S. Evan Townsend's Blog, page 103

Movie Review: Snowpiercer

One of the great things about science fiction (and fantasy to an extent) is you can put humans in some unique circumstance and see how they react. The good science fiction has the the humans reacting as real life people would.

 The movie Snowpiercer is such an experiment. You sort of have to forget the ridiculous circumstances which would be destroyed in a with a moment's thought (see spoilers below) and look at the basic humanity of the characters. And this is where Snowpiercer succeeds as some science fiction doesn't. In the movie (based on a graphic novel, I believe), an macroengineering project to "solve" global warming goes horribly wrong and the entire planet is plunged into a super ice age. The only surviving humans are on a train (!) that circles the globe once per year. Depending on your "ticket" where you are on the train determines how well you live. The people on the back of the train, who apparently didn't have tickets, live very poorly and eat "protein bars." The story of the movie is a revolt by these people against the upper classes in the forward cars of the very long train.

At times brutal, other times funny, the movie moves forward and forward, contrasting the squalled existence of the people in the last car with the luxury of the forward cars. The goal of the rebels is to reach the engine and take over the train.

My biggest problem with this movie is the economic system. The people in the last car don't work in order to provide luxuries for the forward cars. They don't do anything but bitch. The forward cars have lots of luxuries, but where do they come from? This, to me, made the movie even less realistic than the problems discussed below (see spoilers).

So while there are implausibilities, the reason for the movie isn't any science, it's to explore the human condition under these circumstances. But we don't learn much other than people without much will rebel if they can. It was an interesting movie but not very enjoyable. And I found the ending implausible.

Now, I shall list all the other problems I had that are SPOILERS:

1) The train is supposed to circle the Earth once per year. The Earth is about 25,000 miles in circumference.  Let's say for some reason the train travels twice that, 50,000 miles per year. That would mean it would have to travel at a speed of 5.7 miles per hour. Yet in the movie it is shown speeding along as if it's going around 100 mph.

2) The forward cars have luxuries but there doesn't seem to be anyway for them to get them. At one point the characters walk through a freezer with sides of beef hanging. But they never walk through a car with cattle.

3) The protein bars are made out of insects that are mashed up in a large vat. But where do the insects come from?

4) And, at the end: the polar bear will most likely eat them.

Four Novels

I have five published novels (see links above). But I also have four novels somewhere between writing "Chapter One" and being published. This is keeping me busy and a bit frustrated.

1) The Terror of Tombstone, a fantasy western (yes) is waiting to be edited at World Castle Publishing. We have a signed contract and so now it's just a matter of waiting (and working with the publisher on a cover design).

2) Treasure of the Black Hole is at a different publisher, still under consideration (I hope). I think I'll email them Monday for an update.

3) The Alien Fleet Wars was just emailed to my friend Sare for proofreading, after my wife proofread it. Next comes having my wife read it out loud to me, then another edit by me, then beta reads.

4) Untitled Treasure of the Black Hole sequel is my NaNoWriMo project. I have written just over 21,000 words but I haven't hit today's minimum quota of 1,667 words, yet. But I have written myself into a corner and I need to figure out how my hero is going to save himself . . . again!

My point? When I decided to write full time, at first I wrote occasionally. Now I'm writing nearly constantly. I'm not sure what I'll do after NaNoWriMo and that project is finished. I don't have any ideas at the moment. But I'm sure one will come to me. Maybe I'll do that long awaited Rock Killer sequel.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Voss Foster and Justin Oldham

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we are proud to welcome Voss Foster and Justin Oldham
Voss Foster


Voss FosterVoss Foster lives in the middle of the Eastern Washington Desert, where he writes speculative fiction and drinks far too much coffee. When he can be pried away from his keyboard, he can be found singing, cooking, playing trombone, and belly dancing, though rarely all at the same time. He is the author of Tartaros and The King Jester Trilogy, both available through Prizm Books.

