Thanks to everyone who has offered up informed advice, hopeful suggestions, and strongly worded remonstrations on my ongoing tech problems. The battle continues on two fronts. First, there’s the internet issues with my new Macbook. Despite repeated attempts to log on to my home network (I can make a connection just fine at work), I keep getting the “This computer was unable to join the AirPort network you selected. You may have entered an incorrect password…” message. My online tech support suggested I try changing the network name and password – which I’ve been reluctant to do since, the way my luck has been going, it’ll no doubt end up screwing the internet capabilities of the laptops that CAN still get a connection. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll give it a try later tonight, but only after I’ve uploaded this entry. If no comments are approved after this entry is published, you can be sure I’m royally screwed.
Then, there’s the issues with my damn Blackberry. This one is particularly infuriating because, unlike my laptop, I can’t use the damn thing. Oh, sure, I can scroll up and down and side to side, but I can’t click down on the trackball. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I CAN click down on the trackball, but it requires me to set the tip of a pen against it and then press down with my full body weight. Needless to say it’s a highly inconvenient method of communication. I was at Fuel last night and Tom informed me that he experienced the very same problem. And so had a number of his friends. And so had A LOT of other people as my subsequent online research revealed. Apparently, it’s a problem with the hardware, NOT the software (as my cell phone provider would have me believe). Unfortunately, the phone is over a year old and no longer under warranty so my only options are to: a) purchase a new phone and start a new contract, or b) suck it.
I figured that, after my many years as a Rogers customer, I would be rewarded for my loyalty and offered some sort of deal. Perhaps a discount on an iPhone? Some free weekends on my new contract? A coupon for a free McChicken if I purchase a sandwich of equal or greater value? Nope, sorry. Longtime Rogers customers aren’t as important as relatively new customers who have less than a year remaining on their contracts. THEIR business, Rogers wants to keep. YOUR business – they‘ve already got. What’re you gonna do? Well, like I said, you can purchase a new phone at full price and sign up for another three year contract (and hope the same thing doesn’t happen to you a year from now) or you can suck it. Or…
You can pay a penalty and take your business elsewhere, see what kind of deals a rival cell phone provider can offer that will hopefully offset the cost of breaking your contract. And, if you’re feeling pissed off enough, start a contest on your blog that would automatically enter anyone who drops Rogers in favor of a rival provider in a draw to win a round-trip airfare for two to anywhere in the world of the winner’s choosing. And offer a similar incentive to anyone willing to drop Blackberry for an iPhone. Also, new customers who sign up for an internet provider OTHER THAN Rogers or purchase an iPhone over a Blackberry would also be eligible. I haven’t quite worked out the details, but give me a couple of days.
And, of course, Rogers and Blackberry can suck it instead.
Hey, Stargate science consultant Mika McKinnon () will be giving a talk next week about working as a science consultant, science in science fiction, and the science portrayed in Stargate. If you’re interested, head on over:
Monday, 3pm, running at least 15 min but not more than 1 hr.
Earth & Ocean Sciences seminar room (EOS-Main 330A), UBC campus
A reminder to all you Book of the Month club participants who read Emissaries from the Dead and have questions for the author – Post ‘em! You have until tomorrow night!
Mailbag:
JYS writes: “I found out about the closure too on facebook…sucks…cause I never got a chance to try the duck or belly confit.”
Answer: There’s still time. You have about three weeks until the changeover. And I’m sure there’s a strong possibility the duck and the belly confit will make an appearance on the new menu at some point.
Ron writes: “So theoretically dialing the gate while in the sun would have worked but Rush somehow managed to stop them?”
Answer: Rush may have been able to pull one over on Telford and his crew, but it’s unlikely he would be able to do the same to Eli who is in a better position to check and either confirm or deny Rush’s assertion.
PoorOldEdgarDerby writes: “Who has you beat on Fuel visits?”
Answer: Some guy who used to go in for lunch all the time (I personally think dinners should count for more). Anyway, I went in for my own lunch visit today and tied him. One more visit should put me over the top.
Flygirl writes: “No Fuel?!! What will we do?!! It’s always one of my first stops, when I’m in Vancouver! Rats! It’s those darn protesters fault!”
