. It's going to be fun to watch the Tarrs exact revenge on Rahm Tahk for killing the McCawley's. In Stahma's words (it could have been Datak that said it), "I may not have liked the McCawleys because they were human, but they were OUR humans." I think when revenge for having to kill Christie finally rolls around, Rahm Tahk's death is going to be pretty sweet. So I guess my Friday nights are now going to be a little funner (especially with SyFy's new lineup of shows). Are any of you watching?