Voss' Books:

Tartaros (Paranormal)

Zirkua Fantastic (Contemporary fantasy)

The Jester Prince (Contemporary Fantasy)

Voss' Links:

Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
Goodreads

Justin Oldham


Justin OldhamJustin Oldham is a legally blind writer who lives in Anchorage Alaska. He was born with an eye problem called Aniridia, sometimes known as Sturge-Weber Syndrome.  This means he has no iris or lens in his eyes.  He lost an eye to glaucoma when he was a teenager.

A graduate of North Pole High School, Justin went on to complete bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Alaska.  He worked for the Bureau of Land Management before becoming a full-time writer.

In addition to his speculative fiction which features Alaskan themes, Justin also writes on the subject of vision impairment with guidance from medical professionals and disability experts.  These titles explain what it’s like to be legally blind or to lose an eye.

Justin's Books:

Tales from the Kodiak Starport

Bibix

Justin's Links:

Website
LinkedIn

Listen to the program live or in archive here.

Huskies Beat Colorado!

Yes, I know it's Thursday and the game was last Saturday. Saturday morning, in fact.

The problem is, I'm doing NaNoWriMo and after writing 2,641 words in a day (that's what I'm averaging) that doesn't leave me wanting to write a lot more.

But I decided I should write about the Huskies' victory over the Colorado Buffaloes. But since it's been so long I don't remember a lot of the details.

For a great deal of the first half of the game, I was worried. What I thought would be an easy win for the Huskies was looking like a debacle. There weren't a lot of Husky mistakes, they were just being out-played by the 2-6 Buffaloes. In fact, this was, for the Huskies, a remarkably error-free and penalty-free game.

At the half the Huskies did managed to tighten up the score to 20-17 with Colorado in the lead.

But in the second half, Colorado only managed one field goal while the Huskies racked up 21 points for a final score of 38-23.

This brings the Huskies to 6-3 so far this season, but only 2-3 in the Pac 12.

And I have to correct something I said last week. Winning this game does not make the Huskies bowl eligible. To be bowl eligible you have to have a winning record. Most teams play 12 games so they are bowl eligible at six wins. But because the Huskies went to Hawaii they get to play an extra game and that means, with a 13-game schedule, they have to win seven to be bowl eligible. Which means they have to win one of their last four games against UCLA (currently ranked 18th), Arizona (ranked 19th), Oregon State and Washington State. Last week WSU's star quarter back had a college-career-ending injury in a broken fibia. So WSU should be easier to beat in the Apple Cup game.

Well, maybe next year we can be ranked and compete with the likes of Oregon and UCLA.

Whither the Manual Transmission

I have always, if it's available, ordered a stick shift, or manual transmission, for my cars. I think driving a manual makes the driving experience more fun and more engaging. There's something about hitting the correct gear as you downshift out of a corner to maximize the car's torque to accelerate.

Plus, in the past, manuals got better gas mileage, and had less maintenance and break-down issues.

The only problem I have with manuals is I've never mastered heel-and-toe downshifts. I blame this on ankles that don't like to be turned certain directions, but it might just be I'm not coordinated enough.

Fewer and fewer cars are now being offered with manuals and, according to an article a few years back in the Wall Street Journal, less than 20% of Americans can drive a manual. Which I thought was horrible when I read that.

And I'm starting to think it doesn't matter.

Last year (on Christmas Eve) I bought a new car. This car's transmission has three modes: regular (although I'm sure the marketing department calls it something else), manual, and sport. To put it in sport mode, you pull back on the shift lever when the car is in "Drive" and an "S" appears on the instrument panel under the "D" for "Drive." You can also push the lever to the right for "Manual" mode and shift using the paddles behind the steering wheel. (You can also while in "D" mode use the paddles to manually shift and after about a minute it goes back to automatic mode.)

In the year I've owned the car I've tried everything with the transmission, every mode of driving it. I have found that for passing (depending on how slow the car you want to pass is going) if you're in D you pull the left paddle to shift down to fourth or third, then accelerate. The car will automatically shift at the redline (6,200 RPM). This makes the pass very quick (and you have to be careful not to accelerate too much. First time I did that I was over 100 mph before I knew it).