Answer: Ha, I guarantee that the protesters are deluded enough to think this was all them. But fear not, Flygirl. The reimagined Fuel will be taking its place and I’m confident the food will be a terrific as ever.
Jmanzione writes: “Regarding Fuel; the name change, menu change, and emphasis on “more affordable” tells me that your city, and probably your country, is being hit with the same economic destruction that the USA is experiencing and at least your friends at Fuel still have a company and their employees won’t be tossed to the curb.”
Answer: That’s it, I suspect. All of the city’s fine dining establishments have taken a hit and several have shut down operations entirely.
Paloosa writes: “Since Destiny is elderly, will there be some breakdowns now that the crew is taxing its systems?
Can “Time” be considered a stand alone episode?
Will there ever be an episode where the crew of the Destiny can rally against something together, instead of against each other?”
Answers: 1) Possibly. 2) Yes. 3) I’d say they rallied together at the end of Earth with Brody and Volker following Rush’s plan to rid Destiny of Telford and co.
Cat writes: “I am saddened to hear of Fuel’s closing also. Unfortunately I’ve never been, as it’s a bit out of my price range, but I had been planning on selecting it for my celebration dinner when I finally complete my undergrad (the parents would foot the bill for the meal in that case).”
Answer: The reimagined Fuel will be more casual and more affordable from what I hear, so you can still check it out.
Matt Boesch writes: “at the end of justice will we see a to be continue logo?”
Answer: Nope. You’ll just have to trust us!
Anais33 a ecrit: “=) je veux posé des questions à Maximus!
1) Où êtes vous née?
2) Avez vous eu dàja des disputes avec vos camarades chiens? Qui? et pourquoi?
3) Que pensez vous de Joseph?”
Maximus repond: 1) Calgary, Alberta. Canada.
2) Oui. Brie. Et Lulu des fois. Elles sont mechantes.
3) Il est toujours en retard avec mon dîner!
Flappo writes: “So may I ask what Animes do you watch?”
Answer: The last two I watched were Death Note and When They Cry, both of which I enjoyed. Some of my faves include: Berserk, Cowboy Bebop, Now and Then Here and There, Utena, Ninja Scroll, Read or Die, Samurai 7, Samurai Champloo, Kino’s Journey, Last Exile, Azumanga Daioh, Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Excel Saga, Infinite Ryvius, Patlabor, Love Hina, Video Girl Air.
Extra Ordinary Teenager writes: “Hey Joe, what is the episode composition for sgu? is it still 5 acts and the tease like sga?”
Answer: Yes, same as it was for both SGA and SG-1.
Anubis91 writes: “I would like to know if we could see those “un”official lists of adress that has been done in the past ?”
Answer: I’ll look into it for you.
Shelsfc writes: “any chance we might see you make an appearance there btw? It’s apparently gonna be the last Gatecon “
Answer: It always comes down to scheduling for me.
D writes: “A) Why did you chose to put this type of content in the Kino videos, and why wasn’t more of this type of content included in the show?
B) Since these first intro episode are about the audience getting to know the ship and cast why aren’t we seeing a bit more of how they’re setting up life out there and learning to live around the technology of the ship (beyond just *it’s broken right now*):
Picking rooms, morning exercise routines, exploring places like the medlab, making revelations about the ancients, etc.”
Answers: A) Some of this content has been incorporated into the show (Darkness comes to mind and this week’s episode, Time, is a great example).
B) We’ve already done a fair amount of set-up and will be exploring how the crew is settling into their new lives over the course of this season.
Bailey writes: “Closing Fuel and opening a new restaurant with the same owners is wierdly like how Stargate was “reopened” with SGU.
Hope you like the new place.”
Answer: Oh, I know I will. But, in the unlikely event I don’t, I’ll demand changes and if they don’t come about instantly, I’ll organize a boycott and try to shut them down – just for spite J
Simon writes: “1) What’s the deal with the one worded titles this season? Not complaning, just curious as to what the insperation was behind that chose.
2) I know this has been asked COUNTLESS times, but, when are talks with MGM about the SG1/SGA movie going to continue?
3) How many Nic Rush-centered episodes are we going to see this season?
