RRR215 Crunch Mode

By Roy Mathur, on 2018-07-24, at 20:31:47 to 21:31:54 GMT, for Roy's Rocket Radio

Crunch Mode

I'm late with the pod, and busy catching up with everything else. Get ready for a new episode very soon!

Hot

In the UK we like talking weather and it is hot, too hot, but I must have got used to it because I don't seem to be suffering as much lately. It is, however, a ten degrees (ten!) hotter inside my home compared to the outside temperature. I'm sure I've complained about this every week since the heat started, but hat's off to modern architects, you really haven't a clue what you're doing, do you?

And hats off too to global warming.

Excellent.

Spend?

Don't make me laugh.

I said I'd like a little boat (sailing canoe), or some modest music equipment but that's going to have to wait. You know, because of money?

Car insurance was the delight I had to deal with this month, along with the usual bills. At least it didn't go up, but it didn't really go down either.

Condor

2018 TV show update of Redford, Dunaway, and Sydow's brilliant, diabolical, and ultimately cynical movie Three Days of the Condor 1975.

It's about the sole surviving intelligence analyst who escapes a hit on his office.

Standalone, it's not bad, unless you have seen the original.

Strange Angel

2018 biopic show about brilliant rocket scientist and one of JPL's founders Jack Parsons, who was also an... occultist and a friend of sci-fi authors like Heinlein.

You'd have though something like this; hard science, mixed with mystical weirdness would be right up my street. I thought so too, but after watching a few episodes, I found it to be oddly anaemic. Given the subject matter, it is difficult to understand why this Riddly Scott production is so bland.

The marketing is great with a sci-fi-esque poster for the show and mystical episode titles. They promise so much, but then fall flat. I'm massively disappointed at the wasted opportunity.

Reverie

Even from the poster for this 2018 show, I knew it wouldn't be great. Traumatised ex-hostage negotiator enters people's virtual reality simulations in order to retrieve them.

The science sounds like nonsense, but so did the tech in VR.5 (remember that?), but VR.5 was so, so much better, simply by being more visually impactful and having less cardboard cut-out characters. Or, maybe I'm just saying that because I really like Lori Singer.

No, no, my personal foibles aside, Reverie is, unfortunately, forgettable. I really wish it wasn't so, because I don't enjoy hammering shows and movies I don't enjoy. I wish Reverie was better because a really good show about VR is something I'd like to see.

Power

Vanilla alert! This is an oldie show from way, way, WAY back in... 2014. Nightclub owner moonlights as drug kingpin.

Competently filmed, casted, and acted, and I hated it. I couldn't care less about a rich gangster scum bag and his psychopathic sidekick.

Unlike shows like Breaking Bad, where we see the underdog getting to live the America dream through crime, or Empire, where the kingpin has actual creative talent, both of which creates conflict in the mind of the audience, I don't see how we're supposed to sympathise with the main character. Or maybe that is the point?

I didn't wait long enough to find out whether this was intentionally subversive or morally dubious, or just plain clumsy.

Humans

Series three of Channel 4's Humans ended recently. Though I was sad about the lost of one character in particular, I have enjoyed the show so far and don't have anything bad to say about it. If you are looking for nerd drama with British voices, rather than American, admittedly in a show that is based on the Swedish original Real Humans, this is the show you are looking for.

It's got robots, robot hackers, cyborgs, rebellion, revolution, and is often a neat allegory of hot button topics; a feat which usually isn't easy to pull off well.

I think you'll love it.

Fear the Walking Dead

I was desperate for distraction this week and decided to plunge into Fear the Walking Dead; the urban spinoff of the rural main show The Walking Dead. It is something I swore I would never do, but I really needed an escape.

The show, which premiered in 2015, and continues this year, is not bad, and if main show did not exist, it might have been something I would enjoy, for a few seasons at least. Unfortunately, I have invested too much time in the main show, that I sincerely wish would just wrap up and end soon (please, please finish), to delve into its weaker sibling.

Star Trek TOS and TNG Repeat and Repeat and Repeat...

Did I recently mention how much I'm enjoying the current re-run of Star Trek: TOS and TNG on the Horror Channel in the UK? Probably, but I'll say it again.

I thought it too soon to watch yet another repeat of two shows, I have watched end-to-end many times, but no! Maybe it's the re-mastering or something, but it's great to come home to each night and watch over dinner.

