Doctor Who

In 2005, my friend Lee was so excited. We worked together at a law firm, in their IT Dept and sat next to each other. Lee being from the UK and I, from the USA, we loved to chat about things from the perspective of our native countries. X-Files was pretty much history, and at the time, I would only watch American sports on TV. This was actually quite boring, since sports had started to become unappealling to me. I really miss those days because it felt as though 2005 was a year in which I left my cacoon to be the person I am today. One of the TV shows he had been excited about was the upcoming return of Doctor Who. I had heard of Doctor Who, but only in a passing joke from Rowan Atkinson's skit at a comedy show from years back.

As time marches on, of all of Lee's suggestions, it was the one show that I did not follow up on.

Five years later, while flipping past channels, I came across BBC America and saw an interesting show was on. It was the 2010, Doctor Who Christmas Special. Michael Gambon played a scrooge in what seemed to be a bit of a steampunk world, in which fish could swim through the clouds. To say that I am obsessive, is an understatement. I had five years of catching up to do and I rushed to Best Buy to purchase my latest obsession. Season by season, I was enthralled. I even managed to get my sister into it.

To give a summary, Doctor Who is a Time Lord who uses a time machine to travel through time and space. The time machine takes the form of a 1950's era Police Box from London (see above). The main thing that gives the show longevity (1961 - 1989 & 2005 - Present), is the fact that the Doctor can die. If he dies, he regenerates into a new Doctor with all new personality traits and appearance. A new actor would take over the leading role of the show with an entirely different outlook. It's almost as if he's a different person assuming the identity of a Legendary Character, right? The Doctor is usually accompanied by a young girl and nowadays that the Doctor is played by younger actors, there can sometimes be an attraction between the Doctor and his Companion.

Doctor Who has everything when it comes to entertainment. Deep down to its core, it's a Sci-Fi television show and is good for all ages. This April, we'll begin the seventh season of the latest run of Doctor Who. If you have BBC America, it's worth giving it a look. Enjoy!

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

"I can't deal with Sci-Fi," said anonymous.  "It's too wierd."

"Sure you can," I said.  "A story is a story.  Sci-Fi really is just background. Have you ever seen Star Wars?"

"No."

"Lord of the Rings?" I asked.

"Ha," said anonymous.  "No way."

This person actually told me that as a Sci-Fi geek, we can't communicate on that level.  It was my turn to laugh.  Alternate History has been disguised as Sci-Fi for a while now.  Our sixteenth president battling Vampires to me, is the perfect example.  Fans of Abe who are looking for something a little different would enjoy this movie.  Fans of Jane Austen might enjoy "Pride & Prejudice and Zombies".  Perhaps "Sense & Sensibility and Sea Monsters"?

Turtledove has an entire collection of alternate history novels.  What if the south won the civil war?  Would it have meant that we would have sided with the Nazi's in World War II?  How would technology have evolved if such an event occured?  Today's Sci-Fi writer will be remembered tomorrow as a Science Pioneer.

The same is true of all life.  When we look to the future, we prepare ourselves for what is to come.  In the case of this blog, we can sometimes look to the past and wonder what would have happened if luck did not favor the victorious at that moment in time.  It is said that the survivors tell the stories of the past.  Surely there must be some piece of history which has been fabricated by a really good storyteller, right?  If at the end of the book, you found entertainment and possibly learned one or two things, then the job of the storyteller is done.

Ever wonder what would have happened if King George and King Louis saw the writing on the wall with all of these revolutionary types and actually stamped them down before they got out of control?  No?  Perhaps not....

What scares you?

Do you have any childhood fears? Before any answer creeps into your head, I want you to dismiss any fears of losing your job, the death of a loved one or even your own death. I want you to start thinking about that shadow over by the dresser when you are trying to go to sleep at night. Well, we all have those shadows, but it's what our brain tells us it is that really defines what we're scared of, right? Is it a witch? Is it an alien? Is it Jack the Ripper? They all take a similar shape, but what we convince ourselves it is what really makes us scared.

