Chaos Magnet

Are video games better SF vehicles than movies?

I've been wondering about this for a while. I'm not really a gamer, but that's only because of lack of time. (And I'm still waiting for Star Wars: Galaxies to finish downloading updates. I installed it on Sunday night, and it says it'll be done Wednesday afternoon. Damn dial-up.) But there's something about good science fiction and fantasy that's immersive, or that feels like it should be. So are video games a better forum for SF than films?

Where the Patriot Act falls short

I hate to sound cynical, but isn't it a sweet deal for Senators that they blocked the unreformed Patriot Act last year, thereby seeming to be on the side of civil liberties, but are now set to pass it almost unchanged, thereby staying on the Administration's good side? The bill still lacks basic protections for our freedom and civil liberties. Please write your Senator about it.

Star Wars Galaxies, here I come!

I'm so excited! Yesterday Sarah got me the Star Wars Galaxies Starter Kit. I've been dying to play this game for ages, and now I can. Well, when I can carve out some time. Which I will. Soon.

The only question is whether I can play it on my excruciatingly slow connection. Until I can get satellite, I'm still stuck with a dial-up connection that, on a good day, gets up to 33K. Anybody ever tried to play on a connection that slow? Is it even possible?

Wikipedia caught up in cartoon madness

Never discuss religion and politics. Yeah, right. Rogers Cadenhead points out that Wikipedia is now embroiled in the mess over the Mohammed cartoons. I undestand that Muslims don't want people to make images. I understand that they don't want to see images. But when I read a comment like "Every time I enter the page I click as fastly as I can to the 'discussion' to don't see the cartoon," I have to wonder: who's holding a gun to your head and making you come to this page?

I mean, really, it's not like it's on the main page of the site, after all.

The top 10 sci-fi movies never made

Well, things are finally starting to settle down, thank goodness. Enough for me to catch my breath a little, at least. Here's a bit of fun: The 10 Best Sci-Fi Films that Never Existed. I'd put Firefly on that list, but I'm not over Serenity yet.

The week from hell

Oh sure, everybody TALKS about the week from hell. But this has got to be it. Reality check:

Sunday: The father of the two children my wife and I care for is rushed back to the hospital from the nursing home.
Monday: My son Sean announces that it looks like he's going to Iraq.
Tuesday: Our Yorkie coughs up blood. An emergency trip to the vet confirms that he's fine.
Wednesday: Both children have a fever. After confirming that despite our best efforts to get the Florida social services system moving, they STILL don't have insurance, take them to their old doctor, 50 miles away.
Thursday: Discover that my computer is loaded with viruses, worms, and other malware. Spend the entire day (and most of the next day) trying to get it cleaned up.
Friday: Take the girls down to the hospital to see their dad, who decides it's time to level with them about the seriousness of his illness.
Saturday: Walk out to the barn to discover that the German Shepherd has eaten half a box of rat poison. An emergency trip to the vet confirms that she's also fine.

Could it have been worse? Of course it could.

But I agree with Sarah, who says she doesn't want to get up tomorrow ...