Stephen Hart
2004-08-06 20:20:42 UTC
Hi Don,
In a msg of <04 Jul 04>, Spamthis!***@jksrv.Com wrote:
Sm> ...and in the spirit of taking a while to reply, we bring you this brief
Hey, I'm certainly your equal in being slow at writing replies. In a
way I even have you beat, what with my occasionally stooping to
writing short messages about why I am not writing messages. :-/
Sm> interruption while I take a few moments away from trying to prep two
Sm> 20-year-old pseudo-sports cars for a 5,000km road trip which takes place
Sm> in two weeks. ;-)
So, how did the trip go?
Also, what's this about prepping two cars? I remember you were
thinking about "his and hers" cars to match the "his and hers"
motorcycles, but did you really drive separate cars on a road trip?
Sm> well?
I do have an almost Olympic-level talent for using the wrong
interpretation, given half a chance. So, I'll take partial blame.
OTOH, your wording was a little vague...
In a msg of <27 Apr 04>, Spamthis!***@jksrv.Com wrote:
Sm> Apparently where they are it's illegal to purchase, "import,"
Sm> or own sex toys or any media which may be considered to be
Sm> pornographic. This includes satellite/cable providers.
Since you were talking about "media containing pornography", I
thought you were including satellite/cable providers in that list of
media.
...Eventually I started thinking that I must have misunderstood
and I quoted what you had written back to Joe asking if anyone had a
clarification; In my defense, no one was confident enough to tell me
that I was using the wrong interpretation.
Who knows, perhaps I was providing too much entertainment? What can I
say, other than noting that these days echo moderators really have to
lower themselves to generate message traffic. ;-)
Sm> As I understand it subscribing to satellite or cable services in
Sm> general is not prohibited--the providers are apparently not allowed
to
Sm> make dedicated "adult" programming available to their customers however.
Yeah, that was the "other" interpretation. :-) ...In passing, you
may have noticed that Joe has heard that Georgia enacted the same sort
of law that your friend in Alabama mentioned.
of
Sm> time I'm afraid. Though I'm guessing that it is completely unrelated
to
Sm> the Piers Anthony book of the same name. :-)
Yes, you're right. It's SF with a "western" theme, with the main
characters riding around the edge of civilized space in a
"Firefly-class transport" space ship.
...Meanwhile, I
think I now know why I had a "problem" with it. Whedon is really big
on artistic stuff like "story arcs" and it looks like you really need
to see _Firefly_ episodes in proper order to appreciate the series.
Oh, I forgot to mention that there are some very nice special effects
that are used in a subtle way.
The episodes I've seen did look pretty good. It's a darned shame that
I became pretty much "Trekked out" after about the second season of
ST Deep Space Nine.
Sm> Though now that Witchblade is carried
by
Sm> something other than HBO, I do find myself watching it from time-to-time.
I've seen a few episodes, and I'll watch it if I'm home and there are
no good movies. I think it may be another case where I'd like it more
if I'd watched the series through from the beginning.
Sm> Mind you Witchblade to me hovers more on the blurry line of sci/fi-fantasy
Sm> than it is true s/f.
What with a possible reincarnation of Joan of Arc and a bracelet that
magically turns into a armor gauntlet and sword, I'd say that
_Witchblade_ pretty much qualifies as Urban Fantasy. Nice show.
In passing, I think that in rec.arts.sf.written they use SF as meaning
Speculative Fiction. Being behind the times, I still tend to think of
Science Fiction and Fantasy as two separate things. These days, tho,
maintaining that arbitrary division is certainly becoming more
difficult.
Getting back to talking about television, we'll have to compare notes
after the fall season starts. At present, I don't even know what new
shows are in the works.
Sm> ...and speaking of s/f, I find myself intensely curious about Will Smith's
Sm> new movie "I, Robot." Mostly in terms of whether or not there is much
Sm> correlation between the movie and Asimov's novel. Then again never
having
Asimov's _I,_Robot_ was a collection of short stories with a common
theme. According to posts in "r.a.sf.w", the movie has more in common
with later "Robot" novels and "Robot and Empire" novels. ...I'll
probably wait until the movie makes it to broadcast television.
of
Sm> people on the road think that they're an above-average driver" though,
and
Sm> how a similar one may apply here. Then again when it comes to television
Sm> audiences, is there really an "above" and a "below" average watcher,
or
Sm> just "not average"?
