A Very Special Update

I might be away for a wee bit. See, somehow my computer has been infected with a nasty little progam. It calls itself Viewpoint and alleges that it can help me with my computer needs. This I doubt for two reasons:

1. It downloaded itself on my computer without my asking it, which makes it a virus as far as I am concerned, and
2. It's helpfully taken out my add/remove program function. Insuring I can't uninstall it or, really, anything else.

I am going to reformat my computer, as soon as I can find all of my disks. Until then, I plan to make myself scarce on the internet front. I will be back when I'm back and not before.

This is, of course, when I start getting massive hits and threaten to become famous, only to have it all slip away because I'm gone so long.

So be it.

See you all soon.

Ode to the Lost Notion

I had such plans
For this day
But when I woke
They went away
I wrack my brains
to recall
what thought remained
Both large and small
But that effort
Was in vain
Of those notions
No trace remain
Such is my life
This I fear
To lose ideas
That I hold dear
(Like those notions were really great
If they were they'd not abate
They'd have stayed till they were needed
So without them I'm not defeated)

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More poetry. I'm starting to wonder if I'm in the right field...

This wasn't the intended output for today, but, as the poem suggests, what I wanted to do wasn't with me just yet. Better to think the grapes were sour than they were ambrosia...

Mad Scientists Archetypes

This is getting to be a theme for the week, if not the month. More Archetypes! I had so much fun doing this for the Psychics, I thought I'd do try Mad Scientists, too. So, without further ado:

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Banner - A scientist who, while trying to benefit mankind, turns himself into a monster. David Banner of the television series The Incredible Hulk is where the name comes from. His comic book source, Bruce Banner, doesn't qualify, as he was creating a gamma bomb.

Clive - A scientist who, while exploring the outer boundaries of science, creates a monster. He then sets out to insure that said monster is stopped before too much harm is done. Colin Clive's Frankenstein is where the name comes from. Robert Banner also fits here, despite changing into his own monster.

Cushing - scientist who, while exploring the outer boundaries of science, creates a monster. This, he feels, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Peter Cushing's Frankenstein is the source of this archetype.

Jekyll - A scientist who, while exploring the outer boundaries of science, turns himself into a monster. This is just fine with him right up until he starts killing people... or, failing that, when he finds he can't turn back... Henry Jekyll, of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde^*, is this archetype's namesake.

McCabe - A scientist who creates monsters on whim. It's what he does. Alexander McCabe, of Bats, is such a scientist, and thus gets the archetype name.

Richards - A scientist who runs around inventing incredible things without breaking a sweat. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four fits this archetype. So does his nemesis, the dread Doctor Doom

Tillinghast - Any scientist who goes out seeking the mysteries of Science and finds some One or some Ones waiting for him... Crawford Tillinghast, from H. P. Lovecraft's From Beyond, lends his name to this Archetype. Come to think about it, a lot of Lovecraft's protagonists would.

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^* I know, I know. The entry for Jekyll and Hyde even mentions the Hulk as a modern version of the novel. I separated the two for the simple reason Jekyll initially enjoys his Hyde persona while Banner really doesn't.

(Don't Fear) The Boxer

Everybody puts things in boxes in their minds. It's habit, it's nature, it's a survual mechanism, it's what keeps us sane. It makes things easier to cope with. It allows us to dismiss what we don't like and accept what we do. It is wrong, it is right, it is neither, it is both. Even the most open minded among us put things in boxes.

And so do I. As the list of Archetypes grows...

One of my favorite songs is (Don't Fear) The Reaper. The first time I recall hearing it was at the end of The Frighteners. I fell in love with it almost at once. Bought the soundtrack for it, in fact. Later, I learned where the song had originated and that I had heard it once before, in a no-name slasher flick. As of this writing, I own three albums with versions of this song and there's a good chance I might pick up more. There is something about the song that reaches me.

While goofing off one day, I stumbled across the Wikipedia entry for the song, which I have linked above. I was surprised to find that there are those who believe (Don't Fear) The Reaper was about murder-suicide. They point to the reference to Romeo and Juliet as evidence.

The song writer, Buck Dharma says this isn't so. The particular box he wants the song to be in is "eternal love." Which makes far more sense to me. As I recall it, Romeo and Juliet weren't murder-suicide, and besides the lyrics really don't fit that particular conclusion.

