Marginalia
Jul. 18th, 2004 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coalescentLook! Look! A wee little puppet man!
You know slash has gone mainstream when it makes it to the Sunday Times Style section. Also, in the Culture section is this piece that works harder than it really needs to to argue that Cold War technophobia never went away. It also contains, as a perplexing tangential remark in a discussion of the old and new versions of The Stepford Wives, this: "This is, of course, all that’s left of 1970s feminism in popular culture. Now it doesn’t matter. The women have won and it’s all a big joke. Nobody really cares. Back then, though, they did, so the women died and the men won."
Andy Cox considers changing the name of The Third Alternative. Everyone else shouts 'nooo! You fool! Don't do it!' Then some of them slowly start to be convinced.
When I get to see I, Robot, I think I may cry.
One of the niftier things I've seen about LJ recently: A recent comments page, aggregating your last fifty comments and the last fifty comments posted to your LJ. Sadly it doesn't track replies to your comments, so it's not yet as useful as the email notifications, but it's a step in the right direction.
Most recently read: 'The Fear Gun' by Judith Berman, the lead novellette in the July Asimov's. I thought it was the best story of the issue (although that said, I didn't think it was a particularly strong issue). At the time the story opens, Earth has not only already been invaded and occupied by aliens, but also already liberated. However, the liberation is taking a little while to percolate down to the community level. 'The Fear Gun' focuses on seven separate characters in one small town in America, examining their various reactions to the aliens, the titular bowel-loosening weapon, the liberating forces, and each other. The multiple perspectives mean that Berman can cover more narrative ground than you might normally get in a story of this length, and in some depth, too. At the heart of the story is the sort of playing with metaphor that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
communicator wrote about earlier this week - and it's also interesting to read the story in light of Berman's eassy on science fiction without the future. Still, something about it didn't quite click with me; I thought it was good, certainly, but not great.
You know slash has gone mainstream when it makes it to the Sunday Times Style section. Also, in the Culture section is this piece that works harder than it really needs to to argue that Cold War technophobia never went away. It also contains, as a perplexing tangential remark in a discussion of the old and new versions of The Stepford Wives, this: "This is, of course, all that’s left of 1970s feminism in popular culture. Now it doesn’t matter. The women have won and it’s all a big joke. Nobody really cares. Back then, though, they did, so the women died and the men won."
Andy Cox considers changing the name of The Third Alternative. Everyone else shouts 'nooo! You fool! Don't do it!' Then some of them slowly start to be convinced.
When I get to see I, Robot, I think I may cry.
One of the niftier things I've seen about LJ recently: A recent comments page, aggregating your last fifty comments and the last fifty comments posted to your LJ. Sadly it doesn't track replies to your comments, so it's not yet as useful as the email notifications, but it's a step in the right direction.
Most recently read: 'The Fear Gun' by Judith Berman, the lead novellette in the July Asimov's. I thought it was the best story of the issue (although that said, I didn't think it was a particularly strong issue). At the time the story opens, Earth has not only already been invaded and occupied by aliens, but also already liberated. However, the liberation is taking a little while to percolate down to the community level. 'The Fear Gun' focuses on seven separate characters in one small town in America, examining their various reactions to the aliens, the titular bowel-loosening weapon, the liberating forces, and each other. The multiple perspectives mean that Berman can cover more narrative ground than you might normally get in a story of this length, and in some depth, too. At the heart of the story is the sort of playing with metaphor that
communicator wrote about earlier this week - and it's also interesting to read the story in light of Berman's eassy on science fiction without the future. Still, something about it didn't quite click with me; I thought it was good, certainly, but not great.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 02:53 pm (UTC)* sighs pathetically.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:09 pm (UTC)Nothing is sacred.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 06:18 am (UTC)1. They cannot harm us
2. They must do what we say
3. They can protect themselves
which I know is pretty much equivalent to the original three laws, but there's none of the logical precision that was at the very heart of Asimov's I, Robot. They just don't get it. *sigh*
no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:06 pm (UTC)I sooooo want one. But, honestly - a *functioning* mouth? Oh. Dear. Lord.
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Date: 2004-07-18 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2004-07-19 03:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 03:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 06:59 am (UTC)So yes, I shall reserve you a spare. Dare I assume that you don't have wirecutters either? ;o)
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:27 am (UTC)That's just excessive. :-p
Dare I assume that you don't have wirecutters either? ;o)
You mean you can't use scissors? [/innocent]
Uh, dunno. I've got a toolkit. There might be something in there. I'll have a look.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-20 11:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:25 pm (UTC)*giggles, forever ruined by Su's comment*
You know slash has gone mainstream when it makes it to the Sunday Times Style section.
The one time I didn't get a Sunday Times and it has this. Tsk.
One of the niftier things I've seen about LJ recently: A recent comments page, aggregating your last fifty comments and the last fifty comments posted to your LJ.
Oooh. Not sure what exact use it'll be, but it's certainly... nifty.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:29 pm (UTC)But now I've told you about it anyway. Aren't I good to you? :)
it's certainly... nifty.
Yep. Nifty. That about sums it up.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:38 pm (UTC)Yes. Continue. However, now that the Sunday Times has done slash, there's no real need for me to read it anymore. *g*
Yep. Nifty. That about sums it up.
Nifty nifty nifty nifty. Can you tell I'm bored?
no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:43 pm (UTC)Alas! I am off to bed.
However, now that the Sunday Times has done slash, there's no real need for me to read it anymore. *g*
Slash will eat itself.no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 03:51 pm (UTC)I was more meaning in general, rather than right now.
Slash will eat itself.Ah, but for a
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Date: 2004-07-18 04:57 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2004-07-19 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 10:09 am (UTC)My work here is done :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:00 am (UTC)Amused that slash is now in the Sunday Times.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:25 am (UTC)Because I am weak.
Plus, if I don't see it, I can't bitch about it properly.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:29 am (UTC)Hell yeah. It's like Troy all over again. Except, y'know, without Brad Pitt.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:42 am (UTC)How do you make the pretty flashing icons? :)
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Date: 2004-07-20 03:53 am (UTC)