Good point. ;-) Lord knows, some educated folk might think that
people watching a lot of SF and Fantasy are silly or whatever...
a
Sm> glorious 15 minutes to some. I must admit that part of me does enjoy
Sm> watching things like Fear Factor once in a while. Mostly to see what
sort
Sm> of loony-tunes "stunts" they have the contestants performing, but also
to
Hey, every one to their own.
Sm> Well I think the coffee has finally engaged. That must mean it's time
for
Thanks for spending some time "here" during your break. As usual, I
enjoyed your message.
Sm> me to head back out in to the garage, and continue persuading some old
Sm> brake parts to start behaving as though they're new brake parts. Will
Sm> someone please remind me why we thought that moving the date of our
road
Sm> trip from late-August to mid-July was a good idea??? :-/
Interesting question. Do you guys like hot weather? Or, do you want
to give your car(s) are real endurance test?
Anyway, I hope the trip went well.
...Meanwhile, it looks like the idea of having a little
Net249 reunion this year has fallen by the wayside. I dunno? Was it
predicated on our offering "free food" after looting the old Cost
Reduction Plan bank account, or some such thing?
TTYL, ...Steve
-
Strip mining prevents forest fires.
In a msg of <04 Jul 04>, Spamthis!***@jksrv.Com wrote:
Sm> ...and in the spirit of taking a while to reply, we bring you this brief
Hey, I'm certainly your equal in being slow at writing replies. In a
way I even have you beat, what with my occasionally stooping to
writing short messages about why I am not writing messages. :-/
Sm> interruption while I take a few moments away from trying to prep two
Sm> 20-year-old pseudo-sports cars for a 5,000km road trip which takes place
Sm> in two weeks. ;-)
So, how did the trip go?
Also, what's this about prepping two cars? I remember you were
thinking about "his and hers" cars to match the "his and hers"
motorcycles, but did you really drive separate cars on a road trip?
...Leaving aside things like the U.S. Bill of Rights, I cannot
believe major U.S. corporations would allow an area where it was against
the law to own a satellite dish or subscribe to cable. Forget about
personal freedoms, you're talking about about denying corporations their
right to advertise and sell their products!
Sm> Hmmm, am I reading this wrong, or was my last message not worded verybelieve major U.S. corporations would allow an area where it was against
the law to own a satellite dish or subscribe to cable. Forget about
personal freedoms, you're talking about about denying corporations their
right to advertise and sell their products!
Sm> well?
I do have an almost Olympic-level talent for using the wrong
interpretation, given half a chance. So, I'll take partial blame.
OTOH, your wording was a little vague...
In a msg of <27 Apr 04>, Spamthis!***@jksrv.Com wrote:
Sm> Apparently where they are it's illegal to purchase, "import,"
Sm> or own sex toys or any media which may be considered to be
Sm> pornographic. This includes satellite/cable providers.
Since you were talking about "media containing pornography", I
thought you were including satellite/cable providers in that list of
media.
...Eventually I started thinking that I must have misunderstood
and I quoted what you had written back to Joe asking if anyone had a
clarification; In my defense, no one was confident enough to tell me
that I was using the wrong interpretation.
Who knows, perhaps I was providing too much entertainment? What can I
say, other than noting that these days echo moderators really have to
lower themselves to generate message traffic. ;-)
Sm> As I understand it subscribing to satellite or cable services in
Sm> general is not prohibited--the providers are apparently not allowed
to
Sm> make dedicated "adult" programming available to their customers however.
Yeah, that was the "other" interpretation. :-) ...In passing, you
may have noticed that Joe has heard that Georgia enacted the same sort
of law that your friend in Alabama mentioned.
The recent SF show that surprised me was Joss Whedon's _Firefly_, tho
this may seem a "left-handed compliment". Any time I've seen a new
episode, I've been impressed by the writing and fairly impressed by the
acting. What surprised me was that, when I happen to watch television
onthis may seem a "left-handed compliment". Any time I've seen a new
episode, I've been impressed by the writing and fairly impressed by the
acting. What surprised me was that, when I happen to watch television
a night when a _FireFly_ rerun airs, I have absolutely no desire to watch
the episode a second time.
Sm> I've seen it in the listings, but never landed on it for any lengththe episode a second time.
of
Sm> time I'm afraid. Though I'm guessing that it is completely unrelated
to
Sm> the Piers Anthony book of the same name. :-)
Yes, you're right. It's SF with a "western" theme, with the main
characters riding around the edge of civilized space in a
"Firefly-class transport" space ship.