I have two basic fears which materialize in two ways. That shadow in the corner? Yeah, that's a witch. That brush of air against the hairs on my neck? That's a spider. I guess, psychologically, I could say I'm afraid of women who are furious with me. That would explain the witch. Everyone who knows me knows that I get violent when I'm tickled. It kind of explains the spiders. It's more than that though. I'm not one of those people who go around telling themselves that they don't give a damn. If a woman is or has been furious with me, I can pretty much turn them off with my mental radar so quick that I barely register what they're even mad at. When I asked, "What's wrong?", it's because I turned down all of the shouting and decided to come back once things got calm. Spiders? Little known fact about me - I used to be an exterminator. I worked for Terminix. To say I have killed a few spiders in my time would be an understatement.

A good storyteller can overcome all of the mental barriers we've put up since our childhood. They can remind you of every night you spent under your blankets as a child believing, against all odds, that if you stay under the blanket and stay quiet, this demonic force of evil will give up and leave you alone. A good storyteller can make you scratch yourself absentmindedly as you read about the colony of fire ants covering the crying child entirely. Even writing that last sentence kicked in my "defender of all children" program.

The true masters of horror found a way to get inside every readers head and plant irrational ideas which scare the daylights out of them. We all have different fears, but the master of horror can get you scared of something you're normally not afraid of for a period of time. I'm not scared of sharks. I'm fascinated by them. I love sharks. A master of horror though, can change my love into fear for a few hours though. After Jaws, I walked away from the movie very angry. I knew that there are now going to be more people who would be fine with the slaughter of these wonderful creatures. I also give a nod to Peter Benchley and Steven Spielberg for being so masterful at their craft. It kind of makes you wonder what would happen if they put their talents towards making your scared of other things you're normally not scared of, right? America loves cars, right? Each household will generally have more than one car, which shows the national devotion.

Ever heard of a book called Christine? What about Maximum Overdrive?

We all know about Southern Hospitality in America right? Ever see Deliverance?

Kindle Fire - A week in the life

First, please understand that I'm not here to push a product. I do not own any stock in Amazon or Apple. I happen to own a Kindle Fire, which I also happen to really like.

I was at a meeting with fellow writers from Staten Island and the discussion about eReader's became a topic with the most teeth for that day. Taking place in the Huguenot Library, surrounded by books, the Library manager had asked us what we thought of the future of libraries. He was referring to the hurricane of eReader's in the current market. eBooks will be outselling traditional books for eternity, but the question is, will traditional books go extinct?

This past week, my son played hours and hours of Angry Bird's on the Kindle Fire. I watch a TV show from the 90's called Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman). Regina was able to get caught up on Tudors, which is also a TV program. On an eReader!!! I have read a total of 1 book on that eReader and I think Regina has read a couple. In the meantime, I'm also reading Snuff, by Terry Pratchett (Hardcover). That is all I'm able to do with the book, so when I'm done reading it, I'll just put it on the shelf and may re-read it in a few years when my curiosity strikes.

It is because of that scenario that I rest my case. But, I digress...

You can cut down a tree, turn it into a bunch of books and after they are read (hopefully), and then they'll be put on a shelf taking up real estate. Not all eReader's can do everything described above, to be honest. If you were to be lucky enough to have an iPad 2, you'd be able to do that and more. The versatility of the eReader is causing many trees to breathe a sigh of relief.

The nail in the coffin comes down to economics. I have hundreds of hardcover and softcover books in my library. My shelves are no longer organized. Books have filled up the shelf to the point where other books sit on top of those books, as well as in front of them.

At an average of $20 per book, I must have spent around $4,000 dollars.

An eReader can cost about $300 - $500. An eBook can go anywhere from 99 cents to $20. At a greater up front cost, over time the eReader will save you money. And that is just from a book perspective. Try reading your favorite cancelled TV Show on a hardcover. Try playing your most addictive mobile game on a paperback or a magazine. Try ordering a pizza from your telephone book.

Above all, enjoy reading. It's just something to think about.