Or, if you put the transmission in sport mode, it downshifts for you, always keeping the engine in what's called the "power band" where torque and horsepower are maximized. It does this better and faster than I can using the paddles.

Finally, if you try to shift using the paddles, you might miss the power band or short shift it. A human is just not as precises and accurate as the computer.

And, if you leave the transmission in "D" (normal), and accelerate moderately, it shifts often (it has 7 gears) and keeps the RPMs low to maximize gas mileage. It often shifts before 2,000 RPM. I've tried to replicate that using the paddles, and, again, can't shift fast or accurately enough.

In other words, in this car with this transmission, there's no need to shift manually even if a manual were an option. The computer can handle the gears better than I ever could. I do not miss having a manual at all. In fact, I enjoy NOT having a manual and letting the computer do the hard work.

One reason manuals are going away is because it is harder to make a manual transmission car meet federal regulations for pollution and mpg. But with the transmissions like in my new car, I may not care.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Judith Ann McDowell and Joann H. Buchanan

Today on a special Halloween edition of the Speculative Fiction Cantina we welcome horror writers Judith Ann McDowell and Joann H. Buchanan
Judith Ann McDowell
Judith Ann McDowellJudith Ann McDowell is a novelist with seven finished books. When not working on a manuscript, Judith and her husband Darrell like to travel to different cities such as New Orleans to talk with people about voodoo and to talk with those who have experienced, first-hand,  true hauntings. Judith is the mother of four grown sons Guy, David, Rhett and Nick and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Darrell and their two Pekingese Chi and Tai and three cats Isis, Lacy and Reefer. Judith is at present working on seventh screenplay.
Judith's books include:
Rougarou I
Rougarou  II
Rougarou III (The Devil's Child)
The Hay Fort
Judith's Links:
Website Facebook
Joann H. Buchanan
Joann H. BuchananJoann H. Buchanan is a mother of five children, and has a wonderful husband who supports her passion for the written word. She owns a small audiobook company named Empire voices. Empire Voices creates audiobooks. You can stop off at www.empirevoices.com for more information.
Her upcoming releases include Shine, After Dark book 3 in The Children of Nox series, and Empires Lost book 1 Keleigh. She is in two anthologies, Horror in Bloom and Hidden in Your World.

For more information about Joann H. Buchanan please visit www.joannhbuchanan.blogspot.com, or www.facebook.com/JoannHBuchanan. To arrange a book signing or interview, contact her representatives at 541-813-1113 or joannhbuchanan@charter.net

Joann's Books include:
Soulless Light 
I Am Wolf (book 1 Children of Nox)
The Kiss (book 2 Children of Nox) 
Shine
Joann's Links:
Blog Facebook Twitter
From the program today:
Science Halloween Tricks/smokey fingers
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The Score Does Not Reflect the Game

I have not watched a University of Washington Husky football game live since the Stanford loss in September.  But I have watched them all DVR'd and avoided social media so I wouldn't learn the outcome until I watched the game.

Saturday's Husky game against #14 Arizona State was a defensive battle marked by high winds that not only rattled ESPN's satellite dish around enough that there were many interruptions of the picture and sound, but anytime the football went into the air, you had no idea what was going to happen. Both teams limited passing.

First the good news: the Husky defense was brilliant. They stopped a goal line stand by Arizona State to prevent them from capitalizing on a fumble. They got an interception and ran it in for a touchdown, the first Husky score of the game.

Now the bad news: Cyler Miles, the starting quarterback, did not play in the game due to a head injury in the Oregon loss. He had "concussion-like symptoms" and Coach Chris Petersen decided to keep him out of the game. So we had backup red-shirt freshman quarterback Troy Williams. It might have been the wind but Williams couldn't connect with passes very well. He fumbled the ball once (the one described above) and threw and interception which was ran in for a touchdown, making the score look worse than it did for the Huskies.

The game was very close until the end and the Huskies had moments of brilliance. But the wind and the backup quarterback both limited the offensive capabilities. The final score was 24-10 but before ASU scored 14 points (7 of those the interception), it was 10-10 and looked as if we might pull off a win.