4) Will we see who/what attacked the Destiny? And does it involve ‘the pod’ from ”AIR (3)”?”
Answers: 1) I suggested one word titles for season one, hoping we would do two word titles for season two. So far, the two word titles thing hasn’t exactly caught on.
2) There are no “talks”. It’s up to the studio to decide when the movies move forward.
3) Depends what you mean by Rush-centered. If you’re talking specifically Rush-centered, only one comes to mind: Human.
4) Stay tuned.
DasNdanger writes: “Joe – quick question about Fuel. jmanzione did a good job at pointing out the probable economic reasons for the change, but do you think such things as the foie gras protesters had any bearing on their decision?”
Answer: Not at all considering the fact that foie will no doubt be on the new menu as well.
Scary writes: “# 1 Does the SG1 movie have a title like SGA does?
# 2 When you get the “call” do you think that both movies will be made at the same time or will they only make one at a time?
# 3 How long do you think you will get to shoot each movie?
# 4 Who is tentatively slated to direct each movie?”
Answers: 1) Stargate: Revolution
2) I wouldn’t even dare hazard a guess.
3) 3-4 weeks for each movie would be great.
4) I know that Andy Mikita is slated to direct Stargate: Extinction.
Melendwyrwrites: “What were the most important scenes from the first six episodes of SGU?”
Answer: That’s a matter of opinion. The examples you gave from other shows are not moments I would consider “important” in comparison to others.
Earndoggy writes: “What exactly is time shifting? If that means recording it and then watching it later….”
Answer: That’s exactly what it means. And Maximus says hi!
C. writes: “1. How do the Kino webisodes fit with the show’s continuity?”
Answer: Some kino scenes will be episode-specific while others will be more general. They’re added material so, no, you don’t have to watch them to follow what’s going on in the show – however, they do offer insight into ship life and certain characters that someone who only watches the episodes won’t be privy to.
2. I’m really liking Becker and an IMDB search tells me Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman had a role as unnamed server on the SG-1 episode “Momento Mori.” It took me a little while to remember that was the one where Vala lost her memory and was working at a restaurant — which is I’m assuming where he played that character.
Did you guys notice that once you cast Bowyer-Chapman and could Becker be considered the same character?”
Answer: Nope. He got the role based on his audition.
Montrealer writes: “Is the remaining episodes similar to aired episode arc? Or will the look and feel of the show changes?”
Answer: As I’ve been saying, the next three episodes to the mid-season break (and the four following) are terrific and definitely more action-oriented featuring alien encounters, ship to ship battles, the shuttle in action, suspense, intrigue, and double-crosses. It all starts this Friday night with Robert C. Cooper’s masterpiece Time.
Sheryl writes: “Hey Joe, did ya get the chustnuts?”
Answer: Hey, Sheryl. Yes, and thanks! They were a hit in the office.
DasNdanger writes: “Speaking of which – you said last year that you would be heading back Sushi Kanesaka this year? Any plans of doing so?”
Answer: Although it’s not on my itinerary, I think I might.
Daniel Hardy writes: “My question would be, obviously you’ve spoken about how there have been a lot of changes from how SG-1 and SGA where written/produced/shot etc, are these things you know look back and thing, “wow, we should have been doing it this way all along.”
Answer: Oh, sure. I enjoy the cohesiveness and running throughlines of SGU and, while we did a bit of that in SG-1 and SGA, I think both shows could have benefited from more sustained arcs.
Tammy Dixon writes: “ Condolences on the loss of Fuel. I hope all the staff have found other positions?”
Answer: Same positions. Same place. Just a different concept for the restaurant.
Guy writes: “ It’s the responsibility of people in the United States to voice their opinions.”
Answer: Really? It’s a responsibility to have an opinion on everything? So you’re suggesting it’s un-American to NOT comment on the heavy-set guy wearing the orange shorts sitting across from you on the bus?
Guy also writes: “The show is rather flat, and that’s not a personal opinion, that’s an opinion of someone who has done a decent amount of acting, and has written a few skits…”
Answer: Alright, so now that we’ve established you’re expert credentials, go on…
Guy also writes: “Being “argumentative” means you argue with facts, and logic. Being “verbally aggressive” means you attack people and their ideas.”