Cue TOS incidental fighting music hummed by yours truly.

Gotham

Randomly watched an episode after a long personal hiatus.

What the hell?! Lee's a kingpin? The Riddler's defrosted? What the hell?! Look how tall Bruce and Selina are now. What the hell?!

Picnic at Hanging Rock

The 2018 TV mini-series remake of the 1975 film and the 1967 book is well underway on BBC2 in the UK. It stars Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell in GoT).

It isn't as weird, atmospheric, nor as trippy as the Peter Weir film, but one assumes at least a more complete version.

5th Passenger

2018: decidedly low budget sci-fi, that I'm assuming got finance by managing to secure Tim Russ, Marina Sirtis, and Armin Shimerman for roles in the film. Passengers of a life pod are threatened by the 5th passenger.

Great title, concept and OK CGI and OK script, let down by dodgy acting and absurd creature design, but I enjoyed the twist at the end. Reminds me of a direct-to-VHS you'd rent to watch over a takeaway in the 80s.

Gerald's Game

2017: woman trapped in handcuffs after husband conks out in the middle of their session.

Leaving aside the general concept, which feels like a morality lesson from a prude, the movie is average, but I felt very uncomfortable with the later portrayal of a rare genetic condition as monstrous.

(Hacker pro tip: police handcuffs have universal keys. Get two!)

TAU

2018: woman kidnapped by crazy CTO in automated house from hell. It's one of those Netflix, watch once, then burn. Wasn't great, wasn't terrible. What more can I say?

This is a film portraying an American tech entrepreneur as a proper, nasty sociopath. Remember villainous Doctor Luther from Runaway in 1984? Or any of our current techpreneurs. Is that fair?

The Lennon Report

2016: reporter finds himself at the right place and the right time to report on the DOA of John Lennon.

It's the true story of Alan Weiss, who really should give up riding motorcycles.

Deep Web

With Ross Ulbricht's latest appeal recently denied, this may be an opportune time to watch this 2015 documentary about the Silk Road website. It's narrated by Neo himself! (Keanu).

Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo

Great 2017 documentary and, though not the only behind-the-scenes look at NASA's mission control, it is interesting for all us space nuts. I enjoyed it very much.

Notes on Blindness

Vanilla alert! But a great 2016 film nonetheless, about an academic's personal journey into blindness.

You get the whole story, from the nuts and bolts technical aspects of how he dealt with the situation back in the pre-voice controllable smartphone 1980s, his emotions, and how family, friends, colleagues, and strangers responded to him.

Fascinating dramatised documentary using actors, but the actual audio recorded by the subject.

Crumb

1994 documentary about underground cartoonist/comic book creator Robert Crumb.

If you've seen the brilliant 2003 film about Harvey Pekar, American Splendor, you'll want to see this too. I watched both many, many years ago; both films are absolutely brilliant, so go and watch them. Now.

Protect and Survive

1980 public information film and pamphlet describing what you should do in case of a nuclear holocaust.

Seriously worrying and depressing rubbish from our government, which would make you want to immediately run out of your home to join CND.

(Film and pamphlet.)

London Under Midnight

It's about vampires and it's set in the UK summer, so it is summer reading appropriate.

Amongst the lack of commas (argh), I noticed a James Herbert-ness to the prose, so I'm assuming Clark is a fan. Published in 2006, the lack of tech mentioned in the narrative makes it feel a little dated. I found the dialogue a little creaky, but it's bloody, gory, and weird, so it gets a pass.

I have only ever seen these Severn House hardback books in my local library. Who is Simon Clark? As well as an author, according to Wiki, he has also worked on the periphery of Doctor Who. This is the second Simon Clark horror novel I have read, the first was Lucifer's Ark (Con Air on water), so, despite my quibbles, he must be doing something right.

Time Stories

The group I play with finally finished the Time Stories board game.

My character was Vasil La Fouine, the coke head who can use cocaine to super-charge himself. No, I'm not making that up. "Fouine" means weasel in French. The temerity! He's just a dapper chap.

Animal Upon Animal

Animal Upon Animal is a game for kids, but it was set up on a table in my local Waterstones and I just could not resist.

All you do is roll a big red die and stack an assortment of colourful wooden animals. I played for a minute or two and stacked a monkey on top of a hedgehog, giggling as I did so, creeping out the sales assistant.