...Meanwhile, I
think I now know why I had a "problem" with it. Whedon is really big
on artistic stuff like "story arcs" and it looks like you really need
to see _Firefly_ episodes in proper order to appreciate the series.
Oh, I forgot to mention that there are some very nice special effects
that are used in a subtle way.
So, what recent SF series have caught your eye?
Sm> Enterprise is probably "it".The episodes I've seen did look pretty good. It's a darned shame that
I became pretty much "Trekked out" after about the second season of
ST Deep Space Nine.
Sm> Though now that Witchblade is carried
by
Sm> something other than HBO, I do find myself watching it from time-to-time.
I've seen a few episodes, and I'll watch it if I'm home and there are
no good movies. I think it may be another case where I'd like it more
if I'd watched the series through from the beginning.
Sm> Mind you Witchblade to me hovers more on the blurry line of sci/fi-fantasy
Sm> than it is true s/f.
What with a possible reincarnation of Joan of Arc and a bracelet that
magically turns into a armor gauntlet and sword, I'd say that
_Witchblade_ pretty much qualifies as Urban Fantasy. Nice show.
In passing, I think that in rec.arts.sf.written they use SF as meaning
Speculative Fiction. Being behind the times, I still tend to think of
Science Fiction and Fantasy as two separate things. These days, tho,
maintaining that arbitrary division is certainly becoming more
difficult.
Getting back to talking about television, we'll have to compare notes
after the fall season starts. At present, I don't even know what new
shows are in the works.
Sm> ...and speaking of s/f, I find myself intensely curious about Will Smith's
Sm> new movie "I, Robot." Mostly in terms of whether or not there is much
Sm> correlation between the movie and Asimov's novel. Then again never
having
Asimov's _I,_Robot_ was a collection of short stories with a common
theme. According to posts in "r.a.sf.w", the movie has more in common
with later "Robot" novels and "Robot and Empire" novels. ...I'll
probably wait until the movie makes it to broadcast television.
I dunno? When you think about reality television and then consider some
of the talk shows, it's enough to make you worry about the mentality
ofof the talk shows, it's enough to make you worry about the mentality
the "average person". Since many people must be watching this stuff
inorder to justify advertising support, it is enough to scare me. (I know
that sounds a little too dramatic, but I really do wonder about the level
of intelligence of the average television viewer. Then, I worry about
exactly how many of these "average people" there are wandering around
loose.)
Sm> You and me both. I can't help but thinking about the statement "80%that sounds a little too dramatic, but I really do wonder about the level
of intelligence of the average television viewer. Then, I worry about
exactly how many of these "average people" there are wandering around
loose.)
of
Sm> people on the road think that they're an above-average driver" though,
and
Sm> how a similar one may apply here. Then again when it comes to television
Sm> audiences, is there really an "above" and a "below" average watcher,
or
Sm> just "not average"?
Good point. ;-) Lord knows, some educated folk might think that
people watching a lot of SF and Fantasy are silly or whatever...
'Course I also wonder about people who are willing to risk humiliation
toparticipate in a contest or a talk show, but there is no sense getting
into that question.
Sm> LOL 15 minutes of fame, even if on the Jerry Springer show, is stillinto that question.
a
Sm> glorious 15 minutes to some. I must admit that part of me does enjoy
Sm> watching things like Fear Factor once in a while. Mostly to see what
sort
Sm> of loony-tunes "stunts" they have the contestants performing, but also
to
Hey, every one to their own.
Sm> Well I think the coffee has finally engaged. That must mean it's time
for
Thanks for spending some time "here" during your break. As usual, I
enjoyed your message.
Sm> me to head back out in to the garage, and continue persuading some old
Sm> brake parts to start behaving as though they're new brake parts. Will
Sm> someone please remind me why we thought that moving the date of our
road
Sm> trip from late-August to mid-July was a good idea??? :-/
Interesting question. Do you guys like hot weather? Or, do you want
to give your car(s) are real endurance test?
Anyway, I hope the trip went well.
...Meanwhile, it looks like the idea of having a little
Net249 reunion this year has fallen by the wayside. I dunno? Was it
predicated on our offering "free food" after looting the old Cost
Reduction Plan bank account, or some such thing?
TTYL, ...Steve
-
Strip mining prevents forest fires.