Answer: Ideas are off-limits? Ideas as in “ideas we have for the show and write into scripts” or “ideas everyone else has like, say, an opinion on an idea we had that we incorporated into the show”? Also, saying you like or dislike something is an opinion – which you’re of course entitled to, but I hardly see how an opinion ca be grounded in logic. You’re baking analogy is all well and good, but it doesn’t deal in facts. I mean, you can say you feel the characters aren’t compelling and I can disagree and say I feel they are compelling, but I don’t think either of us have logic or facts on our side.
Guy also writes: “And the portrayal of the women characters seems to non-verbally say, that Chloe likes to have sex…”
Answer: Yes, Chloe seems to enjoy sex. And, from all indications, so do Scott, Young, and James. And, I’m willing to bet, a lot of people, some of whom ARE women.
Guy also writes: “… …”, Young’s wife is willing to have sex with some strange body (because remember, she sees Telford, not Young like we do)…”
Answer: True, but the individual occupying the body is no stranger to her. It’s her husband.
Guy also writes: “…Wray is passed over for promotions in the I.O.A.”
Answer: So what? You only assume it’s because she’s a woman in an effort to shoe horn this example into your argument. There is no indication that was the case.
MrsB. writes: “Will Rush develop a soft spot for any of the crew members? Or have a single friendly encounter with anyone that turns around on him, sending him further into his shell?”
Answer: We’ll be exploring Rush’s vulnerabilities (and his backstory) in the second half of season one.
Cook66 writes: “I wonder… Did any of the other shows, or any shows, ever create as much hostility?”
Answer: Oh, yeah. SG-1: shippers vs. non-shippers, fans upset at Daniel Jackson’s departure, the rise of the anti-Jonas faction, complaints of not enough team, complaints of not enough gate travel, complaints of too many Earth-based episodes, Carter fans vs. Vala fans, Carter fans vs. Mitchell fans, fans who hated seasons 9 and 10 because they felt it was no longer Stargate. Atlantis: Fans upset at Weir’s departure, fans upset at Beckett’s departure, fans upset at Carter’s inclusion, the anti-Keller faction, complaints of not enough team, complaints of not enough gate travel, complaints of too much emphasis on McKay/Keller. Those are just some of the lightning rod issues I can remember off the top of my head. Scifi fans are, by their very nature, extremely passionate about their shows.
Belouchi writes: “Thanks for answering my questions. I was wondering if you know any good restaurants in Boston because I’m planning a little romantic get away with my girlfriend.”
Answer: Sorry, I’m unfamiliar with the Boston restaurant scene. Hop on Chowhound and get some recommendations.
ACW writes: “Which I would certainly expect you to dispute, but please do so on your own (or your colleagues’) behalf, rather than claming to be defending the actress.”
Answer: My original comment was not a defense of the actress. Feel free to read it.
ACW also writes: “But no, calling Lt. James “Lt. Rack” (which I note has happened less since the writers started to let her keep her uniform on, and occasionally to do something non-rack-related even if it’s still All About The Guy) is not demeaning Julia Benson, any more than calling Lt. Uhura “Lt. Hailing Frequencies” would be demeaning Nichellle Nichols.”
Answer: You’re kidding, right? The first is a reference to the actress’s physical attributes. The latter is a reference to the character. It’s no different than someone criticizing a scene for being racist while using racist terminology to make his point. Like I said, by doing so you risk not being taken seriously. You can feel free to disagree and assume people will respect your opinion regardless but I made the point as a result of what I was seeing and not simply stating a personal preference.
Hithere writes: “We’ve seen in SG-1’s S09E20 ‘Camelot’ an emulator of the subspace link generated by the stones which showed an analog signal. Now, I’m going to take this as intended cannon for my next question.
Why don’t they constantly interrupt the signal in order to send a data stream?”
Answer: 1) They don’t know how to use the stones to transmit a data stream and 2) What exactly would they be sending?
DP writes: “Is Rush’s name a tribute to the band?”
Answer: No.
Candace writes: “So okay…I still loved it…but I never remember hating a book so much at one point…LOL”
Answer: Given your response, I can’t wait to hear your reaction to the end of the next book. My advice is to make sure there are no toss-worthy hot beverages within reach.