It's fun, even for big kids, and I think it would make a splendid drinking game.

Using Switch Pro or PS4 DualShock 4 Controllers on a PC

Switch Pro v controller on PC and PS4 DualShock 4 controller on PC.

Facebook Fined By EU

Facebook fined GBP 94 million by EU for data privacy breaches, but at least it, hopefully (I'm not a legal expert), sets a legal precedent for taking firms to task for the total lack data security they seem to universally provide for their customers.

Google Fined By EU

Google fined for GBP 3.84 billion by EU for using Android to boost Google search.

EU Copyright Changes

Despite support from many well known music artists, the proposed changes to EU copyright laws were rejected 318 to 278. Understandably many sites like Wikipedia and YouTube, and organizations, like the Open Rights Group opposed the changes, saying that it would damage creativity.

Sampling and remixing music, re-using pictures (something all bloggers and Tweeters do), sharing links, and even performing cover versions would have been at risk. One example given is a criticism was that the Beatles would not have become famous without covering other artists. Highly ironic as Paul McCartney was one of the signatories supporting more stringent laws. I'm not sure about how specifically covering songs would be affected though as isn't licensing for unauthorised cover songs played with a, say venue, already, er... covered by that venue's own licensing?

Anyway, it's gone and good riddance. I think we already have enough copyright laws.

Musk's Submarine

Look, well done Elon for volunteering to help those Thai boys trapped in the cave. But when the experts say they don't need your help, you need to back off gracefully, knowing that you did your best, not turn this into a fight about your credibility. I thought the point was to save the lives of children, not to feed Musk's ego. The way he reacted was textbook playground.

This and then the more recent request for rebates from suppliers, and let's not forget his unusual behaviour at the earnings call, have all made Tesla shares continue to dip.

What a prat.

Space Commander Trump's Grand Tour

Space force? Great, if you want to militarise space..., but why would any normal person want to do that? This sabre-rattling nonsense is typical fall out from the tradition started with Reagan's idiotic Star Wars programme.

It was somewhat inspired, in turn, unfortunately, by one of my favourite sci-fi authors, Larry Niven, and one of my less favoured, Jerry Pournelle, who, along with their rather right wing cronies came up with a whole slew of crazy ideas for space weapons during their, one would assume, half-cut brain storming sessions.

And then Trump's European tour is greeted with mass demonstrations in the UK and Sweden. And THEN Trump sides with Russia against his own government; going along with Putin's laughable claims that the Russians have, in fact, actually not influenced the US elections. This is despite the U.S.'s grand jury indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers. Trump is really stuffed. If he goes along with the grand jury, then it proves his election was almost fixed. If he goes along with Putin, he looks like a lapdog. Either way, it seems, given what we currently know about his pre-election relationship with the Russian government, a bed of his own making.

What a twit.

New Apple MacBook Pro

The keyboard is still flat as hell, something that Apple are bizarrely sticking with to screw typists, but to avoid any more jammed keys they have added squidgy little raincoats to each key.

What a fudge.

Iceland May Have Killed a Blue Whale

Conservation: whaling is still happening and on July 13th, it was reported by the Sea Shepherd organisation that an Icelandic whaling ship killed a Blue Whale. Hvalur hf, the company that killed the whale, disputes this saying that it was a fin whale.

Protected or not, it's still a whale and I, along with the majority of the population of planet Earth, think that all whales should be protected.

Still, if the DNA testing that is being carried out now, proves it to be a blue whale, it will be the first blue whale killed in 40 years.

Ironically, Iceland bills itself as a place to go whale watching. I wonder if tour companies sell tickets for whale hunting too. Well done, Iceland, well done. Why am I blaming Iceland, rather than the company? Iceland is a country whose government allows whaling. Other countries? There are more than you think and some are quite surprising. Japan, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, USA, Russia, South Korea, Faroe Islands, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are still involved. I'm sure the average Icelander is probably a nice person, but see this and this.

Even as I was writing this, the company involved have gone from a flat denial to saying that if they did kill a blue whale, then it was an accident.

Although the whale population has rebounded since the International Whaling Commission ban in 1966, depending on where you source your data, there are between 10,000 and 25,000 remaining. Before whaling there where around 350,000.