However, I have my own interpretation of the song, which I think meshes far better with what Dharma states the song is about.

Let's look at towards the end of the song a moment:

Then the door was open and the wind appeared

The candles blew then disappeared

The curtains flew then he appeared

which is followed by:

And she ran to him...then they started to fly

They looked backward and said goodbye

(she had become like they are)

She had taken his hand

(she had become like they are)

Now I am a man with a certain type of bent. I tend to see things in a certain, shall we say, Fantastic light. And that first portion I quoted I've seen countless times in a specific type of movies.

See, it sounds very much like a vampire who has come for his lover, offering his kiss and the gift it brings. The lover accepts and together they leave the living.

Eternal Romance.

No doubt this is not what Dharma intended.

No doubt this is something only I can see.

And I can accept that. And, for what it's worth, I can accept that I am way, way wrong.

For, see, it can be fun to put literature, art, and song into a box, see if it fits, to learn why it does or does not. For no matter the folding, bending or mutilation, the work survives. It still speaks it's message or lack there of.

In fact, in some cases boxing reflects more on the person with the boxes than the art itself...

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Small note: I lifted the lyrics from this site, and made a few tweaks here and there. No doubt between the two of us, (Don't Fear) The Reaper has been misrepresented, and I apologize for that fact.

"Strange Dialogue"

I was very tired when I wrote this. I have no idea who these two are or what the hell they're talking about. But I've let it sit as a draft for a good long while and it still tickles me.

And I need more fiction on this site.

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"We are not doing this."

-->"Doing what?"

"This."

-->"Oh come on! You've always liked it before."

"I've never liked it. Not once."

-->"Really? Why didn't you say something?"

"Didn't want to hurt your feelings."

-->"Oh, well, that's okay. I didn't care for it much either."

"The Hell you say."

-->"No, no. It's true."

"You keep on bringing it up! Every chance you get!"

-->"Only because I thought you liked it. I only liked doing it with you."

"Oh."

-->"So. What are we going to do with all of the pieces now that we're done with it?"

"Dunno. Throw them out?"

-->"Seems wasteful to me. I know! How about we do... This!"

"Oh my dear God."

-->"What?"

"I can't believe you just did that."

-->"What? What's wrong now?"

"That's so... so horrible! It's like I don't even know you!"

-->"Ah. Well."

"Can I try it next?"

The Thing(s) - Review(s)

A group of scientist discover a spacecraft trapped beneath the ice, as well as a passenger that seems to have been thrown clear of the ship. The passenger is brought back to base camp and comes to life, causing havoc and threatening all life as we know it.

The Thing from Another World (from here on out referred to as TfAW) and The Thing are both highly influential Science Fiction movies, which isn't too surprising as they come from one of the classics of the genre, John W. Campbell's "Who Goes There?" Both movies, while straying from the source's plot, use the same setting, have intelligent story lines and compelling plots

A part of the pleasure behind the story is the setting. With all of the action set in the Arctic, the option of quick and easy escape is null and void. On this is the intelligence of the enemy, of its ability to survive far better in the icy environment than it's human prey.

Now if it was just cat and mouse between Home Team Earthlings and Away Team Thing, they would both still be an entertaining set of flicks. However there are additional elements enriching the proceedings. In TfAW a small group of humans work at cross purposes against their own species with disastrous results. Meanwhile, the Thing in The Thing starts off winning by its very insidious nature, with the protagonists struggling to just survive against it.

I would be remiss not to mention one of the more crucial differences between the two movies: The Thing is extradoriarily gruesome. Gorier movies have been made since (I can think of two right off the top of my head right now, with more in queue behind them.) It's not a film for an unsuspecting soul to watch after eating.

In summary, I think both movies are well worth watching. Not only do I recommend them, but I also recommend seeking out "Who Goes There?" It's an excellent read.

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Fun fact: In 1983, Arthur C. Clarke made a list of what he considered what was then the best Science Fiction Movies. Placing #6 on that list was The Thing. TfAW didn't make his cut. Nor did a little film called E.T. (Though, in fairness, he was still considering that one.)

Fun Fact - the Cassandra Syndrome

I was working on a new post dealing with fabled Cassandra when I discovered the Cassandra Syndrome, which means pretty much what you'd think it means. I thought it was a interesting find, especially after the work I did on the Archetypes.