Next week we play Colorado in Bolder, CO. And we'd better win. Colorado is 2-6 with zero wins in conference. I'll be watching that game live.

Babylon 5: It Sucked.

I never watched Babylon 5 when it was in first run back in the '90s.  But I have this vague memory of someone recently praising Babylon 5, perhaps in my writers' group (which is the only place I really talk to people who are into science fiction). So I put all of season one on my Netflix queue (it's only available on discs, not streaming).

My conclusion after watching one episode and perhaps a third of another: it sucked. How did this thing survive for five season?

Yes, the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation sucked. But not like this:

The acting was wooden when it wasn't shrillThe writing was atrocious (I turned off the second episode when a character said "clear and present danger")The production values were barely above porn movie levels (not that I've ever seen porn movies)The direction was plodding and pedestrianIt was shot on video tape rather than film, which added to the cheap milieu (and didn't scale up very well on my big-screen TV)The one thing I could recommend about the show is the make up on the aliens was generally done well. And occasionally they made a nod to real-life physics (e.g. the station rotates to simulate gravity).
But I couldn't sit through two whole episodes let alone the four on the first disc.
But now I can say I tried to watch Babylon 5. 
If it had been Star Trek: Babylon 5 I might have stuck it out. But if it had been Star Trek: Babylon 5, it would have been Deep Space Nine with was good, even if it had a rough first season.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina with Tony LaRocca and C. Norman

Today on the Speculative Fiction Cantina we welcome Tony LaRocca and C. Norman
Tony LaRocca


Tony LaRoccaTony grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ. He joined the army after high school, and had an unglamorous career across the United States. He currently lives the glamorous life of an author / electrician / occasional karaoke crooner, and chronic doodler in New York City, along with his wife and children.

Tony's book:

False Idols and Other Short Stories - Science Fiction Short Stories
Amazon
B&N
iBooks

Tony's Links

website
blog
Facebook
Twitter

C. Norman


NOT C. NormanC. Norman is the author of dozens of bite-size short stories, available for free at herebewonder.com. Topics range from vampire blind dates to alien abduction.  He lives in Texas but has never ridden a horse.

C. Norman's Links

Website





From the Program Today
If Every Car in the World Lined Up and Floored It.

Listen to this program live or in archive here.

NaNoWriMo Once Again

Oh oh, it's almost November.

And if you're a writer, you know what that means (or at least you should): NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. Why it's in November with Thanksgiving and the holidays and only 30 days, I don't know.

In case you're not sure what NaNoWriMo is, it is a challenge to write 50,000 in November. If you do that math, that's an average of 1,667 words per day. Every day. Including Thanksgiving.

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with NaNoWriMo. I have said I don't like it because I think it is responsible for producing a lot of crap writing. But, I like the ideas behind it which is embodied in two things I often say: "Just keep writing" and "Your first draft will suck, get over it and write the damn thing."

In fact, the NaNoWriMo group has you sign a contract stating (among other things):

During the month ahead I realize I will produce clunky dialogue, clichéd characters, and deeply flawed plots.  I agree that all of these things will be left in my rough draft, to be corrected and/or excised at a later point.

A lot of people write the crap, but forget the "to be corrected and/or excised at a later point." After NaNoWriMo, there is a lot of work left to do.

This year I'm, once again, planning to participate in NaNoWriMo. I am planning to write a sequel to Treasure of the Black Hole (which is not published, yet).  Treasure of the Black Hole was my NaNoWriMo novel from last year.

But I can't start writing it until November 1st (although I'm doing a little outlining and "pre-writing" now). ("Pre-writing" is when I think about something I'm going to write, but I don't start typing).

In the meantime I have a science fiction novel to edit (tentatively titled Alien Fleets War). And I need to finish up my western/fantasy mashup currently titled The Terror of Tombstone.

I want to have everything out of my way for NaNoWriMo because 1,667 word a day is a blistering pace and I don't need distractions.